The Beautifully Tortured

“Knock knock,” a familiar voice called out as the door to Castiel’s office opened. Turning in his chair, he found a pale, red-haired woman standing at the doorway, her hands carrying a hamper. “I brought you some lunch,” she smiled angelically.

The Doctor grinned at the sight of the female, beckoning her in and meeting her halfway across the room. “This is a rather pleasant surprise, Anna,” he stated as he pulled her into a tight embrace. “How’s work been?” he asked when their quick, but loving, embrace ended.

The woman wandered over to a large comfy couch at the edge of the room where she placed the basket on the small table next to it. As she unpacked their picnic she replied, “Exhausting would sum it up. But I only have two more late shifts before I’m back to my normal hours.” She beckoned Castiel over and the two sat in a comfortable silence as they ate, just like they would in their home.

Anna and Castiel met in college where they were both studying Psychology. The two were very alike; both quiet and reserved, but the redhead was warmer, more friendlier than the male. It had been difficult for him to fit in anywhere in life but Anna didn’t find the brunette ‘insensitive’, ‘rude’ or ‘strange’ like everyone else did. He was lucky to have found her.

It wasn’t long before the two had gotten an apartment together and carried on with their lives; Anna a mental health nurse and Castiel still training to be a psychotherapist. The couple were best friends, more like brother and sister, and even though they didn’t have much other family, they found comfort within each other.

“How many patients do you have this afternoon?” Anna asked before taking a sip of water.

“Two. My next appointment should be here any minute, that’s if he’s decided to show up,” the Doctor mused with a roll of his eyes, causing the woman next to him to chuckle as she packed up. Once they had cleaned up their picnic, Castiel walked his friend out the door where he found Dean sitting, his head turning to see the pair.

“I’ll see you at home, Castiel,” Anna smiled, placing a kiss on the Doctor’s cheek then walking away. As she passed Dean, the male smirked at the woman, saying a “hey” that was full of seduction. However, Anna’s response was obviously not what the patient had expected. Instead of the female fawning over him, she laughed and shook her head, clearly not interested.

“Dean?” Dr Novak announced, taking the shocked man’s attention back to the real world. He stepped back and gestured for Dean to come into the office before closing the door behind him. They sat on the same chairs as they had the previous session, and just as the Doctor was about to ask how Dean was, the burly man interjected.

“So Castiel, who’s the smokin’ hot redhead?” Dean questioned with a devilish grin on his chiselled face, either from seeing a glimpse into the Doctor‘s personal life or learning his first name.

Letting out a heavy sigh he sternly replied, “No concern of yours.” But of course, Dean wasn’t going to give up that easily.

“Is she your girlfriend? She is, isn‘t she? Come on, Cas, you can tell me,” the man pushed.

“Not that it’s any business of yours, but no, she isn’t. Now can we get on with today’s sess-”

“Bet you wanna piece of that, though,” Dean winked, clearly trying to have a joke with the serious man, much to Castiel’s annoyance.

Another deep sigh was released as Dr Novak answered, “She’s not my type, Dean.” After a moment, he spoke again. “But it’s clear to see that you really like women, even those who are hard to get. Why do you think that is?”

“Well Doc, they’re attractive and I like a challenge,” Dean said matter-of-factly with a shrug of his shoulders.

Nodding his head, Castiel went on. “You haven’t spoken about a girlfriend or wife in the past so I take it you’re single, which begs the question, what do you look for in a woman?”

Dr Novak waited patiently for a reply, the only response for the moment being a grunt however, after a few minutes of quiet, the patient finally spoke up. “I dunno, sex appeal?” he snorted superficially but as Castiel stared hard at him, wanting a better answer, the brown haired man uttered a real description. “Someone with personality, who’s able to make me at ease in any situation. Really, just someone who can put up with my shit.”

The Doctor noted how Dean’s eyes dulled, filling with sadness as he said the last sentence. It was a sight Castiel hadn’t truly seen before and it unnerved him slightly. But he was getting something out of the man, something deeper than his usual sarcasm, and he wanted to gain as much information as possible therefore he continued with his questions.

“Can you tell me about your longest relationship?”

Castiel kept his eyes on Dean, looking for any sign of discomfort or anger and waited patiently for the reply. He didn’t know what to expect, if there ever was a ‘relationship’ or if they were all one night stands. He knew the green-eyed man was a player; it was written all over him. He had the looks and an arrogant personality to match.

“Lisa,” Dean sighed, looking anywhere but at the Doctor. “We were together for about a year or somethin’.”

“Would you mind telling me what happened?”

Dr Novak didn’t think he would receive an answer, not when all he heard in reply was a groan followed by silence. That was until Dean looked up at him, slight irritation in his expression as he clenched his jaw.

“Things were going great but I guess… I guess I got scared. See Doc, things usually don’t go my way. When I have somethin’ good in my life, I usually end up ruining it. I didn’t want to hurt her so I left. That’s the only relationship I’ve ever had, and probably the only one I ever will.”

The doctor couldn‘t stop the next question from slipping past his lips. “Do you think your inability to hold a healthy relationship has something to do with the loss of your mother or how unstable your father was?”

The room was filled with silence as Dean was hushed by the question, almost making the Doctor want to gloat or hide. Castiel watched as every glimmer of light vanished from his patient’s green eyes, rage taking its place.

“Are we done?” he asked, his expression severe and his tone even harsher.

“I’ll see you next week.” Castiel hardly got to finish his sentence before the door to his office was opened and slammed shut.