And while I do agree that Balthazar cares more about Castiel than Castiel cares about Balthazar - I almost see it a bit like Castiel and Dean in reverse - the show did give me the impression that they were close, and that they had been close possibly since they were created

See, I can see how you can take that away and take the ship there, but I never really saw Cas/Bal that way. Because if they were THAT close all along, had THAT much history, then how could Bal fake his death and leave Cas alone for so long? AND act so blaze about the whole thing in The Third Man (ie. I mourned your death - oh, yeah, sorry about that, I had to...)

So, yeah, I don't think it's as strong as Dean/Cas in reverse. Cas and Bal have a bond, but not one I'd call profound, you know?

But I sympathise with how it must feel for your interpretation :( *hug*