Fic: Return (2/2)
Aug. 31st, 2011 08:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dauntperplexityTitle: Return (2/2)
Author: DauntPerplexity
Rating: PG 13
Genre: Gen, preslash, AR
Characters and/or Pairing: Balthazar, Castiel, Dean, Sam
Spoilers: Balthazar
Warnings: nudity ?
Word Count: 9950
Summary: The hunt here is finished. You and your brother have this motel for a few more days, so take the opportunity to just sleep. You look like you need it.
Author’s Note: This fic was written for the Everlasting Birthday Challenge at deancastiel. Here is the prompt: Castiel doesn't meet Dean until he's already been turned human. Not-quite-2014!Cas absentmindedly saves Dean's life on a hunt gone wrong, and Dean is determined to return the favor. And they somehow still end up all Team Free Will-y.
Author’s Note #2: So, in this story, Balthazar takes Castiel’s place in season 4 as the Winchester’s ally. Also, this story takes place sometime in season 5.
[Part 1]
Dean may not have said it, but every hunt that he went on after that, he had hoped that at some point, he’d come across Castiel again. But the hunts were either so easy that Castiel probably didn’t bother, or whatever was messing with the town was already taken care of by the time they got there.
Dean hated that he always seemed to be one step behind the guy. There was something about Castiel that he wasn’t able to let it go. From what Balthazar told him, he had a connection to the other man, but he knew that Balthazar still kept a few details from him.
Almost two months after the last time they had seen Castiel, Dean was starting to give up hope of ever seeing him again.
To get his mind off of how disappointed he was about it. A hunt turned up a couple of states away and Sam and Dean decided to take it. A basement of vampires was terrorizing a town in Indiana.
It didn’t take long for them to find the vampires. They saw that there were at least a dozen of them staying at the house they found. It wasn’t exactly the best odds for them, but they went in without another thought. They wanted to get rid of them and make sure no one else in the town got hurt.
Armed with machetes and crossbows, they got rid of all the vampires one by one. It was the best and smartest way for them to attack.
Once the last vampire they saw was beheaded, they began looking through all of the rooms in the house for thing they needed to kill, or anyone they could save. They found no one upstairs. They hoped that they wouldn’t find anyone else they had to kill downstairs.
They opened the door to the garage and found someone sitting in a chair. They inched toward the person, not knowing if he or she was a threat or not. The thought was quickly dispelled when they saw the man bound.
Dean recognized him before his brother could say anything. “Castiel?” he whispered. He rushed forward. “Cas?” he asked, this time more loudly. He tried to shake him awake.
Castiel groaned as he regained consciousness. “That’s not my name,” he hissed.
“What the hell happened?” Dean asked. He pulled out his lock picks and started to work on the cuffs on Castiel’s wrists. Sam started to cut at the ropes that bound his chest to the back of the chair. Dean saw Castiel start to nod off. “Hey,” he said, patting the man’s cheek.
“I’m awake,” Castiel mumbled. “Stretching my neck.”
“Okay,” Dean said. He unlocked the first cuff and moved to the other wrist. “How are you still alive?”
“I think they like the taste of my blood.”
“Really?” Sam asked. He wondered if there were still traces of Castiel as an angel in his blood.
“I’m pretty sure they don’t like my personality too much.”
“I don’t know why,” Dean said, not trying to hide his sarcasm.
“I may have been a little abrasive.”
“Just a little?” Dean said. He smiled. He could easily imagine how much trouble Castiel probably caused for the vampires.
“That’s what I said.”
“I heard you.”
Castiel let out a deep sigh, followed by a pained whimper. He quickly recovered. “So they’re dead?”
“Yeah.”
“All of them?”
“I think so.” At least, he hoped.
Castiel nodded once. He tried to stand up, but he looked down and saw that he was still bound to by the ankles. “You mind helping me out of here, fearless one.”
Dean raised his eyebrow. He had no idea where that name came from, but he was curious. “What are you talking about?
“I don’t know,” Castiel replied with a laugh. “I could be dreaming right now. Don’t take anything I’m saying seriously.” He bent down to try and untie his ankles, but Dean grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him to sit back.
“How did you get caught?” Sam asked, working on the ropes that kept Castiel’s ankles tied to the legs of the chair.
“More… more vampires than I anticipated.”
“How many did you anticipate?” Sam asked when he freed the man’s legs.
“Twelve?”
“So there were more than twelve vamps?” Dean asked. He wanted to compare notes. The number sounded right.
“A few more.”
“And you still went after them when you were that outnumbered?” Sam asked.
“Apparently. I thought that I was overshooting with twelve,” Castiel whispered. “You can imagine my surprise when I realized I had undershot.” Now that he thought about it, it was a little funny. He smiled.
“How long did they have you?”
“Went after them on… March 4th? Fifth?” he said, not sure. “What’s today?”
“They’ve had you for more than two weeks,” Dean whispered. He was quite surprised that Castiel was still alive, or at least not a vampire. Vampires weren’t really known for using the same person as a food supply. Especially one to feed more than twelve.
“Huh,” Castiel whispered. “Felt longer. Well, I’m fine now. Just tell me that my bike is still outside and I’ll be on my merry way.” He let out a breath and braced himself on the chair. He tried to stand up. He was able to stand for a second before he looked like he was about to fall.
Dean took Castiel’s arm and put it over his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around his waist. He tried to ignore how small the other man was. “You’re not riding your bike.”
“I’m fine, Dean.”
“Are you really?” Dean challenged.
“Yes. So you can let go.”
“Sure thing.” Dean opened his arms and released Castiel and put some space between them.
Without Dean to help Castiel steady himself and take some of his weight, the smaller and injured man fell to the ground.
Sam looked back and saw Castiel on the floor. “Dean!” he yelled. He knew what his brother had done.
Dean shrugged. “He said he was fine.”
He glared at his brother. “It’s amazing that you two have the same definition of the word.” He knelt down next to Castiel and helped him to sit up. “Castiel, we’ll come back for your bike when you’ve recovered.”
Castiel shook his head and immediately regretted it. “Someone might steal it.”
“I don’t think anyone will,” Dean said.
“Better not.”
“I swear that no one in their right mind will steal your bike.”
Sam watched as one of Castiel’s arms wrapped around his middle. He made a note to check under it when they got him back to the motel. “We need to get him back so we can see how bad he’s hurt and fix him up.”
“Yeah. Sounds like a plan. You okay if we move you, Cas?”
“You’re going to move me regardless.”
“But I can be gentle.” Dean knelt down on the other side of Castiel and did wait for a response as he put Castiel’s arm over his shoulders again. He held Castiel and slowly stood the both of them up.
Castiel tucked his face into Dean’s shoulder, too weak to even think about moving. “Smells like dead vamps. Interesting.”
“Yeah, we’re leaving,” Dean said, figuring that Castiel was not in the right state of mind and needed medical attention as soon as possible.
“Sounds like a good plan,” Sam agreed. “I’ll go outside and make sure that we got rid of all of them.” Sam left the two of them without a word.
Dean slowly followed his brother’s path, making sure he wasn’t moving too fast for the injured man. He constantly looked over at Castiel and saw him leaning more and more into his side. “So, what are the chances of you losing consciousness?”
“Low,” he mumbled.
“Really? Why?”
“I spent more time asleep than awake in that place. I’m full of energy right now.”
“So then why am I pretty much carrying you right now?”
“Because energy is not the same thing as strength.”
“Cas,” Dean sighed.
“I would have gotten out of it eventually.”
“Or they would have killed you.”
“I don’t know. I’m a delicacy. They would’ve regretted killing me.” Castiel let out a deep exhale. “I wonder what would have happened if I actually died.”
“Well, no talking about that right now.”
They painstakingly made their way out of the house. Dean made sure that he didn’t more too fast for the injured man. Castiel tried to help Dean out, but he couldn’t do much.
“Right, positive thinking. Just help me to my bike, Dean.” He tired to lift his head and look toward where he parked it, but he wasn’t strong enough to.
“I will personally drive you back here when you’re able to sit on your bike.”
“You better.”
Dean saw his brother appear from the side of the house. Sam shook his head, and Dean knew that Castiel’s bike was not going to be ridden any time soon. Dean saw Sam hold up a duffel bag. Dean recognized it and was glad that Castiel didn’t lose everything in the hunt.
Dean continued to walk Castiel toward the Impala. He helped Castiel into the backseat of the Impala after Sam unlocked the doors. Dean adjusted the injured man so he could sit as comfortably as possible.
“No hospital,” Castiel mumbled.
“We know,” Sam replied.
“Just relax, Cas. We’re taking you back to the motel and we’ll fix you right up.” Dean waited for Casitel to say something, but when he looked back at the man and saw that he had either fallen asleep or passed out. He climbed out of the car and tossed his keys to his brother. “Drive,” he said and getting into the passenger seat of the car. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to drive since he was too concerned with the person in the back seat.
No words were exchanged between the brothers. The only sounds that filled the car were the rumble of the engine and Metallica low in the background.
When they got to the motel, Sam went straight to the room to get the supplies ready. Dean got into the backseat and sat next to Castiel. He put a hand on the sleeping man’s shoulder and shook it lightly. “Cas?” He didn’t get a reaction so he shook him a little harder. “Cas.”
After a minute of trying to coax the other man out of sleep, Castiel groaned. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in a car. “Where?”
“We’re back at the motel,” Dean answered.
“That was quick.”
“You slept the entire way.”
“And here I thought I had enough sleep for a lifetime.”
“Let’s get you inside.” Without warning, he put Castiel’s arm over his shoulder and helped him out of the car. He couldn’t ignore how loudly Castiel groaned when he did. “Sorry,” he whispered, remorseful.
“It’s all right,” Castiel whispered. He did as much as he could so that Dean didn’t have a difficult time pulling him out of the car. “Cold,” he said.
“Yeah. Just a couple more feet and you’ll be fine.” He took it one step at a time, making sure he wasn’t moving too fast. He knocked twice on the door and Sam pulled it open.
Without even consulting his brother, he sat Castiel down on his own bed. He reached up to start to unbutton the shirt he was wearing, but Castiel slapped his hands away.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“We need to see how bad you’re hurt.”
“No,” Castiel protested.
“Cas.”
“Not my name.”
“Just let us see if you need a hospital or not.”
“I don’t.”
Dean crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll be the judge of that,” he replied.
Castiel looked at Dean and knew that he wasn’t going to win the argument. But he was going to win something. “Fine,” he conceded. He did not like the role reversal between the two of them. “But I can undress myself.”
Dean nodded to agree. He sat down on Sam’s bed and watched Castiel like a hawk.
Castiel unbuttoned his shirt with shaky hands. He was slow, but he was determined to make a point. By the time he was able to shrug it off, his body was covered with a thin layer of sweat. He stood up to unbutton his pants.
Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. “Okay, stop.”
“What?” Castiel froze. “Why?”
“Lie down. You proved your point. Now let us help you.”
Castiel nodded once. He sat back down on the bed and slowly lied down. He turned his head to look at the brothers. “Thank you,” he whispered.
When Castiel was situated, Dean sat on the edge of the bed and unbuttoned Castiel’s pants. He pulled them down, leaving the boxers in tact. They would have stayed in tact if there weren’t a gash that started from his hipbone and disappeared under the waistband of his boxers. It looked deep and it could have been infected.
“Cas, I have to—”
“Go ahead,” Castiel said, somehow knowing what Dean was going to ask.
Dean pulled down Castiel’s boxers, leaving him naked on his bed. The cut went down his hipbone, down his thigh, and curved around the back of his leg. Dean rolled Castiel onto his side to see how bad it was. It stopped behind his knee.
“What happened to your back?” Sam asked, noticing the two parallel scars on his upper back.
“I fell,” he whispered. He curled in on himself.
Dean moved to stand next to his brother. He wanted to see what Sam was talking about. The scars were the same size and ran on either side of his spine. They looked fairly recent. “From what? The Empire State building?”
“My home.”
Dean unconsciously reached for the scars, running his fingers up and down them. Castiel shivered, but he didn’t say anything to stop Dean from touching. “And what are these cuts? Were rods put into your back or something?”
“Does it matter?”
Dean finally pulled away. “Not really.”
Castiel sighed, sinking into the mattress. “I feel naked.”
“Well, you are naked.”
“You’re taking advantage of my weakened state,” Castiel whispered.
“Maybe. Or maybe you’ve been wearing the same clothes for two weeks and you’re starting to smell.”
“Are you hurting?” Sam asked. He was ready to start bandaging up the injured person lying in his brother’s bed.
“Pain is such a weird concept.”
“I think he’s hurting. Cas, we’re gonna give you something for the pain, all right?”
He made a face of distaste when Dean cut his name in half again. He would have said something, but he knew that if it got into an argument, he would not stand a chance. “Whatever you say.”
“Before we start, you aren’t allergic to anything, are you?” Sam asked.
“We’ll find out.”
Sam looked at his brother. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with giving someone medication without knowing how he’d react. “Dean?”
“That’s the best answer you’re going to get from him.”
Sam nodded and reached into his duffel. He grabbed a bottle of pills and took a few out. He also grabbed a bottle of water. “Sit him up,” he said, walking back to the bed.
Dean pulled him up without much of a struggle. Sam put the two pills in one of Castiel’s hands and the bottle of water in the other.
“I don’t want drugs.”
“I don’t care,” Dean replied.
“Bossy.”
“You called me leader earlier.”
“I’m not exactly in the best state of mind right now.” Castiel let out a huff and his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Fine, leader.” He took the pills and swallowed them down with the water.
Dean grabbed the bottle out of Castiel’s hand and handed it back to his brother. He then settled Castiel back down on the bed. He and his brother were going to wait for the drugs to kick in before they did any fixing.
Castiel smiled and relaxed into the mattress. “You must really care about me,” he whispered, his tongue heavy and lips tingling.
“Why would you say that?” Sam asked.
“You guys gave me the good stuff,” Castiel replied with a grin plastered to his face. He let out a long breath. “Really good. I can tell.”
“I feel like this was not the best idea,” Sam said to his brother. He pulled more supplies that he’d need to wrap Castiel’s wounds out of his bag.
“Well, what else could we do? He was in a lot of pain.”
“He didn’t seem like it.”
He threw his arm over his eyes with a groan. “I want my bike,” he mumbled.
Dean rolled his eyes. He was hoping that he’d let the bike thing go. He didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was in pieces. “It’s right outside.”
Castiel flung his arm off of his face. He pointed to Dean, or at least, he tried. “Liar. You, Dean Winchester, are a liar.”
“Only when it matters.”
Castiel’s arm dropped to his side, too heavy for him to hold up. “I know.”
“What can I say, I’m not the greatest person in the world.”
Castiel’s eyes opened wide, clear for a moment. Dean knew that whatever was going to come out of Castiel’s mouth was going to be something serious. “You’re a good person, Dean. You have to realize it.”
“What?”
The glaze fell over his eyes again. “Always fighting me,” he whispered with sigh.
“Cas?”
“I raised you. So stubborn. Kept fighting me. It was so dark. But you were so bright.”
Sam stopped unwrapping the bandages for a second. He looked at his brother. “What is he talking about?”
“I have no idea. It has to be the drugs talking,” Dean replied. But a chord was struck at what Castiel was saying. He knew that whatever Castiel was saying was the truth.
“I told Balthazar. He didn’t listen,” Castiel said.
Dean thought it sounded like he was on the verge of tears. “Close your eyes, Cas. We’ll be done by the time you wake up again.”
Castiel reached up and put a hand on Dean’s left deltoid. He swallowed hard. “I think I burned you.” He rubbed his thumb along Dean’s handprint scar.
“What?”
He dropped his hand onto his stomach. “Sorry. I should’ve been more careful. Hurt you.”
“No, you didn’t.”
Castiel pushed up and tried to get off of the bed. “I shouldn’t be here.”
Dean put a hand on Castiel’s chest and pushed him to lie back down on the bed. “Cas.”
“I should’ve stopped this from happening.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t blame yourself.”
“Should’ve been strong enough. Too weak. I’m sorry.” His eyes slid closed. His breathing started to even out.
“Okay, he’s out.” Dean lifted his hand off of Castiel’s chest. He hoped that Sam didn’t see how much it was shaking.
He did. “Dean, are you okay?”
“Yeah. Can we just get him bandaged up, please?”
“I can—”
“No,” Dean said quickly, knowing that Sam was trying to save him the angst of helping fix up Castiel. “I can still help. We should clean him up, first.”
Sam nodded. The brothers then got to work on Castiel’s injuries after cleaning the blood and dirt off of him. None of them said a word as they did.
Almost two hours later, Castiel was cleaned and covered. Dean sat at one of the chairs on the bed while Sam sat on his bed. Dean was tired. The whole rescue and revelation was too much for him to take. His brother was reading his face like a children’s book.
“What are you going to do?” Sam asked.
“What do you mean?” Dean replied.
“Do you think that anything he was saying was true?”
“I don’t know, Sam. He was probably delirious.” He knew Sam didn’t believe him because he didn’t even believe what he was saying. He saw the moment of clarity that Castiel had in his eyes when he was talking about saving him from Hell.
“But he mentioned Balthazar. And the handprint.”
“Yeah, well, what can I do about all of that right now?”
“You can ask him.”
“You and I both know that he isn’t regaining consciousness any time soon.”
“If you really need to know, just wake him up.”
“No, Sam.” He was adamant. He ran his hand down his face, frustrated. His eyes went to Castiel who was unmoving the entire time that they were cleaning and sewing him up. As much as he wanted answers, he wasn’t about to wake up a man who was held captive by vampires for more than two weeks just so he got them. He could wait.
And he had other options.
He looked back at Sam and saw that he was already gathering the supplies that he needed to summon an angel.
Within half an hour, Balthazar was in their motel room.
As soon as he appeared in the motel room, Balthazar’s eyes went to Castiel sprawled out on the bed that Dean would have usually fallen asleep on. “What happened to him?” he yelled. He charged over to Castiel’s bedside and knelt down next to him.
“Calm down,” Dean said. He didn’t want the people in the neighboring rooms to get curious and knock on their door because of the noise they were making. And more importantly, he didn’t want Castiel to wake up.
“Tell me what happened to him.” His volume lowered, but he hissed to show how angry he was.
“Vampires,” Sam answered.
“Is he all right?”
“He’s tired. Which is understandable.”
He picked up Castiel’s hand and held it between his own. “It is.” He squeezed the hand once and placed it back on the bed. “I can’t be here,” he whispered. He stood up and flew to the other side of the room.
“Why not?”
“Because he’s fallen, Dean,” Sam said. “Remember the thing with Anna.”
Dean spun around to face Balthazar. “So, you’d really kill him?”
“Of course not. But I know where he is. And if I know, then my brothers could know too. And they are not as kind as I am.”
“So wait. He’s going around, hunting and he has to keep away from you dicks?” Dean sounded disgusted. He could not believe that the angels could so easily turn on their family.
“He was always good at multitasking.”
“Does he have the rib thing on him too?”
“Of course he does. But it can only do so much. I mean, look at how many times you both have come across angels even though you have those things carved on you.”
“So what do we do now?” Dean asked. He looked at the unconscious Castiel lying down on his bed.
“You let him go,” Balthazar replied. The answer was easy.
“I can’t do that.”
“Dean,” Sam said. He knew the tone in his brother’s voice. He sounded adamant. And possessive.
“What?” Dean hissed. He made up his mind that Castiel was staying with them.
“He’ll leave on his own,” Balthazar replied. He knew his brother well enough.
“But why?” Dean asked.
“Because being near you puts you all in danger. And he wouldn’t risk that,” Balthazar replied.
“That’s crap!” Dean yelled.
“Is it, Dean?” Balthazar countered. “I’ve died for you and your brother about three times now. But it’s not because I like you guys or anything, it’s because my brothers are wrong. Cas fell because and for you.”
“Bull.”
“Then tell me why his hand fits perfectly on the scar on your shoulder.”
Dean’s hand went to the scar on his shoulder. He couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity when Castiel’s hand accidentally lined up with it earlier that night. He could swear that it was still tingling. “I don’t know.”
“Dean. As much as you care about him and feel this connection to him, he’ll do anything to keep you two safe. And that means distance. You don’t have to like it, but it’s true. I have to go. I’ve already been here too long.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Dean said. He tried not to sound so frustrated by the situation, but he couldn’t hide it. He made up his mind about keeping Castiel with them. He didn’t like that it was out of his control.
“Dean,” Balthazar said.
“What?”
“Thanks for rescuing him,” the angel replied. “I couldn’t feel him and he hadn’t called for a couple of weeks. I was going out of my mind. So thank you.”
Dean tried not to show how surprised he was at Balthazar’s admission of concern for someone other than himself. He didn’t know if he succeeded or not. “I owed him,” he replied. He shrugged, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. “Still do.”
Balthazar nodded at him before he left the brothers alone with his brother.
“I’m going to get something for us to eat,” Sam said, as soon as Balthazar disappeared. He knew that if he didn’t say anything, there would be an awkward silence in the room that neither of them wanted to deal with. “Then we’ll talk about this.”
“Maybe,” Dean said. He had already made up his mind, so he knew there wouldn’t be much talking between them.
Sam grabbed the keys off of the table and left Dean alone to watch the angel.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Castiel woke up, stunned for a moment that he was actually comfortable. He looked around and saw that he was in a motel room, and not tied to a chair in an abandoned house. Slowly, he remembered being rescued by the Winchesters, then being brought to the motel, but not much after that.
He stayed frozen for a second, listening to the breathing around him.
He looked down his body and saw it covered with bandages. He also found himself wearing shorts that didn’t belong to him. He wondered where his clothes were.
He looked on the other side of the bed that he was sleeping on and saw a pile of folded clothes on them. He took it as an invitation to take them.
He threw on the shirt and grabbed the clothes under it. He was about to go and change in the bathroom when he saw the door closed and the light shining through under the door. He saw it as an opportunity and his chance to get out of the motel room before the brothers could stop him.
He climbed off the bed as quickly and as quietly as he could. He went straight for his duffel that he saw next to the TV on the bureau. He had no idea how it got there, but he was glad that the brothers had found it. He stuffed the clean clothes into the bag and grabbed his trench coat. He threw it on knowing it would be chilly outside. He would change as soon as he had the chance.
He found his shoes and slipped his feet into them. With one last look at the occupied bed and the bathroom door, he left the motel room.
He opened the door and stepped out. He held the door until he heard the click to tell him that it was locked. He let out a deep breath. He leaned his head against the door as he tried to plan out his next move.
“You going somewhere?”
Castiel let go of the doorknob. He turned around and saw Dean leaning against the hood of the Impala parked right in front of the door. “I needed some fresh air,” he replied.
“Your bag too?” Dean asked, staring at it in Castiel’s hand.
“Yeah,” he answered, knowing that was what Dean wanted to hear.
Dean sighed. One day, the two of them would have an honest conversation without sarcasm and quick escapes, “Get your ass back in bed, Cas.”
“I would, but that would be quite selfish of me.”
“How is that?”
“I get to lie down in the comfy motel bed, while you’re stuck sitting on a chair. It’s not good for your back.”
Dean crossed his arms over his chest. “You were sitting in a chair for almost three weeks while I had the chance to sleep in a bed.”
Castiel bit his bottom lip. He did not expect such a good comeback from Dean. Then again, he didn’t expect him to be standing outside waiting for him to leave. He thought he was less predictable than that. “Well played.”
“Can you just get back to bed, please?”
“Since you asked so nicely, no.”
“Why are you being so difficult?”
“Why are you so keen on making me stay?”
“Because I want you to. You could work—”
Castiel held up a hand to stop Dean from continuing to talk. “Sorry, handsome, but I work alone,” he said, declining the question that Dean didn’t ask.
Dean sauntered over to Castiel and slapped the hand down. “And look where it got you.”
“It was a one-time thing.”
“Well, what happens when next time me and Sam aren’t there to save your ass.”
“What makes you think I needed your help?”
“The puncture wounds on your neck and the bruises on your wrists and ankles.” He watched as Castiel’s right hand went to cover his left wrist. “Come on, Cas.”
“Stop calling me that,” he said quite loudly. He wasn’t angry. A silent ‘please’ tacked itself to the end of the statement.
“Just stay.” His voice stayed soft. He knew that Castiel was stubborn and if they started arguing, then there would be no way that he would stay. And the police would probably be called because of the heat of the words that they would end up throwing at each other.
Castiel let go of his bag and let it drop to the ground. “What is the real reason that you want me to stay?”
“I don’t want you to stay.”
Castiel rolled his eyes. “Then I’m leaving.” He bent down, trying to grab his bag and ignoring all of the pangs of pain his body was going through as he did.
Dean put a hand and helped Castiel back into an upright position. “I want you to want to stay. You know it’s the best if you do.”
“I can’t, Dean.”
“Why not?”
“You don’t know a thing about me.”
“I know that you saved my ass a couple of times, so I can trust you. I know that you’re a kickass hunter because you finish with hunts before any other hunter can even contemplate helping you. What else do I need to know?”
“A lot more than that.”
Dean grabbed Castiel by his upper arms and shook him. “I know, Cas.”
Castiel’s eyes widened. He had a lot of secrets. He wondered which one Dean figured out. “What?”
“I know who you are.”
Castiel sighed and visibly relaxed. “Do you?”
“You said a few things. Some really important things. I know that you’re a fallen angel. Balthazar told me.”
“Is that all he told you?” Castiel question.
“No.”
Dean watched as frustration built in Castiel’s eyes. “He was supposed to keep his mouth shut,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I’m pretty sure he is incapable of doing that.”
Castiel calmed down quickly. He smiled and shook his head at the thought of his brother that was in the position he was supposed to be in. “He isn’t.”
“Cas.”
“I’m sorry that you had to find out. You weren’t supposed to. You were just supposed to go on believing whatever Balthazar told you and I was supposed to make this Apocalypse easier for you.”
“I would have figured it out eventually.”
“I know,” Castiel sighed, defeated. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “My bike didn’t survive, did she?”
“No. Sorry.”
“It’s all right,” he said with a shrug. “You do know that if you bring me along, it’ll change the whole dynamic of just you and your brother hunting together.”
“How so?”
“Sam is going to constantly have to deal with whatever this is between us.”
“What exactly is this?”
“I don’t know. Sexual tension?”
“Sexual tension?”
“There will be. Because I’m creating it.”
“Cas.”
“And you’re going to stop calling me that.” He was ready to start naming stipulations.
Dean didn’t mind because it meant he was contemplating staying. “Not really. You’re going to have to learn to like it.”
“Never.”
“You will. I guarantee it.”
“It won’t happen,” Castiel said. He tried to sound convincing, but he knew that he was already getting use to it. He closed his eyes and sighed and found himself swaying where he stood.
“You look like you’re about to fall on your face,” Dean replied.
“I don’t know if you know this, Dean, but I was held by vampires for two days while they drank my blood.”
“Weeks.”
Castiel shrugged. “Whatever.”
Dean opened the door back into the motel room. “How about this, you go inside, and get some sleep, and I promise I won’t call you Cas anymore.”
“No, you won’t.”
Dean reached down and grabbed Castiel’s bag. “No, I won’t.” He followed Castiel into the room and made sure that he got back into bed and got the rest he needed and deserved.
Author: DauntPerplexity
Rating: PG 13
Genre: Gen, preslash, AR
Characters and/or Pairing: Balthazar, Castiel, Dean, Sam
Spoilers: Balthazar
Warnings: nudity ?
Word Count: 9950
Summary: The hunt here is finished. You and your brother have this motel for a few more days, so take the opportunity to just sleep. You look like you need it.
Author’s Note: This fic was written for the Everlasting Birthday Challenge at deancastiel. Here is the prompt: Castiel doesn't meet Dean until he's already been turned human. Not-quite-2014!Cas absentmindedly saves Dean's life on a hunt gone wrong, and Dean is determined to return the favor. And they somehow still end up all Team Free Will-y.
Author’s Note #2: So, in this story, Balthazar takes Castiel’s place in season 4 as the Winchester’s ally. Also, this story takes place sometime in season 5.
[Part 1]
Dean may not have said it, but every hunt that he went on after that, he had hoped that at some point, he’d come across Castiel again. But the hunts were either so easy that Castiel probably didn’t bother, or whatever was messing with the town was already taken care of by the time they got there.
Dean hated that he always seemed to be one step behind the guy. There was something about Castiel that he wasn’t able to let it go. From what Balthazar told him, he had a connection to the other man, but he knew that Balthazar still kept a few details from him.
Almost two months after the last time they had seen Castiel, Dean was starting to give up hope of ever seeing him again.
To get his mind off of how disappointed he was about it. A hunt turned up a couple of states away and Sam and Dean decided to take it. A basement of vampires was terrorizing a town in Indiana.
It didn’t take long for them to find the vampires. They saw that there were at least a dozen of them staying at the house they found. It wasn’t exactly the best odds for them, but they went in without another thought. They wanted to get rid of them and make sure no one else in the town got hurt.
Armed with machetes and crossbows, they got rid of all the vampires one by one. It was the best and smartest way for them to attack.
Once the last vampire they saw was beheaded, they began looking through all of the rooms in the house for thing they needed to kill, or anyone they could save. They found no one upstairs. They hoped that they wouldn’t find anyone else they had to kill downstairs.
They opened the door to the garage and found someone sitting in a chair. They inched toward the person, not knowing if he or she was a threat or not. The thought was quickly dispelled when they saw the man bound.
Dean recognized him before his brother could say anything. “Castiel?” he whispered. He rushed forward. “Cas?” he asked, this time more loudly. He tried to shake him awake.
Castiel groaned as he regained consciousness. “That’s not my name,” he hissed.
“What the hell happened?” Dean asked. He pulled out his lock picks and started to work on the cuffs on Castiel’s wrists. Sam started to cut at the ropes that bound his chest to the back of the chair. Dean saw Castiel start to nod off. “Hey,” he said, patting the man’s cheek.
“I’m awake,” Castiel mumbled. “Stretching my neck.”
“Okay,” Dean said. He unlocked the first cuff and moved to the other wrist. “How are you still alive?”
“I think they like the taste of my blood.”
“Really?” Sam asked. He wondered if there were still traces of Castiel as an angel in his blood.
“I’m pretty sure they don’t like my personality too much.”
“I don’t know why,” Dean said, not trying to hide his sarcasm.
“I may have been a little abrasive.”
“Just a little?” Dean said. He smiled. He could easily imagine how much trouble Castiel probably caused for the vampires.
“That’s what I said.”
“I heard you.”
Castiel let out a deep sigh, followed by a pained whimper. He quickly recovered. “So they’re dead?”
“Yeah.”
“All of them?”
“I think so.” At least, he hoped.
Castiel nodded once. He tried to stand up, but he looked down and saw that he was still bound to by the ankles. “You mind helping me out of here, fearless one.”
Dean raised his eyebrow. He had no idea where that name came from, but he was curious. “What are you talking about?
“I don’t know,” Castiel replied with a laugh. “I could be dreaming right now. Don’t take anything I’m saying seriously.” He bent down to try and untie his ankles, but Dean grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him to sit back.
“How did you get caught?” Sam asked, working on the ropes that kept Castiel’s ankles tied to the legs of the chair.
“More… more vampires than I anticipated.”
“How many did you anticipate?” Sam asked when he freed the man’s legs.
“Twelve?”
“So there were more than twelve vamps?” Dean asked. He wanted to compare notes. The number sounded right.
“A few more.”
“And you still went after them when you were that outnumbered?” Sam asked.
“Apparently. I thought that I was overshooting with twelve,” Castiel whispered. “You can imagine my surprise when I realized I had undershot.” Now that he thought about it, it was a little funny. He smiled.
“How long did they have you?”
“Went after them on… March 4th? Fifth?” he said, not sure. “What’s today?”
“They’ve had you for more than two weeks,” Dean whispered. He was quite surprised that Castiel was still alive, or at least not a vampire. Vampires weren’t really known for using the same person as a food supply. Especially one to feed more than twelve.
“Huh,” Castiel whispered. “Felt longer. Well, I’m fine now. Just tell me that my bike is still outside and I’ll be on my merry way.” He let out a breath and braced himself on the chair. He tried to stand up. He was able to stand for a second before he looked like he was about to fall.
Dean took Castiel’s arm and put it over his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around his waist. He tried to ignore how small the other man was. “You’re not riding your bike.”
“I’m fine, Dean.”
“Are you really?” Dean challenged.
“Yes. So you can let go.”
“Sure thing.” Dean opened his arms and released Castiel and put some space between them.
Without Dean to help Castiel steady himself and take some of his weight, the smaller and injured man fell to the ground.
Sam looked back and saw Castiel on the floor. “Dean!” he yelled. He knew what his brother had done.
Dean shrugged. “He said he was fine.”
He glared at his brother. “It’s amazing that you two have the same definition of the word.” He knelt down next to Castiel and helped him to sit up. “Castiel, we’ll come back for your bike when you’ve recovered.”
Castiel shook his head and immediately regretted it. “Someone might steal it.”
“I don’t think anyone will,” Dean said.
“Better not.”
“I swear that no one in their right mind will steal your bike.”
Sam watched as one of Castiel’s arms wrapped around his middle. He made a note to check under it when they got him back to the motel. “We need to get him back so we can see how bad he’s hurt and fix him up.”
“Yeah. Sounds like a plan. You okay if we move you, Cas?”
“You’re going to move me regardless.”
“But I can be gentle.” Dean knelt down on the other side of Castiel and did wait for a response as he put Castiel’s arm over his shoulders again. He held Castiel and slowly stood the both of them up.
Castiel tucked his face into Dean’s shoulder, too weak to even think about moving. “Smells like dead vamps. Interesting.”
“Yeah, we’re leaving,” Dean said, figuring that Castiel was not in the right state of mind and needed medical attention as soon as possible.
“Sounds like a good plan,” Sam agreed. “I’ll go outside and make sure that we got rid of all of them.” Sam left the two of them without a word.
Dean slowly followed his brother’s path, making sure he wasn’t moving too fast for the injured man. He constantly looked over at Castiel and saw him leaning more and more into his side. “So, what are the chances of you losing consciousness?”
“Low,” he mumbled.
“Really? Why?”
“I spent more time asleep than awake in that place. I’m full of energy right now.”
“So then why am I pretty much carrying you right now?”
“Because energy is not the same thing as strength.”
“Cas,” Dean sighed.
“I would have gotten out of it eventually.”
“Or they would have killed you.”
“I don’t know. I’m a delicacy. They would’ve regretted killing me.” Castiel let out a deep exhale. “I wonder what would have happened if I actually died.”
“Well, no talking about that right now.”
They painstakingly made their way out of the house. Dean made sure that he didn’t more too fast for the injured man. Castiel tried to help Dean out, but he couldn’t do much.
“Right, positive thinking. Just help me to my bike, Dean.” He tired to lift his head and look toward where he parked it, but he wasn’t strong enough to.
“I will personally drive you back here when you’re able to sit on your bike.”
“You better.”
Dean saw his brother appear from the side of the house. Sam shook his head, and Dean knew that Castiel’s bike was not going to be ridden any time soon. Dean saw Sam hold up a duffel bag. Dean recognized it and was glad that Castiel didn’t lose everything in the hunt.
Dean continued to walk Castiel toward the Impala. He helped Castiel into the backseat of the Impala after Sam unlocked the doors. Dean adjusted the injured man so he could sit as comfortably as possible.
“No hospital,” Castiel mumbled.
“We know,” Sam replied.
“Just relax, Cas. We’re taking you back to the motel and we’ll fix you right up.” Dean waited for Casitel to say something, but when he looked back at the man and saw that he had either fallen asleep or passed out. He climbed out of the car and tossed his keys to his brother. “Drive,” he said and getting into the passenger seat of the car. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to drive since he was too concerned with the person in the back seat.
No words were exchanged between the brothers. The only sounds that filled the car were the rumble of the engine and Metallica low in the background.
When they got to the motel, Sam went straight to the room to get the supplies ready. Dean got into the backseat and sat next to Castiel. He put a hand on the sleeping man’s shoulder and shook it lightly. “Cas?” He didn’t get a reaction so he shook him a little harder. “Cas.”
After a minute of trying to coax the other man out of sleep, Castiel groaned. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in a car. “Where?”
“We’re back at the motel,” Dean answered.
“That was quick.”
“You slept the entire way.”
“And here I thought I had enough sleep for a lifetime.”
“Let’s get you inside.” Without warning, he put Castiel’s arm over his shoulder and helped him out of the car. He couldn’t ignore how loudly Castiel groaned when he did. “Sorry,” he whispered, remorseful.
“It’s all right,” Castiel whispered. He did as much as he could so that Dean didn’t have a difficult time pulling him out of the car. “Cold,” he said.
“Yeah. Just a couple more feet and you’ll be fine.” He took it one step at a time, making sure he wasn’t moving too fast. He knocked twice on the door and Sam pulled it open.
Without even consulting his brother, he sat Castiel down on his own bed. He reached up to start to unbutton the shirt he was wearing, but Castiel slapped his hands away.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“We need to see how bad you’re hurt.”
“No,” Castiel protested.
“Cas.”
“Not my name.”
“Just let us see if you need a hospital or not.”
“I don’t.”
Dean crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll be the judge of that,” he replied.
Castiel looked at Dean and knew that he wasn’t going to win the argument. But he was going to win something. “Fine,” he conceded. He did not like the role reversal between the two of them. “But I can undress myself.”
Dean nodded to agree. He sat down on Sam’s bed and watched Castiel like a hawk.
Castiel unbuttoned his shirt with shaky hands. He was slow, but he was determined to make a point. By the time he was able to shrug it off, his body was covered with a thin layer of sweat. He stood up to unbutton his pants.
Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. “Okay, stop.”
“What?” Castiel froze. “Why?”
“Lie down. You proved your point. Now let us help you.”
Castiel nodded once. He sat back down on the bed and slowly lied down. He turned his head to look at the brothers. “Thank you,” he whispered.
When Castiel was situated, Dean sat on the edge of the bed and unbuttoned Castiel’s pants. He pulled them down, leaving the boxers in tact. They would have stayed in tact if there weren’t a gash that started from his hipbone and disappeared under the waistband of his boxers. It looked deep and it could have been infected.
“Cas, I have to—”
“Go ahead,” Castiel said, somehow knowing what Dean was going to ask.
Dean pulled down Castiel’s boxers, leaving him naked on his bed. The cut went down his hipbone, down his thigh, and curved around the back of his leg. Dean rolled Castiel onto his side to see how bad it was. It stopped behind his knee.
“What happened to your back?” Sam asked, noticing the two parallel scars on his upper back.
“I fell,” he whispered. He curled in on himself.
Dean moved to stand next to his brother. He wanted to see what Sam was talking about. The scars were the same size and ran on either side of his spine. They looked fairly recent. “From what? The Empire State building?”
“My home.”
Dean unconsciously reached for the scars, running his fingers up and down them. Castiel shivered, but he didn’t say anything to stop Dean from touching. “And what are these cuts? Were rods put into your back or something?”
“Does it matter?”
Dean finally pulled away. “Not really.”
Castiel sighed, sinking into the mattress. “I feel naked.”
“Well, you are naked.”
“You’re taking advantage of my weakened state,” Castiel whispered.
“Maybe. Or maybe you’ve been wearing the same clothes for two weeks and you’re starting to smell.”
“Are you hurting?” Sam asked. He was ready to start bandaging up the injured person lying in his brother’s bed.
“Pain is such a weird concept.”
“I think he’s hurting. Cas, we’re gonna give you something for the pain, all right?”
He made a face of distaste when Dean cut his name in half again. He would have said something, but he knew that if it got into an argument, he would not stand a chance. “Whatever you say.”
“Before we start, you aren’t allergic to anything, are you?” Sam asked.
“We’ll find out.”
Sam looked at his brother. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with giving someone medication without knowing how he’d react. “Dean?”
“That’s the best answer you’re going to get from him.”
Sam nodded and reached into his duffel. He grabbed a bottle of pills and took a few out. He also grabbed a bottle of water. “Sit him up,” he said, walking back to the bed.
Dean pulled him up without much of a struggle. Sam put the two pills in one of Castiel’s hands and the bottle of water in the other.
“I don’t want drugs.”
“I don’t care,” Dean replied.
“Bossy.”
“You called me leader earlier.”
“I’m not exactly in the best state of mind right now.” Castiel let out a huff and his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Fine, leader.” He took the pills and swallowed them down with the water.
Dean grabbed the bottle out of Castiel’s hand and handed it back to his brother. He then settled Castiel back down on the bed. He and his brother were going to wait for the drugs to kick in before they did any fixing.
Castiel smiled and relaxed into the mattress. “You must really care about me,” he whispered, his tongue heavy and lips tingling.
“Why would you say that?” Sam asked.
“You guys gave me the good stuff,” Castiel replied with a grin plastered to his face. He let out a long breath. “Really good. I can tell.”
“I feel like this was not the best idea,” Sam said to his brother. He pulled more supplies that he’d need to wrap Castiel’s wounds out of his bag.
“Well, what else could we do? He was in a lot of pain.”
“He didn’t seem like it.”
He threw his arm over his eyes with a groan. “I want my bike,” he mumbled.
Dean rolled his eyes. He was hoping that he’d let the bike thing go. He didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was in pieces. “It’s right outside.”
Castiel flung his arm off of his face. He pointed to Dean, or at least, he tried. “Liar. You, Dean Winchester, are a liar.”
“Only when it matters.”
Castiel’s arm dropped to his side, too heavy for him to hold up. “I know.”
“What can I say, I’m not the greatest person in the world.”
Castiel’s eyes opened wide, clear for a moment. Dean knew that whatever was going to come out of Castiel’s mouth was going to be something serious. “You’re a good person, Dean. You have to realize it.”
“What?”
The glaze fell over his eyes again. “Always fighting me,” he whispered with sigh.
“Cas?”
“I raised you. So stubborn. Kept fighting me. It was so dark. But you were so bright.”
Sam stopped unwrapping the bandages for a second. He looked at his brother. “What is he talking about?”
“I have no idea. It has to be the drugs talking,” Dean replied. But a chord was struck at what Castiel was saying. He knew that whatever Castiel was saying was the truth.
“I told Balthazar. He didn’t listen,” Castiel said.
Dean thought it sounded like he was on the verge of tears. “Close your eyes, Cas. We’ll be done by the time you wake up again.”
Castiel reached up and put a hand on Dean’s left deltoid. He swallowed hard. “I think I burned you.” He rubbed his thumb along Dean’s handprint scar.
“What?”
He dropped his hand onto his stomach. “Sorry. I should’ve been more careful. Hurt you.”
“No, you didn’t.”
Castiel pushed up and tried to get off of the bed. “I shouldn’t be here.”
Dean put a hand on Castiel’s chest and pushed him to lie back down on the bed. “Cas.”
“I should’ve stopped this from happening.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t blame yourself.”
“Should’ve been strong enough. Too weak. I’m sorry.” His eyes slid closed. His breathing started to even out.
“Okay, he’s out.” Dean lifted his hand off of Castiel’s chest. He hoped that Sam didn’t see how much it was shaking.
He did. “Dean, are you okay?”
“Yeah. Can we just get him bandaged up, please?”
“I can—”
“No,” Dean said quickly, knowing that Sam was trying to save him the angst of helping fix up Castiel. “I can still help. We should clean him up, first.”
Sam nodded. The brothers then got to work on Castiel’s injuries after cleaning the blood and dirt off of him. None of them said a word as they did.
Almost two hours later, Castiel was cleaned and covered. Dean sat at one of the chairs on the bed while Sam sat on his bed. Dean was tired. The whole rescue and revelation was too much for him to take. His brother was reading his face like a children’s book.
“What are you going to do?” Sam asked.
“What do you mean?” Dean replied.
“Do you think that anything he was saying was true?”
“I don’t know, Sam. He was probably delirious.” He knew Sam didn’t believe him because he didn’t even believe what he was saying. He saw the moment of clarity that Castiel had in his eyes when he was talking about saving him from Hell.
“But he mentioned Balthazar. And the handprint.”
“Yeah, well, what can I do about all of that right now?”
“You can ask him.”
“You and I both know that he isn’t regaining consciousness any time soon.”
“If you really need to know, just wake him up.”
“No, Sam.” He was adamant. He ran his hand down his face, frustrated. His eyes went to Castiel who was unmoving the entire time that they were cleaning and sewing him up. As much as he wanted answers, he wasn’t about to wake up a man who was held captive by vampires for more than two weeks just so he got them. He could wait.
And he had other options.
He looked back at Sam and saw that he was already gathering the supplies that he needed to summon an angel.
Within half an hour, Balthazar was in their motel room.
As soon as he appeared in the motel room, Balthazar’s eyes went to Castiel sprawled out on the bed that Dean would have usually fallen asleep on. “What happened to him?” he yelled. He charged over to Castiel’s bedside and knelt down next to him.
“Calm down,” Dean said. He didn’t want the people in the neighboring rooms to get curious and knock on their door because of the noise they were making. And more importantly, he didn’t want Castiel to wake up.
“Tell me what happened to him.” His volume lowered, but he hissed to show how angry he was.
“Vampires,” Sam answered.
“Is he all right?”
“He’s tired. Which is understandable.”
He picked up Castiel’s hand and held it between his own. “It is.” He squeezed the hand once and placed it back on the bed. “I can’t be here,” he whispered. He stood up and flew to the other side of the room.
“Why not?”
“Because he’s fallen, Dean,” Sam said. “Remember the thing with Anna.”
Dean spun around to face Balthazar. “So, you’d really kill him?”
“Of course not. But I know where he is. And if I know, then my brothers could know too. And they are not as kind as I am.”
“So wait. He’s going around, hunting and he has to keep away from you dicks?” Dean sounded disgusted. He could not believe that the angels could so easily turn on their family.
“He was always good at multitasking.”
“Does he have the rib thing on him too?”
“Of course he does. But it can only do so much. I mean, look at how many times you both have come across angels even though you have those things carved on you.”
“So what do we do now?” Dean asked. He looked at the unconscious Castiel lying down on his bed.
“You let him go,” Balthazar replied. The answer was easy.
“I can’t do that.”
“Dean,” Sam said. He knew the tone in his brother’s voice. He sounded adamant. And possessive.
“What?” Dean hissed. He made up his mind that Castiel was staying with them.
“He’ll leave on his own,” Balthazar replied. He knew his brother well enough.
“But why?” Dean asked.
“Because being near you puts you all in danger. And he wouldn’t risk that,” Balthazar replied.
“That’s crap!” Dean yelled.
“Is it, Dean?” Balthazar countered. “I’ve died for you and your brother about three times now. But it’s not because I like you guys or anything, it’s because my brothers are wrong. Cas fell because and for you.”
“Bull.”
“Then tell me why his hand fits perfectly on the scar on your shoulder.”
Dean’s hand went to the scar on his shoulder. He couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity when Castiel’s hand accidentally lined up with it earlier that night. He could swear that it was still tingling. “I don’t know.”
“Dean. As much as you care about him and feel this connection to him, he’ll do anything to keep you two safe. And that means distance. You don’t have to like it, but it’s true. I have to go. I’ve already been here too long.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Dean said. He tried not to sound so frustrated by the situation, but he couldn’t hide it. He made up his mind about keeping Castiel with them. He didn’t like that it was out of his control.
“Dean,” Balthazar said.
“What?”
“Thanks for rescuing him,” the angel replied. “I couldn’t feel him and he hadn’t called for a couple of weeks. I was going out of my mind. So thank you.”
Dean tried not to show how surprised he was at Balthazar’s admission of concern for someone other than himself. He didn’t know if he succeeded or not. “I owed him,” he replied. He shrugged, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. “Still do.”
Balthazar nodded at him before he left the brothers alone with his brother.
“I’m going to get something for us to eat,” Sam said, as soon as Balthazar disappeared. He knew that if he didn’t say anything, there would be an awkward silence in the room that neither of them wanted to deal with. “Then we’ll talk about this.”
“Maybe,” Dean said. He had already made up his mind, so he knew there wouldn’t be much talking between them.
Sam grabbed the keys off of the table and left Dean alone to watch the angel.
Castiel woke up, stunned for a moment that he was actually comfortable. He looked around and saw that he was in a motel room, and not tied to a chair in an abandoned house. Slowly, he remembered being rescued by the Winchesters, then being brought to the motel, but not much after that.
He stayed frozen for a second, listening to the breathing around him.
He looked down his body and saw it covered with bandages. He also found himself wearing shorts that didn’t belong to him. He wondered where his clothes were.
He looked on the other side of the bed that he was sleeping on and saw a pile of folded clothes on them. He took it as an invitation to take them.
He threw on the shirt and grabbed the clothes under it. He was about to go and change in the bathroom when he saw the door closed and the light shining through under the door. He saw it as an opportunity and his chance to get out of the motel room before the brothers could stop him.
He climbed off the bed as quickly and as quietly as he could. He went straight for his duffel that he saw next to the TV on the bureau. He had no idea how it got there, but he was glad that the brothers had found it. He stuffed the clean clothes into the bag and grabbed his trench coat. He threw it on knowing it would be chilly outside. He would change as soon as he had the chance.
He found his shoes and slipped his feet into them. With one last look at the occupied bed and the bathroom door, he left the motel room.
He opened the door and stepped out. He held the door until he heard the click to tell him that it was locked. He let out a deep breath. He leaned his head against the door as he tried to plan out his next move.
“You going somewhere?”
Castiel let go of the doorknob. He turned around and saw Dean leaning against the hood of the Impala parked right in front of the door. “I needed some fresh air,” he replied.
“Your bag too?” Dean asked, staring at it in Castiel’s hand.
“Yeah,” he answered, knowing that was what Dean wanted to hear.
Dean sighed. One day, the two of them would have an honest conversation without sarcasm and quick escapes, “Get your ass back in bed, Cas.”
“I would, but that would be quite selfish of me.”
“How is that?”
“I get to lie down in the comfy motel bed, while you’re stuck sitting on a chair. It’s not good for your back.”
Dean crossed his arms over his chest. “You were sitting in a chair for almost three weeks while I had the chance to sleep in a bed.”
Castiel bit his bottom lip. He did not expect such a good comeback from Dean. Then again, he didn’t expect him to be standing outside waiting for him to leave. He thought he was less predictable than that. “Well played.”
“Can you just get back to bed, please?”
“Since you asked so nicely, no.”
“Why are you being so difficult?”
“Why are you so keen on making me stay?”
“Because I want you to. You could work—”
Castiel held up a hand to stop Dean from continuing to talk. “Sorry, handsome, but I work alone,” he said, declining the question that Dean didn’t ask.
Dean sauntered over to Castiel and slapped the hand down. “And look where it got you.”
“It was a one-time thing.”
“Well, what happens when next time me and Sam aren’t there to save your ass.”
“What makes you think I needed your help?”
“The puncture wounds on your neck and the bruises on your wrists and ankles.” He watched as Castiel’s right hand went to cover his left wrist. “Come on, Cas.”
“Stop calling me that,” he said quite loudly. He wasn’t angry. A silent ‘please’ tacked itself to the end of the statement.
“Just stay.” His voice stayed soft. He knew that Castiel was stubborn and if they started arguing, then there would be no way that he would stay. And the police would probably be called because of the heat of the words that they would end up throwing at each other.
Castiel let go of his bag and let it drop to the ground. “What is the real reason that you want me to stay?”
“I don’t want you to stay.”
Castiel rolled his eyes. “Then I’m leaving.” He bent down, trying to grab his bag and ignoring all of the pangs of pain his body was going through as he did.
Dean put a hand and helped Castiel back into an upright position. “I want you to want to stay. You know it’s the best if you do.”
“I can’t, Dean.”
“Why not?”
“You don’t know a thing about me.”
“I know that you saved my ass a couple of times, so I can trust you. I know that you’re a kickass hunter because you finish with hunts before any other hunter can even contemplate helping you. What else do I need to know?”
“A lot more than that.”
Dean grabbed Castiel by his upper arms and shook him. “I know, Cas.”
Castiel’s eyes widened. He had a lot of secrets. He wondered which one Dean figured out. “What?”
“I know who you are.”
Castiel sighed and visibly relaxed. “Do you?”
“You said a few things. Some really important things. I know that you’re a fallen angel. Balthazar told me.”
“Is that all he told you?” Castiel question.
“No.”
Dean watched as frustration built in Castiel’s eyes. “He was supposed to keep his mouth shut,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I’m pretty sure he is incapable of doing that.”
Castiel calmed down quickly. He smiled and shook his head at the thought of his brother that was in the position he was supposed to be in. “He isn’t.”
“Cas.”
“I’m sorry that you had to find out. You weren’t supposed to. You were just supposed to go on believing whatever Balthazar told you and I was supposed to make this Apocalypse easier for you.”
“I would have figured it out eventually.”
“I know,” Castiel sighed, defeated. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “My bike didn’t survive, did she?”
“No. Sorry.”
“It’s all right,” he said with a shrug. “You do know that if you bring me along, it’ll change the whole dynamic of just you and your brother hunting together.”
“How so?”
“Sam is going to constantly have to deal with whatever this is between us.”
“What exactly is this?”
“I don’t know. Sexual tension?”
“Sexual tension?”
“There will be. Because I’m creating it.”
“Cas.”
“And you’re going to stop calling me that.” He was ready to start naming stipulations.
Dean didn’t mind because it meant he was contemplating staying. “Not really. You’re going to have to learn to like it.”
“Never.”
“You will. I guarantee it.”
“It won’t happen,” Castiel said. He tried to sound convincing, but he knew that he was already getting use to it. He closed his eyes and sighed and found himself swaying where he stood.
“You look like you’re about to fall on your face,” Dean replied.
“I don’t know if you know this, Dean, but I was held by vampires for two days while they drank my blood.”
“Weeks.”
Castiel shrugged. “Whatever.”
Dean opened the door back into the motel room. “How about this, you go inside, and get some sleep, and I promise I won’t call you Cas anymore.”
“No, you won’t.”
Dean reached down and grabbed Castiel’s bag. “No, I won’t.” He followed Castiel into the room and made sure that he got back into bed and got the rest he needed and deserved.
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Date: 2011-09-08 03:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-09 03:11 am (UTC)