♞ ▎┊ CAS.
[ to be fair, knocking on the door is probably his first mistake in his plan to ‘hide his discomfort from the winchesters’. the second mistake is not bothering to clean himself up beforehand. ]
[ this is the path he’s taken. ]
▎┊《 ▓▓▓ ♞
TORN BETWEEN a state of ( dolorous ) lucidity and the dusting ashes of slumber, one might reckon his psyche is dazed enough so he won’t react accordingly to the drumming from the door. But, oh – he’s definitely AWAKE enough to realize that Sam has a key for the motel room; and, thus, the reluctant wariness which slithers him in tense steps toward the door, which eventually flings open ( with a gun behind his back, admittedly ) to unveil the sight in the threshold that immerses his features in a cocktail of puzzlement and astonishment.
❛ —— cas ? ❜
IT MIGHT SEEM to be a ridiculous query, but he genuinely couldn’t tell the seraph apart, underneath the layers of callous scarlet. For a brief moment, his fingers even slip from the grasp to the door, craning forth only for them to be pulled back with a twitch; his obvious first instinct was to SUPPORT the angel’s frame, but he is honestly unsure of whether he should even touch him.
INSTEAD, HE momentarily settles on fully gliding the door open, as a questioning invitation.
❛ … come in, while i sort out the billion questions runnin’ through my head right now. ❜
[ he can't explain the feeling that rushes through him at the sight of dean's face, no matter what expression graces it. it's a face he's come to love and cherish, but when that happened, he has no idea. this is a face that's become familiar to him and is the comfort he needs now that he can't get anywhere else. ]
I have been tried and found guilty.
[ the fallen angel pushes past his charge, unsteady on his feet but too stubborn to ask for help. his fingers leave bloody prints on the door and wall as he makes his way towards one of the beds. ]
[ cas begins to tear off his coat, not giving dean a chance to say anything else. now alone and in a position where he can rest and think, for the first time since his sentence, the reality of his situation hits him. he can feel every lash, every wound carved into his skin, and he can feel his knees buckle from the weight of it, but he doesn't let himself go down. ]
[ he peels off his clothes, not even wincing when they catch on his blood and mottled skin, tugging and pulling and tearing. by the time he's down to his boxers, cas is in a foul mood, and walks all of his clothes over to the trash can and drops them. ]
I would like something to eat.
[ castiel sways; his vision blacks out for a second. he will not go down. ]
