hhh ok but sam going to bed, the day having been exhausting for all involved and he's curled up in his covers, facing the wall when he hears a soft knock at his door, a gentle tap of knuckle on wood he tenses at first, arm posed to grab the knife he keeps under his bed, but then he hears castiel's voice, "sam? it's me." and sam turns over to see the vague outline of castiel in his doorway, and he sits up, rubs at his eyes blearily before reaching to turn on the lamp that sits on his nightstand when castiel steps out of the shadow of the doorway, sam can see his face illuminated by the moonlight streaming through his window - the soft light makes him look younger, softer. "i just-- i don't sleep, as you know, and i find i don't really enjoy being alone out there. i thought i'd ask if i could join you." the question gives sam pause, and castiel steps back a bit, obviously afraid he's made some faux pas, said something he shouldn't. "i'm sorry- i just thought- we... bonded, earlier, and i thought since we hugged, our being in close proximity does not make you uncomfortable, and i rather like it, so i didn't think you'd mind, but--" "cas," sam interrupts, voice still thick with sleep. "slow down. you want to...," sam searches for a better wording, but nothing comes to mind, "sleep with me?" he winces a little at how it sounds, but cas doesn't seem to react to it, besides nodding "yes. well, you'd sleep -- i would just enjoy your presence while waiting for you to wake up." sam smiles a little at that, and she scooches over to the far side of his bed, pats the space next to him. "well, what can i say to that? of course you can. i understand, it's unsettling being the only one awake in a dark house." castiel steps toward sam's bed slowly, as if waiting for sam to take back his answer and send him away, but sam smiles encouragingly and pulls down the covers, lets castiel slip in next to him before pulling the blankets back up. sam's full size bed feels smaller now, castiel a solid warmth beside him, but it doesn't feel intrusive-- it feels rather nice, sam thinks. castiel and him have been friends for a long time, but after the events of the day, they feel closer, an understanding that always existed between them finally put into words. "are you comfortable?" sam asks when cas is laid next to him, and sam lays back down when cas nods at him. "i move around in my sleep sometimes, i'll try not to kick you." castiel responds with, "don't worry, i know you won't hurt me." cas does that a lot, sam notices; say simple things like that which strike a chord in sam's chest, the trust implied in the statement enough to make him pause, and he smiles into his pillow. "night, cas." "goodnight, sam." * sam wakes up a few hours later, head pillowed by castiel's chest, his hand fisted in cas' shirt. for the first time in a long time, he realizes he didn't have a single nightmare.
