Part 14 of "Back to the Future" AU
Castiel had fun messing with Dean of the past, but even he can't stop himself from getting soft seeing Dean barely scarred by life. The only scars on his soul were from hell, and it pains Castiel to know that those scars will be covered by even deeper ones in the coming years
So, when Castiel feels Dean will be taken back to where he belongs, he takes the younger hunter down to the lake near his home and lets himself be vulnerable again
A few stories are exchanged, not enough to rattle the timeline, just enough to make Dean smile and scoff in disbelief
It's a somber moment between them, Castiel can tell Dean is struggling to let himself relax. But it's nice.
But when Dean tells him he's changed, smiling all cheeky like a joke, Castiel is brought back to more than a decade in the past
"Don't ever change."
Castiel remembers the almost desperate tone Dean had spoken those words before passing it off as a jest
He remembers dying through Michael's spear, confessing how he has changed, and how he loves
He remembers a more personal, more vulnerable confession, his moment of true happiness, where he tells Dean of how the hunter has changed him
He remembers confessing his doubts about heaven, sitting on a separate bench from Dean
And in a flash, he's back in the present with a reminder of his past, and there's a dull ache behind his ribs that threatens to spill over, to confess more than what he should
unbeknownst to Dean, whose smile is more beautiful than the sunset
And Castiel can't help but smile back like he did all those years ago
"Don't ever change," Dean asked him
Castiel was never good at following orders
Dean will learn that soon enough
And Castiel hopes he will love him regardless of it
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