Read below or on ao3
wc: 2.3k
Casā name was on his lips when Deanās eyes flew open and his room came into dark focus. He couldnāt breathe. No, heĀ felt likeĀ he couldnāt breathe. His chest was constricting rapidly and he knew he was hyperventilating but he couldnāt get his lungs to work right.Ā
āCasā kept gasping out of him, ragged and desperate and feeling like a prayer.Ā
It was too dark in his room. He wondered if this is what it felt like for Cas when the empty came for him, shrouding him in black tar. Did Cas choke on it? Did it feel like the air was being sucked from the room? Did he regret loving Dean once he was surrounded byĀ nothingĀ for eternity?Ā
The door to his room flew open, blinding light from the hall slicing through Deanās unadjusted eyes. He squinted at the figure in the doorway as it moved toward him. Dean knew he should reach for a knife, a gun, fuckingĀ something, but he was still half in the throes of the nightmare and too out of it to defend himself.Ā
It was like a dam broke. Dean drew in his first real gulp of air as if it had been blown into his chest by an outside force. A hand landed on his shoulder, the touch grounding in a familiar way that Dean couldnāt help but lean into, and he was too tired to keep pretending he didnāt want to.Ā Ā
āCas,ā he said, this time filled with relief and not bleeding desperation.Ā
Dean still couldnāt believe it. It was really Jackās doing, mostly, Dean just sacrificed his coat to the cause. But the kid had managed to once again drag Cas back out of the empty and return him whole with a shiny new pair of wings to boot.Ā
āSorry,ā he managed to say, voice hoarseā it felt scrubbed raw. āDidnāt mean to disturb you.āĀ
Dean didnāt actually know what Cas got up to at night while he and Sam slept. He honestly thought Cas just sat in a chair and stared at the wall until they woke up, but he knew that wasnāt true. Cas wasnāt a robot.Ā
āStill. Sorry.ā It was an apology for so many other things.Ā
Iām sorry you have to deal with me like this.Ā
Iām sorry you think you learned something from me about humanity or whatever, but Iām not who you think I am.Ā Ā
Iām sorry you loved me so much that it killed you.
āYou have nothing to apologize for,ā Cas insisted. āAre you okay?āĀ
Dean shrugged, suddenly self conscious. Embarrassment crept up his neck, tinting his cheeks pink. āāM fine.āĀ
Cas looked at him in thatĀ wayĀ he had. The one that told Dean to cut the crap. Theyād known each other too long to waste time pretending everything was okay when it wasnāt.Ā
āYou were calling out for me,ā Cas said.
The warmth of his palm was still seeping through Deanās shirt, touching a long-faded handprint that seemed to want to rise to the surface again from the contact. Dean wished it would.Ā
āYeah,ā Dean agreed instead of denying it.Ā
āYou sounded upset,ā Cas prompted.Ā
So, he was going to drag it out of Dean. Hiding was no longer an option between them and Cas was clearly hell-bent on making sure Dean had no sand to bury his head under.Ā
āYeah,ā Dean said again. He never said he was going to make this easy.Ā
āDo you want to talk about it?āĀ
āYouāre here and not dead so thereās nothinā to talk about,ā Dean replied.Ā
Casā hand finally dropped from his shoulder. The cold he left behind burned somewhere deep in Deanās core; his soul.Ā
āYes,ā he said, but he sounded distant.Ā
Dean wanted to reach for him. Heād been aching for it since Cas came back over a month ago, their reunion hug hadnāt been enough. Dean had also rejected Cas a week later when theyād had their one and only talk about what had happened. Dean didnāt deserve to want anything from him after that.Ā
He was probably the stupidest person on the planet. Cas wanted to be with him. CasĀ loved himĀ and Dean had thrown it back in his face even though he knew he loved him back.Ā
He loved Cas so much itĀ hurt. The stinging kind of hurt, not the good hurt, not the press of a finger into a bruise to feel the ache as it healed or the satisfaction of picking off a scab just to watch it bleed. No, it was the kind of hurt that felt like a brand. White-hot lightning and the spark of a live wire; swollen and unattractive and something that Dean never wanted to let see the light of day.Ā
Cas didnāt deserve Deanās love if it hurt.Ā
Dean had been through many painful ordeals in his lifetime, being a hellhoundās chew toy hurt a heck of a lot less than whatever the fuck he was feeling for Cas. Some days he was sure he would choke on it, tonight had come pretty close.Ā
Cas took a step away from the bed, straightening up as if he just realized how close they were. āWell, if youāre okay I should let you sleep.āĀ
There must have been something on Deanās face because Cas actually paused, head tilting to the side, assessing him. āUnless you want the company.āĀ
Hell yeah Dean wanted the company. Contrary to popular belief, Dean fucking hated being alone. Donāt get him wrong, he loved his room and his own space, but he was fucking lonely. Heād never admit that out loud, but these days with Sam off with Eileen most nights and it being just him and Cas in the bunker yet somehow miles apart, Dean felt like he was being hollowed out.Ā
āNah man, donāt wanna keep you from your book reading or whatever it is youāre up to.āĀ
āI wasnāt up to anything,ā Cas replied, still looking at Dean as if he could stare at him long enough and Dean would come apart like a jigsaw puzzle that could be put back together in a way that made sense. āIf youād like me to stay, I will.ā
Dean couldnāt ask for it. His mouth wouldnāt form the words, but his body betrayed him. He nodded.Ā
Cas didnāt say a word he simply closed the door and then sat down in Deanās desk chair. He was too far away but Dean wasnāt about to beg the angel into his bed.Ā
It felt like old times, being watched over. Casā presence was comforting. Still, Dean struggled to fall back asleep. The image of Cas being swallowed whole flashed behind his eyelids every time he tried to settle down. His questions came back with the vision and he finally couldnāt stand it anymore.Ā
āDid it hurt?ā he asked into the dark.Ā
āDid what hurt?ā Cas replied. And Dean couldnāt see him but he was sure the angel had tipped his head to the side, his brow forming that crease that Dean had grown fond of as he squinted his eyes in confusion.Ā
āDying,ā Dean breathed out.
āThe recent one.ā He couldnāt even let himself think about talking about the other times heād lost Cas. He still saw Luciferās blade piercing his chest sometimes, just another nightmare to join the rest.Ā
There was a rustling of fabric and then the bed dipped as Cas sat down. A moment later the lamp turned on and the room was flooded with light, illuminating Cas in what Dean could only describe as a halo. He looked ethereal; beautiful.Ā
Cas smiled softly at him, blue eyes boring into him with earnest intention. āNo, it didnāt hurt.ā
Deanās first instinct was to confront Casā lie. But Cas was looking at him in the same way he had on that day, with nothing but pure honesty, and Dean couldnāt pick a fight. He was so tired of fighting, especially with Cas.Ā
āWhat was it like there?ā Dean had to know. All Cas had ever told him before was that it was nothing, but what did nothing mean?Ā
Cas seemed to think about it for a moment, gaze flitting over Deanās face as he did so. āIt was the absence of everything,ā he said. āNo warmth, no cold, no light⦠no love.āĀ
Again, Dean wanted to pull Cas to him, to gather him up and never let him go. āThat sounds awful.āĀ
āIt was, but I was content knowing you were safe.āĀ
āAnd you donāt regret it?ā
āSaving you? Never.āĀ
āNot even from hell?āĀ
āDean, the only regrets I have are over how many times Iāve hurt you. I would fly through hell again for you without a second thought.ā Cas sighed, pained. āI know you donāt return my affections, but you should know that I think I loved you even then, even before I saw you in hell.āĀ
A tear slipped down Deanās cheek. āHow could you love me after you saw what I did there?āĀ
Casā hand came up to his face, his thumb wiping the tear away. āYou were so beautiful, the only light in that dark place, beaten and bloody, yes, but Dean⦠you wereĀ shining. I remember thinking that of course it was you, if anyone could stop it you could. I didnāt know then that I would fall, but I think I knew that if you called for me I would answer.ā Casā hand fell away and the ache inside Dean flared up.Ā
It would be so easy to tell him how he felt. He could have everything he ever wanted, but who was he to claim anĀ angelĀ for himself? Heaven and Earth were never meant to touch like that. Dean would end up corrupting Cas even more and he didnāt deserve that. Cas deserved someoneĀ better.Ā Ā
āIām sorry.ā Another apology, another cop out, another plea for forgiveness.Ā
āYou lost everything ācause of me, Cas. Your family, your standing with the angels, your home. It was all my fault.āĀ
Cas shook his head. āNo, Dean. I made choicesāā
āBecause of me!āĀ And then, quieter, āYou said it yourself. It was all because of me.āĀ
āNo,ā Cas said, firm and with conviction.Ā
Dean faced him head on. āCome on, youāre really telling me if you didnāt rescue me from hell that you wouldnāt still be up there?āĀ
āI was always defective,ā Cas replied evenly. āChuck said it himself.ā
āChuckās a dick. YouāreāāĀ perfectĀ āāawesome.āĀ
Cas blushed, not a lot, just enough for Dean to feel the warmth radiate back on him. It felt like a victory. āBefore you, I didnāt have anything to fight for. You were the only thing they couldnāt take from me. I always found my way back to who I really wasĀ because of you. Youāre my compass, and without you Iām lost.āĀ
āOh.āĀ Say it. Say it. Say it.Ā āUh, I get that.āĀ
Dean nodded. āYeah, I mean⦠when youāre not here it feels likeā¦I donāt know. I canāt breathe.āĀ
Cas stared at him. It was nothing new, Cas stared at him a lot, but this time it was like he might understand what Dean wasnāt saying. āDeanā¦āĀ
Dean knew his chin was wobbling, that tears were half a second away from spilling from his waterline, but he needed Cas to know how much he meant to him. The words rolled up his throat and settled on his tongue. āIāāĀ Coward.Ā
Dean scoffed, frustrated. āItās not. Cas youā you have to knowāā
āI do.ā Dean was wrong, CasĀ didnātĀ understand. He was being kind and trying to save Dean the trouble of rejecting him twice.Ā
āNo, Cas. I have to say this. IĀ have to, ācause you think I donāt love you and youāreĀ wrong.āĀ
Cas froze, eyes widening. āWhat?āĀ
Dean could do it, heād basically already done it so it should be easy now. āYouāre everything to me, Cas, and I need you toĀ get thatĀ because I canāt stand another minute of you thinking you somehow donāt deserve me. Itās the other way around by a fucking thousand miles.āĀ
āDean, I donāt⦠what are you saying?āĀ
It was now or never. āI love you.āĀ
Dean watched hope spark in Casā eyes and then die within seconds. āI know,ā he said. The unspokenĀ but not how I love youĀ hung in the air.Ā
Dean couldnāt take it anymore. He reached for Cas and pulled him in for a kiss. Cas let out a startled noise but Dean didnāt give him long enough to really kiss back before he was pulling away. āIĀ loveĀ you,ā he said, eyes searching blue. āDo you get it now?āĀ
Cas looked so beautiful, his lips wet, his hair spiky from Deanās fingers, and his pupils blown wide. āI donāt understand. You saidāā
āI was being an idiot. I thought I was protecting you.āĀ
āDean, I donāt need protecting, least of all from you.āĀ
āDoesnāt mean you donāt deserve someone trying. I canāt take losing you again, Cas. I thought it would be easier if we were just friends, but itās not. Iām fucking dying here.āĀ
Cas leaned in this time, a soft press of lips and a hand cradling the back of his neck. āIām very interested in keeping you alive,ā Cas said against his mouth. Cas moved to press a kiss to his cheek, his neck, his jaw, and Dean bared himself to him, hardly daring to move. āBreathe,ā Cas commanded.Ā
Dean exhaled just enough to get out one word, āCas.ā Dean drank him in, drunk on oxygen, drunk onĀ Cas.Ā
Casā pulse jumped under Deanās hand when he moved it to hold Casā neck. It was thready, andĀ loud, and so soĀ alive.Ā
tag list, ask to be added or removed
@undeadcas @tearsofgrace @hellerstiel @casgetoutofmyass0907 @wantstoflyafraidtofall @gayhuckleberryinatrenchcoat @thepixelagora@thelahatiel Ā @im-sam-fucking-winchester@piebook67 @theedeangirl@november5th@bixlasagna@ancient-fangirl@famouspsychicpizzabandit@you-cant-spell-subtext-without@bumbledumble1@cascigarette@addicted2demons @our-stars-gravesideĀ @fivefeetfangirl @evillittleguy @nekoshi13 @notreallyaroad @quiltcas @dotti55 @ht1asanctuary