Chapter Text
Dean woke up slowly; the gradual realization that he was warm and relaxed and fully rested bringing him some confusion until he felt strong arms tighten around him. Cas, he thought, remembering how the two of them had fallen asleep together, or rather he had slept and the angel had held him close, all night long. He leaned his head back against Cas’ chest and listened to the soft beating of the angel’s heart. They didn’t speak, they just let the silence wrap over them like a warm blanket, and Dean was happy. The minutes ticked by, and Dean was quiet. He placed his hand on top of Cas’ where the angel held him. Sam could be heard humming to himself as he walked through the hallway. Cas was quiet as he pressed a soft kiss into Dean’s hair. The sounds of the bunker were muffled by the concrete walls, and the two men allowed the silence of their room to pierce their souls. Dean felt a peace that he hadn’t felt since Purgatory, and the irony of that thought left a smile on his face.
They stayed like that until Dean couldn’t ignore his bladder any longer. He sat up with a groan and rubbed his eyes before stretching. He tried to suppress a shiver when he felt Cas’ hand rest on the small of his back. As he stood up and walked towards the bathroom, Dean took hold of Cas’ hand and held it for the few short moments they were in reach. After he was done, Dean stayed in the bathroom and stared at his face in the mirror. He usually avoided this, since he mostly saw ghosts of his own guilt, but today all he could see was his scarred face. He didn’t look exhausted like he usually did, even after a night of sleep, and he smiled as he realized that Cas had kept his promise and watched over him; even going so far as to ward his dreams.
Dean walked back into his room and saw his angel sitting up and contemplating his shoes, which were in his hand, as if he was weighing the merits of putting them on or not. Dean let out an amused chuckle and dug some clothes out his dresser. As he was about to put a clean shirt on, he felt Cas wrap his arms around Dean’s waist. Leaning back into the embrace, Dean closed his eyes and let the angel’s warmth seep back into his skin.
“Cas?” He said softly.
“Hmm?” The angel’s voice rumbled against Dean’s neck, and it was quickly followed by a press of lips to Dean’s skin.
Dean sighed in pleasure and relaxed even more, letting Cas take most of his weight.
“This is nice.”
Sam was walking past Dean’s room on his way to the library, and he chuckled at the sound of soft voices from behind the door. It’s about damn time, he thought. If I had to sit through them staring at each other without resolution one more time... He smiled to himself again and continued on. He was trying to find everything that the Men of Letters had on fairies, in particular why they would need a fallen angel’s grace. Claire had been very clear that the fairies had mentioned that the grace had to come from a fallen angel. Sam thought back several years to remember what the angel Hester had said when she had tried to kill Cas.
“ When Castiel first laid a hand on you he was lost… You have fallen in every way. ”
Sam wondered if Cas’ and Dean’s “profound bond” had something to do with the other angel’s declaration of Cas’ fallen status. He remembered that Lucifer had told him that he had been banished from heaven due to loving God too much. And that got Sam thinking about what love does to angels, who were only made to protect humanity, not to love.
Along with all the volumes on fairies that the Men of Letters had in the bunker, Sam started pulling out the volumes on angel grace the library held. He needed to see if he could discover any difference between regular angelic grace and fallen angelic grace. As he was stacking books on the table, Dean and Cas walked past him on their way to the kitchen. Cas was in his traditional suit, but he was not wearing his signature trench coat and he was barefoot. The odd sight of a bare foot angel caused Sam to not notice Cas’ hand resting on Dean’s lower back at first, but once he saw it he smiled at Dean, who ducked his head slightly and blushed. Sam’s smile turned into a grin as Dean grabbed Cas’ hand and pulled him into the kitchen and away from Sam. Teasing him is going to be so much fun now, Sam thought, and turned back to his research.
Before he had taken down anymore books, there was the sound of breaking glass followed by a muffled curse from Dean in the kitchen. Sam hurried towards the kitchen only to stop short at the door. Cas was holding Dean’s hand in his own, and Sam could just make out the blue glow of grace that Cas was shining down on it. Dean was using his foot to sweep the remains of a mug away from Cas’ bare feet. They didn’t see Sam in the doorway, and as he listened to their soft voices, he ducked out of sight, not wanting to intrude.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt? Dean, I could have healed this before we left Sherriff Mill’s house.”
“I forgot about it Cas. It’s from when I hurt… when I had to burn the brand off of Claire, Cas, and it didn’t matter that I got burned as well at the time, you were being killed. Afterwards I forgot about it because of us. I mean, come on, Cas, you and me? I couldn’t think, let alone feel pain.”
At Cas’ whispered “Dean” and the soft sounds of kissing, Sam went back to his books, happy that Dean had finally allowed himself to be loved.