[DCBB-FIC] Castiel Rising; NC-17; The Archangel
The Archangel
Castiel envies Sam for his nervous energy, because he can get up and walk around Bobby’s living room. Castiel feels… like the life has been drained from him. His arms and legs ache, mirroring the pain in his chest. His wings sag until the joints hurt, but he doesn’t have the energy to hold them at a proper height. So he sits on the couch and watches Sam do another lap around the coffee table. Bobby’s wheelchair squeaks from beside the couch, and Castiel can image he’s the type to walk, too, were he able.
“Oh for the love of Dad,” Gabriel says, and Castiel turns his eyes on him where he lurks in the far corner with his arms crossed. Gabriel is staring at Bobby, eye twitching. “If you’re gonna do something annoying, you might as well pace properly,” he drawls, and raises one hand and snaps his fingers.
Bobby lets out a shout as his wheelchair morphs into a pink beanbag chair beneath him and he sinks into it. He blinks at Gabriel, shaking his head. Even Sam stops pacing to look. Castiel can sense the lingering power, feels it settle around Bobby, and he smiles weakly once Bobby’s eyes light up in realization.
“You…?” Bobby says, staring at his legs. He swallows and moves them against the floor, a low noise coming out of his throat. He flounders to his feet, and just stands there, panting, stunned.
Gabriel waves a hand through the air. “Yes, yes, I am truly the most awesome thing you’ve ever seen,” he says and spreads his hands in front of him. “What’s our plan to free the stumpy one?”
Castiel stares at him. “You’re very eager to help us now,” he says, whatever good feeling inside him evaporating quickly. He wonders if this is heartbreak. Is he mourning for Dean?
Gabriel looks at him and swallows, mouth thinning, brow furrowing. “I…” he starts, then he sighs. “I don’t want the humans to die. I never did. I just…” He scowls at the floor. “I was afraid.”
Castiel watches him, narrowing his eyes. Gabriel keeps his gaze, raising his chin. Castiel can’t believe that an archangel is trying to prove himself to Castiel. It’s the opposite everything he has ever believed. So he smiles, and nods. “Thank you.”
Gabriel loses the tenseness in his shoulders, nodding. “Good. So. Plan?”
Bobby starts walking his living room, pacing. “Anyone else ever freed themselves of an archangel infestation?” he asks, raising his eyebrows.
Gabriel shakes his head, crossing his arms again and leaning against the wall. “Usually the poor saps are babbling sacks the moment an archangel hops inside.” He tugs on his shirt, smirking. “That’s why I built my own.”
Castiel closes his eyes. He hears Sam walking across the room.
“Dean told me Michael took our dad as a vessel,” Sam says. “Dad was fine afterward.” Castiel looks over at Sam, frowning. Gabriel makes a humming noise. “Plus,” Sam continues, eyes widening, “he made a deal with Michael.”
Gabriel grins, nodding. “Then he’ll have to be fine. Can’t keep a deal if the other party is incapacitated immediately after.”
Bobby smirks. “Well, there’s some good news,” he says. He crosses his arms. “Now, how to get him out.”
Sam looks over at Bobby. “Well, how’d you fight the demon off?”
Bobby frowns at him. “Sam,” he starts, and Sam shakes his head.
“This is all we’ve got,” Sam says. “We have to get Dean to fight Michael off.”
Castiel runs a hand over his face, chest tightening. “I doubt Michael would allow Dean to remain awake,” he says.
“Ah, don’t be so pessimistic,” Gabriel chirps, and Castiel looks up at him. Gabriel gives him a dark grin. “Do you think Michael wouldn’t gloat a little?”
Castiel frowns. ‘No,’ he wants to say, but doesn’t. He understands. They have no other options. There’s no time. Instead he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “We’ll need to put Lucifer in a ring of holy oil fire,” he says. He meets Gabriel eyes. “If Dean gains control, he will need to kill Michael to be completely free.”
Gabriel’s eyes clamp closed, and he looks away. Castiel just watches him as Bobby says, “I still have some.”
“Okay,” Gabriel says, weakly. “Okay. Then we have a plan.”
“We do?” Bobby asks. Then he scoffs. “We’re basically going to go there to cheerlead Dean, and then hope he’s tough enough to beat down an archangel.” When no one speaks up to correct him, Bobby blows out his breath. “Alright,” he says, adjusting his hat, and looks over at Castiel. “Then where is this final battle going to be?”
Castiel shakes his head. “I was never informed.”
“Stull Cemetery,” Gabriel says suddenly, and Castiel looks over at him. Gabriel smiles hollowly at him. “It’s where Lucifer and Michael had their final battle, just before Michael threw Lucifer into his cage.” He looks up. “It ends where it began.”
“Wait,” Sam says, stepping forward. “Stull Cemetery?”
Gabriel grins at him. “I wondered if you would catch on,” he says. “Yeah. It’s right next to Lawrence.”
Sam runs a hand over his face, eyes clamping shut. “Of course,” he says. Then he tears his hand away shakes his head. “Okay, so, we know where, and we know what we have to do.” He nods. “Are we ready?”
Bobby gestures to the kitchen. “I’ll get the oil,” he says.
Gabriel watches him, sadly, and nods. “We’re set,” he says in a soft tone. He looks over at Castiel. “But I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for this.”
Castiel thinks of having to kill Lucifer. It makes his heart clench. “I understand,” he says. Then he thinks of losing Dean and… “But it has to be done.”
-----
The graveyard doesn’t feel like a graveyard, Castiel thinks when they appear. It feels like flying through a thunderstorm, lightning building all around him, ready to explode into light and fire wherever it touches. It reminds Castiel of being in Heaven.
And then he actually looks.
There’s nothing Dean about the creature in front of him besides the flesh. Not in the way he holds himself, the way his face falls impassively as he looks over at them, or how unconcerned he is. Even Dean’s clothing falls in the wrong way. He doesn’t need Michael’s red eyes glowing through Dean’s, or the six bronze wings spread regally around him, to know that this isn’t the human Castiel has fallen in love with.
“Sonovabitch,” Bobby hisses beside him, and Castiel merely nods, because this is… too much. It’s almost worse than before. Sam is utterly silent, and Castiel can no longer feel Gabriel.
Michael frowns at them through Dean’s face, disapproving and surprised. “Castiel? You broke free,” he says, and Dean’s voice is smooth, calm, and almost without inflection. It hurts.
“Hello Michael,” Castiel says, and offers Lucifer, who stands, stunned, on the other side of the graveyard, a small nod and a smile. “Lucifer.”
“Hello, Castiel,” Lucifer says, smiling weakly.
Michael, though, glares. “You shouldn’t be here,” he says, and starts towards them. “You have no business-”
“Team Fuck Destiny represented by Gabriel!”
Everyone snaps around just as Gabriel snaps his fingers to the side, igniting the ring of oil circled around Lucifer. Lucifer twitches back, his white wings curling closer to himself as the flames ignite. It hurts Castiel to see that, but he only smiles at Gabriel and refocuses on Michael.
“We have business with Dean,” Castiel says, and Sam charges by him.
“You bastard,” Sam shouts, and Castiel has to grab him by the back of his shirt before he runs straight into Michael. Sam gasps in breaths, shoulders heaving, but stops when his shirt grows taught. Michael, though, just looks on, nearly uninterested, and that only seems to instigate Sam’s anger.
“How could you leave us like that, Dean?!” he shouts, body shaking in fury. “We would’ve found a way! We still can! Just fight!”
Michael shakes his head, smiling a smile that makes Castiel think of Dean’s time torturing in Hell. It does nothing to dampen Sam’s fire, and Bobby walks beside Sam, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Dean, you can beat this,” Bobby says. “We’re here for you.”
“That’s nice,” Michael says, smiling wider, and his eyes flare bright red, “but, you see, Dean isn’t here. He’s asleep, deep inside, so he doesn’t have to know what I am forced to make him do. Your pleas do nothing to rouse him.”
Sam shudders, wheezing, and Castiel realizes he’s crying. He hears Bobby shakily exhale. “So, that’s it,” he murmurs. “We’ve lost.”
Michael turns pitying eyes on them. “It may look like losing, but you’re going to a better place. All of you,” he says, his eyes narrowing when they fall on Castiel. Then he looks at Gabriel, who is keeping back, away from it all. “Although Gabriel and I might have to have a conversation. But I do thank you, brother-” he turns out Dean’s arm and a sword like Castiel’s, although longer and whiter, slides out of his sleeve-“for trapping Lucifer for me.”
“Michael!” Castiel shouts, Gabriel’s face turning grey. “No!”
As Michael turns to Lucifer, Lucifer shakes his head and raises his wings as high as the ring of fire would allow. “Brother, you know this is a test from Father,” he says, glaring briefly at the sky. “We don’t have to do this. We can still choose. Just… walk away.”
Michael frowns at him, then looks away. “You know I can’t,” he says, eyes slipping shut for a moment. Then he raises his eyes again, looking determined. “I have my orders.” He raises his blade, holding it over his shoulder. “Goodbye, Lucifer,” he says, brows furrowed, wings coiled tightly to his back, and throws his blade.
Castiel moves.
“Castiel!”
He’s surprised to find himself still alive with the archangel blade protruding from his chest. He wants to say to Michael’s stunned face that he’s no longer an angel, but blood chokes his throat and he slips to his knees. From around the handle of the blade, Castiel can see the shine of his escaping soul, his life-energy, and feels his strength evaporating. He leans back and coughs blood when his wings graze the holy fire, the pain only a dull sensation. But instinct propels him forward, towards the grass, and he goes limply.
“No, no, no,” he hears Gabriel say over and over as his arms catch Castiel. “No, Father, no, please.”
As Gabriel gently turns him toward the sky, so bright and grey, he feels his energy sapping, leaking, but also feels energy funneling into him, not fast enough-nothing could be fast enough to stop death-but enough to keep him temporarily breathing. He smiles up at Gabriel’s face, and turns his head to look at Lucifer and smiles. “Thank you.”
Lucifer stares at him, eyes wide. “Why would you do this? Why save me? After everything?”
“Because I love you,” Castiel murmurs, frowning. Lucifer closes his eyes. “And Dean.” He raises his head, meeting Gabriel’s eyes, which widen. “He made a deal.” They both to turn to Michael, who hasn’t moved or spoken. Castiel offers him a bloody smile. “And Michael just broke it.”
Michael’s bronze wings suck into Dean’s back and the red fades from his eyes. Dean drops to his hands and knees, shaking, and Sam is instantly at his side.
“Dean?” Sam whispers, and Bobby crowds Dean on this other side. “Dean, you there?”
Dean nods, fingers clenching the grass. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I’m so sorry.”
Sam tugs on his arm. “Apologize later,” he says. “Cas is…”
“Cas!” Dean shouts, head snapping up, and stares at Castiel with wide, horrified eyes. He stumbles to his feet, races across the graveyard, and crashes at Castiel’s side. “No, no,” he says, hands hovering of the handle of the sword. “We have to do something,” he says, eyes flicking over Castiel body. “You can’t… I can’t…”
Castiel reaches up and grips his wrist. It’s so much effort, and he lets his hand drop. Dean catches it and holds it between his own, staring at Castiel’s face. “It’s too late,” Castiel says, and Dean shakes his head. Castiel swallows. “I’m already dead. I’m bleeding out energy faster than Lucifer can pour it into me.” He watches Dean. “I have no time. But you do. Not much. You have to kill Michael before he forces his way out of you.”
“He’s right,” Gabriel says, voice rough. “We can’t do anything for Castiel. But,” he turns his gaze onto Dean, who doesn’t look away from Castiel, “we don’t have to kill Michael.”
Dean finally turns his watery glare at him. “What? You wanna throw Michael in the cage?”
Gabriel shakes his head. “Not just him,” he says, and raises his eyes to Lucifer. “Both of them. Two birds, one hole.”
Castiel blinks at him, too stunned for words, but Sam marches forward, hovering protectively over Dean. “What about Dean?” Sam says. “We’d still need to pull Michael out.”
“I can do that,” Lucifer says, breaking his silence. “I pull Michael out and put him inside Nick with me. Nick’s body won’t be able to hold that much power, so I jump in as soon as I’m done.” He smiles a little. “Then we can do something I’ve wanted to do for… forever.”
Castiel watches him. “You want to talk to him.”
Lucifer nods, tears slipping out of his eyes. “Yes,” he whispers. “Yes, I want to talk to him.”
“And why should we believe you?” Bobby says, coming to stand beside Sam.
“Because I never wanted Michael dead,” Lucifer says, bowing his head. “Because I swear, on my grace,” Gabriel makes a choked noise, “that so long as you don’t try to kill Michael or myself, I will not double-cross you.”
Dean makes a noise, and Castiel looks over at him. Dean nods. “Okay. I agree.”
“Dean!”
He looks at Sam. “This is the best plan we’ve got to get rid of both of them.” He closes his eyes briefly, holding Castiel tighter. “And I’m tired, Sammy.” Dean meets Sam’s eyes, and Sam nods once.
“Okay,” Sam says, and turns to Gabriel. “What do we do?”
Gabriel nods once, and Castiel feels himself sliding through Gabriel’s arm into Dean’s, and Gabriel rises to his feet. “We need the Horseman’s rings. When put together, they create a doorway to the cage,” he says, looking around. “And lucky us, I can feel all four of them here.”
Lucifer smiles at him. “You were always a fast learner,” he says. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out Pestilence’s ring, turning it over in his palm, frowning, before tossing it to Gabriel. “I was going to use the rings to open the cage beneath Michael, but you’d taken all but one of them.”
Dean carefully sinks his hand into his pocket and draws it out again, War’s ring clenched between his fingers. “Okay,” he says, and hands it Gabriel, “here’s another.”
“And mine,” Sam says, throwing him Famine’s ring.
“That’s three,” Lucifer says. He frowns. “Now we need Death’s.”
Castiel lets out a startled laugh, eyes widening, and blood gurgles up this throat. “My pocket,” he says to Dean, once he can speak. “Death gave it to me weeks ago.”
Dean smiles at him, weakly, and gently pats down Castiel’s coat before slipping a hand into a pocket. He pulls out the ring Death had given him, and presses it into Gabriel’s palm.
Gabriel nods at them once before manipulating them in his palm. “There,” he says, lifting the triangular shape into the air. He tosses it a few feet ahead of him, onto the ground, and holds out his arm. “Bvtmon tabges babalon,” he chants, and the Earth beneath the rings drops away, opening into a gaping, sucking tunnel.
The gusts blow the flame out, and, for a brief moment, Castiel expects Lucifer to fly away despite everything. Instead, he walks to Castiel’s other side, brushing his fingers over Castiel’s cheek, and Castiel feels warmth spreading from the touch.
“Once I’m back in the cage,” Lucifer says, “I won’t be able to help you.”
“I know,” Castiel says, feeling Dean’s grip on his hand tighten. He smiles at Lucifer, swallowing blood. “I never stopped caring for you. Never.”
Lucifer clamps his eyes shut and he leans down to press a kiss against Castiel’s forehead. “Thank you,” he says, and pulls back.
“Cas,” Dean says, voice ragged. Castiel looks up at him, and Dean keeps shaking his head. “I didn’t want this,” he says.
Castiel nods. “I know,” he says. “I understand.”
Dean shakes. “I should’ve waited.”
“You’ll never know,” Castiel says. “But you’ve won. You saved the world.”
Dean swallows, eyes growing wetter, pink. “Not all the important parts.”
Castiel squeezes his hand gently. “You have Sam and Bobby.”
Dean sobs, a tear sliding down his face. “I want you.”
“I’m sorry,” Castiel says. He feels tears rolling down his own face. The world grows blurry. “I love you.”
Dean lets out a noise and buries his head in Castiel’s hair, sobbing. Castiel feels his tears and his shudders, and turns to Lucifer, nodding. “Now,” he says. “Please. Now.”
Lucifer reaches down, touching Castiel face, and turns to the back of Dean’s head. “This will be painful,” he says, and Castiel tucks his face against Dean’s shirt.
Dean screams into Castiel’s hair before slumping, and there’s a moment where Castiel can just listen to him breathe. It’s calming. Soothing. Peaceful.
And then he’s nothing.
-----
Castiel recognizes this place. It’s as soothing and calming as before. It’s a great yawning space of nothing, filled with grey and grey-brown fog. He floats there, in limbo, wondering if this is how the rest of time will be.
Then he feels the Presence approaching, and looks into the fog. He can’t see anything different, but it feels different. Loving, warm, proud. Castiel breathes.
“Father?” he calls, and feels a pulse back.
“Castiel,” the Presence says. “I’m so proud of you.”
Castiel trembles. “Father… but I failed you.” He thinks of the other Castiel, of God’s surprise. “Gabriel showed me-”
God calms him, brushing his cheek. “You only were ahead of My plan,” God says. “You did what I want all angels to do: choose.”
Castiel closes his eyes. “So I’m not wrong?”
“You are as I intended,” God says. “No matter the path to get there.”
Castiel nearly sobs in relief. “Thank you,” he whispers. “Thank you.”
God stay quiet for some time. Then, He curls in closer to Castiel. “I did many things wrong,” He says. “When I ordered the angels to love humanity, I only wanted them to admire what humanity has, to be inspired into developing free will.” He pauses. “It was a poor idea.” Castiel feels him move, shifting around. “But then Anael chose. And Uriel. And Balthazar. It’s why I couldn’t step in, Castiel. Because then everything would be meaningless.”
Castiel feels Him drawing away again, quiet, so he turns toward where he can feel God. “What about now?”
“I think Gabriel has it handled,” God says, amused. “Yet another thing I hadn’t quite expected.”
Castiel tries to imagine Gabriel in a position of leadership, and pities the world. “What about you? What do you want to do now?”
God stays silent for a few moments. “I don’t know,” He says. “I’d like to rest without worrying, but I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“It’s not,” Castiel admits. “Not completely.”
“I suppose not,” God says. “A more reasonable question is, what do you want?”
Castiel blinks. “I want to live,” he says frankly. God laughs and it makes Castiel smile.
“Good choice,” God says. Then Castiel feels the air change. “But, I have some… conditions.”
“You want me to be human,” Castiel says.
“Yes.” God coils tighter around him. “You… are not a good role model for angels. Your way of achieving this was… I don’t want that to be the standard on how it’s done. You’re more human than angel now, Castiel. You couldn’t live Heaven.”
Castiel tries to fight back his fear, and fails. “I’ll be terrible at it.”
God laughs again. “Everyone is terrible at being human,” He says. “You’ll fit in just fine.”
-----
Castiel’s first breath ends with him choking on a mouthful of human hair. He doesn’t manage a second breath right away, because he’s dropped to the ground and it’s stolen from him. He blinks watery eyes at the sky and thinks, ‘This hurts.’
“Oh my God,” Dean says, dropping to Castiel’s side, and the image is so familiar that Castiel actually touches his chest to make sure he isn’t impaled again. But then he sees Dean’s red and puffy face, eyes swollen and pink. “Castiel?” Dean asks.
“Hello, Dean,” Castiel wheezes, pushing himself up.
Then he’s down again, a mouth covering his in a kiss, and Castiel is only too eager to return it. He buries a hand into Dean’s hair and smiles into it. He feels tears on his face and knows they aren’t his. Dean pulls away, sobbing, gasping in breaths.
“You were dead,” Dean whispers, running a hand over Castiel’s face. “You were dead, and your wings were burnt into the grass.”
Castiel smiles slightly at him. “God was thankful for getting His feuding children to talk.”
Dean laughs weakly. “You know the best people.”
“I doubt I’ll be able to call in favors,” he says dryly. Then he looks around, brow furrowing. “Where-?”
“They wanted to give me space,” Dean says, looking away. “I was bringing you to the entrance of the graveyard when…” He shakes his head, and grins. “They’ll be surprised.”
He helps Castiel to his feet, and Castiel is amazed at how he feels the pull of muscles as he moves. He looks at Dean and frowns. “You should know I’m human.”
Dean nods. “Okay.”
Castiel blinks and smiles. “Okay.”
“We’ll get you started with everything you need, like gun-handling and marksman skills,” Dean says and grabs his wrist, leading him down a dirt path. “One thing: no witchcraft.”
Castiel sighs. “It’s only a tool, Dean,” he drawls as he follows, fighting a smirk.
“Yeah,” Dean grunts. “A tool that makes pacts with demons and pagan gods.”
“You can also shoot yourself or have the weapon explode if you mishandle it,” Castiel returns. When Dean shoots him an annoyed look, he smirks. “I swear I’ll only make pacts with whatever pagan god Gabriel is.” He looks ahead and spies the three others in their ragtag team. “What pagan god are you, Gabriel?”
“Loki,” Gabriel says, sparing them a quick glance from where his eyes are locked onto his shoes. Then he snaps around and stares. “Castiel?!” Gabriel is suddenly in front of Dean and Castiel, blinking. “You don’t have your wings,” he says dimly.
“Father brought me back human,” Castiel says, watching Gabriel. Gabriel winces, looking away.
“Dad?” he says. Castiel nods once, and Gabriel cautiously meets his eyes. Castiel can imagine his great wings curling close to his back. Castiel merely raises an eyebrow and Gabriel swallows. “I don’t suppose He said something about me?”
“He implied that you would make a great commander of Heaven,” Castiel says, and Gabriel’s eyes close with a grimace.
“Of course He did,” Gabriel says, looking skyward. “Love You, too, Old Man.”
Dean shrugs, running a thumb down the back of Castiel’s hand. “Your Dad’s gotten it right so far.”
Gabriel turns to Dean, grinning toothily. “Oh?” He strides towards Dean, who drops Castiel’s hand and takes a step back, “I bet you’ve never gotten the big brother talk from an archangel before, have you?”
As Dean cowers under Gabriel’s smile, Castiel turns to Sam and Bobby. Bobby’s smile is curved onto the side of his face, eyes bright.
“Glad to see you up and about,” he says, walking forward and clapping a hand onto his shoulder.
Sam crosses his arm, his unaffected look damaged by his pink, swollen eyes. “I guess God brought you back again?” he says.
Bobby snorts. “Don’t let him fool you,” he says, raising an eyebrow at Castiel. “He was blubbering all over that he’d been so mean to you and never told you how thankful he was for all you’d done for him.”
Sam just laughs, wiping at his eyes. “Bobby!” he says, smiling.
As Bobby grins at him, Castiel feels a hand grip his wrist again. He turns and sees a slightly-harassed Dean standing there, grinning. Bobby turns to him and smirks.
“Did he put the fear of God into you?” Bobby asks and Dean shakes his head.
“Hell no,” Dean says, smirking. “The fear of Gabriel was enough.”
Gabriel saunters over, a lollipop stick poking out of his mouth. He looks skyward, eyes distant. “I think it’s time for me to go home,” he says, looking at Castiel.
Castiel nods. “It’s been far too long,” he says, and Gabriel looks away briefly. Castiel tilts his head slightly. “You should find Balthazar,” he says.
Gabriel nods. “I will.” Then he looks over the group, and Castiel misses seeing his wings, because it’s too hard to guess what he’s feeling by watching his face. Gabriel smirks. “I’ll be visiting, to catch up with Castiel,” he says. He holds up his hand, ready to snap. “See you soon.”
Suddenly they’re in Bobby’s house again, in his living room, and Castiel wobbles, grabbing Dean to keep balance.
“Yeah, see?” Dean says, grinning. “That’s why I’m not fond of the angel express.”
Castiel nods, staring at Dean’s face. His smile fades slightly, and he clutches Castiel closer. Bobby clears his throat. “I think I’ll see if we can make a decent celebratory meal. C’mon, Sam.”
“What?” Sam says. “Oh, uh, yeah. We Saved the World Dinner. Because I’m so hungry.”
The two of them quickly flee the living room and Dean shakes his head. “I got you killed. Again,” he whispers.
Castiel frowns at him. “It’s not like I followed you without knowing I could die,” he says. “And I wasn’t even under Famine’s influence this time.”
Dean closes his eyes. “That’s not the point,” he says, swallowing. “I was so selfish. I didn’t think about how you or Sam or Bobby would react. I just wanted… I wanted it to be over.”
“And now it is,” Castiel says, running a hand through Dean’s hair. “I forgive you. Being selfish is part of being human, and, as a new human, I want to be selfish and I want us to be okay.”
Dean smiles at him weakly. “How can you just say that?” he asks. “How can you just… wipe it all away as if it doesn’t matter?”
Castiel frowns at him. “It doesn’t matter to me,” he says. “You’re alive, I’m alive, Sam’s alive, the war is over.” He shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter how it happened now.”
“Yeah, but,” Dean says, and looks away, “you’re human.”
Castiel looks at his hands, at the scarring, and thinks of how… similar it all is to when he was an angel. He smiles back at Dean, who blinks in surprise. “My Father told me,” he starts, “that I was more human than angel at the end. This isn’t new, or difficult. And what is difficult, I trust you to help me through.”
Dean shakes his head again as he smiles weakly, pulling Castiel to him, and holds him. “Thank you,” he whispers into his shoulder, voice hoarse. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Castiel frowns. “For what?”
“That’s for your Dad,” Dean says into his ear, “for giving you back to me.”
Castiel smiles into his shoulder, and his stomach gurgles alarmingly. He twitches back and looks down, and Dean throws his head back and laughs.
“C’mon,” he says, grabbing his wrist. He tugs him toward the kitchen with a grin. “Let’s go see what they’ve scrounged up for a meal.”
As he follows Dean into the kitchen and sees the grinning faces of Bobby and Sam standing in front of a herd of cans, Castiel feels content and happy, loved and wanted. He feels safe. He feels at home.
“Thank you,” he whispers, and allows Dean to pull him forward.
“Now, for your first lesson in humanity,” Dean says with a grin and hands Castiel a strange device. “Opening cans.”
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