Cas looked round at Dean again, having heard Dean's whimpering start up again. Having nowhere else to be, Cas had chosen to watch over the green eyed hunter he loved whilst the nights fell and the days were reborn. The whimpering and soft cries whilst Dean slept were not uncommon, and whilst their regularity calmed Cas' initial alarm, he was still worried. Cas knew he could easily quell the cries and let Dean sleep peacefully. He kept considering it, considering giving Dean the peace he deserved, but that would require holding the hunter's head and "mojoing", as Dean put it. Cas doubted Dean would take kindly to Cas invading his dreams. So the angel continued to explore the living room in Bobby's house, learning how to move quietly and not wake Dean, who every night crashed on the sofa.
Only once had he been caught watching over Dean; when Cas was fiddling with an old Polaroid camera he found on a shelf, and it made a loud, alarming sound. Dean had blearily opened his eyes, halfway through his four hours, but had fallen right back asleep when Cas apologised and attempted at a smile. Two hours after that, Dean had assumed it was some odd dream and rapidly forgot about it, though it had stuck at the back of Cas' mind like glue. Dean, the ever alert, sharp witted hunter, who would be up and out of bed in a heartbeat if there was any attacker, had readily accepted Cas' presence in the looming dark and hadn't batted an eyelid. This small sign of trust, and acceptance without aggression had meant the world to the humble angel, and meant his protectiveness over Dean had only grown stronger.
So today, after 36 hours of flat out tracking and hunting, Dean was catching up on lost sleep. Sam had made him turn out the lights early, and Cas was very happy that Dean was still heavily sleeping after 5 hours. What continued to bother him, though, were the mutters and occasional cries, sometimes for help, that escaped from Dean's nightmares. Cas had so closely intervened night before last, when Dean had lashed out and his whole body had rocked up, his back arched, and had fits of choked yelling.
It seemed to be continuing tonight, and Cas nervously watched Dean, torn between helping him sleep and not getting yelled at. Cas' eyes shifted back to the book on various ways of tying ties, but he found he could not concentrate when his beloved hunter was sleeping so fitfully beside him. Dean started yelling again, Cas tensed again, and willed the hours to go by so Dean could wake. Then Cas heard his name. "CAS," Dean called out in his sleep "CAS HELP!"
It sounded strangled, and Dean drew in a shuddering breath. He started gasping, and Cas' hands were poised over Dean's face, ready at any moment to save Dean from the nightmares. Dean's throat had constricted, and Dean was thrashing about, needing air desperately. Why wasn't he waking up? Humans woke up to this kind of stimulation?! Cas panicked, and looking up and around for any last sources of help, his face set and he quickly set his hands down onto Dean's forehead.
He felt his presence inside Dean's head and took a while to adjust to the chaos surrounding him. It was dizzied from needing air, panicked, and terrifying. Flashes of and screams from hell surrounded Cas, and fast flickering memories from Jo and Ellen, Sam, and who Cas recognised as John. Screaming and wailing and the sound of retching all reached Cas' ears in the few moments he had been inside Dean's head, already Cas desperately wanted to get out. He searched frantically for a manifestation of Dean's consciousness he could talk to, and spotted a sobbing one grasping onto a tan trench coat. It was dirty, bloodstained, and half covering a dead version of himself.
"Dean!" Cas called, "Dean wake up!" His gravely voice trying to be heard over the heated screams and dizzied wasteland of Dean's mind. "DEAN!" Cas yelled angrily, aware that Dean's throat was still restricted. A sobbing wreck of the hunter he loved turned and looked at him, no light in his eyes, broken and defeated and covered in scars and blood.
"Dean," Cas began hurriedly "You're in a dream. This isn't real. Wake up, I am still alive." Dean's world started to slant and became blotched black, and Cas could feel the restriction tightening in on them. Dean needed to calm down so his muscles would relax, now!
"Dean," Cas' voice shaked "Dean listen to me. I am not dead, you are dreaming. You need to calm down," Cas glanced at the shrieking chaos still consuming the parts that weren't blacked out. Cas pulled the hunter to his feet "We need to get you out of here," and Cas looked for a happy memory admist the rubble of Dean's soul. Anything positive. The Impala! A good start, Cas knew it meant a lot to Dean. Half dragging Dean toward it, he continued yelling, trying to explain why Dean was okay.
The frantic angel could feel that Dean was weak, but the claustrophobic atmosphere was beginning to lighten up. Then Cas saw a memory of Dean's mother, and hauled him over to that. A narrow path of good things could just be seen snaking its way amongst the chaos. People Dean had saved, people Dean loved, people who loved Dean. Cas saw a lot of himself here, which confused him slightly. It also confused him why he had dragged Dean away from Cas' body of all things, when memories of hell were vying for attention too. Suddenly, the pressing darkness released, and the Dean Cas was clutching in his arms gasped, gripping tightly to the angel's arm.
"You're breathing," Cas was relieved. He continued to pull Dean away from the nightmares clawing themselves towards the couple. "Come on."
He pulled Dean next to a memory of watching fireworks, and addressed him seriously "Dean think of your happiest memories, and go there." Cas needed to get out whilst Dean was still sleeping, but couldn't allow the nightmares to catch up, "Go!"
Dean blinked, perplexed "Cas...?"
"I said go!"
Dean opened his mouth in surprise, but then clutched at his head as a wash of water crashed over the two. Had Dean drowned once? Cas thrashed his way closer, "HAPPY MEMORIES, Dean you HAVE to understand," and Dean started thinking distractedly. Happy, happy, happy. He dredged up memories of his mother, that Christmas when he and Sam had earned enough money to buy each other presents, the first time he won something at a fete, saving the lives of a whole plane full of people. A rushing delight when Cas had appeared as soon as Dean had prayed, when Dean had been a father to Ben, when he had saved Sam's life, that chest achingly funny time that Dean had taken Cas to a strip club...
Cas fended off grinning images of Azazel and tortured, half broken people from hell. He tried not to attack them, even Cas didn't know what would happen if you killed some subconscious. They were getting weaker though, and Cas managed to knee a demented Uriel in the face before they all grew weak, washed out and hazy. Calmed, Cas turned to Dean before planning to extricate himself from Dean's dream, only to have his attention snagged by a memory Dean had pulled up and an alternate version of what happened. It was after a hunt for some particularly vicious vampires, when Cas had joined them in an effort to make friends. Cas had enjoyed that hunt too, but Dean's dream ending was different. Instead of Cas taking his leave, Dean had persuaded him to stay for food and beer.
"C'mon Cas, it'll be fun" Dean was saying to a Cas replica. The replica's shoes and chest were slightly fuzzy, but its eyes, hair, mouth, and coat stood out in great, studied detail. "Okay Dean," it, he, said, and an evening of talking with Cas, Bobby, and Sam played out. Bluesy music was playing and dream Cas was smiling at a joke he managed to understand. This was one of the best places for Dean? Now that Cas thought about it, it was him, Sam, and Bobby that were closest to him, physically and emotionally. A summer evening with 60s/70s music, burger and beer was Dean's messed up, but equally beautiful version of tranquil.
A few endings to the fantasy phased in and out, but the strongest one was where they walked outside to an air with late night sea breeze, and the starred sky burst with many colourful fireworks; the 4 of them standing there for ages unending, in a bubble of delight, and Dean standing close to dream Cas, patting him on the back, smiling at dream Cas' face which was transfixed on the fireworks. It began to fade, and Cas started in a panic and quickly pulled himself out of Dean's head, his own mind still reeling from not only the fireworks, which were stunning, but also the intensity of dream Cas' accuracy. His eyes had shined bright and his reactions to the bursts of colour against the night sky perfect.
Cas looked down at the sleeping form of Dean, the hunter's eyes beginning to flicker, and Cas swiped up the book on ties and held it, still staring at Dean and pondering his happiest dream.
The human's eyes squeezed and flickered and scrunched when Dean let out a peaceful yawn. He looked up at Cas, sleepy confusion on his face.
"Oh hey Cas," He stretched, "Why's your book upside down?"
Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed, please review because I don't know whether to continue or not, so I'm basing it on what you guys think :3 I have a full storyline mapped out, and currently a second chapter to upload if you like it :) Have a brilliant day everyone, stay groovy ~Petrichor