Dean sat on the hood of the Impala, drinking a beer absentmindedly as he stared up at the stars. He wondered what it was like up there in Heaven, now that Lucifer was free. It was no doubt divided, chaotic, lost now that God was gone. Dean chuckled darkly to himself. At least Hell had themselves together. He glanced at the door of the motel room which Sam was currently sleeping inside. He was always checking up on him, always watching after his little brother. It was his job, and no matter how much Sam wished Dean would stop worrying and let him grow up, Dean knew it would never happen. He returned his gaze forward and nearly dropped his beer when he saw a figure standing in front of him.
"Damn it, Cas, you scared the hell out of me!" he told the angel, recovering slightly and setting his beer next to him.
Castiel was injured. The civil war up in Heaven was wearing the angel thin, and he'd been stabbed in the shoulder with an angel blade. It hurt. A lot. He was seeping both blood and a brilliant white light, his grace slowly leaving his body. He couldn't heal, there was one possible way that Castiel knew how to fix this, but it was a long shot; merely legend. It was rare for an angel to survive a stabbing from and angle blade, and ones that had died withing the next twenty-four hours.
"Apologies," he muttered, then raised a hand up to his shoulder, pressing a hand to it, then pulling it away, seeing the blood and white, glowing liquid on his hand. "I am injured, Dean." He told him, then looked up, blue locking with green. "It's… not good. I wanted to come see you before the inevitable."
Dean's eyes widened and he scrambled off the car, grabbing Cas as lightly as he could to examine him. Dean stared at the wound and then back up to Cas, his words sinking in. His eyes widened even more as he realized what his best friend was saying, "No…" Dean said breathlessly, "No, Cas, nothing's going to be inevitable. You're going to be fine," In spite of himself, Dean felt his eyes prick with tears. Cas had escaped death before, always came back to should this time be any different? He put a hand on Cas' uninjured shoulder and gripped tightly, as if to hold him there forever, "Just…tell me what I have to do." he begged, not liking the look in Cas' eyes.
Castiel was beginning to feel very woozy, the blood and grace loss beginning to affect him. He didn't want to seem weak in front of his human charge, but it was difficult. He took a deep breath through his nose, trying to center himself, to keep himself from falling over. As soon as Dean's hands were on him though, he leaned into the support, his head lolling backward as if he was drunk. "Dean, there is… nothing you can do. Nothing that I know will work for sure, and there isn't enough time for the only option we have," he muttered softly, his words just above a whisper. "Please do not mourn me, my friend. I lived my life well, sharing the better years with you," he smiled softly, blinking slowly as he fought to stay awake.
"No, I'm not going to mourn you, you ass, because you're going to tell me this option of yours and I'm going to heal you!" Dean nearly yelled in desperation, shaking Cas to keep him awake. He pulled Cas around by his shoulders and sat him down on the Impala. When Cas started to shake his head, Dean huffed out in annoyance, "Don't think that being injured gives you a free pass from getting smacked, because so help me I will," Dean said, really fighting back tears now. He sat down next to the angel, nearly supporting all of his weight and forcing him to look at Dean.
Castiel allowed himself to be dragged to the Impala, focusing all of his energy on Dean, using him as an anchor, a lifeline to stay awake, to stay conscious. He was about to tell Dean that the option was almost impossible, and it would be painful for him, but then Dean was firm in his words, and Castiel wanted to live. He wanted to live and be here; with Dean. Always with Dean. "Your soul," he muttered, then coughed a little, his voice raspier than usual, the pain radiating from his shoulder almost unbearable. "I need… a piece of your soul to help the healing process. Legend says it will tie me to you, Dean, to your lifeforce. We will be linked. I'm not positive it will even work," he said as he leaned against Dean, ashamed to be using Dean as support like this, aware that he was worrying his human. He shouldn't have come, but he didn't want to leave this world without saying goodbye.
Dean would be lying if he said he wasn't a little shocked at this answer, and he allowed himself a split second of doubt before tightening his jaw firmly. If a part of his soul was what it meant for Cas to stay alive, he would give it in a heartbeat. It's not like it will help him get to Heaven anymore. He nodded and sat Cas upright so he could see him, "Then it's a risk we're gonna have to take," Dean stated, all his fear leaving him. He would not let Cas go without a fight. He kept his face hard and controlled, knowing the angel was scanning for some reason to get out of this.
Castiel let his eyes slid closed as Dean thought, trying to mentally talk himself out of this. Could he really take a piece of Dean's beautiful soul? A part of him thought that no, he couldn't. Dean's soul was simply that; his. Castiel had no right to ask this of him, but the thought of having Dean's soul within him, much like Dean had a piece of Castiel's grace in his shoulder, made Castiel… very happy. He wanted to be linked to Dean, more than he could even admit, but still… "It will be… very painful for you, Dean. I'll have to reach inside of you, through your chest and into your soul. I wouldn't take too much, just enough to help me heal, but… the pain. It will be insurmountable. Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, and tried to appear stronger than he was. He wasn't even completely sure he'd be able to go through with this, if the amount of grace lingering inside of him will be enough to achieve their goal, but if Dean was willing, then Castiel would try. He'd always fight to stay by Dean's side.
To his immediate surprise, Dean chuckled. He guessed it was in his second nature to appear strong in front of those he cared about when threatened with excruciating pain, "Cas, I've gone through some very, very painful things. Remember Hell?" he asked playfully, even though he was damn-near terrified. He knew that, when dealing with divine beings, the pain was almost intolerable, more than anyone could ever imagine.
He had no immediate desire to go through that again, but he would do anything for Cas, something he found out a long time ago. He would do anything for the people he loved. And if there was one thing that Dean was certain of, it was that he loved Cas. Had known it for ages now. He remembered his words about being forever linked by this process, and found himself drawing courage from it. When this was over, when Cas was healed, they would be bound in a way that nobody else could bind with Cas. A fact that made him almost ecstatic. He took a deep breath, "Yes, I want to do this." He told Cas, knowing that the angel would never let his little joke preside as a confirmation. He would have to hear the actual words, and Dean found that he needed to hear them too. It sealed the deal, and now there was no changing it. He might as well brace for what's coming than worry about it.
Castiel quirked a smile at Dean's joke. "I remember it well," he murmured, then took a deep breath as Dean did, drawing on his presence to stay strong, to fight this every step of the way. When Dean agreed to the pain, Castiel looked at Dean, blue clashing with green. "Very well. I'm sorry for the pain you're about to endure. I wish it could be painless, but I can't make it so," he said regrettably, then closed his eyes, trying to get in tune with the last bits of grace within him to complete this task. "Clear your mind, Dean, and relax. It won't hurt as much if you relax and trust me," he said, then reached a hand up to Dean's chest.
Before either of them—mostly Castiel—could second guess themselves, Castiel pressed his hand into Dean, vibrating his grace at a high frequency, pushing past Dean's molecules, his outer shell and into his soul. He winced at Dean's pained cry, hating that he was causing his human so much pain, but it would be over soon. As soon as Castiel felt the warmth and comfort of Dean's soul, the angel gripped a piece of it, and severed it, breaking off a piece for himself. He pulled his hand from Dean's chest, and sparing one glance at his human, he then looked to his shoulder, and then forced Dean's soul into it. Castiel felt the warmth spread through him, calming and so fucking beautiful, then grabbed Dean's hand, pressing it over the hole, searing Dean's hand print into his flesh, much like the scar Castiel had left on Dean.
Dean did his best, closing his eyes and relaxing all his muscles. He felt Cas' hand on his chest, and suddenly searing pain. He felt as if someone had just set his body on fire while stabbing into his chest so deep that his ribs were fracturing.
Dean bit his lip, first letting out a low whimper that quickly turned into a loud and embarrassing cry of pain. He knew that wasn't helping Cas with this process by yelling out, and he soon felt a dull pain as his teeth punctured the skin of his lip, tasting blood. 'Hurts less my ass!' Dean thought bitterly as Cas went deeper, forcing another loud but more controlled cry out of him. Dean clenched his fists, trying his best to keep a little bit of his composure. Suddenly, he felt something cold pressing to his very core. It felt strange, like an ice cube on one part of a full body sunburn, but he didn't have much time to think about it as he felt an excruciating pain, like someone digging out a piece of one of his organs with a blunt spoon. Dean felt tears well up in his eyes as the piece was pulled away from its source, the corners of his vision darkening and little bursts of white flashing in different areas, blinding him. He felt sure that was going to pass out before it was gone. It all ended as quickly as it had started. He barely registered Cas grabbing his hand and placing it on his shoulder, seeing one last bright light erupt from his hand as it sealed the skin.
Dean fell forward onto the concrete on all fours, gasping for air. His muscles were no longer in pain, just sore, as if he had worked out for 3 days straight. He clutched his chest, making sure everything was still there before pulling himself up as best as he could and leaning against the Impala.
Castiel was basking in the feel of Dean's soul sinking further and further into him, knitting him back up, healing him completely, the effects of the angel blade eradicated. The searing pain of Dean's hand on his shoulder didn't even register, the pain inconsequential in comparison to the incredible feeling of Dean's soul within him, making Castiel smile despite himself. A part of Dean was inside of him, hibernating in the very depths of his grace, and he felt the link lock into place. Dean had a piece of Castiel's essence inside of him, and Castiel had the same from Dean. It was an incredible feeling.
He didn't have a whole lot of time to relish it, before he remembered what had just happened to his human. Quickly, Castiel was down on his knees beside Dean, pulling his human to his chest, holding him in a loose embrace. "Dean… I'm sorry for what I've done, I didn't mean to cause you so much pain," he frowned, then focused on the grace that was inside of Dean, sending soothing waves through Dean's body, now able to control that piece of himself in Dean, since the link was completely formed. "If I could have made it painless, I would have."
Dean leaned against Cas' chest willingly, his breath coming out in short gasps as his organs seemed to realign themselves. He felt his heartbeat start to return to normal and his body relax, and he took a deep breath. He swallowed, trying to see if he still had his voice or not. He grabbed Cas by the collar and forced it to the side, checking where the previous wound was. He saw only a mark similar to the one branded on his own shoulder residing there and breathed a sigh of relief, falling back against Cas and laughing. He had done it, Cas would be alright!
Dean wiped away the thin layer of sweat from his face before looking up at the angel, smiling like a fool. He pressed his hand to Cas' cheek, not believing that he was alright, safe in Dean's arms, when he was just moments away from death. His eyes raked across every feature of Cas' face, not wanting to forget anything about it, for it had been so nearly ripped from him.
When Dean took Castiel's collar in his hand, the angel tilted his head to the side so the human could see his branding. The hand print that was now on Castiel's shoulder covered the hole that was previously there, completely gone. Castiel grinned when he saw the relief flood his human. He was about to say something when he felt Dean's hand on his cheek. Castiel leaned into it, nuzzling his cheek into the palm of Dean's hand. "We're alright, Dean," he breathed, then leaned in, pressing an affectionate kiss to Dean's forehead. "I'm… I'm now your angel, Dean. Completely yours. Linked."
Dean smiled, happiness flooding through him at those words. He placed his other hand on the angels cheek and leaned in their lips mere centimeters apart, "Damn right you are," he murmured and closed the distance, crushing his lips against Cas' and hoping it would last for eternity.