They drove along together in the Impala, road noise sending out a comforting hum around them. The rumble and vibration of it were soothing away the troubled thoughts that stirred up around them both during the stop over in Lincoln. It was an easy case, or should have been. Cas was irritated that Dean had gone off on his own. Dean was irritated that Cas felt like he had to be his babysitter. The whole thing was stupid. Neither seemed too keen on speaking first. How Dean got stuck with Cas in his car was another sticking point. The Continental did not start. Dean could have fixed it with the right parts, but he did not have them.

So, they gave up. Dean said that he could fix it in the morning, but that he wouldn't be able to do a thing that night. Cas strolled over to the Impala on that pronouncement and practically fell into the car. He wasn't tired. There was certainly irritation in his manner though. Dean walked slowly to his side of the car and eased in. It was funny, really, how Cas could let himself get so mad over something so minor. Cas' collar was sticking out, had been since he had rushed in and tackled the wolfy looking creature that Dean thought he could take down alone. Should have been no big deal. How Cas had even managed to find him in time was another oddity. True, he had left a note, but he did not think that anyone would worry much, let alone follow him out here. Cas apparently felt that the creature was far worse than Dean had let on. He must have rushed off after him almost immediately. What Dean did not get, though was how Cas had found him. He had not been too descriptive about where he would be.

He stretched his hand and arm up over the back of the seat, a little behind Cas' neck and shoulders. He twisted a bit with the move to see out the back window. The car was already in reverse. He slowly angled the car out into the unpaved road. He considered leaving his arm there, inches from the collar, inches from Cas. He had to shift though. The car wouldn't just magically start going straight without some sort of intervention on his part. So he slipped his arm back around to his side of the car, gripped the steering wheel tight and drove off into the perditious night.

Cas did not speak as the miles rumbled on beneath them. Dean considered breaking the silence. He considered turning on the radio. He felt good about the way that the creature had been dealt with. He felt a thin, fluttering spasm of satisfaction swirling out in his gut as the miles passed by. The only thing that was troubling was the fact that Cas did not speak.

Until he did, "Why do you insist on taking stupid risks?" His voice a low, graveled bit of indignation.

"It wasn't stupid. I was fine. No sense pulling Sammy out of bed to take on something that I could handle myself." Dean had already explained things in his head, so he was explaining them again as though it was frustrating having to retell the same story.

"You could have asked me along. You should not take risks. If you die, you become a demon. Do you want that?" Cas looked at him steadily and with a certain measured intimidation.

"I was not going to die. I was going to be fine. Seriously, Cas. You worry too much." Dean liked the look of thinly veiled anger on Cas. He didn't like that it was directed at him, but he could deal. He lifted his hand from the wheel and moved it back to the seat back again. They were a good fifteen miles from the nearest motel. Dean let his arm rest on the seat back for a good mile before he moved it the fraction of a millimeter toward Cas that he did. Cas seemed to note it as he let the argument die.

"You'll be able to fix the car tomorrow?" Cas leaned back a little. Dean could almost feel the warmth of Cas' neck on his fingers that sat on the leather upholstery. He swirled his fingers around on the seat, making little patterns there.

"I should be able to fix up the car pretty easy. You'll at least be able to get it home where I can really get it fixed up."

"Home?" It was odd that he said it like a question. Dean looked away from the road and to Cas. Cas just stared ahead.

"Yeah, home, the bunker. Why'd you say it like that?"

"Guess I hadn't called it home before. I wasn't sure that I should." Cas turned to him now. Dean broke the gaze first to look back at the long, straight road ahead.

"Well, you should. We gave you a room of your own, didn't we." Dean chuckled a little, an attempt at lightening the mood. It felt forced.

"I don't like intruding." Cas muttered as he shifted about in his seat. Dean's fingers came into contact with his collar then. Dean fiddled with it between his thumb and forefinger. It wasn't a big deal. His hand was just bored. Cas was leaning forward a bit. Dean wondered if it was to avoid being touched. Dean just kept rubbing the fabric between his fingers like he was gleaning comfort from it. He wanted to move his hand to Cas' shoulder, make him feel wanted.

"You aren't intruding. Why would you think that?" Dean chanced a look at him again, licked his lips, went back to staring down the road.

"It's not my place. I am an angel. My place is elsewhere, despite what I want." Cas looked at him then quickly back at the road too. Dean took a chance and moved his hand to Cas' shoulder. He let his thumb rest in the little divot that Cas had between his neck and shoulder. It was like the spot was custom made for Dean's thumb.

"Your place is with us. Sam and I want you there." Dean let his thumb move a little back and forth, in and out of the divot.

Cas pulled in an unnecessary lungful of air and then let out a sigh. "I am sure that I can be of more use out looking for a cure. I won't be of any use in the bunker."

"You are plenty useful, but that is not the point. I want you there. The bunker is your home." Dean pressed the rest of his fingers into Cas' shoulder a little more to make the point. He thought about the night and came back to an earlier question that had popped into his head. "Say, Cas, how did you find me?"

"Same way I always find you." Cas let his head slide back to fully lean into the headrest and Dean's hand.

Dean was kneading at the skin there now. There was nothing subtle about the moment. Cas was accepting it. His hand moved up to cradle the whole back of Cas' neck. His thumb ran along the muscles up to his hairline. "I guess I don't know how you always find me."

"I hear you. You send out feelings. I can track them when they are directed at me. You do this often. Now that I have my grace back, the feelings are more," he stopped speaking for a moment as he seemed to consider his next word, "intense." He glanced at Dean again, but this time his look was softened. The glint of moonlight flashing off of his eyes seemed to make him seem more like a calm pool at the edge of a deep forest glen than like an angel, all smitey and dickish.

"I wasn't praying." Dean wasn't sure why he felt the need to be defensive in the moment. After all, why did it matter if Cas could hear him?

"I know you weren't praying. You were feeling things at me. I don't know how else to explain it. What matters is that I found you and you are okay now." Dean wondered how much Cas could pick up from him. He was feeling plenty at the moment. He wondered if he should tone it down a bit, but Cas' neck felt like it needed to be touched, and, of course, he already was taking on the task.

"What was I feeling?" Dean thought for a moment that he should retract the question, blow it off.

"Longing. You wanted me there." Cas was matter of fact in his tone. "So, I came after you. I will always come after you when you want me."

"I suppose you'll be doing a lot of following me around then." Dean smiled and Cas leaned into his hand more.

"I think there is a saying." He smiled at Dean and added, "sounds like par for the course." And with each swipe of his thumb over Cas' neck, Dean could feel the slightest flutter of Cas' skin.

He could see the motel sign up ahead, glowing in the slightly foggy night. "Then it is decided; you're stuck with me." Dean let out a laugh and let his hand rest on Cas' shoulder again, his thumb in the divot.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Cas moved a little closer and leaned his head down to Dean's shoulder. Dean pulled into the parking lot and Cas reached up to shift the car into park. Dean set the parking brake. Cas turned off the ignition. Dean leaned down and pressed a kiss into his hair.

"Thanks, Cas." Cas tipped his head up to Dean then, locking his gaze on him.

"You don't need to thank me." Cas let his tongue dart out for just a moment.

Dean said, "I gotta leave you here for a moment to get the room. You mind?"

"Not at all." Cas leaned forward. Dean pulled his arm back around. He got out of the Impala and leaned down on the door looking back in at Cas. "What?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to look at you." He knew that he sounded cheesy, but he didn't care. He wasn't sure about his future, and there were things that he wanted, and Cas seemed to feel the same.

Dean let the door close and went into the office to register for the night. One queen bed would be plenty. Plenty presumptuous. He got that room anyway. Cas followed him into the room, a stale smelling room like all the others that pocked their past.

"This okay?" Dean asked.

Cas stepped into the room a bit more as Dean tossed his duffle on the floor at the foot of the bed. He pushed his arms around Dean's waist and leaned into his chest. Dean leaned down and kissed into his hair again. "I don't need to sleep." He tipped his head up to Dean and Dean wanted.

"Same here." Dean kissed him then, and let the warmth of the moment wash through him and back out again in a focused bit of longing that he hoped Cas could sense. He thought of Cas' body, his words, his taste. As the moment extended out past seconds to minutes, Dean became certain that Cas could sense his feelings again, his longing, his wanting that was so much more than just need. It was pure and golden and took far too long to realize, but he was happy in this moment. He was happy, and he was going to live in it until the sun came up in the morning.

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AN: Hope you all liked this. You can follow me on Tumblr as Spearywritesstuff. Now back to writing the less fluffy fics.