Summary: If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
Character Death(Dean)
Implied Dean/Castiel
'How long had it been?' He wondered as he sat down on the edge of the bed, 'How long since he'd come to visit?'
The man in the bed blinked awake, even after all this time he was still such a light sleeper, it made Castiel sad to see it.
"Hey, Cas'." The man grinned, voice raspy with disuse and age.
"Hello, Dean." Castiel smiled in return, "I brought you more flowers."
"I see that."
"How are you feeling, today?" Castiel asked.
"Better than usual, you check in today?" Dean asked.
"No." Castiel told him.
On Dean's worse days Castiel would sneak in and sit with Dean until the worse had passed, there were other days that Castiel wouldn't check in but today was none of those and it made Dean wonder why Castiel hadn't checked in with the nurseing staff.
"How's Sam?" Dean asked, instead of the question he wanted to.
"Very good, his daughter had her baby yesterday." Castiel told Dean with a smile, "A little girl that she named Cassandra."
Dean laughed, "Bet they call her Cass."
"That is my name." Castiel said jealously.
"I know, baby." Dean shook his head, "Come here."
Castiel move into the ring of Dean's arms and let the other man run his wrinkled fingers through his hair and murmur to him until he drifted off to sleep.
It had been almost twenty years since they had finally admited to wanting to be more than friends and while Castiel had come to expect dangers of hunting to do Dean in, he had prepared to lose his lover suddenly, not this slow torture of watching his lover's body fade away and deteriorate.
Castiel laid his ear against Dean's chest, listening to the comforting beat of the heart within, listening to it slow until it finaly stopped.
Castiel sat up, pulling out of the other man's arms as Death entered the room.
Death raised an eyebrow.
"I want to escort him to Heaven." Castiel said.
Death's lips quirked up and he motioned to the spirit that appeared next to the bed. No longer an old man, Dean's spirit looked like the man that Castiel had met so long ago.
"Hello, Dean." Castiel said again.
Dean looked up in shock and smiled at Death and Castiel, "Guess this time is permanate." He laughed.
"Yes, it is." Death smiled.
"Where am I going, then?" Dean asked.
"Castiel will escort you, Dean." Death said and walked out.
"Cas'?" Dean asked.
"Let's go home, Dean." Castiel said and offered his hand to his lover.
"Yeah, home." Dean said as he took the hand and stepped into the hug Castiel gave, "Okay, I'm there."
Castiel held his Human's spirit tightly and left the hospital room as the doctors and nurses finally responded, they could finally go home and they felt their happiness engulf them as they earth behind them.