He was murmuring in his sleep again. Most of the words unintelligible but Castiel managed to pick up words here and there, his ear ultra-sensitive from the traces of his grace he still retained. The tattoo on his chest gleamed in Castiel's sight, the light from the lamp Sam was using to do research reflecting off the dark streaks embedded into Dean's tanned chest. Castiel stood with his head cocked to the side, listening to Dean's murmurs, Sam blissfully unaware of his presence in the corner. Dean looked almost peaceful when he slept like this. Castiel could reach into his mind and see what he was dreaming about, but Dean had expressed a fervent desire for him to not read their minds anymore. So despite its obvious uses, Castiel refrained.

Tonight didn't seem like one of Dean's nightmares anyway. On the few nights a week that Dean actually slept through the night, three out of five times he woke up clawing the sheets, sweat soaked, eyes frantic and breathing hard. On the nights when Castiel had made his presence known to the Winchesters he was able to soothe Dean with a touch accompanied by a subtle push with his mind which settled Dean more quickly than almost anything else Sam had every tried.

Castiel traced the lines of Dean's chiseled face with his eyes, unaware of the emotion that leaked into his normally stoic features when he looked at the man half under the covers. Suddenly Dean's eyes darted beneath his eye lids; his eyebrows contracting over his nose and his mouth pursed over a clenched jaw. His limbs started twitching, legs pulling against the sheets and arms pulling in to curl around his body and clenching there, protecting himself from whatever monsters haunted his dreams this time. When Dean started gasping for breath Sam ran to his bedside narrowly avoiding Castiel as he hovered invisibly over Dean's form as he writhed from his mind's agony.

"Dean? Dean!" Sam shouted, trying to pull Dean from the nightmare and back into the present.

With steady and practiced fingers Sam pried Dean's arms away from his body, fighting to keep his brother from kicking him in his panic and slid in behind him to lean against the headboard. Dean was awake and let himself be manipulated, his body clenched and limbs shaking uncontrollably from what seemed to be the inside. Sam settled Dean in between his spread legs and wrapped his arms around Dean's torso, forcing Dean to breathe with him, pleading for him to be calm and to breathe.

"It's alright" Sam murmured into his ear as Dean put his head to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the images in his mind. 'It's okay Dean. I'm here. I'm right here." One of Sam's strong arms held his brother in place while other one stroked circles on Dean's arm.

After several minutes of Dean trying to match Sam's steady breathing, his chest rising and falling as he felt Sam's do behind him, Dean's muscles unclenched and his shaking lessened. Dean raised his head and let it fall on Sam's shoulder, pressing his face into his and just breathing. Sam loosened his grip around Dean and made to move his arm but Dean grabbed him before he could slip away.

"Just.. stay?" Dean's voice came out in a whisper. "Please?"

Sam nodded into his shoulder and turned his head to kiss Dean's sweat slick neck tenderly . Dean leaned into his lips and tightened his hold on his brother. He understood it was one of those times where he was just needed close. And Sam loved that Dean needed him like this, loved him like this.

Castiel watched the two brothers for a long time after Dean finished his episode. Watching as Sam was able to give Dean everything he could never ask for. Be there for Dean in every way an angel couldn't. Watched as they shared their intimate moments they had to hide from the world. Until the emotions that he was so unused to became too much. Until he couldn't bear it another moment and disappeared without a sound, suppressing the fluttering of his wings so as not to disturb the restored tranquility of these human who had become so embedded in his being.

Sam shivered and pulled Dean closer to him when he felt the draft. Dean sighed and shifted back into him at the change. Sam smiled down at his older brother, once again sleeping peacefully, and settled into the pillows for the night.