Written for the Sharp Teeth horror community on LJ
Disclaimer: I own nothing, I only follow the bees
Grave Mistake
Castiel wasn't able to free Dean Winchester from Hell the first time. It was a delicate piece of work to trace through Hell's caverns for one single soul. Dean had opened his eyes for two minutes before he was dragged back down by hounds. On the second try, Castiel knew to be more cautious. Dean was coughing up sulfur on the surface when the flames found him again. Castiel was furious. Every time he went back down there was a risk of injuring Dean permanently. On the third try, Castiel used brute force to grab Dean. He flew past the corridors with smoke trailing his wing tips.
When they reached the surface Castiel threw Dean on to the ground and waited for an attack. Dean started to shake and vomit up emptiness. Castiel stood with his sword at the ready. He looked down at his charge. On the surface, Dean was a mess of blood and scars but nothing permanent. Dean clapped his hands to his ears and started to scream. Once Castiel felt that they were safe he knelt down to look closer. Dean wouldn't look at him, tears of blood streaming from eyes sealed shut. Castiel cupped his chin and forced Dean to make eye contact. Eyes wide open he stared blankly at the angel in mute silence. He was biting his lip in terror trying not to invoke Castiel's wrath.
Dean jerked away from the angel's touch. Dean's throat felt dry and scratchy but he kept screaming. Castiel looked at him and knew the severity of what he'd done. The man was blind; one of his eyes was crumbling into ash and the other was cracked. Castiel hadn't noticed it before. He put his hand onto Dean's shoulder and forced the wounds to heal. Dean trembled and stopped screaming.
He turned to look up at Castiel with ashen eyes. They weren't healing and blood kept falling as Dean hung his head. Castiel tried again, and again. His hand print was seared into Dean's skin but his eyes wouldn't heal. Dean had passed out from the pain. In defeat, Castiel created the illusion of two green eyes. They would work for a time, but then they would fade.
Castiel took Dean to his grave and buried him. No one could raise someone from the dead completely, it was too hard to keep things in one piece. But it would take his brother awhile to notice what was missing.