"He's not too good, Cas. Watch him for a bit while I'm out, yeah?"
Castiel watched Sam roar away in the Impala, head cocked slightly. Sam never drove. And what was Dean not good at? Had he suddenly lost the ability to hunt? Worried, the angel headed into the poky little motel room. Dean was on his bed next to the window, curtains drawn. Why was he sleeping on a hunt? Cas narrowed his eyes. Maybe a demon had gotten to him.
Moving cautiously, Castiel made his way to the hunter's bed. Fists clenched in anticipation of a surprise attack, he called out quietly: "Dean?"
The hunter groaned and opened his eyes. "What, Cas?" He grumbled.
The angel narrowed his eyes as he took in the sheen of sweat on Dean's forehead and how horse his voice was. He didn't understand what kind of shitty demon could screw up a possession this badly. In his usual blunt fashion, he cut to the chase; "Dean, are you aware that there might be a demon possessing you?"
Dean laughed softly. "I'm pretty sure I'd know if I was possessed. I'd almost rather have a demon in me." He wiped a hand across his forehead, wincing.
"Then why aren't you hunting with Sam? He drove off without you-" Cas dropped his voice to a whisper. "-In the Impala."
"Don't remind me" replied Dean harshly. "Do you think I want to be stuck in here with a fucking fever?"
Now Castiel was even more confused. It was chilly outside. Wouldn't being warmer be an advantage? 'You're saying you can't hunt because you're...hot?'
Dean sighed. "I'm sick, alright? So no, I can't hunt. And I feel like shit so it would be nice if you'd can the crap. It's not helping my head."
The angel fell silent at his harsh tone. He didn't know much about human sickness, but what he did know was that they were prone to vomiting or dying. He stepped back a little. Even though he was a little hurt he didn't particularly want the hunter to die, not after all he'd done to keep him and Sam alive. He spoke after a short silence. "Is there anything I can get you?"
"Some water would be nice." Dean muttered. "My throat hurts."
Cas nodded and grabbed the bottled water from the fridge. Sam and Dean had taken to buying their own water after one too many run-ins with entities that could manifest in liquid. He handed the bottle to Dean and pulled up a chair next to his bed, watching him intently.
After a few gulps of the water, Dean had started to shiver. "Fucking cold flushes" he muttered to himself. "Hey Cas? Could you...find me an extra blanket maybe? I'm freezing." The words were forced. Dean Winchester hated feeling weak.
Castiel hesitated for half a second before stripping of his coat and throwing it around Dean's shoulders, leaving him in a battered old suit and tie. Dean looked surprised at the gesture, but didn't object. Instead, he pulled the worn but warm and familiar trench around himself, still shivering considerably.
Watching Dean gave the angel a rather unconventional idea. The only other blanket was on Sam's bed, and the motel was cheap with no working heater. Angel vessels ran a couple of degrees hotter than an average human, but even taking these seemingly obvious factors into account, Dean still jumped when Cas slipped quickly onto the bed beside him, slipping an arm neatly around his shoulders.
"The hell, Cas?' Dean managed, but was too sick to properly care. Without warning, he let himself fit into Castiel's one armed embrace with a small sigh, and closed his eyes.
Letting his answer die in his throat, he pulled Dean a little closer; there were the traces of a smile on his lips as he felt the hunter's cold body begin to warm next to his own.
Sure, Sam has said 'watch' and not 'get into bed with', but weren't they sort of the same thing when someone was sick?
"Mmm. You're really warm." Dean murmured sleepily after a short while. "Where have you been all these freezing hotel rooms?"
"In many places, Dean,' he replied, not quite understanding the question. Castiel felt like he wasn't in control of his own body when he let Dean throw the covers over him, so they were both trapped in a warm little burrito. He could almost hear Gabriel's laugh if he could see him in bed with a Winchester. "Are you feeling... better?" he asked cautiously.
"A little." Dean whispered, suddenly exhausted. "Is it okay if I go to sleep?"
"Sleep? Uh, sure." It was getting dark outside, and Cas wasn't sure when Sam would be back. Maybe it was good if Dean slept for a while.
"Mkay." Dean cuddled as close to Cas' warmth as he possibly could and drifted off slowly, shifting his position ever now and then.
Feeling the hunter go limp beside him, Castiel felt content. Among the times that they'd fought or died, he knew he had made the right decision to take Dean from Hell. Sam, too. Castiel found himself getting more and more comfortable as the minutes ticked by, and he began to hum quietly.
He had nearly drifted off when he heard- or rather, felt it. Dean was moaning beside him, and twitching in his sleep. A pained expression crossed his face and he called out a name. Castiel's name. He began to thrash, deep in his own nightmare. Alarmed, Cas tried to hold his shoulders down. "Dean? Dean!"
The hunter jerked awake, breathing hard. His eyes focused on Castiel's worried face. "C-cas?"
"What happened?" asked Castiel urgently. "Was it a demon?"
Dean shook his head, and instead burying his face into Cas' side. "I'm sorry Cas. I'm so sorry. I tried to save you, I really did" he muttered.
'Save me? From what?' it hit Castiel right then. 'You were dreaming about me?"
"I...I...yeah, I guess I was." Dean murmured. "I'm sorry for freaking out. It just seemed so real, and you sounded so scared." He winced, and clung even more tightly to Cas.
'I'm fine. I don't know about you, though.' Dean was shaking but at the same time he was burning hot. 'Maybe I should go out and find Sam.'
"No!" Dean said quickly, "Please, I want you to stay. I need to protect you." His words were slurred, and he was still seemingly half asleep.
"You can hardly look after yourself.' sighed Castiel. He rubbed unconsciously rubbed Dean's arm, on the hand print he had put there the first time they touched. "What did you dream about?"
"I don't want to talk about it. It was terrible."
"Sam told me you didn't like to talk," observed the angel, recalling a conversation he and the younger Winchester had had a while back.
Dean scowled, silently cursing his brother for opening his stupid mouth. 'You died, Cas. In front of me. And I couldn't save you."
Instead of being shocked like Dean expected, the angel chuckled. "Save me? You're human, Dean. A tiny, breakable human. And it was only a dream. I would know if it was a premonition of some sort."
A little hurt at being laughed at, Dean didn't bother to answer.
The angel shook his head. Dean's mind was obviously affected by his fever, there was no other call for it. And it was because of this that Cas leaned in and gently kissed his warm forehead. "Go back to sleep, Dean."
The hunter started. "Did you... did you just kiss me?"
Castiel didn't know why Dean was so shocked. He'd seen humans on TV kiss before. Apparently it was a sign of affection and made the other person feel better. "...yes?"
A smile appeared on Dean's lips for the first time that night. "I liked it."
"So did I." He replied truthfully not quite knowing where Dean was going with this.
To Cas' complete and utter surprise, Dean lifted himself and gently kissed him on the lips. Nearly falling off the bed, the angel tried to comprehend what was happening. He's seen this kind of kiss on TV before, more specifically in the type of shows he wasn't supposed to talk about, and apparently it meant something entirely different to a kiss on the forehead.
At least they weren't sealing a Cross Roads deal, Castiel reasoned, and kissed the hunter straight back.
When Dean pulled back, his cheeks were flushed and he was really smiling. "I think I can sleep now,' he said softly, letting himself fall back into the crook of the angel's arm.
Cas nodded, a little out of breath. To be honest, he wouldn't object if Dean had another nightmare of it meant they could kiss like that again.
Already drifting off, Dean murmured: "Hey, Cas?"
"Yes?' was all he managed.
"I love you." The words were barely a whisper, and he was asleep by the time Castiel had processed them.
The angel sighed as Dean fell into a deep sleep against him for the second time that night. Castiel had no idea what would happen next. Would Dean even remember what had happened, if it was really all just his fever talking?
Cas didn't know what to think.
The roar of the Impala engine shattered the silence outside and was cut abruptly as it was parked. Sam was back, and hopefully in one piece.
It would take some explaining as to why exactly an angel was in bed with the older Winchester, but Castiel didn't really care.
He leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes, feigning sleep and fighting a smile as he heard the sound of Sam entering the motel room and promptly dropping and shattering whatever he was holding.
"What the fuck!?"