Castiel clutched at Dean's shirt, the fabric damp and sticky beneath his fingers. His skin is stained red, but he kneels there.
"Dean?" He asked desperately, his eyes welling up with tears. "Dean? Dean, god dammit, say something."
Dean's eyes cracked open. His face was covered in dirt stuck on with blood. "C-Cas..?" The hunter managed, his voice small and hoarse. He reached for Castiel's coat, but the effort was too much and he was pretty sure his arm was broken.
Castiel cupped Dean's cheek and willed himself to heal him, to conjure up what little Grace he had left to heal Dean, but he just couldn't. He didn't have any left. A broken sob tore through his throat so violently that it actually left Castiel's insides feeling raw. The sound filled the alley with echoes of the former angel's torment, but there was no one around.
"Dean. Dean, come on, we need- We must get you to the hospital." Castiel forced himself to be calm about the situation, regardless of the emotions coursing through his veins with every beat of his pathetic heart.
Dean let out a weak chuckle as he looked down at himself. "Let's… Let's be realistic about this." Jo's voice echoes in his head. She had said those exact words. Dean remembered how he felt in the situation and just prayed that Castiel wouldn't feel the same. "I can- I've lost… Too much blood." His voice was trailing off into more of a choked whisper, and he began to cough. It hurt. It hurt so fucking much, so he stopped. "Remind me… Never to cough again."
Castiel just nodded along. "Okay, Dean." He kneeled there, still clutching the fabric of Dean's clothing. He reached farther down and grabbed a hold of the man's hand, cradling it close to his chest and taking a deep breath. "Dean, I- I can't… Do this… Not without you." He needed someone to show him how to make grilled cheese. Needed someone to show him how to make his bed properly. To do laundry. To be human. To love.
"Cas, come here." Dean attempted to drag himself closer to Castiel, but gave up mid-movement, wincing.
Castiel helped him forwards until it was Castiel sitting against the wall with Dean cradled in his lap, smaller than he'd ever been. "Dean…"
Dean cut him off with a tug to his sleeve. "Cas, stop." He raised his someone functioning arm up to wipe at Castiel's face, trying to wipe away tears, but only managing to smear blood everywhere. "Don't cry."
"What am I supposed to do, then?" Castiel cried out, dissolving into sobs again.
"Shh, Cas- Cas. Cas, calm…" Dean took a deep wheezing breath. "Cas, it's… It'll be alright, okay? Just- Just hold on." Dean cleared his throat, ignoring the shooting pain across his chest at the action. "Y-you… You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…" His voice was cracked and out of tune, but the song was recognisable, and it stopped Castiel's blubbering. "You make me happy… When skies are grey." He had to stop for breath every so often. It was harder, too, because Dean knew what death felt like, and this was it. He could feel himself slipping, and fast.
Castiel began to rock Dean back and forth while simultaneously pressing down on his open wounds to try and stop Dean from bleeding out too quickly. "Dean- you don't have to-"
Dean just kept on singing, his eyes closed now, trying to hide the tears like he always had. "You'll never know, de-ear…" His voice cracked on the 'Dear' and he was finding it harder to keep it together. "How much I- I love you. Please don't take… My sunshine… Away."
Castiel shook his head. "I'm not leaving, Dean," he whispered, assuring Dean.
Dean looked up at Castiel and sucked in another deep breath. "The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping…" This verse was softer than the last, and he was fighting for breath. "I dreamt… I held you… In my arms…" He pressed himself closer the Castiel, resting his head against his chest. "When I awoke, dear… I was mistaken… So I hung… My head… And cried…" And that's what they were both doing now. Crying. They didn't care anymore.
Castiel ran his hands comfortingly up and down Dean's cheek, biting his lip hard, trying not to sob.
Dean knew he would be gone soon, so he used the last of his energy to muster up the last verse. "You are… My sun… Shine…" He gasped in a breath. "My only… Sun… Shine…" He coughed, even though he swore he'd never cough again. It hurt. "You make me… Happ-y." His voice cracked and the hand he was gripping Castiel's coat with fell into his lap. "When skies… Are grey…" He closed his eyes. "You'll never know… Dear… How much…" He sobbed, broken, yet terrifyingly calm. "I love you…" He took another big breath. "Please don't take…" Breath. "My sunshine…" Breath. "Away…"
Nothing.