Dean wondered how long it took for Castiel to realize that he didn't actually care. The celestial being always appeared at different times in the night just to have the company of him, but each time Dean saw him, it seemed that his vessel deteriorated more and more with each passing day. Sometimes he wondered what it was like to be in a fight with your brother, but in some ways he understood. He and Sam never really got along these days, making hunts with him irritable. The constant whining and yelling takes a toll on a person, but with Dean it went straight to his head. God knows what he would do if Sam just said the right thing to make something just snap inside of him. The bar was almost over the line though, but Castiel's "visits" made him do a complete 360. Even though Castiel never really said anything during their interactions it made Dean seem like he was talking to his brother again, which of course he had been trying to avoid.

For just once he thought that talking with Castiel would take away the constant bickering, but it seemed that he was having an argument with himself. If Dean asked what had happened when Castiel came around with his disheveled hair and rumpled coat, Castiel would just grunt and tell him that the war in heaven...

The war in Heaven what! He could give a rat's ass about what was happening in Heaven. He already had problems with Sam, but he had never expected Castiel to be exactly the same. Since he was an angel, and Dean's angel at that, no matter how gay that sounded he relied on Castiel for mostly everything. If Sam and him were ever stuck on a hunt, who do you think the first person to call would be? Not Bobby of course, because god knows that man would hunt them down himself and skin their asses for bothering him more than need be. Castiel was just the person that they would need, but each time they called him he had overlooked their pleas for help as nothing more than a child wanting something that they couldn't have. And what they couldn't have was Castiel's help because he had more important matters to attend to.

Castiel always used the excuse that things up there weren't doing so well, but after a while that excuse get's old like a cliché. Out of respect he listened to Castiel briefly summarize what was going on, but Dean's thoughts always wandered; tired of hearing Castiel talk about the same thing each time he visited. He was tired of Sam, tired of Castiel, tired of life itself and this goddamn job that brought on more stress than anything in the world. Why couldn't people understand that he just wanted out? So it was a little selfish, but Sam didn't have a soul, so obviously he wouldn't care. Castiel's battle is so far up his ass that he can't see that a close friend needs comfort in this time. Bobby was just an unreliable person in general when it came to talking about emotions. Not to mention the fact that Ben and Lisa were out of the picture because of his own stupidity.

He knew that he could patch up his relationship with Castiel, but at this point his mind was telling him to fuck it. Mind set on just leaving, Dean had taken it upon himself to take a stroll to clear his mind.

The weather outside wasn't much to his liking as it reflected his current mood, making the once indifferent mood that he felt, turn dull and numb. The sun was blocked by the thick, heavy white puffs of clouds that should be happy and sweet, but looked dark and menacing when a heavy overcast was enveloping the town. Sighing over the sudden change in his mood, Dean figured that he might as well grab a bite to eat seeing as how his stomach gave groans of protests. The diner that he had entered seemed like every other diner that he had been too; Old music quietly playing from the jukebox in the corner with a small amount of people sitting at the bar sipping on their drinks. A lady that seemed to be around her 40s lead him to a table in the far corner of the small diner. He smiled warmly at her out of friendliness and sat down with his menu obscuring his vision of the tables in front of him.

Everything on the menu looked like he had pooped it out last night after his shower, but it beat having to go to some old greasy fast food joint that looked like it recycled its food when products ran low. As he put his menu down his heart almost gave out as he saw the man that had been plaguing his thoughts sitting right in front of him, as if it was a normal thing to pop up out of the blue in a public restaurant.

"Dude what the hell." Castiel made no sign that he had heard Dean, but just stared out the window with his crystal blue eyes that made Dean weak at the knees whenever his gaze fell on him. Although he would never admit to that.

"I believe that a storm is coming shortly." Rolling his eyes Dean waved down a passing waitress and ordered a large fries with steak and a cold beer. As she left to tend to his order, Dean turned his attention back to the man sitting in front of him. "Not really in the mood to play one of your stupid little games, Cas. Tell me why you're here. And I swear to God that if you say 'war' and 'heaven' in the same sentence I'm going to find a way to hurt you." Castiel's gaze shifted slightly when Dean swore to God, but made no effort to reprimand him about taking the Lord's name in vain. He'd already said it one time to many, but Dean always disregarded that and said what he felt like.

"Is it wrong to long for the company of someone?" Castiel asked, now looking Dean in the eyes. He shifted uncomfortably under his gaze even though he was used to the odd tilt of his head, and the fifty yard stare that seemed to go through Dean like he was being closely examined like a lab rat. "Do you mind not doing that? It creeps the hell outta me."

"Dean..." Castiel spoke sternly, as if to get him back to the conversation at hand. He sighed not really sure how to answer Castiel without hurting his feelings. He knew exactly what he meant with that question, and quite frankly he wasn't really up to discussing their relationship out in public where everyone might think of them as a gay couple. "Could we not..." The interrupting of the waitress with Dean's food paused him mid-sentence. As soon as she left Dean immediately dug into his food hoping that Castiel would just poof himself away, and drop the conversation entirely. Of course nothing really goes his way as Castiel touched his shoulder, bringing them to an enchanted garden that took Dean's breath away once he had opened his eyes. For one Dean was utterly annoyed that he had been taken away from his small dinner, just to come to some garden that he probably wouldn't have appreciated with a second glance.

"I come here when I need to think." Castiel said plainly, ignoring the small glare sent in his direction. "Cas, where the hell are we!" Dean asked, just a tad bit annoyed that he had been taken away from his delicious meal, even though it probably would kill him later on in life. "You humans call it the Hanging Gardens of Babylon."

"Why couldn't we have just talked about this in OUR time, and in the diner where I was EATING." He growled, making sure to emphasis just how angry he was, being taken away from his food. "It seemed to me that you would have disregarded my words on a whole."

"Yeah well bringing me back to ancient times won't help either, will it." Dean smirked in satisfaction at how right he was. Just because he was sent to a different time doesn't mean that it will get him to talk any faster. "Dean. I am trying to be a good...friend." He hesitantly said, as if saying the word friend was blasphemous and would set his mouth on fire. Laughter filled the air as he doubled over, clutching his stomach. Castiel had looked so serious despite the fact that he should look sorrowful over how Dean was treating him. "Cas, you never cease to amuse me."

"I do not see how this is funny Dean."

"Look. I'm just sick of your bullshit excuses about how you can't help us because you and Raphael are having a piss fight upstairs. Honestly Cas...I could care less what happens. I'm sick of always being by myself and not having anybody to turn to, to just vent out all my problems." Dean stopped a second to catch his breath as what he had wanted to say for a long time just came pouring out like a leaky faucet. "Do you know how hard it is...to sit inside of a room, mind you interact with someone who has no soul. Who's supposed to be your brother, but just doesn't have the same qualities as him? They look exactly the same fucking way, but the one that I'm dealing with has absolutely no compassion for others. Do you realize that I no longer have Ben and Lisa to talk to anymore, because of my fucking job? This job has just completely screwed up my life and Bobby's just being an ass and won't even pay me any mind. And you…" He said, pointing directly at Cas. "You seem to have heaven so far up your ass that you don't see how much I care about you and want your opinion."

Castiel stared at him, hands now nervously twitching at the side of his trench coat. "I….didn't realize…" He started, but was cut off by an annoyed Dean. "No. You didn't." He mumbled. Dean took his hands and wiped at his face trying to make sure that Castiel didn't see the tears that were forming at the corner of his eyes. The past few days stress had built up so much that Dean couldn't hold it in any longer. A quiet sob escaped his lips making him freeze at what he had just done. He hadn't meant for that to come out of his mouth, but now that it didn't he couldn't take it back.

"Dean…" Castiel murmured, stepping closer towards him. "No! Stay away from me. I don't need your pity."

"Dean.." He said a little bit firmer. Dean slowly took his hands away from his face and looked up to see that Castiel was standing so close to him that they were breathing the same air. "Can you…" His sentence was cut off as strong arms wrapped around him, bringing him closer to Castiel's body.

"Why did you not tell me sooner?" Castiel asked, rubbing his hands in circles across Dean's back. "I..." Dean was at a loss for words as the circles being formed on his back stopped him from thinking clearly. His mouth opened and closed, like a gaping fish out of water, as nothing could come out straight. Being comforted by Castiel seemed to be a little awkward for Dean. It seemed that Castiel was humming, and it made Dean a little drowsy. If it weren't for Castiel holding him up he was sure that he would have fallen already. "Cas…" Dean mumbled as his eyes started to droop closed. "Shhhh…"

Dean started leaning forward so that his entire body weight was no on top of Castiel. It didn't seem to faze him at all, but he instead let Dean fall into him as he drifted into unconsciousness. "I'm sorry." Castiel said, as he brought them back to the hotel that he was staying at.

OoOoOo

Dean groaned as he started to stir from his dreams. A hand came up to his forehead and sent a wave of warmth and pleasure down through his body which made Dean sigh a bit as he relaxed back into the covers. An inaudible mumble came out of his lips, but Castiel heard him as if he were yelling it right in his ear. A smile graced his face as he gently brushed away a strand of light brown hair from Dean's face. The movement caused Dean to slightly stir, and his eyes opened, catching the gaze of Castiel.

"Cas…" He whispered, slowly raising himself from the lying position that he was in before. "Yes Dean."

"What are you doing?" He questioned, rubbing at his eye that was slightly irritated. "Taking a break." Castiel answered back as if it were the most obvious answer. "What do you mean taking a break?" His eyes squinted a little at Dean, but they went back to normal as a smile lined his face once again. "I believe that I need to be a better….friend." He confessed, even though his tongue still felt heavy on the 'friend' word.

"I don't know what to say." Dean uttered, his head now titled downward, trying to think of something. He wasn't sure why he was thinking that he owed Cas something, but it just felt right that he needed to do at least some type of act of kindness towards him. "I feel like I owe you something Cas."

"And why would you owe me something?"

"I don't know. It just feels weird having you here when I know that you should be up in heaven doing your thing. Shit…Cas. I feel like a selfish douche bag for doing this. I know that I shouldn't be pressuring you to stay here on earth, but I know that you mean well…but. Crap. Now I'm rambling. Listen," He said placing a hand on Cas' shoulder. "I know that I'm having a bad day…I mean hell, we all have out bad days. But you don't deserve what I'm doing to you. I know this is going to sound cheesy, and like some chick flick moment, but I really do care for you Cas, and it would pain me to see you hurt. I know that at the moment it doesn't seem like that, but trust me when I say that I really do care. Before I didn't realize how much you were going through, but after everything that's happened, me breaking down crying like a bitch and everything, I feel like the only way to make it up to you is to send you back to heaven." Castiel stared at Dean with a blank look on his face, making him shift uncomfortably on the bed. "I…Uh." He scratched his head. "I think that you should go back to heaven and do your angel thing, while I go do my human thing and continue to hunt. We should just forget that all of this ever happened."

"Why?" Cas asked, head tilting in that manner that Dean always found utterly cute.

"Because!" He shouted, arms flailing in the air making him look like an awkward bird. "Because…." He whispered softly. "Because I don't want you to stay here for me, I want you to stay here for you."

Dean looked up at Castiel and shifted closer towards him as he felt courage and boldness surge through him. "I don't want you to stay here because I asked you to Cas, or because I forced you to. I want you to stay here, because you want to stay here. Because you like spending time with me. I don't want it to be something that's forced."

"I don't believe that that is what you wanted to tell me…Dean."

Oh he was good when it came to stuff like that. Castiel was always the perceptive one to pick up on hidden messages that weren't really being said, so of course Dean had to spill what he actually wanted to say. In all honesty he was a little scared to say what was on his mind. What if Cas didn't accept what he wanted to tell him? What if he was rejected? Or even worse, laughed at? No, Cas wouldn't do something as cruel as that. It wasn't in his nature to laugh after someone for confessing.

Or maybe Dean didn't know Castiel as well as he thought he did. Or maybe he was just overlooking everything and getting worked up over nothing. Castiel was the only person that he could go to, to talk about stuff. Dean let out a breath and mustered up enough courage to tell Castiel what he's being meaning to tell him for forever. "Do angels love?" Dean asked, trying to make a question lead up to his confession. "Why do you ask?" Castiel voiced, eyes squinting yet again, as if he didn't fully understand what Dean was trying to get at. "Just answer the question Cas."

"Well…" Cas started. "Angels are meant to love their heavenly father who has created them, if that is what you mean." Dean rolled his eyes at him being completely oblivious to what he was trying to say. "No, Cas. Seriously. Do angels love anything else besides their heavenly father."

"Depends on what we are talking about Dean."

"There was this man." Dean started, deciding to tell a story in hopes that Castiel would get at what he was trying to say. "Who had a hard time with his…friend." If Dean said brother, he was sure that Castiel would have guessed it right off the bat. "His friend had no…heart." He said carefully, trying to choose the right words. "He deeply cared about his other friend, but had trouble expressing just how much he really cared for him. His friend wasn't exactly…normal, but he was just different compared to other people. His friend wasn't really exactly always there, but he came by whenever he could, but his other friend, that the man was having a hard time with, always seemed to stress him out because he had no heart. Eventually the man became fed up with his life and decided that getting away from everything would help him, so he left and eventually the friend that he cared about found him."

"What happened?" Castiel asked, now eager to listen to the ending of the story.

"This." Dean whispered before leaning forward and kissing Castiel on the lips. The angel didn't respond right away, but instead pushed Dean away and looked at him with wide eyes. "Was that too much?" Dean asked, cringing at how stupid he was. How could he have been so impulsive? Maybe he shouldn't have kissed him, but Castiel saying something shocked him completely.

"Shut up Winchester." Castiel grabbed his collar and pulled him forward making their lips crash together. Stars flew behind Dean's eyes as their lips melted as one. He picked up his hand and placed it lightly on Cas' cheek, tilting it a bit so that he could get better access. Licking Cas' bottom lip, he waited for him to open his mouth and when he did, his tongue plunged right into his mouth, devouring him up and tasting ever single corner of his mouth. The both of them pulled away gasping for air.

"I didn't know you could kiss like that." Dean said through heavy breaths. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me Dean."

"Care to share then."

Castiel nodded and moved closer so that he was now hovering over Dean.

"What do you have in mind then?"

He smirked. "You will see Dean."