The only thing he saw was red. All around him, he was drowning in it. Ear-splitting screams echoed in his ears and he lashed out with one hand, feeling the knife in his hand slice through something – not something, someone – blood dripping, spattering on his clothes, his face, in his mouth, and he reveled in it. Slashed again and again and again until there was nothing left, nothing human, just bits and pieces. Maniacal laughter from behind him, screams of pain surrounding him, and his heart was racing, he was sweating, he was yelling – he was smiling. His victim writhed in agony and his grin grew wider. Almost finished with this one, but there was another soul on the rack, waiting to be tortured, to have patterns carved into their flesh with the jagged edges of his knife. He drew his arm back, ready to begin the torture all over again, feeling the laughter rumble through his chest as the screams grew louder and louder –
Dean gasped and inhaled sharply, his eyes flying open and his hands gripping fistfuls of sheets tight. He was breathing heavily and covered in sweat, scratchy cotton sticking to his skin. The memories of Hell still lingered in consciousness, clouding his vision and ringing in his ears.
"Cas," he whispered hoarsely. Lack of an immediate reply made him repeat frantically, "Cas!"
"I'm here, Dean," a gravelly voice rumbled out of the darkness. A cool hand settled on his forehead. "I'm right here."
The hunter sighed with relief, though his heart was still pounding and his chest still heaving. He blindly reached out and found Castiel's arm, which he gripped tightly.
"I don't know what to do." He sounded so desperate, so terrified – this was a side of him that he had only ever let Castiel see. In the darkest hours of the night, when he thrashed around in bed plagued by nightmares of his time in Hell, Dean was vulnerable, and he needed his angel to carry him home again.
"The nightmares," he continued to whisper, "they won't stop."
"Shh," Castiel soothed, running his hand through Dean's hair. "I'm here now. You are okay." He shifted his weight on the bed, causing Dean to roll into him slightly, pressing into his side.
"Make it stop, Cas," the hunter begged, tugging the warm body closer to him and curling into the soft, comforting heat. He longed to be surrounded by Castiel, tucked away in his safe embrace. It was the only way he could sleep peacefully anymore.
Castiel hesitated before laying himself down next to Dean. He pulled him into his chest, wrapping his arms around the shaking man and rubbing small circles into his back. He felt Dean nuzzle his head into the crook of his neck and closed his eyes with a sigh.
"You're okay. I've got you," he whispered into the coarse hair tickling his chin. He had learned from experience that those were the words that Dean wanted to hear, that he needed to hear. He trailed his fingers over the muscles in Dean's back and massaged his shoulders gently.
Dean's breath began to even out and he snaked an arm around Castiel's waist to pull him closer. "Cas... can you... please..." he murmured softly.
The angel stiffened, and then let out a deep breath. "Of course, Dean." He knew what he was asking.
There was a quiet rustling sound and then a cozy warmth surrounded them. Dean moaned and nestled into the soft feathers of Castiel's wings, his arm gripping tighter around his waist.
"Sleep now," Castiel said softly, still tracing patterns on the hunter's back. "I will watch over you."
Dean drifted off into a dreamless sleep and Castiel held him tight, stroking his hair, kissing the top of his head. He knew that when morning came he would have to leave before the other man woke, act like nothing had happened when he joined him and his brother for breakfast, pretend that they hadn't shared such an intimate moment during the night. But for now he could savor the feeling of his hunter curled up in his arms, safe and comfortable and unafraid to have him close. He could pretend that there were no nightmares, that this was happening simply because Dean returned the feelings he had from the very beginning, because Dean wanted him, because Dean loved him. He sighed and gazed down at his hunter. One day, he would work up the courage to admit all of this to Dean. But for now... for now, this was enough.