Castiel gently assisted Dean to his bed. The fight had not left him in the best condition. Sam thanked the angel for his help and quickly began the task of attending to his brother's wounds. Castiel made a swift exit after this though and returned to one of his favorite places: the edge of an obscure cliff in China. As he watched the sun rise he contemplated the last interaction he'd had with Dean.
The demon they'd been fighting had just left its mortal coil. Meanwhile, laying on the floor covered in blood, Dean Winchester was gasping for air. Cas rushed to his side and evaluated the damage with a pensive scowl.
"That was reckless" he scolded.
"You're welcome" Dean croaked barely able to manage a smirk.
"I could've handled it Dean. I thought I told Sam to distract you…you shouldn't have even been here," Castiel lamented.
"Sam…" Dean said before pausing to cough. "Yeah…that was gonna work."
"He's on his way now. Stay put. You have a concussion, a fairly large gash on your side, bruised ribs, lots of bruising…more to follow…" Castiel said running his eyes over each injury once more.
"One ripe banana huh?" Dean chuckled and sighed with exhaustion as he closed his eyes.
"Do NOT fall asleep Dean!" Castiel commanded.
"I'm not!" Dean groaned in frustration. "Jesus Cas keep it together! I'm just resting my eyes."
"Don't," Castiel reiterated even more sternly.
"Listen angel cake I appreciate the concern but I'll be fine. Sammy 'll be here soon enough," Dean replied with an exasperated exhale. He refused to open his eyes. This frustrated Castiel but he didn't push the subject further at that moment. He sat in silence with Dean until he heard the Impala purring in the driveway.
"Dean, Sam is here" he stated giving him a light nudge. Dean didn't move. The angel did not waste time. Castiel immediately took Dean by his shoulders and began to shake him and yell. The moment Dean opened his eyes he vomited and Castiel turned him onto his side, which elicited a painful cry from the eldest Winchester.
"Holy shit what happened?!" Sam cried when he came upon the scene.
On their way back to the motel Castiel rode with Dean in the backseat to ensure that he stayed awake.
"I hate riding in the back," Dean grumbled leaning the back of his head against the seat.
"Maybe next time when I say 'stay out of it Dean' you'll stay out of it," Castiel snapped. Dean shot him a sideways glance and noted the angel's clenched jaw.
"I saved your ass back there man" Dean stated.
"And almost lost your life in the process," Sam mumbled irately.
"Yeah, yeah! No comments from the peanut gallery!" Dean retorted but the pain caused him to inhale sharply. He clutched his side and his palm was quickly coated with blood.
"Dean," Castiel spoke in a softer tone. "Try not to move so much." The elder Winchester glared at him once again but, for once, remained mute. When they'd almost arrived at the hotel, only then did Dean break his silence.
In barely a whisper he addressed the angel to ask, "Why do you care so much Cas?" However Castiel did not answer him immediately. Instead he earnestly reflected on the question, and noted Dean's particular inability to look at him directly. Unfortunately they arrived at the hotel before the benevolent being had any time to actually come up with an answer.
Sitting on the edge of an obscure cliff in China Castiel made the decision to test the waters, so to speak, before making any bold statements to Dean.