"Dean," Castiel gasped, stumbling out of the bushes towards the Batcave.
"Cas?" Dean called, rushing forward to meet the angel.
"I'm s-sorry," Castiel said through clenched teeth, collapsing as he reached Dean. The hunter caught him in steady arms, leading him into the hideaway.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Dean soothed, unsure what Cas did that he felt the need to apologize for. Instinctively, Dean's arms moved to embrace the angel, but as his hands came to rest on Cas's back, the angle jerked away violently, a hiss of pain escaping him.
"I'm fine," Cas lied, though the agony in his eyes betrayed him. Dean just rolled his eyes, reaching forward to peel the trenchcoat off of Castiel. The angel hissed again and flinched as Dean's hands brushed his shoulders ever so lightly.
"Cas-"
"No, really, I'm fine," Castiel insisted as his face paled from the pain, which struck Dean as odd. What could put in an angel in that much pain?
"Alright, that's it," Dean said when Castiel whimpered as he tried to shrug his trench coat back on. Dean led the angel forcefully yet gently to his bed.
"Off with the coat."
"Dean," Castiel protested.
"I said off," Dean said threateningly. Castiel watched him uneasily as he tenderly removed his trench coat. The back of the angel's white shirt was soaked through with blood.
"Cas, what the hell happened to you?" Dean demanded, beginning loosen the angel's tie so he could remove the shirt.
"I'm sorry," Cas said again.
"Wha- Why?" Dean searched Castiel's face for a hint as he undid the buttons on the angel's shirt quickly. He turned Cas around, carefully peeling back the bloody shirt.
"I can't see where this is coming from," Dean muttered, examining Cas's back. "Lay down on the bed on your stomach. I'll be back in a sec with some water."
When Dean returned, bowl of warm water and rag in hand, Castiel was standing at the window, watching the skies fearfully.
"Cas. Bed. Now." Dean said shortly. Castiel slunk to the bed, sitting on it.
"Honestly, Dean, this isn't neces-"
"Damn it, Cas! Lay down. Let me help you."
Castiel shut his mouth, watching Dean uneasily as he lay down on the bed. Dean sat next to him, dipping his rag in the bowl. Castiel hissed again as Dean began to clean his back.
"Just a little more," Dean soothed as Castiel's back muscles twitched under the rag. Castiel clenched his fists, avoiding Dean's gaze as the last of the blood was wiped away.
"Cas," Dean's voice was filled with shock. "What the hell happened to you?"
Cas clenched his jaw.
"Talk to me, damn it! What did they do to you?" Dean's voice broke slightly at the end of his question.
Castiel stood up from the bed, moving to the window again. "I'm sorry."
Dean followed him to the window. "Cas, why do you keep apolo-" Dean cut off as he looked out the window. There were dozens of lights streaking across the sky. "Is that-?"
"My brothers," Cas affirmed, turning away from the window and from Dean. "They took my grace and used it to make the angles, every single angel, fall."
"So those lights…" Dean trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
"When an angel falls, his wings burn up in the atmosphere as they're ripped from his body," Castiel said through a clenched jaw.
Dean's eyes flicked to Castiel's damaged back. Upon looking closer he saw it wasn't so much his back as it was his shoulder blades- right where his wings would be.
"Oh, Cas," Dean said, voice filled with sorrow and sympathy.
Castiel turned back to Dean, his eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry, Dean," he gasped. "This is all my fault."
"Shhhh," Dean wrapped his arms around Cas, careful to avoid his shoulders. Castiel trembled as his first tears fell from his eyes, his first sobs wracking his body.
"Don't worry," Dean murmured as Cas continued to cry into his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm gonna fix everything."
