You've been asking for it so here it is! Another chapter. This one is a little short, but more is in the works currently and I hope to update again soon. Thanks for the reviews and favorites!

Once again, I do not own Supernatural or the characters!

Chapter 2

One week later the hospital was ready to discharge Dean. They strongly suggested placing him in a mental facility for further treatment, but Dean nearly had a panic attack at the suggestion and Castiel quickly assured them that the boy could stay with him and he would make sure they didn't miss any appointments. The younger man strongly disliked Jessica and was not thrilled about coming back to see her, but he reluctantly agreed so long as Cas stayed with him.

The hospital had provided Dean with a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, but the boy had no other clothing to speak of, except for his combat boots and leather jacket, so Castiel's first stop was a local clothing store. There weren't very many people inside the store, but Castiel could tell Dean was nervous. After all, the young man hadn't been around anyone other than murderers or victims for the past two years, so Castiel understood how Dean must be feeling. They quickly picked out four pairs of blue jeans, some black t-shirts and some flannel button-up shirts that Dean had enthusiastically pointed out. They also grabbed a pack of socks and underwear before making their way to the check-out counter.

So he'll look like a lumberjack, but at least he'll be happy, Cas thought as he paid the cashier. The drive back to Castiel's house was a silent one, neither male seeming to know what to say. When they reached the driveway the detective turned off his vehicle and led the way to the door in the garage as the garage door rumbled shut behind them. He dropped his keys in a bowl on the table by the door and then flicked the lock back into place once Dean was inside. Cas then kicked off his shoes and hung his coat on a hook before turning his attention back to his house guest.

"You can just leave your boots on that rug and hang your jacket up anywhere," Castiel said before turning to walk into his kitchen. He went to the fridge and began pulling out ingredients for their dinner. After a moment he realized that Dean still hadn't followed him and then looked up to seen the young man still standing by the door, boots and jacket now removed. When their eyes met Dean finally spoke.

"What would you like me to do now?" Castiel sighed sadly. Clearly it would take a long time for Dean to realize that he was free of Crowley's grasp.

"What would you like to do?" he tried.

"Um..." Dean shuffled his feet, clearly uncomfortable. After a moment of thought he spoke again. "Can I...is it okay if I watch you?"

"You want to watch me cook?" Castiel cocked his head curiously and Dean blushed.

"Is that okay?"

"Of course it is. If you want anything all you have to do is ask Dean."

Dean walked into the kitchen then, and took a seat on a stool next to Castiel's kitchen island. He watched while Cas prepared a dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. The vegetables brought a slight frown to his face, but when a plate was placed before him he cleaned it. The meals Crowley had given him had kept him alive, but this meal...Dean couldn't believe he was eating a meal this good.

When they were finished eating, Castiel placed the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and then walked down a short hallway and opened a door, carrying the bags from the clothing store with him. When Dean walked in he saw that it was a bedroom. It didn't look like it was used very often, but there was a bed and a dresser, as well as a bedside table and a desk in one corner. Cas placed the bags on the desk and then turned to face Dean.

"This will be your room so make yourself comfortable here. My room is that door directly across the hall so if you need anything at all, that's where I'll be." He looked up and saw Dean's wide-eyed stare. "Is something wrong?"

"No! I just...uh, didn't expect..." he gestured at the room, "...all of this." Castiel smiled sweetly at him.

"Well, I'll let you get settled." He went across the hall to his own bedroom, leaving both of their doors open as he went. Cas decided that if Dean wanted the door closed he could make that decision on his own. He changed into his pajama pants and turned off the light before getting into bed. Earlier he had decided to leave the hallway light on, just in case Dean needed to get up, so now he rolled onto his left side to face away from the light and drifted off to sleep.

Dean didn't know how long he stood there, just looking at this room. He had been living in a small cell for the past two years, but even before that he had never had a room to himself. Bedrooms or motel rooms were always shared with...Dean couldn't bear to finish that thought. It hurt too much. Instead he walked over to the desk and pulled the clothing out of the bags, bringing it to the dresser near the opposite wall and placing them in drawers.

When he was satisfied that the clothing was sufficiently organized he stripped down to his boxers and crawled into the bed. A small sound of pleasure escaped his lips as he stretched out and pulled the blankets over himself. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep right away, but he was content to lay there. His thoughts turned to the day he just had and he found himself wondering about what would happen once they knew the truth about him.

Castiel had been nothing but nice to him so far. The man had bought him clothes, fed him, and given him an awesome place to sleep, but he was also a detective. A very sexy detective, Dean caught himself thinking and immediately blushed. The man did have captivating eyes, and his hair always had what his dad had referred to as a 'just fucked look' to it. Dean shook his head. It would be best for him not to get attached. Eventually he would end up in jail for the things he had done and he certainly didn't want to have to think about what could have been while he was back behind bars. With that thought he rolled onto his right side, facing the door out of habit, and drifted into an uneasy sleep. When Dean woke next, it was to the sound of Castiel's voice calling out to him and his bedroom light being turned on.

"Dean! Hey, Dean. It's okay, it's just a dream," Cas first called and then switched to a more soothing tone of voice as he took a seat on the edge of the bed.

Dean sat up, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. His sleep hazed mind was still lost in the horror of the nightmare and it took him a moment of looking around to realize that he was no longer strapped to a table with Crowley standing over him. As his eyes finally met Castiel's, Dean began to feel much calmer. After a few more moments of them silently staring into each other's eyes, Cas spoke again.

"Are you okay?" Dean shook his head in response as he dropped his gaze to the blankets that had pooled around his waist when he sat up.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," he started. "That dream...nightmare...wasn't even about the bad stuff."

"Do you want to talk about it?" The detective knew that he needed to help Dean open up about the stuff that had happened to him, but that was not the only reason he asked. He felt a need to protect this boy and in order to save him he would first need to know what the boy was running from.

"It was about the table you found me strapped to. He was standing over me and finishing carving his name into me...I don't understand why that's the thing I dream about. That part wasn't so bad..." Dean hesitated.

He was never one to talk about his feelings before he was kidnapped, and there was certainly no opportunity to do so while he was with Crowley, not that he would have. Now the opportunity had practically thrown itself into his lap. Dean found himself wanting to take that opportunity, but the idea of being locked behind bars again, and this time most likely in a prison he would share with other criminals like Crowley, was just to much. There was no way he could allow himself to face that possibility. Cas surprised him when he spoke up.

"No matter what else happened to you, that was still a bad thing. It's okay for you to think of that as a bad experience because it was. Even if there were worse things that happened, that doesn't mean that particular thing wasn't still horrible, Dean. I just wish I had gotten there sooner," Cas sighed and Dean realized that the detective felt guilty. He didn't quite know what to do with that information so he just silently reached out and grasped one of the older man's hands in his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Cas smiled and then noticed for the first time that Dean was not wearing a shirt. His eyes skimmed down the younger man's bare chest and abdomen, noticing for the first time how toned he was. Cas had only seen this part of Dean while it was covered in bandages previously and he found himself having to tear his gaze away. He cast his eyes to the floor for a moment before gently pulling his hand from Dean's and standing. Casting one last smile at the younger man he went to leave the room.

"Well, try to get some more sleep, Dean. I'll see you in the morning," Cas smiled back at him before turning off the bedroom light and walking back across the hall. Once again he left both doors open and the hallway light was still on.

Dean watched the detective until he was back in the darkness of his own bedroom. The younger man had not failed to notice that Cas had been shirtless as well. He had taken notice of that fact as he had been contemplating going back behind bars for telling Cas what he had done. When he had taken Cas's hand he had to restrain himself from touching more of the bare skin before him. Dean still wasn't comfortable with much contact of any kind, but he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to run his hands over that smooth looking, pale skin. He laid back down with that thought and drifted back to sleep, dreaming of running his hands over those muscular abs and through that just-fucked, black hair.