Morning came quickly and Dean found himself slowly waking with the sunlight streaming through the tall window between his and Castiel's beds. He shifted into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced at the clock on the table across from his bed, the red numbers glaring at him. '6:24' Dean groaned softly. "Why the hell am I awake?"
Cas shifted under his blankets, rolling onto his side back to the wall. Dean stopped breathing, afraid he had woken him. Cas' breathing evened out once again and Dean let out the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. He slowly pushed back his blankets, careful to stay quiet as possible, swung his legs off the side of his bed and made his way to their small bathroom. Dean began his morning routine, stopping to look at his tired reflection in the mirror.
Today was the day. The day he was going to tell Cas about why he was here. To tell him he 'murdered' his brother after his father had always told him 'take care of your brother, Dean.' His little brother who used to dress as Batman pretending he could fly, jumping off of the roof of the shed and breaking his arm. Dean shuddered at the memories melding together to make one horrific scene in his head. He opened the bathroom door and looked toward the clock. '6:46'
"Hey Cas?" Dean made his way over to Castiel's bed. "Cas?" he said, with his hand on Cas' shoulder. "Hey. There you are. Morning Sunshine!" Cas groaned asking for the time. "Nearly seven. You should get up or we'll miss breakfast. Did you even get any sleep last night? You look like hell." Cas moved out from under the blankets. Dean chuckled under his breath and Cas made his way to the bathroom. The grown man in front of him looked like a pissed off twelve year-old. Dean sat in the chair waiting on Cas.
Moments later Cas appeared in the bathroom doorway once more and look to Dean, freshly shaven, looking less pissed off. "Sorry I slept so late." Dean put his arm around Cas' shoulders, dismissing his apology, and led them to the cafeteria.
"So Cas, you wanted to know. Have you decided if that's what you really want?" Cas pulled the chair towards Dean's bed, eager to hear his story. "I guess that's a 'yes'." Dean took a deep breath, looking into Castiel's cobalt eyes, before looking away. He couldn't bring himself to look at Cas while he told him the reason he was here. It was shameful, even though he hadn't done anything wrong, but what if he decided, like everyone else, that Dean really did kill Sam? He shook his head quickly to put off the thoughts.
"My brother, Sam, Sammy. He... He was beaten to death with a bat. A fucking bat... I was brought here after four months on trial for murder." Dean chanced a look at Cas. His head was tilted slightly to the left as his eyes were scrunched. "They think I killed my brother." Castiel's eyes widened slightly.
"'They'? Who is 'they'?" Dean emitted a mirthless laugh.
"'They' is everyone. Even my lawyer. They all said I did it. They said someone saw me murder my own brother in a cold-blooded, alcohol-induced, rage." Dean's voice began to waver as he spoke. "He bled so much and I tried to help him. I called for help. I did everything I could. This fucking idiot, he... He knocked me out and when I woke up, he was running out the front door. All I really remember is holding my brother in my arms as he bled to death." His voice broke as he let a single tear escape and roll down his cheek.
Several minutes of silence passed between them, he still couldn't bare to look at Cas, before he finally broke the silence. "You think I'm crazy. Look, I'll go talk to Charlie or Dr. Singer or someone. Tell them to put me back in my old room." Dean headed towards the door, before he felt Castiel's hand on his shoulder. He turned, body facing Castiel, still not able to look at him.
"Dean. Look at me, Dean." Dean still didn't dare to even so much as glance. "Now, Dean." Castiel spoke, voice firm. Dean finally looked at the slightly shorter man before him. "I don't think you're crazy." Dean's breath hitched. "Now you can go tell Dr. Singer or Charlie or whoever that you want your room back, but I want you to stay. The choice is yours, Dean."
Cas let go of him, turning to head back toward his bed. Dean caught Cas' hand in his own and pulled him closer, their noses almost touching. "You're the first one to ever tell me I'm not crazy." Cas immediately tensed up. "Everyone here who knows either tries to diagnose me or looks at me like I could snap at any moment, but..." Dean moved to take Castiel's other hand in his own "But not you." His voiced dropped to barely a whisper as he searched Castiel's eyes for an answer.
Dean inched his face slightly closer when a knock came at the door causing to two men to jump apart. "Castiel?" Charlie's face poked in through the door, seeing the two men standing in the middle of the room, both blushing slightly. "….uh…. did you forget? You have an appointment with your counselor, don't want to miss it…"
Castiel shifted on his feet awkwardly, "Thank you, Charlie. I apologize I completely forgot it."
"I see… you better hurry then." She pulled the door to a close.
"Well… I uh… better get going…" Castiel faced Dean once more.
Dean reached for his hand once again, holding in it both of his, "After your session, would you like to go to the day room with me? I could play the piano for you." Dean smiled at him, brighter than he had in months.
Castiel's voice was barely a whisper, "I'd love to."
