Castiel didn't return to the woods the next day. He had returned to his house just when his family was first stirring from their sleep, and was able to sneak into his bed and pretend to slumber. He was only lying there for a moment before he saw, with only half closed eyes, Gabriel peek his head in through the door. After he watched his younger brother 'sleep' , he left the room, attempting to shut the door silently behind him. Next he heard his mother beginning to rise, shuffling around the house and waking up her sons. Once she arrived at Castiel's room, she simply knocked on the door, giving her usual wakeup speech before moving on. Cas continued to lie there for a moment before he rolled off his brick hard mattress. He went through his daily morning ritual of changing his clothes, cleaning himself, then making his hair somewhat presentable.
He didn't return the the woods the next day, either.
Even if he had wanted too, he was now under constant surveillance from Gabriel, who was positive Castiel was sneaking out to court with Hale or some other village girl. He continued to defend himself against his older brother's words, though it just encouraged Gabriel to continue with his taunting and questioning. Though Cas knew that wasn't the actual reason he hadn't returned to Dean. Whenever he thought about his time with the shapeshifter, something both warm and distasteful stirred in his stomach. He felt as if he had to go back to those woods, but at the same time Castiel was terrified by the thought. So instead of feeding the part of him that wanted to run back into Dean's embrace in the sheltered forest, Cas hid from it and ignored it. He instead went to helping his mother and brothers with whatever needs had to be met. The days carried on painstakingly slow, Gabriel slowly started to forget about his job of tormenting Castiel with questions and teasing,and Castiel's thoughts about the shapeshifter intensified and became harder to ignore.
Castiel finally snapped about two weeks after not visiting the forest.
One night, he finally decided he would do it. Without bothering to ready himself up, Castiel swung himself effortlessly out of the window, landing not so gracefully on the ground. After he regained his balance, he ran. He ran through the shadows and alleys of his home, moving like a shadow himself until he reached the enterence to the maze of trees. Without a seconds thought, he ran into the forest. The slightly chilled crisp night air nipped at him as his foot fall hit the ground, crunching leaves and snapping stray branches under his overly worn dirt covered shoes. The scenery was all a blur around him, his mind being set on one thing and one thing only; Dean.
The shapeshifter arrived when Castiel had ceased his movement, stopping to catch his breath in the midst of the catacombs of trees. Suddenly he found himself being lifted off the ground then being spun around effortlessly in the air like he weighed no more than a feather. He was placed down on his feet in front of Dean to be greeted with a kiss on the lips. "Castiel, I missed you."
Returning the kiss, Castiel looked up at the shapeshifter's face, even now in the dark light attempting to memorize every detail and every color. "I missed you, too. I missed you so much, Dean."
"I love you." Was the next thing that came out of Dean's mouth, his lips forming the words perfectly.
Relieved that Dean hadn't asked him why he hadn't visited for so long, Castiel was also overjoyed to hear Dean speak those once foreign words. "I love you, too."
Another kiss. Then Dean broke away, a smile staying plastered onto his lips. "Come on, let's find somewhere to sit."
They ended up having to make their own little bed. The ground was damp from the rain that had poured down earlier in the morning, but the two found branches and dry moss to lie upon. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it was perfect for them. The stars formed a roof above the canopy of the budding branches, stars painted messily onto the black sheet as clouds rolled across the scene. Dean and Castiel lay side by side, their shoulders pressed against each other as they spoke. Their words came out so effortlessly, as if none of them had to worry about the weight of the words or neither cared if the other heard the most gaurded parts of themselves.
"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep." Dean ended up repeating effortlessly at some part of the conversation, his fingers laced through Castiel's.
"Where did you hear that from?" Cas asked lightly, removing his gaze that had been glued to the night sky to look at the man next to him.
"A poem." Dean answered simply.
"You like poetry?"
"Yeah, I guess I do. My guilty pleasure, I guess you could say." Dean admitted, rolling over on his side.
"If you don't mind me asking," Castiel started, "Where do you hear it? The poetry, I mean."
"You're not the only visitor that comes into these woods, Cas." Dean said with a smile, "Sometimes hunters repeat them, or poets that have wandered in to think. Children also play here, and they can give me some interesting rhymes."
"What's the full poem? The one you said before about the woods. I wish to hear it." Castiel then asked, scooting closer to the shapeshifter.
"You do? Well, okay." Dean hoped Cas couldn't tell he was actually a bit excited to show off his memorizing skills. He took a breath before he started the verses of the poem. "Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
There was a moment of silence ony filled with the sounds of crickets and owls singing before Castiel spoke. "Thank you, Dean. That was beautiful."
The shapeshifter gave a shy smile before accepting his praise. The night carried on with talk about poetry, family, and themselves. Their words filled the stillness of the forest with chatter, Castiel described his family, giving clear and occasionally humorous descriptions of his brothers. Dean listened, but rarely gave anything away about himself or his family. The only thing Dean gave away was a story about his little brother Sam, which ended with the shapeshifter adding solemnly that he hadn't seen his brother since Sam was two, and he doubted he would even remember him. Castiel decided not to linger on the topic, and went on to talk about the village he grew up in and stories from his own childhood. They talked and talked for what seemed like forever, as if the night would never end and shelter them forever against the cruel world of reality.
Castiel fell asleep with his head resting on Dean's chest. Dean gently played with his hair as the man slept, his fingers twirling around the strands and petting his head softly. The shapeshifter himself did not sleep, instead he found himself watching the other. Cas looked peaceful in his sleep, he looked young, as if he was a child again with no worries. The lightest and softest smile tugged at the corners of his lips, occasionally his expression shifting as his sleep continued. Just watching him sleep was relaxing, and Dean found himself completely caught up in it to the point where there was nothing else in the world besides Castiel.
A sharp, familiar female voice snapped Dean out of the trance. "Dean Winchester, you have disobeyed me."
Author's note; |- I apologize that this chapter's a bit short, but it was that or it being painstakingly long. The poem Dean recites is called 'Stoping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost. In no way am I trying to copy his work or claim it as my own, but I thought that the poem went well with the story. Again, thank you everyone who's read it so far and feel free to send me any feedback! -|