Castiel woke up the next morning with his ribs aching, the Looney Toons playing, and Dean's head still in his lap. His hand was curled up on his thigh, his stubby nails just barely touching the fabric of Castiel's pants. He originally thought him to be asleep, but after a few motionless minutes of watching him, Dean laughed quietly and shifted. Castiel smiled to himself and reached over to grab his pills, careful not to move much as to disturb Dean. Castiel was comfortable. He didnt want Dean to move.
"Oh, mornin', Cas," Dean said, rolling onto his back and looking up at Castiel. His eyes were still sleepy.
Castiel blinked down at him and nodded. He didnt feel like talking. His throat hurt and his head and his face and his ribs. So he just popped his pills in his mouth and took a gulp of water to wash them down. He felt Dean get up as he put the cup back on the nightstand.
"You okay?" Dean asked, worry evident in his voice. Castiel just grimaced, gently placing his hand on his left side and leaning over a fraction of an inch. Dean hmm-ed quietly and reached forward, raising an eyebrow as if to ask is this okay? and when Castiel nodded, he reached the extra inch between them and carefully pulled Castiel's shirt up a bit to see his side.
Dean inhaled a sharp breath and Castiel flinched."God, Cas..." He let the other boys' shirt fall back into its original place. "Does it hurt?" His entire side was an angry purplish-blue colour, with yellow already fading around the edges. His orange stitches were poking out in what looked like a very uncomfortable manner.
Castiel nodded.
"God, I am so sorry. I promise if they ever do anything like that to you again, or even look at you wrong-"
"Dean," Castiel cut him off. Dean snapped his mouth closed, turning his head to look up at Castiel. "I will be fine, okay? Please do not worry about me." Even as he said it, he knew he wasnt being honest with himself; he wanted Dean to worry. He liked having someone to worry, even if it was just Dean. Not that there was anything wrong with Just-Dean, Castiel like him quite a bit.
"Okay," Dean said hesitantly, standing up and swaying slightly. "I um... I gotta go. Lisa called me a while ago. I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I left." He looked down at his hands.
Castiel's face dropped. He looked down at his own hands and murmured, "Okay. Im going back to bed," laying back down turning his lamp off, pulling the sheets over his head.
He could feel Dean still standing by the edge of the bed. He wanted nothing more than to pull Dean down and tell him to stay with him, he was in pain, god damnit. But Dean did what Dean wanted to do and what Dean wanted to do was go see his girlfriend.
"Ill, um... Ill be back in an hour," Dean said, his voice getting fainter as he stepped closer to the door. After a few silent moments, he heard the door close and he squeezed his eyes shut, pulling his knees up to his chest then wincing in pain. Bad idea. The new angle stretched the skin over his ribs painfully.
Dean leant against the door and sighed, rubbing his hand over his mouth. He didnt want to go see Lisa. He wanted to stay with Cas and watch cartoons and make sure he was okay. Cas was hurt and needed him, Lisa was just bored and didnt want to take Ben to the park alone. Not that he minded going to the park with them, he really did like Lisa, a lot, and Ben was a great kid.
After a few contemplative moments, Dean just shook his head and grabbed his coat. He already told Lisa he was coming, he couldnt very well back out again, now could he? "Well, I could," Dean said quietly as he walked out the door. Sam looked up from the couch, his head cocked to the side.
"You say somethin'? he asked, and Dean just shook his head.
"Im goin' to see Lis. Watch after Cas for me?" He didnt wait for a response. He knew his brother would watch after Cas for him. Thats what Sammy did. He was the best brother anyone could ever ask for in the history of brothers. Ever.
After a half hour drive, two Red Bulls, and a pack of powdered donuts, Dean was at the park. He could see Lisa and Ben on the swings from where he was parked, and he just watched them. Ben really was a sweet kid almost identical to Lisa. And Lisa really was beautiful, with her dark hair and dark eyes and amazing body. But, Dean thought with a frown as he slid out of the Impala, she wasnt Cas. And that thought alone scared the shit out of him.
"Dean," Lisa smiled at him, grabbing the front of his button-down shirt and pulling him down for a kiss. "Hey. Took you long enough."
Dean just smiled and sat on the swing beside her. "Sorry. I stopped at the gas station."
Lisa smiled and nodded, looking over at Ben. The silence that followed was awkward until finally she looked back. her smile was gone and Dean's first thought was oh shit.
"Dean..." she started, twisting her hands around the chains on the swing and kicking her feet up a bit, scuffing the dark earth beneath her. Dean hmm-ed in response and she sighed, looking up at him. "Are you cheating on me?"
Dean's eyes snapped to hers and his mouth dropped open. "Are you... Youre serious? You think im cheating on you?" He almost laughed.
Almost.
"And why in God's name would you think that, Lisa?" he asked.
She sighed and kicked t the dirt again, looking down at her bare feet. "You seem distant. You barely kiss me. We're not..." She glanced at Ben. "We're not intimate."
"We've only been going out for...-"
"Long enough to be intimate," Lisa said flatly and this time, it was Dean's turn to sigh.
He nodded. "Im sorry, I am, but Lisa, I swear to you, I am not cheating. I dont cheat," he said truthfully.
She looked up at him and tilted her head to the side. "But there is someone else, isnt there?"
Dean looked down.
"Isnt there?" And for some reason, she didnt seem...mad about it. She was actually smiling when Dean looked back up at her. "I never thought this would last, Dean. Its alright if you dont wanna stay with me. Just... come visit me and Ben every once in a while, alright? I just want you to be happy." She twisted the swing around to the side and kissed his cheek before standing up and grabbing Ben. "Text me sometime and the four of us will go out."
Dean nodded, then paused, looking up at her in confusion. "Four of us?" he asked, head tilted to the side.
"You and your mystery woman," she said with a wink. And Dean's freckled cheeks dusted with pink.
Mystery woman.
Right.
Sam carefully walked up the stairs to Dean and Castiel's room, skipping over the squeaky stairs, and opened the door quietly. Castiel was laying in Dean's bed with the covers pulled up to his chest and his arms crossed over his stomach. Sam opened the door a bit wider to let himself in, moving to stand by the bedside table.
"Hey, Cas. You okay?" he asked, crossing his arms for nothing better to do with them.
Castiel only spared him a glance. "Yes, Sam. Thank you for your concern." He said it in almost a monotone and Sam couldnt help but worry he did something wrong, to upset him.
"Um, no problem. If theres anything I could get you, call me, alright? Ill be downstairs. Just dont get out of bed." He pointed a finger at Castiel, who smiled slightly and nodded. Sam just smiled in response and nodded, making his way back down to his homework on the couch.
Moments later, Dean burst thought the front door with two empty cans of Red Bull and some wrappers. "Sammy!" he exclaimed, and Sam's eyebrows shot up.
"Um, yeah?"
"Is Cas alright?" he asked seriously.
"Yeah. I literally just checked on him."
Dean nodded and jogged to the stairs. "Thanks, Sammy. Youre the best."
Sam rolled his eyes and smiled. "I know."