Dean shot up in bed, yanking the sheet violently from his body as a cold sweat forced his shirt to be transformed into a second skin. Dean's eyes darted wildly around the room, taking in his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was. Inch by inch, it slowly dawned on him that he was in Castiel's room. Alone in Castiel's room. Shakily taking the cover from off the bed, he padded to the bathroom, which stood empty. He exhaled, jittery, and took a quick look at his neck in the candlelight.

No marks, no bruises, just over-imagination and the mistake of drinking before bed, Dean told himself as he looked out of the window, pushing back the curtain.

As his mind began to wake up, it was shocked to life to realize that Castiel not being there was bad. Really bad.

Before he let go of the curtain, still held tightly in his hand, he saw the market below and took a labored breath, his eyes eventually landing on The Factory. Just before that, the wall that separated Industrial Arya, the West, the Central portion, the "Crown", and the Farming in the East. Frowning, the only lights in the market at The Roadhouse, a startling reminder that Castiel was still somewhere in the house and away from him. Dean may need to kill Michael, but protecting Castiel was just as important. Clicking his tongue in distaste, he slunk out of the bedroom and down the long, pitch-black hallway and walked carefully down the stairs. Catching a gleam of light through the back door to the kitchen, Dean remembered seeing a door. Pushing it open slowly, Castiel jumped in surprise as he hid a bundle of fur back under a pile of leaves.

"Dean," he flubbed, "I-I'm sorry, did I wake you by getting out of bed?"

"No, I had a nightmare and I got worried. What's that you're hiding?"

Castiel mulled it over for a second before grabbing Dean's wrist and pulling him into a crouch beside him, "You mustn't tell Michael, or anyone."

"Of course," Dean offered, his eyes widening in shock as Castiel revealed a small den filled with about 8 foxes. "Wow, what are those? I've never seen one before."

Castiel smiled, "Its scientific name is Vulpes vulpes, in other words, it's an adapted type of red fox. The red foxes that used to live in the area- before they were killed off- ate meat but after realizing how hard it was to obtain since the humans cultivated it... they only eat vegetables and whatever berries they can find, now. It's very rare to see any animals outside of Eastern Arya, so I wanted to protect them and maybe they can repopulate."

"That's a pretty big 'if', especially considering how much trouble you'd be in if someone found out."

"It's a chance I'm willing to take." Castiel muttered seriously, petting one of the babies on the head before feeding it.

"You never cease to surprise me." Dean laughed, sitting on the grass.

"Good," Castiel said with a small grin, "Then maybe you'll stay around a while longer."

Dean felt a smile break his face, "No worries, Cas, I'm planning on sticking around a while."

"Hey, Dean, I was wondering what your favorite chess piece was."

"That's a little out of the blue."

"I've been thinking about it since earlier, so not really."

"My favorite is the pawn, I guess," Dean's mind drifted a little as he remembered Castiel's look of deep concentration as he considered his next move. "It always does it's best to protect the other pieces, even though it's weak and it has to sacrifice itself at some point. What's yours?"

"The knight," Castiel said quietly, hiding the foxes away and turning to look at Dean. "because it always fights to protect the important pieces and it's a strategically effective piece. Although, I believe I like your answer better." Standing slowly and walking towards the house, Dean scrambling to catch up to him. "Dean, I was wondering if you would tell me a story about yourself. I don't know anything about you and for us to become close, we must know more about one another."

Dean picked up on the absence of "friend" but disregarded it as reading too much into the situation. "I'll tell you once we get settled back into the room."

"Oh, and Dean?"

"Hm?"

"You clung to me in your sleep, in a way, almost akin to a Phascolarctos cinereus."

"A what?"

"You hugged me in a coddling way, almost as if you were a koala."

"I still have no idea what that is."

"It's funnier if you knew the animal." Castiel said disappointingly, becoming silent as they made their way up the stairs and down the long hallway until they eventually reached Castiel's room and locked the door.

Dean watched Castiel with a calm expression, the liquor having only given him the slightest of a buzz while Castiel seemed flushed and smiley but, altogether, composed as ever.

"How ya feelin', Cas?" he asked as Castiel stretched, interlocking his fingers and stretching his arms, also moving onto his tiptoes.

"Pretty good, actually. Very light." he finished his stretching and placed his palm on Dean's shoulder, "How about some more?"

"I think you've had enough for the night, Cas. Let's get to bed."

Castiel nodded, getting in on his own side and watching Dean get on the other, "Dean, I'm growing very fond of you." Dean stopped, blanket in hand, his eyes meeting the solemness displayed in Castiel's eyes. "I feel like I can tell you anything and everything I'm thinking." Dean got under the cover and laid on his side, head propped on his palm as he listened to Castiel. "There's just one thing that I wanted to know, though."

"What's that?"

"What is sexual intercourse like?"