When the morning chill had dissipated, Castiel spared another glance over to the hunter resting beside him. Dean's eyes were glazed over, his mind clearly lost in thought. The angel sighed internally, trying to decide the best course of action. He stood, walking to stand before Dean. He offered a hand, pulling him up from leaning back against the hood of the car.
Dean allowed himself to be led to the passenger side, surprised when Cas took the liberty of just reaching into his pocket for the keys before opening the door and gently pushing him inside. "Cas, what-?"
"You should not be driving." Cas asserted, well aware of the far off (and not just a little sleep deprived) look. "We are going to get coffee." He concluded, aware that Dean likely was not ready to return to the bunker.
Dean frowned, looking for a second like he might argue, but he closed his mouth, relaxing against the seat back. Cas took that as permission, and he slipped behind the wheel. Dean just shifted to look out the window as Cas pulled the Impala back onto the highway.
The small diner Cas finally stopped at was fairly quiet that morning. Once they were seated he really tried to get a read on the hunter.
He figured he should be grateful. While they administered the cure, he hadn't discounted what the demonized hunter was saying. There was a fair chance that this would be the thing that broke Dean for good. That he would be far too damaged to even get up again. When he saw him retreat into his mind, lost behind a wall of blind panic that didn't allow him to even draw breath, Cas was truly worried that was it.
To see Dean even upright and talking was a miracle in itself. Still. Cas could see Dean was barely holding his head above water as the waves threatened to overtake him. Some moments he seemed alright, but just seconds later his thoughts would wander, and then the pain would creep into his expression. He was doing well to hide it, but not well enough to fool Cas.
Dean accepted the coffee without complaint, but he had yet to even try and take a bite of the food in front of him, let alone Cas'. He also hadn't said a single word since they left that field in Kansas, and more than that hadn't seemed to notice this. He didn't even seem to notice when Cas was ordering for them.
Every few seconds the hunter would look up at the door, almost as if considering running.
The angel was reminded of the Dean Winchester that he traveled across the length of purgatory with. Only here his fight or flight mentality was leaving him on edge with nowhere to go and no-one to hit.
Cas started work on a plan. He needed to get the hunter out of here, but they couldn't go back to the bunker. Dean needed to run, and Cas intended to facilitate.
He didn't try to force Dean to say anything, instead simply leading the way back to the car when they were done. This time when he turned onto the road he had no clear destination in mind.
The angel was impressed with how long it was before Dean seemed to notice the direction they were heading. It wasn't until they crossed state lines that he looked up at Cas. "Where-?"
"Away." Cas replied simply.
"Cas, we can't just not go back to the bunker."
"We can and we are."
"Cas-"
"I already texted Sam to feed Paka. It will be fine."
"That's not-" Dean stammered. "Cas, turn around."
Castiel didn't respond, simply keeping his eyes on the road and pressing forward.
Dean sat in silence for a few minutes, the gears in his head turning as they tried to catch up to the current situation. He huffed a small annoyed sigh. "You get that you're basically kidnapping me right now."
"Tough." Cas struggled to maintain his serious composure.
Dean just stared at him, but after a moment, his hard expression softened. He bit back a small smile at Cas' dismissal. "Fine, but if we're going to be on the road we'll need to stop for snacks."
"That, I can do."
.
By the time the sun was setting, the mood had lightened considerably. Castiel spared a glance back over towards the hunter, relieved to find Dean seemed relatively at ease.
Their trip so far had been fairly uninterrupted. Save for a few brief stops, they had simply kept moving. Without interruptions, they were making excellent time, though towards what, he didn't know. Cas was a little surprised Dean never demanded to take the wheel back, but also more than a little thankful. He didn't really think Dean should be driving at the moment.
Conversation was sparse, especially at the start of the trip. Dean seemed to struggle to find words to speak. Cas didn't press, and Dean seemed grateful for that at least. Instead they filled the silence mostly with music, Dean working his way through a handful of cassettes.
Cas had been pleased that music seemed the key to Dean's voice. When he did talk it was to discuss the songs being played. Sometimes facts about bands or concerts. Sometimes just stories that the songs reminded him of. Cas smiled and listened to each tale, just grateful to hear Dean speaking about something good.
As Cas passed the welcome sign for Ohio he looked up at the hunter again, surprised to see Dean asleep against the passenger window. The angel reached up, slowly turning the radio down a bit, letting the music settle into a softer tone, less likely to wake him.
The quiet only lasted another few miles before Dean had sprung into wakefulness, gasping for air and flailing wildly as he was ripped from some unspeakable nightmare.
Cas wasted no time pulling off to the side of the highway, putting the car in park and reaching out to put a hand on Dean's shoulder.
The hunter whipped about to face Cas directly, throwing a punch in self defense as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. The angel gently caught his fist, holding Dean's hand in his, trying to ease the hunter's fears. "Dean… Dean it's me… calm down."
Dean's eyes finally focused on the angel's face, his heart still racing but his breathing starting to slow ever so slightly. He remained tense, coiled and ready to spring into action if need be. He looked out the windows, taking stock of their surroundings before finally letting his gaze land back forward. "Cas?" He asked, his voice shaking with the emotions left over from his dream.
"Yeah." He said softly, rubbing his thumb back and forth over Dean's knuckles. The fist in his hand gently released, relaxing and allowing Cas to properly hold it.
"Shit." Dean breathed, closing his eyes and trying to calm his racing pulse.
Cas remained quiet for the moment, letting the hunter regain his footing before pushing him.
After a few moments, Dean finally managed a deeper breath. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He pulled his hand back from Cas' grip, leaning back to sit against the passenger door. "Where are we?" He asked, his voice still unsteady.
"About 25 miles west of Dayton." Cas replied, recalling recent road signs.
Dean nodded, but it was clear he hadn't actually processed the information. "How long was I asleep?"
"Maybe fifteen minutes." Cas said softly.
"Great." Dean muttered. He took a second before letting out his breath. He scrubbed his hand over his face, trying to ground himself a little.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"No." Dean said flatly, turning his attention towards the dark landscape around them.
Cas fell silent. He repressed the urge to reach out to the hunter again, knowing Dean would not appreciate being touched at the moment.
"Sorry."
"For what?"
Dean didn't respond. He didn't really know, it just felt like the thing to say.
"You should try to sleep again." Cas prompted after a pause.
"I don't think I can…" Dean looked up at the angel. "Could you-?"
"Of course Dean." He raised his hand to help him back into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Before he could press his hand to Dean's forehead, the hunter reached up with his own hand, catching the angel's. "Thank you." He said firmly, looking directly into Cas' eyes. He needed this. To escape. To move. Cas had driven for hours just to keep the scenery changing, keep his mind occupied. To trick him into a sense of security, or rather, offer one.
Cas' expression softened, and he managed a small sad smile. "Of course Dean."
Dean dropped his hands, allowing the angel to move forward again. He felt Cas' hand rest briefly on the side of his face, and he pressed into the touch before he felt the surge of grace that helped coax him once more into rest.
Cas helped guide Dean's head back against the seat, positioning him so he'd be comfortable as they pressed on with their journey.
He just hoped tomorrow would be easier.