Febuwhump Day 26: Please Don't Do This. Cas sacrificing himself for Dean.
Title: A Glimpse of Loss
"Cas," Dean clung to Cas's arm, knowing that his strength didn't hold a candle to the angel's, "Please don't do this."
The pain was evident in Cas's face, regret already seeping in from a decision made, but not yet enacted. Still, beneath the hurt, there was determination, a refusal to waver against all desire otherwise. "I have to do this."
"There's another way. There always is."
Cas delicately picked Dean's hands off his arm and held them in his own. "I love you."
"So don't leave," tears spilled from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.
"There is nothing that I will not do to keep you safe."
"I don't want to be safe. I want you," he squeezed Cas's hands desperately.
"Dean," Cas sighed. He leaned in and kissed Dean, slowly and reverently and Dean didn't have it in him to push him away and shout at him for leaving because this could be the last time he ever felt Cas's lips on his. Cas pulled away and looked softly at Dean. "It will be okay. You gave me more than I could have ever hoped for. I had a good life."
"Stop," Dean's voice cracked.
"Thank you for everything. You taught me love and hope. You showed me all the beauty of the world," he cupped Dean's face in his hands and brushed a tear away with his thumb, "You saved me. Now it's my turn," he smiled a broken smile and extracted Dean's hands from his own, but before he could fully turn away, Dean wrapped his arms around him. Cas curled into the hug, feeling Dean one last time, appreciating the way their bodies perfectly fit together, his warmth and smell, how his closeness made Cas feel whole in a way he never knew before. It only strengthened his resolve. There were no lengths he would not go to for Dean, death, hell, and torture included.