"I made a decision."

Dean watched Cas walk back outside from the small no-name gas station they were at, picking up his half of a phone call while the angel walked to the pump. He squinted through the harsh early morning sun filtering through the trees, the angel now more of a silhouette.

Cas held the phone to his ear, using the other hand to flip down the license plate and start fueling it up. "He is cuffed." A longer pause, "We aren't going back there… it doesn't matter." Cas was starting to look genuinely annoyed.

Dean glanced down at the cuffs, trying to imagine what his brother was saying.

"You said Kevin was close." Yep, he was definitely annoyed. "Then it shouldn't be a long wait." He straightened up for a moment. "I have to go now." He announced simply, hanging up and shoving his phone back into his pocket. He sighed, returning to pumping gas.

Dean looked up when Cas slipped back inside the car. "So, Sam's pissed." He observed.

"Your brother is, in his words, concerned."

"And in your words?"

"Pissed."

Dean laughed. He could guess what the other side of that conversation sounded like.

Cas relaxed slightly, starting to shake off that phone call. "The plan is to drive until Kevin has finished the warding. At which point we'll meet up with them again."

"And then we just… go work cases." Dean said slowly, looking at Cas to see if he was understanding.

"I feel like it would be best."

"No vacation?"

"Knowing you it would be both, anyway." Cas shrugged, mouth twitching into a smile.

"You don't know me. Not like this."

"Neither do you."

Dean opened his mouth and shut it again, thinking about that for a second. "I guess." He relented.

Cas started them back on the road. "Kevin and Charlie don't think it will be long before they have it figured out."

"Sam agrees?"

"Yes."

"But?"

"Sam has yet to be convinced that the plan to tattoo the sigils on and keep you out of lock down is wise."

Dean studied him carefully. "You're championing for me anyway."

"I, on the other hand, do believe it is wise." He frowned for a second. "I believe it is right." He corrected.

"There's a difference between those two." Dean challenged.

"Not one that matters in this case."

Dean stared at him for a moment, shaking his head before leaning back in his seat. "How long do they think?"

"We will be staying within a few hours of the bunker. I don't anticipate it taking even a full day."

"And until then we're just driving?"

"Unless you have a better idea-" He closed his eyes for a second. "Besides sex."

Dean threw his head back with a laugh. "Fine. How about breakfast?" He countered.

"Dean, you aren't being let off the cuffs before we have the tattoos."

"Fine." Dean curled his lips into a suggestive smile. "Cuffs on."

"No."

"Come on, Cas. We can't just drive, we need routine. We've been eating breakfast every day." He looked up for a second. "Well, most mornings."

Cas threw him a skeptical glance. "I can't eat, and you hate routines."

"We can't just keep driving. I need coffee."

Cas was quiet for a moment. "A compromise-" He countered. "I'll get breakfast and we'll eat somewhere. Away from people."

Dean hesitated, considering. Finally he seemed to settle back quietly. "Fine." He said passively.

Cas flexed his hands on the wheel, forcing some of the tension away. He began looking for options that might interest Dean.

.

It's fast food breakfast, but honestly Dean sort of missed it. Not that he didn't make a mean breakfast himself, but there was something familiar about greasy crap food that he had missed during their time in confinement.

"God-" Dean said, suppressing a flinch. "This is heaven."

"Something you've seen before and are destined to relive ad nauseum?"

"Shuddup." Dean rolled his eyes.

Cas couldn't help the small smile. He looked out through the snow dusted forest. "It is good?"

"It's perfect." Dean said, looking thoughtfully at Cas over his sandwich. "Do you miss food?"

Cas sighed. "Yes." He admitted. He hesitated. "I also miss waking up to coffee."

"You hated that you had to sleep." Dean replied.

"Even so." Cas gave a subtle half shrug. "I didn't hate breakfast."

Dean smirked behind his sandwich.

Cas tilted his head back, clearly in thought. "There were many things I didn't hate about our time there."

"What else?" Dean asked, curiously.

"I liked cooking with you." Cas answered honestly. "I liked listening to you talk about food. It reminded me of when I was human."

Dean leaned back, casually. "I liked watching movies with you on that tiny laptop."

"We watched movies often." Cas pointed out. "Before the cabin."

"Yeah, but in the cabin it was my laptop so I got to control what we watched." Dean looked at him pointedly. "You like watching Disney Cartoons."

"I like messing with you." Cas said simply. "I enjoy watching you get huffy and then thoroughly enjoying the movie."

The smile fades from Dean's face. "I do not get all huffy."

"If you prefer I could say querulous."

"Quer- what?" Dean stammered, scrunching his brow.

"I imagine this is one of those things we're not supposed to talk about." Cas said passively.

Dean stared at Cas for a moment, trying repeatedly and failing to form any sort of response, coherent or otherwise. "I-"

"I enjoyed reading as well." Cas continued, ignoring Dean's expression completely.

Dean swallowed, taking a second to reorient himself and visibly stuffing it in a box to forget about. "Yeah, well…" He reached for his coffee. "Not like you won't be able to read anymore."

Cas lowered his head in agreement. "I am however glad to be out of there."

"Yeah, that makes two of us."

"We could have handled it better." A small twinge in his voice caught Dean's attention. The hunter watched Cas' shoulders tense. "There were things we could have done… it was less than ideal."

"Yeah..." Dean frowned, watching Cas' expression carefully.

"I didn't-"

"Hey…" Dean said softly, setting aside his food. "Cas-"

"I'm sorry."

Dean slid off the hood of the car, putting a hand on Cas' shoulder. "Is… is this about…" He hesitated, not quite sure how to put it.

"We brought you back to the cabin yesterday as a test to see how you would react to repeated captivity." Cas admitted, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him.

Dean froze. "To see if I would snap." He swallowed. "To see if I would try to kill you again."

"You didn't-"

"Fine, beat the shit out of you, whatever you want to call it." His voice sharpened a little. "You wanted to see if I'd hurt you."

"The risk to myself was minimal while you were restrained and I was not."

"You brought me to the cabin to fuck with me harder."

Cas just bowed his head, waiting for the hand to leave his shoulder. "I did not expect the emotional distress it would cause you."

Dean took a breath. "Yeah…" He replied weakly.

"I was not thinking of you. I am not sure what I was thinking…"

"Cas… Cas, look at me."

Slowly Cas raised his eyes to look at Dean. "I shot you."

Dean winced. "That's ancient history."

"Eight days, twelve hours, fourteen minutes ago."

"Yeah, and eight days, twelve hours, and thirteen minutes ago I tried to kill you."

"You didn't-"

"Because you stopped me." Dean reminded him, cutting him off. "Cas. We've talked about this. I'm sorry, you're sorry, we're all sorry…"

"When we first cured you of being a demon… I broke your neck."

"I got bett'r." Dean tried.

"Twice I've beaten you nearly to death. More times I have been helpless to heal you. I killed countless copies of you in heaven. I have watched you die so many times."

"Ok… one… you did what in heaven? Two… let me remind you that I can't die."

"I am afraid that when you can, it will be my fault when you do."

"Shut up." Dean said, rolling his eyes. "We're good. I'm good. Leave that shit in the past, man."

"Dean-" He was suddenly being pulled into an awkward hug, cuffs preventing a real one.

"Don't make this a competition." Dean said, stepping back only far enough he could look Cas in the eye. "I'm going to win." Cas opened his mouth to object but Dean wasn't having it. "Nope. Whatever you're going to say, shove it. We're good. And I'm fine."

Cas didn't know what to say. He could only stare back at Dean. He jumped slightly when his phone alerted him of a text. He broke eye contact to read it.

"Sam already?"

"They've got it."

.

Sam walked into the kitchen, nodding to Charlie and Kevin seated at the table before looking up at Cas. "He secure?"

Cas nodded. "He is properly restrained."

"Good." Sam sighed. "Does he know what we're planning?"

"Yes." Cas said. "I told him everything. He seems receptive to the idea."

Sam lets himself rest back against the door frame. "What happened, exactly?"

"At the cabin?" Cas frowned. "We were there for less than twenty minutes before he was deep into a panic attack."

"A panic attack?" Charlie asked.

"Yes."

Sam scrunched his brow. "Like a real… actual… panic attack?"

"Yes." Cas replied, somewhat exasperated.

"Do you think he could have been faking it?"

"No." Cas replied firmly.

"So…"

"When it was apparent it would only worsen, I removed the devil's trap and helped him to the car before leaving. Several hours later, when he had thoroughly calmed down, I stopped for gas and called you."

"So we have no idea how different he is."

Cas thought back, carefully studying his interactions with Dean. "He is different." He said, feeling confident.

"How can you tell?"

"He isn't himself… but he so far seems far closer than he was."

"Yeah… alright." Sam looked over at the prophet. "So you know what you're doing?"

Kevin nodded. "Got the whole thing mapped out."

"And we're sure this will prevent him from healing the tattoo off?"

"Unless he melts his shoulder and arm off, he should be secure." Kevin assured.

Sam rubbed a hand over his face. "So what do we do if he decides to do that?"

Cas leaned back against the kitchen island. "If it makes you feel better, he considered and decided against burning alive to get out of the cabin.

"Thanks, Cas." Sam replied flatly.

Charlie picked up Kevin's notes, looking over the complicated runes and spell-work. "So, after we do this, what happens?"

"We leave." Cas replied.

Sam looked at Cas. "You're sure you want to do this untested? We can get that second cabin up. You can test him there."

"No, I am sure." Cas insisted. Though he would have liked a bit more time to observe Dean, he wasn't about to put him through that again. "We'll head away from the bunker for a bit."

"Thank you." Sam sighed. "Charlie, you sure about this?"

Charlie nodded, trying to look more sure than she felt. "I dated a tattoo artist for a couple months. I think I've seen enough to do it."

"Have you ever actually used a tattoo gun?"

"Well, no. But I learn fast."

Sam gave a weak, concerned smile. He turned to the prophet. "Kevin, you don't have to stay."

"Yeah, I do." Kevin said, taking a deep breath. "Dean is still my friend, and I want to be here for it."

Sam nodded. "Alright… let's do this."

.

"Jesus." Dean protested, looking at Kevin's sketch as Charlie tossed it down on the table. "Really?"

The design wasn't small, curling over both sides of his shoulder, running down his left arm to the elbow and about two inches up his neck. Not to mention the extension across his back and chest.

"It is thorough." Sam said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Dean muttered, sullenly watching Charlie dip the tattoo needle into ink.

Charlie shrugged. "If you're gonna pass out, let me know."

Dean just glared at her, unnoticed as she concentrated carefully on his arm. He felt a small shiver as the needle just barely rested on the skin before the sting signaled the start.

Sam watched carefully. "The first sigil will stop you from healing the tattoo." He explained.

"And healing in general?" Dean asked.

"No." Sam admitted. "Just the tattoo."

"Mmh." Dean said simply.

"The others will simply do what the cuffs do. No smoking out. No teleporting. And a damper on your other abilities."

"Guess I'll have to rely on my wit and good character." Dean flashed a winning smile. It wasn't wasted on him the three sets of rolling eyes. He glanced up at the camera on the ceiling, imagining a similar scene playing out across the bunker. "Let's party."

.

It was early evening by the time Cas stood in the doorway, watching Dean pace his room, throwing things into a couple canvas bags on his bed. "If we're not going to be back here, I need to make sure I get everything." He muttered, looking at his shirts. He struggled to remove a few hangers, fighting against the cuffs.

"Your computer is still in the car." Cas reminded him.

"Yeah, thanks." Dean said absently, grabbing a few pairs of jeans, tossing them back towards his bed. He rolled his shoulder, feeling the rough fabric sting across his shoulder. "Do I get a phone this time?"

Cas sighed. "Yeah."

Dean looked up, somewhat surprised. He didn't ask twice though, walking over to his desk and fishing out his main phone and a charger, adding them to his haul.

Dean zipped up the duffels tossing them to Cas. "Unless you want to un-cuff me, you're carrying them." He started towards the door, but Cas cut him off. He stepped aside before following the angel out into the library.

He was surprised to see Charlie and Kevin. "And what are you two crazy kids up to?"

Kevin jumped, looking up, eyes instantly trained on the demon. Charlie managed to school her reaction into something resembling casual. She turned to face them. "Corrupt a wish."

Dean gave a half smile, dropping into one of the chairs at the table across from them.

Cas slowly lowered himself into a chair next to Dean, setting the bags on top of the table. "What?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Corrupt a wish." Dean repeated. He looked at Charlie. "Hit me."

She thought for a moment. "I wish I had all the lost fortunes in the world's trash."

Dean considered that. "You get a lot of cash, a pile of jewelry, and an obscene number of stale fortune cookies."

Charlie split into a grin. "Nice." She hesitated, looking a bit awkward but she forced herself to stay relaxed. She turned and looked at Cas. "You make a wish."

Cas drew his brow together. "I still don't understand."

"Make up a wish. Doesn't have to be what you'd really wish for."

Cas tilted his head, trying to figure out exactly what was being asked of him. "I… wish…" He looked at Dean who was no help. "We… were watching a movie." He said slowly, looking back at Charlie.

She smiled. "That's easy. We are watching a movie, but it's your least favorite movie."

"Cas likes every movi-"

"Space Cowboys."

Dean put his hand on his chest, scandalized. "How dare you."

Cas slowly turned back to look at Dean, freezing as he took in his expression. He felt it safer to look back at Charlie who was at this point openly laughing.

Kevin looked warily at Dean for a moment before moving a little closer to the group. He focused on Cas. "Now I'll make a wish, and you corrupt it."

Cas frowned.

"I wish I had a peanut butter jelly sandwich."

Cas struggled. "You have your sandwich…" He specifically didn't look at Dean, but he could still feel the glare boring into the side of his head. "But it… is… sticky." He finished uncertainly.

Kevin gave a slow nod. "Yeah… sure." He shrugged.

Dean looked up when Sam came in through the door. "Hey Sam- I wish I could have a burger whenever I want just by thinking about it."

"You can, but it's always a veggie burger." Sam replied without missing a beat.

Dean gagged.

Sam sat down in the chair Charlie half pulled out for him. "You two know where you're heading?"

"Not yet." Cas said.

"But you'll-"

"We'll be within two days of the bunker." Cas assured him.

Dean's gaze sharpened and he looked up at Cas somewhat acusitorally. "What, we're tethered? Can't go too far?"

Cas turned back to Dean, a mild exasperated wonder in his expression. "We don't sleep." He said slowly. "The farthest we could drive in this country would still be less than a two day's drive."

Dean glanced at the ceiling, brow furrowing. He shook his head, trying to channel 'flustered' to 'annoyed'. "Whatever."

Charlie hesitantly met Dean's eyes. "We're going to figure this out."

Dean stilled. He just barely suppressed his eyes from turning black. The first person besides Cas to properly look him directly in the eye. "Okay."

She gave a firm nod. "Okay."

"You'll call." Sam demanded more than asked.

Cas stood. "Of course." He waited for Dean to drag himself to his feet. "I'll check in when we stop moving."

"Be careful." Sam sighed. "Both of you."

"You got it, Sammy." Dean beamed.

"It's Sam."

"Sure." Dean replied, grin not fading.

"Goodbye." Cas said, putting a hand around Dean's bicep, guiding him out of there. Dean gave one last short wave, the cuffs yanking around his wrists.

Cas let out his breath when they were out of the bunker. He ignored the cold drizzle, throwing the bags into the trunk. He shut it, fishing a key out of his pocket and walking back to Dean.

Dean shuddered at the gentle touch on his wrist, watching the cuffs come off before he pulled back, flexing his hands to shake away the residual stiffness. "Thank you." He said softly. "I know you had to fight for this."

Cas stared at him, feeling a stirring. Dean really almost sounded like himself. He had almost sounded like himself all day.

"So." Dean said, straightening up. "Where to?"

Cas considered for a moment. "I was thinking east."

"East it is." Dean said, an easy grin settling into place.

Cas nodded, fishing the keys out of his coat pocket and turning towards the impala.

Maybe it really would work out.