After they walk upstairs, Dean looks at the bed uncertainly. Is he supposed to get in, with Alpha Castiel? Or is he supposed to sleep on the floor, where good Omegas go? The thought of making the wrong decision and being punished makes him break out in a cold sweat all over again. Thankfully, Alpha sees his discomfort and stops in his tracks.

"Of course, I'm an idiot. Why would I expect you to be able to… never mind." Alpha says, and Dean shrinks back, half expecting to be struck. "Why don't I go downstairs and make you a bed on the couch? Would you like that, Dean?" Dean doesn't know what to say, but he nods, and Castiel starts walking downstairs again.

"Wait!" Dean blurts out, already amazed at his own daring. "I-I can do it, Alpha. Just tell me where the linens are, and I'll do it. You're tired, and an Alpha needs his rest." Castiel looks taken aback, but only for a second. When he speaks, his voice is soft but firm.

"No, Dean. You've had a long day, just had a panic attack, and you're sick. I can do it, I'm in perfect health." Before Dean can say anything else, the Alpha is already down the stairs. Without hesitating, Dean follows him down.

"A-Alpha?" He asks tentatively.

"Yes Dean?"

"Why… why are you being so nice to me?" A brief moment of silence elapses, and Dean could kick himself. Why the hell did he do that? He was going to be punished, he knew it. Or, even worse, Alpha would stop his kind treatment towards him. But, to Dean's astonishment, he saw that, far from becoming angry, Alpha's eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, Dean. I can't even imagine what you've been through." Not really sure how or why this fact correlated to the question he asked, Dean waited. "To feel as though you don't deserve kindness…" Alpha trailed off, and Dean's heart thuds in his chest. Alpha thinks I deserve kindness? He wonders, and he guesses this wonder must have shown on his face, as Alpha began to speak again. "Look, it doesn't matter why I'm acting this way towards you. This is who I am. And it pains me to see someone hurting, whether Alpha or Omega."

"Yes, Alpha. I understand." Alpha smiles, and Dean hesitantly returns a smile of his own.

"Okay, Dean. I have a couple different blankets in here, and I don't need them. They don't have my scent on them, and they are practically brand new. Which ones would you like?"

Dean stares at Alpha Castiel, awestruck. This must be heaven, he thinks, as he raises his eyes to look at the blankets. One appears to be a child's blanket, still with the tag. Not surprisingly, Dean automatically skips that one. The next is a plaid flannel comforter that looks really soft and warm. The last one looks almost like a towel. At least, that's what the texture looks like to Dean. He points to the comforter and looks to Alpha Castiel, making sure that his choice is okay. Without a word, he reaches up and grabs the blanket, and in one swift move wrap it around Dean's shoulders. Startled, Dean jumps, but once he realizes what has happened, he grins. Castiel grins back, obviously pleased with himself.

"Okay Dean, let's get you to bed." Playfully, Alpha winks, "Unless, of course, you'd prefer to sleep here." Dean's inner alarm goes off at this, and he wonders if maybe he should sleep on the floor. But Alpha is laughing, so Dean laughs too, just a little bit. Alpha Castiel puts his hand on Dean's shoulder and leads him into the living room, where he has set up a makeshift bed on the couch.

"Here you go. You may sleep in as late as you want, and I am not requiring you to serve me breakfast or to serve me in any other way. Do you understand, Dean?" At first, Dean doesn't understand, then it dawns on him. Alpha just told me it's okay not to have sex, Dean thinks, and suddenly he's struck with another thought: Maybe it's because I'm disgusting. Dean becomes incredibly sad when he thinks of this possibility, and Alpha notices the change in the air.

"I understand, Alpha. I will withhold any sexual activity until you decide I am desirable." Dean says sadly and monotonously, for this was a drill they memorized in the Center.

"Wha- Dean, no! I never said…" He sighs, "I meant that if you don't want to, you don't have to" Dean's gaze snaps up from the ground and focus on Alpha's blue tie, which he had unceremoniously untied and left hung around his shoulder.

"Really, Alpha?"

"Of course, Dean. I don't want you to ever feel obligated to do something you aren't comfortable doing." Dean's heart warms at these words, and he suddenly realizes that he is very, very tired. He stifles a yawn, trying to hide it from Alpha, but he notices.

"Okay, why don't you lay down. It's been a long day, and you're obviously tired. Get some rest, and I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes Alpha. Goodnight, see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Dean."

Castiel walks away from his Omega, and already he feels the ache of separation. Despite all the hardships the day has held, Cas still feels the undeniable match of him and his Omega. His fondness is matched with worry, and his worry is matched with sadness. Cas is fond of Dean's humor, the way his eyes light up when he likes something, the way he squints when he doesn't. He is only that though - fond. They haven't even known each other for a whole day, and for some reason Dean thought that Cas would want to have sex with him. This, of course, dumbfounded Castiel, who believed that sex is something precious, not to be wasted by obligation. When he reaches the top of the stairs, he moves toward the bedroom, undressing as he enters. His mind was so filled with thoughts of Dean that he forgot to change his bandages that morning, but it doesn't matter, he thinks. He'll do it now. So, Cas goes to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Now was not the time for Dean to come walking in. Not that he would have the mindset to do so, Cas thinks sadly. He completely removes his shirt to reveal the already reddish-colored bandages wrapping around the right of his torso. He slowly peels back the bandage and exposes the wounds. Three five-inch long gashes, swollen and seeping blood. He doesn't know why they won't heal as fast as other cuts, but it doesn't matter. He quickly replaces the bandages, covering it completely. He doesn't like to look at it very much. He puts a soft T-shirt on and removes his pants, climbing into bed as he does so. In the distance, he can hear Dean coughing. It's really a horrible cough, and Cas feels so bad that his Omega is hurting, but he said no doctors, so no doctors. At least for the time being.

Cas rolls over, trying to get comfortable while also avoiding putting pressure on the wounded area. Every time he almost falls asleep, he can hear Dean at it again with that cough. Worried more than anything, he spends almost an hour trying to put a lid on the Alpha instincts coursing through his veins. But when Dean gives in to an especially long fit, Cas feels like he has to do something. So, he gets up, slips on some pants (he didn't think that Dean would be overly-partial to the whole "nude" thing) and walks downstairs.

"Dean?" Cas calls out quietly, and he can hear Dean immediately stand up. When Cas enters the room, he can see that Dean, who appears to have been sleeping under the couch cushions as well, is standing up near the couch, leaning on the end table for support.

"Alpha? Is something wrong? Am I being too loud? I can try and be quieter-" Cas cuts him off with a hand motion.

"No, Dean, you are not annoying me. I am simply worried. Very worried, in fact. You don't sound good, and I know I've said it before, but honestly, you can't breathe for coughing." Dean looks down, cheeks burning with embarrassment and shame but also with fever. "I have some cough medicine, would you like that?" Dean's head snaps up, and he shakes it vigorously.

"No Alpha Castiel. Thank you for the offer, but I could never take your medication." Cas wants to argue, but honestly he's tired and just wants to try and sleep.

"Okay, fine. But can I at least sleep down here and watch over you? I don't like the idea of you being alone when you are so sick like this. I can get some blankets and sleep in the LazyBoy."

"Oh, okay. If you want to, of course." Dean says quietly, then coughs.

"Glad that's settled." Cas says, then he goes and grabs the kids blanket from the cupboard.

"You don't mind if I use this, do you? Castiel asks the sick Omega.

"What? Oh, yeah, of course. It belongs to you." Cas takes the blanket and gets settled in the chair, looking over at Dean's huddled form on the couch.

"Tell me if you feel any worse, okay?" Cas asked, but Dean is already snoring.