Something moved under his cheek, and a soft breathing told him it was someone, instead of something. Last night came back to his mind, and he was intensely happy.
Dean moved, tensing ever so slightly, meaning he was waking up. That was not what Cas wanted.
"Mmmmmm. Dean... tell me I don't have to get up." Cas groused against Dean's warm chest.
He could feel Dean move, tense up and take a deep, deep breath.
Was he regretting their night together?
"Dean? Are you allright?" Cas wavered, scared his world would crash.
Dean stroked his hand through Cas' hair, and Cas closed his eyes in delight.
"Mmm. I'm ok, Cas. I could get used to waking up like this." Dean rumbled low.
That meant he wanted this. He didn't regret anything.

Happy enough to burst, Cas cuddled closer and slung an arm over that tanned chest.
Dean hummed low and rubbed Cas' arm tenderly. It was pure bliss.
When Dean called his name softly, he merely hummed, too drowsy to react more.
"You wanna tell me about the wings?"
Cas' heart stopped. The wings... the tattoos he'd gotten because of the very man in his arms.
How would Dean react? Cas decided he'd rather not know right now.
He looked up and locked eyes with Dean.
"No... not quite yet." he admitted.
That was a pout if he ever saw one, and it was damned cute.

Dean kept stroking Cas' arm, fingers tickling over the inked feathers.
After a while Dean sighed and Cas could guess what was coming.
"Why not?"
And there it was. Loath to admit it, Cas knew he would tell, one way or another.
He'd admit another truth to prevent telling for a bit longer.
"Because you might get angry with me, and I am way too happy right now." Cas admitted on another sigh.
Dean stiffened, then recommenced stroking.
"Why would I get angry? This happened way before we ever met."
Cas resignedly closed his eyes again.

"No it didn't." he sighed, accepting the inevitable.
Cas could feel Dean straining to look closer at the tattoo.
"Cas, you're fucking with me, right? That ink is at least a decade old..."
Dean sounded perplexed.
Reluctant to answer, Cas pressed his face in the crook of Dean's neck.
The musky, earthy scent calmed him down a bit and he nodded.
"Sixteen years old." he finally admitted, but not looking up.
Dean distanced himself a bit and chucked a finger under Cas' chin, forcing him to look at him.

"Honeybee... what? Then how is it after we met? I'd remember you, even if we only met at... what would that be? Work? Or before that... Highschool?"
Unable to use his voice, Cas nodded.
He couldn't. He simply couldn't tell Dean. He wouldn't want to be someone's Hero. He was too modest.
Dean stared him down, a determined set to his jaw.
"Castiël Novak. I would remember those eyes. I'm sure of it."
Cas stubbornly stared back, his jaw set too.
He wouldn't...

"Please, Cas... please? I know I wasn't all that at highschool, even if I thought I was... Did I do something to hurt you?"
That stung! To think he thought so low of himself.
"Don't. Don't say that about yourself! You didn't hurt me. Just the opposite. You gave me solace when I was hurt... Be proud of who you are, because you're the only you there is." His voice dropped to near inaudible by the end of it, but Dean caught it and Cas heard the gulp.
Dean rubbed the inked feathers in a distracted way.
"That was you? The kid in PE kit, hiding under the stairs?"
He remembered... Cas looked up at him, knot tying in his stomach.

"Angel... no... don't. I always wondered if you were ok. Dad pulled Sammy and me from school a week later and we moved to Iowa, so I never heard whether you'd further been bullied or not."
He had wondered about Cas? Really? Then he deserved to know everything.
Staring blankly ahead, Cas started to talk.
"Bartholomew tried to corner me two weeks later... I just lost it. I was so scared, but your words came to my mind and I swung. Turned out dear old Bart had a glass jaw. He went down like a poled ox. No-one dared touch me after that."
He proudly stared Dean in the eyes as he kept talking about how he became his own and stuck up for bullied people, until he left college.
Dean looked proud of him too, and it warmed him to the core.

It seemed Dean was satisfied with Cas' story, because he changed the subject to Cas' job, and however did he go corporate?
Cas explained how his brother had roped him in, forcing him to change his looks, because his clients would not accept him if he went to work in his metalhead attire.
Dean chuckled at that.
"Marley would have kittens! She'd have security on you so fast, it'd make your head spin." he stated.
Remembering the day he'd gone to Nomed in his 'leissure' clothes, Cas burst out laughing.
"Yes, she would."

They talked some more about Cas' tattoos, and eachother, when Dean suddenly chuckled.
He'd just told Cas he was an angel, just like Gabriel said, and Cas failed to see the humour in that sweet remark.
"Does that make you my guardian angel? Keeping me safe and stuff?" Dean asked lightly.
Mind on that December night, Cas smiled against Dean's neck.
"I took that task on once, and it worked out ok, so why not?"
When Dean pulled back a little, and frowned, Cas bit his cheek.
Damn his mouth! It never seemed to know when to stay shut.
"If I tell you, can we take a shower after? I need to wake up and shut my mouth." Cas groused.
That got him a slow nod and the assurance that it was the last story.
Latching on to a comment Dean made about not noticing Cas around, Cas tried to avoid the subject, but Dean caught on.

"C'mon, Cas. Tell me how you took on being my guardian angel... don't say it was before when I think we met again. I'm pretty sure my childhood was not wrought with dangerous situations." Dean coaxed.
Cas had to laugh at that. Every childhood was, but most got resolved before turning into a threat.
He wanted to say something like that, but thought better of it. Best bite the proverbial bullet.
"No. It was just last December. I noticed how you were different, during your song. Not as animated. Your smile was a mask, not shining like it's supposed to. So, I thought it prudent to make sure you got home ok. I was about to leave, when you reappeared, duffelbag around your shoulders. When you walked off, you seemed so..."
Dean cut in, finishing the sentence perfectly.
"...lost and heartbroken. You called it in. You got Jody to pick me up."

Remembering how scared he had been that night, how afraid Dean might hurt himself, Cas ducked against Dean's torso, whispering "Yes."
Dean picked up on his distress, because his voice was breaking over his next sentence.
"Oh, Cas. I wasn't about to kill myself. Honestly I wasn't."
Blinking away his tears, Cas looked up at those green eyes.
"Dean, you left home. You were obviously running away, in a blizzard." he objected.
Dean kissed him on the brow and explained how it was all planned, except for the snow, and how he'd known about Lisa's... promicuous ways, since May.

Looking down at his hand on Dean's chest, Cas realised something.
May, but Lisa had told everyone about her baby in October... Dean seemed pretty sure it wasn't his, though...
"But... the baby? How... how do you know it's not yours... and why did you even... if.."
Yeah, he wasn't making sense there.
Dean ruffled his hair lovingly and licked his lips in thought.
"I'm very sure it is not mine. Not 100%, but I seem to be infertile or something, because we tried for ages, before... Well. And after? I could hardly stand having her touch me, but to keep the peace, I sometimes did put out. I tried to keep it risk free, you know. Blowjob, fingers..."
The mental images made Cas cringe.
EW...

Dean seemed to notice, because he tightened his hold slightly and apologised.
Cas kissed his chest sweetly.
"I could smite her ass for hurting you so deeply."
Dean chuckled without mirth.
"She didn't, babe. She didn't."
Cas looked up at him, wondering who he was trying to kid.

"Dean, you can't say her name. You walked off into a blizzard for fuck's sake! The bitch hurt you, and I can't ever undo that."
A finger got chucked under his chin and Dean's soft, warm lips shut him up.
"Cas... baby, Honeybee, angel... You don't have to... you're soothing the pain by just being you. Don't go there. Come... let's shower!"
And that right there, that made him all warm and tingly inside.
He smiled and nodded.