Our Recovery

"Dean?" Cas asked as Dean helped Lucifer spread toothpaste onto his tooth brush. The two angels and hunter were getting ready for their bedtime. Gabe and Balthazar had already beaten them and were probably claiming all the good blankets for themselves, but Cas didn't really care. He had other things worrying at his mind. "I…remember things from when the demon allowed me to take over," Cas admitted. Dean's eyes widened and tooth paste shot into Lucifer's face when the hunter squeezed the packet to hard. Lucifer yelped in surprise and Dean quickly grabbed a washcloth for the little archangel. Dean stared wide eyed at Castiel as he cleaned the toothpaste off Lucifer's face.

"What do you –"

"I remember seeing how hurt you all were by me being in a coma the first time around, but…" Cas shook his head. "It seemed different the second time around. What changed?" Dean thought over Castiel's question for a moment before answering the angel.

"Well, honestly I felt as bad as last time, but there was one difference that helped me deal with it better," he stated simply. "I had hope."

"Hope?"

"Hope," Dean confirmed, nodding his head. Castiel gave him a look and Dean rolled his eyes. "It's cheesy, I know."

"No, I just don't understand." Cas shook his head, brows furrowing. "What's hope got to do with it all?" Dean licked his lips.

"I have hope in my family. I have hope in you, Cas. I believed that you could beat what was happening to you. Hell, you've beaten all the other crap that's been thrown at you. I didn't believe that the first round though. I thought it was all over unless I made a deal to save you or something." Dean smirked. "I was proved wrong. Cas, you had been coming back slowly since the beginning and you fought a fucking demon out of you!" Dean ruffled Lucifer's hair when he finished cleaning the angel off and turned around to face Cas. "That's what was different, Cas." Castiel nodded and Dean gave Lucifer his toothpaste smothered toothbrush again. The archangel turned to the mirror and started brushing and Dean walked over to where Cas was seated on the toilet lid. Dean grabbed the pajamas thrown over the counter. "Hands up," Dean instructed. Castiel did as he was told and held his arms up so Dean could get him out of his clothes and into the blue pajamas Dean had picked out. Dean helped Castiel struggle into his clothes and then grabbed one of the soft brushes he and the others used to brush through the angels' wings. "Come on," Dean said, holding out the brush. "Your wings are a mess." Cas crawled over to Dean and stretched out his wings for the hunter, glaring at it. Dean wasn't kidding about them being a mess. After sleeping for so long the feathers were the equivalent of really bad bedhead. Feathers stuck up in all directions, mimicking the angel's unruly hair.

Dean started brushing through Cas' feathers, smoothing them out under his hand. Cas sighed, leaning into the brush and closing his eyes. A yawn broke past his lips and Dean chuckled.

"Tired?" Cas nodded, rubbing at his eyes.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be, but…" Castiel trailed off as another yawn took over.

"Don't worry about it, Cas. Being asleep for as long as you have will make you feel exhausted. All the attention we've been giving you since this afternoon probably doesn't help." Cas nodded and Dean finished brushing through Castiel's feathers. The hunter looked over his shoulder at Lucifer.

"All done, Luce?" he called. Lucifer nodded, spitting the leftover toothpaste in his mouth out into the sink before rinsing off his toothbrush and setting it down.

"Beddy Time!" Luci squealed, holding his arms up for the hunter to pick him up. Dean laughed and scooped Castiel up into his arms and then Lucifer. Castiel snuggled close to Dean and Lucifer, closing his eyes as Dean walked down the hall to the bedroom the angels all shared.

On hearing the click of a door opening, Castiel forced himself to open his eyes again. Balthazar and Gabriel sat in their shared bed, arguing over one of Lucifer's really fuzzy pillows. The two froze when they noticed the new arrivals and Dean walked into the room. He set Lucifer and Castiel down on the bed between the two brothers.

"Okay, kiddos, it's time for shuteye," Dean instructed, folding the blankets back so the angels could crawl under. All four angels crawled under the blankets and got comfy, snuggling close to each other and folding their wings over one another. Dean smoothed back their hair and dropped a kiss to each of their foreheads. "I'll be in the room down the hall with Sammy if you need me," he whispered. The angels each nodded and Dean whispered a quick goodnight before exiting the room. The angels snuggled deep into their blankets and pillows, closing their eyes and slowly started to drift off.

Soft fingers stroked through Castiel's hair and the angel startled awake. Cas looked around himself, meeting Balthazar's half open eyes and Lucifer's snoring body. He gave Balthazar a questioning look, but Balthy shook his head and pointed to Cas' right. Castiel turned his head, blue eyes meeting puffy gold. The archangel was curled up in a ball and sniffling silently while petting at Castiel's hair.

"Gabriel?" Castiel called. Gabriel stiffened, hand going still. "Gabby, what's wrong?" He shook at his brother's shoulder and Gabriel unrolled from the tight ball he had tied himself in. His eyes were red from holding back tears and his bottom lip wobbled.

"I should have listened to you," Gabriel whispered, voice shaky as he looked to Balthazar. "If I would have maybe –"

"Maybe what, Gabby?" Balthazar questioned. "Maybe Cas wouldn't have been in the coma as long? Maybe I wouldn't have gotten hurt?" Balthazar sat up and ran a hand through his brother's hair, smoothing it back like Dean had earlier. "Gabe, there's no telling what could have happened. For all we know all three of us could have ended up hurt or worse." Balthazar brushed away a tear that started to build in the corner of Gabriel's eye.

"He's right, Gabby," Cas hushed. He wrapped his arms around his older brother, snuggling close. "Everything's okay now though. We're fine." Gabriel nodded and curled up again, embracing the warmth radiating off of Castiel. Balthazar settled back down too between Lucifer and Cas and the three angels drifted off.