The drive back from town was quiet. Castiel had always liked long, silent trips in his car- it was a soothing feeling, the repetitive roads, the sound of the wind rushing by. It relaxed him, these moments.

Which was why it felt so strange to him that he didn't appreciate it as much this time. Because as much as he enjoyed his quiet, peaceful drives to and from town, he found himself wishing he had company.

Dean had only gone with him to the stores a couple of times in the week he had been staying with Castiel, and it amazed him how his own preferences, his routines, his favorite moments could be altered so abruptly in such a short amount of time. Now, instead of enjoying a quiet ride home from the grocery store, he found himself missing Dean's simple commentary. If there was one thing to be said about his house guest, it would be that the man knew how to fill a quiet space.

Castiel had always liked the quiet, but now, he found he greatly preferred Dean's small talk. The man always had something to say. He engaged Castiel, asked him questions, made the conversation easy. He wasn't sure what Dean was so curious about him for, but it made him a little happier each time Dean asked if he could ask him something. It meant Dean wanted to know more about him, like the little things mattered. Each question made him feel important. Each joke made him feel included. Each time he made Dean laugh felt like an accomplishment.

And that was why Castiel suddenly found his usually enjoyable quiet ride home to be boring, and a waste of time.

When he got back to the house, he found it quiet and empty. Dean wasn't there, but he had anticipated that. He placed the bags on the kitchen counter before walking over to the sink to peek out of the window. It had come as a pleasant surprise the way Dean had taken to the garden. He told Castiel about how his mother used to grow her own vegetables and how he used to help her, and if Castiel didn't mind, he could tend to the one here.

There was naturally a bit of hesitation; the garden had belonged to his brother, after all. But then he thought about how beautiful it used to look, and he was sure Samandriel wouldn't want it to stay neglected. He himself didn't know the first thing about gardening, and unfortunately, the once ripe and colorful vegetation had become overgrown with weeds left to run wild.

It needed a lot of maintenance, which was most likely the reason Dean had asked about it.

It didn't escape Castiel's notice the way his house had adopted this permanent state of recently-cleaned, despite him having not touched a rag since he brought Dean here. His guest liked to be helpful, to contribute, and he needed something to do while Castiel was working; he didn't seem like the type of person who was content with sitting still and watching TV for more than two hours straight. Tending to the garden kept Dean busy during the day, but more than that- it made him feel like he was contributing, and being helpful.

Only a few days had passed since Dean had taken up the job, and Castiel had to admit, the backyard was already looking better. With a smile, he turned from the window and unloaded his groceries.

Dean had been with him for seven days. It was longer than he had thought, and while he was in no hurry to see Dean leave, he could tell they were in that uneasy gray area of his arriving departure. It saddened Castiel to think that this time next week, he would likely be having nothing but quiet drives to and from town for an extended time. But there was no point in fretting about it now. Dean was not leaving this second, so he put the negative thoughts away, ignored the tightness he felt in his chest, and pulled two plates from the cupboard before starting to make their lunch.

The past couple of days had been rather unexpected, as his days had been known to be since he met Dean. Since the blackout a couple of nights ago, he had noticed a slight change in the way the two of them interacted. Maybe he was just imagining things, or perhaps he was projecting, but sometimes when he and Dean were alone, he would catch Dean's eye, and he couldn't help but feel like there was something there between them.

He completely acknowledged the possibility that he was projecting his own feelings of Dean onto the man himself, but there was no way he was imagining the flirting, the playful banter that flowed so easily between them. Like that first day at the lake. Since then, Dean had started jogging with him in the morning, which was a very nice addition to his day. He hadn't expected Dean to be such a morning person, but each time he knocked on his door to wake him, he found the man already dressed and ready to go.

It had not escaped his notice that, though energetic and relatively cheerful throughout the day, he didn't look like he was sleeping very well. Castiel wanted to ask about it, but he knew better than to pry. If Dean wanted him to know, he'd tell him.

Like how he told him about his fear of heights. The night of the blackout would forever be a memorable one for Castiel. In the tentative moments immediately following the generators kicking on, where the light had returned to him and taken away the void, he could feel his mind struggle to regain control of his body. Logically, he knew it was only a quick power outage- not uncommon for bad storms in the mountains- but reasoning with himself was not nearly as consuming as an abrupt confrontation with his fear.

When he finally came back to himself, he found he was surrounded by warmth and a sense of safety, and he realized Dean was holding him. He could feel himself trembling against Dean, who was so solid and secure in comparison. And oh, Castiel was embarrassed. Dreading the inevitable moment of having to explain himself, to having to confess to being childishly afraid of the dark, he prolonged the comfort, letting Dean hold him much longer than he needed.

Despite the humiliation, he couldn't deny how nice it felt to have Dean comforting him, rubbing warmth into his back even after he stopped shaking, whispering reassurances in his ear, holding him because he was afraid and needed to feel safe.

But what made that night so memorable for Castiel was not the way Dean transformed into his security blanket, but the way he reacted to what happened after. In a matter of a few sentences, he took all of Castiel's embarrassment, insecurity, and lingering fear and turning them into humor and reassurance.

Dean seemed to have this incredible ability of taking fragile, potentially painful moments and turning them into something beautiful.

Then, of course, there was that other moment, the one he was almost wasn't sure he was remembering correctly, but the more he thought about it, the more he replayed it over in his head, the more he was sure- he and Dean had almost kissed.

He would have regretted it- the almost-kiss moment turning into a sudden anxiety attack- if it hadn't ended up bringing them closer. If anything, Castiel could almost be grateful for the power outage (almost) for granting them a reason to get to know each other more personally, sharing things they might not have mentioned otherwise.

As if having sensed his lunch was ready, Dean walked into the kitchen just as Castiel was cutting their sandwiches in half.

"Perfect timing," Castiel smiled at Dean while he washed his hands before handing him his plate. "How is the garden coming?"

"I think I've got most of the problem areas," Dean said with his mouth full. "But after this winter, you're gonna have some awesome tomatoes."

"I look forward to it."

Castiel wasn't sure how long Dean was staying, or if they were heading somewhere together, but that was okay. He liked where they were now. Everyday seemed to be bringing something new, and Castiel was more than willing to see where today would take them.