My body alerted me into the waking world at approximately 5:30 AM the next morning.
The first thing to catch my attention was the lithe figure standing over me, they smelled of after shave and Dove men's shampoo.
With a sloppy hand I rubbed the previously unused muscles in my face, rousing them with the rest of my body. I stretched out my jaw and clicked it in place a few times before really getting a good look at the man above me.
It was Castiel, of course, but he was dressed in his uniform again, and he was tiptoeing about the room, gently placing Wendigo back in her place.
Then I remembered some things from last night. First came what was closest to my slumber; the movie, the movie room, Cas's room, Cas's lips…
I gulped and groggily sat up.
Cas turned to me and froze like a deer in the headlights.
"Sorry." He whispered hoarsely in the dusk's light, or lack thereof.
"It's okay." I replied in a voice that had yet to remember how to speak, especially at this hour.
"I…I had left you a note." He described, pointing toward the end table to the left of my head.
I reached to grab it, but found my arms bound in a blanket.
That hadn't been there before.
"Sorry.." Cas apologized again, fiddling with his shirt's buttons.
He'd put a blanket on me.
As I untangled my arms, I secretly found his act of kindness romantic as all hell.
The small scrap of paper explained that he'd left for work, but prepared Sam and I breakfast, and was going to take care of our Dad today.
I help it for a moment longer than was necessary and then looked at Cas.
"Thank you."
He said nothing, but just nodded respectfully and walked over to me.
He sat by my feet and I realized how much space there was on this couch. A question came to mind.
"…Did you..?" The way he looked up, those eyes, even blue in the dark, told all.
He and I had fallen asleep watching the movie. Together. Holding hands in each other's arms like some sort of chick flick.
He'd probably woken up a few hours later and wrapped me up in a blanket and went back into his room.
Or had he stayed?
"I…hope you don't mind." His voice was low, but distinguishable against the sound of silence throughout the rest of his home.
I felt butterflies flit around in my stomach. "Of course not." I answered genuinely.
He smiled at that, hesitantly and ever-so evasively.
"Were you and Sam planning on going to school?" He asked after a few more moment of silence.
I sighed, placing the note back on the table and using my now free hand to touch my forehead dramatically.
"It's alright if you would like to stay here.." He said.
"What?" I almost barked at him, "we can't.." I shook my head.
"You two are already missing children. You are already on the National Database of Missing Children. You go to school and they'll take you right to him." He explained.
"But what about after you…" I paused, finding my words to be asking too much, "if you do get him locked up, then what?"
He blinked sullenly, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm going to have to hide you until I can figure out something else." He sounded so defeated.
How could we do this? Ask this of him? He could get fired. And not only that but he could never get another job again.
God dammit, Dean what the fuck is wrong with you?
"We can't do that." I snapped, sitting up against him.
"Dean.." He chastised.
"No," I interrupted. "this is all too much, it's too risky, I don't care if you want to I can't let you do this." I argued.
He was rather quiet for a few moments before he spoke again, this time his voice was strong and confident.
"Dean, I know this is hard for you, I know you don't want to accept my help, nor do you want me to get in trouble because of you." I nodded, knowing he would continue, but wanting him to know that he was on the right track there.
"But I'm not asking for your permission." His eyes were dark, his voice was rough and unrelenting as I shrunk down beside him. He pierced into me like a dagger covered in liquor, and it was kind of fucking hot.
"You will leave this to me, and you will do what I ask of you, capisce?" He was so close to me I could feel each warm, mint-flavored breath and could taste the moisture in each word as he exhaled on my face.
"Yes…I capisce." I answered, practically quaking under his intense glare.
"Good." He answered, but where I expected him to pull away or recoil, instead he threaded a hand at the back of my head and pulled it into his shoulder, wrapping his other arm across my back and rocking me fittingly.
"You don't have to do all this." Was all I could say, my arms finding their way around his ribs.
"I do." He answered, his words going straight into my hair.
I wasn't about to attempt to argue.
He released me after a few more minutes of quiet breathing and gently rocking.
He checked his watch and sighed at the observation.
"I better be off." He clarified.
I nodded, but I wanted to ask him not to.
But then I remembered what he was going to do today.
He was going to try and put my father away and vindicate Sammy and me.
And I had no doubt he could do it.
But that didn't mean I wanted him to.