Dean couldn't move, frozen in place. He was dimly aware that Cas was simply watching him, gaze steady as he waited for Dean to say something, to initiate conversation. But Dean couldn't say anything, couldn't DO anything but stare into those blue eyes. The same blue eyes he had thought of last night. Thought of while Charlie fucked him into the mattress. The blue eyes which had made him think of relationships and sex with feelings involved and had made him come on the spot.

"Dean."

His thoughts were interrupted by Cas' gravelly voice, that voice he'd always enjoyed the sound of, and now he realized just how MUCH he enjoyed it. It was so deep and rough and rumbled in his chest and oh God Dean was so completely fucked.

He realized that Cas was expecting him to answer and he flushed at the knowledge that he'd simply been standing there staring like some kind of idiot. "Uh yeah?"

Cas' expression didn't falter, but he looked down, gaze slowly travelling over Dean's body, naked but for the sheet around his waist. If it were anyone but Cas, the term "undressing me with your eyes" would have come to mind. There was so much intensity in Cas' face, his eyes, as his gaze raked over Dean's bare flesh, and Dean felt his dick begin to take an interest. He felt panic swelling in him. Not good. This was TOTALLY not good.

Most people couldn't read Castiel's seemingly constantly passive expression...but Dean could. And he realized that right now, Cas was pissed. Not just pissed. There was something else there. It was almost as if he were distressed.

"Uh…..hey, Cas. What's up."

"Sam's been looking for you."

That was strange. Usually if Dean went out to a bar at night and didn't come home, Sam simply assumed he'd gone home with a girl. Maybe since Dean had gone out with Charlie, Sam had expected them to come home. "Okay. Let me just…"

"Get dressed?"

Dean winced inwardly at the tone of Castiel's voice. "Yeah. That." He turned away, managing to step on the edge of the sheet in the process and nearly drop it.

Charlie was still sitting on the floor, and looked up at him with questioning eyes. "Cas," he explained, voice soft.

"Oh." Her voice was equally quiet as she answered. "Everything okay?"

He glanced over his shoulder to where the angel stood watching them, that same inscrutable look on his face. "….I honestly don't know." Dean reached for his pants, then gestured to Charlie. "Turn around."

She arched a brow. "I saw you a lot more than naked last night….now you don't want me to see you put on your pants?"

He just gave her a look and she held up her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright." She turned her back, reaching for her shirt. "But I still think you're being silly."

"You actually WANT to see my dick?"

"…..good point."

Dean finished wriggling into his jeans, turning to look for his shirt. It was then that he noticed that the door to the hotel room was still open, Castiel standing there and watching. It looked as though he had BEEN watching the entire time Dean got dressed. He didn't know exactly how much the angel had seen, just his ass or…..he felt his cheeks burning at the thought. Pushing it aside, he grabbed his shirt and tugged it on, following it up with his shoes and socks. "Okay, Charlie, I guess I'll see you later."

The redhead had only made it into a tshirt and underwear. Cas' eyes narrowed as she wrapped her arms around Dean, pulling him into a tight hug. "You better keep in touch. Been too long since the last time we saw each other." Looking over Dean's shoulder, she noticed the look Cas was giving her. Suppressing a smile, she leaned in to whisper in Dean's ear. "Don't know that you have to look that far."

Dean pulled back to look her in the eye, confused. "What?"

But Cas interrupted. "Dean, we really have to go."

"Okay, okay." Dean cast one last perplexed look in Charlie's direction and then Cas' fingers were on his forehead, spiriting him away from the room.

Mere seconds later they were back in the Batcave. Dean's stomach flipflopped at the feeling, as it always did when Cas teleported him anywhere. "I hate it when you do that."

"I know." Cas walked away, totally ignoring Dean and his words. He felt miffed, not sure what exactly he had done. Clearly Cas wasn't pleased with the state he had found Dean in but it didn't exactly make sense. Maybe when Dean found out why Sam wanted him back, things would become clearer.

As if he knew Dean were thinking of him, Sam chose that moment to enter the room. "THERE you are," he said when he saw Dean. "Where the hell were you?"

"With Charlie."

"All night?" Sam was surprised. "What were you doing spending the night at Charlie's?" he asked. "Were you that smashed?"

Dean was about to answer in the affirmative when Cas spoke up. "They were having sex."

Sam stared, the words slowly sinking in. "What?! You...you and Charlie? But she's gay!"

"Yeah well I'm irresistible," Dean tried to brush it off. He knew Sam would find out sooner or later, but he'd prefer it were later.

"Actually," Castiel interjected, and Dean turned to him, a look on his face that could kill. Cas ignored him, gaze on Sam as he continued. "I believe that there were some toys involved, and that Dean was the one receiving sex from Charlie."

Sam nearly choked, looking to Dean, who was glaring at Cas. The angel, for his part, seemed totally unconcerned. He turned to Dean, and their eyes met. It was clear Cas wasn't answering out of some oblivious sense that he should answer the question. No, he was TRYING to cause trouble for Dean. Dean wanted to throttle him and yet...he stared into those eyes. Very blue. And heat flooded him, burning his cheeks.

"Dean…..you….I mean…." Sam didn't seem to know how to phrase his words. Sam really wasn't the judgmental type, but Dean had known he would have some questions about the situation…..hence why he'd wanted to keep it under wraps as long as possible. Still, he didn't even really hear Sam. He could only stare at Cas, that face, those eyes. He really was so completely and utterly screwed, and not in the good way. Not by Cas. Shit. Did he even WANT to be screwed by Cas? His dick twitched at the idea. Traitor, he thought bitterly.

He became aware of Sam's words as he heard "Dean, are you even listening to me?"

"No," he answered truthfully. Sam sighed.

"Whatever. It's not really important, anyway."

Dean was slightly surprised at that. "Really?"

"Really." Sam shook his head at the look on Dean's face. "Dean, you can sleep with whoever you want, however you want. You're my brother and nothing's going to change that. I was just…..surprised, is all."

It was all still damn embarrassing, but Sam's words were reassuring. "…..oh." Dean managed a smile, despite the vague (if pleasant) discomfort. "Thanks, Sammy."

"No problem." Sam smiled. "Jerk."

"Bitch."

They were interrupted by the sound of Cas clearing his throat. Dean jumped. He had almost forgotten the angel was there, though how he didn't know. "Well," and Cas somehow sounded perfectly calm, as if nothing were out of the ordinary (though he still had that look in his eyes that belied that notion), "I should be going." And he moved as though to do just that.

"Wait, wait," Sam spoke up hurriedly. "We've got a case we could really use you on."

Cas paused, considering, and Sam took that opportunity to begin filling him in on the details. But it was hard to tell if Cas was listening, for his gaze flicked to Dean. Dean flinched beneath it. There was something there that he couldn't quite place...something almost like barely controlled anger and disappointment...and something else. If he didn't know any better he'd say it was jealousy.

"Dean?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, realizing he hadn't heard a word Sam had said. "Yeah?"

Sam let out one of his Sam Winchester patented long suffering sighs. "Wraith. You in?"

Dean glanced at Cas, but the angel was determinedly no longer looking at him. "Ah...yeah. Yeah."

It was strange to be fighting another wraith. The last time the brothers had fought one, they had gone undercover in an asylum. Eventually the creature had them believing they themselves were losing their minds. Dean hoped that wouldn't be the case this time. He didn't think it was likely. First of all, this wraith wasn't in any asylum. Secondly, they had Cas with them. He didn't need a mirror to see the wraith. That was a HUGE advantage.

This didn't mean they were immune. Dean sustained a pretty deep cut to the chest, the wraith slicing from his right collarbone to his left pectoral. He barely noticed the injury until they had killed the creature, and then the stinging pain began to set in. "Ow," he said mildly, looking down at the blood.

For a moment he could swear he saw the worry flicker across Cas' face, but it smoothed over immediately. "Here." He reached out, touching two fingers to Dean's forehead to heal him.

Dean felt the healing energy flood through him and, for some reason, it seemed to rush to the handprints Cas had burned into his shoulders upon rescuing him. He knew it was all in his mind, that he was projecting some sort of desire (no, his mind scolded him for even thinking the word), but it certainly felt that way, the marks throbbing.

"Dean?" Cas was staring down at him, clearly concerned with the way Dean was simply standing there, silent and unmoving as he regarded Cas.

Dean remained silent, watching Cas and thinking. He wondered what it was like, branding someone that way. Were they now connected somehow? Cas HAD said they shared a profound bond, but what exactly did that MEAN? Could Cas still feel it, the marks that he had left on Dean? Slowly, Dean stretched out an arm, reaching for Cas' shoulder.

Cas watched his progress with uncertainty in his eyes. Then, realization dawned as it clicked what Dean was going to do. Dean's fingertips had barely brushed Cas' shoulder before the angel jumped back as though he'd been burned.

Dean jumped as well, startled. "Cas?" he asked hesitantly.

Cas stared at him for a moment, wordlessly, then with nothing more than the soft flutter of wings, he disappeared, leaving Dean alone and confused.

~tbc~