"Crowley." Castiel pushes himself up, glaring at the Demon king.
"Hello, Angel. Seems like you lost your, ah, mate." Crowley smirks and Castiel flinches at the word mate. Dean is not his mate. No one, no Angel nor human will be willing to be with someone like Castiel. Wrong, broken. He wonders why his father made him this way. Different. Damaged.
"Don't call me that." Castiel growls.
"Now, now." Crowley wags a finger, dispersing the Demons he keeps around. "Don't get angry here, Cas, but, ah," He waves a hand around the empty space. "You are here, and this is my turf. So how about a deal?"
Castiel glares at the Demon, hoping that the rifts in his grace, ripped so widely open that they are gushing, breaking apart- are not noticed. Crowley has a keen eye, and Castiel cannot afford to show weakness. Crowley whistles.
"Fading, are we? Looks like Deano left more than a mark on you, kitten." Castiel coughs, wanting to rebuke Crowley's comments. His body is burning up, his grace too focused on attempting not to fall apart that it is no longer protecting him from the fires of Hell. He has no regrets. Castiel only wishes that he can kiss Dean one more time before he disappears completely.
"Shut up, Crowley." Castiel rasps, moving away from the Demon King. Every step is painful, tugging on the part of him that wants, needs Dean's proximity. He curses the man for making him feel like this. Sometimes, Castiel wishes that he has never met Dean, or that some other Angel pulled him out of Hell. The thought of one of his brothers or sisters pulling Dean out instead makes him feel a little sick and Castiel leans against the sulfuric walls of Hell, inhaling the hot air into his vessel's hurting lungs.
"No offense there, Angel, but you are really not in good shape right now." Crowley drawls, offering his hand in another mocking gesture. "Like I said, the deal-"
"Cassie's not making any deals here, Crowley." Balthazar's voice, uncharacteristically low and dangerous, sounds from behind Crowley as he pulls out a silver blade and lays it on the King's neck. "Or I kill you."
"Ah, you might not just want to threaten me yet." Crowley holds his hands up. "We can make a deal?"
"No deals, Crowley. Let my brother go."
"Not so soon, Balthy. You do know that crossroad Demons is my division, right? I'm invested. Personally."
Balthazar stiffens. "No deals." He growls out a second later, shoving Crowley away, grabbing Castiel and disappearing. Crowley rubs his neck, snapping his fingers and disappearing back into his office. The Angels would come back, he thinks, grinning and pouring himself a drink.
"Cassie." Balthazar drags Castiel back to the crossroads at the entrance to Hell. Belial leans against a tree at the side of the road.
"We should go. Crowley will come after me sooner or later." He looks around, stuffing a hex bag into Balthazar's arm. "Let's run away?" He asks the Angel, lips quirking up nervously.
"Yeah, lets do just that." Balthazar grabs onto both Castiel and the Demon, shifting them into a motel room, drawing even more sigils onto the walls and windows, taking out the salt and lining the windowsills and doorways.
"Sorry." He mumbles sheepishly to his Demon, who just rolls his eyes, and points to the bathroom.
Balthazar drags Castiel into the bathtub, letting tendrils of his grace reaching out for Castiel's grace. His eyes widens at the broken and pitted state Castiel's grace is in.
"Christ, you're hanging on a thread, Cas." Castiel groans, pushing his forehead into the cool porcelain, hoping that it would absorb some the heat. Balthazar's grace reached for him, tending to his invisible wounds. They are too deep to fully heal, but Balthazar, the luckiest of them all can at least help. At least he has a mate. Castiel was almost jealous for a moment.
"I..kissed him."
"Yeah, I know. From what I saw, Dean's pretty broken up over you running off like that." Balthazar sighs as Castiel shakes his head.
"He's too good for me." Castiel sounds a little broken and a little sad, his eyes red rimmed and his voice hoarse from the coughing.
"Cas." Balthazar grabs his brother by his shoulders, shaking him a little, and presses their foreheads together, looking the younger Angel in the eyes. "If anything, you are too good for him. Don't ever talk about yourself like that. Please."
Castiel just shakes his head. He cannot expect Balthazar, or anyone else, really, to understand. Dean is a good man in all the ways Castiel isn't. "I'm too tired, Balthazar." He leans into his brother's touch, wanting just a little bit of comfort that the being with another Angel brings.
"I know, Cassie. You got me." Balthazar sighs, and makes a note to himself to give Dean Winchester hell next time he sees him.
"You got me."
"Thank you." Castiel whispers, feeling his eyelids drooping as Balthazar took the pain away. It's easier to sleep now, without the screaming ache in his bones and his grace constantly tearing itself apart. Balthazar carries his sleeping brother out, placing him on one of the motel beds.
"Hey." He taps Belial's back, the Demon looking wistfully out at the night.
"Hey." The Demon sighs, leaning into the Angel.
"I'm lucky I got you, you know." He chuckles. Balthazar presses a kiss on the Demon's forehead, letting another bit of grace sinking into the warped soul, seeing into Belial's past. A man who sold his soul for his family's good fortunes. He wonders where they are now.
"Yeah, I know."