"Hello there, old friend." Crowley grins at Bobby's surprised expression. The Hunter has a gun pointing at him in less than a second. "I'm hurt." Crowley backs away. "I thought you liked me."
Bobby grunts, and shoots Crowley.
"Is this how you treat a lady?"
"Shut up and talk, why the hell are you here?"
"Interesting choice of words." Crowley strides in, careful to avoid the Devil's trap painted on the ceiling. "Can you unproof some of the rooms here, I find that insulting."
"No." Bobby shoots again and Crowley jumps out into the yard.
"C'mon now, darling, just to talk?"
"Fine. Get in the trap, and we talk."
"Fine."
Dean prays again. He parks the impala at the side of a road, the sun setting upon her sleek body. The red, orange, golden lights spilled out on the road, and Dean sighs.
"Cas? Can you hear me?"
Castiel sits up from the motel bathroom with a gasp. "Dean!" He cries out, hearing Dean's voice in his head, hearing Dean's prayers- all the fresh wounds ripping open again.
"Cassie?!" Balthazar rushes in, finding Castiel clutching at his head, screaming in pain.
"It's Dean. He's praying to me." Castiel whispers, tears streaking down his face, hands clutching painfully at his hair, tearing out black strands as he shakes.
"Answer him, then!" Balthazar shouts.
"What's going on?" Belial asks from outside the room.
"I can't!" Castiel groans. "I cannot! You do not understand, Balthazar!" He turns to his brother.
"Bel." Balthazar turns to the Demon and hisses. Belial rolls his eyes.
"You owe me one, Balthy," He waves his hand. Balthazar moves the salt line on the front door, kissing the Demon on his cheek.
"Stay safe." He tells him.
Dean leans against his car, the sky an inky blue, just before night fall. He has half a mind to just ignore the fact that Castiel did not answer. The hurt wells up in his chest, and he turns to the skies again. Damn Angels.
"Cas! I know you can hear me!" He's pretty fucking lucky, that there is no one else here on this lonely stretch of road, talking to himself like a pathetic moron.
"Cas! I sound like an idiot, but, please. Answer me. I need your help."
"Cassie." Balthazar cups his brother's face. "Get it together, please."
"I can't face him. Not like this." Castiel leans against the bathtub, closing his eyes, feeling the icy chill of the porcelain sinking into his skin. Bathazar sighs, patting Castiel on his head, before striding out of the motel room. He needs to get these two idiots to actually understand each other, if this is the last thing he does.
"Hey there, buddy." Balthazar appears to Dean, who has his gun drawn and pointed at him as soon as he hears his presence. Good reflexes. Definitely a suitable mate for Castiel. If only Cassie can get his head out of his ass.
"Balthazar?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are you here?" Dean cocks the gun. "Where is Cas?" Balthazar rolls his eyes.
"Relax, Deano. Taking you right to him." He grabs Dean's arm before the man could protest and hauls him a state away into the motel room parking lot. Balthazar leaves Dean alone in the bathroom, Castiel staring up at him with those big blue eyes, arms hugging around his knees, curled up in the corner of the bathtub- is that tear marks on his face?
"Dean." Cas whispers and tries to get up, only to slip and fall over again. Dean reaches out, catching him before he fell. He could practically feel the heat and pain radiating off him.
"Cas! You okay?" Dean asks, setting him down.
"Why did you kiss me?" Castiel throws the question at Dean, straight to the point. He wants to hear the answer. Castiel knows the reasons, know that the rejection is inevitable, but he needs to hear it from Dean.
"I shouldn't have." Dean says, after a long, uncomfortable silence. Castiel's question was like a bucket of cold water dumped straight on his head. Of course he would be all broken up about it, Dean thinks. Someone like Dean actually liking someone like Cas? Dean had flings with guys before, but Castiel is an Angel and that is different. It runs too deep, cuts too deep and now Dean has slipped up, gave in to his desires and he will deal with the consequences. Because Castiel was innocent, like a clean, blank slate, and one thing Dean is good at is corrupting the most innocent things. Dean knows that he is no good for anything.
"It was a mistake."
Dean words came at him like physical blows. Castiel fought the urge to flinch, to curl away, and disappear to sweet oblivion. Instead, he looked into Dean's green eyes, and sees the truth for himself. Dean is not lying. He truly believes that it was a mistake, because even he could tell that Castiel is a mistake. God made him wrong.
"Yes it was." Castiel answers, cold and emotionless. Dean winces. Damn, but that did hurt. Even when he expected it it still hurt like hell.
"Lets...just put that behind us, then." Dean made up his mind. He still want to be friends with Castiel. Well, he wants to be more than friends, really. But he values their friendship more. Their connection.
"Yes. Lets." Castiel pulls himself up from the tub, legs shaking. If he is human his heart would be in pieces already. But he is only an imperfect angel hopelessly fallen for a man that does not want him.