Once Dean was satisfied Castiel was comfortable on his bed, he excused himself to go hunt down his cot and some spare sheets. He exited the room and went down past the bathroom, reaching a hall closet where he gathered up the cot and a blanket.
He returned to the bedroom and set up his cot on the far right of the bed, so that he could still see the door and be the first line of defense to keep Castiel safe. He shook out the blanket and laid it out over the cot. Castiel sat up in the bed, watching him with curious interest.
"Mind handing me a pillow?" Dean asked when he noticed Castiel watching him, chuckling at the surprised noise he made when he'd been caught in the act. Castiel reached behind him and sheepishly handed Dean one of his pillows.
"Anything you need before we get some rest?" Dean questioned as he climbed into the cot, turning his head to look up at Castiel in his bed. Castiel shook his head, a yawn escaping him when his body finally reminded him just how exhausted he was.
Dean laid his head on his pillow, pulling the blanket up over his chest as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to drift off to sleep with his mind wandering through thoughts of the events of the night. He found himself wishing he'd been there to protect Castiel before passing out.
-_-
Castiel stirred awake, a dull ache in his side making him hiss out his exhale. He glanced down at his bare torso and winced at the sight of his bruises, remembering how he'd gotten them.
Sitting up he realized he wasn't in his own bed, he glanced around to see Dean asleep in a cot reminding him how he'd ended up here. He would have to find some way to properly thank Dean for being there for him.
Dean slowly but surely woke up, grunting displeasure at the sunlight shining over his face as he squinted his eyes trying to block out the worst of it when a shadow fell over him. Dean blinked his eyes open to see Castiel peering at him from over the side of the bed.
"What time is it?" Dean questioned staring at an upside down Castiel blinking blue eyes at him. "Half past three..." Castiel supplied with a slight frown. Dean sat up and moved to sit on the side of the bed by Castiel.
"How are you feeling? Need anything? Aspirin?" Dean ran through a list of other non-narcotic medications in his mind as Castiel stared at him, his head tilted to one side like an inquisitive puppy.
"I think I'm good, maybe just hungry?" Castiel responded just as his stomach growled rather loudly, causing a blush of embarrassment to bloom across his bruised face. Even with the bruises, Dean thought he looked adorable with a little color flushing his cheeks.
"I can whip something up or take you out to breakfast, your choice," Dean smiled warmly, tamping down the unexpected urge to gently kiss Castiel's bruises. He shook himself of that thought.
"Breakfast here is fine, I don't particularly feel like showing off my face to the public just yet..." Castiel sighed reaching up to gingerly touch his fingers to the bruise on his left cheek, frowning.
Dean reached for Castiel's face, lightly running his thumb over a smaller bruise on his chin and frowning when Castiel flinched away from him, his eyes turning down towards the space between them on the bed.
"I can make us something, you want it in bed or would you like to join me downstairs?" Dean offered as he pulled his hand away, ignoring the pang of hurt it gave him. All he wanted was to make Castiel feel better, but he wouldn't push any boundaries Castiel set.
"I'll join you... Just gotta use the bathroom first," Castiel smiled faintly shifting to get out of the bed, Dean stood from his spot to give him room to leave, watching as Castiel disappeared into the dark hallway outside the bedroom.
Dean quickly folded up his blanket, tossing the pillow onto his bed as he made short work of folding up the cot and tucking it into the corner behind the door before leaving the bedroom to head downstairs into the kitchen.
-_-
Dean was by the stove, frying eggs and bacon when Castiel joined him in the kitchen. He came to sit at the island separating the kitchen from the expansive dining room. Dean had his back turned to him, making sure he didn't burn any of the food.
"Would you like something to drink? I've got oj, coffee, tea... I think there's some whiskey in the freezer," Dean spoke as he flipped his eggs in the frying pan, frowning when the yolks burst open.
"I'll take some coffee, extra sugar and cream... Please," Castiel answered shyly, not wanting to sound rude. He was Dean's guest, but that didn't mean he expected him to bend to every little thing Castiel asked for.
Dean turned off the stove and went about plating the eggs and bacon before tossing a couple pieces of bread into a nearby toaster, moving over to where the coffee pot sat, grabbing a couple of mugs and pouring them each a cup, adding a bit of sugar and cream to Castiel's, turning around to hand him the mug.
"Careful, it's a bit hot... Here," Dean announced as he set a plate of food down on the island counter in front of Castiel, he took his own plate and came around to take up the empty seat beside Castiel.
"Thank you," Castiel smiled holding up the mug of coffee, nodding his head. They sat in comfortable silence eating their breakfast, enjoying one another's company. Being around Dean made Castiel feel better, he felt an odd sense of calm from the man. Which was funny, considering Dean was usually quick in every little thing he did.
He'd only known him for the four years since moving in next door, but they got along well. Castiel often invited him over for beers and the occasional party whenever his friend Charlie was in town. A sudden thought came over him and he sank in his seat.
"Everything okay, Cas? What's wrong?" Dean was quick to look over and visibly assess Castiel, he didn't immediately see anything wrong with him but the worst of his bruises were covered up by the pajamas he'd given Castiel to sleep in.
"I just thought about Charlie. She left the bar last night and, shit... I need to call her, where's your phone?" Castiel was on his feet in seconds, staring at Dean with a look of panic on his face causing Dean's stomach to drop.
"Here, use my cell..." Dean produced his cellphone from the pocket of his robe and handed it to Castiel, who immediately took it and began dialing Charlie's number from memory. He held it to his ear and waited for an answer.
"Charlie? Oh thank goodness, I'm glad to hear your voice... Oh, no, no I'm ok. I'm at Dean's..." Castiel heaved a sigh of relief at hearing Charlie on the other end of the phone, Dean exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in when he gave Castiel his cell.
"Yeah, yeah... I'll call you later, no I swear I'm okay, I'm sorry for not calling last night, something came up," Castiel responded, his eyes catching Dean's when he glanced up from the phone. Dean figured he wasn't ready to tell Charlie what'd happened last night.
"Ok, goodbye Charlie... Yes, I promise," Castiel ended the call and handed the cell phone back to Dean, their fingers brushing momentarily as Dean accepted his phone back from Castiel.
-_-
After breakfast, Dean suggested the two of them make their way into the living room with fresh cups of coffee. Castiel accepted the suggestion and followed Dean, sitting down into the plush couch set against the large bay window.
"I hope I'm not keeping you from work or anything important today," Castiel inquired glancing up at Dean sitting beside him on the couch, sipping from his cup of black coffee.
"No, I have the whole weekend off... They'll call me if something big happens, 'sides, I'm more worried about you," Dean responded with a nod in Castiel's direction, setting his mug onto the coffee table.
Castiel felt his cheeks flush at the way Dean was looking at him, his expression full of sincere concern and worry. It made Castiel's heart ache. He honestly doesn't know what he'd have done if Dean hadn't been here last night.
His mind raced with thoughts of what might have happened if Dean had been on shift last night, possibly on the other side of town dealing with God knows what. He silently thanked the heavens Dean had been home.
"Hey, you're safe Cas... I got you," Dean spoke quietly, grabbing Castiel's hand and squeezing it reassuringly when he noticed Castiel staring off into space, no doubt thinking about the shit that could've happened last night.
Castiel leaned against Dean's side, finding solace in his presence, feeling the warmth radiating off his body. Castiel shivered, but not from being cold. He honestly felt safe with Dean, so it made sense in his mind when he turned his face and pressed his lips against Dean's.
Dean's eyes shot open in surprise at being kissed by Castiel, his brain short circuiting as it tried to register what was happening. He must have looked upset because the next thing he knows, Castiel is scrambling off the couch looking panicked.
"I am so sorry, Dean... I don't know what came over me, I should go..." Castiel blurted out, hands flying up to cover his face, trying to conceal the embarrassment on his expression.
Before Dean could move to stop him or say something, Castiel was running out of the living room and hurrying up the stairs into Dean's bedroom to retrieve his clothes. Dean stayed planted on the couch, in shock, unable to move.
Seconds later he heard Castiel padding down the stairs and the front door being opened, slamming shut behind Castiel as he ran down the porch steps.
Dean sprang from the couch and ran to the door, only to find he'd missed Castiel as he tore it open and looked all around the porch and immediate view of his front lawn. "Damn it!" he cursed slamming the door shut again.