"Let me help you, Cas..." Dean pleaded touching the ex-angel's arm, guilt making him feeling like he swallowed a razor. It hadn't been his idea to kick Cas out of the Bunker, that asshole possessing Sam forced his hand, to protect his brother. He wanted to chase after him, but he'd been too scared, too pissed at himself.
He hadn't expected to find him working at a friggin' Gas-n-Sip, he also hadn't planned on begging to let him help him out in some way or another. Castiel turned around from his task of stocking a shelf with snacks, his blue eyes staring at Dean's hand on his arm before they drifted to his face. "Please?" Dean's eyes met his.
Castiel was upset, but the one thing he wanted more than anything was currently watching him as he thought of how to answer Dean's unexpected offer. When he didn't immediately respond, Dean continued. "I feel like a dick, but I had to protect Sam..." Dean offered weakly. "Sam is family, but so am I, Dean. Or does that only matter to you when I can be of import?" Castiel snapped pulling his arm out of his grasp.
He deserved that, but still, ouch. "Look, I know I screwed up. You have every right to be pissed at me, I'm pissed at me too... But I wanna fix it." Dean sighed scrubbing his hand over his face, screwing it up when he felt tears threatening to swell. Castiel's scowl morphed into a frown. "I'm sorry, Dean." Dean put a hand up to stop him. "No, Cas. You're not the one who should be sorry." he huffed.
"Can I meet with you after work?" he quickly changed the subject, not giving Castiel time to protest it. "I get off at eight." Castiel answered without thinking. "Good, I'll be here at seven-thirty." Dean gave him a half smile, turning around to walk away. Castiel stood, watching as Dean exited the store. He shook his head and resumed unpacking and shelving the snacks.
-_-_-_
At exactly seven-thirty, Castiel glanced up from the small TV behind the counter as the unmistakable rumble of the Impala's engine alerted him to Dean's return, as he had promised. Castiel smiled shyly as Dean walked through the automatic doors, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder and a paper bag held in his left hand. Dean returned the smile.
Without hesitating, Dean walked around the counter and tossed the duffle bag onto the floor at Castiel's feet as he silently shoved the paper bag into his arms. Castiel raised a curious brow, rolling down the top of the bag and peered inside to see it was full of takeout containers.
"Figured you might be hungry, and hopefully won't mind some company 'til it's quitting time." Dean announced taking a seat in the nearby spare folding chair.
Castiel was still upset, but he appreciated the sentiment behind the gesture, trying not to read into it too much as he dug out the food containers and passed one to Dean. Dean eagerly accepted it, popping open the lid at the same time as Castiel. The two of them ate in somewhat comfortable silence.
-_-_-_
Dean was leaning up against the locked automatic doors while Castiel stood behind the counter tallying up the money in the register to secure it in the safe his boss kept in the back room. He wouldn't admit it outright, but Castiel felt safe with Dean acting as his guardian, his eyes never leaving the empty lot, even when Castiel announced he was going to put away the money.
Five minutes later Castiel returned from the back, now wearing the faded black hoodie Dean had packed in the duffle bag full of clothing and supplies bed brought for the ex-angel. "Ready?" Dean questioned as he glanced up at Castiel. "Yes." Castiel answered stepping up to door, unlocking it so they could leave.
Dean kept watch as Castiel once again locked up, not letting his guard down as they climbed into the Impala. Dean started her up and drove out of the lot, his shoulders relaxing when they were finally on the main road. "Thank you, for keeping watch." Castiel spoke up, getting Dean's attention. "No problem, Cas." he nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.
"You got a place nearby?" Dean added, realizing he has no idea where Cas was living now. Castiel waa quiet for longer than he had intended, because Dean turned his head to look at him fully. "You are living somewhere, right?" he prompted, worry seeping into his tone. "At a shelter off first..." Castiel answered on a whisper, he was certain Dean couldn't hear. He'd been wrong as Dean breaked a little too hard at a stop light.
"You're staying at a shelter? Cas, those places aren't any good... Trust me." Dean said, anger replacing the worry. Castiel felt his stomach drop at Dean's sudden change in tone. Was he mad at him? No, he was the one who had kicked him out. Where the hell did he expect him to go? Castiel didn't have any money and no clue how to live as a human. He was the one who should be mad right now.
"Sorry, I'm not mad at you... Just, I've had my share at places like that. Let's just book a motel for the night and figure shit out in the morning." Dean rolled past the light as it changed, refocusing his attention on the road. Castiel sighed tiredly, leaning against the passenger window. The rumble of the car's engine and the rhythm of the road passing beneath them slowly lulled him to sleep.
-_-_-_
When Castiel woke, they were parked outside a motel. He exited the car, wondering where Dean had disappeared to when he saw him walking out of a room. "Hey man, sorry I didn't wake you. I was just checking the room before I got you." Dean offered weakly. Truth was, he didn't want to disturb Cas cause he looked peaceful sleeping up against Baby's window.
"Come on." Dean stepped back into the room as Castiel quickly followed him, spotting the duffle on the floor at the foot of one of the two beds as he closed and locked the door behind him. He couldn't understand why he felt a pang of disappointment when he realized Dean had booked a room with double beds. "Get comfortable, I'm gonna take a shower if that's cool?" Dean pointed over his shoulder toward the bathroom. Castiel nodded.
Dean ducked into the bathroom, the soft click of the door shutting echoing through the quiet room. Castiel removed his hoodie, draping it over the back of the worn armchair by the window before popping the button and tugging down the zipper of his jeans. He removed them, along with his sneakers and socks before climbing into the bed closest to the window in only bus t-shirt and boxers.
He found the remote control on the nightstand between his and what would be Dean's bed and clicked on the TV. He propped himself up on the pillows against the headboard, aimlessly flipping through the channels trying not to focus on the sound of the water running from the shower just twenty feet away.