Bobby Singer, Dean learned, was a practical man with little patience for "idjits." Back at the cabin, he'd been quick to direct everyone to get whatever they could from the cabin before he asked Cass to help set it on fire. Then he had everyone follow him home and park back behind his house, where the vehicles couldn't be seen from the road. He'd even thought to have Castiel's deer tossed into the back of his truck to take back. Dean had been glad to see that Baby, who had been parked up a little from the cabin in order to allow Donnie easy access to bring food in, had managed to escape all but a few scratches. Donnie's SUV had borne the brunt of the damage when Cass had knocked Raphael into the cabin. Fortunately, the damage was mostly cosmetic, although the driver's side window was broken in the upper right corner and the windshield had some cracks. At least Donnie was able to drive it. After dealing with the fire crew and all but forcing breakfast into everyone, Bobby gave the couple some supplies, cash they'd tried hard to refuse (Bobby was not about to be refused), and an extra can of gas and sent them on their way to his friends.
"The Harvelles will take good care of 'em," Bobby assured Dean and Castiel. "They've got this fool of a stoner called Ash who can set them up with new identities. I can have him do the same for you two? You'll need 'em if you plan on having any sort of life after all this."
"Thank you, Sir," Dean said humbly. "We'll find some way to repay your kindness."
Bobby grunted. He eyed the two of them, arms folded across his chest as he sat in his recliner. "You two are determined to go after Michael, aren't you?"
"It's our duty," Castiel informed him solemnly. "We're the only ones who really can."
Bobby seemed to take this in stride. "You mentioned before that this is some sort of genetic thing, people who can link up with dragons. But there's also only so many eggs, right? So you, Lanette, and Michael are the only dragons around?"
"There's another," Castiel offered. "We have no idea where he is or what he's doing, though."
"So far, he's kept his head down," Dean agreed. "We were put onto Raphael and Michael. Gabriel's kind of a wild card. Apparently, he was some sort of trickster. Tricked his way to freedom."
"Trickster?" Castiel cocked an eyebrow. "What kind of trickster?"
"The kind that plays pranks, I guess?" Dean said. "I guess his joining partner was prone to practical jokes and went in with his mind intact, that came through in the dragon. That's why they've been lobotomizing everyone else they send in to the dragons. Why?"
"Because it may be a clue as to what sort of dragon Gabriel is," Castiel explained. "You know about fire dragons, the most common type. Raphael is a storm dragon, which is less common. But there's also illusion dragons. They're capable of a much higher level of telepathy than I am. You're the only one who can hear me outside of other dragons, but an illusion dragon can speak to anyone telepathically. The thing is, they can use that same ability to alter perceptions."
"Alter perceptions?" Dean asked.
"Cause hallucinations, you mean," Bobby supplied.
Castiel nodded. "Yes, that's it. They can make you see and hear things that aren't actually there. The effect is less potent on other dragons, but even we can have trouble recognizing an illusion. They can make illusions that seem absolutely real to a human, even to the point of affecting humans physically. For example, they can make you believe you've been surrounded by chemical fog that can actually make you cough and choke. Your mind is powerful enough to make your body react if it absolutely believes an illusion."
"Well, that's interesting, in a freaky way," Dean grumbled. "What does he breathe?"
"Air," Castiel replied. "Same as everyone else."
"That's not what I mean," Dean explained patiently. "You breathe fire, Raphael breathes lightning, what does an illusion dragon breathe?"
"Oh, they don't have a breath weapon," Castiel reported. "Their power is pretty much all illusion. They also tend to be smaller and not as strong as other dragons, but they're fast, with very sharp claws and teeth."
"Ok, I feel better," Dean announced. "Even if you do end up facing him and Michael, so long as Gabriel's an illusion dragon, he's not nearly the threat Michael is."
"That's not true at all," Cass corrected. "Fighting an illusion dragon is incredibly difficult because it's hard to determine what's real and what's illusion. Once you pin them down, yes, they are much easier to defeat. They're not as big or strong and don't have nearly the protection other dragons have because they have a thinner layer of scales. Mostly, illusion dragons are masters of stealth and deception, not combat. But don't underestimate them."
"Sounds about right," Bobby grunted. "Anything else Gabriel could be, or are those the only types of dragons?"
"No, there is one more type," Castiel said hesitantly. "But it's the rarest type of all, the emperor dragon. They use fire just like fire dragons, but they are far more powerful. Emperor dragons have thick scales that are extremely difficult to penetrate. Even Raphael's lightning would have trouble getting through that armor. They're also far stronger than any other dragon and more powerful. If Gabriel is an emperor dragon, well, I would prefer not to meet him."
"Yeah, let's hope those things stay rare," Dean agreed, shuddering. "What happens if Gabe turns out to be an emperor?"
"Then our best bet is that he remains uninvolved," Castiel said.
"You could say that again," Bobby grumbled. "Son of a bitch has kept his head down so far. Hopefully he stays that way." Bobby paused, eyeing Castiel. "Boy, you're halfway to asleep just sitting there," he observed. "I think it's past time we got you into a bed. It's just past noon, but you had a hell of a day. Even a dragon needs to rest after the fight you had today."
Dean quickly went to Castiel's side, helping him up. Following Bobby's direction, Dean helped Castiel into a guest bedroom, closed all the curtains to make it dark, and tucked him into the bed. Castiel snuggled into the covers with a contented sigh. The bed was a queen. That was very good. For once, he and Dean would have plenty of room. All Castiel wanted right now was to cuddle his bondmate and fall into a deep, peaceful…
"Safe to assume that's my room next door?" Dean asked Bobby.
Castiel's eyes snapped open.
"Sure," Bobby agreed. The veteran was out in the hall, rummaging through a linen closet. "I'm getting you some towels so you can get a shower when you want one. Then I suggest you get some rest, too. Castiel isn't the only one who was in a fight today."
"Yeah, Donnie hits like a truck," Dean admitted, oblivious to the fact that Castiel had just sat up in alarm in the bed. "Listen," he continued, closing the door on the bewildered dragon, "I'm sorry about the cabin. I can…"
"I'm the one who set fire to that cabin! Besides, I got some fresh deer meat out of the bargain."
"Well at least I can help you cut it up?"
"Dean, you idjit, you need to take care of yourself! I'm perfectly capable of…"
Castiel stopped listening. He was looking around in shock, seeing nothing but a clean, tidy but noticeably empty room. His bondmate wasn't sleeping with him. Dean was planning on staying in another room. No. Castiel threw off the covers and raced out, nearly colliding with Dean on his way down the hall. "What did I do wrong?" he blurted.
Dean blinked at him. "What? Nothing!"
"They why won't you sleep with me?"
Bobby suddenly made himself scarce.
Dean made a face. "Cass, it doesn't mean you did anything wrong. I just had a really rough day today and I know you did, too. Look at you. You were looking a bit peaked before we came here, but now you're even worse. Your skin is all burned and blistered where Raphael hit you with her lighting. You're black and blue. You limp when you walk. You got hurt this badly fighting one dragon that turned out to be just a scared woman who probably didn't have any idea how to fight. Now we still have Michael and possibly Gabriel to deal with. Both of them were joined with capable soldiers, Michael's guiding partner is another capable soldier. All three of them could have probably kicked my ass in a fair fight, and I have no idea where to find any of them. If I lie down right now I'm just going to be tossing and turning. You can't have me jostling you. You need to rest and heal."
Castiel shook his head. "But Dean…"
Dean held up his hand. "Cass. You need sleep. You will not get that with me. Besides, I'm way too wired to sleep this early anyway. I'm going to go help Bobby with that deer. Then I'll head into town, find a bar, and blow off some steam. I need to clear my head so I can think."
Castiel nodded. "I'll come with you."
"No, you won't." Dean took the dragon's shoulders, turned him around, and pushed him back into the room. "You need your rest," he stressed, pushing a frowning Castiel back into the bed. "Bobby is obviously a good guy who knows what he's doing when it comes to dragons. I can trust him and that shotgun of his to watch over you. Meanwhile, once I finish helping him, I am going to go out, alone, and try to forget about the mess we're in for a few hours. That's the only way I will be able to clear my head enough to think straight. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a little money while I'm out. God knows we need it."
Castiel didn't like it, but Dean was already tucking him back in. His bondmate brushed a hand over Castiel's hair and gave him a fond smile. "You did real good today. I'm proud of you."
That made Castiel feel good. He smiled at Dean, letting himself relax into the bed. Dean closed the door. Castiel closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.
The local watering hole was a typical dive bar, offering beer by the bottle or on tap with some bottles of harder liquor for shots. It was early, but there was still a decent crowd. Dean was able to hustle some late-season tourists at pool. They gave him some harsh words and glares, but Dean stood them off and eventually they stormed out. Now at least he had some money. He bought a beer and savored it at the bar, finally relaxing. Looking around the darkened room, he saw mostly mountain folk like Bobby, tough and independent, used to the harder environment in the area and untrusting of outsiders. The men almost universally eyed him with suspicion. Many of the women did the same, although Dean was clearly turning more than one head. He saw one smile at him and smiled back, tipping his bottle at her in a friendly fashion. His luck was good. She ambled over and slipped onto the stool next to him. "Hi," she called. "You're not from around here."
"No, Ma'am, just passing through," Dean confirmed. He extended a hand. "I'm Dean."
"Brenda." She was definitely interested, her eyes appraising Dean in a familiar fashion. She was a brunette, with shoulder-length wavy hair and a decent figure. "So what are you doing out here?"
Dean's smile widened. Let the games begin.
Castiel stretched, smiling. He opened his eyes and frowned to see Dean hadn't changed his mind and come to bed. Well, Castiel decided, he was coming tonight, even if he had to personally throw his bondmate over his shoulder and carry him there.
Getting up, Castiel headed downstairs. Bobby Singer was at the table, sipping absently on a mug of coffee and staring at a laptop. "Hey there," he grunted. "You look a bit better already. I guess dragons are fast healers, huh?"
"Fortunately, yes," Castiel replied politely. "Is Dean asleep?"
"Nah. He's still out."
Castiel froze. According to the clock on the wall, it was now just past 2200. The sun had gone down some time go. He frowned. "Where is he?"
Bobby looked up and gave him a smile. "I, um, had the wrong idea about you two last night. Dean explained about your relationship, and about how your human side is damaged," he said. "He called and told me that if you woke up before he got home, not to worry. Dean met someone at the bar last night and will be home later."
"But where is he?" Castiel repeated, confused.
Bobby cleared his throat. "Dean's, what, early twenties? You look to be close to the same age. Do you remember being a man, Castiel? You know you have needs. Dean had needs."
Castiel squinted and cocked his head at Bobby. "I don't understand."
Bobby seemed uncomfortable for some reason. He cleared his throat again, opened his mouth, then shook his head and sighed. "Sex," he announced. "Dean wants sex."
"Oh. Oh!" Suddenly Castiel remembered Ketch asking about that same subject. Now he finally understood why. Of course Dean wanted sex. Dean was a very attractive man. He could remember being attracted to him when he was Jimmy Novak, and he was certainly attracted now. While he hadn't thought about Dean in a sexual manner, he was more than open to the idea. Castiel smiled. No wonder Dean wanted him to rest. "I understand," Castiel said to Bobby. "Thank you for explaining."
"Well, good," Bobby grunted. "That wasn't half as tough as I thought it would be. Dean was right, I just have to come out and explain things to you."
"Yes, that's very helpful."
Castiel did what he could to help Bobby prepare a meal from the deer he'd caught. That resulted in Bobby politely insisting he sit down and keep his grubby hands away from his food. Apparently, it was the right decision because Bobby was able to provide a satisfying meal. After they ate, they both heard a car coming down the drive. Recognizing the sound of Baby's engine, Castiel brightened. "That sounds like Dean now."
"I reckon it is."
A moment later, Dean strolled in. Castiel was alarmed to see that the slight bruising he'd noticed from Dean's fight with Donnie was much darker now. But Dean was smiling brightly. "Hey hey!"
Castiel echoed Bobby's return greeting, getting to his feet. "Dean, welcome back. Would you like to eat first, or do you want to go to bed?"
Dean blinked. "Well, I already ate, so yes, I wouldn't mind going to bed. I wore myself out today in more ways than one." His grin returned, much wider this time.
"Spare the details, please," Bobby grunted. "You two have a good night."
Castiel intended to have a great night. He practically skipped up after Dean, graciously allowing his bondmate to use the shower first. When it was his turn, Castiel was careful with his hygiene. He knew he was an attractive man. While he'd never been with another man, he was sure he could figure it out. Jimmy's memories of sex were as limited as all his other memories, partially lost to the damage he'd done to his brain. Well, that wasn't a problem. He'd just let Dean take the lead. He could recall Dean getting around quite a bit on the base. The man was certainly experienced with women. While he'd never actually heard of Dean hooking up with any other men, he didn't think it would be a problem. Just being with his Dean in such an intimate way would be wonderful.
Castiel went to the bedroom where he'd taken his nap and deposited his clothing. Still naked, he happily went into Dean's room, closing the door behind him. Bobby seemed to want to be shielded from such things. As this was his house, Castiel intended to respect the man's wishes. Dean was in the bed, facing away from the door. As Castiel eagerly approached, he heard Dean snore. That made him stop. Dean was asleep? Well, that put a damper on his plans. His poor bondmate was clearly exhausted. It looked like they wouldn't be having sex tonight after all. Ah well. Castiel could wait until morning.
Carefully climbing into the bed, Castiel gently pulled a sleeping Dean into his usual position in his arms, smiling when his bondmate immediately settled in. Content, Castiel closed his eyes and was soon asleep as well.
"What the actual fuck?!"
Castiel's eyes popped open in alarm. His arms tightened instinctively around Dean, only to have Dean start struggling violently. "Cass!" he hissed. "What the hell are you doing? Why are you in bed with me, and way more important, why are you bare-ass naked?!"
"Sex," Castiel explained.
Dean immediately froze. "Um, what?"
"Sex," Castiel repeated, smiling. "You wanted sex last night so I was going to give it to you. Unfortunately, I must have taken too long in the shower because you were asleep, but since you're awake now?"
"Nonononononononono!" Dean was squirming and thrashing again, finally managing to twist free from the confused dragon. "No, Cass, I had sex last night with a woman I met at the bar! I didn't mean I wanted to have sex with you. That would be totally wrong, and I wouldn't do that to you!"
"Totally wrong?" Castiel echoed. He felt numb.
Dean was out of bed now, pacing around and clutching at his own hair. "Holy shit, what did Ketch tell you? I know that pervert was making moves on you, but…" He froze, staring in horror at Castiel. "Cass, did he touch you? Like, in a way that made you feel bad?"
"Dean, I don't understand." Castiel got up and came around the bed to Dean, pausing when Dean turned red and quickly looked away. "What's wrong?"
"Holy shit," Dean groaned. He turned back to Castiel, being careful to keep his eyes on the dragon's face. "Cass, listen. No one has a right to touch you in a sexual way, ok? If anyone does, I want you to fight them and yell for me. I will tear their lungs out!"
Tear their lungs out? Castiel doubted Dean had the strength required for that, although he'd certainly assist if that was what his bondmate wanted. Still, Castiel's thoughts were on a more pressing topic. "I thought you would touch me in a sexual way?"
"Of course not!" Dean exclaimed, throwing up his hands as if to ward off Castiel. "I would never take advantage of you like that."
Castiel frowned. "Why would it be taking advantage of me?"
"Because you're brain damaged, buddy," Dean explained, speaking as though Castiel were a child. "You can't consent to sexual activity because you don't understand."
Now Castiel's frown deepened. "What don't I understand?"
"About things like sex," Dean said, still talking like Castiel was eight years old. "Sex is complicated. You can't possibly understand about things like relationships and love…"
"No." Hurt and embarrassed, Castiel glared at Dean. "You're wrong. I know what I am. I know it's hard for me to understand a lot of things. But you forget why I hurt myself in the first place."
Dean went pale. "Oh shit, buddy, I didn't mean…"
Castiel held up a hand. "I'm sorry you think so little of me, Dean. But believe me, do I know what love is." Shoving past his sputtering bondmate, Castiel stormed out, stomped down the stairs and slammed the door.
"Dean?" Bobby called from downstairs. "Do you know that your dragon friend just went charging outside buck naked?"
Oh shit.
