Archive of Our Own

Dean sauntered into the map room with three beers balanced in his right hand. He quickly observed Sam and Cas who were sitting opposite each other. Sam's head was buried in multiple books, while Castiel was staring at a computer screen with a furrowed brow. He smiled slightly and started to make his way over to his 'best friend'.

Dean placed the drinks next to the angel and expertly slid one over to him and then to his brother, who caught it without looking up from the books that piled along the table. He stood just to the right of Cas and settled his right hand on the table, with the other one resting on Cas's left shoulder. He leaned closer to get a better look at the screen, he reasoned but perhaps it was more of a moment of selfishness that drew him to practically lean on his angel. But he couldn't bring himself to pull away so instead, he pretended to read whatever was on the laptop.

Castiel gripped the beer bottle to stop himself shaking, fearing that somehow Dean would hear how his heart raced when he got close or how he almost lost himself to the touch and relaxed into it. They both held their breaths, daring not to make any noise lest their bubble of contentment burst. But after a moment, they were interrupted.

"We think a witch is going around in Nebraska, Sidney."

They almost jumped at his voice, but quickly shook off any lingering desire and focused.

"You got details?" The eldest Winchester questioned.

Sam raised his eyebrow and smirked, "Yeah, you might wanna try actually reading what's in front of you."

Dean's eyebrows pulled together in confusion as he took another glance at the open window on the screen. Much to his embarrassment, it was an article on recent deaths surrounding Nebraska which he had plenty of time to read whilst staring at it, but was far too distracted by the warmth of Castiel to even glance at the bold headline.

He stood up and crossed his arms, trying to hide the blush that sprang to his cheeks "Well, are we gonna head out or what? This thing ain't gonna kill itself." He avoided looking at his brother's amused face.

Sam started closing and putting away his books when he noticed Castiel looking Dean up and down as he walked out. He had a lovesick look in his eyes with a hint of something else that Sam refused to put a name to, and for a moment he felt Sorrow that the two were missing out on being truly happy with each other. But then he remembered all the awkward third-wheeling he'd done and no longer felt bad. He finished clearing his side of the table and was about to leave to put all his books back in their place, but stopped and turned to face his friend.

"You know, just looking isn't going to get you anywhere. You should probably say something too." He smiled reassuringly, "Oh, and you should probably try and make sure I'm not in the room when you do the ass staring. He's still my brother, it's kinda gross."

He left with a smirk before he saw the shade of red that painted Castiels face.

----

"Silver, or black?" Dean contemplated which pistol to pack, but eventually just shrugged and chucked them both into his dark green duffel.

After gathering some other necessities for a four-and-a-half-hour ride, he nodded to himself and made his way to leave his bedroom with the duffel securely on his back. But just as the door opened, he came face to face with Castiel and had to suppress the urge to smile like an idiot.

"Cas, what can I do for you?" No matter how hard he tried, a little smirk still managed to creep onto his face.

Castiel had a plan, He was going to tell Dean upfront that he was in love with him and that it didn't matter if the feelings were reciprocated he just wanted him to know. But as soon as Dean had opened the door his mouth went dry. His eyes darted from his lush green eyes to his freckled pink cheeks, they drifted over the rough stubble that covered the lower half of his face, and then to the pale pink lips that looked oh so kissable. He suddenly realized that he had been staring at Dean's lips for a while and perhaps had made him uncomfortable, but Dean only smiled more.

"Cas?"

"I, was just here to- uh, ask if you were ready to go?" Castiel cursed himself for chickening out.

"Yeah, I was just leaving." He chuckled, "Come on."

Dean took a step past Castiel, placing a gentle hand on his hip to guide him onwards. Cas short-circuited for a moment, but as soon as it was there, it was gone, the warmth flowing through his veins had doubled and he stumbled to catch up to the Winchester.

Dean strolled to the garage and waited for the angel to catch up, which he did just a few moments later. He opened the door after throwing Cas a smile, only to see his brother leaning against the impala with an impatient expression plastered on his face. Dean raised an eyebrow at him and made his way over.

"Get off. That stick up your ass better not have scratched my paint."

Sam scoffed "Well maybe if you didn't take an entire year to get ready, I wouldn't have needed to sit down."

"Oh, I'm sorry princess, were the chairs not soft enough for you?" He retaliated, gesturing to the door.

"Whatever, jerk." Sam playfully glared at his brother.

"Bitch."

They both chuckled at their age-old joke and started to make a move to get into the car. Dean unlocked the impala with the click of his keys and Sam, surprisingly, quickly got in the back. When he received a questioning glance from the others, he simply explained that his legs were too long to be cooped up in the front, so Cas would have to ride next to Dean. He grinned at the embarrassed expressions they had, and mentally pat himself on the back for being such a good brother.

The journey began, as usual, the first half-hour was filled with metallic and AC/DC blasting out of the speakers. Sam had brought his laptop that Cas had been using, and decided to either catch up on research or search for more clues to the witches' whereabouts. Castiel on the other hand had taken to watching the scenery pass them by, the sun had gone down a few hours ago so they would arrive at the motel in time to get a little bit of sleep. On the second hour, the music had been turned down, courtesy of Sam who threatened to throw out all of his mixtapes if he didn't let him concentrate on his work. Hour 4 was difficult, Sam had fallen asleep in the back with all his gigantic limbs carelessly thrown all over the place, but Dean could see why he wanted the extra room. Cas had drifted into a light slumber with his elbow resting below the window and his cheek resting comfortably in the palm of his hand. Dean watched as he started to slip deeper, but kept being interrupted by a small jerk of his head, clearly trying to stay awake but failing miserably. He chuckled and shook his head, gazing lovingly at his passenger.

Dean gripped the steering wheel tighter as he came to the realization of how bad he had it. He glanced over at Castiel once more, and a sickenly sweet feeling curled around his heart and gave it a good squeeze. Nothing in his life had ever come close to being as precious to him that Cas, save for his little brother but that was a completely different kind of affection. There was just something about him that brought the Winchester to his knees, the way he smiled made his heart do backflips, and when he laughed, Dean could have sworn the world got more colorful. The way he spoke, the way he moved the way Castiel did anything no matter how small, he had the ferocious Dean Winchester smitten. But that was a problem because Dean didn't think he deserved happiness. After all those years in hell, what he did, what he has done, continues to plague him with doubt and crippling insecurity. But he could have this. Staring longingly at his best friend while he naps in the passenger seat, that's enough for him.

Dean smiled and looked back to the long dark road, only illuminated by his headlights, and thought back to when he was first figuring out what that feeling in his chest was. He had never felt it before, it made him want to stay in the bunker with Cas, it made him stop going after anyone else, it made him stop having one-night stands, and that really concerned him for a very long time. He had tried to go out and seek a bed partner, but could never bring himself to go past drinks. For the longest time, Dean thought that he was just getting old, but it took him months to realize that he was simply in love. It had now been several years since his last encounter with a warm body in his bed, but he was ok with that, as long as he got to stand by his friends' side, it was ok. As long as he was still able to glance longingly at him from the driver's seat, he was alright.

----

Another hour passed before Baby was expertly parked in one of the motels' spaces. Sam and Castiel had just started to stir as Dean opened his door, but jumped to full consciousness when he slammed it shut.

"Ugh, seriously dude?" Sam complained.

Deans cackling could be heard as he went to check them into a room. Sam sighed and turned to the other passenger.

"You get any sleep?" He thought for a moment, "Do you need to sleep?"

Cas sighed, "I have started to take on more human qualities recently, such as sleeping, eating, emoting, etc. I still have grace, but it is practically depleted. I am afraid that by this time next year, I will be completely human once more."

"Well, I don't think that's exactly a bad thing, is it?" He smiled.

"You don't understand, if I lose my powers then I'm basically a 'baby in a trench coat' as Dean so eloquently put it. I will not be able to heal either of you."

"Well, even without grace, you're still a good hunter. I mean, who needs guns when you're that good with knives?"

"I suppose I am rather talented with the blade." Castiel smiled to himself.

A mischievous smirk crawled up Sam's face, "I'm sure Dean thinks so too."

"Really?" A renewed spark shone from his eyes.

"Really really."

Suddenly the drivers' door opened and a head poked in, "We're in room 206, come grab your stuff."

Dean walked around to the boot and opened it, grabbing a duffel and chucking it to his brother who barely had time to catch it after getting out of the car. He huffed in disapproval and closed the door with his foot. Castiel came around the other side of the car and unlike Sam, was completely prepared for the bag that was thrown his way. Once the boot was shut, they made their way to the motel stairs leading to the second floor.

As they walked, Dean spoke up, "What were you two chatting about back there?"

Before Castiel could answer, Sam jumped in. "We were talking about your shitty driving skills."

Dean gave Cas a mock insulted expression, "Cas, I expected this from Sam, but from you? That's just hurtful." He looked away, trying to suppress a smile.

Castiel on the other hand was rather alarmed "Dean I swear, that's not what we were saying." He gave Sam a bewildered look which caused him to blow an amused breath through his nose.

"It's ok Cas, he knows we're joking" They stopped outside their door as Dean unlocked the door.

He got it open and looked back at them before walking in, "Do I?"

Sam had to assure Castiel again before he understood that they were just playing around. Once they decided to finally walk in the room, Dean had already set out some of his guns on the table in preparation for cleaning. Sam quickly set down his bag on the bed closest to the door, which would mean that the other two would be sharing, and usually, that would embarrass them both but they very quickly got used to sleeping so close together. Cas dropped his duffel on the floor to the left of the bed, which had been silently agreed was his side.

He removed his trench coat and tie before sluggishly making his way to the bathroom. He slowly undid the buttons of his shirt, trying not to fall asleep when the thought occurred to him that he should probably take a shower instead of a bath to prevent slipping into unconsciousness. Castiel turned the shower tap on to a slightly hotter than normal temperature to really get at the muscles that had clamped during the almost five-hour drive. His deduction paid off when his body went lax almost as soon as he stepped under the rush of water, with a big sigh he finally started to let his mind wander to where it usually goes.

--

Dean had his guns all over the table ready to be dismantled and put back together while he waited for his turn in the bathroom. They had this sort of routine by now, Cas would go first, then Sam, then Dean. Most of the time when he went for a shower, there was no more hot water left but he was sort of grateful for that because the cold water stopped him from thinking obscene thoughts about his best friend, unlike Cas who took delight in such mental images. Dean sat down at the table and started taking apart one of his revolvers that he kept from that one hunt that required a cowboy ensemble. Just as he started polishing the silver steel, his brother chimed in with another one of his opinions from the place on his bed.

"You're doing it again."

Dean groaned, "Doing what?"

"Cleaning your guns to avoid thinking about your feelings."

Sometimes, he hated how well his brother could read him.

"Why don't you just, I don't know, talk to him?"

Dean turned around in his chair to give Sam the most sarcastic look he could muster "I have not the time, nor the crayons to explain that to you."

Sam scoffed and took a book from seemingly nowhere to read, "Whatever. It's your loss."

The eldest shook his head and focused back on his weapons.

--

By the time Dean walked out of the bathroom, his little brother and best friend were sound asleep again. He contemplated taking the couch to avoid disturbing Cas but decided that it was unnecessary to subject either of them to that. With only his boxers covering himself, Dean shuffled up to the right of the king-sized bed and quickly jumped under the sheets to protect him from the cold. As soon as he was engulfed in the sheets, they warmed him up. Or maybe it was Castiels body heat, but he couldn't think about that right now. Especially since he was mostly naked, lying next to said body heat. He shut his eyes tight and tried to level his breathing, and with such a soothing presence mere inches away, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

----
Cas usually woke up first in the mornings, despite Dean's soldier routine and he loved it. Mainly because while they sleep, Dean and he gravitate towards one another and end up with their limbs tangled come morning. So when Castiel pulls himself from sleep and feels steady breaths on his neck accompanied by an arm slung across his chest, he can't help but cherish the feeling. But if he wants to avoid having to hear Dean explain how he's straight and doesn't think of him like that, then he will have to carefully slip out of the embrace and watch a confused, drowsy and sleepy Dean search the room for him. But for now, he was content to just close his eyes and soak in the warmth the Winchester provided.

His mind started to wander over to Dean's sandy hair, and how it would feel if he ran his hands through it. What the texture would be and more importantly how he would lean his head into the touch, and sigh as if he were in love. He imagined Dean's eyes, and how they always seemed to be staring straight through him like he knew exactly what he was thinking at all times. Castiel dreamed about kissing him, of how their lips would feel crushed together, how Dean would run his hands across his hips and hold him like he were precious. The angel imagined how he would lift the Righteous Man by his thighs and carry him to the motel bed where he would cage him between his arms. The hunter would smile and part his legs in a display of love and trust, and Castiel would jump at the opportunity to show Dean just how much he loved him.

They would start by kissing, slowly, for maybe a few minutes and then Dean would tug at the trench coat when he was ready or just getting impatient. Castiel would grin against his lips and start to remove his clothing, first his coat, then his tie, then his shirt, and he would do the same for Dean. He would savor the feeling of his hands dancing along Dean's enticingly warm skin and gently start to undo the button and zipper that were keeping the infuriating clothing snug against his hips. Once they were open the angel intended to slide them down and Dean, beautiful, smart, incredible Dean would lift his sexy hips to help take them off and it would make Cas that much more attracted to him.

"Cas?"

He would breathe while the angel kissed down his body.

"Hey, Cas!"

...Sam?

"Cas, time to get up buddy."

He awoke slowly, only to be blinded by the sun shining through the window. He squinted and held out an arm to shield his eyes.

"There he is."

Castiel glanced over to the table to see the brothers with books and pieces of paper scattering the surface. Then suddenly, with embarrassment, he realized that his body seemed to be a little bit excited and suddenly worried if the others had noticed. But they were both too busy working to see him slip from his warm spot on the bed to the bathroom. He locked the door and sighed, he'd have to deal with this. For the second time in 24 hours, he turned on the shower and got rid of the clothing that was starting to irritate his overly sensitive skin.

The water was cold.

The realization hit him as he leaned closer to the nozzle, that Dean took a cold shower last night. But that didn't make sense, there was plenty of hot water for all three of them unless Sam took an hour which he wouldn't. He smiled at the image of his love in that position. But once he started that train of thought he just couldn't stop, he closed his eyes and saw Dean standing naked under the icy spray of the shower. Castiel scrubbed at his face in an attempt to rid himself of lust, but only ended up hurting his eyes. Imaginary Dean ran his hands through the wet hair on his head, massaging whatever motel shampoo was available into his scalp. The angel heaved a sigh of defeat and gave in to the ocean of want that pulled at his body.

He wrapped a firm hand around his aching erection and had to choke back a gasp at the sensation that never failed to make his knees shake. Cas tentatively started to drag his hand up and down, picturing the Righteous Man between his legs instead of his own hand. He had to brace an army against the slippery tiles to stop himself from collapsing as he started to pick up the pace.

"Oh Dean," He whispered

The head of his dick throbbed as he ran his thumb over it, then back down again. Castiel was trembling with pleasure, his breaths coming out as stuttered moans, he tried to muffle them by biting down on his bottom lip. The image of Dean never failed to send him over the edge, so as soon as he pictured him lathering himself in soap, The angel came hot and heavy all over his fist. The other hand that held onto the wall for dear life shot to his mouth to prevent anyone from hearing him. He swallowed his noises as the water washed away any evidence of what he had done and despite the shower being a cold one, his body still radiated enough heat to keep him warm.

"We got a location when you're ready," Dean mentioned once his best friend stepped out of the bathroom.

He had gotten dressed as quickly as he could manage with the aftershocks of orgasm still blasting through his veins, which meant there was a possibility that his clothes were slightly ruffled. And if Dean noticed, he certainly didn't mention anything, especially since he kind of adored the look.

"I'll just need a moment to gather my things."

----

With a trunk full of newly polished weapons and an eyeful of Cas with messy hair, Dean was ready to kick some ass. The drive was short and filled with blasting music that was starting to grow on Sam, so this time he didn't say anything. The impala was parked behind a canopy of trees as to not be detected by anyone in the run-down shack opposite them while they quietly retrieved their guns and blades from the secret compartment. The decaying building was small and not very defendable, so it was silently agreed that Sam and Castiel would sneak in the sides while Dean snuck round the back. The plan was easily set into motion, the crouching hunters silently made their way to their stations and waited for the signal. Once they heard a very convincing bird whistle from the other side, they charged in.

As soon as they entered, the startled witch let out a scream of terror before grabbing the closest weapon to hand, which happened to be a sacrificial knife. He switched between pointing at each hunter as they closed in.

"Come on kid, that thing ain't gonna help you now," Dean spoke in that low voice that had Castiel blushing.

"Why are you here!? I'll kill you, you know!" His trembling voice betrayed his words.

Sam chimed in, "We're here because you've been killing people, am I right?" He was.

The witch seemed to stammer for a moment, then lowered the knife and looked down. "Yes, you're right." He then snapped his eyes to lock with Sams "But I didn't mean to! They've been pushing me around for years! I needed revenge!"

"Well, I hope it was worth it because now you have three top-notch hunters on your ass." Dean taunted.

The witch scowled at him.

"come on man, let's just get this over with." Sam shook his head and aimed his gun.

The other two copied.

Suddenly, the witch threw out his hand and sent them all flying back. "Cool, huh? Had that one tucked up my sleeve for a rainy day." He smirked and turned to Sam. "You're the biggest one here, and by my calculations, probably the strongest." Dean and Castiel scoffed in the background, "So if you were on my side, we could totally beat those other two. What do you say?"

Sam looked completely baffled, "Did you honestly think that would work?"

He clicked his tongue and retrieved a pouch from his pocket, "Obviously not, but what if you didn't have a choice?"

Dean seemed to kick into action just as his little brother was being threatened because one moment he was being held against the wall by an invisible force and the next, he stood in front of Sam just in time to take the brunt of what seemed to be just a handful of some sort of grainy powder. The hunters stared in confusion for a moment, two of them being massively more concerned than the other.

"I guess you'll do then." He started to chant something in Latin.

Dean quickly scanned the floor, spotting his gun not too far, he made a run for it. But just as he managed to grab the handle and aim at the witch, the incantation was finished and the dust covering him started to burn his skin. He dropped his gun and started to erratically brush at his skin like it was on fire.

"If you're head over heels for me, you'd want to protect me from anything that does me harm, including your friends."

With horror, Sam and Cas seemed to understand the situation.

"DEAN!" They screamed, but he could not hear.

His skin was still increasing in temperature, sending all sorts of warning signals to his brain. Then he started to feel dizzy, he shook his head to right himself and locked eyes with the witch. He smiled maniacally as he had just won some sort of game. Dean squinted at him and tilted his head ever so slightly seemingly confused.

"Fight it, Dean! Please!" Castiel begged from the sidelines, still struggling to escape whatever bounds tied him down. If he could just figure out what spell it was, he'd be able to escape.

Dean glanced at the angel, he saw the fear and pain in his eyes, heard him begging to do the opposite of what his mind was urging him to do. He couldn't focus, it seemed as though the planet was heating up. His breathing increased in pace, his limbs started shaking, Dean couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe! He tried to call for Sam, for Cas, for Bobby, for Jody, anyone to save him from whatever that witch was doing. His knees hit the ground with a thud and his hands scratched at his throat in an attempt to let himself breathe again.

"What are you doing to him!? Stop! Stop!" Sam yelled and thrashed.

"I, I don't know what's happening, that's not what the spell usually does." He looked just as confused as they did.

Castiel and Sam turned their attention to the witch, "What's that supposed to mean?" Castiel demanded.

All of a sudden the most guttural, agonizing scream ripped out of Dean's throat. Flames erupted along his spine but didn't burn his clothes, waves of heat crashed upon the rest of the party, absolute terror gripping their hearts for different reasons.

"DEAN! DEAN!" They called.

The flames were green, with white at the center. The color spread from his back to his neck, where it then crawled up his cheeks and inched closer and closer to his eyes until they too were engulfed. His tears evaporated before they even had the chance to roll down his face. His cries didn't go unanswered for long as the fury of a frenzied seraph crackled along the air. All of a sudden tender hands covered Dean's eyes but failed to cool the blistering heat.

Castiel scowled at the witch with a savagery that Sam hadn't seen in him before, he paced up to the frozen witch and threw a hand on his forehead, causing light to burst from his face. With a grimace, Castiel noticed that the dying light of a witch was dimmer than the fire covering his hunter. All at once, the witch fell to the floor and so did Dean. His screams had halted almost immediately after the caster had been killed.

Sam was released from the invisible binds, so he shot over to his brother's side. Smoke was ebbing from his lashes as Castiel knelt opposite Sam and delicately cradled Dean's face.

"He's alive." The angel muttered.

Sam felt as though he could breathe again. The two glanced at each other with a certain emotion they weren't quite able to place and came to a mutual agreement without even talking. Sam removed his brothers' keys from his jacket pocket and cringed when he didn't stir. He hurried to unlock the car as Castiel hooked one arm under Dean's legs and the other just below his shoulders. Naturally, Dean's head fell into the angel's neck, but he couldn't savor the closeness. Not with what he had just seen. Carefully, he carried Dean's limp body out of the building and towards the impala, where Sam was waiting with the door held open. Cas gently laid Dean in the backseat and carefully closed the door once Sam had jumped in the front. He ran around the back of the old car and got in the other side, where he could lightly lift Dean's head and rest it on his lap. And if he held onto his mark that was carved into Dean's skin, then no one but him would know.

The youngest Winchester was sat in the library once again buried in books, he had contacted everyone on his phone looking for what kind of spell had struck his brother. Bobby had been worried, Jody had been horrified, Donna offered to come and help but Sam refused. If she saw him as he is now, well, he didn't want to think about it.

Castiel hadn't taken Dean's injuries well, he hadn't left the infirmary since they delivered him there. That had been three days ago. His condition had not improved, but it hadn't worsened either. Small miracles. The bunker had been quiet for a while with only Sams feet shuffling around, he felt as though the world was crushing his shoulders again. Still, he held hope that his big brother would wake up and all would be fine.

Castiel had regularly checked Dean's vitals and made sure he was alive and healthy. Seeing the one he loved in such agony, even if he knew the feelings were not returned, made his heart twist in ways he couldn't put into words. He had been distracting himself by talking to Dean about anything he could think of, sometimes he would even comb his fingers through his hair while trying to hold back tears. No matter how long it took, Castiel would not leave Dean's bedside until he awoke. But luckily it didn't take much longer.

"Cas?" A croaky voice came from the bed he was sat next to.

"Dean?" He mumbled, "Dean!" He smiled and took his hand and helped him sit up, not caring if Dean thought it was weird, but strangely he didn't seem to notice.

"Cas?" He sounded more alarmed as his eyes darted all over the room.

"It's me, I'm here" He reassured.

"Cas I can't- I can't see you."

All at once, Castiels world came crashing down. He had suspected that Dean would be injured but he hadn't predicted his loss of sight, but now that he thought back, it seemed rather obvious. Shaking away the initial shock, he gripped Dean's hand tighter.

"I'm here, Dean."

That seemed to get the hunter's attention. He turned his head in the angels' direction, but his eyes still couldn't stay focused. Now that he got a good look, the deep green of Dean's eyes were gone and replaced with a glossy faded green but they still managed to pull at Castiels heartstrings. Without thinking, he lightly cupped the Winchesters cheek to which he sighed and leaned into just like Cas had imagined he'd do. Dean's eyes drifted shut, though there was no real point, he chuckled slightly at the thought.

"What?" He smiled.

"You're taking this exceedingly well."

The smile disappeared as Dean leaned away from his touch and for a chilling moment, Cas thought he had said the wrong thing. But to their surprise, Dean was the one who reached out for Castiels hand. He quickly put his hands in Dean's path so he could easily find them and once they were locked he spoke.

"This isn't going to be permanent right?" Fear laced his words.

The seraph sat up properly, "Dean Winchester, I will do everything in power to make sure you regain your sight"

He snorted and leaned his head onto Castiels shoulder, "Thanks Cas."

After staying like that for a while, Castiel broke the silence.

"You must be hungry, would you like something to eat?"

"Yeah, that would be great." He said, momentarily distracted. But before the angel could walk away, "Wait! Cas!"

He was back at Dean's side in an instant, fearing something had happened that he hadn't noticed, "Dean?"

"Please don't leave me alone."

He was silent for a moment.

"Cas?"

"I won't," Cas said softly.

"What was that?"

"If you wish for me to stay by your side, then I promise you I will. Is that what you want? For me to stay?"

For all the dancing around their feelings they do, they could both at least acknowledge a pledge when they heard one. Dean knew what Cas meant, he was devoting his life to him and no matter how unworthy he felt, he couldn't bear to be without his angel ever again so he did the only thing that he knew would keep the angel around.

"Yes. It's all I've ever wanted. You're all I've ever wanted."

Castiel was starting to think there was hope for them.

"Then I'll stay."

They both grinned, even though only one of them would know.

----

"Dean!" Sam yelled in surprise when he saw him stumble into the map room while clutching onto Cas for support.

Dean jumped when he felt two more arms wrap around him but hugged back when he realized who it was. Castiel stepped back to allow them a moment to reconnect. Sam leaned back and gripped his brothers' shoulders furrowing his brows.

"Are you, okay?" He was alarmed by the lack of focus.

He turned his head away and grimaced, "So about that," He sighed, "Sammy, that witch did a number on me."

"Yeah I know, I saw." The taller of the three tried to lighten the mood but started to falter when he spotted the looks on their faces. "Dean?" He spoke a lot quieter.

Dean was not a fan of the fear lacing his little brothers' voice, but he sucked it up because his injury was not something he could hide this time. "I can't see."

The room was suffocatingly silent and being unable to read his facial expression, Dean worried about what Sam was thinking.

"I had my suspicions." He finally replied, loosening his hold on his shoulders.

"What? How could you possibly have predicted this?"

Sam made a classic bitchface but rushed to explain once he realized that Dean would not be able to read his face. "Dean, even you couldn't walk away from that unscathed. I mean, you had flames pouring out of your eyes, I figured that might have done some damage."

Despite not being able to see, he could still hear perfectly fine, and that was definitely sarcasm in his brothers' voice. He mumbled something about being a know-it-all before Castiel spoke.

"We were just going to get Dean something to eat, would you like to join us?"

He didn't want to intrude on what could possibly be an intimate moment between the two oblivious lovers, but with the recent discovery that his older sibling was now blind, he couldn't find it in himself to leave. "Yeah sure, I was starting to get hungry anyway. What are we making?"

"Pancakes?" Cas suggested.

He received an approving nod from the other two and felt relieved that they hadn't noticed he had specifically chosen a simple recipe that Dean wouldn't need his eyes for. Sam started to walk to the kitchen when he froze and turned to his brother. Castiel stepped up to Dean and wrapped his left arm around his waist, he used his other to grip Dean's hand to help keep him balanced. Sam smiled at the scene and kept leading the way, despite Cas already knowing where to go.

They slowly made it to the countertop where Sam had already started getting out the ingredients, pans, and plates for them. He recognized the look Cas was giving Dean, it was the face he made when he was sure no one could see him and he suddenly regretted being there. Of course, he shouldn't have worried, as if Cas would ever let anything happen to his big brother, especially whilst he's that vulnerable. Quickly, he managed to fabricate some lame excuse.

"Uhhh, I'm not seeing your syrup here Dean. There might be some in the storage unit, I'll be back in a few minutes." He hurried out with absolutely no intention of coming back anytime soon.

Dean felt almost glad that he heard his brother exit because almost as soon as he did Castiel took up a place right behind Dean and covered his arms with his own to help guide his hands. Cas had placed his own hands over Deans and started to help him make the batter. First, he lead their hands over to the flour, to which Dean responded by taking the bag and following Castiels directions. They continued like this for a while with increased words of praise like 'you're doing great' and 'Yes that's right' which sent that familiar spark down his spine. If it were coming from anyone but Cas, Dean would have thrown them to the floor for treating him like that but when it was coming from his angel, he had to fight the urge to lean back into him and sigh in content.

Once the batter was made, Castiel left his side to do the cooking part, which Dean could understand but still didn't like the cold that washed over him when he stepped away from their embrace. He heard the angel pouring the mix into a hot oiled pan and waited patiently for them to finish cooking. But despite knowing that his angel was only a few feet away, he couldn't help the dread and paranoia from settling in his heart. He reached out for the counter and felt his fingertip brush against it, he quickly took a step closer and placed his palms against the cool surface to ground himself. There was still flour smeared across the metal from earlier which made him smile and calm down a bit. At that exact moment, Castiel noticed Dean's adrenalin spike, luckily he had just finished with the food and managed to set it aside before making his way back over to him.

"Dean? Are you ok?" He took Dean's hands off the counter and kept them securely in his and was over the moon to catch sight of the tension that left his shoulders.

"Yeah, 'm fine. Just a little uneasy about, you know. Not being able to see. Kinda makes the world a whole lot more dangerous for someone like me."

He felt the shift in the room, then the warm breaths of air on his face which indicated that Castiel had moved closer. "I will not leave your side, Dean. And until you can defend yourself once more, I'll gladly do it for you."

His throat constricted, making it hard to choke out any words, but he still somehow managed, "And if I never get my sight back?" a gentle hand slid up Dean's neck and a thumb caressed his cheek.

"Then you'll just have to get used to me being around." He spoke in a quiet voice.

Dean inched his face a little closer until they were breathing in each others air, "Doesn't sound like a bad thing to me"

"So we definitely don't have any syrup, but I thought that I could put some strawberries on it or something, who knows, you might like it-" He suddenly clocked the position they were in.

They abruptly separated and looked at Sam in embarrassment while the tall man severely cursed himself out in his head. Castiel was quick to take Dean's hand again and lead him to the dining table, helping him find his seat. Once Dean was seated, he turned to fix up the pancakes for him but was met with Sam holding out a hand and mouthing 'I got it' then gesturing to the place beside his brother. He took the hint and sat on the empty chair, he then crossed his ankle with Deans which earned him an amused huff. Sam walked up and placed two plates in front of the pair, he gave cutlery to Cas but Dean's pancakes came prerolled so he could easily pick them up, just how he liked them.

They sat at the table talking for hours, they laughed and joked and brushed on the topic of how to rid Dean of whatever had taken his sight, but he only brushed them off stating they could discuss it later. Soon enough Dean started to fall asleep but was unwilling to give up the moment so he stayed. Inevitably, he fell asleep on the table, arm curled around his head to protect it from the harsh surface of the table.

Sam and Castiel continued to speak in hushed voices as to not disturb Dean. But eventually, Sam decided it was time to get serious.

"Dean?" He whispered to make sure he was well and truly asleep.

After he got no reply, he turned to the angel, "Cas, I have an idea of how to fix this but you need to hear me out."

He made an eager 'go ahead' gesture.

"You should kiss him."

Castiel stared at him blankly for a moment before the heat started to crawl into his cheeks.

He continued, "It was a love spell that did this to him, the cure could be, you know." He rubbed his neck, a little bit humiliated to say this out loud. "Give Dean true loves kiss or something."

He glanced at his sleeping brother to make sure the mention of the cliche being used in the same sentence as his name didn't force him to consciousness out of spite.

Cas looked at Dean sadly, "Sam, I appreciate the thought but for that, to work he would have to be in love with me."

The youngest Winchester was taken back for a moment, before going through all five stages of grief at record speed. "Cas, I know you both have some pretty severe self-esteem issues, but there is not a single doubt in my mind that Dean Winchester is in love with you." The angel looked truly shocked to hear this, which made Sam think maybe he was less observant than he had initially thought. "Please man, just," He took a breath, "At least try. Please?"

"Okay." He said after a beat.

Sam smiled in victory, "Great." He stood and stretched. "Well then, I'm gonna hit the sack. He probably should too." Sam smiled warmly at Dean and waved goodnight before leaving for his room.

Castiel sat in the kitchen thinking for a while, he stared at Dean for a while, then finally decided to wake him up with a careful shake of the shoulder. Dean suddenly sprung up from his chair and frantically looked around, he visibly started panicking, his eyes widened and he shook uncontrollably. Castiel shot from his seat and brought the hunter into his arms. Dean managed to calm down after thinking about what had occurred within the last few days and returned the hug. The embrace ended after a prolonged amount of time. Cas then explained that Dean needed to head to bed, and he agreed.

They resumed the position of Castiel acting as a sort of crutch for Dean as they sauntered to his room. They got to the door and it was the angel's turn to panic, but before it could go far, Dean felt around for the handle and opened the door. He dragged Castiel into his bedroom without even thinking about it. Naturally, he stripped down to his boxers and stumbled his way into bed while Castiel stood in front of the now-closed door watching him.

"Cas?" He called, worried that he had left.

"I'm here." He rushed to explain, and the worry left his face.

"You know, standing all night can't be comfortable so, you could maybe chill in bed with me?" Dean suggested in a hushed tone.

Castiels heart soared at the thought of being able to be in bed with Dean. "Of course." The smile was clear in his tone.

He strode up to the bed and started to copy Dean in removing his clothing. They both got into bed at the same time, it was awkward at first but they soon melted into it. They shuffled closer together until Castiel had Dean cradled in his arms. The ferocious hunter that had ended the reign of many monsters snuggled his nose under the angel's chin in search of warmth. Cas wrapped his arms around Dean's hips and pulled him in close.

"Goodnight Cas."

"Goodnight Dean." Even though he didn't really require sleep, he was needing it more as time went on, so he could try at least.

Sams words suddenly echoed in his mind as Dean pressed himself just a little bit closer to get comfy.

/there is not a single doubt in my mind that Dean Winchester is in love with you/

He smiled and closed his eyes.

----

Dean's eyelids fluttered open and at first, was not fazed by the darkness that greeted him, but after reaching for his lamp and hearing the familiar click of the switch, dread started to fill his stomach. Still, he could not see. Moments had passed as Dean sat in his own darkness, letting his mind spiral into a well of doubt, when two calming hands reached for him. His mind caught up to him after a minute, and he leaned into Castiels warm embrace.

"Cas." He grinned.

"Good morning Dean." He returned.

This is what Dean wanted. He wanted to be able to wake up in the mornings next to his angel, to be warm and safe in his arms without fear of him leaving. But he would never force him to stay, he had to want to and the chances of that happening have been going up.

This continued, the two waking up together, cooking and eating together. Castiel would not leave Dean's side unless Dean made him, and he only did that when he needed the bathroom, but he always waited right outside. Two weeks passed by quickly as the Winchesters tried to figure out a counterspell, but they found nothing and were starting to think that it was a biological issue, that Dean's eyes had paid the price for the witches' ignorance. They started to lose hope and Sam was finally fed up.

"Cas." Sam cornered him whilst he was waiting outside the bathroom door waiting for Dean to finish his shower.

"Sam." He greeted.

"Have you done it yet?"

"Done what?"

The tired hunter huffed impatiently, "Have you kissed my brother?"

The angel blushed and looked down, finding the floor suddenly very interesting, "No."

"You do understand that it could potentially give him back his sight, right?"

During their research hours, Castiel would quietly read whatever book he had to Dean while he leaned in a little close to be just friendly and dozed off against his shoulder, probably forgetting his younger brother was there. They had told Dean that they had found nothing when in reality all evidence pointed towards a kiss being the cure. But anytime it would pop up, Sam would turn the book to face Cas and violently point at it until Dean questioned why they were being so silent.

"..."

"Look," Sam spoke with sympathy, "I know why you're not doing it. And it's not because you're scared you'll lose him because the past few weeks have proved that you are both smitten with each other. You won't kiss him because you're scared that he'll be able to see again after."

The angel looked horrified "Sam I wouldn't do something like that, I'd never intentionally let him suffer like that."

"Then why? Because you know damn well that he loves you too." He crossed his arms as he waited for a reply.

Castiel shifted his weight, "Everything has come at a price, I don't trust that if I get him, he won't be snatched away from me. I can't risk that Sam. I can't risk Dean"

There was a pause, then Sam sighed and took a step forward opening his arms and pulling the angel into an embrace, to which he returned.

"But if you do nothing about your feelings, then everyone loses. Not just you, but Dean too. And me, I swear if I have to watch you two make heart eyes at each other for the rest of our lives, I'm gonna retire early."

Cas snorted in amusement and broke from the hug, looking up at the youngest Winchester. "Thank you, Sam, I'll try."

"Thank YOU, Cas. It's nice seeing him so happy. He really deserves it." He gave a smile and walked off back down the hall.

On the other side of the bathroom door, Dean sat with his knees to his chest where he had been listening intently while the water from the shower made it seem like he wasn't. After the conversation ended, he quietly padded over and hopped under the surprisingly good water pressure and quickly washed himself down. He wrapped a warm towel around his waist and left the bathroom where the angel was still waiting.

He smiled when the angel held his arm to guide him and noticed that he was brushing a thumb over his hand.

----

They were standing in Dean's bedroom almost ready for bed when Castiel decided to make his move.

"Dean?"

He had been waiting for this. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

He took a breath and stepped away from his drawer. He walked over to where Castiels voice was coming from and held out a hand for the angel to guide him to stand in front of him.

"Course," He shrugged, "What's on your mind?"

"I've been thinking about it a lot, about you, about us and I've decided that I need to tell you. I know you're not really the type for expressing feelings normally but these last few weeks have been a little different and I just thought that it may be a good time to tell you-"

Dean placed a hand on his jaw, "Cas?"

"Yes?" He breathed.

"I love you too."

The angels' eyes started to water, finally hearing those words he had dreamed would fall from his lips. He rushed to return the gesture, but Dean pushed away and toppled over in pain before he could.

"Dean? Dean are you ok?" He knelt by where the hunter had fallen.

Dean was on his knees, covering his eyes with both hands as they stung like he had dipped his head in vinegar. Slowly, the pain subsided and he glanced at the body in front of him.

"Cas?"

After two weeks of only being able to hear his angel, fell his touches but not being able to look him in the eye, finally, those baby blues were clear as day staring right back at him.

"Can, can you see me?" He whispered in disbelief.

Dean stared for a moment longer and smiled. "Yeah," He took Castiels face between his hands and brought him closer, "I can see you."

A ball of warmth and content exploded in his chest when their lips finally met like it was what he was made to do, and in a way he was.

They slowly parted and blinked at one another, "Your eyesight's back, you didn't have to do that."

"But I wanted to."

Castiel made a move this time, pulling them both to their feet and dragging the Winchester in by his hips, he crashed their mouths together. It was unlike the first which was sweet and slow, this one was full of desperation and raw hunger. Dean's arms snaked to the back of the angel's neck, and soon enough one of them drifted to comb through his hair. Their lips moved in sync, eagerly pushing against each other which caused Castiel to have Dean leaning back gasping for air. His messy hair and swollen lips contradicted the pout on his face.

Dean chuckled, "We should probably get comfortable."

He moved closer to the bed and started to remove his clothes. They had been doing this for weeks but this time was different, this time Dean was looking at him with a seductive smirk, this time he was staring him in the eyes as he slowly pulled off each piece of clothing. Tension rose in Castiel and he hurried to take off his everyday suit, he got there eventually and climbed into bed joined by a beautifully naked Dean. The kissing continued as Cas ran his hands up and down the hips of his new lover who was leaning over him, and then straddling his hips and grinding down. Each time the hunter rolled his hips he was rewarded by a delicious groan from the angel below him.

"Feel good?" He questioned from his seat.

Castiel gripped his thighs to urging him to keep going. The way Dean was sitting had both their cocks sliding together, creating a slick coat of precum that quickly coated them. The hunter put his hands on Castiels' chest to ground himself as his grinding got more intense, but he didn't want it to end just yet so he stopped his movements causing his partner to whine in protest.

"Dean." He breathed.

He leaned closer and brushed their lips together, "I wanna take this further"

The angels' eyes immediately darkened, "How far do you wish to go?"

A smirk appeared, "All the way, angel."

In a split second, Dean was on his back with an incredibly horny Cas leaning over him smiling. "Of course."

With a click of a bottle cap that had been retrieved from the bedside draw, Castiel coated his fingers in lube. He rubbed his way down Dean's stomach deliberately avoiding his cock in favor of circling his entrance with his middle finger, teasing him for a little bit before finally pushing one finger in. The hunter gasped through his teeth, arching his back when Castiel pressed encouraging kisses to his chest. The angel kept his finger moving as he dragged his tongue all over his lover, painting him in bright red marks every so often. A second finger was added and Dean moaned, pushing his hips down to try and take more. Castiel chuckled and scissored them, trying to get him as prepared as he could. After the third finger had been used, he removed all of them. Dean whined and rolled his hips looking for any kind of stimulation. Cas kissed him gently and bracketed him in with his arms.

"Ready?"

"Yes, yes please Cas I'm ready"

"What do you want me to do? He asked smugly.

He groaned "I want you to fuck me, please Cas I need you,"

That seemed to get his attention, so he lined himself up and slowly eased in. He would gently edge his cock deeper into Dean's ass before pulling out just a little, then pushing in a little deeper. His technique was simultaneously killing Dean and sending him spiraling with pleasure.

"More, Cas please."

His moans were rewarded by Castiel finally bottoming out, they were both panting heavily as he sat there waiting for his other half to get used to the intrusion. Dean was shaking uncontrollably so Castiel moved his legs and hooked them behind his back, accidentally hitting that little ball of nerves, forcing a broken moan to escape his throat.

"Feel good?" He asked with a smug look on his face, acting as if he weren't balls deep in the love of his life.

"Yes, yes Cas it feels good," A little bit of drool rolled down the corner of his cheek, "Please move, please"

Castiel obeyed his begging and slowly started to move his hips back and forth. Dean wrapped his around the angel and dug his nails into his back, which was sure to leave marks. Castiel breathed out a shaky breath, trying to control himself but Dean's pleas of 'more' and 'harder' were starting to make it a lot more difficult.

"Ah, please Cas, please fuck me harder, please"

All reasoning went out the window when his blue eyes locked with the now deep green blissfully fucked out ones. Castiels hips started to thrust at an incomprehensible pace, which had Dean shouting his name and dragging his short nails harder down his back. The angels' hands snapped to Dean's waist, keeping him still whilst he was being harshly fucked into, he was definitely going to have trouble sitting down for a while and Castiel savored the thought. He once again leaned down and kissed his partner, swallowing all his moans as if he were starved of them.

Castiel angled Dean's hips a little more up and slammed directly into his prostate, making the hunter scream his while name.

"CASTIEL!"

They were both sent right over the edge at the sound of the angels' name on his lips, white painting up Dean's stomach and chest.

Cas rolled himself to the side before collapsing so he wouldn't crush his human and brought his exhausted body to rest against his own. Dean reciprocated the hug and they stayed cuddled until they caught their breaths.

"That was amazing." Dean breathed.

He smiled in return "Agreed"

He pulled his head away to look his partner in the eyes, "I don't want this to stop Cas, I meant what I said, I love you. Which means I want to be with you."

The angel smiled lovingly at his lover, "Forever?"

He laughed and tucked his nose under Castiels chin, "Forever"

Sam sat in the library with a book in his hands, it didn't even matter what it was on because he couldn't focus with the deafening sound of his brother screaming the name of his friend. He was happy for them sure, but he just really didn't want to be listening to them having passionate sex. He huffed and grabbed his headphones, plugging them into his mp3 and turning the volume up all the way. It worked for a bit and he was content to just sit there for a few minutes until he heard his big brother scream Castiels name like it was going to save his life. Sam suddenly decided that they would probably need dinner after their, Activities. So he rushed out the door, hoping Dean wouldn't mind if he took Baby. He deserved it for putting up with the two idiots, after all.

He drove to the nearest diner, eternally grateful for not being able to hear them anymore. On the way, he passed a tech store and had the magnificent idea to grab himself a pair of noise-canceling headphones. He would end up being incredibly thankful for his quick thinking. He pulled up to the drive-through and ordered two of whatever sounded greasy and one serving of the premium salad with a milkshake because he wanted to treat himself.

He ended up leaving their food in the fridge because when he got back, they were both fast asleep, much to Sam's relief.

He went back to his room with a dumb smile on his face, maybe his brother could finally be happy after years of pushing away his own feelings.

He still thought they were idiots though.

----
Fin
----