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Dean whooped loudly in the warehouse, a large grin plastered on his face. Bodies were scattered around him, heads chopped off.
"All clear!" He shouted, voice echoing in the emptiness of the warehouse. Cas entered a few moments after his call, carrying a black bag, presumably to gather the heads into. Cas made his way carefully over some bodies to Dean, who was blood splattered, grimy, and dusty.
"Hello, Dean. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, never been better," Dean responded, sheathing his machete to assist Cas with clean up. "How's outside lookin'?"
"Two vampires out of three. One managed to run from me before I beheaded them."
"Ah, shame. We'll catch 'em later. You did good, buddy. Not a hunter in training anymore." Dean shot Cas a smile. The corner of Cas' mouth twitched up in response. It wasn't a full grin, but Dean knew he would get there eventually.
Cleaning up took two hours. By the time they returned to their motel room, Dean was hungry and exhausted. All he wanted to do was eat his burger, shower, and then sleep.
"Dean?" Came Cas' hesitant voice.
"Mhm? Something wrong?" Dean turned to face Cas, setting down the bag of food in his hand and his keys. They clanked loudly in the silent room.
After all the time Dean had known Cas, he liked to think he could read him well, and by the looks of it, something was bothering Cas. Dean frowned a bit, wondering what could possibly be wrong. It had been a good, successful day; something to celebrate!
"That vampire," Cas started slowly. "What if it hurts someone? Isn't that on me?" Dean stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
"Cas, you did the best you could." Dean assured, resting his hand gently on Cas' bicep. "There were three vamps, Cas. Three. You're still learning. Cut yourself some slack."
"That is not an excuse, Dean." Cas argued, seemingly refusing to accept the praise Dean had given to him. There had to be some other way to get through to Cas. "Okay, tell you what: after I eat, we can go drive around the town a few times, just to check and make sure that vamp isn't wandering anywhere close by. Okay?" Cas didn't seem completely satisfied, knowing that they most likely wouldn't see the vamp out in the open, but he nodded in silent agreement. "Good. I'm starving!" Dean's hand slipped from Castiel's arm, and Cas missed the warmth.
Dean turned right, cruising slowly down the street. Both men were silent as they sat in Baby. Cas was busy staring out the window, eyes searching for something he probably wouldn't find. The pair had been driving around for 20 minutes already, and Dean was starting to grow frustrated. He knew that Cas wouldn't let this go, and he understood. He understood how it was to feel as if you had failed, as if your best hadn't been enough. When people's lives were at stake, you didn't get the room for failure. Dean didn't want Cas to be like he was, but he knew there wasn't anyway around it either. All Dean knew is that he would never blame Cas again. He had done that once, and it had ended up being a major regret. He couldn't help but wonder if everything he did would end up as a regret.
"Stop." Cas spoke abruptly. Dean raised an eyebrow, about to argue, when his eyes saw what Cas saw. A person disappearing into the woods. Dean pulled the car over and turned off the engine.
"Cas-," but the man was already out of the car. Dean felt a tendril of worry wriggle its way into his brain. This was risky. Cas was an amateur, and Dean was leading him into a dark forest that contained a deadly creature. Well, no going back now.
"Dean," Cas whispered, and Dean glanced to his right where Cas was walking. Green eyes met blue.
"See anything?" Dean asked, looking away from Cas to search the forest around them. Everything seemed to blend together. Leaves, bushes, trees. All one solid mass surrounding him on all sides. Dean had been in plenty of dark forests before, but never with just Cas. At least, not like this. Cas shined his flashlight ahead of them, a little bit off to the left. In a clearing sat a small cabin. Dean would have walked right past it had it not been for Cas. He managed a tight smile, still trying to shake off the bad feeling he had.
"Good job, Cas." He veered off the small path they had been walking on, heading left, towards the cabin. It didn't seem rundown, but it did seem old and unused. As far as Dean could tell, all the windows were sealed shut, as was the door, which was locked. It didn't look as if the vamp had come here, but Dean had to assume that there wasn't any other place for the vamp to go. They had seen them come this way, and this was their only lead. Dean sheathed his machete and placed his flashlight into his mouth. He dug out his lockpicking kit and quickly went to work. Within moments, the door was unlocked. Dean nodded to Cas, who went through first, sweeping his flashlight across the room. Dean followed after him, examining everything. The cabin was nice enough, small but quaint. Dust blanketed everything, from the furniture to the pictures hanging from the wall. Cas went further into the cabin while Dean stayed in the living room. He walked over to the wall, examining the pictures. It showed a family of three. A kid of about eight with their parents. The picture had been taken in the cabin, right by the chimney, but it seemed old and the picture worn out. Dean moved on, wandering into the kitchen. The kitchen equipment was a bit outdated, but still looked somewhat functional, if not filthy from the dust. Dean took a quick look around before finding the light switch. He wandered over and flipped the switch. After a few seconds, the lightbulb illuminated, covering the room in soft yellow light. Dean turned his flashlight off and left the tiny kitchen, going down the hallway. "Cas?"
"I am here, Dean." Cas called out. Dean followed his voice, ending up in the last room in the hallway, on the left. He pushed the door open, which had been left ajar. Cas was inside, sitting on a bed that looked untouched for what seemed like at least a decade.
"I believe we should stay here." Cas said. Dean mulled the thought over. This place was small enough. Everything was functional. They could camp the night out here, instead of making the long trek back through the woods to his car.
"Yeah," Dean finally agreed. "We should."
"I am glad you agree, Dean. I explored the rest of the cabin. There is one other room, directly across the hall. It is what you would call 'The Master Bedroom'." Dean couldn't stop the smile blooming on his face at the exaggerated air quotes.
"Yeah, okay, Cas. Are you actually going to sleep?" Dean asked after a moment. All Cas did was shake his head. Dean nodded in reply, and left the room, closing the door at Cas' request. He opened the door to what he assumed to be the parents' bedroom and flipped the switch for the light. Dean took it all in. The queen sized bed, two nightstands, and two lamps, the closet, open and empty. He walked in, suddenly feeling his exhaustion weighing on him. After closing the door, he quickly checked the room and window before taking his shoes off and sitting down onto the bed. He heard the springs groan as they took his weight. Dean let out a soft sigh, glancing at the door. Cas was so close to him. All of Dean ached to be close to the angel again. He wondered if that feeling would ever completely fade. It seemed it never would, if he was being honest with himself, which he rarely ever was. He decided he was too tired to debate this with himself. Dean turned both lamps off before flopping back onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before closing his eyes and trying to sleep.
"Dean? Dean. Dean!" Dean groaned into his pillow, face scrunching up as he tried to fight off consciousness. But it came anyway. He opened one eye, letting himself adjust slowly to the light filtering in gently through the window above his head. Dean rolled onto his back, having rolled onto his stomach in his sleep. The door to his room was open, which must have been Cas. Speaking of, where had Cas gone to? The angel had just been in here pestering him to wake up. He sighed and sat up, wiping away a trail of drool from his cheek.
"Cas?" Dean called out, voice a bit rough from lack of use. No response. He furrowed his brow and stood up, grabbing his machete from where it rested on the nightstand. Dean pulled it out of its sheath before walking quietly over to the door. He peered carefully into the hallway. Nothing there. Dean looked ahead, to Cas' room. The door was closed. He inched forward into the hallway and stood outside of Cas' room before throwing the door open, machete in hand and ready to swing. The sight he walked in on made him stop abruptly in his tracks. Cas and the vamp, sitting on the bed. They looked as if they had been talking, but had stopped when Dean had burst abruptly into the room. Dean still had his machete raised, eyeing the vampire suspiciously.
"Cas, what the hell are you doing?" Dean questioned fervently. Cas stared at him, face as blank as ever.
"Talking." Was Cas' frustrating answer.
"Yes, I can see that. Why are you talking with a killer?" Dean shot the vampire a dirty look.
"Because Javier here isn't a killer, Dean. He's innocent." Dean's eyes narrowed as he looked between Cas and the vamp.
"You think he's telling the truth?"
"Um, I'm right here."
"Shut up, I'll get to you, /vampire/." Dean replied sharply, word practically dripping with venom.
Cas sighed, as if he had been expecting this.
"Yes, Javier is telling the truth." Dean looked back to Cas, who was giving him an odd stare. Dean received it as 'put the weapon down and go make yourself look representable'. He finally lowered his hand, sheathing his weapon. Dean ran a hand through his hair. He grabbed a chair from the desk in the corner of the room and slammed it down in the center of the room, just to piss Cas off really. It seemed to have worked, because Cas was now glaring at him. Dean smiled innocently back before plopping down into the chair. "So, Javier, tell me your story. Convince me that I shouldn't just kill you." He commanded, earning himself another glare from Cas. Dean easily brushed it off. It was a vamp as far as he was concerned. He wasn't looking to be polite. The man glanced over to Cas, who urged him on silently with a look. Javier met Dean's eyes, which were sharp and hostile, unlike Cas'. He didn't like the difference.
"Well, for one, I've never feasted on a human before."
"Oh, like I'm just supposed to take your word for it!" Dean scoffed, eyes wide. He looked over to Cas, almost as if to say 'are you really buying this?', but Cas' face was deadly serious. Dean sighed and mouthed 'fine' to Cas.
"Continue." He muttered before falling silent.
"That's my chair you're sitting in. This is my cabin. Bit of a shock, to find the two hunters you're running from in your cabin." Javier pauses, shifting on the bed to be a bit closer to Castiel. He finds the man provides him a bit of comfort in the presence of Dean.
"I know what you're thinking: why run if you're innocent? But I think you would run too if you had just seen two hunters kill the only other vampires you had ever known. Also, you're both utterly terrifying. Well, you more than Castiel, but... moot point. Anyway, those other vampires? I hardly knew them. They had come into town one day, just a few weeks back actually. Of course, I had sensed them and they had sensed me. So, the quick story is that we talked and started to get to know each other. I figured eventually they would leave--they seemed like the travelling type-- but they never did. That's when things got bad and out of control. They started killing people, left, right, and center. It's obviously what drew you here. I've read the stories. It was more horrifying than any second hand story. I knew I had to get away from them somehow, but I felt a duty to this town. To protect them, almost. I've lived here all my life, and these people know me and I know them. So I started to try and figure out a way I could get them to leave. I told them about the warehouse, and how we could probably find some lone teenagers there, maybe making out or something. But that was just the bait. I was planning on talking some sense into them, away from any humans who may get hurt in the process, but then you two showed up, and slaughtered everyone. I ran, and here we are." Dean crossed his arms across his chest, staring Javier down.
"And you're the only vamp left?"
A nod. "There's a bit more, actually. I think they were waiting for someone, making this town adapt to their needs. They hadn't trusted me much, after I refused to take part in the bloodbath, but I overheard them talking about another vampire. It was supposed to be some sort of big guy. Someone who had killed hunters before. I never caught a name, but they were scheduled to enter town today." Dean ingested Javier's words, feeling that sinking pit of dread in his stomach.
"A big shot, eh? Nothin' we can't handle, right Cas?" He glanced towards his companion. Cas simply nodded. He still seemed distant, apart. Dean would have to ask him about it later.
"I believe you." He finally said, and watched the relief flow into Javier's face. Dean rose to his feet, sighing. "Well, I could use some breakfast. We should all head into town anyway. See if you can spot the vamp, Javier." Javier nodded in response, but Cas remained mute. Not even nodding this time. With no reaction from Cas, Dean just took it as his cue to leave. He left the room and entered the master again, gathering his small amount of items. Dean properly strapped on his belt, and then slipped back into his boots. After ruffling his own hair a bit, he left the room, closing the door as he went. Javier and Cas had moved to the living room where they both stood, silent. Dean looked at them both, but read nothing. He simply shook his head before walking through the open front door.
The bacon crunched under Dean's teeth, feeling him with simple euphoria. Best thing in the morning. A cup of joe, waffles, crisp bacon and sunny side up eggs. It made him feel at home in the rundown diner. Cas was staring out the window, silent, while Javier was busy scanning the rest of the patrons in the diner, looking for the new vampire.
"What's gotten you into a rotten mood, sunshine?" Dean questioned, question aimed at Cas. The man looked at him, piercing blue eyes boring into his own.
"I am perfectly fine, Dean. I have no clue as to what you're referring to." Then he looked away again. Dean frowned, half out of worry and half out of annoyance at just being brushed off. He looked down at his plate, glowering at the rest of his breakfast. Dean pushed the plate away, appetite gone.
"So," he started, gaze moving from Cas to Javier. "How's the search going?"
"Bad. I don't see anyone suspicious looking. Nothing is out of the ordinary. Everything seems... normal." Dean frowned at Javier from across the table. The man hadn't lied to him, but for the vamp to just not appear in town didn't make sense.
"We might have to explore the town more. We can split up, cover more ground." Cas looked over, now invested in what Dean had to say. "Cas, you can stick with Javier. I'll go by myself. You two can take the west, and I'll take the east side of town." Cas seemed wary about splitting up, but Dean ignored him. If he had a problem, then he could actually talk to Dean about it. "Waiter, check please!"
Cas sighed dramatically as he came into view of the old, rundown truck Javier owned. It was the normal country man truck, mostly white body with a single red stripe along the sides and back. Rust spread across certain points of the truck. The windows were operational, but only with the handle. The seats were ripped in some places, and the truck creaked and groaned as Cas climbed into it and settled into the seat. He had wanted to stay with Dean, still concerned about what Javier had told them. Not many vampires were smart enough to best hunters. He wondered if it was just propaganda, that maybe this vampire was just made to seem big and bad when in reality was just a normal vampire. Cas continued to mull it over as Javier started up the truck. They drove slowly around the town, searching for someone they weren't even sure was around.
Reaching the one hour mark, Cas took his phone out to call Dean.
"Wait, Castiel, look." Javier had pulled over to the side of the street, and he pointed across from them a little ways ahead. Someone was disappearing into an alley between two stores. The person appeared suspicious enough, but were they a vampire? By the look on Javier's face, the man was convinced.
"Okay. Let me inform Dean first." Cas said, taking out his phone. He called Dean and quickly explained the situation. After hanging up, Cas nods to Javier. "Ready?" Javier nods in response. Cas can tell the man is nervous. Today might be the day where Javier has to kill someone. Cas has learned the hard way that there is no coming back from that. There isn't time or a way to console the man, so Cas just stares grimly ahead as they make their way into the skip.
After Dean hangs up on Cas, he floors the pedal, flying across the town as fast as he can. It's not that he doesn't trust Cas-- he does -- it's just that he worries about Cas. While the man can usually handle himself, Dean feels as if this situation is different. If Javier is telling the truth, then this isn't just a normal, run-of-the-mill vamp. This vamp is /dangerous/.
He slows as he nears Javier's parked truck. Dean quickly finds an empty spot on the street and pulls over. The street is quiet, save for the occasional car passing by. Dean climbs out of Baby, going to the back of the car to open up the trunk and gather the weapons he needs. Then he heads towards the alley, determination etched into his features.
For one vampire, the guy really packed a punch. Dean stumbled backwards from the force of the punch, crashing into two lone trashcans. Javier struggled with the vamp, trying to rip away the angel blade in the mystery vamp's hand. Cas was dazed from being slammed multiple times into a dumpster. So much for a quick battle. Dean slowly rose to his feet, grunting at the pain in his back from hitting the rim of the trashcan. He rushes over to Cas, who is struggling to even sit up.
"Come on Cas." Dean hisses out urgently, placing a strong hand on Cas' shoulder and then gently cupping his face to stop his head from rolling. He's done this before, but somehow it feels different. Cas meets his eyes. His nose is scrunched and his eyes are narrowed. Dean recognizes the look of one of annoyance.
"I'm fine, Dean. Go help Javier." He gently pushes Dean away. Dean rises to his feet. After one last hesitant look to Cas, Dean runs over the two struggling vampires.
"Be careful Dean!" Javier warns as he meets Dean's gaze for a split second. Unfortunately, that second is all it takes for the other vampire to overpower Javier and throw him back near Cas. Dean faces the vamp, anger rising hot in his chest.
"You afraid of a little tussle?" He taunts, a smirk plastered on his face. The vamp scowls and charges him. Dean tries to evade, but the vamp is faster. The vamp slams him against the wall; his forearm pins Dean up, feet not touching the ground.
"Choking isn't really my style-" The pressure increases and he gasps for air. 'Needle. Get the needle.' Dean fumbles with his jacket trying to find and pull out the needle containing Dead Man's blood. His vision is starting to go black, spots dancing like dark fireflies across his eyes. Cas comes out of nowhere, slamming his shoulder into the vamp's side and knocking him away from Dean. The vamp slashes at Cas, angel blade in hand, giving him a nice gash across his side.
"Cas!" The angel seems to be running on fumes, but Cas continues to try to dodge and evade the vamp's swipes. Dean runs up behind the vamp, needle in hand. He stabs it in the back with the needle and presses down on the pusher, ejecting the blood into the vamp. The vamp shrieks, tensing up and falling to its knees. Dean notices Cas stumbling away to the wall, clutching at his side. He forces himself to look away. Dean pulls his machete out of its sheath and drives the blade down, decapitating the vamp. He breathes heavily, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. Dean drops his weapon, stumbling over to Cas. Blood is still coming from the wound, soaking Cas' white shirt in crimson red.
"Cas? It's gonna be okay. I'm gettin' you out of here." Dean reassures. He cups Cas' face again and Cas unexpectedly leans into the gentle touch.
"I'll be okay, Dean." Why Cas is trying to reassure him while he's bleeding out on the floor is beyond him.
"I'm gettin' you out of here, Cas." He brings one of Cas' arms around his neck, and then slides an arm around Cas' waist. Dean rises to his feet, pulling Cas up with him. Javier comes up from the other side, bloodstained angel blade in hand along with Dean's machete. They carry Cas together out of the alley and to Baby.
Back at the motel, Cas lays on his bed as Dean patches him up. Javier has left already, informing Dean that he'll return tomorrow to bid them both goodbye. The angel is dazed and quiet as he lets Dean work. Once Cas is patched up, Dean rises from the bed.
"All done, Cas. Get some sleep." He mutters, patting Cas' leg before going to his own bed. All Cas does is grunt in response. Dean collapses onto his bed and sits silently for a few moments, watching Cas as the angel slowly nods off. It's rare that Cas sleeps, and even more rare that Dean gets to witness it. Cas' face eventually relaxes as he falls asleep completely. "Goodnight, Cas." He whispers before lying down in his own bed and falling asleep.
Dean wakes up to a loud crash. He jolts upright, knife in hand, but it's just Cas, who's currently on the floor. A broken glass is shattered on the floor around him. Dean rushes out of the bed to Cas, carefully avoiding the broken shards of glass. He helps Cas to his feet and out of the kitchen. Cas is pressed up against his side, but Dean doesn't seem to notice.
"Dean. I'm sorry," Cas starts, but Dean just shakes his head.
"Cas, it's fine. It's just a glass. No sweat." He glances at Cas, who is surprisingly closer than he anticipated.
"I felt dizzy, and stumbled." Cas explains, but Dean has a hard time focusing. Dean just nods and brings Cas back to his bed. He helps the angel sit and kneels down in front of him.
"Lift your shirt up, Cas. 'm gonna check your bandages." He instructs, and Cas dutifully obeys. Cas' chest is truly a sight to behold. Dean struggles not to stare.
"Dean." Cas calls softly, drawing Dean's gaze up. "Is everything okay?" He asks. The question shocks Dean. It's unexpected. He simply nods in response. There's a tension in the air. That unspoken thing between them rising up, encasing them in almost a bubble. It makes Dean's breath catch as he looks into Castiel's blue eyes, and his jaw drops a bit in wonder. Dean, silent, raises a hand up and drags his knuckles gently across Cas' stubble. Cas remains silent, seemingly unbothered by the intimate touch. Dean rises from his knees and brings pulls Cas in, almost as if for a kiss. He simply presses their foreheads together. In the back of his mind, he registers that he's shaking. Their breath mingles together. Dean knows that he's crossing a boundary. Their unspoken boundary. But something about this moment makes it impossible for him to stop. With his last bit of courage, he presses his lips against Cas' for a kiss. Cas' body tenses before relaxing. The angel raises a hand up of his own to place onto Dean's hip. Dean breaks the kiss, breathing in deeply before kissing Cas again. The same shock shoots through him as their lips meet. Dean is afraid. He's afraid that this perfect moment will shatter. Frankly, he wishes it would never end. Something about right now makes him feel safe, as if the two of them are in their own protective bubble, untouched by the world, preserved. Cas is the one to break the next kiss. Neither of them move. It's Cas who breaks the silence. "Dean," comes Cas' gravelly voice. Cas sounds as if his voice is shaking just slightly, but it might just be Dean's imagination.
"Sorry," Dean whispers. "Sorry, I just- I don't know what came over me." He slowly pulls away, backing up from Cas until he hits his own bed. Dean plops down. He avoids Cas' intense gaze. The angel doesn't seem mad. Horribly, he seems normal. As if the kiss hadn't even affected him. Dean wonders if he has misjudged everything. That what he thought Cas felt for him was in fact just a figment of his imagination. That this was not reciprocrated, and Cas was just figuring out the gentlest way to tell him. Instead, Cas stands up and crosses the small distance between their beds.
"Dean." Dean shakes his head. Cas reaches out and gently cups Dean's face, just as Dean had done to him. Dean meets his gaze, and Cas' eyes are soft. In a way that Dean has not seen him like for a long time. Cas tugs gently on Dean's shirt, signaling him to stand up. Dean does, hand automatically going to rest on Cas' waist. Cas slowly pulls Dean down into another kiss, and Dean practically melts. When the kiss is broken, their foreheads are once again pressed together. "Cas?"
"Hm?"
"You kiss really well." Cas smiles and then chuckles, and Dean's heart skips a beat at the pleasant sound. There are still a lot of things they need to do, like call Sammy and fill him in on the situation, try to figure out why a vamp had an angel blade, say goodbye to Javier, but Dean decides it can all wait. Right now, all he wants to do is focus on the feel of Cas pressed up against him, the gentleness that Cas displays towards him, and the feel of the angel's lips against his.
Seems like life will just have to wait.