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“Did someone other than a Winchester manage to set off an apocalypse?” Dean flopped on the bed without even bothering to take off his jacket, still covered in blood from the werewolf they’d had to take out and pumpkin guts from the pumpkin patch they’d torn up in the fight. “How many jobs do you have calling us?”
“Six. Kinda figure you’ll want to go after the dying kids… looks like a shtriga to me. Entire families getting sick and then just dying.”
“Ugh. Yeah. Gotta save the kids. Don’t even tell me about any of the others until we’re done with the shtriga. But man, I am just too exhausted to drive. I need sleep. Four hours?”
“Get up and take a shower first. You’ll thank me in the morning.” Sam started stripping down, getting rid of his own blood and gut covered clothing.
Sam fell asleep too, and woke up eight hours later to the sound of Dean cussing up a storm. “Sammy! Get your ass out of bed, we’ve got kids to save.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, how long… shit. Wow.” Sam got to his feet and shoved his feet into his shoes. “Cas, love?”
Cas showed up immediately, covered in blood that had Sam recoiling away from him. At first, Castiel was hurt and confused, but with a wave of his hand the blood disappeared. “My apologies, Sam. I was in battle. The other angels can mop up the remnants without me, but I didn’t think to clean myself first.”
“No problem, I know you wouldn’t do it on purpose. Sorry to take you away from a fight.” With Crowley human again, Abaddon had taken over Hell, and started a full assault on Heaven. Metatron quickly rescinded his spell, welcoming all the angels back – including Castiel, eventually. Castiel didn’t come right away, choosing instead to do what he could to save Sam after Sam came so close to finishing the Trials.
Castiel pulled his hand away from Sam's forehead, and Dean stopped pacing. “Can you do it, Cas?”
“There’s one way, but I’m not sure Sam would allow it. I need to talk to him. If he says no, then… I’m sorry, there’s nothing else I can do.”
“Screw that! Save him!”
“No.” Castiel vanished into Sam’s mindscape.
“Cas? Hey! You okay?”
“No. I’ll explain later, one way or another, but Sam, you’re dying.”
Sam pointed to Death. “I know.”
“I can save you, if you’ll allow it, but it will require me to possess you. I don’t need control, you’ll have full control over your body and I’ll do my best to let you forget I’m even there, but if that’s asking too much, I understand.”
“Don’t let me forget you’re in there. What happens to your current vessel?”
“I’ll put it in a state of suspended animation before I leave. With no soul in there, it will be all right for a while. Long enough.”
“How long will this take?”
“I can’t say for sure, not until I’m inside and can properly assess the damage, but it could be over a month. Perhaps longer.”
“Two months, if you agree now and Castiel remains at his current power level,” Death said. “It’s your choice, Sam. I will still be honored to reap you when your time comes again.”
“I thought you didn’t like undoing your work.”
“You’re not dead yet. Not until you take my hand to cross over. With the war in Heaven and Hell, it might be for the best for you to live, after all.”
.
Sam had agreed, Castiel had possessed him, and in the two months where miscommunication was all but impossible, they cleared up so much of the misunderstanding between them and discovered their love for each other was mutual. Dean had, understandably, freaked the fuck out when the first thing Castiel did after getting back in his own vessel was to shove Sam up against a wall and spend the next hour kissing him. He’d freaked the fuck out again when they took to wearing matching rings, at least until they managed to convince him that they were serious about it and truly in love.
Of course, with Castiel fighting a war in Heaven and Sam fighting what was really starting to feel like all-out war on Earth, things weren’t exactly going so well. Castiel glared at Sam. “We haven’t seen each other in two weeks, and you call me out of a battle to fly you and Dean to your next fight? Am I your husband or your taxi service?”
“You’re my husband, and believe me, I am very much looking forward to getting enough of a break to let us be husbands properly. I miss you so much. I didn’t know you were in battle, and you know I wouldn’t have been mad at you if you’d ignored me until you were done!”
“Dean would have.”
“Why should it matter what he thinks of you not coming immediately when I call? Dean’s not your husband.”
“It barely feels like you are!”
A door slam caused both Sam and Cas to jump. Through the window, they could see Dean throwing bags into the Impala. Sam was just about to open the door when he got a text from Dean.
I don’t want you near a shtriga anyway. I’m calling Kevin and Charlie. We got this. You take a day off to be with Cas.
Sam looked out the window just in time to see Dean starting the car. Dean met his eyes through the window and pointed to Castiel, and then flashed a thumbs up. Then he was gone.
Guilt flashed over Castiel's face. “Dean’s abandoning you? Where were you going? I’ll get you there.”
Sam shook his head. “Dean has some good advice. You said your battle was almost done, right?”
"Yes. I don’t have to go right back, or I’d have zapped you and Dean off instead of fighting."
“Good. You’re right, it does barely feel like we’re husbands, but I think I’m right too in that it’s because we both keep prioritizing the next fight over a chance to be together, not because we don’t still love each other and want to be together. Dean told me to sit this one out and spend the day with you. Can you stay for a day?”
“I should… no, you’re right. It’s not fair to put this all on you. Let me just tell Hannah where I’ll be.” Castiel disappeared briefly and returned quickly. “Hannah said I should stay until she calls for me. Heaven isn’t the only thing I should be fighting for.”
“Good.” Sam pulled Castiel into a kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”