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Dean’s soul shined the brightest when he worked so hard to save someone. Where Castiel had been a warrior of God, Dean was the warrior of the people. His greatness had been thrust upon him unfairly, but Dean picked up his burden and carried it close to his heart. The losses hit him harder than the wins.
Castiel admired his dedication, but he didn’t want the man he loved to not recognize what a treasure he truly was. He supposed that was a selfish notion, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted Dean to be happy despite the losses. Especially after a win like today.
They were winding down from a successful case with some final bits of research that had been able to only be skimmed over when they were pressed for time before. Castiel sat beside Dean on the floor in the library when Dean’s soul caught his attention. It was bright, and proud.
“I love you, Dean,” Castiel murmured. He smiled as Dean’s soul brightened at that.
“I love you too, Cas,” Dean returned, easily. When Castiel shifted to his knees and leaned in to kiss his cheek, Dean smiled and turned his face to catch his lips. “Good mood?”
“Of course. Aren’t you?”
“Yeah. Good job today.”
“You did a good job too, Dean.” Dean’s soul dimmed a little at that, but he gave Castiel a little upturn in the corner of his mouth that promptly disappeared when he turned away with a scoffing laugh. “Really, Dean,” Castiel insisted, “you worked so hard the past couple days. You did so good.”
“Yeah,” Dean said dismissively. “Just doing my job.”
“Dean,” Castiel pressed, “it’s more than that. You saved those people. You’re their hero.”
“Cas…” Dean said warningly. This wasn’t the first time Castiel repeated his sentiment that slipped out months ago. Dean knew what he was leading up to.
“You’re beautiful,” Castiel insisted.
“Go do something else,” Dean growled, pushing Castiel’s face away from his. “I need to finish this.”
It hurt to watch Dean’s soul crumble into itself, but Castiel was determined. As he left Dean’s side, he saw the small bit of light peeking from the shadows that tried to crush it. Dean would believe him some day.