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The last thing Cas saw before the empty consumed him was Dean. Beautiful Dean Winchester. God, he loved him so much. The tears still flowed, and his heart was still bursting. With love, with sorrow, with regret.
He wished he would have told Dean that he loved him sooner, but he knew that he was something that Castiel could never have. The minute, no, the second, they were happy, the empty would rip him away.
He arrived in the vast nothingness that was the empty. Black and desolate as far as the eye could see. He walked around for a while, still lightly crying and wiping his tears, missing Dean something fierce and wondering what his future with Dean would have been like had he been able to stay, until the inky sludge rippled up and built itself into a humanoid blob before him. The empty molded and formed its nebulous molecules into a familiar shape. Once clarity hit him, a sob escaped Cas’ lips and his heart twisted in on itself. Dean.
“Dean?” he whispered with a quiet agony. “No,” be breathed out before his hand clasped over his mouth.
“Hmm, guess again, angel,” he said as he linked his hands behind his back. Cas straightened and stifled another sob, relieved.
“What do you want? You have me here now. I kept my end of our deal,” said Cas, his voice thick with anguish. Dean’s visage smirked.
“Yeah, I’ve got you here and now we’re going to have a little fun,” the empty gave a wicked laugh. Cas swallowed hard.
“What do you mean?” he asked, fists balling up by his sides and his insides twisting into a mess of anxious goop.
The empty came to stand in front of Cas and bent forward so Dean’s face was just a few glorious inches from his, within kissing distance. Cas licked his lips as his eyes roamed over Dean’s countenance.
“I know who you love,” said the empty in a sing song voice. “I know what you really want.” Cas’ eyes began to well up again.
The empty moved closer and placed Dean’s hands on Cas’s shoulders and ran them down his arms. The empty moved Dean’s left hand under the trench coat to hold Cas at his back and his right hand was moved to sit over Castiel’s heart. Cas closed his eyes and the tears streaked down his face. The empty was right, this is what he so desperately wanted. The empty leaned in almost in for a kiss, pressed his body against him and laid Dean’s cheek against Castiel’s. Cas began to tremble as he could feel Dean’s breath on his cheek, puffing down his neck. Dean’s voice rang in his ears.
“I don’t love you. I never did, and never will.” Cas’ heart shattered into a million infinitesimal pieces.
His legs gave out as he collapsed to his knees, hands limp in his lap as sobs and painful wails forced their way out of him. He felt like he was being pulled apart atom by agonizing atom. His shoulders heaved as howls of abject agony escaped him, tears pouring down his face and wetting the front of his coat and shirt. The empty sneered at Cas as he fell completely apart. The empty watched as Cas bent over and brought his hands over his face, whimpering desperately into them. He could hear Cas whispering “No, no, no…” as he rocked in despair.
The empty bent Dean’s frame down to take a knee next to Cas. He rubbed Cas’ back and Cas sat up and looked at him. The empty let a small, satisfied smirk wipe across Dean’s lips as he took in the sight of a pitiful and broken Cas. His eyes were red and swollen and he was still gasping for air. The empty leaned Deans face back to Cas’ ear, cupped his face with Dean’s left hand and let Dean’s breath play over his skin again.
“There is nothing for you back there.” Cas crumpled the rest of the way to the ground yelping in wretched torment. He grasped his chest as his constricted wails pierced the nothingness. His body trembled and rippled with ragged gasping sobs. The empty made Dean’s form stand, turn on his heel and walk away. Cas looked up long enough to see Dean disappear into the primordial void that is the empty.
In a blink he was gone, Cas still reaching to him as another series of sobs shuddered through him. He dropped his hand as he mewled and writhed in pain all alone in the limitless space of complete and utter nothingness.