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Dean noticed that something was off about Castiel when the lamb was sluggishly pulling weeds out of his little garden out back. Dean had been watching him from his study’s window for a while now, the watch he had been working on forgotten for the moment. No matter how much Castiel liked his garden, he wasn’t overly fond of the tedious task of weeding, but he usually didn’t look like he’d end up with his face in a bunch of wild strawberries either. When Dean heard him sneeze and curse at the toil, Dean put down the watch for good and got up to look out of the open window. He folded his arms on the window sill and watched Castiel gaze at all the weeds he’d still have to pull with a look he usually reserved for Dean’s ill-timed jokes. It took Castiel a couple of second to notice him, but when he did he snorted and pulled out some more weeds.
“You’re sick,” Dean observed, “and you’re being stubborn about it again.”
“I can help, Dean,” Castiel answered and wiped the sweat off his brow. “I don’t want to lie in bed.” He sounded frustrated and Dean got it. He hated being sick too, especially since he had become the pack alpha. With people to take care of, there was simply no time to be sick and vulnerable. He also understood that Cas wanted to prove himself and to show not only Dean but the rest of the pack that he could contribute. That he wasn’t just Dean’s mate. Considering how Castiel had always had the power to make decisions for himself taken away from him, Dean really did understand. He sighed and studied Castiel’s near miserable expression.
“Sure, sweetheart. But how do you feel about getting out of the cold and into the house? You can go over the books for me.” Dean saw Castiel’s ear twitch at the suggestions. “I need to know that you’re safe. It’s an alpha thing, Cas. I’m powerless against it,” Dean said lightly. That got Castiel to lift his head, showing Dean a suspicious frown on his mate’s face.
“What’s not safe about our garden?” he challenged, but Dean was prepared for that question.
“Bet you also thought that about the woods where I grabbed you,” he teased and did get the expected eye-roll. Despite Castiel’s apparent mild annoyance, he got to his feet and brushed the soil off his knees, but kept his back to Dean. Dean watched Castiel’s tail give a small flicker, as if Castiel’ had an internal debate about whether to get inside or continue to be stubborn about it. Dean knew he’d need to be a bit more convincing.
“Inside I’d put you on the couch, with cushions and extra blankets, to smother that cold in its root. A cup of tea and scones would be sitting next to you as you do the accounting.” Castiel looked over his shoulder and Dean knew that he had won this.
“You don’t need help with the books. I know how well you keep them,” Castiel argued, but still walked to the door and Dean left his study to meet him in the corridor. Dean put his arm around him and pressed a kiss against his slightly too warm forehead.
“Believe me. It helps when you do it, besides you have to know what’s going on. Back on the pasture you worked in a shop, you have more experience than Sam and I do, surely you can tell us if we’re spending too much money on something.”
“I know you’re spending too much money on machine parts,” Castiel retorted dryly, “and I’m also not sure if you buying lubricant in bulk is necessary.” Dean felt his cheeks warm at that. He pushed Castiel towards the living room.
“I’m not using pack money for that, but my own money!” When Cas was sitting down, Dean reached out to arrange the cushions and blankets around Castiel, mostly to distract himself from the burning on his cheeks. “And you know my rut is coming up, don’t make me repeat it all the time.”
“I don’t understand why you’re embarrassed about it. I’m not embarrassed about heats either,” Castiel grumbled but let Dean manhandle him until he was leaning back against half a dozen pillows and had two blankets over his lap.
“Because you’re not supposed to talk about it,” Dean grumbled. Fact was, that even though Castiel was his mate, ruts weren’t really things Dean liked to talk to anyone about. Besides, they weren’t that far into their relationship yet that rut or heat sex was even an option.
“Considering that you always tease everyone about their sexual activities, you’re surprisingly prudish about this.” The words called Dean back to the task at hand. He snorted and then reached out to ruffle Castiel’s soft but thick curls until they were even messier.
“And you’re surprisingly blunt. We’ll find a middle ground eventually,” he decided and then he bent down to press a kiss to Castiel’s forehead. The lamb smelled of soil and sweat and his usual pasture scent, just slightly muddled by his oncoming cold. “Are you comfortable?”
“I suppose,” Castiel replied and Dean deemed that good enough. He left his side and went to fetch the big accounting books. He gave himself a second to gather his wits and make the last remnants of shame disappear. When he got back he saw Castiel had settled a bit more comfortably on the couch and was nibbling on a biscuit. Dean dropped the books on the table and then went to the kitchen to push some scones into the oven and put the kettle on the stove. He took a quick look into the pantry, checking the list that Sam always hung on the door. Their stocks seemed to be in order though Sam would have to continue trading for the more expensive milk products on the market instead of just getting them from the pasture. He wondered how many more meetings it would took for that hard-headed Gabriel to start trading with them again. And who knew how long Michael would be sore about Castiel having sought sanctuary in Dean’s territory. Now that Cas was of age according to Winchester pack rules and they were mated Michael could do nothing about it anymore. Nothing apart from being a terrible pain in the ass from his stupid mountain. Dean glared out of the window, seeing the snowy peaks glimmer in the distance. He huffed in annoyance and took the kettle from the stove and poured the hot water into the tea pot. He got jam and clotted cream out of the pantry and put everything on a tray with some tea cups. He carried the tray into the living room where Cas was busy with the book.
“The scones are almost done, do you want a cup of tea already?” Dean asked and Castiel gave a nod without looking up. He let Castiel be after that until the scones were done, then he joined him to eat two. They were silent, Castiel far too absorbed in his work and this was just fine for Dean too. He enjoyed Castiel’s company, even when they didn’t speak. After he was done eating he retreated to his study to finish the watch.
By the time Sam came home from watching the shop, Dean was done as well.
“Why is Cas sleeping on the couch?” Sam asked in a whisper, when he poked his head into Dean’ study. Dean lifted his eyebrows. The last time Dean had checked on Cas, probably just 10 minutes ago, he had still been working, though it was true that his eyes had been drooping at that point.
“He’s got a cold,” Dean replied and pushed past his brother. “While I’ve got Cas duty you’re in charge of food.”
“You know that means vegetables,” Dean heard his brother call and rolled his eyes. As Sam had said, Castiel was sleeping, the book closed on the table. He was not yet sprawled out on the couch, but still a little ball, with his head pressed against the cushions in an attempt to block out the light. Dean put a hand on Castiel’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of his body through the fabric. Still a temperature, but at least it didn’t seem like his fever had gone up. He gave Castiel a gentle shake.
“Sweetheart, do you want to go to bed?” he asked and Castiel slowly opened his eyes. He didn’t turn to look up at Dean for a handful of seconds, but when he finally did he smiled. Dean helped him get himself out of the blankets and then he gave him a soft shove towards the door. “Go get settled in bed. I’ll bring you up something to drink and some toast,” he promised and Castiel didn’t protest. Sam’s expression was concerned when Dean came into the kitchen to get some toast and a pitcher of water.
“Is he alright?”
“It’s just a small cold, I’m sure he’ll be alright,” Dean calmed his brother, who had a habit of getting very worried the moment someone gave a sign of being sick. Dean knew why Sam got so worked up about it, so he just had to make sure to be honest about everything. And in this case he really wasn’t worried about Castiel. “I’d just rather have him in bed resting, than out and about.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll make him something healthy,” Sam said, still nervous judging by the tense line of his shoulders and the twitching of his tail and ears.
“Sure, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it,” Dean told him and saw Sam nod to the kitchen cabinets, probably coming up with all the healthy seasonal foods he could make. Sam wasn’t the best cook, but he was at least dedicated to the task. Dean re-loaded the tray and went upstairs and checked their bedroom. Sometimes Castiel went up to his own room in the attic and Dean wouldn’t have been surprised if Castiel wanted to have some privacy, so he was happy to see that Castiel was just getting comfortable in his – their – bed. He put the tray on the table next to the bed and Castiel grabbed the glass of water right away.
“It’s just a cold,” Castiel muttered when Dean told him to take it easy. “A bit of sleep will make it go away.”
“Sure Cas,” Dean agreed and sat down on the edge of the bed to brush Castiel’s hair out of his face and then he carefully petted his head. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore and tired, but okay,” Castiel told him with a sigh and closed his eyes.
“Okay,” Dean said, his voice dropping down into a whisper as he continued to pet Castiel’s hair. “You’ll take a nap and you’ll be a lot better tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow’s market day,” Castiel muttered, “there’s…”. His voice dropped off and for a while Dean thought Castiel had fallen asleep. But then he frowned, even with his eyes closed, and grumbled. “… honey I want.”
“We’ll get you that honey, don’t worry,” Dean said and now it seemed that Castiel had definitely fallen asleep. Dean continued to pet him for a couple of minutes, then he kissed his cheek and left the room to let the lamb rest.
Something was tickling his ear. Dean gave it a flick, still refusing to heave himself out of his slumber. The tickling resumed and Dean tried to press his ears flat but the cushion was in the way. He groaned, feeling his grasp on his pleasant dreams dwindling and finally he cracked open an eye. Castiel was lying in front of him, one arm raised to play with Dean’s ears. Dean instantly relaxed and smiled at his mate.
“Morning, Cas,” he greeted. Castiel didn’t speak yet but he gave a small nod. “How are you feeling today?”
“Fine,” Castiel insisted and leant in closely so that he could press his forehead against Dean’s. Dean relished in the closeness, the warmth of Castiel’s body and his fresh scent. It was comfortable and delightful. Most of all it was peaceful to wake up with Cas next to him, the sun peeking in through the shutters. “See? I’m no longer feverish.”
“Hmm.” Castiel moved to lie half on top of Dean, sprawling across the entire bed and his mate, just like Dean was used to.
“Thank you Dean,” he said and Dean looked down at the unruly mop of hair.
“For what, sweetness?” Dean asked.
“For taking care of me yesterday,” Castiel said, but quickly added: “for taking care of me all the time.” Dean chuckled and rubbed Castiel’s back.
“That’s my job as your mate. We take care of each other,” Dean told him and Castiel nodded.
“Still, thank you.” Dean sighed happily and pressed a kiss into Castiel’s hair.
“You’re welcome.”