Work Text:
"...Don't do this Cass". That's all that came out when he tried to speak. He wanted to say more, to do more, to do anything.
Yet, his feet were stuck, his throat was dry, and he recognized this familiar feeling, it came when Cas almost died from that spear, when he poured his heart into words.
"...I love you, I love all of you, you're my family". Dean knew what Cas meant when he said the first "I love you". He said it like he was serious about dying,
like he knew there was no coming back from it, but he came back, so why would this be any different? Right,
because he was standing in front of Cas while he was pouring his heart out again and he was crying, because something was different.
Maybe in another world, while Cas was confessing why this was happening and how much Dean meant to him,
would he have drowned out the noise at the impossible thought that this was actually happening.
No, not here in this world because Dean heard every single word, because he needed to hear it.
"I love you".
--------------------------------------------------
Dean sat on the cold concrete of the bunker's floor with his head in his hands sitting where Cas had pushed him, his phone next to him buzzing -
It was Sam calling, checking in to hear about what happened and to see if Dean was okay.
Dean's not going to answer it though, he's too busy thinking about what Cas had said, going over every word in his head like it was prophecy.
Somewhere in his head he was also blaming himself, for letting Cas get taken, but really what could he have done?
He couldn't even say it back, he wanted to so badly, but when he tried nothing had come out.
Dean couldn't believe he was really gone, heartbroken because something told him this was goodbye forever.
He noticed the bloody handprint left on his jacket shoulder exactly where he had laid his hand on Dean in hell to pull him out.
But now he was gone, just like that.
His best friend, in the empty.
Had saved him again.
For the last time.
As Dean kept replaying those words over and over again.
"Goodbye Dean"