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The next morning when Castiel wakes up, he isn't expecting for Dean to still be in his home.
The man is sitting on his couch and the television is on - Castiel had turned it on for Dean before he went to bed, and since Dean doesn't need to sleep now that he's dead, the man had just watched it for the rest of the night. Though when he hears Castiel stir in his bed, he moves a little, turning to look at Castiel. Castiel gives him a sleepy smile and a wave, and Dean smiles back before turning back to the television.
It should feel a little weird having a dead guy in his home like this, but really, it isn't. He's gotten used to seeing the recently deceased after many years, and most of the time, they've followed him place to place because they had nowhere else to go and Castiel was the only person who was able to see them. Though Dean doesn't know he's dead, and he's probably going to have a lot of questions now that Castiel is awake.
"Why can't I change the channel?"
Yep, lots of questions.
Castiel laughs softly and pushes his blankets back, climbing out of bed and toeing his house shoes on. He notices that Will isn't bed with him, and when he shuffles to the 'living room' where Dean is, he spots Will on the couch beside Dean. Castiel's heard that animals have a sort of sixth sense like he does. Will cracks his eyes open and looks up at Castiel, paws reaching out to him as he yawns, his ears flicking back. Castiel sighs and sits down on the couch on the other side of Will, but Will doesn't move. Dean's eyes follow Castiel as he moves, and it's a little unnerving, but he tries to ignore it.
"Dean, I have something to tell you that you might not want to hear."
Dean tilts his head, his green eyes narrowing at Castiel slightly.
"Okay, shoot."
Castiel chews at his lip, trying to think of the best way to word this. He wants it to be simple, to the point, but at the same time, not. He doesn't want to scare Dean, doesn't want to hurt him in anyway; he just needs to tell Dean that he's dead, and he can't go home because he's dead, and it would be really nice if he were to move on. Heaven's gotta be a great place, right? Castiel never believed in the place, even though his family was religiously overbearing, but after he started seeing ghosts, he started second guessing his beliefs.
"You're dead," he blurts out, his hand flying over his mouth after he even has a chance to stop himself.
Dean doesn't falter though, just continues to stare at Dean. His face doesn't change, but Castiel can see that he does look a little bit more confused.
"Dead? As in, dead?"
"Yes, Dean, as in dead. You were killed in a car accident, and that funeral we met at? Yours."
"Oh."
That's all Dean says before he turns to look at the television, some cartoons on that don't even look mildly entertaining - no wonder Dean had wanted to change the channel so bad.
"Is that why I can't pick up the remote?"
"Yes, it is. And also why you can't return home."
"Is there an actual reason why I can't return home, other than I'm a ghost?"
"I-" Castiel pauses a moment and looks down at Will where he's curled up between them, purring happily; the end of his tail flicking about. "I actually don't know the reason why you can't return home. Yes, it has something to do with you being a ghost, but there's something else too."
"Hm, well," Dean frowns and looks at his hands in his lap, turning them over and examining his fingers, his palms, the backs of his hands. He doesn't look like a ghost to Castiel; he looks like a real living person, but Castiel knows that he isn't living.
It's quiet for a moment before Dean speaks, looking up at Castiel. His eyes look a little hazy, and Castiel wonders if that's because he's a ghost or not. It's been a while since he's been this close to someone who was recently deceased, and he can't remember what their eyes had looked like.
"How can you see me if I'm dead?"
"I don't know," Castiel sighs and rubs his palms over his thighs, his palms a little sweaty. "The first time I saw a ghost, it was my mother the night she died. Ever since then, it's been sort of a thing for me."
"Is that why you're a mortician?"
"Ah- Well, that's one of the reasons. For some reason, I can actually help spirits, well, pass over." It sounds a little ridiculous when he says it like that, and he laughs softly and smiles to himself. Dean hasn't stopped staring at him, but Castiel can see a smile tug at his lips.
"Pass over, huh? Well, that sounds like fun."
"I wouldn't know. They never come back, so I have no idea what it's like, before you ask."
It's the question that Castiel receives the most - What's it like?
He can never answer it because, well, he's never been dead himself, and he's never had anyone tell him what passing over is like. Do they go through a light to get to the other side? Do they go straight to heaven, or straight to hell? There's no way of telling, but Castiel hopes that it's okay, and everyone he meets that passes over is okay.
"You're going to have to do it eventually, Dean."
"Eventually," Dean repeats as he gets up off of the couch, heading toward the window on the far side of the apartment, gazing out of the window. "There's a haze over the town. Must be from the sea," he says absently, and Castiel chews at his lip before he stands, heading toward the kitchen.
Will follows after him, right at his heels, and Castiel feeds him before returning to the living room and changing the channel on the television, not really hungry for breakfast.