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Cas stepped down a long stretch of carpeted stairs. He was heading towards the exit of the mental health clinic, towards the Impala which Dean was picking him up in.
"So, how was it?" Dean questioned as Castiel climbed into the car.
Cas cocked his head slightly and flashed an awkward toothy grin. "It was very informative. I learned a few things. A few coping techniques to be specific."
"Oh? Care to tell?"
"The one that I think would work best is called 'Five, four, three, two, one.'" Cas breathed, happy to share. "It's fairly simple; Find five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste and explain what they're like. It's a grounding exercise for anxiety."
Dean responded with a short hum. "You wanna do it right now for practice?" He inquired.
Cas smiled up at Dean again. "Yes."
"Okay." Dean started, "Five things you see, go."
"Well, I see you. You're the Righteous Man, and I saved you." Castiel stated the obvious. "That's one."
Dean repeated, "That's one."
Cas looked around, listing four more things. A crack in the pavement outside; He was drawn to it because it obstructed the patten of the concrete block path leading to the entrance of the clinic. A leaf that had fallen to the grass; It was torn at a corner, separating it from the other leaves. The fresh mulch surrounding the baby tree in front of the Impala. And finally, the painted stripe to mark where to park.
"Good job, buddy." Dean congratulated. "Now onto four things to touch."
Cas dropped his hand to the leather seat, feeling the smoothness of it. "I like the feel of this, so here's one." Cas counted. Dean nodded at him in response. Cas then leaned forward to put his hands onto the dashboard; It was rough but pleasant. "Two."
He turned his head to gaze at Dean before laying a hand on his face, rubbing Dean's stubble with his thumb. "Three."
Castiel slid his hand to Dean's throat with care, before pressing two fingers into the pulse point. Dean stayed dead-still. Cas felt Dean's heartbeat thump six times onto his fingers before he removed them, saying, "And four."
Dean blinked at him, unfazed. "Okay, three things you can hear." Dean gave a slight smirk as he knew what was coming next. Cas clambered closer to Dean and then laid his head on Dean's sternum, listening intently. Dean brought a gentle hand to lay over Cas's hair; He stroked the locks with care. Castiel eased into him, breathing soft.
"I don't want to move." Cas announced.
Dean's heart leapt in his chest with utter love for the angel. "Then don't. We don't have to finish." Dean murmured down at Cas.
"I want to finish the exercise, but I want to stay like this for a little longer." Cas concluded.
"Alright, Cas."
And they did.
After a few minutes wrapped up in Dean's embrace, Cas straightened himself. "Your heartbeat brings such peace to me, Dean."
"I know. It's yours to listen to whenever you need, and you know that." Dean confirmed. "Now, two more things to hear."
Cas cocked his head slightly, listening with care. "I hear birds chirping in the distance." He brought to attention. "And... the hum of the car's engines driving past."
"Good." Dean spoke.
Cas beat Dean to the next instruction. "Two things I can smell. Well, the stench of gasoline from other cars."
Dean chuckled. "Yeah I was wondering if you were gonna point that out, or if it was just me."
"I also can smell the odor of cheap soap wafting from your skin." Cas said.
Dean raised his eyebrows at Cas. "Dude, do you have like a superhuman sense of smell or something?" Dean inquired.
"Well," Castiel huffed, "I'm not human, well, I wasn't before now. I suppose my nose is more attuned to small scents than yours."
"I suppose that's very true, ain't it." Dean mumbled as he placed his hand on his face, rubbing at his eye. "Anyway, one thing to taste."
Cas was stumped on this section of the exercise. "I don't have anything to taste."
"Well..." Dean began before trailing off.
"What is it Dean?" Castiel asked.
Dean sighed to himself. "Skin has a taste. You could-you could..." Dean gulped nervously, taking a handful of shaky breaths before continuing, "You could always kiss me."
Cas squinted slightly, before softening his facial features and leaning into Dean's face. Castiel felt Dean's ragged breath against his nose, before they locked their lips together. Dean deepened the kiss, biting slightly. Cas placed his hand on Dean's chest, and felt his heart thrashing wildly. This startled Cas, and he pulled away with a sudden urgency.
"What's wrong Dean?! Did I hurt you?" Cas questioned quickly. "Are you okay?!"
Dean just burst into a laughing fit. "Cas, I'm fine. You're not hurting me, I'm excited, that's all." Dean wiped a tear that had formed from laughing so hard out of the corner of his eye. "Look, Cas, your heart is beating quickly too." Dean informed the ex-angel and he guided his hand to his carotid pulse. "That's just kinda what happens."
Castiel looked slightly embarrassed, his cheeks shone with a peach-toned hue. "Oh, I should've known that was the case, I'm just stupid sometim-"
Dean cut Cas off, "Hey, hey hey hey. You are not stupid, Cas. You have anxiety, okay? Anxiety typically causes people to think the worst of things before anything logical. Don't blame yourself for that, ever." Dean comforted. "It's okay to be anxious because you can't help it, and it's okay to ask for help because someone will always be there to help you. Remember that."
Cas stared at Dean wide-eyed. "Yes, Dean."
"You are not stupid, and you are not weak. You are the exact opposite. And I'm proud of you, man." Dean harped at Castiel lovingly, before diving in for another peck on his lips. "And I love you."
"I love you too, Dean. Thank you."