After the End

Chapter Nineteen

Dean had officially been in his stupid, constricting sling for two weeks today. Two weeks of not being able to use his right arm and having to be extra careful so he didn't have to spend even longer in the damn thing. He had to sleep a certain way, which made cuddling feel like an extreme sport sometimes. After telling Sam about him and Cas, they'd been spending every night in the same bed. That was about a week ago, if Dean was counting right. On top of trying to find comfortable ways to sleep, switching between big and little spoon to accommodate his injured arm, the sling also got in the way of other things. Things Dean really wanted to do, but without both arms, the experience just wouldn't be the same. Cas assured him they would have plenty of alone time together once his arm was free, so Dean was counting the days.

Charlie promised to look at his arm after two weeks to determine if that would be long enough for his arm to heal. He'd been testing it out a little, trying to dress himself and move his arm a little here and there. The pain he felt two weeks ago had subsided almost completely, but the muscles were still very sore when he moved too fast or far. He was praying he could get out of the stupid thing for at least a few hours a day. Not that he didn't love spending his days with Cas and Charlie, but he felt the itch for a good hunt coming on and he needed to get back out there. Not to mention, his dad had been hounding him about it. He even tried to get Dean to come on a supply run because "it wouldn't be dangerous at all" but Cas quickly shut that idea down, despite John's evil glare towards him. Charlie backed Cas up and that was the only reason John let it go.

Despite the uneasiness between John and Cas, everything else seemed to be going smoothly. Cas had been getting more sleep and looked much better, whereas a week ago he was starting to look like the undead Dean spent the last ten years fighting. Not much changed at home other than Dean and Cas sharing a bed. Even though Sam knew they were together, Dean didn't want to scar his little brother for life by accident, so he tried to keep his hands to himself unless they were behind closed doors. Since they started sharing a bed, Cas hadn't been able to get up before Dean to get breakfast for them. Dean would wake up when Cas had to untangle himself from Dean's legs and then Dean wouldn't be able to fall back asleep in Cas' absence.

This morning was no different, except Dean woke up before Cas for once. The sun shining through the window hurt his eyes, but he squinted his eyes to look at Cas, sleeping peacefully with his mouth hanging open in the most adorable way. Dean smiled, turning over on his back without looking away so he could stretch his good arm. They had gravitated apart some time in the middle of the night, but just like every other morning they woke up together, their legs were slotted together under the cover, keeping them inches apart. With a small sigh, Dean started prying himself away from the angel, making Cas groan and blindly reach out to grab at Dean's bare chest.

"Dean," Cas mumbled, scooting closer until his head was resting on Dean's chest and suddenly all of Dean's hard work getting them untangled was for nothing. Cas had wrapped himself back around Dean's body in no time, his hands exploring bare skin as Dean shivered under Cas' touch. "So warm," Cas sighed sleepily, nuzzling in closer so his face was buried in Dean's neck. "I never want to get up."

Dean chuckled softly, running his fingers through Cas' messy hair. "You have to, angel. Charlie will kick your ass if you don't show up to work." As tempting as it sounded, they couldn't stay in bed all day like this. That was an idea for a different time, when they both had time off and no prior commitments like family dinner, or double dates that had yet to be rescheduled. "You wanna get up and get some breakfast?" Dean asked, when Cas' only response was a small grunt.

Castiel's stomach grumbled in reply before Cas could actually say anything. Dean smiled, stretching to kiss the top of Cas' head. "I suppose we should eat," Cas mumbled, pressing a warm kiss to Dean's neck before sitting up with a small wince. He stretched his arms, and then his back, and finally his neck. Dean watched his every move, mesmerized by how sexy this man in his bed was. He would never get tired of admiring his body and every time he thought about how Cas was really his, it made his whole face turn red.