How It Should've Happened

"It's Just a Headache!"

Dean woke up on the couch with a headache. His eyes opened groggily and the first thing he saw was blue. He jumped when he realized it was Cas looking down at him. "Jesus, Cas!" Cas took a step back. 

"My apologies." He said quickly as Dean sat up slowly. He groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Sam, he's awake." Cas called. Sam came barreling into the room. 

"Dean! You okay?" Sam said concerned. 

"Sam I've got a headache, lower the volume." Dean closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. 

"Of course," Sam said quieter, "I can't even imagine what Crowley was looking to do that caused this." He said. Suddenly Dean recalled why he had a headache and everyone was fussing over him. He immediately shifted his body away from Castiel. "What did he make you see? Was it hell? Or did he give you false memories?" Sam questioned. 

"No." Dean said shortly, "Get some water and an ice pack it feels like I smacked my head on something." Sam looked surprised. 

"I'm trying to figure out how a demon messed with your brain and you want an ice pack?" Dean waved him off. 

"He didn't." Dean said. 

"He didn't, what?" Cas asked. 

"He didn't mess with my brain, everything's fine. It's just a headache now, someone get me some water." Sam and Castiel exchanged a look but didn't say anything before leaving the room. Dean stared at the ceiling. What a cruel joke. Replaying my memories out of context. Trying to make them mean something they don't. Dean felt his thoughts traveling through the memories again in a gentler way and found that despite his headache, he felt like he was drifting back to sleep. He was exhausted lately. In the kitchen, Sam was worrying out loud. 

"What if Crowley reprogrammed him or something? What do we do?" Castiel gestured for Sam to lower his voice and pointed to the room where Dean was. 

"I think we should summon Crowley again. Ask him what he did." Castiel said quietly. "We'll put him in a devils trap and if he's not forthcoming, we leave him there or torture him until he gives us answers." Sam nodded at this plan. 

"Tomorrow though. It's getting late and I want to keep an eye on Dean for the night. Bobby's out getting food and checking the library again." Castiel made a glass of water and brought it to the next room, Sam following. They found Dean asleep again on the couch. Sam sighed and went to sit in a chair across the room. Cas looked about and found a blanket which he pulled over Dean. He then sat in front of the couch and fiddled with the buttons on his trench coat. Sam watched this scene with interest before his own eyes began to get heavy.

By the time Bobby arrived home, everyone was asleep already. He put the food in the fridge and walked in to survey the library. Sam was asleep sitting in his desk chair. Dean was asleep on the couch. Castiel was asleep with his head leaning on the couch, facing Dean. Bobby shook his head and went off to his own bed muttering, 

"Idjits."

Dean awoke with a start. He pulled back the blanket on him and sat up. Some moonlight streamed in through the windows. First thing Dean noticed was Cas, asleep a few inches away, his face peaceful and a bit of drool on the side of his face. Then he noticed Sam asleep a few feet away in Bobby's desk chair, snoring rather loudly. Dean chuckled lightly and Castiel's wings gave a twitch at the sound. Dean leaned over and gave Cas's shoulder a gentle shake. "Hey Cas." Castiel woke up at the sound of his name and blinked in disorientation. He wiped the drool off his face and sat up with a groan. The sound reminded Dean of the sounds he made the other night when he had touched Cas's wings and he quickly buried that thought. 

"Dean. You're awake. It's the middle of the night. Is Sam awake?" He looked around and Dean shushed him. 

"No, and I don't want to wake him up." Cas looked at him with confusion. 

"Dean. Did you have a nightmare? What did Crowley make you see?" He asked with concern. His wings stretched just a bit whenever he said Dean's name. Dean wondered if that meant something. He had also been hoping to avoid this topic. 

"Don't really remember Cas." He muttered. 

"I could look for you. I'm much better at looking through people's minds than he is." Cas reached out to touch Dean's forehead but Dean dodged the motion. 

"No way." He replied sternly. 

"Why not? If he did something to your mind, you might not even know." Cas reasoned. 

"I'll let you go through my thoughts when you tell me why I can't touch your wings." Dean countered. It might've just been the lack of light in the room but Dean could've sworn he'd seen Cas turn red. "That's what I thought." He turned over and pulled the blanket around his shoulders. "You should lay down horizontally Cas, I'll be fine." He shivered despite the blanket. A few minutes passed and Dean didn't feel Cas move so assumed he'd stayed where he was. He heard steady breath and then he felt warmth creeping around him and he turned back over to see what Cas was doing. But it turned out not to be Cas himself. Just his wings. Cas had already gone back to sleep but his wings were spreading outward and after a moment one came to rest on his torso, the other folding neatly back and away from him. Dean shifted his whole body closer to Cas and his wing tucked around him protectively. Dean sighed at the touch. It felt amazing. Dean moved slightly and it must've brushed the wings because then he was pulled closer, almost to the edge of the couch. Cas let out a groan and his wing had pulled Dean so close he could've counted his eyelashes. He sucked in a breath and told himself to go to sleep. It took a very, very long time before Dean managed to fall asleep.