Sunshine

Despair, Or is it?

Around another corner, Castiel guides Dean into basement storage room and closes the door behind them.

Dean coughs, still holding his chest as he doubles over. Billies hold still there. Castiel finds a pocket knife in Dean's back pants pocket and uses it to cut his own palm. He uses the blood to paint warding onto the door.

Billie approaches the door. The warding glows as it completes. Dean inhales, leaning back in relief as the pain subsides. Castiel turns towards him.

"Did it work?" Cas says, looking over dean to make sure he can't see any damage.

Dean swallows hard and nods.

Outside, Billie places her injured hand just in front of the door, sensing the warding.

"It blocked her grip on you." Cas informs Dean.

Billie pounds her fist against the door. It shudders against the force. The warding crackles, but holds. The slow pounding continues periodically throughout Castiel and Dean's conversation.

"Dean, she said that wound was killing her. Maybe we can wait her out." He continues.

"Yeah, and if we can't?" Dean replies.

"Then we fight." Cas tells him with a tone that says, Obviously.

"We'll lose." Dean says, walking slowly towards the back wall of the room, compleatly hopeless.

"I just led us into another trap, all because I couldn't hurt Chuck. Because I was angry and because I just needed something to kill, and because that's all I know how to do." He fists his hands in his hair, pulling.

"Dean..." Castiel said approaching him.

"It was Chuck all along. We shouldn't have left Sam and Jack. We should be there with them right now." Dean choked out, tears in his eyes. "Everybody's gonna die, Cas. Everybody. I can't stop it." Dean approaches Cas.

"She's gonna get through that door." He breathes.

"I know."
Cas is quiet and resigned.

"And she's gonna kill you, and then she's gonna kill me." Sounding pained, he exchanges a look with Cas.

Castiel agrees, this situation is hopeless, but he can't bring himself to say it.

"I'm sorry, Cas"

Cas realized something.

"Wait, there is... There's one thing she's afraid of. There's one thing strong enough to stop her. When Jack was dying, I made a deal to save him." He spoke quickly.

"You what?" Dean muttered shocked.

"The price was my life." Cas continued

"When I experienced a moment of true happiness, The Empty would be summoned, and it would take me forever." He breathed out.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Dean asked keeping his gave blank. John taught him at a young age, attachment made you weak. That emotions, made you weak.

Castiels voice was thick with tears. Like he had something in his throat.

"I always wondered, ever since I took that burden, that curse, I wondered what it could be? What my true happiness could even look like. I never found an answer because the one thing I want... It's something I know I can't have. But I think I know... I think I know now. Happiness isn't in the having, it's in just being. It's in just saying it." He smiled looking Dean in his eyes, telling him his truth.

"What are you talking about, man?" Dean sounded confused, still in complete and utter shock.

"I know. I know how you see yourself, Dean. You see yourself the same way our enemies see you. You're destructive, and you're angry, and you're broken. You're "daddy's blunt instrument." And you think that hate and anger, that's... That's what drives you, that's who you are. It's not. And everyone who knows you see it. Everything you have ever done, the good and the bad, you have done for love. You raised your little brother for love. You fought for this whole world for love. That is who you are. You're the most caring man on Earth. You are the most selfless, loving human being I will ever know." Cas, grinning, and sobbing, takes a breath and continues.

"You know, ever since we met, ever since I pulled you out of Hell... Knowing you has changed me. Because you cared, I cared. I cared about you. I cared about Sam, I cared about Jack... I cared about the whole world because of you."

His sad, tearful, and breathy laugh paused his confession.

"You changed me, Dean."

"Why does this sound like a goodbye?" Dean's voice cracked, his blank slate crumbling.

"Because it is."

Dean inhales, ready to argue, that all of that about him is just not true, but Castiel confesses before he can.

"I love you." Cas' smile was as sad and resigned as it was happy.

As the sound of something filled the air behind them, Dean blurted out everything he'd been feeling for the past few years, his blank slate, and mask shattering.

"I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had."

Castiel was frozen, mouth open. In a way that was very unlike the angel. Dean didn't have time to think, mouth blurring out everything. Every thought, from the past.

"You are my Angel. You are, and will always be, my sunshine." Dean took in a gulp of air.

"I've died for you. I've killed for you. And I would do it all over again, if it meant you were safe." His eyes filled with tears as he looked down, hand once again going to his hair.

"I dont matter, I never have. I'm here to keep Sammy safe, always have been. But you, you could do so much more."

Dean, now also smiling, walked until he was face to face with Castiel. He put his hand on Cas' chest, right above his heart.

"You said you loved me...And I you, Cas"

Dean was also sobbing now. Smiling, looking into Castiels eyes. He says.

"If we go down, then we go down together. The same way we always have, we go out fighting, or not at all."

Dean grabbed Castiels hand, and as The EMPTY rushed towards them, and the door broke down, they smiled at each other, leaning in.

Their lips meet, and they feel a slam against them, before cold.

Cold everywhere exept for where their hands were joined. So they didn't panic. No, they knew they would be okay, they ways were. Especially when they had each other. And the rest of Team Gree Will 2.0, that would save them.

Again. Don't they Always.