Your Dark Promise

Chapter 24

Castiel's p.o.v

Cas went downstairs, pulling whiskey from his kitchen and sitting with it, feeling some type of way that Dean just kicked him out of his bedroom. That Dean was actually interested and asking about his life, and he shut him down. As soon as Cas sat down on the couch, he got notifications on his phone that Dean had opened his reading app, kicked out for a book.

Benny sat in a chair across from him, "Been home an hour, and you're already frustrated?" He said, looking at his watch.

"Why did you tell me to try? It's hard, and he doesn't even like me. And it was easier to just hit him to make him behave how I wanted him to." Cas said, taking a long pull from his drink and leaning  his head back, staring at the ceiling.

"I never said it'd be easy. For either of you." Benny casually said, smiling at his phone.

"He wants to know about the Styne's, and I can't tell him." Cas almost whispered to the air.

"Can't or won't?" Benny replied.

Cas quickly looked to him, careful of how he worded everything as only Benny knew anything about that time in his life here, and he didn't want his men to catch on to anything. "I can't tell him, Ben. How would that make me look to him? And if he ever gets away from here, tells anyone? I might as well go back to Jacob's bed because I'd be ruined."

Benny gave him a hard glare. No one besides his brothers ever looked at him like that. "Or it would be a bridge between you two, and you can both help each other. Connect over shared experiences. Also, make him feel a little less used with his secret." They sat there in silence for a while until Benny stood, "I'm tired of playing relationship counselor here, though. So make up your mind what you're doing and don't complain about the outcome." Benny left the penthouse going on his usual rounds to check and survey the building.

Cas got a notification that Dean exited his reading app and locked his phone. His meds were probably kicking in, and he was probably close to falling asleep. Cas sat there alone for a bit, finishing his drink before making his way back to his room, finding that Dean was indeed now asleep. Cas sat on the bed next to him, pulling his laptop to him to get some work done, feeling a little settled being in the same room as Dean at least.

Dean slept for a few hours until he started to blink awake. He looked over at Cas, who was still typing away at his laptop. He looked to him for a while until Cas brought his stormy eyes to his, "Need more medicine?" He asked.

Dean shook his head before pulling himself up as best he could in the bed. "No, I've slept enough the past week, kind of tired of it."

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, pulling to his feet, Cas quickly tossing his laptop on the bed and walking over to his side and grabbing at his arms, "Could warn a guy." He said, helping Dean up.

Dean stood with his assistance, looking Cas over, "I'm fine, I can walk 20 feet to the bathroom." He tried pulling his good arm away from Cas, but he just held on tighter. Dean sighing as they both now make their way to the bathroom. Cas watched him as he let him go once inside, Dean sighing, "Castiel. Can I just have a moment? I've not been alone since everything happened."

Cas now disliked Dean not using his nickname, and a part of him hated being told what to do, "I don't think you get to tell me what to do in my own bathroom, Dean"

"Of course not." Dean answered, grinding his teeth, "but can I at least piss in peace?"

Cas narrowed his eyes at him but left, closing the door and standing outside of it. Once he heard a flush and the water turned on and off, he waited for the door to open. He heard several things clatter to the ground, before a thump, and a curse. He quickly opened the door to see Dean on his ass, and several things from the counter scattered around him. "Doing some rearranging in here?" Cas asked seriously.

Dean glared at him, holding his side. "No, I fell smartass." He said, holding his good hand out to him for help.

Cas grabbed his hand, carefully hauling the large man back up to his feet. He helped Dean hobble back to the bed and sat him back down. "If you wouldn't have been so stubborn, you wouldn't have fallen." He said, watching as Dean clutched his side.

"I'm stubborn? How can you stand there and say that?"

Cas crossed his arms, looking down at Dean, "I'm not stubborn."

Dean looked him over with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Yeah. Forcing whores on me, drugging me just to fuck you instead of letting me figure out my shit first. Not stubborn at all." Dean repositioned himself in the bed tossing Cas' laptop to the farside from him. "Or making me tell you all about my shit and giving nothing back. Yeah, you're real fair and level headed." He grabbed his phone presumably to open his book again and ignore Cas.

Cas grabbed the phone from his hands, feeling pissey and tossing it on the table. "What do you expect from me Dean? We're not friends. We're not pals. Hell we're not lovers. I bought you. You are mine. You owe me everything. But it's not a two way street. I want something from you, it's mine, I take it. You want something of me it's up to my discretion what I give, end of story."

Dean dropped his eyes from staring him down. Saying nothing. Cas still standing over him, when Dean started tapping his fingers like he does when he's anxious or stressed he instantly felt bad. After several rounds of that rhythmic tapping Dean looked back to him. "Then collar me again. Tie me off to the bed like every other day I've been here. Ignore me until you actually want to deal with me."

Cas blew out a long breath, "I'm not doing any of that right now. You're hurt."

"So? I may be a broken toy, but you don't want me forgetting my place in all of this, right?" He pulled open the drawer next to him, "Where are they? I'll even put it on myself to help you out master." He started tossing things out of the drawer, pulling out a leather leash but still searching for the collar. He turned his eyes to Cas, "I was wearing the collar when I got stabbed. Where is it? How's a dog supposed to know his place without it? I can't remember what this setup is between us if I'm allowed to feel like a person. Where is the collar?" He asked, talking faster and faster with each sentence, his face red and his breathing a little hard, he was pissed.

Cas reached in his pocket for the familiar studded leather he'd held onto all these days. Running his thumb over, the material had calmed him while he had watched Dean passed out in that hospital bed. Dean's eyes snapped to it. He sat up more, scooting over to Cas and turning his back to him, "Go ahead, put it on me. Make me your bitch then. Want to find a gag too so I finally shut up and leave you alone?"

Cas stared down at the expanse of Dean's empty neck. He enjoyed seeing the collar on him, but not like this. Not with all this anger between them. He tossed it to the bed, "Dean - just stop." He said exasperated.

Dean turned, picking the collar up and putting it on himself. He connected the leash to it and held it out to Cas, "Maybe you can take me downstairs. Parade me around. Show everyone that I'm injured. Maybe you can convince everyone you did this to me and really get some more respect for beating the prized Winchester son. Wouldn't that be nice?" Dean was talking a little more frenzied now as his anger spiked.

With every sentence exchanged between the two of them, since he came back upstairs, he felt more and more terrible. Evry word coming from Dean knocking him down a peg.  He wanted to stay distanced, but he couldn't looking down at the man now glaring up at him and breathing heavily. He couldn't bring himself to do any of this anymore. He didn't know when things changed or what led to them changing, but he couldn't stand here and continue being this guy Dean was seeing him as. Benny was right. He had to pick a path, stick to it, and weather through whatever came of it.

He sat on the edge of the bed facing Dean, looking him over. "What do you want to know?"