Destiel one shots

A Place to Rest(1)

Dean couldn't fulfill his promise to Sam, Sam had asked him to go back to Lisa after Sam takes Lucifer to the cage.

But Dean couldn't, he cared about Lisa, but caring wasn't the same as belonging, Ben was a great kid too, but no.

So he did what he always wanted, he bought a house from a friend, a friend he helped with few ghosts and who was more than happy to sell the house to Dean Winchester in discount.

Dean also started working in a bar nearby, like he wanted, but something was missing, it has been three weeks and he was plagued by nightmares.

Not just Sam, but a certain angel too, an angel who had already died twice — and defied Heaven for him.

Dean had been staring at the television for nearly an hour, not really watching it, the laugh track echoed through the empty house.

Then he heard it, the soft flutter of wings and Dean froze, his heart slammed hard against his ribs as he slowly pushed himself off the couch.

"Cas...?", he whispered, he stepped into the hallway and there he was, Castiel stood by the doorway in his rumpled trench coat, looking exactly the same — blue eyes steady, hands in his pockets.

Dean's breath caught, "Oh God... Cas", he said and he crossed the room in two quick steps and pulled the angel into a tight hug.

For a second, Castiel seemed surprised, then his arms came up around Dean's waist, "Hello, Dean", he said quietly.

Dean pulled back just enough to look at him, his hands were still resting at the back of Castiel's neck, and Cas hadn't let go either.

For a long moment neither of them spoke and just stared at each other, "How have you been, Dean?", he asked and Dean blinked stepping back, rubbing his neck.

"Meh! Not bad", he said deflecting, "What about you, Cas? You doing okay? Heaven happy to have you back?", Dean asked tucking his hands into his pocket as Cas tried to catch his eyes.

Cas averted his eyes at that question, "Heaven is not good, and I'm not ok", he answered truthfully, "What's wrong Cas?", Dean asked.

"I don't want to burden you, you deserve this peace, that's why I didn't come earlier, but", Cas said looking guilty and Dean pulled Cas to the kitchen where there was a counter and chairs to sit by.

"You are such an idiot, Cas," Dean said, pushing a chair out for him, "I care about you. You can come to me anytime", he said softly.

Cas sat down slowly, Dean opened the fridge and started pulling things out, "I'm making dinner," he said over his shoulder, "Guess you still don't eat?", he asked.

Cas shook his head, but there was a small smile on his face now as he watched Dean move around the kitchen.

"So tell me, what's going on upstairs?", Dean asked and Cas looked at his hand as he started the story.

"Raphael and his minion want to rule heaven, they are planning a rebellion and I am helpless, I have looked for my father everywhere and just", Cas stopped feeling frustrated.

"It's like my father wants this, he has given archangel powers to the ones who either rebel or leave and I am useless now, I want to protect everything my father built, everything Sam gave up for and I feel like I am failing", he continued not looking at Dean at all.

He felt Dean's fingers under his chin lifting him to meet the green eyes, "Cas, you're not useless. And you're sure as hell not failing, so what can I do?", he said strongly.

"I don't know where to start even, I wanted to get away from heaven for a few days", Cas said and Dean moved back to cooking.

"You can stay here however long you want to, this place has a spare room and you are always welcome here", Dean said.

Cas watched Dean move around the kitchen, opening cabinets like he had lived there for years, the smell of frying bacon filled the room.

For a while neither of them spoke, "You don't seem surprised", Cas finally said and Dean looked over his shoulder.

"What, heaven being a mess? Cas, when we met, heaven was a mess", he replied and Cas frowned, it was true.

"Besides, I was kinda hoping you'd come home", Dean said, the home slipping as if Cas always belonged here and Cas smiled at that.

"Why?", he whispered, "It gets lonely", Dean replied shrugging and Cas looked into Dean's eyes as he sat opposite to him.

"You've built a lovely place here Dean", Cas said looking around and how much it was Dean, it smelled like Dean too.

"Yeah, don't get too impressed, my biggest achievement so far is not burning this place down", he replied his mouth full.

"Also, now it's time to make this more livable for you too", he said pointing at Cas and Cas looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you Dean", he said and Dean looked at him, "What for?", he asked, "For being there when I need you and for giving me a place to stay", Cas said and Dean blushed a little.

"And also for saying what I needed to hear", Cas continued and Dean looked down making sure Cas doesn't see how red he was going.

"Hey, whatever you need, buddy", Dean said looking up and Cas had a fond smile on his face, they just talked for a few minutes before going upstairs where the rooms were.

"Here you go Cas, this is your room", Dean said opening the door to a decent sized room with a queen sized bed and shelves.

Cas frowned, "I don't sleep", he said and Dean bit his lip, "Right. Forgot about that," he muttered, "But I do. Need my four hours at least", he said.

Cas tilted his head, "That is acceptable," he said, "I will watch over you", he finished and Dean blinked.

"You... what?", he asked, "I can watch over you while you sleep," Cas explained simply, "Ensure that the nightmares do not harm you", he said.

Heat rushed to Dean's face, "What? No," he said quickly—too quickly, Cas immediately went still, the faint smile disappearing.

Dean ran a hand through his hair, "Cas, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap", he apologized, Cas shook his head.

"No, it is alright, Dean. I understand", he said, but his tone meant different, Dean frowned, "Understand what?", he asked.

"That it may be... awkward", Cas said carefully, "But I know you do not sleep properly because of the nightmares. I can help with that", he said.

Dean looked at him for a long moment, "Fine come on", Dean said and led Cas to his room, which was bigger than the previous and very Dean-like.

There was surprisingly some books, mostly lore books, a few cookbooks were stacked beside them, Cas knew Dean liked cooking, but he hadn't realized how seriously Dean had taken it.

And there was a chair facing Dean's bed and Cas smiled knowing it was for him, Dean followed Cas's eyes and realized what he had missed.

"That's not what it looks like, I just thought... you know... sometimes you might pop by", Dean stuttered having no reason at all.

Cas chuckled, "Go to sleep Dean, I'll be here", Cas said and settled on the chair after picking up few books.

"Yep, ok, do you need the light—", he stopped as Cas's eyes glowed, "Got it", Dean said and got into the bed.

"Night Cas", he said, "Goodnight, Dean", the Angel replied and within minutes Dean drifted off to sleep.

And for the first time in weeks, his breathing stayed steady, Cas watched Dean for a long while after he drifted off.

The tension in Dean's body slowly eased, and his breathing evened out, calm and steady, Cas settled back in the chair, his gaze never leaving him.

For reasons he couldn't fully explain, just being here—watching over Dean—felt like the most important thing he could do.

Outside, the night was quiet. Inside, the house smelled faintly of bacon and lore books, and for the first time in weeks, everything felt... at peace.