Late Night Hunting

Chapter 16: Something More?

(This song is called Start Of Something Good by Daughtry. :D) Dean was dreaming. That much he could tell. He just didn't know why he was having this dream. If it could even be called that. No.....this was definitely a nightmare. He was looking into Cas's bright blue eyes, his breath catching when he saw the pain and fear in them. Pain because of him. Because of Dean. He couldn't bear it when Cas was sad or in pain. It just...broke him. He could feel his heart shatter into pieces when Cas shielded his face with his arm, almost as if expecting a blow to come at him. "Dean! I know you're in there! Please! It's me, Cas. Please...." Seconds later he woke up, gasping, to the sound of the bathroom door opening. It was pitch black, and the alarm clock on the bedside table read 1am. He looked over towards where Crowley had fallen asleep in the opposite bed and where Rowena had conjured up a small mattress with silk sheets and was asleep on it now. Then he quickly whipped his head around to where the noise had come from that had awoken him. Cas was standing in the dimly lit doorway, wearing one of Dean's old band t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. Dean practically leaped out of bed and ran over to Cas, hugging him so hard he heard the breath whoosh from Cas. He whispered in his ear, "Cas, I'm so glad you're okay. I swear, I'll never let anything happen to you." Cas was slightly overwhelmed, but he hugged Dean back and closed his eyes, letting Dean's hands press him even closer. Then Dean pulled back and stared at Cas for a few moments. After the calm silence, he averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head, saying quietly so only Cas could hear, "I'm sorry Cas. I.....I had a nightmare where you were.........where you were.........afraid of me. It felt terrible, wrong. I couldn't bear to see you like that. I had to make sure everything was okay." By now Dean was staring straight at Cas with fear, doubt, and..... Wait..... Was that... Love? In that moment Cas realized just how much and how strongly Dean cared for him. Cas stared back at him with widened eyes and said, "Why would I be afraid of you, Dean? I'd trust you with my life. You know that." Then Cas took a deep breath. "But there is something else...... Dean, I...... I have a confession to make." Dean's eyes got slightly wider. "Okay. Shoot." Cas took another breath, then said slowly, carefully, "I really like you Dean. I don't mean just in a friendly way either. I've liked you for a while now, but I just... didn't really know how to say it." Cas looked at the floor, blushing profusely. Dean was in shock. Cas felt the same way about him? How was this possible? But it that moment, Dean really didn't care. He smiled gently and lifted Cas's face to look at him. "I know exactly how you feel, Cas. I've also been trying to come up with a way to tell you how I felt..... How I feel about you." Cas looked up in surprise and was about to say something but was quickly cut off by Dean's lips gently meeting his. After a few moments, Dean broke the kiss and smiled at Cas in wonder. "This is gonna sound crazy, but that was even better than the first time." Cas smiled, thinking of just how much he loved hearing those words. Then he frowned. Dean noticed and asked "What's wrong? Did I not do that right? I'm sorry Cas, it's just......I've just never kissed a guy bef-" But he was quieted by Cas leaping on him and kissing him again, Dean's eyes widening slightly, Cas holding his face between his hands. 5 minutes later Cas came up for air. Dean was breathing hard and Cas's ebony hair was ruffled and sticking up in some places. "Okay," Dean said, "That was definitely better than the first time." Cas just laughed. "Well, we'd better get some sleep. It's getting late." he said, glancing at the clock. It read 1:30 AM in bright red letters. Dean nodded. "Yeah. You're probably right." Then Cas frowned. "But where will I sleep? Crowley has my bed, and there's no way I'm sleeping on that cold floor." He said, shivering at the thought. Dean grinned. "You can sleep with me in my bed if you want. I'll keep you warm." Cas narrowed his eyes and laughed quietly. "Sure." Dean didn't show it, but this was by far the happiest he'd been in a long time. He slipped his shirt off and crawled into bed on one side, Cas getting in on the other. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas and pulled him into his sturdy, warm chest. Cas relaxed into him and sighed, closing his eyes. "Goodnight Dean." Dean smiled into the back of Cas's neck and whispered into his ear, "Goodnight Cas." He looked at the ceiling, thanking his lucky stars that Cas was his now. Then he closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.