Broken Wings [Destiel]

Seven

The roar of a plane taking off filled Cas' ears as he stood at the edge of the airfield. His hair was blown back by the wind, and he smiled. He wanted to be on one of those planes, gunning down enemies like there was no tomorrow. 

He hadn't flown yet, but he was going to today. He'd been training and learning for long enough. Now he was actually going to put all of that seemingly random information to use. 

Cas continued his trek towards 'Fillipa's Folly, the bomber they'd go up in. It was an old one, too old to fly in the war but too young to be scrapped. So there it was. In the middle of an airfield on an island near Hawaii. 

He finally got to his destination, pulling himself up into the belly of the plane and making his way to the left waist gun, where he'd be for the rest of the war. The pilot said something, something Cas ignored. He was too busy staring out the open window at the approaching figure, the right waist gunner. 

Cas knew who it was. Dean Winchester, with his leather jacket and infectious smile. Cas felt his face grow hot. He was going to be flying missions with Dean. What would happen if they got shot down? If Cas never told him...

But he wouldn't tell Dean. He refused to lose someone else over this problem, and he refused to get himself kicked out of the Air Corps. All it would do was get in the way.

All love did was get in the way.

"Hey, Cas." Someone clapped Cas on the back, pushing him forward a little. It took a second for him to realize that it was Dean. While Cas had been pondering his life choices, he'd made it to the plane.

"Hey yourself. What took you so long? Doin' your makeup?" The rear gunner says over his shoulder. He had a bit of a southern drawl. Cas had seen him around, but he didn't know his name.

Dean did, though. "Benny? That you?" The man, apparently named Benny, turned around face them. He had a slight beard and a half-cocked smile.

Dean was beaming  as he pulled the man into a hug, clapping him on the back. Cas felt a twinge of jealousy as they did so. But he quickly pushed it back down.

Cas decided to ignore them, instead focusing on a line of boats next to the window his gun was in. It felt better that way, not as painful. Of course, Dean was allowed to have friends. Just not friends as close as this.

Suddenly, the plane lurched into movement, rumbling beneath Cas' feet as it turned.  The bomber picked up speed as it went down the runway. Finally, Cas felt the wheels lift off the ground.

They were flying.

For some reason, Cas wasn't scared. Even though he'd never been in a plane before in his life, he wasn't scared at all. If anything, he was elated. He felt free, as if he'd left all of his jealousy, all of his bitterness back on the runway. He'd momentarily forgotten about Dean, about Benny. It was just him up there in endless blue sky.

Cas grinned like a kid at Christmas and looked over at Dean, expecting the same. But as he did, Cas' smile disappeared. 

Dean's face was pale, glistening with a thin layer of sweat. His hands were clenched in tight fists, his knuckles white. Dean's jaw was set, and he was shaking. Cas had never seen Dean, or anyone for that matter, so afraid. 

Cas couldn't bear it. Without thinking, he stretched out his arm and took Dean's hand, forcing open his fist. Cas expected him to pull away and ask him what the hell he was doing.

But Dean didn't.

Cas felt some of the tension leave Dean, his shoulders sinking from the rigid, frozen form they'd been in before.

They stayed there for the entire flight, looking their separate ways and gunning at the ground targets. Dean refused to let go.

After they'd landed, neither of them said a word about the flight. They didn't talk about it after it happened the next time they flew. Or the next. Or the next. They didn't speak after every flight they had together, save two small, whispered words that left Dean Winchester's lips as he and Cas walked across the airfield.

"Thank you."

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NEW CHAPTER! YAY! Okay, okay, I know. I haven't updated in forever, and I'm sorry. I just keep getting ideas in school and writing them down in notebooks then forgetting the notebooks. But now I brought them home! So yay!

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