And i will walk on water

Chapter sixteen

Waking up in Castiel's lap was one of the more beautiful moments in Dean's life. Of course, he'd have admitted to having a panties fetish before voicing this out loud, but Castiel didn't seem to need to be told. There was something soft about the edges of his expression as he looked down at Dean, and when he asked, "Ready to go back?" Dean didn't doubt that it was an honest question and that Castiel would let him stay for a bit longer if he wanted to.

He did want to, of course, but it was almost noon where they were, so Sam and Bobby were probably awake already and wondering why the hell he still hadn't made it back. "Yeah, alright," Dean sighed as he stood.

When Castiel got to his feet and raised two fingers to his forehead, though, Dean couldn't resist catching his hand and leaning in to brush his lips against Castiel's. The fingers of his other hand came up to rest against Castiel's cheek and he only kissed him once, softly and briefly, just to assure himself that it hadn't all been a dream and that he was still allowed to. Castiel's eyelids fell halfway and he kissed Dean back quite sweetly, really, but then they were pulling away from each other and standing on Bobby's front porch again.

Dean put a semi-respectable distance between himself and Castiel before knocking on the door, and it was Sam who answered it. Then came another of the more beautiful moments in Dean's life, though this one was different. Dean had to hold in his mirth at the way Sam said brightly, "Cas! Glad you're back," and stepped toward him and hesitated before finally giving Castiel a very loose, very awkward hug.

Castiel was dwarfed by him and hugged Sam back every bit as awkwardly, but Dean could hear the pleased surprise in his voice as he said, "Hello, Sam."

Sam seemed faintly embarrassed when he pulled away, but Bobby saved him by appearing in the doorway, eyeing Castiel up, and saying, "Don't look at me, I already had to hug this one yesterday." He jerked his head toward Dean. "I've filled my idjit hugging quota for the week." Castiel looked like he couldn't quite fathom Bobby, and Dean had to hide a smile.

Then Bobby turned to him and asked, "So you got your angel back. What now?"

Dean's eyes immediately flickered to Castiel, but he didn't let them linger because both Sam and Bobby were watching him closely. The truth was, he hadn't thought any further than this, and now he hesitated.

"Lucifer will be hunting all of us," Castiel answered in his stead, looking from Dean to Sam. "But especially me. You two should stay here, and I'll--"

"No," Dean said, automatically revolting against the idea of letting Castiel go again right after he'd gotten him back against all odds. "We're staying together."

"Dean," Castiel said patiently, with the air of someone who'd been fully expecting the resistance. "You're safer here."

"And you're safer--"

"By myself," he cut in pointedly, "where I can move around freely without having to worry about you and Sam."

Dean closed his mouth, stung. The dreamlike quality of those hours in Africa evaporated completely, to be replaced by the cold heaviness of reality. Of course he hadn't expected some sort of happily ever after in which he got the girl (or the guy-angel, more accurately) and they drove off into the sunset together, but he hadn't thought that Castiel wouldn't even want to be around him. It was a bit like a slap to the face, and Dean was torn between asking him to stay anyway and letting his pride get the better of him.

Castiel must have realized how his words had sounded because he had the decency to suddenly look sorry, at least, but in the end, it was Sam who spoke up. "Remember what happened the last time we tried to hide out here for more than a few days?" he asked wryly. "We're not useless, Cas, and we don't need babysitting." Dean thought this was a little rich since Castiel had only gotten thrown down to Hell in the first place precisely because they had been useless and needed babysitting, but Castiel didn't point this out, and Sam continued, "We can still hunt things while lying low, just not demons who'll run to Lucifer as soon as we show our faces. You shouldn't be out there by yourself where no one will know if something happens."