Dean swung open the door, hauling in two grocery bags and ducking his head to avoid what rain he could. He was soaked from head to toe, the noisy storm raging outside and now dripping onto the musty motel carpet. Shutting the door, the wrung himself out the best he could, shaking the freezing water off of him like that of the dog. He was so agitated with the rain that he was oblivious to the figure sitting on his couch.
"H-hello Dean."
"Son of a bitch!" Dean shouted, instinctively dropping the grocery bags and reaching into the back of his pants for his gun. As Cas stood up, though, no longer the mysterious figure he was before, Dean relaxed and let the gun go.
"Sorry, I know that was a bit alarming." Thunder sounded.
"Cas," Dean said, shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, not much," Cas shrugged casually, brow furrowed, flinching as lightning illuminated the room. "Sam said you were on a hunt and I thought I would drop by." He looked Dean up and down. "Don't you think you should pick that up?" He commented in a neutral voice.
Teeth chattering, Dean glanced down, having forgotten the groceries. "Oh, yeah..." he muttered, picking them up. "But...what? You just decided to drop by?" He set the plastic bags on the table, kicking off his muddy shoes. "You never just 'drop by' to see how I am in the middle of a hunt. So what's up?" He peeled off the wet jacket, shivering. "Everything good upstairs, or...wherever?"
"Yeah, I mean..." Seeing Dean struggle with the soaked clothing, Cas sighed and walked over, simply tapping Dean on the shoulder to dry him off. "Everything is fine. I was actually on a sort of hunt myself, just a few towns over."
"Oh yeah?" Dean questioned, pulling a case of beer out of a bag and cracking one open. "What're you hunting?"
"Just a few rogue angels," he said, flinching yet again when lightning flashed. Rain pounded against the window. "They ran away from their trials, hoping to hide on earth. Foolishly, of course."
Dean nodded tiredly, abandoning the groceries and collapsing onto the couch. Cas joined him, sitting rather tensely, continuously glancing out the window. Dean grabbed a blanket slung over the side of the couch, draping it over himself, and reached for the remote.
"I'm not even sure what they were convicted of, actually." Cas said, continuing to talk. "It gets rather annoying, having to chase down these angels who only want to use earth as a hideout. Never truly appreciating Earth, for its..." Thunder crashed, and Cas cringed. "Its...wonders."
Dean raised an eyebrow, drawing his attention away from the TV. He eyed Cas up and down, taking in his tense, alert manner. He almost seemed...scared. It was weird, a new fear that Dean had never really seen in the angel before.
"You okay, Cas?" Dean questioned casually.
"What? Yes, I'm fine." He glanced at the window before turning back to the hunter.
"You're sure." He pressed, doubtful.
"Er, yes. It's just, ah..."
"What?"
"It's raining outside, Dean."
"Uh, yeah." Dean sat up, abandoning the remote.
"It's very...loud, you know."
It took Dean a minute, but once he saw, it was clear. Cas was afraid of thunderstorms? At the realization, Dean couldn't help but smirk, taking in the big bundle of fear Cas had been demoted to. The strong, fearless angel who could take on countless demons at a time couldn't sit through a little thunder and lightning?
"You're afraid of thunderstorms." Dean breathed, noticing the subtle was Cas' hands were shaking in his lap. He laughed helplessly.
"I've actually researched it," Cas insisted shakily. "The fear of aggressive rainstorms is actually very common among many humans." he looked wildly toward the window again. "It isn't irrational, either. The chances of getting struck by lightning is one in seven hundred thousand, and I've heard that it isn't a pleasant experience. I've been told that-"
"Okay, Cas. Cas!" Dean said, attempting to shush the rambling angel. "I don't need the stats."
Cas frowned. "Oh, yes. Sorry."
"So is that why you came here, then?" Dean asked, raising an amused eyebrow. "The town you were hunting in got hit too?"
In the dimly lit room, Dean could see a shade of crimson bloom across Cas' cheeks. "I...suppose you could say that, yes."
"And you came to me."
"Y-yes."
"Why not just Sam at the bunker? Or out of town?"
Cas hesitated. "Well, I..." He glanced up at Dean, finally making eye contact. "I hoped you might be able to sympathize with me more."
Again, the room was lit up by a silver streak of lightning. The wind howled against the outside of the small room, as if it were begging or trying to fight its way inside. Cas shifted in his seat, still very afraid despite now being with Dean.
"Well, Cas," Dean teased, draping an arm across the back of the couch. "Us humans do actually have a sort of cure for lightning storms. A remedy."
Cas looked eagerly at Dean, a new hope arising. "What-what is it?"
Dean smirked. "We like to call it 'cuddling.'"
"Cuddling?" Cas looked perplexed. "Yes, I know what cuddling is, Dean."
"Well, have you ever tried it during a storm?" Dean said, determined.
"I-I can't say that I have." Cas said, curious.
Dean smiled. "Then c'mere." With a brief nod, he gestured the angel over into the welcoming crook of his arm.
As if on cue, thunder clapped threateningly. Cas, succumbing to the threat, took one last glance towards the window before shakily moving to Dean's side of the couch and into the crook of his arm. Satisfied, Dean pulled Cas closer, naturally draping his arm over his shoulder protectively and pulling the wool blanket over the both of them.
"See, Cas?" Dean said after a moment, head resting on top of his. "It really works."
It did, Cas found. Instead of listening to the roaring storm outside, he found that, pressed against Dean's chest, he could hear the steady beating of his heart. Instead of being blinded by flashes of lightning, he focused on Dean's apple green eyes instead. By intertwining his finger's with Dean's, he could ignore the irrational fear that had before consumed him.
"You know, it should rain more often," Cas murmured softly into Dean's chest. "I didn't know the cure for storms was so...nice."
