The Shadows Of My Past (Destiel)

Chapter XIX: I love you too

The four hunters met in a nearby coffee shop. It was a cute business, retro decorations, even a jukebox was in the corner of the room, playing sweet 70's tunes. The only thing missing would have been the waiters and waitresses serving their food on roller blades.

Gabriel started the conversation as he swallowed the piece of pancake he had been chewing. "So, what did you find out?" Dean looked over at Castiel, noticing that the angel was barely holding in a cough. "You okay, babe? Are you getting sick?"

Cas shook his head, playing it cool. "It's probably just a cold." He smiled at the hunter reassuringly, hiding his true emotions, trapping them inside of his body and burying them deep, deep down into his heart so that no one, not even Dean, could read them. The green-eyed man looked back at Gabriel, sighing.

"Not much. It wasn't the barkeeper, though. He seemed way too wound-up with the whole thing..." He thought for a moment, staring out of the window onto the empty streets. The town looked more lonely and cold than ever, as everyone hid inside of their houses, waiting for the cold weather to pass by, the sun to come forth until they could come out of their sanctuaries.

He shook his head before he took a sip of his coffee. "I have no idea what to do now. I've never felt so insecure about a case, it's like I'm cursed." Sam patted his shoulder, a small smile on his face. "Well, at least not everything in your life's going down the drain..." He glanced at Cas, his smile becoming a smirk as he noticed the sudden redness on Dean's cheeks, which was getting darker and darker the more Sam laughed.

Although it was embarrassing and although Dean wanted nothing more than a hole to appear underneath his body, which would suck him up and save him from the situation, the hunter couldn't lie. Castiel was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he couldn't imagine losing this man again.

His heart wasn't the empty void it once had been, no. It was filled with love and affection, swelling each time his eyes met the angel's sapphire ones. It felt like his organs were pressing against his body, making it hard from him to breathe whenever he stared at those beautiful orbs. His brain couldn't tear his attention away from the man, however important or urgent something else could be.

Castiel was always the number one thing on Dean's mind, and the green-eyed man knew that this would never, ever change. As long as he lived, he would care for the angel, probably even afterwards.

Gabriel clapped, drawing the attention of the others towards him. "Maybe we should just interrogate the other inhabitants. I don't think that the whole neighborhood was be asleep...it would be just too much of a coincidence"

Sam nodded, pointing his thumb at him. "He's learning!" Dean laughed, shooting a proud glance in Castiel's direction, as if saying 'you'll get there too'. The angel coughed, the skin around the corner of his eyes wrinkling slightly as he tried to smile in between coughs.

"Cas-" "Just a cold!" He interrupted Dean, laying his hand on top of the hunter's reassuringly. After a few minutes, the four of them decided to leave the cafe so that they could start searching for possible witnesses. It wouldn't be easy, but hunting never was. And after everything the boys had been through, it was good to be finally able to just solve a case, without thinking about millions of other things.

Just as Castiel wanted to walk outside, Gabriel stopped him, waving at Sam as a sign for them to wait for a few moments. He raised his eyebrow, eyes staring into deep, blue ones intently. "What?" Gabriel huffed. "Don't even try! A cold?" Cas shrugged. What was his deal? Couldn't he get sick without everyone being suspicious?

Gabriel shook his head. "Angels don't get colds! Angels don't get fucking sick! Sam and Dean might not know it, but I do, because, surprise, I am one too. You're lying, and I want to know why. How bad is it?"