Under the Umbrella

Chapter 1

Dean sighed as he realized his phone was now dead. "Great," he murmured, shoving it back into his pocket. He adjusted the straps of the backpack hugging his shoulders and brought the umbrella he carried closer to him. The rain hadn't let up all night and his shoes were soaked through as he trudged through the puddles littering the sidewalks. He checked his watch again. 1:37 a.m. "Dammit Cas. Where are you?" he said to himself.

Sam had dropped him off in the grand city of Wichita to search for his friend. They narrowed down his location to around this area, so Dean offered to search on foot while Sam regrettably took Baby around nearby towns. If Dean knew it were to start raining only minutes before they separated, he would have taken the car. Luckily, Sam packed a bag with multiple things in it: an umbrella, a first aid kit, a few waters, quick snacks, and a bag of burgers they had picked up beforehand. Dean thanked God Sam knew how to prepare.

He'd been walking through the city for hours. Checking alleyways and behind dumpsters. Even asking bums that seemed to laying around. No one knew who this guy was, and Dean was starting to get impatient. He continued dodging the huge puddles that lurked around every corner and keeping his eyes peeled for a trench coat or bright blue eyes. He felt his eyes dropping, however, and didn't know how much longer he could fight the ache in his legs. His body shivered at the cool night breeze and the wet of his clothes didn't make it any better. "So much for the umbrella," he muttered.

Dean seemed to be the only person walking the streets at this time of night. Occasionally he'd see a hooker or some drunk crack head stumbling his way, but he tried his best to avoid eye contact. He decided he'd walk a few more blocks before squatting down himself and trying to sleep through the rest of the night. He'd call Sam in the morning from a pay phone and figure out where to go from there.

Dean found himself wandering down a place he thought he'd already searched. He rolled his eyes and continued walking, not paying much attention to his surroundings anymore. As he passed one alleyway, that seemed to be behind a restaurant, he thought he heard shivering or whimpering. He stopped suddenly and slowly entered the dark space. There was a collection of trash cans to his right and Dean cautiously peeked his head around them. There was a shivering man sitting on the pavement with his hood up. He was dressed in layers of green, blue, and maroon. Dean almost laughed at his fashion sense before the man slowly looked up with the saddest blue eyes. Dean's own eyes widened as he recognized the angel, albeit with more scruff this time. "Cas?" he whispered.

"Dean," he trembled back. He began to stand and reach out toward Dean but the other man was already grabbing him roughly into a strong hug.

Dean was squeezing his eyes closed as the man shivered against him. His clothes were completely soaked through. "Oh my god Cas," he whispered to him. "I didn't think we'd ever find you."

"Please tell me you have food. Water?" he mumbled against Dean's collarbone.

Dean pulled away and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Of course." He tried to find a spot against the building that wasn't covered in a pool of water and sat slowly on the pavement when he did. Cas followed suit. He watched Dean rummage through his bag and he scooted close to him, already smelling the grease. Dean pulled out a sack from some restaurant and smiled crookedly. "They're probably cold by now, but I got a couple cheeseburgers in here." Dean heard Cas' stomach rumble louder than he'd ever heard before. Through the hug he noticed how much smaller Cas seemed, and now looking at him he could tell the man had lost weight. "You can have all of them. I'm not hungry."

Cas grinned stupidly as he eagerly took the bag from Dean and immediately began stuffing his face. He pulled out a bottle of water as well and sat it next to Cas. Dean put his head against the building and closed his eyes. He felt complete joy and relief that he had finally found Cas. All those nights of countless worrying and wondering if he was still alive were over. Dean felt his hand holding the umbrella drooping but immediately snapped it back up to keep the rain off of Cas especially.

Dean was ripped of his relaxation when he felt a hand on his chest. He opened his eyes to see Cas holding a half-eaten burger out to him. Dean smiled and slowly took it from him. "Thank you Cas." Cas nodded and sat back against the wall. He brought his knees to his chest in an attempt to keep him warm.

Dean finished the cheeseburger and slowly closed his eyes again, waiting for sleep to overcome him. He felt himself drifting when he began hearing whimpers and sniffles beside him. He leaned off the building and looked at his friend. "What's wrong buddy? Are you cold?" Cas slowly nodded and wiped his face. Dean couldn't tell if he was getting rid of rain or tear drops. He frowned. "Come here," he said motioning toward his lap. He opened his arms and allowed Cas to climb onto him. Cas put his arms around Dean's back and placed his head on his chest. Dean felt him trembling against him. He frowned again and wrapped his arms around him, putting a hand on the back of his head to pull him closer. Dean didn't care if his clothes got soaked from Cas. He just wanted the man to be okay.

Dean began rubbing circles into Cas' wet back. He wouldn't stop trembling in Dean's arms and he felt hiccuping breaths against his chest. Cas was crying and Dean had no idea what to do. He raked his fingers through his mopped hair and held him closer. Dean could feel Cas' heartbeat and every breath he sucked in. "Hey it's gonna be okay. Everything is fine Cas," he whispered in the night. Cas nodded against Dean's chest and wiped his eyes again.

They sat there in silence for what could've been hours, listening to each other's synchronized breaths and soft heart beats. "They won't stop until I'm dead, Dean," Cas suddenly said. He pulled away from the warm chest and looked into Dean's confused eyes. "They all hate me. It's my fault they're hurting."

"No," Dean said after he realized what Cas was talking about. "It's not your fault. Metatron tricked you and stole your grace. Don't put any of the blame on yourself. You were just trying to save your people." Cas looked away from Dean so he couldn't see the guilt in his eyes. "How have you been escaping them anyway? Can't they track you?"

Cas peeled back the several layers of wet clothing and revealed his stomach to Dean. Dean gulped at the beautifully tanned skin and toned muscles there. Then he noticed the tattoo. "It's similar to the brand I carved into your and Sam's ribs. Unfortunately, without my powers I couldn't do that to myself. I thought maybe this would do the trick and it's been working so far." Dean subconsciously reached out and ran a finger over the wet tattooed skin. Cas' was soft and cold under his touch. Dean only realized what he was doing when the man shivered at the contact. He quickly snatched his hand away and leaned against the building, praying he would fall asleep quickly without any more interruptions.

Cas sighed and returned to his position against Dean. This time though, he wrapped his arms around Dean's neck and laid his head on his collarbone. "Goodnight Dean," he yawned against the other man's neck, making Dean flush. He didn't reply, instead opening his eyes again to the look at the wires that fanned the umbrella out over them. His gaze was contemplative and uncertain. He didn't necessarily understand what was going on between the two of them right now. He'd never fall asleep with Sam or any other male friend this way. But something in him knew that this was the way. Cas was hurting and human. And Dean was going to be the one right there helping him through.

That's what friends are for, right?