Set Fire To My Heart

Chapter 27: Brand On My Soul

It's a week since the night Dean graced Castiel with his virginity. Every day he tries to do little things to show Dean how much he appreciates the night they shared. Today, Castiel decides to surprise Dean at work with some food. Castiel walks into the fire station office, excited to surprise Dean with lunch. He smiles at the receptionist, but when she doesn't smile back, his face falls. She stands behind her desk, pity in her eyes. It stops Castiel in his tracks.

"Oh, Dear. Earlier, sweet Mr. Winchester was involved in an accident. They took him to County General," she supplies.

Castiel feels his heart thudding in his chest with dread. How could this be possible, he asks himself. The food falls from his hands and onto the floor as Castiel flees the building with one destination in mind, the hospital.

As he drives to be by Dean's side, Castiel struggles to keep the tears from his eyes, and when they fall, Castiel doesn't stop them. Angels are supposed to be invincible, so how could this happen? Nothing can touch an angel, but Castiel shakes his head as he's hit with an epiphany. Dean is not a real angel. He is a selfless, amazing, handsome, and fragile man who puts others' lives above his own. Someone Castiel cannot live without.

Choking on a sob as Castiel pulls into the emergency parking lot, he manages to situate the car into a spot and dashes from the area. He runs to the counter, breathless.

"Dean Winchester was admitted here, I'm his boyfriend," Castiel blurts out.

The nurse looks up from her computer, a small smile on her face. "Oh, hello, Mr. Novak," she starts, but Castiel interrupts.

"Please, I have to see him. Where is he?" Castiel begs, his eyes wild.

"Triage room 5," she says, and Castiel runs down the hall. He stops just before the room, bracing himself against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Feeling the need to cough, he dips his head, breathing through his nose and out through his mouth until the feeling passes. Straightening up, Castiel steels himself for the worst and walks into the room.

Dean is sitting on the side of the bed and smiles wide at Castiel as he enters. His arm is lightly bandaged, and he looks embarrassed. "Heya, Cas," he breathes, then narrows his brows. "Everything okay? You look a little wild," Dean shrugs, slightly at a loss for words.

"They told me you'd been in an accident," Castiel says, his voice strained. He looks over Dean, who looks a picture of health, except for the white bindings.

Holding up his hand, Dean smirks and rubs the back of his neck. "This? You'll never believe it, but we got a call for a cat stuck in a tree. The poor little thing was so scared, she scratched me," Dean laughs. "Chief still wanted me to go get checked out in case of rabies or something. Cats haven't actually given a human rabies in something like four decades, so Everything is fine," Dean says, smiling.

"Oh, Dean," Castiel cries, crossing the room and wrapping his arms around Dean's shoulders. He hugs him tight, pressing as close as he can to the other man.

"Hey, Cas. It's okay, man. I'm okay," Dean soothes, one hand wrapping around Castiel's back, the other fisted in his hair. "Can't get rid of me that easily," he jokes.

Castiel feels the tears fall onto Dean's neck. "I thought you were..." he starts but lets it trail off, unable to say more. Pulling back, his eyes search the forest green of Dean's. "I can't do this without you," Castiel whispers and presses his lips to Dean's.

Dean's eyes widen before blinking shut. Is this really happening? He tightens his hold on Castiel as if the moment were a dream, and the man would just float away from him. Gripping tight, he deepens the kiss and runs his tongue along the seam of Castiel's lips.