Castiel's POV

Castiel had fallen into an uneasy sleep that night, his mind full of nightmares and his body feeling as if it were on fire. He hadn't been able to take off his trenchcoat since Dean came back. He had looked over at Dean before he fell asleep, praying to the heavens that he could last through this, though he knew it was impossible.

So when he woke up around two o'clock in the morning, he tore at his trenchcoat as he writhed on his bed, his wings straining against their bonds as he went into a panic attack. He barely even felt the pain that ripped through his wings and spine as he tore at the buttons with shaking hands, his breathing becoming heavier by the minute. By the time he got his clothes off, tears were staining his cheeks and muffled sobs were wracking his body.

With a whimper of relief, he stretched his wings out, his black feathers quivering with relief, only for him to grab a pillow and bite down as pain ripped through him again. As he continued to cry and whimper into the pillow, he continued stretching them, his cries becoming louder until he was almost certain he would wake Dean. He couldn't get his left wing even halfway out before he had to pull back though, letting out a gasp as he felt the pain lessen.

He slowly stood, his body in a complete tremor, as he made his way towards the bathroom, using the walls and dressers for support as his legs kept buckling underneath him. His wing brushed against the ground, which made him whimper every time it did so. When he reached the door, leaning against it as he opened the door and leaned in.

The door slammed shut behind him as he leaned against it, making him wince at the noise. He was doing a lot of wincing again. He couldn't move though, the pain making it hard just to stand, so he leaned against the door, sob after sob escaping his lips as he cried harder. It took several minutes before he finally moved to the mirror in front of the counter, leaning on the cold marble heavily.

Castiel flinched under the ragged and swollen that surrounded the joint where the wing bent in the middle, blood caked around the small feathers that covered the bone. He groaned and turned on the water, sticking his hand under it to make sure it's cool. With shaking but careful hands, he began cleaning the blood off the feathers, biting his hand as sobs came through.

"Castiel?" He heard Dean's voice from the other side of the door and froze, tensing in horror, only to let out another sob as the joint shifted. "Cas?!" Dean's voice seemed to grow more panicked as the doorknob turned, the door moving open.

"Don't come in here!" Castiel said in a panic his uninjured wing flying out and hitting the door shut, pushing Dean out. He felt Dean slam on the door, beginning to shout his name. Castiel did his best to ignore him, more tears falling down as he began crying harder and louder, continuing his cleaning.

"Cas, please! Let me in!" Dean shouted, his voice full of concern. Castiel considered letting him in. He needed help, but he knew he couldn't. Michael had made that very clear. So Castiel continued to ignore them, tears falling faster as he begged silently for Dean to stop caring and leave.

The knocking soon settled down, but he could still feel Dean's presence on the other side of the door. The only noise in the rooms were Castiel's cries of pain as he finished cleaning his wing, slumping to the ground as he finished, his gaze swimming as he tried to stop from passing out.

"Dean, please go back to bed. I can't leave the bathroom until you're asleep." He whispered, his voice quivering. He knew that if Dean tried to open the door now, even the wing he had outstretched against the door can not stop him, the muscle shivering and losing strength until it fell to the ground as well. There was nothing stopping Dean at all.

"I can't just leave you in there." Dean said through the door, his voice conflicted. Castiel could feel the confusion radiating from him, and in his mind could see such a conflicted battle. He couldn't decide whether to respect Castiel's wishes or come in anyways.

Castiel felt a glimmer of hope when he felt Dean starting to lean more towards leaving Castiel alone, that is until the healing process took place. 

Damn it not now. Castiel thought, seeing the wound starting to glow with his blue grace. It was beginning to heal. Castiel braced himself, but he could not prepare for the pain and light that surged through his body, making a pained, muffled scream come out as he grabbed the hand towel on the counter and bit down on it, his body shuddering as he felt the wound close and the muscles and tissue realign with each other. It was the most painful thing he's ever felt.

"Cas?!" Dean said, trying to open the door again, only this time, nothing was stopping him. Castiel felt a rush a panic in his pain and he released the towel, his breath coming out in pained gasps of air.

"Please don't! I'm begging you! Don't come in!" Castiel screamed, beginning to cry. How could he have failed Michael and it hasn't even been a full day. He knew he'd have to resort to uglier tactics if he was found out. "Dean!" His voice cracked as he tried to continue, the door cracked but not moving. "I can't let you see."

He heard Dean let out a sigh on the other side, his mind once again a muddle of conflict. The questions, What should I do? Should I get help? and many many more were all running through the green-eyed boy's mind. "What exactly do you want me to do, Castiel?" Dean asked eventually, his tone careful.

"Go back to bed." Castiel said, feeling as if his throat was closing on him. A last shudder of pain went through his body before the light disappeared, the wound completely gone. Castiel let out a breath, his lung burning with fresh air, not that he needed it anyways.

"Go back to bed? I can't do that. Do you realize that I have listened to you scream and cry for the past ten minutes, unable to come in because you begged me?" Dean asked, his voice catching some of the anger he felt. "You can't expect me to turn my back on you now. There's no way."

"Please" Castiel's voice cracked again, and not from pain this time. Here was a creature that was actually concerned about his well being, despite barely knowing him, and not just the secret he kept. He felt a tug on his heart, as if a bond was growing between both of their energies. He knew he had to keep the male away. "You can't see me like this. I can't guarantee that you'll be safe if you do." His voice dropped to whisper, fearing that if he spoke any louder he would begin crying again.

"Dammit, Cas" Dean barked suddenly, his fierceness taking the angel off guard. "Quit speaking in riddles. I'm not going to die or anything because I look at you." He spat, pushing the door open. Castiel quickly sat up, moving back to the shadows of the room and thanking God himself that he didn't turn the light on. His black wings hid perfectly in the shadow between the counter and the shower.

Dean moved his hand towards the light and Castiel let out a panicked noise, making Dean pause. "N-no light." He said, watching as Dean growled under his breath in annoyance. The green-eyed boy slowly made his way over to Castiel, his hands out in front of him so he wouldn't run into anything. Castiel reached out and grabbed his hand when he was close enough, leading him away from his wings and more in front of him.

Dean crouched in front of him, worry etching across his features. "What's going on, Cas?" Dean asked, squinting his eyes to make out the outline of the angel. Castiel felt a bit of relief that he could see Dean but Dean couldn't see him. He let out a shaky breath, watching as Dean's eyes turned to where the noise came from.

"I can't explain it." Castiel said in a whisper, his body shivering. Now that his shirt and trenchcoat was off, he was freezing. He felt the urge to move closer to Dean, the warmth radiating off of him very soothing, but he refrained. Wings or no wings, he wasn't going to get that close to a stranger that he'd only met a day before.

Dean seemed sort of frustrated with that answer, making Castiel flinched. How could he explain all that? There wasn't a logical explaination. "Are you okay at least?" He asked, letting out a resigned sigh. Castiel could hear a million more questions in his head, but of course, that was the one the human chose. He sure seemed to be quite......caring, in a way.

"Y-yeah" Castiel stammered, looking down at the floor. He could feel Dean getting closer, making his wings shiver in alarm. What was the boy doing? He let out a soft yelp when he felt Dean's calloused hands brush over his face and down his neck, feeling his skin gently. "W-what are y-you d-doing?" He stuttered, alarm bells ringing in his head.

"I'm making sure you're not lying to me. You've been giving me nothing but riddles the entire time." Dean muttered, looking rather uncomfortable himself. Never the less, he continued on, brushing his hands over each of Castiel's arms before finally deeming him okay. He stood, holding his hand out to Castiel. "Let's get to bed then, okay?" He asked. Castiel took his hand, but pulled it away when he remembered his wings.

"You go ahead. I'll be out in a minute." Castiel said softly. Dean snorted and turned towards the door, walking towards his bed. He stopped at the doorframe, however, and looked back at the hidden boy. 

"Okay, I'll give you five minutes, but if you're not back by then, I'm picking you up and carrying you back." Dean said, a smirk appearing on his features. Castiel was so glad that it was too dark to see his blush. He watched as Dean left and waited, letting his body relax.

After three or so minutes, he slid out of the bathroom, slowly padding back to his bed with his wings tucked as tightly as he could against his back. He saw that Dean was facing the wall, though from his breathing he could tell he wasn't asleep. It was too uneven.

Castiel got into his bed, the creaking making him growl in frustration. He looked around, finding his trenchcoat laying on the floor and grabbing it. He slid it on and button, just in time as Dean flipped on the light. He looked over at the boy, unable to keep from getting caught by the light that made his eyes seem so much more beautiful.

"Better now?" Dean asked, giving him a comforting smile. Castiel nodded, laying down and shifting until he got comfortable, saying a soft 'good night' to the other boy. Dean repeated it back before flipping off the light, a small creaking showing that he was laying down before it all got quiet again.

And for once since yesterday, Castiel was at peace.