Chapter Text
It was about three in the afternoon when Dean’s condition went downhill. Both Cas and Dean had been up for a few hours talking. Currently they were discussing what they missed most about home.
“I miss burgers. Hospital food is the worst, and my dad makes these awesome burgers that have like blue cheese in the middle or something, I don’t even know. They’re heaven.” Dean was explaining in great detail the best burgers he had ever had, and Castiel was listening attentively. “You know what else, when I put-”
Beep. Beep. Beep. Dean paused for a second, then continued. Most of his machinery beeped at some point or another, so the foreign noise wasn’t too worrying.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. A nurse burst through the doorway looking frazzled.
“Something’s wrong,” she gasped, moving towards Dean’s bed. Why was she moving towards Dean’s bed?
“What do you mean something’s wrong? I feel fine. Better than fine.” Dean tried to go for a convincing smile, but the nurse wasn’t leaving.
“You have a 103 degree fever, I’d say there’s definitely something that needs fixing.” All Dean could do was blink.
“103? Are you sure? Because I think I would’ve noticed feeling sicker.” The nurse glared at him.
“Have you had any painkillers recently?”
“I got some earlier for my leg, but is that really enough to block a fever that high?” The nurse shrugged.
“It’s possible. Either way, we have to get you checked out. Come with me,” she continued, beginning to pull on the bed. Up until this point Cas had been watching quietly, but now spoke up.
“Wait, is he going to be okay?” His voice sounded anxious.
“We don’t even know the extent of the problem yet. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.” The nurse had a soothing tone when she spoke, but Cas didn’t relax. Dean was touched by Cas’s concern, even if he was a little troubled himself.
“See you soon buddy. Make sure you don’t leave before I get back.” Dean grinned, and Cas smiled back weakly. The nurse pulled him all the way out the door and set a fast pace down the hallway. Soon they arrived in another medical room, where she stopped abruptly. Dean looked around.
It seemed to just be a normal exam room, only big enough to roll beds into. There was an extra bed against the wall, and an abundance of shiny silver surfaces with glimmering tools on them. Dean hoped to God the nurse wasn’t planning on using any of those tools, especially the nasty looking needle on the table closest to him. He attempted once again to get free of the nurse.
“Seriously, I feel okay. I’m sure it’s just nothing.” Dean attempted sitting up, just to show how fine he was.
“Please lie back down. This will be much easier if you cooperate.” The nurse picked up the one thing Dean was dreading.
The needle.
“Look, I really don’t need to be checked. How about we just call it a day, yeah? I think it’s a pretty good plan.” Dean’s voice squeaked at the end as she continued approaching with the needle. It looked even worse up close. “I’m going home tomorrow, I’ll just sleep a lot.”
“Oh, you won’t be going home tomorrow. If it’s an infection, we’re going to have to keep you a few two days, at least.” Dean’s stomach dropped. Another two days? That seemed like a lifetime away.
“No, I have to get home. I’ve missed a bunch of work already, I can’t miss anymore.”
“It’s too bad you aren’t like your roommate,” she jerked her head in the direction of Dean’s room, “seeing as how he’s getting out almost a week early. Now he will be leaving tomorrow.” Dean’s mind went blank. Even if he had been staying the extra two days, it would’ve been okay with Cas. But since he’s leaving…
“I’m going to put you to sleep now, okay? Your blood pressure and heartbeat are up quite a bit. This will help relax you.” Dean tried to scoot away from the edge of the bed. No luck. The nurse kept coming.
“Keep that thing away from me. I’m telling you, I’m fine!” He felt a sharp prick in his arm, before everything went dark.
***
Yesterday, about 8:30 P.M.
Gabriel turned the corner out of Cas’ room and ran into what felt like a brick wall. He had just finished talking to Cas and his roommate and was heading out for the night.
“Are you okay? I can’t believe I just did that! I’m so sorry.” Gabe looked up at his assaulter…and up...and up. The guy he had bumped into was at least six feet tall, maybe more. So, in other words, he was a giant.
“It’s no problem dude, I should’ve been watching where I was going.” Gabe continued craning his head back to watch the giant look at what room he had come out of.
“Are you a friend of Cas’?” he questioned.
“He’s my brother.” The giant gave him a surprised look.
“Are you really? I didn’t know Cas even had siblings.” The giant still seemed to be in shock.
“Yeah, he’s the middle child. I’m Gabriel. Gabe,” Gabe responded, sticking out his hand. He had never thought he and Cas looked that different, but everyone they met seemed surprised to learn that fact.
“I’m Sam, Dean’s brother.” Sam’s hand dwarfed Gabriel’s, covering it completely. Sam pumped his hand once before releasing the grip he had on Gabe’s hand. It was unsettling, feeling so small next so someone younger than him.
“You’ve been in there with those two, right?” Gabe asked. Sam nodded. Gabriel grinned in response. “God, you can almost feel the sexual tension between them, right?” Sam laughed out loud.
“I noticed the same thing. The first time I went in it took ten minutes for Dean to even look at me. Later, when I asked him about it, he refused to do anything about it. He’s content to just sit there apparently.” Sam rolled his eyes. Gabe smiled again. For what he had been planning, this conversation was going great.
“I was going to talk to Cas about it too, but I chose to tell stories instead. More fun for me,” Gabe said, wiggling his eyebrows..
“You know, Dean would be more likely to listen to you instead of me,” Sam observed. Perfect.
“Same with Cas. He’ll just think I’m messing with him.” Gabe could hear his voice getting more excited as he talked. “You know what this means?” Sam gave him a confused look. From what Gabe had gathered so far, Sam was in a constant state of confusion unless you explained things. It’s a good thing Gabe was a good explainer. “It means we’re getting them together! Operation Get Our Brothers Laid is now a go!” Gabe finished at almost a shout, earning a glare from a nearby nurse. Sam laughed at Gabe’s excitability.
“I’m in,” Sam declared. “I don’t see how else those two are going to get their act together, unless we help them along a bit.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Gabe said with relish. He was really starting to like Sam. They began walking in the direction of the doors, making plans as they went. “You talk to Cassie the morning he leaves, and I’ll get to Dean that afternoon.”
“I’m feeling pretty good about our chances, actually.”
“That’s because this is a great plan. Now, when you’re trying to convince him, make sure you…”
***
Dean jerked awake, knowing instinctively that he was back in his hospital room. He was getting really tired of sleeping. He never thought he would ever say that sentence. He groaned and sat up in bed, twisting to crack his back. He looked over at his roommate to see him sitting on the edge of his own bed, completely unhooked from everything.
“What are you doing?” Dean questioned, already knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer. Cas yanked his head up guiltily.
“I’m leaving tomorrow morning. They’re preparing me to leave.” Dean watched as Cas’s face dropped. It gave him a little twinge of satisfaction that Cas was upset about this too.
“So you really are leaving,” Dean continued after a pause.
“Yeah.”
“You know what you’re going to have to do right?” Cas squinted at him. “You’re going to have to keep jumping off roofs until I get released, too.” Cas let out a bark of surprised laughter and turned his gaze back to the floor.
“You’re hilarious,” Cas responded quietly. “I’m going to miss you.” He seemed to get even quieter at his last words.
“I’ll miss you too buddy.” Dean was not enjoying where this conversation was going, so he hastily changed the subject.
“So what happened to me?”
“There was a piece of metal in your leg the doctors missed. It caused an infection. They had to do surgery, and you even got a new cast.” Dean flipped the blankets back to see a cast that was pretty much identical to his old one. He made a face at it. “You were the talk of the hospital for a couple hours. Mistakes don’t happen often, so this was kind of a big deal.”
“But I’m better now, right?” As Cas had been talking, Dean had felt a shiver of worry work its way down his spine. He felt fine, but he had also felt fine when he had the infection in his leg.
“Yeah, they triple checked this time. You should be fine.” Dean exhaled in relief. In those few seconds his mind had run wild with everything that could possibly go wrong with his leg. His panic now disappeared as fast as it had arrived.
A nurse walked in just then with a rolling tray of hospital food. Dean estimated it was now about six thirty, which was the time dinner usually occurred. The conversation stopped as both men absorbed themselves in the task of eating. If Dean had to make a guess, he would say they both wanted to avoid the topic of Cas’ departure. After a couple minutes though, they were able to make senseless chatter for the rest of the night.
***
Sunlight filtered in through the window, covering Dean in a blanket of warm golden radiance. It almost seemed as if the sun was mocking Cas for his terrible situation. He continued watching his roommate sleep peacefully while the clock struck seven. He slumped a little lower on the bed before struggling to stand. He was just preparing himself to leave when Sam appeared in the doorway.
“Cas. You’re up early.” Sam highlighted his point with a direct look in his brother’s direction. Cas flushed hotly.
“I was...I have a thing…” His stammering was doing nothing to help prove his innocence.
“Don’t. You’re trying to leave before he wakes up.”
“Why would I-” At the sound of Dean shifting in the bed, Cas felt a look of terror transform his features. He knew then that Sam had made up his mind.
“Cas, can I walk you out?” Sam jerked his head towards the door and started off in that direction. With one last longing look in Dean’s direction, Cas followed with a sigh. He shuffled into the hallway and found Sam against the wall. Cas didn’t really feel like sitting still, so he started down the hallway. Sam easily caught up.
“So how long have you been checked out?” Sam began. Cas panicked. How was he going to hide that from Sam? Hide the fact that he had been sitting on that hospital bed for two hours, trying to work up the courage to leave? “Cas, calm down. It was just a guess, but obviously it was a good one.” Cas heard alarm tinge Sam’s voice. All he did in response was sigh in defeat.
“Since six fifteen. They needed the room, and since I’m all better…” Cas let Sam figure out the rest. He shrugged. “I was deciding on whether or not I wanted to say goodbye when you came in,” he admitted.
“Are you planning on seeing him again?” Sam continued with his questioning. Cas looked at the floor. “I know he has feelings for you, and I’m pretty sure you know it too.” Sam continued through Cas’s protests. “I saw you awake the other day. Relax. I’m not upset. I was hoping you would find out actually.” Sam finished with a smile.
“You were? Why?” The pair had now arrived at the front doors of the hospital. Sam gave him a wary look.
“Don’t you...like him back?” Sam spoke hesitantly now. Cas scrubbed his hands across his face.
“Of course I do. But it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t like me as much as I like him. The relationship probably wouldn’t go anywhere anyway.” Cas was surprised at himself for sharing so much of what he felt with Sam. He had only known the guy, what, two days? And now he was spilling his secrets? He must’ve been having a tougher time that he thought.
“...and you’ll never know if you don’t try.” Cas shook his head. He had completely missed the first part of what Sam had been saying.
“I don’t know...I don’t even know how to find him.” Cas didn’t want to give himself too much hope, just in case it didn’t work out.
“I’ve been planning something, actually. I needed to make sure you wanted to see him again first though, obviously.”
“What’s the plan?” More hope flourished despite his best attempts.
“You give me your number, and I’ll call you the day he gets out. You can meet him at the door.” Cas smiled, finally allowing his hope to run wild. Now that he was going to see Dean again, maybe something could come of it?
Cas looked around hurriedly for a piece of paper and pen. He finally borrowed one from the front desk and brought it back to where Sam was standing. They exchanged numbers and hurried goodbyes, before Sam rushed out the front door. Cas followed at a slower pace.
He pushed open the doors and let the early morning brilliance wash over him. He noticed Gabe waving at him from the car across the parking lot, and set off in that direction.
He looked up at the sky and grinned to himself. He realized that the sun wasn’t mocking him. Not at all. It was celebrating his good fortune.
***
Dean glared out the window at the bright day outside. He had his arms folded across his chest, and had been in this position since he woke up two hours ago. Not even the news that he would be going home the next day could bring him out of the mood he was in. And it was all because of Cas.
Dean had woken up that morning to find Cas gone, with not even a note to say goodbye. It wasn’t like he had been expecting a party, but even a handshake would’ve been better than nothing.
“Mr. Winchester? There’s someone here to see you.” He turned his head to look at the nurse hovering in the doorway.
That was weird. Sam had told him earlier that he wouldn’t be able to make a visit today. Who else would take the time to come see him? His question was answered about ten seconds later.
“Hey there. Miss me?” Dean recognized the slightly mocking voice before even looking at who was in the doorway.
Gabriel.
“What are you doing here? Didn’t you know Cas checked out this morning?” Dean asked sullenly. Gabe scoffed.
“Oh no, I’m not here to see him. I see way too much of him at home already. I’m here for you.” Gabe finished with a smile and motioned at Dean.
“What? Why?” Dean had no idea why Cas’s brother would’ve come to see him, unless Cas had sent him. But what would be the point in that?
“You are obviously moping, as I knew you would be.” Gabe clasped his hands behind his back and ambled towards the window. “Upset because Cassie didn’t say goodbye?” He said this with a half-smile thrown over his shoulder. Dean spluttered.
“No, I just-”
“Don’t lie. We both know you like him, and I have reason to believe he likes you too.” Gabe was now leaning back against the window facing Dean’s bed, hands braced on the edge. Dean blinked in shock.
“Cas? Liking me? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Not at all, Deano. He left without saying goodbye because it hurt to leave.” Gabe pressed his hands to his chest dramatically, then dropped them and rolled his eyes. “And that is why you’re going to give him a second chance. You have to see him again.” He said all of this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Suddenly, Dean realized what was happening.
“Cas put you up to this to mess with me, didn’t he?” A sharp stab of disappointment shot through him.
“No, I swear. I’m being serious. Listen, I have a secret.” He leaned forwards and glanced around quickly. Dean leaned forward without thinking. “Cassie has been moping too. It’s pretty annoying. He just shuffles around. Which is the main reason I want you to talk to him. So I don’t have to deal with his miserable ass anymore.” Seeing the look on Dean’s face, Gabe threw his hands in the air. “Fine. You know what, I don’t care.” He pushed off the wall and walked towards the door. “Keep pouting if you want. I’ll leave you to it.” He was almost out the door when Dean made his decision.
“Wait.” If Dean had been able to see Gabriel’s face, he would’ve seen a triumphant grin light up his face. “You swear this isn’t a trick?” Gabe spun back around and strode towards the bed.
“On my life. Cross my heart, and all that.” Dean sighed.
“Fine. How do I see him again?” Gabe settled into the chair next to Dean’s bed.
“Cas told me about your ice cream deal or whatever. When you get out of the hospital, call him up,” Gabe paused to press a piece of paper into Dean’s palm. “And take him for ice cream. Dairy Queen is his absolute favorite, by the way. Banana split blizzard is what he always orders.” Dean made a face. He had never been able to stand having fruit in his desserts.
“I know. I don’t know how he stands the stuff,” Gabe noted, seeing Dean’s facial expression. Seemingly done with explaining the plan, Gabriel turned towards the door. “Oh, and another thing,” he remembered, facing Dean once again. “Cas is the best person of us four siblings, so if you hurt him I promise you, you will end up right back in that hospital bed.” Dean felt the blood drain from his face. Gabe grinned. “Have fun with him, though. Remember, I haven’t sent prostitutes since he told me about you. Work with that.” He gave a three fingered wave and vanished out the door.
Dean honestly had no idea whether Gabriel had been kidding about the prostitute thing or not. Either way, that encounter was enough Gabe to last him a lifetime. Even so, Dean smiled to himself.
He was going to be seeing Cas again. Maybe even tomorrow. Never in the whole time he had been at the hospital had he wanted to leave more.
***
It was finally the day. The day Dean got to leave. Everything had checked out the night before, and it was finally time to get out of this hospital. The day had dawned bright and clear, to match Dean’s current mood.
He was sitting up in bed and being unhooked from the last bits of machinery he was attached to. He leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes. Dean had been awake since early that morning worrying. He had decided after talking to Gabriel that he would call Cas as soon as he got out and plan a date. If Cas agreed to it. Dean still hadn’t decided whether he trusted Gabe about these things or not. Either way, he was worried about how it would be when they weren’t in the hospital. He wanted to make a good impression. Dean had even called Sam early that morning to ask him to bring clothes.
“Sammy, could you drop by later with some nicer clothes?” Sam’s answering response sounded smug.
“Who are you dressing up for? Is it for a date?” Dean could hear Sam’s smile over the phone.
“No, I just want to not feel gross for the first time in four days.” Dean was getting more irritated the longer this conversation went on.
“Whatever you say,” Sam sing-songed. Dean sighed in defeat.
“So will you bring them?” he pleaded.
“Yeah yeah, I’ll get there at one.”
It was now 12:50, and Dean was panicking for the umpteenth time that morning. There were so many things that could go wrong. Just then, Sam appeared in the doorway.
“Sammy! Did you bring the clothes?” Sam threw a duffel bag at him.
“They’re in there.” He responded, sinking into a chair next to Dean’s bed. “Hurry and change, I have to check you out. Then I made reservations for lunch.” Something about Sam’s voice was off, but Dean didn’t think too much about it. He swung himself out of bed and shuffled towards the door of the bathroom.
When he had first arrived at the hospital, he hadn’t noticed the tiny doorway tucked into the corner of the room. Now it felt glaringly obvious.
Dean opened the bag on the way to the bathroom to look at the clothes Sam had chosen. What he saw made him feel sick. Sam had packed black basketball shorts and a white V-neck t-shirt into his bag, along with his left flip-flop. This was going to give the absolute wrong impression he wanted to send.
“Sam,” Dean shouted. Maybe there was still time for Sam to go back and get different clothes. Sam strode to the bathroom, stopping in the doorway.
“What’s wrong?” Sam didn’t seem to understand the problem with what he had brought.
“Sam, these are going to make me look like a slob! I told you nice clothes, and these are not nice clothes!” Dean finished. Hopelessness had settled over him.
“Basketball shorts are the only thing that would fit over your cast. You’re just going to have to deal with it.” Dean almost felt like crying. He didn’t have a legitimate reason for why this upset him so much, but he was pretty sure it was because of Cas.
Gabe had unnerved him when he said Cas liked Dean back. That statement held a lot of pressure that Dean wasn’t sure he could handle. He wanted to show Cas how much he meant to Dean, but these clothes weren’t going to send that message. Cas was going to think he wasn’t important to Dean, or something worse. Dean was starting to feel a weird pain in his chest. He was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to feel like that.
“Dean. Calm down. Cas really likes you, he isn’t going to care what you’re wearing. Not even a little bit.” Sam’s voice broke through Dean’s thoughts.
“For the last time, this isn’t for-” Sam cut him off.
“Nevermind that. Get changed. Like I said, I made reservations. We’re going to be late.” Sam turned around and went back to collapse in the same chair as before.
Dean grumbled as he got the clothes out of the bag, and then got to work on changing. To his surprise, he managed it with almost no problems. There was a point where he got temporarily stuck in the shorts, but was able to get out. With a little help from Sam. Once his clothes were in order, Dean examined himself in the mirror.
His face was red from the effort of getting the shorts on, and not in a good way. His hair was unwashed, and he hadn’t shaved in a couple days. Dean ran his hands over his face before calling for Sam.
“Hey Sam, do you have time to-” Once again, Sam knew what he was thinking. He tossed a plastic bag at Dean from the chair. The bag contained a razor and shaving cream. Dean smiled happily. Maybe this meetup would go okay after all.
“You’re the best Sammy,” Dean called, getting to work on his face. Sam was busy on his phone. Talking to whom, Dean had no idea.
“I knew you were going to bitch about it, so I planned ahead,” Sam replied distractedly. He didn’t seem at all into the conversation at the moment, so Dean dropped it. “Seriously though, we have to get a move on. I have a surprise before lunch.” Once he finished talking, Sam pushed himself out of the chair and headed towards the door. “I’ll be up front checking you out. The nurse will bring you when you’re done,” he finished, and disappeared.
“What? Sam, come back! I don’t like surprises!” Dean called, even though he knew it was too late. He groaned in defeat, and then got to work.
Ten minutes later, Dean was being pushed out the front door in a wheelchair.
“I don’t need a wheelchair, just give me my crutches!” Dean growled. He felt helpless in the moving chair, and didn’t particularly enjoy the feeling.
“Dean we’re almost out, just calm down,” Sam responded. Nothing Dean said seemed to bring Sam’s mood down. He suspected it was something more than the fact that he had been released that day. He squinted suspiciously in his brother’s direction until the nurse stopped suddenly. Dean hadn’t realized they had reached the parking lot. She helped Dean to his feet and then handed him the crutches.
“We’ll call for an appointment to get that cast off, alrighty?” She grinned big at them. This nurse was a lot friendlier than the one Dean had had in his room. She clapped her hands together once, then headed back inside with the chair. Dean leaned forward onto the crutches, testing the hold. They were actually pretty comfortable, in Dean’s opinion at least. He started towards the Impala, where he could see it parked. He felt Sam fall into step beside him.
“So where did you make these reservations at? Because I’ve been craving Mexican since the…” Dean trailed off, then came to a jerky stop. His heart beat faster and his mouth grew dry. There, framed in the sunlight perfectly, was Cas holding a bunch of flowers.
He was wearing a blue striped dress shirt and jeans. His dark hair was wet, as if he had recently showered, and reflected light. Cas was shifting his weight from foot to foot. When he heard Dean trail off, he took a step forward.
“Dean,” Cas said warmly. His voice also sounded almost...nervous? But why would Cas be nervous?
“Cas,” Dean paused, still not believing his eyes. “What are you doing here?” Cas gave him an alarmed look, and suddenly got flustered.
“I...uh...Sam said we were going out to lunch? I can go home if you guys had something planned…” Cas looked pretty upset now that he thought he was intruding. Dean whirled on Sam, or tried to at least. Once he got himself facing his brother, Dean was able to find out what was going on. Sam was smiling big, and Dean groaned inwardly. This is what Sam had been so excited about the entire day. He had planned this.
“Surprise! It’s lunch for you guys! To celebrate getting out of the hospital!” Sam said happily. “Get going!” He turned to leave, and then turned back as an afterthought. “Oh, and you guys can actually go wherever. There aren’t any actual reservations.” With that, Sam spun and headed towards the bus stop down the road. Dean faced Cas once again.
“So, do you want to get lunch, then?” Dean asked hesitantly. Cas grinned big when Dean asked.
“Of course. I’m starving,” he admitted with a laugh. Dean hobbled around to the passenger side of the Impala, with a little help from Cas. He settled in and watched Cas circle around the car.
After Cas had buckled himself in as well, they pulled out of the hospital parking lot. Dean watched Cas shamelessly. He was amazed at how attractive Cas still was to him. None of his looks had become any less pleasing over the days they had gotten to know each other. Cas glanced over at Dean, feeling his look on the side of his head.
“Where do you want to go?” he asked, placing his eyes back on the road. They were approaching the intersection that would lead to a multitude of different restaurants. Even so, Dean had already planned where they were going to eat.
“I say Dairy Queen,” he announced. “I’ve heard their banana split blizzard is pretty good.” Cas laughed out loud, leaning over to nudge Dean with his shoulder. Dean nudged back. Cas’s laugh was infectious, and he couldn’t keep the joy from swelling up in his chest. Not for the last time, Dean thought about how lucky he had been when he crashed that car all those days ago.