Chapter Text
Pain. Cold. Some annoying buzzing sound. More pain. And a weird smell...antiseptic. Hospital.
What the hell had happened to him that forced Sam to take him to a hospital? The injuries he got were easy to fix at home.
The pain was all over his body, which was weird. Usually when he got hurt it was because Sam dared him to do something stupid, causing Dean to break his wrist or rib. Multiple times with the rib.
Except for the fact that he was in a hospital, there was one other thing that was not quite right with this situation. The buzzing noise. As Dean’s head cleared, he realized that the noise was actually someone talking.
“Gabe, seriously, you can’t keep sending me male prostitutes.” The strange voice came from the other side of whatever room Dean was currently in. From the tone, it sounded like a man. Dean tried to open his eyes to see who this mysterious stranger was.
That proved to be easier said than done. As soon as his eyes widened even the slightest bit, it felt like his eyes had been lit on fire. He couldn’t keep a pain filled groan from escaping before slipping back into unconsciousness.
***
More pain. More cold. More noise. More smell. The only new thing was that this time Dean knew where he was.
When he attempted to open his eyes this time, it was much less agonizing. And he didn’t pass out, which was a plus. Now that he was able to look around without feeling like dying, Dean took in his surroundings.
He was lying on a completely white bed in a sparkling room. All of it was either reflective stainless steel or blinding white. Obviously a hospital room. Both beds were on one side, with tables and instruments opposite. A wall of windows to the right showed a view of more indescript buildings. The only door in the room on the farthest wall to the left. Between the door and his bed was Dean’s roommate.
Holy crap. Guys should never be allowed to be that pretty. The stranger’s eyes were the bluest and most piercing eyes Dean had ever seen. They were almost Photoshop blue. Hell, his whole face looked Photoshopped. Especially those cheekbones. Hot damn. It felt like the temperature in the room had just skyrocketed to boiling. Dean was definitely not going to survive this encounter.
He had realized he was gay about two years ago, and had come out to Sam about a year ago. Sam was obviously cool with it. Dean was so glad Sam was his brother. Not that he would ever share that. He did not need Sam getting a bigger head.
Seriously. It was pretty ridiculous how attractive the other guy in the room was. Dean really wanted to get to know him. Like right now. Then possibly get to more interesting activities after he got out of this freaking hospital room. Hopefully. It was just about then that Dean remembered the stranger was talking on the phone. Not that he wanted to eavesdrop. That would be rude and invasive.
He was totally eavesdropping.
“Gabe seriously. You’re going to get me kicked out of this hospital. And then where would we be? Do you remember how far you had to drive to the nearest hospital last time? Because I do.” The guy paused, listening to the response on the other end of the phone. “I don’t care how hot you think they are. I appreciate you trying to hook me up with someone, but I have like five broken ribs and a fractured wrist. Do you really think I’ll be that fun in bed?”
More pausing. Dean was actually getting pretty interested in this conversation. Whoever was on the other end of the phone, the relationship between the two sounded like his and Sam’s. Maybe he could start a conversation with that. No wait, then the stranger will know he was eavesdropping.
This stuff is hard.
“And for another thing, these places are spotless. Have you ever been in one? They’re the most sanitary places on Earth, which means I won’t get the chance to have sex in my room. Sorry to disappoint.” The guy sighed deeply. “I know. I’m looking forward to the next round. They’d better be the best prostitutes in the state. Whatever. You suck ass.” An audible click came from the other side of the room as the mysterious stranger hung up. Now was Dean’s chance to start a conversation.
Just one problem. Just as he was about to start talking, a nurse came in to check up.
“So, Mr. Novak, how are you feeling this morning?”
“I’m feeling much better, thank you. I think the medicine is helping a great deal.” His voice is almost better than his face, if that’s even possible. Dean would listen to him read out of the dictionary if that was what it took to make him keep talking.
“Well, we’ll check on you again in about three hours. You should be ready to go by the end of next week.”
“Fantastic. Thanks so much.” The stranger, Novak, sent her a dazzling smile. Dean wished he was on the receiving end of that smile.
Finally, the nurse left. Dean took a deep breath, then cleared his throat. Novak looked over.
“Hey, you’re awake! I thought you were in a coma a couple times there. I’m glad you aren’t. This room would’ve been almost as boring as it was before you got here.” Novak was smiling cheerfully at Dean, and he was getting light headed. “How are you feeling?”
Dean smiled back tentatively. It was incredible he was keeping it together this well. Over the past ten seconds Dean had decided that his new roommate was definitely worth getting to know better. A lot better.. First he had to be careful not to scare away his hot new friend. Time to initiate step one to the plan: Make Friends. Step one should also probably include learning the guy’s name.
“Uh, I feel okay I guess. My leg hurts pretty bad, and I have a killer headache. Other than that I’m pretty good. Do you know what happened to me?”
“Well, from what I gathered from what the nurses were saying outside the room, you were in a pretty nasty car crash. You’re lucky you’re not more badly hurt and all that.” Novak had taken on an almost mocking tone at the last part. Obviously he disliked hospitals as much as Dean did. Perfect.
“What are you here for?” Dean replied casually. He really wanted to know whether it was something to do with the prostitutes Novak had been talking about on the phone.
“Broken ribs and a fractured wrist. My brother dared me to jump off the roof. The ground was farther away than I originally thought.” Novak laughed ruefully. “I probably deserved it. It’s crazy. I’m 23 years old and still taking dared from my older brother.” So Novak was only a year older than Dean. Things seemed to be getting better and better as the conversation progressed.
“It’s not that crazy. Me and Sammy, that’s my little brother, still do pranks with each other. There was this one time where he glued a beer bottle to my hand. Man, I was so pissed. I had to go to the nearest walk-in-clinic because I couldn’t get the damn thing off.” Dean laughed out loud at the memory. “Guess we’re both a little crazy, aren’t we?”
“That’s not the worst thing to be,” Novak replied quietly. The mood in the room suddenly dipped. Dean waited for Novak to say something else. After a few beats of silence, Novak spoke up again.
“I’m Castiel by the way. Cas.” Cas. So Novak had a first name. Now Dean could stop calling him by his last name, even if it was just in his head.
“Dean. Good to meet you Cas. So I guess you’re my roommate now.”
“Guess so. As roommates go, you’re a lot better than some of the ones I’ve had in the past. Cuter, too.” Cas winked at him.
Remember that inward panic Dean had been dealing with? It rose by 100% at Cas’ words. His panic also made his heart rate rise. His heart monitor started dinging frantically, trying to warn the people in the room of what was happening to the person hooked up to the machine. Kill me now. Dean was now just yelling swear words in his head as loud as he could.
“Was it something I said?” Cas teased. He was grinning in Dean’s direction.
“That wasn’t...I mean...I just...” He cringed internally. Great. Now Cas thought he was a complete freak. Just what he needed.
“Relax. I was just messing around. I need something to relieve boredom in this place. Screwing with my roommates is my usual past time. I promise I won’t do it again. Forgiven?” Cas was now smiling at him hopefully, trying to gain back friendship.
Out of all the people in this hospital, Dean had to get the one that screwed with his roommates. Typical.
Cas was really lucky he was hot.
***
After the embarrassing encounter with the heart monitor, Dean had feigned exhaustion to avoid more conversation. He still wasn’t over what Cas had said, and wanted time to think it over.
Had Cas been kidding when he said Dean was cute? Was that just another one of his jokes? Or did he actually mean it? Even with the teasing, Cas already felt like one of Dean’s best friends, and it had been less than a day. It was worth all of the extra teasing.
But did Cas feel the same way? He might have made friends with whoever had ended up in Dean’s bed. It didn’t necessarily mean that Dean was special.
This situation was a lot more puzzling than expected. Getting bored with going in circles with his thoughts, Dean rolled to face Cas.
“So who were you on the phone with earlier?”
“Oh, that was my brother, Gabriel.” Cas seemed willing to drop the embarrassing event from earlier. Dean was completely fine with that.
“Why was he, ah…” There was no polite way to phrase the next question.
“Why was he sending me male prostitutes?”
“Uh, yeah.” Cas seemed to actually put some thought into the question before answering. It was interesting. Cas seemed to be an energetic person, but was still able to calm down and be serious when the time called for it. Not everybody had that talent.
“I guess he’s trying to be nice. It is his fault I’m in the hospital, after all. I mean, I do appreciate the thought. But I’m not really into the whole idea of prostitution, you know? I enjoy going on dates more than touching half naked strangers. Gabe does mean well, though, even if he doesn’t listen to a single word I say.” Cas was smiling to himself. He was obviously fond of his older brother.
“If you don’t like them, why don’t you just tell Gabe to stop sending them?” Cas cracked his knuckles as he responded, causing Dean to cringe. That was such an awful noise.
“Whatever prostitutes he does send, they’re always the hottest in the town. Even if I don’t get the urge to touch, looking is a hell of a lot better than staring at a wall. Plus, I have a weakness for great abs. Gabe found out, and acts accordingly.”
There were two things Dean got out of this response. First, he suddenly felt very self conscious about the slight roundness around his stomach. It wasn’t like he had let himself go, he just hadn’t had a lot of time to get to the gym lately. It was probably time to start going again. If he wanted the thing with Cas to progress any farther, that is. The second thing was that his roommate was gay.
It was absolutely fabulous that his roommate was gay. He actually had a chance with a hot person. That he had met all on his own, too! This car crash may have been a blessing in disguise.
“Yeah, Sammy usually gets it when I tell him to stop doing things to me.”
“Well it’s different for you! You’re the older brother. The leader. The one the parents like better, right?” Cas was mocking him, that much was obvious.
“They like me better because I’m the more attractive child.” Dean shot back. Cas scoffed.
“I am the most attractive of my siblings, and Gabe is still the favorite. Your logic is flawed,” Cas replied triumphantly. He didn’t seem bitter about Gabe being liked better, he was just stating facts as he knew them. Dean accepted his defeat with grace.
“How many siblings do you have? I know it’s you and Gabe, but are their others?”
“In total there’s four of us. Gabe is oldest, then Samael, I’m the third one, and Hael is the little sister. It usually turns into Hael running everything because she’s the only girl and gets special treatment. She’s a brat.” Cas had gradually leaned back until he was staring up at the ceiling instead of looking at Dean.
“Those are all heavenly names, right? Are you guys avenging angels in disguise or what?” Cas could totally pass for an angel. He already had the voice and looks, now he just needed wings.
“Our mom is super religious. We all used to get teased all the time for it, but it isn’t a problem anymore. Not for me anyways.” Cas now turned to look Dean’s direction. “Is your family big believers?”
“Not really. The closest we ever got was our mom telling me and Sam that angels were watching over us.” That memory had nearly slipped his mind until just now, when Cas had brought up religion. His mother used to take Dean and Sam to church every Sunday with her. Dean hadn’t known what was going on at the time, but had tried to be serious for his mom.
“She sounds like a nice lady, your mom.” Cas actually sounded sincere when he said this, not like he was just trying to make conversation.
“Yeah, she was. She died in a fire when we were younger.”
“I didn’t know. I couldn’t imagine ever dealing with that,” Cas had gained a sad tone to his voice. Strangely, it didn’t make him sound pitying. Dean guessed he was just trying to be comforting.
Dean had only been a little kid when his mom died. Even so, he still had faint memories of her, a lot more than Sam ever got. It had been rough the first couple of years, but the pain had become manageable as time went on. The loss would come crashing back sometimes at the most inopportune times. Like right now.
He turned to face the wall again as tears stung his eyes. Dean heard Cas rustle around before settling down for the night. He allowed a tear to slide down his face before scrubbing away the rest. There was no use for tears anymore. They didn’t help anyone. He squeezed his eyes shut to block any more from coming out. Eventually, by shutting out the rest of the room, he managed to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
***
The light of day hit Dean in the face like a semi-truck. He groaned and buried his face into the pillow. It couldn’t be morning already. It felt like he had just fallen asleep. And his whole body ached like nothing he had ever felt before.
“Dean, wake up. Seriously. I’ve been trying to wake you up for like twenty minutes.”
“Sammy, I’m sleeping. Five more minutes.” That excuse had never worked before, but he might be able to swing it, what with him being in the hospital and everything. He deserved extra comfort.
“It’s not Sam. It’s Cas. Your roommate?” The voice sounded extremely hesitant, which Sam never was when talking to his brother. Dean jerked awake with a start. The fact that he had a roommate had completely fled his mind. Everything from the night before came rushing back in. Dean glanced over at Cas, and watched as Cas looked quickly away. Obviously there was still some tension in the room.
“Sorry man, I forgot where I was for a second there.” This was going to be a horrible day if the awkwardness wasn’t dissipated soon.
“So, um, do you feel better?” Dean could feel the embarrassment that was going to be created from this conversation. How do you make up for dumping the fact that your mom died on someone you just met? He regretted that decision already. He should’ve just told Cas that she was in jail or something. That would make things so much easier.
“Better, thanks.” So not true. He felt like crap on a stick.
“Good, that’s good.” Again, the uncomfortable silence. It dragged on, sucking all of the life out of the room, until Dean felt like he couldn’t breathe. Something had to happen soon, or he was afraid he would suffocate in his hospital bed. Luckily, the gods were on his side. A nurse walked in quickly and headed towards Dean’s bed.
“Good morning Mr. Winchester! So wonderful to see you awake! I would’ve come to check on you earlier, but you looked so comfortable.” The smile the nurse was sending him was forming a feeling in him that was no where near comfortable.
“Well, I’m awake now.” Dean despised having to make conversation with strangers. Especially at places that he did not volunteer to be at.
“That you are! I’ll just check your vitals, then you should be good for another few hours at least.”
“Sounds fine.” Hopefully he would have more than just a few hours to forget about this entire encounter. She fiddled with a few of the tubes attached to his body before stepping away.
“Everything looks perfect. If your recovery continues at this rate, you should be out by the end of the week.” Dean ignored her and elected to stare out the window instead. The nurse shuffled her feet a few times before offering an excuse and making her exit.
“Do you hate hospitals as much as I do?” Dean closed his eyes. He really wasn’t in the mood for conversation right now. He decided to play along. It was more interesting than the concrete wall he had been staring at.
“Yeah I do. Have since I was little. Not really sure why.” Dean didn’t put any emotion into his words, and tried to make them slightly harsh. He wanted Cas to get the hint that he didn’t want to talk anymore.
No matter how hot his roommate might be, for some reason Dean had grown wary of him over the past day and a half.
“Does it seem to you like every smile you get in these places is forced for your benefit? Even if you’re close to dying, it’s still the ‘you’re doing fine’ smile. It pisses me off. That’s the reason I hate coming here. You can never really get a straight answer about what’s wrong with you.” Dean turned to face him.
“Right? Like with the nurse that was just here. The entire time she was talking to me, she seemed almost constipated, like it was paining her to keep a smile on her face.” Cas burst out laughing. The mood in the room suddenly switched back to what it had been before. Dean couldn’t remember why he had been so annoyed with Cas just a couple minutes ago. “It’s even worse when you’re a kid,” he continued.
“It’s impossible to get any answer when you’re a kid that isn’t able to be treated by orange juice and sleep,” Cas added. He seemed to be getting pretty worked up about the subject matter.
Now that the two roommates were okay with each other, they were able to continue talking for the rest of the day. They were brought meals, and checked up on a few times, but nothing could stop their chatter. Dean and Cas talked for almost eight hours straight about both meaningless things and the most important things. They touched again briefly on the subject of Dean’s mom, but quickly moved on. Other than that, no subject matter was off limits. By the end they felt like they knew each other better than they knew themselves.