Standing Together

Chapter 11

"Cas, hey, wake up."

Castiel's eyes snap open, and his first reaction is I have to get out of here. He sits up, heart pounding, but doesn't get much farther than that until he remembers where he is — or, more specifically, who he's with.

Dean is still lying down, his upper body held up on his forearm, and he's looking up at his fiancé with a concerned expression. He sits up, crossing his legs in front of him, and it's clear in his expression that he wants to say something, if only he knew what.

Castiel presses a hand against his chest, feeling his heartbeat slow to a normal pace. He lets out a long sigh, then mumbles, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Cas —" Dean slides toward him, putting an arm around his shoulder and pressing their heads together. "I am the last person you need to be worrying about right now. Are you okay?"

Castiel nods silently.

"Are you sure?" Dean asks.

Castiel just buries his head in his fiancé's chest. Dean wraps his arms around the boy, holding him close. It's quiet for a few minutes, until Dean begins singing softly.

"I believe most people are good, and most mamas ought to qualify for sainthood. I believe most Friday nights look better under neon or stadium lights. I believe you love who you love, ain't nothing you should ever be ashamed of. I believe this world ain't half as bad as it looks. I believe most people are good."

Castiel looks up at him, and, after a brief moment of silence, asks, "What song is that?"

"I don't know," Dean replies. "Lucifer sent me the link a few months ago. I think it's some country song."

"Can you sing it again?" Castiel asks softly.

"Wait, really?" Dean says, seeming taken aback. "You'd rather listen to a song you've never heard before instead of, like, Kansas? Or Bon Jovi?"

"Mm hmm."

Dean pauses, then shrugs. "I mean, if that's what you want, then I'm not going to complain, I guess."

So, for the next half hour, Dean sings the song over and over and over again.

~~

That's the song they listen to for the next twelve hours as they drive from Louisiana to Massachusetts. They play it on repeat, and though Dean must get sick of it pretty quickly, Castiel enjoys the repetition, the knowing what to expect next.

He plays it off his phone on Spotify, clicking it on every time it tries to lock so he can reread the title.

"Most People are Good."

It's hard to believe right now, but it's reassuring. Most people are good. They have to be. The world would be so much worse if they weren't, right? So most people are good. Most people are good. Most people are —

"Cas, are you okay?" Dean asks, glancing over at him in the passenger's seat.

"What?" Castiel blinks a few times, snapping out of his daze.

"You were just kinda staring into nothingness for a few minutes," Dean says. "Are you okay?"

Castiel nods. "Yeah, I'm fine." He props his head up on his arm, looking out the window. He can almost feel Dean watching him, but he ignores it. He just wants to get home, but there's still another ten hours and counting. This is going to be a long car ride.