Standing Together

Chapter 38

Dean and Castiel watch Aladdin that night. Dean doesn't complain this time. He doesn't even crack a joke or suggest a different movie that he knows Castiel wouldn't go for. He must be really tired, because this is unheard of.

Castiel can't help but feel a little guilty for it. It was his nightmare that woke the boy up so early that morning. Knowing him, it'll probably happen again the next morning, and almost every morning after that. This is going to be a really bad season for Dean if he can't sleep a full eight hours because Castiel's with him.

Determined to change that, Castiel pushes himself to a sitting position, trying to be as quiet as possible. He waits for a moment, making sure the squeak of the bed didn't wake his fiancé up. When it seems like it's all clear, Castiel slowly stands up, then pauses again, just to be sure.

Dean mumbles something unintelligible and reaches over to where Castiel should have been. "Cas?"

"I'm just getting a cup of water," Castiel says quietly. "Go back to sleep. I'll be back in a minute."

Dean hums in response, not putting up any type of fight. He's not awake enough to complain. Hell, even if Castiel was just getting a glass of water, by the time he came back, Dean would probably be sleeping again. It's really going to make this whole thing a lot easier.

Castiel walks away, trying to be as quiet as possible, even though he knows Dean is already half awake. He sneaks into the living room and lies down on the couch, his legs pulled in because he's too tall to lie flat. Well, it's not the most comfortable sleeping arrangement in the world, but if it gets Dean a full night's sleep, it's worth it.

~~

It's not a very fun night. It takes ages to fall asleep, and when he does, it doesn't last very long before he's woken up by a nightmare, and has to begin the long process of falling asleep again.

He's not sure what wakes him up the second time, but he's sure it has to be something, because he's still exhausted. He closes his eyes and tries to go back to sleep, but when he hears the shuffling from outside the room, he changes his mind.

He finds Dean at the kitchen table, drinking coffee out of a mug with a bunch of Marvel superheroes on it. He looks over when he hears his fiancé approach, but instead of his usual warm smile, he looks a bit upset.

"I woke up this morning and you had completely disappeared," Dean says. "What was that about?"

"I slept on the couch," Castiel explains.

"Well, yeah, no dip," Dean says. "If you think I wasn't going to immediately go look for you, you clearly don't know me very well."

"Oh, sorry," Castiel mutters awkwardly. "I didn't mean to make you nervous."

"Why'd you sleep on the couch, though?" Dean asks. "That's usually a bad sign in a relationship, but all that's changed is that sleep deprivation made me annoyingly pessimistic yesterday, and I can't be pessimistic while I sleep."

Castiel chuckles. "No, it's nothing bad, don't worry. I just wanted you to get a good night's sleep, because it doesn't look like that's happened much since I moved in."

Dean sighs. "Cas, I already told you, I don't want you to have to sleep on the couch for my sake. I can make up for lost sleep after practice. It's not as easy to make up for nights without you."

"That's kinda cute," Castiel says, even though he knows that's not what his fiancé was going for.

Dean smiles slightly at that. "Cute enough to convince you to not sleep on the couch anymore?"

Castiel hesitates, then shrugs. "Fine. But if you decide you want me to sleep on the couch again because I'm ruining your nights, tell me and I will."

"Can do," Dean replies. "I won't do it because I'll never decide I don't want you in my bed, but I can do it."

Castiel rolls his eyes. "Okay, well, if you change your mind, I'm glad you're physically capable of telling me."

~~

It's a few minutes later when Dean says he has to leave. He slowly pushes himself to his feet with a groan. He starts to stretch, but winces and quickly changes his mind.

Castiel cocks his head in confusion. "Did you get hurt yesterday and you're pretending you're okay because you want to keep playing football?"

Dean chuckles. "That's definitely something I would do, but no. I'm just really, really sore. I basically spent the last month sitting on couches — not exactly the best exercise regime."

"Are you going to be able to keep doing whatever it is you do today?" Castiel asks.

"Not that I really have a choice, but yeah, I'll be fine," Dean assures him. "Once I get moving, it'll be like I was never in pain to begin with."

Castiel raises an eyebrow. "Well, don't hurt yourself, and have fun."

"No to both of those," Dean replies. He walks over and gives Castiel a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll see you in a little bit — unless you're coming with me because you have a cat to feed?"

"Oh, crap, I have a cat to feed," Castiel says. "Do you have time to wait for me to grab my trench coat?"

"Go for it," Dean replies.

Castiel jogs to their bedroom and pulls his trench coat out of the closet. He wears it every time he leaves the house, so hopefully, the random fans outside will realize there's never going to be anything new to see.

The two boys walk out together, ignoring the excited fans waiting outside. Castiel has to walk by the impala to get to the neighbors' house, which makes it a perfect place to say goodbye.

"Welp, this is where I go," Dean says. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Castiel presses a brief kiss to his lips. "Yep, see you then. Love you."

And now, time to feed a kitten.