Bare My Soul | Destiel AU

Say Grace

When the morning nurse came by with the medicine for Dean, she found Castiel sitting as still as stone, as focused on the man as ever, and not even bothering her a glance as she put in the IV. Castiel didn't even care whether or not it seemed inhuman for him to not have slept for three days. His only thoughts were on Dean, and Dean alone.

He didn't respond when the nurse asked if he needed anything, and as the door shut behind her with a soft click, he reached out and took Dean's cool hand, letting his grace warm the skin and slide up his arm like a gentle wave. As it reached Dean's head, he could hear the hunter's thoughts echoing through his own mind, fear and pain interlacing with them and making the angel tremble.

Then, he got an idea, and let his grace continue to hold onto Dean's mind as he closed his eyes, resting his head beside their enclosed hands, and surging into Dean's mind.

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When Castiel opened his eyes, he found that he was a field, the grass as tall as his knees and the fireflies buzzing around the air with their flickering lights. He could see a young boy with sparklers running through, laughing and looking back towards Castiel with a grin. The angel turned his head, seeing Dean standing beside him, his hands and his pockets and a sad look in his eyes.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Dean asked, looking over at Castiel with a small smile. There was regret there, and Castiel couldn't find the words to deny it. Dean turned his gaze back to the ground, kicking at the roots of the grass with his shoe.

"Thought so." Dean mumbled, glancing at the young boy when he called his name. The young boy, who Castiel assumed was same by the same brown soul, waved to Dean, not turning back to his sparklers until the hunter waved back. Castiel swallowed nervously, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I was hoping we could spend our last few days like this." Castiel finally said, his heart hurting with just the effort of saying it. "It's better than....just watching you sleep. I could even bring Sam here if you wish."

Castiel felt a hand on his shoulder, and the angel finally opened his eyes to look at Dean. The hunter was smiling in sad joy as tears began making tracks down his face. Castiel pulled him into a crushing hug, even the dream body frail as he held him close.

He looked at Sam again, only to find that he had stopped and was staring off towards the edge of the field. Castiel furrowed his brows, his gaze following Sam's and freezing when he saw a soft purple light hiding among the trees, ripping the leaves from the branches and shredding bark. Castiel barely had time to reel backwards, his grace jerking from Dean's body as the purple light came towards him.

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Castiel's eyes snapped open and he jerked himself from the position he had been lying in, releasing Dean's hand and shivering as he felt his grace aching from the sudden change. He felt a presence behind him, and turned quickly, only to relax when he saw Sam standing there with coffee and dark circles under his eyes.

"What's wrong, Cas?" Sam asked, but Castiel didn't have the ability to talk. He could only stammer, his  lips quivering as he remembered the purple light. He knew exactly what that was, and he didn't have much time if he didn't find Gabriel right away.

"C-call Gabriel. Now!" Castiel shouted, not sure why he thought yelling would make anything better. Sam flinched, but complied as he quickly dug out his phone, tapping on it a few times before he handed it to Castiel. The angel pulled it to his ear, clutching tightly to the seat he was sitting in until his fingertips broke through the leather of the chair.

"Hello?" He heard Gabriel's voice on the other line, and maybe that made Castiel feel just a bit better as he took a deep breath, trying to keep his racing heart at bay.

"Gabe. It's grace. Dean is being killed by an angel's grace." Castiel choked into the phone, ignoring the way Sam tensed. He heard silence on the other line for a moment before the archangel finally spoke.

"Alright, I'll be over there. Just stay calm." Gabriel said before hanging up. Castiel shakily let his hand fall from his face, clutching onto the phone with all its worth. It wasn't surprising when he felt it crack under his hand, and Sam wrestled it away from him.

There was a flutter of wings, and Gabriel was standing there in the corner, holding a giant syringe and a determined look on his face. "Sam, watch the door for nurses. Try not to look, cause this is going to hurt Dean quite a bit." Gabriel said, not even bothering for greeting as he made his way over. "Castiel, hold him down. I don't want to miss."

Both of them took their places, and Castiel gave Sam a sympathetic look at the confusion in his eyes as he hovered over Dean on the right side, pressing one hand firmly on his chest and the other keeping his head steady and slightly tilted to the side. Gabriel came to the other side, his grace sealing Dean's mouth shut so he couldn't scream before slowly sinking the needle into the side of his neck.

Dean convulsed in pain under Castiel's hand, and the angel had to look away as the hunter's body twitched and spasmed with pain, only his chest and head not moving from Castiel's grip. Gabriel sunk the needle all the way in, a disturbed look on his face as he began pulling the syringe's pull system back.

At first, only blood came, and Gabriel stopped and shifted the needle before he began pulling again. Little by little, purple whisps of light swirled into the syringe. When it was full, he pulled it out, looking at it and frowning.

"I'm afraid I don't know whose grace this is. I need to perform a ritual." Gabriel said, his eyes full of conflict as he looked at the still spasming Dean. Castiel eased his grace into Dean, soothing his pain until he laid still. "It'll take most of the day."

"But there's still a chance we can save him?" Castiel asked, feeling Sam slowly move back over to their general area. He could feel the panic rolling of the man, and felt a twinge of guilt at not explaining what the hell was going on.

"If we can find the angel and have them remove the grace, then yes." Gabriel said, his wings swishing around the room and making everything flutter before he disappeared with a small flash of light and flap of his wings.