WARNING: This has spoilers to 8.17. This is an AU where, after Cas disappears with the angel tablet, Dean finds him right after a week has passed from where the end of 8.17 ended. (Nothing else significant has occurred)
***
Castiel broke from his unconsiousness to a gentle touch of calised fingers on his hand.
The sensation was wonderful. Castiel could feel warmth spread across his still body. It almost made him forget his pain. Almost.
There was a heaviness in Castiel's body that was exhausting, and he felt like he wanted to just fade back into the relieving darkness in front of him. But then he remembered Dean. Yes, Dean. I need to stay here for Dean. After all, that was what kept him from ending his own life during this past week.
"Cas," Dean spoke quietly, breaking the loud silence. "Come on, man. Wake up. I need -- You gotta wake up." Dean's voice broke half way.
Castiel was shocked, yet happy, to hear Dean's voice. Wait. What is he doing here?
The angel was fully aware of Dean. He could hear his loud breaths and nervous swallows. He could smell the seemingly permanent smell of beer and leather and car on Dean. He could perfectly imagine the piercing green eyes looking down at him, full of worry, and the rough stubble along his strong jawline. Yes, Castiel wanted to wake up, to smile up at the kind man, to let him know that he was okay. But he couldn't.
He heard Dean shift around a little, his jeans rustling. Dean sighed quietly, cleared his throat, and quickly grabbed the angel's hand. He's holding my hand, Cas thought.
"Look, Cas. I--this is hard, man. You probably won't understand, but... I need you, Castiel. Please... pl--" Dean's voice broke, and there was a quiet shuffle and sniff. Dean breathed heavily, and whispered: "Please Cas. Don't die."
Castiel could practically feel his heart break. He willed himself to at least squeeze Dean's hand back, but it wouldn't obey him.
Dean took a moment to catch his breath and calm down.
"Okay, Cas," he spoke again; this time his voice was a little closer to normal. "Ya know in those really bad chick-flick movies, where one person can talk to the other person in the coma, and the person in the coma can hear them? Well... Maybe you don't. But that's the way it goes. So... I'm just gonna talk to you, okay? And you better listen up."
Dean shifted around a little, but still held onto Cas' hand.
"You've been in a coma for about 8 days. I swear to God, as soon as you get outta here, I'll never take you to a hospital again. This place sucks. It's got shitty pudding, and a nurse fussed at me for drinking from my whiskey flask.
"I got a call from Garth, saying that another hunter found you passed out on the site of a few angel attacks. I drove out, and picked you up. You wouldn't wake up for anything... Slept for about 3 days. And that, ya know, worried me. So we--Sam and I--took you back to a hospital about 10 hours from the bunker. People say its got the best doctors in the nation.
"Sam's back at the bunker. I told him to go back. I told him that he needed his rest. Ya know, he's really tired. I'm worried about him and all these trials. He says he's okay, but you know how that goes."
