The next day, Dean waited until the hallways were mostly silent. Dean noticed this odd occurrence - it seemed like for about an hour or so, the hallways would grow quiet. he assumed this could be the monster's lunch time. They did need to eat, after all. So that's when he told Sam to execute his plan. He strained his ears to listen. It was annoying he couldn't see for himself, separated by this stupid wall, but he could make a good guess based on the noises he heard. There was the slight creak as Sam opened the door a crack, possible by Lonoff leaving it a bit ajar, just enough for the others not notice. He then took a deep breath, and Dean could hear him throwing some of his clothes on the floor - The t-shirt under his flannel, covering some bulky socks, just as they had planned. It'd look as though a shape-shifter had covered up their skin. It would buy them a moment of time if anyone suspected Sam. Hopefully Sam had improved his acting skills ever since they were sucked into that alternate dimension, where they were actors. He shuddered at the mere thought of being in a soap opera.
"You sure you don't want to come out too?" Sam asked through the wall, and Dean could almost feel his skeptically furrowed brows burning into him. Dean looked down at his leg. Sam had no idea how much he wished he could take his place, it was just impossible for him.
"Come on Sam, you're a grown man, you've got this," Dean reassured him, trying to direct it off of him. Sam fell silent, knowing that he should just drop it, and Dean heard his door open wide, then his footsteps disappear down the hallway. His muscles tensed. God, how he yearned to be able to see Sam, what he was doing, if someone had stopped him or apprehended him. It gave him agonizing anxiety, his heart pounding against his ribs, and he found it hard to breathe properly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Sam was smart, strong, and capable. If anyone can pull this off, it's him.
For a few moments, there was silence, just the typical odd shuffling of someone going through paperwork, or the accidental drop of a tool on the ground. Minutes went by. Then Dean heard Sam's cell door creak, and cautious, unfamiliar footsteps come slowly into the room. Dean froze up, listening careful as the footsteps stopped in the middle of the cell. There was the rustle of clothes and a string of curses under someone's breath, a woman it sounded like. Her high heels distinctly clicked against the concrete as she rushed out the door, her head going by the window into Dean's cell. Just from that glimpse, Dean could see the fury in her eyes. She had figured out their scheme, and Dean prayed Sam had gotten their angel's grace, that he had been able to unlock them in time.
Suddenly the building fell into darkness, then a red alarm pulsed throughout the hallway, it's annoying buzzing muffled by Dean's cell door. He couldn't see anything, save for the silhouettes of monsters running past him, illuminated for only a moment by the ruby lighting only to disappear once again. He distinctly heard a woman scream "GET HIM" and then the fainter shouts of his brother, the crash of glass on the floor, then chaos ensued as frantic shouts filled the air. It sounded like a battle field, Dean able to hear the orders thrown every which way. Some monsters appeared to be fleeing back past him.
Dean pulled himself onto his leg, steadying himself against the cell door, trying to peer down the hallway, squinting his eyes. He could see a mass of fighting forming, then his eyes were drawn to the bright, shining blue light that exploded every few heart beats, cutting through the darkness. Dean grinned. Cas was back in business. Speaking of Cas, the bursts of light seemed to be getting closer, monsters Dean had just seen running to or from danger falling to the ground. As he got closer, the Winchester could see them - those glowing blue eyes the pierced the darkness, his darkness, getting closer and eventually right up to his cell window, staring back into Dean's green eyes. Dean could just make out Cas' infectious grin as it spread to his own face. The angel fiddled with keys for a moment then threw the door open. Dean gasped and stumbled forward, Cas catching him. He was incredibly warm, the grace coursing through his system giving him this unnatural - one may say, supernatural - warmth. Dean just wanted to forget the fight and sink down in Cas' arms forever. Against his internal protesting, Cas lifted Dean up and threw his arm over his shoulder, helping him down the hall, putting one hand around Dean's waist to battle him and using the other to warn other monsters out of the way, slashing his angel blade in an uncoordinated manner.
As they got closer to the fray, Dean's heart leaped in his throat as he saw Sam, shouting, stuck under a net with burning angel symbols, monsters swarming over him. Dean grabbed the angel blade from Cas and let go of him, using his one strong leg to launch himself forward. He landed hard on the ground and grunted, but regained himself, crouching in front of Sam. Using his skills with a blade he sliced through the net as Cas pulled away the swarming monsters. Dean created a hole just big enough for Sam to escape through. His giant of a brother threw the net off of him and looked up at Dean, a smile breaking his lips momentarily. Dean smiled back and stood up, only to remember his handicap and fall backwards, once again into Cas' ready arms. Sam's smile disappeared as his jaw fell slack, staring at Dean's missing leg. Dean didn't even know what to say. He gave a half-hearted smile, the best he could do as Cas lifted him up in a bridal carry.
"Gabe, get us out of here!" Cas shouted, and for the first time Dean noticed the archangel. He silently thanked God his brother wasn't just imagining him. It was really the short archangel in all his glory, pulsing eyes illuminating his blond hair. He gave Dean a slight nod, which must have been a greeting but it was hard to read his expression with those otherworldly eyes. Gabriel grabbed Sam's hand and then Castiel's. Dean could've sworn he saw Gabriel's golden wings for a split second before he heard them flapping, which was the last sound he heard before silence.
Dean had to adjust his eyes to the bright light as he looked around, blinking rapidly. They were in an abandoned parking lot, grass growing through the cracks in the asphalt barely marked by fading white lines, just outside of a wide open baseball field, it's unmowed grass blowing in the breeze.
They did it. They were outside.
He would have loved to take a second to just breathe in the fresh air and flop into the soft grass, but it'd probably be smarter to get the hell out of dodge. Cas stumbled as he powered down, overwhelmed by the sudden gain of grace, though his desire to keep Dean from falling was greater. Gabriel straight up passed out, falling into Sam's arms. Dean looked to the side and he grinned as he saw the Impala, his Baby, sleek and shiny as ever in the crisp sunlight. It was good to see Sam had taken care of her. He wrestled himself from Cas' grip and leaped into the driver's seat sloppily. There was no way in hell anyone but Dean was gonna drive his Baby, not after being away from her for so long. Surprisingly, Dean saw Sam get into the back seat, laying Gabriel across it and putting his head in his lap. The way Sam looked down at the archangel, the utmost concern in his eyes...He remembered how he had done the same with Cas - how he had placed the angel's head gently in his lap, staring down at him, bashfully touching his lips. he could feel his face heat up so he turned away, looking instead at Cas who sat beside him.
Shit. He had to figure out how to come out to Sam, didn't he?
Nope, nope, nope, he'd think about that later, not now. There was no way Sam could feel like that for Gabriel, he was just seeing things, seeing himself and Cas in his brother. He turned to the wheel and turned the key, grinning as the Impala rumbled to life. "Man, I missed you Baby," He murmured.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me you don't have your leg? I mean should you even be driving?" Dean could see the anger in Sam's eyes in the rear view mirror. Dean was glad Sam couldn't see his face as he looked forward, setting his lips in a straight line. He knew Sam would be furious, but what choice did he have? The last thing he wanted was for Sam to be worried about him.
"You only need one leg between the pedals Sam," Dean answered plainly, trying to direct their conversation away from his leg.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sam repeated. God, would he let it drop?
"I didn't want you to worry, alright? We'll figure something out," Dean reasoned, trying to focus on driving as he pulled out of the parking lot and raced down the road, trying to envision a map of the highways and roads in his mind to get back to the bunker.
"You lost a fucking leg, that's not something easily fixable!" Sam shouted. Blood rushed in Dean's ear. This was not what he wanted to talk about after just getting out of that God forsaken place, after all they had been through!
"I SAID WE'LL FIGURE SOMETHING OUT!" Dean found his voice rising louder than he wanted it to as he snapped at Sam. Silence fell over them. Dean sighed, letting the subtle rumble of the Impala calm him. "I know you're worried Sam, and I am too. But there's prosthetics and all that, and even then I at least got my arms. We'll get through it," He assured, more so himself than Sam. It was just a bunch of bullshit he pulled out of his ass. They did always figure something out though. Always.
A tense silence still lingered in the car. Dean glanced at Cas, who he only now noticed had fallen asleep. Or passed out. One or the other. He sneaked a peek at the rear view mirror, and seeing that Sam was totally enveloped in looking at Gabriel's face as if it was the Mona Lisa, Dean slipped one hand over and onto Cas' thigh, giving it a light squeeze. It was so good to be with him again, just to be near him, but now he felt a familiar nervousness lingering in his heart. What would Sam say? What would other people think? Just the thought made him retract his hand and put it back on the wheel, it's palm still hot and clammy. To wipe it off he used the excuse of turning up the radio, still set on his station from their last hunt. Kansas began to fill the silence as he discreetly wiped his hand and set it back on the wheel, keeping his eyes focused on the road.
It took them ages until Dean finally pulled the Impala into the garage. He sighed and breathed in. Ah, yes. That's the stuffy, underground air he remembered. Classic bunker.
Sam opened the door and silently picked up Gabriel as though he was nothing more than a sack of potatoes. Dean shook Cas awake, who hurriedly opened Dean's door and picked him up before the cocky Winchester could protest. "It's good to be with you again," Cas murmured quietly to Dean. God, it was so good to hear those words in person, not all disconnected like before.
"It's good to see you too," Dean whispered back, smiling lightly up at him. Cas smiled back and then began to walk out of the garage, Sam trailing behind him with his own angel in his arms. Yeah, they were definitely a thing. If gaydar was real, Dean's would be off the charts right about now. So if he came out to Sam...he would be okay with it, right? I mean, obviously, if he was gay too. Still, the thought made his muscles tense, and he suddenly felt very self-conscious about being so willingly carried by Cas.
When they reached the war room, Dean spoke up. "You really don't have to carry me like this Cas." Crap. That came out colder than he'd meant. For a moment Cas looked confused, hurt even, and opened his mouth to protest, then glanced at Sam, now understanding.
"It takes much longer for you to move otherwise. You're not used to this yet," Cas reasoned.
"What are you, a nurse?" Dean shot. Cas narrowed his eyes down at him, those perfect pools of crystal water. Dean looked away guiltily. "Could you take me to the kitchen? I'm going to make us some grub."
"Shouldn't you rest first Dean?" Sam pointed out. Dean looked sideways at him. How could he be so comfortable holding Gabriel like that, while Dean's skin was prickling wherever it touched Cas?
"Shouldn't you take your boyfriend to a bedroom?" Dean retorted.
Sam's face burned a bright red, and it confirmed Dean's thoughts. They were a couple now. Well, good for them.
"He's not my boyfriend," Sam protested.
"Uh-huh, right," Dean snorted in disbelief. He knew that look in Sam's eyes when he looked at the golden archangel. He knew it so well because it's what he imagined he looked like when he looked at Cas.
"Says you," Sam fired back. A chill ran down Dean's spine and his muscles tensed again.
"Hey, I have one leg!" Dean snapped defensively. Cas hid his face from Sam, but Dean could see his cheeks were as red as a ripe tomato. "I'm going to cook us some burgers. Come on Uber angel, you'll be my sous chef," Dean hurried to change the topic, and Cas seemed thankful for the excuse to leave the room as much as Dean was, walking off to the kitchen at a brisk pace.
Cas let Dean support himself in front of the stove as the angel handed him all the ingredients, letting Dean cook them. There was obviously something bothering Cas.
"What is it?" Dean asked finally.
"What was that?" Cas responded with his own question.
"You're going to have to be more specific."
"Why were you acting all weird in there with Sam and Gabriel? I could feel your muscles lock up in my arms," Cas looked at Dean with hurt eyes, and Dean had to will himself not to wince.
"I just -" Dean started before he could find the right words, sighing as he found them, "I was just uncomfortable like that, in front of them. I don't know."
"So now I can't even touch you?"
"Not like...that," Dean shook his head. He wanted to kick himself for saying it, for even feeling like this, but he couldn't help it.
"Dean, him and Gabriel, they obviously love each other," Cas began to try and reason to Dean, who kept his gaze firmly locked on the sizzling burgers, "You don't have to be afraid to be openly gay in front of him. He is too. We can be open with them."
"No, no, I can't...not yet. I - I just can't," Dean shook his head again, and out of his peripheral he could see Cas' pout of disappointment.
"It's going to be hard to love you if I can't even say it. If I can't even..." Cas gingerly put his hand on Dean's shoulder, lining up with the blisters in the shape of his hand. Dean leaned away from the touch, and pretended not to pay attention as Cas slowly lowered his hand, glancing from it to Dean's face.
"I'm sorry Cas. Just not yet."
Dean pretended not to watch as Cas broken heartedly left the kitchen, disappearing around the corner, while Dean's heart screamed for him to come back. he closed his eyes, shaking his head yet again.
The burgers were done. He made two to his liking while he prepared the other one for Sam. Luckily the bench they ate at wasn't to far, and he was able to make it in a couple hops without the burgers sliding off. He sat down and took a bite into his first burger. Then he threw his head back and let out a low moan. This was the best thing he had tasted in eons, and he chewed slowly just to savor the first bite. Sam was going to love this.
"SAM! COME ON!" Dean called for his brother to join him. he was going to eat the burgers slowly, just to savor their flavor, then quickly decided against it as he wolfed down his first burger before Sam even came in the door. His brother snorted at his bad eating habits as he walked in an plopped down at the bench.
"Where's Cas?" Sam asked, glancing around the empty kitchen.
"Took a burger in his room. He's exhausted," Dean lied through the beef and bread in his mouth, swallowing hard to get it down.
Dean could see Sam hesitate and glance down before he asked, "Could Cas make you a new leg? Or heal it or something?"
Huh. Dean hadn't even asked that. but if Cas could have, he would have said something. "You don't think I asked him that? He told me that for a regular angel, growing whole new bones and nerves is impossible. Hey, maybe Gabriel could though."
Sam nodded understandingly and finally took his burger in his hands, taking a big bite out of it, and having a reaction similar to Dean's, a low moan escaping his lips. Dean laughed. "Missed my cooking?" he asked, grinning at Sam's delighted expression.
Sam chuckled and nodded vigorously, taking another bite and swallowing. He paused his eating and looked up at Dean. "I missed you a lot, Dean."
"I missed you too Sammy," Dean stopped eating for a moment, smiling a bittersweet smile. "There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about how you were doing, all alone," That's when he remembered Sam hadn't been alone - he had Gabriel with him. For a moment, he had to admit he felt jealous. From what he could tell so far, they had a good relationship with one another, one he felt he couldn't' have with Cas. Then he thought of how Cas had kept him sane the whole time, how awful it felt to be alone, and forced the envious thoughts away. He'd deal with them when the stopped him from falling asleep tonight. "I'm glad you at least had Gabriel."
"So am I. I was going crazy without you man. Gabe really kept me grounded," Sam nodded in agreement, glancing in the direction of his room, where he had surely put the archangel.
Dean had to at least ask. He needed a confirmation. "So what's the deal with you two? Are you guys dating?"
"What!?" Sam exclaimed, as though the question was ridiculous, "N-No, we're just friends, really," he averted Dean's gaze, and Dean smirked. He was right. And now they had to have a talk.
"Yeah, that's what they all say," Dean laughed inwardly. Sam was looking like how Dean felt. "Listen, I'm totally fine with that, okay? If you're pansexual or...bisexual..." Dean trailed off fro a moment, losing the ability to look straight at Sam. Come on, this was his chance to come out. Just say it. He could say it and Sam would be fine and they would be fine. But he just couldn't find the courage to. He sighed in defeat and looked back up at Sam. "I'm fine with whatever you are."
Sam looked so relieved. "Thank you, Dean," he said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"And hey, you guys are perfect for each other. You both have ridiculously long hair to braid together," Dean decided to lighten the mood and make Sam laugh.
They finished their burgers together and Sam stood as he chewed his last bite. "Need a lift back to your room?"
"Come on, you and Cas need to stop babying me," Dean waved his hand dismissively and stood, pushing his hands against the bench as he swung his leg over the bench. Contemplating his next move carefully, he made a mad leap for the wall, only to fall short and then fall face first on the floor. The bruise on his cheek must be huge by now. He looked up at Sam's smug 'I told you so' face and sighed in defeat. "Fine," he grumbled. Sam lifted him up and brought him back to Dean's bedroom, laying him down in the bed.
"Do you want a bedtime stowy?" Sam asked in a baby voice, batting his eyelashes innocently at Dean.
"Bitch," Dean shot back, accompanied by a middle finger.
"Jerk," Sam replied, giving him a much friendly wave as he closed the door behind him, leaving Dean alone in his room.
Alone.
Dean rolled over on his side, grabbing a bunch of the covers in his fist and putting his other hand behind his head. It was so strange - here he was, sleeping on a mattress covered in silky sheets, yet it still wasn't as comforting as the concrete floor under his back and Cas' thigh behind his head. He flushed at the mere thought and rolled back onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He wish he could take back everything he had said to Cas today, but now the lips of the past were sealed, and he could do nothing to change them, only to try and make up for them. For now, he closed his eyes, trying to clear his head as the events of today weighed down on his chest, suffocating him even as he drifted off to sleep.