inonebasket | (no subject)

When humans want something, really really bad, we lie.

Castiel takes a deep breath and lifts his chin. "Then you know about the Grace we've recovered."

"What?" No. No, it hadn't known about the Grace they'd recovered. "Please. We ate through your Grace."

"You don't know." There's a hierarchy amongst the Leviathan, Cas remembers from his vague, piecemeal memories of them inside of him. He had a monster from the lower rung, here. Perfect.

"I guess that's...what's it called? Above your paygrade?" Cas looks up at the thing wearing Dean's face and fights revulsion at the knowledge that he'd been lusting after it. "But it's true. And I bet you suspected it from the start."

Dean!Leviathan bares his teeth and shoves Castiel back into the wall. "We devoured you from the inside out. There's no Grace left for you to recover."

It certainly sounds confident enough, but there's just the tiniest flicker of doubt in its eyes. A host of Leviathan versus an angel is one thing. A single Leviathan against an angel, well...that's a little different.

That actually knocks the breath out of Castiel, but he doesn't so much as flinch. "If you devoured it, where do you think it went?"

Cas pushes a finger against the Leviathan's chest. "In here. Each of you got a speck; it's what makes you invulnerable. But you don't know how to use it, and I do." Cas lowers his hand.

Lying is...surprisingly easy as a human. But Castiel can't try to bluff his way out of this by being threatening; there's too good a chance the Leviathan will take the chance, and then Castiel is dead. He has to figure out something else.

The Leviathan, on the other hand, does flinch. It flinches and takes a step back.

"If it's just a speck, then it's not going to do you any good, now is it?" Now it's starting to sound uncertain. But it isn't leaving and it hasn't backed down yet. No, it's just...reevaluating.

"I would be willing to make an exchange." Castiel stands perfectly still, not a single twitch or tell. The bead of Grace he'd acquired burns like a miniature sun inside of him and he can hear the answering call inside of the Leviathan. It's a very odd sensation. "I will allow you to keep that Grace you have inside of you if you bring me to Dean, under the condition that he's still alive."

The Leviathan stays quiet for a minute, pacing back and forth, tapping its fingers on it's lips.

"Y'know what...no. No, I don't think so." It crowds closer to him again. "I think I'm gonna eat you, take your Grace for myself and then? I'm gonna eat your boyfriend. Starting with his--" It never gets a chance to finish its sentence, breaking off into a ragged scream. It convulses, twisting unnaturally to scrabble at its back; bloody chunks of flesh hit the floor and then there's Dean, the real Dean this time, pouring the contents of a mop bucket over its head.

Cas gets the hell out of the splashzone, watches as the thing that looks like Dean melts into a puddle on the floor; beneath all the goop, something bright white glows.

Noticing the toes of his shoes first, Cas glances up at Dean, shocked. "...hello, Dean."

"Cas." Something in his voice sounds broken. Terrified. Physically he's not much better, beaten and filthy and blood on his wrists where he'd fought with whatever the Leviathan had locked him up with.

Castiel steps over the goop and the Grace and pulls Dean into his arms so tight he'd be surprised if he could breathe.

God.

He'd never been so scared for someone in his life.

The bucket hits the ground with a dull clatter and Dean flings his arms around Cas, squeezing as tight as he can.

"When it said it was gonna come for you, I--I blanked. But you're okay. ...Thank God."

Thank someone, because God wasn't involved.

Cas ignores the 'no hair' rule and cradles the back of Dean's head; he's whispering, just barely breathing out verses of thanks in Enochian, rattled and relieved and so grateful.

He'd thought for sure the Leviathan was lying. He'd thought for sure Dean was dead.

Eventually Cas pulls back, reluctant but recognizing the need to keep his wits about him. Dean needs help and he needs to see if Dean is injured enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. "Sit down. Here-" Cas pulls him gently over to the bed. "Don't move, just sit here."

Dean basks in it, alternately glad to be alive and so, so thankful that Castiel is okay. At least he hopes he's okay.

"Cas--no, Cas." Dean allows himself to be led to the bed, but he refuses to sit. "Get your Grace. Do that first."

He might be sore, but he's got nothing life threatening and Cas needs to pick up his damn Grace.

Right- Right, this might be enough to heal Dean. Cas crosses the room in two steps and reaches right into the mess of Leviathan on the floor, closing his hand around his Grace. It doesn't burn him as it had Sam, and when Cas lifts his hand dripping in Leviathan blood the Grace twists into a wisp of smoke that Cas breathes in. He crosses the room and with his clean hand, touches his fingers to Dean's forehead.

Nothing happens.

Castiel spits out an Enochian curse and turns sharply, rubbing his forehead for a second. He regains his composure and puts a hand on Dean's shoulder, urging him to sit down. "Dean, please. I'll get the kit. Sit down."

"I'm fine. Cas, I'm fine." He's just going to wrap his arms around Cas again because he needs the contact like he needs water. "It said it was gonna kill you. It took my face and said it was gonna kill you. I couldn't let it."

Dean's shaking.

Cas holds him, kisses his jaw by his ear, smooths a hand down his back. "You didn't. You saved my life, Dean. Thank you." He still wants Dean to sit down, so maybe he'll do it if Castiel sits down with him.

Dean follows him down and then goes a little further, dropping to his knees in front of Castiel.

"I'm sorry, Cas." He curls his hands around Castiel's calves. "I should've been more careful. Should've gotten back here sooner."

"Dean-" Cas pushes Dean's hands away, lowering himself to his knees as well and pulling him close. Seeing Dean kneel in front of him like that apologizing, it makes his stomach roil because he remembers at one point asking for it. Never again, never again is Dean allowed to be on his knees in front of Castiel. Never.

"It's all right." Cas speaks into his hair and holds him tight, but for some reason he's still afraid. It feels as if Dean hasn't quite managed to escape from wherever the Leviathan had him just yet. "I'm fine. You made it back in time; I'm all right."

Dammit, Castiel, let Dean do this.

It's not often Dean makes an overt display of emotion. It requires him to hit a breaking point first, and even then his displays tend to be short lived. He's still restrained now, resting his forehead on Castiel's shoulder, silent and shaking.

no it's scary

Cas doesn't say another word though; he holds Dean, as tightly as he has when he'd raised him from hell, praying silently to himself and thanking whatever force at work had kept Dean from Death's grip. He'll hold Dean for as long as it takes.

It's a good ten minutes before Dean gets control of his wayward emotions.

"You reek."

"So do you." He's also bruised and battered and still injured in ways Cas doesn't know about. Cas still hasn't let him go, though.

"Go take a shower. I'll clean up out here." He finally loosens his grip on Cas, only a little reluctantly.

Cas sits back on his heels, but still doesn't go. He just. Can't he just stay here and stare at you for hours on end? Isn't that okay?