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“I love you.”
No. Fuck fuck fuck. I can’t lose him. I can’t lose him. He loves you and it is killing him.
Dean feels something inside himself break. He’s about to lose everything left, there’s nothing left to keep him tethered.
Sam is somewhere. Jack is somewhere. Dean reminds himself.
But Cas is somewhere too, he’s right in front of me and he’s leaving again. Soon he’ll be nowhere… in the Empty, gone.
When he sees the black goop seep from the wall, the nothingness, whatever was disconnected in Dean snaps back to place. Suddenly, he’s moving towards Cas, a smile still on the man’s open face. Dean puts one palm on his cheek and then swiftly slices into his neck with an angel blade pulled from the sleeve.
Billie and the Empty are gone. They crumple to the ground.
Each and every part of Dean feels pulled apart, ripped open, raw. And Cas… Cas is human, more than he’s ever been. Maybe as much as he’s always been if Dean’s honest.
But, they’re here, in the deepest part of the bunker they could reach. And they’re on the floor and Dean didn’t remember when his own tears joined Cas’ or when he dragged them down but they’re here and Cas isn’t dead and neither is Dean and Cas loves him.
“Cas,”
He pulls in gulping breaths.
“Cas I love you. I love you I love you I love you”
His hands are shaking as he raises them to Cas’ face, his thumb traces Cas’ lip, and he unsteadily wipes the tears from his face. He leans into him and presses their foreheads together.
How is this where they ended up? They’re still crying.
Dean looks at one of his hands; bloody.
“Cas you’re bleeding.”
“Yes Dean, that’s what happens when you get stabbed.”
He chuckles.
“I didn’t stab you. Drama queen.”
“You definitely did Dean, it’s why I’m bleeding”
“Okay fine, maybe I did stab you… only lightly.”
Cas is laughing too now, it’s an odd site with his tear stained face but Dean wouldn’t trade it for the world. Suddenly he stops.
“You love me?”
Dean stops too, the question centering him.
“Yeah Cas of course I do.”
“You realise I meant ‘I love you’ as in ‘I’m in love with you’ right? Like romantic love?”
“Yes, Cas, I love you too.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah”
“Can I kiss you?”
Dean grins, trust Cas to care about basic consent when they just professed their love for each other.
“I dunno, can I kiss you?”
“Yes of course Dean but this is not the time for-“
Dean cuts him off with a quick peck to the lips. Cas looks surprised at first and then smiles, he puts his hand on Dean’s cheekbone and pulls him back into the kiss. This one lingers and for a moment it’s the only thing holding Dean to the world.
Then they both hear the sound of Dean’s phone ringing, they softly pull away and they’re in the bunker again.
Cas takes Dean’s hand as he slides open the phone call.