Chapter Text
Dean dragged Castiel, who’s slumped forward with his left arm around Dean’s shoulders, into the bunker and towards a spare room.
He laid the injured former angel onto the bed, lingering to stare at the battered body gasping for air.
"I told you he cannot stay here, Dean," Zeke’s voice said firmly from the doorway. "If he stays then I have no choice but to leave."
Dean clenched his fists and grit his teeth as he slowly turned around and stomped over to the doorway, getting right into Zeke’s face.
"Look, this bunker is plenty big enough for the both of you. Cas is staying and so are you! Until my brother is good and healed!" Dean glared into Zeke’s eyes.
"Dean, Castiel is hunted -"
"This bunker is the safest place there is for him. For you," Dean continued staring down the angel wearing his brother. "You told me to send him away once, and I did. And now look at him? He nearly got himself killed. Again. The angels will find him if he’s on his own. At least if he’s here, with us, with me, he’s protected."
Zeke shifted his weight from one foot to the other, not saying a word.
"I don’t know what it is that you’ve done that would cause the angels to come after you, but whatever it is, we’ll work through that, too," Dean steps back. "At least you have powers, man. Cas is human, now. He has no way of protecting himself."
Dean walked over to the bed and squatted down beside it, looking over Cas’s unconsious body.
"He stays," Dean doesn’t look up, focusing his gaze on Cas’s face as he places his left hand onto the former angel’s chest to make sure his heart is still beating. "He stays until he’s healed. And then he stays when he’s healed. I’ll force him to stay in the bunker. He won’t leave. His tattoo keeps him hidden from angels, and this place is so secretive that no one knows it’s here. The angels won’t find him here. They won’t find you here."
"But, Dean," Zeke started.
"No buts, Zeke! No fucking buts!" Dean interrupted as he turns to stare at the doorway. "Cas is family and he’s been family a hell of a lot longer than you! Cas is fucking staying! You are fucking staying! You can leave once Sam is better, but until then you just need to stow your fucking crap. Cas vouched for you man! He told me you were a good soldier. The whole reason I trusted you, why I let you enter my brother was because Cas told me you could be trusted."
"He said that?" Zeke cocked his head.
"Yeah, he fucking did!" Dean shifted his gaze back down to Cas and slowly grabbed onto his hand. "He fucking did."
Zeke took a deep breath before opening his mouth, “In that case, Dean, I suppose I can let Castiel stay here for my duration healing your brother. Castiel is my brother and if he told you that I can be trusted than I owe him. He can stay.”
Dean swallowed the lump that was starting to form in his throat,” Thank you, Zeke.”
"But I will not heal him this time," Zeke continued. "He won’t die from these injuries, and if I were to heal him it will just increase the time that I am here. He will heal naturally, the way humans are supposed to. So I suggest you make him comfortable, Dean. He’s going to be in that bed for a while."
Zeke turned and left the room as quickly as he had entered.
Dean smiled at the doorway and then turned back to look at the sleeping fallen angel.
"Make you comfortable, eh?" Dean stroked Castiel’s hair with his right hand.
Dean removed Castiel’s bloody shirt and jeans, leaving the human in just his boxers and socks. He pulled Cas up the bed, resting his head on the one, solitary pillow. Dean didn’t want to disturb Cas anymore, so instead of trying to pry the blanket free from underneath his body, Dean left and grabbed the blanket off of his own bed to throw over the angel.
"Sleep tight, angel," Dean smiled as he squeezed Cas’s hand before grabbing a chair from by the wall and making himself comfortable at Castiel’s bedside. "I’ll watch over you."