I woke up the next morning to a strange pressure on my hand and arm. Turning my head and wincing at the dull pain radiating from my bruised throat I felt my eyes widen as I looked down to see Castiel slumped over on the side of my hospital bed. He had interlocked his fingers with mine and his cheek was leaning against my forearm while his other hand rested gently against our intertwined fingers. His breathing was deep and even. I felt a small tremor go through my heart as I studied his handsome face which was covered with gauze patches covering the wounds he got from my father.

After a few silent minutes my hand he was not holding twitched and I slowly reached out and ran my fingers through his recently cut hair. The gel he used to spike it seemed to have loosened and my fingers slid easily through the longer portion of his deep red hair. It was softer than I was expecting, and after making sure his breathing pattern hadn't changed, I let my fingers drift from his hair to trail down the side of his face. His cheek twitched as I brushed against it and I held my breath, hoping that he wouldn't wake up. It was not to be, though. I watched with embarrassment as his grip tightened on our joined hands as he pushed himself up and blinked looking around him until he met my eyes with his steel grey ones.

"Opal?" he asked with a slight croak in his voice.

I began to retract my fingers from his cheek but he quickly reached up and grabbed them. He looked deeply into my eyes for a few seconds before pressing my hand firmly against his cheek and giving me a teasing smirk. The look sent butterflies racing through my stomach and I could feel my cheeks begin to heat up.

"I didn't mean to wake you," I whispered, once again trying to pull my hand from his cheek. However, his grip tightened as his eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Do you always touch people's faces when they are sleeping?" he asked with a smirk. 

My cheeks grew a little warmer and I shook my head, but that caused a stabbing pain to go through my chest so I reluctantly settled back against my pillows. Castiel seemed to have noticed my reaction though because he instantly let go of the hand he was pressing against his cheek and straightened. Deftly he moved from sitting on a chair next to my bed to resting on the side of the bed so he could reach out and stroke my cheek with the back of his knuckles.

"You okay? Should I get the nurse?" he asked with more gentleness than I could hardly believe. Thinking better of shaking my head again I tried to smile naturally.

"I'm fine. But are you alright?" I asked in concern as I looked at the bandage across his right cheekbone, the scabbing on his split lip, the splint across the bridge of his nose, a dusting of a bruise around his right eye, and a small bandage underneath his hairline. Castiel squeezed my hand that he was now resting against his thigh and smirked imperiously.

"It'd take more than that to take me out," he said arrogantly. 

I could tell that he was trying to make me laugh, but his comment caused a lump to form in my throat and I looked down at our joined hands. His thumb slowly caressed my cheek and I flitted my gaze back up to him to see him frowning slightly.

"I'm fine, Opal. I would do it again in a heartbeat if it was to protect you," he said seriously. "I'm really sorry I couldn't do more to keep him from hurting you so badly." I blinked in surprise at the depth of regret that I could hear in his voice.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Castiel. I'm sorry you've had to come to the hospital twice in two days because of me," I said guiltily. Castiel gave me a confused look and I chewed on my bottom lip briefly. "You don't like hospitals, right?" I asked in a hushed voice, just now realizing that Auntie was lying on a makeshift cot next to my bed. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully and I didn't want to wake her.

"Why do you say that?" Castiel asked, looking confused. I felt my brow furrow in echoing confusion.

"Well, when you were sick you were adamant that you didn't want to go to a hospital. I just assumed that you disliked them...." I trailed off, feeling silly for having apparently over analyzed his reaction. Castiel's eyes brightened with understanding and he chuckled quietly.

"Oh, that. That was because my dad has a few college friends that work at this hospital and I didn't want them to tell him I had a fever," Castiel said with a shrug. "But it's not like I hate hospitals," Castiel said in a reassuring tone, squeezing my hand again. 

I looked down at our intertwined fingers and couldn't help but be amazed that even after being attacked by my father he still seemed determined to be with me. The image of Castiel's mother and her comment that I seemed like a mature girl came into my mind and I felt my lips turn down in a worried frown.

"Castiel... do you think your parents will disapprove of me? I mean, you were hurt by my father..." 

I felt my eyes widen as far as they could go as Castiel slipped his hand from my cheek to cover my lips gently with his hand. I closed my mouth instantly, scared to even breathe deeply as he gave me a steady and determined expression.

"Opal. Listen to me carefully, okay?" he said gently but firmly. I blinked once and he slowly lowered his hand. "You don't need to worry about things like that. What happened yesterday was in no way your fault. That monster would have killed you if Shin Woo and I hadn't been there. There is no way my parents would ever blame you for a few cuts and scrapes that I got from it," he said with an unconcerned wave of his hand. 

I slowly lowered my gaze from his for a second before raising it once again and looking at him sadly.

"But... won't they feel uncomfortable when they find out about my family?" I asked in a hushed voice. This was the first time I had ever considered dating someone, and the thought that Castiel's parents wouldn't like us being together made my heart ache as much as my broken rib did. To my surprise, Castiel chuckled and gave me an easy smirk.

"Honestly, it'll probably make them feel more comfortable," he replied. 

I blinked in shock at that comment and Castiel glanced over at my auntie's sleeping form before turning back to me and letting out a small, sad smile.

"Both of my parents are estranged from their families," he explained quietly. "My mom grew up with just her mom and an endless stream of boyfriends. She never knew who her father was and her mom was addicted to pretty much anything she could get her hands on. Mom moved out when she was fifteen and fended for herself, working to put herself through school. The last time she saw her mom was when I was eight. She came to our house and asked my mom for money. Mom turned her away and told her that if she ever came by again she would have her arrested for trespassing."

I blinked mutely, shocked to no end to hear Castiel explain such a terrible story so easily. I couldn't even imagine living by myself at fifteen, and she had become so successful! It was incredible to even imagine it. Before I could comment on it though, Castiel had already moved on.

"My parents met when dad was doing his residency to become a doctor. His whole family were doctors and all of his older siblings married a doctor or a nurse. When he brought my mom to meet them she hadn't made a name for herself as an architect yet and they told him that she would only drag him down."

I gasped in shock and sadness. The thought of someone being so judgemental just because their professional career was different from theirs was appalling to me.

"But they got married..." I said since Castiel was obvious proof of that fact. Castiel nodded and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"They eloped. Dad's family disowned him and as far as I know, he hasn't spoken to them since."

My eyes slowly dropped to our still intertwined fingers and I reached out and stroked his fingers gently as I thought about his parents' story. As I pondered, I wondered if the reason they had seemed to choose their careers over nurturing and raising their own son might not be related to their own dismal experience with the parental figures in their past.

A knock jerked me out of my thoughts. I flinched when Auntie sprang up from her cot, smoothing down her hair as she moved towards the door without looking back at Castiel and me. Castiel arched an eyebrow at me and I tucked my lips in between my teeth to try to keep myself from smiling wryly. It wouldn't have surprised me at all if Auntie had been pretending to sleep so we could have our moment while at the same time eavesdropping on our conversation.

Auntie opened the door to reveal a man wearing a police uniform waiting patiently. My bruised throat tightened as emotion caused my stomach to roil uncomfortably. Instinctively, I squeezed Castiel's hand and was slightly surprised when he returned my pressure. Looking over I saw him smile at me reassuringly as Auntie and the policeman spoke in hushed tones before she moved aside and allowed him to enter the room.

The man, who looked to be in his mid-forties, nodded kindly at me and introduced himself as Detective Bonano. His eyes seemed to radiate comfort and a gentle confidence which I found relaxing. Castiel introduced himself, offering his hand to the officer and I followed suit. After putting away Auntie's makeshift bed, Detective Bonano brought a chair over to the side of my bed and pulled out a notepad before looking me in the eye.

"Now, Ms. Sato, I know you've been through a trying experience but I have a few questions that I need to ask you," he said in a business-like but still gentle tone. Swallowing with difficulty I nodded silently.

Detective Bonano said that they were able to get footage from the apartments CCTV cameras around the parking lot so they knew what happened, but he asked me to describe what happened anyway. Castiel interjected every once in a while and Detective Bonano took down several notes as we spoke. He then began asking me questions about my relationship with my father. Guilt and shame caused my voice to turn a little scratchy as I tried to keep my tears at bay, but I answered the detective's questions as honestly as I could.

When he seemed exhausted of questions Detective Bonano thanked me for my cooperation and said that he would be in touch. Part of me wanted to ask him what would happen to my father... but another part of me was too scared to know.  He left after shaking my aunt's hand and giving her his contact information in case anyone thought of something helpful for the case against my father.

As the door closed behind him both Auntie and Castiel turned and gave me looks filled with shock. I dropped my gaze to my knees, hoping that they would not ask me anything else about what my life had been like growing up. The hospital bed squeaked quietly as Auntie sat down next to me and gently wrapped me in a hug. The tears I had been keeping at bay finally spilled out and I leaned my head against Auntie's neck as I returned Castiel's pressure on our intertwined fingers.

The nurse interrupted us a few minutes later bringing breakfast for both Castiel and me. After we had eaten Auntie's boss once again called and begged for her to come help with the project. I could tell she was going to refuse but to my surprise, Castiel was the one who convinced her to go. Even though he was scheduled to be released at noon, he said he would stay with me until Auntie got back from work. She reluctantly agreed, muttering under her breath angrily in Japanese before telling her boss she would be there soon.

Castiel kept me company for the rest of the day. I was grateful that he didn't try to bring up my father or my past at all and instead talked mainly about himself. I listened intently, noticing several times when he seemed a little awkward when talking about his childhood, but I was grateful that he was willing to share it with me.

A little past four o'clock the door to my hospital room suddenly banged open and I flinched, causing a stabbing pain to shoot through both my knee and my chest. I gasped at the pain but then my eyes widened in surprise as a familiar mop of blue hair caught my eyes. Alexy ran across the room and looked like he was ready to tackle me in a bear hug, but Castiel intercepted him, standing in front of me like a bouncer at a club. Alexy looked ready to yell at him until he told him that I had a broken rib. That calmed him down and Castiel moved to the other side of my bed so Alexy could sit and hold my hand in his as he gave me an accusatory glare.

"Do you have any idea how worried I have been about you?!" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. I blinked in surprise but he continued before I could think of how to respond. "Two days ago I get a call saying you've disappeared and I need to wait for you at your apartment. Then Yuki tells me they found you but you had hypothermia and were taking you to the hospital. When you weren't at school on Monday Yuki said you were resting at home, but then you weren't there AGAIN today. So I text and call and no one answers me! Then finally Yuki responds and tells me that you are at the freakin' hospital again because your crazy father almost murdered you!"

I blinked rapidly as Alexy's shoulders heaved up and down with his excited breathing. Swallowing with enormous difficulty I glanced over at Castiel who had rested one of his large hands supportively on my shoulder during Alexy's rant and then turned to look Alexy in his pale purple eyes.

"She really said that?" I asked in a strangled voice. Alexy frowned and waved his hand.

"I read between the lines. But Opal, you're my best friend. What in the world is going on?" he asked, squeezing my hand tightly. I sighed but before I could answer Alexy's eyes flicked over to Castiel and he frowned deeply.

"And what are you doing here, Castiel? And why do you look all beat up?" he asked. Castiel's eyes narrowed and a small, annoyed growl escaped his throat.

"I'm her boyfriend. And I'm like this because I was trying to protect Opal from her crazy father," he said bluntly. 

Alexy's mouth dropped open in shock and he looked between Castiel and me several times. I could feel myself blushing at Castiel's confident declaration of being my boyfriend, but my stomach turned over uncomfortably at the reminder of how much my father hurt him.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Alexy gasped in absolute shock and confusion. "Someone please explain what is going on. When did you two become a couple?"

To my surprise, Castiel actually took the lead. I listened as he started all the back from when Father had threatened to bring me back home. Then he moved to our date at the mall (although I blushed even harder when I heard him call it a date), his love confession, me running away, my hypothermia, and finally how my father had flown to Sweet Amoris to forcefully take me back home where he would have done who knows what. My head bowed slightly at the end of the story and I wondered if Alexy would be like Castiel and Auntie or if he would be the first to realize what a mistake I really was.

"That man deserves the electric chair. I've never heard of anything more despicable in my life," Alexy growled. 

I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth in shock as I looked at Alexy with horror. Castiel squeezed my shoulder as Alexy gave me a confused look.

"Whatever happens the court will decide," Castiel said with a dangerous note in his voice. Alexy looked up at him with a small frown but then shrugged and leaned forward, taking one of my hands from my mouth and enveloping it into both of his.

"Well, we have more important things to talk about anyway," he said, turning a suspicious look up at Castiel standing behind me. "What makes you think you deserve to date Opal?" he asked with a sniff. 

I blinked rapidly at the unexpected change of topic and looked up to see that Castiel also looked caught off guard by the question. Instead of looking offended or annoyed though, he actually looked a little uncertain.

"I love her," he mumbled quietly. 

My cheeks exploded with heat at his quiet but firm declaration. Alexy also seemed a little taken aback by his forthrightness but then his eyes narrowed.

"How long have you liked her?" he asked suspiciously. 

Castiel frowned, a flicker of annoyance going through his grey eyes, but he sighed and sat down in the chair he had been using this morning when I woke up.

"I guess since the summer break," he replied. 

My mouth fell slack for a moment but I quickly closed it and looked away, not wanting him to see how surprised I was to hear that.

"Then why did you wait so long to ask her out?" Alexy asked bluntly, making me gasp and glare over at him.

"Alexy," I said chidingly, feeling both embarrassed and admittedly a little bit curious.

"It's a fair question," Castiel said wryly, giving me a reassuring smile before turning his attention back to Alexy.

"I had sworn off relationships for a long time, so at first I wasn't sure if I was ready to be in one. But once my feelings got stronger, I realized that my best friend liked her, so I tried to back off."

Alexy's eyes widened and he turned to look at me. I bowed my head, realizing that I had never told him about Lysander's confession so this was probably news to him.

"Even if he did like her, why would you ignore your own feelings?" Alexy asked. 

I blinked in surprise, not really sure what I thought of that question. Castiel shrugged and leaned back slightly, looking more uncomfortable than I had ever seen him.

"Lysander has never once shown interest in a girl. I figured if Opal liked him then I had no right to interfere. I tried to ignore my feelings after that but then she helped me when I was sick and my feelings kept getting stronger. I was about to tell Lysander when the talent show came around and I heard his song... I figured that I owed it to him to not say anything until he had his chance to share his feelings with her."

Castiel met my eyes briefly and I thought back to when he asked if I would have dated Lysander if my "secret" wasn't a problem. I smiled at him briefly impressed that he would put his friend's feelings above his own like that.

"When nothing happened though I decided I would make my move. Which is why I waited so long," he said, ending his explanation and meeting Alexy's guarded expression with an open bluntness. Alexy slowly looked between Castiel and me and his eyes came to rest on my own.

"Do you like him?" Alexy asked gravely. 

I stared at him, recalling when Auntie had asked me a similar question just yesterday. Glancing over I saw Castiel looking at me with a questioning expression and I felt myself blush a bit.

"I want to be with him," I answered quietly, gazing into his strong eyes. 

The corner of his battered lips quirked up slightly and I blinked, turning to look at Alexy who had actually asked me the question. He was looking at Castiel and me with the same guarded expression but suddenly his face exploded into a wide grin and he laughed delightedly.

"That's good enough for me! Although if you ever make Opal cry I will destroy every single article of clothing you own," Alexy said with an evil glint in his eyes. 

Castiel looked completely baffled by the threat and I held my side as giggles burst out of me, causing spasms of pain to rush through me.

Alexy and Castiel stayed with me until Auntie came back from work and she took the two out for dinner so that the nurses could have some time to thoroughly check my injuries. When they came back, I was sad when the nurses said that Castiel couldn't stay the night since he was no longer a patient. Although I was momentarily stunned when Castiel leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my temple before saying he would be here tomorrow when I got released. 

With a wave, he left the room and I felt a small smile tug at my lips as I watched him walk out of the room. I wasn't sure how someone like Castiel had developed feelings for me, but I knew that I wanted to cherish them above anything else.