Castiel's POV

The first thing Castiel felt when he began regaining consciousness was pain. It made him let out a soft cry, twisting in an effort to alleviate the pain the ricocheted throughout his spine and wings. The next thing he felt was soft cool hands on his overheated face, a soothing voice diistracting from the pain, if only for a second.

Castiel didn't open his eyes, but immediately reached out with his grace, crashing into the light green soul and curling against its comfort. He heard Dean gasp from the sudden intrusion on his being, and his soul surged out, pushing Castiel back, but slowly, it gave way and enveloped the angel like he craved. Instantly, Castiel's pain seemed more bearable, and he let out a softer sigh, some of the tension relaxing from his shoulders as the pain was a dull throb.

It was when he felt another presence, the same hazelnut brown he had felt in the impala, appeared that Dean's soul pushed him away, leaving him alone. The pain came back, and Castiel let out a loud cry of alarm, his fingers tangling in whatever he was laying, barely hearing the rip as they tore through it. His eyes snapped open, and he saw the headboard of his bed, his pale white sheets in shreds under his fingers.

"Dean" Castiel whimpered, his brain unable to think of a more suitable thing to say. He felt hands on the back of his head, running through his hair soothingly. Words of comfort were whispered into his ear, and he shuddered at the breath that ghosted over the side of his face. He turned his head, the movement sending pain through his spine, causing him to bite his lip until it bled, seeing the concerned look of Dean.

"Dammit, Sam. Where the hell is Bobby?" Dean growled at the other presence in the room. They were out of Castiel's range of view unless he turned his head more, though the pain convinced him not to try. He heard the presence, Sam, sigh, sounding a bit forlorn.

"I don't know Dean, but what are we going to tell him when he gets here? 'Hey, here's an angel, one of the creatures you hunt. Can you help us save his life because Dean happened to become friends with him over the last few weeks?'" Sam said, making Castiel mentally flinch. So they were hunters, or, they knew about monsters anyways. That's so reassuring. Castiel couldn't help but think as he felt another wave of pain, mixed with nausea, roll through.

"Dude, we'll figure it out when he gets here. Right now, we need to help Cas, okay?" Dean growled in response, looking back at the angel - who just realized he had been staring nonstop at Dean. Castiel let out a soft whimper, tears staining his cheeks, as he leaned closer to Dean, the movement making his entire body hurt.

"How did you even know he was angel? You know, other than the wings." Sam asked with a soft huff. Castiel could hear him shift, probably getting into a more comfortable position. Dean looked back at where the angel guessed Sam was standing before turning back to Castiel, running his hands over the angel's face gently.

"He fell down the stairs the first day we met. He seemed to be in so much pain that I couldn't stop myself from helping him but, he was being stubborn and saying that he was fine, that he just needed some rest." Dean said, a small smile coming over his face. "When he fell asleep, I went to look for where he got hit, but founds these wings instead. Of course I was shocked, and I pretended I never saw them, but then a few days later, he ups and magically disappears from the living room, with no trace. I couldn't let it go  so I researched him." Dean shrugged as he finished his story, making Castiel swallow thickly. Dean had always known, and the angel couldn't help but think of all the times he wanted to tell him.

Sam didn't get to answer as a knock on the dorm door distracted them. Castiel could hear the footsteps the male, very tall from how few steps he took, as Sam walked over to the door and paused before opening it, probably looking in the peephole of the door before he opened it. 

Two footsteps came back, the shutting door making Castiel flinch under Dean's comforting brushes and sending pain through his spine. The angel felt the need to run, his skin prickling, but he couldn't, not with his wings this damaged, though he wasn't even sure how bad.

"What the hell is this?" Came a gruff voice, full of annoyance but consideration, though the harsh tone clipped the last emotion quite a bit. Castiel flinched again, ignoring the pain as he tried to move closer to Dean. "Are ya monster-doctors now, ya idjits?"

Dean let out a sigh, shifting a little closer to Castiel. "Look Bobby, he's an angel and his douche of a brother just snapped his wings like they were nothing. Is there anyway you know of healing them?" He asked, looking down at Castiel with a bit of worry. Castiel felt his face pale at the thought of what Michael had done to his wings and turned his head, ignoring the spike of pain. Seeing them, he let out a sharp cry, fresh tears falling down his face.

His wings were bent awkwardly, the joint where they usually bent was swollen. The wings stuck out at random angles, and most of them were soaked in blood.Where the actual break was, the bone had stabbed through the flesh and feathers, shining pale white under the dried black of his blood.

Castiel began hyperventalating, his body shuddering as he imagined how long it would take the wings to heal, the pain it would cause. Instantly, Dean was there, shushing him down like he had done with his panic attack that morning, making him breath deeply and slowly. Castiel managed to calm down a little bit, but the pain was a constant reminder of what he would have to deal with.

"I'm sorry boy, there isn't anything we can do. Angels are strange creatures, see? They can take anything, a bullet, a knife, doesn't matter what, and never even feel it, unless you hit their wings. But no matter where you hit, as long as you don't kill them, they heal themselves with their grace, or angel mojo." Bobby explained, Castiel detecting a hint of sympathy in the older man's voice. Castiel whimpered at the thought of the healing process. The pain would probably kill him.

"So, he heals himself?" Dean echoed, looking Castiel over and wrinkling his nose. Castiel, despite all the pain it caused, reached out and grabbed the green-eyed male by the jacket, feeling desperate. Dean looked at him with a weird expression, his eyebrows furrowing as his eyes narrowed.

"Dean." Castiel growled out, his voice feeling hoarse as the pain made his throat clench. He swallowed, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Michael wouldn't have stopped if there was a chance that I might live. He's making sure I die in the most painful way possible."

Dean frowned, confusion littering his gaze. Castiel focused soley on Dean's eyes, ignoring the other two men as they came into view. "But isn't it a healing process?" Dean asked, putting emphasis on the word healing. Castiel nodded, his fingers digging into Dean's jacket a little harder as a fresh wqve of pain rolled through.

"In order to heal, an angel has to go through all the pain of the wound at once. Our wings are sensitive, Dean. The pain would kill long before it would ever finish healing." Castiel replied, watching a hopelessness spread across the green-eyed male's face. The look made the angel want to rip his heart out from how much it hurt.

"Can't you turn off the ability? Let your wings heal naturally?" Dean asked, his gaze raking over the bloody black feathers. Castiel shivered, his face wrenching in pain as his wings shifted under the look.

"If there is a way, I don't know it."

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Dean's POV

Shocked was the word you could use to describe what Dean was feeling. Sure, figuring out his roommate was an angel was a surprise, especially for a hunter of his skill. But, that he could get over. No, the worst thing was the fact that he had quickly become good friends with said angel, only to watch him die in the most brutal way possible.

Now that was a kick in the face.

He now looked to his kid brother and old friend for help, a desperation in his heart that he hadn't felt before. They only had the expression of grim death, and Dean knew that they could not help. So with a soft sigh, he laid his head on the bed beside his friend's,  letting the reality sink in.

He shut his eyes tight, the walls he normally kept up falling as his face was hidden from view from everyone else. He reached out, subconsciously grabbing the trenchcoat that pooled at his knees. He didn't understand why he held onto it while Castiel was unconscious. He just felt the need to.

Just when he was about to raise his head, put his walls back up, and say goodbye to black-haired angel, he was distracted by a soft whisper crossing his ears. It wasn't actually words, but more of a presence that tried to comfort him. Shutting his eyes tighter, he concentrated on the whisp, catching a small color of blue before it was gone.

"How did you do that?" Castiel's pain-filled, but curious, voice dragged him from his thoughts and he raised his head, meeting the same blue color the angel's that the whisp had been.

"How did I do what?" Dean asked, feeling the presence start to come back, but he focused on Castiel, whose eyes had started to glow. The whisp of presence waved through his mind, and he latched onto it instinctively, until it jerked back from the sudden touch.

"You feel....my grace?" Castiel asked, his body beginning to shake. Dean opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by the blue glow that was spreading from Castiel's shoulder blades, beginning to move towards his wings. The same glow that Dean had saw in the bathroom before that ear-piercing screaming had begun.

It's starting.

The first scream that erupted from Castiel's mouth was loud, catching everyone off guard. Dean could only watch in horror as the boy convulsed, his wings spasms as they slowly moved back into position. Castiel screamed again, the blue light erupting across his wings and binding them together.

Dean didn't know what he was doing, but he grabbed Castiel, reaching out with his mind in concentration as he chased Castiel's whisp, trying hard to keep Castiel's repeated screams out of his head.

His own presence wrapped around Castiel's,  and instantly noticed that the angel's screams weren't as pain-filled as before, though his spasming sure showed that the angel was still dying from the overuse of pain. Dean pushed even farther, but wasn't expecting when Castiel's hand shot out, gripping onto Dean's left arm.

There was a second pause before a bright light erupted from Castiel's hand, and instantly, Dean let out his own scream, unable to move from the angel's touch, but feeling an enormous amount of pain. Dean felt arms grab him from behind, probably Bobby and Sam, but no amount of oulling they could move him.

Dean, even in his new pain-filled state, could see the green light that was beginning to mix with the blue around Castiel's wings, the muscle underneath binding much faster than it had with just the blue light alone. In fact, it was moving so quickly that Dean's gaze couldn't keep up anymore.

And all at once, the lights disappeared, Castiel falling limp and Dean collasping to the floor, his arm burning and feeling absolutely exhausted. He heard Sam call his name, shaking him, but Dean merely groaned in response, forcing himself to sit up and looking at the angel.

At first, Dean's heart sank as he realized that Castiel wasn't moving, then, the angel let out a shuddering breath, his chest shaking as he breathed. Dean let out a sigh of relief before falling back onto the ground, letting out a soft groan.

"Let's not do that again anytime soon." Dean said, not complaining as Sam helped him sit up again. He let out a groan that turned into a hiss as his younger brother brushed over his left arm, a searing pain going through it.

"Dammit, that stings." Dean spat, sliding off his jacket and pulling the sleeve of his shirt up, revealing a burn mark in the shape of Castiel's hand. "What the actual fuck did you do to me?"

Castiel raised his head slowly, his eyes slightly glazed as he looked at the mark. Dean almost didn't catch the small smile that flashed across the angel's features before disappearing a second later. "That's the product of souls' binding. It's a brand." Castiel explained tiredly and Dean furrowed his eyebrows.

Brand? Like what farmers do to show that their cattle is theirs? Granted, imagining himself as a cow with Castiel as his farmer was one of the wierdest things Dean had ever thought of, but it got its purpose done.

"Well, we'll discuss this later. I'm going to sleep." He growled in response, using Sam as leverage to get into his own bed. He could hear Bobby muttering about watching over the two college for the night, but Dean couldn't be bothered to protest as he drifted into some much needed sleep.