For Dean - BEES

[godless_son]

It is interesting, with the advantage of hindsight, to look back on this night one year prior. He remembers feeling jealous, not that he recognized it at the time, of the couples around him. He felt irritated at the attention (the perfectly normal attention) Dean paid to others and a restlessness that he could not figure out how to quell. Hindsight is embarrassing.

Now, with an arm wrapped around Dean's waist, listening to the crowd begin their countdown, he cannot believe how much life can change in only one year. One year out of thousands is a blink of an eye and yet it has been the most defining time in his very long life.

That is not to say that the massive effigy waiting to be lit is not disturbing, because it is, but he finds himself grinning stupidly over at Dean, admiring his flushed face and readying himself to kiss him precisely at midnight.

Comments

[always_enduphere]

Dean doesn't recall many New Years. It'd been hard enough making time for Christmas, another holiday right around the corner was out of the question. If they weren't out hunting instead of watching the ball drop, they were grabbing a few hours of much needed sleep.

Standing here in the midst of a crowd, head craned back and a familiar arm slung around his waist, it all feels completely foreign, but Dean can't say he minds any of it. Turning his head, he catches sight of Castiel's happy face and feels himself smile.

"We supposed to count out loud, or what?"

[godless_son]

"I am not sure," Castiel says, voice raised over the dull roar.

"I do know that you have to kiss me in precisely fifteen seconds to signify you will be with me throughout the year."

He turns to face Dean, cupping his jaw with one hand as he tugs him close. "You ought to make it count."

[always_enduphere]

"You make it sound like the only kiss we get for the year," says Dean, dragging his nose along Castiel's jaw. It's strange, but in the thick of the crowd, all the bodies drawing closer together in groups of two, Dean feels a part of something, and totally anonymous. He could be anybody, standing here with someone he loves, not a hunter, or a fuckup, but just a man.

He presses a kiss to the soft skin beneath Castiel's jaw. "We both know you're easier than all that."

[godless_son]

"When it comes to you I am shamefully easy," he murmurs, closing his eyes as he tips his head back.

The countdown grows to a fevered pitch in the last five seconds but he presses close, lips to Dean's ear as he whispers, "Happy New Year, Dean," and pulls him in for a deep kiss, the roar of joyous screams and music swelling around them.

[always_enduphere]

Dean doesn't get a chance to answer, Castiel's mouth closing over his windchilled lips, their bodies molding together in the cold. It's the same mix of comfortable and heady that never fails to surprise Dean, and he's lost in it, ignoring the first sting against his ankle, the sudden shove to his shoulder until another comes, and then another.

Pulling away, Dean opens his eyes to a growing pandemonium. "The hell?"

[godless_son]

It is shameful that it takes Dean pulling away for Castiel to notice the abrupt shift in the screams around them, as he is so often entirely lost in Dean. In the span of only a few seconds, the crowd lurches, several bodies slamming into he and Dean.

"Dean!" he starts to yell before slapping at his neck. It is a large bee and it stings and it burns icy hot before fading and if it is able to affect him at all then...

"Dean!" he screams again, eyes darting around for his familiar face as the crowd of thousands panics, bodies falling to the ground in agony. Some flee and some trample as bees descend seemingly out of nowhere and Castiel curses the damn sigils as he tries to shove forward into the crowd.

[always_enduphere]

All it takes are seconds for the landscape to shift, children appearing almost out of nowhere, alone and screaming in the shifting crowd. Dean's attention focuses on a single boy, his small body frozen in the path of what's soon to be a stampede, and Dean moves, scooping him up and out of the way of trampling feet.

He feels a sting to his throat, one to his wrist, and by the time Dean reaches a safe place to stop, he's having a hard time remembering why he was running. He sets the squirming child back to his feet, watching him go with clouded eyes. "Cas," he remembers, thoughts coming slow. "Where did you - "

[godless_son]

Castiel will later not be proud of the fact that he's started simply tossing bodies out of his way but right now his mind is focused on one thought: find Dean.

"No, no," he murmurs to himself, snapping his wings out as he alights to a nearby roof, hands clenched as he scans the crowd.

He crouches down on the edge of the roof, body tense as he puts as much grace as he dares behind his voice and yells for Dean, listening hard for even the whisper of an answer.

[always_enduphere]

Stay in one place, Dean's brain dredges up, and he complies, curling both arms around himself to quell a bout of shivers. He's been cold all day, but it's nothing compared with how he feels now, teeth nearly rattling out of his head as he slumps, sliding down the brick at his back.

He needs a moment to get himself together. He just needs a damn moment, but he's so tired. He'd really like to go home, but he shouldn't. Not without Cas. "Cas," Dean murmurs again. "Fucking tired. Let's go home."

[godless_son]

Castiel squeezes his eyes shut, diverting all his power to his hearing as he stays perfectly still above the chaos below.

He still barely hears it, a weakened whisper of his name but it is enough. His eyes snap open as he flies down, pushing bodies out of the way as he moves directly towards the source, a half frozen body slumped against the side of the building.

"Dean," he breathes, crouching down to cup his face, horrified eyes trained on the pale skin and blue tinged lips. "Dean, look at me."

[always_enduphere]

Dean smiles, lopsided and clumsy, relieved that the wait is over. Now they can go home. "Took s'long?" he slurs, trying and failing to stand. None of his limbs seem to want to do what he's told them, and eventually Dean gives up, slumping back against the wall.

[godless_son]

In lieu of an answer, Castiel tips Dean's head to the side, lips thinning as he sees the skin around one of many stings, white and cold and spreading.

He places his hand directly against the wound, infusing as much grace as he dares before pulling back and watching the skin momentarily pink up before returning back to white.

"I don't understand," he murmurs, voice tight with fear. "Dean, we're flying home. Close your eyes but do not sleep, do you understand me?"

[always_enduphere]

Some of the fatigue lifts beneath Castiel's hand, and Dean opens his eyes, only to squeeze them closed for the sudden, screaming presence of dozens of stings.

"Who puts bees in a damn countdown ball?" he groans, but the cold creeps back in, fog rolling back over Dean's thoughts. Cas tells him not to sleep, but it's so hard not to let himself drift away when his eyes are closed.

[godless_son]

Castiel does not know but he is furious as he pulls Dean closer, pressing his lips against Dean's icy neck. He flies more quickly than he usually does when travelling with Dean, landing in the middle of their bedroom.

He ignores Annie's startled barks and settles Dean on the bed, stripping him down to his underwear with a wave of his hand, breath catching as he sees he's underestimated the number of stings.

He crawls onto the bed and pressing both hands to Dean's chest, hands starting to glow as he pushes grace through, trying to at least stop the spread of whatever is happening. "Dean," he demands. "Say something, please. Stay awake with me. "

[always_enduphere]

Sleep is immediately impossible, whatever Castiel's doing waking points of pain all over Dean's body, his muscles racked with shivers in the sudden cold.

"What are you doing?" he grinds out, trying to push Castiel's hands away. "It feels awful, stop."

[godless_son]

"If I stop you are going to die, Dean," he snarls, grabbing at his hands. "You are hypothermic, do you understand that?"

He takes a deep breath, softening his voice as he looks down at Dean's miserable face. "I'm sorry. It's this or I stick you in the bathtub. I can't fix it and I don't know why and if I stop you could die, alright?"

[always_enduphere]

"That doesn't make any sense," Dean growls, angry, even if it's not Castiel's fault, but he can't understand how he came to be here, freezing his balls off because of a few dozen bee stings.

"I had an electric blanket," he says, teeth chattering together, and Dean regards this as a good, if uncomfortable, development. Too hypothermic and he wouldn't be able to shiver at all. "Crank up the heat, make a whole pot of tea. You keep healing me, you're gonna exhaust yourself."

[godless_son]

"Don't be ridiculous," he huffs, keeping one hand on Dean's chest as he carefully pushes him onto his side, sliding in behind him.

"You were stung by supernatural bees, Dean. Your heart rate is slow and your lips are blue. I am not using an electric blanket.

He places his free hand on Dean's neck, trying to cover as many bites as possible. "How badly does it hurt?"

[always_enduphere]

"Stings like a bitch all over," Dean grouses, shoving back against the warmth he can feel rolling off Castiel's body.

He's still so fucking tired, but now that he knows why, he vehemently fights off sleep. "Should heat up my core," he says, trying to drag Castiel's hand down to his chest.

[godless_son]

"Dean Winchester I am once again an angel of the Lord with all the knowledge and power that entails stop being bossy," he growls, moving his other hand to a particularly vicious cluster of stings on Dean's abdomen.

"Every time I stop the poison spreads. I am cutting it off as much as I can at the source until it runs its course. Stop arguing or you are going to the bathtub."

[always_enduphere]

"I'm not bossing I'm trained for this," Dean gripes back, "Keep my core warm, it'll spread warm blood to my extremities."

He groans, flinching away from the hand against his belly. "Can't you make it not hurt so much? Feels like fire, dammit."

[godless_son]

"Fine," Castiel snaps, waving a hand at the bathroom before flying them both inside and unceremoniously dumping Dean into the bathtub full of now hot water.

"That should adequately warm your core with my supervision."

[always_enduphere]

Dean splutters, limbs too clumsy to stop his ignominious descent beneath the surface of the water. He manages to get his nose topside, and then his mouth, now set in an impressive scowl.

"Now you have time to make me tea." He licks at blue lips. "Put whiskey in it."

[godless_son]

Castiel is practically vibrating as he tries to suppress a meltdown, not even stopping Kara as she comes prancing into the wet bathroom.

"If you were not on the brink of death I would dump you back into the snow. Naked. You are fortunate that I love you and will instead make you tea. No whiskey."

He spins on his heel, stomping past curious animals to make Dean his damned tea.

[always_enduphere]

"Whiskey!" Dean calls after him, chin tucked against the side of the tub. It's warm in the water, which should be comfortable, welcome, even, but it burns, and when fatigue begins to niggle at Dean's consciousness, he doesn't fight it as hard as he should.

He hardly notices Kara curling up on top of his head, paws kneading at the wet tufts of his hair. "Stoppit," Dean mutters, closing his eyes.

[godless_son]

"Open your eyes," Castiel commands as he returns, crouching down and making no attempt to move Kara where she is biting at the spikes of Dean's hair.

He drops two fingers into the water, heating it back up and settles the mug on the edge of the tub.

"Dean, I have your tea, just as you wanted it. Look at me, please."

[always_enduphere]

Dean grunts in reply, body once again beginning to shiver. It's the worst, somehow he's never noticed how awful shivering is, never being able to be still, and Dean shifts, cheek losing its mooring against the porcelain.

It's better in the water, he decides, ignoring the voice grating at his ears. And then two sets of claws dig into his scalp, and Dean yelps, surging upright in the water.

[godless_son]

"Good girl," Castiel murmurs as he detaches Kara and places her on his lap, pinning Dean in place with a hand splayed against his cold chest.

"Dean, keep your eyes open or we are going to the hospital. The nurses are far less easily swayed by your charms than I am. Please, Dean."

[always_enduphere]

Dean glares at him, lids twitching against the fatigue threatening to pull them down again. "At least get in here with me," he mutters - even the water warmed porcelain feels too cool against his back. "Couldn't hurt, could it?"

[godless_son]

"It would be my pleasure," he murmurs, smoothing wet hair back and leaning forward to kiss Dean's far too cold forehead. He undresses before carefully lifting Dean's shoulders away from the hard porcelain, sliding in behind him.

"It this better?" he asks, shifting until Dean's head is resting on his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

[always_enduphere]

"Tired," Dean admits, relaxing into the cradle of Castiel's body. It's easier now to ignore the many burning points of pain, stings lighting up his skin like the strike of tiny meteors.

"Easier to think, though," he says. "Sorry, this really isn't - " Dean huffs a laugh. "Definitely isn't the night you wanted."

[godless_son]

Castiel smiles against Dean's cheek, hand settling on his belly as he continues to warm him, more slowly now that Dean's heart rate has risen just enough to allow it.

"I'd imagine it is not what either of us had in mind, although it seems fitting to ring in a new year with a near death experience," Castiel says softly, stretching his legs out alongside Dean's. "Someday, perhaps, it will not be this way. I am hopeful."

[always_enduphere]

"I'd say not while we're in Darrow," says Dean, head tipped back to look at him, back arched to press himself into Castiel's blissfully warm hand. "But it's not like we ever caught a break at home, either."

[godless_son]

Castiel hums thoughtfully, as he drops a kiss to Dean's neck.

"I still have hope," he murmurs, staring down at Dean's pale face. "One day I will choose to be human with you and it will be a decision we are both comfortable with. Perhaps we'll get a house with a porch, something smaller than Mike and Neil's, maybe something older. We could get another dog for Annie to play with. Perhaps none of it will happen, but I like to think about it."

[always_enduphere]

"It makes nights like these easier," says Dean, as close as he's ever come to admitting that he does think about it - the future, the distant possibility of safety and comfort and a lasting, enduring peace.

Shifting, he pulls Castiel's hand to the center of his chest, where he feels the worst of the cold still sinking into his skin. "At least one more dog. Can't have more cats than dogs."

[godless_son]

"We will definitely need a house if we are to be outnumbered two to one," he laughs, thumb sweeping along Dean's collarbone as he presses his fingers to his chest.

"It would have a way to shelter the Impala and I would like a garden. I do not actually know how to garden but regardless, I could try. I think it should be white or blue."