Something I've been wanting to write for a while now. Dedicated to Lynchemon because she's fabulous and it's her birthday :) Happy Birthday :D Unfortunately, I don't own any of the rights to Supernatural. Enjoy!

Castiel's heart was beating faster than it had ever gone before. He was about to die. This was it; after everything he had been through, this was how he was going to die. As far as dying went, it wasn't too bad really. Tucked away in a (very nice) bunker in Kansas with the two Winchester brothers. Stumbling forward, Cas stepped out of his room and out into the corridor. With darkness all around him, the angel-turned-human shuffled as quickly as he could towards Dean's room. He had memorised the route by heart, so all he had to do was work his way through the steps and he would be in the safety of his hunter's arms. After a few more well-placed steps, Cas reached out a hand and gripped the door handle of Dean's room. Without a second thought, he swung open the door. His eyes were greeted with yet more darkness but Cas could vaguely make out a shape that looked a lot like Dean laying across another shape that looked a lot like a bed. The hunter's gentle breathing echoed slightly in the silent room and for a moment, Cas found himself frozen in the doorway, simply listening to Dean's breathing pattern and watching his chest rise and fall slowly with sleep. Dean's body stirred slightly and that was what broke Cas from his trance. Casting any other thoughts aside, Cas ran over to Dean and shook him. He was gentle at first, not wishing to shock the hunter despite the terrible peril his angel was in. But when he wasn't waking, Cas shook him harder. This was when the tears started to fall. Cas didn't have much experience with crying but he knew enough about it to know that this was a very appropriate situation in which to do such a thing.

It was a loud sob falling from Cas' lips that finally woke Dean up. He wasn't entirely sure how it happened but Cas' overwhelming fear mixed with the relief that Dean had finally woken up caused him to cry even harder and suddenly he found himself sat on the edge of the bed with Dean's arms draped around him. If Cas hadn't been so caught up in so many emotions, he may have found space to be surprised by the speed in which Dean had gone from being completely out to wide-eyed and ready to attack anything that had put them in danger. But little did Dean know of the true danger that surrounded them; the terrible illness that had suddenly struck and clung itself to Cas. With sudden wide-eyed realisation, Cas discovered that he knew nothing of the illness he carried. Was it infectious? How was it passed on? Could it kill Dean? Upon thinking that last question, Castiel instantly shot up from his place on the edge of the bed and backed as far way as he could from the hunter. Dean's eyes were instantly filled with shock, confused as to why the angel had suddenly backed away from him as though hewere the enemy.

"Cas?" Dean's voice was held at a steady tone but the hints of worry, confusion, and sleep could still be picked up on if you listened closely. He was about to reply when it happened again. A primary symptom of the illness he was convinced was deadly. Eyes growing even wider, Cas' hand flew to his mouth. Dean raised his eyebrows and took a step closer but Cas just pressed himself even harder in the corner he was standing in.

"Cas? What's wrong?"

And that was the moment in which Cas broke. Realising he had nothing left to lose, he slid down the wall onto the floor and cried. Not caring whether it was safe or not, Dean rushed over to his side.

"D-Didn't you hear it?" the fallen angel whisper through his tears.

"Hear what?" Dean whispered back, not wanting to scare the other even more by raising his voice any louder. The noise burst out of Cas' mouth again making his body jerk at the same time. Having no energy left to cry anymore, Cas curled himself into a tighter ball.

"That" he sighed. Then Cas heard Dean gasp and he braced himself for the worst. But to his surprise, the hunter didn't leap away from him or even seem slightly scared. Instead, Dean chuckled. It wasn't a loud laugh but just a small chuckle before he hauled himself off the floor and reached his hand down towards Cas. A small silence followed before Cas took the hand offered to him and pulled himself up. He still dared not look Dean in the eye but from the corner of his vision, he could swear he saw Dean smiling at him. Gently, Dean pulled Cas over to the bed before slowly pushing him down into a sitting position on it and then taking a seat next to him.

"Cas, look at me" Dean said steadily. Swallowing his fear, Cas flicked his eyes up towards Dean's face.

"What's happening to me?" Cas whispered, his voice shaking. Dean's smiled only grew wider.

"Cas, you've got hiccups"

The ex-angel felt as though he should be terrified but something about the way Dean said it seemed to make him less tense. When he didn't reply, Dean continued to speak.

"There's probably some kind of science thing behind it, ask Sam if you really want to know, but it's nothing serious and it's definitely not life threatening"

Upon hearing these words Cas instantly relaxed, curling himself into Dean's side slightly and resting his head on his shoulder. Without thinking about it, Dean reached up and smoothed his fingers through Cas' hair. The two of them stayed like that for quite some time before Dean heard the gentle snores coming from Cas' lips. Realising that Cas did in fact have to sleep now he wasn't an angel anymore, Dean rolled his eyes affectionately and slowly shuffled along the bed with his arms tucked around Cas' waist until they were both laying facing the wall. Using Cas as a substitute for both a blanket and a pillow, the hunter found it surprisingly easy to fall asleep that night.