Castiel

 continued from here.


Once Dean falls asleep, Castiel keeps watch. He lets himself drift in and out of thoughts - mostly of the man in his arms but sometimes of heaven, of Jack, of his life on earth before he let the Empty take him. When he senses any bad dreams trying to encroach on Dean's rest, he uses small wisps of his Grace to settle him. Dean needs all the rest he can get and Castiel is going to make sure he receives it.

At some point, Miracle wanders into the dark room to make sure that Dean is okay and Castiel communicates that he is, so the dog proceeds to return to her own bed elsewhere in the bunker. 

Early in the morning hours, just before dawn, he hears Sam return. He hears Miracle greet him before Sam comes down the hall to check on his brother. Castiel keeps his eyes closed as Sam stops in the open doorway and observes them. He can sense the relief in the younger hunter. He can also sense his approval of the situation and his happiness for Dean. It makes the angel want to hug Sam and thank him. Instead, he feigns sleep (even if they both know he's not actually sleeping) and Sam closes the door before he heads down the hall to his own room.

And then it's quiet again. His mind wanders off until some hours later when Dean begins to stir, his brain poking at consciousness tentatively.