1 - Guardian Angel

Castiel sighed, and laid his forehead against his anatomy book. He would have probably felt self-conscious about half collapsing against the very detailed side drawing of a male appendix, but he was too tired to care at that point. He had just began his studies in medicine merely six months ago, as well as a side job in a nearby coffee shop where he baked desserts and washed the dishes. He had also made friends, and wouldn't have complained about maintaining his studies, job and social life at a decent level, if he hadn't felt so alone once back into his own apartment. He had thought about getting a cat, but was out way too often for it to be happy. There was no way either he was going to offer one of his brothers to stay with him - no matter how much he liked at least two of them - and calling his parents for a little contact was too much to ask of him. But he wished to talk to someone, anyone about that weird feeling he had once home of being watched, yet finding himself worryingly alone.

Castiel was clearly unaware that actually, excuse me very much, he had never been alone since the moment he was born. Dean, sitting on the bed, watched silently over him, scoffing at the wave of sadness and loneliness that had just washed over his protégé (yes, he was ignoring the feeling of uneasiness), and frustrated by the fact that, whatever he said, Castiel could not hear him. Well, that was just partly his fault. Being a guardian angel meant he could do plenty of things, but it didn't grant him the power of suddenly manifest and tear away that solitude.
He shouldn't have been there, anyway. Not after he had been demoted. But - how could he just leave Castiel alone, when there was no other angel that was watching over him? This man, he needed his closeness. His help. With months passing by, this had stopped being just a way to prove back his worth to Heaven. It had become personal. He felt affection.
Maybe that was the reason that brought him to just sigh loudly and say, "For fuck's sake, man, just get out a bit! Do something!" Surprised of how loud his voice soundedn

Castiel almost yelped as he jerked up and turned his chair around, now staring in shock at the complete stranger that was sitting on his bed. During the first few seconds, he remained speechless, but he soon dived for his bag, to retrieve his stupidly small swiss knife. "Who- how did you break in here?!" He always made sure to double lock his door, after all!

Dean blinked, looking honestly startled by that sudden reaction. He stared at Castiel for a second, stupidly turnung around to see if someone had entered the room. He turned to the man again, eyes widening, as if it was the first time he saw him. No. There was no way he was looking at him... right? But the fact that those wide, scared blue eyes were all on his face was unmistakable. "... you - you see me?", he stammered then.

"Of course I see you," Castiel almost yelled, as he stood up from his chair, shaking a bit. "Get up. And get out of here before I call the police," he said, trying to intimidate the intruder.

Dean got up from the bed as well, raising up his hands. "Now - calm down, Castiel. My presence here can be explained. ... sort of, at least, I am not really sure about how you can see me at all. Just, don't panic. I am not here to hurt you in any way. I swear. Give me the chance to explain." He tried his best to stay calm, but inside, he was panicking. How could that be possible? How could he be visible?

"How the hell do you know my name," Castiel asked him, trying hard not to freak out too much. He was actually so scared about having a stranger in his room he didn't hear the usual inner voice of his mother scolding him for blasphemy.

Dean tried to quickly reason on just how he could make Castiel understand he wasn't a crazy weirdo as he answered, "That would be because I have been around you since the day you were born." He took a deep breath. "I am your guardian angel." He kept his hands up in a non-threatening way. "Just, stay calm. I know this will sound crazy to you - ask me any question. Ask me whatever, I will answer. Let me prove it to you."

Castiel frowned, and didn't look any less panicked right now. He looked at Dean for a good long while, before he asked him, almost breathless, "WHAT?" He took another deep breath, and ran a hand on his face. "Man, if you knew me half as much as you pretend you do, you'd know this is probably the worst lie you could pull up on me." Especially given his strict religious mother and all. "I mean, unless you have a halo around your head or a pair of wings in your back, get the fuck out of my home. Now."

"Yeah, yeah, you and that bigoted hag of a mother you have", Dean said, bitterly. "With how much fear of God she tried to kick in your brain, it's a wonder you managed to leave your house so young. And to keep a bit of faith as well." He sighed, frustrated. "Showing you my wings would not help. You wouldn't be able to see them anyway." He scratched his head, worried sick. Damn it. Was there no way at all to convince Castiel?

Castiel blinked a bit. Well it was common knowledge in his town that his mother was hooked over religion, but... "...Alright, then. If you were here all my life, you probably would know what is the only thing I could never forgive my brother Gabriel for."
Recording a porn movie over his favourite childhood movie VHS tape. Not only had he not freaked out right away - he was in his teenage years, and oddly too weirded out to react away - but Balthazar had walked in the room in the middle of it. Causing them to remain in awkward silences for months, given that they shared the same room.

Dean blinked, feeling relieved that he was being granted a chance. But then the memory of that fated day came back to him, and he couldn't help the snort, and the laugh that escaped him at that point. "Oh, God. That porn movie about the pizza man and the babysitter registered over the Lion King", he said in between fits of laughter. "I think you and Balthazar weren't able to look at each other for a month!"

Castiel blushed. Welp. He had brought that upon himself, but it was the most personal, embarrassing moment in his life. No one aside from him, Balthazar and Gabriel knew about it, and the latter had been even yelled at by Balthazar way enough, and felt too guilty at the idea of actually scarring his baby brother for life that he knew for sure that none of them would have never mentioned it to anyone. "... So you were there," he said, clearing his throat.
Oh god.
Oh dear god.

Dean stopped laughing, but his smile got wider. "I was", he admitted with a charming grin. "I am just a bit bumed I never got to see that movie. The beginning was promising." He finally felt free to lower his hands, and sat back down on the bed.

"You- Do you realize how fucked up this is?" Castiel burst out. "You've been there my whole life? You're my actual guardian angel? And- Had I gone through that whole movie and, I don't know, masturbated or something, you'd have just stayed there?!" Yep. Yep he was having a hard time to breathe. A lot more important questions went through his head - did God exist, was there life after death, why was he appointed a guardian angel, did everyone have a guardian angel on their own? - but all he could do right now was panic.

"Oh now don't freak out on me", Dean said, raising his hands again in fear of yet another outburst. "I know when to give a man some privacy. Do you think I am a savage or something? I don't follow you to the bathroom, I don't stick around when you're feeling in need of some self-love... which, by the way, is not a sin and would help you with dealing with all that stress."

"... Just... what kind of guardian angel are you," Castiel ended up asking Dean, before he took a deep breath. "And why... why me?" It was reassuring the man wasn't always along, but still.

Dean shrugged. "One of the lots of guardian angels", he simply answered with a shrug. "Basically, everyone has one. But most people don't listen, don't believe. And angels just tend to stick around the ones that really need their comfort." He looked at Castiel. "With you, I decided to stick around."

"..." Castiel shifted on his chair a bit. "So you think I need ... comfort?" Well. He did feel alone lately, especially given that he had never been fully on his own, but that angel probably had been around his entire life, so...

"Did you look at yourself? 'Course you do!", Dean immediately answered. "You have never been this alone before. At least back at home you had Gabriel, and Balthazar - and even if it is good that you escaped the rest of that hellhole you call home, you do feel isolated. You are sad. And I get worried. So I stick around!" He smiled widely, opening up his arms. "Think of me like your very own portable childhood friend!"

Castiel remained silent for a while. "But I don't know you. And I have no idea where you're supposed to sleep tonight - I only have this bed," he said, pointing at the one Dean was currently sitting on. He was a student, it was a single bed. Kind of wide, but still, unless you were in a relationship it would make sleepovers awkward.

"Oh, that's fine! I can just zap myself away, if it makes you uncomfortable having me around at night. I get it", Dean said right away, even though he seemed kinda bummed by the idea. He didn't feel that much like getting back to Heaven, but well. He closed his eyes, expecting to disappear right away, like he always did.
Spoilers. He did not move an inch.

Castiel blinked. And cleared his throat. "Erh. Are you sure you're an angel?" He asked after a while, slightly concerned.

Dean opened his eyes. He frowned, looking confused by the fact that he was still there. He scrunched his eyes closed, and concentrated with all himself. But he didn't move. He looked up to Castiel, with the most lost expression one could imagine to see. "I- yes. I thought we were over that phase, Cas", he answered absently, looking at his hands. "I don't get why it is not working."

Castiel looked some more at his 'guardian angel', and sighed, as he stood up. "Alright. What's your name? Because believe it or not, but I've never known you were ever around in my life," he said, forcing an awkward, short smile.