Title: Light Of Day, Dark Of Night
Author: martyred-wings
Rating: pg-13
Genre and/or Pairing: slash, Dean/Castiel
Spoilers: none.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 669 words
Summary: Every morning, Dean would wake to find Castiel laying beside him, eyes closed, face slack in sleep, lips parted as he breathed deeply of the cool dawn air.
A/N: Written for the "Christmas in July" theme on spnwriterlounge.

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Every morning, Dean would wake to find Castiel laying beside him, eyes closed, face slack in sleep, lips parted as he breathed deeply of the cool dawn air. The angel looked so peaceful, so quiet, almost childlike in his fragility while he slept, hand resting gently beside his face, fingers curled, relaxed. His chest rose and fell with his sleeping breathing pattern, breath ghosting out to tickle Dean's bare skin.

Every morning Dean would reach out gently, trace fingertips across the skin of one arm, down to the curve of one elbow, ghosted across Castiel's chest, explored his abdomen, gently. Every inch of Castiel was perfect, every inch of Castiel Dean knew intimately, knew just where to press to make the angel moan, to cry out, to whimper out Dean's name in declarations of blind love.

All this Dean knew and more about the angel, loved him more than life itself, would protect him with his life if necessary. All Castiel would have to do was ask, and Dean would do his bidding. He leant forward, pressed lips against Castiel's, leaving a gentle kiss upon soft parted lips, before dropping a feather light kiss to each sleeping eye. He leant in, traced his hand over the sweep of Castiel's back, across where he knew he angel's wings were, passed over that spot once again, imagining the soft feel of feathers beneath his fingers, surrounding his body, making him feel safe, warm, protected.

It was as if the mere touch of Dean's hand against the spot where his wings erupted woke Castiel up, and he blinked at Dean blearily in the meager half light of dawn, eyes seeming a richer blue in the gloomy half light. He sighed, smiled happily up at Dean, before the hunter pressed another, more heartfelt kiss to Castiel's responsive lips.

Once again it wasn't a bad start to the day at all ...

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Every evening, Castiel would wait, and watch while Dean's eyes drifted slowly into sleep, eyelids closing against tired, yet sated green irises, a soft smile still touching Dean's lips. Castiel settled in close to the hunter's body, letting Dean's warmth wash over him, before he kissed Dean's freckle dotted cheeks reverently. He pressed a gentle, trembling hand to the burn mark left behind from when the angel dragged Dean kicking and screaming from the very bowels of Hell, what seemed like so very long ago. His fingers trembled against the perfect hand print, feeling the warmth from the scar that had nothing to do with Dean and everything to do with Castiel.

It was energy shared between them, understanding that bound them ever closer, love that bound them closer still. He placed a kiss reverently upon that scar, tasted the salt slick sweat left behind from urgent love making, tasted the scent of Dean himself.

Castiel settled in closer, wrapped a protective arm about Dean's waist, knowing that whatever harms befell the hunter in this life, Castiel would always be there to repel them. It was protection willingly given, protection earned through love, trust, loyalty, that was so rare in the most hardest of times.

Castiel counted himself lucky that he had something, someone to call his own, who loved him back no matter what. He slowly wrapped a gentle wing around them both, heard Dean's soft murmur of pleasure when he felt the feathers brush richly across his skin.

"Cas," the hunter murmured in his sleep.

Castiel pressed a soothing kiss to Dean's mouth, stilling further sleepy words, before he settled down more snugly beside his hunter.

"I will serve and protect you through dark of night and light of day, I will swear on that," Castiel whispered against Dean's neck.

For the briefest of moments, Dean smiled, as though, even in sleep, he'd heard, understood, and thanked the angel for his words. Castiel smiled, before he too, drifted off into the embrace of gentle sleep.

Once again, it hadn't been a bad end to the day after all ...

fin

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