"I will, I will…" He assured Halm, allowing himself to relax when Aiko was sent off. After a few minutes, he dozed off in Halm's arms.
Private
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Halm smiled when he felt Cas fall asleep, pulling the blanket up over both of them. Making sure they were both comfortable, Halm closed his eyes. It wouldn't hurt him to get some rest too.
Cas slept for an hour or so before he started whimpering and shifting uneasily in his sleep, seeming rather distressed.
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Halm was awoken by Cas's shifting, looking down at him with concern.
"Cas..?" He said softly, hand going back up to cup Cas's cheek.
"N-No… please…" Cas mumbled in his sleep, flinching a little. "Stop it…"
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(yeay, there's something I've wanted to do-)
Nightmare. Halm wanted to help Cas. This time, though, he'd take a different path. He raised his hand up to Cas's forehead, pressing lightly against it and closing his eyes. He was trying to see the nightmare.
In the dream, Cas had become his soul. He saw out of his soul's eyes. He was being forced to watch the particularly gruesome deaths he'd been exposed to during the memory harvesting, and his soul was panicking.
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Halm pursed his lips, wanting to help. He hesitated a moment, but he had to help. Slowly, he slipped into Cas's mind, standing next to him in the dream. He bent down on one knee, cupping Cas's head in his hands, pulling his eyes away from the memories and to him.
"No one can hurt you," he said softly. "You're safe…"
Cas whimpered quietly and looked up at Halm, his eyes shining with tears. Halm was the only super clear thing in the dream, and he was struggling to figure out what was real and what wasn't.
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Halm carefully pulled Cas closer to himself, one arm wrapped around his torso and the other holding the back of Cas's head.
"I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you," Halm said softly, quietly, into Cas's ear.
Cas hugged Halm tightly, no longer caring whether he was real or not. Their surroundings were growing white and foggy as Cas began waking up.
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Halm looked up, sensing the dream ending. He needed to leave. He held Cas tightly to himself for a moment, then gently pulled Cas off of him.
"I'll keep you safe, Cas," he assured one last time, and then he was pulling away, leaving the dream. He opened his eyes in the real world, moving his hand from Cas's forehead to his cheek.
A couple tears had rolled down Cas's cheeks in the real world, and he drew in a wavering breath as he opened his eyes. "H-Halm…?" He asked weakly.
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Halm carefully wiped Cas's tears away, pulling him close.
"I'm right here," he said softly.
"I'm sorry…" He whispered, burying his face in Halm's chest. "You… y-you're real, right?"
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"I'm real," Halm promised softly. "I'm real." He held Cas similarly to how he had in the dream. "Why are you sorry?" he whispered quietly.
"B-Because I'm worrying you…" Cas hugged Halm a little tighter, hiccuping.
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"I'm always gonna worry about you," Halm said gently. He pulled Cas closer, careful of Nix. "I care too much about you not to."
"B… B-But I don't wanna worry you…" He stammered weakly. "I want… I want you to be h-happy…"
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"Cas," he said gently, his head against Cas's, "I am happy. Especially when I'm with you. I worry about you, but you make me happy too."
Cas drew in a couple quick, shaky breaths, more tears rolling down his pale cheeks. "B-But you… would be… h-happier if I was g… gone…" He sobbed.
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"I'd never be happier," Halm said quickly. "You mean so much to me," he said softly. "I never want you to leave." He held Cas tightly, wiping his tears away.
Cas hiccuped again and kept his face hidden, shaking. "I d… I don't wanna be a burden to you…"
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"You're never going to be a burden, Cas," Halm said softly. He curled up around Cas, just wanting to tell him how much he care for, how much he loved Cas. "Never." He held Cas tightly, both of them pressed together.
"B-But I am… I'm… I'm sobbing over some stupid dream and you have to take time out of your day to deal with my useless ass…"
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"Cas, I want to take care of you. I want to help you with this." Halm pulled away from Cas slightly, cupping his face in both hands.
"You're not useless, Cas," he said softly.
Cas continued sobbing quietly, closing his eyes and letting Halm support his head. "I am, though… I-I can't do anything…"
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"Cas, you did something no one else could have," Halm said gently. He rubbed Cas's cheek gently.
"You were nice to me," he said softly, "And… and that means the world to me."
"B-But you're nice…" Cas hiccuped again. "I… I just don't understand why other people don't see that…"
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"That's okay," Halm said gently. "It doesn't matter anymore, because you saw it." Halm pulled Cas into another hug.
"Thank you. "