It's In Your Eyes

More Fire. More Ice

Castiel's POV -

His lips were fire and ice, barely touching me, tracing my most personal scars like a gasp of wind. I suck in a breath, everything feels so light. So very light.

The footsteps start and he pulls away with a cough and a red face, not meeting my eyes for a second. When he does, it's as he walks away towards the opening door, and it's a nervous glance that has my stomach churning. All the comfort and calm of just moments ago had been sucked away, leaving me somewhat hollow.

Charlie comes in and I turn my back to the wall, grabbing up a T-shirt to cover myself.

"Shit. Sorry. Damn, didn't mean to just- I, should have knocked. Don't just barge in." She backs out the room but I'm dressed again now and there's nothing much left to do but follow Dean as he follows her.

I keep my head low and my eyes forward. It takes me a minute to even realise I'm staring at Dean's shoulder blades that stand out strongly, sharp under his clothing.

"I was just coming to check on you." Charlie speaks to us both, but there's a hint of a warning in her voice and the look she gives Dean. I don't need to hang around to hear their talk so I pick up my hoodie as we pass and slip out the side door that heads out into the bitter air, letting them keep on down the corridor.

The wind bites at my fingers and face under the threat of a bad storm, even at this time of year. It's been particularly cold this year in fact, more rain and stronger winds. All round lower temperatures.

I head straight out into the land behind the school, losing my sight of it quickly in the large hedges of the maze-garden. It's like someone is lifting weights from my chest with every step and I can breathe again. Granted, they're slow and rasping breaths, but breaths all the same.

I sink down to the soft grass when I find myself in what I can only assume is the middle of the maze, pressing my forehead to the cool earth as it throbs, threatening to twist me under darkness again.

I don't want to pass out again...

He'd touched me. Really touched me. Without reserve. Without embarrassment for a moment or so.

He'd damn near kissed me. Even if it was just my back. His lips had been there, barely touching but I would swear they did, they did make contact. And now the scars on my back won't stop burning. They want more of that fire. More of that ice. More of that calm and softness and perfect, perfect...

Shut up it's not affection. Why would it be affection. For me?

All I can smell is the dirt. Earth earth earth. That's all, everything, like it's swallowing me up. At last. It's all I can do to bite back more tears when I think about his hand touching my skin again. What he'd said. How close he'd gotten. His breath... God, his lips.

I taste blood and sit up again, brushing muck from my forehead and sniffing. My lip throbs and oozes with metallic red into my mouth but I brush it off as nothing, running my fingers over the scar on my arm where he had touched.

It's so hot, despite the damp chill in the air. I chalk it up to my stupid mind as my heart pounds furiously at my ribcage. My skin is clammy and it makes my clothes cling to my like adhesive. It's hard, so hard to breathe.
I can't stop thinking about it.

Dean's POV -

Cas vanished and so now I sit by myself under a shower of water, knees tucked to my chin, confused. Confused to say the least.

What was going on with me. I'd damn near kissed him. I may as well have, it wouldn't have made things any less awkward!-

I don't dwell on how I linger on the thought. The thought of kissing Cas. Of Cas kissing me. Because that would be crazy to even consider. Surely.

"Dean..."

A voice jolts me out of my mind and I look up. I can see feet under my cubical door, the torn up, doodled on converse belonging to Charlie, along with her voice, means there isn't much to worry about but I stand anyway. Grabbing my towel I shut off the shower and open the door. She looks pale and, above all, nervous.

"What's up?" I walk past her and start getting changed without a flinch. It never did phase her really and she just perches on the side of the counter lined with basins, swinging her legs.

The movements hits me with it's similarity to Cas's innocent appearance earlier.

"I was worried..." She meets my eyes and her expression is definitely that, with an extra helping of warning mixed in. "Before you went back to see Cas, I asked you not to hurt him. And I don't think you did... But he slipped off after and now I can't find him." Her voice is quiet and measured but it still hits me like a brick.

"What?" I look at my watch as I secure it around my wrist. "It's been almost two hours since he..."

Shit what the hell? Where did he go? He was supposed to be under my care and he isn't better and where is he? Stupid stupid stupid! I could just-

"Dean let's go find him. Please?" She's hopped down and is pleading with me. But there's no need. I'm at the door before she's even had a chance to move her feet, and yanking it open with a little too much force. It bounces off the tiles behind it and almost knocks Charlie over as it rebounds
I head straight for the door leading to the gardens and she snatches at my arm. "Dean! Stop, calm down, and think. How do you know he'll even be out there? It's getting dark."

"I just know, okay."

And I do. He's outside in the gardens. I'm sure if it. But she's right, it is getting dark and there isn't much light to speak of in there when the sun sets so I hurry away from the building, into the trees and towards his place.

Charlie catches on to were we're headed and takes the lead swiftly. It's all a blur from there until we reach the clearing.

The empty clearing. Just as the sky starts to reach that special treacle black when there's no polluting lights. And we're in the dark woods after lock-in, a good distance away from the school.

And we have no Cas...

Jo's POV -

"Off me, now!" I'm laughing, pushing him off. Or am I pulling him with me as I stumble backwards. I'm not even that sure... But he follows me deeper into the maze anyway because we have to be hidden from the school. Lock-in was ten minutes ago.

Benny pulls me to a stop, into him and pecks my cheek. I just blush more and step back, slipping easily out of his embrace and setting if quickly away, towards the centre of the maze. I know he takes on the chase a few seconds later but I barely glance back, reveling in the thrill. And then, at the centre opening, I stop dead.

"Cas?..."

Bitter terror rises in my throat, grips me hard, then I am tackled to the ground by a heavy, triumphant Benny shouting victorious chants. He leans in close to say something secret and sweet for just me but I don't hear a word of it. I'm cold. Icy cold. And it had nothing to do with the weather...

"Cas?..."