Chapter 25
Tony didn’t even think, when he ran towards Steve the moment he hit the floor.
He was driven by the utter need of making sure that his husband was truly back and alright. He didn’t care about the pain that was still ringing through his brain and the screaming of his injuries. His dislocated shoulder and cracked ribs cursing at him violently, but he ignored it. He had a high tolerance of pain, after all he had been through along the years.
He just needs to see, if his husband was back.
“Steve? Steve, honey, you there?” he exclaimed the moment he landed on his knees beside his fallen body, checking his pulse first, making sure he was alive, then cupped his face in his hands gently. “Baby, come on, wake up for me.”
Steve groaned in pain, before opening his eyes slowly. He was confused at first, eyes not sure where to rest, until he saw Tony hovering over him and his eyes glued to his face, like Steve was physically unable to look away from Tony’s face the moment he found him.
“Steve, will you say something for me?” Tony murmured, still needing to make sure that was his husband. Needed to hear his voice.
Steve was silent for a few seconds, which made Tony very nervous but still didn’t move away from the soldier stubbornly.
“Ow.” Steve uttered with a pained wince, startling Tony. “Son of a bitch, fighting with an angry Cas is apparently like fighting fucking Godzilla on steroids.”
That startled a laugh from Tony as his whole body relaxed in pure relief. He leaned down to kiss his husband fervently, unable to believe that he was truly back.
“You owe your new jar two dollars.” Tony chuckled against his lips, his hands moved to card his fingers through Steve’s hair.
“After I just went through, I will swear as much as I want.” Steve murmured, pulling Tony closer, like he was desperately needing to feel him. “You are real, right? I am not hallucinating? Or still frozen?”
“Baby, I am the realist thing in your life.” Tony whispered as he pressed his lips against Steve’s more firmly to prove his point. Steve leaned towards him more, craving his presence. “Welcome back, Steve.”
“It’s good to be back.” The soldier smiled against Tony’s lips.
They were pulled out of their little bubble, when the outside world made an appearance in the form of Castiel collapsing on the floor after killing the last demon.
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Erik saw the demon pointing a knife towards himself, planning to die and take Charles with him.
The thought alone made Erik almost blinded by rage and panic.
A fucking demon was not going to take Charles from him. Not after the telepath had fought hard for his freedom and for their family.
He fought against the pain raging through his entire body. It was a rough two days on his poor body, he was pretty sure there was no inch in him that pained him in some way, not to mention his ruined knee, but he tried to ignore all that to control the knife and keep it away from plunging into his husband’s heart.
The look on the demon’s face when the knife wouldn’t move, was the look of a man that knew he lost.
Erik watched Castiel as he extracted the demon from inside Charles. Watched his husband’s body as he shook hard in the angel’s hands.
He felt his heart shutter at the scene alone.
The moment Charles’ body hit the floor, Erik was there, cradling in his arms frantically. Not even sure how he managed to move with his dislocated knee, but he didn’t care, he needed to get to Charles.
He pulled him close to his chest gingerly, like he was going to break apart if he applied any pressure, which was ridiculous of him to think, since technically, Charles was the one who helped Castiel in defeating the demons.
Somehow, Charles always managed to save them, one way or another.
And yet, the idiot still sometimes think he was useless.
“Charles.” Erik murmured carefully, trying to coax his husband to wake up gently. “Schatz, will you open your eyes for me? Please?”
He knew that what Charles did in his own mind must have messed him up. But his husband was strong, it will be a hard hit to his ego, if he was killed by his own powers, so he would never let that happen. Or that’s what Erik was telling himself to not panic, or grab Charles and scream at him until he wakes up.
“Charles, come on, don’t scare me like that.” Erik tried not to panic, when Charles didn’t seem to hear him or even indicate he was alive, other than the rise and fall of his chest. He pulled him closer to his chest, not letting how pale his husband look get into his mind.
Who he was kidding? He was panicking right now.
“Wake up. Please. Please, just wake up. Open your eyes for me.” He pressed his face into Charles’ hair as he kept begging him to open his eyes. To do anything. Anything. “Don’t you dare to leave. don’t you dare to just leave me behind. Please, Charles! Don’t do this!”
‘I would never leave you behind.’
He felt absolute relief ring through him as the familiar voice sounded inside his mind, filling with warmth and bliss.
He pulled away from Charles’ hair, to see his eyes were opened and looking up at him with a warm fond look, that he didn’t know he needed to see to be able to breath properly.
“Charles.” Erik let out with a breathless, wet chuckle as he pulled the telepath closer with a wide relieved smile.
“Your shark smile is pretty when you are being an emotional idiot.” Charles grinned dazedly up at him, probably still trying to fix what was happening in his mind at the moment. “You should smile like that more often.”
Erik felt his heart grew ten times, as he leaned down to press his lips against Charles’ forehead gently.
“Only for you.” he murmured against his skin, arms tightening around his husband.
“I know.” Charles murmured back, raising a hand to brush his fingers through Erik’s hair.
They were both startled, when Castiel suddenly collapsed a few feet away from them.
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Dean flinched awake, when he heard a group shout of Castiel’s name.
He stared dumbly at the ceiling for a few seconds, trying to figure out what the hell was happening.
But then, the name in the frantic shout registered in his brain.
He shoots upright, eyes immediately landing on the angel in the room.
Castiel was on his back on the floor, body so tense like it was about to snap, eyes wide and staring up ahead and his body was glowing hard enough to hurt their eyes if they looked at him directly.
“Cas!” he exclaimed frantically as he scrambled to his feet, not caring about the pain that shoot through his body from pretty much everywhere. Finally, noticing that everyone was also rushing towards Castiel. Well, except for Erik and Charles, since the former couldn’t even stand on his messed up knee so he could carry Charles over, but they were watching Castiel in frantic worry.
“S-stay back!” the angel uttered frantically as he stared at them with wide, panicked eyes, halting them in their places. “Don’t get any closer to me!”
“Cas, what’s happening?” Steve questioned in concern as he was supported by Tony and Thor.
“My grace. I-I can’t keep it under control! You need to get out of here! Now!” his body started to shake hard violently, hands clawing at the floor, managing to break it from hard he was clawing at it. Probably trying to desperately regain control.
What panicked them even more, was the cracks that started to spread through his body and shining with white bright light.
It was like Castiel’s grace was about to explode from inside him, and was destroying him and his body in the process.
The realization made them freeze and stare at him with panicked fear. Not for themselves, but for the angel.
Castiel was dying.
“I said go! Leave! now, before it’s too late!” Castiel shouted desperately as he tried to curl in on himself, seeming to be in utter pain. “Take the jet and the children. Leave! You will all die! Leave me here and go!”
“Like hell I will!” Dean protested indignantly as he dropped to his knees beside Castiel and reached for him, but the angel flinched away from him, like he was afraid he was going to burn Dean.
“What are you doing? Get out of here, Dean!” Castiel yelled at him desperately, the cracks starting to spread across his face. “I lost control over my grace. I can’t stop it! Go now!”
“I am not leaving you, Cas.” Dean shook his stubbornly as he reached for Castiel, despite the angel’s attempts at pushing him away.
“We are all not leaving, Cas.” Sam stated firmly as one by one of the team started dropping to their knees around Castiel, surrounding him. not planning to move.
“We are not going anywhere.” Steve whispered as he reached over to squeeze Castiel’s shoulder firmly.
“Are you out of your minds?! Castiel yelled desperately, his true voice ringing along with his normal voice as he yelled. “You will die! All of you!”
“We lived a good life.” Tony just shrugged easily, as he and the others remained where they were stubbornly.
“We are not letting deal with this alone.” Erik added stubbornly. Charles just gave him a reassuring smile, seeming to be content with any outcome.
“We already lived long enough.” Clint just gave him a lopsided smile. Natasha placed a gentle hand over his and gave him a small smile. Each one in the room was looking at him with a soft look and a reassuring smile.
Dean pulled him into his arms, not caring that Castiel’s body was pretty burning him now. He just pulled him close, while the angel’s eyes flew across his family’s faces as they smiled at him softly, not planning to go anywhere.
The cracks now were all over his face, and he looked like he was about to explode any second.
“It’s okay, Cas.” Dean murmured in his ear, pulling him even closer to his chest and rocked him gently. “You can do it. You can control it.” He placed a soft kiss against his temple reassuringly. “Even if you couldn’t, it will be okay. everything will be okay.”
Castiel closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth hard, they almost shattered. Every inch of his body was pulled taut like a bow, trying desperately not snap.
He wasn’t going to casus his family’s death, after he just saved them. That’s not going to happen.
He needs to gain control.
He started to glow hard, that everyone had to close their eyes against the light. Dean remained firmly beside him, holding tight to him, not caring about anything that will happen.
They all didn’t. They just remained there, by his side. Willing to die with him, so he wouldn’t die alone.
He felt desperate tears roll down his face. He will not be the one to rip away everyone’s futures.
His eyes snapped open and he screamed, when his grace erupted, making the entire mansion glow like a thousand sun.