Your car rolled to a stop at the curb, the engine giving one last rumble before you killed it. The keys clicked free from the ignition as you leaned back into the seat, staring up at the ceiling while you let out a long, weary sigh—completely exhausted from another successful hunt.

You were still hunting after all these years.

You’d thought—once—that you’d stop. That one day you’d get that apple-pie ending everyone talked about. A house. A partner. Something resembling peace.

You knew you deserved it.

But every time you tried to picture it, it felt impossible. After everything you’d lost—everyone you’d cared about. Not after him. The angel who loved you in the only way he knew how. Who’d given himself up just to keep you and Dean alive, to save you from Death’s hands.

You’d never learned how to move on from that.

Your phone buzzed in the passenger seat, pulling you back to reality. You glanced over at the name lighting up the screen.

Sam.

You huffed a breath that might’ve been a laugh and reached for it, fingers closing around the phone as your thumb swiped across the glass.

“Hello?” you answered, pressing it closer to your ear as your free hand pulled the key fully free from the ignition.

“Hey, Dean saw your car pass by. Guessing you’re home. How’d the hunt go?”

You stepped out of the car. Of course, Sam noticed—you only lived a few blocks away, and his kid had always been observant.

“Same old,” you muttered, circling around to the trunk. You popped it open as it gave a reluctant creak. “Just a small vampire nest. Nothing I couldn’t handle.” You reached for your duffel bag, grimacing at how far back it had slid.

“You get all of them?”

“Oh, yeah. Every last one,” you quipped, slinging the duffel bag over your shoulder. His chuckle carried through the phone as you wedged it against your ear, your free hand snapping the trunk shut before locking the car.

“But, uh—you coming by for dinner later?” he asked. “So I can tell Eileen.”

“Honestly, Sam, I’m wiped,” you admitted, already feeling the fatigue sinking into your bones as you walked up the creaking steps of your home. “Think I’m gonna crash for a bit.”

“Alright. Just let me know.”

“I will.”

“Talk to you soon.”

And just like that, the line went dead. You slipped your phone into your pocket as you searched for your key—only to come up empty. You frowned, patting your jacket once, then twice, then checking your pants pockets.

Nothing.

With a muttered curse, you crouched and flipped up the corner of the welcome mat, retrieving the spare. It wasn’t the best hiding spot, but after losing your key so many times, it worked.

Just as you moved to unlock the door, a voice called your name from behind.

You froze.

Your fingers tightened around the key, threading it instinctively between your knuckles as you slowly turned your head over your shoulder.

And there he was.

Castiel.

Standing at the bottom of the steps, looking right at you.

Your heart lodged in your throat as you fully turned.

This wasn’t possible. You saw him disappear—swallowed by black sludge when the Empty took him alongside Billie.

The key slipped from your hand, clattering uselessly against the wood.

You stepped down, never taking your eyes off him. His trench coat hung just the way you remembered on his frame, the rumpled blue tie still askew. And those blue eyes—achingly familiar—met yours.

His expression shifted—almost uncertain—like he wasn’t sure how to exist in front of you yet.

“I know,” Castiel said quietly, as if answering a question you hadn’t asked. “This is… a lot.”

You closed the distance, hands shaking as you reached out. Your fingers brushed the fabric of his coat.

He didn’t vanish beneath your touch.

He really was here.

“You’re real,” you whispered, voice breaking.

“I am.”

Castiel glanced down at the pavement for a moment, steadying himself. When he looked back up, his eyes were glossy—raw in a way you’d only seen a handful of times. That gentle, devastating tilt of his head returned, followed by a small smile.

“I missed you, {{user}}.”