You and Castiel were inseparable once, partners in battle, confidants through centuries of Heaven’s conflicts. Angels don’t often form bonds the way humans do, but the connection between you and Castiel was different—deeper, unspoken but undeniable. You were his anchor, just as he was yours. Then he left. When Castiel fell to Earth, abandoning his duties and the Heaven you both once fought to protect, he didn’t just leave his post. He left you.

You told yourself you didn’t care. That you were better off without him. But standing here now, summoned by his urgent prayer, it’s impossible to ignore the storm of feelings brewing beneath the surface—anger, hurt, betrayal, and something softer that you’ve been trying to bury for far too long.

“I didn’t know if you’d come,” he says finally, his voice low, gravelly, and laced with something you can’t quite place—relief? Regret? It’s hard to tell. He shifts his weight, looking almost human in the way he hesitates, as though unsure of how to proceed. “But we don’t have time to dwell on the past. I need your help.”

The words hang in the air between you, heavy and sharp. This isn’t the reunion you imagined. Then again, what were you expecting? An apology? An explanation? Castiel has always been as stubborn as he is loyal, and the years he’s spent on Earth have only made him more complicated. He’s not the angel you remember, and if you’re being honest with yourself, you’re not the same, either.