Dean had been deep in thought, sitting on the edge of the motel bed, when Castiel suddenly appeared beside him. Startled, he jumped up and away, putting a hand to his chest.

"Jesus Christ," he spat, bending over to catch his breath.

"Castiel, please," the angel corrected, almost smugly, Dean thought. He was perched at the foot of the bed, calmly sitting and watching the startled man.

"What the Hell are you doing here?" Dean demanded, finally composed enough to sit back down beside Castiel.

"You wanted to ask me something." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"How did you…?" Dean paused, thinking back. He hadn't prayed to Castiel, or asked for him to come. But he had been thinking about him. "You were listening to my thoughts? Dude, cut it out, that's friggin' weird." The thought of everything that ran through his mind being heard by Castiel made his skin crawl. There were some personal things in there…

"I don't try to hear them, Dean," Castiel insisted, sounding just the slightest bit annoyed, which for him, sounded very annoyed. "But you have a tendency to be very… loud."

Dean felt heat rising on his cheeks, so he looked away to hide it. Though, apparently, he couldn't hide anything nowadays. Sighing, he turned back to Castiel, who was watching him curiously, his head slightly tilted and his eyes just the smallest bit squinted.

"What are you wondering?" Castiel asked, sounding sincerely curious. Maybe he didn't know every thought, Dean mulled, feeling a little better.

"Do you… have a halo?" As soon as the question left his mouth, Dean felt embarrassed. It was such a stereotype for angels, wasn't it? Though, they did have wings and all that jazz, so why not halos? He looked at Castiel, watching his expression carefully.

Castiel was silent for a moment, his face reserved. Dean watched him tense up a little, his posture straightening out and his jaw clenching. He looked incredibly uncomfortable, for whatever reason.

Castiel turned his head away and looked at the floor before answering. "Yes," he mumbled.

Dean chuckled nervously. "Well, why sound so ashamed? Is it bad to have a halo?" He was actually afraid that it might be once he asked, and he was about to take it back and apologize before Castiel looked back at him, his eyes dejected.

"No. Every angel has a halo. Mine just probably isn't what you would expect it to be." He looked so ashamed, and Dean had half a mind to reach over and engulf him in a hug. He held back, wanting to figure out the reason why before he tried to comfort the angel.

"What, is it too small? You know, size doesn't really matter, Cas," he joked, but the angel continued to look miserable. "Well, what is it? Can I see it?"

Castiel sighed and was silent another moment before nodding meekly. "Look away for a moment," he ordered humbly, and Dean complied. He stared at a spot on the wall to his right, hyperaware of the angel sitting beside him. Suddenly the room became almost unbearably bright, and Dean had to close his eyes for a moment. Even through his eyelids, everything was incredibly bright. Along with the light came a high-pitched ringing, something Dean had heard before. It wasn't as loud this time, but it was just as piercing. After a long minute, it all simmered down, allowing him to open his eyes and relax his shoulders that he didn't know had been tensed up. "Ok," Castiel sad beside him. "You may look." Dean turned.

The halo was… Well, it was beautiful. The ring appeared to be hollow, fashioned from a thin coating of gold that was practically invisible. Inside, a blue essence moved softly, spinning around and around the ring, an unending line of something that looked like a calmed fire. A light radiated from it outward, bringing along a warm sensation. Even from where he sat, Dean could feel the warmth heating his face.

It was everything he had expected and more, but there was one thing about it that caught him off guard. Dean had expected the halo to be perched a couple inches above Castiel's tousled hair, floating above his head like a tiny guardian. Instead, the halo was placed around his neck, not unlike a collar might be on a dog.

"It's… gorgeous," Dean breathed, unable to look away. Castiel looked at him, not hiding his shocked expression.

"R-really?" He brought one finger up to his throat and touched the halo, lightly brushing his fingertip over the surface. Underneath his touch, the blue light moved slowly, leaning toward his finger instinctively. Dean wondered if it would do the same for him.

"Can I touch it?" In any other situation, he would be too embarrassed to ask such a question, but at the moment he was too mesmerized to care.

"You can try," Castiel offered, seemingly just as curious as he. He dropped his own hand and turned more toward Dean, tilting up his head slightly to allow better access to the ring.

Dean held his breath and slowly brought up his hand. For a moment, he reveled in the way the warmth felt on his fingertips. It sizzled on his skin softly, feeling like sunlight hitting him in the summer. Carefully, he moved his hand forward, wanting to know if the warmth would feel better once he touched it. He wondered if it would feel like metal, or something softer. He wondered if Castiel would be able to feel him touching it. He swallowed down that last thought, ignoring the way it made him feel.

The closer he got to the ring, the hotter his fingertips became. At first, the warmth was inviting, but once he was within a few inches of the halo, the heat became unbearable. It burned his skin, feeling more like fire than sunlight. He wanted to touch the ring so bad, but the heat just kept increasing the closer he got. Before he could get any closer, Dean pulled his hand away and hissed, holding his fingers gingerly. The tips were slightly red, as if he had touched a hot piece of metal for a split second.

"Are you ok?" Castiel asked. He reached over and took Dean's hand in his own, brushing his fingers over the red skin. When he gave the hand back, Dean noticed the skin was back to its normal fleshy color.

"Damn," he muttered, inspecting his hand for any further damage. When he found none, he stared back at the ring and how it rested just slightly slack around the angel's neck. "Doesn't that hurt you?"

"Yes," Castiel answered immediately, then looked away, as if embarrassed by his admission.

Dean tried to imagine what kind of pain Castiel had to endure while wearing it around his neck, but after thinking about it for even a second, he had to force himself to stop. "Why do you wear it like that, then?"

"I have to," he admitted, sighing. "Halos are a form of control, in a way. How they are normally worn— the way you probably imagine they are— is just the general way to show we're under direct influence. How I wear it is…" He paused, his shoulders deflating a little. "It's a way to be under stricter command. I can't be trusted enough to wear it above my head, so I'm forced to wear it around my neck. Just in case."

"In case of what?"

"In case I get any ideas," he muttered, sounding as if he was directly quoting somebody. "Normal halos can easily be taken off, though angels rarely do. Mine…" His finger brushed over the ring again, and Dean was reminded of how it had felt on his skin. "Mine is impossible to take off. I can't break free."

Castiel dropped his hand to his lap, and Dean stared at it for a moment before reaching over, taking it in his own. He felt the skin, unable to ignore how warm it felt, and unable to deny the reason it was so warm. He didn't have any healing powers to make it better, but he still held Castiel's hand in his own, gently rubbing the warm fingertips.

If he could, Dean would reach over and snap the halo right off his neck, shattering the gold on the floor and setting the blue fire free. He knew he would never be able to, but he wished more than anything that he could. Instead, he just held Castiel's hand, cooling it down as best as he could. It couldn't set him free, but at least it made the burn feel better.

"Thank you," Castiel whispered, watching their hands intently. When he looked up, his eyes were wrought with relief, and the corners of his lips twitched, threatening a smile. Dean could feel the same threat on his own lips, and he returned his gaze to their hands, trying and failing to hide his bliss.

Notes: That's just kind of how I always picture halos. I don't imagine they exist just for show, and I don't imagine Castiel enjoys his very much. Just my personal headcanon, though. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.