[ In a way, he can understand everything Dean is telling him. It's not the first time things like this have come up, and it's apparently not the last either. Still-- Still, Castiel isn't about to let this twisted concern ruin whatever they've built together. It's close, so close, but he's too stubborn to let it go. And when Dean tries to push past him, Castiel uses both hands to shove at him. ]

Look around you, Dean. Look, and tell me that I've been fine without you. [ Nothing's been touched, and the bed has hardly been slept in. ] Tell me that I can really do this, that you will be better off without me too.

I have-- There is so much I have given you, and it doesn't matter. The pain, the suffering... It's life. It's surviving and knowing that there is something worth everything we put ourselves through, and I'm not going to let you take that from me. The years I have stood beside you aren't nothing. That we hurt each other-- It's inevitable. But it doesn't have to be what shapes us.

[ His chest clenches at the thought, and he steps closer, trying to push him back even more, to keep him there. He fumbles to get that damn ring out of his jacket pocket, having kept it close to remind him that he somehow wasn't alone, and then, he's reaching out to take his hand, to curl Dean's fingers over that band as he looks him straight in the eyes. ]

Stop trying to assume what's best for me. All I need-- I need you to be here with me.