Castiel was standing on the concrete block Dean had told him to hold as Risa walked away. He was tipping it back and forth with his feet, playing with gravity until it got the better of him. Too far back, the momentum caught him and he fell. Somewhere between his startled gasp and the ground slamming into his lungs, his grace went out like a candle.
Dean leaned over him and didn’t ask if he was okay, but held out his hand to help him up. Cas didn’t take it. He gasped desperately for air and groaned through the tightness in his chest.
“I’m human,” he announced.
Dean’s hand fell back to his side. He swallowed and asked “Officially?” Cas nodded. Mud stuck in his hair. Dean pushed at the offending cinder block with his toe.
“I guess you had to fall from somewhere,” he said.
~~~
Excerpted from this lovely fic.
“One, two, three, four, five…”
Dean raced away from Cas, frantically looking for a place to hide. Clouds of steam came with each ragged breath as he weaved between the evergreen trees.
There. It was the perfect hiding spot. A tree with low hanging branches on the edge of a clearing, lightly powdered with snow. Dean made a running jump and couldn’t help the “oof” sound that escaped him as his midsection made contact with the branch. Lifting himself fully onto the branch, he carefully climbed further into the tree. When he reached a decent height, he dropped to his stomach and tried to slow his breathing.
It wasn’t long before he heard the crunch of snow beneath boots as Cas walked by his tree, pausing briefly under the branches to search behind the tree. Sighing in frustration, the angel continued walking and Dean snorted and bit down on his fist to keep from giggling. Even though he was several feet away, Cas froze in place and slowly turned back towards Dean, a wicked grin spreading across his face. Heart leaping in his chest, Dean cursed himself for forgetting about Cas’ super senses. As he tried to climb down as quickly as possible, Dean’s foot slipped on a branch covered in ice under a thin layer of snow. Arms flailing out, desperately trying to grab a hold of something, Dean heard Cas cry out his name as he lost his balance and fell.
The first thing that registered was that there wasn’t enough impact, he should have slammed hard into the ground, possibly broken a few bones or worse. Instead everything was darkness, smothering and terrifying and cold. It was the cold that jolted Dean back to his senses. It was like a thousand tiny daggers where digging into his body and only instinct kept him from screaming when he realized that he was underwater.
The clearing next to the tree had been a frozen lake.
He struck out above his head, trying to find the opening where he fell through, only to hit a hard sheet of ice. Dean’s winter clothes were weighing him down, preventing him from getting closer to the surface. He tried kicking at the ice as panic swelled in his chest, but Dean just wasn’t strong enough. His vision began to fog when Dean took one last desperate punch at the ice, and then everything dissolved into blackness.
******************************************
Cas was panicking, it looked like Dean had just been swallowed up by the ground. He sprinted towards the place where he disappeared; boots slipping on what he now realized was a frozen lake. Cas slid to his knees as he came to the hole in the ice.
“DEAN!” he bellowed, eyes scanning the murky depths. He hurriedly brushed away as much snow as he could, desperately looking for any sign of Dean. From the corner of his eye Cas saw a slight movement from under the ice, the flash of a hand that was visible for a second, but it was enough. Unfurling his wings and suddenly feeling power pulse through him, Cas dove through the ice like a torpedo. Dean was slowly drifting into the depths, eyes closed and lips blue. Cas didn’t know how he knew what to do, he was running on pure adrenaline and instinct. But he knew whatever he was doing was right when he gripped Dean firmly by the shoulder and a glowing white light emanated from his touch. Tendrils of pure grace wrapped around Dean’s arm and swirled around the boys suspended in the dark water. Without moving his hand, Cas pulled Dean to his chest with his free arm and pumped his wings in a single powerful beat, propelling them both up and out of the water.
Gently laying Dean on the snowy ground, Cas finally relased his grip and gasped at the blistering hand print he left behind.
“DEAN!” he cried, kneeling at his side and shaking him. “DEAN PLEASE!”
There was a tense moment of dead silence as snow began to fall, when Dean gasped and began to cough violently.
“Oh god Dean!” Cas sobbed. “Don’t scare me like that!”
“Cas? Wha…I fell,” Dean mumbled, looking around in confusion.
“Yeah, there’s a lake and you fell outta the tree into the water.”
“Did…did you save me?” Dean’s eyes widened as he took in Cas’ soaked and matted wings. He made to push himself into a sitting position but his arm screamed in protest at the motion. Turning to see the cause, Dean gaped at the mark on his shoulder.
“You do this?” he breathed.
“I don’t know what happened Dean,” Cas muttered, his cheeks turning red. “You had been underwater a really long time and when I grabbed you there was this bright light and….”
“I think I was dead Cas,” Dean said, tracing the outline of the handprint. “Everything went black and then….I don’t remember anything accept a bright light…and then you.”
Cas looked down at the ground in silence. When he raised his head to look Dean in the eyes, his own were swimming with tears.
“I couldn’t let you leave,” Cas took in a shaking breath. “I don’t know how I did it, but I knew you were gone, or about to leave, and….and I just thought ‘NO! He can’t leave yet…not yet…’”
Tears started falling down Cas’ face as he smiled apologetically and wiped them away. Dean grabbed Cas’ hand and brought it to the mark, placing his own hand on Cas’ opposite shoulder. A soft glow surrounded them as green eyes locked onto blue.
“We’re best friends Cas. This is proof. I’m never gonna leave you. Not ever.”
kink suggested by artdecadence and theskyeskye, “public sex”
“Alright, just tell us what you saw,” Sam says, folding his badge back into his jacket.
“I-I already told the cops—” the man—Jeffrey Platen, a janitor—starts to say, but Sam holds up a hand and he quiets immediately.
“It’s okay, we’ve already read the report,” Sam says smoothly, “We just want to hear it from you. Even if you think it’s crazy, we want you to tell us.” Jeffrey lets out a shaky breath and runs a hand through what little hair he has left.
“Look, I’ve worked the same shift, eight to three, for seven years, and I, uh, I… Is he okay?”
Sam’s eyebrows furrow and he looks away Jeffrey to see what he’s pointing at, and unsurprisingly, his eyes land on Dean and Cas. Dean looks at him innocently, one arm resting on the table, but Cas is staring intently down in his lap, face red and expression perturbed. Sam makes a face but quickly covers it up and turns back to their witness, waving a dismissive hand.
“He’s, uh, fine. It’s his first job. He’s a little nervous. But you were saying?” Sam says quickly, trying to ignore the fact that his brother is molesting the angel underneath the table. Jeffrey looks wary, but brings his gaze back to Sam and starts explaining.
“I didn’t think the place was haunted, but one minute, this woman was suddenly there, just walking through walls.”
“She didn’t notice you?”
“No, she did, but she just kept walking around, in and out of doors and walls, like she was looking for someth—”
A loud thud of a knee jerking up and hitting the table from underneath interrupts him and he and Sam whip their heads back to stare at the other two. Cas is quite clearly in some form of distress, head leaning forward with his jaw clenched and hands grabbing the table hard enough to dent it. Dean, on the other hand, is staring blankly back at them, tapping his knuckles on the table patiently, showing no signs that he’s currently jerking off his angel boyfriend in the room where they’re trying to talk to a witness. Sam hopes to whatever deity will listen that Jeffrey doesn’t notice Cas’ hands scrunching the metal table and Dean will knock it off before Sam has to kill him.
“Are you sure he’s—” Jeffrey starts to ask but Sam shakes his head.
“Totally fine. Probably just has to go to the bathroom. Why don’t you show him where it is, agent?” Sam intones, glaring at Dean, praying he’ll get the hint, but Dean just shrugs.
“Nah, he’s cool.”
Despite Dean’s assurance that Cas is alright, the angel promptly moans and his face falls forward onto the table, hard enough to bounce the other end where Sam and Jeffrey are sitting off of the floor before crashing back down.
“I think he’s going to be sick, so let’s just leave him here where my partner can take care of him,” Sam says quickly, grabbing Jeffrey by the arm and tugging him out of the room. Against his better judgment, he glances back as he pushes Jeffrey out the door, and sees Dean beaming at Cas who groans and cracks the metal table in half with his grip, giving Sam a good look at the hand shoved in his pants that belongs to his brother.
“Fucking hell, Dean,” Sam hisses under his breath as he leaves the room, making a mental note to not allow Dean anymore interrogation trips with Cas tagging along.
<3
Scary Stories
The boys were over-the-moon excited. Dean had received a play tent for his birthday from his Uncle Bobby; it was dome-shaped and grey and had the words “Bat Cave” plastered on the side in bright yellow letters. The two boys had wanted to go out and camp right away. Unfortunately, the near constant rain made it impossible and so they sulked for days, refusing to open it inside because it wasn’t realistic.
The minute the weather finally cleared up, they hounded Bobby until he finally gave in and agreed that they could sleep outside in the tent for a night.
“You boys best get prepared then, it should be dry enough for you to camp by tonight,” Bobby said, holding out two puffy sleeping bags. Cas and Dean snatched them to their chests and ran out of the room, socks slipping on the hardwood floors as they turned the corner and slammed into the adjacent wall before continuing to run into Dean’s room and slamming the door.
“Idjits,” Bobby muttered, smiling in spite of himself.
That night Bobby set up the tent in the backyard about 10 feet from the house, but that was the only thing the boys allowed him to do. They were determined to do everything else themselves, to “survive in the wild” as Dean put it. Each of them left the house with a backpack, a mat, and a sleeping bag. Before shutting the sliding door, Dean saluted Bobby with a solemn expression, which Cas mirrored immediately. Bobby returned the gesture, closed the door, and for dramatic measure, closed the curtains.
“Whelp, this is it Cas. We’re on our own like real men,” Dean said.
“Let’s hope no wild animals get us,” Cas said, eyes darting around as if he expected a bear to come out and attack them that very moment.
“Aw shut up! There aren’t any aminals here!” Dean punched him in the shoulder as they walked over to the tent, unable to stop himself from looking at the edge of the backyard where the trees grew thick. Shaking off the jolt of fear that just ran through him, he unzipped the tent and ushered Cas in.
After they had set up their mats and sleeping bags, Cas unwrapped the two turkey sandwiches he had made for them (crust-less, of course) and handed one to Dean.
“I also brought apples for later,” Cas said.
“Apples?! You’re kidding right?” Dean snorted with his mouth full.
“What? They’re good for you and keep the doctor away,” Cas cocked his head to the side in confusion.
“Man, this is like a vacation for us! You don’t eat fruit when you don’t have to! Here, these are for later,” Dean rifled through his Justice League backpack and brought out a giant bag of marshmallows with a grin. “These are what ya eat when you go camping!”
After they had had their fill, the boys slumped against the sides of the tent in unison and sighed.
“So….now what?” Cas asked. “I’m not tired yet.”
“Well, we could tell scary stories!” Dean said, brandishing a flashlight from out of nowhere.
“Oh! Oh I know one!” Cas cried, yanking it from Dean’s grasp, who in turn adopted a sour look on his face and crossed his arms in a huff.
“Fine, you go first then,” Dean muttered darkly.
“Ok, ok you’ll like this one I promise!” Cas whispered excitedly. He adjusted himself into a crossed legged position and held the flashlight up to his face, illuminating himself in the darkness.
“A long time ago, there were a buncha pioneers who were going across the country tryin’ to find a new place to live. Before they could find a new home, winter came and it started snowing. The pioneers had to stay in a cave for months and a lot of people died. And since all the animals were asleep for the winter, a few of the people who were still alive decided to eat the people who died. When you do that though, it gives you special powers…”
“What kinda powers?” Dean asked.
“Shh!! I’m gettin’ there!” Cas said, glaring at Dean for interrupting. “Anyways, if you eat other people, you can get super speed and strength and live forever. Only problem is, it turns you into a monster.”
Dean’s eyes were wide, legs drawn up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them and chin resting on his knees as Cas spoke in a theatrical hushed voice. Dean suddenly realized that the light from the flashlight was casting a silhouette of Cas on the side of the tent, making his currently invisible wings visible in the shadows. They arced up around the angel as he continued his story fervently.
“It’s called a wendigo. No one really knows what it looks like cause it moves too fast to see. It lives in the woods and silently hunts its prey, usually campers,” Cas said in a hushed voice. Dean hugged his knees tighter into his chest and shivered.
“All the campers would see would be a flash of something moving, maybe a shadow on the side of the tent. And then…out of nowhere…IT WOULD GET THEM!” Cas cried theatrically, Dean jolted in spite of himself.
They both sat in silence, Cas looking incredibly satisfied.
“Well…that was-” Dean’s words disappeared in a yelp of terror as the entire tent began to shake. Cas cried out and leapt away from the tent wall, crashing into Dean and accidently unfurling his wings instinctually to shield both of them. Unfortunately, the tent was much too small to accommodate them and as Cas tried to move, his wings caused the cheap plastic rods holding the tent up to pop out of place and the entire tent collapsed. As the two boys tried to untangle themselves in a panic, they heard a howl of laughter.
“Oh you….oh jeez that…that was worth it! Totally worth it!” a voice rang out.
Dean managed to unzip the tent and poke his head out to see an older boy doubled over in glee.
“Gabriel you jerk!” Dean yelled. “That wasn’t funny!”
“Oh yes it was! I mean I just wanted to scare you but Cas! I thought you had a better handle on your wings by now little bro!” Gabriel grinned wryly, pushing his hair back looking utterly pleased with himself.
“Aw shut up Gabe,” Cas said, cheeks turning red with embarrassment.
Gabriel just continued laughing and turned to walk back into the house. Dean glared angrily at his back until he disappeared inside, then let his head drop and took a deep shaking breath.
“Did he scare you?” Cas asked.
“What are you kidding? No! Why, did he scare you?” Dean scoffed.
“No, of course not!” Cas said.
There was a brief moment of silence as the boys simply lay there underneath the ruined tent.
“Dude…no more scary stories ok?”
“Definitely.”
It’s like salt to leprechauns. I just have to drop everything and draw it.
Follow your dreams,quit your job, drop out of school, tell your boyfriend that he’s lousy and walk out the door. This is your time…this is your life.Dream as big as you want to.It’s the cheapest thing you’ll ever do. Wake up tomorrow and live your fucking dreams no matter what.
“
| — | Jared Leto (via beththatcher) |
Pinky Promise
“I don’t know Dean…” Castiel said, shuffling his feet and stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“Aw come on Cas! Please?!” Dean pleaded earnestly. “We’re friends right?”
“Right…”
“Then you got nothin’ to be scared of!”
“But…but Balthy said I’m not assposed to,” Cas continued looking down at his feet.
“What, you’re gonna do everything he tells you to?” Dean asked, putting his hands on his hips.
“I could get in big trouble Dean!” Cas cried, his big blue eyes shining with tears. Dean’s expression instantly softened and he put a hand on Castiel’s shoulder.
“Hey! Hey I’m sorry, I didn’t mean ta….I’m sorry, forget it,” Dean muttered, turning away from the other boy and walking up the hill they were standing at the bottom of.
Making it a point to not look back at Cas, Dean made it to the top and sat down, legs extended and leaning back on his hands. It was his favorite part of the day, when the sun had barely gone down and the light was all purple and soft. He gazed up and he could see the bare traces of the stars that would soon come to dominate the sky. Dean sighed, feeling guilty about making Cas sad.
“Hey Dean?”
“Geez!” Dean jolted back to reality and turned to see that Cas had walked up to stand next to him. “You scared me! Doncha ever make any noise?”
“Sorry,” Cas said sheepishly. He bit his lip in uncertainty and took a deep breath, stealing himself. “You really wanna see them?”
Dean’s eyes widened in surprise, “Are you sure?”
“As long as you promise not ta tell.”
“I promise!”
“Pinky swear?” Cas extended his pinky towards Dean who smiled and wrapped his own around it.
“Pinky swear.”
“Good!” Cas said, pulling off his jacket. “Now close your eyes.”
Dean covered his eyes with both hands, grinning gleefully. He felt the air around him pulse and thicken, making the cold fall air briefly humid.
“Ok, you can look,” Cas said.
Dean opened his eyes and couldn’t help the little gasp that came out, quickly clamping a hand over his mouth. Cas now had a set of huge black wings protruding from his back, shining in the dimming light.
“Can I…?” Dean reached a hesitant hand out towards them. Cas smiled and extended a wing towards his outstretched hand. Dean stroked through the feathers, tracing the edges of each one individually; Cas closed his eyes and sighed in contentment. When Dean’s hand reached the very tip of the wing, he gently wriggled his fingers, ruffling the feathers and eliciting a peal of laughter from Cas who quickly jerked his wing out of Dean’s hands.
“That tickled!” Cas laughed, causing Dean to smile ruefully.
“Oh really?” Dean asked, launching himself at the wings.
“No! No don’t!” Cas cried, trying to run and lift them out of Dean’s reach. Dean being slightly taller than him, however, managed to get a firm grip on one of them and continued to ruffle the feathers. Cas shrieked with laughter, turning abruptly to try and shake him off and causing his other wing to smack Dean in the chest. Dean cried out as he fell backwards, still keeping a firm grip on the wing and causing Cas to fall right alongside him. The two boys tumbled down the hill, entangling themselves in the angel’s wings. When they finally came to a halt they were both laughing so hard that they didn’t even bother trying to get up.
“Hey Cas?” Dean asked when they had finally caught their breath, shifting closer towards the angel on top of the wing that was pinned underneath him.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Being my friend.”
Cas’ eyes widened and he smiled, stretching out his other wing to cover dean in a feathery hug, “You too.”
Dean threw his arms around Cas’ neck, “Let’s always be friends, ok?”
“Ok.”
“Pinky swear?” Dean held his pinky in front of the angel’s face who wrapped his own around it.
“Pinky swear.”
Doodle took about 2 hours, give or take. Hope you like. :)
