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be-dazzled · 4 years

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FT Rare Pairs Week 2020 Day 6

DAY 6: Fantasy Pairing: Rogue Cheney x Minerva Orland Part 1: Longing

Writer’s Corner: I really let go of myself with this one. I just loooove Roguerva. Took me a long time but the important thing is that yes, I made it. Hahaha. Last would be my Day 7 Entry, which is Navia. Please, look forward to it!

Masterlist

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05:30 P.M.

Rogue could feel the rise of the embarrassment up his head. Everyone was looking at them, all those eyes trained at the little family coming into the front of the temple for a photo memorabilia. He wasn’t used to that kind of attention. He was a shadow, a cast hiding behind the darkness. No one ever paid attention to the shadow.

“Papa?”

Rogue’s down-casted eyes shifted to the little voice that called up to him – Raina, in her traditional kimono, a spitting image of the woman holding her hand; the other slender hand she offered to him. Rogue took it without hesitation, sheathing her small hands within his much larger ones. The thin line on her worried face broke into a wider grin. It was so contagious that Rogue caught himself also smiling.

“Next family please!”

Familiar with the surroundings, it was Kaname who led the faux family to their spots, arranging them under a decorated arc filled with colorful flowers and lanterns.

“Please stand in the middle.” The person behind the image-taker gestured towards the center, adjusting the figures to fit them into his monitor. “Just a little closer.” His gestures wanted the three to squeeze closer. The distance was translating into his lens and he didn’t mean it in the literal sense. The honey-haired young man scratched the back of his head, unsure how to say there was a lack of warmth he expected from a family. “A little bit closer.” Now, he was feeling uncomfortable as the ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ shot his way a menacing glare.

It was very tempting to just strike down the man with his dragon force. Has he any idea what he was asking of Rogue? Forcing the man to invade Ojuo’s personal space? No one even dared, not even the Guild Master, coming close to the woman. Then, suddenly, his internal one-sided battle was disrupted. He withdrew the menacing glare from the poor guy and glanced at Minerva who was now standing close next to him; so close that their shoulders brushed.

“Let’s not waste any more time.” She wasn’t looking at him but Rogue was sure she was talking to the dragon slayer.

“Y-yes, Ojuo.”

But brushing shoulders wasn’t enough.

“They are so shy.” The middle aged ladies giggled behind Kaname, prompting the caretaker to suggest that Rogue put his arm around his ‘wife’. The man was hesitant but Minerva was surprisingly reassuring that she wasn’t going to cut his arm off. So, freely, albeit nervously, Rogue put his arm around Minerva’s waist.

Then, flash. The white light nearly blinded the dragon slayer.

“Alright! Another one.” Because the kid was the only one smiling in the monitor. “I-if the couple w-wouldn’t mind.” He had to rethink that suggestion as an identical dark, murderous aura enveloped the “couple”.

“Yey! Another!” All thanks to the little ball of sunshine bouncing in excitement, the dark aura and the matching dagger looks quickly dissipated. “Mama and Papa should kiss now?”

“K-kiss?!” Rogue and Minerva had a shared expression on their faces: utter shock on the former; a slight mortification on the latter, to which Rogue took an offense. He wouldn’t dare do it but would it really hurt if Sabertooth’s ace didn’t act like kissing him was the grossest thing she was ever to do? Sure, it wasn’t the best idea but…

“Great idea, Miss Raina!” Kaname clapped her hands together, egging the young miss about her bright – crazy – idea.

“WHAT?!”

“Fro thinks so too!”

“Don’t encourage her, Frosch.” Rogue whisper-yelled at his Exceed.

“Don’t parents usually kiss?” The so called ‘parents’ looked down at the small dictator staring up at them, eyes rounded in that awfully cute pleading look. But both parents knew better. Her evil expression was telling, ‘I got you both falling in my trap.’

So evil!

Rogue wasn’t going to bite. He wasn’t born yesterday. Minerva, on the other hand… she wasn’t the kind of woman who would easily give in to pressure.

“They’re just probably shy around people.” One middle-aged woman suggested, making some excuse on their behalf.

“But they were so bold earlier in the changing room.”

Rogue was forced to recall that shameful, yet oddly titillating, experience in the family dressing room.

“But kissing is natural between married couples.”

The shadow dragon slayer wasn’t actually listening to the murmurs running around that middle-aged circle. He was too busy pushing the memory down the back of his mind to actually care. It had a weird way of raising the temperature and thinning the air around him. And he did not need any of those weird things messing up with his brain – and his innocent body.s

“We must… commit to our roles.”

Rogue hadn’t had the time – or the mental presence – to even decipher that code when suddenly Minerva had her slender fingers gripped at the collar of his own kimono, pulling him by it and crashing her lips against his.

It wasn’t as he expected. Not like he’d ever expected having to kiss Minerva. That thought never crossed his mind. But here he was now, his lips pressing against the woman’s – warm, soft, tender lips. He’d never given it any thought but kissing surprisingly felt really nice. He didn’t know what it was – a really good feeling, a sensation that made his head all fuzzy but also so focused on the woman right in front of him – that pushed him to dare, to step out of his comfort zone and shamelessly moved his lips over hers.

“T-t-that’s enough, Rogue.”

Minerva shoved him away, pulling him back to his senses. It got Rogue apologizing for what he tried to do; a little guilty and ashamed of himself for overstepping. But a part of him, that smallest part that was a bit more freeing, convinced Rogue he shouldn’t be sorry. But that part he’d always push at the back burner.

Rogue honestly didn’t know what came over him but that unexplainable feeling had him seeing things too, like the light blush that powdered Minerva’s cheeks rosy.

06:00 PM

No one spoke between them. They just continued weaving the Festival, led by the ever enthusiastic little dictator as she bounced amongst the crowd, holding a photo in her hands.

“Lady Raina sure looks energetic.”

“Yes.” Both Rogue and Minerva answered in unison, glancing at each other when they realized the sudden synchrony. Strange. Then, both swiftly looked away trying not to get caught. Minerva, however, was quicker to recover as compared to Rogue, who was still fighting the strange feeling warming his cheeks.

As they continue on foot, something caught the little lady’s attention, pulling her to a sudden halt. Her caretaker walked up beside, both palms planted on her knees as she read the announcement for her mistress’ sake.

“Look, Miss Raina, they’re having fireworks later tonight.”

Rogue wasn’t even that older than the young caretaker but she was acting more like the young miss as they both had a shared sparkle in their eyes, not the identical amused stares off the sign.

“Raina wants to see the fireworks!”

“Kaname too!”

“Fro three!”

Minerva, the voice of reason, quickly interrupted. “It’s a little late, Lady Raina. We need to return to your home as Rogue and I need to travel back by train.”

“Actually,” Kaname answered, her heart eyes glued to every word on the announcement, “the last train has left around four p.m.”

“What?!” Minerva’s dark green eyes uncharacteristically widened in shock and the coming trouble. “Why didn’t you inform us earlier?” It quite bothered her more than it should and it was showing. An expression no one would ever put next to the name Minerva – freaking out.

So, while Minerva was dealing with the surge of thoughts overloading her brain, the little devil seized the opportunity to make her move.

“Papa?”

Raina knew exactly how to play this and which parent to flash the expression no adult ever said ‘no’ to.

“Let’s see the fireworks together.”

“S-s-sure.”

07:59 PM

“You shouldn’t let a child dictate you, Rogue. You are the adult.”

Rogue respected the woman, he did. He really respected Minerva. He was somewhat the same as she was – reserved, rational and very sensible. But there were days when he wished that Minerva would loosen up a little. Like today.

“But, Ojuo–”

“–We shouldn’t answer nor tolerate a child’s every whim and capricious. They need discipline.” She continued lecturing the dragon slayer.

To Minerva, it was seizing an opportunity to call out her subordinates and correct their misconducts, well, misconduct in Minerva’s eyes. To the rest who didn’t know them, it was a picture of a wife lecturing her husband how to raise their child. It looked like the mistress was winning.

“If you let them take advantage of you like this, you can never demand from these wolves in sheep’s clothing.” She continued to a half-listening dragon slayer.

The reason for his scolding interrupted, unknowing of the position she put her father in.

“Look! They’re about to start.” She exclaimed, grabbing on the two adults and pulling the startled couple towards the gathering of people. The five of them grouped behind the protective railing and waited for the sparklers to light the evening sky.

“Maybe we should learn from these kids, Ojuo. There’s absolutely nothing wrong about stopping to smell the roses.”

Or in their case, watch some fireworks.

Minerva opened her mouth to shot back at the insolent dragon slayer, who took advantage of the brief silence to shame her. But the sound of the first cracker exploding into the dark sky stunned her briefly, transfixing her on the spot as all she could do was watch the magical shadow of the fireworks dance on the side of Rogue’s face. For a moment and for some unknown reason, Minerva could hear her own heartbeat, feeling the hard thump against her chest. Something else pulled her attention and her eyes magnetically drifted to the figure carried in the dragon slayer’s arms, reaching out to the spectacle in the sky as if she could catch them in her small hands. Catching herself staring and remembering it was rude, Minerva averted her eyes towards the heavens and, along with the rest of the village, watched as magic light up the darkened sky. It was beautiful but that lit-up sky paled next to the warm scene beside her, to that warmth Minerva had always been longing for – her father’s love.

9:00 PM

“It doesn’t make any sense.”

Minerva wasn’t too loud but might be enough to surprise the sleeping little miss, as she spat the words with much condemnation. She was confused and mad about being all confused.

“Ojuo, I think we should keep our voice down.” Rogue tried not to sound too indignant as he slowly and carefully lowered the sleeping figure on the large mattress. He wondered why Lady Minerva has been staring at him since after the fireworks show, twitching her face like she was grappling an internal battle. And losing it. “We do not wish to wake up the princess.” Rogue pulled the cover over Raina’s small figure sprawled on the bed, her chin was sticking out. He didn’t want his daughter to catch a cold.

And with every second that passed watching Rogue take care of the young lady, Minerva was getting pretty annoyed.

“Doesn’t make sense at all.” She obeyed the dragon slayer: less loud, but more confused.

“What does?” Kaname appeared out of nowhere but it didn’t seem to bother the spatial mage whose disbelieving eyes were still trained at the scene playing before her.

“This.” She said, brows meeting in the middle, nodding towards Rogue.

“I don’t see anything unusual about it.” Kaname was standing close to her now, which Minerva seemed to mind. She walked a few steps away from the helper, who had that a crazy smile on her face and an even crazier glint in her eyes.

“You and Mr. Rogue would have to share a room, Ms. Minerva.”

“What?!”

Rogue slapped his own mouth for reacting too loud. Good thing his daughter… good thing the kid was so wiped out that she only stirred to the side and resumed snoring like a drill.

“W-w-what do you mean… share a room? An unmarried man and woman i-is not allowed to share t-t-the same bed!”

His eyes darted back and forth from the woman who shamelessly suggested – pushed – the ridiculous notion and the lady who appeared to welcome it. Wait, what? Lady Minerva wasn’t opposed to…

“Let’s not overstay our welcome, Rogue.” She said, and stopped at the door frame without looking back. “Point us to the room, Kaname.”

And that little incident in the changing room flashed back Rogue’s very eyes.

Rogue? Sleeping with Lady Minerva? Even his heart couldn’t keep up with the idea. Then, he remembered the softness of her lips and Rogue’s heart had a whole new reason to marathon.

“Let’s go, Rogue.”

“Y-y-yes... Ojuo.”

“Are you running out of breath?”

---

7:00 AM

Rogue rubbed the backside of his shoulders. Maybe it was a bad idea refusing Lady Minerva’s offer to just sleep on the bed next to her. In his defense, it wasn’t right to share a mattress with a maiden and he was regretting it now. Sometimes, he wished he was just as clueless and shameless as Sting and sometimes, he wished Lady Minerva would get some clue. Did she just offer to sleep with anyone? Well, not ‘sleep with’ in the common context… was she okay kissing anyone, too? All this thinking about Lady Minerva was driving him off the wall. It shouldn’t. As a matter of fact, he shouldn’t be thinking about Lady Minerva, at all.

But how could he not when she boldly pulled him against her and claimed his first kiss? No! He shouldn’t be thinking about the kiss. Lady Minerva had probably kissed a lot of men.

“You seem dissatisfied with me, Rogue.”

Rogue shuddered at the voice. He only realized now that he was glaring at the woman sitting opposite him in the train.

“I-I’m sorry, Ojuo. I didn’t mean to... stare.” He wasn’t going to admit he looked ready to strangle the woman thinking she had kissed a hundred men. “Please excuse me, Ojuo. I need to use the washroom.” Rogue slid out from his booth, carefully lifting and moving his Exceed peacefully sleeping on his lap. Oh, how he wished he could get the same peace.

7:10 AM

Minerva watched him leave until he disappeared behind the door to the public toilet. She wasn’t quite sure why he looked mad at her. Yesterday, she wouldn’t even care. But now, every little thing Rogue did, she took notice. And every slightest thing about him bothered her.

“It doesn’t make sense.” The Lady barked, ladnding a fist on the leather she sat on, getting so mad not understanding herself, and waking up poor Frosch.

“Lady Minerva?” he sleepily asked, rubbing both eyes with his little fists.

“I apologize, Frosch.”

She was only answered by two confused half-closing eyes and little ‘hmmm’ before Frosch returned to snoring again.

Minerva couldn’t help chuckle. She always found Frosch cute. Actually, it wasn’t only Frosch that she thought was cute and that was the notion she’d been grappling with ever since… ever since… since when?! Since when had she been thinking that no non-sense shadow dragon was cute?

Minerva refused to answer that. Then, she decided she needed to splash her face with water; that ought to clear her mind. She slid out of her train couch, careful not to wake up Frosch, and headed to the toilet. Rogue was done using it, just stepping out of the door. He shifted on the side to make room for Minerva.

“Thank you, Rogue.”

Rogue nodded in response but unlike how he’d usually act around the Lady, he bravely met her forest eyes. That same feeling hit him again, one that got his mind hazy but focused at the same time, the one that pushed Rogue to dare. He stopped the sliding door with his bare hand, getting squeezed between the edge and the frame.

“Ojou…”

“What are you–mmm”

The dragon slayer pushed Minerva into the washroom, slammed the sliding door behind him and captured the rest of her words in his mouth. She wanted to push him and tell him off but her body refused to listen. All reasons abandoned, Minerva’s slender fingers grasped on his coat, clutching the garment in her fists and pushing herself up against him, wanting Rogue’s presence all around her.

“Ojuo…” He moaned against her lips, making Minerva cling to him desperately. “Ojuo…”

“Ojuo!”

The concern in Rogue’s voice quickly dragged Minerva out of her reverie. She wasn’t in the train’s washroom anymore. She wasn’t clinging to the dragon slayer. Minerva was now back at her own couch and stared into the eyes of a confused and worried Shadow Dragon Slayer.

“Your knuckles are turning white, Ojuo. Are you alright?”

The spatial mage looked down at her fist resting on the leather, drained of color. She released her fingers immediately, realizing that she was already hurting herself.

“Yes.” She only spared Rogue a glance, masking her embarrassment with her usual indifference, then, turned away from him completely to do something more safe than fantasizing about the unwitting dragon slayer. Minerva propped her hand under her chin and watch the green pasture pass by the train window. She internally thanked the dragon slayer for not prying into the real reason because the spatial mage herself could not offer the man an answer.

Because even to Minerva, “it doesn’t make sense,” what she was starting to feel towards Rogue Cheney.

---

Bonus Chapter 6.5:

Minerva was just looking at the request board, deciding which S-Class job to take next, a mission her and Yukino could work on together. She needed sometime to be away from the other half of Sabertooth’s Twin Dragons – the shadow half. She hadn’t come to terms about this strong feeling she started to harbor ever since that one job she did with Rogue.

“Minerva-sama?”

“A moment, Yukino. I haven’t decided on the request yet.” She answered without even looking at the owner of the voice.

“You have a visitor.”

Curiosity made her pull away from staring at the request board and towards Sabertooth’s resident Celestial Mage.

“Visitor?”

“Mama!”

The child appeared from behind the Celestial Mage, raced towards Minerva and threw her arms around her legs, her height only reaching the Spatial Mage’s belly.

“Did you grow taller?” She asked, patting the top of Raina’s head, who looked up at her, stretching her mouth into that bright smile Minerva really missed. “Only this much!” Raina answered animatedly, flatting her palm on top of her head to say, “I’ve only grown this much!”

Minerva chuckled. She acknowledged Kaname’s presence and returned to her conversation with Raina, telling her that she had learned spatial magic too, just like Minerva’s. She had that radiant smile, all the while, telling Raina she’d train her if she liked. Her unprecedented warmth towards the child confused the hell out of her guild-mates who were just standing by the side, watching the scene unfold, wrapping their little heads around the idea that some little kid – who had the same dango buns as Lady Minerva – just called Sabertooth’s Ace mama.

“Oh my!” Yukino grew red realizing that Minerva-sama had been intimate with a man and conceived a child they all didn’t know. Being the only one brave enough to dare, the Celestial Mage asked the question everyone had in mind. “M-m-minerva-sama… who… w-who is the f-father?”

“Raina?” Came the voice from behind the flustered Sabertooth mage.

“Papa!” She abandoned her mother and ran into the open arms of the Shadow Dragon Slayer. He picked her up and carried the little miss, asking, “How have you been, Princess?”

“Elexent! (Excellent!)” She beamed at him, her plum orbs disappearing.

And the rest of Sabertooth witnessed, for the very first time, how Rogue Cheney radiated with a brightness that rivaled Sting’s White Dragon Slayer Magic. After recovering from the brief shock, Yukino and the rest of Team Sabertooth demanded some answers, throwing the family questions like…

“What the hell is this commotion about?” Sabertooth’s Guild Master appeared annoyed, probably just coming out from filing all the paper works when he heard the noise. “Whose kid is that?” He asked the Dragon Slayer carrying the child.

And almost choked on his own saliva when the little kid introduced herself.

“I’m Raina and they are my parents, Papa Rogue and Mama Minerva.”

“P-papa Rogue a-a-and O-ojuo’s daughter?”

Sting Eucliffe turned white and not because of his White Dragon Slayer magic. A lot of question were probably running in his head, disbelieving his own ears when the kid claimed Sabertooth’s Ace and his own partner as his parents.

“Yup!”

But worse of all, how come Rogue never told him he was harboring a secret child with Lady Minerva?!

“In that case, hi. I’m Uncle Sting.” He extended his hand to shake Raina’s little one and showed her a toothy grin that mirrored Rogue’s secret child.

“Hello, Uncle Sting!”

Rogue would have a lot of time to explain later and he better start with how, when and where did that affair started and how come he never told him. For now, he’d like to welcome this little princess into his family.

tags: @ftguildevents @fairytail-rarepairs

#rogue x minerva #roguerva #rogue cheney #minerva orland #sabertooth #faux family

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hartlessfiction · 6 years

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Thunder in The Library

I ask for some prompts to help me work on my flash fiction and @migglangelus @spnhell @saltnhalo gave me more than I knew what to do with. Please enjoy this Destiel Flash Fiction based off the words: Spark, Books, Warmth, Clouds and Key.

Title: Thunder in The Library

Rating: Gen

Fandom: Supernatural

Pairing: Destiel

Tags: Warlock Cas, Librarian Cas, Elemental Dean, Cursed Dean, Curses, Fluff, Reunions, Magic is known, Magical Library.

Summary: Castiel’s work as the Head Librarian of The Grand Library of Magic and Lost Artifacts has him away on a last minute trip for far longer than he anticipated. By the time he returns, there’s a certain book who’s less than pleased with his inability to keep his word.

Read on AO3

“No, no, no,” Cas mumbles, frustration settling like a lead weight in his stomach. All around him the Great Library sits quiet and still. Dust floats like slowly drifting snowflakes through the warmly slanted afternoon sunbeams, the calm drifts disturbed into swirling vortexes by his hurried shuffle across the polished marble.

The comfortable stillness is broken again by the low rumble of distant thunder. Cas puts on a burst of speed. It’s not dignified to run through the Great Library, it’s not dignified for the Librarian to run through the library, never mind anybody else.

But here he is, trotting with long strides down past Cirien Croin, Your Sea Serpent and You, Copper Cauldron Care, and Corporeal Dissonance Disorder: The Complete Guide to Finding Yourself after Astral-projection. Counting shelves, Cas curses the sweat trickling down his back, the pressure in the air growing thicker the closer he gets to his destination. His shirt clings uncomfortably to his skin.

“Clouds, clouds, clouds,” Cas mumbles to himself pulling on the bottom of his waist coat. Finding the correct shelf he rolls his shoulders back, runs his fingers through his hair a few times, and clears his throat.

“Dean,” Cas rumbles, displeasure clear in his tone. Two of the books shift along the shelf, trembling and jumping slightly. Cas’ frown depends. “Dean!” Cas snaps, and thunder rumbles around him.

“This is…” Cas huffs a breath, licking his lips and shifting angrily from one foot to the other. “Dean, come out. Now, please.”

In response, the books shutter across the shelf, tiny sparks of light erupting from the spine of the smaller green book, like the light at the end of a Fourth of July sparkler. Cas pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing roughly he growls, “Deaaann!”

Abruptly, the temperature drops and overhead, lightning crackles. Clouds roll in far too thick and too quickly for a quiet afternoon in The Library. They rapidly obscure the topmost shelves of the towering bookcases bracketing Cas’ front and back.

“Don’t you dare,” Cas warns, “Dean. Don’t you dare.”

As the last word leaves his mouth the clouds swell and dump cold, clean rainwater down over his head. Instantly Cas is soaked, and after a moment the absurdity gets to him and he tilts his head back, laughs bubbling from deep inside of him.

“My love,” he says softly, head tipped back so the rain falls softly over his face, slides down his cheeks, clumps his eyelashes together. He blinks up at the clouds, warmth suffusing his limbs, expanding in his chest, making his heart thump hard. Nothing around him is wet, there aren’t even puddles on the floor under his soaked loafers.

The book, with its bright green binding and gold inlaid font flops off the shelf and falls open on the floor. The pages blow back and forth rapidly, though there’s no wind to disturb anything else. Castiel kneels down, and the rain peters off to a gentle shower, the clouds overhead lighten from an angry grey to a pleasant soft fluffy white.

Cas strokes his fingers over the page and small excited sparks flash, popping with pent up energy. “Come, my sweet. I am sorry I’ve been gone so long. The annex in Amsterdam was infested with sprites, they were eating the pages right out of the books. You know how I feel about my books.”

Overhead thunder cracks and lightning scorches across the low hanging clouds. Cas’ hair stands on end and he frowns.

“How could you think that? Come out here right now.” Cas snaps his fingers, his magic surging down his arm, flowing out of him like a typhoon. Instantly the clouds melt away, his clothes dry, and his hair relaxes against his scalp. Adjusting his waistcoat Cas clears his throat. “Dean, please. I’ve missed you so.”

With a soft sigh, a swirling fog rises, wispy and light, iridescent and lovely, from the open pages. Slowly, it takes form and Cas smiles leaning back. Color bleeds into the soft white myst; bright green eyes with long dark lashes, and a freckled nose.

“There we go,” Cas coaxes, quietly standing. The myst follows him, growing taller and wider, more substantial until a man, solid as Cas is, steps from the pages and onto the floor. He grins cheekily, then bites his lip, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans and blushes, looking down.

“Hey. Cas,” he says quietly, his voice as low and deep as the thunder he called forth earlier.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas says, a smile curving his lips. “Quite the tantrum.”

Dean rolls his eyes and taps the toe of his boot against the marble floor. With a huff he bends and picks his book up, turns it over between his fingers before slipping it into his back pocket.

“Yeah, well, you were supposed to be back two weeks ago. And then I have to hear from Kevin that you’re back? Kevin! In records? Not only that but you got back two days ago?”

Cas hums softly, nodding along. Yes, he should have come to see Dean first but he had slightly more pressing matters to attend to. Matters that had kept him away far too long and simply could not wait. Plus, Cas has convinced himself that he could not show his face to Dean until he’d discovered the key to the mystery that had kept him away from his love. Luckily, Dean’s tantrum came just as the solution presented itself.

“I’m sorry,” Cas says softly, reaching out to cup Dean’s jaw. A static jolt jumps between the space of their skin, shocking Cas before he can even touch Dean. “Ow! Really, Dean?”

Dean turns away, sulking, his lips pursed. Cas sighs, a smile curling over his features.

“I’ve brought you something…”

“From outside?” Dean turns, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Of course, would you like to see it?”

The ploy only works for a second and then Dean’s eyes narrow, thunder rumbles and the air pressure in the room drops.

“Do you want to see what kept me?” Cas asks again, reaching into his pocket, “Or are you going to continue to pout?”

Since Dean befell the curse that locked him into the pages of his book, his power as an elemental sealed almost totally away, he’s yearned for a taste of the outside. Of the world and nature he was once so connected to. But more than that, he yearns for kin; for his kin.

“Yes, show me. But you’re not off the hook,” Dean warns, stepping into Cas’ space like he owns it, like he belongs there. And he does. A cautious childlike smile tilts his lips.

“Of course not, I wouldn't dream of it,” Cas indulges, pulling the chain from his pocket and letting the small amulet dangle from his fist.

“Wow,” Dean breathes lifting a hand to ghost his fingers over the burnished golden figure head. “What is it?” Wonder laces his words and Cas’ heart constricts.

“It’s an amulet.”

“No shit.”

“Let me clarify,” Cas says, reaching out and lifting Dean’s hand, turning it palm up. “It.. is possibly, more appropriately known as, The Samulet.”

Cas lays the amulet in Dean’s palm and the reaction is immediate. The small charm glows bright like starlight, filling the space with blinding white light. Cas shields his eyes as it takes over, whiting out his vision. When the glow fades, Dean's free hand is clutching tight to Cas’ bicep, he’s breathing in small stilted gasps, his eye wide and glassy with unshed tears.

“Sam…” he chokes out, his fingers slipping from Cas’ arm to reach for the towering man now standing beside them.

“D–Dean,” Sam chokes rushing forward to embrace his brother.

“How long? How many eons?” Dean mumbles into the curve of Sam’s shoulder and Cas feels his throat constrict. He shuffles back a step, ready to give them some long overdue privacy when Dean’s hand snaps out and grabs Cas, stilling him.

“Cas,” he breathes, and there is so much there in that one word, in his name. So much emotion held in that one syllable that Cas can only nod, swallowing roughly. “Thank you.”

And then Cas is wrapped up in Dean’s arms, his body cradled in warmth and strength. Dean presses a kiss to his lips, his eyes closed so tight, so trusting. Tipping his forehead against Cas’ he breathes, “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me until we break the curse and free you both.”

Dean pulls back and smiles, it's like the sunrise, bright and warm, with so much potential that it makes Cas’ breath catch.

“If anyone can do it, it’s you.” With a squeeze to Cas’ shoulder Dean turns back to his brother, slipping the amulet over his head and crossing it as it lands against his chest. “I have so much to tell you,” he says.

“Me too,” Sam chokes, tears slipping free from his eyes. “Me too.”

Tagging:

@foxymoley @cryptomoon @tobythewise

#castiel #destiel #dean winchester #profoundnet #spn #supernatural #flash fiction #one word prompts #hartless writes #magical cas #magical dean #curses #fluff #spn fluff fic

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bigyack-com · 5 years

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Eight ways wine will change in 2020 - more lifestyle

What a decade this has been for wine—both good and bad.The 2010s saw the rise of serious global concern (at last!) about the effect of climate change on wine. That will continue big time, especially with 2019’s scorching heat waves in France and catastrophic fires in Sonoma, Calif., and South Australia.The rosé juggernaut of the past decade continues, as luxury players move in to Provence. LVMH acquired two rosé producers last year, including a majority share of Château d’Esclans, maker of ubiquitous Whispering Angel. Chanel, owner of three Bordeaux châteaux, snapped up Domaine de l’Ile.Natural wine captured the zeitgeist of the decade, which ended with trade wars slamming wine in the form of U.S. tariffs on French, German, and Spanish reds and whites, with the uncertainty of more to come in 2020. Brexit is still a problem, and wine caves, once a major tourism attraction in Napa, Calif., turned into political footballs. (Tip for cave owners: Don’t turn on the chandelier.)Hard seltzer also captured hearts, minds, and tongues this past year, with sales surging 210% in the U.S. To my dismay, they’re poised to triple by 2023, according to the drinks market analysts at IWSR. Why not make wine spritzers?On the plus side, fizz continues to effervesce, even though the French are drinking much less Champagne. To supply ever-increasing global demand (and at lower prices), Brazil, California, New Zealand, Oregon, and Tasmania are producing better sparklers than ever.At least, unlike the roaring ’20s of a century ago, 2020 won’t begin with Prohibition.Here’s what else I see in my crystal glass for 2020:- Global warming will ramp up wine experiments everywhereYou’ll see the bottled results of dozens of experiments, and more will be started. Sparkling wine from Nova Scotia? Definitely. Historic and new hybrid grapes that can cope with heat better? Spain’s Torres winery is on it; ditto Bordeaux, Champagne, and Napa. Fresher, brighter whites from high-altitude vineyards? Look to Chile and Argentina, including even the cold extremities of Patagonia.- Unfussy piquette will become a thingCasual, low-cost, and low-alcohol drinks that offer gluggable simplicity are having a moment, and they’ll be even more important in 2020.The fashion for pét-nats (pétillant naturel wines) and even hard seltzer (ugh!) are part of this trend. The latest addition is piquette, a worker’s drink popular centuries ago. Not technically a wine, it’s made by fermenting pomace—the leftover skins, seeds, and stems of grapes—to create a drink that’s 4% to 9% in alcohol with light bubbles to perk it up. It’s zippy and refreshing, akin to a sour beer. Wild Arc Farm in the Hudson Valley released four in 2019, including one in cans.- You’ll learn about wine in spaceThe past decade has seen wineries experiment with aging their wines under the sea. For 2020 and beyond, they’ll look to space.This past November, Luxembourg-based Space Cargo Unlimited started a project that sent bottles of red wine to the International Space Station to be aged for 12 months. The idea is to investigate how exposure to more radiation and microgravity affect the evolution of a wine’s components. When the wine returns, the University of Bordeaux will analyze it and compare it with wines aged on Earth.- The no- and low-alcohol movement will gain a foothold The health and wellness craze will affect wine beyond the idea of “Dry January.” Cutting back on how much you imbibe will be one of the biggest drinks trends of 2020, according to London-based retailer Bibendum. Alcohol-free Real Kombucha, introduced in 2017, is now available at more than 50 Michelin-starred restaurants and touted as an alternative to sauvignon blanc.Expect a boost of interest in organic and biodynamic wines—“health-focused” wine club Dry Farm Wines claims its offerings are all-natural and lab-tested for purity—as well as those naturally low in alcohol, such as riesling, lightly fizzy Spanish txakoli, and slightly sweet Italian moscato d’Asti. All are far more delicious and just as healthy as wines from “clean wine” companies such as FitVine. - You’ll buy luxury wines from vending machinesInsert token, receive a small bottle of Moët & Chandon brut or rosé. What could be simpler? Nabbing a bottle at a test machine in the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Fla., was cheaper, more convenient, and more fun than waiting for room service. New York got its first machine in October, and in 2020 Moët plans to spread 100 of them across the U.S. (You can even buy your own—$35,000 at Neiman Marcus—but stocking it with 360 mini-bottles costs extra.)The machines reflect the growing demand for instant access, even for luxury wines. Expect other wine companies to jump on this bandwagon. But because of France’s alcohol laws, don’t look for one in Paris.- Enotourism will get biggerFor starters, a €100 million ($112 million) World of Wine project is opening in 2020 across the Douro River from the city of Porto. The Fladgate Partnership, owner of several top port houses, is transforming 300-year-old warehouses into a series of wine experiences including a wine school and cork museum.In France, Champagne Bollinger is opening its doors to the public via membership in its special Club 1829, Château Lafite Rothschild will open a new hospitality center and wine school at Château Duhart-Milon in time for harvest, and Burgundy breaks ground this month on its own Cité des Vins.But the most interesting new wine travel development is the global DIY winemaking timeshare the Vines Global. Membership will let aspiring vineyard owners test their mettle making wine in a dozen regions with top winemakers. It started in Tuscany’s Montalcino last September; next year it will add Priorat, Spain, and two other places, with more to come.Just want to see vineyards? The World’s Best Vineyards, a new annual ranking of the 50 most amazing ones to visit, will help you know where to go.- Wine packaging will surprise youNo longer a fad, canned wines are expected to reach sales of $4.6 billion by 2024. Now that canning has been normalized, and higher-quality wines skip the traditional glass bottle, keep a lookout for ever more innovative packaging: refillable, reusable jugs and flat bottles made from recycled plastic, as well as green-friendly components such as zero-carbon corks.As for the staid wine label, more than 500 wineries across the globe are turning to augmented reality to bring labels to life through apps. And in Washington state, Chateau Ste. Michelle’s new Elicit Wine Project will act as an innovation hub for brands to take an info-rich, creative look at names, labels, and bottle design; for instance, its Fruit & Flower brand comes in both cans and bottles with themed label images to mirror the flavors of the wine inside.- Wine shops will become less conventionalU.K. department store John Lewis has added bookable wine master classes. Stranger Wines in Brooklyn, N.Y., plays vintage vinyl records and is expanding to snacks, and Manhattan’s just-opened Peoples is a wine bar that doubles as a retail wine shop, even if they have to have separate entrances because of liquor laws.Nielsen predicts AR and virtual reality technology will transform wine shops with navigation apps and electronic shelf beacons. The future will surely bring artificial intelligence-powered robot assistants. At the same time, buying online via phone apps will soar, again helped along by new technology.But as the year progresses, I still have plenty of questions. Will wine lovers continue to lust after the wines LeBron James posts on Instagram? Will interactive wine lists on tablets take over in Michelin-starred restaurants? Will South Africa be the value region of the year? I’ll be watching and reporting on these stories and many more in 2020.(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.)Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Read the full article

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