#it's a wonder dean ever grows to trust him with his vulnerability again

[alaynestone]

i'm just having a hard time forgiving and forgetting here, you know?

[heyheyloki]

All Because Of You

Summary: The reader goes to find Castiel before the angels get to him.

Castiel x M!Reader

Castiel being human, losing his grace, was perhaps one of the most interesting yet hardest thing you had faced yet. Forget God. Forget Lucifer. Castiel human topped all of those for a simple reason. Now, it was incredibly hard to keep down your own human feelings that had stirred up for him a long time ago, and plus, yanno, all the Angels and Demons on the hunt for this one Angel who rebelled against Heaven and all that.

It's been a few days since you left the bunker to go look for Castiel. Sure, Dean and Sam weren't happy, but you knew you couldn't wait any longer for them. It's been weeks since Castiel went on the run and sitting around doing nothing but worrying about him was not good for your mind. You needed to see him, protect him, and make sure he was safe and by your side.

It took a three days to get to Detroit, the last place anyone saw Castiel or 'Clarence', as he called himself. You got the led from a group of homeless individuals that talked to Cas before he picked up a ride in on a truck that was heading to Detroit. This was probably the hardest part of the search. Lucky for you, growing up with the Winchester boys helped when it came to this kind of situation. Still, with all your skills, it was Detriot. A large city with many people, but the people may be your advantage.

"Excuse me," you hummed out to a man who was currently making burgers on the side of the road. The only thing that led you talking to him was Castiel's vessals love for red meat. Now that he was human, Jimmy was probably talking to him a lot more now. "Have you seen a dark haired, blue hair man around here? He would have probably acted a bit out of it?"

"Uh," the man thought for a moment. "Nah, sorry, no one really comes to mind."

"It's alright, thank you." You sighed, parting from the man and getting back on the move.

You took the rest of the day nonstop looking for Castiel with no leads whatsoever. Person after person either said they didn't remember someone like that, or saw so many people that day that it was impossible to even try to remember one man. This race against the clock was getting harder and harder, and frankly, it was getting irritating. All you wished for was Castiel to be safe. He could be hungry, or homeless--but safe was all you wanted cause in the end you knew you could fix both of this issues--all of his issues-- if you just found him.

As you were deep within your mind to try and make up a new way to find the fallen angel, the rain that touched your skin shoved you back into reality. Your eyes gazed as the raindrops that wet your skin before looking up at the dark clouds that surrounded you. A deep sigh filled with worry released from your lips before taking a few steps forwards. Perhaps those few steps were all you needed. Well, that and the rain. When you took those steps you heard a noise, one that would capture almost anyone’s attention. You paused, stood still before turning your head down an ally that seemed to be behind a restaurant.

Down the dark and rainy ally was a man who wrapped himself with this black hoodie he wore. His hair was soaked, not to mention his clothes, but that freezing cold look in his eyes broke your heart beyond anything you've felt before. The darkness obscured the man's face until you took a few steps down the ally. At first you were going to offer the man some food and direct him to a nearby shelter, but the minute he quickly shot his head up to see who was approaching him, everything changed. No matter how much time apart you have from him, you can never forget his face but you noticed that the first thing to go about a person was their voice. You thought that was the saddest thing to ever exist but when you heard it call out to you of all people, remembering his voice again was like seeing him for the first time all over again.

"[Name]?" Castiel croaked out.

You didn't speak but instead nodded to confirm it was you, and not a part of his imagination.

With the weather, you didn't waste any time to get both Castiel and you some shelter. A few minutes of pretending to be someone else and using another's money got you a relatively small but sufficient apartment for the time being.

When Castiel entered the apartment was dark given the time of day, but you quickly turned on the lights after you shut and locked the front door.

"Wow, it’s beautiful." Castiel commented as he looked around.

"It's an apartment that cost a 2,000 dollar deposit, it better be beautiful." You replied as you began to lock and shut all the entrances which included the windows as well.

Castiel kept his eyes on you as you did so, but when he noticed you were finished with your task he asked, "How did you find me?"

You turned to him and placed your hands into your pockets. "Oh, yanno, all my hunter skills went into work and here I am."

"Why aren't Sam and Dean with you?" He asked curiously.

You sighed at the question before taking a seat on the sofa that was provided with the apartment. "I didn't want to wait around. They thought it was dangerous, and it probably was but I don't know, I just couldn't stand being in that bunker wondering if you’re alive or dead."

Castiel's head went down for a moment, his own human mind now spinning with thoughts he wondered if he would ever have if he was still an angel.

"I apologize for worrying you." He suddenly said in more quiet tone. "That was never my intention."

"I know." You smiled before patting down the space next to you. "Come sit and lemme see what you got there."

Castiel's head went on a tilt before he remembered the wound he had on his left upper arm he got from fighting one of the many angels that were out on the hunt for him. The former angel complied with the request, mostly because of his trust and fondness of you.

When he sat down, you turned towards him and began to unbutton his white shirt after he took off the soaked hoodie. Castiel watched your attentively as you did so. The way your hands played with his shirt and the focus that was seeped deep into your eyes as you did so. Once his shirt was open, you gazed back up and into his eyes. He watched a faint smile, a comforting one, stretched across your lips before slipping the shirt off his shoulders and exposing his entire upper body.

Your eyes shot to the bloody rage he used around his arm, mostly just to stop the bleeding. Worry of an infection took place in your mind, but luckily that didn't seem to be the case.

"Look at you," you whispered. The words catching Castiel's attention quicker than ever before. "You're lucky this isn't infected."

"I suppose so." He replied under his breath as he continued to watch you, never once looking away.

You hovered your finger over the wound that was slanted across his bicep. The fact that it hadn't healed wedging itself into your mind making you say, "You really are human."

"Yes." Castiel said. "The whole experience has been very tiring."

You laughed at that, the chuckle that came from your chest making the former angel experience something that he hasn't before. Sure, he got chills from the cold or rain, but never from a simple laugh.

Next, you began to examine the wound. Overall, it seemed to be healing fine but you really wanted to clean up the dried blood that pooled around the actual cut. So, you grabbed a cotton pad and dabbed some rubbing alcohol on the surface.

"This may sting a bit," you warned Cas before gently patting it against the wound. You watched his face scrunch up a bit as he got used to the stinging sensation. Though, in the end it seemed like he took the pain rather well.

You smiled as you placed the pad on the table next you, your hands picking up some proper bandages before commenting, "You took that better than Dean. You getting used to being human?"

"Ah, it's all new to me. Hunger. Cold." He explained, his eyes meeting yours as he said, "This feeling of being alone."

You stared at Cas for a moment. Yes, he was still the same, and yet so much about him was different. He was learning how to understand human emotions, and after all this time it just took being human to truly get it. To you, it explained how truly complex human emotions were. Something about this Cas pained you in more than words could explain, and for some reason the desire to comfort him was absolutely overwhelming.

"You aren’t alone anymore." You said. Your mind focusing on one action, and one alone. You knew it would disappear until you acted on it, so, you carefully leaned in and gave the man a gentle kiss upon his cheek. The stubble he grew while away tickling your skin. When you backed up, you gave a kind smile and said, "I won't let you be alone, I promise."

Castiel remained silent, yet his eyes remained connected with yours until something clicked in his mind and they darted right down to your soft, vulnerable lips. He would be lying if he said he never studied them before, but right now the urge he wanted to act on for so long was stronger than ever. When he noticed you doing the same, something snapped. Castiel didn't waste any time to lean in and connect his lips with yours. At first, something told him not to rush or else you'd get scared away. So, he waited for you to make the next move and when he felt your lips sensually move against his, his next move was to do the same. At first, he really had no idea how to go about kissing and all he wanted to do was to impress you in the best way he could. So, he mimicked you, but if you had your eyes open and noticed his furrowed brows, you would instinctively tell he had absolutely no idea what was going on. All he knew was that with you, it felt better than he could have ever imagined.

Exploring your body was perhaps one of the best things he had gotten to experience as a human. Everything was so overwhelming in a way that he never would have dreamed. Though, perhaps the best thing about the entire thing was that it was with you. The way your squirmed underneath him, the sounds you made when he pleasured you, not to mention the way you made him feel was something he wouldn't trade up for the world to the point where he felt almost saddened when his body tired out on you.

Both of you laid on your backs, the sheets covering up to your abdomens, with this dazed looks in your eyes. Still, with that look something in your human mind wanted him to say something. Say anything.

You turned your head to him, his gaze still aimed up. "Well? Say something."

Castiel took in a deep breath, his eyes darting around as you noticed him try to think of something until he said, "There aren't words."

You stared at him before turning on your side, your body still facing him. "So, it was okay?"

This was the time Castiel turned to make eye contact with you. His injured arm raised, the palm of his hand against the back of his head. He stared at you for a moment before saying with a small smile, "Very much so."

You smiled a bit to yourself until you noticed his face go from happy to concerned, which prompted you to get a bit more serious for him. After all, you didn't want to make him feel embarrassed.

"Um.." he mumbled out. His eyes darting down and up again in a nervous fashion as he asked, "What I did, that was, uh.. correct?"

You couldn't help a large smile to snake itself across your lips as you nodded with a soft, "Very much so."

"Good," he said with a look that mirrored yours. And the smile he shined was almost designed to make you even more infatuated with him. And that laugh after--God that laugh--hearing it was everything to you.

You stared at him for a moment before calling his name. His head turning to you as your prompted yourself up and into his chest. He couldn't exactly make eye contact with you, but just having you right next to him, especially in this state, was more than he could ask for.

"Before, my promise? I'd like to add on to it." You suddenly said. The words confusing Castiel greatly, after all, the promise you made to him before was like music to his ears. What more could you say that could make him even more of a fool for a human like you?

"You don't have to." Cas said.

"But I want to." You cut him off and took a deep breath. You turned your head a bit, snuggling into him more and giving him a soft, loving kiss on his chest before saying, "I promise to protect you. To the end of the line because you mean more than family to me."

Castiel didn't waste anytime to take his arm around you, holding you closer if that was even possible. The words you spoke probably meant more to him than anything he's heard in his life. After all, with you, it was like you changed him from the inside out in ways that he never even imagined when he first met you.

"I promise as well, [Name]."

[deans-haunted-baby]

Dadstiel Shoulder Touch Analysis

I want to take some time to discuss something about this incredible father/son dynamic that I don’t think gets enough recognition. And that is their connection. A connection layered in so many different attributes yet primarily based on physical touch. Apologies this is going to be long. Despite my saltiness towards Supernatural as I feel the show squandered them during its run, I really love the amount of attention to detail that was put into Castiel and Jack’s relationship. It kind of has a Terminator inspired vibe going on which I can’t deny enjoying. The bodyguard and the future savior of mankind. And this bond was in development all the way back in season 12; long before Jack was born. 

During 12x19 it’s through his mother Kelly, that the son of Lucifer forges an emotional attachment with the trench-coated angel whom he imprints on to be his surrogate dad. From the moment Castiel puts his hand on her belly, and feels Jack, they instantly fall in love with each other. At first touch. Trusting each other completely without the slightest bit of doubt as they sense the other’s good aura. It’s a devotion unlike anything Cas has ever experienced in his millions of years. Even more than what he’s felt for Sam and Dean. And it happens before he and Jack even get to see each other. Their bond becomes intensely essential that it boosts Castiel’s grace, allowing him to protect Kelly and her son from Dagon as well as cause a rip in time and space.

After Jack is born and in the care of the Winchesters, scared, lost and confused yet curious as an infant in an adolescent body; the child wanders aimlessly searching for Castiel. All he wants in that moment is to be with Castiel because that is who he recognizes as his father. Missing him and needing to feel that same warmth, protection and compassion he felt from inside his mother’s womb. However, following the tragic circumstances that led to the angel’s unexpected death at the hands of Jack’s biological dad in 12x23, these two are forcibly separated in the beginning of season 13. Until Jack instinctively resurrects Castiel out of the Empty through his own will and desire alone at the very end of 13x03. Proving that no matter how far away they are, the tether between them can’t be broken.

These two don’t even need an introduction from Sam and Dean when 13x06 finally reunites them for the first time. Jack immediately knows who Castiel is going off on his mother’s memories. And their reunion comes so naturally. There’s no awkwardness, no hesitation or apprehensiveness emanating from the angel’s presence. Jack just walks right up to Cas, puts his arms around him and tells him how much he missed him. Its as if they’d never been apart. And afterwards they spend nearly the entire episode practically inseparable. Getting to know each other as father and son. And that goes without saying, while Jack did bond with the Winchesters in person first, there is no comparison to the Nephilim boy’s emotional attachment towards the angel.

This special relationship is very significant to both of them. Around each other they’re at their most happiest. Castiel is constantly at Jack’s side; and ALMOST ALWAYS tenderly touching him, namely his shoulders or protectively holding him by the arm and the child wholly reciprocates this. In Castiel’s gentle physical touch Jack is given a sense of security, solace, reassurance and comfort. Same as he’d had as an unborn baby. Not only is this the angel’s way of demonstrating his affection, empathy and devotion towards his son but this is actually how he non-verbally tells Jack that he loves him. Its purely unconditional. And this gesture isn’t one-sided as I will acknowledge later. Jack desires Cas’s tangible nearness as much as his dad does which is why they’re so magnetically pulled together in all of their scenes on the show. 

Even when they’re at conflict with each other or arguing, Castiel never fails to let Jack know that he’s always safe and loved. That he isn’t afraid of him. His son could be in pain, angry, or vengeful in the moment and Castiel’s affection for that child will never waver. He’ll endlessly put his own life at risk in order to reach Jack; who is far more powerful than he is via his archangel half. Like the convivence store scene in 13x23 when Jack attacks a civilian believing he’d killed his friend and Cas does his best to subdue him. Whether Jack wants it or not at the time, he needs his dad’s emotional support; and the angel can’t stand the thought of his son harmed or hurting. He’s easily saddened whenever Jack refuses his touch as shown in 13x21 when he was very upset over Sam’s temporary death and rips away Cas’s hand as he’s trying to console him.

Supernatural really emphasizes the powerful connection Castiel and Jack share using physical communication in nearly every one of their episodes. Its these wonderful details they do onscreen that illustrates the depth of love these characters have for each other. Unfortunately though, they didn’t get to interact much during season 13. Yet the small portions in their four episodes together is exceptionally substantial. While we’re on the subject, the shoulder touches are definitely a Dadstiel thing. It’s their signature sign of affection and theirs’s only. Don’t believe me, let me give you an example of a specific scene in 14x19 between Jack and Sam; which takes place in the aftermath of Jack’s accidental killing of the Winchesters’ mother Mary.

Dean and Sam conspire to trick and lock away the soulless infant Nephilim in a mystical coffin as punishment with the intention of finding a solution that will end his life. Sam is the reluctant main player in this scheme of using his influence over the child in order to gain his trust and sway him into his fate. Just before Jack’s about to be led to the room and put into the box, scared and uncertain, Sam then puts his hand on his shoulder telling him they need to keep him safe while giving him an awkward grin. And look at Jack’s expression as this happens. It reads shattered. He immediately knows something’s wrong. Sam is touching him just like Castiel…except this is nothing like Castiel. His dad’s shoulder touches are always so tender and loving. 

Jack can literally feel Cas’s devotion for him in every tangibility. But here he doesn’t feel that from Sam at all. Its cold, fearful and empty just like he is on the inside. Rendering him even more nervous. Speaking of season 14 the father/son content we get between Castiel and Jack is even better that year as its all about their relationship growing and strengthening into something far deeper than it was in the previous seasons 12 and 13. It’s the year their bond is put through the ultimate test. Where Jack is made human after Lucifer steals his grace and Cas dominantly steps into his role as a father.  

Providing Jack with a certain guidance, boundaries, and stability in episodes 14x01, 14x02, 14x03, 14x09 and 14x10 unlike what he’d received from Sam and Dean. Castiel takes on all the difficult tasks of parenting ranging from scolding to teaching his son about death, responsibility, self-restraint, patience and the tribulations of growing up. He doesn’t raise his voice ever when he speaks to Jack. And is completely there 100% for his son from the beginning…and the end of his life. Although Castiel is an angel he is very much a pivotal link to Jack’s humanity and vice versa as well as a link to his celestial side. While he greatly admires and looks up to the Winchesters, its through Cas’s influence that the infant Nephilim aspires to be a good person. 

Jack never wants to become the monster his biological father was; desperate to break out of that mold once in for all. And he isn’t alone. Castiel is right there with Jack every step of the way. Ready to challenge and encourage his son whenever he does something decent or makes a mistake. He doesn’t hesitate to tell his son when he’s proud of him. And sometimes he’s there to coddle Jack during times of crisis as displayed in the 14x09 showdown with AU!Michael where the angel takes a second to heal Jack’s minor facial wounds. I just love that tiny focal point of Cas in the background, as the Winchesters are talking, putting his hand on Jack’s shoulder before using his powers on him. As if to keep him calm; like a parent reassuring their nervous kid that it won’t hurt.

Throughout the first part of season 14 we’re blessed with so much affectionate Dadstiel moments like the after-the-battle angst talk in 14x01 where Castiel reminds a very frustrated Jack “you’ve got me” as he declares he has nothing. Or 14x08 after Jack’s death and they’re bittersweetly reunited in Heaven with Kelly; all smiles, touching shoulders and hugging each other as if they can’t bear to be separated. Followed with that heartfelt moment of Castiel tenderly touching his son’s cheeks, sadly looking at him with so much adoration, as he sends his soul back to his body. Then there was their unforgettable father/son pep talk in regards to the vulnerability of Jack’s soul; Castiel just gives his son’s shoulder a gentle squeeze as he leaves the room. Again, this is how these two say “I love you”.

And I couldn’t very go in depth of this analysis without mentioning 14x20′s Jack death scene 2.0; Castiel helplessly touches his son, who’s screaming on the ground in agony, trying desperately to ease his suffering. Yah this was particularly very hard for me to watch witnessing Castiel going out of his mind, completely unable to save Jack from enduring such a painful end to his life. Once was already cruel enough on me. And of course 15x01 continued that vicious trend of Castiel harrowingly protecting his son’s corpse, carrying him over the shoulder in a fireman’s hold as he runs through the cemetery, then gently lays him down on the floor in a mausoleum. I get emotional watching Cas cradling Jack’s head as he positions him comfortably; letting his touch linger unable to let go. He doesn’t even care what happens to him in this moment as long as his son’s body is safe. Very strong symbolism of a parent who will never abandon their child long after they’re gone. 

On a side note I want to quickly call attention to how much I revere the Dadstiel healing parallels in 14x09 and 14x14 plus BONUS: Jack almost-killing Castiel in 15x13 so he can talk to Ruby in the Empty. These just add some nice little textures in their dynamic which compliments their ongoing tradition of showing devotion through physical communication. And both the healing scenes and the temporary death scene are composited very similarly. Focused on Castiel and Jack’s hands in the process of relieving the other’s pain/life. 

Touch is exhibited as being a very crucial element for both of these characters when it comes to their iron-clad relationship. That palpable part of Castiel and Jack’s connection keeps them closely-knit. Its their familial instinct and how they express their feelings for each other. If they aren’t kneading shoulders, the angel duo is often standing beside each other or firmly linked at the arms. And this usually happens during moments of extreme stress, joy, sorrow, pain or fear. Jack relies so much on Castiel’s parental presence. He respects his authority, disobeying only when his actions feel necessary, and will go to the angel whenever he wants to talk or vent. Jack is also comfortable with Castiel enough to confide his darkest secrets no matter how awful they are. That’s the foundation of the everlasting trust built between them. They’re just tethered to one another in such a way that nothing will divide them. 

I’ll begin with the hospital scene from 14x07 where Castiel is being the rock to his ailing son who can barely stand on his feet. There’s so much anxiety radiating off him in this moment as he struggles with watching Jack suffer; holding him so close. Staring at his face you can tell this horrible situation is ripping him apart. Actually, the entire episode is basically just Castiel silently enduring the pain of Jack dying.

The second set of screencaps underneath are of 14x10; Jack is agitated by AU!Michael’s antagonistic claims that his family’s love for him isn’t unconditional. Reading into one of his greatest fears. But then Castiel instantly calls out to his son, grabs the crook of his arm; gently reassuring him none of this is true. And Jack doesn’t resist this as he knows his dad is sincere. He never has to question Cas’s feelings towards him as his physical touch alone is self-explanatory. But when it comes to the Winchesters, that’s a whole other conversation.    

Next, we have one of my favorite emotionally-charged Dadstiel moments in 14x14; where in a fit of panic because the anti venom wasn’t working Jack, going against Castiel’s warnings not to risk burning off his soul, is compelled to use his powers to save his dad. And I love this because this time its Jack who’s the one initiating all the physical contact. Just as the recovered angel demands what he’s done, his son responds with a soft “you’re okay” and the “I love you dad” shoulder touch as well as firmly gripping his arm.  

Finally stepping away from season 14 I’m going to briefly go over the caps from season 15. Let’s begin with 15x11 the Dadstiel reunion scene at the church which is so beautifully poignant. Castiel is so overjoyed to see Jack alive that he takes a second to look over his equally stunned son, touching his shoulders before they embrace. This is by far one of Cas and Jack’s top father/son moments on the show and it’s done so effectively. If you want a more in-depth description for what I love about this scene, you can read my post about it here.

After that is the 15x13 Dadstiel moment where Castiel, suspicious of Jo’s story about the Occultum, had asked Jack to temporarily kill him in order to go see Ruby in the Empty. Two things I really like about this; 1. even though Jack still doesn’t have a soul, is very concerned about and protective over Castiel because of that deal. And 2. again Jack is initiating all the touching in this scene; look at the way he grasps his dad’s arm as he returns him to life. It’s almost as if he’s hoping the touch of his hand will not only speed up the process but also reach his dad so his essence isn’t lost forever.   

And then we have 15x17. We didn’t get much Dadstiel interaction in this episode but the amount of times Castiel protectively holds onto his agonized child, who’d been turned into a cosmic bomb about to go off any minute, having no regard for the danger he’s in is so visually gut-wrenching. There’s a specific moment in the scene where, as Sam and Dean are arguing, Castiel is sitting on the floor just clutching Jack tight. Trying to non-verbally soothe him.

And this is followed up in the first half of 15x18, aka THEIR VERY LAST EPISODE TOGETHER ever on Supernatural. Here is where everything about their connection comes full circle with Castiel refusing to abandon Jack no matter the situation. Demonstrating the extent of his devotion by willing to die for his child just as he’d sacrificed his happiness to save Jack from the Empty. Because that is his son and nothing not even death itself can ever destroy what they have. Much as the young Nephilim boy begs for his dad to stay away, yells that he doesn’t want to hurt him; Castiel kneeling to Jack’s eye-level doesn’t leave his side. Then when Jack disappears to the Empty and reappears back at the bunker reformed, Castiel’s hand remains firmly glued to his son’s shoulder. He doesn’t want Jack to feel afraid or traumatized any further.

This was such an intense part of the episode I mean just look at how stressed out these two were. The anguish in their expressions. Simply put, Cas and Jack cannot bare to live without the other. They’re each other’s home; two sides of the same soul. Castiel loves all of Jack; the good, the bad and the ugly. This is an EPIC father and son’s love that knows no bounds. So powerful and pure that it transcended the loss of Jack’s soul, Lucifer’s DNA, the Empty, Mary Winchester’s death and everything else in between. Oh, and guess what, their “I love you” Dadstiel shoulder touches aren’t limited to just their hands. Its in every single one of their hugs too.  

Notice how their chins or faces just comfortably rest on top of each other’s shoulders. And except for 14x20 their eyes are shut, as if to savor every single second of that closeness. Jack just buries himself against Castiel like he’s never felt safer with anyone else in the whole universe. And both of them hold each other; giving and receiving the other’s love with their whole self. Like I can’t even begin to describe how much Castiel and Jack’s softness towards each other just melts my heart. Their relationship, despite the horror tongue-in-cheek atmosphere of SPN, is surprisingly sweet, healthy and endearing. They are the epitome of true unconditional love and a great contrast to the Winchester brothers. In my humble opinion Castiel and Jack’s father/son dynamic is the best thing to happen to this show in a long while.

For the closing segment of this analysis I want to do something special before I discuss the paralleled-angst driven Dadstiel shoulder touches in 15x15 and 15x18. First off, I can’t shout enough praise from the rooftops about the insanely remarkable chemistry between Alexander Calvert and Misha Collins. Just brilliant casting. They embody these characters heart and soul and make this relationship feel so real, genuine and grounded. The fact that they look so similar in appearance really sells the idea that these two could actually be father and son. Forget the scripts, the quiet subtly these two bring to Castiel and Jack is the true magic of their relationship.

Let me start with the Dadstiel centric 15x15 aka THE BEST EPISODE of Supernatural season 15. This amazing masterpiece of art is everything I could’ve asked for and more; giving me so much precious father/son content that I will cherish forever. I really enjoyed seeing Castiel and Jack in those matching ties, bonding with each other over a case while they save the day. It’s a shame this show never let these two have more solo adventures together because they’re truly a joy to watch onscreen. Fingers crossed for that spinoff.

But I digress, the car scene in question happens at the very end of the episode in which Jack reveals the alarming truth that he has to die in order to stop Chuck and Amara. And Castiel, visibly and outspokenly distraught by this news, has to be assuaged with that infamous shoulder touch by his son; who’s in just as much pain. This is without a doubt one of most emotional scenes between these two characters out of the last three seasons of the show and quite possibly one of Misha and Alex’s strongest acting moments after the Dadstiel church reunion in 15x11. They killed it with the feels here. I like the attention to detail, the shadows and the colors in the shot, the melancholic score as well as how it seamlessly switches from Jack’s perspective to Castiel’s. Seriously watching this scene always makes me cry its so devastating.

 Lastly, we have the Dadstiel car scene in 15x18; and Castiel and Jack’s LAST ONE-ON-ONE together. I’m kind of disappointed by this if I’m being honest. Its not that its bad its just not that definitively great for a final scene between these characters. Especially after four seasons of development. Where are the stakes? Why don’t Jack and Castiel seem as concerned about their situation? Cute as that smile was it doesn’t fit the tone. And where’s that punch in the gut knowing something is going to separate these two any second? It’s too light and doesn’t come off like a goodbye or a cathartic bookend which is what I wanted to take away from the episode considering its title “Despair”.

I mean if they were going to follow up on that heartbreaking car scene at the end of “Gimme Shelter”, the 15x18 scene wasn’t the way to do it. So, the weight of this final interaction feels almost non-existent. Maybe if it had taken place at night and the dialogue solely focused on them not the Winchesters it would’ve faired better. But since this isn’t a rant post I’ll cut to the chase by saying that the only saving grace this moment has happens in the last part. Jack’s in tears telling his dad how scared he is that he can’t use his powers to protect anyone. Coming off very childlike and vulnerable; needing that parental protection that Castiel was always known for. And sure enough, he gives Jack that final “I love you” shoulder touch which I swear had me choked a little. 

Rethinking about it now that the show is over actually makes their final moment together really sad as incomplete as it is. I not only look back on how much these characters were drastically underutilized but how much the Dadstiel storyline could’ve been executed better with all the development that it was given. Well there you have it my full Dadstiel shoulder-touch analysis. Hope you’ve enjoyed!

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Hi!! This is a completely self-indulgent ask, please feel no hesitation to deny it if it’s too much! I feel like I’ve read a few but can’t seem to find many others that fit this criteria. So I was wondering if you could help me out!! I’m looking for Sterek fics where stiles is sick/hurt and Derek is super protective of him and maybe a dash of possessiveness coming through due to his wolf? Those are like my fav hyper specific hurt comfort fics and I feel like I’ve run the tap dry on them. Thx!!!

Hmmmmm....let me see.

College 301: Health and Wellness by midnightcas

(1/1 I 2,740 I Teen)

This was not on the schedule. And to be honest, Derek Hale wasn’t on the schedule either.

AKA Stiles gets sick during finals week. Enter our favorite grumpy college student.

I'm Burning Up for You, Baby by spaceprincessem

(1/1 I 3,683 I Teen)

So, Stiles was being good. He was staying out of trouble, letting his body rest and trusting that his pack could deal with the threat on their own. Of course, it was just Stiles’ stupid fucking luck that he would get kidnapped anyways. Really, it wasn’t his fault this time! The supernatural was just unfair! It was like they were moths and he was a giant fucking neon sign that read “Hey, I’m Human Kidnap Me Please!”

Ugh, what was his life?

Subject Style5 by Cuppa_Char

(1/? I 4,251 I Mature)

Derek. Cop and Zone Patrol Officer. It’s been 10 years since the fire. 9 years, 11 months and three weeks since he was given a permit to leave the Outskirts. 5 years since he earned a permit to work the zones. It’s only been 2 since the world found out about Manticore.

Stiles. Escaped Manticore Subject Style5. A sub-division from the X-5 line. One of a kind. Stiles isn’t like the others. He has a unique ability. One that none of the others have. And Manticore wants it back.

Hunters And Wolves by JusteAmusant

(3/3 I 6,077 I Teen)

Expecting to hear the usual, “go home, Stiles,” he’s taken aback when Derek asks, “Who the hell are Sam and Dean?”

“We’re hunters,” a deep voice rumbles behind him.

Stiles squeaks in surprise and whirls around, blinking rapidly to clear his vision so he can take in the two six-foot-plus hallucinations standing in front of him.

“Hunters,” Derek growls, and the fact that he has no idea who he’s looking at somehow makes it through the haze of Stiles’ brain.

“Derek, wait-”

“Hunters,” a second deep voice, with a little more roughness to it, confirms. He raises his gun and points it straight at Derek’s chest. “And we kill werewolves.”

The first fall by Iceaxx

(5/5 I 6,079 I Teen)

All Stiles wanted was some Ben & Jerry's for his Game of Thrones episode...

Still He Didn't Cry by Artymys

(1/1 I 9,402 I Not Rated)

After the Nogitsune, everything went down hill. Scott shunned Stiles; kicked him out of the pack and ordered the pack to not interact with him ever again. The death of his father and the threat of losing everything pushes Stiles to his breaking point.

Bruises and Bitemarks by orphan_account

(27/27 I 121,566 I Explicit)

Biologically, Stiles is weak. When he presented as an omega, he knew that to be the truth but that never stopped him from running his mouth as a defense mechanism. However, it could only save him so many times before he ended up pissing off the wrong person. After he's attacked in the parking lot outside of school, Stiles realizes he can no longer protect himself with just pure wit and sarcasm. When the attack lands him in the hospital, his dad forces him to pick between two options, report the alphas who attacked him or join a kickboxing gym run by omega rights activist and alpha, Derek Hale, a man Stiles has been in love with for many years.

Desolate by Vague_Shadows

(27/27 I 130,463 I Explicit)

Derek stops short the moment his eyes fall on the huddled mass in the corner. The beta lying crumpled there is trying desperately to make himself seem as small as possible and cover his most vulnerable areas. It takes Derek almost a full minute to realize who it is and another to realize that he’s wearing tattered, blood-stained remains of the clothes he disappeared in over four months ago. The acrid stench clinging to him tells such a vivid story of the atrocities he must have endured while he’s been missing that Derek thinks he might be sick.

“Stiles?” he asks in disbelief.

Do Not Go Gentle by MojoFlower

(51/51 I 195,878 I Explicit)

Derek Hale, Beacon Hills Alpha and Dom, wakes up in a dark cell already housing another captive – a mute, traumatized sub with a cruel collar around his neck. His only goal is to get them both free of their brutal circumstances; but even as he tries to get his young companion home, a bond between them grows. Nothing comes easily: danger and harrowing echoes of their ordeal shadow every step they take.

[beautifulbows924]

Defending Beauty

Lucifer (Supernatural) x Reader

Masterlist

(Set after Season 11- Jack doesn’t exist in this timeline, and Chuck & Lucifer have repaired their relationship to an extent. Lucifer is living at the bunker, and so is Gabriel (who was kidnapped by asmodeus, but was found earlier in this timeline). The archangels will occasionally help out on hunts when the hunters need a helping hand).

A/N: Hey everyone. Wow! I keep starting these little things I get inspired to write and then I forget about them or I don’t think they are good enough to post- but I swear I’m getting back into writing (FINALLY). I’ve been really into reading supernatural angel fanfiction lately, so this was born out of that. I should have some more fanfics up soon with other Supernatural characters (Castiel and Gabriel cough cough). Remember to feel free to request for Supernatural (or anything I write about really). I love you all! I’m so excited to be getting extremely close to 2000 followers. I’ll have to do some kind of Challenge or something once I reach the goal. As always I hope you enjoy, feel free to leave any feedback:)

Word Count: 1750+

Warnings: FLUFF, Angst?, Good guy Lucifer? (Reformed), Strong Language, Typical SPN Violence, and Suggestive Themes.

Summary: Reader has always been kind to Lucifer, who seems to be misjudged by everyone in his life. The Winchester brothers don’t like this, and have no problem letting them both know it.

“Why do you feel the need to defend him!? He’s the goddamn Devil!”, Dean yelled, face close to yours with his hands clenched in anger.

“Because Dean! Lucifer is real and he isn’t just some little red man with horns and a pitchfork tail. He is beautiful, because he’s an angel and he used to be God’s Favorite”, You paused to take a deep breath, venom seeping into your words, “Just because all you and Sam want to see of him is the devil- you can’t even take a look around and see him for who truly he is. He may be a fallen angel, but he’s the only angel I’d ever get on my knees for. Even GOD himself has forgiven him Dean, so don’t patronize me for agreeing.”

You glared at him, challenging him with every word.

“Well now I know why on every hunt it looks like all you want to do is suck his dick!”

“Dean enough”, Sam said softly from behind his brother. His voice getting louder when he started to address you, “We’re just worried about- how close you seem to be with him. I know you weren’t around for a lot of the apocalypse stuff, but he hurt us a lot. We don’t want to see that happen to you too”, He confessed.

“You don’t choose who I spend my time with. Gabriel has “hurt” both of you and yet neither of you have any issues with me hanging out with him. The only reason we are having this conversation is because you don’t like that I appreciate his help. Why? Because he’s the “Devil”. So what? He’s proved time and time again that he can be trusted. Hell he just saved Sam from Death yet again! But no, only you two get to choose who receives forgiveness- who gets a pass when it’s convenient for you. If I remember correctly Cas started an apocalypse too, so stop being hypocrites when it comes to Lucifer. He hasn’t even asked for your forgiveness, but the way both of you treat him is ridiculous. Grow the fuck up.”

You swiftly turned away from both of them, the sound of your heavy footsteps echoing off the bunker walls. You couldn’t believe Dean- all Lucifer ever did was help and he couldn’t stop treating him like some kind of monster. He had come immediately and helped save his brother’s life, but nothing was ever good enough for him. Either of them.

You scoffed at the thought of what Lucifer would think of this outburst. Sam and Dean hated how you viewed Lucifer, and it was obvious your feelings were more than just simple respect. You felt like such an insignificant human with a crush on a mighty archangel, God’s favorite of all things. Your door slammed shut behind you, and with a quiet sigh you laid down on your bed. Your hands pressed against your face in frustration of the prior events.

The fluttering of wings startled you, whipping your head around you turned to see Lucifer leaning casually against your headboard. Anyone else would have missed the slight narrowed look to his eyes and the left tilt his head made sometimes when he was trying to figure something out, but you weren’t just anyone.

“How much did you hear?”, You asked, hoping to get this conversation out of the way as quickly as possible.

He seemingly ignored your question, shifting closer to where you were seated at the edge of the bed.

“You know I never wanted to experience something as stupid or as dangerous as love. And to love a human? It’s simply beyond comprehension-”

“You don’t have to rub it in Lucifer, I understand”, You said, cutting him off before you had to bear the rest of your heart shattering in your chest.

You didn’t know what response you were expecting, but you jumped a bit when strong arms wrapped around your waist and a head leaned against your back. It was comforting and you allowed it, thinking it may be the last chance you would get to do so with the archangel.

“I don’t think you understand Y/N. I may be a fallen angel, but I wasn’t supposed to fall for you. It was never in my plans to let any of humanity into my heart- and if Hell were to see me now they would scoff at my sincerity”, Lucifer said, holding onto you tighter as if you might slip through his fingers at any moment.

You turned a bit to face him again, his arms still wrapped around you. He looked up, blue eyes meeting yours and you swore that you could make out a hint of vulnerability swirling there.

“Lucifer- I uh, I care about you quite a bit, and I don’t know if that’s what you mean regarding how you feel about me but-”, Your words were stopped suddenly at the feeling of cold lips pressed to yours. You were frozen at first, until you realized what was happening and returned the kiss passionately. A hand instinctively reached up and tangled into his hair tugging on it a bit. He groaned and gripped your hips pulling you into his lap. You gasped at the sudden movement, allowing his forked tongue to make its way into your mouth. You fought for dominance, but he quickly won against you. The kiss lasted for as long as possible before you needed to breathe.

You pushed on his shoulder with the hand that had been resting in his hair to signal for him to lay back against the bed. You laid down against him, your head on his chest listening to his heart beat, right hand absentmindedly playing with his t-shirt. His arm wrapped around your waist, drawing soft circles with his fingers.

“Was that- I mean, What was that?”, You whispered softly to him, confusion seeping into your voice as you wondered if he could really feel the same way about you.

He laughed a bit, smiling down at you. “You are an odd little creature aren’t you, do we need to do a repeat of the last 5 minutes as proof of how I feel?”

You blushed at this, the way he was holding you almost felt like confirmation enough, but you couldn’t help your need to know for certain.

“I just can’t believe that happened”, You pressed further, “It almost feels like a dream”.

The hand that was still rubbing circles into your side, pinched your skin softly. “No dreams here, little human. Although, I heard a mention of you on your knees earlier, and that sounds like quite the dream to me”.

You laughed a bit at that looking up at him, “Sweet moment ruined”, you said.

“Me sweet? Never”, He said gesturing with his hand to himself.

You leaned up a bit to press his lips to yours again. He smiled into the kiss and you pulled back to see the brightest smile you had ever seen grace his features. You couldn’t help but smile back in pride that you had caused such a look.

“How long have you had feelings for me?”, You asked suddenly, curious as to when he realized it.

He looked away a little at that, you would swear he even seemed embarrassed at the posing of your question. You laced your fingers with his, giving his hand a tight squeeze in encouragement.

He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, “When I first came back to the bunker after my father helped me to reform my vessel. You were the one who would ask me to do things with you. You would read to me when I would sit next to you on the couch. I wouldn’t even have to ask- you would just suddenly switch from reading in your head to aloud as if it was customary. You would always have coffee ready for me in the morning when you realized that despite my angelic status I enjoyed it. And when it came to Sam, Dean, Gabriel, or even My Father himself. You would defend me, the devil, Satan- you looked past how everyone viewed me and truly saw me. I don’t know if I can ever make up for the mistakes I’ve made in the past, but I would like to start by learning to see humanity, angels, everyone the way you do. Kind and without any judgement. Somehow you’ve changed me, my little human”.

He breathed in shakily, before speaking again, “And earlier today when you prayed to me. I was terrified- me”, He laughed without humor, “I thought I might show up and find you dead, taken from me. I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you on my watch”.

You could see the pain in his eyes at the thought of losing you, “I’m not planning on leaving you anytime soon Lucifer, my angel”, You said softly, caressing his cheek with your hand.

He hummed in response.

“Since I first laid eyes on you, I noticed how lonely you seemed. How you would hide behind your hard stares and smirks. I wanted to treat you without looking through the eyes of others, especially knowing how well most of them judge character”, You laughed taking a pause, “I started noticing the way you’d gravitate closer towards me whenever we were in a room with others, and I liked the idea of us. A cherry red color became my fate when anyone would point it out, or notice it too. Because I never thought that you would want me as anything else other than a way to feel less alone.”

“I’m glad I was wrong”, You murmured softly into his neck, leaving a kiss there and continuing all the way up his jawline until you kissed his lips roughly.

“Me too”, He said, pulling away to look at you directly in the eyes, then settling you back into his arms.

You yawned quietly, your head resting on his chest again.

He laughed a little bit at the noise, but leant down to place his lips against your forehead.

When your eyes closed he told you, “Get some rest my little human, I’ll watch over you”.

He tried to pull away, but you snuggled further into his embrace and whispered, “Please stay”.

“Of course”, He responded quietly, knowing there was nowhere else he would rather be.

The comforting feeling of his arms wrapped around you as he whispered sweet words of nothing into your ear, lulled you right to sleep.

True to his word, Lucifer watched over you all night.

And God couldn’t help but smile in the morning, when he saw you and Lucifer together. Lucifer finally trusting a human enough to sleep in their arms, even if he didn’t need to.

*Thanks for reading! Leave a Note or Reblog if you Enjoyed it* ~Rose💛

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[liron-ao3]

Read it on AO3

Happiness is in the having

Castiel never thought he would see Dean ever again. Telling him that he loved him right before he died for good had felt safe, safer than any other time he had just wanted to blurt it out, but his voice betrayed his overflowing heart.

This time is different, though. None of them is dying. Well, Dean managed to get himself killed and the irony isn't lost on Castiel. Everything he touches somehow goes south from there, no matter how good his intentions are.

But no, he mustn't think about it that way. If not for him neither the world would still exist nor Dean would be in the heaven the righteous man truly deserves. And even if Castiel had wanted him to live a long, free, and happy life, with someone he loved, maybe kids (his own or just some he took under his wing), a dog, more pie than was ever good for him, and without the shackles of saving the world around his feet, he is proud of what Jack and he managed in the short time until his arrival.

Castiel looks at him like he has so many times before, his blue eyes scanning Dean's face. But there is something different now. He can't hold Dean's gaze as he once could. Castiel's eyes flicker away again and again, the weight of his confession an obstacle between them.

Castiel always knew that Dean loved him. Well, maybe not always and to what extent, but in the end he was sure about it. That's why he pushed him aside, literally. More than once Dean had tried to protect him, put himself physically between Castiel and an aggressor, even though Dean had been the more vulnerable person in most cases. Castiel wouldn't have put it past him to jump between him and the Empty and there was no way that he would ever let this happen.

But that's all in the past now and despite his best attempt, Castiel can't bring himself to look at Dean long enough to read him properly. The green of his eyes is just too intense, the crow's feet around them somehow wrinkling deeper than ever before.

Dean looks tired, more tired than he has ever seen him, and Castiel wonders what happened in the few days since he let the Empty take him. All he ever focused on was Dean, to protect him and the people he loved. It hits Castiel like an ice-cold shower that he never thought about how Dean would feel after his sacrifice.

Castiel always wind forwards to Dean's apple pie life, leapfrogging the phase leading up to it. Too painful was the thought of Dean mourning him, no matter if as a brother or something else.

Castiel hoped that Dean would just leave their memories behind, that he would be part of the "stuff" Dean would let just go, forget about for his own good. But even with Dean's great talent in compartmentalisation, his grief might have already caught up on him.

He's always drinking himself into oblivion when you die or are gone too long, Sam once told him, pretty wasted himself at that time, and Castiel wants to punch something, maybe himself. Not really taking this possibility into account was rather stupid.

He should have known that his parting words wouldn't be enough to counter Dean's emotions that were always so much more intense than the man allowed to show on the outside. He most likely kept everything inside, grinned and bore it to lull Sam and all the others into a false sense of security.

Why the heck did he put John into Dean's heaven, the man who made Dean push away his own feelings starting the day his mother died?

The silence between them grows and Castiel wishes he just stayed away from Dean's heaven. He obviously doesn't belong here. They have nothing left to say to each other. Castiel put everything out in the open and Dean has no words to voice whatever he is feeling. Just another gift his old man left him.

"I shouldn't have come," Castiel says, casting down his eyes. When there is no answer he looks up, filing away to memory Dean's grown older, but still beautiful features as best as he can, ready to fly away for the very last time.

"Don't you dare!" comes Dean's rumbling voice. "Don't you dare ever leave me again!"

Castiel isn't sure if it's the words themselves or the sound of Dean's voice saying them that let him crumble in his resolve. Maybe it's the tears in Dean's eyes or the angry way he clenches his jaws and his hands into fists.

"You never asked me to stay," Castiel says, his voice so much higher than usual. Maybe he sounds pathetic, but he can't find it in himself to care.

Dean looks bashfully at the ground, jaw still working as if he had to keep a stream of words inside. He inhales sharply. "I do now. Stay. I want you to stay, Cass."

If he still needed to breathe, these words would have knocked the air out of Castiel's lungs, but instead a needy sound, nearly a whimper, comes out of his mouth. How much he had longed for Dean to say it. How many times didn't he and Castiel left him, walked away heart-broken?

"Why?" Castiel barely whispers.

Dean looks at him, really looks at him, and this time Castiel holds his gaze.

"Because I am not as selfless as you think me to be. I can be a selfish bastard. I want you. Damn it, I wanted you for such a long time." Dean swallows hard and runs a hand nervously through his hair. "I love you. Not because you're family, which you are, or because you are a self-sacrificing bitch, about which we still have to talk about ... but because it's you, Cass, ever since we met it's always been you. I really tried not to love you the way I do, to convince myself I didn't, to make my feelings for you ... safe, to keep you on arm's lenght and push you away whenever I just wanted you to choose me."

Castiel's heart threatens to beat out of his chest and he's sure if there was any kind of electricity around them, his grace would spread sparks all around them, like the very first time they stood face to face.

Castiel chuckles. "We're really both a couple of dumbasses, aren't we?"

Dean's mouth twitches into a lopsided smile. He looks at Castiel through his eyelashes, the way he used to look at the women he picked up in bars too many times Castiel could or wanted to count.

The angel's treacherous heart thumbs even harder, his grace thrumming under his skin, ready to explode. This is simultaneously worse and so much better than the constant pining over all those years. Dean has the power to destroy him, a millions year old celestial being and Castiel gave the weapon away freely. But maybe that's what love is all about. Vulnerability.

"I prefer the word 'trusting'. Less dumb. Less ass," Dean smirks.

For the first time since he was taken, Castiel feels a smile growing on his face, relaxing the lines of worry on his forehead. He nods in agreement.

And then there are lips on his own, not comparable with Meg's in any way. They are chapped and still soft, careful and as if they were asking a million questions. Maybe they do.

It's only an innocent brush and still Castiel knows that if heaven was still like it used to be and he died as a human this would be the moment repeating itself for all eternity.

He had been so wrong. True happiness is not in just saying it. True happiness is in the having, in the kissing, in the holding, in the keeping. True happiness is Dean Winchester loving him back.

[sunlightdances]

Stay a Little Longer (Dean x Reader Oneshot)

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female Reader Rating/warnings: Warnings for bad descriptions of injuries and medical care, because I am not a doctor. No real warnings except for a swear word or two. Prompt: “Let me take a look…” Summary: You let yourself be vulnerable and Dean does too. Author’s Note: There’s literally no reason for this fic other than I wanted to write some protective Dean and found family dynamics. That’s it.

You curse quietly as you look in the mirror in the hotel room, lifting up the hem of your shirt to see a deep cut running down your side. You flinch away from your own touch and let your shirt drop, sighing.

Sam is sprawled across one of the beds in the room, asleep already. Dean’s got the TV on quietly, nursing a beer, eyes glazed over like he’s not really paying attention. You’re pretty sure he’s just waiting for you to turn the light out so he can go to bed.

You move to the bathroom, deciding to take care of it there. Digging around in your duffel bag, you sigh in relief when your hands close around the small square box, your medkit, your savior on this late Tuesday night.

You steel yourself for the pain of the first stitch after you disinfect, but the sting still takes you by surprise. You grit your teeth and hiss, and that’s what catches Dean’s attention in the other room, his eyes narrowing as he glances at the semi-closed bathroom door.

He stands, wincing at the pain in his lower back, before taking a few steps closer and knocking lightly with his knuckles on the door. “You okay?”

You look up, eyes watering, but smiling nonetheless. “Been worse.”

Dean’s eyes flash as he takes in the length of the wound running along your ribs, and he’s stepping into the bathroom before he can stop himself, pulling the door shut behind him. “Jesus,” he says, low, voice tight with worry. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

You want to shrug, but you don’t. You don’t say anything, actually.

You’re still new at this, at having people around. People who care if you’re hurt.

You were half dead when they found you a few weeks ago, ambushed by a vampire who was already half dead himself.

You didn’t want a hospital and didn’t have any other options, so you went willingly when they suggested you come back to the bunker with them. You only planned on staying for a few days, but you just…. Stayed. It’s nice, having a home base. It’s nice, having other people around when normally it would just be you and your thoughts. But again, you’re not used to it.

Just like you’re not used to having someone worry about you.

Dean’s taken the medical kit from your hands, and is bent over slightly inspecting your wound. “A lot of stitches ahead of you,” he comments quietly, seeing the first few stitches you’ve already done.

You hum in agreement, feeling a little off balance by how close he is. Either that or the blood loss.

“Let me take a look.”

He’s stepped away from you now, waiting for your approval. When you nod, the breath he releases sounds something like relief, and you’re wondering if anyone besides his brother gets to see this side of him.

You heard of the Winchesters long before you met them. There were so many rumors - hunts they did or didn’t do, catastrophes they either averted or started. You heard that Sam always had his nose in a book, and Dean was a lothario.

Again, you’ve only been with them for a few weeks. But it’s enough to know that everyone was wrong.

They’re both smart, probably the smartest people you’ve ever met, especially about hunting. They’re kind, and a little callous, and Sam has a dark side that no one talks about, but simmers there under the surface, especially in the heat of a fight when someone he cares about is in trouble.

And Dean? Dean is a flirt, to be sure. He’s confident and strong, but underneath that is someone vulnerable, who sees every hunt as a threat to his family, and family is the one thing he holds above everything else. He’d sacrifice everything if it meant his family is safe. You’re not naive enough to assume that includes you, but you know that he wouldn’t have let you into his home in the first place if he didn’t think he could trust you.

You watch him out of the corner of your eye as he continues the next few stitches - much straighter than yours had been, trying to reach the top of the gash with your non-dominant hand.

He’s focused, his hands steady as he pulls you back together.

It feels strangely intimate.

He must think so too, because he swallows hard when his free hand presses down on your ribs lightly, trying to keep you still as your sensitive skin jumps with every pull of thread.

“Sorry,” he murmurs, his breath fanning out across your exposed skin. You have to hold in your shiver.

It takes him almost a half hour in total to get you stitched up properly, and you could swear he takes extra time, his fingers lingering a little bit longer than they should have.

You’re exhausted, and can tell he is too - the shadows under his eyes more prominent than they usually are.

“I’ll let you get dressed unless you need help,” he says quietly, but you shake your head.

“I got it. Thank you, Dean.”

When you come out of the bathroom, Dean’s standing next to the bed, scratching the back of his neck. His eyes flick up to yours. “So…” he gestures in a “what are we going to do now” motion at Sam on the other bed, his long frame stretched diagonally. There’s definitely no room for Dean there.

“We’re grown ups, Dean. I think we can handle sharing a bed for one night.”

He smirks, “I wasn’t worried about me.”

You snort, “Oh, no? You’re so worried that I might jump you in the middle of the night?”

“I’ve been told I’m irresistible.” He says, serious, and you roll your eyes.

“I am too tired for this.”

He smiles, more gentle, the joke gone. “Come on then. Just don’t hog the blankets.”

.

.

.

You’re the first one to wake up.

As you struggle to keep your eyes open, you’re aware that you’re laying on your injured side, and you take a deep breath as you try to gently turn to your back, trying not to jostle Dean, who is still next to you, eyelashes fluttering a bit as he dreams.

You hiss through your teeth as your stitches pull, the feeling one you’ll never, ever get used to no matter how long you hunt.

Dean wakes up. He looks over at you with bleary eyes, and seems to jolt into awareness when he registers that you’re hurting.

He says your name quiet but stern, and you wave him off as you settle on your back.

“I’m fine,” you say, a little breathless.

“You’re not fine. Were you sleeping on that side this entire time?”

“I don’t know, I was asleep.”

He rolls his eyes. “Come on, let me look at that in the bathroom. Light’s better.”

His tone doesn’t leave you with a choice, so you take his offered hand when he makes his way around the bed to your side to help you up -- slowly -- and go with him into the brightly lit bathroom, shutting the door so you don’t wake up Sam.

Standing, the pain is worse. You lift your shirt and don’t need a medical degree to know the reddish tint to your stitches is not a great sign.

Dean’s eyes are fixed on the spot, but to his credit, he doesn’t get annoyed with you or freak out, he just shrugs.

“It could be worse?”

“Dean.”

He chuckles. “What do you want me to say? Yeah, it needs to be cleaned better, and honestly, Sam should re-do those stitches. You pulled a few, but they were probably too loose to begin with.”

“How did I sleep like that for that long?” You wonder aloud.

“Had to be facing me, sweetheart. Probably couldn’t help yourself.”

You glare at him, but can’t help but laugh. “I hate you so much.”

He grins. “I’m going to wake up Sam. He can assess the situation here better than me. We should get going, anyway.”

When Sam finally joins you in the small bathroom, Dean crowding in, he mother hens over you for a while until you stop complaining and just let him work. He mutters under his breath about sloppy stitches as Dean rolls his eyes, and you let this semi-domestic moment wash over you.

Sam reaches a particularly sensitive spot, and you can’t help the way you flinch away from him, your hip knocking into Dean’s as he stands next to you.

“Shit,” you say before regaining your composure.

“I’m sorry--” Sam says, eyes still focused on the stitches.

“It’s okay,” you pant, “Not your fault.”

“Deep breath,” Dean murmurs from behind you, hand on the small of your back rubbing in small circles as Sam continues his work.

You bite your lip and try to focus on anything besides the pain in your side as Sam finishes up, and finally he’s straightening, pulling you into a half hug against your good side.

“Sorry,” he whispers, “but that should do it. Try to get a nap on the way back home.” He smiles at you before going back out into the main room to get dressed.

Dean lingers. “You gonna be alright?” He asks, voice a little gruff, eyes fixed on your side as you pull your shirt back on.

“I think I’ll live.” You wink at him. “Thanks, Dean. For taking care of me.”

You watch in mild fascination as it seems like he’s actually turning a little pink, before mumbling something about getting packed and makes himself scarce. You laugh to yourself and head out to do the same thing, following the brothers out to the Impala a half hour later, sliding across the backseat carefully as Sam helps you in.

“Comfy?” He asks, and you grin.

“In this car? Always.”

.

.

.

A few hours later you’re woken up by the feeling of being jostled, before you’re steady again, the quiet voices of Sam and Dean pulling you out of your sleepy state.

“You got her?”

“If you get her bag, I’ll get her to bed.”

You dimly register that Dean’s carrying you, and can’t help but make yourself more comfortable in his arms, face pressed against his neck as you search for some warmth.

He makes a noise under his breath, and your smile grows against your will.

“I know you’re awake,” he murmurs.

“No ‘m not.”

He chuckles. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

The walk feels long, but it’s only a few minutes later that he’s putting you down gently, trying to avoid you pulling your stitches again as he pulls back your covers.

“Get some sleep,” he whispers, and you find yourself reaching for his hand before you’re aware of what you’re doing. “You okay?”

“Just--” You don’t let yourself be embarrassed. “Can you stay for a little bit?”

He’s quiet, but you feel relief when he lowers himself to the edge of the bed, unlacing and pulling off his boots.

Neither of you say anything else as he pulls the covers tight over you, leaving himself outside, but drapes an arm over your shoulders to pull you against his side. You sigh at the comfort that radiates from him, and smile against his shoulder when he presses a kiss to the side of your head.

He says something, but you’re too close to falling asleep to hear him. You snuggle in a little closer, gratified when he hugs you tighter, still being careful of your injury.

“Thank you, Dean,” you mumble sleepily.

“Anything for you, sweetheart.” He whispers back.

[ao3gingerswag]

The Outside Chapter 14 Deleted Scene

This was one of many directions I took this scene that I ended up cutting. I liked this part, but it just went on and on and on and I couldn't wrap it up and also it was getting dangerously close to actually deep territory which I have sworn off for this verse!! This convo branches off from Cas apologizing for yelling at Sam, which is in the actual chapter.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Cas offers.

Sam snorts, like what Cas has said is funny.

“You sound like Dean,” he mutters.

Cas frowns in confusion.

Before this morning, he wouldn’t have been able to picture Dean yelling at anyone about anything.

Now…Well. Now he knows what it looks like when Dean yells, as much as he wishes he didn’t.

It’s still hard for him to imagine Dean getting shouting in any sort of regular circumstance, especially at Sam, who he’d clearly move heaven and earth for.

“Dean would yell at you?” he asks, and Sam rolls his eyes.

“No,” he mutters, sounding resentful. “He’d apologize. For just about any old thing.”

Oh.

Oh.

That makes much more sense.

At least, it makes much more sense that Dean would be known for his habit of apologizing, rather than shouting.

It also...well, Cas supposes it also makes sense, that any random apology would remind Sam of Dean.

Not that it makes him happy, what that connection implies.

Because it was just an apology.

And most people don’t associate being apologized to with one single human being.

Has anyone else ever apologized to you, Sam? Or is Dean the only one?

He almost asks, out loud, but Sam’s scowl stops him.

He gets the feeling that if he asks that question, he’s going to get his head bitten off.

Instead, he tries a different angle.

“You know, it’s funny. Dean said I reminded him of you.”

It’s this, finally, that makes Sam look towards him.

“What?” he yelps, dumbstruck. Like he can barely process what Cas had just said.

It is indignation, that colors his expression, outrage, that blazes through his eyes.

He’s not just confused, at the comparison, not just irritated or annoyed.

He is offended. Truly offended, like he cannot believe Dean would say such a thing about him, like it is an affront to who he is as a person.

The force of his disgust is startling, and it does startle Cas as it comes.

And he expects hurt to rush in quickly after it, as it always does, when people make clear their revulsion.

But it doesn’t come, even as he waits, even as Sam splutters and turns red in anger.

It doesn’t come, though sadness does, in its place, as Sam’s next words fly angrily out.

“He did not say that. He did not. You and I are nothing alike!”

“He did say that,” Cas replies, quietly, because it is completely true.

Sam snarls, as if he is furious, but Cas is alarmed to see tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

“No he didn’t! He wouldn’t! I’m not always- I know I’m not always the nicest but I’ve never- He wouldn’t say that!”

Cas watches in morbid fascination as hurt sneaks out from behind the resentment.

“Sam,” he says, stunned. “It wasn’t- It wasn’t an insult.”

Sam glares at him with aching eyes.

The depth of the gulf between them becomes painfully clear.

He really thinks I’m a predator. He really thinks I’m a rapist.

He thinks he’s being accused of abuse. Because that’s all he sees in me.

“Sam,” he says, making an effort to sound gentle, like Dean. “Dean loves you very much.”

Sam scowls, and drops his eyes.

“I know,” he mutters, irritated.

“Do you?” Cas asks, and Sam huffs.

“Yes, I know, he loves fucking everyone. He loves me, he loves you, he loves my dad, he even loves fucking Alastair.”

“He does not love Alastair.”

“You don’t hear him. He’s always going on about how grateful he is, how thankful.”

The boy spits the word like it’s poison.

Cas has to admit, it hurts to hear.

He has to admit, he understands very well the subtext behind what Sam is saying.

Dean loves even people who take advantage of him.

He understands it because it’s what Cas used to think as well, and it hurts to hear his own thoughts repeated back to him.

How do I know that he loves me, when he doesn’t know what else to feel? How can I know I’m not a monster, when he loves monsters and angels the same?

It’s the thought that had haunted him since Dean had come into his life, had haunted him since he’d seen the devotion leaking out of those green eyes.

He sees it haunting Sam now too.

And he feels sorry for him, and sorry for himself as well, because they are both too stupid to understand the value of the gift they’ve been given.

“Sam,” he says quietly. “I know you don’t like me.”

Sam makes a sarcastic noise. Cas pretends not to hear it.

“I didn’t like you, either, before I had met you, when I only had Dean’s descriptions to go off of.”

That shuts Sam up, and Cas feels a little bad for misleading him.

“It’s not that he said anything bad,” Cas clarifies. “Actually, everything he said about you was wonderful, and made it clear how much he loves you. But I...didn’t trust it. I didn’t trust him. I know you know that Dean….doesn’t always have the best judgement, when it comes to how he should be treated.”

Sam doesn’t respond for a second, and Cas thinks he might be being ignored.

Eventually, though, Sam pulls his legs that had still been dangling off the cart up to his chest, and wraps his arms around them.

“Yeah,” he says at last, and it’s not sarcastic this time.

It’s vulnerable. It’s resigned.

Cas feels a pulse of sympathy.

Dean can’t have been an easy person to grow up with.

“Well, I knew that too. It was obvious, from the way he talked about the things that had happened to him, from the way he talked about people who’d hurt him. He was scared of Alastair, but didn’t understand how evil the man is. And he was scared of John...but I thought he loved John as well.”

Sam has rested his head on his knees, his face pointing Cas’s direction. He’s once again not looking at Cas, but it is obvious that he is listening.

“So when he started talking about you all the time...talking about how good you were to him, crying about how much he missed you…”

Cas sees Sam’s chin wobble.

“I thought. Well. I thought he was crazy. And I assumed, without even asking, that you were an adult. An adult who was manipulating Dean, and taking advantage of him, and hurting him. I thought of you the way you now think of me.”

He looks at Sam imploringly.

“I didn’t even consider that he might be right, that, that just because he’s been hurt doesn’t mean his feelings aren’t real. I didn’t even consider believing him. But I should have! I should have, and if I had, if I’d ever listened to him and talked to him instead of making my own assumptions, I would have realized you were a child! I would have realized you were a child, and would have told Dean we could come get you together, and we wouldn’t be in this goddamn mess at all!”

[astudyinfreewill]

look what you made me do || 1/?

aka: me making taylor swift songs about dean winchester and/or deancas bc it’s what dean himself would want

(i will be keeping track of these with a masterpost, just in case i need to find them again or someone enjoys seeing me go hogwild on lyric analysis, lol. also, there’s a wee treat at the end of the post!)

and without further ado, our first tswift x dean song is...

the archer

combat, i'm ready for combat i say i don't want that, but what if i do?

we start off with an extremely obvious line: dean winchester is always ready for combat - he’s been trained all his life to essentially be a soldier/vigilante figure, an ultimate warrior of sorts. the thing is... he doesn’t want to. when dean is left to his own devices, without his father to order him around or a Big Bad to spur him on, what he chooses to do is is cook for his loved ones, have movie nights with them, play music, tinker with parts to build something new. at his core dean is kind, and full of care for others, and his deepest fear is that he truly IS nothing more than just a killer or a weapon - hence the ‘but what if i do’.

'cause cruelty wins in the movies  i've got a hundred thrown out speeches i almost said to you 

‘the movies’ here is just shorthand for everything he’s witnessed happening around him in real life. as far as dean’s experience goes, cruelty does win. why believe in softness and kindness when your father has taught you that either of those things is a weakness, and the world simply doesn’t care? 

as for the second line, well. you can guess what THAT’s about. dean feels so deeply, but really struggles to verbalise his feelings, often brushing them off until he explodes. we usually see him at his most vulnerable while praying to cas, but even then, you get the sense that he’s holding back on so much. (“cas, i need to say something--” “you don’t need to say it, dean.” so it goes, so it goes.)

easy they come, easy they go i jump from the train, i ride off alone  i never grew up, it's getting so old help me hold onto you 

a few points here: “i jump from the train” could easily be a callback to dean’s impulsive self-sacrificing ways, and “i never grew up” underlines how he never got the chance to evolve and grow into himself because he got essentially stuck in the “child parenting another child” role. sure, he had to be a mother and a father to sam, so in some ways he grew up really fast; in others, he was stuck as an insecure teenager, because he never got the opportunity for healthy emotional growth himself. 

and of course, “easy they come, easy they go” is a tragically accurate representation of dean’s most devastating insecurity: that everyone he loves eventually leaves him. mary died, john was constantly absent, cassie broke up with him when he tried to tell her the truth, sam left him behind for college, and then, of course, there’s cas... who just. keeps. leaving, one way or another, and dean just desperately wants him to stay - which also ties into “help me hold on to you”. the irony of it all, of course, is that dean wants castiel to choose not to leave, whereas castiel desperately wants to be asked to stay; and ain’t that just a fucking tragedy.

i've been the archer, i've been the prey who could ever leave me, darling? (but who could stay?) 

the first line is pretty self-explanatory: dean has been both aggressor and victim, both literally and emotionally. he’s a fearsome hunter who gets hunted down by monsters in turn; and he’s lashed out and pushed people away, while getting his heart broken in return too. 

but it’s the second part that really strikes me as a dean line, because the first half - “who could ever leave me, darling?” - is the bravado that dean wears like a mask. charming smile, a flirty wink, swagger in like you own the place, “i think i’m adorable”, “i’m a joy to be around”, etc. but the second part... that’s the whisper of truth behind it. for all that dean can turn the charm on and put on a brave face, he’s thoroughly convinced that he’s not worth sticking around for.

dark side, i search for your dark side but what if I'm alright, right, right, right here? 

so, can you say trust issues? remember how long it took for dean to believe an angel could be on his side, and then how deeply he came to trust cas? and remember how heartbroken he was when castiel betrayed them in s6, and how that heartbreak was covered up with anger when cas came back? yet, no matter how many twists and turns they go through, inevitably, dean ends up trusting cas with his life - he’s not only the definition of a ride-or-die, but he also trusts him in smaller, more intimate ways, such as letting down his guard and allowing himself to be vulnerable only around him, or praying to him for comfort as much as guidance.

and i cut off my nose just to spite my face  then hate my reflection for years and years 

...but because of those trust issues, and because of dean’s deeply entrenched abandonment issues as mentioned above, often dean ends up reacting to things more harshly than is needed, by lashing out in anger and pushing people away (or, in more than one occasion, through the infamous silent treatment). but we also know he immediately regrets it, because it ends up hurting him just as much, if not more. basically this correlates to his speech from 15x09 about his anger issues.

i wake in the night, i pace like a ghost the room is on fire, invisible smoke and all of my heroes died all alone help me hold onto you

there’s also the fact that having attachments as a hunter isn’t exactly safe, and comes with a shitton of fear of losing people - or remorse and regret when you do lose them. “the room is on fire, invisible smoke” - i can only imagine dean would still have nightmares of that fateful night when he was 4 years old and his mother burned alive on a ceiling (and so: “i wake in the night, i pace like a ghost). as for his heroes dying alone... mary. john. ellen. jo. ash. kevin. charlie. the list stretches way too long. it’s only natural he’d be afraid of losing cas too... especially since he’s already died multiple times, and dean has mourned him more and more devastatingly each time.

i've been the archer, i've been the prey screaming “who could ever leave me, darling”-- but who could stay? 

the same concept as the previous chorus, except that here the façade of confidence and swagger comes off almost as desperate (screaming “who could ever leave me”). but then we know overcompensating is kinda dean’s thing.

'cause they see right through me, they see right through me they see right through me -- can you see right through me? they see right through me, they see right through me  i see right through me, i see right through me 

and we circle back to dean’s constant fear of being found worthless, damaged, and unlovable. no matter how much bravado he puts on, his actual self-worth is close to non-existent, so of course he’d feel like a fraud, and it makes sense he’d fear other people seeing through his act, or wonder if they do - can cas see right through him? because dean himself certainly isn’t buying his own lies.

all the king's horses, all the king's men couldn't put me together again 'cause all of my enemies started out friends help me hold onto you 

the first line just... hurts me a lot. i guess it’s the nursery rhyme sound of it, almost trying to take the bite of a statement which is, essentially: i’m broken beyond repair. as i said above, dean’s not buying his own lies, he knows exactly how much baggage and trauma he carries. and not to go back to the trust issues again, but it is hard to believe someone could see past that when there’s so much betrayal in your history (which, yes, has included cas at one point too, as well as sam, or, say, fucking chuck).

i've been the archer, i've been the prey who could ever leave me, darling? (but who could stay?) who could stay? who could stay? you could stay, you could stay... 

and then... we have the third repeat of the chorus, which echoes the first, softer version of it, but with a fundamental difference. this time, the rhetorical question “who could stay?” finds a pointed answer in “you could stay”. because yes, maybe cas leaves a lot, but he always, always comes back. so i’d imagine dean harbours hope that one day, maybe, cas will want to actually... stay for good.

combat, i'm ready for combat

and that hope kinda gives this final line a whole new lovely layer of meaning: dean’s no longer ready for combat just because he’s been trained for combat all his life; rather, he’s ready for combat because for once in his life, he has something to look forward to; something to fight for: the happy ending he deserves, where someone - perhaps someone in a dirty trenchcoat and tired blue eyes - will finally stay.

---

BONUS: literally the day after i started obsessing over this song as a dean song, i found a fanvid of it! if that’s not serendipitous, i don’t know what is <3

[allthefallendemons]

Liar, Chapter 1: The Devil Wears Prada (Lucifer Morningstar x Reader)

CHAPTER 2 OUT OF 11 OF THE LIAR SERIES

Prologue

Content Warnings: Bad Words, Gore, Dead Body.

Series Summary: After graduating from UCLA at the top of your class, you decided to open a cafe in LA. Un(fortuantely) for you, the only affordable place was across the street from LA's notorious club, LUX. A week into the store's opening, one of your employees turns up dead. Luckily for you, Detective Chloe Decker is on the case with her civilian consultant, Lucifer Morningstar. Secrets are revealed, promises are broken, and Liars get caught.

**SLIGHT SEASON 5 SPOILERS**

Word Count: 1.7k

--------------------

You walked out of your office, a small smile crossing your features as you watched each employee prep for opening day. "Jamie!" You cheered, walking to your store's supervisor, nudging the blue-haired girl. "How are things going, love? All is well?" Jamie's head shot up, her eyes slightly crazed as she looks at you. "Oh! Y/N! Things are going well! Everyone is pretty much ready, Christa is getting a little anxiety from such a long line but I think we can power through this!" Jamie put a hand on your shoulder, gently patting it. "You should be proud of yourself, Y/N, this is your business! You did this," you smiled, your gaze shifting around the room. You noticed Christa beginning to look frazzled, parting with Jamie so you could take care of your friend. "Hey, Chris, is everything okay?" You murmured softly, looking at your other supervisor with a caring smile. She looked at you, sharing an awkward smile with you. "Hey, I'm just getting a little anxiety. I have a bad feeling about today, I don't know why," you took her hand into your own, gently squeezing it. "You have nothing to worry about, darling. If you start feeling crowded, step into the back office and take a breather. I don't want you to force yourself to do anything," you tried to reassure her, as a grateful look crossed her features. "You're literally the best manager I've ever had," she squeezed your hand softly before letting go. You glanced over at the clock, your eyes widening in excitement "ITS OPENING TIMEEE," you cheered, running to the door to open up shop.

--------------------

The day was draining beyond belief, your last employee had finally left the shop. You didn't mind leaving the rest of tomorrow's preparation to yourself, it was your business after all. You smiled softly to yourself, proud to see the newly emptied shelves. Sneaking your favourite flavoured muffin from the case, you opened up the fridge and began to take out ingredients for the next day. "Thank God I don't have to make bread," you let out a quiet chuckle, reading through your custom baked goods list. "Fuck," you murmured, realizing you don't have the ingredients list for banana chocolate chip muffins. Figuring you must have left it in your office, you began to roam through the hallways of your work. Happily bouncing on your feet as you hummed to yourself. "when the moon hits your eyes," you sang, sliding open your office door "like a big pizza pie, that's amore." The door slid shut behind you as you noticed a lump on your couch. You could feel fright creeping up your spine, your heart thudding in your chest at a million miles a minute. You flickered on the light, preparing to fight this new intruder until you realized it was Christa. "Oh- Holy shit.. Chris, you scared the crap outta me," you let out a relieved laugh, beginning to walk over to the sleeping girl. "I'm surprised you're still here. Hell, I'm surprised you didn't run out after hearing my horrid singing."

Christa remained silent as you moved closer to her, realizing she must still be in a heavy sleep. "Hey, Chris, it's time to wake up," you put a hand on her shoulder, beginning to turn her over. "Chris..." You murmured, feeling your hand come in contact with something sticky. Once you fully turned her over, you noticed something protruding from her chest. "What the f-" your face dropped in terror as you realized your employee was not sleeping, but dead. She was fucking dead. To make things worse, your banana muffin recipe was attached to the knife that was stuck through your employee. In large, bold letters, the words "YOU'RE NEXT Y/N" was scribbled on the back of the recipe. "oh my god," your voice broke as your world began crashing in. Did he find you? You couldn't look at the note in Christa's chest any longer. You felt sick to your stomach, tears beginning to pour down your face as you broke into a sob. "I'm so sorry, Chris," your voice wavered as you took her hand into your own. "I will make sure that you get justice," you choked out as you reached for your phone, making the 911 call. Explaining the situation to the dispatcher, they told you to wait patiently on the scene and not to touch anything.

--------------------

The police finally arrived on scene, escorting you to the front of the store. You sat on the curb still in shock from what the hell just happened. You looked down at your blood-covered hands, feeling tears begin to resurface and run down your face. Who the hell would do this? Was it him? How did He find you so soon? You left him a couple of years back, how the hell is he here? "Excuse me, ma'am? My name is Detective Dan Espinoza, I'd like to ask you a few questions," you sniffled, feeling the pit in your stomach grow as you looked at him with terror-filled eyes. "I'm going to die, Dan," you came to the assuming conclusion that he found you. "How do you know this, ma'am?" Dan cocked an eyebrow, preparing to come to terms with the fact that he was dealing with another loony.

"Because I'm the reason Chris is dead," you said briefly, remembering that you can't blow your cover. "Would you like to elaborate on that? Or should I put you in cuffs right now since you clearly just confessed to murdering your employee." Dan's arrogant smile slid into a smirk as someone put a hand on Dan's shoulder. "Now, that's enough, Daniel. Leave the poor girl alone, she obviously isn't in a clear state of mind." A british voice broke the deafening silence as Dan let out a huff, walking away. A woman sat down beside you, looking at you with comforting eyes. "My name is Chloe Decker, this is my partner, Lucifer Morningstar. Can you tell me about everything that just happened?" Lucifer sat down to your right but you focused on Chloe, going over the details of what happened.

"I was singing that's amore, it's probably my favourite Dean Martin song. Mainly because I was craving pizza, but, that.. coming across that.. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat ever again," you could feel tears begin to flow down your face as the man beside you finally spoke up. "It's not fair for this to happen after such a wonderful day for you," you looked over at the man, gasping in fear and stumbling off the curb. You crawled onto the road, your heart thudding in your chest.

"Michael, no-" the man reached for you, pulling you off the road as a car whipped by. He stared at you, a look you couldn't read crossing his features. You stood there, shaking in his arms as Lucifer looked you in the eyes. "I'm not Michael," he reassured you, noticing your fear, "he's my twin brother," you relaxed slightly, sensing that the man was telling the truth. Mainly because his shoulders weren't slightly crooked but also because if it were Michael, he would have let you get hit by that car.

Chloe noticed the tension between the two of you, walking over to Dan to discuss more about the case. "How do you know my brother?" Lucifer let you go, the entire situation piquing his curiosity. "Yes but not quite well, we..." your heart thudded in your chest at a million miles a minute. Michael mentioned that his brother was impossible to run into. You knew you were standing in front of the devil, but what type of luck would it be that you would meet him after a week of being in Los Angeles.

You were stuck with a choice, to tell Lucifer the truth or to lie to him. You could feel chills run through your bones, this moment seemed to be going on for hours. But it was only a couple seconds after, "I met him in college." Lucifer cocked an eyebrow, tilting his face a little bit more. "College? Is that some sort of inneuendo that I haven't picked up on? Because if it is-" "No- No. I met him when I was in college. I saw him around campus. he was in a couple of my own classes," there was no possible way you could trust Lucifer. What if...

Lucifer saw right through your lie, but decided to play along. He looked you in the eyes, making sure to keep you close. "Well, Y/N, what is it that you truly desire? There must be something that you truly yearn," he leaned a little closer to you. You looked him in the eyes, feeling a pit begin to form in your stomach.

"My dearest Y/N, what is it that you truly fear?" "staying with you."

"Well, I..." you could feel that out in your stomach grow worse as you stepped away from him. "Sorry, I don't feel very good right now," you murmured, tears beginning to well in your eyes. You tried to put on a brave face, looking back at Lucifer. "I'm sorry, a lot is going on right now. I just want to catch Christa's killer," Lucifer's smirk quickly shifted into a shocked look. He glanced over at the detective before returning his gaze to you. "There isn't anything that you truly desire?" Lucifer questioned, causing you to tilt your head. "Not at the moment, I'm sorry," you spoke quietly, feeling frail and vulnerable.

No one could know the truth about who you are. No one.

[writingfromkitchenator]

The Hunter, The Demon, And The Halfblood

Masterlist

Crowley x Original Female Character

Chapters: One | Two | Three | Four

Series Warnings: A/B/O series, some Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics, Alpha x Omega, obligatory smut warning here (as usual, no under 18′s please, specifics will be within chapter warnings as needed), violence, blood, fluff, angst, major character death, possession, swearing

Chapter 5

Words: 2,556

Crowley was glad to finally get Madelyn alone properly for a moment, knowing that none of them would come upstairs in a hurry.  He was still wishing it hadn't come to this, but neither of them had a choice now.

It was clear Madelyn was relieved to be alone as well, holding tightly to him as he led her to the bedroom door.

“You are far from alright,” Crowley said softly, allowing her to rest against the wall so he can get a proper look at her.  “Whatever am I going to do with you?”

Madelyn, despite the pain, grinned.  “I can think of several things.”

Crowley returned it, stepping in close so he can rest his forehead against hers.  “Don't let your brothers hear that, they're high strung enough about this as it is.”

“They'll get over it,” Madelyn closed her eyes, just allowing the two of them to be still. “Besides, once they find out the next part, they won't have a choice in the matter anyway.”

“They don't have a choice now,” Crowley growled, his hand hovering over the wound in her side.  “Nor, do I believe, did they ever have a choice.”

Madelyn sighs, her arms looping around his neck.  “I'm glad you're okay Crowley.”

Crowley relaxes and dips his head, placing a chaste kiss to her lips.  “I'm glad you're okay too love.”

She nudges his nose slightly with hers.  “You probably shouldn't stay up here too long, they'll start to wonder what happened.”

“Let them wonder,” Crowley's lips hovered over hers.  “There's something I have to do first.”

Madelyn hums as he pressed his lips back to hers, pressing her a little firmly against the wall, one hand just over the wound on her stomach.  The kiss is deep and slow, but it had more purpose than to just rile the other up.

A small trickle of blood ran down the corner of Madelyn’s lips, a small shudder going through her, her hands bunching in his jacket, trying to keep him close.

She had to break off, allowing herself to breath, both their lips stained red.

Crowley kissed her softly. “Does that feel better?”

“A little,” She breathes, her tongue sweeping over his bottom lip.  “You know they aren't going to like this.”

His thumb cleans the blood that had trickled down and presses it against her lips, allowing her to take it into her mouth.  “It doesn't have to come up.”

“They'll figure it out,” Madelyn said softly.  “And they are upset enough as it is without trying to hide that too.  Not to mention, if there is an…incident.”

Crowley thinks for a moment, clearly concerned, but sighs, pressing another soft kiss to her lips. “Go and get some rest love, I'm sure I can manage for a little while, as much as they probably don’t want me to.”

Madelyn smiles softly. “At least Casey won't come down, she loves curling up next to me still.”

“Something I hope she never grows out of.”  Crowley opened the door quietly for her, Casey still fast asleep in the bed.  “At least she seems to be resting easily.”

There was no hiding the worry in Madelyn's expression.  “I hope we've done what's right for her Crowley, I really do.”

Crowley nods and gently leads her in.  “Get some rest love.”

Madelyn blows him a kiss, letting Crowley smile as he closes the door.

She quietly gets herself comfortable on the bed, a soft smile coming to her as Casey stirs a little and instinctively curls into her side.  Madelyn couldn't tell her brothers yet, but she wouldn't trade Casey in for anything in the world, no matter what had happened in between all that.

Downstairs, Crowley had taken up Madelyn’s seat, aware, but ignoring, the three slightly impatient and uncomfortable glares from the three other men in the room.

“You're lucky you're getting this much,” Crowley said lightly.  “If I had it my way, details would be kept far more to a minimum.”

“Come on Crowley,” Dean growled.  “Just get on with it.”

Crowley shoots Dean a grin. “Well, as I was saying, your sister was far more intelligent than you two, and actually managed to finally track me down in all that pre-purgatory mess.  I wasn't too pleased about it, but I have to give credit where it’s due.”

Madelyn glared at Crowley, her arms folded across her chest.  “A compliment?  That's really what you're offering me?”

Crowley shrugs easily. “What would you prefer? A blade to your throat?  A gun to your head?  A compliment is far more entertaining.”

He wasn't a fool, he knew that she could reach for her gun quickly, and he also knew that there was a chance she could've learnt a new trick or two.  Madelyn was incredibly, and infuriatingly, resourceful.

For what it was worth though, Madelyn didn't seem to be there to fight.

She rolled her eyes, doing her best to hide her irritation.  “Right.  Look, you're the one in charge downstairs now, right?  So can you do anything about Sam's soul or not?”

“Why? Is he having performance issues?”

“Cut the shit Crowley,” Her eyes flashed dangerously at him.  “I'm not in the mood.  I know full well that you know what’s going on with those two.”

Crowley chuckled. “Always straight to it, makes a nice change.  To answer you honestly, no, I can't do anything for little Moose’s soul.  It's trapped in a little cage with a big bad Lucifer, and I have very little interest in that being opened again.  I'm sure you can understand why.”

Madelyn observes him, her mind thinking.  “And here I was thinking that the King of Hell would have access to all the perks.”

He knew her well enough by now to know that she was now just buying herself time, trying to get the information she needed.  “Don’t underestimate me darling, it wouldn’t be a wise decision considering just how vulnerable you are here.  Considering what you were going through last time as well…”

“Vulnerable?”  She raises an eyebrow, ignoring the second comment. “And here I was thinking that we’d built up enough of a rapport with each other to discuss things civilly.  Or did I actually make an error on that?”

Crowley chuckles, unable to help it.  “Oh, you are far too interesting for that Madelyn, unlike those brothers of yours, but if you actually stay here much longer, then I will have to take action.”

Madelyn’s eyes narrow on him, her eyes doing a quick scan of the room.  “What are you up to Crowley?  You’re being far too cautious and calm for your own good.  Especially around me.”

He smirks.  “Would you care to handle this one Feathers?”

The sigh from Castiel made her jump, quickly taking several steps back from the angel, eyeing between the two of them cautiously.

“I warned you not to go looking,” Castiel said, a little firmly to her.  “To stay with Sam and Dean.  It would’ve been far safer.”

“Like I’m going to listen to you, I barely listen to them.”  She said flatly.  “And the fact that you’re working with him, really doesn’t improve my opinion of you.”

Castiel sighed.  “This is an awkward enough situation as it is Crowley, why did you call me here?  Sam and Dean will be on us quicker than anything if something happens to her.”

“Have you currently seen Sam?”  Madelyn asked bitterly, cutting off Crowley.  “He’s just a little bit of an arsehole, which is the only reason I even ended up here. Discovering you two are up to something, however, is far more interesting, as here I thought not long having one apocalypse would’ve been more than enough for both of you, or am I reading that wrong?”

Castiel flinched, but Crowley held her gaze, amused.  “You’re acting like it’s not going to be beneficial.”

“And you’re acting like I’m going to trust the word of a demon and a renegade angel,” She replied. “Why don’t you both just cut the shit? Surely it must be tiring?”

Crowley smirks and his gaze moves to Castiel.  “I’m sure we can keep her out of the way somewhere, at least enough so the boy wonders won’t worry?”

Castiel sighed.  “It’s bad enough lying to them, let alone doing that as well.”

“What’s a few more lies?” Crowley shrugs.  “Besides, it’s one less hunter to work around.  A rather painful one at that.”

“Oh, I don’t think-” Madelyn collapses, a simple touch from Castiel rendering her unconscious.

Dean stares at Crowley.  “So who the hell was texting us throughout all that?”

Crowley smirks.  “Who do you think Dean?  Feathers lacked the imagination and I have to admit, it was a lot of fun.”

Dean pursed his lips, looking less than impressed.

Sam was frowning.  “So what, you just kept her aside somewhere?   I can’t imagine Maddie standing for that, nor do I remember her ever mentioning it.”

There was no missing the slight unease in Crowley’s expression.  “Well, there may have been a good reason for that, and before you all start saying something, it was unintentional on both our parts.”

They stared at him, Bobby sighing heavily.  “Let me guess, you underestimated her.”

“A little,” He admitted.  “I wasn’t quite expecting the determination she would have in trying to get herself out of the situation, no matter how comfortable I made it for her.”

“Comfortable?”  Dean growled. “Like you would ever make something comfortable for one of us.”

“You need to understand,” Crowley said.  “At that time, I was still intending to get her onside.  One can hardly do that through torture, especially to a Winchester, not to mention Feathers was more than determined to keep her whole.  So yes, we tried to make her comfortable, as much as I’m sure that seems strange to you.”

“But you both forgot that it was Mads,” Bobby shook his head. “The only time she is comfortable is out on the road hunting.”

“Yes, or at least making my life a living hell,” Crowley said. “Which is exactly what she did once she learnt the…routine of things.  See, Castiel and I were hardly going to let anyone else near her, and as Castiel was usually strongly invested in keeping you three occupied, especially after Sam got his soul back, then it left me to keep things as civil and normal as possible.”

“Unfortunately,” He continued.  “She quickly made other plans.  Managed to construct herself a devils trap for me.  I thought we could’ve avoided the whole situation by not giving her anything to write or hurt herself with, however, as usual with you Winchester’s, you are more resourceful than that.  She crafted herself a small weapon, one that would go unnoticed, and slowly, I would imagine quiet painfully, constructed herself a devils trap out of her own blood.”

Sam sighed.  “Of course she did, and judging by the way this is going, you walked straight into it?”

Crowley looks less than pleased.  “It wasn’t my finest moment.  I had gotten…complacent…with her.  I had figured that I had her exactly where I wanted her.”

“Just another wonderful day in paradise,” Crowley said as he enters the room, barely even glancing at Madelyn, who was leaning against the headboard of a large, bare bed, glaring at him.  “Don’t worry, I’m sure your brothers will notice you missing eventually.  Although, their returning messages give zero indication of suspecting anything.”

“Funny,” She said thickly, not moving from the bed.  “I wasn’t aware that I had to rely on them for rescue.”

He places some food and drink down at the table, casting her a smirk.  “I never said you did darling, but you do seem to be taking this all rather well, all things considered.”

If he’d been paying proper attention, he would’ve seen the small makeshift blade she was spinning in her hand.

“Like I’ve had much of a choice,” She clipped.  “But don’t worry, I promise I’m coming up with all sorts of plans for you.”

Crowley chuckles. “Now that I like to hear.  Only good plans I hope?”

Her eyes flash. “You’ll just have to wait and find out.”

To Crowley, the interaction had been no different to normal, however, as he went to leave, still chuckling, he found himself suddenly frozen in his steps, unable to move any further.

He glances down and discovers that it hadn’t been the carpet he’d been walking on, that the sheets from the bed were covering what was clearly made beneath it.

Madelyn smirks. “Getting a little out of touch, are we?”

Crowley glares at her. “And just what is it you intend to do here, darling?  You still can’t leave this room, and if you keep me locked up like this, then there’s going to be no more food and drink coming in.”

“Guess we’re at a bit of an impasse then,” She said lightly.  “Because you’re not getting out of that trap unless I say so.”

“It’s on carpet-”

“And I’ve been here for a while now,” She said.  “Don’t think I haven’t thought this through Crowley, you’ve given me more than enough for that.  I would’ve thought you’d know by now, never let a woman, especially a hunter, think too long, you never know what she’s going to come up with.”

He grits his teeth. “So, what is your suggestion then?”

Madelyn shrugs. “Honestly, at the moment, this is more than amusing for me.  The oh so powerful King of Hell, trapped and powerless, and the only one that can come and save him is off somewhere, more than likely, looking after my brothers.” She grins.  “Who’s the damsel in distress now?”

Crowley wasn’t impressed, although he could applaud her tenacity.  His eyes narrowed her for a moment, a sudden thought occurring to him, a slow grin coming to him, one she doesn’t notice, preoccupied with the blade in her hand.  “Oh darling, I do believe that that is still you.”

“Oh?” She said, only half interested.  “And what makes you come to that conclusion?”

“Your heat,” He said casually, making the knife stop in her hand as she glances at him.  “Just how many tablets do you have left?  No doubt you got a stern warning from the doctors about it after our last encounter.”

Madelyn scoffs and keeps spinning the knife, but her voice wasn’t as convincing as she wanted it to be.  “Keep dreaming.  I have myself well and truly within control.”

“We’ll see,” Crowley said lightly, deciding to play her game pulling up a chair and sitting down. “I seem to remember the last time I found you that you were almost wild with it.  This time, I can promise, I won’t be so generous as to get you to a hospital.”

She makes an indignant noise as she gets up from the bed.  “Hoping to put me in my place Crowley?  Fat chance.”

He shrugs.  “I won’t have to do anything.  You’re going to beg me for it.”

Madelyn makes a disgusted noise and strides past him, heading to the bathroom.  “Good luck winning this one.  We’ll see who cracks first.”

Crowley smirks as the door closes behind her.  “Oh, we’ll definitely see love, but it’s not going to go the way you want it too.”

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Omega Boy

Summary (request): I was wondering if you were open to writing an Omega!Sam x Alpha!Reader? Like, maybe they're true mates and when they meet, the reader triggers Sam's heat, but he's able to keep it under control and gets the readers number. And when he goes home, it gets worse and Dean tries to help (not in a sexual way) and they end up calling the reader and slight smut and fluff?

Pairing: Omega!Sam x Alpha!reader

Square: Biting

Word Count: 1,600ish

Rating: mature (language, smut, claiming/biting)

A/N: Also written for @spnkinkbingo

“Sorry, sweetie. Tall and handsome got the last of it,” said your bartender. You glanced down the bartop a few spots, seeing a man turn back your way.

“S’okay,” you said. “I’ll take whatever’s on tap then.”

The man gave you a friendly smile.

Then you caught his scent.

You blinked a few times, shaking out your head at the instincts that were running through you.

Omega. Your Omega. Mine. Claim. Protect. Home. Mine. Partner. Omega. Pack. Family. Safe. Mine.

You swallowed and got a hold of yourself like that, glancing at the Omega who looked nothing of the sort. He did seem a little uncomfortable and you hoped you hadn’t started drooling over him.

“Uh, sorry about the beer,” he said. You smiled. He was just sweet was all. Of course your Omega was going to be sweet. He smelled sweet, like a-

He started to laugh and you blushed, tucking your hair behind your ear. God, you could feel how hot your face was.

“I could pay for that drink of yours to make it up to you,” he said, not a sliver of nerves about him.

How the hell this guy wasn’t reacting to meeting his true mate like you, you’d never know. Then again, you’d never met an Omega that looked bigger than most Alphas.

“Maybe,” you said, sliding down one seat, the Alpha in you refusing to go all the way over though. “I was looking forward to that beer after the day I’ve had.”

“Really?” he said, sliding into the spot beside you with a smirk. “You seem more highbrow than some cheap IPA.”

“What do I seem like?” you asked, leaning against the counter.

“Smooth bourbon. Or a strawberry wine. Maybe a bit of both,” he said.

“You’re an appletini,” you said with a giggle, the guy breaking into a big smile and chuckle. “No, no, something with musk. Maybe a scotch.”

“Would you like a glass?” he asked.

“Sure. You are buying after all.”

“Sam,” you said to yourself when you got home from the bar. “Sam Winchester. Oh you are such a Sam.”

You you were planning on calling him the next day, invite him out for lunch. After talking to him for the better part of an hour, it was obvious he knew what the two of you were. But he was still taking things slow which was more than okay with you. It made your Alpha instincts all warm and fuzzy to know your future Omega was happy and felt safe around you.

After a quick snack, you headed for bed, smiling when your phone rang and Sam’s name popped up.

“Omega boy,” you said with a smile when you answered. “How’s it going?”

“Not your Omega boy,” said a gruff voice. “You Y/N?”

“Who’s this?” you growled, the hairs on your arms standing up. Maybe Sam hadn’t made it home okay. Or-

“His brother, Dean, and I need you to get your ass over here now. You sent him into heat and it’s bad. None of the usual crap is working to fix it and he mentioned you and just get over here. Now.”

“So...are you guys like some kind of doomsday people?” you asked, following Dean down the stairs in their bunker. You caught sight of a library and smiled. “Oh, I bet Sam loves that.”

“Yeah, he does,” said Dean, grabbing your arm and leading you down a hall.

“Well excuse me,” you said, shaking out of it. “I could smell him the second I walked in here. I know where to go.”

“Well I don’t know you and he’s vulnerable right now. So get in there, get him through the mess you caused and get out. If you claim him, so help me-“

“Excuse me but I think that’s the Omega’s right to decide whether or not that happens,” you spat back. “And mine.”

“You don’t want this, trust me,” he said.

“He’s my true mate. It’s our decision and-“

“And I am telling you, Sammy wouldn’t want this. Our lives our incredibly messed up. He’s not dragging you into it and I’m not letting-“

“Hey,” said Sam, leaning around a doorframe. He looked horrible and in pain, his nose twitching up at you. “Dean. I get where you’re coming from, trust me, I do. But I got to do this.”

“You’re going to bring her, some chick that probably sits in a freaking cubicle all day-“

“Hey!” you said.

“She’s not a hunter,” said Dean.

“I know. I know, Dean,” said Sam with a wince.

“I don’t care. It’s not happening. We made a deal, no civilians,” said Dean.

“I think we listen to what Sam wants,” you said. “It sounds like he made up his mind.”

“If he didn’t feel so awful, Sam would be saying the same thing. We’re trying to protect you,” he said.

“Dean,” said Sam, closing his eyes. “We will teach her. We’ll keep her safe. But she’s my mate, dude. I gotta…”

“...If I find out you’re one of those dickhead Alphas, you and me are going to have problems,” said Dean, narrowing his eyes at you. “Now go take care of him.”

He brushed past you and you heard a door open and close, Sam sighing.

“Sorry. Alpha big brothers mean well but…”

“I got one. Trust me. I understand,” you said. Sam nodded, leaning more against the wall for support now. “Do you-“

“You’re going to claim me, Alpha,” he said, standing up tall, taking a deep breath. “Now get me in bed before I fall over.”

“Y/N,” groaned Sam, his hips falling out of rhythm with yours. “Y/N.”

“Almost ‘mega,” you said, grinding down on him hard. You were leaned over top of him, kissing his neck. He started to shift and you could feel him plant his feet and thrust up hard. You sunk your teeth into his neck the second you felt him come, biting down hard and Sam gasping as you felt like you were smacked in the face. All of those feelings from earlier settled down into something peaceful and you rode him through it, Sam burrowing his face in your neck when you clenched around him and knotted him.

“Wow,” Sam breathed out when you stopped moving. You panted and lay on top of him for a moment, quickly rolling the two of you to your sides, chests pressed against one another. “I ain’t going anywhere anytime soon, am I?”

“Don’t count on it,” you said, rubbing your hand softly around his fresh red mark, kissing the pain away. “Did I hurt you, Omega?”

“No, Alpha,” he hummed, giving you a smile as he glanced down. “Felt good. I feel so good you don’t even know.”

“I know a little bit,” you teased, nuzzling into his chest. “I’m sorry I caused your heat like that.”

“S’fine. It’s a pretty common reaction,” he said, stretching out his long limbs, wrapping his arms around your back. “Mmm, you’re toasty.”

“Don’t let word get out that I like to be little spoon,” you said. He chuckled, the vibrations rumbling through his chest. “Can I ask you a question, Sam?”

“I have a feeling we’ll be asking each other lots of questions,” he teased. “Go ahead.”

“You are the biggest and strongest Omega I’ve ever seen. Like, you’re even bigger than your brother. Way bigger than me,” you said. Sam laughed and shook his head, kissing the top of yours. “I love it but it’s just so rare, you know?”

“Well even if I was Omega, I was raised a different way. Sort of had to grow up big and strong,” he said.

“Judging by where you live, I’m starting to get that,” you said.

“We can talk more about that later,” murmured Sam, tilting your head up to kiss you. “I want to do this for now. I like kissing you.”

“Needy little Omega aren’t you?” you teased, bumping your nose against his.

“Get used to it, Alpha,” he said with a laugh. “I’m going to be stealing kisses from you for a long time.”

You smiled as you sat on the counter in the kitchen, wearing one of Sam’s shirts. He was sipping on his coffee, his long legs dangling off the counter beside you.

“You look cute in the morning,” you said, tickling his cheek. “All sleepy and bedhead.”

“You’re one to talk,” he said, ruffling your hair. You laughed and heard a pair of footsteps enter the room, your hair out of your face by the time you saw Dean nodding his head. “Hey.”

“Hey. Thanks for not stinking up the joint anymore,” he said, going to the coffee machine and pouring himself a cup. “You give her the talk yet?”

“Uh, I claimed him. I’ve already had the talk,” you said.

“That’s a no,” said Dean, turning around. “Sam, you can do it. I’m sure that’ll go over well.”

“Is he mad I claimed you?” you asked when he left. You saw his head poke back around the corner, a softer look about him.

“No. If I thought you were bad, I wouldn’t have left,” said Dean with a smile. “Just...your life is about to get very interesting.”

“Sam?” you asked.

“S’okay. I got a feeling my Alpha will be able to handle it.”

[mrsmess]

Faves and fails of SPN (season 9)

Favorite episodes (in chronological order):

9:1 I think I’m gonna like it here - Usually not a fan of intro episodes but this is pretty tight

9:4 Slumber party - YES. Anything Charlie! Supernatural meets Once Upon a Time. Sam responding to Charlie’s info on who uploaded the unpublished Supernatural books. ”None. Uhm. No bells.” Lol.

9:5 Dog Dean afternoon - One of the best episodes in the entire show for obvious reasons: Jensen Ackles frolicking. The scene when the spell takes effect is amazing.

9:7 Bad boys - Love the retro episodes, this one is heartbreaking and scary to match. The fact that the show keeps revealing stuff about their childhood, John’s tough love approach, and stuff lost by the years separating the boys as well as their distinct roles, is really good. Kinda makes me wish we got more of those episodes. This casting of tween!Dean is very good, he rly is insufferable, and vulnerable, and much better than the one in the dodge ball episode. Blake Gibbons is also great in his role . The ending! Omg! I’m literally crying. ”He just said to tell you you have a job. Said you’d know what that means.”

9:11 First born - Ah. The blade. The Cain storyline. Loving the ”buddy” comedies; pairings Dean & Crowley and Sam & Cass. Dean growing a beard, a little overkill but I’ll take it. Cain is cute, and kinda entertaining. The idea that the Winchesters are allowed to change, Cass, what a radical concept.

9:13 The purge - Thank goodness they’re back together even if they’re just faking it til they’re ”making” it. Dean eating pudding, Sam doing yoga ”You’re not the only one who’s dated someone bendy.” And Sam asks Dean to admit that he didn’t save Sam out of some altruistic motive but for him himself, which is fine, right? I think that’s fine. Half the time I think most of their problems could be solved by (mainly) Dean just being honest about what he feels.

9:15 #thinman - this starts out pretty funny and ends up so frickin’ dark. Ed and Harry being some weird foil for Sam and Dean. The realness of this story is kinda painful.

9:18 Meta fiction - Gabriel! If only for a brief shining moment. Gadreel’s old vessel- I like him. Metatron injecting Cass with every book, movie, tv show... nifty!

9:19 Alex Annie Alexis Ann - A wayward daughter introduced. And Jody Mills is always a win. Good, tight episode. Excellent character study. Creepy ass monsters *because* they’re so human. One of the best episodes of this season.

9:21 King of the damned - Now this is my kinda torture. And Crowley and his son. And calling off the Hellhound over speaker phone. Why is this so funny?

9:23 Do you believe in miracles - Besides Dean bugging the crap outta me, this finale is actually pretty interesting. I rly like it. ”What happened to you being okay with this?” ”I lied.” I love them.

Fail episodes (in chronological order):

9:9 Holy terror - Angel stuff. And torture. Boring. Plus Gadreel offing Kevin. Booooooh! ”I always trust you, and I always end up screwed.” Winchesters, amiright?

9:12 Sharp teeth - Garth is a werewolf. Hate the brothers being out of sorts. A theme for the episode seems to be estrangement, deception. Serves to show how compulsive particularly Dean is, how lonely he makes himself. It’s all interesting but how am I supposed to be okay with an episode which ends this way? My heart just breaks.

9:20 Bloodlines - God I hate this.

Mediocre mentions:

Rock and a hard place - ”Congratulations Sam and Dean Winchester! You are both virgins!” Lol. Dean describing sex. Awesome. Not his finest hour making that sneaky pass on an ex porn star though, they could’ve played that *way* better.

Road trip - More angel stuff. *sigh* A torture montage is the quickest way to wind up off the fave list. Dean and Cas having a little tete-a-tete is nice, not enough to make up for it. However, Crowley and Gadreel doubleteaming Sam has me shouting on the couch. Okay, fine! ”If I see you again-” ”Yes, I’m dead, I love you too.” And ”Daddy’s home.” Crowley saves the episode.

Honorable mentions:

Using ”Who do you love?” in the previously on-section first thing this season.

I am into this new communicative schtick the bros have going. I’m loving this new and improved, supportive, sinscere, soft Dean, more of that plz.

Castiel going by Clarence! My heart! And experiencing the small and trying things of being human: thirst, hunger, lust, making money last, working shitty jobs, baby sitting. It rly does wonders for how I feel about him.

Ghost!Kevin telling the brothers to get over it. ”My mom’s taking home a ghost, you both are still here.”

The crazy collector and Human!Crowley in Blade Runners are more than a little icky- but also very interesting.

The chemistry between Padalecki and Jenny O’Hara in Mother’s little helper. The chemistry between Sam and Cass in this season, I feel there’s a real exchange there. Sam’s character has a really satisfying range in how it interacts with others, I dig that.

Dishonorable mentions:

Dean showing Cas the door w/o setting him up w a safe house. Especially since they put Kevin up in a warded motel room in Branson the very next episode. Winchesters, man.

Summing up:

I’m rly taken by the speech from Sharp Teeth. It’s much better written than I’ve given it credit for. On the one hand, Dean’s arc from the end of season 8 has made it emotionally and reasonably clear what his one job is, what his purpose is. At any price. Sam meanwhile is bigger picture, and the thing with Gadreel just made it clear that his and Deans ideas of their joint purpose differ. That’s why Sam says ”everything that’s ever gone wrong between us has been because we’re family.”

But well written or not; this really real conflict is also a big problem with this season, mainly because they use it for friction but ultimately not enough closure.

[angrypixie-sarisa]

The other Winchester

Piedras Rodantes Pt. 13

Sam x Mexican!Witch!fem!reader x Dean (polyamorous)

Summary: Two months had passed, Sam was definetely in hell and there was nothing to do about it. And then, you met Dean. 

Warnings: swearing, fighting. 

Do i have an excuse for putting this GIF other than loving the scene and Tessa Thompson? Nope. 

GIF’s not mine, credits and love to the owner. 

Dean came out of the bar he was at. He had been catching a bite with his co-workers and as soon as he finished his food and made some more small talk, he called it a day. He usually used Lisa as an excuse, but to be completely honest, it felt weird. He wasn’t used to having friends that weren’t hunters and his hunter friends, the real ones, they were all primarily dead. It felt like everything he did, accepting to go out and grab a bite or a beer was more for the facade he put in front of others, another character like the so many FBI agents he used to play.

With Lisa, it was another story. He felt more relaxed with her and Ben. He got to live that dream he thought it was long lost. He had a family.

As Dean started climbing his pick-up, a shadow caught his eye. He looked around, only to catch a female moving figure exiting the bar. He knew you. Well, not exactly, but he had seen you, everywhere. You just had acquired a small house in the same neighborhood as Lisa’s. You had passed several times through their street, jogging, and also were at almost all the places Ben liked to eat at.

He clenched his jaw. Hell no. He wasn’t having any of that. It didn’t matter whatever you were; it wasn’t nice to have a stalker. He followed you, ironically, as you kept walking your path to your new home.

As people kept passing by your side (the night was still pretty young), you kept having the feeling that someone was following you. Normally, you would calm yourself down and tell yourself to stop being paranoid. After what happened with Sam, your nerves were jumping around everywhere. Even the smallest of inconveniences would trigger them. However, it was already dark outside. You could not afford to push your paranoia away. So you put on a collected and calm face, even when in the inside you felt like it was the worst night of your existence.

There was only one block to go to get to your house. It was almost over.

Dean watched you take a turn to the right. He waited for a moment before continuing keeping up with you. He wouldn’t let you slip away from him.

Just as he made the turn into the alley you lured him into, your fist made contact with his face. You grabbed him by his hair, kicked him off balance and immobilized him into the floor.

“What the fuck is your problem, buddy? Huh? What do you want?” How did he not see you waiting for him? How did you catch him off-guard? This was not how it was supposed to happen.

You pulled at his hair harder.

“Answer me, asshole!” He moved his head to the side so he could speak.

“What do I want? What the hell do you want? Fucking stalker ” He twisted in his place and somehow freed one of his arms, before you could notice; he was pushing you off of him.

You both stood, facing each other, guard up. He was blocking the one way out of the alley. Stupid, why did you let that happen?

You looked at his face, his features. At first, it was for filling a police description, but then you realized…

“Dean?” The question left before you could stop it. Oh fuck, you were royally screwed. It wasn’t like you couldn’t kick his ass. You could do it, but you had just voiced that you knew him and that would make your situation potentially escalate into the worst luck possible. The man had just been suspicious of you following him, admitting that you knew who he was, was well, the stupidest thing you could’ve ever done.

“So, you do know me.” He squinted at you.

How could you explain him? Explain that you’ve had visions about him getting into dangerous situations by doing exactly what he was doing at the moment. Every time he followed someone or something just to double check it wasn’t a demon, ghost, ghoul or whatever, you kind of connected with him. As if you were experiencing it yourself.

At first, you thought it was because of Sam’s…Of Sammy being gone. You thought they were spontaneous bursts of magic due to your lack of control of your nerves, it wouldn’t have surprised you. It didn’t occur to you that maybe it was because you had had moved to the same town where Dean Winchester lived.

Suddenly, his accusations of you following him got even more sense. The best explanation was that, while you tried your best to go back to the magical persona you were before and not minding any business in different locations in town, you accidentally had picked Dean’s eye one too many times.

“What are you? And spear me the lies, you wouldn’t know who I am if you weren’t something else.” He started cornering you. You backed away until your back was against the darkest corner of the alley.

You looked up at his angry eyes; they made you grow angry at him. Screw him and his hunter manners. He had no right in doing what he was doing.

“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know.” You pressed your palm into the wall and felt a pull into the dark. You let it drag you in and away from Dean’s surprised and confused face as you disappear in front of him. Your figure less and less visible until there’s only and empty corner in front of him.

Next thing you saw was your silent new living room and a figure sitting at your couch.

“You shadow traveled!” Crowley scolded you. You rolled your eyes and started rubbing at your left elbow.

“It was an emergency.” You took out of your jacket’s pocket your emergency ointment. You shrugged out of the leather jacket and started applying the ointment in your aching arm.

“Oh, please. I’d love to hear what kind of emergency was it for you to use one of the darkest ways of teleporting. You could’ve got lost or worse end up in purgatory or hell! Just what were you thinking, missy?!” He followed you into your kitchen. He sounded like a worried, annoying mom.

“Okay, first of all, purgatory doesn’t exist, at least, for me. It was an invention of the Catholic Church so people will pay to go to heaven. Second of all, you have to really mess it up to end up in hell and third…” You stopped at this. Was it safe to tell him what had being happening? He was your friend, but even you had some trouble in trusting his line of action. He liked to be unpredictable, even to you. It didn’t mean that you couldn’t predict some things of him, but it was better to play it safe.

“Third?” You kept you’re attention on your actions, opening the fridge and trying to decide whether you actually wanted some cold water or if you opened it just to keep your mind off of Dean. You took in a deep breath.

“Third, I thought someone was following me. I didn’t stop to see if it was true or not. I preferred to get home faster than to let something happen to me. Okay? Sorry if you were worried, but… I’m fine.” You closed the fridge. You had finally worked out what you wanted. You wanted Crowley to leave your house, so you could take the liberty to actually submerge into your thoughts.

You took a step forward to wrap him in a warm hug. You could feel his figure tense to the touch.

It always amused you when you hugged him because he always tried to intimidate everyone and to portray himself as the bad guy you didn’t want to defy, ever. For almost everyone, it worked, but for you it was another story. You always tended to analyze people (by nature), you did it subconsciously so it wasn’t like you had the most of control out of it. That’s the reason why you tended to see more than what was presented to you, why people felt vulnerable and trusted you at the same time.

“Thank you for worrying. You’re a good friend.” He pushed you away after you spoke, quickly turning around, already walking towards the entrance door.

He scoffed.

“Whatever, see ya later.” But you knew he was blushing.

After he disappeared, you went to bed, getting out of your clothes and getting under the covers.

Your visions and running into Dean were no coincidence. Fate had plans for you and him and for the first time in a while, you feared what those plans could be.

 Everything was where it was supposed to be. Every single inch of your store had its own personality and radiated happy thoughts. You really loved the direction where it was going.

You had an idea, an earning of spreading magic towards the world. Not dangerous magic, no, just simple spells or even talismans that no one would ever suspect of them; things that could help people with whatever shitty day they were having and make them happy again. Of course, it was also beneficial to you, making the day of people and helping them would also bring joy to you.

What were you’re services? Well, that was a good question. You didn’t hide the fact that your store was a weird one, especially in a small town. But even if people felt discomfort in tarot readings or selling homemade tea or olds books, they still went in for art and photography and design. Getting your passion for art to the fullest would also attract other types of customers. That was the beauty of it.

You were about to close for lunch when you heard the ringing bell. Your head immediately snapped to take a look to your new customers. You flashed them a smile.

“Hi! How may I help you?” The woman walked towards your counter accompanied by, you deduced, her son, who kept scanning the room with his wonder filled eyes.

“Hi! I was wondering if you, by any chance, knew a good photographer? I saw some good photos displayed at the window.”

“Well, I’m the one who took those pictures. What kind of photos you had in mind?” Her eyes sparkled in excitement.

“Oh, I wanted to take some family pictures. It would be me, my son Ben…” At the mentioning of his son, she hugged him and he flashed you a smile.

“And my…” Just then, someone else entered. Your smile faltered for a second, before you composed yourself. You knew who it was even before taking a look.

Dean approached the woman and planted a kiss on her cheek. He then turned to look at you, already tensing and breathing heavily.

“Hi, honey. I was just asking about the photographer, turns out it’s her.” He clenched his jaw and glared at you. Your smile, strangely, grew bigger. Oh, this was going to be fun.

“Hey, uh, would you two go ahead to the restaurant? I want to clear some questions with her.” He turned to look at her. It was all it took. You needn’t be a genius to see that she knew. Maybe she didn’t know all the details, but she knew what Dean was.

“Okay, come on, Ben.” Ben’s attention snapped back toward her mother. He had been looking at a wild cat’s skull.

“Oh, that’s one of the Halloween decorations I was planning on selling. I wonder; how it got there?” The Halloween decorations box was in the storage room, which was locked. You had had the intention of starting displaying them, but after you went for lunch.

You smiled warmly at the thought of the skull’s impatience to be in display.

“It’s so cool.” He picked it up, causing Dean to tense even more.

“Oh, sweetie, no, put it back.” She flashed you an apologetic look, unintentionally. You smiled at her warmly and shook your head. There was no problem at all.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

“Awesome! Mom, can I have it?”

“No.” Dean said, before he could stop himself and making Ben’s smile go away. The woman turned to glare at him before turning her attention back to her son.

“No, not right now. Maybe later, okay? After all, it’s gonna still be here.”

“But what if someone else buys it?” Your heart was filled with cuteness. No matter what Dean’s reaction would be, you just couldn’t resist it. You said: “I could put it on hold for you, if you want it that bad. That way, no one else will buy it.” To that, his smile returned, while nodding and thanking you. He set the skull back from where he took it and followed his mom out of the store.

When they got out of sight, you walked towards the door, locked it and pulled down the curtains. Whatever was going to happen, you didn’t want any potential customers to see.

“So…” You started as you walked to get behind the counter. “How you wanna do this? You want to tie me down and interrogate me? Want to throw at me salt, holy water and silver? You name it.” You shrugged. “I’m down with whichever, so long as after you’re done, you leave me the heck alone.” Dean got conflicted by your relaxed reaction. Even so, he wasted no time in splashing you, out of nowhere, with holy water.

Your face was wet, as well as your shirt. You whipped away the excess of water from your eyes before scoffing.

“You could’ve have warned me! I have a towel in the bathroom! You ruined my clothes, stupid hunter!”

“Whatever.” He said angrily. He yanked you by the wrist and pressed, what could only be, a silver ring to your skin, before noticing that it did nothing. He then proceeded with the salt and iron, getting the same reaction as the other tests.

Meanwhile, you rested your face in your free hand, looking at him, bored.

“Are you done? I’m kind of hungry and I really want to catch a bite.” He freed your hand and practically yelled at you.

“What the fuck are you?” You leaned forward, putting your best chingona face, before answering.

“I’m a witch. But not like the one’s you’ve seen before. And about following you? You seriously think you’re that special? Is your head filled with so much pride and ego that you couldn’t possibly think it could be a coincidence? I mean, I get that you’re a famous hunter and all, but seriously, if I wanted to harm you or your family, I would’ve already done it.” You’re voice sounded familiar. It sounded so familiar, but he didn’t know why.

“So, are we done? I’ll stay away from you and your precious family and you stay away from me? Sound good? Or do you want to burn me alive, just to make sure of it?” You walked towards the storage room and opened it just a smidge, walking in and closing it behind you.

“Hey. Hey!” Dean followed your path and knocked on the door. There wasn’t and answer. He kicked the door open, only to find you weren’t in there.

Crap, you had trapped him.

“Shit.” He kicked the door and walked towards the counter, scanning the room for a way out. His eyes landed on a key set in the counter with a note attached. He took it and opened the note, which read: Help your-self out. When you exit, could you do me the favor to lock the door, pretty please? If you do, then throw the key casually on the street about a block away. Thank you. Hope you enjoy your pizza and that we never see each other again. Bye.

Just what the fuck was your deal?

Days had passed without another sight of Dean. It was a blessing. You kept glaring at a photo you took of Sam. He was painting something in a spare canvas you had and trying to convince you that not everyone could paint. You smiled sadly at the memory, tears rolling down your cheeks.

“This is all your fault.” You scolded the picture.

“If you had told them from the beginning, this would’ve never happened.” He didn’t respond. Of course, it was a picture after all. But you could fix it. You could fix all this mess.

You put away the photo in your wallet and opened your closet door. You stepped in before closing it.

The house looked worn out. And the environment was mostly cars and dirt than plants.

You took in a deep breath and stepped into the porch. You knocked on the door. Moments later, someone opened it.

“May I help you, young lady?”

“Bobby, right?” He squinted at you, suspicious.

“Yes?”

“Hi, I’m Y/N and we need to talk.”

[amwritingmeta]

I saw your Anael tags and the only thing that came through my mind was "what if she becomes Michael?" WON'T THAT BE A PLOT TWIST

Omg can you imagine?? (yes obviously you can because you suggested it) :P That would be SUCH a twist, but we’d lose her! Ok I realise you just threw this out there, but give me a feather and I’ll build you a hen. ;P

Here’s the thing: I would love for her to have an arc and to be fucking kickass awesome angel. Maybe even someone who’s not afraid to speak the truth! The possible uses for her in the narrative are so exciting to me. I hope she gets a real part to play. I feel they set up a lot of the threads they might want to pull on through her interaction with Luci, you know? 

I mean, the fact that she’s not above submitting to someone more powerful than her if it means getting to where she wants to be. But will she be allowed to learn lessons and possibly align herself with the opposition when she sees that Michael is so much worse than Lucifer? Aaahhhh it’s all so up in the air! I love it!!

Through her stating that falling freed her, I feel her link to Cas (and to Anna) is strong enough to warrant her being used as an expositional tool, and as an expositional tool she has so many uses in the narrative atm it’s hard to think they wouldn’t use her as such. 

Firstly, in order to give us exposition on Michael and his objective, right? He’ll talk to her and either ask her to fill him in on the state of this new world, or he's already been filled in/knows the state of things and he tells her to come with him if she wants to live. Perhaps she’ll hesitate at first, perhaps she won’t go immediately, or perhaps all he does is ask her to deliver a message to Heaven - whatever use he sees in her, there are plenty to choose from.

Secondly, her exposition of what happens when ones grace is drained away is pertinent to Cas, but even more to Jack, who had this very thing happen to him and is now, according to the episode synopsis, human. Cas, of course, is a great guide in this situation, but Anael then acts as a bridge as well, and could very well be a sounding board for Cas, if they were to ever meet. She doesn’t hold a grudge against him for the fall, she might even be sympathetic to what he was trying to accomplish, and to how easy it is to be duped when you don’t have the full picture in front of you. Trust is important, but trusting everyone is detrimental. Cas needs - just as much as Dean and Sam - to learn to trust in himself, and Anael trusts herself to a fucking T. She could conceivably be a very good influence on him, if that’s how she was chosen to be used.

On the flip side, she could also be an interesting influence on Michael. She couldn’t manipulate Lucifer very easily, but I wonder if that was just a setting up of her personal objective, which is pretty much climbing the social ladder. She’s power-hungry, right? But will power corrupt her, or will she have enough of an individual backbone that she’ll start to see through the cracks of Michael’s fanaticism and possibly use it against him. Someone who believes himself omnipotent is vulnerable because he’ll never suspect anyone is not in awe of his omnipotence. If he places trust in Anael, he may very well grow increasingly susceptible to her influence. And there’s also the possibility of her becoming a double agent, which I find the most thrilling thought. Because then she’ll be in both camps and she will, quite literally, be a bridge between both worlds.

Which could be pertinent for Cas’ choices possibly taking him away from Earth and back to Heaven...

Clearly when Anael stomped away from Lucifer she didn’t stop until she’d returned to Earth. She left Heaven again and went back to what she was doing when Lucifer found her: using her powers to heal people. Which is another reason to consider she may choose to side against Michael since our first impression of her is using her powers for good. Sure, she uses them for good for selfish reasons, but not only does that give her insight into humanity, it also gives her arc a place to evolve from.

Oh, she excites me! 

Especially the way she could become that bridge between michael!dean and Heaven and michael!dean and Cas and all the ways that michael!dean, Heaven and Cas may come to affect one another throughout the season. I just read a brief commentary and spec by @thedogsled (thanks for the tag, my lovely, I’ll write thoughts down asap) and I haven’t read the article in question because I’m staying away from building expectation as much as possible until the premiere, but that said it feels very satisfying that Heaven may come under serious attack. I just cannot wait to see where everyone’s allegiance will end up and how it will all unfold. 

Of course all of this is me making a hen out of a feather. Anael may stay quietly underused and the plot they’ve chosen to build, and all the characters they have in play, may make her uses quite obsolete! It’s just me tossing things out there because GAH! I’m addicted to all these amazing possibilities! :P

And again, the idea of Anael as Michael, I would not mind seeing Danneel take that on, but dude, I wan’t Christian back!! :P

xx

[mattzerella-sticks]

Turning Tricks (Dean/Cas Coda to 13x20 “Unfinished Business”) (Ao3)

Gabriel said it would be awhile before his grace was back at full power - he didn't realize how boring it would be waiting in the stuffy old man hideout the Winchesters call home. With nothing to do, he decides to focus on a few people he knows would make for good entertainment. That is, if he can get them to really talk to each other.Coda to 13x20 "Unfinished Business"

           Gabriel shuffles down the corridor, hunched over and near tears. He breaks into the library, where Rowena and Sam sit across from each other. The younger Winchester looks up, startled at how weak the smaller man looks. Pale, sweaty, and struggling to stay on his feet. His eyes roll back, and he sways ever closer to the floor. Sam jumps to action, startling the redheaded witch from her deep concentration.

           “Gabriel!” He says, lunging towards the archangel, catching him, “What happened? Are you okay?”

           “Sam… I don’t think I’m gonna make it,” Gabe mutters, clinging to him. Sam drags him towards his seat, placing him on it. He crouches, keeping eye-level with him.

           “Tell me what’s wrong,” Sam says, “C’mon… is it your grace? Something from Asmodeus… Loki…? Please, tell me.”

           “I’m… I’m…”

           “You’re…”

           “I’m bored!”

           Sam blinks. Gabriel smirks for a good two seconds before the younger Winchester rocks him backwards. He teeters until he finally succumbs to gravity’s force. Sam stands over him, glaring.

           “What?” Gabriel whines, “This is serious, Sam!”

           “Not that serious, Gabe!” Sam yells, “If you were bored you could have told us without all these… theatrics. Not cool.”

           Gabriel pulls himself back up, rubbing his head. “Geez, I’m sorry you don’t have a sense of humor.”

           “You should know better, dearie,” Rowena starts, “I mean, these are the Winchesters we’re talkin’ about. They wouldn’t know a good joke if it slapped them in the face.” She looks up, wincing, “A wee bit serious for my tastes.”

           “I knew I liked you,” Gabriel smiles. He turns to Sam, “So… what are you going to do?”

           “Me?” Sam splutters, “Nothing. Maybe if you had asked nicer I would have given you my…” he pauses, thinking his words over, “Dean’s laptop to look up… whatever. But now you’re on your own.”

           “Aw come on!”

           “No, you sit there and think about what you’ve done,” Sam says, gathering his books up, “If you apologize, maybe I’ll help. Remember what you said: tricks are for kids. So stop acting like one.” He exits, stomping all the way back towards his room. Gabriel rolls his eyes, righting the chair and sitting.

           He jiggles his leg. He slaps his hands on the table and starts beating out a rhythm. He makes all sorts of faces and sounds – each one more annoying, until finally Rowena was forced to look up.

           “I’m not playing with you either, dearie,” Rowena says, “I’m nobody’s mother anymore… and certainly not looking to start with you.”

           “Don’t you have anything for me to do?” he asks, leaning forward until his chin rests on the table, “Anything I can help with?”

           “You’re on bed rest until you’re back to full power, birdie,” she smirks, reaching for her nearby cup of tea, “Be lucky. What I wouldn’t kill to just lounge and let myself be pampered by these fine boys.”

           “Pampering, pfft,” Gabriel mutters, “More like babying. And they wonder why I’m acting like this…” He sits back up, huffing, arms crossed across his chest. “I don’t like this – the not… not doing anything. Even when I was running from my responsibilities, I still knew how to keep… active.” His eyebrow wiggle sends Rowena’s eyes rolling.

��          “Well unfortunately for you, you won’t be getting that here,” she tells him, “I have standards, and as for the brothers… well, for Sam you have a wee more down there than what he’s used to, and I do mean wee.”

           Gabriel smirks, “If you saw what kind of blade I was packing, you wouldn’t think I was so wee –“

           “And to Dean, you’re missing a few key features as well,” she starts listing, “Like blue eyes… stubble… a voice like sin and an adorable trench coat.”

           He huffs, “They still haven’t gotten over their little dance, have they? It’s like – how many times do you have to die and come back before anything happens between the two of ‘em?”

           “I know what you mean,” Rowena says, “I figured that since the last time I cheated death at least something could have happened, but alas… these boys aren’t as developed or cultured as say…”

           Gabriel gestures between them, “An archangel and a witch.”

           “Exactly.”

           Gabriel looks to the side, pieces of a puzzle starting to click together in his mind. He chews at his lip, starting up another drum solo on the wood. He gets past the first few notes before Rowena slams the demon tablet onto the table.

           “Are you really going to start that up again?”

           He raises his brow, “That depends…” he leans forward, “What are you willing to give me to get me out of your hair?”

           “I’m in no mood to make deals, birdie,” she says, “I’m not my son… I can handle whatever you got.”

           “Oh really,” Gabriel grins wolfishly, “Because let me tell you… when you’re on the run for centuries, all you have time to do is be annoying.” It’s another beat before Rowena sighs, backing down from the challenge.

           “Alright,” she says, “What do you want?”

           “Thank you, and trust me when I say you’ll benefit from this, too,” he starts, leaning forward once more, “Now… I want your help with a spell…”

           Gabriel waited behind the archway, watching as his entertainment set itself in motion. Cas squinted at the slip of paper in his hand as he made his way into the main area. Dean was already waiting: crumbling and flattening out the note every few seconds. He clears his throat, getting the other angel’s attention away from the message.

           “Dean,” he starts, “What would you like to discuss?”

           The older Winchester raises a brow, “Come again?”

           “Your note,” Castiel waves the paper, “Did you not have something you wanted to tell me?”

           “I thought you wanted to tell me somethin’,” Dean says, waving his own slip, “That’s what it says on my note.”

           Castiel tilts his head (‘Some things never change’), “So if you didn’t… and I clearly…”

           “Someone tricked us,” Dean finishes for him, standing, “And I have a good idea who.”

           ‘Now or never,’ Gabriel thinks, squeezing the hex bag in hand. He pops out from his hiding spot and tosses it, where it lands between the two men. “Impetu Veritas!” he shouts, a cloud of smoke encompassing the others from the bag. It clears up, Dean and Cas coughing away the excess still stuck in their lungs.

           The purple in their eyes fade back into their regular color not too soon after. Gabriel gets a close look at Dean’s vibrant green ones as he shoves him against the wall.

           “What did you do?” he asks, Cas just as angry, right behind his shoulder.

           “Just having fun,” Gabriel smirks, “Why? Are you uncomfortable?”

           “Uncomfortable?” Dean splutters, face reddening, “I’m more than that! I’m scared because I don’t know what you just did – and you didn’t just get me involved in your stupid prank, but Cas! I’m also curious why you’re targeting the two of us to begin with.” He stops, eyes widening. Cas is looking at him, softly, in a concerned way. The older Winchester drops Gabriel, stepping back. “I didn’t… why did I…?”

           “Gabriel,” Cas tags himself into the fray, hand on Dean’s bicep, “What did you do to us?”

           He shrugs, “Helping, I think? I’m bored… so I thought I might stir some things to the surface the only way I know how!” Gabriel cuts between them, taking Dean’s seat. He props his feet on the table and leans back, waiting for the others to say something. One eye opens up, “What? Archangel got your tongue?”

           “We’re unsure how to respond,” Cas says, “On one hand, I want to verbally eviscerate you, but on the other am afraid I might say something I wish I didn’t.”

           “But isn’t that the problem,” Gabriel says, “Not saying what we should?” He points to Dean, “I mean this one, so emotionally stunted getting him to admit something would be like pulling teeth,” he shifts, “And you! Mister Made of Steel! Would it kill you to cut the martyr act and be the least bit vulnerable?”

           “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dean grits out, stomping towards him, “I can talk about feelings.” Gabriel can tell the spell is affecting him, forcing the next words out, “I just don’t like talking about them because if I do, then I’m powerless. People know how much I care; they use it against me or try to stop me from doing stupid things. It gets in the way – dammit!”

           “But feelings have power, Dean-o,” Gabriel mocks, “Didn’t you watch any cartoons growing up? The power of love and friendship will always overcome any obstacle.”

           “Life isn’t like a cartoon, Gabriel,” Cas interjects, “We should know – we were animated for a brief amount of time,” he adds, “We met Scooby-Doo.”

           “That’s besides the point Cas,” Dean turns to him, “Why aren’t you as angry?”

           “I’m sorry if you think my reactions aren’t to your standards,” Cas forces out, “But I am trying to not let this have too much power over me.”

           “Do you think I’m weak, huh?” Dean asks, pouting, “Is that what that means? That I’m useless because I’m letting a little spell give me verbal diarrhea – ugh! Why won’t I shut up?”

           “I think you’re the strongest person I know, Dean,” Cas says smoothly, obviously of his own volition, “I would never believe you to be anything but. It’s like I said before… there are things I would not want to admit… and am thinking very carefully of everything I say.”

           “Well you’re looking at the King of Impulse Decisions, Cas,” Dean grumbles, “Not everyone can be as cool and collected as you.”

           Gabriel chimes in, “Or as hot.”

           “Are you kidding,” Dean scoffs, “No one’s as hot as Cas – that’s a fact.” He clamps a hand over his mouth, cheeks darkening at the admission. Cas tilts his head at the hunter. Gabe watches them, grinning.

           “But he’s not just hot is he, Dean?” he prods, changing positions so as to lean forward, “That’s just superficial.”

           “Of course I think more of him than that,” Dean starts, unable to stop himself, “Cas is my best friend. He’s the person I see by my side for the rest of my life besides Sammy. He’s funny, sweet, kind, smart… there are too many things I can say but I really don’t want to because I never wanted these words to be spoken aloud.”

           Gabriel shows no mercy, “Why not?”

           “Because I didn’t want to scare him off,” Dean admits lowly, not meeting anyone’s eyes, “If I said something… he might not look at me the same… and I’d rather have him here as a friend than risk losing him again.”

           Dean doesn’t say anything more, and Gabriel finds no reason to make him spill any more beans than he already has. To him, everything is falling into place. And by the look on Cas’s face, the light shining in his eyes different from any type of grace Gabriel has seen, tells him all he needs.

           “Cas,” he says, breaking the spell of silence around the room, “Do you wanna kiss him?”

           “Every day,” Cas admits, shocking the hunter. Their eyes lock, and Gabriel enjoys the sparks flying between them. “When he stumbles into the kitchen in the morning looking for coffee, every time he complains about having to research,” he takes a step closer, “Before he goes to bed, to wish him the best of dreams. To soothe him, to comfort him, to take care of him – all the time I wish to kiss him… to kiss you and make you feel better. To do more.” Cas stops, inches away from Dean. His hands cradle the other man’s face, “Even now, there is nothing I want to do more than kiss you, Dean.”

           Dean swallows, “Then… what’s stopping you.”

           Cas gives him his most honest answer, “I don’t know,” he smiles, “I don’t think I ever did.”

           Nothing stops him now. Gabriel watches his brother plant a tender kiss to the hunter’s lips. Then, he keeps looking as the hunter transitions into something a bit sloppier. As hands travel and trail their way down clothing and slip under them.

           Gabriel stands, grinning proudly. He knocks on the wood, “My work here is done, no thanks needed. I’ll just be on my –“

           Dean sticks a finger out, pulling away from Cas’s lips for a brief second. Cas doesn’t stop, trailing kisses down Dean’s neck, “This… isn’t over. When we’re done here… and when the – yeah, right there, Cas, keep sucking – the spell wears off, we’re comin’ for ya – aaaah!” He refocuses on his angel, allowing Gabriel to slip out of the room and back into the corridors.

           “Like they’ll be angry after they do it,” he chuckles to himself, “If Dean can even walk after…”

           Distracted, he doesn’t see Sam until he barrels into him.

           “Gabriel,” Sam sighs, “You should really watch where you’re going.”

           “Sorry I didn’t see your tree-like body, Gigantor,” Gabriel says, picking himself back up, dusting off his backside.

           “Anyway,” Sam says, “Have you seen Dean? I needed to show him something.”

           Gabe smirks, “Yeah, just left him in the main room with Cas. I’m sure they’d both be happy to see what you have.”

           “…Okay?” Sam frowns, wary at the archangel’s wide smile. Deciding it’s better to keep his mouth shut, he sidesteps the other man and continues towards where the other two are.

           Gabriel waits, hand cupped to his ear. It’s not long before he hears what he wants.

           “Dean! Cas! What the – we use that!”