#sastiel:fanfic

[bestiesandagents]

Not a Hallmark Movie

Sam Winchester is a big shot lawyer in New York City whose life is made until his high school crush shows up at Christmas time to derail everything.

Dean Winchester is a mechanic in Lawrence, Kansas, but his holiday plans take an unexpected turn when the CEO of his company needs a place to stay.

Today’s chapter follows Sam, tomorrow’s will follow Dean, and then on Christmas I’ll post their Christmas celebration.

Word Count: 4661

Sam watched from his office window as Christmas lights lit up the city below. His boss had said he could get a Christmas tree for his office, but he’d declined. He didn’t need another reminder that he couldn’t be with his family on Christmas.

“What are you thinking about?” Ruby asked, her arms wrapping around his shoulders from where she stood behind his chair.

He forced a smile as he placed a hand over hers. “How much work I have to do,” he sighed.

“Well, that’s what you get for being so important to the firm.”

He made a noncommittal noise. This particular law firm had never been his end goal. It had been a good, starting position when he had gotten out of law school, but in his opinion, the firm more emphasis on making money than helping people, and that had never been what he wanted. But then he had met Ruby. She was the owner’s daughter, and Sam highly suspected that his relationship with her was one of the reasons he had been promoted. And now he was stuck. He was working for his girlfriend’s father, and if he ever left, his relationship would be ruined. But he was making good money and was certainly more successful that most people were at his age, so he supposed he shouldn’t complain.

The door opened and his secretary stepped inside. “Sir, your four o’clock is here.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Karen. Send him in.” He turned to Ruby as Karen stepped out. “Guess that’s my cue to get back to work.”

“Fine.” She leaned down, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips. “Don’t let daddy work you too late.”

“Yeah,” he scoffed. “Because I have control over that.”

She gave him another kissed, then made her way out of the office.

As the door was closing behind her, someone else caught it, and Sam looked up to see that his four o’clock was immediately familiar. Castiel. His stomach did a backflip, he was pretty sure his heart was trying to beat out of his chest, and he had no idea what his face was doing. He hadn’t seen the guy since high school. How did he still have this effect on him?

“Castiel,” he said in surprise.

Recognition lit his eyes and he smiled. “Sam.”

He chuckled lightly at his surprised tone. “You didn’t know it was me?”

“I called into the firm to make an appointment,” Castiel explained. “They didn’t tell me who I would be meeting with. If I had known you worked here, I would have requested you, of course.”

“Well, I’m glad they put you with me. How’ve you been? Are you… living in New York now?” he asked, hope creeping into his voice.

“No. Just visiting family.”

He felt his heart sink slightly, irrationally. “Right. I guess that’s why I had the name Chuck down on my schedule.” He sank back down into his chair. He needed to remember that Castiel was here for business, it wasn’t an opportunity for him to catch up with his high school crush. Not that he needed that, anyway. He was perfectly happy with Ruby.

Castiel nodded as he walked forward to take a seat across from him. “That’s my father. I made him an appointment, but something came up.”

Sam frowned. “What’s going on?”

“My brother is stealing from him, and as my father gets older and his health declines, I know Lucifer is going to take even more advantage of him than he already is. I knew things had been bad for a while, but I didn’t realize how bad until I came for the holidays.”

“Do you have evidence?” he asked, picking up a pen and beginning to scribble away on his note pad.

Castiel explained the situation to him as he took notes. By the end, he was sure of three things: One, Castiel was right about what was going on. Two, it would be a very difficult case to win. Three, the case wouldn’t make the firm that much money, unless he vastly overcharged Castiel, which he refused to do.

Sam stared down at his desk. He wanted nothing more than to help him. This was exactly the kind of thing that he had wanted to do when he became a lawyer – help people in tough situations – and not to mention, Castiel was, or had been, his friend. But he knew what his boss would say if he even suggested taking the case. There was no real money in it and success wasn’t a guarantee. They would look at him like he was insane.

“Cas…” he began hesitantly. “I-I would love to help you out here, I really would. But… it’s just not the kind of thing our firm handles.”

Castiel nodded, looking down. “Of course. I understand.” He offered him a small smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “Thank you for your time, Sam.”

He rose to his feet, and Sam followed his lead, reaching out to shake his hand. “It was really good to see you again,” he said fervently.

“You too.” He started to turn to go, but then he glanced back at him. “You know, your office could really use a Christmas tree. I feel it would suit you more.”

He laughed. “Why? Because I’m so Christmassy?”

He shook his head. “It just feels cold in here, and you’re a very warm person. You brighten every room you enter, much like a Christmas tree.”

Sam could feel his cheeks heating up and he really hoped he wasn’t as red as he felt like he was.

“Have a Merry Christmas, Sam,” Castiel continued as he turned away and started walking for the door.

“Cas, wait,” he found himself saying before the thoughts had fully formed in his mind. He didn’t know what he was doing, he just knew that he couldn’t bear to send Castiel away to deal with his situation on his own, he couldn’t bear to watch him walk away period. “I could take your case pro bono.”

Castiel’s eyes were wide as he turned back to him, shaking his head. “I could never ask you to do that.”

“You’re not. I’m offering.”

“Are you sure?” he checked.

He nodded, a smile spreading over his face. “I’m sure.” This was the most like himself that he’d felt since he’d moved to New York.

Castiel returned his smile. “Thank you, Sam.”

The next day Sam and Castiel met up over his lunch break to discuss the case.

“You really don’t have to pay for my food,” Sam insisted after Castiel instructed the waiter to bring him the check.

“You’re helping my family. It is the least I can do.”

He sighed but relented as the waiter set the check down on the table and Castiel snatched it up before Sam could do anything about it.

Once the check was paid, they bundled up, and Castiel fell into step beside Sam as he walked back to his office.

“So, what have you been up to since high school?” Sam asked.

“I’ve done a few different things,” he said with a shrug. “But I’ve been working with Dean for about a year now – as a clerk, not a mechanic. You know how I am with cars.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I remember when Dean tried to teach you.”

“I am never allowed to touch his car again.”

He swayed with his laughter, brushing against Castiel. “I didn’t realize the shop had gotten big enough to hire a clerk,” he said once he sobered up.

Castiel frowned at him, his steps slowing. “You do know what happened, don’t you?”

Sam came to a stop, turning to face him. “What do you mean?”

“Dean had to sell the shop. Crossroads owns it now – it’s part of their auto shop chain.”

“Wha…? He never said….” He shook his head. His and Dean’s father had started the auto shop when they had been kids, and they had done a fair share of helping out there when they were growing up. After their dad had passed away, Dean had immediately stepped up to take over the shop; it was all he had ever wanted to do, after all. He couldn’t believe that had been taken away from him. And Sam was familiar with Crossroads – they owned pretty much half of Kansas, at this point, dabbling in just about everything. Their CEO was a real piece of work, from his understanding. “If he needed money, he could have called.”

“You know Dean,” Castiel sighed. “He never wants to ask for help.”

“I know, but… he never even told me.”

“Well, to be fair, the two of you did sort of drift apart since high school. I mean, when was the last time you went to see him?”

He looked away. Too long, he knew that. But he’d felt bad enough leaving Dean in the first place, seeing him just made everything harder.

“Sam! There you are!” Ruby came darting out of the office building in front of them. “Where have you been?” Her gaze slid to Castiel. “Who’s this?”

“Oh, this is Castiel – he’s a friend from back home,” Sam explained, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. He had always kept his old life from Kansas and his current life in New York very separate from each other. It was weird to be experiencing both at the same time. “He’s in town for the holidays, so we were just grabbing lunch together. Cas, this is my girlfriend, Ruby.”

Was he just imagining it, or was that disappointment that flickered in Castiel’s eyes? It was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. “A pleasure to meet you,” he said with a small smile. “You have a really great guy here.”

“Yes, I do,” Ruby gushed. “I bet you can’t believe how far he’s made it since high school.”

“Ruby, stop,” Sam muttered.

“Oh, come on, Sam, be proud of your achievements! You’re impressive.”

“Right…” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “So, you were looking for me?”

“Yes. My father’s invited us over for dinner tonight. I thought, you know, if there was anything you were wanting to talk to him about, it would be a good opportunity.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Ruby had been dropping not-so-subtle hints like this for months. At least it had made Christmas shopping easy – he had bought her a ring just a couple weeks ago. “Sounds great.”

“Good.” She pulled him into a kiss. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“She seems… interesting,” Castiel said once she had walked away.

Sam chuckled. “Yeah, she can be a little much sometimes. She’s really great, though.”

“I am glad you are happy,” he said, but there was something in his expression that Sam couldn’t quite put a name to. “You seem to have made quite a life for yourself here.”

“Yeah, I guess I have.” His expression faded slightly. “But maybe I should’ve kept in better touch with my old life. Maybe if I’d talked to Dean more, I could’ve helped him.”

“And maybe if I had kept in better touch with my family, things wouldn’t have gotten as bad as they are,” Castiel pointed out. “Everyone makes mistakes, Sam. You can’t beat yourself up over it.”

“At least you can do something about it, though. It’s too late to save the shop.”

“You can still call Dean. I know he would love to hear from you.”

Sam looked skeptical. “I’m not so sure about that…”

“He’s not mad at you for moving away,” Castiel assured him. “He just misses you.”

He looked down, his guilt weighing on him. “I should get back to work. I’ll be in touch about your case.”

He sighed and nodded. “I’ll look forward to your call.”

Sam and Castiel kept in pretty consistent contact over the next week, and Sam knew that he was putting more time into his case than he devoted to his paying clients, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. Even on Christmas Eve, after he had finished up the rest of his work and was ready to leave the office, he found himself pulling Castiel’s file over to tie up a few things before he left for the day.

“I thought you decided not to put up a Christmas tree,” Ruby commented as she entered the office, looking at the tree Sam that had put up shortly after Castiel’s first visit.

Sam shrugged, only looking up briefly from the file. “Thought it made the place look warmer.”

She turned back to him, pouting slightly. “You haven’t forgotten about dinner, have you?”

He almost laughed at that. How could he forget? He had had an engagement ring burning a hole in his pocket all day and his stomach was twisted into a thousand knots. But it was normal to be nervous before proposing. And these were just normal nerves, right?

“Of course not.” He smiled up at her. “I’m just finishing this up real fast.”

She walked around behind the desk, perching on the edge of it, and glanced down. “Castiel? Isn’t that the name of your friend? I didn’t know he was a client.”

“He’s, uh, not exactly. At least, not through the firm. I’m just helping him out.”

She stared down at him. “You’re giving away free legal services? Aren’t you better than that?”

He looked up at her, his expression incredulous. “Better than helping people who need it?”

She sighed exasperatedly as she hopped of the desk. “Look, Sam, I know you have a heart of gold, and I love that about you, really. But when someone’s as good as you are, you should be making money off of everything.”

He shook his head. “I’m not in this for the money, Ruby. I never have been. And if you don’t know that about me-”

“I know, I know, you want to help people – whatever. But you work to profit. When you start giving people hand-outs, they’ll start expecting it.”

“I have plenty of money-”

“But you could have more. And you can’t just think about yourself anymore, Sam. You have to think about our future. Okay, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but daddy’s going to retire eventually, and someone’s going to have to run this company. He wants it to be you. But if he knows you’re giving free legal advice, he’ll change his mind – the firm has an image to maintain, after all.”

He stared at her. His boss wanted him to take over the company…. But it was one thing following policies that he disagreed with, there was no way he’d be able to live with himself if he enforced those policies. And here was Ruby looking at him so expectantly. This was the future she had always imagined for herself, he realized – married to someone who made enough money to support her and who didn’t care whose toes they had to step on to do that. But that wasn’t him. How had it taken him so long to realize that?

“Ruby…” he said slowly as he rose to his feet. “I don’t want to run this company.”

Disbelief colored her expression. “But… think about how much money-”

“I don’t care about money! All I want to do is help people, and if that means I’m poor, then that’s fine by me.”

“But you can be so much more,” she insisted.

“I don’t know what you think more is, but whatever it is, I don’t want to be it.” He shook his head. “Is that all you see when you look at me? Someone with the potential to be successful and give you everything you want?”

“Sam, you’re being ridiculous.”

“No, I don’t think I am. I think I’m seeing things clearly for the first time in a while.” He grabbed Castiel’s file off his desk and started towards the door. “Goodbye, Ruby.”

“Might I remind you that that’s my house you’re living in?” Her voice was raising, going shrilly with anger.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find someplace else to stay.” He didn’t look back as he walked out the door, walking quickly through the halls and stairwells until he walked out the front door, taking a deep breath of fresh air, the reality of what had had just done hitting him.

He was heartbroken – he had thought that he had a future with Ruby, that what they had was real – but he also felt almost�� free. For years now, his career and his girlfriend had been so closely tied together that they locked each other in place. But now… he could do whatever he wanted. It was an odd sensation, but not entirely unpleasant.

His phone began to ring and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Hello?” he answered, his voice slightly gruffer than usual.

“Hello, Sam,” Castiel’s voice greeted him. “I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas Eve.”

He managed a small smile at that. “Thanks,” he muttered. “You too.”

There was a pause. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you at your office? I can come by.”

“I don’t want to pull you away from your family…”

“We’ve already wrapped everything up. I’m not far, I’ll be there in five minutes.”

He sighed. “Thanks, Cas.”

“I just thought things were different with her, you know,” Sam said a half hour later. He and Castiel were seated at a coffee shop, mugs of hot coffee in their hands. “But maybe I’m not meant to be with anyone.”

“You can’t really think that,” Castiel protested.

“Well, I mean, it’s not like I’ve had the best luck.” He shook his head with a sigh. “Everyone who ends up interested in me only wants something from me.”

“That’s not true,” he said firmly.

“Oh, yeah?” he challenged. “Name one person who ever actually liked me for me. And you better not say Becky,” he added quickly.

“No, not Becky,” he muttered, his gaze sliding down to his mug. “But there have been… others.”

“Who?” he pressed.

Castiel took a drink of coffee at the same time that he spoke, so it ended up sounding more like a garbled hum than an actual name.

“What was that?” Sam asked.

He set his mug down on the table, staring at it intently as though it was about to do something important. “Me,” he finally said, and Sam realized that the blush on his cheeks wasn’t just from the cold.

He stared at him in disbelief, unable to quite comprehend what Castiel had said. “Y-You?” he stammered.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be inappropriate, but you asked and-”

“When?” he demanded, cursing himself for missing his shot. Because no matter what, they had definitely liked each other at the same time. He had liked Castiel pretty much from the moment he had met him, and the more time he spent with him now, the more he realized he had never quite gotten over him.

Castiel continued to stare down at his coffee, but he didn’t answer.

“Cas…” he began hesitantly, afraid to hope. “You don’t… I mean, do you still…?”

“I should go.” He stood up from the table, but Sam shot up, grabbing hold of his arm.

“Please don’t. I…” But what could he say? He had been suppressing his feelings for him for so long, he wasn’t entirely sure what they were anymore. He knew that he had once loved him, but then Ruby had come along. Besides, Castiel hadn’t said anything about loving him, so even if he did still feel that way, now wasn’t the time to drop that bomb. So instead he did the only other logical thing he could think of, and he kissed him.

Castiel went still for a moment before he returned the pressure of his lips, hesitantly at first, and then with more insistency. By the time they broke apart, they were both a little breathless.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “You, uh… you want to go somewhere more private to talk?”

He nodded, a light in his eyes that Sam was sure hadn’t been there before. “I think that’d be good.”

“Great. I just… let me go to the bathroom, then we can leave.”

“Alright.”

Sam couldn’t decide if he wanted to take his time or move as quickly as possible. On the one hand, he had just kissed Castiel, and he felt that he needed to take a minute to process that, but on the other hand, he wanted to get back out there to him. Now.

In the end, he had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself and then he walked back out to see Castiel standing beside the door, Sam’s coat draped over his left arm and staring down at something he held in his right hand.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

Castiel looked up, but that joyous light was no longer in his eyes; instead, he looked sad. He held out the thing in his right hand – it was the ring box that held Ruby’s engagement ring. “This fell out of your pocket when I picked up your coat.” He took a deep breath as he looked up at him. “Sam, I care about you a great deal, but clearly things were more serious between you and Ruby than I thought, and I have no desire to be a rebound.”

“You’re not-”

“I’m sorry, Sam, but I really do need to go.” He shoved the coat and ring box into Sam’s hands, then he fled from the building.

Sam tried to catch him, but he was already speeding away in a cab before Sam could do more than walk outside. He had a moment of blind panic, wondering what he was supposed to do now, but he knew the answer to that – he had already given up one chance with Castiel, he was not about to give up another.

He hammered on the door insistently until it was opened by Castiel’s father. “You’re not a Christmas caroler.”

“No,” Sam said, breathless. “I’m a friend of Castiel’s. Is he here?”

Chuck frowned. “He left over an hour ago. He’s flying back to Lawrence tonight.”

“What? What time is his flight?”

“Um…” He checked his watch. “In about half an hour.”

Unable to care about being rude, Sam spun around and ran off the front porch. The airport was about half an hour away from where he was, but maybe…

He was too rushed to even check the time as he ran up to the counter. “The flight for Lawrence, Kansas,” he gasped out. “Has it left, yet?”

The attendant looked at him in surprise before turning to her screen. “Yes, I’m sorry. Two minutes ago.”

Sam’s heart sank for just a moment, then determination stole over him once again. “When’s the next flight?”

She paused to look something up. “Tomorrow. Six A.M.”

He nodded resolutely. “I’d like to buy a ticket.”

He didn’t have anywhere else to go, so he slept in the airport. He couldn’t believe he was going back to Lawrence. He’d gone back for a week or so after he’d graduated from Stanford, but then he had moved to New York. Sure, he’d talked to his brother on the phone a few times – less and less as the years went by – but he hadn’t been back to his hometown to see him since he’d moved.

Of course, as soon as he stepped out into the Lawrence airport, he realized his problem – he had no idea where Castiel lived. He could call Dean, but… he so rarely spoke to him, and he felt bad calling on Christmas morning to ask where Castiel lived and adding, ��Oh, I’m in town by the way – here to see your best friend, when I haven’t come to see you in years. I’ll probably stop by, though, if you aren’t busy.’

He sighed as he pulled out his phone, calling the person he always called when he needed someone tracked down off the record.

“What the hell are you doing working on Christmas?” Charlie demanded the second she picked up the phone.

Sam laughed. “Sorry to bug you, Charlie. I just need you to track someone down for me really fast.”

“Aw, and I didn’t get you anything. What’s the name?”

“Castiel Novak.”

She paused. “Why? What’s he involved with?” she asked worriedly.

He frowned. “Do you know him?”

“He’s a friend. And my friends come before my work. So, if he’s in trouble-”

“He’s not. I… I’m not working. This is personal.”

“Personal how, Mr. Sam No-Last-Name?”

Sam rolled his eyes. When he had started working with Charlie, he’d been very careful not to reveal too much to her. The work she did wasn’t exactly legal, so he did not need his name tied to her, just in case. “I screwed up, and I just need to talk to him.”

“Wait a second… are you…? Oh, you are, aren’t you?”

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I’m what?” he asked hesitantly.

“You’re Dean’s little brother, aren’t you?”

Well, so much for that. He should have figured when she said that she knew Castiel. “Look, could you give me Cas’s address, please? I really need to talk to him.”

“Oh, definitely! Let me just pull it up. So, are you coming to Dean’s Christmas party tonight?”

“Um, I… maybe,” he said uncomfortably. Dean was throwing a Christmas party?

“You better make that a yes, mister,” she said sternly. “Alright, I got the address.”

Sam took a deep breath before he knocked on the front door of Castiel’s apartment. This had been so much easier when he had been rushing the night before. Now that he’d had all night and morning to think about what he was doing, he was nervous as hell.

The door opened and Castiel’s eyes grew wide in surprise as he saw who was standing on the other side. “Sam. What are you doing here?”

“I needed to talk to you. Look, you need to know that you’re not a rebound. I would never do that to you. I’ve been falling in love with you since the moment I met you, but I always thought you just thought of me as Dean’s little brother, so I pushed it down. It was easier after I moved away to convince myself that I was over you. Hell, I was so determined to move on that I didn’t even realize I don’t actually love the woman I was planning to propose to. I just thought it was what I was supposed to do. Settle down, get married, put you in my past because that was the only way I’d be happy. But then you came into my life again and I remembered what it was like to be in love, and I didn’t feel that with Ruby. I’ve only ever felt it with you.” The words had just come spilling out of him in a flood, and now he was breathing heavily, as though he had just run a mile. “So… yeah. That’s it, I guess.”

Castiel’s expression was amazed. “You came all the way to Lawrence just to tell me that?” he asked slowly.

He shrugged. “What else was I supposed to do?”

A brilliant smile was spreading over his face, seemingly despite himself. “I have a phone, you know.”

He shook his head. “That wasn’t good enough.”

“Well…” He took a step back. “Would you like to come in? I’m afraid I don’t have any food, as I’ve been out of town, but Gabriel did send me home with some Christmas cookies.”

Sam smiled. “That sounds great.”

“Good.”

“Oh, and Sam?” he added as he shut the door behind him.

“Yeah?” he asked, looking back at him.

“I love you, too.”

Sam couldn’t help himself. He grabbed Castiel by the shirt and pulled him into a kiss.

[bestiesandagents]

Trick-or-Treat

Halloween Prompt: Sorry my over-sugared child just puked on your front step. The good news is, you’re our last house of the night. And hey, do you have a towel?

Rating: Gen Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Characters: Sam Winchester, Castiel, Jack Word Count: 849

It was getting late, and Sam figured that most of the trick-or-treaters had already come through. He was just debating turning off his porch light when the doorbell rang.

He grinned as he picked up the candy bowl and opened the door to see a young boy with some chocolate smeared on the side of his mouth. “Trick-or-” he broke off as he abruptly doubled over, vomiting onto the step.

Sam’s eyes went wide as he looked around, at a momentary loss as to what to do. That was when he noticed the man running up his drive, his trench coat flapping behind him. “Jack!” He slowed as he reached the front steps, his hand coming up to rest on the boy’s back. “Are you alright?”

Jack nodded, though his face was still pinched.

“I am so sorry,” the man said, his shockingly blue eyes moving up to rest on Sam. “It is his first Halloween, and I tried to get him to slow down with the candy, but-”

Sam raised a hand to stop him. “Don’t worry about it. Is there anything I can do?”

“If you have a towel, that would be greatly appreciated.”

“Sure, I’ll just-”

“Could I have some water?” Jack interrupted.

“Sure. Do – um – do you two want to come in?” Sam offered, trying not to think about the fact that he was inviting one of the most attractive men that he had laid eyes on into his house. The guy had a son. Flirting was off the table.

“You are very kind,” the man said, and Sam stepped aside to allow him to enter the house, Jack following behind him.

He set the candy bowl down and led them into the kitchen, where he passed them a towel and then got a glass of water and handed it to Jack.

“Thank you,” Jack said politely.

“You’re welcome.” His gaze shifted to the father, who was wiping the vomit from Jack’s face. “I’m Sam, by the way.”

“Castiel,” the man replied, giving Sam a small smile. “It is very nice to meet you, Sam.”

He tried not to read too much into that. “Yeah, um, you too. So, Jack, this is your first year trick-or-treating?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “He never let me before.” There was something in his voice when he said ‘he’ that made Sam think that he wasn’t talking about Castiel.

He frowned slightly, but he knew it wasn’t his place to ask. “I see.”

Jack glanced around. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Down the hall, first door on your right.”

He nodded, setting his glass down on the counter before walking down the hall to the bathroom.

“He was talking about his biological father,” Castiel supplied as soon as the door was shut behind him. “My brother.”

Sam blinked at him in surprise. “Oh. I… you don’t have to explain.”

“You seemed confused. I did not want you to think the fear in his voice was caused by me.”

He smiled slightly. “I didn’t think that. You don’t strike me as… I mean, you seem…” There were quite a few words that he could use to describe how Castiel seemed, but instead he just chuckled nervously. “It’s really good of you to take him in.”

“I wish I had done so sooner,” he sighed. “But I had been away for the first part of his life. I only met him a little over a year ago. He had heard about me from his mother before she passed – we had been friends, at one point – and the day that he met me, he asked if I could be his father, instead.”

Sam’s eyes grew wide, vaguely wondering what Jack’s home life must have been like. “Wow.”

Castiel nodded. “It has taken a lot of adjusting. I often doubt that I am a very good father, but he seems to be happy.”

“I can tell you love him, and just… showing him that goes a long way.”

“Yes, I suppose it does,” he agreed with a smile.

“So… do you have anyone helping you raise him?” Sam found himself asking before he could think better of it. As soon as the words left his mouth, though; he was silently berating himself. What was he doing? The guy clearly had enough going on in his life, he didn’t need to be hit on by some guy while he was out trick-or-treating with new son.

Castiel, however, did not seem to be bothered by the question. “No. It is just me.”

“Oh,” he said lamely.

“And what about you, Sam? Do you have anyone?”

“N-no,” Sam stammered out in surprise, his cheeks heating up. “No, I – no.”

“Well, I admit that it is difficult to date while raising a kid, but I have been assured that it is possible. Once I figure out the secret to it, would you like to get dinner with me sometime?”

Sam’s face lit up. “I would love to.”

He had never been the biggest fan of Halloween, but suddenly, it was shaping up to become his favorite day of the year.

[bestiesandagents]

"I may have eaten all the sweets, but I left you some." Prompt for Sastiel... for reasons

Sweet

Word count: 610

Sam hated Halloween. His opinions on many things may have changed over the years, but that was one thing that hadn’t. Why celebrate the world that he spent every day of his life fighting? That just wasn’t his idea of a good time.

Dean had a different opinion. But in his case, it wasn’t so much that he loved the holiday itself, as it was an excuse to eat loads of candy.

Sam had rolled his eyes at his brother when he’d returned from the store with three large bags of candy, but his demeanor changed when Castiel walked into the room, his eyes going wide at the large pile.

“Don’t even think about it,” Dean warned, pointing a stern finger at the angel the moment he saw the look on his face. “This is mine.”

When Sam saw the disappointed look on Castiel’s face, he decided that maybe he could participate in Dean’s favorite part of the holiday. So, later that day, he went to the store to buy three more bags of candy for himself and Castiel.

“Hey, Cas, I got us something,” Sam declared as he walked into the room they shared.

“What is it?” The angel perked up curiously, pausing the show he was watching on Netflix.

He walked over to the bed and overturned the Walmart bag, letting the bags of candy spill out.

Castiel’s eyes lit up. “But you never buy candy.”

Sam shrugged. “It’s Halloween.”

He smiled up at him wryly. “Are you trying to placate me, so I’ll leave?”

He frowned slightly. “What?”

“Originally, people would put out food on Halloween to placate spirits, demons, and other creatures that are not human - I believe that is where today’s tradition of giving out candy comes from.”

“I see,” Sam said thoughtfully as a smile spread over his face. “Well, I think that while people were trying to placate demons to leave, the same offerings could be used to entice angels to stay.”

“Ah.” Castiel nodded solemnly. “But you see, Sam, I do not have to be enticed to stay.”

“Well, then, I guess there’s no need for this candy.” He smirked as he reached out for the bags. “I suppose I’ll just have to give it all to Dean.”

Castiel’s hand shot out, pulling the candy in closer to him. “That being said, enticing is always nice.”

Sam chuckled. “Good.” He sighed. “Well, Dean caught me on my way in, said he found us a case. It’s not too far - should be pretty simple. So, we should be back tomorrow.”

He nodded. “Alright. Would you mind if I start in on the candy?”

“Not at all.”

But when Sam got back the next day, he found that Castiel had done far more than ‘start in on the candy.’ The trashcan was overflowing with candy wrappers, and there were more covering the table next to the bed. If he were to guess, there were about three bags worth of candy wrappers in all.

Castiel looked up at him sheepishly. “I may have eaten all the sweets, but I left you some.” He held out his hand, presenting to Sam a Reese’s, a Kit Kat, and a Snickers - clearly all that was left of the three bags.

Sam chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he walked toward the bed. “It’s a good thing angels can’t get sick,” he muttered.

Castiel looked down, ashamed, but when Sam reached the bed, he ignored the candy. Instead, he reached out to place his hand beneath Castiel’s chin, lifting his face to kiss him. “Mmm,” he hummed as he pulled away, smiling at his angel. “Sweet.”

[bestiesandagents]

Fic Recs

Drowley

Last Night on Earth Author: hunenka Rating: E Warnings: None Ships: Drowley Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 2770 Summary: Missing scene from 12x23 All Along the Watchtower. While everyone waits for Lucifer to show up, Dean and Crowley sneak off to spend some time alone. Notes: This is so well written, and the characterization is spot-on. The only downside is the feels of knowing what comes next.

Sweet & Savoury Author: Hekate1308 Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Drowley Chapters: 11/11 Word Count: 22299 Summary: Chef Dean Winchester might or might not have been watching Chef Fergus Crowley's hit show The Snarky Chef in secret. And he definitely didn't have a crush on the guy - Crowley was way too big a jerk for that. Still, when he got the opportunity to meet him in another show, he was intrigued. Notes: You know, I’ve never really been big into AUs, but I love Hekate1308′s work.

Sastiel

Soul Healing Author: Zetal (Rodinia) Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Parts: 2/2 Word Count: 2,831 Summary: Anonymous Prompt from Tumblr in response to "I wish you would write a fic where...""...where the last thing Sam wants to do after multiple non-consensual and dubiously-consensual possessions is let something else inside his body to use as a meatsuit... until Castiel appears with injured Grace, reluctantly admitting that without Jimmy's soul helping bolster his Grace to heal himself, he's very likely to "bleed out" and die unless he can possess a soulled vessel. Dean's not able to take his turn housing an angel, but there's nothing Sam wouldn't do for Cas... if the angel agrees." Notes: I love everything about this. Sam dealing with his issues with possession, and recognizing that Castiel is different.

Love Is The Best Medicine Author: Zetal (Rodinia) Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 1,479 Summary: Castiel's been dealing with pain, but eventually, he can't do it anymore.  Sam helps him out, and it leads to a nice talk. Notes: Have I ever mentioned that I love wing grooming? Because I love wing grooming.

[bestiesandagents]

Fic Recs

Drowley

Crowley gives Dean a shoulder rub Author: braezenkitty Rating: T Warnings: None Ships: Drowley Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 437 Summary: Original title, I know... couldn't think of anything better. This was written for the tumblr prompt: Shoulder rubs with Dean/Crowley Notes: A very cute story. I love Crowley supporting Dean in any way, and should rubs definitely fall into that category.

Another Today Author: Hekate1308 Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Drowley Chapters: 11/11 Word Count: 22,284 Summary: Crowley had long known that their Supreme Lucifer would eventually try to kill him. What he hadn't foreseen was a familiar saving his life. Notes: A lovely AU where Dean is an actual squirrel.

Sastiel

Drama's the Best Pizza Topping Author: Yifera Rating: T Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Chapters: 10/? Word Count: 28,428 Summary: In which Sam opens the door and Castiel is the pizzaman... But instead of porn there’s just drama. Notes: I don’t generally read many multi-chapter sastiel fics, and I especially don’t when they’re AUs. But I stumbled across some fanart for this fic, and then, of course, I just had to read it. I’m really enjoying it so far - I love Castiel’s relationship with his coworkers, and I just want to give Sam a big hug and never let go - but I’ll let Cas do that for me.

Something You Wanna Say Author: LadyShadowphyre Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 1,037 Summary: Sam has come to expect a browser history full of porn whenever Dean borrows his laptop. This time, though, the adult content links to something he wasn't expecting at all. Notes: Because you gotta love Dean shipping sastiel.

[bestiesandagents]

Fic Recs

Drowley

Love and Blood Author: Hekate1308 Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Drowley Parts: 2/2 Word Count: 3,507 Summary: His husband would never forgive him for getting blood on the carpet. It was Dean who had insisted on the thing (Crowley had from the first thought it was hideous) and now he’d dropped a body on it. It was the fool’s own damn fault. He should have known there’d be a knife coming. How dared he break in and try to kill him as if he was a run-of-the-mill minion anyway? There was a reason they’d called him the King of Hell, once. Notes: Definitely one of my favorite AUs - I love how much Crowley is so in love with Dean. Also, I love mafia stuff, so that just makes this even more awesome.

For Better, For Worse Author: Hekate1308 Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Drowley Chapters: 12/12 Word Count: 24,837 Summary: Fergus Crowley’s life had been much easier before he’d learned he had a teenage son. Now, after the death of his mother, Gavin was living with him - and as morose and uncooperative as could be. At least he could forget about his troubles for a few hours with the handsome brother of his favourite lawyer… Notes: I’ve always wanted to see Dean being a dad to Gavin, and this fic does it wonderfully!

Sastiel

Ancient Cultivars Author: wingstocarryon (hollyrowan) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: past possession, good old panic trope, Dissociation, BDSM, undernegotiated bdsm, consensual non verbal negotiation, Bondage, Painplay, Blood Ships: Sastiel Chapters: 3/? Word Count: 7063 Summary: Cas is crying for the first time, and Sam is not sure he wants to be there. Notes: I was always disappointed in the fact that the show didn’t show Castiel’s struggles after being possessed by Lucifer and that it never showed him and Sam bonding over it - this fic does an excellent job of doing both those things.

[bestiesandagents]

Romance

I got requests for a sequel to Third Time’s the Charm detailing Dean and Crowley’s version of events. So naturally, there’s drowley.

Rating: Gen Warnings: None Ships: Drowley, Sastiel Characters: Crowley, Dean Winchester Word Count: 601 Summary: Dean has asked Crowley to do many things over the years, but this has got to be one of the oddest. But no one could say it wasn't entertaining, and he got to spend some quality time with Dean, so he wasn't complaining.

Crowley couldn’t believe his ears. He blinked stared at the phone as though it just had to be defective before bringing it back to his ear. “You need me to do what?”

“I need you to make a trail of rose petals from the front of the bunker to the nearest coffee shop,” Dean repeated.

Okay, so he had heard him correctly. And the words didn’t make any more sense the second time around. “Are you under some kind of spell?”

“What? No.”

Crowley wasn’t sure he believed that. “Where’s your brother?”

“Right in front of me, giving me an award-winning bitch face for calling you.”

Now, that sounded believable. “Could you put him on?”

“Nope, he’ll just hang up the phone. Look, he’s trying to ask out Cas, and traditional methods aren’t working out – we need drastic measures here.”

Crowley laughed as he was finally able to make sense of what Dean was asking of him. But flower petals all the way to a coffee shop? Really? “That’s beyond drastic, squirrel.”

“Will you help, or not?”

He smiled. “I’m in.”

So, a couple hours later the petals had been laid, Sam was in place, and Dean and Crowley were parked in a back corner of the parking lot, where they would hopefully go unnoticed by the lovebirds.

“It’s funny,” Crowley commented after a few seconds of watching Sam shifting his weight nervously. “The moose has faced down countless monsters, yet now he looks like he’s about to fall apart.”

Dean shrugged. “Hey, romance is different – ganking monsters is easy in comparison.”

His gaze shifted to Dean thoughtfully. “I suppose you have a point,” he admitted before turning back to observe the younger Winchester. “How much do you want to bet he chickens out?”

“He won’t chicken out,” he protested confidently.

“Fifty?” he offered with a raised eyebrow.

Dean grinned. “You’re on. And when Sam doesn’t chicken out, I’ll bet another fifty that Cas says yes.”

Crowley chuckled. “Not taking you up on that one. I worked with Cassie long enough to know that he’s been carrying a torch for Samantha for some time.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “How about that instead of answering, Cas just kisses him – he’s more of a doer, really.”

He shrugged. “Could go either way, so sure, why not?”

They only had to wait a few more minutes, then Castiel pulled up and got out of his truck.

“Ha!” Dean exclaimed when Sam handed the angel the bouquet of flowers.

“Ah, well. I’m just glad I didn’t do all that work for nothing,” Crowley said as he handed him a fifty.

They watched as the two of them talked, relying on Sam’s expressions to gauge how the conversation was going – he blushed, his expression fell slightly, and then he smiled.

“I think he just said yes,” Crowley guessed as he held out his hand for his money back. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Castiel took Sam’s hand and they walked into the coffee shop together.

Dean sighed as he slapped the fifty back into Crowley’s hand reluctantly.

Crowley chuckled as he slipped the bill back into his pocket. “Well, it’s been fun. Did you want to go get a drink, or something?”

“Nah, I think I’ll just head home.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re just as bad as Castiel,” he sighed before teleporting back to his place.

It took Dean approximately thirty seconds to work out what Crowley had said and type out a text. Crowley smirked as he opened up the message to read two words, ‘Join me?’ Perhaps romance wasn’t so hard, after all.

[bestiesandagents]

Demonstration

Rating: Teen Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Characters: Sam Winchester, Castiel Word Count: 488 Summary: ‘HOW TO USE If you really don’t know how, then we suggest you find someone you really like and invite them into the shower with you to demonstrate.’ Castiel decides to follow the directions on his new body wash, which leads him to inviting Sam to join him in the shower.

Inspired by this post.

Castiel frowned at the label of the body wash he had bought, ‘HOW TO USE If you really don’t know how, then we suggest you find someone you really like and invite them into the shower with you to demonstrate.’

What peculiar directions. Was this body wash truly so complicated to use that they could not possibly explain how on the bottle? Could the proper technique only be learned through demonstration?

After a few seconds’ thought, he wrapped a towel around his waist, and body wash still in hand, left the bathroom to walk down the hall to Sam’s room. He figured that Sam would be the best choice to help him with this – for whatever reason, the idea of showering with him was much more appealing than showering with Dean.

He knocked twice on the bedroom door, and then it was opened by Sam. “Uh… Cas!” His eyes widened slightly as he took in his appearance. He cleared his throat as he focused his attention on a spot over the angel’s shoulder. “What’s going on?”

“I need your help,” Castiel said simply.

“Okay… with what?”

He held up the body wash. “Could you join me in the shower and demonstrate how to use this?”

Sam turned approximately as red as the flannel shirt he was wearing. “Wh-what?” he stammered, blinking rapidly.

Castiel frowned slightly. “Could you demonstrate how to use this body wash…? Are you okay, Sam?”

“Yeah, I-I’m fine.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck nervously. “Uh… is this some kind of pick-up – did Dean tell you to ask this?”

“No…. I am merely following the directions.” He held the bottle out to Sam, so that he could read the instructions printed on the label.

Sam’s eyes flickered over the words briefly, then he laughed. “Uh, Cas…” He looked back up at him with a small, tentative smile. “This isn’t serious. It’s… meant to be sexual.”

“Oh…” Now Castiel understood why Sam looked so embarrassed; he was starting to feel that way, too. “I see. I’m sorry if my request was inappropriate.” He looked down and started to turn away, feeling oddly disappointed at the turn of events.

“Don’t worry about it. Um… can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” He looked up slightly without quite looking at him.

“Why did you come to me? Why not Dean?”

Castiel had the sinking suspicion that his cheeks were starting to match Sam’s. “I suppose I found the idea of showering with you appealing….” he admitted softly.

“Oh…” Sam’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. “Um, well, if you still want a demonstration… I’d be willing.”

He looked at him in surprise. “Really?”

He smiled nervously. “Yeah – if you want.”

Castiel nodded slowly, his eyes roaming over Sam’s body. “I think I would like that very much,” he said decidedly.

Sam beamed and grabbed the body wash from Castiel’s hand. “Let’s go, then.”

[bestiesandagents]

Fic Recs

Drowley

Whiskey and Fire Author: waywardtayakf Rating: E Warnings: None Ships: Drowley Chapters: 3/3 Word Count: 2,630 Summary:  With the mark of Cain taking over, Dean has found refuge in Crowley. The two, new, friends have formed a tight bond that is quickly becoming tighter. During a check-in, Dean finds Crowley a little more interesting than usual. Where could this interest take him? Jonesing for a fight or something else? Notes: While I do generally prefer bottom!Dean, this is very well done. I really enjoyed the set up as Dean sorted through what was happening between them.

The one where Crowley wonders how the Winchesters are still alive Author: HikariYumi Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Drowley Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 1,636 Summary:  Hunting is dangerous and that's why the Winchesters get hurt sometimes. This time it's Dean and he's not dealing with it the way Crowley thinks he should be. So the king of hell takes care of that himself. Notes: This is so cute. I love caring and protective Crowley.

Sastiel

Atmospheric Pressure Author: Aedemiel         Rating: T Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence Ships: Sastiel, Drowley (focus is on sastiel) Chapters: 1/? Word Count: 6,161 Summary:  Rowena's attack dog spell has other unintended consequences that lead Sam and Cas to re-evaluate their friendship. Afterwards a bread and butter ghost hunt turns nasty and the Winchesters have a mystery to solve... Notes: This fic is off to a great start. The sastiel is amazing, of course, but in addition to that, the hunt is being done so well. I can’t wait to see where the author goes with it! (Also am very curious as to how drowley will come into play.)

Magic Dolphins Bearing Gifts Author: Cuda (Scylla) Rating: E Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Chapters: 2/2 Word Count: 6,213 Summary:  Everything about this hunt is unconventional, from the monster of the week to the thank-you-for-not-shanking-me gift he foists on Sam. Unsure of what to do with it - but absolutely, one hundred percent sure Dean Must Never Find Out About This, Sam asks for help. Just a little too vaguely. Written for the 50 Toys in 50 Days Challenge. Notes: This was very enjoyable and entertaining. Hot and funny all rolled into one.

[bestiesandagents]

Midnight Prayers

Rating: Gen Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Characters: Sam Winchester, Castiel Word Count: 1137 Summary: Sam knew that he could never have Castiel, but that didn't stop him from thinking about the angel he loved in the still of the night. He never thought about the power behind those thoughts, though, and what might happen if he really concentrated on them.

@dreamsfromthebunker here’s the fic you voted for.

Most of the time, hunting was a distraction. It was a good way for Sam to forget about the hell he had been through – both the figurative and the literal – and focus instead on saving lives. It didn’t always work out that way, though.

Of course, he never regretted going on a hunt – as long as he was able to save at least one person’s life, it was worth it. But hunting wasn’t always the distraction Sam needed it to be. Sometimes it was just the opposite – a hunt would spark something in him, making him think about some aspect of his life and compare it to what he was facing. Those were the hunts that took the greatest tole on him. And it was one of those hunts that he had just come back from.

There hadn’t been anything that made it a particularly tough case – on the contrary, it had been fairly cut and dry. What had gotten to Sam was the couple he had saved. He had been the one who ended up staying behind to protect them while Dean had run down a lead, so he had ended up getting to know them fairly well. And it hadn’t taken Sam long to see the similarities between himself and the girl, Logan. She had been dating her boyfriend, Steve, for a few months, and the near-death situation that they had survived prompted her, as it often did to people, to be completely honest with him.

“If we get out of this…” Logan took a deep breath. “You deserve better than me.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Well, you know I think you deserve better than me.”

“No. Stop that. I’m not saying it as in, ‘you’re so great, you can surely do better,’ I mean you are such a better person than I am!”

He frowned, shaking his head. “That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. I… I haven’t told you a lot about my past because I was scared that if you saw the kind of person I really was, you wouldn’t want to be with me anymore. But that’s not fair to you. You deserve to be with someone as good as you are.”

It had been painful for Sam to watch, not just because of the pain that the young couple was clearly feeling, but because everything Logan said were thoughts that Sam had had about himself and Castiel. The difference was, Logan and Steve managed to work everything out, but Sam knew it was pointless to even try with Castiel.

From the moment he met the angel, Sam had been awestruck. Some part of him had already begun to fall for him, but he hadn’t realized what was happening until he had fallen for him completely and it was too late to go back. He couldn’t believe his stupidity – he had fallen for an angel. He – the boy with the demon blood – the last person on the planet that an angel could ever love.

Of course, things had changed between him and Castiel over the years. Now, he supposed Castiel did love him in his own way, but he knew that he would still never be loved in the same way he loved him. So, he had to carry on pretending with his best friend, could never admit the words that wanted to burst forth from his lips – Castiel, I love you. And I know I’m not worthy of even that, let alone of receiving your love in return. But I can’t help it. I can’t not love you. And maybe I’ll go to Hell for that, but I’ve made my peace with it. It’s okay, because I had you in my life. And I can never tell you any of this because, if I did, I would lose you – and I don’t think I could handle that.

He laid back on his bed with a sigh. It was for the best, really. Having Castiel as a friend was better than nothing.

He was just starting to doze off when there was a knock at his door.

“Yeah?” he called, pushing himself up to a sitting position.

“Sam?” Castiel inquired softly as he pushed the door open and stepped inside. “Did I wake you?”

“No, you’re good. What’s up, Cas?”

“I…” His gaze shifted around hesitantly. “I am not certain that you meant to, but you prayed to me.”

Sam blinked in surprise. Prayed to him? When had he…? Oh. He could feel the blood rushing up to his cheeks. “Wh-what did you hear?”

Castiel walked slowly over and took a seat on the edge of the bed. “Sam,” he spoke his name firmly and deliberately as he looked him in the eyes. “You should never think that you are not worthy of my love.”

If Sam wasn’t red before, he was definitely red now. “Uh, Cas – I, uh…”

“Had I known of your feelings for me,” he continued. “I would have told you much sooner, but I was always certain that you saw me only as a friend. However, the truth is that I love you, too.”

His jaw dropped. “Cas, you… you surely don’t…”

“I do, Sam. There is no one stronger, or braver, or more inspiring than you. How could anyone be expected to not fall in love with you?”

“But… I’m not,” Sam sighed. “You know how much I’ve messed up in the past.”

“Yes, and how spectacularly you have come back from those mistakes. You never give up, Sam, no matter how much the odds are stacked against you. You have beaten circumstances that no one should be able to survive, and you have come out all the stronger for it. You inspire me every day, and I only wish that I could be as good of a person as you are.”

“Cas, you are. You’re better than me.”

Castiel shook his head. “You have saved the world, Sam. And what have I done?”

“I wouldn’t have been able to do any of what I did without you.”

He gave him a small smile. “In that case… maybe we should be together.”

Sam returned the smile hesitantly. “You mean that?” he checked.

“Of course.”

His eyes flickered down to Castiel’s lips, and in a surge of bravery, he leaned in for a kiss. Castiel kissed him back without hesitation, his arms coming up to rest on Sam’s waist.

Sam would never be able to believe that he was worthy of Castiel, but perhaps one day he would stop questioning it. One day he would be able to accept the angel’s love for him and enjoy it for what it was. And sure, it would take some time to get there, but he was guaranteed to enjoy the journey, so long as he had Castiel by his side.

[bestiesandagents]

Third Time’s the Charm

Rating: Gen Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Characters: Sam Winchester, Castiel, Dean Winchester Word Count: 981 Summary: Sam doesn't know what to think. Is Castiel really this oblivious, or is he trying to let him down gently? Because surely after asking him out two times, the angel should be able to get the hint. Sam's ready to give up before facing rejection a third time, but Dean convinces him to give it one more shot, because maybe the third time's the charm.

“Hey, Cas,” Sam called as he entered the room, catching the angel just as he was about to leave the bunker.

“Yes, Sam?” he asked as he turned to face him.

“Uh…” He chuckled nervously as he rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. “I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go see the new Avengers movie with me tonight?”

Castiel smiled softly. “I appreciate the invitation, but as I have not seen the previous movies, I feel that I would be rather lost.”

“Oh… right.” Sam tried not to let his disappointment show on his face as he nodded.

“Dean has asked me to run to the store. Is there anything you would like me to get for you?”

“No, thanks. I’m good.”

He nodded as he turned to leave. “Enjoy the movie.”

Sam sighed as the door shut behind him. That could’ve gone better. He turned around and froze as he saw his brother standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face that said he had heard everything that had just happened. Sam glared at the wall and waited for the teasing to start.

“Did you just try to ask Cas out on a date?” Dean asked after a couple seconds, laughter in his voice.

“Shut up, Dean,” he muttered without looking at him.

“Oh, come on, I think it’s cute. You can go on nerdy dates together.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Well, in case you didn’t notice, he turned me down.”

“I don’t think he knew it was a date,” he pointed out.

“This is the second time I’ve asked him out, and he had an excuse last time, too – I think I should just take a hint.”

Dean frowned thoughtfully. “What was his excuse last time?”

“An old angel friend was on Earth, and he wanted to catch up.”

“Woah, there are actually angels out there he’s still friendly with?”

“Not very many, but… well, at least the one.”

“Huh. Still, a valid reason. And did he say anything to indicate that he knew you were asking him on a date?”

Sam shrugged. “No, and that’s why I tried again. But it’s happened twice now, so maybe I should just give up.”

“Or maybe third time’s the charm,” Dean suggested with a grin.

“Dean, I’m tired of being shot down.”

“So, just try once more. And make it obvious what you’re asking.”

“How?” He arched an eyebrow at his brother, crossing his arms over his chest.

Dean’s face split into a smile. “Oh, I have a plan.”

Sam wasn’t sure why he had actually gone and followed Dean’s advice, but here he was, all dressed up and standing at the end of a trail of rose petals that led from the front of the bunker all the way into town to in front of the closest coffee shop (much to Sam’s dismay, Dean had recruited Crowley’s help in obtaining and placing the hundreds of rose petals). Dean was going to make himself scarce when Castiel got back to the bunker, so he would have no one to discuss the strange appearance of rose petals with, which would surely prompt him to follow the trail himself. It was a pointlessly elaborate plan, in Sam’s opinion, but Dean had been insistent; so, he had allowed his brother to drop him off in front of the coffee shop to wait nervously for Castiel.

The waiting was definitely the worst part of this plan. It didn’t even take a whole minute before Sam was regretting agreeing to it. This was just going to be horribly embarrassing when Castiel turned him down yet again. Why was he putting himself through this?

He wasn’t sure how long exactly he had been standing there with every bad thing that could happen running through his head, when he saw Castiel’s truck pull into the parking lot. His stomach twisted into a knot. Crap, this was it. He was about to make about as big of a fool out of himself as it was possible to make.

“Sam?” Castiel asked curiously as he got out of his truck and approached him. “What’s going on?”

Sam cleared his throat, offering the bouquet of flowers he was holding to Castiel. “These are for you.”

A smile worked its way onto his face as he accepted the flowers. “Thank you, Sam, they are beautiful. I am still confused, though. I thought you were going to see that movie.”

“I, um…” He took a deep breath. “Cas, I was hoping you would join me – on a date.”

Castiel blinked in surprise. “A date? Is that what you meant by the movie? And that concert a couple of weeks ago? You wanted to go on a date with me?”

“Yeah,” Sam admitted, feeling his cheeks heating up.

“Sam, I’m sorry, I had no idea that was your intention.”

“It’s okay, Cas,” he muttered, fully aware that Castiel still hadn’t said yes to the date and realizing that likely meant that no yes was coming. “And it’s okay if you don’t want to,” he added quickly. “This whole thing was Dean’s idea – he thought I should try one more time and go all out. But we can just-”

“Sam,” Castiel interrupted. “I would be honored to go on a date with you.”

Sam stared at him in surprise. “You would?” he asked once he found his voice, the corners of his lips curving up into a hopeful smile.

“Of course. I am sorry I gave you the impression that I wasn’t interested, because I most definitely am.”

His smile grew wider at the words. “I’m glad.”

“Shall we go inside?” He motioned towards the door of the coffee shop.

“Yeah,” Sam nodded.

Castiel smiled as he reached out and took hold of his hand, and Sam led him inside for their first date – finally.

[bestiesandagents]

Fic Recs

Sorry for the lack of recs - I think I’m going to change it to monthly rather than weekly, because that’s more manageable. Anyway, here’s June’s recs.

Drowley 

I’m Not Your Saviour Author: TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsG Rating: E Warnings: Major Character Death, Torture Ships: Drowley, Crowley/Lilith Chapters: 2/? Word Count: 2276 Summary: Crowley watches. He has time, after all. Notes: I am loving this so far and I’m very intrigued by where this fic is going.

I Guess This is Goodbye Author: VivatRex Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Drowley Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 813 Summary: Why did he care so goddamn much? Why was he even here now? Why wasn’t he hiding under a rock somewhere, waiting for the world to end, like last time? He’d turned tail the second they’d spotted Death in Chicago. He certainly hadn’t stuck around for the prize fight between Lucifer and Michael. But this time... This time, he was right in the thick of it with them. Why? Dean realized he was standing there, just staring at Crowley. Crap. He needed to say something, here. [Written because I personally think it's bullshit that Dean didn't say goodbye to Crowley before he went off to suicide bomb Amara.] Notes: This is a very sweet one shot that fixes the end of 11x23.

It’s Time for Something New Author: Yonkyu Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Drowley Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 500 Summary: Demon Dean surprises Crowley at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Notes: Short and sweet; it’s always good to see Crowley getting love.

Sastiel

Carterhaugh Author: story_monger Rating: G Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Chapters: 3/3 Word Count: 30,694 Summary: When Sam leaves his dad and brother, he expects to spend a few weeks working his way across the country to California and the full ride to Stanford that waits for him. He's not expecting to stumble into a strange place called Carterhaugh County, and he's not expecting to accidentally trap himself there with a man named Castiel, who as it turns out, isn't a human at all. Notes: This is such a unique and well fleshed out AU.

Misconceptions Author: liane1787 Rating: T Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 4,221 Summary: Fill for this prompt: Castiel is sent back in time by the angels to assassinate Sam to stop him becoming the Boy King/Lucifer's vessel. He lands back when Sam is a teenager greatly weakened from the time travelling. He lands right at Sam's feet, fully expecting the abomination to kill him, but to his surprise Sam does his very best to hide the 'angel' and nurse it back to health. Notes: This is such an awesome concept and is written wonderfully.

The Game is On Author: posingasme Rating: T Warnings: None Ships: Sastiel Chapters: 8/8 Word Count: 11,106 Summary: What happens at the MoL Bunker when five friends decide to take a weekend off from getting attacked by evil? Clearly it's time for some Dungeons & Dragons at the Bat Cave. And it's also time for Sam and Cas to admit they both ship Sastiel. Notes: This has got to be one of my favorite sastiel fics, and not just because of how perfectly the ship is written, but because Sam, Dean, Cas, Kevin, and Charlie playing D&D is something that I never knew I needed.

[bestiesandagents]

A Happy Ending

Rating: Teen Warnings: None Ships: slight Drowley, slight Sastiel (both are hinted at, but nothing happens) Characters: Dean Winchester, Crowley, Sam Winchester, Castiel, Mary Winchester, Jack Word Count: 1897 Summary: Post 12x23 - Dean can’t believe how much he just lost all at once, but when he meets Jack, he starts wondering if the spawn of Satan isn’t so bad, after all.

They had done it. They had locked the devil in the alternate universe. They had won…. But it didn’t feel like it. Dean didn’t feel victorious. Crowley and Castiel were dead and his mom was trapped in that other world with Lucifer… she was probably dead now, too.

Dean stood over Castiel’s dead vessel, feeling completely lost. Part of him knew that he’d have to give him a hunter's funeral, and he resented the fact that he couldn’t do the same for his mom, and even Crowley. But most of him couldn’t focus on that, he was still trying to wrap his mind around everything he had just lost.

“Come on, Chuck,” he muttered. “You’ve brought him back before, do it again. Haven’t we lost enough?”

Nothing. Not that he was surprised. That was just the way his life went.

“Dean!” He didn’t know how long he had been standing there before he heard Sam's slightly panicked voice behind him. He turned around and saw his brother coming out of the house with a creepy looking kid – not baby, kid – with glowing gold eyes.

“Sam,” he managed to get out, his voice broken.

Before either of the brothers could do anything, the kid stepped forward, raising his arm out in front of him. The best Dean could tell, he was pointing at him, and he was about to jump out of the way until he heard movement behind him. He whirled around to see that Castiel was on his feet, and standing beside him was Crowley.

Dean drew in a sharp intake of breath, and then flung an arm around each of their necks, pulling them both into a hug. It took Castiel a couple seconds to return it, but Crowley's arm continued to hang at his side.

“Squirrel… what’s happening?” he asked cautiously. “I’m supposed to be dead.”

Dean gave them a squeeze before pulling away. “I-”

“Jack,” Castiel interrupted, his gaze somewhere behind Dean.

“Castiel,” a child-like voice replied, and Dean turned around to see the boy looking at Castiel thoughtfully. Behind him, Sam was staring at Castiel with a fiercely hopeful expression, and it looked as though he was forcibly restraining himself from running forward.

“Cas…” Sam spoke, his voice choked. “Is it really you?”

Dean glanced back at Castiel, who smiled slightly and nodded. “Yes, Sam, it is.”

Sam's eyes flicked briefly to Jack, but then he ran forward, throwing his arms around Castiel, who returned the hug happily.

“Would anyone care to tell me what the bloody hell is going on? Crowley demanded.

“Things are better with you alive,” Jack said simply, taking a few steps closer to everyone as Sam and Castiel broke apart.

“Wait… you brought them back?” Dean clarified.

“Yes,” he answered in a voice that said it should have been obvious.

Huh. Maybe Lucifer's son wasn’t so bad, after all.

“Thank you, Jack,” Castiel said softly.

“Uh,” Sam cleared his throat. “I’m really glad you brought them back, but… why didn’t you bring back your mom?”

Jack looked down. “I tried. I couldn't.”

“You're not all-powerful,” Castiel explained. “And your mother's death was… supernatural in origin. It is not your fault you could not save her.”

“But it is my fault she’s dead.”

“No,” Sam said firmly. “She made her choice, and she chose your life over hers. You can’t blame yourself for something you had no control over. You can only honor her memory.”

Jack looked up at him, his expression unreadable. “So, because I saved your friends, you now believe me capable if that? Of being good?”

Sam hesitated, clearly uneasy. Dean guessed that, just like him, he was wondering how the kid knew that they had thought he likely wouldn’t be one of the good guys. “I think it’s looking that way,” Sam said in a voice forced calm. “And I know Cas trusts you.”

“Yes,” Castiel confirmed, his gaze distant. “There was once another boy Heaven told me was destined to be evil and destroy the world.” He turned to Sam with a warm smile. “But then he saved the world, instead.”

A shy smile spread over Sam’s face, and Dean rolled his eyes. “Get a room, you two,” he muttered, then turned to Jack. “Hey, since you’re supposedly one of the good guys, and you have that connection to the alternate universe, could you get our mom back from there?”

Castiel’s gaze snapped to him. “Mary is trapped there?”

“It’s apparently difficult to keep up with current events when you’re dead,” Crowley noted.

“Yeah, she’s trapped,” Dean muttered distractedly, before directing his attention back to Jack. “Can you get her out?”

“Without letting your father lose,” Crowley added.

Jack frowned slightly. “I can try.” He paused for a moment in deep concentration, and then Mary was standing between them.

“Mom!” Sam and Dean both ran forward to hug her. A small gasp escaped her as she wrapped her arms around her sons, her eyes shut as she focused on the feel of them in her arms. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and looked around, her eyes widening as they landed on Castiel.

“Castiel, get in here,” she demanded, and he smiled softly as he walked forward to join the hug.

“Well, look at that, a happy ending for everyone,” Crowley muttered.

Dean looked back at him to see that he was looking off over the lake, pouting slightly. “If you want in here, get in here.”

Crowley looked at him with his eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

Dean extended an arm out to him, just to show him how serious he was. “Hey, you’re part of Team Free Will, you can either join the group hug, or pretend you’re above such things.”

He looked as though he was going to refuse, but then he sighed and, feigning reluctance, stepped into Dean's outstretched arm, wrapping one arm around him, and the other around Sam.

“Thank you, Jack,” Sam said fervently when they eventually broke apart.

“Yeah, thanks,” Dean agreed.

“So… this is the son?” Mary asked, playing catch-up. “How long was I-”

“Just a few minutes,” Dean said.

“We knew all along that Jack would not be a normal baby,” Castiel pointed out. “This is not altogether surprising.”

“I am right here,” Jack said.

“Sorry.”

“So, what now?” Mary asked, looking at her sons.

“Go home,” Dean answered immediately. “I’m done for the day.”

“What about…?” Her eyes flickered over to Jack.

“I will go with Castiel, wherever he goes,” Jack answered, walking over to stand by Castiel’s side.

Castiel smiled at him. “I am pleased to hear that. My plan had been to stay here.”

“Not happening,” Dean said firmly. “Just because the rift is closed, it doesn’t guarantee Lucifer won’t find a way to open it, and he doesn’t need to come out exactly where you two are. Besides, you’ve been gone for long enough.”

“Dean’s right,” Sam agreed. “You should come home. We miss you.”

Castiel looked between the two of them, his expression thoughtful. “Do you still wish to remove Jack's grace?” he finally asked, resting a hand on Jack's shoulder.

Dean looked to Sam with a raised eyebrow, and his brother hesitated before he sighed. “I don’t know, Cas. There’s too much at play here. Jack, I want to trust you, but I’ve trusted the wrong people before.”

“I know,” Jack said, his voice and expression unreadable.

“Sam,” Castiel said gently. “He is just a child. No child is born good or evil. And so far, he has used his grace for good. Don’t you think he deserves a chance, at the very least?”

Sam glanced to Dean, who shrugged and said, “He did bring Mom, Cas, and Crowley back.”

Sam nodded. “We'll give him a chance.”

“Thank you,” Castiel said fervently, while Jack gave a small smile. “Then, Jack, if it is okay with you, we can go to Sam and Dean's bunker.”

Jack nodded. “I trust them, even if they are unwilling to trust me.”

“How do you know so much about us?” Dean demanded, the unnerved feeling at how familiar the boy seemed with them becoming too much.

Jack blinked in surprise. “Through my mother’s interactions with you. Also, Castiel talked about you a lot.”

“Wait… so, you were learning while in the womb?” Sam asked, his eyes wide.

He nodded. “That’s not normal?”

“I mean, there've been studies to show that babies can learn to recognize voices in the womb, but that’s about it.”

“But those babies are actually babies when they are born,” Crowley pointed out.

“Also true,” Dean agreed. “So, that’s settles, let’s head out.”

“Jack and I will follow you in my truck,” Castiel said.

Dean nodded and turned to Crowley. “Crowley, what are you doing?”

The demon raised his eyebrows slightly. “I have business to attend to concerning the gates of Hell.”

“Aw, come on, man, you just died. You deserve at least a bit of a break.”

His eyebrows drew together slightly. “And you would suggest…?”

“Come back to the bunker, have a drink. Celebrate our win.”

He thought about it for a second. “You just want me to supply the alcohol.”

Dean grinned. “Hey, we have alcohol, but nothing you’ll drink. So, if you want the higher quality shit, that’s on you.”

He gave a small smirk. “I think I can manage that…. Shotgun.”

Dean was about to refuse, but then he thought better of it. “Mom, you ok sitting in the back with Sam?” he asked, turning to her.

Her eyebrows shot up. “Um, sure, I don’t mind,” she answered hesitantly, looking at Sam, who shrugged.

Dean turned back to Crowley, whose surprise was twice that of Mary's. “Ok, you’ve earned it.”

“So, dying for you morons is what it takes to get some respect?”

Dean looked a little sheepish, but just said, “You want shotgun, or not?”

“I said I want it.”

“Then, come on.” He and Sam led the way around to the front of the house, where the vehicles were parked. He and Crowley got into the Impala, while Sam lingered outside with Castiel, still soaking in the fact that he was alive, and Mary stayed by their sides.

“Crowley,” Dean started after he closed the door. “I appreciate the noble self-sacrifice and all that, but… never do that again, okay?” He looked over at him, some of the pain that he had felt at his death showing in his eyes.

Crowley arched an eyebrow. “Don’t like me stealing your moves?”

“I don’t like you dead.”

He smiled softly. “Knew all those threats were empty. Very well, I will do my upmost not to die. Does that set your mind at ease?”

“My mind is never at ease.” He glanced in the rearview mirror as his mom and Sam climbed into the backseat. “Let’s get the hell away from here.”

“Agreed,” Sam said as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Mary reached over to place a hand on his arm, and his lips turned up slightly at the touch.

Dean pulled out of the driveway, ready to put that house and everything that had happened there behind them. Everyone was okay, he reminded himself over and over again. Crowley was beside him, his mom was behind him, and Castiel was following him in his truck. They were all okay.

[bestiesandagents]

Surprise!

It’s Sam’s birthday, and Castiel seeks out Dean’s help to plan a surprise party for his boyfriend. But the angel has more than one surprise up his sleeve.

Word Count: 1594

Dean laid sprawled out on the couch, one leg dangling off the side and his head in Crowley’s lap, the King of Hell stroking his hair absentmindedly as they watched TV. They’d been like that for long enough that Dean knew he would have trouble moving, when he heard footsteps entering the room behind him.

“Dean,” the familiar voice spoke, clearly ignoring Crowley’s presence, as usual.

“Hey, Cas,” Dean said without moving his head to look at him. “What’s up?”

“I need to speak with you.” He walked over to stand in Dean’s line-of-sight, blocking his view of the TV.

“Shoot,” he prompted.

Castiel paused for just a second, but it was long enough for Crowley to speak up, his scowl audible in his voice. “Let me guess, you want me to leave.”

Dean turned his head to look up at his boyfriend to see that he had his customary expression on his face whenever he was being excluded from… well, pretty much everything. He looked to Castiel beseechingly, but the angel didn’t even glance at him before he spoke.

“No, you can stay. This is not anything of terrible importance as far as you are concerned.”

“Gee, thanks for being so considerate.”

Dean reached for the hand that was not currently twisted in his hair and gave it a comforting squeeze. It wasn’t much, but he could feel Crowley relax slightly beneath him. “What’s up, Cas?” he asked again.

“Sam’s birthday is tomorrow, and I think we should do something special for him. He has had a rough year, and I believe it would be good for him.”

Dean nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, sure. Did you have something in mind?”

“Perhaps a surprise party? I believe that is customary amongst humans.”

He snorted, imagining his brother’s reaction to a surprise party. “Hell, why not? Should be interesting, at the very least.”

Castiel smiled. “So, how do we go about setting up a surprise party?”

“Well, first things first – we need a guest list and lots of alcohol.”

“And to make sure the moose has no sharp objects, so he doesn’t stab anyone when they jump out and yell ‘surprise,’” Crowley added with an amused smirk.

Dean chuckled. “He’s got a point.”

“There also needs to be cake, doesn’t there?” Castiel wondered aloud.

“Traditionally. But one thing at a time. You wanting to invite others, or keep it to just us?” He motioned between Crowley, himself, and Castiel to make it clear that he was including Crowley in that statement.

Castiel’s eyes narrowed at the demon, but he otherwise seemed resigned to his presence at the party. “I figure we should invite your mom. Also, Jody, Claire, and Alex.”

Dean nodded. “Sounds good.”

“This is going to be awkward,” Crowley muttered, and it only took Dean a second to guess what exactly he was referring to.

“Jody knows we’re dating,” he assured.

“Still doubt she likes me very much.”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t have tried to kill her,” Castiel pointed out coolly.

Crowley glared at him. “Your record isn’t spotless either, feathers.”

“Okay, enough you two,” Dean snapped. They continued to glare at each other, but didn’t say anything else to egg each other on. He sighed. “Thank you. So, I’ll invite everyone – seven o’clock good?”

“Yes,” Castiel agreed, his gaze shifting back to him. “I will make a cake.”

“You’ll… Cas, can you bake?”

He frowned slightly. “I do not know. How hard can it be?”

“I’ll just… supervise, just in case you need help. Okay?”

He nodded. “Alright.”

“And Crowley, you get alcohol.”

“Gladly,” Crowley said with a small grin. “Something tells me I’ll be needing it.”

“What about food?” Castiel asked.

Dean smiled knowingly. “I’ll ask Jody to make something.”

The plans were laid, and all that was left was the execution. Dean immediately called everyone up to invite them, and they were all more than willing to come out. It was their mom’s job to keep Sam out of the bunker the day of the party while everyone else prepared. It was an easy enough feat; she merely insisted that she wanted to spend the day with him, since she had missed all of his birthdays, and he jumped at the bait. Then Castiel got to baking, and Dean sat on a stool, supervising and tasting the frosting to ensure it was good enough for his brother.

Dean chuckled as Castiel worried over the process, triple checking every step. “Aw, look at you, so gung ho to impress your boyfriend.”

Castiel scowled at him before checking the proper technique for beating the eggs a fourth time. “I simply want to ensure that the day is perfect for him,” he said as he cracked the egg over the bowl. “He deserves it.”

“Yeah, he does,” he agreed with a grin. “Good thing he has you.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“Hey, I always thought there was no one out there good enough for my brother, but you’re my brother too, and… you two are perfect for each other.”

Castiel smiled softly. “That’s really good to hear because… there is something I wanted to discuss with you.”

Dean arched an eyebrow at him. “And what’s that?”

“My birthday present for Sam.”

“Oh? What’d you get him?”

Castiel took a deep breath, which struck Dean as odd, since the angel generally didn’t need to do so. He leaned forward slightly in interest as Castiel turn to face him fully. “An engagement ring.”

Dean blinked. “You’re proposing to him?”

He nodded gravely. “With your permission.”

He huffed out a breath. “Can angels even get married?”

“Well, I don’t believe it will be legal, since there is no legal name for me to put on the marriage certificate, but what’s important is the meaning it holds to us.”

“And you honestly want to get married? I mean, do you even understand what marriage is? What it will mean to Sam?”

Castiel frowned. “You don’t want me to marry him.”

Dean sighed. “That’s not what I said. It’s just that marriage is a human thing, and I want to make sure you’re thinking about it in the same sense that Sam is, otherwise you’re both just going to get hurt.”

He nodded. “In that case, you do not need to worry. I know that I love Sam and that I want to be with him forever, through everything. I want to share every part of me with him and to know every part of him. I want to marry him.”

Dean’s face was expressionless as he got up and walked around to his best friend. “Well, then… it’ll be good to have you officially part of the family.” He smiled as he pulled Castiel into a hug.

“Thank you, Dean.”

When seven o’clock rolled around, they had all assumed their positions, and Castiel was fidgeting nervously with the ring box he held in his hands. Dean elbowed him in the ribs. “You’ve got this,” he muttered.

Castiel smiled at him gratefully, and then they heard the sound of the door opening and two pairs of footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Today was great, Mom,” Sam was saying. “Thanks.”

Castiel looked around nervously and Claire gave him an encouraging thumbs-up.

“Of course,” Mary replied, her smile audible in her voice. “I’m glad we were able to do this.”

“Me too. Dean?” He raised his voice to call as he reached the bottom of the stairs. “You home?”

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Castiel, waiting for the cue. After five seconds of silence, he nodded, and everyone jumped out of their hiding spots. “Surprise!”

As expected, Sam’s first reaction was mild alarm, but as soon as he processed the faces beaming at him, a smile spread across his face and a disbelieving laugh huffed from his lips.

Dean walked forward and clapped him on the shoulder. “Happy birthday, Sammy.”

“Dean, you…?”

“Not me,” he cut him off, shaking his head. “Your sappy boyfriend is responsible for this.”

Sam’s smile grew even wider as he turned to Castiel. “Cas…?”

“Your birth deserves to be celebrated,” Castiel said as he walked forward, holding the ring box behind his back. Claire pulled out her phone and started recording. “Also, there is something I wanted to ask you.” He got down on one knee and Sam’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “Sam Winchester, will you marry me?”

He gasped, tears welling in his eyes as he stared down in shock at the plain silver ring Castiel was offering out to him. “Y-Yes,” he finally managed to get out.

Castiel smiled and slid the ring onto his finger. “Happy birthday, Sam,” he said as he got up and pulled him into a hug.

Dean exchanged a smile with his mom, and once Sam and Castiel finally broke apart, they took turns hugging each of them.

“I’m happy for you both,” Mary said as she pulled away from Sam, trading him off to Jody as Dean traded Castiel off to Claire.

Crowley stepped up and wrapped his arm around Dean’s waist. “You okay?” he muttered low enough so that only Dean could hear.

He looked down at his boyfriend with a small grin and nodded. Yeah, it was weird to think that his little brother was getting married. Yeah, he was scared as hell about the changes that might mean. But no one could be more perfect for Sam than Castiel, and they both deserved this. Dean could adjust to the changes, and it was all completely worth it, so long as they were both happy.

[bestiesandagents]

In Too Deep / Out of the Fire

My two-part In Too Deep series is officially complete.

Part One: In Too Deep Rating: Explicit Ships: Drowley Characters: Dean Winchester, Crowley, Sam Winchester, Castiel Chapters: 6 Word Count: 13892 Summary: How would things be different if Dean met Crowley before Abandon All Hope? What if Dean got close to him before realizing what he was? Can Dean treat him like any other demon when the truth comes out? Or is he in too deep?

Part Two: Out of the Fire Rating: Mature Ships: Drowley, Sastiel, Crowstiel, Bobby/Jody Characters: Dean Winchester, Crowley, Sam Winchester, Castiel, Samuel Campbell, Bobby Singer, Jody Mills Chapters: 10 Word Count: 20019 Summary: Dean has stopped lying to himself about what he wants and his ready to settle down with Crowley. Happily ever after, right? Except that Crowley seems to be having difficulty breaking his habit of keeping secrets, and when one of those secrets involves Dean's brother... well, who can blame him for being pissed?

[bestiesandagents]

A Winchester Family Thanksgiving

So, I was going through my fanfiction folder and found this fic that I wrote for Thanksgiving, but never got around to publishing. Oops. Well, better late than never, right?

Takes place between Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox and Rock Never Dies.

With all that has changed in the Winchesters’ lives in the past year, Sam decides that they need to have a proper Thanksgiving dinner. Complete with Jody’s and Dean’s cooking and lots of pie.

There are slight allusions to Real and What I Wanted to Say, but it’s not necessary to read them first.

Word Count: 1216

Sam held his breath as he waited for a reply, staring down at the text he had just sent and wondering if it had been a mistake, if it would just make everything worse.

‘Mom, I know things are still a little weird, but it would mean a lot to us if you could join us for Thanksgiving. Only if you feel up to it.’

He fidgeted with the phone in his hands and was considering sending another text to assure her that there was no pressure to come, that they wouldn’t hold it against her, but before he could, his phone buzzed with her response.

‘There’s nowhere else I’d rather spend the holiday.’

He smiled as he read the text. Great, now he just had to convince Dean. But with their mom, Jody, Claire, and Alex all behind him, he really didn’t have much choice in the matter.

“Hey,” he greeted his brother as he walked into the kitchen, where he was digging in the fridge for something to eat.

“Hey. Got us a case?” he guessed.

“Uh, no, actually. Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving, so I was thinking we could take the day off. Celebrate.”

Dean scoffed as he turned around, sandwich fixings in his hands. “Since when do we celebrate Thanksgiving?”

Sam gave a half-shrug. “Since we have people to celebrate with. We’re both in relationships; Jody, Claire, and Alex want to come down. And so does Mom.”

Dean’s eyebrows shot up. “You talked to Mom about this?”

“It’s a family holiday. She wants to be here for it.”

Dean nodded thoughtfully. “Jody bringing food?”

Sam laughed. “She said she’ll cook some of it, but we have to pull our weight, too.”

“That’s fair. You talk to Cas and Crowley?”

“I’ve talked to Cas… I don’t know if he mentioned it to Crowley, or not.”

“Alright, I’ll call him, and you get with Jody to see what she’s making.” He pulled out his phone, clearly in a better mood than he had been two minute prior.

Yeah, Sam was sure this was just what they needed. He smiled as he walked into the other room to call Jody.

***

Thanksgiving afternoon arrived to see Jody helping Dean with some last minute preparations in the kitchen, while Sam sat and talked with Claire and Alex.

“I just can’t get over the fact that one of you is dating an angel, and the other a demon,” Claire was saying. She glanced over to where Dean was mixing up something. “That has to go against some kind of hunter’s code.”

Dean glanced up at her. “There’s no hunter’s code. And Crowley is different from most demons. It’s hard to explain.”

“Jody said he tried to kill her,” Alex pointed out.

Dean looked over at Jody apologetically. “I didn’t think about that. Look, if this is going to be too awkward…”

“Oh, Thanksgiving dinners are all about awkwardness. As long as he doesn’t try to kill me again, I’m fine.”

“He won’t. He’s changed a lot since then. Even Sam can vouch for that. Right?”

“It’s true,” Sam backed him up. “He has changed quite a bit.”

“Well, then, I trust you boys’ judgement,” Jody conceded. “And it’s not as though I can’t see why you’d want to date him.”

Dean blinked down at the bowl, then back up at Jody. “Now that��s awkward.”

Castiel and Crowley showed up just as they were finishing up the cooking. “Thank you for the reprieve from Crowley’s singing,” Castiel announced as he entered the room.

Crowley merely rolled his eyes and strolled over to Dean, who was looking at him with raised eyebrows. “What? I had to annoy him somehow.”

Dean leaned around him to speak to Castiel. “Cas, I am so sorry. Do you want some earplugs?”

“It’s good to see you, too, dear,” Crowley muttered.

Dean turned his grin on him. “I’m glad you could come.”

“How have you been, Sam?” Castiel walked over to where his boyfriend was sitting.

“Good.” He got to his feet, pulling Castiel into a hug. “Better now.”

Castiel smiled as he pulled away. “Good.” His gaze slid to the side. “How are you doing, Claire?”

“Good. Glad to see you aren’t completely hopeless in the romance department.”

“So, does your mom know about your boyfriends?” Jody asked.

“Yeah,” Sam and Dean answered simultaneously.

“She’s who kind of pushed us to get together,” Sam explained.

“She walked in on us making out,” Crowley stated before Dean could put it more mildly.

“Well, that must have been a lovely way for her to find out.”

“In all fairness, it could have gone worse,” Dean admitted.

“What could have gone worse?”

All heads turned to the entrance to the kitchen, where Mary Winchester now stood.

“Nothing.” Dean walked over to hug her. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hey.” She gave him a one-handed hug so as to not drop the bag in the other hand. “I brought pie.” She offered him the bag as she pulled away.

“You’re awesome.” He grabbed the bag, taking it to put it down on the counter, as Sam walked up for a hug.

“Thanks for the invite.”

“Of course.” He pulled back, half-turning back to the rest of the kitchen. “You remember Cas, Crowley, and Jody. And these are Jody’s adopted girls, Alex and Claire.”

“It’s good to meet you,” she said to them. “So, what all is for dinner? I’m starving.”

A few minutes later, they were all seated at the table, digging into the delicious meal that Jody and Dean had prepared. Well, everyone except for Castiel, who sat between Sam and Claire with a beer, but didn’t eat anything because it all tasted like molecules to him.

“What do molecules taste like?” Claire asked.

Castiel blinked in surprise at the question, thinking carefully about the answer. “It’s like being in a room where a thousand people are talking to you at once, except for in your mouth.”

“Okay, yeah, I can see why you don’t eat.”

“What do you think of the stuffing, Mom?” Dean turned to his right to ask.

“Oh, it’s delicious. Did you make it?”

Dean beamed. “Yep. All me.”

She chuckled. “I’m impressed.”

“Careful, darling,” Crowley muttered. “I can practically see your ego emanating from you. Much more praise and I don’t think it’ll fit in the room.”

“Yeah, well, that’s only ‘cause yours takes up so much room, already.”

Sam rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the woman to his mom’s right. “The turkey is great, Jody.”

“Thank you.” Her gaze shifted slightly to the right. “Alex, at least try the green bean casserole. I made it differently this time.”

“I did. I still don’t like it.”

Jody sighed. “No, you pretended to.”

For dessert, Mary had brought apple pie, Sam had picked up pecan, and Jody had made pumpkin, so they had plenty, even with Dean being there. As everyone ate their desserts, Sam looked around the table with a smile, the happiness he felt in that moment far surpassing the current tensions in his life.

Castiel grabbed his hand underneath the table and he leaned in slightly. “You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Yeah.” He turned to him, smile still in place. “Best Thanksgiving ever.”

He nodded, his gaze locked with Sam’s. “I agree.”