#so many tourists come by in Grant Park

[alpaca-clouds]

The Nature-Culture Divide

Something I have seen a lot of people within the Solarpunk sphere talk about and wonder is: "When did we stop seeing ourself as something outside of nature?" And given that I actually had a module on that (Social Geography, best module I ever had, given we had an anarchist professor!) I thought I could quickly explain this one.

So, the names come, in the end, from Latin and back when those words were considered in Latin, the difference was, that nature was a thing that was innate, while culture had volition behind it. You could change nature into culture by putting work into it.

Something that might surprise you is, that the idea of nature then was never quite big for most of European history. And let me make one thing clear: While we have these ideas also played with in Buddhist culture - especially in East Asia - the way we define it right now is a Western idea.

And that idea... Well, that idea came with colonialism. The thing many do not realize is, how much of the rules and "lines in the sand" that we use in our culture came from colonialisation, came from the desire to make "our" culture different from "theirs". It is shown in the way we eat, in the way we raise children, in the way we view gender and sexuality. And, yes, in the artificial border between nature and culture.

Before I tell you more about this, let me please say here: Yes, this is contradictive. I am aware of it. I am not the one who came up with the contradiction. White settlers did that all on their own.

When the settlers came to America they found a landscape very, very different from what they were used to from Europe. After all, Europe has been changed through human hand for at that point about 1600 years. (And for you Europeans out there: Researching how much forest your local area might have lost through the Romans is always a "fun" thing to do! Because the Romans destroyed a lot of European ancient forests.) In Europe, even at the wildest places, there was usually some evidence of human habitation - but this was not true for the Americas. Not because there were no people there, but rather because the people interacted with the environment very differently.

See, the European idea - while never quite that defined until this point - was really, really based on this thought that nature can be turned into culture. And that this transformation was in fact a good thing to happen. So, when the settlers arrived in the Americas they did not see "culture" there, only "nature" and set out to turn that "nature" into "culture".

Of course, we - modern people living today - do realize that indigenous people had in fact cultures of all sorts and that the actual difference was, that they just did not see that culture as something different from nature, rather than a part of it. Because their culture had not been influenced by Romans. But the settlers back then did not see this or rather did not want to see this. So they "cultured" the land, with the ideas about nature and culture being further formalized at that point.

It kinda stayed like this until the late 19th century, when Madison Grant, the originator of eco fascism came to be influencial. And now he saw something that the settlers until this point were unable to see: The indigenous people do stuff with the nature around them! They change it! For example through controlled burning of forests and things like that.

And this made Madison Grant very angry, because he was very much off the opinion that nature should be "unsoiled" by human hands. So... he made sure that those indigenous people got once more pushed out of the areas they were living, with the same areas being declared natural parks and no longer interfered with by humans (except, of course, all the tourists who destroyed it bit by bit). Leading... To a lot more wild fires.

So, where does this leave us in terms of the culture/nature divide?

Well, the idea has been there since ancient Rome and has very much influenced how much we view nature as its own thing. But within Rome nature was still not quite seen as the opposite of culture - as one could turn into the other. Under the Roman view an abandoned house or a field that was no longer cared for would turn back into nature, while anything could become culture just by interacting with humans.

The modern view really came through colonialism and the way colonialist did not understand (and did not want to understand) indigenous practices. This made people more and more drift towards the understanding of humans being an entirely different thing from nature.

But this is wrong, of course. We are part of nature. We are just animals with fingers and slightly larger brains. And many indigenous cultures understood this. In the end it was the greed of some that made us loose this connection to nature. And that is exactly why we are in this climate change related mess right now.

[lesb0]

Off topic but what's it like living in LA? I'm considering moving there for work and I'm curious if you're willing to share :)

I will try to condense what 24 years felt "like" lol but I am now more aware that I was very privileged to see every aspect of LA and took most things for granted. Even still, I'm learning things were either regional or upper-middle specific experiences, like living a block from exposition park down fig or going to San Diego every weekend for my summer "job" as a conservation zookeeper in my little khaki uniform.

LA has a unique geographical combo of all the natural terrains grouped together that makes it one of the most beautiful coasts on earth. I know people who did a beach surf, mountain biking, ski trip, and desert camping in one day. The pollution is awful but the grey clouds of ocean mist just feels cleaner to breathe. The sun will come out to dry up the marine layer and kiss your cheeks by 11am. The fires and landslides are scary. But the earthquakes are fun.

you have the widest international mix of stunningly designed immigrant towns that feel more like teleportation, so many major flagship museums, the most innovative nontraditional art galleries, unparalleled delicious restaurants, cutting edge of vegan American cuisine, the worlds best shopping from 99¢ to hermes, popups and events every week. so there's always something to do. Even the tourist stuff like Hollywood can be fun, I've attended many movies premier nights with everyone dressed up as princesses at El Capitan.

People are way friendlier and way crazier and way more community forward so you can't be some antisocial isolated weirdo, you need to go speak to humans. The opportunities are endless, I knew so many people who moved there poor and homeless but made it work. All the child actors are exploited laborers with 0 rights or autonomy. I used to think "some of my friends have a job inside the TV just like my job is cleaning my room" until I realized the parents were all robbing them.

If you make celeb friends, they will get you into cool parties and give you jobs later, my aunts first job was as tom greens' chef because she made him laugh. One of my school friends lived in one of those Malibu camper communes parked all along the pch while hustling on a B lists singers home stylist team as a fashion student from Idaho. Red carpets aren't fun, you mostly just get yelled at to move out of the way and it's only cute when you're little and all the pretty actresses pick you up. Home of all the greatest makeup fx artists, horror props, and costuming people in the world: so Halloween is the biggest craziest all & out holiday of the year. Everyone leaves for Christmas so it feels slow and quiet with less traffic.

I used to find it really annoying when transplants aggressively called themselves angelenos until I met someone born and raised on the east coast last summer, one of my best friends now. she worked in LA for a few years as a college professor in the 00s and still whines about wanting to "go back home" and "missing home" every time we talk, like you can see and hear it in her beachy hair and mean-bubbly hippy personality. LA has a way of crawling under your skin and pushing out your previous concept of home because it feels more alive and home-y than other cities do.

[confusedfoam]

Some dndads travel headcanons, because why not it's summer and it's traveling season for lots of us. only did s1 dads because they unfortunately still own my heart.

Darryl

- He has left southern California like twice in his life, and both were just going up to northern California. once for his and Carol's honeymoon, and another time when grant was like 8ish to finally go visit Casey and see her brewery.

- Absolutely despised sleeping anywhere that's not his home. the few times he's had to stay at a hotel / families house he just can't sleep at all

- He has never been on an airplane and has absolutely no desire to do so. If he ever did go on an airplane he would be a disaster internally and externally that would come out as being extremely over prepared and way too early. also he would Suffer in airplane seats.

Ron

- Was dragged all up and down the west coast and some of the interior as a little kid before Willy got completely sick of traveling with his wife and kid and dumped them back in Stud's old house that he technically still owned but had been let sit for years.

- Good at short and long road trips, weirdly bad at anything in the 4-6 hour range. it's not long enough to him to really settle into the drive but is too long to be remotely casual.

- Deeply fond of sketchy dates motels and kitschy roadside attractions. Will absolutely buy cheesy tourist t-shirts if presented the opportunity.

- Also not really an airplane guy, never had much of an opportunity until he was grown and then had no one to travel with. But if he did fly he would be that guy who doesn't bring anything to do with him and just watches other people's movies over their shoulders. also he'd forget to take his belt off going through airport security.

Henry

- Never left the Oakvale area as a kid, so his first trip was a Big One

- Spent his early earth years road tripping around the US, hitting different national parks and such. Falling absolutely in love with the diversity of nature when you don't spend all your time in one patch of forest. He absolutely Lost His Mind at the Grand Canyon

- Continued to travel a lot as he and Mercedes got older and had the kids and everything, they loved taking the boys to different parks and camp sites and such.

- Also really enjoyed traveling internationally once he got his whole paperwork situation sorted.

- Was pretty freaked out about flying the first couple times, but now he's a pro. Unfortunately he is an incredibly chatty seat mate and also one of those people who wears sandals without socks on an airplane. so he puts his bare feet all over the floor at security

Glenn

- Traveled a very average amount as a kid, just little family vacations. Tagged along with where ever Bill was going during summer breaks as a younger teen.

- Drove all over the freaking country as an older teen / young man seeing various shows and trying catch The Glenn Close Trios big break.

- Shares Ron's fondness for weird little tourist traps and questionable attractions / restaurants

- Extremely pro car camping, if only for all the hazy memories of doing so in his youth.

- Would make sure that somehow he could block out a week or so to take a road trip with Nick somewhere during summer break.

- Flew a few times as a kid and such. Absolutely hates flying as an adult, it brings out the conspiracy theories in him hardcore and he absolutely cannot do it sober.

Jodie

- Hell does not have vacations

- Traveled many realms as a young and wild demon, having misadventures of the sort that get you trapped in a guitar

- as Jodie Foster the human cop and married man they only took incredibly basic family vacations to the stereotypical vacation spots like once a year.

- Has no feelings on airplanes in any particular direction, besides he would like more leg room.

[derpyanimatesstuff]

There’s Something Familiar About This

Word Count: 32270      Ao3

Castiel worked hard to get where he was in life. Sure, maybe a little novelty magic shop wasn’t exactly becoming of a witch, but then again he wasn’t in it for the power. It also helped that Gabriel supported him - granted, it was because he thought the shop was hilarious, but the support made him smile.  

Coming from a long line of witches, Cas had worked day and night to hone his craft. He had never been good at the large flashy spells that his siblings seemed to favor. Instead he focused his efforts on lesser nature magic and charms. They were all little things, something to make roses bloom just a little longer, or a charm to keep large animals away from the town. They were all small, but effective. This had earned him a bit of a reputation that brought the skeptics in and kept them coming back.

Thankfully as the youngest he was under no pressure to pursue a coven and for the most part he was able to do as he pleased. Because of that his mother was willing to give him the money to move out and start up his shop, and within a few years he was able to return the money she gave him.

All of his older siblings were powerful in their own right, yet there was a greed that his older brother Michael had . He was always looking for ways to increase his already immense amount of power, though nothing short of a familiar or their family grimoire would be strong enough to achieve what he wanted. The family grimoire was actually part of why Michael was always at the back of his mind. God knows why, but after the death of their mother, she had left Cas the grimoire; giving an unprecedented boost to his protection charms and the nature magic he wielded. Of course Michael had decided that he would much rather have it and was always trying to find ways to get him to hand it over, and unfortunately it seemed like today would be another one of his attempts.

Cas groaned when he felt a familiar magic poking and prodding the wards of  his home, looking for weak spots. He was glad it was near closing time and Charlie had already left for the day; last time Michael decided to show up he’d left Charlie by herself to deal with the weekend tourist crowd. Quickly as he could he closed up the shop, flipping the sign as he locked the door. He wanted to deal with Michael as soon as possible; he would need to spend the night checking and patching up the warding, and the sooner he got started the better.

However the moment he turned around he just about ran into a person who was most possibly the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen. Sandy hair, freckles and vibrant green eyes consumed his vision. More than anything he wanted to stick around and try to get to know this man, but the exploration of his wards turned to a light tugging.

The man rubbed the back of his neck looking embarrassed. “Oh hey, sorry about that. Didn’t mean to be in your way.” He seemed to steel himself. “So, here’s the deal-”

“Sorry we’re closed, and I need to be going.” He felt bad for interrupting but he simply didn’t have time to stand around.

The man looked crestfallen. “If you could just give me a few minutes to-”

Cas looked for an escape but the man was in his path. “I really do have to go. It’s a matter of utmost importance.”

“Yeah, I bet.” The man now looked as though someone had just told him his dog died.

For a moment he was debating seeing what the man wanted, but the tugging on the wards turned to chipping. He held eye contact with the man until it seemed he finally understood Cas was waiting for him to move out of his way.

The man moved and Castiel made a break for his car. He could have sworn he heard the man call for him but he was already slamming his door and peeling out of the parking lot.

~*~

He could see Michael smiling and waving from the sidewalk as he pulled into the driveway.

“Ah, Castiel, I was wondering how long it would take you to get here this time.”

“Michael, how many times must we go through this?”

“I was simply making sure your warding was good enough to protect our dear family grimoire,” he said feigning innocence.

Cas rolled his eyes. “Any reason you could not just ask me if the warding was sufficient?”

“I had to make sure for myself that the grimoire was safe. It would be a shame if someone were to take it from you. After all, who knows what a witch stronger than you could do with it.”

“Indeed,” Castiel said flatly. “Was there anything else you were here for?” The sooner his headache of a brother moved on the sooner he would be able to check the damage to his warding.

“No, I was just passing through and figured I’d stop by.”

“Right. In that case?”

“In that case I shall be going now that I’ve stopped by.” He had always kept his little games short but to the point.

“And I suppose I won’t see you until our next family function?”

Michael gave him a smirk. “Don’t count on it little brother. Someone needs to check in on you living out here all by yourself, you never know who might be out to get you.”

“Bite me.”

Cas frowned as he watched Michael’s car make its way down the short gravel path to his house before turning out of sight.

Slowly he let out a sigh and turned to his home, a cozy two story on the outskirts of town. Most of the wards appeared to be intact, though a few were quite damaged. He took note that those had been the ones his brother had a hard time scratching at during his previous visit. He was clearly planning to take down all the wards at once. This was starting to look bad, it might be time to get Gabriel’s help.

He pulled out the flip phone that Charlie had recently forced him to get. She said ‘Even though you’re a witch it won’t kill you to use a bit of technology, just look at me!’ then she proceeded to force him to learn how it worked. He navigated to his brother’s contact.

He picked up on the second ring. “Cassie! To what do I owe a call from my favorite sibling? Finally wanting to plan that trip to Vegas with me?” Gabe teased.

“No, I’ve actually been having a bit of trouble and thought I should let someone know.”

In an instant the humor left his voice. “Cas talk to me, are you alright?”

“For now I’m just fine. Michael has been stopping by every now and again for the last few months; he wants the grimoire. He’s been testing the wards and I’m not sure how much longer he’s going to wait before taking it.”

“He’s been… That asshole! I can come down there and kick his ass, just say the word. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I’ll be honest with you, I thought he was just joking at first. He’s made it more than clear now though that he’s planning on taking the grimoire at some point.”

“Mr. Fancy-pants just wants to boost his stupid ego. I can be on the next flight down to help with him. I’ll be there if you need me Cas.” He made sure the last part came across as sincere.

Cas appreciated the worry. “I know. I don’t think I need you here quite yet. I just wanted to keep someone informed incase I do need help with him. I’m handling it for now.”

“Okay… Just let me know next time it happens, I’ll talk to him.”

“Thank you, Gabe, I will.”

There was some chatter in the background. “Aw shit, Cassie, I gotta go. Stay safe okay.”

“I will. I should be going too actually, I have some wards to repair.”

“I’ll talk to you later, Cas.”

He was about to respond when there was a small crash and Gabe swore before hanging up. He couldn’t help but shake his head smiling, while his brother could more than handle himself he was always finding trouble even where there should be none. He put his phone away, feeling a little better now that he had Gabe in his corner.

Castiel headed into his house to go about repairing the wards in privacy. Despite being some distance from his neighbors the last time he’d done the repair work from outside, Margaret from the “Town Improvement Organization” had driven by and stopped to watch. He hadn’t noticed of course, he had been deep in work repairing the wards and had no one there to pull him out. She made sure everyone knew of the man who fell asleep in his yard and didn’t even wake up when it started to rain, that she had to shake him, so now he preferred to work inside. He had never even found out how long she had been watching.

Sitting down in front of the fireplace, he took a deep breath and cleared his mind, ready to enter the floating space that allowed him to weave and repair his wards. What he hadn’t been expecting was the massive jump in power when he reached out for the first ward. It felt like something had supercharged his magic and the ward instantly stitched itself back together. It reminded him of what his magic had felt like after getting the grimoire. Confused, he reached out for another, the same thing happened. By the time he was done repairing the damage he wasn’t as drained as he usually felt, so he went about letting himself weave a few more protections throughout his plot and its plants.

The sun was beginning to set by the time he finally came out of it. Working with the extra magic had been… magical for lack of a better word. What confused him though was where this sort of jump had come from. He hadn’t done anything recently that should’ve resulted in such a thing. It didn’t seem to be anything harmful, so he’d not worry about it unless something changed. Maybe it would sort itself out.

For now he’d worry about the way his neglected stomach was growling at him.

~*~

At first he’d written off the power surge as something random, though it seemed to stick around much to the appreciation of his customers. A small growth charm that should’ve only helped produce minor growth in Mr. Anderson’s garden was giving him a record season. A simple protection charm bought by a young lady for her football player boyfriend seemed to have gained minor healing abilities; his supposed broken ankle during a game had been deemed a “false diagnosis” and just a sprain. And, most impressively, the balding Mr. Beaker had special ordered a salve for hair loss and he was now walking around with a head of hair that a model would be jealous of. Though once again Castiel told himself not to worry about it, none of this seemed to be negative; he would just have to make his charms a little weaker than he was used to.

Charlie had given him a look when she felt the power on the boosted charms, he ignored her questioning eyes for the rest of the day. Maybe he should start looking into his sudden extra power.

Though his boost wasn’t the only weird thing he’d noticed around the town. The next thing was that despite seemingly all of his charms being boosted, the one he had to keep the larger wild animals out of town was apparently not working correctly.

On Tuesday he’d looked up from his book when the door jingled, typically the store was very slow before closing. It was Sheriff Jackson.

“How can I help you today, Sheriff?” Castiel asked, reaching blindly for his bookmark.

“Well that’s the thing, not needin’ a refill on that joint relief stuff just yet. I’m here on official business. Looks like we got some sort of cougar in the area. Few people reported seein’ one ‘round town. Weird though ‘cause they don’t tend to live ‘round here. So jus’ here to tell ya to be careful when you’re lockin’ up.”

“Thank you for letting me know, I’ll keep that in mind when I’m opening as well.”

He tipped his hat and left with a jingle of the bell.

It didn’t make sense that there’d be a cougar in town. There hadn’t been any sort of animal related incidents since he’d moved here. And for the charm to fail in such a big way that a cougar got in? Something wasn’t adding up here.

That hadn’t been the only weird thing either. He had also heard talk of, and seen, a very noticeable muscle car that seemed to be appearing everywhere in town. With such a small town the flashy car had immediately stood out like a sore thumb and had caused a bit of stirring. He’d heard a group of girls talking at the coffee shop about the ‘rugged, green-eyed dreamboat’ it belonged to. He couldn’t help thinking back to the man he’d seen before he had gone to deal with Michael. What had really gotten his attention was when Margaret came up to him to talk about the man.

She slinked up to where he was waiting in line for his morning coffee. “So… Castiel.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Hello, Margaret. How can I help you this morning?”

“Well, I’m sure you’ve seen that obscene excuse for a car that’s been driving around town lately, haven’t you?”

“I have seen it a couple times, yes.”

“Well, you’ll never imagine my surprise when I talked to the man driving it.”

Castiel perked up at this, the man had been in the back of his mind for weeks now. “Oh?”

“Yes, why I think he was just the sweetest thing. I had gone up to him at the diner parking lot to tell him about how that horrible loud engine woke my precious Timothy up when he drove past our house a few nights ago. I was gearing right up to put him in his place. But wouldn’t you know it, he was a real gentleman. Apologized to me all formal like and promised he wouldn’t take any more late night drives out of town. Even offered to buy me a coffee to make up for any lost sleep.”

“Well that sounds awfully kind of him,” he said, nodding along.

“I’m not even to the interesting part yet. I took him up on his coffee offer and we got to talking about what the town was like. After I told him about my position with the TIO, he figured I’d be a good person to ask. Well, do you want to know who he asked about?”

As much as he wanted to hear about the green-eyed man he was wishing the line would move faster. “Who was he asking about?”

“He asked me about you and your shop,” she said matter of factly.

He could feel his eyebrows shoot to his hairline. “He asked about me?”

“Sure did. He was asking about your shop and then asking about what kind of person you are. Told him you were a little weird and rough around the edges, but that you got yourself a place in town by helping out just about everyone you saw.”

Castiel was actually surprised to hear a compliment about him come out of Margaret's mouth.

“Anyway that’s just about all Dean - that’s his name - asked about. Also heard him asking the cashier about your shop as I was leaving. If I didn’t know any better I'd say you’ve got yourself an admirer Mr. Novak,” she said, nudging him. When he’d first moved in she had been intent on setting him up with her sister, however once he made his preference known she’d begun nudging him towards any man she saw him so much as make eye contact with. It was… annoying to say the least.

“Thank you for the information Margaret. I will have to say hello if I see him around town.”

She smiled and finally left him alone just in time for him to get to the front of the coffee line. He picked up a cup for him and Charlie, who was more than thankful for it when she got in for her shift a little after he opened.

Despite being thankful for the coffee she didn’t wait long before digging into him. “So, what’s this I hear about the dreamy muscle car man asking about you?”

“Not you too,” he groaned

“Oh? Well, Cas, now you have to spill the beans.” Her eyes lit up, much to his annoyance.

“Margaret apparently had a conversation with him, and after he asked about me she decided we are soulmates.”

“Ah, of course. Just what any rational person would do in her shoes,” she said, nodding very seriously.

Cas snorted. “Who knows, maybe we’ll run away together the second we lock eyes.”

“Almost seems like magic. Hey! Maybe once you two elope you can bring him to game night, we need another for teams that way Gilda and I can kick your ass.”

Castiel laughed and shooed Charlie off to get to work. She was in the process of putting together a website for him. He let his work take over his thoughts as he got started on the special orders.

One thing still bugged him though, if this Dean had driven past Margaret’s house out of town he would’ve passed Castiel’s at some point, yet he’d never heard the engine rumble near his house. He shrugged it off; he had probably been sleeping.

~*~

After taking Margaret’s words into consideration he began to look for the man Dean every time he was out around town, and to his surprise he found him seemingly everywhere he went. For the first couple of weeks after the coffee shop reveal (he had started calling it that in his head) he constantly saw Dean out of the corner of his eye, yet every time he made a move to head towards him Dean seemed to freak out and disappear around a corner or down a street. However after those first couple of weeks he began to see Dean less and less. Even though it seemed he might be a stalker of sorts, the idea of not seeing him anymore left Cas feeling weirdly distressed.

But as the sightings of Dean and his car went down the sightings of the cougar went up. One lady had even approached him and swore up and down that she’d seen it just hop right out of the tree near his shop after he’d left for the evening. There was also a little kid who claimed it had turned into the alley he’d been in, and instead of eating him when he was freaked out it let him pet it. Castiel could even swear he’d seen it slip away a few times, but he never got a good look at it. Charlie and Gilda seemed to be the only people he knew who never had any sightings.

Everything that was going on was incredibly abnormal, so when he began to feel Michael making another attempt on his wards almost a month and a half after the last try it was almost a relief. So finally following some sort of routine he quickly interrupted Charlie who was with a customer, saying that his brother was here for another ‘visit.’ She gave him a quick nod and waved him off.

Yet… There was another thing that struck him as odd, the tugging and chipping that usually hit his wards when Michael was around felt more like a bug running into them.

He pulled into his driveway to an incredibly miffed looking Michael.

Stepping out of the car he waved. “Hello, Michael, stop by for another visit?”

“Umm… yes, just came to check to see if you had finally improved your wards. I have to say, I never thought you’d actually take up my suggestion.” It was clear there was an anger boiling just under his skin. It was finally Castiel’s turn to fuck with him.

He leaned against his car, a smirk playing at his lips. “Well, it was a very good suggestion. All your visits got me thinking about what would happen if someone actually came after our family grimoire? I simply decided that I refuse to let it fall into a thief's hands. I take it they… pass your inspection?” That got him.

“Cut the shit, Castiel! A powerless witch like you could never weave these kinds of wards, not even with the family grimoire. Where the hell did you get the power to set those up!?”

“Michael! I’m shocked. Are you insinuating you’ve been meaning to steal the family grimoire that our dear mother left me in her will? Shame on you,” he said flatly, trying desperately to prevent himself from laughing.

“Why don’t you just stop the fucking act and hand over what belongs to me!” Castiel was thankful he was within the boundaries of the wards or he had a feeling he’d be in trouble.

“Michael, mother left the book to me. You’re already a very powerful witch and you don’t need any more. I will not be handing it over today, or ever for that matter. So please pick your ego off the sidewalk and go home, I don’t want to see you back here again.”

“I will find out how the fuck you managed to boost your power like this. I’ll take both it and the book! I’m not leaving this town until I do.”

“Suit yourself, Michael, there’s nothing to find. Now if you excuse me I must be returning to my shop. For once you haven’t delayed me enough that I’m forced to put everything on Charlie.”

Castiel watched as he slammed the door to his car and sped off. Michael was clearly planning on making himself an issue for the next week or so. He could already feel the headache coming on. There wasn’t much he could do though, his offensive magic was okay at best and there was no way he was going to see what would happen with his new boost. He’d have to stick it out and let his brother poke around for a week or so before he inevitably got bored and found his way back to whatever city he was set up in now… surely there wasn’t any reason to call Gabe when it was clear his wards were safe.

So he did the only thing he could do when stuck dealing with one of his brothers; he took a deep breath, triple checked his wards and went back into town to take back over for Charlie, and maybe make something for headache relief while he was at it.

~*~

The first day of Michael being in town was uneventful for the most part. Castiel didn’t see him around at all, though he could feel his magic watching and waiting for some sort of big secret to be revealed. In fact, the only interesting thing about the whole day was Kendra - one of Margaret's friends from the TIO - coming into the store to give him more gossip on the mysterious Dean. It seemed everyone in town had deemed they were connected in some way and that the first one to find out how wins.

“Ohhh, Castiel,” Kendra called in a singsong voice as she entered. Charlie had winced at the sound, she had never liked Kendra.

He was really wondering when all this drama of late would stop, he needed a break. “Hello, Kendra. What can I help you with today?”

“Nothing dear, just here to give you the latest on the town’s mystery man.”

He perked up. “I thought he had left. No one’s seen him or that car in a while.”

“Well looks like our mystery man has a couple secrets. He may have checked out of his room, but he’s still around. Sheriff Jackson got a call this morning about a car in some bushes sort of out by your place. So of course the Sheriff called up Jerry to get his tow and they went to get it. Imagine their surprise when it was our mystery man’s car.”

“Had he crashed it?”

She was leaning on the counter now. “No, not at all. He had just left it there.”

“That’s odd.” From what Castiel had heard around town he figured Dean prided himself in the maintenance of his car.

“That’s what I said, but what’s even weirder is right as Jerry was about to hook up the tow our mystery man came booking it down the street. Sheriff said the man looked like he hadn’t slept in a week, or washed his clothes for that matter. He did get them to not tow the car though, so long as he actually parks it somewhere legal.”

“Do… Do you think he’s living in his car?” He didn’t understand why he felt so worried about this new information, he didn’t even know the man.

Kendra gave him the stink eye. “Does seem to be that way. He’s such a sweetie too, he doesn’t deserve it.”

“No, it doesn’t sound like he does.”

“Perhaps you should do something to fix it.”

He exchanged a look with Charlie. “...What?” he asked, more confused than ever.

“Well clearly he’s sticking around town for you, so whatever you did to that poor boy you need to fix it,” she said sternly.

“Now wait just a-” Charlie started.

Cas held up his hand to stop her, he didn’t need them getting into another fight in his store. “Kendra, I don’t think I’m the reason he’s sticking around. I say this because I’ve never had a proper conversation with the man, let alone done something that warrants him putting his health in jeopardy.”

She sized him up for a good moment. “You really don’t know him?” She sounded disbelieving.

“No I don’t, though it does worry me that this man everyone seems to think is extremely kind isn’t taking care of himself.”

She nodded, seeming a little embarrassed. “Well in that case, dear, I’m sorry. I suppose we all figured he was some sort of long lost love of yours the way he looked when he heard about you.”

“It’s alright, I suppose I should’ve made it clear that I don’t know him.”

“Well that’s all I was dropping by for. Sorry again Castiel. Though if you see him send him my way; I have a spare room and that poor dear shouldn’t be making himself sick.” She quickly made her escape.

Castiel took a moment to process what had just happened. Not only had half the town thought Dean was some sort of ex, but they had also apparently taken sides in their non-existent breakup. To top it all off the man apparently wasn't faring well, and for the life of him Castiel couldn’t figure out why hearing that made him want to switch into ‘caretaker mode’ as Charlie called it.

He had only ever had a few brief relationships, all with other witches and none of them lasted long. And while he had cared for them he had never felt this overwhelming urge to protect them from the world. He wasn’t sure he even felt this strongly about Charlie who was easily his best friend.

Charlie seemed just as shocked as him. “Okay… What the hell was that? I know I’ve heard a few things around town but that was ridiculous.”

“I- I don’t know what that was. I don’t think I’ve even had a proper conversation with the man. I have no idea why everyone seems to think we know each other, or at least why the neighborhood gossip moms do.”

“I’ve seen him around a few times, but every time I try and talk to him he seems to find a way to disappear. I’m not shocked that they managed to come up with some crazy rumor though. Remember the time they had half the town convinced Gilda was my sister and they tried to stage an intervention after someone saw us kiss?”

He grimaced, he had been at their apartment for a movie night when they had shown up. The whole thing was awkward and uncomfortable, kind of like what had just happened in his shop.

“I don’t think we want a repeat of that. And, did you say you couldn’t manage to talk to Dean either?”

“What do you mean either?”

“For a while it seemed like he might as well have been stalking me; but every time I’d try and talk to him he’d duck out and disappear.”

“That’s kind of weird… Do you think he’s going to try something.” She seemed genuinely concerned, Cas knew he should also be worried about something like this and yet he found he wasn’t.

He thought for a second. “I don’t think he’s a hunter, or at least not one here to harm us if he is. You’re right though, something weird is going on.” And he was going to try and figure out what it was, too many things weren’t adding up.

~*~

The next morning Castiel was tired and confused. He had spent all night trying to find a way to locate the ever mysterious Dean. First he’d tried asking around town, only to find out practically nobody had seen him in a week or two, and those who did said he looked sick as a dog and avoided most everyone. So he fell back to magic, while he disliked using magic for locating people and things - it felt like an invasion of privacy - he felt it might be his only way. Unfortunately it seemed like his magic was still on the fritz as it seemed to show the man circling his home, only his wards sensed no one and when he looked outside it was quiet and deserted. At this point he was completely lost, he felt the constantly surging need to find this man, yet he seemed to be a ghost.

Frustrated, he went about opening the store, restocking anything that had sold the day before and checking his email for any custom orders. He was debating going to get a coffee when Michael burst into the shop. He cursed himself for forgetting to finish the headache relief, he had a feeling he was going to need it after this.

Michael was grinning like he’d just won a prize. “Castiel! Wonderful morning isn’t it?” he asked, strolling up to the counter without a worry in the world.

“Hello, Michael. You don’t usually visit me at the store. What’s the occasion?”

“Well you see, little brother, I found out your little power boosting secret.”

“Oh?” Castiel would sure as hell like to know what Michael thought was boosting his power.

“Why yes. I can’t believe you ever thought you could hide it from me. I barely had to follow you for a day to figure it out.” He was inspecting the labels on a few of Castiel’s skin creams.

“And what do you think you’ve figured out, Michael?”

“Just that my little brother was apparently lucky enough to find himself a little familiar, yet somehow stupid enough to leave the bond unfinished.”

Castiel’s mind went blank and his magic swelled with an unexpected rage and jarring possessiveness. “...What?” he choked out.

“Play dumb all you want but I saw your little familiar following you around all day. Pretty sneaky little shit, didn’t notice it at first. But once I did see it, oh boy, you really haven’t been taking care of the thing. Why, I could practically see its ribs, and don’t even get me started on the state of its fur.” If possible his smirk turned even more malicious.

Something was scratching at the back of Cas’ mind, it was like a puzzle missing only one more piece. “I don’t have a familiar.”

“You can’t pretend anymore, and since it’s clear you don’t want the ratty thing I wouldn’t mind taking it off of your hands...”

Something was building inside of him, ready to burst with a single poke. Castiel didn’t understand why his magic was reacting like this, he’d never felt the need to lash out like this before. His magic had never been something that wasn’t in his control.  It was terrifying.

“...It honestly looks more like a street rat than a cougar.”

He’d found the last piece. “A cougar?”

Michael rolled his eyes and talked slower. “Yes, the poor little thing you have following you around, boosting your magic for free. It’s a cougar.”

Everything was coming together. His animal protection charm wasn’t working because it wasn’t a wild animal in town, it was his familiar. His magic was boosted because his familiar had been maintaining a one sided bond for over a month now. Those had been known to be ridiculously damaging to the person holding it together. His familiar was the cougar everyone had constantly caught glimpses of.

It didn’t quite make sense though. Why hadn’t his familiar approached him? Why were they taking on the job of holding the bond together all alone? Clearly it wasn’t because they didn’t want him as their witch, otherwise they wouldn’t be boosting him. Maybe they were shy? But why wouldn’t they ask him for help if they were hurting?

While he pondered this he came to another quick realization, Michael was trying to take his sick familiar away from him. He wanted to use Castiel’s familiar to boost his magic.

Castiel’s magic surged forward at the idea and the bulbs in the small shop burst.

“You will not touch my familiar.”

While he startled at the bulbs bursting Michael quickly regained his composure. “Did I hit a nerve there? Honestly, Castiel, everyone knows a familiar is up for grabs so long as they’re not bonded.”

This was certainly not true. Every familiar had a witch that was theirs, though not every witch had a familiar. It was considered a horrible crime to force a familiar to bond with someone who wasn’t their witch. It could kill the familiar.

“You will not so much as even look at my familiar again!” The flooring under Michael’s feet splintered and his smile faltered.

“Well you clearly don’t want it, and you don’t need the boost with your little shop here,” he said, gesturing around. “Just hand the thing over and I’ll let you keep Mother’s miserable book.” He was trying to stand his ground, however it was clear he didn’t want to battle, at least not here. The shop was Castiel’s territory, his magic was threaded through the walls and in the ground. Michael would be at a disadvantage for one of the first times in his life if they fought here.

“You will not be taking my familiar or my grimoire! Get out now!” His composure was slipping.

The flooring cracked further, causing Michael to fall. “Castiel, think rationally. A low level witch like you simply doesn’t need a familiar.”

“I said leave !”

Michael narrowed his eyes but said nothing. He quickly picked himself off the floor and dusted himself off before slowly walking out. Castiel had no doubt that he’d be back to cause more trouble. However he now had more important things to worry about, like finding and helping his apparently sick familiar.

Taking a deep breath he pulled out his phone. “Gabriel, I think I need some help.”

~*~

He spent the morning cleaning up glass and fixing the floor boards the best he could, waving off the concerned looks Charlie shot him. The rest of the day was fortunately distracting with a stream of tourists coming through for the weekend. Though the second it hit his closing time he rushed everyone out the door so he could lock up and get to finding his familiar.

Cas decided to give another try at a location spell despite his last attempt not having worked out as planned. He was confident that the bond they had would allow him to find them, or at least he hoped.

Castiel carefully lay out his map of his property and the surrounding area on a baking tray. He figured he’d probably need to take the map outside, so might as well make the spell mobile. Taking his silver knife he made a small cut on his hand and blood pooled on the tray. Closing his eyes he allowed the short spell to tumble out of his mouth while he focused on concentrating his magic. Instantly he could feel the blood moving and concentrating on wherever his familiar was.

Slowly he opened his eyes, only to stare at the map in shock. His familiar was in or at least near the tree literally right outside his kitchen window. Though he supposed it did make sense, if his familiar was trying to protect him it would make sense that they were following him. It just came as a shock to him that anyone, even his familiar, was able to enter his warded area without him noticing.

He paused at that thought. What if he had been feeling his familiar? What if he just didn’t notice what it was he was feeling? Gently he reached out for his magic and wards, instead of searching them for any intruder he decided to look for a friend. Eventually he came across a small source of warmth that seemed to be perfectly melded to his magic. He reached out, instantly he was connected to a warm magic like he’d felt before. The entire thing felt like coming home, though it also felt worn, like it was too tired. This was his familiar bond.

Just as suddenly as he had found it he felt a small wave of confusion then a spike of fear tear though it and the walls came slamming down. Instantly Castiel was jumping up and looking at the map that was showing his familiar fleeing his property.

Panicking he practically threw himself out the door racing towards the tree his familiar had been in. For the first time he was able to see them, the cougar racing towards the woods.

He chased after them. “Wait! I need to...” it was too late, they were gone.

Castiel slowly dragged himself back to the house. He didn’t understand. The bond felt so warm, it felt right. He could also feel how tired his familiar was from carrying it by themselves. So why had they felt so scared when he was trying to take his part of it?

Finally back on the couch he felt again for the bond. Now that he knew what it felt like he could easily feel the extra magic that was available to him, though now there was no way for him to get in. His familiar was giving him everything they had. Cas could feel his heart breaking for them, this wasn’t something meant for a singular person. The moment he found his familiar and brought them home he would never let them take on anything like this alone ever again.

He looked down at the tray and couldn’t help but feel disappointed at the little gathering of blood that had rolled off the map. He was sure that if he could just talk to them for one second he’d be able to help. The question was just how to do that.

He spent the whole night sorting through the grimoire and the rest of his magical books. By the time the sun rose he was feeling defeated. He had found absolutely nothing and had no new ideas. He didn’t know how he was going to get his familiar to talk to him. It turned out though he wasn’t going to need any help to get close to his familiar.

Castiel jolted to full consciousness as he felt someone take a stab at his wards. No looking, no prodding, but someone trying to tear them down with everything they had.

He rushed out to confront the attacker, only to come face to face with Michael. He was honestly surprised it had taken his brother this long to snap. What did surprise him though was the fact that Michael looked like he had just come out of a fight with a grizzly bear. His clothes were torn through in wild streaks. A weapon? Claws maybe? There were bloody tears littering the man's skin. The most noticeable thing though was how angry he looked.

“Good morning, Castiel!” he yelled, taking another shot at the warding.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” He knew what Michael was doing.

“Well your little familiar refused to bond with me since I wasn’t his witch. Figured I could force the little asshole with his witch out of the way and I could take the grimoire too. The fucker apparentally didn’t like my idea and decided to go feral on me.” Another stab at the warding.

He paled at the idea of his familiar facing his brother alone. “What did you do to them?!”

Michael let out a terrifying laugh. “Don’t worry about him. Left it a little worse for wear but the thing’s not dead if that's what you’re wondering.”

That was the last straw. Castiel readied his magic. He wasn’t about to let his brother harm his familiar. He was going to protect him even if it meant hurting his own family. But Cas never got the chance.

With a sudden yowl the cougar, his familiar, bolted towards the two of them, coming to stop right in front of Castiel. He was finally able to get a look at the creature who’d been causing him confusion for weeks. It was one thing to feel that holding their bond afloat had been taking a toll on him but it was another thing to see it. In the way the cougar was holding himself it was plain to see he was exhausted, barely managing to stay on his feet. If one looked closely they could also see the outline of ribs beginning to show through his tawny coat. And finally Castiel found himself horrified by the several noticeable cuts that were still lazily bleeding; most likely a result from the previous fight with Michael.

“Little kitty, back for more?” Michael taunted.

He hissed, baring his fangs. The cougar shot a glance back at Cas before lunging for his brother. The only thing he was able to comprehend was that his familiar’s eyes were a startling green, a green that had been haunting him.

He watched as the cougar sank his fangs into Michael’s arm while a charge formed in his other “...Dean?” he tried, but the sound was drowned in a yowl.

 The sound snapped him out of the state of shock he’d worked himself into. All he was able to register was Michael standing over his familiar before his magic exploded. He’d never felt his magic behave like this before, independently from him, like it was taking the initiative in keeping Dean safe. The next thing he was able to see was his brother lying unmoving on the ground and the cougar looking at him from where he lay on the road.

He dashed to Dean and knelt by his side. Carefully he cupped his head and smiled at the small sound he made.

“You’ve been busy haven’t you.” It wasn’t a question. “You’ve been keeping an eye on me for weeks now, holding our bond together all by yourself.” There was so much more he wanted to say, but he was cut short by the feeling of Dean going limp. “Dean? Dean!?”

A hand on his shoulder caused his magic to leap out again against his will, protecting him and Dean from anything else that would dare to hurt them. He glanced over his shoulder to see Gabe knocked on his ass.

“Woah! Cassie, it’s just me!” he yelped, raising his hands in defense. “Seems like you’ve gotten quite the little boost there.”

“Gabe! I’m sorry.” He felt like crying.

Getting over the sudden shock of getting knocked back Gabe took in the scene, his face hardening. “I’ll take care of Michael, you worry about your familiar.”

He nodded. Without thinking Cas quickly scooped up Dean (he was far too light), ready to bring him into their heavily warded home.

“And, Cas. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. You shouldn’t have had to deal with him.”

“...Thanks, Gabe.”

Chapter Two

Everything had always seemed to be stacked against Dean, even from the moment he was born. His mom Mary had been born a witch to the patriarch of the Campbell coven, Samuel, and his familiar Deanna. Mary had grown up not caring much for magic and chose to leave most of it behind when she had met John.

Mary had amazed him with her small feats of magic and they’d fallen heads over heels for one another. When she married John she had promised herself and him she’d raise her kids outside of the supernatural and outside of magic, it was too dangerous for little kids. Of course Dean had gone and ruined that when he was born; he wasn’t human, he wasn’t even a witch, he was a fucking familiar. Of course they didn’t know until he was older and able to take his familiar form, but Dean had still been the one to ruin everything for his family.

When Mary was about halfway through her pregnancy with Sam and had woken one morning to find a small cougar in bed with her and John, happily purring away. Naturally she had screamed at the small intruder, causing four year old Dean to pop back into his human form and start balling. Mary had stared at him in shock before she scooped him up and held him, a confused John joining in.

She had tried to take Dean’s newfound powers in stride. She’d scrounged up what she could on familiars and went about teaching him. She taught him about how people can’t know what he is, it would scare humans and witches might want to take him away. Dean had listened to every word she’d said.

Looking back on it, John hadn’t taken the sudden revelation about as well as Mary had. He started giving him a cold shoulder, and he seemed down right disturbed by Dean’s familiar form. All that seemed to change however when Sammy was born. Dean could recall what he’d said to this day.

“You’re a big brother now Dean,” he said, looking down at the tiny kid propped in Dean’s arms. “It’s your job to keep him safe.”

Dean nodded seriously, he could definitely keep Sammy safe, it was important for him to do so.

“And keeping Sammy safe means you gotta stay human okay?”

Dean furrowed his brows, he liked being a cougar, it was fun.

John shook his head at the look on Dean’s face. “You can’t keep him safe when you’re not human, and being a cougar will probably scare him.”

Dean didn’t want to scare Sammy, and Dad said it was his job to keep him safe, so if that meant not being a cougar he’d never be a cougar again.

At least that is what he told himself, Dean broke that silent promise about six months later. After he’d stopped changing, his skin had started to feel itchy all the time. He’d wanted to change so badly, but he hadn’t wanted to scare Sammy, so he didn’t. One day though, the whole little family had gone on a picnic. He’d only snuck off for a second and since Sammy wasn’t around he thought it would be okay to be a cougar for just one minute, just long enough to stop the itching. Dean had never noticed the witch watching him through the trees.

That night the witch had broken into their house with a plan to capture Dean to use as his familiar. He had been stopped by Mary at the cost of her life and their home. So really, it was Dean’s fault that Mary had died. It was his fault that Sammy didn’t get to grow up normal, and it was his fault that John hated him.

After Mary’s death John had taken up a life of killing monsters like the one that killed his wife, dragging along his son and his guard dog.

~*~

Dean always knew vaguely that he was a crappy familiar. He made a point of never interacting with any witches, any magic at all for that matter. He also neglected his familiar side so much to the point that some days he felt like he was on fire with the need to shift into his familiar form. In fact he was such a crappy familiar that he didn’t even do a good job doing what he was told, that’s what familiars were there for after all.

John told him two things when he left them at Bobby’s this time: look after Sammy, and don’t bother Bobby with any stupid shit. While he didn’t fail at looking after Sam this time he did fail at the second order.

After he thought Sam and Bobby were sleeping Dean carefully made his way down the stairs, skipping the creaking one at the bottom. On the other side of the living room was a big bookshelf, the day before he’d seen a book titled Witches and Familiars and he just couldn’t help himself, he needed to know more. As he reached for the book someone behind him cleared their throat.

“ Witches and Familiars ? Kiddo ain’t your Daddy hunting a ghost?” Bobby asked.

Dean pulled his hand away from the book like it burned, he couldn’t be caught. John told him what Bobby would do if he found out he was a monster. “Yes sir, s’was just wanting to know more.”

Bobby raised his brow and gave Dean a look that screamed bullshit , but thankfully gave him a pass. “Go hop on the couch, we’ll go through it together.”

Dean nodded doing as he was told. He’d have to be careful, one wrong move and he could ruin everything again.

Bobby plopped down next to him, the sudden weight shift causing him to bounce a bit. He flipped open the cover. “So, where’d ya want to start?” He waited for a moment before giving Dean a little nudge. “Not gonna bite, tell me what you were wantin’ to know.”

“Was wanting to learn about familiars, what they are n’ stuff… I know they’re weapons that witches use and that they’re kinda like skinwalkers, but I don’t know what they do,” he said, nervously chancing a glance at Bobby, the man seemed a little shocked.

“Jus’ about the only thing you got right was the kinda like skinwalkers part. C’mon, I’ll show ya.”

And he did, the book was filled with information on not only familiars, but witches as well. It told about how familiars were tactile supernatural creatures that could take an animal form and bond with witches; though instead of being a power trip for witches it was a mutual bond built on trust where witch and familiar protected one another. It also told of how familiars had a set witch that they were meant to bond with, but some witches tried to force a bond with any familiar they could get their hands on. And finally there was the part just on familiars and how they found their witches. When the witch was in a place where they were ready for their familiar said familiar would begin to feel a deep pull, not like the pull to change into their familiar form, or like the pull to touch others, but something deep in their core. Usually the familiar and their family would then make a trek to meet this witch, if they were part of a coven an alliance would be discussed.

Dean nodded along seriously as Bobby spoke, this was important, this book said that his witch would be meant for him, meaning when the time came he would need to be ready to go and protect them. He could protect them like he protected Sammy. He asked questions as Bobby went through each page, like ‘what does tactile mean?’ and ‘does it hurt a familiar if they don’t change forms?’ each answering something about himself he’d never known before.

Too soon Bobby shut the cover. “We better get ya to bed, your Daddy won’t be happy if you’re dead on your feet when he picks you up.”

He figured he had pushed his luck with getting Bobby to help him understand a bit more about himself familiars. But before he could scramble to bed Bobby plopped the big book down on his lap.

“Why don’t ya hold on to that? Maybe that can answer any questions that come up in the future?” Dean gave Bobby a hug for that, and because of the book he no longer had to wonder why it settled some of the itching inside.

~*~

Dean figured he’d always be thankful to Bobby for giving him just a little piece of insight. He was especially thankful because when he was seventeen and started feeling a deep tugging within his soul he knew what it was, he knew that his witch was ready for him to come find them, to protect them.

But he wasn’t ready. The tugging had started as he stood over the burning unmarked grave of two nuns, they had been in love and ‘cause of that they died. It was his first solo hunt and they hadn’t even fought him. He wasn’t sure if it was because they knew he was supernatural too, or if it’s because they knew something else. Regardless of the reason, they had led him to their little stash of worldly possessions and to where their bodies had been chucked and hastily buried. They gave him a smile as they disappeared and the soul deep tugging began. It was his birthday, he was seventeen, just seventeen.

More than anything he just wanted to follow the tugging, it felt like the right thing to do. He… he couldn’t though. He had to watch Sammy, and John needed him. When they didn’t need him anymore… then he’d go, but for now he’d stay.

He got in the impala and drove to whatever dingy motel they were held up in that week.

The itching was worse than ever, and now it was accompanied by that tugging.

~*~

Sam had left. Dean was twenty-two and Sam was eighteen. He left to go college to be some big shot lawyer and Dean couldn’t be prouder. He didn’t get to tell him that because John had all but pushed him out the door and thrown out his bag after him.

Once Sam was good and gone he told Dean he was going out to get a drink and not to wait up. He wasn’t going to, Sam was gone, and now Dad didn’t need him, he was finally free to chase after the tugging in his chest.

He watched out the window as John walked towards the bar he’d seen as they drove into town. It was probably only a five minute walk so it made sense that he wouldn’t take Baby. For Dean this was all he needed.

He scrambled around the room, tossing his loose items into his duffle as fast as he could. The well worn Vonnegut, a too big shirt Sam had left behind, and finally Baby’s keys clenched in his hand. There on that dinky twin mattress was the duffle containing his whole life, or at least the entirety of the life he had seen. He could feel the itching and the tugging, the feelings that pulled him towards the part of his life he still hadn’t had a chance to see and he smiled. He was finally going to do something for himself, he couldn’t fucking wait.

With Baby’s keys in his hand he slung the duffle over his shoulder and slammed the door. He felt there was some sort of significance to the way the neon lights of the motel sign lit up the night. Some sort of feeling they represented, or maybe something he was leaving behind. Either way in those too bright lights he stood a little straighter and squared up his shoulders, ready to start this part of his life right, with himself held high. The very air around him felt like it was part of a brand new world. The crunch of the gravel was applause pushing him from a life of itching and tugging and too much of everything on his senses, pushing him towards his ticket out of here.

He stood next to the door with the keys clenched. Would John be pissed that he took Baby? Almost definitely. Did he care? …No, not any more.

Giddy as can be he pulled open the door and swung himself into the seat. He ran his fingers over the steering wheel. “Just you and me now Baby. How about we go find that witch of mine.” Turning the key, Baby roared to life. Without another thought he left. Left behind John, left behind hunting and followed the tugging.

~*~

He never realized how much he took having another driver in the car for granted until he had been on the road for four days. When he started he was in middle of nowhere Nevada, now he was in butt-fuck nowhere Illinois. He’d driven non-stop each day until his legs started to get pins and needles, then he’d pull over and find the nearest motel to park himself at.

He’d get a few hours of sleep, but mostly he spent his time trying to figure out how someone was supposed to change into their familiar form. He had spent years shoving that side of him down, ignoring the itching that he felt down to his bones, ignoring himself in order to make John happy and not ruin Sam’s image of him. The funny thing is he’d imagine his witch wouldn’t want anything to do with a familiar that couldn’t do anything he should be able to do, so he was gonna figure it out.

Shutting the door he chucked his bag onto the bed and took in the room. Not the worst place he’s stayed. The room is a horrible puke yellow with a full length mirror taking up half of the back wall, but at least it’s clean. Growing up he figured that everyone just ignored the horrible stench of unclean rooms out of necessity; it wasn’t until he had gotten the book from Bobby that he realized the boosted senses were just a bonus of being a monster. He owed a lot to Bobby and that book, he’d probably owe more if the thing could help him get working right.

He found the book at the bottom of his duffel, hidden in an old shirt. He flipped it open to the section outlining familiars’ abilities. Supposedly they were varied for each familiar, but the baseline was heightened senses that lined up with their familiar form, the ability and need to shift into said form, and once again the ability and need to bond with a witch. He flipped forward a few pages to the specifics on familiar forms, he had always ignored this section, didn’t want to tempt himself into messing things up again, but now he had no one around that he could hurt.

“Blah blah blah… need to change forms, already figured that one out. …Comes naturally, well maybe if you don’t ignore it for like seventeen years. How a witch can help their familiar when stuck in one form?” Dean raised his eyebrow.  “That’s oddly specific and possibly helpful.”

The section seemed to mostly cover when a familiar was separated from their witch and forced to maintain a form for too long. Not exactly what he was looking for but Dean was kind of limited on help here.

“...Reach out for their bond, that can’t be too different from the itch… right?” he asked, as though the book could actually tell him this. “What the hell? What do I got to lose?”

Setting the book back on the bed he stood up and shook out his arms. “Alright, Dean, you got this. Just do what you did when you were little. Turn into a cat or whatever the fuck it was. Okay.”

He reached down into the very core of his being, for that constant burning itch that had become so normal to him. The second he reached for it it flared to life, it felt like that time he’d stepped on a fire ant hill. He wanted to drop it so bad, just curl up into a ball and figure this out later, but he thought about the book, the way it had said to use the bond with his witch. He didn’t have a bond, but he sure as hell had something under his skin, so he tugged on it. He tugged on it until the burning turned into a horrible snapping of his bones, lava pushing through his veins, fog slowly filling his head. The last thing he remembered was thinking the ground was a lot closer than it should be before passing out.

Funny enough he thought the same thing when he woke up. The next thing he thought was how weirdly comfortable he felt, sure he still felt the deep tugging of his witch, but the itching that had been his companion for so long was gone… just gone. He never realized how loud a sensation could be until his whole body felt weirdly quiet.

He laughed with relief… or at least he tried. What had come out instead was a weird mix between a chirp and a huff that made him jump to his feet, not feet, paws. With this realization he quickly tumbled his way over to the mirror, just barely managing to avoid falling on his face. Looking in the mirror, rather than seeing his own face, Dean was face to face with an actual mountain lion.

Holy fuck! That’s me! He moved a little closer to inspect himself. He’d honestly been expecting a house cat or something from how he remembers being towed around when he was little before it all went to shit. This was so much better than he’d been expecting though. He opened his mouth to look at the fangs. He had to admit, this was pretty badass.

He’d spent the next hour or so getting used to his limbs and the way his already heightened senses seemed to have been turned up to eleven. By the time he was done Dean was honestly pretty proud of himself, he could turn into his familiar form and not fall on his face, not to mention he could probably tear someone apart with the fangs and claws he got out of it. The only issue was when he realized his room checkout was in an hour and he had no idea how he was supposed to turn back into a person. There was no longer any itch for him to grab onto, no guide… wait… he did have a guide!

He jumped up onto the bed where he’d left the book open the night before. Cautious of his claws he very carefully pawed the page until it turned. Blah blah bond… blah blah, oh, here we go. This should’ve been on the first fucking page. If the bond doesn’t work as a proper anchor other sensations or memories could be used to push a shift. Well, if he didn’t have the itch to push him this time he’d just have to remember what it felt like to be human… easy enough.

It was not easy enough. He tried to use memories of pain as his anchor. When hunting it had always anchored him to the present and been motivation to push himself. It didn’t work though, pain was a thing he’d feel no matter what form he was in. He racked his brain, what was something that grounded him? That was when it hit him. Something that had helped to ease the itch when he was a person, physical contact. It made him feel stupid just for thinking it. Like just the thought of needing another person to comfort him was somehow letting down everyone he knew. He pushed those thoughts aside, he’d let himself feel like an idiot if it didn’t work, for now he’d try.

He thought back to late nights on the road, the feeling of Sam passing out on his shoulder, letting him stay there even though there was a stray elbow buried in his ribs. The hug Bobby had let him steal the night he’d given him the book, how it felt nice to have someone wrap their arms around him like that. Finally he thought of the small gestures John would give, the small pats on the back after a job well done that left him beaming with pride, even when he was covered in blood.

This time it hurt a little bit less, he guessed it was probably faster too. His bones snapped and popped their way back into shape as he slowly sat up on the bed. He held his hands out in front of him, slowly flexing his fingers.

“...Cool.”

Dean liked to think he got better at it as the nights passed. He’d drive as long as he could, then he’d find a motel and practice shifting until he felt like passing out. It probably wasn’t the best way to do it, but he needed to figure things out as fast as he could. By the third night he felt like he’d figured things out pretty well, it didn’t even hurt anymore when he did it and it was nearly instantaneous. Dean was actually proud of himself, letting himself do this after so many years, it didn’t feel wrong like he’d thought it would, he didn’t feel like a monster. He felt more comfortable in his skin than he’d ever felt, in fact he was so comfortable that he spent the entire third night in his familiar form, just curled up on the bed.

Even though he felt he had the whole familiar form thing under control he couldn’t help the fear that spiked through him when he drove into a small town in butt-fuck nowhere Illinois and felt down to his very core that this was where his witch was. A small wave of magic had greeted him when he’d entered the town, probably warding or a charm; unlike all the other magic he’d felt in his life this magic was warm. It was late nights reading to Sammy, it was driving on a long stretch of road, this had to be what people meant when they said something felt like coming home.

It was a small little tourist town. Little shops lined the streets as he drove through looking for a motel of some sort. It honestly seemed like a nice little place, quiet, homey, something straight outta the hallmark channel. He could see why his witch picked it.

He pulled up to a small bed and breakfast, a little sign hung outside to advertise the place, The Drop Inn the sign read. Dean chuckled, as far as names when that was a pretty good one. He flipped open his wallet, there wasn’t a lot left, probably only good enough for a few nights. Well, if all went well with his witch he probably wouldn’t be staying at the inn long. If the book was accurate they probably wouldn’t want to be apart for more than a few minutes after they met, he felt giddy at the idea. Everything he’d been waiting for, a place to belong, someone who would let him protect them and return the favor, a family that didn’t leave, it was so close.

A man at the front desk greeted him. “Welcome to The Drop Inn, do you have a reservation or are you a drop in?”

Dean chuckled and the man beamed at him, clearly he’d been workshopping that one. “I’m just dropping in, not sure for how long.”

“No worries, so long as you make sure to pay for your stay we’ll be just fine.”

“I can do that.”

They made a little bit of small talk as the man, Mr. Burgton, rang him up. Apparently his wife made mean hashbrowns, and his son, who was visiting for the summer, always had something sweet up his sleeve.

“Well if he makes a pie be sure he saves me a slice,” Dean said with a wave.

“Will do, so long as you stop by for breakfast while you’re here. I think Mavis would get a kick out of you,” he responded, tossing Dean his key.

Dean caught the keys and gave a little salute before heading for the room.

It was the kind of room you’d expect from a mom and pop inn. The room had floral wallpaper and bedding to match, a little end table, desk, and an ensuite bathroom with crappy lighting. It was a hell of a lot nicer than the last couple of motels he’d stayed at, more expensive too. He’d probably only have enough for another night or two, unless he decided to go to a bar and hustle somebody. He couldn’t do that though, he didn’t want to do anything that would reflect negatively on his witch.

His witch… who’d he go and meet soon. He had to pause for a moment and breathe, this was it. He pocketed Baby’s keys and gave a wave to Mr. Burgton as he left the inn.

He was about to unlock Baby when he stopped. He was in a walking mood today, it was sunny, he could get some fresh air, work off some energy, and he didn’t have to worry about making any U-turns if he passed his witch. So once again he let the tugging pull him, this time towards the town's main road and little tourist shops.

He let the tugging lead him down past the little shops to one near the end of the road. Dean couldn’t help but chuckle, could his witch be more obvious? He was standing in front of what looked to be some sort of novelty magic shop, or at least some place that sold real hippy shit. One of the first places a hunter would look if they were on a witch hunt, or maybe it would be the last.

He caught movement inside, the lights went out and the little sign in the door was flipped from open to close. A man slipped out the door, apparently locking up for the day. Huh, it was a little early in the day for closing.

What captured Dean’s attention though was the second he laid eyes on the man the tugging in his soul dialed up to eleven before opening up into something more. The feeling of home he felt earlier passing into the town was all consuming, he could feel this man’s, his witch’s, magic welcoming him. It was like a breath of fresh air.

He was so caught up in the feeling he was completely unprepared for his witch to swivel around and run right into him. Impossibly blue eyes widened in surprise. They held each other’s gaze until Dean was able to collect himself as much as he could.

He rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed, he was already looking like an idiot. “Oh hey, sorry about that. Didn’t mean to be in your way. So, here’s the deal-”

“Sorry we’re closed, and I need to be going,” his witch said, cutting him off.

The hope he’d held was slowly slipping through his fingers. He was probably pissed at him for taking so long, maybe he could explain. “If you could just give me a few minutes to-” He interrupted again, not even looking at him this time.  “I really do have to go. It’s a matter of utmost importance.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Dean could feel what little he had left crumbling in front of him. The bond they had felt like it was beginning to fail, Dean held on with everything he could. Maybe he could convince him to change his mind, just to give him a shot.

His witch was still staring at him, Dean was blocking his path and moved to the side. He moved and his witch all but ran for a in the small gravel parking lot next to the little shop.

Dean didn’t even know his name. “Hey! Wait up!” He ran after the horrible little car his witch had climbed into. He watched as he drove out of his sight. Leaving Dean standing there, clinging to a burning bond.

~*~

After the bust that was Dean meeting his witch he found himself back at the inn, wracking his brain over how to get a chance to explain himself. Of course the whole thinking thing was kind of difficult at the moment, he was getting used to the burning feeling of the partially crumpled bond. It felt like the thing was using all his energy to keep it together, only a matter of time before it burned him out. Until then he was holding on with both hands.

Maybe he could show him how good a familiar he could be. He’d stay out of the way, he’d keep him safe. If that didn’t work he could say he gave it the good ol’ college try and split. He could call up Bobby for a case or something, he could even call John to see if he needed an extra hand. Sure John would be pissed at him, but at least it was a place to go.

He was so caught up with the what ifs that he nearly fell off the bed when he felt a small tugging on the bond. At first it was shy, then it went all out. Each minute that passed Dean could feel his energy being tested. Eventually he was able to wrap his brain around what was actually happening. Wherever Dean’s witch was he was using magic, and he was using their partial bond to boost it.

Dean could feel sleep hurtling towards him like a bullet train, but he couldn’t help but smile at what this meant. If his witch was willing to use their bond, maybe he’d be willing to give him another chance.

He woke with a jolt, groaning as he heaved himself up to look at the clock on the end table. It was about seven, meaning breakfast would be served soon. As much as he wanted to waste the day away sleeping off this exhaustion he promised Mr. Burgton he wouldn’t miss breakfast.

He stumbled his way into the tiny en-suite and forced himself to get ready for the day. Who knows, maybe a shower would actually wake him up a bit.

The shower did not help, breakfast did though. Mr and Mrs. Burgton were more than happy to let him load up his plate. He talked about all the places he had been to while traveling ‘round the states and they told him all about their honeymoon trip around Europe. They also talked his ear off about their son, home for the summer but working towards becoming a pastry chef, and his goal to take over the bakery in town. Their son, Matthew, had simply rolled his eyes in response to their gushing.

The whole environment was cozy and homey, almost made him forget about his cash troubles when he paid for the next night, and then the night after that the next day. He did run out of cash though on the fourth day. He figured Mr. Burgton knew he had no place to go and offered to let him stay a couple extra nights if he could fix up his old truck. Dean smiled when he shook his hand, praying the exhaustion didn’t show through. The Burgtons were too nice for their own good, if they thought he was sick they would insist he stayed for free.

His first few days in town Dean made a point of lurking around the shop in his familiar form, he was less likely to get found out that way he figured. He discovered that his witch was apparently friends with another witch who worked for him, that just didn’t sit right; made him feel like one wrong move and she would take him away despite the fact his witch was her friend. So it just added a new little challenge to his work protecting his witch, stay out of sight from everyone when in familiar form and don’t let the redhead witch see him at all.

After the first two days nosing around the shop he learned to recognize the warm tingle of the protective wards his witch had placed around the shop, meaning this was probably one of the places his witch was safest. The other place was the house on the edge of town that Dean had followed him back to one night, leaving Baby parked a ways down the road. With all the warding he’d know if his witch needed help before he was even in trouble. So when his witch was home or at his shop he gave him some space, space that he used to question the locals.

Truth be told he was going to try and ask around at the local diner but someone got to him first.

“Excuse me?”

He hadn’t even made it in the door when some soccer mom looking lady approached him. “Uh, hi. Can I help you?”

“Is that your car over there?” she asked, pointing towards Baby.

“She sure is.” Clearly that was the wrong thing to say as the woman looked like she was getting ready to chew him out.

“Well, Mr-” She paused, clearly waiting for him to give his name.

“Winchester, Dean Winchester.”

“Well, Mr. Winchester, I’ll have you know that when you drove that loud car of yours out of town a few nights ago you passed my house. The engine on that thing is so loud it woke up my poor Timothy.” She stopped again, expecting him to grovel at her feet or something.

He opened his mouth, ready to hash it out when he remembered what he was here to do, protect his witch and not make a scene. “Ma’am I’m real sorry I woke up your kid with my car. I’ll make sure to save my trips out of town for the day. Could I get you a cup of coffee inside to make up for it?” Since Mr. Bergton was letting him stay for free while he fixed up the truck he had a little cash left.

“Thank you for your apology, Dean, I think I’ll take you up on that cup of coffee.” Not waiting for Dean she marched in and selected a booth.

She barely even waited for him to sit down before she started up again. “I don’t believe I introduced myself, my name’s Margaret, proud member of the Town Improvement Organization, TIO for short.”

That got his attention. “Wow, congrats. In that case I bet you know the town pretty well right?”

“Yes indeed. I know just about everyone who lives here and most of the town's history too. Do you have any questions since you’re new here?”

It felt wrong asking others about his witch, but he wanted to know what kind of person he is. “Uhh yeah, I saw that there was a little novelty magic shop in town. Little bit of an oddity in this kind of community huh?”

“Oh that sweet little shop is run by Castiel and you’d be surprised by the things he sells, they’re small but seem to work wonders. You’d almost think he was really magic.”

Dean chuckled. “Maybe he is. And, Castiel? That’s a bit of an odd name.”

“I think it’s biblical,” she says absentmindedly. “He’s a bit of an odd fellow, but he has a big heart, always helping out everyone he can. Once he spent every Sunday for a month last summer helping fix the garden in the retirement home a town over.” He seemed to have picked the right person to poke for information.

The conversation only went from there as some other ladies who seemed to be part of Margaret’s little organization came over and joined in gushing over Castiel. He learned a few things, Castiel sometimes went by the nickname Cas, and he seemed to be the equivalent of a guardian angel to the people in this town. In fact he heard so many stories he was almost dizzy by the time he decided to get back to lurking around the shop in his familiar form. He knew one thing for certain though, Cas was too good a person to have gotten stuck with a familiar like him, it’s no wonder he didn’t want Dean. That didn’t matter though, it was clear that his witch deserved to have someone look after him, and he was more than happy to do that.

As time wore on he took to avoiding his witch when he saw him. It was clear that he wanted nothing to do with Dean given how he was and the fact that Cas was some sort of angel. The only reason he could think of for his witch to approach him would be to tell him to get lost, something he couldn’t do. His witch did seem to be focused on confronting him though, so the more Cas looked for him, the more time he spent hiding in his familiar form. If a few of the locals spotted him it was no big deal, absolutely nothing to worry about, the only thing that mattered was protecting him and staying out of his sight.

Things did get a bit harder when he finished fixing up Mr. Burton’s truck, he refused to take advantage of them any more than he already had. It wasn’t like he hadn’t slept in Baby before, hell, he’d even crammed back here with Sam when they were younger. He’d driven towards Cas’, might as well stick close. He hid her just off the side of the road, wincing at the damage he’d do to the paint job as covered her in foliage.

He spent most of his time in his familiar form camped around Cas’ house, or in the tree outside the shop. At night once the witch turned off the lights he’d retreat back to Baby and try to squeeze in as much shut eye as he could.

As much as he hated to do it, one night he’d unburied Baby and gone a town over to hustle up some money for food. The bond strained against him the whole time, urging him to go back to his witch. He remembered Bobby’s book saying something like that about new bonds. He was just glad there was no one from town there, last thing he’d want to do was let any of his choices reflect back on Cas.

He had barely gotten any sleep that night, which only made the next day even shittier when he had to talk that cop out of towing Baby, apparently in his drained haze he hadn’t hidden her well enough.

When he’d been in town for over a month he wondered if Cas even needed his protection. Everyone in town seemed to love him, he had good friends in that other witch and her girlfriend (another witch he had discovered), and it seemed like his magic did the protecting for him. He’d give it another few days, if nothing changed he’d confront Cas and see if maybe he changed his mind about not wanting a familiar, if not, he’d take being told to leave head on and see if maybe Bobby had any use for his hunting skills. Of course a few days later things changed.

~*~

With how the morning started he should’ve known things wouldn’t go well today. He’d practically had to beg the sheriff to not tow Baby this time either. He’d ended up falling asleep in some of the bushes by Cas’ house and woken up later than usual, in fact he was so late getting up that Cas was already well into starting his work day by the time Dean got there.

He’d been sitting in the tree next to the shop when Cas had suddenly burst out and ran for his car, much like he had the first day they met. It startled him so badly he almost fell out of the tree. The second Cas’ car was out of view; he hopped down and used the bond as a guide to hurry after him. He may have scared a person or two by bolting through the town, but staying hidden didn’t matter nearly as much as keeping Cas safe from whatever had him running like a bat out of hell.

He ended up outside Cas’ house where he caught the tail end of some sort of argument. The man was another witch, and a powerful one at that. Dean was immediately on alert.

“-and the book! I’m not leaving this town until I do,” the man yelled. Dean’s senses screamed at him. His body seemed to come alive with the threat towards his witch. His mind blanked, the only thought left was one that urged him to do anything he could to take down the other man. No one was going to touch his witch.

He felt like an animal, completely zeroed in on the person who threatened what was his. His claws extended and he bared his fangs. Dean could feel his body getting ready to lunge, to attack; at least he did until his witch spoke up.

“Suit yourself, Michael, there’s nothing to find. Now if you excuse me I must be returning to my shop. For once you haven’t delayed me enough that I’m forced to put everything on Charlie,” Cas responded. The way he spoke so calmly imminently drew Dean back to attention. Was this other witch not the threat he seemed to be? No, he shouldn’t just assume that, assuming is what gets people killed, it’s what got his mom killed. He refused to repeat past mistakes with his witch.

Dean watched as the offending man - Michael - got in his car and sped off. Castiel sighed in a sort of resigned defeat before getting in his own car, clearly whoever this was is someone Cas knows, and this has happened before. This seemed like it was different though, Michael seemed angry at his witch, angry enough to be sticking around.

Castiel pulled out of his driveway, assumingly heading back to his shop. What was he supposed to do? Should he follow this Michael and try to take him out before he can lay a hand on Cas? Or should he follow Cas and keep an eye on him in case Michael tries to pull anything?

Cas. He’d follow Cas. It was his job to keep him safe, to be there if anything happened, to be his shield. What if the other witch had some trick up his sleeve? It was much safer for him to stick by Cas.

So when his car was just out of sight Dean chased after him, using the foliage as a cover.

~*~

The day was spent on alert. Circling Cas’ shop while trying to stay out of sight and staying ready in case any unfamiliar magic made itself known. And it did.

It had been near the end of Cas’ work day and Dean was watching from a nearby tree. The feeling was subtle at first. The feeling of something wrong, like he was being watched. Then he felt the oily magic, only it wasn’t directed at Cas, not at his shop or at his wards. No, it was directed at Dean. His fur stood on end. For once he didn’t feel like a predator. He wasn’t the hunter anymore, he was the prey.

Slowly Dean turned his head towards the source and locked eyes with none other than Michael. Michael who looked at him with an oh so familiar look. A look of greed, a look that told him everything he needed to know, and he’d seen before his family was torn apart. It was of a witch who had just found a familiar and wanted nothing more than the power that Dean could give them.

In other words, he was fucked. Dean hadn’t even considered the possibility of being a target. He was supposed to be looking out for Cas, not for himself. That was where he had fucked up.

The slimy magic seemed to run over his fur, it was probably supposed to be some form of an invitation. A chance to give up and go with Michael willingly, to let go of the bond he was barely holding together on his own and join a different one. A wrong one. Dean hissed. No fucking way he was giving up his witch that easily. He had screwed up sure, maybe his witch didn’t want him yet, but there was no way he was letting go the only person he had right now without a fight.

It seemed like Michael wasn’t expecting Dean’s rejection with the way his eyebrows shot up and a look of disgust overtook his features. Did he really think Dean was going to drop Cas and go with him that easily? Clearly he didn’t know anything about familiars or Dean if he thought that a simple invitation would turn him against Cas.

He hissed again. Michaels look of disgust turned to a sneer before he walked away. Dean could feel himself calming as the oily feeling left the area, though it was clear that this wasn’t over yet. Dean had gone and screwed up again. How was he supposed to protect his witch when he himself was now apparently a target?  

Dean looked towards the shop, he could see in through the window. Cas was talking with a customer. Some lady who looked like she was chewing him out, for what Castiel obviously had no clue if the increasing look of confusion on his face was anything to go by.

He had a feeling that something was going to give, and soon. But until that happened he’d let himself enjoy what he did have, and that was watching Castiel’s range of facial expressions as the lady continued to rant. He felt just so… fond when Cas apparently realized what the lady was talking about and responded to her, causing her to become apparently embarrassed. He huffed out as much of a laugh as he could in this form, his tail swaying and rustling the leaves.

Yeah, he could enjoy what he had here. And he did. He enjoyed watching Cas the rest of the day. He enjoyed watching him check everything twice before closing, and then checking again through the windows. He enjoyed watching Cas’ key get stuck in his car door and how he jiggled it a few times and swore quietly under his breath before it came free. If things worked out maybe Dean would get the chance to fix it for him one day.

And he loved the way Cas’ wards seemed to greet him once Dean made it to Cas’ house. The way each made itself known as he walked around the edge of Cas’ property as though they were friends he hadn’t seen in a long time. He loved how much being around Cas felt like having a home, and he sure as hell hoped the foreboding feeling he had was wrong.

~*~

Dean had fucked up.

He fucked up when he had let Michael see him. He had relied too much on the fact that no one would recognize him as a familiar except maybe other witches, and because of that he’d messed up. He’d made himself a target. But his real fuck up was assuming that now that he was a target that Michael would leave Cas alone, at least for a little bit.

Dean had slept in that morning, giving into the weight of the exhaustion he felt. He was hungry, tired, and emotionally wrung out. But it was fine. This isn’t the hungriest he had been, he’d experienced worse with Sam growing up, so it’s fine. And as for how tired he felt, he was using almost everything he had to hold onto the bond. Each day it felt like the support beams holding it together gained another crack.

He… he just needed a minute, and Cas’ wards were… warm? So he’d given into exhaustion, and apparently he was a bit more out of it than he thought. Instead of walking up when Cas was getting ready to leave like he had intended to, he woke up to a violent burst in the bond.

Dean jolted up, barely pausing to get his footing before booking it away from the house towards his witch. The bond felt mad, or at least Cas felt mad. Scratch that, Cas felt furious. The bond almost felt like it had been offended and was ready to back Cas with everything it had. He could feel the bursts of magic as he ran. Cas was using his magic out of anger, something was wrong and Dean wasn’t there to help him.

Dean clutched at the bond, praying that nothing happened to Cas as he pushed his legs as far as they could go, barely caring if he was spotted or not.

By the time Dean arrived at the shop the magic and anger had faded, and all that he felt through the bond was a feeling of fierce protectiveness. There was also a lingering smell of petrichor, something he’d come to associate with Cas’ magic, though this felt stormy.

Dean hopped into the tree and gazed in through the window, taking in the splintered wood of the floor, and the shatter light bulbs that were currently being swept up. Someone had threatened something of Cas’ and he’d gotten mad. That wasn’t something he’d seen Cas do in the entirety of the time Dean had been protecting him.  But… he’s fine now, it wasn’t something he needed to linger on. Right? Dean allowed himself to relax, breathing in deeply in an attempt to catch his breath.

Of course that was when he caught the other scent in the air and he noticed the faint traces of the oily magic that seemed to almost drip off Michael. Michael had threatened Cas, or at least something of his witch’s. This was his fault. Michael probably would’ve left Cas alone if Dean didn’t get caught, if Dean hadn’t messed up. He cursed himself.

He wasn’t doing better. He was supposed to be proving to his witch that he could stay out of the way. His job was to provide support for Cas and keep him safe. He’d already failed him for so long, Cas’ magic had called to him and Dean had ignored it. He had to do better. Because Dean didn’t know what he would do if he couldn’t be better. The bond, no matter how tired it made him felt right. Dean knew that wasn’t a reason for him to burden Cas like this, with a familiar who didn’t know how to be one. But, for once in his life he wanted to be selfish, he had something and he wanted to keep it.

He can’t lose this, no matter how much it’s hurting him right now. Because if Dean can hold on long enough for Cas to decide to give him a chance then it’ll all be worth it. And… he wasn’t sure if he could survive the bond breaking.

From this point on Dean would do his best. What he’s been doing isn’t working, he needs to try harder.

Dean stays in the tree the entirety of the time that Cas is in the shop. Normally he’d leave at some point to go get food, or something. The shop was supposed to be a safe place for Cas, somewhere Dean could trust nothing to happen to his witch. But Michael went and threw that idea right out the window and stomped on it, so keeping an eye on his witch it is.

Trees seem to be his thing today, so much so that he finds himself in one of the trees outside Cas’ house that night. Part of Dean’s ‘do better for your witch plan’ means not letting Cas out of his sight until he’s asleep and for sure safe in his warded house. So he’s waiting for Cas’ to fall asleep ‘cause at this point he doesn't trust his witch to stay put long enough for him to get some grub and get back.

As Dean laid there he could’ve smiled. Despite the fact that his witch had a horrible sleep schedule - something he would fix once Cas let him get close - he thought it was kinda sweet the way Cas stayed up a bit too late doing magic. Dean wasn’t sure what kind of magic he was doing, but he could see Cas with a tray in front of him, brow furrowed in confusion. Whatever it was he was trying hard to figure it out. He watched with joy as Cas’ eyes seemed to light up with an idea. Dean eagerly waited to see what his witch was gonna try.

There was a moment, and then he felt it. It was a jolt through his entire being, stretching him as far as he could go, but at the same time it was the sort of feeling that he could fall back into and simply float. It felt like Cas was cradling their bond with his magic. He peeked open an eye, he wasn’t sure when he had closed them. He could see Cas through the window, still sitting with the tray in front of him, only his eyes were closed and his hands were out. A small warm glow was filling his palms. Cas was holding their bond. Dean wanted nothing more than to live in this feeling forever, to go into the house, plop himself down next to Can and never move again. If this is what it felt like when Cas lent his magic to the bond Dean never wanted to be without it again.

But… Dean sat up a little straighter. Why was Cas holding their bond? Dean hadn’t made it up to Cas yet. He hadn’t made up for all those years he left Cas alone.

He could feel their bond shift under Cas’ hands, a slight change then sent fear shooting through Dean. What if Cas wasn’t holding their bond because he’d decided Dean deserved it now? What if he was holding it because he was sick of Dean following him around and wanted to shatter it? It looked so small in his hands. With the way Cas’ magic seemed to be getting stronger lately a small bond like theirs could next stand up to it.

Dean wasn’t ready for that! He needed more time. So as much as it pained him, he slammed down a wall between them. The kind he’d read about in the book Bobby gave him, the kind that meant he could still help Cas be stronger, it would just make the bad effects of the bond even worse.

Dean watched for just long enough to see Cas jolt out of his trance as their bond disappeared from his grasp then he ran. He jumped out of the tree and ran as fast as he could away from Cas. Be better, you have to be better. He ignored Cas calling for him to wait and he ran off the property.

He will be better. And he knew how to do it.

~*~

It took Dean awhile to catch a feeling of the greedy magic in town, but once he did he followed it. It rolled about in sickening waves. Michael was a danger to Cas and his possessions. Dean wanted… needed to take care of this for Cas. If he got rid of Michael, or at least got him to leave town, maybe Cas would be happy enough with him to let him stay on a trial run. Or maybe at the very least if Cas still didn’t want him Dean could ask him to hold their bond like that for maybe just a little bit again before he broke it. And maybe if he was a bit luckier than that, Cas could wait until he was out of town before he broke it. No sense in leaving his witch with a body to clean up.

He followed the trail to a back alley in the little business part of town. It was surprisingly deserted at this hour, meaning neither of them would have to worry about holding back. Dean felt like he was walking into a death trap. Michael’s magic no matter how disturbing it was also felt strong. But Dean had an element that Michael didn’t, desperation. Dean needed to do this for Cas like he needed air. This was his shot and if he blew it he was not gonna make it.

For Michael going after Cas and Dean seems almost like a game. It just feels like Michael wants to take things away from Cas, not even necessarily hurt him; if that’s what Michael wanted to do he would’ve already done it. But that also means that he is in it for the long haul and won’t be expecting Dean to come at him with everything he has. He has a chance. And a chance is all he needs.

“Did the little kitty change its mind?” Michael stepped out from around a corner.

Dean growled at him.

“No hmm? So did you just come here to warn me off of your witch? Because it won’t work. Castiel is my baby brother, and he has something I want, so if you’re not willing to come with me, then I’m not leaving till I have it.”  He smirked and took a step closer.

Brother? Dean could work with that. He wasn’t sure Cas would appreciate it if he killed one of his siblings, so he would just stick to trying to run him out of town. Doesn’t mean he’s not gonna use his claws though.

When Michael took another step Dean lunged. He took a small amount of pride in how shocked Michael looked as Dean’s claws connected with his shoulders. Did he seriously think Dean wouldn’t fight him? Roughly he toppled the witch over, pinning him and leaving them face to face. Dean yowled, trying to put as much meaning behind it as he could. He wanted this man to get out of his witch’s town.

Michael regained a bit of his breath. “So, kitty’s got claws.” Dean let them sink in just a bit further, noticing the way Michael’s eye twitched. “Well, two can play it that game.”

He felt the slimy magic a moment too late, debris from the alley were floating all around them and Michael had decided to throw a plank at his ribs. It hit him with enough force to throw him off of Michael and into a crate that splintered at his impact. A few pieces stabbed into his skin. So much for having any sort of upper hand. Any advantage he had was long gone.

Dean brought himself back to his feet and turned to face down Michael once again. This time Michael was at the ready with little hunks of metal and rock. Dean gave him a cheshire grin, he wasn’t gonna go down so easily.

And he didn’t, but he still went down. Dean had been too exhausted to continue trading blows long term, but he did manage to scratch Michael up pretty badly. He scratched him up to the point that that stupid ass smile had finally fallen from his face. By the end of it he was breathing heavily and covered in seeping claw marks.

Dean actually wasn’t as bad off as he could’ve been, but his body wasn’t really responding anymore. He had pushed himself too far and it still hadn’t been enough to take care of this for his witch.

Dean tried to get up from where he lay in a heap of trash. His front paws buckled beneath him. That’s something that wouldn’t have passed with John.

Michael seemed to take that as some sort of victory, and that smile Dean had worked so hard to wipe off his smug face returned. “Stay down.” He waited for a moment. “Good, now that you’ve learned your place are you ready to bond with me?”

Dean mustered up a growl.

“You only have one line don’t you? Nonetheless, your bond is weak, it shouldn’t be hard to get through. I won’t even need the grimoire if I get you. ” Michael approached and reached an arm out towards him, staying far back enough that Dean couldn’t swipe at him.

He’d really fucked this one up. Dean looked at the sky past Michael’s head. Early light was just starting to show in the clouds, chances were in another hour or so Cas would be getting up. Dean would hate to wake him up early with the feeling of their bond collapsing if Michael was strong enough to force the threads of it to snap.

The magic reached out for him, for where a bond might form when a familiar meets their witch. Dean waited for the inevitable plunge into his magic. But… it seemed to just grope around for a minute before recoiling. Michael looked frustrated? For all the guy talked himself up did he not even know the first thing about familiar and witch bonds? Of course they didn’t stay on the fucking surface once formed; they would be too easy to mess with that way. No, they moved into the familiar’s and the witch’s magic after they formed, it was a layer of protection between the bond and those who wanted to mess with it. But if Michael was too much of an idiot to know something Dean had scraped from a single book, then he sure as hell wasn’t going to say anything.

“You still won’t bond with me will you.” It wasn’t a question. The frustration and anger showed on the man’s face. “Fine! I’ll just have to take out your witch. Castiel shouldn’t pose too much of a threat, his magic’s always been weak, and with thinking he’s all high and mighty, he’s put too much stock in the boost he’s gained from you.” He stood up.

Fear flared through Dean. His witch was now a serious target. A target for his own brother who wanted Dean to boost his magic.

Michael started walking away. “See you soon. I don’t imagine you’ll be moving much once the bond is broken, but try to stay out of sight.” He tossed a glance back at Dean. “You won’t be of much use to me if someone shoots you before I can get back.” And with that insightful advice he turned the corner and left Dean alone.

Dean gave himself a second. He was injured. Slowly bleeding from a few gnashes littering his body. He shifted slightly and winced at the pain. There was something wrong with his ribs for sure, hopefully just bruised, if they were cracked he probably wouldn’t be able to do anything. Though what he should probably be most worried about was the way his head hurt like something was pounding on it, it was enough to make his vision blur. With all this in mind he gave himself a moment.

He just needed a little bit of time to breathe. Dean needed to round up any sort of energy he had left in his body and force himself up. He may not have much, but he had a GED and a give-em-hell attitude and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Cas get murdered by his own brother because of Dean. He still had time to fix this.

He waited, and once he felt that he wouldn’t immediately collapse he forced his legs under himself. It hurt, but thankfully the pain was manageable. Shakily he pushed himself up, his vision swam like it did when he’d gotten up too quickly when sick. But he stayed standing, so he’d count that as a win.

Slowly he began pacing in the direction Michael left in, the direction of Cas’ house. The sun was up a bit more now, making the morning fog visible and chasing away a bit of the chill. Dean continued on through the little shopping district and towards the road that led to Cas’. His left hind paw was dragging a bit, but he ignored it in his attempt to push forward.

Dean’s gate slowly increased with a looming sense of urgency and he felt for the bond. The bond was dim in the way that it meant Cas was still mostly asleep, shifting just a bit as he was getting ready to rise to consciousness, when suddenly it jolted. And with that Dean took what he could and sprinted.

The scene as Dean arrived set his blood alight. Michael was pounding at the wards with his magic, doing his best to tear them down. And Cas himself was readying his magic to strike. Dean could buy him a few seconds to do what he needed.

Dean yowled and leapt to stand in front of his witch. In the long run he wouldn’t be able to do much with how messed up he already was. But maybe if Dean could buy Cas some time he would have a chance to get rid of Michael.

“Little kitty, back for more?” Michael taunted.

Dean hissed a reply. If the situation was different he might have laughed at the deja vu.

Dean shot a glance black at Cas who was staring at him with wide eyes. Why he looked so shocked Dean couldn’t understand. His witch was good and kind, at least according to the people in town and what he’d seen, so of course Dean would do what he could for him here. Dean could only hope Cas could use the opening. He planted his feet and lunged at Michael.

Dean sunk his fangs into Michael’s arm this time, holding on tight even as he grunted and tried to shake Dean off. If he could hold on long enough to give Cas some sort of opening then that was all that mattered. His blood was pumping in his ears.

He could feel Michael’s oily magic starting to build up in the palm of his free hand. A small whirling mass that he imagined might just be the tipping point in his injuries. Dean chanced a glance back.

But he didn’t even have a chance to look at Cas. Michael’s magic burrowed into him and flung him to the side. Dean bit back a yelp as he hit the ground. There was an unpleasant feeling in his chest. Shit, if his ribs weren’t cracked before they are now.

Dean must’ve blacked out for a moment, as the next thing he knew Michael was no longer standing and there was a hand cradling his face. Dean forced his eyes to focus, it was Cas. He thinks this may be the first time his witch has looked at him with those eyes, eyes that were full of worry and some weird form of relief.

“You’ve been busy haven’t you.” Dean wished he could respond. “You’ve been keeping an eye on me for weeks now, holding our bond together all by yourself.” Dean let himself relax, Cas acknowledged his efforts. His witch had him now and his hand was warm and felt nice in his fur. He wasn’t sure he even cared about whatever happened next.

Dean gave into his foggy mind and let everything go dark. Cas had him now.

Chapter Three

“Thanks Gabe,” Cas said. He watched for a moment as Gabe made his way over to Michael before he turned all of his attention to the familiar in his arms.

Dean looked horrible. He was emaciated. Cas could easily spot his ribs and the way his skin almost looked like it was hanging from his body. There were cuts littered across his skin, thankfully it looked like most of the bleeding had slowed. However his fur was now matted with blood. It was clear that he had to be completely and utterly exhausted with the way he had been holding the bond together for so long. His energy had to be more than drained.

Cas set his face. First things first, he had to get Dean somewhere safe. His magic magic was practically screaming at him that where they were now was too exposed, not protected, not safe. Cas let out a breath, he needed to stay calm, he couldn’t let his magic be in control right now or he might do more harm than good.

Castiel carefully shifted his arms under Dean. He let his magic wrap around his familiar almost like a blanket. He’d do his best to make sure that he didn’t cause any unnecessary harm while moving him. When he felt his magic finish settling, Cas made a move to stand up, he almost fell backwards from how light Dean was, somehow it was worse than he’d expected.

Cas casts a glance over at Gabe who appears to be maneuvering Michael into his car. Gabe is lifting their unconscious brother with his magic and dragging him by the ankle. Cas almost wants to laugh.

With the knowledge that Michael is taken care of, Cas turns back to his house and begins to carefully carry Dean to it. His heart breaks at the little whine his familiar unconsciously lets out when Cas jostles him a bit getting up the porch.

“Shit, sorry. Don’t worry. We’re almost inside, then we’ll get you all settled and start with your injuries. I’ll give my friend Charlie a call and get her to bring over her girlfriend Gilda.” He paused to open the door and shift them inside. “Gilda has something of a talent for healing people and animals. She’s the town vet and everything. I’m sure she’ll be able to help us.”

Cas brings Dean to the living room and pauses. The couch probably wouldn’t be the best, Dean might roll off if he panics when he wakes up. And even if he did lay down some blankets and pillows it probably wouldn’t be the most comfortable. Dean should be as comfortable as possible, because if Cas’ assumptions are correct then Dean has been sleeping outside or not at all for sometime now. His familiar deserved as much comfort as Cas could offer him after everything he’s been through. In that case, the guest room is the best option.

He turns and makes his way down to the end of the hall. It’s a little bit stuffy from lack of use, but he doesn’t want to risk the stairs to settle Dean in his room. Cas makes his way over to the bed and carefully sets Dean down. Some red seeps into the sheets from the wounds. He ignores it, that’s what spare sheets are for.

Cas takes a moment to look at his familiar. It just feels wrong. Dean shouldn’t be like this, he should’ve been safe by Cas’ side from the moment he got to town. Cas sighed, he can’t focus on that right now, he has to focus on doing what he can in the moment.

He pulls out his phone and calls Charlie. It’s almost to voicemail when she picks up.

“Cas?” She wasn't coming into the shop today, so chances are she stayed up working a freelance job. “It’s like seven in the morning. What the hell?”

How is he even supposed to start this? “Charlie,” he says, almost desperately.

The change is like night and day. “Cas?! What’s wrong?” she says, now sounding completely alert.

“I found out where my extra power was coming from. Turns out the mystery man is my familiar. And… Michael hurt him, and he’s been hurting himself.” Cas is pacing the room, looking at Dean every other word as though he might get worse in the second he looks away. “I need… I need help. Can you and Gilda get to my house? Gabe took care of Michael, but healing after the fact has never been my strong suit.”

Cas could hear a thunk from the other end, followed by some scrambling and swearing. “Shit, Cas! We’ll be there as soon as possible. Gilda’s grabbing her bag, both of them. We’ll be there soon okay.” And just because she knew him so well, “Make sure you breathe Cas. You’re not alone in this.”

He paused his pacing. “...Thank you.”

“I’m going to hang up now Cas so I can help Gilda get her stuff together, but we’ll be there before you know it.”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon,” she responded.

Cas hung up and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. He turned back to Dean. Cas felt useless. Without knowing what all was wrong, trying any sort of healing by doing more harm than good. Heal a bone wrong and he could end up piercing one of Dean’s lungs. Or healing a cut with something inside. He shuddered at the idea of doing more harm. All he could do was make sure Dean was as comfortable as he could be in this situation until help arrived. He pulled up a chair next to the bed.

Even after getting healed Dean would have a bit of a long road in front of him. Cas would have to start him on lighter meals. Cas paused, did familiars have specialized diets? Dean was a cougar, so in familiar form would a meat based diet be better? And then once Dean had the energy to change back to his human form then Cas could start him on light meals. He’d have to see what Gilda knows about familiars once she heals what she can.

The thing is, thinking about Dean’s condition always leads his mind back to the same question, why? Why did his familiar feel so scared when he tried to take his half and complete the bond? Why did his familiar not come to him in the first place? Why, considering that they hadn’t even exchanged words-

Cas could feel his eyes widen as the dots started to connect. They… they had exchanged words. About two months ago. Dean had some to his shop and talked to him, he’d been so nervous and had wanted to say something. But Michal had been messing with his wards and he hadn’t noticed that the man was his familiar. Instead of what Dean had probably been expecting, getting to connect with his witch for the first time, Cas had brushed him off and left him. Dean had tried to come to Cas and he had ignored him. Did Dean think that Castiel was rejecting him? The more he thought about it the more likely it seemed.

A wave of guilt washed over him. This was his fault. Dean had thought that Cas didn’t want him, and he probably didn’t know what to do, so he did what he could and held onto the bond while trying to stay by Cas’ side. All of this suffering over a misunderstanding.

Cas tries to remember what he knows about familiars. He knows that when his magic settled his family had him stay home for about a week, cause if he had a familiar they would’ve started to feel the pull of their bond then. When no familiar came he didn’t worry too much about learning anything beyond the basics.

Cas’ eyes widened and he sat up a bit straighter. That was several years ago… had Dean felt the pull that entire time? If he had, he should’ve come with his family to meet Cas’ and to arrange specifics of their bond. But what if… what if his family hadn’t cared? What if for some reason Dean had to stay? Cas hoped that wasn’t the case. Dean had already suffered so much these last few months, he wasn’t sure he could stop himself from doing something he regretted if he found out his familiar had been suffering for years.

He took a breath and let it out slowly. He let Charlie’s words echo in his mind. It wouldn’t do him any good to get worked up. He should prepare things for when Charlie and Gilda get here. He reaches out and gives one of Dean’s front paws a squeeze before getting up to grab some supplies.

By the time Charlie and Gilda arrive he has a small assortment of towels, a bowl of lukewarm water, and the spare sheets at the ready.

Cas can’t help but grimace at the way Charlie flinches and Gilda’s face sets into a focused frown at the sight of Dean. Charlie squeezes his arm as Gilda approaches the bed and opens her bags, one with medical supplies and the other with magic supplies.

“Have you done any sort of treatment?” Gilda asks flatly, she’s in her ‘work’ mode.

“No, I haven’t. I’m not the best at first aid and if I use my magic it’s not exact enough for me to target something specific. I could’ve ended up just hurting him more.” He wishes he could’ve done more than just get Dean somewhere safe.

Gilda simply nods and continues to get out her supplies. She snaps on a pair of gloves before holding her hands over Dean. They glow a faint green. Her lips twitch down further. Cas isn’t sure he’ll ever be able to explain to them how much their support means at this moment.

The glow increases as her hands hover over different areas. “You did a good job getting him up here without making anything worse, but I won’t lie to you it’s pretty bad. He’s dehydrated, and malnourished. He has a few cracked ribs and a minor concussion, nothing I can’t fix but you’re right in saying you probably would’ve made it worse if you had tried. There’s also several cuts, thankfully they’re all pretty surface level.” Cas lets out a sigh of relief. “But he feels just so exhausted. What’s the status of your bond?” The glow is brighter, a telltale sign that she’s healing him now and no longer assessing.

“He’s been holding it up one-sided for about two months.” The silence is audible.

Gilda turns and blinks at him, it’s almost scary how blank her face is. On the other hand, Charlie’s face has drained of all color. Cas may not know the most about familiars, but he does know a one-sided bond hurts the familiar. If their faces are anything to go by, ‘hurt’ doesn’t even begin to cover what his familiar has gone through.

Gilda’s words cut like steel. “He should be dead,” she says bluntly. “It’s a miracle he lasted long enough to complete the bond.”

“It’s not completed.”

Gilda freezes, the glow of her hands blinking out. “What?”

“He won’t let me in. He slammed a sort of door between the bond, he won’t let me take my half.” His voice cracks. “He’s still holding it up and pushing all he has towards me.”

Charlie, who has been staring at him, whips her face towards Dean with a look of awed horror.

“No, absolutely not. We are not going to let your familiar fucking destroy himself before we get a chance to actually meet him. Castiel, get the hell over here.”

Cas barely stops himself from tripping as he rips himself away from Charlie’s hold in his haste to obey. “What do you need me to do?”

She grabs his hand and holds it over Dean. “Getting the bond fixed will do more for him than fixing injuries would. Even if I heal him the bond is still draining everything he has. You said he made a door? Well we’re going to get you a key.” Cas nods along. She looks at him. “I need you to know that this won’t work if he doesn’t want the bond. If he rejects it then game over, all we can do at that point is make him comfortable until it’s done draining him.”

Cas clenches his jaw. “If he accepts?”

“If he accepts then the bond won’t be like a charger anymore with him as the battery. It will be more like a closed circuit or a feedback loop of sorts. You’ll both be getting back what you put in and more.” She squeezes his hand. “Are you ready?”

This is his chance. “Yes.”

“Good, now you know that space where you go when you fix and make your wards? That little space where your mind mingles with your magic?” Her hand, the one clutching his, is starting to glow again.

He nods numbly. “Yes, I do.”

“Okay, I need you to go there, find the door to your bond. I’ll be tagging along in a sense.”

“Have you done this before?” He needed this to work. Dean’s only just come into his life, he doesn’t want to mourn something that could’ve been.

Gilda gulps and shakes her head. “No, but when your sister was a familiar you try to learn everything you can. He’s not the first one to go through this. Most familiars tend to be loyal to a fault.” Cas’ eyes widened. He didn’t even think about what this would do to Gilda, whose sister had died after being poached for a magical boost. The shattered bond had left her on death’s door, and she’d been found a little bit too late.

With that Cas let himself close his eyes and fall back into the warm space that held his magic. The process has only gotten easier since Dean started boosting him. Before he’d have to search the space out, now it felt as easy as breathing.

He searched out their incomplete bond. It took a moment, it almost felt like it was hiding away. He had to search it out by the small trickle of power that Dean was still sending through. Cas reached out with his magic and prodded at the ‘door’, it was still shut up tight.

Cas could feel Gilda’s magic slide up next to his and examine the ‘door’. He could feel her magic running over the seams, looking for any sort of opening for Cas to get through. Eventually it came to stop at the small leak Dean left to funnel power to Cas. It was coming through as a small leaky stream, but it was still coming through. He could feel Gilda’s magic giving a slight pull. He reached out for the spot. It almost felt like Gilda’s magic was propping open the door, just enough for him to reach out for the bond.

He reached and it felt like he was practically tackled by the weight of the bond. It surged over him, completely and utterly overwhelming, but perfect at the same time. It felt like an over excited puppy, one curious but just happy that he’s there.

Cas can do this. Cautiously he offers up his half of his bond. That small connection that was just waiting to be tethered to its other half. Dean’s magic seems to freeze, like while it had been so excited to see him that this was the last thing it had been expecting. Cas pushes it forward a bit more and he can feel Dean's magic cautiously approaching his. It pauses almost as if to ask ‘if he’s sure’, like one more move and he’ll yank his half of the bond back. It stings, but if he’s right about Dean lacking support of any kind then it makes sense for him to be cautious. He just doesn’t want to be burned.

When he doesn’t take it back Dean’s magic latches on, and tightly. He can feel as the threads of the bond slowly wind together, worn, but thrumming with warmth at finally being completed. It didn’t feel like it had the other times Cas had felt it. Instead of the burning flame of everything all at once, it was a pleasant ember that lit him up from the inside out. That feeling of wrong that had been plaguing him for months was finally resolved.

With that Cas let himself come back to his body, now aware of the bond thrumming at the back of his mind. He could feel Dean. He was exhausted and hurt, but something in him had settled as well with the completion of the bond, something deep seated. It no longer felt that the slightest misstep would shatter it.

Cas opened his eyes, fully coming back to himself. Gilda was giving him a soft smile. She slowly let go of his hand and let it fall into Dean’s fur. Despite the fact that it certainly needed to be cleaned it was soft.

“I’ll finish healing him the best I can. He’ll still have quite the recovery time, but the point is that now he will recover. It would’ve been a different story had he not accepted.” The glowing starts up around Gilda’s hand, one of the cuts begins to knit itself back together. “I’m assuming that you don’t know too much about familiars aside from the basics, most don’t. I recommend you prepare for the long hall with bland but filling meals; chicken, rice, things like that.”

Something must’ve shown on his face because Gilda let out a small huff.

“Don’t look so freaked out, I’ll send you a list and a timeline.” She reached her free hand over and took his. “You won’t be doing this alone, Charlie and I are here to help you two.”

He looked at Charlie who nodded. Cas could feel the rest of the tension rolling off his shoulders. Things were bad, yes, but their bond was completed, Dean was getting healed, Gabe was taking care of Michael, and he had Charlie and Gilda by his side. Things would be alright.

~*~

Charlie and Gilda had stuck around for awhile after she had finished healing Dean as much as she could. Cas would’ve felt bad keeping them there, but it looked like they didn’t want to leave him alone either (or at least alone with his unconscious familiar). They ended up staying well into the evening, even making him something to eat so he didn’t have to leave Dean’s side. And he didn’t, at least not until he walked them to the door.

Charlie wrapped him in a tight hug and Gilda gave him a small shoulder nudge.

“Is there anything you need us to get for you?” Charlie asks.

Cas pauses for a moment and pulls himself from the hug. “Actually… I think there might be.”

“Oh?”

“Do you remember the rumors when Dean first came to town, about his car?”

She nods along “Yeah?”

He thinks for a moment. “Since it’s clear he’s been spending quite some time in familiar form he would’ve had to leave it somewhere. And from the rumors we heard, it sounds like he cares about it quite a bit. And if what Kendra said is true then it’s probably somewhere along the road between my house and town.”

“And you want us to bring it back for you?”

“Yes please.”

Gilda spoke up. “Consider it done.”

Charlie’s brow furrowed a bit. “If one of the soccer moms sees it here you’ll probably be the talk of the town for the next month. They’ll all think you were lying when you said you didn’t know Dean.”

“Let them think what they want. My priority right now is Dean’s safety and comfort. And I feel he’ll be more comfortable if his car is here. He seemed wary about approaching me. While I do have an idea of why he was, I don't want to do anything to make him feel trapped when he wakes up; whether in the house or in the bond,” he said shrugging.

“We have you covered Cas,” Charlie assured.

“...Oh! And if you wouldn’t mind putting a sign on the store about being closed until further notice?”

“Gotcha covered, my spare keys to the shop are in the car. We’ll drop by before heading home.”

“And we’ll send you a text after dropping off the car,” Gilda added. “You’ll probably want some alone time with Dean until you two get used to the bond a bit more.”

He nodded, and with a few more ‘thank yous’ they were on their way to track down Dean’s car.

It couldn’t have been even ten minutes later when there was a knock at the front door. It was Gabriel. His posture was relaxed, though his face gave way to worry. Cas stepped aside to let him in.

“Hey, Cassie. How’s your little familiar doing?”

Cas sighed and looked towards the stairs. “He’s doing a lot better thanks to Gilda. But the issue is he was holding together a one-sided bond for over two months.”

Gabe’s eyebrows shot up. “Shit,” he mumbled.

“Exactly. His injuries from Michael are mostly healed, but he’s malnourished and exhausted. Gilda is helping me with a nutrition plan to get him back on his feet. But aside from that I’m worried about his mental state. What kind of place was he in before this that he thought holding together a one-sided bond for this long was something that was okay?” Tears pricked at his eyes. Gabe had a way of getting him to bring his walls down, even if they often didn’t see eye to eye.

He put his hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “Whatever he’s been through he has you now to support him. He has Charlie and Gilda too. Not to mention he’ll have his new favorite brother-in-law, me!” Gabe said with a smile.

Cas’ face heated at the words. “While the sentiment is appreciated, I’d prefer to figure it out with Dean about whether or not the bond is romantic before we start planning the big day.”

“Okay, but you find his human form hot right?”

“Gabe!” Cas yelled scandalized. Despite the yelling Cas could feel himself relaxing, Gabe knew how and when to give him a distraction, a break from thinking about everything that would be coming in the next few days.

Gabe smiled before turning a bit more serious. “I handed Michael off to Luc.”

That snapped Cas back to the conversation. Luc was the oldest out of all of them. He was also part of an unofficial counsel created to keep witches in line and keep hunters out of their business.

“Oh,” was all that Cas could manage to say.

Gabe winced. “I know it seems like a lot, but trying to take another witch’s familiar is a big deal. It’s something that shouldn’t have happened in the first place, let alone at the hands of family.”

Cas nodded. At best Michael could be imprisoned, at worst they could seal his magic in addition to another sentence. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

He felt a hand nudge his arm. Gabe smiled up at him. “How about you show me this familiar of yours.”

“I… Alright.” Cas led him down the hall to the guest room.

Pushing open the door he took in Dean curled on the bed, it almost felt like something should've changed in the few minutes he was gone. The only thing he noticed was that Dean was looking noticeably better than he had earlier. His fur was noticeably clear of blood (that had taken a while), his breath had evened out and the cuts were healed.

Gabe let Cas enter first and settle in the chair by the bed before entering. A sign of respect, one he was a little surprised to see.

Gabe took the chair text to him, he smiled. “Got yourself a giant kitty huh?”

“I may not know a lot about him, but I have a feeling Dean wouldn’t appreciate you calling him a giant kitty. He’s a cougar,” Cas said, raising an eyebrow. Cas reached out for his paw to give it a little squeeze. He could feel the bond between them give a warm hum. Dean’s face scrunched a little and he curled a bit tighter.

“He’s my little brother’s familiar, he can put up with a few nicknames.”

They sat there for a few moments in silence. Castiel couldn’t remember the last time Gabe had just sat next to him rather than egging him on. It was kind of nice, weird, but nice. Gabe broke it by giving him a pat on the shoulder.

“I think you could use some alone time. I don’t want to cause him to freak out when he wakes up, just in case he’s one of those familiars who gets freaked out by witches who aren’t theirs. So I’ll be staying at that B&B in town for the next couple of days. I expect you’ll actually give me a call this time if you need help, rather than waiting for our brother to try and kill you.” He gave a pointed look.

Cas rolled his eyes. “Okay, Gabriel.”  

“Little shit.” He pushed himself out of the chair and stretched, arm almost smacking Cas in the face. “If you don’t call for anything I will be dropping by before I leave.”

Gabe startled back when Cas abruptly stood up and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you for taking care of Michael for me, and for coming.”

He gave a squeeze. “I’d never leave you hanging. Now I’m going to leave before you make me tear up and I lose all of my dignity. I’ll show myself out.” He got to the bedroom door before turning back. “Also, Cas. I’m really happy for you that your familiar found you, no matter the circumstances.”

“Thanks, Gabe.”

His brother nodded a response and disappeared down the hall.

~*~

After Gabe had left Cas spent the rest of the day and most of the evening at Dean’s side. He only left to get some food and collect the keys to Dean’s car from Charlie and Gilda when they dropped it off. Apparently the keys had been left in the tailpipe, which was… not the best place to say the least.

Cas apparently fell asleep in the chair as he woke up to a flash of confusion through the bond and a crick in his neck. Cas was confused by the confusion. What was going on? He cracked his eyes open. Last thing he remembered was being in the guest room with Dean. Dean… Cas jolted up, to take in a confused Dean, still in his familiar form, looking around the room before his eyes fell on Cas. The confusion was replaced by a sense of trepidation.

Cas couldn’t mess this up, not again. “Hey, glad to see you’re awake. You go by Dean right?” Probably to make sure that he hadn’t been referring to his familiar by an alias this whole time.

The confusion was back, but he did get a small nod from his familiar. Granted it was followed by a small wince.

“You might want to be careful not to move too much. My friend Gilda came over and helped heal you. But you still might be a bit sore, and chances are you’re probably going to be exhausted for the next little while.” Cas needed to reassure his familiar that him being here could last as long as he wanted.

He slowly reached out to lay a hand on one of Dean’s front paws as he had done most of yesterday. There was a wave of relief when Dean didn’t move away, Cas couldn’t tell who it came from.

“We’re going to have to have a conversation here, doesn’t have to be today or even for a while. But once you’re back to your human form I’d like to talk with you about what happened if you’re comfortable.” Cas paused for Dean’s reaction, only to feel Dean look for the door to their bond that was no longer there. Before Dean’s panic could spike, Cas spoke up. “The bond is completed. But before you react please let me fill you in on my side of the story. I really don’t want you to do this alone anymore, I want you here by me if that’s something you also want.”

Dean gave him a skeptical look, or at least as skeptical a look as a cougar could manage. Then he gave a tight nod, Cas interpreted it as ‘get on with it’.

“My wards were being attacked when I first met you. I was distracted and I didn’t realize you were my familiar. I didn’t mean to reject you, and I’m sorry I did.” Cas tried to keep any of his emotions from filtering through, no sense in having his guilt weighing on Dean. Though considering that Dean proceeded to lay his head on Cas’ hand, he wasn’t sure how well he was managing.

They stayed like that while Cas filled Dean in with how everything had happened from his point of view. The confusing boost in power, the sightings of Dean around town, the sightings of a cougar around town, all of which had been driving Cas insane. Dean huffed out something that could probably be considered a laugh at that.

Cas smiled a bit and continued on. The way Michael came back, what he was there for in the first place, finding out he had a familiar, the fear of losing his apparently injured familiar, Dean running from his house, and finally the confrontation with Michael right out front. He also informed him of the fact that Michael had been taken care of by Gabe, who would be wanting to meet him the second he was up for it.

When he was done telling his side of things Cas simply let the air hang between them. If Cas was right about the kind of person Dean was, then finding all this out at once might be a bit overwhelming.

The feeling he got through the bond was once of understanding. Dean carefully took Cas’ sleeve in his jaw and gave a light tug before shuffling a bit to make some room on the bed.

Cas took a moment to understand the gesture before shifting from the chair to the bed. The second Cas had settled against the headboard he found Dean’s head plopped in his lap and getting pushed into his hands.

He found himself chuckling and indulging Dean, not that he minded though as despite probably still needing a wash, Dean’s fur was soft. He carded his hands through it and relaxed into the feeling of contentment. He knew enough about familiars to know that friendly contact was something most, if not all enjoyed and needed.

“Once you’re not so sore you’re getting a bath.” It was his turn to take care of his familiar. And that was starting with Gilda’s nutrition plan and a flea bath, both of which she was bringing by later.

There was a grumble from below him. “You’ve been taking care of me, so it’s my turn to take care of you,” Cas said with a smile.

“And once you have enough energy to change back to your human form I hope you’ll keep letting me take care of you. I want you to stay for as long as you want.” He’d reiterate it as many times as it took for Dean to understand that Cas wouldn’t leave unless Dean wanted him to. He wasn’t going to shut him out again.

He spent the rest of the morning telling Dean about what it was like growing up and about meeting Charlie and Gilda. He’d pause occasionally for Dean to grumble or give a small chuff in response. All the while his hands were carding through Dean’s fur, every once in a while scratching around his ears.

He was just telling Dean about a prank Gilda had pulled on Charlie when he remembered Dean’s car. “Oh!”

Dean looked up at him. “Your car.”

Dean’s eyes widened in realization and there was a low worried sound. Cas thought about how ominous that starter sounded and winced.

Cas ran a hand down his back reassuringly. “Charlie and Gilda found it for you and brought it over. It’s in the driveway.”

The look Dean gave him could only be described as one of adoration. “Whenever your name was brought up around town it usually included a mention of your car. I figured it might be important to you.”

Dean nodded and leaned further into Cas before settling back down.

They stayed that way until there was a light knocking on the door. Cas reached out with his wards and smiled when he felt Gilda and Charlie waiting for him. Though he was brought back to the present when he realized how tense Dean was. Right, while he may be in Cas’ home, this was still somewhere unfamiliar to Dean. He’d been on guard for two plus months, and it wasn’t going to stop right away simply because Cas said there was nothing to worry about.

Cas scratched behind Dean’s ears. “It’s Charlie and Gilda. They’re here to bring by the meal plan. They probably also want to meet you if you’re comfortable.” While he waited for an answer Cas sent a quick text to Charlie just to let her know that he did actually hear the door.

When Dean took a little bit too long to decide, Cas spoke up again. “You don’t have to say yes simply because they’re my friends. If you’d be interested we can arrange a time later for you to meet them. Maybe once you have the energy to change back to your human form?”

Dean seemed to appreciate the idea of actually having warning before meeting Cas’ friends as he relaxed and nodded into Cas’ sleeve. Cas made a mental note to text Gabe and let him know a visit would need to happen later.

“In that case if you’re fine waiting here then I’ll talk to them real quick before coming right back.” At this point he was ready for the way Dean froze at the idea of him leaving, what he wasn’t ready for was the wave of worry and fear that crashed through him. “Woah, it’s okay. Dean, I’ll be right back.”

The whimper that escaped Dean was heartbreaking.

Cas made sure Dean was looking right at him. “Dean, I promise that I won’t leave. I will be coming right back. I just need to get the meal plan from Gilda, and maybe send them out on a grocery run for me. Also, you can keep an eye on me through the bond the whole time.”

Dean looked skeptical.

“-And, the wards wouldn’t have let them this close to the house if they were going to do something.” Dean’s eyes widened, it seemed he’d forgotten about that.

Dean held his gaze, almost searching for something. Apparently he found it because Dean looked away and nodded his head towards the door with a huff.

Cas found himself smiling. “I’ll be right back.” Dean rolled his eyes before tucking his head into his paws.

Cas hurried down the hall, not wanting to keep them waiting, and not wanting to stay away from Dean too long. He practically pulled the door of its hinges trying to open it.

Charlie jumped. “Holy crap, Cas! Where’s the fire?”

He shrugged. “I don’t want to keep Dean waiting too long.”

Gilda nodded and handed over a tan folder while Charlie smiled. “Speaking of the cougar, when do we get to meet him?”

Gilda nodded along. “I was wondering that as well. I want to give him a check-up once he’s up for it.”

Cas takes the folder and flips it open, scanning over some of the recommendations. He has most of it in his back freezer or storage. “He’s not up for meeting anyone at the moment. Hopefully he will be once he has the energy to change back to his human form.”

“That makes sense, he is fairly vulnerable at the moment, even with the claws,” she said.

“He did panic when I mentioned getting up to answer the door, so it’s probably for the best that Dean and I stay home for a while,” Cas conceded.

Charlie frowned. “You sure he’s not up for meeting us?”

Cas sighed. “I’m sure, but in the meanwhile, it would be a big help if you could get the things from the list that I’m missing.”

“Sure, Cas. We got you covered,” Charlie said.

Cas waved them off as they left. When he got back to the guest room he smiled at the way Dean instantly perked up at his arrival. They would be okay. They had some work to do, and some things to talk about once Dean was able, but they’d be alright.

Chapter Four

Dean wasn’t sure what was happening when he had first woken up. He didn’t know where he was, and yet he didn’t feel like he was in danger, if anything he felt… safe? Sure he was in pain, it felt like he’d just put his body through a meat grinder and he could practically hear Bobby chewing him out. This wasn’t Bobby’s house though. He was somewhere he didn’t recognize, in pain, and yet he felt safer than he had in a really long time.

To summarize, Dean was confused. At least until he focused on the blue eyes of his witch. Cas. He had gotten hurt trying to protect Cas. This was Cas’ house and it felt like nothing could go wrong here. At least until it set in that this is his witch… the one who he was avoiding until he could prove himself useful.

The fear set in. Why was he here? He hadn’t proved himself yet, unless his fucking up and passing out managed to take care of the Michael issue.

Then Cas spoke up, and it was nothing like Dean expected. He’d expected ‘try harder’ or ‘you get one more chance’, after all, why else would Cas have helped him? But then Cas just confirmed his name. And Dean was right back where he started, confused.

Castiel had reassured him of all things and filled him in on what he’d missed, and that everything that had happened had really been because of a misunderstanding. And Dean could feel the regret through their now completed bond. And wasn’t that weird; the whole time he’d thought how the bond was the way it was supposed to be. He thought the bond was supposed to be draining, and that it was his fault for not being a good familiar, but what it was now felt so much better. Like Han Solo just saved the day kind of better.

For the first time in a fucking years he felt like things were looking up for him. He had someone who wanted to care for him. Someone who didn’t just want him to be a little soldier, someone who wasn’t stuck with him because John took off for the weekend. And the idea of someone taking care of him, letting him relax, giving him a home; it felt nice. Even if the idea of getting a bath in his familiar form made him want to cringe, he was happy that Cas wanted to do that for him, just to show that he cared.  

As much as Dean hates to admit it he wasn’t sure at first if Cas was being honest. Maybe the whole thing was some sort of test, but then he’d started by letting Dean actually pick on whether or not he’d wanted to do something. He didn’t even get upset when Dean hadn’t wanted to meet his friends yet.

Getting used to the change was slow going, but things were starting to feel right.

He’d been staying with Cas for about a month at this point. Castiel had arranged for Charlie to take over the shop for a while while Cas just made stuff at home that Charlie would pick up once a week. Granted Dean did tend to hide in the guest his room when she stopped by.

Even after a month Dean was still in his familiar form. Sure he had to get up his energy to change back, and Cas had been following that meal plan Gilda made for him, but truth is he hadn’t even tried. Dean wasn’t sure he wanted to change back.

Dean knew he tended to screw things up, hell his entire life was a testament to that. But being here with Cas, in his familiar form, it felt like maybe this time he wouldn’t. He knew familiars were tactile, and it was one thing reading it in the book Bobby gave him, but it was another thing to spend a month as an overgrown house cat. Once the soreness faded a bit, and after Cas had forced him to take a flea bath (Dean was aware enough to admit that he had needed it), he’d taken to stretching over Cas every chance he’d gotten. And his witch had seemed more than happy to let him, scratching behind his ears as he practically melted on top of Cas.

Dean found that the itch he’d grown so used to wasn’t there anymore. For the first time since his mom had died he felt comfortable in his skin. Though he knew that at some point he’d need to change back. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Cas hadn’t asked him to change back yet. So he ignored it.

He spent his time watching movies with Cas. Charlie seemed to know that Cas had horrible taste in movies and had dropped off a stack of DVDs when she’d picked up Cas’ charms a few weeks ago. Since then they’d slowly been making their way through them. It was nice.

Dean had a feeling that Cas wasn’t usually used to carrying a conversation, just judging by the way he always seemed a little bit hesitant until he got going. And Dean found himself loving Cas’ dry humor, the way it’d sneak up on him and knock a few chuffs from him. And he fell a little bit in love with the way Cas would smile when he made Dean laugh (or whatever the hell the cougar equivalent was).

Which brought him to his next issue. Dean was falling in love with Cas, and he could tell Cas was falling in love right back. The bond let them know a little too much about each other, and they just pretended to not know how the other was feeling. Most of the time the other’s emotions tended to fall into the background.

He knew Cas loved him… he had reassurance that Cas loved him with the way the little place in the back of his mind that held Cas’ emotions would warm at the sight of him. Cas felt so fond every time Dean rolled his eyes, or every time Cas managed to translate the snark in his body language. And Dean had been shocked at how much he came to care for Castiel, not just as his witch, but as Cas. Cas hummed off-key when he cooked. He liked Dean’s limited commentary when making charms. He’d squish his face into Dean’s fur in thanks for helping with magic. And Dean found himself loving all of it.

Everything was perfect, which is why he couldn’t help but think if him being human was the common factor to his every fuck up. Sam left, Dad didn’t need it, Bobby was stuck taking care of him. He had a place here in familiar form, so what if changing to his human from and answering Cas’ questions ruined that.

Of course he should’ve known he wouldn’t be able to keep his doubt under wraps for long, with the whole feeling the other’s emotions and all. Apparently he focused on the whole fuck up things a little bit too hard one day, cause Cas had paused the book he was reading and turned to Dean.

Cas sounded worried. “Dean?”

Dean looked up from the movie he had been half paying attention to. He looked worried too. Dean tilted his head in question.

“Are you,” Cas seemed to search for the words, “scared of being in your human form?”

Dean’s first thought was to deny it, to try and make Cas think that everything was fine. He didn’t need to give Cas any reason to get rid of him. But… he could feel the worry in the back of the bond. Cas cared about him. Dean could take a chance.

Dean nodded and Cas’ brows furrowed a bit more. But the bond remained the same, only worry, no contempt, no rage.

A look of understanding flashed over Cas’ face before he gave Dean a small smile. “Dean. It’s okay. You being here, this is permanent for as long as you want it. I want you here. Human form or familiar form, I want you here.” He reached out and put his hand on Dean’s paw. “I love having you here. I love taking care of you and being taken care of. And, I love you.”

Dean whined and scooted his way onto Cas’ legs. He knocked the book onto the floor, but they both ignored it in favor of leaning into the hug. Dean would change back eventually, but for now he was happy where he was, and he wasn’t in a rush.

~*~

It took another week before Dean changed back. Dean had woken up before Cas had. Normally Cas would be up before him, cooking something and ready to offer a smile once Dean walked into the room.

But this morning Dean walked into the living room/kitchen to find it empty. The morning sun was just starting to filter in through the windows and outside it was a little foggy. And he didn’t know what it was, but he felt ready.

He trotted his way to the bathroom and propped his paws on the ledge of the sink and looked into the mirror. It started with the cracking of bones as everything started to shift again. It… it hurt, but it was manageable. Dean watched as his ears shifted and lost their feline look, his fur receded and left behind shaggy hair and a scruffy face. He thanked whatever familiar magic let him keep his clothes, even as he winced at the torn and dirty state of them. He nodded to himself, they were definitely going in the garbage the first chance he got. At least the rest of him was clean.

He must’ve been staring at himself for a while because when he actually tuned back into… everything else, he could hear Cas shuffling around the kitchen. It was weird having his hearing back to its usual slightly better than human hearing. And the way he couldn’t smell everything anymore threw him off as well, but he could smell bacon and eggs.

Dean looked at himself and took a deep breath before letting it out. He could do this. He pushed down his nerves and made for the door, forgetting that he hadn’t used his legs in sometime. Well, he hadn’t used only two legs in sometime.

There was a small crash as he gripped the counter and knocked off the soap. Dean winced at the way the sound seemed to echo in the small space.

“Dean?” Cas called from the kitchen.

It was now or never. Dean held to the trim and made his way towards the kitchen.

His lack of response seemed to worry Cas. “Are you okay?” The voice was a little more urgent, but Dean wasn’t sure if he could use his voice without it sounding like he swallowed a frog.

Dean rounded the corner and almost ran face first into Cas who had probably been coming to check on him. Cas jolted back and stared at him with wide eyes.

Dean couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding somehow. He grimaced and gave a small wave. Cas took him in for another minute, a soft smile stretched across his face and Dean let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“How about you go get some clean clothes and I’ll finish breakfast?” Cas gestured towards Dean’s room. “There should be some in the dresser. I’m not sure if I got your size right though, I had to guess and have Charlie pick them up.”

Dean nodded and waited for Cas to head back to the kitchen before heading to his room. Cas had guessed pretty good about his size. Everything would’ve fit just fine if he was his usual weight, and wasn’t that weird? Knowing how much he had lost in such a short time, at least he knew that he was working on getting back to a point that could be considered healthy.

He looked in the mirror. The shirt was a plain forest green, and Dean had found some sweats to go with them. They were both soft and felt new, but for some reason knowing Cas had gone out of his way to get Dean something new made him want to smile. Growing up it had been mostly thrifting or snagging things from donation piles when John left on a hunt for a bit too long. Sammy had always grown out of things a bit too fast.

Dean gave his hair a tug and grimaced. He will be getting a haircut the first chance he gets. He glances down at the scruff on his chin. Does Cas have a spare razor?

In the kitchen Cas had two plates set out at the counter. He had already started in on his. Dean smiled at the glass of water next to him.

He downed half the glass and sat down on the stool next to Cas’. “M-mornin’, Cas,” he croaked. Dean winced and took another sip.

Cas was evidently ignoring his slip up. “Good morning, Dean.”

They ate in silence. It might not have been awkward per say, but there was a tension in the air. Cas wanted him to talk about his point of view, but where was he supposed to start? It would probably need to be the first time he fucked up as a familiar, right? Cas needed to know what he was getting into now that Dean couldn’t fool himself that he was just Cas’ familiar. He was gonna have to start somewhere.

“Guess you’ll have to introduce me to Charlie and Gilda now. No reason to keep ‘em waitin’ any longer than they have been,” Dean said. He had to start somewhere, and maybe this was a good starting point.

Warmth flooded the back of his mind. “I would like that very much. I’m sure Gilda and Charlie would as well. They’ve been texting me for non-stop updates. Maybe we could have dinner later this week?”

Dean took another bite of his food. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Gilda will probably also want to make a point of giving you a check-up when she’s here.”

“She’s a healer right?” A chill went down his spine at the thought of another witch having been that close to him when he was unconscious. But Cas had said she’d helped with the bond and with healing him. He could trust Cas’ judgment.

“Yes. She is fairly skilled with healing magic, but she tends to use her skills more so on the animals at her clinic rather than people,” Cas said.

Dean hummed in acknowledgement and finished his plate. He walked it to the sink, moving slowly on unsteady legs. It would take a bit to get used to being on two legs again.

Cas came up next to him and grabbed the sponge from the edge of the sink. He scrubbed his plate before passing it to Dean. “I wash, you dry?”

“Sure thing, Cas,” he said, taking the plate and grabbing a towel from the cupboard. He was happy that he’d been paying attention to where Cas kept everything.

There wasn’t much, finishing quickly they made their way to the living room. Cas sat down on his usual seat and patted the spot next to him, the spot that had become Dean’s within the first week of him being here.

He sat down, pausing only a moment before leaning into Cas’ side. If it was fine in his familiar form then it had to be fine in this form, right? His moment of courage was rewarded with Cas taking his hand and carefully massaging the tension out of it.

“I’m not really sure where to start,” he confessed.

Cas hummed. “That’s okay. Why don’t you just pick a point, we can backtrack if needed.”

Dean thought for a moment, trying to get a grasp on his words. “I don’t know how to be a familiar. Never have, but I’ve been trying to figure it out from bits and pieces I find here and there.” He paused. “Being here helps. It’s like this is the first time part of me isn’t demanding something it doesn’t know how to get.”

Cas looked a bit confused. “Can you elaborate? Because from where I’m sitting you seem like you’re a pretty good familiar to me. Granted I’m a bit new at this myself.”

“All started when I was ‘bout four and turned out to be a familiar. Parents nearly pissed themselves waking up to a tiny cougar in their bed,” he said with a huff.

“Are neither of your parents familiars?” Cas asked.

“Nah, mom was a witch, but gave it all up when she met dad. I’m guessing her mom or dad was probably one, don’t know for sure though. And dad is plain ol’ human.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, your mom was a witch?” Cas’ grip tightened a little, but the massaging never stopped.

“Yeah. Another witch killed her trying to get at me. Dad packed me and Sammy up, started hunting.”

It was obvious Cas was ignoring the hunter comment, probably packing it away for later. “Sammy?”

That got Dean to smile. “Yeah, Sammy, Sam. He’s my little brother. Was about six months old when mom died. I love him, it was my job to watch him and help John out on hunts. That’s why it took me so long to find you, I ignored the tug ‘cause I had to watch Sammy. Sorry,” Dean said, tightening in on himself a bit.

Cas searched out his eyes. “Dean, you don’t have to apologize. You were looking out for your family, that’s something you should be proud of. And I’ll be honest, none of this is painting you as a ‘bad familiar’.”

“I didn’t want to scare Sammy or get him hurt. Being a familiar was dangerous, so I wasn’t one. I didn’t change, didn’t do anything a familiar would want or need to do. I think Bobby knew though, he let me have his book.”

Cas paused for a moment. “I’m sorry you went through that. I can’t imagine how hard it was to ignore a part of yourself for so long. But none of that makes you a bad familiar.” He gave Dean a moment to let that sink in.

Dean leaned a bit more into him. It was nice to hear that Cas didn’t think he was a bad familiar, even after learning that Dean barely knew how to be what he was. A small rumble left his chest, it took a moment for him to recognize it as a purr, but when he did it cut off and he jolted up. Dean hadn’t realized he could do that in human form.

Cas’ expression let Dean know that he had certainly heard it, but had no plans on calling him on it. Dean let out a small sigh of relief. Last thing he needed right now was to realize any other freakin’ weird things being a familiar allowed him to do.

“So who’s Bobby?” Cas asked after a moment.

“He used to be a friend of John’s. He’s also a hunter. Dad would sometimes leave us there when a hunt was too risky. Bobby watched us. It… it was nice. One time when I was supposed to practice with the shotgun Bobby took me to the park instead. Played catch with me. Gonna be honest, he’s more of a dad to me than John ever was. On time he even caught me looking at his book on familiars. I think he knew, ya’know? He never said anything though.” Dean laughed a bit, he’d been so sure Bobby hadn’t known, but looking back it was obvious. “He answered my questions, gave me a hug. It helped the itch go away a bit. It was really nice.”

“He sounds like a nice man.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that, he’d cuff you over the head,” Dean said.

Cas looked in thought. “If you ever want to have him over, let me know.”

“But… he’s a hunter?” Why would Cas willingly let Dean bring a hunter into his home? He’d made peace that when he left John it would mean leaving everything behind, including Bobby.

“And it sounds like you were as well. But here you are, cuddling me on the couch.” Dean could feel his face redden. “Plus, he’s your family.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, you and him are pretty much all that’s left of it after Sam left for college. That’s why I came to find you. With Sam leaving my job was done. I… I could do what I wanted.”

It took Cas a moment to take that all in. “You have my family now too, and I don’t think you’ll be getting rid of me, let alone Charlie and Gilda anytime soon. And just wait until you meet my brother Gabriel, he will get under your skin and never leave.” He put his free arm around Dean’s shoulder. “I’m glad that coming here was something you wanted. I’m happy to have you here,” Cas said, giving a smile that made Dean want to melt.

“I’m glad I’m here too.”

They both seemed to need a break before starting up again. Dean needed to gather his thoughts, and Cas needed to process everything he had learned about Dean. Neither of them moved though, instead choosing to flick on the tv and let the crappy day time ads give them some background noise.

Dean had no idea how long it had been, but eventually he reached over and turned off the tv. It had been playing an ad about some sort of bakeware that would definitely leave paint chips in the food.

Cas turned and gave Dean his full attention, and wasn’t that something he’d need to get used to.

“After I left I used the book Bobby gave me to practice learning how to change into my familiar form. Did it whenever I’d stop at a motel for some shut eye. It hurt a lot at first, but I got the hang of it after a while. That’s why I said I’m kind of a shitty familiar. Didn’t even know how to change forms until a few months ago.” Dean smiled and shrugged. It wasn’t really too big a deal now that he knew Cas wanted him here and thought he was a good familiar.

Cas gave him an unamused look. “Dean, you weren’t allowed to change forms for years. And when you could you managed to teach yourself and get a handle on it in the time it took you to get here.”

“When you put it like that…”

Cas rolled his eyes. “Tell me what happened after you got to town. I want to know what happened from your perspective.”

And Dean did. He told Cas about staying with the Burgton’s at their inn, and how he fixed up the truck so he could stay a bit longer. How it had hurt when he met Cas because he thought he’d been rejected. Dean talked about wanting to prove that he could be useful and refusing to let go of the bond. He talked about how he tried to watch out for Cas, especially once Michael came to town, even though he didn’t like other witches. And he ended with waking up in the guest room and learning about what a bond was actually supposed to feel like.

After he finished Cas had reassured him that he wasn’t there to be used. He was there because he wanted to be. Cas was there because he wanted to be. And they were there together because for some reason some sort of fucked up version of fate had decided that they were partners, in life and beyond; even if they misunderstood things at first. And they had wanted it.

Cas then made them lunch and the rest of the day was spent watching crappy soap operas on tv. Dean kept trying to convince Cas he’d seen them before by making up increasingly absurd plot points. He hadn’t been buying it in the slightest until one of the characters stabbed the other with the baby’s spoon. And despite saying it Dean had certainly not seen it coming. Dean had schooled his face in time though for Cas to no longer be sure if he was fucking with him or not. It was a good way to spend the day.

~*~

Tonight Dean was meeting Charlie and Gilda. It was a few days after Dean had managed to change back and he was nervous. What if they didn’t like him? He knew now that Cas wasn’t just gonna drop him. But, but what if he did? Cas considered Charlie and Gilda family, Dean had to make a good impression, which is why he was fiddling with his hair in front of the mirror.

Cas had ended up having an extra razor, letting Dean take care of the uneven scruff on his face, but Cas took him to town for his hair. Somehow Dean had felt like a guard dog watching to make sure no one was gonna try anything funny on Cas, but he’d also felt a bit like Cas’ arm candy with the way half the town’s women had gawked at them arm in arm.

When he’d asked why they’d all been staring, Cas had mumbled something about ‘the ‘TIO’ needing to mind their own business’. Not exactly an answer, but he’d figure it out later.

The haircut itself had been fine. A bit longer than he was used to, but John wasn’t in charge of his life anymore, and he had wanted to try somethin’ a bit different. He thought it was fine, Cas had said it made him look dashing, and then he had pressed a kiss to the side of Dean’s head. That had been another recent development, but not one that Dean was going to complain about. Cas was his, and Dean was Cas’. This felt right (didn’t mean Dean hadn’t lit up like a Christmas tree though).

“Dean, you look great. Come help me set the table,” Cas called from the kitchen.

Dean adjusted the flannel one last time and went to meet Cas. He was stirring something in a pot, it was like he was practically asking for Dean to slide his arms around him, so he did. Hooking his chin over Cas’ shoulder he looked at what Cas was making.

“Potato soup?”

Cas leaned his head into Dean’s. “Yup, now get out the bowls and set the placemats. And don’t forget the salad in the fridge.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Dean said, not moving from his spot wrapped around Cas.

Cas let him have it for a moment before nudging him off. “Get to it, or you may find that the pie in the fridge disappears.”

He laughs. “Now that’s just cold, blackmailing your own familiar.”

“I would never, some circumstances are out of my control,” Cas said.

Dean pulled the place mats out of the drawer. “Like pie mysteriously vanishing from the fridge in order to punish your familiar?”

“Exactly, now get to it,” he deadpanned.

So Dean did. He could feel himself smiling at the ridiculous placemats. It would be one thing if Cas was having him set out normal decorations, but these had tiny potion bottles all over them.

“Where did you even get these?” he asked when he went back over to grab the silverware.

“A gag housewarming gift from Gabe.”

“Ah, the brother who you’ve managed to save me from meeting so far?”

Cas chuckled. “Trust me, when you do eventually meet him you’ll thank me. He’s a lot, but he’s family.”

“If I survive meeting Charlie and Gilda then I’m sure I’ll survive meeting your brother.”

Cas gave him a look. “If you think meeting my brother is a better option than meeting Charlie and Gilda then I think I’ve really miscommunicated the type of people they are.”

Dean thought about it for a moment. “Nah, you’ve made them sound great. They rescued Baby for me after all. Jus’ wanna make a good impression.”

Cas’ face softened. “Trust me, they’ll love you. I have a feeling that once you get to know Charlie you’ll end up stealing my title as her best friend.”

“If you say so.” He shrugged.

As Dean laid out the silverware there was a knock on the door. Cas turned off the burner and headed for the door. “That should be them, I’ll get it.”

He took a deep breath and tried to remind himself of why he was doing this. These weren’t just other witches, they were Cas’ best friends and his family. It would be fine. He’d introduce himself and get to know them over dinner.

Dean could hear Cas greeting them at the door moments before a shorter woman rounded the corner. She had red hair and a very very excited smile. It looked like she was barely holding herself back from lunging at Dean for a hug. What was he supposed to do with that?

“Huh, so you’re Dean?” The way she asked it made it sound like a genuine question. Who else would randomly be in Cas’ house?

He rubbed his arm. “Yes… I’m Dean Winchester. Uh, Cas’ familiar.”

She nodded. “Gonna be honest, I thought you’d look different. Being a mountain lion and all, I was expecting more of a wild hermit kind of look.”

“Shoulda seen me before I shaved and Cas took me to the barber,” he said, feeling the now short and clean stubble along his face.

She snorted. “Did Cas get a picture?”

Dean thought back to it, he couldn’t remember if Cas had or not. “Not sure.”

“Bummer, I’ll just swipe his phone later and check,” she said with a shrug.

They stood there for a moment. He could still hear Cas talking at the door, and the bond felt calm. “So, are you Charlie or Gilda?” He thinks this was the other witch who worked at the shop. Which would make this Charlie?

She froze. “Crap, did I forget to introduce myself?” Dean nodded. “Here I am interrogating you and I haven’t even introduced myself.”

She walked forward and stuck out her hand. Dean had to stop himself from flinching at the aura of magic that surrounded it. This was Cas’ friend, not someone who wanted him as a glorified battery.

“Charlie Bradbury at your service.” He was right.

Dean hesitated before taking her hand and shaking it. “Nice to meetcha.”

“Now, I think we can skip the shovel talk given that you were looking out for Cas to the point that you ran yourself dry.” Charlie gave him a pointed look.

Dean winced. “Yeah, don’t plan on breakin’ his heart anytime soon.”

She nodded. “Just lookout for yourself too. I don’t want to see Cas that scared ever again.”

“I’ll do my best,” he said, pulling back his hand to rub the back of his neck.

“That’s all I can ask.” She pulled out a chair and flopped down at the dining table. “Now, onto the more important stuff. How do you feel about Star Wars ?”

She didn’t even have a chance to blink before Dean was in the chair across from her ready to debate the watch order for the movies.

That was where Cas and Gilda found them a few minutes later. They both rolled their eyes and ignored them, going ahead and finishing setting the table. Gilda grabbed the salad and Cas brought over the soup. They eventually made them stop so that Charlie and Dean could actually dish up their food, and give Cas and Gilda a chance to talk.

The dinner was nice. It sort of felt like all of Dean’s worrying about meeting other witches was kind of stupid. Charlie and him already had plans to watch the Star Wars movies in release order, then again in timeline order. And Gilda successfully bullied him into agreeing for a check-up in his familiar form in a few days.

After she heard about how long he’d ignored his familiar side she wanted to do another check to make sure nothing was wrong. Meaning she wanted to make sure he hadn’t fucked up his bones by changing when he wasn’t used to it. She also suggested he make sure he shifts forms at least semi regularly, and he had to agree with her. Dean hadn’t shifted back to his familiar form since he’d managed to get out of it; he was already starting to feel that itch under his skin, though it was basically unnoticeable when compared to what he’d felt growing up.

Though one look at Cas’ worried face and he found himself nodding along with everything Gilda was recommending. She also said she’d bring by a couple of the books she had on familiars.

For the first time in his life Dean was sitting and having dinner with people who asked him about himself. It didn’t matter to them how well he could shoot, they wanted to know what he liked to do in his free time. They wanted to know if he was gonna help Cas with the shop, or if there was a different kind of job he was interested in after recovering. They wanted to know about Dean. He wasn’t sure if he stopped smiling at all during the dinner.

At one point he could barely stop laughing when he heard about all the rumors flying around town after someone spotted his car here. Apparently they thought he and Cas were being reunited after a torrid teenage romance that ended when one of them moved away. Or his personal favorite: the one where Dean had apparently found something of Cas’ at one point and tracked him down to return it, only for them to fall madly in love. Charlie informed them that the ‘TIO’ were currently starting a town wide betting pool on which of the theories were correct.

Dean did end up getting a slice (two slices) of the pie. And he found himself walking Charlie and Gilda to the door with Cas even though he was starting to feel a bit tired. He was still working on getting his energy levels back up to where they used to be. He was sleeping half the day away, it was starting to get better, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be going back to his four hours if Cas had anything to say about it. Joke’s on Cas though, if he was gonna make sure Dean got sleep, then Dean was gonna make sure Cas got sleep.

“I think I might steal the title of Charlie’s best friend from you,” he said, punctuating it with a yawn.

Cas nudged him. “Told you. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” Cas pulled him lightly towards the hall.

Dean paused and Cas looked at him. “Cas?” “Hmm?” Cas gave him his full attention. “Gilda said I should try changing into my familiar form again. So, uh. Maybe I could sleep in my familiar form.” He could feel his face heating. “‘S more comfortable anyway,” he mumbled.

Cas tilted his head to the side. “Okay? I’m not sure why you need my permission to do that.” He paused for a moment. “Could you explain?” And Dean loved that Cas was asking that. He’d taken to doing it whenever he didn’t quite get why Dean did something, they didn’t want any more misunderstandings.

“I was thinkin’, maybe I could join you in your bed if you were fine with it?” Dean felt a little stupid asking, but Cas had told him to ask for what he wanted, and he was trying.

“Oh, okay. I’m fine with that.” Cas took his hand and squeezed it.

Dean squeezed back. “Really?”

“Yeah. You go ahead and get ready for bed, I’ll meet you up there. I just want to clean up here first.” Dean nodded and hurried to ‘his’ bathroom. He wasn’t sure he’d ever brushed his teeth so fast.

He took the stairs two at a time to get to Cas’ room. He focused on the bond, letting it wash over him, and the next time he opened his eyes he was on all fours. Dean didn’t waste any time hopping up on Cas’ bed and making himself at home. The comforter was soft, and the whole thing smelled lightly of Cas’ shampoo.

And when Cas joined him later there wasn’t any judgment for Dean wanting to be there. Cas simply let out a small laugh as Dean nosed his way into Cas’ neck and made himself comfortable.

He had a long way to go, but for now Dean was more than happy to spend his recovery at Cas’ side.

~*~

After about another month of following the meal plan, getting cleared by Gilda, and getting to know Charlie, Dean had felt ready to leave the house for longer than it took to get his haircut.  He started by helping out Cas around the shop. Dean would check out customers, ignore the gossip about him and Cas, and answer the phone. And on the weekends he’d help Cas make his various charms. Most of them were small, but occasionally he’d get a special order for someone who was being haunted, and with the boost Dean helped to give him Cas was now able to do something about those calls.

It had been a slow day in the shop when Dean thought about it. Matthew had dropped some sweets by earlier for him and Cas. Cas was munching on one and helping someone in the front and Dean was reading through a book in the back. It was one of the ones Gilda had lent him, it was covering the specifics on bonds between witches and familiars, what they are, and what they can do. It was a lot more than was in the book from Bobby. The one he’d practically read religiously growing up, it only covered a basic overview of everything.

And that was when he thought about it: Bobby, and Cas’ offer. He was pretty sure that Bobby had known he was a familiar. He’d always made a point to be a bit more tactile with him whenever he and Sammy were staying there. And… Bobby was the closest thing he had to a father. John had lost that title a long time ago.

Dean slipped a piece of scrap paper between the pages and closed the book. He dug out the newer phone Charlie had practically forced him to take. He’d put Bobby’s number in it before ditching his burner. He opened up the contacts, something warm settled in his chest at the sight of so many contacts (not many, but more than just John and Bobby).

He glanced at Cas. His back was turned, he was still helping the customer. Dean selected the contact and put the phone to his ear.

It almost rang through. “Bobby Singer, who’s this?” Quick and to the point.

He almost didn’t respond. “Uh, hiya, Bobby. It’s Dean.”

There was silence on the other end. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad thing. “Fuckin’ hell kid. Your Daddy came looking for you, said you’d up and left. When I couldn’t reach you I didn’t know what happened,” Bobby said. He sounded relieved?

“Sorry, Bobby. After Sammy left there wasn’t really a reason for me to stick around. So I… uh,” he wasn’t sure how to continue.

Bobby continued for him. “You went to find your witch?”

Dean chuckled. “Yeah I did. Guess that confirms whether you knew I was a familiar or not.”

“Idjit, was I not supposed to know?”

“Da- John said I couldn’t tell ya. Ya’know, you being a hunter and all.” Dean tried to focus on the view of Cas in front of him as he fidgeted with the front of his jacket.

Bobby huffed. “Course he told you that. Boy, John told me that you were a familiar, told me not to bring it up. Figured you didn’t like it after what happened to your mom, so I never mentioned it. I jus’ tried to help where I could.”

Cas shot a look his way, Dean waved him off. He probably let something through the bond. They were still learning how it worked. “Just when I thought I knew all the ways he messed me up.”

“Dean.” That one word said it all.

“Yeah, Bobby. I know,” he responded.

“...Tell me about this witch of yours, they good to you?” Leave it to Bobby to know how to change the subject.

“Yeah, he is. Cas is the best. Runs a novelty magic shop, mostly sells charms and stuff.” Cas finished with the customer and turned to give him a smile. Dean gave him one back.

Bobby laughed. “Leave it to you to get a witch that makes a livin’ messin’ with people.”

“I mean, most of the stuff actually does somethin’, jus’ not enough to be too noticeable.”

“Smart, playin’ it safe,” Bobby said with a hum of approval.

“So, whaddya think ‘bout coming over here for a visit.”

He could practically hear Bobby’s smirk. “Want my approval for your witch?”

“Nah, I already know he’s great. Jus’ want him to get a chance to meet my family.” Cas, who was close enough now to hear what he said, gave him another smile.

“Dammit, Dean. Can’t drop that on me like that,” Bobby said. And it could just be interference on the phone, but it sort of sounded like Bobby might be tearing up.

“Don’t know what you’re talking ‘bout.”

Cas picked up his hand and started to massage it. That seemed to be his thing for making sure Dean was doing alright.

“Idjit, ‘course I’ll come. You talk with your witch and let me know when I can come. Give him a heads up though, he’s gettin’ the talk."

“Yeah, I’ll talk with Cas about it. Call you soon Bobby.”

“Talk to ya soon, kiddo.” And before Dean could respond to that Bobby hung up.

“Bastard hung up on me.” Cas huffed a laugh.

“Was that Bobby?” he asked.

Dean nodded. “Yeah, he’s interested in coming over. Gonna give you the shovel talk though.”

“I think I can handle it,” Cas said.

Dean pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’m sure you can.”

The front door to the shop jingled and Dean reluctantly let Cas pull away. “I’ll handle that, you can keep reading.”

“Thanks, Cas.”

Dean watched as Cas walked to the front. And he smiled at the way his face flattened out when he realized the customer was a ‘TIO’ member fishing for gossip.

Things were good. Things were good and Dean was more than happy to enjoy the place he’d found himself. He had friends (well Charlie who he’d stolen from Cas, and the Burgtons), he had family, and he had Cas. And for the first time in his life, he had the option to live a life that he chose. So yeah, he was gonna enjoy it.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Look Up at the Sky Day

Slow down, take a deep breath, and take a moment to look up at the  sky and appreciate the small beauties in an otherwise hectic,  fast-paced, sometimes ugly life.

Most people are extremely busy these days. The world goes at a  breakneck speed and sometimes it is difficult to keep up. So much so  that many people hardly have the time to just spend enjoying the simple  things in life anymore!

Not only that, but a consumer-driven culture has had a tendency to  lead many people to believe that money is one of the most important  things.

This attitude might manifest itself in a myriad of ways. For  instance, some people might feel they aren’t valuable if they don’t make  a lot of money or have the ability to display wealth to their  neighbors, family, and friends. It’s easy to forget that life is about  more than money.

In order to validate the need for recognition and admiration, some  people even travel halfway across the world to vacation in exotic  destinations, only to then spend the entire trip taking selfies and  posting them on social media to impress friends! And, sadly, this can  keep a tourist from actually making incredible memories on their journey  by simply enjoying themselves.

When asked what he finds to be the most surprising thing about the  world in general, the Dalai Lama replied: “Man. Because he sacrifices  his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to  recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that  he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in  the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and  then dies having never really lived.”

The Dalai Lama wasn’t far off in his assessment of many cultures, societies and people today!

But, with National Look Up at the Sky Day, the time has come to pay  attention to something other than the rat race going on around the  world. It’s time to take a look at life and make sure it is actually  being lived to the fullest!

History of Look Up at the Sky day

The creators of this holiday may remain anonymous, but their goal is  very clear: to encourage people to take a little time to slow down and  appreciate the smaller, more precious things in life.

The list of famous people who have been known to spend a lot of their  time looking at the sky includes Nicholas Copernicus, the scientist who  eventually came to prove that the earth revolved around the Sun (and  not the other way around as previously thought).

Albert Einstein, the creator of the Theory of Relativity, was also  well-known for looking up at the sky. And Leonardo da Vinci, who  envisioned the first flying machines, spent a great deal of time staring  into the sky and imagining this invention that eventually came true  years later.

So, rest assured, people who choose to celebrate this day will be in the best company!

How to Celebrate National Look Up at the Sky Day

While spending the entire day simply looking up might eventually  become a strain on the neck, it’s the idea of enjoying something that is  right in front of our faces that counts. Consider these ways to  appreciate life and celebrate National Look Up at the Sky Day:

Look Up!

As the name of this little day suggests, the first order of business  is to take some time to look up at the sky! People often slip into the  habit of taking natural beauty for granted. In fact, many people only  pay attention to the sky if, say, it happens to be raining and they are  annoyed by it.

So, if the weather cooperates, go ahead and take a blanket out to the  park, just lay down on it and gaze upwards for a while—you’re likely to  be amazed at how it changes depending on wind and other factors.

Get Involved in Star Gazing

Looking up at the sky can happen during the day or at night. People  who have a telescope can really get involved in looking up at the sky  and identifying stars and planets. But even people who don’t have a  telescope can enjoy gazing at the stars, making out the  constellations–and those waiting long enough might even get to see a  shooting star!

Listen to a Sky-Themed Playlist

While spending some time leisurely staring at the sky, it might be  great to have a little silence and listen to the birds chirping or the  grass growing. But some people live in busy, loud places and would  prefer a soundtrack to go along with their Sky-Staring Day.

Of course, plenty of nature sound playlists exist and would be  perfect for this day, but others might want a list of sky-themed songs  to choose from. Classics or modern, there’s something for everyone who  wants try these out–or come up with other creative ideas for songs:

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (1967) by The Beatles

Ribbon in the Sky (1982) by Stevie Wonder

A Sky Full of Stars (2014) by Coldplay

We’ve Got Blue Skies (1971) by The Jackson 5

It Came Out of the Sky (1969) by Creedence Clearwater Revival

To the Sky (2010) by Owl City

Spirit in the Sky (1969) by Norman Greenbaum

Get in Touch with Nature

Watching birds go about their lives as if nothing of importance was  going on elsewhere might be a relaxing way to spend time on this day.  And watching planes soaring high above may even provide the needed  motivation to take a trip to some faraway land.

Gazing at the clouds can be a fun activity, depending on the weather.  Sometimes, on a day when the sky is perfectly blue and the clouds are  fluffy and moving rather quickly, it can be fun to follow the clouds to  see what different shapes they morph into. It takes patience, but that’s  okay because looking at the sky is the only important thing there is to  do on this day! National Look Up at the Sky Day was created to motivate  people to see the world from a different perspective than we usually  do, and appreciate the beauty of nature. So, with that in mind, be sure  to get out and celebrate this day and make your life just a little bit  more meaningful!

Source

[hawaiiancultureguru]

Blog 2- Family Structure and Function

I wanted to study a culture familiar to me when approaching this assignment. However, I wanted there to be clear differences in culture and family tradition. As I searched, I began turn to subdivisions of larger counties. I found my best candidate was actually within the United States. I want to focus on Hawaiian culture and their intricacies and diversity. As is commonly known Hawaii is a pack if island located deep in the pacific ocean which is part of the U.S.. Hawaii also is home to many native Pacific islanders who have been raised on tradition and family values. Hawaiians, unlike any other state in the U.S. have their own language. This means that many children will learn both English and Hawaiian as they grow up. Hawaiians are prideful of their home. They teach their children to have the same pride, this can lead to hostility against tourists or snowbirds looking to move to Hawaii. This is a price the Hawaiians are willing to pay. Hawaiian culture stems from the place of great faith and reliance on nature, this makes sense when considering the beauty of Hawaii and is woven into their culture like a piece of fabric through a quilt. They teach their children to respect the land they are raised on and to not take it for granted. Respect is also a cornerstone of Hawaiian culture as children are expected to obey their elders at all times without question. The elderly hold a great place of power in Hawaiian culture as they are seen to hold knowledge and wisdom that can be passed down to the youth. Respected and taken cared for is how all native Hawaiians wish for their senior citizens to be treated. Although widely accepted many Hawaiians stile feel cast out from their homes, subjected to American traditions and culture. They try to differentiate themselves from this in many ways which allows their culture to build stronger. Dances mean a lot to them as I’m sure many people have heard of luau’s which represent a celebration of life. However, as more people come to Hawaii the more appropriated these traditions become. The Luau has become a shadow of its former self as Hawaiians are forced to put their traditions on display for crowds every night staying at large resorts or perhaps at an upscale restaurant This migration has led to serious problems in Hawaiian culture and a growing distaste as sated above for travelers looking to enjoy the islands on a quick getaway. The Hawaiians feel this population increase has not only driven them out of their homes due to high prices but also has led to over industrialization and the decimation of the nature they hold so dear. I wish I could offer a solution to this issue plaguing over Hawaii right now but it seems there is no cure. Without high tourism them the Hawaiian economy would take a huge blow, in addition tourism is how many native Hawaiians make a living. Many work as waiters or bellhop’s in the thousands of hotels and restaurants that reside on the larger cities of Hawaii such as Honolulu or Waikiki. The best solution seems to be the an overall attempt to maintain the current standard of tourism. This is a realistic goal as the economy changes everyday but it’s the best possible outcome for the native people of Hawaii. Only time will tell but I hope they people of Hawaii maintain their deep culture and never lose sight of what makes them unique.

Shah, Pooja. “I’m a Native Hawaiian. Locals Are Tired of Tourists Treating the Island like a Theme Park – Here’s What to Know before You Visit.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 9 Nov. 2023, www.businessinsider.com/hawaiian-local-thoughts-feelings-about-tourism2023-11.

Fact Sheet: Benefits of Hawai’i’s Tourism Economy, www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/4167/hta-tourism-econ-impact-fact-sheetdecember-2019.pdf. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.

[dailyanarchistposts]

America’s, and the world’s, First Park

In 1864 Abraham Lincoln signed a Land Grant bill giving nearly 40,000 acres of federal land “encompassing Yosemite Valley to the state of California for public enjoyment and preservation.” The grant deeded both Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. This was the basis for the creation of state parks as we know them today: setting aside “scenic” lands simply to protect them and to allow for their enjoyment by the public.

On October 1, 1890, the U.S. Congress set aside more than 1,500 square miles of ‘reserved forest lands’ soon to be known as Yosemite National Park. But where did this land come from? Twelve years earlier, it was taken from a people known as the Miwok. The Mariposa Indian War, a territorial grab and an effort to subdue Indian autonomy, was the necessary precedent that led to the possibility of that first park being created.

Indigenous people have lived in the Yosemite region for about 8,000 years. By the mid-nineteenth century they were primarily of Southern Miwok ancestry. However, trade with the Mono Paiutes from the East side of the Sierra for pinyon pine nuts, obsidian, and other materials resulted in many alliances between the two tribes. There were plenty of acorns there and deer were abundant, making this a desirable place to settle. In fact, it had one of the highest densities of aboriginal peoples on the West Coast.

After the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills in 1848, thousands of miners came to the Yosemite area to seek their fortune. Naturally, the local First Nations fought to protect their homelands. In December 1850, a trading post was destroyed at Fresno Crossing, and three settler men were killed. Later, a force under Sheriff Burney clashed with the Indians on January 11, 1851. As a result of this opposition to the invaders, the Mariposa Battalion was organized as a punitive expedition under the authority of the state to bring an end to the resistance.

The Battalion entered Yosemite Valley on March 27, 1851. Dr. Lafayette Bunnell, the company physician, who later wrote about his awestruck impressions of the valley in The Discovery of the Yosemite, wanted to “sweep the territory of any scattered bands that might infest it.” He is also known to have had a take-no-pris- oners approach to the conflict.

Three companies were formed and launched several campaigns. Indian food stores and even some villages were destroyed and tribal peoples pursued into the mountains through snow and slush. “Expulsion from the Park deprived the Miwok of their traditional hunting grounds, grazing areas, fish runs and nut collecting groves. When they tried to take anything back from the whites, they were resisted with guns and then hounded out of the area again by the Mariposa Battalion.

Ironically the veryword ‘Yosemite’ is, according to Simon Schama, a term of abuse used by the Miwok to describe the Americans who were assaulting them and actually means “some among them are killers[2].” Eventually all of the associated tribes were defeated and were forced to accept reservation life. Military units administered the park while the state continued to govern the area covered by the original 1864 grant. Civilian park rangers didn’t take over from the military until 1914.

The extraordinary landscapes that made Yosemite desirable from a scenic point of view were actually the result of the Miwok’s land use practices, primarily a direct outcome of the intentional burning of underbrush. After their expulsion, the activities of early entrepreneurs, tourists and settlers, (the construction of hotels and residences, livestock grazed in meadows, orchards were planted, etc,) wreaked great damage on the eco-systems, painstakingly and properly tended for so long by the Miwok and their ancestors.

We find this pattern of outlook and events recurring over and over again in the creation of parks in many places: a) the notion of wilderness as a place that doesn’t include people living there b) the recognition that an area has exceptional scenic, wilderness or industrial resource value c) the area is protected by being turned into a park d) the expulsion and dispossession of its inhabitants who were often largely responsible for creating and/or protecting its beauty/resources in the first place.

The Miwok petitioned the U.S. government in 1890. They called for compensation for their losses and denounced the managers of the park. “The valley is cut up completely with dusty, sandy roads leading from the hotels of the white in every direction... All seem to come only to hunt money... The valley has been taken away from us ...or ... a pleasure ground...” Their pleas were ignored and further evictions of remnant Miwok settlements were made in 1906, 1929 and as late as 1969.[3]

[brooklyncarrentals]

Getting a cheap rental car in Brooklyn for your trip is easy with Brooklyn Rentals

When making plans to visit Brooklyn, transport is a major factor. Many travelers opt for their vehicles over public transport due to its ease and adaptability. Even so, hiring a car is usually necessary, particularly in a busy city like Brooklyn. Hence, Brooklyn rental cars are very sought-after. Taking advantage of affordable car rentals is an excellent way to explore the lively city economically.

Why Brooklyn Rentals is a great place to rent?

Car rental companies in Brooklyn offer several advantages when it comes to renting vehicles. One benefit is the convenient location, making pick-up and drop-off simple. Furthermore, Brooklyn Rental has a range of cars to suit the requirements of any traveler.

Along with smaller cars for solo travelers, they also have roomy SUV’s for families and groups. Every car is properly looked after and serviced to ensure a secure and comfortable journey. Lastly, Brooklyn Rental grants you the liberty to discover Brooklyn at your own pace.

You don’t have to wait on public transport or endure busy trains. When you rent a car, it is effortless to go to some of the city’s well-known tourist spots, such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Prospect Park, and the Brooklyn Museum.

Wide range of vehicles:

Brooklyn Rental provides a wide variety of vehicles to suit any travel requirement. For those looking for an economical journey, they offer fuel-efficient and simple-to-drive compacts, perfect for getting around town.

Suppose you’re traveling with family or a bigger group. In that case, they have roomy SUVs that can fit everyone comfortably, making it easier to take luggage and providing a comfortable ride even on longer trips.

For those who want a luxurious experience, they have high-end rentals that will make sure you look fashionable and have all the amenities you need for a special occasion.

Price competitiveness:

Brooklyn Rentals stands out with its competitive rates, and it makes sure customers receive a discounted rate upon request, realizing that affordability is essential for many travelers. They strive to provide the best value for your money by providing quality car hire services at a low cost.

Their pricing structure is clear and straightforward, so there will be no unexpected charges. Additionally, Brooklyn Rentals provides frequent discounts and special offers during the slower, off-peak seasons. To access these deals and save even more on car rentals, make sure to visit their website or subscribe to their newsletter.

Client service of the highest quality:

At Brooklyn Rentals, we are very proud of the exceptional service we provide to our customers. Our staff will assist you with renting a vehicle, from choosing the right one to answering your questions.

We are devoted to ensuring that our clients are satisfied, both during and after the rental period. If you have any problems or issues during your trip, our dedicated customer service representatives are available to assist you over the phone. Any concerns you may have will be taken care of quickly so that you can have the best possible experience.

In conclusion:

If you plan to explore Brooklyn, renting a car from Brooklyn Rentals is a great option. This rental company offers various locations, various vehicles, cost-effective rates, and amazing customer service. With a rental car, you have the opportunity to make the most of your excursion. A reasonably priced car from Brooklyn Rentals will make your journey through Brooklyn unforgettable.

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[noguracasinoca]

How Do Casinos Benefit the Community?

Introduction

Casinos are a major economic force and benefit communities in many ways. It's important for the industry to demonstrate its value, especially when it comes to the tax revenue that casinos generate for states and municipalities. Casinos also provide jobs and educational opportunities for local residents, support construction projects, improve infrastructure throughout their neighborhoods, promote tourism, and increase economic development opportunities for other businesses in their communities.

Employment

Casinos can provide jobs for local residents, people from other areas, and even those with disabilities. Casinos also provide jobs for seniors, students, and veterans.

Casino Employment Opportunities Include:

Gaming dealers, cashiers, and slot machine attendants;

Bartenders;

Cooks;

Housekeepers;

Security guards;

Most casinos offer full-time positions with benefits including health insurance (if required), paid holidays off each year plus vacation time as well as 401(k) retirement savings plans or stock options when available at the company level - all this while still being able to enjoy some of the most beautiful views in America!

Education

Education is an important part of the ��지노커뮤니티. Casinos support local schools by providing scholarships and grants for students, as well as funding research into education-related topics. For example, MGM Resorts International sponsors a program called "MGM Scholars," which gives high school seniors up to $50,000 per year in scholarships if they enroll in one of its universities (the University of Nevada Las Vegas).

Economic Development

Casinos are a major economic force. In fact, casinos have been shown to have a positive impact on the local economy and community.

The casino industry is responsible for more than 2 million jobs across the country and generates billions of dollars in revenue each year. Casinos are also major employers who hire people from all walks of life--from janitors to cooks, dealers, and security guards--to work at these establishments. This means that when you visit your local casino you'll likely run into someone you know!

Casinos also bring in tourists from out-of-state who spend money while visiting your city or town; this helps increase sales tax revenue which can go towards funding public services such as schools and parks! Additionally, many casinos offer special promotions where they give away free tickets so that locals can try out some new games before committing their own money (and winnings).

Tourism

Casinos are a major economic driver, not just for the casino but also for their surrounding communities. Casinos attract tourists who come to spend money and have fun. The casino is an attraction in itself, but it also provides an opportunity to explore other businesses in the area. Casinos can serve as anchor tenant that helps attract additional development projects or businesses that complement what they offer, such as restaurants or hotels.

This mutually beneficial relationship between casinos and their surrounding communities creates jobs and tax revenue while bringing visitors into town who would otherwise never have made it there before--or may not even have known about its existence at all!

Casinos Are Essential to the Community

Casinos are a major economic force. They provide jobs and economic development, as well as revenue from tourism. Casinos also provide entertainment value to the community by offering games, shows, restaurants, and other amenities that help make it an enjoyable place to visit.

Casino Community Benefits

Casinos are a major economic force and benefit communities in many ways. Casinos create jobs, provide revenue for the community, and help fund local schools and other services. They also provide a source of entertainment for visitors who come from all over the world to enjoy their games of chance.

In addition to these direct benefits from casino operations themselves, there are even more indirect effects on local economies that can be seen as a result of having casinos nearby:

Community Impact from a Casino Site

A casino site can be a boon to an area, especially if the casino is new and has not yet been well-established. There are many examples of casinos that have revitalized areas that were once struggling with poverty and crime. In Atlantic City, New Jersey, for example, there was once a high rate of unemployment and poverty among residents; however, now there are thousands of jobs available at casinos along with other businesses in the area (www1).

The benefits go beyond just employment opportunities though casinos bring revenue into local government coffers through taxes collected on gambling revenue as well as licensing fees paid by operators when opening new establishments or expanding existing ones (www2). This money helps fund schools, infrastructure improvements like road repairs or building new parks/playgrounds etcetera which benefit everyone within city limits whether they gamble regularly or not!

Casinos Are a Major Economic Force and Benefit Communities in Many Ways

Casinos are a major economic force and benefit communities in many ways. The casino industry generates billions of dollars in revenue annually, which is then used to create jobs for local residents, non-local residents, and people who are unemployed. Casinos also help spur economic activity outside the casino walls by supporting other businesses such as restaurants and hotels.

Casinos create jobs for everyone from cashiers and waitresses to janitors and security guards (the latter two positions being among those most frequently filled by minorities). In addition to these direct employment opportunities created by casinos themselves, there are indirect ones: jobs created by companies that serve casinos--such as food vendors or cleaning services--and jobs created by people who enjoy spending time at casinos but do not work there directly (gamblers).

Conclusion

Casinos are a major economic force and benefit communities in many ways. Casinos create jobs, provide education opportunities, stimulate tourism and other industries, and offer grants to local non-profit organizations. In addition, the communities in which they operate often receive additional benefits such as new roads or other infrastructure projects that wouldn't have been possible without casino revenue streams. Click here to know more.

[chikucabllp]

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CAR RENTAL IN LUCKNOW?

Lucknow, the city of Nawabs, is an abundant mix of history, culture, and modernity that invites visitors from all over the world. Lucknow's charm comes in its majestic structures, excellent cuisine, and friendly hospitality, nestled along the banks of the Gomti River.

Car rental in Lucknow is a good choice for those who are ready to experience the city's beauty and begin interesting adventures in the area. In this post, we will look at five strong reasons why renting a car is the best method to visit the "City of Nawabs."

Unmatched Convenience

Imagine landing at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport or arriving at Lucknow's Charbagh Railway Station. Instead of navigating the complexities of public transportation or looking ahead to a cab, your rented cab awaits you, ready to take you away to your vacation spot on time.

The comfort of getting a car at your disposal method you could set your very own timetable, go to more than one point of interest in an afternoon, and discover hidden gemstones that public transport might not make it possible.

The Freedom to Explore

Lucknow boasts a treasure trove of attractions, from the grandeur of Bara Imambara to the architectural surprise of Rumi Darwaza. Renting a cab grants you the freedom to explore those ancient wonders and cultural landmarks at your very own pace.

Venture past the town limits to find out enthralling destinations like Ayodhya, Varanasi, or the Dudhwa National Park, all inside some hours' power.

Comfort and Safety

When you lease a vehicle, you enjoy the comfort of a clean, air-conditioned vehicle with ample area for you and your fellow tourists. Say goodbye to cramped buses or crowded trains.

Safety is paramount, in particular, while exploring strange terrain. We prioritize vehicle maintenance and provide properly maintained vehicles, making sure you have a secure journey.

Customized Travel Experience

Lucknow is understood for its delectable delicacies. With arental car, you may indulge your flavor buds without worrying about navigating public delivery later on. Stop at nearby eateries and relish mouthwatering kebabs, biryanis, and sweets.

Cost-Effective Option:

Contrary to the famous perception, Car Hire In Lucknow can be budget-pleasant. Many automobile apartment businesses offer competitive quotes and bendy applications, permitting you to discover a car that suits your budget.

Consider the convenience and time stored whilst renting a car, in particular for group travel. Splitting the value amongst fellow tourists regularly makes it a greater lower cost than other modes of transportation.

Whether you are right here for enterprise or leisure, exploring the metropolis's rich historical past, or embarking on outstation adventures, a rented vehicle serves as your dependent associate.

So, the next time you go to Lucknow, take into account the Cab service In Lucknow and immerse yourself inside the fascinating essence of this historic town, growing recollections to remain a lifetime.

[7consultancyblog]

Why Bangalore is called IT hub of India

Bangalore is the capital city of Karnataka. It is one of the most important cities in India. It is well known as the Silicon Valley of India. It is one of the major cities of the country and is the state capital of Karnataka. The cosmopolitan and progressive city is a favorite destination for tourists and retirees. There are popular tourist attractions like K.R. Market, Bangalore Palace, Summer Palace and many more. It is a leading producer and exporter of software components which are used for computer programming. This city has 1200 Information Technology and Bio-Technology industries and provides employment for more than four lakh people. Many cities with technological advancements have led to the development of IT Parks. There is also an incentive system for the IT Company introduced by the government to inspire new companies with research and development. It is also the IT hub of India. Around 35 cities in16 states of India have leading IT hubs present in India. A hub is a multiport device, which has multiple ports in a device and shares the data to multiple ports altogether. A hub acts as a dumb switch that does not know which data needs to be forwarded where so it broadcasts or sends the data to each port. Hub in networking plays a vital role in data transmission, and broadcasting. Hub is a hardware device used at the physical layer to connect multiple devices in the network. IT Hub is a global marketplace for B2B travel trade.  Thus, IT Hubs are crucial both for buyers and sellers. There are a few alternatives to using an IT Hub, whether it is connecting via API to each supplier individually, or developing your own centralized API.  However, these solutions require you to have an in-house IT team with advanced development capacities. You will most likely be limited only to a handful of suppliers, while connecting via IT Recruitment Agency in Bangalore hub will grant you access to tens or even hundreds of suppliers of multiple travel products. Bangalore has indeed come a long way ever since the first days of the IT industry in the late 20th century. It all started in the 70s when the government designated a large piece of land outside Bangalore for an electronic city.  Indian educational institutions were providing quality education in computer engineering, and so the country was creating computer professionals. Bangalore IT industry has instated India as one of the top players in IT globally because of IT and ITES revenue. Bangalore IT hub area consists of multiple Special Economic Zones and software parks (IT parks). There are over 30 SEZs in Bangalore. It also has dedicated zones for the aerospace and biotechnology industries. Bangalore provides round the clock unrestricted power to its SEZs and IT parks. Bangalore's infrastructure is very advanced. Top IT Recruitment Agency in Bangalore attracts companies from all over the world. This makes it attractive for employers around the world to come to this city looking to set up their offices. This makes it even easy to get access to all the manpower with skills. Throws light on the rapid growth of the IT industry in Bangalore. The city has been deemed as a pacesetter in the world regarding IT and IT-enabled services and is considered as a high-tech city and India’s IT capital. Best IT Recruitment Agency in Bangalore is mirrored by manifest changes in social, spatial, and economic spheres. These cities have welcomed this new technology in enhancing their economy. The economic activity of this genre has caused the development of cities and is competing on a world scale. More suitable data communication infrastructure and telecommunications than any other place in India, the best city for IT business in India, and more and more IT firms prefer Bangalore as a production base, all of which reveal Bangalore’s continued competitive position.

[gingerhotelsindia]

Exploring And Staying In Ahmedabad Vastrapur

Ahmedabad, or Amdavad as Gujaratis prefer to call it, is a place that evokes images of fun and frolic, chaniya cholis in all its vibrant hues, and the flavor of gathiyas and undhiyu. It is the only city in the world to have received this designation from UNESCO.

Since Sultan Ahmed Shah conceived up and constructed Ahmedabad, it has seen constant change. The city's passion for enjoying life and conserving its history through its architectural masterpieces, however, has endured throughout these years. There are also many good options for business hotels in Ahmedabad.

These marvels are now the highlight of the state and among Gujarat's most popular tourist destinations. In addition to this, the city has a number of parks and water tanks that are worthy of a visit.

Let’s see the best tourist places along with the business hotels in Ahmedabad.

When Ahmedabad is mentioned, the first names that come to mind are Sabarmati Ashram and Mahatma Gandhi. It is situated on the banks of the Sabarmati River and served as Bapu's former residence as well as the focal point of the Indian liberation war. Visitors can learn about Mahatma Gandhi's challenges and life at this location.

Many of his valuables, such as his spectacles, slippers, and novels, are visible. There is an art gallery here as well as a library with about 35,000 books in Gujarati, Hindi, and English. If one is interested in learning more about Gandhi's life, family, and revolutionary principles, this collection of books, paintings, and artifacts is a gold mine. Sabarmati Ashram has the distinction of serving as the starting place of the famous Dandi March, a pivotal event in the movement for Indian independence.

Jama Masjid, another masterpiece of architecture designed by Sultan Ahmed Shah, is a popular tourist destination in Ahmedabad. The Sultan constructed the fort in 1423 because he wanted Ahmedabad's Muslims to have a location to congregate for Friday prayers. Its two hundred and sixty beautifully carved yellow sandstone pillars in close proximity to Bhadra Fort match its magnificence. It is also in close proximity to the hotels near IIM Ahmedabad.

It is reported that the yellow sandstone used in the mosque was previously a component of several Hindu and Jain temples. The mosque's construction blends Islamic and Hindu architectural elements.

Bhadra Fort is next on the list. Sultan Ahmad Shah, the man who laid the foundation for Ahmedabad, erected Bhadra Fort in 1411. Even days, the forts are a well-liked tourist destination, and inside their walls are numerous tales. The fort's name comes from a temple there called Bhadra Kali Temple. Legend has it that Goddess Lakshmi once entered this fort to grant the Muslim Sultan her benediction that the city would always be prosperous. The magnificent fort features numerous palaces, a large courtyard, and lovely green gardens.

Many magnificent tombs in Ahmedabad fascinate you with their intricate sculptures. Shah-e-Roza, Alam's also known as Rasulabad Dargah or Shah Alam no Rojo, is one such tomb that ought to be on any traveler's itinerary. This mausoleum is a well-known Sufi shrine that attracts followers from all over. It is also in close proximity to the business hotels in Ahmedabad.

Gold and priceless stones were originally used to embellish the tomb's dome, adding to its magnificence. The graves of Shah Alam's family are located in a tiny mausoleum with twenty-four domes within the tomb complex. The door frames and the two stone pillars on either side of the tomb are carved intricately from pure white marble, and the floor of the tomb is decorated with a sophisticated pattern of black and white marble.

With so much to see and do, a well-timed trip is undoubtedly required. Good hotels near IIM Ahmedabad with exceptional services are required to enhance the experience of your stay.

Ginger Hotel Ahmedabad (Vastrapur) stands out as one of the top-notch business hotels in Ahmedabad, catering to discerning travelers. Situated in close proximity to corporate and IT hubs in the burgeoning satellite area, it presents an ideal choice for budget-conscious business individuals. Boasting 36 meticulously furnished rooms, the hotel provides a host of contemporary amenities to ensure a comfortable stay.

Ahmedabad predominantly experiences a dry and warm climate throughout the year, with occasional respite during the monsoon season. However, the period from March to May witnesses scorching temperatures, making the winter season, spanning from December to February, the most favorable time to visit the city. Also, Ginger is one of the best hotels near IIM Ahmedabad.

Additionally, our portfolio extends beyond Ginger Hotel Ahmedabad (Vastrapur) to include two other splendid properties in Ahmedabad: Ginger Ahmedabad (SG Road) and Ginger Ahmedabad (Vastrapur).

But wait, there's more! Indulge in the best accommodation near Ahmedabad airport, a mere 15 kilometers away, by exploring our finest property. Ginger Hotel Ahmedabad (Vastrapur) offers a diverse range of rooms with 36 options in the twin and queen categories, ensuring a perfect fit for your requirements. 

Each room is equipped with complimentary Wi-Fi, an LCD or LED TV offering satellite channels, in-room dining services, a convenient tea or coffee maker, refreshing air conditioning, and a mini refrigerator, all designed to deliver unparalleled hospitality.

Discover the ultimate comfort and convenience during your stay at Ginger Hotel Ahmedabad (Vastrapur).

Ginger Hotels are everything you can ever wish to see and experience in a budget stay. So, what are you waiting for? Book your stay at the best business hotels in Ahmedabad!

[harrisonarchive]

George Harrison in Haight-Ashbury, 7 August 1967; photos by Grant Jacobs.

“Well we were only in Haight Ashbury for about 30 minutes but I did see quite a bit. […] [We] walked along the street for about a hundred yards, half like a tourist and half like a hippie. We were trying to have a look at a few shops. […] They were trying to give me everything. This is a thing that I want to try and get over to people. Although we’ve been identified a lot with hippies, especially since all this thing about pot and LSD’s come out, we don’t want to tell anyone else to have it because it’s something that’s up to the person himself. Although it was like a key that opened the door and showed a lot of things on the other side, it’s still up to people themselves what they do with it. LSD isn’t a real answer. It doesn’t give you anything. It enables you to see a lot of possibilities that you may never have noticed before but it isn’t the answer. You don’t just take LSD and that’s it for ever, you’re OK. […] [T]here were so many great people, really nice people who only wanted to be friends and didn’t want to imposed anything or be anything [in Haight-Ashbury, but there were those who] were so out of their minds trying to shove STP on me, and acid — every step I took there was somebody trying to give me something — but I didn’t want to know about that. I want to get high and you can’t get high on LSD. You can take it and take it as many times as you like but you get to a point that you can’t get any further unless you stop taking it.” - George Harrison, Melody Maker, 2 September 1967 (x)

“Beatle George Harrison toured the Haight-Ashbury yesterday peering through lavender glasses, strumming a guitar and eventually drawing a huge following of flower children behind him. 
Harrison, called ‘the quiet Beatle,’ and his wife [Pattie], first parked at Masonic Avenue and Haight Street about 6 p.m. and wandered down the street unnoticed among the throng of hippies. Harrison sported the drooping French mustache, long hair, buttons, flowered trousers, denim jacket and heart-shaped shades affected by many members of the love generation. And 23-year-old wife [Pattie] could have been just about any hippie girl with her long blonde hair and granny glasses. The two walked the length of Haight Street looking into the shops and watching the local residents and finally stopped at ‘hippie hill’ in Golden Gate Park. 
A young man was entertaining a crowd of about 20 hippies. Harrison and his wife listened for a minute and then Harrison asked, ‘Can I borrow your guitar?’ The young man said ‘Sure.’ Harrison took the guitar and started to play. And played unrecognized for about three minutes. A girl listened and looked at Harrison then started shouting: ‘Hey! That’s George Harrison. That’s George Harrison!’ … A sizeable crowd formed. Harrison played for about ten more minutes and then shouted, ‘Let’s go for a walk.’ And off they went, Harrison strumming the guitar, the hippies following along. As the crowd left the park it grew. ‘What do you think of the Haight-Ashbury?’ asked a hippie. ‘Wow. If it’s all like this it’s too much,’ Harrison answered." - article by David Swanston, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 August 1967

[rabbitcruiser]

National Look Up at the Sky Day

Slow down, take a deep breath, and take a moment to look up at the  sky and appreciate the small beauties in an otherwise hectic,  fast-paced, sometimes ugly life.

Most people are extremely busy these days. The world goes at a  breakneck speed and sometimes it is difficult to keep up. So much so  that many people hardly have the time to just spend enjoying the simple  things in life anymore!

Not only that, but a consumer-driven culture has had a tendency to  lead many people to believe that money is one of the most important  things.

This attitude might manifest itself in a myriad of ways. For  instance, some people might feel they aren’t valuable if they don’t make  a lot of money or have the ability to display wealth to their  neighbors, family, and friends. It’s easy to forget that life is about  more than money.

In order to validate the need for recognition and admiration, some  people even travel halfway across the world to vacation in exotic  destinations, only to then spend the entire trip taking selfies and  posting them on social media to impress friends! And, sadly, this can  keep a tourist from actually making incredible memories on their journey  by simply enjoying themselves.

When asked what he finds to be the most surprising thing about the  world in general, the Dalai Lama replied: “Man. Because he sacrifices  his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to  recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that  he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in  the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and  then dies having never really lived.”

The Dalai Lama wasn’t far off in his assessment of many cultures, societies and people today!

But, with National Look Up at the Sky Day, the time has come to pay  attention to something other than the rat race going on around the  world. It’s time to take a look at life and make sure it is actually  being lived to the fullest!

History of Look Up at the Sky day

The creators of this holiday may remain anonymous, but their goal is  very clear: to encourage people to take a little time to slow down and  appreciate the smaller, more precious things in life.

The list of famous people who have been known to spend a lot of their  time looking at the sky includes Nicholas Copernicus, the scientist who  eventually came to prove that the earth revolved around the Sun (and  not the other way around as previously thought).

Albert Einstein, the creator of the Theory of Relativity, was also  well-known for looking up at the sky. And Leonardo da Vinci, who  envisioned the first flying machines, spent a great deal of time staring  into the sky and imagining this invention that eventually came true  years later.

So, rest assured, people who choose to celebrate this day will be in the best company!

How to Celebrate National Look Up at the Sky Day

While spending the entire day simply looking up might eventually  become a strain on the neck, it’s the idea of enjoying something that is  right in front of our faces that counts. Consider these ways to  appreciate life and celebrate National Look Up at the Sky Day:

Look Up!

As the name of this little day suggests, the first order of business  is to take some time to look up at the sky! People often slip into the  habit of taking natural beauty for granted. In fact, many people only  pay attention to the sky if, say, it happens to be raining and they are  annoyed by it.

So, if the weather cooperates, go ahead and take a blanket out to the  park, just lay down on it and gaze upwards for a while—you’re likely to  be amazed at how it changes depending on wind and other factors.

Get Involved in Star Gazing

Looking up at the sky can happen during the day or at night. People  who have a telescope can really get involved in looking up at the sky  and identifying stars and planets. But even people who don’t have a  telescope can enjoy gazing at the stars, making out the  constellations–and those waiting long enough might even get to see a  shooting star!

Listen to a Sky-Themed Playlist

While spending some time leisurely staring at the sky, it might be  great to have a little silence and listen to the birds chirping or the  grass growing. But some people live in busy, loud places and would  prefer a soundtrack to go along with their Sky-Staring Day.

Of course, plenty of nature sound playlists exist and would be  perfect for this day, but others might want a list of sky-themed songs  to choose from. Classics or modern, there’s something for everyone who  wants try these out–or come up with other creative ideas for songs:

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (1967) by The Beatles

Ribbon in the Sky (1982) by Stevie Wonder

A Sky Full of Stars (2014) by Coldplay

We’ve Got Blue Skies (1971) by The Jackson 5

It Came Out of the Sky (1969) by Creedence Clearwater Revival

To the Sky (2010) by Owl City

Spirit in the Sky (1969) by Norman Greenbaum

Get in Touch with Nature

Watching birds go about their lives as if nothing of importance was  going on elsewhere might be a relaxing way to spend time on this day.  And watching planes soaring high above may even provide the needed  motivation to take a trip to some faraway land.

Gazing at the clouds can be a fun activity, depending on the weather.  Sometimes, on a day when the sky is perfectly blue and the clouds are  fluffy and moving rather quickly, it can be fun to follow the clouds to  see what different shapes they morph into. It takes patience, but that’s  okay because looking at the sky is the only important thing there is to  do on this day! National Look Up at the Sky Day was created to motivate  people to see the world from a different perspective than we usually  do, and appreciate the beauty of nature. So, with that in mind, be sure  to get out and celebrate this day and make your life just a little bit  more meaningful!

Source

[platoniclokiimagines]

i love your blog so much! i’ve been thinking, what kind of things do you think loki would do with his bestie?? like would they paint, maybe shop? (if you have smth that’s similar to this then feel free to ignore it LMAO)

honestly what Wouldn’t you do once you and Loki are close?

granted, it does take a While to get to that level of trust

and to really be able to just Relax around each other and let your guards down

but once you do get to that point?

hoo boy

you two would do almost Everything together

mornings? you’re both drinking tea and judging everyone’s outfits as they come in to get breakfast

“I see the spiderling is wearing the same kitten pajama pants yet again.” “To be fair, I think Tony got them for him. But I concur, doesn’t he have literally anything else to wear?” “And here comes Thor, hair a rat’s nest, as per the norm.” “We live with the most powerful beings on the planet and there’s hardly a lick of fashion sense between any of them. Shame.” “Y/N, I completely agree.”

in fact, pretty much all of your time at the compound is spent together

reading, sparring, going over game plans for missions, all of it you do together

even the mundane things such as chores like doing the dishes or laundry duty, you both end up working on it together

mostly because the two of you are inseparable anyway

and also a little bit because everyone else on the team is a little Too intimidated by Loki to actually try to separate the two of you

your free time away from the compound is also spent together

you go on “outings,” as you like to call them

since Loki’s still pretty new to Earth culture, you’ve taken it upon yourself to introduce them to all your favorite places and things

sometimes you set aside days to be complete tourists

seeing the Statue of Liberty, riding the ferry, getting pizza in Times Square

you even convince them to go see Wicked on Broadway

after which, Loki was adamant about seeing as many plays and musicals as they could get to, dramatic theatre kid that they are

and the sight of them completely enthralled by the shows always makes you smile, anyway, so how could you ever say no?

you take them to all your favorite little hidden gems

the coffee place on seventh street that you adore because it’s always empty in the evenings

the corner of Central Park where there are no joggers or scammers selling photocopies of artwork at outrageous prices

you even take them to the ironically-named Valhalla Bar, which you frequented long before you ever knew any of the Asgardians

you’ll never forget the one time they got absolutely shit-faced on a single pint of beer

“Isn’t Asgardian liquor supposed to be, like... really strong?” “Yes, well, I’m not Asgardian, so.” “...doesn’t that mean Asgardian liquor should have made you this shit-faced, too, if not more?” “................I don’t know right now.”

you also end up with Loki participating in a lot of your personal hobbies, as well

your photography, your drawing, your painting, whatever it is that you do for fun, Loki ends up at least trying

you let them hold your Good(tm) camera and show them how to aim and how to use the grid to center photos

most of them come out a little blurry and off-centered, but you had fun doing goofy poses from them anyway

you get Loki a blank canvas to work with while you’re doing your own painting, and try not to get jealous that painting comes so naturally to them

“How are you so good at that? Have you painted before?” “No. Just lucky, I guess.” “Mm.” “Why, are you jealous?” “No.” “Y/N.” “I’m not.” “Y/N.” “I’m not.” “...” “...okay maybe just a little bit. Look at how you blended those colors together so perfectly. It took me months to perfect that.”

errands? also done together

when it’s your turn to buy groceries for the compound, Loki always tags along

and throws things in the carts that absolutely No One in the compound wants or needs

“Loki, nobody even has a cat at the compound, why would we need catnip?” “I mean, we could put some around T’Challa and see what happens.” “...” “Don’t tell me you’re not at least a little curious.” “...maybe just a little.”

all in all, the two of you are absolutely inseparable

practically joined at the hip

when one of you is sad, the other is doing everything in their power to help you feel better

bringing tea or a favorite book or queuing up dumb TikTok compilations on YouTube

your each other’s wingmen

gassing each other up when you have dates, making sure you’ve got everything you need for when you’re going out

waiting up at night to make sure that the other got home safe

even though you’re both Literal Avengers and know how to handle yourselves

it’s just what you Do

and you wouldn’t have it any other way

[laconservancy]

Time, Taste, and Tradition: Preserving L.A.’s Legacy Businesses 

Congratulations to the selected recipients of the L.A. Conservancy’s Legacy Business Grant! The five legacy businesses of the first round of our $5,000 grants have been selected and we’re thrilled to introduce them to you: 

88 Gifts Shop (1987) in L.A.’s Chinatown 

Candelas Guitars (1947) in Boyle Heights 

El Aguila Bakery (1973) in El Sereno  

Gardena Cinema (1976) in the City of Gardena 

SIKA (established in 1992) in Leimert Park 

From an essential neighborhood shop selling everything from houseware items to plants to a rare, affordable single-screen movie theatre, these locally-owned businesses boast a combined age of more than 200 years in operation in their neighborhoods and communities. They also represent the essence of L.A.’s legacy businesses: long-standing neighborhood anchors where people connect, memories are made, and a sense of community is nourished. 

We hope that their stories demonstrate the value of longtime businesses and that you hurry out to patronize their business in the very near future! 

ABOUT THE WINNERS 

88 Gifts Shop 

Photos courtesy 88 Gifts Shop

311 Ord Street Los Angeles, CA 90031  

 For over 30 years, the original location of 88 Gifts Shop (88 Gifts) was at 711 North Broadway in BC Plaza. In 2020, owner Annie Ma was forced to relocate her business to its present location. 

Ma’s shop sells housewares, plants, and a variety of Lunar New Year gifts to neighborhood residents and tourists. Perhaps most notably, 88 Gifts sells Chinese-language newspapers to Chinatown’s elders, allowing them to remain in touch with news events both here and abroad 

Still feeling the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, this grant will make it possible to pay for rent increases and avoid another relocation.  

CANDELAS GUITARS 

Photos courtesy Candelas Guitars 

2724 E Cesar Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033 

Brothers Porfirio and Candelario Delgado-Flores moved from Mexico to Los Angeles in 1947 and brought with them a burgeoning music business that specialized in custom guitar marking. The store’s clientele includes famous artists like José Feliciano but it’s also a source of community pride, giving back to Boyle Heights in many ways including the creation of a 501c(3) nonprofit that provides free music lessons to local youth. 

After closing for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Candelas was thankfully able to re-open but is still facing the residual effects of the shutdown. The grant will go towards payroll for the business and operating expenses. 

El Aguila Bakery 

Photos courtesy El Aguila Bakery 

5028 Huntington Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90032  

El Aguila Bakery was established by Apolinar Casillas in 1973 and has been a beloved fixture in L.A.’s El Sereno community ever since. With a loyal, multi-generational clientele, El Aguila prides itself on its authentic Mexican sweet breads, cakes, tamales, and so much more! The bakery also supports the community by giving back to local institutions such as the city, schools, and places of worship.  

But the bakery’s authentic flavors come at a cost. When ingredient prices rose more than 200%, the bakery had to increase its prices, causing sales to slump. This grant will allow them to cover increased costs and make payments to necessary vendors. 

GARDENA CINEMA 

Photos courtesy Gardena Cinema 

14948 Crenshaw Boulevard, Gardena, CA 90249 

Gardena Cinema is a single-screen movie cinema built in 1946 and operated by the Kim family since 1976. It’s the only such theatre located Gardena and has provided affordable entertainment options for more than four generations. It's a place where families can enjoy a film together and have meaningful experiences: in addition to their unique film slate, Gardena Cinema also hosts cinema potlucks, popcorn happy hours, and more. 

A combination of the pandemic and personal health challenges forced the cinema to be closed for 32 months. The grant will provide them with a much-needed cash infusion toward daily operating expenses. 

SIKA 

Photos courtesy SIKA  

4330 Degnan Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90008 

Sika, an institution of Leimert Park Village, has been specializing in custom jewelry, African art, clothing, and other goods for 30 years.  Sika, the store’s owner, weathered a downturn in the economy in the 2000s when many businesses left the Village. His resilience has commanded the love and respect of the Leimert Park community and, today, despite concerns about gentrification and displacement Sika remains at the heart of the neighborhood as a cultural gathering place. 

This grant will be used toward business marketing and community jewelry-making workshops.  

ABOUT THE GRANT PROGRAM 

When we first announced the grant program in November of 2022, it was the culmination of more than two years of advocacy, dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of legacy businesses throughout Los Angeles County. 

Longtime businesses add to our rich history and culture. These community anchors have long been one of the focal points of the Conservancy’s work, from responding to threats of demolition to providing technical assistance. We saved the original McDonald’s from demolition in the ‘90s, brought funding for the rehabilitation of the Formosa Cafe’s Pacific Electric Red Car, and rallied to designate Norms on La Cienega, Tom Bergin’s on Fairfax, and Otomisan Japanese Restaurant in Boyle Heights as Historic-Cultural Monuments (HCM). In late 2019, we proudly launched a Legacy Business initiative to raise awareness about and support for these important places in L.A. County. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we understood the immediate threat and unthinkable challenges facing longtime business owners. Thanks to Wells Fargo, we’ve been able to expand our legacy business initiative to include a grant program. This grant provides $5,000 to ten (10) eligible small businesses that have operated and contributed to their community’s history and/or identity for at least 20 years and have less than 25 full-time employees. 

So far, the response has been overwhelming. Nearly 400 owners applied for the first round of grants, making the task of choosing just five winners almost seem impossible. Please join our Legacy Business Network and follow us on social media to learn more about our winners and to stay up-to-date on Round 2 of the L.A. Conservancy’s Legacy Business Grant Program! 

Visit laconservancy.org/grant to learn more.