#this is a fun and normal destiel fic I swear

[urne-buriall]

more on our Latin chapter title! this fun little phrase refers obliquely to Death as the "I" of the idiom, and Arcadia (although a real geographical region in Greece) serves as a byword for past paradise. the phrase is a "memento mori," that is to say: remember you will die. (call me death-obsessed. I am. it's my birthright.) enjoy this life you have with whatever youth or health or brightness there may be, but know it will end. that there's meaning in it because it will end

it's worth a moment now to expound on the title of this work, "our lights in ashes", which comes from a line out of Sir Thomas Browne's "Hydriotaphia, or Urne-Buriall."

Since our longest Sunne sets at right descensions, and makes but winter arches, and therefore it cannot be long before we lie down in darknesse, and have our lights in ashes.

Urn Burial is largely an anthropological work from the 1600s about the discovery of buried funeral pots near Norwich, with discussion of other funerary practices or burial rites through history that were known at the time. the fifth section of it, however, is this exquisite and melancholy memento mori meditating on how we live with death and, essentially, the pointlessness of tombs or rituals such as these. the work is one I find enchanting, a morbid curio that is somehow comforting and haunting at the same time

this particular line refers to the brevity of life. even the longest lifetime is but a short winter's day in the scheme of things, compared with the long and deep catalogue of time. the reference to "lights in ashes" has a footnote from Browne about a Jewish funerary custom of lighting candles in a pot of ashes by the corpse. we will not live long and even time itself grows old, but there's something implied about the act of commemoration, even when Browne says it's pointless because no one will be remembered in the longer scale of time. because burial rites are, yes, for the dead, but they are also for the living. they are a way of processing and coming to terms with our grief. I've taken courses on death and dying and inevitably found myself surrounded by people who wish to know the secrets of death, as if we could somehow prepare ourselves for it or get around it, but we can only ever learn about what's on this side of the veil. it always went back to living grief. wanting our lives and the lives of those we've lost to mean something, whatever we believe as far as faith goes

this fic is about grief and wrestles with what comes after death. it's sort of ironic working with Supernatural, where our characters have died multiple times with zero consequences. death is something you can just walk off if you're a central character. and it makes killing off our faves emotionally pointless, because there's no serious consequence and there's this promised paradise of Heaven (reliving old memories) or getting thrown to Hell (which you can still be rescued from). life, of course, isn't like that. as far as I understand it, you only get one shot. so while the magic lets Cas come back from the Empty one more time, the characters are ultimately facing down the threat of losing someone forever, and having to decide what matters in the meantime. pursuing Cas? no question, that's priority number one. but Dean has to think beyond that, too. he's thinking about the life he wants once he has Cas back, and realises it's time to get a start on having that life now

whew, all that talk of death and meaning and I barely even made it to the latest character introduction! in this chapter, we meet our best skeleton friend, Todd. Death in Arcadia, or close to. he's not exactly the Grim Reaper, but he looks like one, and there's an element of the psychopomp to him, one who can travel between the borders of worlds, an ambassador between the living and the dead. he's not Death incarnate and has more to do with beginnings than endings as the Demiurge, the craftsman of the universe - though he's distinct as an artisan or architect rather than some Creator God of All Things. but I can't conceive of creation without Death, creation must also contain the seeds of its decay, making this form suitable for him, as well as having roots in tradition

this is a really pensive and morbid behind-the-scenes piece considering that this is literally the chapter where we introduce a talking skeleton. we are here having FUN, this fic is not taking itself THAT seriously and is also VERY hopeful despite all this weighing of life and death and time and eternity. I just have chronic refers-to-things syndrome and am past saving

et in arcadia ego (even in Arcadia, I am there)

the craftsman of the universe & the spanner in the works.

[ipromiseimawriter]

WIP TITLE GAME

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Tagged by @zahnie - thank you omg!!

From most recently worked on to least (roughly): (I tend to be pretty literal with these for the most part, if they don't already have a title)

destiel fix it fic - draft 2: is what it says on the tin. I will get to chipping at the end of this godforsaken series, so hELP ME. I do have a fancy lil summary though (this could get edited later but y'know!!):

“What are you doing? Dean, no–!” “You asked me to stop you. So I’m stopping you.” ( As promised, the Empty came for Castiel when his soul called. When it sang a happiness so profound that nothing else could possibly contain it. But Dean wasn’t ready to let go – and if you were to ask him, he’d swear he had failed Cas one too many times. So when the time came, he sank right down with him. )  Chuck could’ve called it, really. But there’s no biblical preparation for their journey through the Empty. It’s all up to them, now, while Sam and Jack (and friends) race to undo Chuck’s damage to the world. Alternating POV. 15x18 CODA/Fix-It Fic for end of 15x18/15x19 & beyond [15x20 who is she lmao]

destiel theatre bitches AU: an incredibly self-indulgent AU where Dean and Castiel are professors for a theatre department at a (made-up) small liberal arts school somewhere in Kansas. Cas is a new arrival to the department who's making waves (and suggesting some batshit shows for production), Dean's the gruff and well-loved scene shop head/tech professor who doesn't like his toes getting stepped on (jk yes he does), and they're gonna be soooo normal about it (me when i lie). nearly everyone and their mom is in this AU. we have fun here

Welcome to Purgatory: an original work (longform)! a story inspired by my time interacting with SPN/with other horror-fantasy adjacent medias, some characters I've had for 1000 years, and just - fucking around and finding out. I def tried to NaNoWriMo it before, to no such luck, so I just chip at it on my own time. I've got a running tag for it if you're ever interested! (old summary)

Jules Herrick went missing without a trace in the early nineties, and his hunting partner, Simon Villanova, never saw him again. We jump ahead about twenty-five years and realize why he should’ve stayed missing. Victor and Amelia are two childhood friends separated by time and responsibility, reuniting for what should be a normal road trip under less fortunate circumstances - the death of a mutual friend. However, the trip is quickly derailed by a strange pursuer that sends them on the run, and into action.  The people who catch up with them to help are not what they expect. The lives their families have led were kept from the two for safety. But between a rogue demon, its lost hellhound, and a secret organization hunting down the missing man and his cohorts, one question must be asked: What does Jules Herrick want with the end of the world, as they know it?

go catch a sunset (stanford-era dean/the outsiders bullshit): a Stanford-era Dean fic (which has 2 chapters up!) that I sort of use as my lil swimming pool for figuring ideas out? Mostly just speculation and big character thoughts on that very vulnerable time. I'm v much looking forward to introducing both Bobby and Cassie soon, getting some Winchester drama, and picking at those good backstory characters.

mama barracuda (WIP title - eldritch horror type shit): an original work (short story). "There's a monster in the woods, just off the beaten path from Hope's home. She isn't the first to be trapped into position of Keeper for the Barracuda of the Backwoods, but she is the first - in a very long time - to truly understand her. They call her Mama." So essentially - monster collects teeth for her own rotting mouth. Sisyphean effort on the Keeper's part. Symbiotic parasite/mother-daughter type shit. LOTS TO UNPACK.

honorable mention: a bunch of plays and other lil bits that would take me too long to describe <333

tagging: @subtlefires, @disabled-dean , @butchabouttown, @luckshiptoshore , and anyone who wants to play! (this includes all my friends who may see this and go "hey i have wips". give it to me. i want to see it)

[unforth]

So keeping in mind that I’ve literally already written a 40k Destiel fic inspired by Selena Gomez’s “Back to You,” today it came up on my play list and I started to think about ficcing it again, but this time Wangxian. It’s just such a ficcable song, I can’t even.

Like, a modern AU (set in the US) where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were once dating, and Wei Wuxian started making friends with “the wrong sorts,” and so Lan Qiren forced Lan Wangji to dump him. They part ways for a few years.

Lan Wangji never really recovers, and he perfunctorily dates the people his uncle sets him up with, and his life kinda stalls...not that there’s anything wrong with it, just...it’s always the same, the same places, the same people, the same work, the same wake up time, the same daily routine, the same bedtime. Sometimes he’s not sure which he misses more - Wei Wuxian, or the disruption to his life that Wei Wuxian represents. He almost wishes that Wei Wuxian has gone as “bad” as Lan Qiren was so, so sure he would, because then it would be proof - that stepping outside the box is not the way to a good life, that Lan Wangji made the right choices even if he’s not happy with them, that kind of thing.

Wei Wuxian also never really recovers, but instead of letting it get him down, he’s even more determined to prove that he’s so much more than what snobs like Lan Qiren thought of him - and so are the friends he made, who are of course Wen Qing and Wen Ning. They also have really had a tough time, with a lot of people assuming the worst about them because of their family connections. The three make a pact together - to succeed, no matter what it takes, and to help each other whenever one of them starts to struggle. And it works. Though they’re a little behind their peers - they all go to college, and they all finish their degrees, they all get advanced ones. Wen Qing becomes a doctor. Wei Wuxian becomes an engineer. Wen Ning becomes a vet. They get respectable jobs, if poorly paid because that’s the economy in 2020s USA, and they’re slowly building lives for themselves. No one from the circles his adopted family move in will associate with him anyway - he got kicked out for some of his youthful shenanigans, and though he’s in touch with his siblings, his “parents” won’t acknowledge him - but he doesn’t care. He knows he’s succeeding, no matter what they say about him.

(read more)

Though Lan Wangji never stops thinking about Wei Wuxian, he refuses to Google him or look him up. Fantasize about him? Yes. Wish his current SO was them? Yes. Occasionally scroll through Jiang Yanli’s friends list just to make sure Wei Wuxian is still there? Yes. But he doesn’t look him up, doesn’t friend him, doesn’t outreach. Why should he? Some regrets are normal, but he’s over it - he’s definitely over it.

Not that Wei Wuxian expected him to. Lan Wangji broke his heart, and it hurt - oh, it hurt so much, but Wei Wuxian is definitely over him. Who needs that asshole anyway? Wei Wuxian knows his worth, and he doesn’t need the affection of someone who cast him aside at the say so of his uncle. If he occasionally comes moaning Lan Wangji’s name...that’s a perfectly normal thing to do as regards someone Wei Wuxian hasn’t dated in a decade, right? Lan Wangji was, and presumably still is, hot as fuck, and Wei Wuxian has a healthy labido

Which is to say, neither of them is over it at all.

Still, their mutual pining might have never come to a head if not for Lan Wangji’s best friend - Jin Zixuan - getting engaged to Wei Wuxian’s sister Jiang Yanli.

And then, suddenly, after so many years, they’re in frequent contact again - helping with planning the wedding - and, well...

For Wei Wuxian, it’s infuriating. There’s Lan Wangji, still quiet, still distant, and sometimes when Wei Wuxian glances his way, he can swear that he caught Lan Wangji looking at him with resentment and regret, which - that’s some fucking bullshit right there, cause it’s not Wei Wuxian who ditched Lan Wangji, not Wei Wuxian who caved to family pressure. That’s all Lan Wangji - what’s Lan Wangji got to resent?

For Lan Wangji, it’s awful. Wei Wuxian is at least 8 times more gorgeous than Lan Wangji remembers him being, tall and lithe, his hair long, his affect casual. Despite the same air of nonchalance he always projected, though, now he’s like that but ALSO educated, successful, and self-made. Every bad thing Lan Qiren said would come to pass for Wei Wuxian is now proven a lie, and Lan Wangji feels wretched about it. Even worse, Wei Wuxian is clearly single - and “ready to mingle,” as Lan Wangji believes the phrase goes. Literally anyone who breaths, of any gender, is apparently fair game, and Wei Wuxian flirts constantly, especially with members of Lan Wangji’s friends circle. Mo Xuanyu? The poor guy never knew what hit him. Lan Jingyi? Is like eight years to young for Wei Wuxian, but that doesn’t stop him. Ouyang Zizhen? Lan Wangji is pretty sure Wei Wuxian doesn’t even know Zizhen’s name - or his age - but again, when did any reasonable objection ever stop Wei Wuxian? Luo Qingyang? She’s a lesbian for fucks sake, but she apparently doesn’t mind, and even flirts back, and Wei Wuxian is incorrigible.

Maybe Lan Qiren was right after all.

Wei Wuxian is determined to flaunt what Lan Wangji missed out on, loudly and publicly. Mo Xuanyu does make for a fun fling, and Lan Jingyi is a good kisser but they never get farther than that. Ouyang Zizhen is definitely too young - and he’s straight - but he laughs along when Wei Wuxian is outrageous, and they understand each other. And Luo Qingyang...Wei Wuxian suspects she knows exactly what the score is, and is maybe even helping him.

Helping him make Lan Wangji miserable, that is.

Wei Wuxian is definitely not looking to accomplish anything else.

Unless he can secure a Plus One to the wedding, ideally one who can join the wedding party and stand beside Wei Wuxian when he and Jiang Cheng give Jiang Yanli away.

Cause, oh, the look on Lan Wangji’s face, if he’s forced to spend the entire wedding facing Wei Wuxian and his date? Priceless, definitely.

Lan Wangji is determined to give Wei Wuxian the space to do...whatever it is Wei Wuxian is doing. Wei Wuxian always was a whirlwind, and Lan Wangji has never wanted to control him, never known how to keep up. Still, it galls to see Wei Wuxian flirting, and it hurts to see Wei Wuxian act indifferently towards him, and it aches to remember that, had things been different, Lan Wangji could have been on the receiving end of all those lovely, carefree smiles.

Rather than deal with the difficulty he has breathing whenever he’s in the same room as Wei Wuxian is in the room, Lan Wangji throws himself into the logistic planning of the final weeks leading up to the wedding. He coordinates vendors. He soothes ruffled feathers. He makes sure the caterers know literally everyone’s dietary preferences and restrictions. He works, and he works, and he works, and he tries to do nothing but work, but sometimes...

...Wen Qing will wander by, take over his spreadsheet, and tell him to go socialize...

...or Wen Ning will intercept the decoration Lan Wangji was moving, lift it surprisingly effortlessly, and tell Lan Wangji to join the main gathering...

...or Luo Qingyang will come and lecture him about how hiding is dumb and maybe he’d actually meet someone new if he tried.

As if Lan Wangji will get to meet someone new.

As if Lan Qiren will let Lan Wangji be with them, even if Lan Wangji did.

They’re trying to help, but he can’t figure out why. Wen Qing and Wen Ning especially are barely even his friends - but they’re closer to Wei Wuxian than anyone else in the world...Lan Wangji can’t fathom what they’re up to. If he didn’t know better, he’d almost think they were trying to get him back together with Wei Wuxian? Which makes him think they don’t know Wei Wuxian half as well as they think they do, cause there’s no way that Wei Wuxian wants that - no way that Wei Wuxian wants him. Lan Wangji had his chance. He gets that.

(But, oh, it’d be nice to believe, even for a minute, even for a single dinner party, that maybe that would be something Wei Wuxian would want.)

But that’s impossible.

So Wei Wuxian flirts shamelessly.

And Lan Wangji hides behind duty and a stoic facade.

And the day of the wedding approaches - they get through the rehearsal dinner, the bachelor and bachelorette parties, the hangovers the next morning, all of it...and then it’s time.

Lan Wangji knows he should be watching Jin Zixuan, dressed in full Chinese traditional garb for an utterly Western style wedding, but instead he can’t keep his eyes off the opposite wedding party. Luo Qingyang is maid of honor, in a chongseom that makes no sense as either traditional Chinese or modern Western - and Jiang Yanli insisted on her brothers standing at her side, and so Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian are both there.

In tuxedos.

A sharp contrast to the robes in muted colors that Jin Zixuan picked out for his wedding party.

And Jiang Cheng still has a look on his face like he stepped in something gross and is too dignified to wipe it off on the carpeting, but Wei Wuxian...oh, Wei Wuxian is so perfect, absolutely flawless, and his pleasure is so obviious and uninhibited. From the moment the tent flaps open and Jiang Fengmian walks his daughter, in full Phoenix robes and an elaborate golden head dress (a family heirloom, no less), Wei Wuxian only has eyes for his sister, and his joy for her is spectacular and makes Lan Wangji’s chest ache.

As the ceremony commences - Western secular, seriously, what, not that it’s a surprise, Lan Wangji helped plan it, but it’s still weird - Lan Wangji looses himself in the rhythm of non-religious liturgy and imagining that, had his life gone differently, how Wei Wuxian looks now might have been how he’d have looked on their wedding day.

He wants that so badly.

He so, so desperately wishes that could have been.

For once, Lan Wangji isn’t wrong about Wei Wuxian’s train of thought. He’s got eyes for no one but Jiang Yanli - well, and a small aside of imagining all the ways he’ll make Jin Zixuan regret ever being born, should he ever hurt her. The ceremony passes so quickly he’s amazed - usually he’s super impatient and antsy during events like this - but no, he’s fine, he’s fine, he’s fine, he’s...and then it’s over, and he glances to the groom’s party, and he realizes...Lan Wangji is staring at him.

Reflecting back over the ceremony...Lan Wangji has been staring at him the whole time?

And seriously - what the fuck is up with that? What had Wei Wuxian done wrong this time? Was it the tux? Lan Wangji coordinated the rental, if he’d objected to the Western attire, he had plenty of time to say something. Was it the way Wei Wuxian was rocking back on his heels? As if Jiang Yanli didn’t know Wei Wuxian couldn’t stand still - as if she’d ever hold that against him! His mind scrambles through explanations, each more ridiculous and rude than the last...no matter what the reason is, he’s sure that his existence offends Lan Wangji, as it also offended Lan Qiren. If it didn’t, why would Lan Wangji have treated him so indifferently since they re-met?

(It definitely isn’t because Wei Wuxian has intentionally kept him at arms length, oh no, this - whatever this is - is absolutely entirely Lan Wangji’s fault.)

Still, now that he’s aware of Lan Wangji’s condemnation, Wei Wuxian can’t stop thinking about it. It preoccupies him all through agonizingly dull hour of taking group photographs in various places in the picturesque garden, and all through the brief period he actually gets to spend during the passed platter part of the reception - hors d’ouevres to tide the guests over while the family and wedding parties do the pictures - and all through the achingly dull meal. The food is good, Wei Wuxian supposes. The wedding has been nice, Wei Wuxian supposes. Jiang Yanli is elated, Wei Wuxian knows, and he’s delighted for her, but...somehow, the joy has drained out of the evening.

Fucking Lan Wangji - can’t behave himself for one fucking evening, he’s even going to ruin this for Wei Wuxian.

Fuck it - as soon as the meal is over, and the first dances done, and the reception switches from staid social affair to open bar dance party, Wei Wuxian resolves to get sloshed as fast as humanly possible. Anything to stop him from thinking so damn much.

Lan Wangji is one of a handful of designated drivers amongst the people in his generation - he’s expecting to do at least three runs back to the hotel, starting with the bride and groom, then all the Jin half-siblings, then probably the Jiangs, judging by how they’re behaving so far, and then...he doesn’t know, but he suspects there’ll be others. Looking around as the evening grows later, the music louder, and the dancing more raucous, he tries to do a mental tally, and realizes...something is wrong.

No, nothing is wrong...someone is missing.

Where’s Wei Wuxian?

Confused, Lan Wangji looks around again. Wei Wuxian had been dancing - with his sister, with his brother in law, with Luo Qingyang, with Mo Xuanyu, with the folks a half-generation younger like Lan Jingyi, with anyone or anyone, by himself...but no...Luo Qingyang is dancing with Wen Qing, if “intense dance floor frottage” can be considered dancing...and Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli are dancing together, and Mo Xuanyu is flirting with some guy Lan Wangji doesn’t recognize, and the half-generation younger folks are teasing some poor Jiang junior, and Wei Wuxian has been exuberantly present for much of the evening, and now he’s just...gone.

As drunk as Wei Wuxian appeared to be, that can’t be good.

So, concerned - just that Wei Wuxian is drunk and might have tried something dumb, like driving home himself, or gotten lost on the way to the bathroom, or needed to throw up, not about anything else, Lan Wangji is definitely not concerned about Wei Wuxian in any other respect - Lan Wangji goes in search of Wei Wuxian.

He checks around the outside of the tent - nothing.

He checks inside the venue’s main building - nothing.

He checks the bathrooms - nothing.

He checks the parking lots - nothing, and of course Wei Wuxian didn’t take a vehicle, he didn’t drive himself.

He checks everywhere he can think, as the night grows later and darker and the party proceeds and the oldest, most staid guests start to say their goodbyes.

Finally, tired, out of ideas, and disinterested in returning to the loud bright heat of the tent, Lan Wangji goes for a walk through the manicured grounds. Even in the dark of night, the place the Jin-Jiang’s chose is lovely. Scattered decorative lights cast barely enough light to navigate the lanes and paths, aided by a full moon and the occasional flicker of a firefly. There’s a koi pond in the center - they took a lot of pictures there - and a few stone benches around it, so Lan Wangji meanders in that direction. He can still hear the party. He’ll know when they need him. He really needs some time to himself - it’s all been too much.

He tries not to think too hard about what “it” actually refers to in that thought.

Nothing Wei Wuxian does diffuses the empty feeling in his chest; every drink, he feels worse. Every dance, he feels more like he’s putting on an act. His friends were starting to notice - Luo Qingyang and Wen Qing had exchanged a look and then rounded on him like they were going to pin him down and force him to...or try to force him to...talk about his ~feelings~, and so Wei Wuxian fled into the gardens, found a bench where he could listen to the soft sussuration of flowing water somehow audible over the thump of the bass, and breathe.

It’s been a long time since Wei Wuxian felt like he could breathe.

He still doesn’t feel like he can breathe.

Which is ridiculous, he knows, and he’s in the process of going into extensive internal detail of why it’s ridiculous when a damn ghost steps into the clearing around the koi pond...

...no, not a ghost...it’s Lan Wangji, cheeks pale from how much time he spends in doors, robes nearly white when their pale blue is washed out by the moonlight, hair raven falling about his shoulders. His headband frames his noble brow, and his corsage rains a trail of vining flowers over one shoulder like some strange epaulette, and oh, he’s gorgeous, and Wei Wuxian recognizes, to his horror, in that instant...

...he’s never, ever, ever been over Lan Wangji, and he never will be...

...and he’ll never, ever, ever get to be with Lan Wangji. Like, ever.

Lan Wangji is staring at him.

Fuck Wei Wuxian’s life.

“I’ll just...go...” Wei Wuxian mumbles.

The statement hangs heavy in the night air as Wei Wuxian rises, straightens his tux, heads toward the pathway that Lan Wangji just entered from...and then stops.

Because Lan Wangji has grabbed his forearm.

“Oh come on, man - what the fuck?” Wei Wuxian demands, yanking his arm away. “Look, I get it, I’m your least favorite person - well, the wedding’s done, you’ll never have to see me again if you don’t want. Is that what you want? Would that finally make you happy?”

He’s breathing hard by the time he stops talking, and Lan Wangji is still staring at him, and Wei Wuxian wants to flee - not to the tent, but to...literally anywhere...anywhere that Lan Wangji isn’t...except he can’t make his legs work, and he can’t seem to move, and Lan Wangji won’t. stop. staring. and then Lan Wangji opens his mouth, and it seems to be in slow motion, and is he actually going to speak, holy shit, Lan Wangji hasn’t said a word to Wei Wuxian since he said, “good bye” ten years ago, and then of all the fucking things to come out of Lan Wangji’s mouth, all he says is,

“No.”

“Wha...why...ho...WHAT?”

“You asked, ‘is that what I want? Would that make me happy?’ The answer is no, Wei Ying. That is not what I want. That would not make me happy.”

“Oh. Well. Fucking good for you.” Wei Wuxian doesn’t even know what the fuck he’s saying. He doesn’t know what the fuck Lan Wangji is saying. All he knows is that being there hurts, and he’s so damn tired of hurting, and Lan Wangji already destroyed him once...

...and I’d give anything for five minutes with him, even if I know he’ll likely destroy me again...

“What do you want?” asks Lan Wangji, like he actually cares about the answer, and Wei Wuxian can only goggle at him, because he was so so incredibly clear about what he wanted ten years ago - he even fucking asked Lan Wangji to marry him, said, “I’ll do anything, conquer any challenge - we can make this life together, Lan Zhan,” and Lan Wangji had just said, “Good bye,” and now, now, Lan Wangji wants to know what Wei Wuxian wants? What gives him the right? What gives him the entitlement? What gives him the audacity?

What makes him think anything Wei Wuxian wants has changed?

But Wei Wuxian can’t say that, can he...?

The silence stretches out between them.

Neither moves.

Neither speaks.

Fireflies flit around them.

Lan Wangji dreads Wei Wuxian answering, dreads him walking away, dreads losing this last precious moment they share, even though the tension of this moment is so awful that Lan Wangji fears it will break him.

“What would you say if...if I said that all I want...is all I’ve ever wanted?” whispers Wei Wuxian, like he’s terrified.

Lan Wangji has no idea why he’s terrified.

Lan Wangji has no idea what he means.

He asks with a raised brow, and Wei Wuxian laughs awkwardly. “Naw, I can’t do the ‘silent Lan act’ right now. Use your words, I’m fucking right out of here, okay?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try.” It’s ludicrously hard, but...for Wei Wuxain, Lan Wangji will always try, always regret that he didn’t try harder when he should have. “I...don’t understand. You say...what you always wanted. A degree. A found family. Your siblings at your side. A pet rabbit. An apartment with a bidet. A signed copy of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.’ There were many things you said you wanted. I’m afraid I’m unclear which you mean.”

“You...you remember all that dumb shit I said back then?” Wei Wuxian sounds astonished. How can Wei Wuxian sound astonished? How can Wei Wuxian believe Lan Wangji would have forgotten a minute of those wonderful days - the best of his life?

“Mn.”

“Well, none of that shit’s what I mean. Got most of it anyway. Bidets are awesome. But Lan Wangj...Lan Zhan...”

His name, said in that sweet voice, causes a tingle to go down Lan Wangji’s spine.

“...all I’ve ever wanted was you.”

Lan Wangji’s jaw drops.

“And you told me to fuck right out of your life when I asked for that, so...fuck, what am I even still doing here?”

“Kissing me.”

“Wha--”

Lan Wangji interrupts Wei Wuxian’s confused exclamation with action - grapping Wei Wuxian’s shoulders and pulling him into a kiss. It’s rude, and inappropriate, and consent - what consent? - and Wei Wuxian doesn’t reciprocate but...oh well. Lan Wangji has already ruined his love life. At least he can have one kiss to remember fondly, to cherish, to--

--and then Wei Wuxian has an arm around Lan Wangji’s shoulder, their bodies pressed together, their lips moving as one, and oh, it’s good - glorious - Lan Wangji could weep he’s so happy. They kiss, and kiss, and kiss, shifting in the moonlight, lost in their embrace. Lan Wangji is breathless and growing dizzy, but he’s terrified to put space between them - what if this is goodbye? What if it’s just Wei Wuxian flirting, like he flirts with everyone? What if...what if...what if...

But finally, they do part, and scantly, bodies still close, embrace still maintained, faces inches apart.

“What’s going on, Lan Zhan?” asks Wei Wuxian weakly.

“I kissed you.”

“Yeah...got that part...but why...?”

“I know I’ve no right to ask this...but would you try again? With me? With us? Would you--?”

Wei Wuxian is kissing him again before Lan Wangji can finish the question.

Wei Wuxian can’t believe that’s a real question Lan Wangji has to ask - as if Wei Wuxian wouldn’t have taken Lan Wangji back anytime, at the drop of a hat, over the past decade.

(Okay, that’s unfair...Wei Wuxian’s actually been a huge dick about it...he knows Lan Wangji had no independent living, and relied on his family, and Wei Wuxian was just some aimless jackass, and, and, and...but it still stung that Lan Wangji wouldn’t throw all cares to the wind to be with Wei Wuxian, as Wei Wuxian would have done - had done - to be with Lan Wangji.)

But it feels dumb to dwell on that when Lan Wangji is in his arms, kissing him so eagerly, asking if he’ll try again.

Because of fucking course Wei Wuxian will try again.

“I don’t know what that means, Wei Ying,” says Lan Wangji with obvious frustration.

Kiss.

“It means yes,” Wei Wuxian replies.

Kiss.

“Yes?”

Kiss.

“Yes.”

Kiss.

“Always?”

Kiss.

“If you’ll have me back...”

Kiss.

“As if I’d ever turn you down!”

Kiss.

“Already did once...”

Kiss.

“And regretted it endlessly.”

Kiss.

“Good. You deserved at least that much suffering.”

Kiss.

“Deserved it, and more.”

Kiss.

“I suppose I’ll forgive you, if...”

Kiss.

“Anything. Just tell me.”

Kiss.

Oh, Wei Wuxian has so many ideas, and he delights in teasing Lan Wangji with each and every one, whispered between husky breaths in to the cooling air, interrupting himself constantly to kiss, and kiss, and kiss.

They’re still making out by the koi pond when Wen Qing and Luo Qingyang come looking for the promised designated driver.

They don’t even consult - or consider interrupting - when they do find the two idiots locked in an embrace. As one, the ladies turn, exchange a silent, smug high-five, and pull out their phones to order Ubers.

They can pay for rides for the Bride and Groom and family members and other drunken party goers.

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian have a lot of catching up to do.

(and done)

(oops, this got long)

(and yes, this is absolutely a mash up of a modern AU with the lyrics to “Go Back to You” with a healthy dose of the plot of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion.��)

[willowwisk]

Heyy, you said it's ok to give you prompts?

Can you write a destiel fake/pretend relationship maybe? (Any setting works except HS please) You don't have to, of course.

And could you add me to the taglist?

Thank you, have a good day/night!!

AHH! yes of course!  the fic is below the cut. its an au where dean needs to bring a date home for new years.

God. Damn. his father. that son of a bitch. All last year he dragged dean to bring a girl home for the holidays. all week it was “ooh dean, maybe you'll have a girl next year, ooh dean, when re we gonna get to see your girlfriend” what a tool.

but this year he finally stopped and thought. what if he DID bring someone home. stopped the annoying passive aggressive comments? easy. but who could he convince to fake date him?

that was where he hit a wall. No, really. he ran into the wall in the hallway of his dorm. shit. he needs to learn to think AND walk.

“What the fuck was that noise?” he heard from deep inside their studio dorm. “CAS!” he yelled, opening the plywood-esk door. “you’re a genius! I could just kiss you!” dean shrieked, hugging Cas. he would have no problem getting Castiel to relent to his idiotic plan.

“what, dean?” Castiel asked, slightly confused. “ok, so you know that Ryan Reynolds movie?” dean asked, knowing that cas would have no problem remembering every Reynolds movie to exist ever, the man was a wet dream.

“you are going to have to be more specific dean” cas added, becoming a little frustrated. “Sandra Bullock. Alaska.” Dean said. 

“OH, you mean the Proposal? we watched it last month, right? We saw Ryan’s ass?” Cas realized. dean laughed. leave it to cas to remember that. but yea. that's the one. 

once he explained to cas his little predicament and promised him he wasn't going to make him go to Alaska in December, they were packing their bags.

“WOAH cas if you put that in your bag I swear to god,” dean yelled, looking into cas’ duffle bag. the man was folding a Las Vegas raiders hoodie, and dean would not stand for that. 

“what the fuck dean, you know this is my favorite sweatshirt!” he said in his gravelly, back off voice. Cas really had no idea did he. “Cas, you realize we are going to Kansas, right? that's chiefs’ country. if you wear a raiders hoodie anywhere NEAR Kansas, they will shoot you point blank! not to mention my father,” dean said, trailing off.

Dean handed Cas a spare chiefs hoodie from their shared mini closet. “here wear this, I'm your size and you will get a better reaction from the entire state.

cas was shaking his head but he begrudgingly put it in his bag.

and soon enough, they were off! the plane ride was a little turbulent, so of course dean thought he was going to die the entire time. 

when they finally got on the ground, John, Mary and Sam where all there to greet him. Now, dean had told his family he was bringing home a date, but he didn’t specify the gender. they all knew he was bi; he was 20 and a sophomore in college, he was not planning on staying in the closet forever. However, his father elected to ignore that.

he was super excited to see Sam. when he was home for fall break, sam was sick in the hospital with the flu, and he was never really around the whole week. now he was better, and seemingly even taller.

 “whats up bitch!” dean called out, giving him an epic noogie. “Deeeeaaaannnnnn! You’re such a jerk!” sam said, only giving dean more gusto.

“Dean! Sam! Quit it. We are in public.” John said, rearing his ugly head and ruining the fun. “Yes Sir.” The boys said in unison, making cas cringe.

“Dean, who is this young man?” Mary asked, gesturing towards cas and breaking the awkward silence that comes after you yell at your 20-year-old son.

Dean tool a deep breath, looked at Cas and told them that he was his boyfriend. Sam shook his hand, Mary said, “oh, alright! Hop in the car and we can head home” and john said, well, predictably, nothing. He just got in the car and drove home.

When they pulled up at Deans childhood home, it looked exactly as it did when he comes every year. Nothing seems to have changed except Sam’s room since dean was born. “dean, can you take yours and Castiels bags to your room?” mary asked, unlocking the door. Dean had already assured cas that he had had bunk beds in his room since he was 12, and that there was no need to worry about sharing one bed.

Until he walked into his room. If you could even call it that anymore. His black walls? They were now a light shade of baby blue. His music posters? Gone. Replaced by Ikea paintings of bridges and shit. And the worst part, instead of his bunk beds tucked into a corner of the room, there was one big queen-sized bed.

Dean threw the bags onto the bed and yelled “MOOOOOOM!!!!” downstairs he could hear a quiet exchange and a “shit!” before he heard his mom running up the stairs. She had a lot of explaining to do.

After explaining why his room had been butchered and replaced by that Martha Stewart crap, everyone was exhausted. Their flight had come in at 10pm, ad they lived an hour from the airport.

Cas was in the bed, and dean was on a blanket on the floor. Ouch. But that’s when all hell broke loose.

There was a sputter, sputter, CLANK across the house in the wee hours of the night. Everyone was asleep except dean, and he KNEW that sound. The fucking heater had gone out. On December 22nd. In Kansas. F U C K.

Dean lay shivering on the floor, when cas screamed in his sleep. Now dean felt extra bad. He was used to cas’s  tears and whimpers in the night, since they were roommates, but he knew that straight up screams were really bad. Cas had nightmares and PTSD, like, bad. He grew up in an abusive household, and being the youngest sibling of 8, he was everyone’s favorite punching bag.

Dean knew the nightmares circled around that, but he never knew details. After waking cas a lot in his freshman year, dean finally learned that if you wake him up, its really hard for him to go  back to sleep, so cas told him to just let him ride them out.

In the middle of deans thought, cas screamed again, mixed with a chocked back sob. “no, don’t hurt him- no! NO! don’t hurt dean no no no no!!” cas whimpered.

At this point, dean was planning intervention. This seemed way worse than normal, it felt more like a PTSD dream than a normal nightmare. He needed to get cas awake, and now.

Dean hopped up onto the bed and grabbed cas’ face in his hands. “cas buddy, wake up, your safe, I’m here. CAS” dean yelps, trying to wake his friend up.

All of the sudden, cas’ eyes pop open, and! He begins to have a panic attack. But that’s fine. Dean knows panic attacks. They follow their 5 things you can touch, smell, and see procedure, and by the last touch, cas has almost calmed all the way down.

“Cas, what is the fifth solid thing you can touch?” dean asks, praying that cas has calmed down.

Cas reached out and touched deans almost frozen lips. He points at dean.  Cas then notices how cold dean is. He points at dean and puts his arms up in a ‘shivering’ gesture. Ok. So cas is going to be nonverbal tonight. Good to know. That one will be hard to explain.\

Its was also important to mention that cas had autism. He was a confusing little gay disaster that dean was somehow incredibly dependent on.

Cas had lifted his blankets and was gesturing that dean come and get in the bed, to warm up.

Dean was reluctant, but he was just so cold. So he relented.

“I hope you know im getting out as soon as the heat turns back on.” Dean said, crawling into bed.

He pressed his back to castiel's chest, effectively becoming the little spoon. Maybe this fake dating thing wouldn’t be so bad.

They had lost so many hours last night, that when the door opened in the morning, they were still asleep. “boys” mary said in a quiet voice.

This jolted dean awake, who was famously a very light sleeper, only to discover he and cas were even more entwined than before. He was now facing cas, and they were basically hugging horizontally.

“the heater is out ma” dean whispered, trying to not wake cas.

“dean, the heater came back on not two hours after it went out”

 oh my god this was so fun to write, sorry i went off of your prompt a little, i really was afraid it was going to turn into a 100k fic lol and i write wherever the plot bunny takes me.

[shirtlesssammy]

15x08: Our Father, Who Aren’t In Heaven

Then:

Fighting the good fight since 2010

Now:

At the Lucky Elephant Casino, God’s knocking back fruity drinks, playing slots, and murdering everyone around him. Things don’t look so fun in Chuck-land. 

Meanwhile, Eileen is living her best new life hunting a werewolf. She’s kicking butt but has a temporary setback when Sam shows up. She shoves him out of the way to finish the job. She asks Sam if he’s following her. MAYBE he’s being a little overprotective, but c’mon, he did just bring her back from the dead. I’m guessing he’d like to keep her on the side of the living a little longer than a week or two.

Later at the bunker, they’re eating their respective burger (Eileen) and salad (Sam), and Dean walks in with the demon tablet. He’s hoping the tablet will reveal a weak spot with God. They’re going to need Donatello!

Cas knock’s on Donny’s door. Hmm, I see, divorced husbands still communicating about the case and Cas still doing things for the cause. 

Donatello comes back to the bunker, but isn’t happy about it. He gets to work eating chicken wings and translating the tablet again. Sam, Dean, and Cas casually hang out in the library and sneak concerned looks towards the prophet.

Donny finds some footnotes written by Metatron about God’s secret fear that he only shared with “his favorite.” Lucifer was already locked away by the time the tablets were written. He must mean Michael. The problem with finding Michael is that he’s locked away in the Cage. Donatello starts to freak out over how overly dramatic TFW’s lives are but then passes out in a chair. He comes to --but it’s Chuck this time communicating directly through his prophet. He tells them to leave it alone. Then he threatens all the women in their lives if they don’t (and I just hate/love this because this calls back to early SPN so much when the women died for all their man-pain.)

They tell Donatello to go home. Then they all decide (Cas reluctantly) to go to Hell to find Michael. Dean sarcastically tells Cas that he can “stay here” at the bunker. And I can’t for the life of me find the post now, but whoever made a post of Dean increasingly going from sarcasm to flat out begging for Cas to stay at the bunker is my hero. 

In the bunker’s kitchen, they cast the same spell Rowena used to get Cas and Belphagor to Hell before. Dean cuts his hand as part of the spell (something he’s done a thousand times before) and Cas takes the time to heal him (but doesn’t touch him like he normally does) and it takes so much of him to do it. I’m just going to sit here quietly for a bit before proceeding. 

Once in Hell, Cas leads the way until they run into a bunch of badass lady demons that completely kick their asses. Well, they do until a very familiar voice bellows, “STOP!”

It’s ROWENA!!! 

She’s now Queen of Hell. She’s also posturing up a storm. Ah. They tell her they want to lock up Chuck and they’re looking for Michael. She tells them he could be anywhere. The Cage opened just like the rest of the doors in Hell. She sends her demon minions to find Michael. 

Back at the bunker, Eileen is watching over the spell, and she gets a call from Sue, another hunter. She needs help with a vamp nest. Eileen agrees to help as soon as she’s done helping TFW. 

In Hell, TFW meets with Rowena in her throne room. She tells Sam that killing her was a good thing. She’s queen! Then she asks him to get her another drink (!) so she can have a little therapy time with the other two clowns. She tells them to “fix it” because there’s no reconciliation in death. A demon comes in to inform them that Michael “is nowhere to be found.”

For Perfect Framing Science:

Actually, he can be found at Jaci’s Red Wagon diner. It seems that Adam and Michael are good buds and Adam’s currently enjoying his first burger in ten years. 

Dean checks in with Donatello just one more leeeetle time to see if he’s gotten any Chuck-adjacent flashes. Just when you think you’re out, yadda yadda yadda… He THEN checks in with Sam about Eileen. She is FINE, Dean, they have “an agreement.” Dean picks up on Sam’s waffling, and tells Sam that she fits the parameters of a potential partner: she knows the life, plus she’s hot. That’s way better than the life Sam tried to build with Amelia, a bag of limes, and a dog. This conversation is also notable for Dean’s admission that he’d been in a very dark place not long ago but he’s climbing out of it now.

At the diner, Adam continues to chill with Michael and contemplate the future when Lilith arrives. 

She’s there to bring Michael to Chuck. “I’m not accustomed to being fetched,” Michael says coldly. It looks like things are headed towards fisticuffs when Michael just…burns her to ash right there. Ah, archangels. (Side note: I rewatched this section with the sound off while gathering images and watching her performance is every bit as engaging. I’ll miss you, scrunchy-nose Lilith.)

Donatello has a vision and sees Michael’s spiteful smiting (smiteful?). He calls Dean with Michael’s location. He’s in Cairo! Time for Dean to hop on a plane and hold Cas’s hand nervously the entire time… I’m ready for an airplane destiel fic episode!

Cas has an alternate, non-hand-holding suggestion. He’ll pray to Michael instead. In the quiet of an upstairs corner of the bunker, next to a REAL and also METAPHORICAL CHESS SET, Cas characterizes their last meeting as “unpleasant” and asks to meet up. “I’m not your enemy anymore. Now we all have the same enemy. God himself.”

Mmmkay, compelling words. Michael meets Cas in a warehouse. He remembers Cas. “You called me assbutt and set me on fire.” LOL, classic. Cas faces Michael stoically and lights a circle of holy oil around him. That’s the Winchester’s cue to enter and they do so with STYLE.

DAMN!

Dean presents a set of warded cuffs for Michael’s consideration. There’s clearly only one way out of the circle of fire.

For Check out the Curtains Made of Chains SO PRETTY Science:

Michael is twenty-five shades of pissed off at being confined. In the bunker he accuses the Winchesters of abandoning their brother and then shocks them all by flashing Adam back in control. 

Adam seems much more chill than Michael and reveals that he and the archangel only had each other in the cage so they came to an agreement. Dean, who only recently stopped dragging himself around in a post-Michael traumatic haze, is gobsmacked that Michael’s letting Adam walk and talk. He tells Adam that there’s nothing they can say to fix what they did by leaving him in the cage. “How about ‘I’m sorry?’” Adam suggests.

Michael wrests back control and we go back to Chuck talk. Team Free Will attempts to briefly explain that Chuck isn’t trying to usher in “boring” paradise. Instead, Michael’s dad would rather see everybody suffer, including Michael.

Adam pops back behind the helm and advises them to stop their paltry attempt at convincing Michael of Chuck’s perfidy. On his (their) own, Adam unpacks the situation. He doesn’t forgive the Winchesters for what they did, but he does think they’re operating from good intentions. I don’t remember where I saw this online, but somebody posted that they have never liked Adam more than in this episode. I completely agree! There’s a lovely amount of complexity and growth hinted at through this performance.

Michael finds it hard to shake off a near-eternity of being God’s favored son. God is “having a mid-eternity crisis,” Adam suggests. Maybe Michael should at least entertain the possibility that Chuck isn’t on the up-and-up. Michael doesn’t want to doubt his father. “You still care about that after he left you in the cage?” Adam asks.

Meanwhile, Eileen’s friend Sue calls again. She’s ready to move on the vamps and needs backup NOW. When Eileen hesitates, Sue needles her about having to ask for permission. Eileen rises to Sue’s barb and agrees to meet up. The camera tumbles, Sue swears, and Eileen acts immediately as the call ends. She races to Sam’s room and fills him in on her friend���s perilous situation. Together, they run off to give Sue backup. (I love how this scene both shows Eileen’s need to assert her own independence and her absolute trust and pragmatism in getting Sam to back her up.) 

Cas heads in to speak with Adam/Michael. Michael is still not on board the fight-Chuck train. Cas responds with sass, as is his custom. “I never liked you. I thought you were too haughty. Too…to paraphrase a friend, you had an entire oak tree shoved up your ass.” 

Now Cas finds him pitiable. Michael isn’t God’s favorite. He’s just a tiny part of Chuck’s favorite soap opera. DAMN, Cas. 

Cas goes even further, telling Michael that Lucifer was the smart one all along, and Michael SNAPS. He flips Cas over the table and gets him in a headlock. Cas struggles, and manages to lock both his hands on Michael’s temples. It’s brain zapping time! Even an archangel is no match for Cas’s mind mojo, and Cas dumps a clip show of Chuck being a dick writer into Michael’s head. 

Later, Cas decompresses alone in the kitchen. Dean arrives, then suggests that Cas might have misjudged the situation and gone too far with Michael. D E A N. Before Cas left, Michael essentially said, “Leave. Get out. I want you dead.” We’ve all been in agony for several days now over the parallels between this line and what Cas thinks he’s getting from Dean and AAAAUGH THE SWEET PAIN OF IT. “We didn’t bond,” Cas summarizes. If you need me, I’ll be hunched in this burning dumpster, muttering about profound bonds. 

The bunker rattles, and they race to Michael’s room. He greets them with, “God lied to me.” He gave everything for Chuck, but it turns out he’s not even unique across the multiverse if there are other Michaels out there. 

Sam and Eileen arrive at the hunt and discover abandoned vehicles. Sam’s suspicion bone is tingling, but then Sue shows up. She’s got this swagger, so Boris and I immediately assume she’s been turned into a vamp because we’ve been watching this show since forever. Uh, Sue’s not a vamp. She’s Chuck! Or…you know, Chuck’s her! [Admiral Ackbar voice] It’s a trap!

Michael agrees to help Team Free Will. He pulls out a slip of paper with a spell on it that can contain Chuck just like it contained Amara. All they need is myrrh, cassia, rock-rose, and the nectar of a leviathan blossom. It’s a flower that grows in Purgatory. Michael opens up a rift-style door with the snap of his fingers.

The door will stay open for twelve hours. Dean uncuffs Michael/Adam and apologizes for what happened to his half brother. Adam smiles sadly and wishes them luck in their Chuck-fighting endeavors. After he/they leave, Cas and Dean turn towards the glowing rift. It’s Purgatory time, baby! And you know what they say about Purgatory. It’s the perfect place to work out your emotions in a friendly, non-deadly environment!

Quotingmoon in Purgatory:

There’s a crack in his invincibility shield

When I go crazy again, just shoot me

Usually I enjoy our little process. I toss something at you guys and you slam it right back. It’s fun! Like tennis! With monsters

What am I picking up from you two? A wee tif? Tell your Auntie Rowena

Why would he send you, a demon, a speck of infernal bile?

Oh, I didn’t come to beg

Since when do we get what we deserve?

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive! 

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2019 Day 28: Soulmates

Too Many Zeroes | @isolemnlyswear-iamsuperwholocked Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 2896 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmates Castiel & Dean Winchester, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Strangers to Lovers, First Meetings, Castiel and Dean Winchester First Meet, Lonely Castiel, Misunderstandings, Sexuality misunderstandings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sad with a Happy Ending Summary: Honestly, Castiel doesn't have any idea why he turns away from the familiar apartment block and enters the local bar on the corner. He tells himself it's because it's cold outside and his coat isn't keeping him warm enough, because his apartment is too dark and lonely, because it's a Friday night and he hasn't gone out anywhere in ages. He tells himself that it doesn't matter if he goes, that it won't delay the inevitable disappointment that's going to happen tonight. But now he's walking through the door, and sitting at the counter, and ordering a drink, so he might as well make the most of the terrible night his soulmate clock finally reaches zero.

Near Misses | @imbiowaresbitch Rating: Explicit Word Count: 27212 Main Tags and Warnings: Cheating, explicit sex, consent, light bdsm Summary: Five times Cas and Dean almost met, plus the time they finally did.

Meeting my roommate...damn he's fine | @roobear68 Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 9725 Main Tags and Warnings: Underage, soulmates, past abuse, social anxiety Summary: Dean Winchester is a genius, who has horrible nighttime anxiety which manifests itself in nightmares. Castiel Shurley is a genius who has social anxiety which manifests itself in him being awkward. Columbia University decided to make them roommates. Fate decided to make them SoulMates.

Collapsed Rainbows | @suckerfordeansfreckles Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 6125 Main Tags and Warnings: graphic depictions of violence, soulmate AU, soulmates, first touch leaves a mark, nurse!Cas, hospitals, blood and injury, hurt/comfort Summary: Dean wakes up on his 18th birthday, giddy and a little scared, and rips his blanket off of himself to start searching his hands for the soulmark that is supposed to appear somewhere on his body today. Nothing. His arms. Nothing. Shoulders, upper body, legs. Nothing. It’s okay, he tells himself, don’t panic yet. But then he rushes to the bathroom and braces himself on the edge of the sink to look up into the mirror, and it’s right there. Black streaks and blotches along the edge of his jaw, dark like ink. Marks like the imprints of knuckles meeting Dean’s chin. It takes him a little while to fully realizes what this means. That his soulmark is there, for everyone to see, right on his face, impossible to hide. That his soulmate’s first touch will be a punch to Dean’s face.

Birds | @lemonsorbae Rating: General Word Count: 1542 Main Tags and Warnings: Soulmates, First Kiss, Fluff, SPN Universe - Canon Divergent Summary: Dean’s just been rescued from Hell by an angel who’s making outrageous claims and staring way too much.

I Knew All Along It Was You | @pherryt Rating: General Word Count: 3157 Main Tags and Warnings: Soulmate AU, Soulmates, blind!cas, self worth issues, Angst, Fluff, Low Self Esteem Summary: Almost nothing is actually known about the new phenomenon of Soul Marks, but one thing is certain - no one's ever gotten one past the age of 30. Dean's 29 and in love with his best friend when his finally appears. His only hope is that Cas has the matching one. He has to, right?

J Train | @drawlight Rating: Explicit Word Count: 7129 Main Tags and Warnings: Soulmates, Romance, Pining, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Feelings Realization, AU - Human Summary: If you want to be somebody, you have to go to the Chelsea Hotel. In 1979, aspiring writer Castiel Novak takes room 109. His roommate is not quite what he expected.

Syncopation | @thebloggerbloggerfun Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 14900 Main Tags and Warnings: Celebrity!Castiel Summary: Dean Winchester is almost fine with not knowing who his soulmate is. He's got a good life, good family, and doesn't mind the one night stands with others who also haven't found someone with their same soulmark. It isn't until Sam shows Dean a picture of the pop-star Castiel - a celebrity infamous for hiding his soulmark among hundreds of other tattoos - that Dean thinks he may have found his soulmate. But how is he supposed to let a worldwide phenomenon know that they belong together - and will Castiel even care?

Fate | @galaxystiel Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1338 Main Tags and Warnings: Anti Soulmate AU, homophobic John Winchester, established relationship Summary: “C’mon, it’ll be fun,” Dean tugged Castiel towards the storefront. “Don’t you want to find out who your soulmate is? Who you’re fated to be with?”

Timer | @galaxystiel Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 2147 Main Tags and Warnings: Human!Castiel, Soulmate AU, angst with a happy ending Summary: Dean doesn't have a soulmate, but if he did, he swears it would be Castiel Novak.

Written in the Stars | @lunastories Rating: Mature Word Count: 36900 Main Tags and Warnings: Wing fic, Alien Castiel, Domestic fluff Summary: In the beginning of time itself, there were many Celestials, stardust beings that populated the galaxies. Then, the Fallen came into existence, devouring them. Castiel, one of the last of the Celestials, descended onto Earth by orders of his garrison leader. What he finds there is the soul he lost long ago, the other part of him that he'd been searching for. Dean was a normal guy, living his life and trying to take care of his errant researcher brother. When his brother asks him for a favor, claiming that an alien wants to speak to him, he's of course skeptical. He didn't expect that meeting to change the course of his entire life, throwing him into a war that he wasn't prepared for.

By Any Other Name | @funnywings Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 36695 Main Tags and Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Soul Mate AU, Societal Issues, Established Relationship Summary: After a home invasion ends in the deaths of Amelia and James Novak, Dean and Castiel think the worst of their problems is going to be handling their grief and making sure their niece Claire adjusts to living with them. Unfortunately, despite both James' and Amelia's wills indicating they want to pass on guardianship to Dean and Cas in the event of their death, they are denied as legal guardians since they can not confirm whether they are a soul mates. After hearing this, they contact Charlie, a lawyer who promises to help them.

Duck Duck Boots | @almaasi Rating: Explicit Word Count: 92927 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe, Domestic Fluff, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Soulmates, Biker Dean, Teacher Dean, Crossdressing Dean, Dean in Panties, Bisexual Dean, Soft Dean, Switch Dean, Bottom Dean, Veterinarian Castiel, Lonely Castiel, Depressed Castiel, Agoraphobic Castiel, Switch Castiel, Dominant Castiel, Matchmaker Rowena, Animal Care, Tantric Sex, Impotence, Magic Realism, Wet & Messy Sex, Accidental Watersports Summary: Castiel doesn’t do one-night stands. Once he hit forty, he figured his time was up, his life had pretty much come to a halt, and there was nobody out there for him. He lives in a cute little village, riding his bicycle between his vet clinic and his cottage; that’s his world, and he’s given up on expanding it. But in one last, desperate attempt to find someone, he contacts Rowena, the local witch, and asks her to summon his soulmate. Rowena brings a storm. The storm washes up a trio of ducklings, huddled for shelter inside the rainboots of the new-to-town kindergarten teacher (and retired motorcycle daredevil), Dean Winchester. Ducklings in hand, Dean seeks out Castiel’s veterinary expertise. Somehow, in a flustered, spontaneous burst of attraction, they spend the night together. And just like that, Castiel’s life starts again. With every passing week they become better friends, sharing deeper intimacies, caring for their duck babies as well as each other. But staying together requires taking risks which neither of them planned for. Dean’s risk puts him in extreme physical jeopardy. And Cas? He has to overcome fifteen years of emotional hurt, just to follow where Dean leads.

Serendipity My Ass | @sternchencas Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 12104 Main Tags and Warnings: doctor!Cas, nurse!Dean, enemies to lovers Summary: Dean Winchester has a particularly bad day. Not only does he have a thousand things to do, like grocery shopping and getting to a doctor’s appointment, he also keeps running into Castiel Novak, an annoying and impolite douche who’s only reason to exist is making Dean’s live a living hell. When Castiel also shows up at Dean’s workplace, things are about to get ugly. After all, Castiel is neither cute nor nice, and definitely not Dean’s type.

Dean, 2 pm | @sternchencas Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1464 Main Tags and Warnings: suicidal thoughts, emotional hurt/comfort Summary: Cas is done with his life. He's ready to end it all. The only thing that might be able to change his mind is one little note in his calendar that says 'Dean, 2 pm'.

Calm, at Peace, Happy | @suckerfordeansfreckles Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1352 Main Tags and Warnings: Soulmate AU, Soulmarks, Circus AU, Getting Together Summary: In a world of color and noise and constant action, Dean often has a hard time grasping just how much calm and ease Cas brings into his life. It shouldn’t be this easy, really, not with how stressful Dean’s life has been ever since he joined the circus two years ago. But since the very first day, since the very first time Dean got to watch Cas perform in the ring, this has been his happy place. The only time he gets to calm down, except maybe for the few hours of sleep he gets every night. It’s been two years, and Dean is still not over it. Will never get over it, probably.

[almaasi]

Thank you SO MUCH to the 2,000 people subscribed to me on AO3 (and my 10,000 followers on tumblr)!!!

Thank you for your endless kindness, and every comment ever sent my way. Thank you for getting excited about what I make. You’re all wonderful.

In celebration, here’s some art, which is based on a dream I had the other day. Plus!! Under the read-more: A fic rec of people’s favourite 15 stories, which you guys voted for in my recent survey. ♥

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Top Voted Destiel fics (written by @almaasi​)

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Try-Something Tuesday · 48k · NC-17

Human AU. Dean Winchester teaches a third-grade class. He’s new to this whole ‘bisexual’ thing - but by pure happenstance, he meets Castiel: a particularly dapper male librarian who moonlights as a substitute teacher. Dean’s curious and Castiel is willing, so why the hell not? Except, fate never intended it to be one-time-only…

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Of Shampoo and Fruit Flies · 17.6k · M

Dean’s roommate is not what anyone would call ordinary. Cas is asexual, and autistic, and he frustrates other people with his unrelentingly ‘childish’ ways – but it’s different with Dean: they have an exceptional bond, something truly profound. Dean figures Cas wouldn’t respond to the idea of a crush the way most people would, so he has no intention of telling him he’s been harbouring non-platonic feelings for him for years. Then one night everything falls to pieces: Cas overhears something he wasn’t meant to hear. Things were never normal between the two of them, but now they might never be comfortable again.

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Note to Self: Cas Loves You · 3.4k · T

Dean is not just drunk – he is VERY drunk. Castiel ushers him back to their motel room, completely aware that by the time Dean wakes up tomorrow, he won’t remember anything about tonight. What better time for Castiel to confess his love?

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Sam Accidentally Sees the Whole Picture · 10.4k · NC-17

Sam’s been through a lot lately, what with tonight’s hunt rendering his skin an aching shade of purple and all. He can deal with Dean being overly concerned about Cas’ broken finger, and - God help him - he puts up with the sound of their preposterously soppy love confessions and first kisses on the adjacent bed. But he cannot be expected to remain silent and feign sleep throughout the entire duration of their first-ever lovemaking session. He just can’t. Especially not, because it seems apparent that Cas is more intent on deflowering himself than letting Dean do it.

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A Postcard for Castiel · 4.7k · G

The teacher assigns a buddy to all the children in her first-grade class. Everyone writes their buddy a postcard, giving them a compliment. Dean is supposed to write something for Castiel, the mysterious autistic kid in the corner – but he doesn’t hand anything in. Does he have nothing to say? Or does he have too much to say?

p.S. will you Be my Boyfrend ?

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Dean’s List · 3.3k · T

Dean writes out a list of men he would go gay for. Sam has a suggestion to make.

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Understanding Your Body in Ten Easy Steps · 12.2k · NC-17

All Dean has to do is track down a decent porno for Cas to watch, help him find his sensitive spots, then hang back and let him do his thing. Easy-peasy. No homo. …Absolutely no homo at all.

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Welcome All Winchesters · 60.2k · NC-17

When Dean’s engagement breaks off three days before Christmas, he’s left with nobody to accompany him on a road trip to his family’s mountain log cabin. His best friend Castiel happens to be available, and is willing to help him through a tough time. But when Dean’s mother and brother arrive, expecting to meet the person Dean plans to marry, they understandably assume Castiel is Dean’s fiancé. After a weekend of comfortable domesticity, sharing clothes, intimate conversations, and definitely-one-time-only therapy sex, it feels almost too easy for Dean and Cas to fake a loving, romantic relationship. The hard part is going back to being friends afterwards. They can’t keep their hands off each other, and they’ve discovered some fun things to do together which they’d never tell another soul about. And, oh boy, feelings. Now being ‘just friends’ is so impossible, it seems as if fate had another plan for them all along…

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Snow Place Like Home (But My Home Is With You) · 47.8k · NC-17

It’s Christmas Eve, and Dean, Sam and Castiel are snowed into a small town with a big festive spirit. They splurge on a fancy room in a B&B – hey, they deserve a treat. There’s a tiny plastic tree and a working TV, so they could perhaps overlook the lack of hot water and Dean having to bunk with Sam. Sleeping arrangements soon reach a happier equilibrium: Dean’s just cuddling Cas to keep him warm, he swears – the tingly feeling means nothing! Christmas Day arrives, and Cas still doesn’t have a gift for Dean. Dean doesn’t know what to give Cas, either. Sam has a few ideas, but will the other two truly understand what he means?

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Love Him in His Sleep (Love Him Always) · 32.7k · NC-17

After Cas banishes Dean’s nightmares, Dean starts to have wet dreams… about being cuddled. When he wakes, he’s sticky and aroused - and he loves it. Oh, he loves it a lot. Castiel, meanwhile, is struggling with his own descent into the murky waters of human morality. How is he supposed to explore all these new lustful feelings if Dean insists on keeping him at arm’s length?

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Cowboys and Real Estate Angels · 36.8k · NC-17

Castiel crosses paths with the ever-charming Dean Winchester at a rodeo show in Texas, of all places. Dean’s singing days are long bygone, but his crowd-pleasing skills haven’t waned one iota. Unexpectedly, Castiel finds himself in Dean’s bedroom; they take and they give, and discover that sometimes strangers can find love like this, too. (And if a man’s faith can’t be put in God, it needs to go somewhere…)

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Nine Times We Met (And One Christmas We Parted · 58.4k · NC-17

On the last day of school before Christmas vacation, Mr. Castiel Quinn discovers that one of his young students has smuggled male pornography into the classroom. Upon being told that the photos belong to the boy’s uncle, Castiel vows to himself that he will keep the other man’s preferences a secret. It’s 1947; a man experiencing attraction to another man or fantasising about his sexual touch are transgressive faults, which could potentially result in imprisonment - or worse. But then the uncle walks in. The photos are of him: Dean Winchester, a rogue with an empty pocket and a child to feed. Castiel doesn’t know it yet, but his life is never going to be the same again. Years pass between chance meetings, but even though they live their lives apart, Dean and Castiel’s story is proof that absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.

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Angelhawke · 407k · NC-17

A Dean/Cas Fantasy-Drama AU, set in a medieval world where two men are separated by a curse: every sunrise and sunset, both are eternally bound to transform into animals. Every night when darkness falls, Dean Winchester becomes a wolf, and his human mind is lost until the dawn. As the sun rises, his lover Castiel becomes a hawk. Their story has been the same for five years - until the day that a young thief named Sam stumbles into their twisted lives. Without even realising it, he becomes a part of their destiny, their paths entwined in prophecy and fate. Together with a few old friends, they set off on a journey to break the curse, but it won’t be easy. To pass the time, Dean and Castiel take turns to recount their past to Sam, narrating the tale of how they met, how they formed their profound bond, and how they found themselves wanting what no man should ever want: the touch of another man.

‘Angelhawke’ is a saga of forbidden love, friendship, and magic - but above all, family. Partially based on the 1985 movie ‘Ladyhawke’.

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Sharing the Rain Dog · 19.8k · M

When some asshole hits a dog with his car and drives off, the first two people on the scene are Dean and Castiel. Castiel’s an FBI agent with a plane to catch, and he doesn’t have time to take the dog to the vet. Dean’s a musician, and he doesn’t have the money. An agreement is reached: Dean goes, Castiel pays, and they’ll exchange details and meet again to work things out. But who gets the dog? Sooner or later they’re going to realise that having shared custody of one pitbull isn’t ideal. She needs one home, not two. One stable, loving home…

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Our Garden Home · 36.3k · G

Flower fairy Dean has caught a thief in his trap. As it turns out, it wasn’t a mouse stealing his food. It was Castiel: a hissy, bitey bat sprite with one wing and a forlorn, lonely heart. Dean offers a warm space in his nest, where Castiel can stay until Springtime comes around again. However, Castiel becomes more than just a guest. With a little effort, he helps make Dean’s nest a home.

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[pherryt]

Supernatural Sci Fi Rec List

This is the second rec list in a series I’m making (first was the Destiny Fic Rec List). The art for this list was made by me ( @dragonpressgraphics​ ) for Colliding Worlds

By Pherryt/Me

What’s the Truth?: Wordcount: 8256, General, Destiel  Android!Cas, Android phobia, Secrets, Explosions, Angst, Hurt/Comfort Summary:  Dean has never made a secret of his hatred for AI's - especially androids. His whole world is turned on it's edge when he finds out Cas has been hiding something big from him since they met... and before he can even come to terms with it, he almost loses Cas for good.

Colliding Worlds: Wordcount: 54009, General, Destiel   Crossover with Doctor Who, Canon Divergent Season 11 Summary What happens if the Doctor meets our boys? When the supernatural meets the other wordly? Can the boys expand their worldview to include aliens?? A fun exercise in colliding worlds...

Crossing Fantasies: Wordcount: 6839, Teen, Destiel  Crossover with Star Trek, Bunker Fic Summary  Dean's minding his own business in the bunker when 3 very impossible people show up in his room amid a glory of sparkles. There's no way he could be facing down Captain James T. Kirk, Doctor McCoy and Commander Spock - they're fictional characters from a TV show for fucks sake, right? So why was he holding a gun on the very real presence of three strangers claiming to be just that in his own bedroom at a supposedly impervious Bunker?

You Stole My Line!: Wordcount: 2888, General, Destiel   Crossover with Doctor Who, Season Codas up to 12  Summary  Because really, Dean's gonna brag about killing Hitler, and that's going to make some people a little jealous...you know who I'm talking about right? And then in the end, it helps Dean open up a little bit more...

Midnight Adventures: Wordcount: 8992, Explicit, DCJ  Crossover with Doctor Who, Coitus Interuptus and feels  Summary  Dean, Jimmy and Cas had moved to the middle of nowhere for a reason. Relationships such as theirs were hardly ever understood to begin with. Throw in the fact that, well, Dean's boyfriends were related to each other, and it causes quite an outcry. So. Middle of nowhere. Lots of land and privacy. And all they wanted to do was celebrate their anniversary in peace. And sex (definitely sex). Of course, time traveling aliens with their magic box kinda put a damper on that. But that's okay - he makes up for it in the end.

The Replacement Engineer: Wordcount: 3061, Explicit, Destiel  ABO, Non Trad, Omegas Cas and Dean, Switching  Summary  Dean's the doctor on Charlies ship, and he's just met Castiel - the replacement for their previous engineer. Nobody expected them to take such an instant liking to each other. After that, it was only a matter of time before Sam was scarred for life and Charlie needed to give the ship a few upgrades. But it wasn't really their fault!

Humanities Second Chance: Wordcount: 3076, Explicit, Saileen  ABO, Post Apocalyptic, Omega Sam, Alpha Eileen, Switching  Summary  The world changed after the Earth rose up against humanity. Disaster after disaster struck, decimating the population, but as humans have always found a way to do - they survived. They might have changed a little in the process but, they survived. Not that the new generation of kids knew anything different. They hear the stories, the tales, but to them, this is the new normal. And Sam is about to embark on the next phase of his life - getting mated

Solitary Flights and Second Chances: Wordcount: 7415, General, Destiel  Astronaut Dean, NASA style Summary  All Dean's life, all he wanted was to go into space. He's sacrificed a lot on the way to that dream. Now he has it and he realizes... he sacrificed too much. Way too much. Sabatoge, injury and an aborted trip are a strange way to get back the things he lost... that most precious thing of all... but if he can salvage something good from all this, he'll take it. he just needs to get back home alive, first.

More Recs (Not Mine)

Purgatory: Population 1 By  @jhoomwrites​ : Wordcount: 13165, Mature  Destiel, Mark of Cain, Crashlanding  Summary:  While helping out a group of terraformers, Dean ends up with a mysterious Mark on his arm that gives him the urge to kill. After giving up on the idea of a cure, Dean comes up with the only solution he can think of: he takes his ship, picks a direction, and flies until he’s so lost no one will ever find him. And for a few years, it works. Dean has a planet full of monsters all to himself, monsters he can kill and maim and satisfy his dark impulses. At least until a stranger crash lands on his planet. Will Dean be able to resist long enough to help this man leave? And what if he doesn't want him to leave?

Well Build Ourselves by @reallyelegantsharkfish / : Wordcount: 5420, Explicit Destiel, Android Summary: An android walks into Dean’s shop. (italics)

I'll Cross the Sky for You by  Superhoney  : Wordcount: 33364, Explicit Destiel, Top!Cas, Bottom!Dean, Courier/Captan Cas, CoffeeShop Owner Dean Summary: Castiel thinks it sounds ridiculous: a spaceship that’s also an Earth-style coffeeshop? But upon his first visit to The Family Business, he quickly realizes that the owner, Dean Winchester, is incredibly handsome, the pastries are delicious, and the coffee is out of this world. One visit leads to another, and before long, Castiel is completely won over by both the coffeeship and its owner. It’s hard to maintain a relationship when you’re constantly flying across the vastness of space, but for the sake of both his heart and his stomach, Castiel swears he and Dean will make it work

And then there were five by @feartheophanim : Wordcount: 5969, Teen Destiel, Spaceflight, Ship to Ship Battle Summary: Dean is the best engineer on base, and his father keeps refusing his requests for off-world assignments. Pissed off with the same old-same old, Dean goes for a drink and meets a stranger who offers him a job on his ship. Things are harder than Dean expected, out there in space, but things soon take a turn for the strange. He is left with far more than he bargained for.

the light of falling stars by by @procasdeanating : Wordcount: 4980, Explicit Destiel, Alien!Cas, Battles Summary:  … when Lieutenant Dean Winchester and the two ships under his command engaged in combat with a Seraph squadron. Two army ships were destroyed, while one fighter, presumably Lt. Winchester’s, made a forced landing on a nearby uninhabited class D planet after triggering the emergency protocol. The ongoing search has not produced conclusive results. Lt. Winchester is classified as missing in action…

The Ark by  @pimentogirl : Wordcount: 2776, Explicit Destiel, reunion, hurt/comfort Summary: The Ark, a triple class interstellar craft, offering the opportunity to travel between colonies regardless of Tier Status... ...and the last place left to look...

Because of Harrison Bergeron by  @nachsie : Wordcount: 5249, Not Rated destiel, sabriel, Android Summary: In the year 2081, amendments to the Constitution dictate that all Americans are fully equal and not allowed to be smarter, better-looking, or more physically able than anyone else. The Handicapper General's agents enforce the equality laws, forcing citizens to wear "handicaps": masks for those who are too beautiful, radios inside the ears of intelligent people, and heavy weights for the strong or athletic. When Harrison Bergeron in an attempt to overthrow the government is gunned down, the strongest able to break from the control start a rebellion that leads to an all out war. One rebellion group lead by Harrison's baby brother, Sam in it's attempt to destroy the government runs into a sleeper citizen base, running into by fate a sleeper teenager called Castiel

Real Skilled at People by Astarloa / : Wordcount: 1456, Mature  (This reminds me of a Robert Heinlein short that I loved but can’t find anymore. If anyone knows where to find it, I’d love to know!)  Summary:   In an alternate future reality there's a black market doctor named Robert and a man who yearns for wings.

Looking to the Sky to Save Me by raths_kitten / : Wordcount: 8693, Explicit Destiel, Bounty Hunters Cas and Sam Summary: Sam and Castiel are bounty hunters. When a warrant is out for Dean, Sam convinces Castiel to catch him. Loosely based on Killjoys.

Dreaming in Digital by @ltleflrt : Wordcount: WIP (80k +), Explicit Destiel, Sabriel, Post Apocalyptic, Androids, Bounty Hunters Summary: When Dean finds a deactivated sex bot, he knows it's his lucky day.

Qualia by @imogenbynight : Wordcount: 26600, Explicit AI, Bring Tissues, Destiel, Sam/Jess Summary: When Sam & Jess move into a smart home, Dean finds an unlikely match in the AI that keeps it running.

Lost and Found by @destieltrashland : Wordcount: 22928, Explicit Destiel, Sam/Jess, Nod to Space Seed (Star Trek), Character Death (not Team Free Will) Summary: When he reached the hatch door he looked through the small window, shining the light from his helmet inside. The cargo area was cleaner than the front of the ship, due to being sealed off from the tear in the hull, and it still held a sizable number of items within. The items floated under nets keeping them tethered to the floor. “What strange readings?” he asked as he pointed his own tricorder inside. “Power signatures and –“ she paused, pressing buttons on the screen as if to confirm her assessment, “life signs.”                                                       ----- Castiel and crew find something unexpected while recovering an ancient spaceship. Dean and Sam struggle to adjust to life 300 years in the future.

[dmsilvisart]

@Jhoomwrites emoji fics

Here’s one of three emoji fics I wrote for @jhoomwrites emoji fic celebration.

Bless my beta @casthewise I may have given her a migraine.

I’ll post it to AO3 eventually.  

It’s under the cut

No warnings, destiel, dcj, smut implied but safe for work

Emojis:  Billiards, headphones, thinking face

In order to work his way through college part-time, Dean has been tending bar since Ellen hired him at eighteen. He’s seen their usuals drowning whatever demons kept them company; the folks just wanting a drink after a long work day, students looking for fun, people looking for one night stands--the broken hearted, they had their weekend pool leagues and dart leagues.

Then there was Blue Eyes, the guy just didn’t fit any of their usual types. For starters he never talked to anyone, except Dean, and even then, not much.   Every Friday, precisely at 7pm for almost a year Blue Eyes came into the noisy bar, took a seat at the high table in the middle of the room, put his headphones on, stared at his laptop and took notes for hours, typically leaving around 11pm. Weren’t there libraries for that? Some nights he would show up with a suit and tie on, saying that he just got off work. Other nights he came in looking like he just rolled out of bed, his more casual nights he seemed to do more people watching than work, whatever his work was. Jo, Ash and Benny have all told Dean that Blue Eyes isn’t “people watching”, he’s “Dean watching” but Dean didn’t believe that, he was never able to catch him in the act.  

Dean would talk to the guy when he waited at the bar to get a drink or order food. Why he didn’t just give the order to a server, Dean had no clue. Over the year he learned that the guy’s name was Cas, and that getting the man to talk about his life was like pulling teeth.  He would talk with Dean about trivial things: music, tv, current events, what they liked to read--but never his personal life, job or school. Cas would ask endless questions about how drinks were mixed, why this glass with that drink, he seemed to particularly enjoy hearing stories about the daily patrons of the bar if Dean had time to tell him.  Dean was curious about him, what did he do that required a suit and was so boring he never mentioned it? Was he working on school work when he came in? Was he a part time student like Dean? He didn’t seem to drink because he felt a dire need to drink, he seemed to do it because he felt he should, like he didn’t realize that he could have soda or water, being in a bar did not mean he had to drink alcohol. Dean was rarely able to ask him about his life, Fridays being their busiest night he had to tend other customers, or simply because the guy seemed closed off. Being a good bar tender meant knowing when to joke with someone, when to flirt with someone, when not to push a person to talk and when to be that ear that they needed. The only thing that Dean knew for certain about the guy was that the Roadhouse’s burgers made him very happy, most normal jokes and pop culture references flew right over his head and that he was hot! Dean had more than one fantasy about the man over the months based on his voice and eyes alone.

On this particular Friday, Cas was staying a bit later than he normally did.  He thoughtfully stared at his laptop and Dean totally wasn’t amused by the scowl on Cas’s face, Jo came up and hip-checked him.

“You’re staring again, asshole,” Jo whispered over his shoulder.  Dean smirked at his surrogate sister and dropped his gaze to the glasses he had been rinsing in the sink behind the bar.

Jo began to empty her apron and count her tips. “Seriously Dean, just go ask the guy if wants to grab a coffee, I swear you have no balls Winchester”.  

Dean was about to reply when he was interrupted by Benny coming from the kitchen to clock out. “Oh chere, I don’t believe that’s true. I’ve had a few rolls in the hay with your brotha here, I can vouch for his balls.” Jo grimaced and put her fingers in her ears as Dean threw his head back and laughed. He was about to speak again when he was interrupted. This time by Cas coming up to pay his tab.  Benny threw a arm over Deans shoulder and gripped tight in an I got your back sorta way.  

Cas looked cautiously at Benny and back to Dean. “Uh, can I have my total, please?”

Dean fumbled an, “ah yeah sure,” and gave Cas his bill. He paid with a credit card and fumbled with his signature, looking flustered. His eye’s shifted between Benny and Dean again and nodded quickly before turning to leave.  

Benny chuckled.  “Hey Blue Eyes, you forgot somethin’.”  

Castiel turned slightly, and Dean couldn’t peg the look in his eye. It was somewhere between curiosity and annoyance.  “And what is that, exactly?”  

Benny gave Cas a mischievous smirk and oh shit, Dean knew that look but just couldn’t stop him in time  “You forgot to ask my friend here--” He gave Dean a shove, “--out for coffee, or a beer. Your choice.”  Benny put on his jacket. “I gotta go, Andrea is waitin for me. I’ll be sleepin’ on the couch if she goes to bed alone.”

With that he walked out from behind the bar, and out the door without looking back.  

Cas was frozen.

Jo laughed in response, and Dean heard her walk into the back. Cas wasn’t moving, why wasn’t he moving? Dean cleared his throat finally finding some words and Ash came bursting through the kitchen door, sending the swinging door flying, with a very loud. “Hola, Amigo!! Jo says I’m here to cover your ass! Clock out, you’re free to go.”  Dean shut his eyes, whatever he was going to say to Cas was now a jumbled mess in his mind.  Assholes, they’re all assholes.

Cas turned now and stared.

Dean couldn’t move. Cas walked slowly back to the bar, his eyes never leaving Dean’s. Normally Dean, in this embarrassed state, would look anywhere but at the person he was confronting, but something about the intensity of Cas wouldn’t let him look away.

Cas’s gaze dropped briefly as he walked the few feet to the bar, glancing up through his lashes. “Dean, I still have a good deal of writing to do tonight. A coffee sounds great... would you like to accompany me?” Dean’s heart was pounding in his ears, his heart sped up and he seemed to have forgotten how to say yes.

“Of course he would!” Ash practically yelled, and clapped Dean on the back effectively knocking the air from his lungs.

“FUCK,”  Dean grumbled through gritted teeth. “Can I speak for myself at least once tonight? Is that possible?!” Dean dropped his head to his hands.

“Apparently not, ‘cause we keep beating you to it...” Ash smiled. “Shit or get off the pot, Deano,” and he slapped Dean on the shoulder  before being flagged down by a customer at the other side of the bar.

Dean gazed up at Cas through his fingers.  “You still want to have coffee after meeting my friends?”  

The side of Castiel’s mouth quirked up in a  smirk “Especially after meeting your friends.”

They took Dean’s car, because, c’mon he had to show Baby off to him. They found a 24 hour diner and ordered coffee. Dean couldn’t recall another time where he had as much fun just talking to someone. Cas was easier to talk to once Dean wasn’t worried about his friends interrupting or worried about what anyone might say. Cas seemed to open up one on one, in a way he wasn’t able to in the crowded bar.   Cas had a dry humor that was highly amusing once you realized he was joking.   Cas was a writer, and he came to Harvelle’s Roadhouse so that he could write accurately, seeing as how most of his current work in progress took place in a bar. His day job however was as an editor for the local paper, which he couldn’t wait to leave once his first book was published.  

Dean told Cas about school, and that he was majoring in art therapy which Cas stated “I would’ve never thought of that as a career for you”. Dean explained to Cas that he was mute for a time after his mother's death. When he couldn’t speak about his feelings, his therapist would have him draw.  That was something that stuck with him. He found that what people couldn’t say, they could often depict in other ways.  It was something that was interesting to him, as he got older and researched the job field he realised that he could help children through trauma a lot like his therapist helped him.  The schooling for it was taking forever but it was going to be worth it in the end.

They actually talked most of the night, interrupted only when a rather annoyed server told them they had to order more than coffee to keep their table. Dean understood, she could’ve been making a lot in tips table after table, but he and Cas had held the table all night so they ordered breakfast, tipped her very well, and went their separate ways. They didn’t exchange numbers.

The Friday after their date, Dean couldn’t wait to see and talk to Cas again. At 7pm on the nose Cas strolled through the door in jeans that hugged his thighs and ass in all the right places, a plain grey t-shirt that did the same, and hair that looked like it had never seen a comb. Only this time, for first time, he had no laptop, no headphones and walked right past the bar, ignoring his regular table, and stepped up to the area for the pool table. He didn’t even greet Dean--just smiled at him, winked and proceeded to challenge the first person willing to play him. He won, with one the quickest and best played games Dean ever saw. Then, in a move he hadn’t done since he’d waltzed into the place, Cas flagged down Jo for a drink. Dean would have been worried that Cas was avoiding him, if it wasn’t for the blatant looks he was giving Dean in between taking his shots. The guy looked like he went to the school of seduction at University of Winchester.  

The sonuvabitch beat everyone who came up to meet him; he was gathering attention and building quite the pile of cash. Every single shot he called, he made.  By the time Ellen came out from the back, Dean wasn’t even pretending to tend bar anymore.  He was more or less ogling and drooling into the sink everytime Cas bent over the pool table and maintaining the gaze anytime Cas flashed his baby blues Dean’s way.  Ash had taken over properly tending to customers about an hour ago. Ellen leaned beside Dean and just watched Cas rule the billiard table. Dean found himself increasingly aroused by the confidence oozing off of him. Cas stretched while waiting for his opponent to take his turn and Dean got a glimpse of mouth watering hip bones. Dean noticed Cas grinning at him, that bastard knew what he was doing to Dean.  All kinds of filthy scenes played through Dean’s mind, him and Cas defiling that pool table, him dragging Cas into the bathroom for quickie, hell, Impala’s backseat had enough room---

He jumped when Ellen spoke up from beside him. “You know Dean, I’m happy your boy is winning and all, but he’s going to piss someone off, someone will think they’re bein’ hustled”

Dean stared at her. “You suggesting I escort him home to protect him or something?” he chuckled.  Ellen gave him a stare that plainly said boy don’t you question me. Dean just coughed and nodded.

“ Get that boy home, he’s been hogging the table far too long. Clock out and see that he gets to his car okay.”  With that Ellen began tending bar with Ash.

Dean did as he was told, he clocked out and then walked to the billiard table.

Giving Cas a pointed look, which morphed into his best flirtatious smile. He jerked his head toward the door.  Cas cocked an eyebrow and gave a wicked smile as leaned to take the next shot  and nodded, and without breaking his gaze at Dean he called his shot: “eight ball side pocket!” He banked the eight and it landed in the side pocket as called.

As he collected his cash and followed Dean through a rather angry looking crowd, the latter leaned close to him. “Where did you park?” he asked.

“I didn’t, I walked,” Cas said. Dean thought his voice sounded off.  On the way to the front door, Cas flagged down Jo again, dropped what was easily two hundred dollars in her apron pocket from his winnings, and thanked her for keeping him hydrated. Then he grabbed Dean’s arm and pulled him out the front door.

Once outside, Cas was all smiles as he walked backwards to talk to Dean. “Can you believe that haul? Christ, even after giving that server a weeks worth of tips, I still have my share of the rent money for this month.” He looked around the parking lot.  “Is that black beauty yours?” he asked, pointing to the Impala.

Dean stopped and looked confused, his voice was more tense than he intended: “You know she is, you saw my car last Friday! And what do you mean that server, that was Jo, you know her!” Cas stopped. His eyes went wide and he chuckled, a low, full smile, crinkled eyed chuckle. Dean was almost annoyed. “Sorry Cas I missed the joke, how drunk are you?”

A set of devious blue eyes flashed at him.  “I’m sorry.” He held out his hand to Dean as if to shake it. “I’m James Novak, Cas’ brother... Call me Jimmy.” Dean felt the world spin... there’s two of them, his mind was both racing and skidding to a halt at the same time.

When Dean didn’t shake his hand, Jimmy rolled his eyes. “Christ on the cross, my brother was right, you stop like a scratched record when embarrassed.” Dean’s mind snapped back to the present.

“Cas talks about me?” his voice cracked, and Jimmy’s impossibly wide smile got even wider, damn near manic.

Jimmy sauntered in close to Dean and whispered: “Oh he has said SO much.” He put his mouth close to Dean’s ear “and some of it I wasn’t meant to hear, I’ve been visiting on the nights he’s out of town for meetings, I needed to see who my brother found so alluring, besides me”

Dean audibly swallowed and Jimmy chuckled warm breath in his ear. Jimmy ghosted his mouth from Dean’s ear to his lips but didn’t kiss him. He pinned Dean with the same gaze Cas had the previous week. “So when he didn’t come home until daylight last Saturday, and said he had been with you,” Jimmy trailed his index finger across Dean’s collar and down the front of his shirt. “I decided to make the move that he’s too chicken shit to.” Then Jimmy turned abruptly and walked toward the Impala, calling over his shoulder: “He hasn’t shut up about you for almost a year. Drive me home Dean, I have a interesting situation to tell you about.”

~end~

[singingpuddle]

My commentary whilst watching Buzzfeedblue’s “The Horrors of Pennhurst Asylum”

Sup, ya spooks. Here we go again.

(Btw I was reading this amazing Destiel fic on AO3 before doing this so that might leak through a little.)  (link here)

Warning:

1. I ship them, if you don’t that’s cool with me.

2. This post is super long

3. I long for the day I no longer have to cross out the boy in boyfriend when it comes to these two. this will be abundantly clear by the amount of times i do

4. After a little bit i will stop putting full names, so just know.

5.I recommend watching the video along with or before going through this post, because if you haven’t seen it you will be lost.

R=Ryan and S=Shane

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Me: Not even five seconds in and he already spooked.

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Me: Shane you look like a twink, Ryan... you look like a smaller twink.

R: Not even a minute in and she is starting with the gay stuff.

Me: Touché

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Me: Could you not do the speedy uppy thing, it gets on my nerves? ... Thank

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Me: You always do this Rye, you psych your self up and get scared easier because of it.

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(+1 for the way Ryan looks at Shane)

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Me: Ok, that was cute.

R: What?

Me: The way Shane tilted his head subconsciously.

R: ok??

Me: Usually people tilt their head like that when they are worried or are being sincere.

R: Meaning?

S: It means I give a shit about your mental health.

R: sure...

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Me: Why does this feel like the haunted house version of the ‘follow me’ pictures. Am i the only one getting those vibes.

S: Show me.

Me: Hmm?

S: Common, at this point I know you made a visual aid.

Me: *sigh* fine, you caught me

S: Its’s beautiful, Im gonna hang it on my wall forever.

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(+10 for adorable boyfriend duo Buzz-cut Un-bald)

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Me: Boi... Hes wearing Heterosexual beige™

R: And we arent matching, so you can say its gay.

Me: Ugh... fine. For once its not gay... lies. its still gay somehow.

R: How?

Me: IDK, but it just is.

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(+2 for the boys looking good)

(+1 for the reappearance of Shane “Hearteyes” Madej)

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(+200 for Pure Smiley Boys)

(+1 for Ryan “my boyfriend’s smile is so cute” Bergara)

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Me: Just a side note, it makes me so happy to see these two so comfortable together. Like Ryan keeps on looking over to/at Shane as if he is the only thing keeping his heartbeat on tempo, and I love it. And Shane has been cracking more jokes specifically for Ryan, because he knows if he doesn't Ryan might get too scared to move and might actually have a mental breakdown. Which, even with his joking, its clear he doesn't want to happen. It also seems like Ryan's laugh has this calming effect on him, makes him feel more comfortable. Even if its all platonic, I really like seeing how close they have become.

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Me: oh shit, look at Sassmaster Rye over here, fucking your shit up.

(+1 for those honey ass boys cockroaches)

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(+5 for the return of Ryan “my boyfriend is an idiot and that’s kinda why I love him” Bergara)

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Me: Okay... that’s fucking weird.

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Me: Oh Bouy, I would have been thrown in so fast. I got ADHD, and it was super bad when i was young.

S: Explains your random commentary schedule.

Me: Oh shove it Madej.

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Me: Poor C.C.

(hey um, people editing the video... can you not zoom in on the text whislt its scrolling.)

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Me: WHO LET THIS GUY THROUGH MEDICAL SCHOOL?? ARE THEY OKAY?? IS THERE FAMILY OKAY??

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Me: That seems a bit off...

S: Well that is the point we’re making.

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Me: It just sound like your clothes rubbing together to me, but what can I say, wasn’t there.

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Me: It looks like a Labyrinth tbh.

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(+1 for my good boys trying to spread their good gay vibes)

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(+1 for Shane joking to calm down Ryan)

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Me: Damn Sally sure is busy.

S: Hm???

Me: The wall right behind you has “Sally” spray painted on it.

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Me: Okay, its one thing if it was a normal sized doll. But a tiny one makes it like 10x creepier.

S: I dont get it, a doll, is a doll, is a doll.

Me: Its a small little doll, in a huge haunted space. It has absolutly no reason to be there, perfectly proped up on the pillows. I dont know why, but it makes me uncomfortable.

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Me: Its evil i say, EVIL.

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(+1 for goofy mystery boyfriends)

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(+2 for this whole conversation)

(-1 for the new zoom in thing)

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Me: Hey look, its Shane.

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Me : Im spooked.

S:Why?

Me: That fucking song gives me nightmares.

R: It is a creepy song ill grant you. But nightmares?

Me: You dont understand. When i heard this song it was a creepy robot singing it, it was all frame work. Im getting antsy just thinking about the thing.

R: Ah, now i get it.

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Me: Admiring the art Mr. Madej

S: Why yes Ms. Todd, this particular piece right here is fascinating.

Me: Are you hoping life imitates art Mr. Madej.

S: Always Ms. Todd.

Me,R&S: *Bursts out laughing*

R: You guys are so weird, I swear.

Me: Your one to talk Rye Bread.  The Rap videos.

R: *cringing* Touché

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Me: Tbh, thats kinda pretty. Can i get on of those for like Photography?

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S: You know, if we werent in some creepy asylum, its call this kinda romantic.

R: But we are, so shut up.

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(+1 for Shane joking to calm his boyfriend down)

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Me: Cute, let the kiddo play my dudes.

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R: “His dirty man hands.”

Me: You know sometimes you make my job to easy.

(+1 for Ryan “Im smiling because my boyfriend’s a doof” Begara)

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Me & Ryan: *Laughing our asses off*

Me: Hes a fucking five year old.

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Howie: You know what its okay. Most people just tough my plane, but you look like your having fun. Ill let it go this once.

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Me: His name is fisher... and Howie likes to play with a Fisher price airplane?

R: idk man, maybe Howie and Fisher are friends or somthing.

Me: Or somthing.

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(+10 for Shane “I know my boyfriend really fucking well” Madej)

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R: *SHOOK*

Me: Ah, there’s our boy.

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Me: Ok... this is adorabe Ryan never cracks jokes in these situations.

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Me: You looks so proud Shay.

S: I am.

(+3 for smiley boyfriends)

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(+ 20 for smiley boyfriends)

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Me: You okay Shane?

S: Why would I not be?

Me: You do know that heroin used to be considered medicine right.

S: Im aware.

Me: Isnt your greatst fear being stabbed with a heroin needle?

S: Oh... Shit. *non- visibly shook*

(+1 for the way to long needle in the picture.

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Me: Your only JUST getting the dowsing rods. Eh gads, I thought y’all already had them and didnt use them. they arent you res or no answers. they are for finding lay lines. At least that’s what i’ve heard.

R: Whats your source on that one?

Me: a BBC special that had Colin Morgan and Bradly James trying to find out as much as they could about The real Merlin and Arthur.

R: Oh, cool.

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(+10 for Shane playfully teasing his boyfriend)

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Me: Im worried Rye. Are you okay?

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Me: OH MY FUCKING GOD. You would think i wouldnt find it annoying after not hearing it for a week but... GODDAMN.

(+1 for Rye’s derp face)

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Me: Why was this part not shown earlier?

S: He was talking about how he wanted to suck me off so we couldnt put it in.

R: *socks shane in the arm* Shut up both of you.

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Me: Two bros, standing in a recording booth, no feet apart cuz they're both gay.

R:Ugh

Me: Dude it literally looks like Shanes arm is around your waist.

R: ... fine.

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Me: tbh they sound the same to me.

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Me: He squat.

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Me: Why are you like this Shane?

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Me: Dont.

Me: OMG Ryan.

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(+1 for smiley Ryan)

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Me: Hoe don’t do it.

R: “Individually.”

Me: Oh my god.

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Me: Aww look at my adorable little boyo.

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Me: And the beanpole enters hell.

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S: “Ryan’s Gonna hate this.”

(+20 for Shane “I know my boyfriend really fucking well” Madej)

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Me: Are you shook... for him? Is all of Shanes shook energy pushed into you?

R: *shook* Seemingly

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Me: Ryan, you have used this multiple times. We get it.

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Me: Correction, person who spray painted that, you are trespassing. They are legally allowed to be here... as far as we know.

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Me: I don’t think ghosts can paint.

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Me: Are you guys sure there isn't more room in that studio? Also the word your looking for is Rorschach. A Rorschach test.

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(+1 for Shane teasing his boyfriend)

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Me: Side note, it seems like, to Ryan, every word that Shane says is loaded with this electricity. He loves it, craves it and, gets a buzz off of it. Its like it ignites this feeling of pure joy inside of him. That’s what it seems like to me.

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Me: Is that a... complement?

S: Thank You Ryan

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(+10 for Harry Potter Reference)

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S: Don’t you just want me to shut the hell up.

Me: I like how Shane is just using the same logic that he uses with Ryan.

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Me: Oy boy...

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Me: Shane stop being an encouraging jackass.

(+1 for how cool Ryan’s eyes look)

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Me: Look at that smug ass smile. Yet he still looks so-

Me& R: Handsome.

Me: Rye?

R: You didnt hear that.

Me: Hear what?

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S: “He is going to hate this.”

(+10 for Shane “I know my boyfriend really fucking well” Madej)

(+10 for the fact Shane was listening to Ryan from the other room)

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R: “I fucking hate this”

Howie: “Why?”

Me: Now Rye, be fore you freak out. That’s one of the sweetest questions a ghost could ask you. All other ghosts you have meet have been dicks, keep that in mind. 

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Me: You fucking fuck.

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Me: Wow, sassy ghost, I dig it.

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Me: Father Thomas is quaking.

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Me: I feel like this is the ghost of a teenager, it just feels right. Like a 16/17 year old male. Sassy yet compliant.

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Me: Okay, Im calling it. A 16/17 year old boy named Jeff who looks after Howie. I have a feeling he is only interacting with you on Howie’s request. 

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Me: Okay so I did some minor digging and...

Me: I was wrong about the age. But, he was younger than the other spirits. I still believe him to be Howie’s protector, or else the other voice we are hearing is his wife.

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Me: I didnt find a mention of Howie anywhere in the records. But, there is a mention of a child being nursed at the hospital. Because he’s not a patient his name isn't listed. It might be a long shot, but this might be Howie.

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Me: Please Jeff, play it cool, he doesn't want to harm you.

****************************************************************************************************

Me: Im really proud of you Ryan, actually holding a conversation and not screaming every time.

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Me: Jeff, thank you.

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Me: Why are you timing him, he was having a solid conversation and you pull him away from it. Why are you like this?

****************************************************************************************************

Me: Give me a sec.

Me: Well shit... its Howie’s mom.

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Me: Well you are in a hospital.

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Me: Sounded a little like a metal pipe, but lets just say It was Bri. That means Jeff is there too, he followed you Rye.

R: Okay... I can handle this.

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Me: You do realize you are still in the building right?

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Me: Ryan Bergara Little Ghost Antenna™.

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Me: awe, they are still working on a catchphrase.

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Me: ARE YOU OKAY RYAN? ARE YOU GUYS OKAY?

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Me: Tbh, still love this because HEIGHT DIFFERENCE

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This long ass post brought to you by:

This (Ryan is 22 in this and I love it.)

Link to video here

Link to Masterpost here

[perfectdagger]

Okay here we go 3, 13, 15, 17, 46

Sorry it took us forever to answer this, anon! But here we go:

3. name three favorite writers

Steph: I was just going through the fics I’ve read the other day and I realized that the authors I have actually read more works from were: green_feelings @greenfeelings, stylinsoncity @alienproof and cherrystreet @cherrystreet, and I really like their stories very much (I cry thinking about Empty Skies, To the Ends of the Earth and 7 Up), so there we go. (AND ALRIGHT, YES, YOU ARE MY FAVE SYN, EVEN THO YOU HAVEN’T WRITTEN  MY BDAY FIC YET)

Syn: unbelievable you didn’t answer it was me steph go away and think about your life choices but know you’re mine either way  it will be a cold dead day in hell before i put anyone besides my absolute GODDESSES so i know this shit should be about larry but listen…….. Lightning on the Wave literally molded me as a person and if you like drarry you should YOU SHOULD read her work. it’s literally been 8 years and i’m still not over this Arc. also if you’re a slytherin? you should do it because of the sheer sly pride it oozes. lucius/narcisa is the GODDAMN BEST THING like they fight while they dance tango? honestly please do yourself a favor and read this i beg you. also harry is slytherin and has a twin but don’t get freaked out because of it i swear the connor thing is actually very interesting. anyway, then I have the love of my life Annie_D (scaramouche) because i’m still destiel trash  AS FUCK even if i don’t even watch spn anymore. about larry now……….. the first fic i ever read and that is still to this day one of my fav ones is Gods and Monsters by @mizzwilde and tbh i love y&b but i can’t belieb people sleep on gods and monsters so much HONESTLY PEOPLE (steph: YAS GODS AND MONSTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!)

also VERY SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO EVERY WRITER OUT THERE DOING GOD’S WORK AND WRITING GIRL!DIRECTION I LOVE YOU (steph: I second that)

13. hardest character to write

Steph: I don’t know, I’m more used to writing only Harry and Louis and they are always somehow similar in my fics, I guess. But it’s been a little roller coaster of feelings to write them in IYEWBIL hahaha (syn: little roller coaster? YOU’VE CRIED TWICE ALREADY that’s an euphemism if i ever heard any)

Syn : i was talking about this with steph and tbh i struggle a bit with harry? i love his quirkiness and shit but i guess i kinda understand where louis comes from more

15. hardest verse to write

Steph: (I’m assuming this is verse as in a part of the fic and not verse as in universe, ‘cause then it would be ABO LOL) I don’t wanna say it was hard, because it flowed naturally, but the break up scene in ELTHDIM was very heavy. Also, Marcel appearing at Louis’ again after 2 years in the interludio: I cried writing that. Not that it was hard, but it was very sentimental. (if we’re talking about having a hard time writing anything, then I did have a hard time with writing my fic for the Potter Direction Exchange, but that’s a whole other thing). But I guess, the hardest thing for me to write is yet to come, so I’m bracing myself and people who are reading IYEWBIL should too lol

Syn: (but when have you ever written abo steph? (: (steph: i wouldn’t know ehehehehe)) fighting scenes are A BITCH and i don’t mean verbal fighting because i ace at those, i mean actual fighting punching and shit. don’t ask where this is coming from tho

17. favorite AU to write 

Steph: So far I’ve written: a single parents au, a coffeeshop au, a fake relationship au and two hogwarts aus (Mistletoes & Wrackspurts Series and the one for the Potter Direction Exchange) and I think it’s because M&W has been the longest one, I’m having more fun writing it. But also the fake relationship au was great to write hahaha

Syn: HARRY POTTER AU HANDS DOWN because i live and breath hp and muggle!louis/wizard!harry is the best of both worlds HOW CAN I NOT DIG THAT but now i discovered a new love in writing my catwoman!au so i guess y’all should ask about those fighting scenes i guess

(steph: i hope you’re all ready for this catwoman!au, that’s all i’m gonna say)

46. share a scene of a story that you haven’t published yet

Steph: I don’t think I have any story written that I haven’t published? Syn has tons lol I’ll leave this one to her.

Syn: don’t expose me like that steph but yeah i do my draft has right now about 5 works in progress HAHA and yes one of those if your gift u cry baby

ok so er under the cut is a piece of my god-knows-when-will-come-but-i’m-currently-on-chapter-3-of-who-the-fuck-knows-how-many catwoman au in which yes harry styles is catwoman y’all know why exactly

also if there’s any dc fan out there please hmu cuz i’d love to have some help haha

Louis heard a small click, their earpiece connection turning off. He rolled his shoulders inside his uniform, suddenly wary of the silence echoing inside the empty store. Normally the black (and dark blue) of his Nightwing costume worked as a camouflage in his environment, much like Batman’s did as well, but he felt exposed inside the lighten up vault as he looked for anything that could help catch the bastard behind the 3 X’s. He took his time, checking the floor, the empty cabinets, the empty shelves, anything and everything. Still, nothing. So he went back to the door, analyzing the scratches there (he still couldn’t believe it, fucking scratches) with his gloved hand caressing them softly.

“Glad to see you admire my work.”

Louis quickly threw a batarang to where the deep, drawled out voice came from, taking his sticks out when he saw the silhouette had dodged his attack. He’d heard no one come in, where did the fucker come from? Fucker was silent, silent like…

He saw a movement come from his side as he exited the vault, blocking the punch with his forearm, getting kneeled in the stomach a second after, too surprised he was by the fast attack. He gasped and stepped backwards, raising his sticks to avoid being clawed - what the fuck, his brain registered in confusion - at, blocking every time, left, right, left, right, right, left, both, the clank of the claws against his shatterproof sticks echoing in the empty store. He was glad his mask had nightvision, otherwise he’d be even more susceptible to the attacks, his reflexes matching them and being able to hold his own in the darkened store, the streetlights weak, reflecting on the empty jewelry display around them, not enough to show much of the person trying to rip his face in two. Speaking of which, Louis concentrated, paying attention to the silhouette in front of him, narrowing his eyes to identify what-

His mistake. Between a block from his hand and another, Louis felt a kick in his stomach, strong enough to push him back into one of the glass tables that held jewelry before, the sound of shattering glass hiding his groan of pain. Fuck, that’d hurt. He blinked, a grimace from pain in his face as he tried to get himself up and look at what he was sure looked like-

A slick noise and then he was on the floor, pieces of glass dragging beneath him as he was pulled by his feet towards his attacker, who was suddenly looking down at him from above, faces inches apart, a smirk in place and black mask covering half of his face.

“Catwoman.”

Satisfied, he smiled bigger, maliciously, leaning down to lick Louis’ cheek. Louis turned his head in disgust, enough to recognize it was a long whip Catwoman secured in her hand and had used to lock his feet and drag him forward.

“Meow.” She whispered in his ear that was just in front of Catwoman’s face as he turned it more to the side. Louis used the distraction her smugness must be to punch her to the side, taking her out of top. She scuffled sideways, gracefully going back to her feet while Louis took the whip from out of his feet.

Then he took a moment to realize what was in front of him.

“You’re a man.”

“My, my, Nightwing, shouldn’t an agent of law and good know better than to designate gender to his comrades?” Catwoman teased, his (her?) voice deep, a small pout forming in his lips.

“You’re not a comrade.” Louis answered irritated, fucking pissed the fucker was teasing him after everything he’d put him through the last months.

Also, he’d licked him. Who even does that.

“No, I’m not.” Catwoman moved his hips slowly, as if he was preparing himself for an attack, as if he was having fun. “I am, however, a man.”

Louis hummed, twirling his sticks in his hands, watching every move the man made in front of him, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“Should I be calling you Catman, then? Instead of Catwoman?”

He scoffed, as if the notion was ridiculous. “Of course not. Catwoman is a title that was so gracefully bestowed upon me, why would I change it? Besides,” he stopped his moving, standing still - too still - in the middle of the floor. “I like how you say it.”