dcbb 2018 – Page 2 – Karate, SPN Demonic Octopus Guardian

deancasbigbang:

Title: Inked Feathers, Wounded Skin

Author: lunastories

Artist: Correlia

Rating: Mature
Pairings: Dean/Cas
Wordcount: 40000
Warnings/Tags: harpy!Cas, myth/legends, alternate universe-medieval times, happy ending, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort,
Posting: 11/14/2018

Summary:

Retired hunters Dean and Sam live in a cabin in the woods, only occasionally taking cases from nearby villagers and those who need their help. Castiel is the very protective harpy that has been awkwardly following (stalking) Dean for years.

After Castiel injures a wing, he is taken in by the Winchesters. As Dean tends to him, they form a relationship, and Dean slowly falls for the harpy. But the unique peach-cream color of Castiel’s wings hide a secret; one he isn’t sure Dean could accept.

Eventually, the heat became unbearable. Dean let out a weary sigh, tugging off his shirt and slipping out of it with some trouble, as it stuck to his sweaty skin. He stretched, closing his eyes and humming in pleasure at the caress of wind across his bare skin and the warmth of the sun on his face. He ran a hand through his hair to try and get rid of the perspiration and scratched idly at his belly, his abs glistening in the sunlight from the light sheen of sweat.

Suddenly, a hard thump sounded, pulling Dean from his peaceful state of mind. He blinked hard, trying to get the sweat out of his eyes and frowned when he noticed a body near the forest that wasn’t there before.   

Even from this distance he could see the cream and peach colored feathers that covered the man sprawled on the ground, unconscious.   

Cursing, he ran over to Cas, kneeling down beside the harpy as he ran hands over him, trying to figure out if he was injured.   

Still unconscious, Cas let out a pained groan at one particularly hard pat on his wing and Dean winced, knowing without looking that the wing was broken. He’d fallen on his side, on top of his right wing and the impact probably snapped the appendage. Quickly he called out for Sam, carefully lifting the harpy into his arms and trying not to jostle him.

His brother ran over, hair flying wildly as he sped up when he saw who was in Dean’s arms.

Dean! Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” Dean gestured to the harpy in his arms with a nod, tightening his grip on Cas. “Our little stalker took a fall and I’m going to bring him back to our cabin to make sure he’s alright.”

  Sam opened his mouth to protest but stopped when he noticed just how pitiful the harpy seemed to be. With one wing hanging, limp and disfigured, it was obvious to see that even if Cas meant them harm he wouldn’t be able to with this injury.

The way Dean stared down at the harpy in his arms, mouth set in a grim line and eyes tense with worry, really showed Sam how much Dean seemed to care about Cas.   

Sighing, he picked up his brother’s axe and nodded to Dean, tilting his head towards the direction of their home.

  “Just go ahead. I’ll pick up everything and take it to the cabin.”  

Dean gave Sam a look of gratitude, body visibly relaxing as he received his brother’s unspoken acceptance. “Alright. If you don’t come back in an hour I’ll come look for you.”   

Now, it was Sam’s turn to roll his eyes, a smile lighting his lips. “Dean, we’ve lived in these woods all our lives. Don’t worry about me and go take care of your little boyfriend.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” Dean grumbled, slightly flustered as his ears flushed pink.

deancasbigbang:

Title: Good Times, Bad Times

Author: flaming-celestial-comet

Artist: harplesscastiel

Rating: Teen
Pairings: minor Sam/Eileen
Wordcount: 25000
Warnings/Tags: Canon Typical Violence
Posting: 11/15/2018

Summary:

Dean is the owner of local coffee shop Whole Latte Love. Cas is a writer under a lot of stress from his editor and his boss at the grocery store he works at. When Dean and Cas meet at the coffee shop, they almost immediately become great friends. However, when Cas receives notes from his editor on how he doesn’t seem to write historical events well, Dean agrees to help him gain a better understanding of the events of the past. Soon, the two embark on an adventure through time. But what happens when a mysterious person begins to follow the two around, and what exactly does he want?

Dean was delighted to see that there barely was a line in front of him, just a few people staring up at the order board above his head. He took care of them quickly, taking their orders and passing the cups down to Charlie for her to start filling. He joined her shortly after, letting one of their other employees take over the front counter.

“Hey,” Charlie greeted as Dean reached around her to grab the coffee grounds so he could make a fresh pot of coffee. “You know when Sam’s making his way back here?”

Dean shrugged, dumping some measured coffee grounds into the pot and turning the coffee maker on. Soon, coffee was dripping into the pot.

“What do you mean you don’t know when your brother’s coming home?” Charlie asked accusingly, fists on her hips. “Did he not tell you?”

“He told me he’d be home whenever he finished packing up his dorm, so who knows,” Dean responded, rolling his eyes. “Apparently his roommate is a slob, so Sam always makes sure that the dorm is clean. He’s probably going to have to really clean it before he comes home.”

Charlie frowned. “Aww, I was just hoping for a little extra help around this place.”

Dean snorted. “What, you don’t miss him?”

“Oh, I do. I do miss him,” she repeated. “But I also miss how quickly and easily he handles the customers. We only get that during the summer and a few random times during the year for holidays and whatnot.”

Dean was about to answer, but when he looked up, his attention snagged on a guy that was sitting alone at a table, surrounded by books. He was typing away at his laptop, and there was a coffee cup sitting near him that Dean suspected was empty.

“Ooh!” Dean heard, right next to his ear. “Go talk to him! Maybe he wants something to eat, or drink.”

Dean turned towards Charlie, eyes wide. “Wh—what?” he stammered, his heart beating a little faster. “What makes you say that?”

Charlie stepped to the side so Dean could easily see her, arms folded over her chest, a smirk playing on her lips. “Go,” she said firmly, reaching out and shoving Dean towards the door that lead to the front of the café.

“But—” Dean protested, digging his heels into the ground.

“Go,” Charlie repeated, and then Dean found himself walking out from behind the counter and towards the stranger’s table.

“Uh, hey,” Dean said awkwardly when he made it towards the stranger’s table. “Would you—would you like something to drink? Eat?”

The guy looked up at him, a confused expression on his face. He cocked his head to the side and asked, “Aren’t we supposed to go to the counter and order or something…?” He trailed off as he looked over at the counter, and Dean followed his glance, noticing Charlie standing there with a huge smile on her face.

deancasbigbang:

Title: Hop(e)s and Honey

Author: Dogsled

Artist: Coplins

Rating: Explicit
Pairings: Dean/Castiel, (one sided Cain/Castiel, former lovers Balthazar/Castiel (they share a friendly kiss), minor Hannah/Gadreel, and off screen Jess/Sam)
Wordcount: 22000
Warnings/Tags: beekeeper!Cas, brewer!Dean, summer romance, so sweet it hurts your teeth, nature loving Castiel, fluff, meet cute, there are puppies, horse riding in cowboy hats, dandelion wishes come true
Posting: 11/20/2018

Summary:

Castiel is the youngest heir of Shurley Honey, but his elder brothers seem determined to take the company in a direction that Cas finds shocking; Michael’s plan to thin their much respected 100% natural product with corn syrup fills Castiel with disgust. Still, what can he do but focus on the work?

Finding homes for his new beehives leads Castiel to the Winchester farm, where Dean grows hops and apples and brews his own craft beers and ciders. With little brother Sam moving away to pursue married life in California, Dean is faced with the unfortunate prospect of no longer being able to sustain his grandfather’s farm on his own.

Two legacy businesses collide, and in the midst of them a beekeeper and a brewer fall in love. Can they survive a long dry summer, beehive theft, cougars, and honey entrepreneur Cain Adams, whose pursuit of Castiel has more than just a business partnership in mind? For Castiel and Dean, a new life waits for them only if they can find the courage to meet each other halfway.

What new honeyed elixir will become of them during this summer of romance?

The two horses clattered underneath the house, then traversed the courtyard where Castiel’s car was parked. They crossed the narrow bridge across the stream, then turned down a winding footpath that cut into the orchard. Ancient fruit trees lined the path, gnarled boughs passing just overhead with a fine smattering of late blossoms and sparse new leaves.

Castiel hummed happily. Bees and butterflies were flitting back and forth, birds were singing in the trees, and up above them, hundreds of feet over the orchard, a bald eagle was flying in ever wider, ever higher circles.

“Do you see a lot of wildlife here?” he asked.

“Sure, all sorts. There’s like uh…deer and rabbits and stuff.”

Castiel almost laughed. “And stuff?”

“Pretty much,” Dean answered, smiling. “I don’t know. What sort of animals are you thinking of?”

Castiel cocked his head. “Foxes, pheasant, turkeys? Um…other sorts of predators, I suppose. There are still mountain lions in this area, yes?”

“Sure. There’s a big cougar that lives up on the ridge. She doesn’t come down here often, though.”

Castiel frowned, staring at the back of Dean’s head for a few moments, then lifting his gaze toward the ridge as though expecting to see the big cat silhouetted against it.

“Sometimes cougar will raid beehives,” Cas explained, unable to keep the concern from his voice. “But we can put in electric fence to protect them. Bear are somewhat more difficult to keep away. They are smart enough to realize that if they rush the fence, it breaks, and a broken fence can’t zap them any more.”

“No bears here,” Dean told him, glancing back. “At least there’s rumours sometimes, but that’s all they turn out to be. Maybe just escaped exotics, you know?”

Castiel pondered over it, thoughtful. Bees liked a good high take off, so it made sense to put the hives above the orchard. But it would introduce a higher level of risk. They’d be safer in the courtyard obviously, but it was the lowest point in the valley, and there would be all sorts of disturbances that close to the house.

No, the bees would have to live on the slope, but cougars were part of the natural world, and finding a way to coexist with them was a small price to pay. If Castiel wanted an environment that was suitable for his bees, then not unusually, that kind of paradise was good for other creatures as well. Besides, the Winchester hop farm seemed so perfect in every other way, he’d be damned if he let one little kitty cat stand between him and honeybee paradise.

deancasbigbang:

Title: Chalk and Cheese

Author: terencefletcher

Artist: PieDarling

Rating: Mature
Pairings: Dean/Cas, minor Sam/Jessica
Wordcount: 20000
Warnings/Tags: Alternate Universe, romance, cultural differences, sightseeing, British!Cas, American!Dean
Posting: 11/13/2018

Summary:

When a long-awaited week off doesn’t go as planned with Sam having to leave alone, Dean is determined to just lock himself in the house. Booze, junk food, and TV — and he’ll be fine. It always was. It works right until the next morning, when a weird stranger appears on his doorstep and, all of a sudden, claims a room.

Trying not to stare too openly, Dean held his gaze at the stranger’s face. His pale cheeks were scrubby, his eyes underlined with dark shadows. It wasn’t a hangover (Dean was an expert in that), but it wasn’t something other than booze either: the stranger’s blue eyes were bright and perfectly focused upon Dean. He remembered that kind of look very well — that had been the way Mr. Folsom, his middle school music teacher, eyed Dean’s t-shirt with the Metallica print. But Mr. Folsom never visited the Winchesters house and never stood on the porch with the expression of a debt collector.

“Has Wall Street crashed?”

The stranger frowned, then cracked a tiny smile.

“I am sorry. My plane was delayed, and I missed the connecting flight. I took a night train…” He gestured vaguely, as though in an attempt to excuse himself without literally saying so. “I was afraid you wouldn’t be home.”

Dean blinked, then glanced at his watch. It was half past ten. Sober, he would have never slept that long. With Sam at home, he would have never drunk that much.

“So… How can I help?”

“Do you still have that room?”

Dean blinked again. “Which room?”

“For me.”

It was both ridiculous and embarrassing, the way it got with two people speaking different languages emotionally enough not to notice they could not understand each other.

With an effort, Dean met the stranger’s eye.

“I’m not sure I understand.”

The stranger pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper from the inner pocket of his coat.

“Isn’t this your advert?”

It suddenly began to dawn on Dean that this visit wasn’t a mistake. He was starting to guess what this all was about.

“My advert?” he asked in a low voice.

“On the bedfinder.com, that holiday website… Here…” He looked down at his paper and started reading aloud, “Dean Winchester, Lawrence, Kansas, USA. A week is available from the fifth to the twelfth of June. A separate bedroom in a classic city house. Or isn’t this you?”

Sammy, I’ll kill you.

deancasbigbang:

Title: Just What the Doctor Ordered

Author: Halzbarry

Artist: destimushi

Rating: Explicit
Pairings: Dean Winchester/Castiel; Past Castiel/Balthazar; Past Castiel/Inias; Minor Dean/Others;
Wordcount: 20500
Warnings/Tags: Alternative Universe – Porn,
Porn Star Dean Winchester,
Doctor Castiel,
Openly Bi Dean Winchester,
Past Relationship,
Switch Destiel,
Dean in Panties,
Topping from the Bottom,
Falling in Love Again,
Dean & Cas Watching Porn Together
Posting: 11/7/2018

Summary:

Opening his own clinic, Doctor Castiel Novak is doing his best to get his business and brand out and established in his new community. What he doesn’t expect is to come face to face with his high school crush and first lover, Dean Winchester at a local LGBTQ community health event. He’s even more shocked when he learns that Dean is the popular bisexual porn star Dean Smith, who in between shoots volunteers at the local community college LGBTQ organization.

Though Castiel tries to brush their chance encounter off as nothing more than a sheer coincidence, suddenly Dean is everywhere. Dean makes it clear that he wants to see more of Castiel, but Castiel isn’t sure what to do about these conflicted feelings for Dean he’s had since the last time he and Dean saw each other years ago. Adding in a brother and best friends who are determined to meddle in his love-life, Castiel is beginning to think the universe might just be pushing him and Dean Winchester back together.

“Charlie!”

The voice is booming and Castiel startles. There’s no need to yell in a space so small, and the noise echoes in his skull.

“Over here, Dean,” she yells back, and Castiel winces at the flash of pain at his temples. When he looks up at their visitor, shock pushes aside his annoyance.

Castiel’s never been overly loquacious, but he’s speechless now as he comes face to face with Dean Winchester. Dean smiles when he walks up to Charlie, and he looks just as good, if not better, than the last time Castiel saw him. He’s all chiseled jaw, peach fuzz, and green eyes that outshine emeralds. The way Dean’s face goes blank when he turns to Castiel is another story.

“Dr. Novak, meet Dean. He volunteered to help you out today!” Charlie says, ignoring—or not noticing—the way Dean and Cas have frozen.

Castiel wonders if Dean remembers him. He couldn’t forget Dean; Dean has never been forgettable, unlike Castiel.

“I’ve got to check on the other volunteers, but you two get acquainted and I’ll check back on you later.”

With that she’s gone in a flash of red hair, leaving them in shocked silence. Castiel isn’t entirely sure this isn’t a dream.

“Uh… wow, Cas. I haven’t seen you in forever,” Dean says. Dean was always the cocky kid in the leather jacket. Seeing him scratching the back of his head while blushing is a new thing for Castiel. “How ya been, man?”

“I… have been well. How have you been?”

Dean laughs, and it’s deep and rich, like something out of Castiel’s fantasies. “Not bad. Can’t complain too much.” Something about Dean seems to ease up and that bright smile comes back. “So, you went and became a doctor, huh?”

A smile tugs at Castiel’s lips, and he feels like a shy sophomore again. “I did. I just opened a clinic in town actually.”

“Hey, that’s awesome. Even cooler that you’re volunteering down here with the Spectrum Alliance. Charlie was freakin’ stoked when you agreed to do the testing.” Dean’s attention shifts to the bag on the table. “You need help setting up?”

Castiel remembers why he’s here. He needs to get his station set up. “Oh, umm, yes. That would be great, if you don’t mind. Meg, my nurse, isn’t here to help.”

“Course I don’t mind. It’s what I’m here for.”

They work in comfortable silence as Castiel pulls everything out of the bag for set up. Dean arranges the tests and gets the sign-in log and waiver forms ready while Cas gets the waste container and supplies ready. Castiel feels like he should say something, anything, to break the silence. “So, what do you do now, Dean?”

“Oh, well, I’m actually in adult entertainment.” Castiel’s brain stalls. He’s not sure if he’s misheard, misunderstood, or if Dean is joking.

“Adult entertainment, as in…”

Dean chuckles. “Porn, Cas. I’m a porn star.”

Oh.

Dean Winchester is literally straight out of Castiel’s wet dreams.

deancasbigbang:

Title: Going the Distance

Author: Aubreyetta

Artist: NadiaHart

Rating: Mature
Pairings: Dean/Castiel (minor Sam/Jo, Jimmy/Amelia)
Wordcount: 31000
Warnings/Tags: AU, No Supernatural, Fluff, Long Distance, Slow Burn, Letters, Texting/Sexting, Video Chatting, UST
Posting: 11/7/2018

Summary:

Castiel meets Dean in a bar and sparks fly. With half a continent separating the two men, can the sparks ignite or will they fizzle out? This is a story about communication. First in letters, then electronically, and finally in person.

The bartender came around, perched in her vacated spot, and placed two plates on the bar, one in front of him. The cheeseburger and hand cut fries staring back at him smelled of heaven.

“Need ketchup or anything?” the bartender asked as he put the second plate in front of himself.

“No, thank you,” Castiel said. “However, if we’re to have dinner together, I would like to know your name.”

The bartender chuckled and dropped the french fry he was holding. “You’re right. Dean Winchester,” he said as he held out his hand. “And you are?”

“Castiel Novak. This looks great,” he said.

They ate mainly in silence. Dean getting up a few times to refill drinks or grab fresh beers for other patrons when Charlie was busy with another table or customer.

Castiel was just finishing up when another two fingers of Jameson was pushed in front of him. “Thanks, Dean,” he said with a smile. He picked up the drink and washed down the remaining bite of cheeseburger with it. “That was delicious. How ‘bout a slice of that cake? What is it?”

“It’s a lemon pound cake, but I’ve got something better. Promise,” Dean answered with a grin.

“I’m sure you do,” Castiel flirted and grinned as two bright patches appeared on Dean’s handsome face. He laughed quietly, and whispered, “I’m going to head to–” as he motioned toward the restroom.

Dean nodded, rubbed the back of his neck, and smiled.

Castiel stood and surprisingly only swayed slightly. He made his way back to the restroom to wash his hands.

His plate was cleared away when he returned. In its place was a piece of apple pie, topped with a hearty scoop of vanilla ice cream, and another drink. Charlie was just coming over to chat, when from the back room Dean yelled, “Charlie! Quit annoying the patrons and get back to work!”

“Fucker has ESP, I swear,” she muttered as she moved to a table of men that had just arrived.

Dean emerged from the backroom, pony keg slung over his shoulder. Castiel took a moment to admire the rippling biceps that peeked out of Dean’s snug black t-shirt. Dean grinned at Castiel. His green eyes darkened when he watched Castiel take the first bite of pie. Castiel moaned around the fork and took a much larger bite. Much too soon, the pie was devoured and he absently flicked his tongue to gather the last bit of ice cream off his spoon.

“Sweetheart, the way you’re eating that is positively sinful,” Dean said with a flirty wink before he crouched to hook up the keg to the tap.

deancasbigbang:

Title: First Times, Second Chances

Author: samikitten

Artist: DeanOh

Rating: Explicit
Pairings: Dean/Cas (minor Charlie/Gilda, mentions of Benny/Andrea, Bobby/Ellen and Sam/Ruby)
Wordcount: 20000
Warnings/Tags: College AU, supernatural creatures, Angel Castiel, Demon Dean, first love, BAMF Castiel, protective Dean, Naomi is a terrible mother, Crowley is an assbutt, mentions of drug use
Posting: 11/8/2018

Summary:

Castiel couldn’t decide if he was excited or scared about attending college. He’d only been around other angels his entire life, and college would include all other species of supernatural creatures. Along with his brother Gabriel, he befriends a bubbly fairy, a southern vampire, and an absolutely gorgeous demon named Dean. Between his crush on Dean, his mother’s strict plans for him and a problem with another demon named Crowley; college is definitely going to be interesting.

Castiel looked around the orientation room with mild trepidation. He’d never been around so many different supernatural species in his life. He’d studied enough in high school to be able to pinpoint what everyone was. The fae tended to be the shortest of all, easily recognizable by their gauzy, colorful wings. The succubi and incubi had shiny horns and thin, whip-like tails. The werewolves, when not in their transformed state, usually had long and sharp nails. The vampires generally looked like humans, although very pale, but they also had retractable fangs and slightly pointed tongues. And the last type was…

Demons. He shuddered inwardly. Castiel had always had a morbid fascination about them, with their pointed tails and sharp looking, bat-like wings. His overprotective (and, let’s face it, xenophobic) mother had never let any demons around their family, claiming that they were vicious and dangerous creatures. In fact, she had a whole list of species not welcome in her home. But demons were public enemy number one. Castiel had never even been in the same room as a demon before today.

Children went to school only with their own kind. High school was the same, if only to keep horny, hormonal teenagers from cross-mating. Mating with a different species wasn’t common, but when it happened it was often looked upon with distaste. All species were required to take higher education together, despite the fact that most jobs were still segregated anyway. But that was the law of the land. It was one of the contradictions of living in this world. Learn to get along, but don’t worry, you won’t have to do it in real life.

deancasbigbang:

Title: Don’t Blame Me

Author: BubblegumPenguin

Artist: May-darling

Rating: Mature
Pairings: Dean/Cas (minor Charlie/Anna, minor Dean/others)
Wordcount: 25000
Warnings/Tags: college au, underage drinking, implied drug use, using religion as an excuse to be a bigot, referenced abuse (non-explicit)
Posting: 11/12/2018

Summary:

After living with his religious family for 18 years, Castiel Novak leaves home for college. There, he meets his biggest temptation ever, in the form of his ridiculously handsome and proudly bi roommate, Dean Winchester. As Castiel struggles between his attraction to Dean and his conservative upbringing, he finds himself falling hard for the charming nerd he’s been assigned to room with for the next four years. To renounce what you’ve been raised to believe since birth all in the name of love is crazy. Right?

At 8am, a loud crash awoke Castiel from his peaceful dream. He shot upright, grabbing at the blankets for a weapon to throw at the source of the noise. Through bleary eyes, he made out Dean’s figure standing in the center of the room. He relaxed for a moment and blinked a few times before realizing that whatever the loud crash was, it had been caused by the now sheepish looking boy in the middle of the room.

“Sorry Cas. Didn’t mean to wake you,” Dean said softly, as if that would somehow rectify the fact that Castiel had been scared awake.

“I’d say it’s fine, but I’d be lying,” Castiel grumbled, turning his confused gaze into a glare. Dean chuckled lightly before bending down to pick up whatever it was that he’d dropped. Castiel looked and saw a lot of glass on the floor, as well as a handle that was now connected to nothing.

“Damn,” Dean murmured to himself.

“You were making coffee?” Castiel found himself asking. Dean nodded.

“Kinda. More like trying, and failing, to make coffee. I knew the handle was coming loose but I didn’t expect it to just fall off like that,” he said. Castiel nodded sagely, as he watched Dean grab the broken pieces and walk them over to the garbage.

“Wait, don’t put them in there,” Castiel said, pushing the covers away from himself. He stood up and walked over to the closet and pulled out an empty paper grocery bag. He opened it and gestured for Dean to placed the broken glass in there. “This way, none of the glass pierces the bag when we take it out. Don’t feel like accidentally getting cut,” he explained. Dean nodded, before dumping the glass into the bag.

“Guess this means I’m going to have to go buy some coffee,” Dean said, scowling.

“Guess so. You should pick me up some since you rudely woke me before noon,” Castiel said, giving Dean a small grin to let him know that he was just joking.

“I could. Or you could just put on some shoes and come with me since you’re already awake,” Dean suggested. Castiel frowned at the idea.

“I already said that I’m not-”

“As friends, Cas. I mean, we’re gonna be roommates for the foreseeable future. May as well get to know each other, try to be friends?” Dean suggested. Castiel thought for a moment before sighing and walking over to his shoes.

“You’re paying,” Castiel said.

“Yes dear,” Dean said, rolling his eyes.

deancasbigbang:

Title: The Same Mistake, Again
Author: zaphodsgirl
Artist: Subtextiel
Rating: Mature
Pairings: Dean/Cas, brief Dean/Lisa, past Dean/Nick, past Castiel/Inias
Wordcount: 50000
Warnings/Tags: Underage Kissing, AU – Modern Setting, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Amnesia, Be Careful What You Wish For, Fairy Godmothers, Dean is Bad at Feelings, Not So Much Gay Panic As Gay Pondering
Posting: 11/5/2018

Summary:

One night, after watching Dean pick up yet another girl while they’re out at a bar, Cas heads to the local diner. Over the years his feelings of attraction have only deepened into something more, and he wishes desperately to go back to the time before he was in love with his best friend. His wish is granted in an unexpected way: he wakes up in the hospital the next morning with broken limbs – an arm and a leg- and a fractured memory with the last four years missing.

Dean had always been nice to him, but Cas had a feeling his goodwill wouldn’t last when the truth came out. “I don’t think that would be wise,” he hedged, wondering if his new roommate would be the tolerant type. Or at least less attractive. Did it make him a bad person to wish for an ugly roommate?

“What? Why not? I think we’d get along great if you got to know me better. Or at all, even.”

“I think my sexual orientation would make you uncomfortable,” he’d blurted, preparing for the worst. There was no point keeping it a secret any longer, since he was on his way out, and maybe Dean would just back off and leave him be.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Dean had sounded so incredulous that Cas paused, turning to him with a pair of sweatpants in his hands. “I don’t care about that, dude, whatever it is. You’d know that already if I were around more, I guess.” He ran his hands through hair, then leaned onto his knees to look Cas in the eye. “Listen. Let’s go over to the housing office and talk to them about this. I really don’t want to spend the rest of the year with Captain Righteous, and even if you don’t want to braid each other’s hair every night I much prefer your company.”

“You never even accepted my friend request.” It was a stupid thing to say, but it was always in the back of his mind whenever Dean was nice to him.

“On Facebook? You sent me one? Aw, man, I’m sorry. I’m terrible with social media stuff, I don’t think I’ve even opened it for months!”

Cas had blinked stupidly at him, at a loss for what to say. Dean squirmed uncomfortably.

“Unless…unless you really don’t want to room with me?” He asked this last part rather timidly, as though it hadn’t actually occurred to him, and just like that everything changed for Cas. For the first time he saw past Dean’s outward veneer and glimpsed the one beneath it: shy, unsure, and maybe just as vulnerable as he was.

“I think I would like to, actually.”

Dean smiled fully then, and Cas felt his heart skip a beat before he shook himself. He couldn’t be perving on his roommate if he didn’t want to go back to having an awkward living situation. It might help if you actually got to know him better. Familiarity breeds contempt and all that. He didn’t know, then, that familiarity can also shape a thing to you in a way that makes anything else seem like a poor substitute. That familiarity is what makes a pillow mold to your head just right, or favorite pair of jeans so comfortable, or a person feel like there’s no one else for you but them.

deancasbigbang:

Title: The Volunteer
Author: thatwriterlady
Artist: Diminuel
Rating: Explicit
Pairings: Dean/Cas, mention of Sam/Eileen, mention of Mary/John
Wordcount: 29300
Warnings/Tags: Truemates, Falling In Love, Self-Esteem Issues, Mention of Loss, Depressed Character, Devotion, Alpha Dean, Omega Castiel, Fluff, Smut
Posting: 11/5/2018

Summary:

Dean visits his brother on occasion at the hospital where Sam works in the maternity ward as a doctor. This time turns out to be different. He’s only ever heard his brother talk about the mysterious Omega that volunteers in the NICU to hold the preemie pups, and help them want to live. On this day Dean happens to meet the mysterious Omega, and it changes his life. The quiet, reclusive man is his truemate, and he isn’t as happy about that as Dean is. It will take some patience and a whole lot of love to convince Castiel that he is worth having as a mate. Dean has his work cut out for him, but he doesn’t care, he’d do anything for his truemate.

Sam stood outside the NICU watching as Castiel rocked gently in the glider chair. His shirt was open and he had a tiny pup pressed against his chest. Little Abigail Norman. She was six weeks old now, though she’d been born almost six weeks premature. Her little hand was in her mouth and her eyes, the most beautiful chocolate brown, were wide open as she sucked away on her fingers. The Omega was stroking his fingers gently up and down her back, smiling softly as he soothed the tiny pup. He knew she was one of Castiel’s favorites. She’d struggled so hard in the beginning. After her mother had given her up for adoption, essentially walking out on her, she’d had failure to thrive. Her doctor and the nurses had all done everything they could to try and save her, but it was Castiel who managed to make her want to fight to live. She was almost ready to be released. It broke his heart knowing she didn’t have a home to go to, but she wasn’t the first pup to come through here that had been given up by their parents, and she wouldn’t be the last.

“Hey, Sammy, you free to join me for lunch?”

He turned away from the window to see his brother approaching.

“Uh,” he checked his watch, “I’ll be free in a few. I have a patient to check on. Give me five?”

Dean nodded and watched as Sam headed around the corner. He looked into the NICU window, his eyes landing on the man sitting with the pup cradled against his chest. There was something both beautiful and intimate about it, and he was intrigued. He wondered if this was the volunteer Sam had mentioned a few times over the years. The man looked up, his blue eyes locking on Dean’s own green ones. It sent something that felt like an electric shock through him. He’d already figured the man was an Omega, based on where he was and what he was doing, but he’d never had such a reaction to one before. More than anything he wanted to go in there, to scent the man, but if this was the Omega Sam had mentioned, the man would be offended.

“He’s saved her life.”

Dean jumped at the sound of his brother’s voice and turned to see that Sam was standing next to him.

“This is that Omega volunteer you talked about, right?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, Castiel. I don’t really know his story. He showed up here about 15 years ago, long before I started here and just offered to volunteer to cuddle the pups that were really in critical care. Thanks to him, many of them have gone on to thrive and survive. He has cried and mourned every one that didn’t make it,” Sam replied.

“He doesn’t look all that old.” Dean noted. “Is he mated?”

Sam side-eyed him, pursing his lips. “Don’t go there. No, he is not mated. I don’t know how old he is. He’s older than me, that’s all that I know.”

Dean turned back to look at Castiel again and found the Omega still watching him. A nurse had come to take the pup he’d been holding, and now he was cradling one that was barely bigger than his hand, holding it against his chest as he stroked a finger against its cheek. There were so many wires Dean could hardly see the pup itself.

“Why is he staring at me?”

“I don’t really know, he never does that. Usually he focuses 100% on the pups. If he feels up to talking later, he might say something.” Sam sighed and turned away from the window. “I have an hour, let’s go down to the cafeteria.”

“Cool. I’m starving.” Dean gave one last glance back at the Omega with the bright blue eyes. Castiel was beautiful, though there was something in his eyes, something that spoke of heartache, and he found himself wondering what it was. With a sigh he followed after his brother, not knowing if he’d ever see the gorgeous, haunted Omega again.