deancasbigbang:

Title: Silver and Cold
Author: superhoney
Artist: whichstiel
Rating: Explicit
Length: 64,851 words
Pairings: Dean/Castiel (minor Charlie/Dorothy, minor Sam/Sarah Blake)
Warnings: No major archive warnings apply. Canon-typical violence, minor character death, tragic backstory and resulting nightmares, angst with a happy ending. 

Summary

The death of a young man in an apparent animal attack brings hunter Cas Novak to the small town of Sydnam, Maine. It doesn’t take long for him to realize he’s tracking a werewolf, but discovering the killer’s identity is no easy task. All signs point towards Dean Winchester, a lonely recluse who lives in the middle of the woods and whose antagonistic behaviour does little to lessen Cas’ suspicions.

As the investigation drags on, their mutual distrust gives way to a wary alliance. Cas’ instincts warn him that Dean is hiding something, but as he uncovers the man beneath the mystery, his professional interest becomes far more personal. Praying his faith in Dean isn’t misplaced, Cas races to catch the killer before the next full moon rises and another life is abruptly cut short.

Link to fic

Link to art on tumblr or on AO3

deancasbigbang:

Title: Heart Like a Wheel 
Author: Tragidean // LoversAntiquities
Artist: Subtextiel
Rating: Explicit
Length: 24,921
Pairings: Dean/Castiel
Warnings: Discussions of past self-harm/suicide attempts
Summary: 

Down on his luck in college, Dean Winchester finds a flyer taped to his dorm’s bulletin board, reading, “Looking for model for long term project. No gender preference, pays in cash.” And desperate as he is for cash, Dean can’t help but feel self-conscious about the entire thing, even after he applies and meets his soon-to-be employer, Professor Castiel Novak. Only Dean never expected him to be so attractive—and so explicit in his desires, as well.

What starts out as a presumably mundane project quickly evolves into Dean’s wildest fantasy, full of lace and nudity and the open road. What he never expected to get out of it, though, is a boyfriend, a better view of life as he knows it, and a lesson on how even the ugliest of scars can be beautiful.

Link to fic: Here
Link to art: Here (Mild NSFW)

deancasbigbang:

Title: Happenstance

Author:
Fangirling_FTW

Artist:
Zoe

Rating
: Explicit
Pairings: Castiel/ Dean Winchester
Wordcount: 68000
Warnings/Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics; Alpha!Cas; Omega!Dean; Canon-typical violence; angst and fluff; non-explicit Mpreg; mating cycles/in heat; Alternate Universe
Posting: 11/23/2018

Summary:

Castiel had retreated to a life of solitude- just him and his cousin on a farm, away from the stares and smells of a society that either pitied or shunned him.

A fault in a car engine and it’s charismatic driver, Dean, rip Castiel from that quiet life and force him to open his eyes to a much larger world- and the fight to change it.


“Hey, I heard shout- Sam?!” Cas instinctively stands between Dean and the stranger, his mind focused on danger.

“Dean!” the stranger calls, his alpha scent calming slightly. Dean tries to move past Cas, but Cas’ body moves of its own accord, cutting Dean off from the other alpha.

“Cas, what the- oh, shit. Hey, Sam, give me a second.”

“Dean-”

“I said give me a second! You both smell like you’re going to kill each other.” Dean steps into Cas’ line of sight, running his hands over Cas’ face. “Hey, Cas. Can you hear me?”

Dean,” Cas hears his chest rumble. He grabs hold of Dean, pushing him back a few steps into the trunk of the Impala.

“Easy, alpha, easy,” Dean gasps, and Cas breathes in Dean’s scent, the red starting to fade from his vision. “It’s okay, I’m safe. It’s Sam, my brother, Sam. Remember? I told you about him?”

“Sorry,” Cas sighs, dropping his head against Dean’s chest as the red haze fades. “He, he must have smelled you on me, he came after me-”

“Alright, we’re alright.” Dean squeezes his shoulder before turning to face Sam.

Dean’s scent immediately changes, turning sour as he approaches his brother, and punches Sam in the face.

“Dean, what the hell?!” Sam snaps, holding a hand to his cheek.

“I could ask you the same thing! Since when do you just walk up to a guy you don’t know and start a fight?!”

“Since he smelled like you! He’s an alpha what was I supposed to think?”

“I can take care of myself!” Dean grumbles.

“I know, okay, I’m sorry. Did you really have to punch me, jerk?”

“Course I did, bitch, you deserve it,” Dean huffs. Both brothers half smile and the tension seems to break, the anger leaving their scents. “Sam, I had to get out of there, at least for a day or two.” Dean looks over his shoulder at Cas. “And I kind of stumbled on something out here.”

“I see that.” Sam gives Cas a small smile.

“This is Castiel. Cas, this is my baby brother, Sam.” Sam offers his hand, grumbling something about ‘not a baby’ and Cas takes it.

“Hello, Sam. My apologies for the display.”

“It’s fine, I did swing first. Can you blame me?” Sam’s voice is genuinely apologetic, and Cas frowns at the sudden burst of anxiety from Dean.

“Um, I’d say you’re a bit overprotective,” Cas admits.

“Wait,” Sam takes a deep breath through his nose, his eyes widening comically. “You haven’t told him?!”

“I was about to, actually, until you showed up and threw a wrench in that plan,” Dean grumbles, embarrassed and nervous. Cas looks between the brothers

“Tell me what?” Dean sighs heavily, turning to face him.

“This doesn’t change anything,” Dean insists. “Everything I’ve done, everything I’ve said…none of it changes.”

“Tell me what?” Cas repeats.

“Cas…I’m not a beta.” Cas nearly laughs because he definitely wasn’t an alpha-

Oh.

Oh.

deancasbigbang:

Title: A Cut Above

Author:
coffeeandcas

Artist:
Lotrspnfangirl

Rating
: Explicit
Pairings: Dean/Castiel, Sam/Gabriel, past Meg/Castiel
Wordcount: 27000
Warnings/Tags: Autism, Aspergers, Parent Castiel, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Past Character Death, Injury, Alternate Universe, Angst, Romance
Posting: 11/23/2018

Summary:

Castiel hasn’t been on a date in a very long time. In fact, he can barely remember the last time he even had a first date. Long before the birth of his son, and the loss of his wife. It’s been him and Noah for years and he doubts he would even have room for a new partner in his life.

But when a new barber shop springs up in the centre of town, the owner has a certain type of roguish charm that he seems powerless to resist.


Saturday morning rolls around, and Castiel and Noah are walking through the city once more to go to the farmer’s market. Noah is carrying the list and scrutinising it intently as he walks, while Castiel holds him by the hand and stops him from walking into pillars, other people, or tripping over dog leads. As promised, Castiel had taken Noah back the following day to see the barber shop pole – and every day after that for almost a week. He’s pretty sure the guy who owns it, who he’s still never caught more than a glimpse of, probably thinks he’s a grade A weirdo by now but he’s long past caring what other people think. If he has to do something a little out of the ordinary to make Noah happy, so be it.

“Look, Noah. We’re right by the barber shop. Do you want to stop for a minute and look at the pole?”

“Yes, please.” Noah folds up the list neatly and reaches up to put it in Castiel’s pocket. They both stand for a moment, gazing up at the pole, Noah entranced and Castiel deep in thought about their plans for the rest of the day.

After a moment or two he reaches out for Noah who inches away from him, opens his mouth to say that they really need to get going, but the words never quite manage to leave his lips.

“Good mornin’,” rumbles a deep, definitely male voice from behind them and Castiel turns to greet the man in response but his reply never quite takes shape.

Leaning against the doorframe of Styles ‘n Smiles with his arms folded is, quite easily, the most handsome guy Castiel has ever laid eyes on. He’s tall and broad, dressed in a plain black t-shirt which hugs his biceps and soft blue jeans with ratty hems over comfy-looking All Stars. And he has such captivating green eyes that Castiel finds himself staring openly, wondering if their colour is real or if the guy wears contacts. It’s only when he realises the guy is staring back that he blinks, blushes, and fumbles for Noah’s hand.

“Sorry. We don’t mean to loiter. We’re just on our way…”

But his feeble apologies die on his lips as the guy gives him a warm, welcoming smile flashing his straight white teeth, then crouches down to Noah’s height.

“Hey there, buddy. You like that?” The guy points upward at the slowly revolving candy-striped pole above the barber shop and Noah nods, still looking at it. “I painted it myself. Kinda pleased with the end result, tell the truth. I’m not much of an artist but I think that looks kinda cool.”

“I think it does, too,” Noah says in a very small voice, inching closer to Castiel so that his father is within reach. “I like the colours. It looks like a candy cane.”

“It sure does. You’re one smart cookie.”

“I’m not a cookie. I’m a boy, and I’m eight years old, and my name is Noah.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Noah. I’m glad you like my shop.”

deancasbigbang:

Title: Crack the Shutters

Author:
archofimagine

Artist:
Supernatastic101

Rating
: Explicit
Pairings: Dean/Cas (minor Sam/Steve Rogers)
Wordcount: 20000
Warnings/Tags: BDSM, rope play, bondage, light spanking, sub!Dean, dom!Cas, falling back in love, kid!fic, divorced!Destiel, love/hate relationship
Posting: 11/21/2018

Summary:

Dean Winchester has been divorced for two years – but he’s still having issues learning to live with that. He struggles with keeping active in the lives of his twins, Jack and Emma, and not trying to strangle his ex, Castiel. All of this while settling into a world where his dream job was taken away from him in a freak accident.

On the advice of a friend, he looks into online dating and stumbles upon a website geared towards BDSM play, instead of traditional dating. He’s intrigued, and quickly starts up a conversation with a Master that, after a few weeks, wants to meet him at a local club.

Unfortunately, while he’s starting to develop a new side of himself, he’s also starting to realize he might not hate his ex-husband as much as he thought he did.


“Dad!”

Dean looked up at the shout and immediately grinned at the sight of Jack running towards him from the elevator, a backpack on his shoulders. Dean hopped off of the tailgate and held his arms open, swooping Jack into his arms as soon as he was close and swinging the boy around once. Jack, who was the spitting image of Castiel, had a soft soul and unabashedly wore his heart on his sleeve. He loved fast and strong.

And he was a daddy’s boy through and through.

As soon as Jack’s feet were back on the ground, he was talking animatedly about the latest drawing he’d been working on. Jack was a big superhero fan, as well as a variety of computer and console video games, but since both of his father’s had a rule that his screen time was limited, he had quickly taken to drawing his own versions of his favorite characters.

“Wait wait wait… a batman comic?” Dean asked, interrupting the excited descriptions.

“I know! I have it on my tablet, I can’t wait to show you!”

The elevator dinged again, and before Dean could say anything else to Jack, Emma and Castiel were stepping off of the elevator and walking his direction. Where Jack was the spitting image of Cas… Emma was the female version of Dean. Sometimes he wondered how it was possible that it was like their surrogate’s genes hadn’t been involved at all. Looking at his children, the only time Dean could ever see glimpses of the woman, was in the wrinkle of Emma’s nose, and the shape of Jack’s ears.

“Emma bear,” Dean greeted, holding his arms out and pulling the girl close. She was a little less touchy-feely, in comparison to Jack, but thankfully still allowed her dad to take what little attention and love he could get. God, he missed them. “How’s it going, kiddo? Did you ace that karate test?”

Emma’s entire face lit up. “I kicked Tyler’s butt. Had him flat out and pinned in seventy-eight seconds!”

Dean high-fived the girl. “Way to go. Uncle Sam invited us over for dinner. I’m sure Uncle Steve would love to see your moves.”

She leaned forward and whispered for only Dean to hear, “I’m gonna kick his ass.”

deancasbigbang:

Title: John Winchester’s Basement

Author:
violue

Artist:
oh-cassie

Rating
: Explicit
Pairings: Dean/Cas (minor Sam/Ruby/Brady, past Castiel/Others)
Wordcount: 21300
Warnings/Tags: alternate universe, canon-typical violence, creature!Castiel, past infidelity (not Dean/Cas)
Posting: 11/20/2018

Summary:

After Dean’s father dies, it falls to him to pack up his house. Dean expects to spend a few days drunk, mourning, nostalgic… but John’s house has more inside it than old hunting trophies and shot glasses, and Dean’s about to find out that his father is not quite the man he thought he was.


A trapdoor.

There’s no other word for what Dean’s looking at. It’s thick, heavy wood, with a large, metal ring fastened to one end. It looks like something out of a video game, aside from the dusty old pizza box next to it.

What a fucking trip.

Dean grabs hold of the ring, surprised to see that it lifts easily. He thought it would be heavier. In the movies, secret trapdoors are always really heavy.

He hears the chains again as he lifts the door, and finds himself wanting to mutter “curiouser and curiouser”, like Alice in Wonderland. Maybe he’ll fall inside and be transported to another world.

He doesn’t fall in, but he does make his way down the narrow flight of stairs hidden beneath the door, holding his phone up for light as he goes. The stairs go down a bit longer than an average staircase, and each step makes Dean feel a little more nervous, a little claustrophobic.

When Dean gets to the bottom he spies a light switch which he flips on.

To the left of the stairs, the small part of the basement that actually exists underneath the house, there are many, many locked metal boxes on a shelf. The rest of the room extends behind the house, under the backyard. How did Dean not know this was here? John’s been living here a good fifteen years.

The room goes back far enough that part of it remains in shadows, and it’s from that direction that Dean hears the sound of chains again, this time much clearer than before.

“It’s about time.” The agitated, gravelly voice makes Dean jump out of his fucking skin. Holy fucking shit there’s someone down here. “I’m starving.”

Dean’s afraid to go closer, because who the fuck. “H-hello?” he calls out, embarrassed when his voice fucking cracks like he’s twenty years younger.

The chains shift. “You are not John,” the voice says.

“N-no,” Dean says, looking to see if there’s another light switch.

“Come closer, human.”

Yeah, like that’s not alarming. “No thanks, pal, I’ve seen this movie.” Dean finally locates the second light switch and flicks it on.

There’s a man seated on the floor, beside a pile of books and a flashlight. The chains Dean was hearing… they’re for him. There’s two chains, each attached to a manacle around the man’s wrists. They stretch five feet at most, one end rooted in the cement floor. The man is looking away, one arm blocking the light.

“Very bright, haven’t had light in here in days,” he mutters, sounding annoyed more than anything else.

“What are… who are you?!” Dean all but shouts. “What the hell is this?”

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: Drive, Darling

Author:
goldenboydean

Artist:
Pimentogirl

Rating
: Explicit
Pairings: Dean/Cas, mentions of Sam/Eileen, mentions of past Dean/others, mentions of past Cas/others
Wordcount: 31561
Warnings/Tags: mutual pining, bisexual!dean, photographer!cas, mechanic!dean, but he has other ambitions, john winchester’s a+ parenting, homophobic language, explicit sexual content, sweet summer sweat
Posting: 11/15/2018

Summary:

It’s the last day of July and the air is thick with heat and road dust. Dean Winchester is waiting for his new lodger, some photographer from Chicago coming down to take pictures of the famous covered bridges in the area. And when Castiel Novak arrives at the Winchester farm both men develop a bond that grows stronger as the days go by. But Cas is here just for a short stay and Dean fears that falling for him would only end in a heartbreak. Some things, however, are inevitable.

Summer is in full bloom in Madison County, Iowa. Hot, cloudless and ripe with possibilities.


The day is oppressively hot. Dean can feel beads of sweat running down his neck, mimicking the way condensation leaves little rivulets on his beer bottle. He looks straight ahead, over their neatly mowed lawn and all the way to the neighbor’s cornfield where it stretches over the gentle slope of the hill on the other side of the road. It’s a view he knows by heart and if he closes his eyes, he can picture they way it will look months from now, when summer is long gone and winter looms over the horizon.

For now though summer is in full bloom and Dean’s chest swells with the kind of hopefulness he hasn’t felt in a long time. Something is coming. He can feel it just under his skin, like a buzz that won’t be silenced.

And that’s when he sees it – a red pickup truck, emerging from the waves of hot air like a poor man’s mirage. Dean knows every car within a 10 mile radius, but he doesn’t recognise this one. It must be the new guest, some photographer from Chicago coming down to Iowa to take pictures of… cornfields, probably. What else is there?

Dean stands up and watches as the truck crawls to a stop next to where his Impala is parked. The door opens and a man climbs out. From his vantage point Dean can see that he is tall and slim, with broad shoulders and tanned forearms where they’re exposed by the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt. He’s also wearing aviator sunglasses and Dean almost shakes his head. You’re in Iowa, dude. Ditch the Top Gun shit.

When the man sees him standing on the porch he takes the glasses off and offers Dean a tentative smile. Dean raises his hand in a greeting and makes his way down the wooden steps and towards the driveway.

“Mr. Winchester?” the man asks, walking towards him. The closer he gets the brighter the color of his eyes seems. Blue, like cornflowers growing on the side of the road, Dean thinks.

“Call me Dean”.

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.