AUTHOR'S NOTES: This was inspired by a recent dream that I had. It seemed too good a plot to waste, so wrote it.
The Simplest of Hopes by Shadow of Castiel
"What's up with the what now?" Dean asked, large green eyes turned up to face Castiel's intense blue ones, trained on his own, with fire and heat heavy within them.
"An amulet, a very powerful one, has been located in Calukmul," Castiel replied, gruff voice grave, as he sat on the bed across from the hunter, lips pursed primly as he settled. "I found out about it a few days ago and I think it might help in the search for my Father."
Once more he reminded Dean of a great bird settling its feathers around its body when Castiel smoothed his coat around his knees, and settled down upon the bed gently. Castiel looked as calm, collected and unruffled as usual, face expressionless, plump lips parted as he breathed, large eyes taking in his surroundings before settling on Dean once more.
"Where the hell's Calukmul, dude? Is that Africa?" Dean asked, blinking with confusion. "I'm not going to Africa with you, father or no father. I hate flying."
"No, it's not in Africa, Dean. It's in Mexico, the Yukatan Peninsula to be exact," Sam replied, over Castiel's shoulder, voice slightly muffled as he pulled on a t shirt over his head.
"Mexico? You wanna go to Mexico for some piece of jewellery? What the hell for again?" Dean asked, turning his frown from his brother to his lover in growing consternation. "You do realize burritos make my brother gassy don't you?"
Castiel turned his gaze to Sam, a hint of a smile curling the corners of the angel's mouth, warming the solemn lines of his face and making him seem more human.
"Yeah, yeah, you can laugh, Cas," Sam said, swiping at the angel's shoulder, in a friendly fashion. "You wait til you try some, then see who's laughing."
"I think I'll pass," Castiel replied, gravely. "I don't think Dean will let me share the bed if I did. I don't want to be kicked out of Dean's bed. I like it there."
Dean blushed, coughed in sudden embarrassment as he turned away, uncertain as to quite what to do with himself next. Sam was laughing at Castiel's honesty, all too used to the idea of what the lovers did with each other to even be concerned with his candour. He was also used to Castiel being unfailingly honest with everything he said, unfamiliar with the concept of a filter between his brain and his mouth to phase out the more private things that went on between him and Dean.
"Okay, Cas, I get the point," Sam said, sitting down beside the angel, before Castiel could go any further.
Castiel smiled, head tilted curiously as though he wasn't sure what he'd said to deserve such hilarity and embarrassment, but the moment passed, swallowed by Dean who changed the subject rapidly.
"So, this Calcutta place," Dean said, clearing his throat loudly.
"Calukmul, Dean, not Calcutta. That's in India," Sam corrected, with a smile. "Calukmul is a Mayan ruin, in South America."
"Hey, I remember those dudes. They're supposed to have disappeared without a trace, weren't they?" Dean asked, scratching at the back of his head in sudden discomfort.
"A popular misconception, Dean," Sam replied, with a smirk at his brother. "They're still there, populating the Mayan area, or rather their descendants are. I don't think a whole civilization can disappear without a trace, do you?"
"The dinosaurs did," Dean pointed out, lips pouting out as though he wanted the last word.
Sam stared pointedly at him, barely blinking and making Dean shift in ever growing discomfort beneath his brother's withering stare.
"Oh well, never mind, bitch," Dean replied, deciding to change the subject and draw the focus of his brother's disdain away from him for a moment. "Calukmul. What's the deal, then, Cas?"
"I told you. There's an amulet there that could help in the search for God. I need it to strengthen your amulet. It's not strong enough on its own, as I haven't found God with it yet," and Castiel trained his intense gaze upon Dean's face, tenderness in his eyes suddenly.
His slender fingers traced the outline of Dean's amulet beneath the white confines of his shirt, and Dean paused, missing the absence of his amulet keenly, yet feeling touched that Castiel had chosen to wear it himself, instead of stuffing it aimlessly in his pocket. His gaze flicked up to Castiel's, smiled at the angel before him and reached out to pat his lover's knee in an awkward gesture.
"So? What are we waiting for?" Dean asked, standing as though determined to leave that very minute.
"Wait. What?" Sam asked, looking up at his standing brother from where he still sat beside Castiel. "Hang on a minute, Dean. A minute ago, you didn't know where Calukmul was, and now you're ready to travel gung ho into unknown waters the minute your boyfriend touches your amulet?"
"Yeah, something like that," Dean replied, rolling up a pair of jeans to push to the bottom of his bag.
Sam remained silent as he stared at Dean, in confusion. Dean looked up at him, eyebrows raised as he shrugged.
"What?" he asked, gaze flickering to Castiel's serene face beside his brother's. "Cas wants the amulet. If it's gonna help him find his dad, I'm gonna help him."
Sam turned to look at Castiel, but the angel remained as unreadable as ever.
"Sometimes, it's like I don't even know you, Dean," Sam said, finally standing and moving to push his own clothes into his bag. "I bet if I suggested doing something like this, you'd argue til you were blue in the face."
"That pretty much sums it up, yeah," Dean replied, with a smug smile at Sam.
"Gee, thanks, dude," Sam replied, sour notes pinching his face and pouting his lips out in dissatisfied lines.
"You love it, Sammy," Dean replied, gruffly, making Castiel smile once more at the brothers easy exchange.
His large blue eyes turned from Sam's face to Dean's, trust and beguiling innocence held within them, making Dean smile. The hunter leant down to press a kiss to Castiel's soft mouth on his way past, making Sam turn away to hide his smile. He didn't want his smile to be misconstrued; really, he thought Dean and Castiel made the perfect couple, as though they were two halves of the one whole.
Then he turned back and said - "You still have to fly to Mexico, Dean. We're in Dallas, don't forget."
"No, we don't. We can go by angel airways, right, Cas?" Dean asked, glancing quickly at Castiel as he continued pushing bundled clothing and weapons into his bag.
"As you wish, Dean," Castiel replied, serenely, eyes planted firmly upon Dean and taking in every one of the hunter's movements as though filing them away for future reference.
"I can always eat some burritos to loosen the bowels when we get there," Dean replied, with a wry smile, thinking that Castiel's angelic form of travel wasn't always forgiving on the human body.
"Huh?" Sam asked, staring at his brother from where he stood by his own bed.
"Never mind, long story," Dean replied, turning away with a small chuckle.
Sam didn't press the issue, even though Dean's off the wall statement really didn't make sense to him. Castiel waited serenely, silent, watchful, patient until Dean and Sam were packed. When they both were ready, he stood, pressed both his palms to their foreheads and spirited them away without warning on wings of shadow, shifting light pressing at eyeballs, wind rushing past limbs and then blank nothingness.
-tbc-