So... New story...
(I HAVEN'T ABANDONED HARRY POTTER AND THE LOST DEMIGOD! I'M JUST... REWRITING THE PLOT... A LOT... SORRY. I'LL EVENTUALLY GET THERE.)
This one literally came out of nowhere. Listening to the song, and BOOM. Song fic all planned out.
Oh, and it is a bit AU. I'm not sure if it is an AU of the season 8 finale, or what. Just roll with it.
Anyway... I hope you like. :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, ro 'Where The Story Ends' by The Fray. I'm simply... Playing around with them.
Where The Story Ends
Strangely, when Dean was dying, he thought of Castiel, the angel of Thursday.
Trying not to lose my head but I have never been this scared before
Tell you what I'll do instead, lay my body down on the floor
To forget what I've done, silhouette til the good lord come
The hunter hadn't seen him for years - ever since Cas had successfully closed the gates of Heaven, sealing all the angels (including himself) away from the human world.
He had assured Dean that worthy souls would still be granted access; only the angels would be forbidden from passing through the gates.
His last memory of the angel had been their farewell - brief, in typical Winchester style. Sam, the nerd he was, launched into a short speech about how Cas was family and they'd never forget him, but when it was Dean's turn, the words wouldn't come. He settled for a quick hug (a very manly one) and gruffly told the angel to look after himself in a thick voice. Castiel nodded, and gave a small smile before disappearing.
Dean later denied Sam's claim that the older winch had shed a few tears.
All we know is distance
We're close and then we run
Kiss away the difference
I know you hate this one
And so their life continued like it always had; ganking monsters and demons, living on the road in a '67 Chevy Impala - two brothers together. Occasionally Dean would spare a thought for their unofficial third family member - sometimes a, "Son of a bitch! This would have been so much easier with Cas," as he got thrown into a wall during a hunt, other times a more nostalgic wistfulness while sharing a beer with Sam under the starry night sky. He missed the angel more than he'd admit to anyone, even Sam.
So he found it interesting that as he lay, gasping for breath through the blood beginning to bubble up in his mouth, that Castiel would be foremost in his thoughts.
Not Sammy, who came racing up holding a crimson stained knife with panic on his face, but the one who raised him from Perdition, who rebelled against his own family for a couple of messed up hunters.
He could picture the angel - blue eyes, dark hair that never lay completely flat, together with his holy tax accountant outfit; suit, tie, and of course, a tan trenchcoat.
How the trenchcoat had survived so much, Dean would never know.
But there was more to Castiel than his appearance. His slight tilt of the head that had become so familiar to Dean. His complete lack of understanding of pop culture references, despite spending so much time around Dean.
His loyalty. Cas had made so many mistakes, but in the end Dean had to admit that it had all been done for him and Sam. Plus, the Winchesters weren't exactly poster boys for making good choices.
All of it was Castiel. The angel who made his home on Earth with two hunters.
Trying not to lose your own, boxing up everything, you've got
All you ever knew of home, you're scared, scared to see
Your mother there in the door, you wonder where did the years go
Dean's breath stuttered, and he was drawn back to his little brother, trying desperately to stop the blood flowing from the deep wound in his belly.
"Sam. 'S okay," he tried to say. Dean had never intentionally tried to end his life, but now the opportunity came up, he wasn't going to fight it. Because, honestly, he was ready.
"No. C'mon Dean, you can pull through this. C'mon. Don't leave me." Sam's eyes were filling with tears. He knew enough about injuries to tell when something was fatal.
But since when did love listen to common sense?
Dean gave his brother a lopsided smile, ignoring the pain. "Part of the job description, Sammy. Older brother kicks the bucket first." It was a pretty half-assed attempt at humour, but it was enough to tempt a small, watery smile from Sam.
All we know is distance
We're close and then we run
Kiss away the difference
I know you hate this one
The older hunter coughed weakly, spraying blood from his mouth and sending a lance of pain through him. Not to mention utterly spoiling the mood.
"S'm."
"Yeah, Dean?"
"Look af'er yourself. O'erwise I'll have to come back as a ghost an' give you a kick up the backside."
Sam's smile got even more wobbly. "Of course, Dean. But you're not dying yet. I'll - I'll call an ambulance. If we just keep pressure on it -"
Sam's voice faded away to a faint buzzing in Dean's ears. He wondered silently how long it would freaking take to die already. His eyes roved the surroundings blankly, only seeing the blurry shapes. As his gaze returned to his distraught brother he spotted a man-like shape rising up behind him, like a scene from a bad horror film. With the energy only an older sibling protecting his younger brother can possess, he flung his dropped knife at the figure. It buried itself in its chest, and he couldn't help thinking smugly that even weak and dying, he was still a perfect aim.
Instead of dropping dead, the figure pulled out the knife and let it fall to the ground.
"Hello Dean."
But this is how the story ends
Or have we just begun
To kiss away the difference
I know you hate this one
Dean's jaw dropped, and Sam spun around. "Cas?!"
The angel nodded, dressed exactly as he always was. Dean couldn't help thinking it was ironic that he had met Cas in the same way they'd first met - by burying a dagger in his chest. An interesting greeting, he had to admit.
"Cas!" Sam said excitedly. "Thank god you're here. You can heal Dean!" The younger man looked so relieved that it broke Dean's heart. Because he was ready to die. But he didn't want to leave his little brother alone.
He was tired - tired of the life he led, the relentless danger. For the first time, he understood why Sam had been so desperate to escape it. Being a hunter took everything out of you, until there was nothing left but a shell. And then it took that, into death.
The violins make no sound
"I'm sorry, Sam. It is his time. I merely came to take him to heaven."
Sam looked utterly crushed. Dean tried to tell him that it was alright, but his voice failed him.
"Be at peace, Dean. You have earned it, Righteous Man."
With Cas's words, calm washed over the hunter, numbing the pain. He closed his eyes and let the blackness overwhelm him.
And I begin to feel the ground
When he opened them, it was to a playground. He was sitting on a park bench, under a clear sky. With a rush of recognition, he realised that it was the same park bench on which he and Castiel had had one of their first proper conversations.
"Dean."
The familiar gravelly voice spoke beside him. He turned his head and smiled at the angel.
"Hey, Cas."
Somehow, there was no need for other words. They just sat, perfectly content with each other's presence.
Something was different between them, Dean could feel it. A part of him that he thought only Sam could fill was filled. He was warm all over, and a sensation that he had never felt before was bubbling up.
And then it clicked, as simple as the thought slipping into his head.
He loved Cas.
All we know is distance
We're close and then we run
Kiss away the difference
I know you hate this one
Not like a brother, which he'd always thought, but something more. Like... Like he had loved Lisa, he supposed, but more.
Somehow, this revelation didn't scare him. It felt right that Dean Winchester, 110% straight, was in love with a dude angel.
There was no fear of rejection from Castiel, either, despite the angel's non-existent sexual orientation. Dean loved Cas, and Cas loved Dean. It was that simple.
How Dean knew this, he had no idea. But he knew that he was right.
Perhaps in Heaven everyone was psychic, he thought with a chuckle. At the sound Castiel turned towards him, and Dean smiled wider. The angel of Thursday returned the smile with his own, and then they were kissing.
It was not full of passion, a desperate joint of lips in lust. It was gentle, full of acceptance and joy.
The kiss didn't last long, but Dean didn't feel the need for more.
Not that he wouldn't mind more...
"So," he said playfully, winking at Castiel. "How does this Heaven thing work?"
Cas smiled at him and took his hand. "I'll show you." And with that he pulled the hunter off the seat.
Dean couldn't help laughing as he decided that Heaven had turned him into a girl, full of chick flick moments.
Not that that was a bad thing, he added, looking at the angel (his angel) beside him, glowing with happiness.
But this is where the story ends
Or have we just begun
To kiss away the difference
I know you hate this one
Sam crossed his mind, and for a moment his joy dimmed. Cas, seemingly guessing his thoughts, pulled him closer and whispered in his ear.
The story he told was not a tragic one. Dean kissed his angel again, letting his worries float away, content in the knowledge that his brother was, and would forever be, safe and happy.
Together, like little children, the angel of Thursday and the Righteous Man ran through the paradise prepared for them. After all, the Father's kingdom had been created for those such as them.
For this is where the story ends. Or have we just begun?
WAIT! THIS IS NOT THE END!
Actually, it mostly is. There is a second chapter from Sam's POV, because how could I leave Sam like that?! No. That's just cruel.
I hope to get it done by Friday. We'll see...
Please review! Criticism would be greatly appreciated, seeing as this is my first Destiel fic. Yup.
So long!
NightSand