10 ways Dean made Castiel feel
Free
Castiel was stuck working overtime in Adler's again.
It was already 9 pm and he still hadn't finished the documentation.
The sterile, white room, a maze of cubicles seemed to swallow him within. Like this place was made for sucking your soul away until you were nothing more than a space monkey. A robot designed to fulfill each and every task you give him until his software cannot update anymore and you need a new one. A consumer whose life only evolves around the next paycheck he receives, and buys a car that he will pay off for the rest of his life.
Castiel ran a shaky hand through his hair and grazed his fingers over his tired eyes, trying to snap his mind away from those thoughts. He slumped his back against the desk chair and swiveled around until he faced the wide window, showing the dark night that loomed over the sky.
But, in that darkness lay life.
The streets were lit with passing cars, the sky alight with stars that promised more to your life, that promised a world full of wonders, the buildings speaking of homes and people who live and thrive in this world. People with lives worth living and souls worth keeping. People that weren't restricted in life, that saw opportunity around every corner.
People unlike Castiel.
Castiel was nothing more than a sheep in a herd led by a wolf in shepherd's clothing.
He knew exactly where life ended. Hell, it already had ended for him.
It ended when Zachariah, the good cousin he was, took 'pity' on him and gave him a job as an accountant in his firm. Being mute, Castiel didn't have much say into this. His parents were thrilled for him to be given a 'future', thrilled that Castiel could be 'independent' and make a life of his own. More like, happy to have gotten rid of him, the burden he was.
The only possible future he got was 'dying' of an anxiety attack on the same chair he occupied right now. He could almost picture himself, alone in the too big, too empty room, hyperventilating, his whole form shaking from stress, mind clouded with thoughts of death, his blood rushing with fear, sweat staining his forehead and pits, trying to sound a scream, a helpless noise of recognition for the help he never got, but his mouth only topples over with saliva and foam.
It would possibly be in the corner of a newspaper, 'Mute accountant dies in big firm'.
No, wait, that wouldn't happen. The janitor would find his body in the morning, already dead, and call Zachariah. Zachariah would collect his body, threaten the janitor to not mention this to anyone on account of his job, and dump his body at his parents'.
He wouldn't even get a mention.
That's what his life sums up to. Dying a workaholic with no life, no friends, no love.
He felt darkness overwhelm him, and soon sleep fogged his mind and he was taken under the safety of dreams, where none of this existed, and neither did he exist.
-/-
"Hey..."
"Hey, buddy..."
"Yo, wake up!"
"Come on, sunshine..."
Muffled words seep through his sleep.
It must be a dream. One of those he remembers when he wakes up and feels lonely. Of words filled with happiness and glee, of people whose energy glows and makes Castiel smile, despite himself.
"Duuuuuude!" –The voice grows loud, as if speaking against his ear and this time it's accompanied with a hand that shakes his shoulder roughly.
Castiel's eyes stutter open, still tired beyond recognition and when he casts a look around his surroundings, lashes still heavy with crumpled remnants of sleep he realizes that it wasn't a dream. Or he could possibly be lucid dreaming, although that never worked for him.
Above him stands a hunched over man, his face mere inches apart from his own. A sort of worried smile graces his features, his green eyes crinkling with amusement, freckles staining his cheeks and nose.
"So pretty..." –He murmurs and it would have flew past Castiel if they weren't alone in the vast room.
"What are you doing here this late, monkey? Boss man keeping you in?" –The man's voice sounded so carefree like he already knew the answer.
Even through his surprise Castiel took time to take note of the man's clothing, try to place him somewhere he could recognize him. The man wore a tight fitting black shirt that spread wide over his broad chest, a faded Led Zeppelin logo over it, ratty jeans with multiple holes and well worn Doc Marten's.
Given his look he could probably be the janitor or the post carries. But, Castiel knew everyone that worked in the building, everyone on every floor. Years of working here, never talking to anyone, he took his time to catalogue everybody else.
He had never once seen this man.
And he couldn't have missed him because everybody that worked here had a certain tired, lifeless look in their eyes. The man had eyes full of color and mirth, energy flowing through them and spreading to his smile and rosy cheeks.
"You don't talk much, do ya? Castiel. Castiel? Weird ass name, dude. And lose the fucking tag." –The man spoke in a rush as if undeterred by him and his silence. He reaches a hand to his name tag and clipped it off with a sharp pull, sending it to the floor.
Castiel gaped at the movement and turned his blue eyes towards the man. He had questions. He had so many questions he needed answered right now. But, first he had to give him an unasked answer.
He turned in his chair to the desk and rummaged through the papers, finding a pen and quickly scrabbling two words on the back of a sheet of accounts.
"I'm mute." –Dean took hold of the paper with furrowed brows as if the weird thing about the whole situation was Castiel's writing. And as he read the words out loud a look of understanding dawned upon him, making an 'Aha' gesture with his open mouth.
"So you're sorta special, right? Probably got this job out of the kind heart of our government... But, you're worth more right? You know you are, you know you are more than this suit and cubicle. " –The man said with fire in his voice, like he was certain of this and he wanted Castiel to know this.
Castiel grabbed another sheet to write his thoughts.
"I know. What is your name? Why are you here? Oh, shit, dude, I forgot! My name's Dean and this shit's gonna explode in about 10 minutes. So we gotta go!" –Dean grabbed him by the arm and manhandled him out of his chair and took off in a run with his hand clasped around Castiel's who followed after him without much thought or understanding.
Adler's was going to explode. Burn down to the ground, until all of the misery it held all of these years burned with it. And with that every life it stole and every soul it took would be given back, set free.
Castiel smiled for the first time in a long time.
-/-
They stood on a roof top, a building not far away from Adler's, side by side, hand in hand and watched it burn.
Watched as gas blew through windows, shattering glass exploding in the air, fire guzzling up the building, police sirens booming through the streets, the air thick with smoke, smelling of carbon, people gathering around the streets in freight, too late firemen setting up their hoses.
But, Castiel saw freedom. In the churning walls and screaming people he saw an opening.
He could almost taste life in the destruction.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" –Dean spoke softly from beside him, his voice filled with awe and gaze laced with wonder.
Castiel glanced at him, giving him a smile of approval and Dean smiled back, pleased. He looked so beautiful. The same man that set the fire saved him from it.
"I'm so happy I found you. Sitting there, in that rumpled little suit... You looked so small. " –Dean said in a whisper, his thumb caressing the palm of Castiel's hand, his eyes glazed with fondness.
"Can I kiss you?" –And those where the words that broke Castiel.
A life of trouble, pity and shame, and this is where none of it mattered.
A smile and a nod, and plush, pink lips were against his, chaste and sweet.
"We are so lucky to have found each other." –Dean whispered as he broke the kiss, a hand caressing Castiel's stubbled cheek.
Castiel's bright smile was all the answer he needed.
An idea I've had going on for a while, probably will update soon. Also I will update The Stomp, the chapter is halfway done, I just need some time, but it will be up in a day or two. :)
Review if you'd care to and would like a quick update, means a lot to me. :)