for an anon on tumblr who requested branding with megstiel from my bad things happen bingo card. i've written this as an au of goodbye stranger where cas finds meg earlier than they do in the show. i'll be perfectly honest, i haven't watched an spn episode in a long time so it's very likely there'll be mistakes with canon in this but bear with me. some lines have been ripped straight from the ep.

title from youth by daughter

Cas had been prepared to find demons. Frankly, he would have been concerned if he didn't find demons, given that that was his mission here. What he hadn't been prepared for, however, was to find two demons torturing another, pressing the hot end of a branding iron into her forearm.

He killed the two torturers with practised ease, barely wasting a moment before they were both on the dirty, wooden floor, eyes burned out their sockets. Only then did he allow his surprise to catch up to him, breathing heavily as his gaze settled on someone he hadn't seen in a long time.

Meg.

She eyed him warily, cocking an curious eyebrow when he made no move towards her. "You here to kill me, too, Clarence?" she asked, voice weak with disuse, yet still carrying hints of her trademark snark. It was almost enough to make Cas smile, but he flinched away from her as Naomi's voice entered his head, urging him to get it over with.

No, he reasoned back. She has no love for Crowley; she can be useful to us.

Naomi didn't seem to agree, but she did not force the issue. Cas turned back to Meg, who was watching him with a smirk on her lips. It felt as though she was seeing right through him, somehow knowing exactly what had just happened even though that was beyond impossible.

"Well?" she said, in a way that suggested she knew the answer.

Cas paused a moment longer, then sighed, moving to undo her bonds. "No," he said, avoiding her eyes. "I'm not going to kill you."

"That's good. Guess we'll have to find some other way to occupy our time then, you know what I'm saying?"

Flashes of a desperate kiss in the heat of the moment flickered through Cas's memory; he grit his teeth against it and kept working in silence. For all her bravado, all her swagger, Meg couldn't stop her vessel from betraying her when Cas finally got her free, slumping forward with a pained cry, Cas's grip on her shoulders the only thing stopping her from falling to the floor.

"My hero," she muttered sarcastically, already trying to push away from him. Cas let her, standing impassively as Meg maneuvered herself back into the chair. He didn't know what to do now - this was never part of the plan. He was supposed to go in, kill the demons, and get out again, but now… He couldn't just leave her here, he didn't have that in him even after everything, but he couldn't abandon his task. Naomi wouldn't let him, even if he wanted to.

(and a part of him - a larger part than he wanted to admit - did want to, desperately. cas tried to ignore it)

(he failed)

In the end, Meg decided for him, leaning forward as much as she could and fixing Cas with a suggestive look. "Don't suppose you know where I can get a drink, huh?"

He found some whiskey - several bottles, in fact - stashed away in a cupboard, and hesitated only a second before handing one to Meg. She took a large sip, wrinkling her nose a little at the taste, before shrugging and drinking again. The bottle, already half-empty, was drained in moments, and Meg clicked her fingers, signalling for another. Cas sighed but did as she asked, settling himself in a chair opposite her, his eyes roving up and down her body.

Meg clearly noticed his observations, as she laughed into her bottle. "Like what you see?"

He met her eyes, pursing his lips. "You're hurt," he said.

"Nice going, genius," Meg replied, rolling her eyes. "What gave it away?"

Cas didn't blush, but he felt a distinct embarrassment creep up on him as he realised the obviousness of his own statement. Aside from the branding he had walked in on, Meg's wrists were rubbed raw from the ropes and there was blood all over her face, courtesy of a split lip and a sizable gash at her hairline. When she smiled, her teeth were stained red, and, though she was clearly trying to hide it, she intermittent winces whenever she moved indicated the level of her pain. He glanced around the cabin quickly, figuring his chances of finding any sort of medical supplies or even a clean cloth were slim to none.

"Wait here," he instructed, not catching her response before disappearing.

When he returned, Cas had to admit to more than a little surprise at the sight of Meg still sitting exactly where he'd left her. He'd been gone for mere seconds, but he was half-expecting her to do a runner the moment he left her alone, even as injured as she was.

She did, however, frown in displeasure when she saw the items in his hands. Cas simply sent her a meaningful look, returning to his seat and shuffling closer.

"Your wounds have festered," he explained, taking her hands gently in his own. "They need taking care of."

Meg huffed but refrained from further comment as she watched Cas clean and wrap the rope burns on her wrists. When he went to tend to the brand, she caught his arm, their gazes meeting briefly before she relented and let him continue. Cas winced at the ugly markings, something stirring in his stomach at the thought of Meg being treated this way.

But he shoved it down, not willing to even attempt to unpack it, and taped some gauze over the wound. He was struck with the urge to kiss the area, instead spending a long while staring down at her arm, unconsciously rubbing his thumb gently over her skin.

It must have been several minutes later when he finally looked up, finding a startling vulnerability in Meg's eyes when they met his. It barely lasted for a second, however, swiftly replaced by a sparkling amusement.

"Look at us, huh," she said drily, taking another swig of whiskey. "One of God's holy soldiers patching up a demon from the pits of Hell. Who'da thought it?"

Cas's lips lifted into a half-smile. "Stranger things have happened."

She hummed, tilting her head in agreement. "True."

Silence fell, but not the awkward kind that so often followed Cas around. It felt...different with Meg, in a way he couldn't quite explain. His gaze never left Meg's; his fingers remained curled around her wrist, even though the need to hold on had long since passed.

Meg smiled, Cas tracking her movements as she raised the whiskey to her lips. "Why are you so sweet on me, Clarence?" she asked.

"I don't know," Cas answered honestly. "I suppose it just...feels right."

Meg nodded, smirking in a way that indicated her satisfaction at his reply. She shuffled forward, slotting their legs together, and leaned over so they were inches apart. "And this?"

Cas nodded, moving to grasp at her forearms, fingers gentle around the brand. "Right," he assured.

And, when she closed the distance between them, Cas knew that nothing could be more right than this.

i anticipate posting one more spn fic (in a separate story) over here tomorrow before saying goodbye to this site and, more than likely, to supernatural. i will not be closing this account, nor will i take down my stories, but i won't be posting on here anymore. if you want to keep up with my stories, you can find me over on ao3 (hollyhobbit101) where all my new work is posted, or you can come talk to me on tumblr (morganaspendragonss) where i always welcome asks!