And We Are Back! I'm so sorry for the longer-than-usual wait everybody, but I decided to take a break from writing and remember what the outside world looked like. Now that I remember what nature's like, I'm ready to get back to the computer and continue writing! Thanks to DeerTopus C. VonZenHousen(can you now? and thank you, I love writing his dialogue :3), Air Guitar Pixie(Ah, but waiting builds up the suspense, no? As for tragic backstory…..And as for Gabriel, I guess you'll have to see what I have in store for him, as well as Balthazar!), mywarisalreadywon(It's no problem at all, I just appreciate you reading my story in the first place ^_^ as for Sammy, well we don't want to give out too many spoilers), Dancerline(Balthazar and Dean are bros, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Balthazar coming to save our favorite damsel in distress ;) And what would make a story without its cliffhangers, I'll apologize only for the longer wait!), and Akayuki Sawada( I apologize for giving you a headache! But thanks once more for pointing that out!) for reviewing! A thanks as well to those who have followed and favorited, all of you are amazing!
"Even with a head injury you still manage to keep up the vocabulary," Dean chuckled, "Castiel Novak, you are a man like no other which I have met; and I've been around." His eyes were drawn to the man's mouth as the top of Castiel's lip began to pull up to join him in a smile. But the former sailor resisted, and instead responded with a shake of his head.
"Dean, could you please remain focused onto the topic at hand before I end up unable to hear such words that I am waiting for because I will be too busy sleeping when I would rather be awake?"
Forcing himself to hold down the smile that was trying to mold his lips, instead Dean nodded and inhaled deeply.
"The Hellhound, is the name of a ship that's used in children's stories; it hasn't been around too long but it's pretty well-known. You with me so far?" Castiel gave a small nod, black spots beginning to speckle his vision. He tried to focus on Dean's face, to cling onto the words that spilled from the pirate's mouth.
"And the story goes that the Hellhound is a ship of chaos; yet somehow it remains pure, a cold and unclean purity. Of course, who else would captain a ship of such darkness as the king of oblivion himself. Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, the Morning Star, the Devil. As many titles as he has received, he is still just as ruthless, dark, and twisted," Dean paused and Castiel realized that his face had proceeded to grow a look of confusion after hearing such spite in the pirate's words.
"At least that's how I interpreted it from the stories," the pirate said with speed that Castiel did not trust. Yet the familiar look was in Dean's eyes as he shared, and Castiel resisted from releasing a huge outburst; he couldn't scare Dean off now that the pirate was sharing.
"Anyways," he continued. Dean's words came slowly, from both trying to make sure Castiel heard him despite his focus gradually dwindling away, and by the looks of it he was trying to figure out what he should share with Castiel.
"Since you must be educated, I would presume you would know of the creatures that Lucifer created to serve under him?" Castiel looked away from the pirate and closed his eyes, searching his brain with the answer that was taunting him while it remained unreachable. With a mighty leap Castiel latched onto the answer to Dean's question, and once he did his eyes burst open wide. Slowly Castiel turned his head and faced the pirate, who held a grim expression.
"You are not suggesting that a creature such as that actually exists in this universe, are you?" Castiel scoffed, yet just at the motion his head throbbed and he closed his eyes tight. Opening them again, he saw that Dean's face remained both unhumourous and genuine.
"That's exactly what I am suggesting pretty boy," Dean replied, his eyes unwavering as they remained on Castiel's. At first Castiel narrowed his eyes ever so slightly once Dean used the familiar suggestive nickname that he bestowed on the former sailor without his consent.
"So you're telling me that demons exist in our world?" Castiel was filled with skepticism at the impossible possibility.
"How else would you like to explain those lovely black eyes of hers?"
"Trick of the light?" But as soon as those words left his mouth, Castiel knew that such a theory wasn't correct.
Dean shook his head, a meager, sad smile planted on his face. "We both know that light wouldn't affect a person's eyes like that. Hate to be the one to let you know that black-eyed bitches are the real deal buddy."
Castiel's eyes grew wide, he found his heart beating at an unusual fast pace again as it raced inside his chest. He was mentally swamped with the memories of those dark, soulless eyes staring into his own. Black eyes seemed to overwhelm him, and soon they began to obscure Castiel's own vision as he felt his eyes withdrawing behind the curtain of skin.
"Cas?" Faintly Castiel heard the voice of the former sailor, but the only thing on his mind was the familiar feeling of falling into the murky unconscious.
"You have to stop doing this when I'm getting serious, man." Dean muttered as he leaned closer to Castiel. Once Dean had confirmed about the wretched creature above deck, he was surprised at how the former sailor reacted.
Tensely, Dean watched as Castiel's eyelids began to shut down after his eyes had widened to a ridiculous width. The fear and shock in the sharp blue eyes almost drained Dean, he had been unsure of how the news was to be taken by such a serious character that was Castiel Novak.
But once the man's eyelids began to close, covering those blue eyes, Dean's worry expanded inside of him.
Without hesitation the pirate had called out to Castiel, trying to see if he was still conscious. After repeatedly voicing Castiel's name several times and was only met with nothing but silence, he found that his own heart's pace began to hurry.
Dean placed himself in front of the now unconscious sailor, whose skin no longer retained its tanned color and now was in the form of a sickly paleness.
"Cas?" Dean tried, his face closer to the man in front of him as he raised his voice. Bringing his locked hands up Dean lightly slapped Castiel's cheek, trying to get a reaction out of the man; to draw him back to the waking world.
"You are one heavy sleeper," he joked; although it wasn't as fun when there was no one to look at him disapprovingly. Or, using Castiel's perspective, a mix between both disproving and confusion.
Shaking his head, Dean cast his eyes around the cell to seek out anything that would cause a spurt of genius.
If he really wanted to he could hit the former sailor harder, but the more plausible idea that the former sailor could have a concussion caused Dean to hesitate. The last thing he wanted to do was worsen the man's already poor condition.
Dean's eyes rested upon the unpleasing sight of the contents of Castiel's stomach that sat in the far corner. His nose wrinkled at the growing stench that was just beginning to fill the room. A bad move on the former sailor's part, but then again Dean had reacted just about the same after his own encounter with Meg; save for the contents of his stomach exiting his body.
Yet at the smell of the disgusting bile, the spurt of genius that Dean had been searching for struck him in the face.
Turning his attention back onto the pirate that was sprawled out in front of him, Dean quickly sat down and began to unlace one of the two black boots that he wore. Removing the footwear, slowly Dean sniffed the boot himself, and he quickly recoiled with a sour face.
As he held the boot, Dean froze as his gaze shifted between the black shoe and the unconscious former sailor. Did he really want to wake him up?
He's going to have a lot more questions now, not to mention a serious head injury, a part of him argued.
It won't hurt if I try the whole smelling salts thing, we don't even know if the boot will work, he countered. Although once the thoughts had been thought the stench of his black boot wafted up to his nostrils, and Dean quickly stretched his arms away along with the unpleasant smell.
"Damn," Dean muttered before bringing his focus back onto the slumbering form of Castiel. The former sailor's chest rose evenly with each breath, up and down. It was almost peaceful, besides the dried blood on his head and the fact that Castiel's hands were secured behind him.
But suddenly it wasn't so peaceful, and Dean's eyes grew wide as he felt part of the steel trap in his head crack open unexpectedly. He could feel the images leaking out, and it affected everything it touched. With a smoky tendril the leaking memories reached out and destroyed the real world.
Suddenly the room was suffocating, and Dean could hear the screams serenading him. He could feel the twisted feelings bubbling inside of him as he looked into eyes that were filled with fear. A sadistic smile that he recognized as his own only terrified him more. His heart was slamming against his chest with each heartbeat. Chills only raced further down his spine as he could pick up the sound of laughter. Cold. Heartless. Laughter.
"No!" Dean shouted, his hands now pressed tightly against his ears while he ignored the cold chain that pressed against his face.
With frightened eyes the pirate looked for something to hold onto, anything to clog the leak. His gaze latched onto Castiel's sleeping form, and Dean acted quickly. He released his ears and picked up the foul boot.
Reaching forward, Dean thrusted the boot under the former sailor's nose, his eyes screwed shut as he tried to block out the hideous images that continued to soil the difference between reality and the pollution inside of him.
"How disappointing, Castiel."
Thump.
"I expect better from you, Castiel."
Thump.
"You're a Novak,"
Thump.
"And no Novak,"
Thump.
"Will be a disgrace."
Thump.
"You should be thankful that I'm only discharging you. Be thankful, Castiel."
Castiel's eyes fluttered open, immediately meeting with a pair of petrified green eyes that drew him away from his dream. They were as wide as his own, but quickly his eyes flicked down to the reeking boot that was placed under his nose.
With a wrinkled nose the former sailor tried to shy away from the horrendous footwear, and appreciated its absence when Dean quickly brought the boot back to its proper place on the pirate's foot.
"That was unpleasant," Castiel muttered as he tried to breath in air that wasn't polluted with the stench of Dean's feet. Shifting, Castiel tried to sit up more as he remained against the wooden boards.
Focusing back onto Dean, he noticed how the pirate's eyes were still bright with panic. With shaky breaths the pirate tried to calm himself, though Castiel easily noticed how tense Dean remained.
"Sorry, but I was kind of low on ideas," forced humor was evident in Dean's voice, and Castiel's eyes narrowed in faint curiosity.
"What's wrong?" Castiel asked bluntly, it was obvious that the pirate hadn't been that worried about him, he had only fallen asleep.
Observing attentively, he marveled at how strange Dean was acting. Sure the circumstances were now a bit... different, but Dean had already held knowledge about whoever was above them. And Castiel had always felt that the pirate was strange, but now he was acting different.
As soon as Dean heard Castiel's question, his eyes locked onto Castiel's. The former sailor narrowed his eyes slightly as he felt his heartbeat speed up slightly, deciding to ignore it. Silence began to expand between the two, and Castiel watched as the emotions in Dean's eyes change.
At first they maintained their startled, frightened look. But then gradually it shifted to an eerie calm, like the silence followed after a threatening storm. Finally those green eyes rested onto the most vexing, familiar look that Castiel was growing to hate. They were guarded, dark and hidden; unwilling to give nothing to those who beheld them.
But once the look was settled onto Dean's face, he surprised the former sailor when his face seemed to soften slightly. Something that would be near impossible to notice to others, but Castiel caught the change as soon as it happened.
Puzzled, Castiel continued to stare at Dean as both waited for a reply and tried to ignore his screaming subconscious; which beckoned for him to rest his eyes once more. Instead he bore his eyes into the varying shades of green that occupied Dean's.
"It's nothing," came the final reply before Dean turned his head and began to retie his boot. "How's your head?"
Castiel was almost unsettled by the way Dean was acting. It was too quiet, too guarded. He resisted the urge to ignore the question completely and interrogate Dean, although he wanted to deeply.
"I've got a concussion, usually not the most pleasant condition to be in." At first Dean froze, and suddenly the Dean Winchester that Castiel was more familiar with burst forth with a great laugh.
"Sarcasm now? I didn't think you understood how to use such wit." The previous feelings of unsettlement gradually escaped Castiel. At the sight of Dean's eyes now lit up like a child. There was no sign of his former mood; the transformation impressed Castiel.
"I am human, Dean. Despite my different use of my vocabulary compared to others, I do understand the concept of humor." Castiel's response was only met with the sound of laughter, and Castiel couldn't help but smile slightly as well.
Dean's laughter immediately froze as his eyes had caught sight of Castiel's smile, and the pirate leaned forward. His face was only inches away from Castiel's own, and Castiel held his breath to see what Dean was up to now.
"Did my eyes deceive me or did I just see you smile Cas?"
Embarrassment flooded into Castiel as he felt the heat going to his cheeks without his control. He turned his head away from the pirate, trying to hide the redness that was spreading over his face like a disease.
"If it's alright with you, Winchester, I'd like it if you could contain your humor and return to the serious situation we have at hand."
Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Dean seemed to give a mock pout, before the pirate returned to sitting across from him. Slowly, Castiel faced Dean again, and he was glad to see that Dean still held a brightness in his eyes along with a smile that tugged at his lips. The last thing he wanted to see was the dark, guarded look that had masked the pirate's face.
For now he could be satisfied, for now he could live without delving into a past that no one else should see.
Sorry this is shorter than usual, but I really like the way that it ended there. Also, if I had continued it would have been a little bit too long than I like to keep my chapters at. Rest assured the rest of the chapters will be the usual length. Thank you for reading and please review, favorite, or follow if you enjoyed! See you for the next installment!