Descend the Shades of Night World
It was another world without Sam, without Jet. They'd done it a few times and it didn't get easier, this one they realized was more of a prison for anything supernatural. Being that they appeared out of thin air like they had, Dean and Cas found themselves among the strange monsters and beings, even given an examination. It was from afar, however. The both of them refused to be taken to any kind of lab and therefore were watched, every move they made recorded by some dude in a white coat.
Dean looked at Castiel as they walked together; John hadn't appeared with them but it was alright, they didn't care so much really. He had the job on the mind and they really weren't feeling it. John had things under control; he'd taken out a demoni back at the last place and that went just fine. Jumping into a new world they found themselves together for the first time in forever so they decided to relax.
Dean hadn't spoken much about it, about Sam's breaking, about the ache in his chest, about any of it. He was still quiet and found it hard to speak, they didn't know what kind of situation they were facing and this world looked strange but Dean couldn't figure himself out. There were creatures and inhuman things all over, but none of them were from the Void. It was all set up in some strange zoo or something, walls all around, Dean didn't like it for a second but he didn't like a whole lot at that moment.
They were stuck, regardless. Maybe it was time to say something.
"He was my best friend." Dean muttered as they slowed to a stop, his arms shaking from the tension in his fists.
Castiel looked at him quietly and nodded, "You two were close."
"He… he screamed. Jet never… he didn't like to do that, he didn't like leaving that kind of impression or… or letting someone hear him that way." Dean took a shaky breath and ran his hand down his face, some vague and stupid attempt to settle himself. It didn't work, he was still trembling and his chest felt heavier than when he'd started talking. "He called for me, Cas."
"Of course he did, you just said you were best friends." Cas reached over and placed a comforting hand on his partner's shoulder, "Who else would he call for?"
"He needed me!" He shouted and pulled away violently, not touching Cas but not wanting to be either. "Jet's last words were for me and I couldn't do anything! I couldn't save him, after all the times he'd gotten my ass out of the fire I couldn't save him." Dean blinked as the tears slipped out and tried to wipe them away. "What kind of friend is that?"
Castiel's face remained as it was, gentle and understanding and it pissed Dean off more. Cas understood and he wanted to help but he'd never seen Jet like Dean had or Sam had, Cas didn't grow up with Jet, he never met one until he was with them. But that was no reason to shout at Castiel, so Dean didn't. Instead he shouted and punched the nearest wall.
Cas took a slow breath and looked up toward the sky above them, covered by some sort of force field so that the flying creatures of the reserve couldn't escape. "Doesn't change my answer, Dean. You were his best friend and you did everything you could have done, he'd understand that."
Dean hated how calm Cas was when he couldn't be, he hated how much Cas' voice wasn't strained like his was, he hated that it comforted him, he hated that he wanted to feel better because what good did that do Jet? What good did being upset do him? What good had he ever been? "I should have told him to stay home. I should've told them both to stay home." He felt himself curling in and realized that Castiel was holding him, arms wrapped tightly around him and a firm grip keeping him in one place.
"Don't do that, don't regret the time you spent together out here. If we'd regret every moment leading up to the death of a loved one we'll regret their whole life and that's not fair to them, it's not fair to Jet."
Dean wiped his eyes and nodded, "It hurts, Cas."
"You miss him, it'll hurt for a while, I'm sorry." Cas rubbed his back in soothing circles, his eyes fixed on the area around them a little more cautiously. "But right now we're not in a safe place, if you'd like I'll go and take care of the Void-"
"No," Dean barked out the word like it'd personally offended him, "I won't let you go alone, I'll keep you safe, Cas."
"I thought all this time I was keeping you safe." Castiel smiled and kissed him softly, "I love you, Dean."
"I love you too." He cupped his lover's cheek to take a second and appreciate that Cas was there, that Cas was breathing and that he was so much stronger. "What do I say to Sammy?"
"There's nothing to be said more than what we have," Cas looked away sadly, the pain of seeing Sam that way weighed on all of them, "Your mom's trying her best but Sam won't listen, your dad isn't much of a comfort to him, what he needs is us to just be there. We can't keep leaving him on the sidelines, Dean."
"We haven't been leaving him-"
"We've visited about three worlds since Jet passed, none of which Sam went to. He's not been well enough to go but I think we can't leave him there to wait, he's just staring into the Void and the more he does it the more frightened I am for him." Cas interrupted and kept talking through the words 'Jet passed' because he didn't want to stop there, to let the linger and sink in again. "Sam should… come with us. He's been doing a bit better and I think maybe he should do something to get his mind off of it all."
Dean was quiet again but he nodded in agreement, "Yeah, yeah you're right. I just don't want to lose him."
"You can't keep people away from you forever, scared that you'll lose them."
"What can I do?" He caught Cas' gaze and held it, "How do we end this already?"
"I don't know, Dean. We need to stop the Void and I don't know how yet, not properly." Cas kept a level tone as replied, both trying desperately to ignore the strange people looming at them.
While they stood together in silence something entirely unexpected happened; the top of the dome exploded. Dean pulled Cas to him and they both shielded themselves from the falling debris. "What the hell is happening!?" Dean shouted as alarms started going off.
"I have no idea but look up there!" Cas pointed to a flock of winged beings and other types of things raining down into the reserve, everything immediately fell into chaos. Swarms of creatures were all over, the people in lab coats were taken out so fast, and blood flew and sprayed all over. For a second some of them stopped to stare at the couple, Dean and Castiel stiffened, weapons drawn from practically nowhere, and the beings mostly left them alone.
"Wait!" Cas called after one of them and the dark-winged thing looked back at him, "What's happening?"
"We've been freed, an archangel from the mid-west destroyed their Reserve!" It cried out and right after the others around it shouted a battle cry to excite those involved. Cas nodded as it flew away and turned to Dean who only shook his head.
"Not our problem," they both decided and did their best to stay out of the way – of course that wasn't entirely possible considering the heavy machinery that the humans responded with.
"We've managed to drop into the middle of a revolution," Cas pinched his forehead tiredly, "I just want to fight a Void monster and go home, is that really too much to ask?"
"Apparently." Dean chuckled and flinched when another chunk of the wall crashed down. He took Castiel's hand and started running, "C'mon, we should get away from anything that can fall on our heads!"
They darted around the battlefield as quickly as they could, knocking anyone away that attempted to assault them. It wasn't that difficult; Dean was a bit surprised though Cas seemed as calm as ever. Dean scooped his partner into his arms and jumped over another skirmish and skidded around toward an open space, but of course wasn't that where most fights would occur in the first place?
"This isn't working," Cas informed him as he drop kicked a charging werewolf, "We need to get out of here."
"But the Void creature is here somewhere, we can't just run off." Dean frowned and just as the words escaped his mouth he heard his name being shouted across the reserve's field.
"Dean! This way!" It was John.
He didn't hesitate and bolted to his dad, diving and rolling whilst still holding Castiel close to him, Cas was light as a feather compared to Dean's strength so it really wasn't any kind of hindrance. They reached John in no time and Cas quickly slipped from Dean's arms, his hand remaining on his partner just for comfort's sake. "What is it?"
"I think I know what it is," John pointed toward a few melted areas, bodies dissolved into nothing, and a splatter of patches like acid had been dumped over.
Castiel looked at the mess and sighed lightly, "It's just a pede."
"A payday?" Dean raised an eyebrow curiously, "What's a payday? Like we're about to get money?"
"No, not 'payday,' Dean, a P.E.D.E. pede." Cas reiterated properly, "It means corrosion."
"What are we looking for?"
"An alligator, of sorts." John responded, "They come in all sorts of sizes but generally they have a flat snout, wide mouth, and long, jagged, crooked teeth." He held his hands around his mouth to try and help his explanation a little. "Their saliva is like acid and dissolves pretty much anything it touches."
Dean grimaced and looked over at Cas, "How do we kill it?"
"Beat its head in, blast it with magic, whatever works." Cas rested his Pernach over his shoulder and started walking; he followed the trail the pede left them, a long string of acidic residue left in its wake.
"How big do you think this one is?" Dean asked as he looked down at the footprints, they weren't much larger than his own foot but then again seeing an alligator his size would probably freak him out.
"Not that big," Cas replied casually, "It'll probably be four or five feet tall on all fours."
"Yeah that's not freaky big at all." Dean muttered, keeping his mind on the task at hand.
"You fought a gigas, Dean, this is nothing."
John looked at Dean with some awe, "You fought a gigas? And lived?"
"And beat it." Dean corrected him, that goofy smile on his face, he was so proud of himself.
"Wow," the elder Winchester swelled with pride and looked ahead, "Atta boy."
"Don't even pretend you could do the same." Cas remarked with a laugh at the old man's assumptive commentary, "It wasn't easy."
"Lucky for us we don't run into those very often." John pointed out, not denying or accepting any statements made.
Cas half smirked at him and glanced up to where he spotted something scurrying, "There it is," he licked his lips and cocked his pistol, barrel pointed to the edge of a building where he suspected the pede to appear from.
He was right and when that angry face reached his vision he emptied a round into its skull. Dean pursed his lips and nodded, "Kind of silly to send three priests after that thing, isn't it?"
"We're not exactly on our A-game, I don't think it's unnecessary." Cas sighed and lowered the gun, "We should get out of here before this revolution involves us any more than it already has."
"Agreed." Dean nodded slowly, "But… Cas just one thing…" He hesitated and his partner turned to look at him, that inquisitive expression on Castiel's face mixed with concern made Dean feel a bit better. "I know you said there's nothing that I can say but… what would you tell Sam?"
Cas blinked and shifted his gaze to the ground for a moment, his mind running over answers. He didn't say anything until a portal opened next to him, "I'd tell him I'm sorry, as I have been doing. I understand his pain, I've lost someone I loved too and to be honest, Dean," he glanced over his shoulder sadly, "There really is nothing to say, nothing that will ease his pain or make him feel any better."
Dean watched Castiel disappear to the mainline, he appreciated the silence from his father, nothing had to be said between them either. He just wished that he could do something to go back in time and fix it, but Cas was right. There wasn't anything he could do anymore but be there, so he followed his partner through and tried to prepare himself for what he'd say to Sam.