Growing up Dean had heard countless stories of the creatures that lived in the woods that surrounded his quaint little hometown in Colorado, but that's all they ever were to him, just stories. He never believed in any of the tall tells of giant wolves that supposedly roamed the forests, and as an adult he was even more skeptical of such things. So what happens when he learns that the man he falls head over heels for is one such wolf?
~_~_~_~ _
One particularly cold early winter morning, before the sun had even started it's ascend into the cloud covered sky, Dean set out to check his traps in the dense woods behind his cabin in the hopes of having caught anything overnight.
Living fairly far from the rest of the town, Dean relied heavily on hunting for the majority of his food, along with clothing made from the pelts of any animals he managed to catch, usually selling the unused parts to butchers or trappers in town.
This morning Dean couldn't help shake the uneasy feeling that settled into his gut as he trekked further and further into the thick wood, grateful to be armed with his rifle and a hunting knife tucked down into one of his boots.
Normally, he always felt good about going to see what sorts of animals had been snared by his traps, typically it would be deer or rabbits, things that came out in search of food out of desperation. Occasionally he would come across a lone wolf or even be lucky enough to catch a cougar.
As he got closer to the designated area where he usually set his traps and feeders, he could hear the faint sound of whining but the closer he got the more unfamiliar it sounded. These weren't the cries of some poor animal that had been unfortunate enough to get caught, they sounded like the cries of a... Man? Dean's eyes widened in shock and fear at the sight he'd stumbled upon.
A man with dark messy hair and striking features, wearing nothing more than a thin T-shirt and jeans was standing before him, struggling wildly to pry his foot from one of the bear traps Dean had hidden beneath the snow near a tree, crying in anguish. He must have heard Dean's footfalls crunching in the fresh snow, as Dean watched as his head snapped up and Dean was caught by striking blue eyes.
"Whoa, hey... Let me help you out of that before you rip your leg open." Dean called rushing towards the man after shaking himself out his shock. He quickly approached the stranger, dropping to his knees in the snow as he reached for the trap and carefully pried it open, locking it into place to avoid accidentally catching his fingers along with the man's leg again.
The stranger whined as he gingerly lifted his leg from the trap, streaks of blood running down his ankle and over his foot. Dean winced at the sight of the gashes, mentally berating himself. He stood and without a word, wrapped an arm around the man's shoulders and waist, inclining him to lean his weight onto him. He carefully and very slowly helped the stranger through the woods towards the back of his cabin.
Reaching the back porch, Dean helped the man limp up the four steps to his backdoor, pausing momentarily to open the door before ushering the two of them inside the warmth of his cabin. He brought the man over to the nearby couch, gently laying him down across it.
"I'll be right back, I need to get my medical supplies... Don't move." he said sternly, turning away and marching through the cabin towards his bathroom. Mere seconds later he returned, meds kit in hand as he came to kneel by the end of the couch where the man's wounded ankle was propped up onto a thick pillow.
"This is going to hurt, I'm sorry, but I need to clean this before I can wrap it." he announced producing a small white tube of antibacterial disinfectant, popping off the cap and squeezing a generous amount onto the fingers of his left hand. He brought up his right, holding a wet cloth and gingerly cleaned off as much blood as possible, quickly applying the antibacterial cream.
Looking up at the man to check he hadn't passed out from shock or hypothermia, Dean found intense blue eyes staring back at him. He was unable to stop the involuntary shiver that ran through him at the sight of those eyes watching him silently. Forcing himself to return his attention to the man's ankle, he wrapped a layer of gauze around it and then covered that in a thick bandage.
"Thank you..."
"Ah, he speaks." Dean chuckled finally allowing himself to look at the stranger, smiling brightly when he noticed the faintest of smiles on the man's face. Now that Dean had a proper chance to look at him, he couldn't help but notice just how cute he was. Messy hair sticking up in every direction, the bluest eyes he'd ever seen and the most adorable button nose.
"Sorry, I was just nervous you might've been in shock or something... I'm really glad you're ok, considering." Dean clarified, glancing down at the man's now bandaged ankle, thankful it didn't seem to be bleeding through the gauze. He caught the man staring at his ankle, almost in amazement.
"I hope you don't mind my asking, but what on earth were you doing out there dressed in that?" Dean questioned, waving a hand at the man's attire. He'd been shocked when he first seen him in that trap, focused on rescuing his ankle, but now he was just left confused as to why a man in barely any clothes was in the wood to begin with.
"I don't remember..." the man lied, now turning his eyes down, tucking his chin against his chest. He couldn't tell this complete stranger why he'd been out in the forest with hardly any clothing on. Though he hadn't expected to have gotten caught in a coyote trap, of all things. And now he was in this cabin, lying on said stranger's couch with his ankle wrapped up.
"Well, perhaps some warmer clothes and a hot meal will jog your memory. I imagine you're quite hungry," Dean offered kindly, smiling sweetly at the man. It suddenly hit him, in all the unexpected excitement, he's forgotten to introduce himself.
"I'm Dean by the way."
"Castiel... Nice to meet you, Dean." Castiel hummed in response, pushing himself up onto his elbows to sit up against the corner of the couch. He really liked that name, something about saying it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside as he looked up at Dean.
He noted the outfit he was wearing, a thick brown leather jacket over a gray and black flannel shirt, jeans and hiking boots. He also couldn't help but notice his short sandy blond hair and incredible green eyes, or the dusting of freckles all over his face.
-_-_-_
"This is amazing, Dean... Mmm, I've never had something so juicy!" Castiel exclaimed happily, making obscene noises as he ate bites of the deer steak Dean had cooked him, along with a side of pan fried potatoes and homemade garlic bread. Dean had to cough to cover up the strained groan that slipped from him, clearly affected by the sounds Castiel made.
"Dude, it's just steak..." he sighed as he watched Castiel stick a rather large piece of meat into his mouth, his insanely inviting lips wrapping around the end of the fork before sliding it back out to stab at a chunk of potato. Dean tipped back his glass of whiskey, praying the amber liquid would steel his nerves or he wouldn't survive this.
"It's the best I've ever had, I usually have mine a little more rare," Castiel replied around a mouthful of potato, mentally kicking himself for almost slipping up and saying something more. He quickly shoved the last big piece of steak into his mouth to prevent almost misspeaking again.
"Thank you so much for the delicious food, Dean." Castiel grinned, shoving away the plate and patting his stomach. He had swapped out his cold, wet clothes for the ones Dean had offered him, a gray long sleeve top and pair of fuzzy flannel pajama bottoms. He couldn't stop the blush that spread across his cheeks when Dean had commented on how good he looked in his clothes.
"Now that you're dressed and fed, perhaps we should make some calls. I'm sure you have someone lookin' for you," Dean announced looking across his wooden table at Castiel, a frown pulling at his mouth at the thought of someone looking for him. He didn't know why that made him sad.
"No, I live all alone..." Castiel responded quietly, his bright blue eyes suddenly dimming, his features pulled down by the frown he now wore. The sight of it made Dean's heart ache, this wonderful man didn't have anyone. He simply couldn't believe that.
"That settles it then, you can stay with me until you're healed. I've got plenty of space and would really enjoy your company. Besides, I feel indebted to you, being it was my trap and all..." Dean offered reaching across the table to take Castiel's hand before he could rethink his decision. Castiel perked up at that, his face lighting up and Dean swore if he had one, Castiel would be wagging a tail right now.