All are Dean/Castiel.


"He clung to life fiercely, screaming defiance until the fire consumed him."

The town mistakes Dean’s exorcism for the witchcraft responsible for their troubles, and the last demon responsible convinces the people a witch-burning is in order.

Dean swears, snarls and threatens, but he cannot fight a hundred men.

The demon decides the fire isn’t burning fast enough after it is lit, and douses Dean’s clothes with gasoline. Dean will suffocate before he consumed, the superheated air scorching his lungs. Mercifully, the fire burns through the nerves of Dean’s skin.

How could his Father order this of him, to stand by and watch? He was ordered to protect Dean.

He cannot. He cannot obey. It’s too much.

He unleashes his wings with a holy light, blinding most of the crowd.

The order to protect Dean came before the order to let him die. He hopes that will be enough to save him later.

Castiel heals the lungs first, gives him nerves back, does what he can for the worst of the burns, but he can’t heal them completely, or take the pain away.

“You are too sentimental, brother,” Uriel says, but gives some of his grace to help Dean.

“You passed, by the way.”



The Grave is So Silent I've Lost My Mind

There’s a marble headstone. He wanted the body to have a good resting place, on hallow ground. The soul was destroyed.

He hasn’t moved from the grave. He’s not sure what he’s doing, but he just can’t leave.

Fact is, he doesn’t remember how long he’s been here, but the grass has grown up, and the marble has cracked.

“Come on, Brother. You can’t keep on like this,” Uriel says, gripping his arm and raising him up.

The only bad thing about being immortal is that you have the whole of forever to mourn.





Nervous, Recreation, Rose
Castiel doesn’t understand why he’s so nervous, and he shuffles back and forth outside the motel door. He almost knocks, but loses his courage at the last second.

Suddenly, Dean opens the door while shrugging his jacket on. He jumps when he sees Castiel, and puts a hand over his heart. Whispers, “Christ Almighty!” and then, “You trying to kill me, Cas?”

Castiel raises the bouquet of roses. “Would you like to go out to dinner, or some other recreational activity?”

Dean laughed at him then, but not when he ran the rose down the side of Castiel’s face later.




Validity, Develop, Exceed

“It’s okay, you know. I don’t have a problem with him.”

“Who? Castiel?”

“Yeah. I understand if you’ve developed feelings. You can’t really choose who you, y’know.”

“I think your stupid is exceeding normal levels again.”

“Ha, ha. Seriously, though. I’ve seen the way you look at him, and you talk about him a lot.”

“We’re partners. Well, we’re partners. Cas is an ally.”

“And you call him Cas. No one else does that.”

“You do.”

“I picked it up from you.”

“So?”

“So.”

“Sam.”

“You love him. It’s valid.”

“You’re... valid.”

“Mature.”

“Asshat.”



Calendar, Waters, Stroke

Dean wakes up to running water in the bathroom. He blinks the blurry from his eyes, glances over at the clock/calendar combination, and sees that Sam is still in his bed.

He’s instantly awake and reaching for the knife under his pillow.

Castiel walks out of their bathroom and to the dying plant on the table, and waters it. When he’s done, he takes a step back and tilts his head. Dean watches him reach out, and stroke one of the leaves.

The plant is healthy again by the time they check out.




Coping, Alphabetical, Eighteen

Dean’s sitting in his car. All eighteen cassettes have been in alphabetical order, order of release, and how much he likes them several times. It’s not much, but he’s coping.

Castiel is dying, and has been for days, up in Heaven where Dean can’t even sit with him.

The cassettes get rearranged another time. He can’t believe Sam threw out so many of them. Stupid douchy iPod, and his poor car.

“Castiel will live,” Uriel says, popping up in the passenger seat. “He ordered me to tell you. Just to be clear.”

Dean takes a minute to cry in relief.



Gut Strengthen Typesetting

Sam gives them both a look. “What are you doing?”

“I’m toughening him up a little,” Dean says.

“Dean is teaching me to fight using my body, and how to strengthen it. He taught me how to do this,” and then Castiel brings a quick knee up to Sam’s gut, and if he didn’t look so happy he got it right Sam would’ve pummeled him.

“That’s great, Castiel,” Sam wheezes.

“Cas. I’m the only one who is allowed to beat up on my little brother,” Dean says, but once Sam’s not listening, he whispers, “but it was a good shot.”




Promote, Unattended, Population

“We kind of don’t have the workin’ parts to make a baby, dude. Unless you’ve got something you want to share.”

“We aren’t making human babies.”

“What? Angel babies?”

“Yes. We decided this at a meeting you didn’t attend. I told you you were special. You were chosen for this. When we join, an angel is born. So many of my brothers have been lost; we need to repopulate. For the war effort”

“How many?”

“Almost two-hundred.”

Dean is silent for a second, and then, “Hell yeah! Let’s make some angels! .... For the war effort, of course....”

“Of course.”




concept, violation, pancakes

“It doesn’t matter, Cas. You’ve completely missed the concept. Pancakes are supposed to be sugary and gooey and warm. Steak sauce is none of those things. It completely violates the idea of pancakes.”

“But it’s good.”

“It doesn’t belong.”

Castiel gives Dean a look, and then upends the steak sauce bottle over Dean’s food. Sam starts laughing across the table, and Dean has to kick him.

“Try it,” Castiel insists.

“What? No! You’ve ruined them.”

“It’s quite good,” he tempts.

Dean wrinkles his nose at his plate, but he does love a good steak.

And Castiel is right; it’s good.




Black, Nine, Pool

Seeing Castiel flail and sputter in the lake stops Dean’s heart cold. He forgets that Castiel is immortal for a second, and dives in to save him.

Castiel later explains that he wasn’t struggling to breathe; he had just never been in water.

There are nine or so kids playing in the ‘deep end,’ but he decides to start small. He has Castiel wade out to him from the steps wearing Sam’s black trunks, holding Dean’s hand. Castiel is a little freaked at first, holding on tightly but takes to it well, and Dean doesn’t let go until he’s ready.




Amplifier, Manifesto, Celery

Castiel had used some grace to rebuild Dean’s body. It had cost him more than he thought, later having been unable to defeat Alastair, something which should have been easy.

They find themselves in the same position again, but this time they are prepared. The idea is to use Dean as an amplifier, leaving his vessel.

But there is doctrine, there is manifesto, going back before the church. If the vessel must be abandoned, it cannot be used again. The body was already dead, eyes the color of limp celery.

They only join once, and decide not to part again.




Molecular, Trailing, Silent
Dean can almost feel on a molecular level that he’s being followed. He’s been able to tell ever since he was a kid; it was an essential skill. He’s not exactly okay with it, but he knows that Castiel is harmless. His silent trailing isn’t malevolent, just curious.

When he feels Castiel watching him, he makes sure to do things he thinks Castiel has never seen before, trying to educate him a little, sort of a lead by example deal. Parks, movies, shopping, and good food.

And the strip club?

Well chances are the angel hasn’t seen that yet. Right?




Servant, Adhere, Tame

“You don’t understand, Dean. I’m a servant. I must adhere to the rules,” Castiel says, frowning.

“Come on,” Dean says. “It’s not like Daddy’s watching you right now.”

“Haven’t you heard, ‘God is everywhere?’”


Dean sighs, and switches tactics. “Well, He ordered you to obey my orders, right?”

“I’m not sure this is what He had in mind.”

“Mysterious ways, dude. Maybe He did.”

Castiel thinks on this, and Dean steals a kiss while he is. Victory is Castiel not fighting him like he did last time.

Dean thinks, I’ll tame you yet, angel.



"The words of the world were whispered into his ear."

Dean finds Castiel sitting on his car, eyes closed, seemingly listening to something, and joins him.

“Can you hear it?”

“Hear what?” Dean asks, rubbing his tired eyes.

“The world.”

“Cas. It’s too early for this.”

“Try.”

“You know I can’t hear you. Remember? The gas station? Motel?”

“You can, but your mortal mind blocks the ability. You’re tired. Your mind should be quiet enough to hear. Try.”

Dean rolls his eyes before closing them, but after some time does hear a low buzz. If he focuses, it becomes thousands of voices.

Castiel smiles fleetingly at him. “It’s a start.”



Statue, Omitting, Gravity


They invite another hunter back to their motel room to discuss tactics, omitting the fact that Castiel is there.

They are more amazed at the hunter’s frightened retreat than Castiel, standing still as a statue, about a foot in the air.

Castiel is completely confused. “What did I do?”

Dean gives him a look. “You’re kind of violating the law of gravity there, Peter Pan. Tends to freak people out.”

Castiel looks down at the ground. “Oh,” and sets himself down gently, looking up at them innocently, as though nothing is strange about this.

They give each other a look.




Numb, Cannibalism, Gospel
Castiel had taken Dean to church, even though Dean didn’t want to go, claming a short attention span. Castiel didn’t think it could be so bad, but Sam warily came along to help watch Dean.

“Dude, my ass is numb,” Dean whispers in the pews, and Sam shushes him.

Castiel is listening only vaguely to the Gospel, focusing on his Father’s presence, and the peace is shattered when the priest reads about the Last Supper, bread is My body, and Dean shouts: “Cannibalism!”

There’s a mumble through the parish, and Castiel throws up his hands, looking to Heaven for strength.



Justice, Devil, Fish

Castiel keeps his hands in his pockets, and isn’t impressed with the Como Zoo.

“Your species seems to be the only one which imprisions others and members of your own,” he comments. “It’s very strange.”

Dean leaves the philosophical discussion between Cas and Sam.

Later, they wander into the aquatic area, finding the sweetest devilfish sting ray. He taps on the glass of the tank, since they aren’t allowed to pet, and is rewarded with the whip of the devilfish’s tail causing a shower of rain.

Sam bursts out laughing, saying something about justice, and even Cas smiles a little.



Quiero dormir, ma nessito... tengo que.... treata... blah blah blah more spanish and I think there was some french in there too.

ETA: "Radius of gyration." Dude, who the fuck names this shit? I can't think of the fucking polymer coils without of, well, fucking-gyration.