"Meant To Be, PG, Castiel/Dean"
Title: Meant To Be
Rating: PG
Pairing: Castiel/Dean
Fandom: Supernatural
Summary: When Sam looked up and saw Cupid with his bow, he knew they were in trouble.
Author's Notes: AU SPN 5th Season, post “My Bloody Valentine”. Apocalypse averted, Sam never lost his soul, Castiel didn’t go boom in black goo, la-la-frigging-la. THEY’RE HAPPY, OKAY? OKAY. Not Beta'd. This is all Alanna's fault. I spoil her. >> NEVER AGAIN. <--didn't I say this last time?!
~~
When Sam looked up and saw Cupid with his bow, he knew they were in trouble.
He started choking on his salad - the lettuce clung stubbornly to the back of his throat - and gestured wildly behind Dean. Though, how he would miss the nude man with a smile too big and happy for his state of undress would be strange enough.
Dean turned around as Cupid started fiddling with his arrow while Sam hastily gulped down his water and tried to remember the angel-banishing symbol. But then he stopped as Dean merely turned back around and gave him a bemused look.
“Dude, if you wanted pie, you could have just so,” Dean snorted as he took another bite of his bacon-wrapped monstrosity. Evidently, he mistook Sam’s waving for wanting the slice of cherry pie on the counter of the run-down diner they were in.
Sam swallowed his food and gave his brother a confused look. Dean showed no signs of worry or surprise. And now that he wasn’t choking to death, no one else in the diner was showing any sign of shock or acknowledgment of the naked angel.
As he was perusing the diner, Sam missed Cupid finally arming his bow and firing his arrow.
By the time he turned back, Dean was already done with his burger, half of Sam’s own fries were missing and the angel was gone.
Sam blinked, mouth opening and closing a little in shock.
“So, are you gonna order that pie?” Dean asked, snatching another handful of Sam’s fries. “Because I was thinking - ”
“You seriously didn’t see that?” Sam demanded. Dean paused, mid-steal.
“What?”
“That - that - ” Sam once again gestured behind Dean.
His brother gave him a weird look. “Yeah, I saw it. Dude, it’s just pie. No one’s gonna take it or anything.” Dean paused and then frowned. “Well…they might. You better just order it now.”
As Dean flagged down their waitress, Sam rubbed his eyes hard. Maybe he was just seeing things. It had been almost a year since they had last seen that particular cherub and although he had left abruptly after Dean punched him, he had no reason to go shooting arrows at them. Especially when only Sam could see him.
As he dropped his hands, he saw that his fries were completely gone.
“Oi!”
“What? You had a salad. I was helping your freaky rabbit diet.”
“Jerk.”
~~
A week after the Diner Incident - Sam didn’t even get the pie, what the hell - Dean paused outside a little Hallmark store. They were cruising a local mall in Illinois, rumors of a poltergeist in the dollar theatre drawing them there, when something in the window display caught his eye.
“Hey, Sam, check it out,” Dean grinned, nudging his brother and pointing. Sam turned from the bracelet kiosk. “Angel bear.”
“Yes,” Sam said slowly. His eyes narrowed and he looked around worriedly. “Are you trying to say something?”
Dean rolled his eyes and headed for the store. “You need to chill out. They may be dicks but I think they have better things to do than stalk teeny-bopper hang outs.”
“What are you doing then?” Sam asked, following him in confusion.
Dean merely grinned and picked up the little white bear with halo and harp. “Next time Cas swings around, I’m gonna give it to him.”
“…why?”
“He needs to learn to lighten up. Also? The harp is detachable.”
He gave the harp a little twang and grinned.
~~
When Castiel finally did turn up, a few days later to get some help with angelic relics, Dean remembered the bear. He held up a finger, stopping the angel abruptly in the middle of explaining how holy water would help locate them. Castiel stared as the eldest Winchester practically dashed to his bag and rummaged around. When Dean pulled out the bear, Castiel continued to give him an impassive look, although his eye did twitch slightly.
“Aw, come on Cas,” Dean grinned, wagging the little angel bear in front of his face. “It’s practically you.”
“I fail to see any resemblance to the swollen caricature of a beast clad in white cloth,” Castiel said in his usual deadpan voice. He leaned back as Dean pushed the stuffed animal even closer to his face.
“It’s got wings,” Sam offered from his spot at the computer. Dean’s grin widened and Castiel gave the youngest Winchester an unamused look. Sam cleared his throat and looked back down.
Castiel turned back to Dean in time for the little bear to press its fuzzy muzzle against his lips.
Dean turned red and stepped back, fumbling with the bear while Castiel stood there and rubbed his fingers against his mouth.
“Anyway, just take it,” Dean muttered and tossed the bear to Castiel. Castiel caught it automatically and stared down at it.
“…why is it carrying a musical instrument?”
~~
A little while later - after angelic relics had been found and salvaged, after another Wendigo- Dean was alone in their motel room while Sam was looking for a new hunt. He was polishing his knives when there was a familiar whoosh of feathers. He looked up to see Castiel standing in the middle of their room.
“Need help again?” Dean asked, setting aside his knife and rag.
If he didn’t know any better, he’d say the angel looked awkward. One of his hands was behind his back and the other was making an odd twitching movement.
“Cas? You okay?” he asked, concerned. He stood up and headed over. He stopped when Castiel moved his hand from behind him and held out a stuffed animal. A stuffed platypus to be exact.
“Uh.”
“As I understand it,” Castiel said, staring at him with his usual steady eyes, “if one is presented with a gift, it is customary to return the favor.
Dean continued to stare at the odd animal.
“It reminded me of you,” Castiel explained.
Dean tried very hard not to be offended. It helped to remind himself how much it hurt to punch the angel in the face before. “Okay, you’re going to have to help me understand how here.”
Finally, something flickered in the angel’s eyes and his face shifted. Dean watched in fascination as his brow furrowed slightly and his lips parted. Castiel rarely outwardly demonstrated any form of emotion and watching it was something to behold.
“I realize, perhaps, that it is not the most aesthetic of creatures,” Castiel said, almost hesitantly. “It is a creature composed of a variety of functions and belonging only to a small group. But even though it seems almost alone and not belonging or perfect, it exists and is loved as all of God’s creatures. Perhaps even more so because of its uniqueness.”
Dean looked at Castiel, taking in carefully how he almost didn’t meet his eyes but held the gift steady.
“That is such utter bullshit,” Dean snorted. Castiel stiffened and slowly moved his hand back. Dean deftly went in and took it before the angel got too far. Castiel blinked and dropped his hands as the hunter nonchalantly tossed it from hand to hand, flipping it over and examining it. “But thanks.”
By the time Sam returned, there was no trace of the angel but Dean was back to polishing, a stuffed platypus nestled on his pillow.
Sam stared but Dean didn’t look at him.
~~
More time passed. Dean heard a song on the radio and he snorted. When they pulled over for gas, he downloaded the song on his phone and sent it to the number he had for Castiel.
Castiel texted back: The Voice says my data usage is about to be maximized. I do not understand. Is the woman singing about enjoying whips and chains?
~~
Dean opened the door to the Impala. On the driver’s seat, there was cassette - an actual cassette - with careful handwriting on the blank case. When he flipped around to read the tracks, Dean grinned.
Sam covered his ears with an old jacket as his brother blasted his favorites across six counties. There shouldn’t have even been that many songs on one tape but it never ended. When The Proclaimers “(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles” ended, Castiel popped into the back seat.
Sam was so grateful for the interruption, he missed the slight smile on the angel’s face in the rear-view mirror.
~~
Dean bought a piece of angel food cake from the best cake shop he had ever visited. He carried it across two states and when Sam was finally asleep, he called the angel.
“You realize I don’t need to eat, right?” Castiel said, staring down at the piece before Dean finished punching in the last number. “This is an unnecessary waste of food.”
“You’ll enjoy it,” Dean snorted, snapping his phone shut. “It’s practically Heaven.”
“I sincerely doubt that,” Castiel said, voice slightly dry. “We have no need of sustenance in - ” He didn’t finish his sentence, owing to the fork of cake in his mouth.
“Good enough for Heaven?” Dean smirked, getting a forkful for himself as the angel was forced to chew.
Castiel swallowed and gave Dean an even look. The Winchester merely grinned and took a bite himself.
“I have tasted better,” Castiel finally said and Dean barely stopped himself from choking.
“You’re lying,” Dean coughed, wiping his mouth. At the angel’s look, he amended, “Okay, maybe you just don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been all over this country since I was a kid, there is nothing better than this.”
Castiel leaned in and wiped a crumb from a startled Dean’s mouth. “I’ll show you.”
~~
Sam opened the door, juggling his keys, laptop bag and books. “Hey, Dean, I think I finally got a lead on - okay, what’s going on here?”
Dean looked at him, a utensil in his mouth. A utensil held by Castiel.
Castiel looked at Sam with an expression that said he was caught and had no explanation.
Dean grinned and pulled back. “Dude, Sam, you’ve gotta try this, it’s awesome!” There was a disturbingly orgasmic look on his face. “I didn’t know pie could be this good.”
“Uh, I’m good, thanks,” Sam said warily, dropping his stuff on the table. “You know, I think I left something back at the library, I’m just going to…yeah…” He walked back to the door, if a little faster than usual, it was only because he never wanted to see such a look on his brother’s face.
He paused a foot from the door and looked again at the scene.
The pie Dean was obviously so blissed out over had the colorings of red and white. And, on his second glance, Castiel’s normally pale lips were pinker than usual.
Sam shot out of the door, mentally recounting his exorcisms to avoid thinking.
~~
Several years later, Dean awoke to a cliché Hallmark card settled on his bedside table. Since his angel was still sprawled next to him, dozing or his equivalent of dozing, and Sam was in no way likely to sneak in for such a prank, he was a little confused.
The pale pink card had a cheery heart on the front, with a little Cupid shooting an arrow at it. Inside, there was loopy handwriting.
“HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY. MAY YOU AND MY BROTHER LOVE AS YOU ARE MEANT TO. =D”
~~
A/N: ...I don't even know. ;_____; Feel free to say how utter crap it is.