Unexpected Destinies Chapter 170
Title: Unexpected Destinies
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,538
Summary: Sam learns more about Dean and Castiel's relationship, including things he really didn't want to know.
PRESENT
"Hey, Gorgeous," Dean said as he reached the bar and smiled widely at the beautiful bartender standing behind it.
"Dean!" Sam hissed next to him.
The urge to sigh and roll his eyes was great, but Dean resisted, keeping his attention on the bartender instead. He'd noticed her earlier when they'd first come in (he was in a happy and committed relationship, not blind) and he'd also noticed that her flirting was of the carefree variety without any intention of carrying through on any of it. It wasn't his fault that his brother couldn't tell the difference.
"Hello, Handsome. What can I get you?" the woman replied and from her necklace Dean was gonna take a wild guess and say her name was Crystal.
It was either that or she was a lesbian and dating a Crystal, which would make all of this even more harmless.
"I guess it depends. What's on offer?"
"I can't believe you!" Sam stated, voice low and dark.
"What are you up for?" Crystal shot back, completely ignoring Sam and leaning provocatively on the bar.
Since Dean knew that she did it just to let him cop a peak, he obliged and his easy smile grew to let her know he appreciated what he saw. If he hadn't been with Castiel he'd definitely have pushed a little more than normal to see if he couldn't entice her back to his room with him despite the fact that she wasn't actively looking for someone.
"Well, see, I'm always up for something new if it comes highly recommended by a beautiful woman," Dean replied before he waved a careless hand at his brother. "He'll have a Fosters."
"Ah, I see."
"Yeah, what can I say? He has no taste and I tried so hard."
"Dean," Sam reprimanded, through clenched teeth.
"Don't worry, honey, we've got Fosters here," Crystal reassured Sam before looking back at Dean with a flirtatious smile. "And I know just the thing for you, Handsome."
"I look forward to it," Dean responded easily.
"Damnit, Dean, how could you?" Sam demanded angrily the moment that Crystal stepped away.
This time Dean did sigh as he dragged his eyes away from Crystal and the way she sashayed her hips just a fraction more than necessary as she walked away. Damn but she was just his kind of woman; fun loving, open and provocative but definitely well able to take care of herself. He bet that his brother couldn't see that last part either. Despite all of their father's attempts to the contrary, Sam had never quite mastered the ability to take someone in at a glance and tell how likely they were to have had any kind of self-defense training. He, however, had taken to that particular lesson like a duck to water, especially when it came to humans and he knew without a doubt that someone had taken the time to make sure that Crystal knew how to handle herself. He might not be able to tell what kind of techniques she'd been taught or her proficiency, but he was absolutely certain that she'd been taught how to fight at least enough to not have to worry about being pawed at by anyone she didn't want without being able to give them a very firm 'no' in response.
"Dude, chill," Dean said, turning to look at his brother.
"Chill? You want me to chill when you're cheating on Cas? On your angel husband who can smite someone just as soon as look at them?"
Indignation lit Dean up. "Hey, I'm not cheating!"
"You're hitting on her."
"No, I'm flirting with her, there's a difference."
"No there's not."
"Yes, there is. Hitting on someone means you want to follow up on it. Flirting meanwhile can be harmless fun just for the sake of it."
"So you're leading her on."
"Oh, for crying out loud! Dude, she likes the attention, you saw her, but she's got no more desire to follow through on any of this than I do. And so help me, if you ask me how I can tell, I'll slap you. Bitch."
"Jerk."
"Let me guess," Crystal said, coming back with a bottle and glass. "Brothers, right?"
"How'd you guess?"
"Got a few of my own."
"Let me guess, they teach you how to fight?" Dean asked.
Crystal's eyebrows rose and her smile grew. "Yep, wouldn't let me work here without it."
"Good."
"Okay, here's your Fosters and this is something new from Belgium."
"It got a name?" Dean inquired amused.
"Nothing either of us can pronounce, but it's full bodied and goes down easy and smooth."
"Does it now?"
"Mmm, yeah," Crystal replied, lowering her eye lashes and regarding him from under them before she slowly ran them over him, licking her lips and Dean nearly laughed aloud as his brother choked on his cheap Australian beer. "Can I get you anything else?"
"Yeah, a Smirnoff Ice, a Corona and then I'll need your help on the last one."
"Sure thing, Sugar."
Dean couldn't help but follow her with his eyes again as he took a sip of his beer. It was everything that she'd said it would be and he'd have to get her to write the name down so he could get his husband to bring him back some if Castiel ever passed through Belgium.
"Seriously?" Sam demanded, still sounding scandalized.
"Dude, we already went over this."
"Cas is looking, jackass. How do you think he's gonna feel seeing you chat up some random chick?"
A quick glance over his shoulder showed Dean that his bond mate was indeed watching him and he smiled at Castiel before turning back to his brother. "Look, Sammy, if anything this just proves my point. Trust me, Cas has a serious possessive streak and he'd be over here in a flash if he felt even the tiniest bit of jealousy."
His brother goggled at him. "Cas is possessive?"
"Oh, you have no idea," Dean replied, wriggling his eyebrows as a dirty grin crossed his face.
"Dude, TMI! TMI!"
"There's no such thing as TMI in my book," Crystal stated as she returned with two more bottles.
This time Dean did laugh aloud. "A woman after my own heart."
"Oh, you have no idea."
"Don't encourage him," Sam pleaded. "He's with someone."
"Like I'd be able to miss that," Crystal snorted.
"What?"
"You seriously think that two hot guys like that can enter this bar and that I wouldn't notice them or the way they interacted?"
"You saw that, did you?" Dean asked.
"Oh, yeah. And can I say, hot!"
For a moment Dean just blinked as his brother sputtered before he threw his head back and laughed loudly. As if she hadn't already seemed perfect, this was just the icing on the cake. Seriously, if he wasn't already happily married, he'd definitely have stuck around here for a while, that was for sure.
"What... but... that's," Sam floundered.
"What? You don't think a girl can find the thought of two guys hot? Guys think of two girls like that all the time."
"I don't!"
"Like I said, I tried," Dean managed to get out while shaking his head, though he was having a hard time suppressing his laughter. "But he's just that hopeless."
"I'm gonna have to side with your brother on this one," Crystal told Sam. "I pity you. I mean if two girls are as hot as your brother and his partner, how can you not think of them together?"
"Dude, he's my brother!" Sam protested. "I so don't need to picture that!"
"I suppose. Now, you said something about needing another drink?"
"Yeah," Dean confirmed. "It's for Cas actually. He's got this sweet tooth and doesn't like beer."
"No one's perfect."
"Close enough."
"No arguments there," Crystal replied, her eyes shifting from him back to their table.
If his brother had expected him to get all huff and defensive now that he was on the opposite side of the equation Sam was just going to have to be disappointed. Dean knew damn well how good his angel looked and had no problem with anyone else appreciating that fact, especially not like this when all that was being done was appreciation.
"Anyway, he's more of a cocktail guy; sex on the beach, blowjob, Smirnoff Ice. I was wondering if you had anything else to recommend along those lines? He's newer to alcohol and I wanna see what else he likes."
"I've got just the thing, give me a few minutes."
"You're incorrigible," Sam stated as soon as they were alone again.
"Thought you already knew that."
"I did, until you came back married. To an angel."
Dean shrugged. "What can I say? Cas likes me just the way I am."
"And just when I thought you couldn't change, you do. You do realize that you sound like a sappy romance novel now, right?"
"Hey!"
"I'm just saying."
"And how the hell would you know what those sound like anyway?"
Sam's face clouded over instantly. "Jess. She used to like them and got one on tape for a road trip we took to go see her parents."
"Shit, sorry man."
"That's okay, you didn't know."
That didn't make Dean feel any better, but before he could think of anything else to say, they were no longer alone at the bar. A woman in a tight shirt and short skirt squeezed into the space between them, carelessly forcing Sam back and flashing him a killer smile.
"Hey there, Sexy. Buy a girl a drink?"
Unlike Crystal, Dean could tell that this one meant business and the smile he gave her was his most subdued of the evening. "Sorry, I'm here with someone."
"Who, Crystal? I know she's seeing someone else. You trying to play hard to get?"
As she said it, the woman was leaning closer to him, crowding into his personal space and placing a hand on his forearm, but before Dean could set her right she jerked back unexpectedly. Seconds later an arm snaked around his waist and he was pulled back firmly against his husband's chest. If he hadn't felt the sudden possessiveness and intent flowing from Castiel across their bond seconds before it had happened, he'd have jumped straight out of his skin. As it was he could only hope that his bond mate hadn't flown straight across the room.
"Back off," Castiel bit out darkly. "This is your only warning."
"Like I said, I'm here with someone," Dean repeated with a smirk as she stared at them in shock before storming off. "Well I did warn her."
"Warnings don't work on Martha," Crystal stated as she returned, a huge smile on her face. "The existence or appearance of girlfriends or wives doesn't generally work either. First time it's been a boyfriend though."
"Husband," Castiel correctly immediately.
"Oh, okay. Cas, right?"
"Yes."
"Well then this is for you. Let me know what you think of it."
"What is it?" Dean asked, not immediately recognizing the cocktail.
"Don't know, I haven't decided on a name for it yet."
"Is there anything you do that I'd dislike?" Dean asked.
"Dean!" Sam exclaimed.
"What?"
Instead of replying his brother made an abrupt little gesture at Castiel and now Dean did roll his eyes. Did Sam really still think that his husband had a problem with his flirting with Crystal after what his brother had just witnessed? There were times when he seriously wondered how they could possibly be related, he really did.
"Your brother is cute," Crystal said.
"That's one word for it."
"Hey!" Sam protested, scowling at them. "Excuse me for thinking that there's a right and a wrong way to treat a spouse."
"I have no problem with Dean interacting with other people," Castiel stated.
"Flirting is different from interacting, Cas."
"Not for your brother, not with a beautiful woman."
"Nice, hot and smart," Crystal admired. "Though I have to admit, Handsome, I wouldn't have pegged him as the dominant one in your relationship."
Dean laughed as his little brother choked on his beer once more at her straight forwardness. "Yeah, well, we switch things up depending on what mood we're in. Keeps things interesting."
This time it was Crystal's turn to laugh as Sam flailed for half a second before grabbing some of the drinks and fleeing back to the table.
Prude.
"Really?" Crystal questioned. "You weren't just saying that to scare away your brother?"
"Nope, right, Cas?" Dean asked, twisting in his husband's arms to look at him.
"Indeed," Castiel replied.
For a moment Dean hesitated, but then he looked at Crystal out of the corner of his eye and remembered another bar more years ago than he cared to remember and two girls that had been involved. There had been flirting simply for the sake of flirting back then too but he'd never forget how it had ended and he figured they were far North enough to give Crystal the same kind of memory.
With that, Dean leaned forwards and claimed his bond mate's lips in a searing kiss. As he'd expected, their surroundings didn't even phase Castiel in the slightest and his husband responded instantly. Crystal's delighted laughter washed over them and he smiled before deepening the kiss, snaking his tongue into Castiel's mouth. His angel moaned and brought his own tongue up to battle for dominance.
"Damnit, guys, my shift's not over for another two hours!" Crystal protested, sounding short of breath herself.
Despite knowing exactly what situation Crystal found herself in, Dean didn't feel repentant in the slightest. Unless he was very much mistaken, she didn't really want them to stop when they did either.
"You're mine tonight," Castiel promised darkly, whispering it into his ear after the kiss was over and it was all that Dean could do not to whine.
/
In the early morning silence the creaking of one of the loose floorboards behind him made Bobby frown as he looked up from the book that he was reading. He'd woken up early again and decided to forgo any futile attempts at sleeping in order to research instead. With the potential connection to an antichrist that Crowley had discovered, he was going over everything that the Campbell library had on the subject. Most of it seemed to be the same misinformation that his own books at home contained, or rather what he could remember them containing. He'd never specifically looked the subject up, but he'd come across a few references to it while researching everything that he could find on the Apocalypse. The two topics were rather intimately intertwined after all.
"Good morning, Bobby," Castiel greeted. "Was that an appropriate method of alerting you to my presence without startling you?"
"What? Oh, yeah, thanks," Bobby replied.
"I am glad. Since Dean can detect our arrival from the sound our wings make, I'm afraid that I have not given much thought as to how best to approach other humans when they are preoccupied with other matters."
"Well you did fine just now. So, what's up?"
"I have spoken with Belliel and while he cannot recollect having ever seen a spell, potion or ritual that requires all of these ingredients in the library, he does remember Harahel once saying something about a spell that utilized some of these ingredients."
"And does Harahel remember what it was?"
"Angels always remember, we do not forget things," Castiel replied sadly. "The problem is that I cannot ask Harahel as she died during the Rebellion."
"I'm sorry," Bobby replied.
"It was a long time ago now, but now I cannot help but wonder if her death might not have had something to do with the fact that she knew something about this."
"You think she could have been specially targeted for knowing it?"
"I would not put it past Lucifer. He was already actively defying Father and attempting to take over Heaven, so what is the murder of a sister in comparison to that?"
"I can't really comment on that. Lucifer's never been anything but the devil to me, so between that and everything that's happened the past few years I just can't see him as anything other than... ah-"
"Pure evil?"
"To put it bluntly."
"You need not fear about upsetting me, Bobby," Castiel said with a sad smile as he stepped forwards and took a seat opposite from him. "I am well aware of how humans perceive my brother. Besides, after all that he's done lately, either directly or indirectly to myself and Dean, I find that I cannot view him as I once did. No one threatens and endangers the life and soul of my bond mate the way he did and gets anything less than my full and utter loathing and anger. Any feelings that I may have had left for my brother died in that barn."
Not having had any siblings himself, Bobby wasn't quite sure what to say to that. He'd seen enough of Dean and Sam's often tumultuous relationship to know how strong those types of bonds could be, but he'd also seen both brothers chose a significant other over their brother. Now in Sam's case that had clearly been a mistake of the worst sort and one that he wasn't sure that the two would ever fully recover from, but neither would their relationship ever be quite the same now that Dean had made the same choice himself. It was just one of those things that irrevocably changed the dynamics of an existing sibling relationship whether it was made correctly or incorrectly.
But speaking of relationships, Bobby had a question he'd been meaning to ask the angel and now seemed as good a time as any. "So, you and Dean huh?"
"Yes," Castiel replied.
It took Bobby a moment to realize that, yes, he was actually going to have to elaborate on that in order to get the information that he wanted. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how alien Castiel really was. The angel had improved so much since before what they had thought was the end of the Apocalypse that it was hard to reconcile the two at times.
"So what exactly is an angelic marriage besides the bonding of soul to Grace?" Bobby asked.
Castiel frowned. "There is no 'besides' in this situation, Bobby. The bonding is the marriage, or at least that is the only human word that can even remotely be used to describe what it is that a true bonding implies."
"Oh."
"Think about it this way. You are aware that the soul is the true essence of any particular human, right?"
"Yes."
"Well so is an angel's Grace. When two angels or- in the case of myself and Dean- an angel and a human bond, we are forging a strong connection between the true essence of ourselves. It is like intertwining our very beings, unfiltered by either body or vessel."
Bobby tried to envision what that meant but he could admit to himself that what he was able to conjure was probably laughably far off the mark. Still, it was enough to make him swallow, hard. The sheer intimacy and trust implied in what Castiel was saying was almost incomprehensible to him and to think that Dean of all people had been able to get to a point where that had been okay was simply mindboggling. It also said all that he needed to know about what the boy felt for what was essentially his soul husband. Not that he'd doubted Dean's feelings for the angel, but it was sometimes difficult to tell exactly what the boy was feeling as Dean really could clam up if he wanted to.
This however... Bobby had to be honest and admit that even he'd have a hard time simply considering that level of connection with another being. It was Dean's soul they were talking about here after all. This was a marriage that was truly eternal and not just the 'till death do us part' spiel that humans were used to. In any other situation he knew that the mere thought of his surrogate son's soul being bound like that would be enough to downright terrify him, but now it didn't and that was all due to Castiel being the one to whom Dean had tied his soul. If there was anyone out there that he knew would always, but always, put the boy first it was this particular angel.
Even when Castiel's faith in Dean had been at its lowest, Bobby had seen the angel do right by the boy. Which was far more than he himself or anyone else, dead or alive, could claim.
"I see," Bobby finally replied.
Castiel smiled. "I sincerely doubt that you do, Bobby. I am, however, at a loss as to how else to describe the bonding. I would suggest that you speak with Dean on the matter. As both a human and someone who is bonded, he would be far better suited to explain precisely what it is."
"I will. But I did have one other question for you."
"Yes?"
"Have you considered human marriage?"
A.N.: Whee, on a roll with this fic for NaNo. Maybe it'll finally be done?
Anyway, the most recent episode? AWESOME! My favorite one of the season to date and quite possible my favorite one of the whole season, thought I'd quite happily be proven wrong. If anyone can point me towards fic for this episode I'd love you forever, and if any of those are Dean/Benny or Castiel/Dean/Benny I'd love you even more!!!
Chapter 171
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,538
Summary: Sam learns more about Dean and Castiel's relationship, including things he really didn't want to know.
PRESENT
"Hey, Gorgeous," Dean said as he reached the bar and smiled widely at the beautiful bartender standing behind it.
"Dean!" Sam hissed next to him.
The urge to sigh and roll his eyes was great, but Dean resisted, keeping his attention on the bartender instead. He'd noticed her earlier when they'd first come in (he was in a happy and committed relationship, not blind) and he'd also noticed that her flirting was of the carefree variety without any intention of carrying through on any of it. It wasn't his fault that his brother couldn't tell the difference.
"Hello, Handsome. What can I get you?" the woman replied and from her necklace Dean was gonna take a wild guess and say her name was Crystal.
It was either that or she was a lesbian and dating a Crystal, which would make all of this even more harmless.
"I guess it depends. What's on offer?"
"I can't believe you!" Sam stated, voice low and dark.
"What are you up for?" Crystal shot back, completely ignoring Sam and leaning provocatively on the bar.
Since Dean knew that she did it just to let him cop a peak, he obliged and his easy smile grew to let her know he appreciated what he saw. If he hadn't been with Castiel he'd definitely have pushed a little more than normal to see if he couldn't entice her back to his room with him despite the fact that she wasn't actively looking for someone.
"Well, see, I'm always up for something new if it comes highly recommended by a beautiful woman," Dean replied before he waved a careless hand at his brother. "He'll have a Fosters."
"Ah, I see."
"Yeah, what can I say? He has no taste and I tried so hard."
"Dean," Sam reprimanded, through clenched teeth.
"Don't worry, honey, we've got Fosters here," Crystal reassured Sam before looking back at Dean with a flirtatious smile. "And I know just the thing for you, Handsome."
"I look forward to it," Dean responded easily.
"Damnit, Dean, how could you?" Sam demanded angrily the moment that Crystal stepped away.
This time Dean did sigh as he dragged his eyes away from Crystal and the way she sashayed her hips just a fraction more than necessary as she walked away. Damn but she was just his kind of woman; fun loving, open and provocative but definitely well able to take care of herself. He bet that his brother couldn't see that last part either. Despite all of their father's attempts to the contrary, Sam had never quite mastered the ability to take someone in at a glance and tell how likely they were to have had any kind of self-defense training. He, however, had taken to that particular lesson like a duck to water, especially when it came to humans and he knew without a doubt that someone had taken the time to make sure that Crystal knew how to handle herself. He might not be able to tell what kind of techniques she'd been taught or her proficiency, but he was absolutely certain that she'd been taught how to fight at least enough to not have to worry about being pawed at by anyone she didn't want without being able to give them a very firm 'no' in response.
"Dude, chill," Dean said, turning to look at his brother.
"Chill? You want me to chill when you're cheating on Cas? On your angel husband who can smite someone just as soon as look at them?"
Indignation lit Dean up. "Hey, I'm not cheating!"
"You're hitting on her."
"No, I'm flirting with her, there's a difference."
"No there's not."
"Yes, there is. Hitting on someone means you want to follow up on it. Flirting meanwhile can be harmless fun just for the sake of it."
"So you're leading her on."
"Oh, for crying out loud! Dude, she likes the attention, you saw her, but she's got no more desire to follow through on any of this than I do. And so help me, if you ask me how I can tell, I'll slap you. Bitch."
"Jerk."
"Let me guess," Crystal said, coming back with a bottle and glass. "Brothers, right?"
"How'd you guess?"
"Got a few of my own."
"Let me guess, they teach you how to fight?" Dean asked.
Crystal's eyebrows rose and her smile grew. "Yep, wouldn't let me work here without it."
"Good."
"Okay, here's your Fosters and this is something new from Belgium."
"It got a name?" Dean inquired amused.
"Nothing either of us can pronounce, but it's full bodied and goes down easy and smooth."
"Does it now?"
"Mmm, yeah," Crystal replied, lowering her eye lashes and regarding him from under them before she slowly ran them over him, licking her lips and Dean nearly laughed aloud as his brother choked on his cheap Australian beer. "Can I get you anything else?"
"Yeah, a Smirnoff Ice, a Corona and then I'll need your help on the last one."
"Sure thing, Sugar."
Dean couldn't help but follow her with his eyes again as he took a sip of his beer. It was everything that she'd said it would be and he'd have to get her to write the name down so he could get his husband to bring him back some if Castiel ever passed through Belgium.
"Seriously?" Sam demanded, still sounding scandalized.
"Dude, we already went over this."
"Cas is looking, jackass. How do you think he's gonna feel seeing you chat up some random chick?"
A quick glance over his shoulder showed Dean that his bond mate was indeed watching him and he smiled at Castiel before turning back to his brother. "Look, Sammy, if anything this just proves my point. Trust me, Cas has a serious possessive streak and he'd be over here in a flash if he felt even the tiniest bit of jealousy."
His brother goggled at him. "Cas is possessive?"
"Oh, you have no idea," Dean replied, wriggling his eyebrows as a dirty grin crossed his face.
"Dude, TMI! TMI!"
"There's no such thing as TMI in my book," Crystal stated as she returned with two more bottles.
This time Dean did laugh aloud. "A woman after my own heart."
"Oh, you have no idea."
"Don't encourage him," Sam pleaded. "He's with someone."
"Like I'd be able to miss that," Crystal snorted.
"What?"
"You seriously think that two hot guys like that can enter this bar and that I wouldn't notice them or the way they interacted?"
"You saw that, did you?" Dean asked.
"Oh, yeah. And can I say, hot!"
For a moment Dean just blinked as his brother sputtered before he threw his head back and laughed loudly. As if she hadn't already seemed perfect, this was just the icing on the cake. Seriously, if he wasn't already happily married, he'd definitely have stuck around here for a while, that was for sure.
"What... but... that's," Sam floundered.
"What? You don't think a girl can find the thought of two guys hot? Guys think of two girls like that all the time."
"I don't!"
"Like I said, I tried," Dean managed to get out while shaking his head, though he was having a hard time suppressing his laughter. "But he's just that hopeless."
"I'm gonna have to side with your brother on this one," Crystal told Sam. "I pity you. I mean if two girls are as hot as your brother and his partner, how can you not think of them together?"
"Dude, he's my brother!" Sam protested. "I so don't need to picture that!"
"I suppose. Now, you said something about needing another drink?"
"Yeah," Dean confirmed. "It's for Cas actually. He's got this sweet tooth and doesn't like beer."
"No one's perfect."
"Close enough."
"No arguments there," Crystal replied, her eyes shifting from him back to their table.
If his brother had expected him to get all huff and defensive now that he was on the opposite side of the equation Sam was just going to have to be disappointed. Dean knew damn well how good his angel looked and had no problem with anyone else appreciating that fact, especially not like this when all that was being done was appreciation.
"Anyway, he's more of a cocktail guy; sex on the beach, blowjob, Smirnoff Ice. I was wondering if you had anything else to recommend along those lines? He's newer to alcohol and I wanna see what else he likes."
"I've got just the thing, give me a few minutes."
"You're incorrigible," Sam stated as soon as they were alone again.
"Thought you already knew that."
"I did, until you came back married. To an angel."
Dean shrugged. "What can I say? Cas likes me just the way I am."
"And just when I thought you couldn't change, you do. You do realize that you sound like a sappy romance novel now, right?"
"Hey!"
"I'm just saying."
"And how the hell would you know what those sound like anyway?"
Sam's face clouded over instantly. "Jess. She used to like them and got one on tape for a road trip we took to go see her parents."
"Shit, sorry man."
"That's okay, you didn't know."
That didn't make Dean feel any better, but before he could think of anything else to say, they were no longer alone at the bar. A woman in a tight shirt and short skirt squeezed into the space between them, carelessly forcing Sam back and flashing him a killer smile.
"Hey there, Sexy. Buy a girl a drink?"
Unlike Crystal, Dean could tell that this one meant business and the smile he gave her was his most subdued of the evening. "Sorry, I'm here with someone."
"Who, Crystal? I know she's seeing someone else. You trying to play hard to get?"
As she said it, the woman was leaning closer to him, crowding into his personal space and placing a hand on his forearm, but before Dean could set her right she jerked back unexpectedly. Seconds later an arm snaked around his waist and he was pulled back firmly against his husband's chest. If he hadn't felt the sudden possessiveness and intent flowing from Castiel across their bond seconds before it had happened, he'd have jumped straight out of his skin. As it was he could only hope that his bond mate hadn't flown straight across the room.
"Back off," Castiel bit out darkly. "This is your only warning."
"Like I said, I'm here with someone," Dean repeated with a smirk as she stared at them in shock before storming off. "Well I did warn her."
"Warnings don't work on Martha," Crystal stated as she returned, a huge smile on her face. "The existence or appearance of girlfriends or wives doesn't generally work either. First time it's been a boyfriend though."
"Husband," Castiel correctly immediately.
"Oh, okay. Cas, right?"
"Yes."
"Well then this is for you. Let me know what you think of it."
"What is it?" Dean asked, not immediately recognizing the cocktail.
"Don't know, I haven't decided on a name for it yet."
"Is there anything you do that I'd dislike?" Dean asked.
"Dean!" Sam exclaimed.
"What?"
Instead of replying his brother made an abrupt little gesture at Castiel and now Dean did roll his eyes. Did Sam really still think that his husband had a problem with his flirting with Crystal after what his brother had just witnessed? There were times when he seriously wondered how they could possibly be related, he really did.
"Your brother is cute," Crystal said.
"That's one word for it."
"Hey!" Sam protested, scowling at them. "Excuse me for thinking that there's a right and a wrong way to treat a spouse."
"I have no problem with Dean interacting with other people," Castiel stated.
"Flirting is different from interacting, Cas."
"Not for your brother, not with a beautiful woman."
"Nice, hot and smart," Crystal admired. "Though I have to admit, Handsome, I wouldn't have pegged him as the dominant one in your relationship."
Dean laughed as his little brother choked on his beer once more at her straight forwardness. "Yeah, well, we switch things up depending on what mood we're in. Keeps things interesting."
This time it was Crystal's turn to laugh as Sam flailed for half a second before grabbing some of the drinks and fleeing back to the table.
Prude.
"Really?" Crystal questioned. "You weren't just saying that to scare away your brother?"
"Nope, right, Cas?" Dean asked, twisting in his husband's arms to look at him.
"Indeed," Castiel replied.
For a moment Dean hesitated, but then he looked at Crystal out of the corner of his eye and remembered another bar more years ago than he cared to remember and two girls that had been involved. There had been flirting simply for the sake of flirting back then too but he'd never forget how it had ended and he figured they were far North enough to give Crystal the same kind of memory.
With that, Dean leaned forwards and claimed his bond mate's lips in a searing kiss. As he'd expected, their surroundings didn't even phase Castiel in the slightest and his husband responded instantly. Crystal's delighted laughter washed over them and he smiled before deepening the kiss, snaking his tongue into Castiel's mouth. His angel moaned and brought his own tongue up to battle for dominance.
"Damnit, guys, my shift's not over for another two hours!" Crystal protested, sounding short of breath herself.
Despite knowing exactly what situation Crystal found herself in, Dean didn't feel repentant in the slightest. Unless he was very much mistaken, she didn't really want them to stop when they did either.
"You're mine tonight," Castiel promised darkly, whispering it into his ear after the kiss was over and it was all that Dean could do not to whine.
/
In the early morning silence the creaking of one of the loose floorboards behind him made Bobby frown as he looked up from the book that he was reading. He'd woken up early again and decided to forgo any futile attempts at sleeping in order to research instead. With the potential connection to an antichrist that Crowley had discovered, he was going over everything that the Campbell library had on the subject. Most of it seemed to be the same misinformation that his own books at home contained, or rather what he could remember them containing. He'd never specifically looked the subject up, but he'd come across a few references to it while researching everything that he could find on the Apocalypse. The two topics were rather intimately intertwined after all.
"Good morning, Bobby," Castiel greeted. "Was that an appropriate method of alerting you to my presence without startling you?"
"What? Oh, yeah, thanks," Bobby replied.
"I am glad. Since Dean can detect our arrival from the sound our wings make, I'm afraid that I have not given much thought as to how best to approach other humans when they are preoccupied with other matters."
"Well you did fine just now. So, what's up?"
"I have spoken with Belliel and while he cannot recollect having ever seen a spell, potion or ritual that requires all of these ingredients in the library, he does remember Harahel once saying something about a spell that utilized some of these ingredients."
"And does Harahel remember what it was?"
"Angels always remember, we do not forget things," Castiel replied sadly. "The problem is that I cannot ask Harahel as she died during the Rebellion."
"I'm sorry," Bobby replied.
"It was a long time ago now, but now I cannot help but wonder if her death might not have had something to do with the fact that she knew something about this."
"You think she could have been specially targeted for knowing it?"
"I would not put it past Lucifer. He was already actively defying Father and attempting to take over Heaven, so what is the murder of a sister in comparison to that?"
"I can't really comment on that. Lucifer's never been anything but the devil to me, so between that and everything that's happened the past few years I just can't see him as anything other than... ah-"
"Pure evil?"
"To put it bluntly."
"You need not fear about upsetting me, Bobby," Castiel said with a sad smile as he stepped forwards and took a seat opposite from him. "I am well aware of how humans perceive my brother. Besides, after all that he's done lately, either directly or indirectly to myself and Dean, I find that I cannot view him as I once did. No one threatens and endangers the life and soul of my bond mate the way he did and gets anything less than my full and utter loathing and anger. Any feelings that I may have had left for my brother died in that barn."
Not having had any siblings himself, Bobby wasn't quite sure what to say to that. He'd seen enough of Dean and Sam's often tumultuous relationship to know how strong those types of bonds could be, but he'd also seen both brothers chose a significant other over their brother. Now in Sam's case that had clearly been a mistake of the worst sort and one that he wasn't sure that the two would ever fully recover from, but neither would their relationship ever be quite the same now that Dean had made the same choice himself. It was just one of those things that irrevocably changed the dynamics of an existing sibling relationship whether it was made correctly or incorrectly.
But speaking of relationships, Bobby had a question he'd been meaning to ask the angel and now seemed as good a time as any. "So, you and Dean huh?"
"Yes," Castiel replied.
It took Bobby a moment to realize that, yes, he was actually going to have to elaborate on that in order to get the information that he wanted. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how alien Castiel really was. The angel had improved so much since before what they had thought was the end of the Apocalypse that it was hard to reconcile the two at times.
"So what exactly is an angelic marriage besides the bonding of soul to Grace?" Bobby asked.
Castiel frowned. "There is no 'besides' in this situation, Bobby. The bonding is the marriage, or at least that is the only human word that can even remotely be used to describe what it is that a true bonding implies."
"Oh."
"Think about it this way. You are aware that the soul is the true essence of any particular human, right?"
"Yes."
"Well so is an angel's Grace. When two angels or- in the case of myself and Dean- an angel and a human bond, we are forging a strong connection between the true essence of ourselves. It is like intertwining our very beings, unfiltered by either body or vessel."
Bobby tried to envision what that meant but he could admit to himself that what he was able to conjure was probably laughably far off the mark. Still, it was enough to make him swallow, hard. The sheer intimacy and trust implied in what Castiel was saying was almost incomprehensible to him and to think that Dean of all people had been able to get to a point where that had been okay was simply mindboggling. It also said all that he needed to know about what the boy felt for what was essentially his soul husband. Not that he'd doubted Dean's feelings for the angel, but it was sometimes difficult to tell exactly what the boy was feeling as Dean really could clam up if he wanted to.
This however... Bobby had to be honest and admit that even he'd have a hard time simply considering that level of connection with another being. It was Dean's soul they were talking about here after all. This was a marriage that was truly eternal and not just the 'till death do us part' spiel that humans were used to. In any other situation he knew that the mere thought of his surrogate son's soul being bound like that would be enough to downright terrify him, but now it didn't and that was all due to Castiel being the one to whom Dean had tied his soul. If there was anyone out there that he knew would always, but always, put the boy first it was this particular angel.
Even when Castiel's faith in Dean had been at its lowest, Bobby had seen the angel do right by the boy. Which was far more than he himself or anyone else, dead or alive, could claim.
"I see," Bobby finally replied.
Castiel smiled. "I sincerely doubt that you do, Bobby. I am, however, at a loss as to how else to describe the bonding. I would suggest that you speak with Dean on the matter. As both a human and someone who is bonded, he would be far better suited to explain precisely what it is."
"I will. But I did have one other question for you."
"Yes?"
"Have you considered human marriage?"
A.N.: Whee, on a roll with this fic for NaNo. Maybe it'll finally be done?
Anyway, the most recent episode? AWESOME! My favorite one of the season to date and quite possible my favorite one of the whole season, thought I'd quite happily be proven wrong. If anyone can point me towards fic for this episode I'd love you forever, and if any of those are Dean/Benny or Castiel/Dean/Benny I'd love you even more!!!
Chapter 171