Ice of Oblivion Chapter 11B
Title: Ice of Oblivion Chapter 11B/24
Author: zoomzoomzoomzoo
Fandom/Genre: SPN AU Romance, Drama, Action
Pairing (s): Dean/Castiel
Rating: T
Word Count: ~82,000
Warnings: Underage, Mild Sexual Situation, Violence
Summary: AU. In a time of great tragedy in the lands of Mamot, the human race and the angel race are forced to form an unbreakable union that will bind them together for twenty seven lifetimes in order to stop the uprising of the demon race. In bargain they offer Castiel, one of the most powerful angels in the entire world to marry Dean Winchester, the young crown prince of the human world. The typically detached Castiel winds up falling in love with the Prince. The only problem is his brothers don’t expect Dean to live through the war. Will Castiel stay and support the man he loves despite the heartbreak that might accompany his passing or will he fall back in line with his brothers, becoming numb to all human emotions once more?
Chapter 11B
“Castiel!”
Dropping the letter back into the case, Castiel turned around to his brother Michael and scowled. He was so close…
“Michael… can I help you?” Castiel asked tightly.
Michael walked fully into the room and it was then that Castiel noticed the anxious expression on his face. Castiel got up from his place on the floor and stood at attention. Michael opened his mouth to speak was shut his mouth promptly when he saw Castiel’s still open case.
“What’s this?” Michael asked while pushing past his brother and approaching the wooden case.
Castiel’s eyes widened and he moved in front of his brother, stretching his arms out he said, “It’s nothing. Nothing to worry about…”
Michael leered at the box with the smallest hint of amusement in his eyes; Castiel almost smiled when he saw that idle step out of character in his brother especially amidst all of the disasters going on around them but he fought it and stood tall in front of Dean’s box of thoughts. “Let me see,” Michael insisted.
“No!” Castiel affirmed. He usually wouldn’t mind his brother finding out about anything in his life - Michael was the most respectful and considerate out of all of his brothers - but this was very different. None of his brothers particularly approved of his relationship with Dean back when there was one. Especially not Michael - who was the first to smirk when Castiel informed his family that he was not going back to Dean’s side.
“You understand you denying me is only making me more interested, correct?” Michael said smartly before pushing past Castiel with a sweep of his hand.
Castiel allowed him to but looked on disgruntled as he brother picked up the case and walked it to the desk full of papers in his room. Castiel followed close behind him and peered over his shoulder when he opened the case and removed the letter on the very top; as soon as his eyes scanned it he barked out a loud laugh and turned back toward his brother.
“You kept all of these?”
Castiel looked to the side and nodded, ashamed but not sure what for.
Michael was still smiling but his eyebrows knotted in confusion. “Are you alright?”
He wanted to nod and tell him he was, as he did with all of his other brothers. But, this was Michael. He’d looked up to him since before he could even remember; this was his big brother. How could he lie? Castiel bit the bottom of his lip and sat down on his bed - he only used it for meditation of course seeing as he didn’t require normal sleep. Looking into his lap, Castiel finally admitted what he’d been holding in for years.
“I miss Dean.”
When Michael didn’t speak for a while, Castiel glanced up and saw an obviously hurt expression on his brother’s face. He pouted and gazed at his brother critically; he didn’t understand why his brother would care either way.
“I surely didn’t expect that response,” said Michael.
Castiel nodded and, taking his eyes off of his brother, gazed longingly at the brown wooden case sitting on his desk. There was so much Dean inside of that one box; Castiel really wanted to read them all but he could hardly do that with his brother around. Despite his actually seeming to care about Castiel’s feelings concerning Dean, actually breaking out the box of letters and reading them right in front of his face seemed like it would spark a good reaction from him. It was too embarrassing and made Castiel seem so much more needy than he actually was.
“It’s strange but I truly miss having him in my life, even after all these years.” Castiel said honestly.
Michael cleared his throat and Castiel could tell he was uncomfortable with this conversation already; he awkwardly shuffled closer to Castiel and plopped down on the bed beside him. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Michael spoke up with a bit of amusement in his voice.
“I didn’t expect you to hang on to this little infatuation for so long. I thought surely after the first year you’d be on to some new obsession.”
Castiel shot his brother a sharp glare. “Dean was not just an infatuation-“
“It just seems this happens every decade or so. First it was your flower garden, then it was your various encyclopedias, then it was the insect species, then it was interpretive dancing and very shortly after that all you were interested in was the advancement of technology the humans were taking part in. And then it was Dean.”
“Dean is more beautiful than any rose in the ground and much more efficient and relevant than any old machine gun. Dean, he’s- he’s-“ Castiel could barely come up with the words to describe Dean, he was something else that’s for sure.
“Castiel, every single one of your stages have been the same. They’re just little dalliances that you take part in to distract yourself from your constant boredom. Dean is just a phase, you’ll move on you just have to find something else to distract you.”
“He’s my betrothed; he is not just a phase.”
Michael rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose - a motion that Castiel only started doing after watching him - and shook his head. “I shouldn’t have ever let you see him after we left.”
Castiel rolled his eyes - something that he’d picked up specifically from Dean and Luke- getting desperate for his brother to understand. Dean was so much different than what Michael thought he was. He didn’t know what to say to him to convince him that Dean was more than what his brothers wanted to believe.
“Why did you allow me to go visit Dean even though you knew you were going to defy father’s plans and allow him to fend for himself?” Castiel asked him sharply.
That question has been brewing inside of him since Gabriel told him about it years ago but he was always afraid to approach his brother with any of his issues. He loved his brother very much and he didn’t want him to think that he was upset with him, but enough was enough. He was burning up inside wanting to know the truth behind Dean’s newfound unimportance.
Michael opened his mouth to answer but his mouth snapped shut immediately and he stared at Castiel dumbfounded. Castiel felt a smug sense of self-satisfaction after rendering his brother absolutely speechless and almost smirked; but he wanted to address this serious question seriously.
“Well,” Castiel snapped.
Michael frowned and cut his eyes away from Castiel, deciding that the book case was presenting a more pressing issue than Castiel was. After a while longer of tense silence, Michael faced his brother again.
“Its complicated Castiel. I honestly thought Dean would be of use at the time but the demons are not half as strong as I thought they’d be and Lucifer isn’t really showing himself. He’s no longer of any use to us.”
“But, father said -“
“I know what father said!” Michael sounded sarcastic and angry all at once and Castiel more or less reverted back to the child who didn’t question his brother’s opinions and decided not to speak until his brother did. “Look, we can stomp this damn war out just the five of us if we wanted to; we don’t need humans to get involved -“
“But, they need to be; their own are getting killed too,” Castiel stressed. “Do you have any idea what type of rebellion this will spark if you don’t let them have their time?”
Michael looked at Castiel with an “already knew that; I don’t want to say it out loud, but ‘DUH’” expression and then slapping his hand over his eyelids. “Of course I have an idea; I’ve been living here longer than you have, Castiel, I’ve seen the way humans react to damn near everything. It will be a challenge but the final battle is drawing near -“
Castiel cocked his head and looked at Michael carefully. “Are you sure?”
Michael nodded gravely and slid his hands off of his eyes. “If we don’t nip this thing in the butt without sparking any further consequences then we’re in for rough times come next year. We don’t have time to play babysitter for someone who we don’t really need.”
Castiel nodded. It was understandable; if he were on the other side of the fence he would have probably agreed wholeheartedly. Why waste time on something not needed when there are so many things to do and so many plans to shape from dust? But unfortunately, Castiel was not on that side of the fence. He was on Dean’s side; the same Dean who is still the No.1 target for all demons out there for reasons that he never knew of and reasons that are no longer relevant to his life. Leaving him out there without someone accomplished looking over his shoulder was blatant homicide on all of his brother’s parts.
“I understand you completely and it makes much more sense when you explain rather than when Gabriel elbowed through it,” Castiel said slowly. They both shared chuckle at Gabriel’s expense. Deciding to cue up the self-pity, Castiel raised his hand over his heart and leaned his chin on the other one. “But, I feel like if I hear something happened to him I won’t be able to deal with it. That’s the only reason I left… because I’m still not sure how hard it will hit me when he passes.”
Michael looked shocked and instantly he placed his hand on Castiel’s shoulder. Castiel inwardly smirked; Michael always had a weakness for his two youngest brothers. “I’m sorry Castiel. I had no idea how much he meant to you…”
Castiel nodded. “He means a lot, sometimes I think he means too much.” He murmured.
Michael was silent for a moment and then he spoke in a slightly jolly voice. “I’ll just… I’ll make sure nothing happens to your Dean.”
Castiel looked back at Michael excited. “Really?”
Michael nodded. “And one day, if you want and if he wants. You two can have a normal relationship without all of this stress and impending doom feelings.”
Castiel never felt more excited in his lifetime and he practically launched himself out of his seat on his bed. They were going to get married, Dean was going to live and they could still be married. It was like a dream come true. The one fear that caused him to leave his future husband was laid to rest and Castiel could finally breathe again.
The past ten years suddenly felt like silly trivialities that stood in the way of Castiel’s true happiness that was there in Inim with his betrothed. If only he’d decided not to listen to Gabriel and just confronted his older brother years ago all of this would be solved and his relationship with Dean would not be a crippled as it obviously was.
Michael stood up and held his arms out to Castiel, obviously expecting a hug. But Castiel was too busy brainstorming: when should he go visit? How should he dress? How should he ask Dean to marry him? They were all important questions that deserve answers and Castiel kept them all in mind so that he could properly think of them when he was less distracted by his brother’s strong arms.
Castiel wrapped his brother into hug and smiled into his shoulder. Things were finally looking up!
At that moment, Castiel’s room door burst open and Castiel and Michael turned around to see an anxious and disgruntled Uriel standing there. From the look on his face, Castiel knew he had some important information.
“Running a little fast for your physical stature, huh Uriel.”
Uriel straightened his tie and frowned. “Not the time smart-ass, something’s happened,” He said, completely serious for once.
Michael immediately snatched away from Castiel and, now in complete military mode he asked,
"What?"
"There's been an attack!"
"Where?" They asked simultaneously.
"Kent - in the Winchester's castle."
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