Always with you - Chapter 5
Title: Always with you
Fandom/Genre: Supernatural AU/Romance
Pairing(s): Dean/Castiel, Chuck/Becky, Sam/Sarah
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 46400
Warnings: some angst, mentions of violence, implied character death (disappearance)
Previous chapter: Chapter 4
Chapter five - Carnival of rust
In the next few days Dean fell into a whole new routine, welcoming and integrating Castiel into his life. They spent most of the afternoons together, sometimes the evenings too. Mostly they were accompanied by Chuck and Becky, but other times it was just the two of them, talking, having fun, flirting. Time was passing quite quickly and before they knew it, it was the day of the Harvelle’s Annual Masquerade. Castiel wasn’t really in the mood for an event like that but Dean made him promise he’d go, so he did. Dean and Becky had to leave a little earlier, so it was just Chuck and him.
They arrived a few minutes after six at the Harvelle Estate and before they went through the front gate, they put on their masks. Castiel’s was a sky blue with some sparkly silver and darker blue decoration on it. At first he found it totally uncomfortable but after a few minutes he got used to it. Also, when he had tried his outfit on before the party, Dean had said it looked great with the gray suit, blue shirt and gray, almost silvery tie he wore, and that was a big plus point. They chose his mask together but he hadn’t seen Dean’s yet. Chuck wore a simple white lace half-face mask with his black tuxedo-white shirt combo.
Almost immediately they were welcomed by an elderly couple, and a young blonde woman, also wearing masks. Chuck smiled widely as he hugged the man, and kissed the women’s cheeks, trying not to knock the masks out of place.
“Castiel, I’m sorry for the unusual introduction, but this is a masquerade, and taking the masks off would be breaking the rules, so… this is the Harvelle family, Bobby, Ellen, and their daughter Joanna. And this is Castiel Engelhart, a friend of Becky’s,” he introduced them. Firm handshakes and awkward, nice-to-meet-you hugs were shared, before another group of guests arrived, and the Harvelle’s had to go and greet them.
“This is quite a turnout,” Castiel observed looking around.
“It’s usually like that. This is a popular event, I’d even go as far as to say the most popular one in this neighborhood, and soon you’ll get to see why. Dean hasn’t filled you in, has he?”
“I don’t think so,” Castiel shrugged as he let Chuck drag him along. They walked for a few minutes before arriving at the estate’s huge back yard, filled with benches and tables. Some of them had plates full of food on them, some had glasses and bottled drinks scattered on them. In the middle of the meadow, there was an enormous stage, and some people were already gazing at it excitedly from behind their masks. Outdoor lights were placed all over the yard, along with quite a few speakers.
“Come on, we need to find a good place to sit.” Chuck urged.
“Why? What’ll happen here?” Castiel asked.
“Oh, you’ll see, and you’ll like it. Now come on, let’s get some food, and then we can sit. We have to wait quite a bit for the magic to happen, but at least we’ll be able to watch it from good seats,” Chuck rambled. They spent half an hour watching the arriving people, who slowly filled the remaining seats.
“Where is Dean? And Becky?” Castiel inquired, glancing around nervously, trying to find them.
‘They will be here soon. Don’t worry,” Chuck answered with a grin. A few seconds later Bobby and Ellen appeared on the stage, holding microphones.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” Bobby began.
“This is our annual masquerade, and we are truly happy that you all decided to grace the event with your presence,” Ellen took over, smiling at her husband. “As usual, we will begin with a little glance at the past, before focusing on the future, and a hopefully amazing ball.”
“Let’s hear some cheers for our little acting group!” Bobby said, and the crowd began clapping loudly. The couple left the stage, and a young woman entered it, in a beautiful dress. She wasn’t wearing a mask, and Castiel was surprised to see that it was Becky, but she looked different, almost ethereal. A male’s voice sounded from somewhere, talking about a girl named Abigail Cory, whose only fault was to be born as a woman, disappointing her father. Becky sat down on a chair, and looking at her hands folded in her lap, she began to talk softly.
“All I did wrong was falling in love with someone I wasn’t supposed to. But please, let me start from the beginning, if you don’t mind listening to me. We have a story to tell, a story about love, hate, sadness and happiness. It is a story wherein good people win their fights, and bad people get punished.” With that, she stood up and left. A little girl with long blonde locks took her place on the stage, playing happily with a real pony, which Castiel recognized as Scricciolo. Abigail’s happiness lasted only until Bobby appeared, obviously in the role of the little girl’s father. A lot of people were participating in the scenes, sometimes the stage was so full that Castiel was afraid the thick wooden boards would break. For every other scene a new Abigail came, until Becky re-entered the stage, with a man who was playing her teacher. Soon, the sound of hooves was to be heard, and the crowd gasped when a horse jumped up onto the stage, with a man in the saddle. Castiel didn’t even have to look at his face to know it was Dean.
“Our best Arnod Hilard, ever. If I didn’t know otherwise, I’d think he and Becky are a couple in real life,” Chuck whispered to Castiel, obviously proud of his girlfriend and best friend. He was right to be proud, because the way Dean and Becky flirted was a little too real, and it made Castiel more than a little jealous. But soon it was all forgotten, because the show pulled him in. The story itself wasn’t anything special, or surprisingly fresh, but the performance of the people acting in it was great, and it was so full of emotions that the crowd kept gasping, laughing, crying, and cheering at the appropriate times.
In the end, Arnod and Abigail got married, and rode off to live happily ever after, getting a standing ovation from the audience. Joanna introduced the actors, one by one. Dean and Becky were the last ones, and they got the loudest applause. Joanna gave a microphone to Dean, and he smiled at her.
“Thank you, Jo, and thank you people for being here. I’m really glad you liked our play. Later tonight, we will have a little surprise for you, so please, don’t leave before that. We promise it will be worth the missed sleep. Until then, enjoy the ball.”
After another round of applause they disappeared behind the stage, and a few minutes later they emerged together, Becky in a short green cocktail dress with a feathered lace mask in matching colors, and Dean in a black tuxedo with a red shirt and black tie, a beautiful black metal mask on his face. It looked more like henna lines painted onto his sunkissed skin than a mask, with its delicate lines and intricate patterns. Castiel swallowed loudly, trying to get himself back under control. When Becky spotted them, she began running towards them, and Chuck stood up to welcome his overeager girlfriend in a tight hug.
“You were amazing.” Chuck whispered, and holding hands they wandered off somewhere, leaving Dean and Castiel alone.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Castiel said as he sipped at his glass of wine.
“I know. I was trying to surprise you with it. Did you like it?”
“Yes, I did. It was a pleasure. But how did you get Judas to be this calm in front of this crowd? You said he was afraid of strangers.”
“Yeah, I know, I thought so too. I was pretty sure he was. But yesterday I rode him to the rehearsal, and he seemed completely okay with all those people around him, so… I gave it a try.” Dean shrugged, and sat down next to Castiel. “I think he was so excited about jumping that he forgot to freak out because of the audience.”
“You look great,” Castiel blurted out, and when he realized what he had done, he hid his face behind his glass.
“Thanks. You’re not bad yourself, but I guess half of the ladyship here has already told you that,” Dean grinned.
“No, not really.”
“Their loss then. Do you want to get some more wine? Or maybe some food? I think I’m going to get some, I’m starving.”
“Dean, when are you not starving?” Castiel joked, and he earned a gentle punch to his shoulder for that.
“You’re mean,” Dean pouted. “You want something then?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.” Dean nodded and started walking towards the tables full of food. Castiel wasn’t alone for more than half a minute before someone sat down next to him.
“Castiel, right?” Jo asked, smiling widely at him.
“Yes, you’re correct, Joanna.”
“Please, call me Jo. So, are you having fun? You seem to be a little lonely,” she said, and at that moment it became clear to Castiel that she was trying to figure out a way to get into his pants.
“I’m having just the right amount of fun, thank you for your concern though. I am only alone for the moment, just until Dean gets back with his food.” Castiel answered reservedly, but Jo seemed not to notice his formality, because she actually tried to kick her flirting up a notch, and ran her hand over Castiel’s arm. Jealousy filled Dean’s veins when he saw Jo pawing at Castiel, but he knew he had no right to be jealous, because he was too big of a coward to ask Castiel out and risk an eventual rejection, which meant that Castiel was free to let whoever he wanted to touch him. He forced a smile onto his face, and walked back to the table. His breathing got a little easier, when he saw Castiel gazing up at him like a drowning man at the last straw.
“Hey, Jo,” Dean looked at her, doing his best to refrain himself from telling her to fuck off.
“Dean.” She nodded coolly, and after a minute of awkward silence she excused herself.
“That was… close.” Castiel sighed. “Taking no for an answer certainly doesn’t seem to be her forte.”
“No, it’s not. But don’t worry, the next time you see her, she’s gonna be polite, and friendly.”
“Assuming there will be a next time,” Castiel muttered, looking up at Dean again. “Dean, are you that hungry?” He grinned, pointing at the two plates in Dean’s hand.
“No. I know you said, you’re not hungry, but I thought I’d bring some food for you too, before it’s all gone.” He shrugged, and set one of the plates down in front of Castiel before sitting down.
“Thanks,” Castiel answered, and when Dean started eating, he followed his example silently. Chuck and Becky watched their interactions from afar.
“I’m pretty sure I already won our little bet,” the girl announced after some thinking.
“What?”
“Look at them, Chuck. They are a couple. They just… haven’t realized it yet.”
“There could be some truth in what you just said.” Chuck admitted, because Dean and Castiel promptly proved Becky’s point. They lifted their heads, looking up at the exact same time, and after staring at each other for the better half of a minute they turned their looks back at their plates, not more than a second apart.
The rest of the evening passed quite quickly, with soft music playing, couples dancing, people having fun, and soon it was time for a second performance by the amateur actors of the community. Becky didn’t participate this time, and Dean only had a minor role to play, so he watched most of the show from his seat next to Castiel, and left only a minute before he was needed on the stage for the last scene. After it ended, the guests started leaving, one by one, and soon the yard was almost empty. Dean and Castiel walked home a little earlier, while Chuck and Becky stayed to have a few late-night-early-morning drinks with Ellen and Bobby.
Next chapter: Chapter 6
Fandom/Genre: Supernatural AU/Romance
Pairing(s): Dean/Castiel, Chuck/Becky, Sam/Sarah
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 46400
Warnings: some angst, mentions of violence, implied character death (disappearance)
Previous chapter: Chapter 4
Chapter five - Carnival of rust
In the next few days Dean fell into a whole new routine, welcoming and integrating Castiel into his life. They spent most of the afternoons together, sometimes the evenings too. Mostly they were accompanied by Chuck and Becky, but other times it was just the two of them, talking, having fun, flirting. Time was passing quite quickly and before they knew it, it was the day of the Harvelle’s Annual Masquerade. Castiel wasn’t really in the mood for an event like that but Dean made him promise he’d go, so he did. Dean and Becky had to leave a little earlier, so it was just Chuck and him.
They arrived a few minutes after six at the Harvelle Estate and before they went through the front gate, they put on their masks. Castiel’s was a sky blue with some sparkly silver and darker blue decoration on it. At first he found it totally uncomfortable but after a few minutes he got used to it. Also, when he had tried his outfit on before the party, Dean had said it looked great with the gray suit, blue shirt and gray, almost silvery tie he wore, and that was a big plus point. They chose his mask together but he hadn’t seen Dean’s yet. Chuck wore a simple white lace half-face mask with his black tuxedo-white shirt combo.
Almost immediately they were welcomed by an elderly couple, and a young blonde woman, also wearing masks. Chuck smiled widely as he hugged the man, and kissed the women’s cheeks, trying not to knock the masks out of place.
“Castiel, I’m sorry for the unusual introduction, but this is a masquerade, and taking the masks off would be breaking the rules, so… this is the Harvelle family, Bobby, Ellen, and their daughter Joanna. And this is Castiel Engelhart, a friend of Becky’s,” he introduced them. Firm handshakes and awkward, nice-to-meet-you hugs were shared, before another group of guests arrived, and the Harvelle’s had to go and greet them.
“This is quite a turnout,” Castiel observed looking around.
“It’s usually like that. This is a popular event, I’d even go as far as to say the most popular one in this neighborhood, and soon you’ll get to see why. Dean hasn’t filled you in, has he?”
“I don’t think so,” Castiel shrugged as he let Chuck drag him along. They walked for a few minutes before arriving at the estate’s huge back yard, filled with benches and tables. Some of them had plates full of food on them, some had glasses and bottled drinks scattered on them. In the middle of the meadow, there was an enormous stage, and some people were already gazing at it excitedly from behind their masks. Outdoor lights were placed all over the yard, along with quite a few speakers.
“Come on, we need to find a good place to sit.” Chuck urged.
“Why? What’ll happen here?” Castiel asked.
“Oh, you’ll see, and you’ll like it. Now come on, let’s get some food, and then we can sit. We have to wait quite a bit for the magic to happen, but at least we’ll be able to watch it from good seats,” Chuck rambled. They spent half an hour watching the arriving people, who slowly filled the remaining seats.
“Where is Dean? And Becky?” Castiel inquired, glancing around nervously, trying to find them.
‘They will be here soon. Don’t worry,” Chuck answered with a grin. A few seconds later Bobby and Ellen appeared on the stage, holding microphones.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” Bobby began.
“This is our annual masquerade, and we are truly happy that you all decided to grace the event with your presence,” Ellen took over, smiling at her husband. “As usual, we will begin with a little glance at the past, before focusing on the future, and a hopefully amazing ball.”
“Let’s hear some cheers for our little acting group!” Bobby said, and the crowd began clapping loudly. The couple left the stage, and a young woman entered it, in a beautiful dress. She wasn’t wearing a mask, and Castiel was surprised to see that it was Becky, but she looked different, almost ethereal. A male’s voice sounded from somewhere, talking about a girl named Abigail Cory, whose only fault was to be born as a woman, disappointing her father. Becky sat down on a chair, and looking at her hands folded in her lap, she began to talk softly.
“All I did wrong was falling in love with someone I wasn’t supposed to. But please, let me start from the beginning, if you don’t mind listening to me. We have a story to tell, a story about love, hate, sadness and happiness. It is a story wherein good people win their fights, and bad people get punished.” With that, she stood up and left. A little girl with long blonde locks took her place on the stage, playing happily with a real pony, which Castiel recognized as Scricciolo. Abigail’s happiness lasted only until Bobby appeared, obviously in the role of the little girl’s father. A lot of people were participating in the scenes, sometimes the stage was so full that Castiel was afraid the thick wooden boards would break. For every other scene a new Abigail came, until Becky re-entered the stage, with a man who was playing her teacher. Soon, the sound of hooves was to be heard, and the crowd gasped when a horse jumped up onto the stage, with a man in the saddle. Castiel didn’t even have to look at his face to know it was Dean.
“Our best Arnod Hilard, ever. If I didn’t know otherwise, I’d think he and Becky are a couple in real life,” Chuck whispered to Castiel, obviously proud of his girlfriend and best friend. He was right to be proud, because the way Dean and Becky flirted was a little too real, and it made Castiel more than a little jealous. But soon it was all forgotten, because the show pulled him in. The story itself wasn’t anything special, or surprisingly fresh, but the performance of the people acting in it was great, and it was so full of emotions that the crowd kept gasping, laughing, crying, and cheering at the appropriate times.
In the end, Arnod and Abigail got married, and rode off to live happily ever after, getting a standing ovation from the audience. Joanna introduced the actors, one by one. Dean and Becky were the last ones, and they got the loudest applause. Joanna gave a microphone to Dean, and he smiled at her.
“Thank you, Jo, and thank you people for being here. I’m really glad you liked our play. Later tonight, we will have a little surprise for you, so please, don’t leave before that. We promise it will be worth the missed sleep. Until then, enjoy the ball.”
After another round of applause they disappeared behind the stage, and a few minutes later they emerged together, Becky in a short green cocktail dress with a feathered lace mask in matching colors, and Dean in a black tuxedo with a red shirt and black tie, a beautiful black metal mask on his face. It looked more like henna lines painted onto his sunkissed skin than a mask, with its delicate lines and intricate patterns. Castiel swallowed loudly, trying to get himself back under control. When Becky spotted them, she began running towards them, and Chuck stood up to welcome his overeager girlfriend in a tight hug.
“You were amazing.” Chuck whispered, and holding hands they wandered off somewhere, leaving Dean and Castiel alone.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Castiel said as he sipped at his glass of wine.
“I know. I was trying to surprise you with it. Did you like it?”
“Yes, I did. It was a pleasure. But how did you get Judas to be this calm in front of this crowd? You said he was afraid of strangers.”
“Yeah, I know, I thought so too. I was pretty sure he was. But yesterday I rode him to the rehearsal, and he seemed completely okay with all those people around him, so… I gave it a try.” Dean shrugged, and sat down next to Castiel. “I think he was so excited about jumping that he forgot to freak out because of the audience.”
“You look great,” Castiel blurted out, and when he realized what he had done, he hid his face behind his glass.
“Thanks. You’re not bad yourself, but I guess half of the ladyship here has already told you that,” Dean grinned.
“No, not really.”
“Their loss then. Do you want to get some more wine? Or maybe some food? I think I’m going to get some, I’m starving.”
“Dean, when are you not starving?” Castiel joked, and he earned a gentle punch to his shoulder for that.
“You’re mean,” Dean pouted. “You want something then?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.” Dean nodded and started walking towards the tables full of food. Castiel wasn’t alone for more than half a minute before someone sat down next to him.
“Castiel, right?” Jo asked, smiling widely at him.
“Yes, you’re correct, Joanna.”
“Please, call me Jo. So, are you having fun? You seem to be a little lonely,” she said, and at that moment it became clear to Castiel that she was trying to figure out a way to get into his pants.
“I’m having just the right amount of fun, thank you for your concern though. I am only alone for the moment, just until Dean gets back with his food.” Castiel answered reservedly, but Jo seemed not to notice his formality, because she actually tried to kick her flirting up a notch, and ran her hand over Castiel’s arm. Jealousy filled Dean’s veins when he saw Jo pawing at Castiel, but he knew he had no right to be jealous, because he was too big of a coward to ask Castiel out and risk an eventual rejection, which meant that Castiel was free to let whoever he wanted to touch him. He forced a smile onto his face, and walked back to the table. His breathing got a little easier, when he saw Castiel gazing up at him like a drowning man at the last straw.
“Hey, Jo,” Dean looked at her, doing his best to refrain himself from telling her to fuck off.
“Dean.” She nodded coolly, and after a minute of awkward silence she excused herself.
“That was… close.” Castiel sighed. “Taking no for an answer certainly doesn’t seem to be her forte.”
“No, it’s not. But don’t worry, the next time you see her, she’s gonna be polite, and friendly.”
“Assuming there will be a next time,” Castiel muttered, looking up at Dean again. “Dean, are you that hungry?” He grinned, pointing at the two plates in Dean’s hand.
“No. I know you said, you’re not hungry, but I thought I’d bring some food for you too, before it’s all gone.” He shrugged, and set one of the plates down in front of Castiel before sitting down.
“Thanks,” Castiel answered, and when Dean started eating, he followed his example silently. Chuck and Becky watched their interactions from afar.
“I’m pretty sure I already won our little bet,” the girl announced after some thinking.
“What?”
“Look at them, Chuck. They are a couple. They just… haven’t realized it yet.”
“There could be some truth in what you just said.” Chuck admitted, because Dean and Castiel promptly proved Becky’s point. They lifted their heads, looking up at the exact same time, and after staring at each other for the better half of a minute they turned their looks back at their plates, not more than a second apart.
The rest of the evening passed quite quickly, with soft music playing, couples dancing, people having fun, and soon it was time for a second performance by the amateur actors of the community. Becky didn’t participate this time, and Dean only had a minor role to play, so he watched most of the show from his seat next to Castiel, and left only a minute before he was needed on the stage for the last scene. After it ended, the guests started leaving, one by one, and soon the yard was almost empty. Dean and Castiel walked home a little earlier, while Chuck and Becky stayed to have a few late-night-early-morning drinks with Ellen and Bobby.
Next chapter: Chapter 6