[SPN - Oneshot] Stardust
Title: Stardust
Author: Jaelijn (jaelijn)
Characters / Pairings: Dean, Castiel
Genre: Slight Angst / Gen
Rating: G
Word Count: 702
Spoilers: general season 5
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Supernatural et al © CW and Erik Kripke. No infringement intended, no money made.
Summary: With the apocalypse looming, Dean takes a break outside, stargazing. Castiel joins him.
Author’s Notes: Just a little angsty snippet set somewhere during Cas’ search for God. Hope you enjoy it!
…~oOo~…
Dean saw less of Castiel these days than he would have liked. True, the angel could get on his pecks, but there was something oddly comforting about a friendly angel perching on your shoulder and radiating faith while the world was coming to an end. And, more personally, Dean’s trust in Sam, in everything, his faith, was shattered. It would have been really nice to hear some good news for a change. I’ve found God and everything is going to be fine. Yeah, right. Dream on, Dean Winchester.
The saddest thing was that, when Castiel called, he sounded very, very tired, and didn’t even bother with a greeting. “Where are you?” There was a lot of static in the connection, and Dean wondered whether he was taking a roaming call - no wonder Cas seemed to run out of minutes so frequently.
“In the park outside Stardust Motel, Montana Creek, Michigan.” Dean was outside to catch a breather. The air in the motel room had been stifling, and he really could do without heat-induced nightmares of a certain archangel riding around inside him. “What’s going on, Cas?”
But the angel had already cut the connection. Dean sat back on the picnic bench table, shuffling his feet on the actual seats, and took a swig out of his beer bottle. He was waiting, actively listening for the rustling of wings - and still wasn’t quite prepared when Castiel suddenly sat beside him. The beer sloshed in the bottle, but nothing spilled, thankfully.
“Jeez, man! You’ve got to stop doing that!”
Castiel shot him the barest sidelong glance, before he resumed staring out into the night sky, elbows resting on his thighs. “I apologize.”
“You look like shit,” Dean commented, and he meant it. Even in the dim light of the park, and even considering his regular disheveled appearance, Cas looked like he hadn’t had any rest in months. And since he was an angel, it was probably true.
“My search has been… tiring.” Castiel looked down at his hands, and Dean noticed for the first time his amulet dangling in the angel’s palm. The God-detector. Fat lot of good it seemed to have done so far.
“The motel room has a couch. You could crash there - Sammy won’t mind.”
There was a shadow of a smile tugging at Castiel’s mouth, and he straightened a little, rolling back his shoulders. Dean had always imagined him shifting his wings when he did that. “I am an Angel of the Lord, Dean. I don’t sleep.”
“Whatever, man. You look like you need it.”
Castiel made no reply, focusing on the stars instead. The motel was in the middle of nowhere, and the neon-signs didn’t provide enough light to obscure the starscape above. Dean always tried not to be taken in, but he had to admit it was breathtaking.
“Do you believe, Dean?” Cas asked suddenly, quietly.
“What, in God? You can’t ask me that, Cas. Hell, I’ve seen things… What can I tell you? He’s your father.”
“Yes.”
The angel fell silent again, and Dean wondered what was going on in his head. What he saw up there, looking at the stars. He was a frigging angel - did he think about theology all the time? Did he recite hymns? Did he see Heaven, up there?
“They are beautiful,” Cas said suddenly, breaking the silence.
“I’m sorry?”
“The stars.”
“Oh, yeah, I suppose. Sammy and I used to go stargazing on the car when we could.” Dean didn’t feel the need to mention that it was because it made all the monsters they were hunting, all the demons and all the shit seem less significant, less horrible. Getting dragged into the frigging apocalypse had shot that image to pieces, now that Heaven was also involved.
“My garrison has watched Earth for a long time. It never occurred to us to look up.”
“Well, ‘up’ is Heaven for you guys, isn’t it?”
Castiel inclined his head - a gesture that was neither a yes nor a no. “You are getting cold. You should go inside.”
“You coming?”
Cas remained silent, still stargazing.
Dean shifted off the bench, stretching his stiff legs. “Do you miss it? Heaven?” But when he looked back towards Castiel, the angel was gone.
…~oOo~…