Title: Here And Now Author: hekate1308 Artist: hermitsunitedforever Rating: General Audiences Pairings: Dean/Cas Wordcount: 33000 Warnings/Tags: Magical realism, Neil Gaiman inspired, Neverwhere AU, supernatural elements Posting: 11/1/2018
Summary:
Castiel Novak’s life was a very normal one; and if you would have asked him, he would have said that he was proud of that fact. With a father who had preferred the company of bottles to his children, a mother who had left when they were young, and an older brother who was busy constantly winning, then losing money in Vegas (thankfully his own), being normal was an achievement indeed.
And so, he was perfectly happy with his life. He had an entirely respectable job as a tax accountant, he had a wonderful fiancé, and he might even get promoted one of these days.
Yes, he was perfectly happy.
Until a door that wasn’t there opened, a man who didn’t exist fell out of it and he learned about a world below this one.
“What’s your name?” Castiel interrupted him, thinking that introducing themselves to one another would maybe help him make sense of all of this.
Then something unexpected happened.
He drew himself up to his full height – a little larger than Castiel – and looked at him, truly looked at him, like no one ever had before. It was almost as if he was staring into his soul.
With the most beautiful green eyes Castiel had ever seen. He swallowed.
“Dean of the House Winchester of the Arches” he introduced himself. “And you are?”
“Cas-Castiel. Novak. Castiel Novak.”
“Alright, Cas-Castiel Novak Castiel Novak, like I said, I need to –“
Before Castiel could correct him, there was a knock at his door. Dean blanched and ran to the bathroom door. “If anyone asks, I’m not here” he hissed before closing the door.
Castiel, thinking it could be Ishim, opened to see two men he had never met before. They were both very pale, and there was something… repellent about them he couldn’t put his fingers on.
“Mr. Novak” one of them began smoothly, “We’re Alistair and Ketch.” He didn’t indicate who was who. “We are looking for our younger brother, who was sadly beset with a bit of brain-fever and ran away from home, breaking our poor mother’s heart.”
Brain-fever? Who used words like that anymore?
“We’re sorry if our syntax isn’t quite… fitting for the times. We’re not used to – ” the other one said, but his companion hushed him.
“What we mean is, that we are very worried about Dean”. He showed him a picture. It bore a striking resemblance to the man currently hiding in his bathroom, only he looked clean and even more beautiful, if that was possible.
“Sorry” he forced out, “I have never seen him before. Maybe go to the police –“
The one who had been hushed shoved him aside and walked into his apartment, heading straight for the bathroom.
“Wait! You can’t just walk into my home –“
He wrenched the door open.
Castiel could only stare.
There was no one in the bathroom.
But how? There was no place to hide…
“He’s not here” he said slowly.
“Come on” Alistair-or-Ketch said, clearly impatient. “We need to go. Sorry for the intrusion, Mr. Novak.”
With that they left.
Castuiel was left staring at the door of the bathroom when it opened and Dean came out. “Whe – Where were you?” he stammered.
“In there, of course” Dean answered matter-of-factly even though Cas knew it was impossible.
“Who were these people?”
“Alistair and Ketch. Best to leave them alone. Now, the friend I have to meet… do you have any bread?”
“Bread?”
“Yes, bread. The thing you make breadcrumbs out of.”
And, even though he had more questions than he could ever hope to receiver answers to, he got Dean some old bread he had lying around in his kitchen and watched as he spread crumbs along his window sill.
