Again and again, Castiel must watch Dean die as the Empty dangles happiness before him, only to rip it away. There is no escape; this is the reality he accepted to save Dean. His fate, his destiny, is to watch Dean suffer while he is forbidden from changing his fate—to stand there as his happiness destroys them.
Dean, meanwhile, makes a drastic choice. He wants his apple-pie life; he wants to be happy… but he wants it with Castiel. He’s sent to the empty, facing down a Castiel who doesn’t remember their real life, while the Empty kills him again and again right before Castiel’s eyes.
All of this, with the simple goal of staying alive long enough for Jack to get them out.
Keep reading for a sneak preview!
Dean should have come for Cas sooner, should have gotten him out already— fuck— Dean had been fighting Chuck and reading, eating and sleeping away perfectly good hours while Cas witnessed Dean die time and time again. He’d done all that while Castiel had been tortured.
“Oh Castiel, you make it so boring,” The Empty drawled at Castiel. “Oh! I’ve got it, let’s do another one where you betray Dean! Yes, it’ll be great!” the Empty snapped its fingers and Dean—
Dean was standing in an eerily familiar room with an angel blade in his hands. This was a rehash, a recreation of when Castiel had been fighting Raphael.
“Son of a—” Dean gripped his weapon tightly. Bastard Empty probably wanted Dean to attack Castiel with the damned thing.
This was crap. The Empty had crafted a Hell specifically for Castiel. An eternity where again and again and again, Dean would die and every time Cas would be helpless or just seconds too late to save him.
This is what Jack had meant by keeping Cas still for long enough because he couldn’t. Because it was Dean who kept dying, and every time he died… they’d reset and do it all over again.
To save Cas, Dean had to save himself somehow, and prevent himself from dying.
That was exactly the thing Dean was the worst in. He sacrificed himself for his loved ones without hesitation, without pause and now… now he’d have to purposely live and avoid any sort of death when the ‘ruler’ of this reality had it out for him.
Just great.
He and Cas were so fucked.
Keep reading on Ao3 after Thursday April 3
🌲Find more 2025 Pinefest previews here 🌲
I’m going to paraphrase a bit from the ereri bb because they managed to explain this in a far more succinct way than I could ever hope to achieve: A pinch hitter (or backup) is someone who, in case of an emergency, steps in to help. This tends to happen when an author or artist drops out suddenly and leaves their remaining partner without fic or art. These situations, however, are case-by-case and pinch hitters are only called upon on an as-needed basis. (This could mean some are never called on at all if there aren’t any last minute dropouts!) They are also generally asked to do smaller amounts of work since they will have less time in which to complete it (i.e. a smaller word count, less art, etc.).Hope this cleared things up a bit!
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/7rWCDXh
by Altiria
Magic, knights, and world-altering devices are things straight out of a story-book or should be! Dean, at his first LARPing event - blame Charlie - meets a real knight in shining armour, and can’t get rid of the guy. His enforced vacation has been taken over by a live fantasy story, complete with dragons.
Dean’s determined to help Castiel get home… until he starts falling for him. It shouldn’t be that hard to convince the guy to stay? After all, who’s going to choose mud and living in your own stink, over memory foam, coffee machines, and a high-pressure shower?
Castiel apparently.
Words: 17448, Chapters: 8/8, Language: English
Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Categories: M/M
Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural), Gabriel (Supernatural), Charlie Bradbury, Lucifer (Supernatural)
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Additional Tags: Fluff, Minor Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Gore, Gun Violence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, LGBTQ Themes, Panic Attacks, Dean Winchester Has PTSD
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/7rWCDXh
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/eGgQ7Bu
by Altiria
'The ship S.S. Campbell was designed to be unbreakable, but it goes down while visiting what should have been an uninhabited planet with the potential to sustain human life. As two of the few survivors, Dean and Castiel must find a way to endure on a planet where even the plants are out to kill them, all while hoping, against the odds, that they might find a way to escape.'
Words: 27678, Chapters: 10/10, Language: English
Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Categories: F/M, M/M
Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural), Sam Winchester, Jody Mills, Jessica Moore (Supernatural), Kevin Tran (Supernatural), Carmen Porter, Eileen Leahy, Jo Harvelle
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Carmen Porter/Dean Winchester
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Space, Dubious Science, Mildly Dubious Consent, Subnatica - AU, There Was Only One Bed, Alien Planet, Survival, Minor Character Death, Unreliable Narrator, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Dean Winchester Has Self-Worth Issues, Panic Attacks, Non-Consensual Drug Use
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/eGgQ7Bu
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/LZysvn7
by Altiria
Dean has plenty of mistaken beliefs about witchers. All he knows is that they're 'monsters' who are really not worth your time - unless you have a monster to slay or you're a bard who wants to write a song about the legendary hunters. But these rumours do not stop him from walking right into a monster-infested forest to save one when the opportunity arises.
After doing that, well, Dean can't seem to get rid of the guy. He now seems destined to meet Castiel, though he did wish one of them wasn't always bleeding when it happens. (He also, not so secretly wishes Castiel would screw him one of these days)
Words: 8641, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005), The Witcher (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Categories: M/M
Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural), Jaskier | Dandelion
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Additional Tags: Blood and Gore, Fluff, Hand Jobs, The Inherent Tragedy of Witchers (The Witcher), Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Non-Diegetic BDSM, Flirting, Banter, Smut, Trauma, Bard Dean Winchester, Witcher Castiel
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/LZysvn7
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/wDQEPmv
by Altiria
The people of Serephine are suffering; homelessness rampages across the fiefdom while starvation is abound despite the country's excellent weather. Dean, part-time Assassin and part-time Vigilante, refuses to let the commoners suffer through corrupt nobles and will do whatever it takes to terminate those in power. Viscount of Serephine, Castiel Novak’s days are now numbered.
Words: 3172, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: M/M
Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural), Charlie Bradbury
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Regency, Meet-Cute, Assassin Dean Winchester, Noble!Castiel, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Pre-Relationship
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/wDQEPmv
