It’s been a crazy ride. I’ve learned things about my own techniques, how well I somewhat work under pressure and a deadline, and how amazing people in this fandom can be. I have made a new friend in my author, and I can’t wait to work on more collaborations in the future.
Much love and thanks to @scones-and-texting-and-murder for being my rock and my cheerleader through this and creating a lovely world and story for our boys. You are a beautiful soul and it’s simply amazing how well we get along. I honestly can’t imagine a day without your name popping up on my discord.
@deancaswc ; @thursdays-fallen-angel vs. @jimminovak
Prompt: Book Title “Outside the Midnight Hour”
Word count: 3.1k
Rating: T
Summary: Dean has a chance to be cast in the movie of a lifetime, but it’s down to the author of the film’s source material to decide if he’s going to get the job or not.
When Dean’s agent calls him, he’s sure that it’s going to be with a rejection. Based on the vibe Dean had gotten in the audition room, the amount of money going into this project—there’s no way in hell they’re going to take him.
After all, this film isn’t like any other that Dean has even so much as auditioned for, let alone been a part of. A paranormal, action-based movie with a heavy focus on psychological aspects and themes of self-exploration? With that much going on, it’s going to have to be perfect.
And the director, Cain Mullen, is one of the best in the industry. He won’t accept anything less than perfection, anyway.
Which is why Dean answers his phone with, “Alright, lay it on me. How embarrassed do I have to be for even trying for this thing?”
There’s a beat of silence on the other end of the line, and then Charlie asks, “What the hell are you talking about?”
Dean slumps down onto his couch, his pout directed up at the ceiling. It’s a decent apartment in a decent area of LA, but overall, nothing to write home about; being an up and coming actor doesn’t quite have the same pizazz to it as being a fully-fledged one does.
If he had just landed this gig…
He sighs into his phone. “Beyond the Midnight Hour. Cain didn’t seem all that impressed during my reading, so how bad is it looking? Maybe I should stick to mediocre romcoms and B-list horror stuff.”
Charlie makes a sound of outrage in reply, and when she speaks next, her voice has taken on that unmistakable, I am your agent and that means I know best, mister, attitude. “Dean Winchester, you are better than those movies, and one day I’m going to make you believe it. And guess what! That day is today, so strap in, bucko.”
Dean blinks. That’s sounding an awful lot like she’s saying…
“Strap in for what, Charlie?”
He can practically hear his agent’s wolfish grin. “You’ve got a meeting, Winchester. A couple people at the studio want to talk to you.”
Dean sits up so quickly that his head spins—or is that happening anyway? “You mean I—?”
“You’re one of two choices,” Charlie is quick to cut in, and there’s the other shoe that Dean knew had to be waiting somewhere. “But Dean, it’s looking really good. The director and a few producers want to talk to you, maybe run you through some more lines, and then they’ll make their decision.”
Okay. Okay, Dean can handle that. One-on-one with another actor, and if he comes out ahead, he could potentially be the lead of the movie of the year. Should be easy enough. All he has to do is win over the directors and producers. Right?
He takes a deep breath, determination taking root. “Alright, Charlie. Send me the details.”
~
Dean arrives at the studio’s main office only a few hours after Charlie’s call, dressed in his best with his stomach twisted into knots. A receptionist leads him to a conference room that has been set up like an informal get-together space, with the table pushed off to the side of the room and an array of basic snacks and drinks spread across it.
There are only two other people in the room, one of whom Dean recognizes immediately.
Cain appears to be deep in conversation with the room’s one other occupant, but he looks up when Dean enters, and his face splits into a grin. “Ah, Mr. Winchester! I’m so glad you could join us.”
Cain crosses the room and grabs Dean’s hand for a firm, overexcited handshake. Dean tries his best not to gape like a damn fish the whole time, but he only barely manages to return the handshake by the time Cain moves on.
“I trust your agent explained to you what we’re looking for today,” the director says, a heavy hand now laying on Dean’s shoulder. “Our team is in a dead split between casting you or Michael Godson as our lead, and that means we’ve brought it down to our tiebreaker.”
Multiple alarms immediately begin to ring in Dean’s mind. A dead split? Him and Michael Godson? Charlie hadn’t made it sound quite so dire, and she definitely hadn’t told Dean who his competition was—though it’s probably fair that she didn’t, because if she had, there’s no way Dean would have shown up at all.
Michael is a pro with a resume that’s a hell of a lot better than Dean’s. Dean might have some decent acting chops, but if it comes down to it, in what setting could he ever possibly hope to beat Michael?
He croaks out, feeling slightly faint, “Tiebreaker, huh?”
Cain nods, then uses the hand he has on Dean’s shoulder to lead him over to the man he had previously been talking to. The guy has been hovering since Dean arrived, looking awkward in the background, and Dean tries not to look as wary as he feels when they are introduced.
Who is he? A producer? Some random pick from the crew? He definitely doesn’t seem confident in this environment, and he’s gorgeous enough that Dean knows he would remember if he’d seen him before. He looks like he’s straight out of every chick flick Dean has ever seen, with his dark, tousled hair and perfect, pink lips.
“Dean, this is Castiel Novak. You might know him as his pen name, CJ Novak—he is the author of the novel Beyond the Midnight Hour is based upon.”
Dean’s mouth goes dry. “Oh,” he says without quite meaning to. He’s heard of CJ Novak. Then, with as much enthusiasm as he can muster and a hand stuck out in Castiel’s direction, “It’s great to meet you, man. I didn’t realize this was based on a book, but based on how awesome the cut-down screenplay version is looking, you must be an amazing author.”
Castiel’s cheeks dust pink, and he belatedly accepts Dean’s offered hand. His palm is smooth and warm against Dean’s own. “Thank you, Mr. Winchester. That’s very kind of you to say.”
Once the handshake has ended, Dean gives Castiel the most charming smile he can muster. It’s not as easily managed as he might have liked, with his nerves ratcheting up as quickly as they are, but—he’s pursuing a career in acting for a reason. He can do this.
And Dean isn’t an idiot. Cain said they needed a tiebreaker, so who better to make the final decision than the man who created the story that’s being put to screen? Dean isn’t going to resort to flirting or anything so cheap to try to win the author over, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be as charismatic as possible.
“I really do want to read it,” he says, now that a beat has passed after Castiel’s thanks. “How different is—”
At that moment, there’s a knock against the conference room door. It swings inward to reveal a pair of unfamiliar faces. “Cain?” one of them calls. “Can we steal you for a second?”
“Of course.” Cain smiles at the pair in the doorway, then turns back to Dean and Castiel to clap a hand to each of their shoulders. “I’ll be back shortly. I’ll see about rounding up the rest of the producers, too, before Michael arrives. Play nice, you two.”
Cain strides out of the room without a backwards glance. When the door closes behind him, the conference room is thrown into an awkward silence. Dean and Castiel both stare at the door instead of each other. Castiel shifts his weight from one foot to the other; Dean clears his throat. They end up turning to each other at the exact same time.
“Well, I guess—”
“I feel like I should apologize—”
Each of them cuts off. Dean’s smile turns sheepish, and Castiel presses his lips together in embarrassment.
“Uh—sorry.” Dean forces himself to chuckle and rubs uncomfortably at the back of his neck. Smooth, Winchester. “What do you want to apologize for?”
“I was going to apologize in advance for being as socially awkward as I am,” Castiel confesses with a chuckle that’s far more authentic than Dean’s had been. “But I think I proved myself quickly enough on that matter. Cain promised me he wouldn’t leave me alone, and yet…”
Oh. Well. Now Dean feels even more awkward. He tries to push through it. “Well, I can’t exactly say anything for Cain ditching you with me, but I’ll try not to make this any harder on you than it has to be. I’m a chill guy, I promise.”
Castiel squints at him like he doesn’t know how to interpret that statement. Dean’s confidence begins to fizzle.
He swallows hard. “Anyways, uh. I know actors tend to be flashy assholes, but that’s not my style. My little brother’s a quiet type, too, so believe me when I say that’s something I can handle. He’s going through law school right now. Pretty different path than the one I’m on.”
Castiel tilts his head at that, intrigued. “Those are definitely very different paths,” he agrees. “Your brother wants to serve people, and you want to entertain them. Why?”
Dean shrugs. “Just our lots in life, I guess. Sam’s always been a brainiac. Reading, writing, following along with political activist groups. I modelled a bit when I was a teenager, and I followed that line of work to make sure I stayed employed. Money’s important when you’re raising a kid sibling as your own.”
“Raising him as your own?” Castiel echoes, but Dean is sure that they’ve already discussed this more than they should. They’re not here to talk about him.
Or, well. Maybe they are, in a way. But not like this. His personal drama doesn’t mean a damn thing, as far as his career is concerned.
“How different is Beyond the Midnight Hour the book from Beyond the Midnight Hour the movie?”
“Oh. Um.” Castiel clears his throat, but thankfully has the good grace to let the subject be changed. He settles his weight back on his heels as he switches to thinking about a subject he’s actually familiar with. Dean can see how much it relaxes him; the difference in his posture is like night and day. “Actually, the novel I wrote is called Outside the Midnight Hour. After the film rights were sold, the studio came to me with the idea of changing it for the movie adaptation. Something about original titles and alphabetic preference, I don’t fully remember. I was too happy to be getting a movie to care.”
“Oh.” Dean wrinkles his nose without thinking. “You weren’t offended by that? I mean, you must have worked your ass off to write that book, and then after all that, some studio mooks decided to just change the title for their own reasons? The title can be the trickiest part of the whole book, right? That doesn’t sound fair.”
Castiel blinks rapidly, then stares at Dean in what seems to be a stunned silence. It takes a while for him for respond, and when he does, there’s a distant note to his voice. “I… I hadn’t actually thought about it in those terms. I wasn’t offended, but… Should I have been?”
Dean shrugs. “I don’t know. If you aren’t offended, you aren’t offended, I don’t have any right to tell you how to feel. You seem like a good guy, though, Castiel—”
“Cas.”
Dean loses his grip on his rant. “What?”
Castiel’s cheeks have turned pink again. “A lot of my friends call me Cas.”
“Oh. Cas. Okay.” Dean’s face feels a bit warmer than usual now, too, because—is it just him, or does that make it sound like the two of them are becoming friends? Maybe it’s a bit too early for them to actually be at that point, but if nothing else, it’s definitely an invitation.
He clears his throat and makes an effort to remember what it was he had been saying. “Um—anyway. If you’re not offended about the title thing, that’s fine. I probably shouldn’t be saying shit that might pit you against the studio, anyway. Not if I want this job.”
“I’ve already signed my contracts,” Cas says, waving his hand in a vague gesture. “I can’t be turned against anyone. But your perspective is… interesting.” He assesses Dean for a moment, then asks, “If I were to tell you that I was offended by the change in title. What would you do about it?”
The answer to that is an easy one. Dean knows what he would do without a second of hesitation. And, even though he swears he can hear Charlie’s voice in the back of his mind telling him that it’s a bad idea, he gives that answer to Cas.
“If you weren’t into it, I wouldn’t do this movie. I know I already said this, but the screenplay is fucking incredible. You created a great story with great characters. If this movie didn’t respect your vision and earn your support, I wouldn’t want to support it, either.”
Cas’ expression goes slack with the force of his surprise. Dean can’t blame him for the reaction; he’s sure it’s not what Michael would have said.
(Dean has never met the guy, but he seems like a stuck-up prick, so he doesn’t exactly have any desire to. He knows enough from interviews and general gossip, thanks.)
“Why would you give up this film?” Cas asks—demands, really. Once he gets a grip on his surprise, he verges on being angry. “I know your work history, so I know this project is a huge opportunity for you. You told me that you started acting with the hopes of supporting your brother. This would be a better paycheck than any you have ever seen, which could help both of you. So why the hell would my opinion of something as inane as the title convince you to give up your chance?”
“Well… not just the title..” Maybe his logic doesn’t feel quite as sound now that Cas has thrown it back at him like that, but that doesn’t mean Dean is going to change his mind. “It’s your story. I’m just some guy who might be allowed to act it out. One of those things is way more important than the other.”
Cas reels back slightly. “Dean Winchester,” he starts to say, but for a long moment, nothing follows it. Dean waits, feeling uneasy (and definitely like he has blown his chance and used this alone time with Cas all wrong).
Then Cas finishes, “Dean Winchester, you are phenomenal.” In the same breath, he turns his head toward the conference room door and shouts, “Cain?”
It only takes a handful of seconds for Cain to appear, opening the door and strolling through it without a care in the world. There’s no one with him, Michael or otherwise. Dean frowns.
“Any thoughts, Castiel?” Cain asks, casting a cautious look in Dean’s direction. Cas is quick to answer him, though, redrawing his attention completely.
“Dean is the one. I would like him to have the role over Michael.”
Dean’s has just about hits the floor. He turns to Cas, abruptly feeling dizzy and certainly not understanding what the hell is happening. “What? But I… I haven’t even been in the same room as him, yet. Why would you pick me? I mean, his name alone—”
Cas cuts him off with a shake of his head. “I already spoke with Michael earlier in the day. When he thought he had a few, secret minutes alone with me, he spent his time trying to impress me with his reputation and connections. He flat-out offered to introduce me to my favorite actor if he was given the part.”
Dean blinks. “And you didn’t want to take him up on that?”
Cas shakes his head and graces Dean with a small, secret kind of smile. “I think I have a new favorite actor now, anyway. And he’s much kinder. He cares about the work itself instead of just getting the job. Better looking, too, if I’m being honest.”
Cain muffles a chuckle behind his hand. Dean stares up at him in surprise; Cas is so absorbing that Dean already managed to forget that he came back into the room. And when he does look up, the director offers Dean his hand. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Dean. I’ll make sure everything you’ll need to look through gets sent along to your agent.”
“I—” Dean swallows hard. He’s dangerously close to getting choked up, but he eagerly shakes Cain’s hand nonetheless. “Thank you, sir. I’m looking forward to working with you, too. I appreciate this opportunity.”
There. Charlie would be proud of him for that line.
Dean can sense that the meeting (or ambush, really, since that’s what it turned out to be) is going to come to an end now that the casting decision has been declared. Part of him feels like he should keep his mouth shut and let that happen, not push his luck, but as soon as Cas starts to walk away from him, presumably toward the door, something like panic grips at Dean, and he instinctively reaches after him.
“Hey Cas, wait up—” Dean leaves Cain Mullen behind in favor of catching Castiel Novak by his elbow. Cas is slow to turn around to look at him, and when he does, his blue eyes have gone round with surprise. And god, with a face like that, how is this guy just the brains behind the story? It’s almost ridiculous.
Nerves bubble through Dean, and he gently releases Cas’ elbow. Neither of them moves to put any additional space between them, though.
“I was just, uh. I was wondering.” Shit, when did Dean become so bad at this? “Do you want to maybe… grab coffee? Or something? You know, new favorite actor to new favorite author? You never did tell me how different Outside the Midnight Hour is from its movie adaptation.”
Cas stares at him. “I suppose I didn’t,” he concedes. Then, after a moment of deliberation, a smile steadily stretches across his features, lighting him up. “Favorite actor to favorite author, you say?”
Dean feigns a casual shrug. “Kinder and better looking than any other author I know.”
It’s right then that Dean learns that, when Cas smiles widely enough, his nose and eyes wrinkle with it. He already loves the look of it, even before it turns out to accompany the words, “I would very much like to get coffee with you.”
Title: Connections with Castiel
Author: BlueMasquerade
Artist: delicious-irony
Rating: T (for language)
Word Count: 21k
Pairings: Dean/Cas (Sam/Jessica)
Warnings: no archive warnings apply
Semi-famous PBS TV show host Castiel Novak was successful now. ‘Connections with Castiel’ was surprisingly popular, considering its subject matter of history, art, and architecture around the world. It had given him the opportunity to publish a book that went into more detail than he could during a 50 minute episode of his show. While on a book tour he was surprised to see Sam Winchester at his table. Seeing him brought back visceral memories of Cas’ college years, when he rented a room at the Winchester house – including memories of Sam’s brother Dean, who Castiel had secretly loved almost from the first day. Finally, right before graduation, Dean and Cas had come together, making all of Cas’ dreams come true. Or so he’d thought, until Dean invited a date to Cas’ graduation party. Devastated, Cas left that same night, but he’d never really gotten over Dean.
Dean Winchester had overcome many life challenges to finally make something of himself. He liked teaching high school English, and he was so proud of the successful life Sam had built for himself that he couldn’t even begin to express it. His biggest regret was the way he’d panicked and blown up his relationship with Castiel Novak, a decade in the past. When one of his students introduced him to a popular new PBS show, he was floored to realize the host was none other than Castiel. His Castiel.
When Sam invited both Dean and Cas to dinner, would they finally get over each other once and for all? Or could this be a chance to finally reconnect for good?
Summary: Dean Winchester has three jobs to get his little brother through college: bar-tending, auto repair, and the weirdest job he's ever taken in his life--handling a dog for a new startup, Rent-a-Pooch.
Castiel Novak is a world famous author, but his most famous novel was never supposed to have the sequel his editor demands.
When Cas begins renting Rumsfeld, a Rottweiler, and his handler, Dean, they both somehow find what they were looking for.
Comments: 8/10. Cute little fluffy fic. They fall in love through the dog, there’s a misunderstanding in the middle of the fic, but it’s all cleared up and they fall in love and adopt Rumsfeld, who sounds absolutely awesome.
Summary: Author Castiel Novak has finally hit the big time, with a book based on his failed college relationship with a brilliant painter. He's put all his pain behind him, but at a book signing, he comes face to face with Dean Winchester for the first time in twelve years, and the reunion doesn't go like Cas hoped. Dean's a broken man, with a lot of scars and secrets, shoulders weighed down by his demons and self loathing.
Cas sees a second chance with the man he's never stopped loving, but Dean's moved on, and is about to get married. Sam launches a "brilliant" plan to reunite his brother and his best friend, but Cas is worried it will all blow up in their faces, and he'll go through the agony of losing Dean a second time.
Comments: 10/10. This is so angsty but also so fluffy and it’s so good. The emotions are so real and so raw, you can feel what the characters are feeling, it’s incredible. It’s really angsty in some places though, John is an abusive asshole and hurts Dean more than anyone should hurt anyone, let alone their own child. Dean is messed up, has a huge gay panic, and should really go to therapy. This is great story though, they are so fluffy and domestic sometimes. I love how their past is slowly revealed through flashbacks and memories, they’re beautiful and fit in with the story seamlessly. WARNINGS: Child abuse, suicide attempt, unhealthy coping mechanisms. HEED THE TAGS PEOPLE.
Summary: Castiel is content - sort of - with his quiet life in Boston...at least, until his new neighbor moves in. It's Dean Winchester, the cliched long lost love of his life. Can these two idiots find their way back to each other after eight years, after fame and loss and heartbreak? After Dean has found love again with Cas' neighbor, Lisa?
Fate can be a sadistic bitch, they've both learned that, but maybe they've matured enough to be able to handle it this time. The sparks, the attraction, the tension.
...or maybe not.
Comments: 8/10. Reminds me a little of Painted Angels by WinJennster, where Cas writes a book about their relationship and Dean’s internalized homophobia. This one isn’t as angsty or as tragic though, it’s like a less intense version. Cas has some very unhealthy coping mechanisms, and Dean is the more stable one for a change. Dean is out of the closet and ready to apologize for his internalized homophobia hurting Cas so long ago.
Summary: This three-part series follows Cas and Dean from childhood into adulthood, follows them falling apart and falling together and falling in love.
Comments: 10/10. This is amazing and awesome and wonderful. It's an epic saga following Cas and Dean through kindergarten to adulthood, through best friends to lovers to strangers and to lovers again. It's hard to talk about this fic without giving it away, but there's homophobia parents who ruin everything, brainwashing, and so much angst. It's an incredibly happy ending though, and I love it so much.
Summary: A spontaneous scent bond is the stuff of romance novels: an alpha and an omega meet by chance, and they happen to be so compatible that their pheromones are perfectly aligned, drawing them irresistibly together to mate and bond for life.
Neither bookstore owner Dean Winchester nor science fiction novelist Castiel Novak have ever thought it sounded romantic. Your hormones going nuts and tricking you into tying yourself to a complete stranger for the rest of your life? No thanks.
But when Castiel comes to Dean's store for a signing, they feel an inexplicable pull toward each other, and into a powerful bond that neither of them wants. A bond that shouldn't even be possible for two alphas.
At least they agree on one thing: they will not let biology determine their fate.
Comments: 8/10. This is very interesting in that they actually waited to fall in love with each other before mating despite their spontaneous scent bond. Not to mention that they’re both alphas, though that’s not as uncommon in fics as the waiting. The two alphas decide to separate and talk via phone and skype because they don’t want biology to determine what they feel for each other. They do end up falling in love and getting together though, but not before they meet some obstacles. SPOILER: Dean gets a brain tumor on his pituatary gland, nothing serious but it intervenes with his hormones. They get it fixed though and they have hot sex in the last two chapters. That’s what the medical procedures tag is for.
