✴︎ pairings : Castiel Novak x ftm!reader
✴︎ word count : (forgot) | genre : fluff , angst
✴︎ contents : dysphoric reader, self doubt, gentle Castiel, mentions of Sam and Dean, younger Winchester reader
✴︎ notes - this is my first fic so I hope it isn’t too bad :)
Gentle when theirs tension in the bunker, when Dean and Sam argue and you contract a little without meaning to. Gentle when hunts go wrong and you feel like the youngest once again like you’re just trailing behind your brothers instead of standing beside them.
But he’s especially gentle on nights like this.
The motel room is dim, lit only by the soft flickering lamp near the bed. The air smells faintly of detergent from the freshly washed sheets and something old, but you’re too wrapped up in your own thoughts to care. The cheap mattress dips beneath you as you sit near the edge, shoulders hunched, arms crossed loosely over your torso.
Everything felt wrong tonight.
You stare down at your hands, picking at your sleeve.
You’ve always been different, the youngest Winchester, the one they tried to shield, the one who had to fight twice as hard to feel like he belonged, and being trans… sometimes made the weight heavier.
The air in the room shifts.
You don’t look up immediately, but you know he’s there.
There’s a faint rustle behind you, followed by the familiar, comforting warmth settling around your shoulders. His wings, invisible to anyone else, curl carefully around you, shielding you from the world like a barrier only meant for you.
It’s protective in the way Sam and Dean are.
You let out a slow breath, shoulders dropping slightly as you lean into the warmth without even thinking about it.
“You’re quiet,” Castiel says softly.
His voice is low, gruff, but there’s something warm beneath it when he speaks to you.
You huff quietly. “Just tired.”
Castiel doesn’t respond right away. He steps closer instead, the mattress creaking as he sits beside you. His shoulder brushes yours, solid and grounding.
“You feel… distressed,” he says after a moment.
You swallow, eyes still fixed downward. “…Yeah.”
His wing shifts slightly, wrapping a little tighter around your shoulders.
You hesitate before speaking again, voice quieter than usual.
“Just one of those nights, I guess.” You let out a small, humorless laugh. “Everything just feels… wrong.”
Castiel tilts his head slightly, studying you with those steady blue eyes.
“I hate when my voice sounds like this,” you murmur, almost embarrassed. “And… I don’t know. Sometimes I just look at myself and it doesn’t feel like me. Like I’m pretending to be someone I’m not.”
Your fingers curl into the fabric of your sleeve.
“I know Sam and Dean don’t care, but sometimes I still feel like I don’t fit. Like I’m not—” You stop yourself, jaw tightening.
Castiel’s hand moves slowly, carefully, until his fingers brush against yours. He doesn’t grab your hand immediately— just lets his fingertips rest against yours, giving you the chance to pull away.
Instead, your fingers shift slightly, letting his hand slide fully into yours.
His grip is warm. Grounding.
“Human anatomy does not matter to me,” Castiel says quietly.
You huff softly at that, but you listen.
“I see your soul,” he continues, voice soft but certain. “And your soul has always been you. Nothing about that has changed.”
Your throat tightens slightly.
Castiel pauses, then adds bluntly, “Especially genitalia.”
A surprised laugh slips out of you before you can stop it, the tension in your shoulders easing just a little.
You glance at him, and sure enough, his expression is completely serious, though you swear you catch the faintest twitch at the corner of his lips.
You shake your head slightly, smiling faintly despite yourself.
“You’re really bad at comforting people sometimes.”
“And yet, you are smiling,” he points out gently.
His thumb brushes lightly across your knuckles, a small, absent gesture.
“You are not wrong,” he says quietly. “Your voice may change. Your body may change. But you remain constant. You are still you, and I care for you as you are.”
“Even if I don’t look right?” you ask quietly.
Castiel’s wings shift again, pulling you closer, warmth surrounding you completely.
You lean slightly into his shoulder, the tension slowly draining from your body.
“You always know what to say.”
“I do not,” he replies softly, “but I know when you are hurting.”
The room falls quiet again, the soft hum of the motel air conditioner filling the silence. Castiel doesn’t pull away, doesn’t pressure you. He just stays there, warm and comforting.
Gentle, soft, and patient.
“Thanks, Cas,” you murmur quietly.
His thumb brushes your hand again.
“I will always be here,” he says softly.