Congratulations to all the wonderful authors and artists who took part in the fifth annual Dean/Cas Pinefest!
This year, thirty-one teams brought us a total 1,282,653 words of fic and 137 pieces of original art. We're so proud of all our authors and artists for what they achieved in another difficult year, and we're thrilled to be able to share their work with you all!
Under the cut, you'll find links to every masterpost from the 2021 Pinefest, or you can check out the collection on Ao3. Remember to let the authors and artists know how much you enjoyed their creations with a like, kudos, or best of all, a reblog or comment.
Don’t know how to put all your feelings into words? That’s fine! We’ve never met an artist or author who doesn’t appreciate every keysmash or flailing gif response they receive.
(And yes, we’ll be back for a sixth Pinefest! An official announcement for the 2022 round will come in July--follow us @deancaspinefest on Tumblr or here on Twitter to make sure you don't miss out!)
Art Masterpost for this year’s @deancaspinefest: The End of the World as We Know It by Tiamatv
This fic is so incredibly good, and I’m so honored to have done the art for it. If I’d had more time, I would have done about a thousand more pieces because the imagery and emotion in this fic are so freaking compelling.
I highly recommend checking out the fic and binging it to the expense of your daily life.
Under the cut, you’ll find the full posting schedule for this fifth round of the Dean/Cas Pinefest, along with links to each preview.
Saturday April 10 | Dean Winchester and the Stolen Tupperware
Sunday April 11 | The Last Resort
Monday April 12 | I’d Cross The Stars For You
Tuesday April 13 | When We Were Young
Wednesday April 14 | The Heart Won't Lie
Thursday April 15 | Surprises
Friday April 16 | Desert Rituals
Saturday April 17 | The Hunter and The Wildcat
Sunday April 18 | Side Effects
Monday April 19 | Killing in the Name Of
Tuesday April 20 | deeper than all roses
Wednesday April 21 | Renovating Hotels and Hearts
Thursday April 22 | Apartment 15
Friday April 23 | Murder Ballads
Saturday April 24 | exile
Sunday April 25 | Ex-HunterCorps-Machina
Monday April 26 | And If Thou Wilt, Remember
Tuesday April 27 | Coming Up Short
Wednesday April 28 | Standing Where the Lightning Strikes
Thursday April 29 | God's Exiles
Friday April 30 | The Natural Sequel of an Unnatural Beginning
Saturday May 1 | All This and Heaven Too
Sunday May 2 | The Space Between
Monday May 3 | With You 'Til the End
Tuesday May 4 | Placements, Trusts, and Evaluations
Wednesday May 5 | a lesson in blue (it's in his eyes)
Thursday May 6 | NO FIC TODAY
Friday May 7 | More Than One Ace to Play
Saturday May 8 | By Your Side
Sunday May 9 | Before Our After
Monday May 10 | It's the End of the World (As We Know It)
Tuesday May 11 | The Remembrance of It
Explicit | ~32k | Posting on April 10
Author: MalMuses | Artist: Nioell
Eternally single, professor Castiel is quiet, nerdy, and keeps to his research. The one indulgence that he allows himself is spending hours on YouTube bingeing the vlogs of a handsome, reckless archaeologist. Hunter styles himself as a bit of an Indiana Jones type, and he reminds Castiel of the adventurous, free person he longs to be. Plus, he’s super hot.
Imagine Castiel’s surprise when he meets the new archaeology professor at the Humanities potluck.
This is his chance—he is finally in the same room as Dean “Hunter” Winchester!
Unfortunately, the best interaction shy, awkward Castiel can manage is to steal his new colleague’s Tupperware.
Keep reading for a sneak preview!
Drifting back toward the food table to dispose of his cup, Castiel decided to try and slip out before anyone else attempted conversation with him, for everyone’s sake. He stepped aside to let Garth, one of the TAs, squeeze past him next to the dessert table. As he waited, Castiel looked down and saw that there was a lone slice of golden, sugary apple pie sitting in a big, round Tupperware container.
Dean said he brought pie, Castel’s brain unhelpfully provided.
Tempted, and seeing no one else reaching for it, Castiel decided to help himself to the last slice of the delicious-looking, clearly homemade pastry. It was a traditional apple pie with a touch of cinnamon, and the smell of it made Castiel’s mouth water in comparison to the rubbery chicken and green bean casserole he’d begrudgingly chewed through earlier.
Biting into the pie, Castiel couldn’t help but let out a pleased moan. The pie was fantastic. He’d humiliated himself multiple times in front of his crush and coworker, but a pie like this made the day seem like less of a disaster.
Opening his eyes once he’d finished slowly savoring the mouthful of pastry, Castiel blushed again as he realized that Dean was looking straight at him from across the room. He was sandwiched between Lisa and Lydia, who were both chatting animatedly, but his gaze cut through the crowd to land on Castiel.
Bad enough that Dean probably thought that Castiel was an obsessive weirdo, now he was drooling all over the man’s baked goods. Poor Dean probably thought he had finally escaped him, but here he was, loitering in his eyeline. Feeling his flush grow more intense, Castiel dropped his eyes down to the table.
He should go. What he wanted, of course, was to talk to Dean again—have some kind of excuse to approach him and apologize for his awkwardness, see if maybe they could start afresh. But he had no good reason to interrupt Dean when he was having a good time with the adoring ladies of the staff.
Sighing, Castiel glumly swallowed down the last of the delicious pie and began to move the Tupperware off to the side, out of the way.
He looked down at the container in his hands.
He could…no.
No, he couldn’t. “Accidentally” taking Dean’s Tupperware home so that he’d have an opportunity to stop by his room on Monday to return it was utterly insane.
Another few seconds passed while Castiel endured a staredown with an inanimate object.
Oh, what the hell.
Explicit | ~42k | Posting on April 13
Author: FriendofCarlotta | Artist: Aggiedoll
2006: Castiel Novak, a new transfer student at Franklin College, strikes up a friendship with popular senior Dean Winchester. He quickly falls in love, but Dean is still coming to terms with his sexuality, so Castiel resigns himself to pining from a distance. Just as Dean and Castiel’s relationship begins to change, everything falls apart, and Dean leaves town without so much as a goodbye.
2019: Dean hasn’t set foot in his old college town in more than a decade; not since the day Cas, the love of his life, broke his heart. When Dean finally returns to Franklin College for a job interview, he finds that Cas never left. Will the two of them be able to clear up the misunderstanding that tore them apart?
Keep reading for a sneak preview!
“Cas?”
The word emerges as a croak, shaky and scraped, but really, Dean thinks, it’s a miracle he’s managed to say anything at all.
Twelve years. Twelve long, lonely years of nothing but nameless warm bodies in his bed to help him forget the memory of those blue eyes. Those same blue eyes are staring back at him out of a face that’s got a few more lines carved into it, but is still so familiar that every muscle in Dean’s body aches with the need to touch it.
“What are you doing here?” Cas asks, his throaty rumble even deeper than Dean remembered. From anyone else, the question would seem rude. From Cas, it’s an expression of genuine curiosity, an invitation to sit and talk. That’s just the way he is. Or used to be, when Dean knew him.
Where does he even begin?
“I, um.” Dean realizes he’s still frozen just beyond the doorway to the coffee shop, clutching a mug in one hand and a small plate in the other. “I’m here for a job interview.”
Cas’ eyebrows rise to meet his hairline. He’s made more of an effort to tame his bedhead than he used to, back in college, but it’s still a lost cause, random dark strands sticking out all over the place. Dean clenches his jaw to keep from asking if he can smooth them down.
“A job interview?” Cas says, with that familiar, puzzled head tilt of his. “Here?”
Before Dean has a chance to respond, Cas looks back and forth between Dean and his table, an embarrassed tint to his cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Dean. I’m being rude. Please, have a seat.” He falters, eyes darting to Dean’s face, then back down. “If you like, I mean.”
If you don’t show, I’ll know why, and I just want to say, I get it.
The line pops into Dean's head out of nowhere. He worked on that letter for hours, polishing every word, and it still comes back to him at odd times.
“Uh. Sure.” He swallows down the memory as he lowers himself into the chair opposite Cas.
It’s been twelve years. If Cas wants to sit here and catch up like they’re nothing but old college friends who lost touch, Dean can do that. He will do that.
Mature | ~20k | Posting on April 15
Author: TessAlyn | Artist: Dmsilvisart
From the Badger Herald, February 7th, 2018:
Sigma Zeta Gets a Baby Brother: UW fraternity adopts its youngest member in history
By Jesse Cuevas, Staff Writer
Dean Winchester didn't expect to start the semester as a part-time dad, but when his friend unexpectedly became guardian to a newborn baby, he and his fraternity brothers didn't hesitate. They immediately converted their spare room into a nursery and invited Castiel Novak and his nephew Jack to stay with them.
"Cas has a single dorm," Winchester, a senior and kicker for the UW Badgers football team, explained. "We thought, 'There's no way in hell he's gonna be able to raise a kid in that tiny space.' Then one of us went, 'We've got tons of room. Why doesn't he just move in here?' So that's what we did."
Keep reading for a sneak preview!
“You damn fool,” Missouri bellows, smacking Dean with a throw pillow. “Just wait until I call your mother!”
“Ow!” Dean yelps, putting up his arms to protect himself. “Sam, make her stop!”
“Missouri, please,” Sam begs. “Just let us explain.”
“Oh, now you want to explain?” Missouri cries, whirling on Sam. “I get a text from Dean at nine-thirty at night asking me to bring baby stuff over, and when I ask him what the hell for, he just says ‘long story.’” She lifts the pillow and starts whacking Sam with it instead. “A long story? Nothing long about it! You knock up some poor girl and now you’re a baby daddy, end of story!”
“Damn it, Dean!” Sam yells. “You didn’t tell her?”
“I was gonna explain when she got here!”
“Dean Winchester, I am ashamed of you!” Missouri shouts, taking a fresh grip on the pillow. “Your mama raised you better than that!”
“Will you stand down, you crazy woman?” Dean yells back. “It’s not my baby, it’s Cas and Gabe’s. Hit them instead!”
“Please don’t,” Cas says. He’s sitting on the sofa, Jack cradled in his arms.
Missouri turns on Cas, who shrinks back in his seat. “It’s your baby?” she says skeptically. “You can’t be more than eighteen, boy.”
“I’m twenty-one,” Cas says, indignant.
“That ain’t much better, honey.”
“It’s our brother’s baby,” Gabe pipes up, and proceeds to explain the situation for what feels like the hundredth time tonight.
By the time he’s finished, Missouri has put down the pillow and is sitting next to Cas on the couch, eyes filled with tears. “You poor sweet thing,” she says, patting Cas’ arm.
“Now do you see why I didn’t want to explain over the phone?” Dean says, annoyed.
“You still could have given me a little more detail,” Missouri snaps. “You damn near gave me a heart attack with that text.” She turns back to Cas with a sigh. “And you got no family?”
“Not really,” Cas says. “Our mother won’t want anything to do with this. Our brother Michael is married and has three children of his own already. Gabe’s father lives in Hawaii with his third wife, and my father is… well, it’s complicated.”
Gabe snorts. “Let’s just say our mom sure knows how to pick ’em. Frankly I’m amazed Luke’s the only one who’s produced a child out of wedlock. That’s why I always wear two condoms when I'm doing the deed.”
“Dude,” Dean groans. "TMI."
Missouri stares at Gabe for a second. “Tell me he ain’t raising this child,” she says to Cas.
Mature | ~41k | Posting on May 5
Author: saltyravenclaw | Artist: jununy
Dean expected this school year to be just like every other; a copy-and-paste one-two-three of the past six he'd spent teaching History to high schoolers. The same boring, repetitive staff meetings, the same classroom and classes, watching new faces come and old ones go. Weekends spent grading assignments or movie-marathoning with Charlie, happily debating Star Wars or Game of Thrones (and once, She-Ra. It was pride month; they were drunk.)
What he was NOT expecting, however, was the new science teacher to be so....intriguing.
His name was Castiel Novak, he taught earth and environmental science, and he was possibly one of the best--and strangest--people Dean's ever met.
For one thing, he wore sweater vests, slacks, and a damn trench coat, even in summer. He's a total dork for plants and animals, told really bad jokes, and had a rather extensive coffee mug collection.
Oh, and another thing: he's rather--scratch that, really--attractive.
And he was right across the hall from Dean.
Or, the one where Dean falls for the teacher across the hall, and Castiel owns a snake named Marcy.
Keep reading for a sneak preview!
Standing in the doorway was, presumably, Castiel Novak.
Messy, black hair stood in every direction, curling behind his ears and sweeping in every which way. Strong, angular features with a hint of scruff around the edges of his jawline contrasted with his eyes; blue, based on the overhead lights, sloping downwards at the edges, giving him a permanently sad, somber expression.
He was young, probably Dean’s age or just slightly older, but his sweater vest and slacks ensemble made him look ten years greater than what he probably was. He stood awkwardly in the doorway, one hand in his pocket and the other still resting lightly on the door.
“Uhm—You’re Dean, correct?” he asked in a deep, hesitant rumble.
Well, that was unexpected.
“I—uh—yeah!” Dean said, standing hastily from his desk and hurrying around, managing to hit both his knee and hip on the corner. “Hi—ow--yeah, I’m, I’m Dean. Winchester.” He added quickly, holding out his hand and smiling.
The man—Castiel—smiled back and shook his hand, his grip firm.
“So you’re teaching Earth Science,” Dean said, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against one of the chairs.
Castiel nodded, looking around Dean’s room. “I’m taking Ms. Mildred’s old position, across the hall.”
Dean grinned. “She told me she was done after this year. Ready to retire.”
To be honest, her retirement probably had something to do with Jo finding a used condom in the locker rooms. Or the spitball contest after third lunch in the boy’s bathroom. Or nearly fracturing her hip at the annual Faculty DodgeBall Tournament on the faculty's last required school day (why Mildred would even want to participate, Dean didn't know. School spirit?)
Dean cast around for something to talk about. “Did you meet Mildred, before she moved out?”
Castiel nodded. “Yes, she made me a tin of cookies and spent a lengthy amount of time telling stories from working here.”
Dean chuckled. “Yeah, she did the same thing to me when I first started here. Sat me right down and rattled off 'round fifty different things about teachin'."
Castiel smiled. "She gave me a binder, along with the dessert tin."
"Yeah, most of the stuff in there's outdated." Dean sighed, remembering the two-inch binder he'd been gifted. He still had it; there were some good recipes slipped between some of the pages.
"That explains the section about typewriters," Castiel mumbled.
Explicit | ~60k | Posting on April 26
Author: Carrieosity | Aritst: Jeanne de Valois
They'd done it, actually defeated and banished Chuck. Dean's adrenaline-fueled pulse hadn't even had a chance to fully stop thundering in his ears when, to his horror, Castiel's brilliant smile slipped from his face and he dropped, lifeless, to the ground.
No way was this going to be the end of this story, though. If he could literally face down and beat God, then no ridiculous bargain with some kind of shadow monster (all-powerful Entity, his ass) was going to stop Dean from finally having what he'd wanted for so long. A little spellwork, a little help from Billie, and a lot of pointless protesting from the rest of the gang, and then Dean was off and hurtling into the Empty in hot pursuit.
But when were things ever as simple as he'd hoped they'd be? Getting into the Empty and finding Castiel would be the easy part; the road home would be another sort of journey entirely.
Keep reading for a sneak preview!
Dean immediately made to lunge toward Castiel, dropping to his knees, but the Entity stepped between them before he could get far. When Dean glared, it chuckled and flashed red eyes at him. “You should be thanking me, speck. I could have stood back and let this little adventure be over before it began, you know.”
“Dean,” he muttered. “Dean Winchester. Knock it off with the ‘speck’ business.”
“You think I don’t know your name? I’ve been all through Castiel’s meager little thoughts and memories, you know. I’ll call you what I like. Right now, I’ll call you stupid. Trying to wake a dreaming angel, especially here, is a bit more complicated, and a lot more deadly, than you seem to expect.” Flashes of teeth too sharp to be human showed between its lips as it smirked.
“Angels don’t sleep,” Dean said, mostly to himself, as he recalled all the many times Castiel had made that point clear. He’d never had to wake Castiel before; it wasn’t something he’d ever needed to consider. “They don’t have dreams.”
“I promise you, here in this place, he does. They all do. But angel dreams aren’t built out of pink clouds of cotton candy fantasies, floating gently through the amygdala. Angel dreams are just as illogical as your own, but theirs are powered by grace. The angel’s dreams will pull you in, drown you in celestial energy, and tear you to messy little pieces before you can scream.” Red eyes gleamed again, brighter. “Just thought you should know.”
Dean felt the muscles in his jaw tighten as he ground his teeth. /So that’s the catch. Didn’t take long for it to find Billie’s loophole./ Trying hard not to let any doubt show on his face, Dean pushed his way past the Entity, letting his shoulder knock hard against it as he did. He heard another smothered chuckle, but it was only background noise to the clamor of competing thoughts racing through his head.
I can’t back down now. Even if I wanted to…how would I begin? It only now occurred to Dean that, without Castiel’s help in figuring it out, he had no real idea about how he would go about leaving the Empty. Some part of him had assumed, he supposed, that the Entity would just fling him out, but it didn’t look like that would be happening. More fun to see me die than see me gone, Dean thought. And now that some of the adrenaline was fading a bit, the reality of his likely impending death was starting to become more obvious.
