An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 19/19 Fandom: Supernatural Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Gadreel/Inias (Supernatural), Bartholomew/Rebecca, Michael/Naomi (Supernatural), Crowley/Anna Milton, Gabriel/Kali (Supernatural), past Lisa Braeden/Dean Winchester - Relationship, supposed Castiel/Balthazar Characters: Castiel, Dean Winchester, Supernatural (TV) Characters, Gilmore Girls Characters Additional Tags: Destiel Harlequin Challenge, Destiel Harlequin Challenge 2017, Writer Castiel, Teacher Dean, Castiel Has a Crush on Dean Winchester, Dean Has a Daughter, Dad!Dean, Gay Castiel, Straight Dean, Pining, OH MY GOD SO MUCH PINING, Misunderstandings, Drunk Driving, Childhood Friends, Protective Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Dean Winchester’s First Time With a Man, Top Dean, Bottom Castiel, POV Castiel
“On Christmas Eve, if you eat Angel Cookies right before bed and then dream of your one true love, he will be your destiny.” The Shurley clan sure believe their old family legend, but not Castiel James – not since he was a pudgy teenager, running down the church aisle on Christmas Day, trying to stop his very handsome and very straight teacher Dean Winchester from marrying someone else. He may be grown-up, well-toned, bestselling Young Adult’s book author “C. S. James” now, but Castiel will never forget that day. And he’ll never fall foolishly in love again, especially not for Dean Winchester. But when the wish for a big family Christmas from his sick father brings him back home, Castiel has to confront his past. And not only that: a letter from a little fan from his home town is weighing heavy on his conscience. Reaching out to a troubled kid might endanger his secret identity. Adding to the problem is the shock of discovering that Dean is the little girl’s father – unattached and hotter than ever. Dean’s smile still makes Castiel melt, but Castiel knows that ship has sailed. The fact that Dean seems to be on board this time, however, doesn’t make it any easier for him.
So, I know this only got posted last night, but I needed a new fic to read and liked the premise of this one…End result: I couldn’t put it down and stayed up ridiculously late to finish it.
This fic made me cry. Really cry (runny nose, puffy eyes, the works), at least 3 times. I didn’t want to cry - tried to stay silent not to wake up my sleeping partner. But this story hit me right in my emotional, vulnerable center and I just couldn’t help it.
First of all, if you like pining and angst, this is the fic for you. Castiel’s pain and humiliation is very visceral, and since I’m particularly vulnerable to public humiliation, it hit me hard. As you find out throughout the story, though, the way Castiel views that incident all those years ago is NOT the way others (including Dean) see it. Naturally, there’s a lot of miscommunication between the two that needs to get cleared up.
The pacing is (imo) flawless, and the author put some key hard-hitting scenes at the right places in between more fluffy, lighter scenes. I honestly usually don’t care much for kidfic, but Dean’s daughter is a great character - her developing friendship with Castiel is a joy to read. Other supporting characters - like Cas’s extended family and Bobby, Sam and Eileen, are also properly fleshed out and interesting.
By the way, I appreciated that Lisa isn’t demonised at all in this fic, though she is “fridged”, nor is anyone in Castiel’s family “evil” or trying to keep them apart. As a note, Dean does not identify as bisexual in this fic, so please take that into account.
What else can I say? It was probably a unique mix of factors that made it so impactful for me, but if the premise (and the tags) appeal to you at all, I would strongly encourage you to give it a chance. Maybe it’ll do the same to you!
