Writer: @ersatzangel
Artist: @free-to-be-impaled
Summary:
Ten years ago, a comet struck the earth, leading to a global drought. Since then, Roman Enterprises has controlled the water wells, always seeking to take over the few they don’t.
Dean Winchester lived on one of the compounds with access to an independent well, but when they were raided by Roman agents he lost not only the well, but his friends and family, too. The only thing he has left to live for is his brother, Sam, who survived the raid but was taken by Roman agents.
When the mission to save his brother goes south, Dean ends up captured by the mysterious Castiel, one of the humanoid creatures known as Angels.
Castiel has his own reasons for wanting to get into Roman Enterprises headquarters, but Dean doesn’t care what they are. If Castiel can help him rescue Sammy, then great. That’s all that matters to him.
But as they travel through the post-apocalyptic world, in search of the answers they both seek, they grow closer than either of them expected.
Writing prompt: nerf gun battle! (I had this written as a note in my phone with no further context lol)
Oof.
The foam pellet bounces off the top of Dean's head, Jack's triumphant "Got you!!!!" ringing in his ears.
He knows Cas only requested the "epic battle" for his Father's Day gift to appease their son, but Dean's the one who's really starting to feel like the martyr in this nerf gun war.
Not that this is unusual for him, he supposes. Grinning and bearing it is what Dean does.
Well.
What he did, anyway. Before they saved the world, and dragged Cas out of the Empty, and he drilled into Dean's head (like he does every day, actually) that he was better than all of his hangups and preconceptions.
That Dean's well-practiced cycle of self-sacrifice and resentment didn't actually constitute living a life.
Dean pauses for a moment to rub what is surely going to turn into a lump on top of his noggin. At least the kid's got aim.
He sighs, trudging up the hill behind the bunker, eyes darting for the next onslaught of bright green missiles. He's already going to have at least four new bruises, not to mention the ache in his knees from crouching to stay out of sight.
Blue eyes watch him from the bushes.
"Hello, Dean." Cas says brightly, shouldering the orange toy shotgun.
Dean swivels to point the barrel of his plastic weapon at Cas' sternum. "You know it's not an ambush if you announce your presence, right?"
Cas smiles warmly. "I wasn't going to shoot you."
Dean raises an eyebrow. "Not really how you win, sweetheart."
Cas frowns, peering at Dean's face. "You're not having any fun," he murmurs.
The seep of guilt is instantaneous, pouring into Dean's chest and choking the insides of his throat. "Sure I am," he says, injecting the words with cheer.
Cas tilts his head, that little bird-like gesture that always gives Dean the fuzzies in the pit of his stomach. He tugs on the bottom of his threadbare AC/DC t-shirt. "Dean, this is my part of the celebration. You don't have to participate if you aren't enjoying yourself."
Dean guffaws, but the laugh feels as fake as the pellets in his gun. "Erhm. No, I'm great. This is great, Cas."
It's not great. His bones ache, and his ass hurts, and he is fucking tired. Dean's been shooting guns for over thirty years, and the last thing he wants to do is play pretend at a job he recently left behind, forever. But saying that -- even thinking about it, feels selfish.
Cas is watching him knowingly. Dean frowns.
"Thought we talked about you digging around in my brain," he says, a little accusing.
Cas' mouth twists slightly to the left. "I don't have to," he says softly. "It's written all over your face."
Dean's shoulders sag. "Jack wanted this..." he starts, but Cas interrupts him.
"No, Dean. I wanted this. And yes, because I knew Jack would enjoy it -- but also because I'm enjoying it too." His gaze is tender. "But you aren't."
Dean sighs. "Don't want Jack to be disappointed," he mumbles, feeling like a failure.
Parents don't just do what they want. He thinks about John, the seep of ice in his belly expanding.
Cas gently brushes a piece of grass from Dean's hair, smiling softly. "Love's not a transaction," he murmurs. "Jack will understand."
Dean blinks at him.
Cas smiles. "Go inside," he says nudging Dean firmly with a palm on his back. "Take a bath. Ice your knee. We'll see you in a few hours."
When Jack bounds in for Dean's portion of the evening -- pizza and video games on the couch -- he doesn't say a word about Dean's disappearance from the nerf gun battleground.
Instead, he looks at Dean with shining eyes, and tells him he loves him before swiftly stuffing his face with two slices of pizza at once.
Cas gives him an "I told you so," eyebrow raise as he slides in next to him on the other side.
"See," he whispers, his warm breath tickling Dean's ear. "You don't have to do a thing to keep us." He squeezes Dean's knee and dumps a forkful of salad on Dean's plate despite his protesting groan.
Dean starts to realize that love may be about 'just being,' after all.
drinking tequila, send me an ask (or writing prompt)
Hi! I have a question about when to post - can I post once it's the 30th in my timezone or do I have to wait until it's the 30th in the US? Only asking as I have a bit of a ritual where I usually like posting in the morning my time otherwise I don't sleep, but if I do that on the 30th, it will still be the 29th in the US, but if I do it the next morning, it may look like my recipient isn't getting anything?
(Also hope it was OK to send this off anon, if not feel free to answer privately!)
Hi love! Absolutely, feel free to post when it’s the 30th in your timezone. I know not everyone lives in the US (like I do), so as long as it’s the 30th in your timezone, then feel free to post your gift then (even if it’s a little early in the US). Feel free to continue with your ritual of posting. Whatever makes you comfortable for posting is good with me. As long as it falls on the 30th for you, then that’s perfect. If you want to post it the next morning, that’s fine too. I’m not being too strict on posting - if it’s the 30th wherever you are timezone wise, then feel free to post!
(Also, of course, it doesn’t have to be on anon. I’m happy to answer asks regardless if it’s anon or not!)
This is a little bit random but it's fanfic writer's appreciation day (well...I think it's still FWAD somewhere) and I just wanted to say thank you for your fic! Your writing is absolutely breathtaking and some of the most gorgeous I’ve ever read! So, yes, thank you for sharing your lovely words! 💖
Oh my gosh 😭🥺 thank you so so much!!! This really... ah man it just really means a lot to me! I've been feeling a little less than confident with writing lately for some reason, it's not been the easiest time for just getting things down. It really means so much to hear that you enjoy the stuff I've posted 💜🥺 I'm still working on fic all the time so hopefully the mean old "that's not good enough" voice in my head will hush up and I'll be posting what I've been putting together 👍 but really thank you so much for thinking of me! It means so much to me like I said. Just imagine me saying thank you like sixty-nine more times. Nice.
This is a little bit random but it's fanfic writer's appreciation day (well...I think it's still FWAD somewhere) and I just wanted to say thank you for your fic! Everything I’ve read so far has been an absolute delight and it’s helped distract me through some bad times. So, yes, thanks for sharing your wonderful fic with us all 😊
Oh my god this is too kind you're gonna make me cry!! 😳😳 I'm sorry you've been going through bad times but happy that my writing could help distract from that! Thank you so much ❤❤❤
