happy anniversary dean and cas!!! here’s to many more <3 the rest is under the cut or on ao3!
They agreed months ago that they didn't need to do anything big for their anniversary, even if it was their first. We’ve practically been married since Purgatory, at least, Dean had said, then joked, Maybe that’s the anniversary we should be celebrating. Happy eleven year anniversary of not dying in Purgatory, babe. There’s no need for gifts or grand declarations of love today.
Today has been, for the most part, an ordinary day. Cas is enjoying his day off from the library, Dean is at work— apparently, his boss at the garage couldn’t spare him— and other than some innuendos before eight a.m. and a quick “happy anniversary, Cas,” before he left, the day has gone exactly like every other Monday.
Cas appreciates that. It means that Dean will be even more surprised when he gets home.
Not that Cas is doing anything huge. Dean is right, they don’t need to do anything extravagant to remember that they love each other; the rings on their fingers are reminder enough. But he also knows Dean is a romantic at heart and will secretly love it when he sees the bouquet Cas is going to give to him.
It’s a fairly generic one, made of red roses, pink carnations, and white camellias. There’s a violet red, glittery heart sticking out of the top of it with a (highly unrealistic) drawing of a cherub that says in a loopy script be my angel? that Cas is definitely taking out before he gives it to Dean. It’s good for a Walmart bouquet, though, especially since it’s Valentine’s Day, and flower sales are through the roof.
The plastic wrapping crinkles as Cas adjusts his grip on the bouquet. A quick glance at his phone shows that he has about two hours before Dean should be home. Plenty of time, but he still picks up his pace as he walks toward the checkout.
In the space between the aisles and checkout are various circular Valentine’s Day displays, decked in reds and pinks. The one nearest to Cas is piled high with heart shaped boxes of chocolates. He pauses. He’d only planned on getting flowers, but Dean would enjoy chocolate, too. Food was one of the many ways to Dean’s heart, and chocolate was romantic, right?
Before Cas can fully come to a decision, someone ducks out of one of the aisles, making a beeline for the boxes. Cas freezes.
Dean slows his cart to a stop and picks up one of the boxes, skimming the writing on its top. He nods to himself, looking pleased.
Dean is supposed to be at work. He isn’t supposed to be at Walmart. Especially not when Cas is trying to surprise him, and—
“Dean?”
Dean’s head snaps towards him. His eyes widen with panic for a moment and he shoves the chocolate into his cart as though that will keep Cas from noticing it. “Cas! You come here often?” he asks, raising his eyebrows flirtatiously.
“I thought you were at work,” Cas says. He shoves the bouquet behind him.
“Yeah! Sure am!” Dean says.
“You work… here. At Walmart,” Cas repeats.
“No, uh,” Dean is clearly scrambling for an explanation, “actually, the boss man sent me to buy stuff. So I’m buying stuff. So technically I’m still working.”
Cas takes a couple steps forward to peer into the cart. There’s the box of chocolates, but also other stuff. Food like meat and pasta, plus some other random things like a cheese grater and candles. When he looks back at Dean, Dean’s face is bright pink.
“Okay, yeah, I’m not working,” Dean admits. He rubs at the back of his neck. “I was gonna surprise you with a candlelight dinner from those romcoms you like.”
Cas loves him. So, so much.
“The romcoms I like?” he says instead.
Dean, if possible, goes pinker. He smiles, though. “Shut up.”
“Because,” Cas continues, “if I recall correctly, you were the one who picked the Wedding Singer last week—“
“I’ll divorce you,” Dean threatens.
“No, you won’t,” Cas says knowingly.
Dean shoves him lightly. “Asshole.”
Cas rolls his eyes. “You love it.”
“Damn right I do.” Dean winks at him. “So, what are you doing here?”
“Shopping,” Cas deadpans. He tucks the flowers a little more securely behind his back. Not securely enough, apparently, because Dean grins.
“What are you hiding?” he asks.
“Nothing,” Cas says, wishing he wasn’t such an awful liar.
Dean gives him a look.
Cas sighs. So much for surprises. He holds out the bouquet. “It’s for you. Happy anniversary, Dean.”
Dean’s grin softens into something more intimate. Cas was absolutely right. Dean loves the flowers.
“I thought we weren’t doing anything for today.” Dean’s ring flashes as he takes the bouquet.
“You’re the one who snuck out of work to buy chocolate,” Cas says.
“Never had work, just got Joe to say I did so I could surprise you,” Dean waves him off, then points accusingly at him, “and you’re the one who bought me flowers.”
“Actually, I didn’t buy them. They still belong to Walmart.”
“Dude. You don’t just give a guy flowers if you haven’t bought them—“
“Well, you were the one who wanted to know what I was buying—“
“You’re knocking my socks off with your charm,” Dean quips.
“That was the intention,” Cas says dryly.
Dean snorts. Somehow, he manages to be both sarcastic and sincere when he says, “You’re doing great, babe.”
Cas takes in the upwards quirk of his lips and the smile lines around his eyes. All he can think about is how lucky he is to have such a dork as his husband. He smiles.
The bouquet is pressed back into his hands and it startles Cas out of his reverie.
“Alright. How about we pretend this never happened,” Dean suggests, “and when I get home with stuff for dinner and you give me the flowers you’re gonna buy and we both act like we’re surprised. Capiche?”
“Capiche,” Cas says, grin widening.
“Awesome,” Dean says. He leans forward, hands coming up to frame Cas’ face, and kisses him gently.
“See you at home,” Cas says.
“Sure thing, Mr. Winchester,” Dean says. He grabs the handle of his cart again and starts wheeling it away. It’s not long before he turns back to Cas. “Nice topper, by the way,” he adds, gesturing to the godawful cherub in the bouquet.
Dean isn’t going to let Cas forget that. Not for the rest of their marriage.
“please stop already you don’t need to go into this much detail about luthien and huan’s adventures I could just READ the lay”
[canto 10]
THIS IS A GOOD ONE. luthien has come to rescue her beloved. he is here, she whispers to huan; she knows it. so she sings so powerfully that the wizard prison rattles!! her song lures out a whole bunch of evil wolfs, who huan kills one by one. good teamwork guys.
apparently huan’s death prophecy is WIDELY known, because sauron decides to be the “greatest wolf ever” who is destined to kill him. why does sauron know celegorm’s dog’s death prophecy? who is publicizing this and why? is it like “NOBODY can kill my dog. only the biggest and meanest wolf. you don’t stand a chance.” maybe not the wisest thing to commission songs about as propaganda, but you do you I guess. anyway sauron is not technically a wolf, so no dice. huan beats him up and luthien interrogates him (<3!!)
she tells sauron he will die right here
“unless the keys thou render me
of thy black fortress, and the spell
that bindeth stone to stone thou tell,
and speak the words of opening.”
next time build your fortress with mortar, perhaps? if your wizard tower is made 100% out of magic it is MUCH EASIER TO DESTROY. however, isn’t it kind of... dangerous for beren, who is probably in the basement, if the tower collapses on her? just a thought luthien.
they find beren crying over finrod’s corpse and luthien passes out on top of her, presumably because she has done a LOT of powerful magic today.
[canto 11]
“like a shadow had returned
Huan the hound, though scant he earned
of praise or thanks from Celegorm.”
I’m not saying he doesn’t DESERVE praise and thanks, but celegorm has no way of knowing that he just helped take down sauron and reclaim cousin finrod’s body. I have to wonder why he returned to nargothrond at all, though! he clearly likes luthien way more than he does celegorm. is there some kind of sinister magical contract at work here? was he too shy to ask if luthien would still want him around now that she has her girlfriend back? huan ::(
orodreth is kicking celegorm and curufin out of nargothrond. he tells them to “be gone for ever, ere the day shall fall into the sea!” which is a really good way to say sunset, and I like it. it’s still super unclear why they were here in the first place though?? just to make trouble??
the two of them (plus huan, obviously) come upon our heroes by chance. they all fight; to no-one’s surprise luthien and huan are the winners. curufin shoots beren as he’s fleeing, just to be petty. he also curses all three of them soundly before saying “farewell” as if that is not a remarkably friendly way to say goodbye.
so huan and luthien are sitting by beren, who is bleeding out; it says luthien washed his wound with tears, but I like to think huan was also helping clean the wound with his tongue because that seems like a nice thing to do. he ALSO has great knowledge of healing plants (better than luthien! you’d think that would be in the menegroth curriculum?) and with luthien’s song magic they heal beren together. ALSO I’m kind of miffed that even tolkien doesn’t know that you stanch wounds, not staunch them. he seems so pretentious that I would think he’d know something like that.
finally, after what I assume is an ongoing month-long argument, beren tricks luthien into thinking she’s not going to fight morgoth... and then goes to fight morgoth. “guard her, huan,” she says. I like to imagine that huan looks at her judgmentally and resolves to tell luthien ASAP.
