When a routine hunt goes sideways, Cas is hit with a curse and turned into a frog. Sam and Dean hit the books to find a cure, and Dean finds more than he bargained for.
Rating: Teen
Words: 3,384
Warnings: None
Tags: canon universe, fairy tale curses, animal transformation, true love’s kiss
My @profoundnet fairytale exchange fic for @blueeyesandpie
For @elizasugarcane , as part of the Profound Bond Discord Server Exchange!
Cas could hear the coughing and sneezing as soon as he entered the bunker. Whomever it was, sounded miserable. He headed down the stairs, through the War Room, and into the Library. Much to his chagrin, Dean was there, curled up in a blanket and sniffling, researching through one of the books for their latest hunt.
Cas stood there and watched his hunter grab tissues and blow his nose, the sound truly reminiscent of a goose honking. He frowned as Dean slid deeper into his chair and put his feet up, trying to get comfortable. Cas walked quietly into the room and stood next to Dean. He placed the back of his hand on Dean’s forehead, confirming what he already knew.
“Dean, you’re burning up.”
“I know, Cas.” Dean coughed and turned the page of the tome he was reading. “I caught something from that damn cesspool called an elementary school we visited.”
“Well, let me help.” Cas started to turn his hand so he could trace his fingers and grace over Dean’s forehead when Dean grabbed his hand to stop him.
“No, Cas. I appreciate all the healing you do for me, but I need to sit through a cold or an illness occasionally. Gotta keep the immune system up. May not always have you with me on a case if I get sick.”
“Dean, there is no point in being miserable when I can heal you.”
“I’ll be ok, Angel. I promise. Sam and Jack had to go on a supply run. They’re going to get me the medicine I need and some things like orange juice and chicken noodle soup.”
“I’m not going to stand around here and watch you suffer.” Cas shook his head. “You could be over this already.”
“Well,” Dean flashed a tired smile, “since Sam went on the supply run, I get to research. You don’t want to watch, you get to leave the library. I’m not moving.”
“You’re being insufferable.” He planted a gentle kiss on the top of Dean’s head before turning and leaving the library.
***
Cas had set up shop at the War Table. He had decided to dive into the case that the brothers had been working on. Dean was right, he didn’t need to watch him suffer, but he couldn’t stand to be far away from his ill hunter.
The sound of the bunker door slamming shut pulled Cas out of his book. His eyes wandered to the balcony, already knowing that he would see Sam and Jack momentarily. He stood as they appeared, and walked to the bottom of the stairs, ready to help share the burden of their supply run.
Sam and Jack passed on bags to the waiting angel before moving to the kitchen together. Sam looked to Cas as they set the bags down on the kitchen table.
“How’s Dean?”
“He was bundled up in blankets in the library.” He let out a heavy sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. “He wouldn’t let me heal him.”
“Maybe he’ll let me?” Jack suggests, turned away from the fridge where he had been putting away groceries. “I need the practice, right Sam?”
Cas watched as Sam smiled at Jack and shook his head at the young Nephilim. “No, Jack. Dean won’t want you or Cas to heal him. We rarely get sick, and he’s going to want to ride this out.”
“I don’t understand.” Jack pouted, tilting his head to the side.
“He’s being stubborn,” Cas leaned against the table, “I don’t like seeing him this way.”
Sam handed another bag to Jack. “Look, Cas, I know you don’t like it. I don’t like it. But you want to know what you can do? Help him get comfortable. He’ll only have a day or two left of his cold. Make him stop researching. Get him in his actual bed. Bring him his chicken soup and orange juice.”
“Like that movie.” Cas pushed himself up from the table and walked towards the library. “Thank you, Sam.”
***
Cas waited until Dean retreated to their room. He had known that Dean wouldn’t listen to him if he told him to go lay down, but he was a patient being. The moment that his hunter left the library, he snuck back into the kitchen. Cas poured a glass of orange juice and started warming up the chicken soup Sam had picked up at the store.
As he waited for the soup to warm up, Cas slid a book out of his pocket. While grabbing books for Dean to research, he had found a copy of The Princess Bride. It was pure luck, and even though he would not be reading that book to Dean, he figured a prop would be nice. He ran his fingers over the cover and smiled, silently hoping that Dean would go along with his idea. Cas placed the book on the breakfast tray he procured and set to plating the finished soup.
Once everything was on the tray, Cas carefully lifted and carried it to their room. His hunter was sitting up in bed, reading another one of the books that he pulled for research. Dean cracked a soft smile at Cas, seeing the tray in his angel’s hands.
“Bringing me food? Did you make it, too?”
“I am perfectly capable of heating soup up, Dean.”
“Didn’t say you weren’t, Angel.” Dean placed his book to the side as Cas set the tray in front of him. “What’s this?” He pointed to the book. “The Princess Bride? Where did you even find a copy of this?”
Cas pulled a chair over to the bed, sliding it right next to where Dean was laying. “In the Library.” He slid off his trench coat and folded it over the back of the chair. “Here, let me have it.”
Dean raised his eyebrow curiously as he passed the book to Cas. “What are you up to?”
“You won’t let me heal you my way.” Cas sat down and opened the book. “I can at least make you feel comfortable and help you heal the way you want.”
“Nope. Not happening.” Dean moved the tray to Cas’ side of the bed. “I am 40 years old. I don’t need you reading me a bedtime story.” He moved to sit up, triggering a coughing spell. “Damn it.”
“You will get my healing, or you get the story. Your choice Dean.”
“Fine.” Dean rolled his eyes and sat back in the bed. “’Is this a kissing book?’”
“I can knock you out and heal you, Dean.”
Dean grabbed the tray and placed it back over his lap. “You picked The Princess Bride.”
“Once upon a time, there lived a young knight.”
“Cas! That’s not the book.”
Cas snapped the book shut. “I’m sorry Dean, were you not just complaining?”
The hunter picked up his orange juice and muttered into the glass. “Sorry.”
“Can I continue?” Cas waited until Dean nodded before starting the story back up. “Once upon a time, there lived a young knight. He was well-trained, loyal, and as stubborn as they came. He lived a lonely life, trying to secure the kingdom for an absent king. The only company he kept was his brother, who doubled as his squire, and his loyal steed.”
“Cas?” Dean’s voice piqued curiously.
“Let me read, Dean.” Cas skimmed his finger along the page. “One day, the knight found himself in a horrible predicament. He was trapped, and not even his brother could save him. He begged his squire to carry on, to be strong for both of them, and to take good care of his beloved steed.
“While his squire listened and became a knight worthy of his brother, others were watching over the imprisoned knight. It was not his fate to be trapped.” Cas turned the page for effect. “A neighboring kingdom had heard of the knight’s plight and sent thirteen of their strongest warriors to rescue him. While many of them perished trying to get to him, in the end, one of them was able to save him.
“The knight, although strong and valiant, had suffered greatly during his imprisonment. He remembered nothing of his escape, and upon meeting his rescuer, attacked him. The warrior, stoic and obedient, shrugged off the attack and explained that he had been the one to ‘grip him tight and raise him from perdition.’” Cas looked up and smiled at Dean, who was watching him aptly.
“The warrior had clear instructions from his kingdom. Protect the knight and persuade him to join the kingdom’s forces. While the orders were easy, the warrior found them hard to fulfill. The knight was loyal to his kingdom, and the idea of free will. The more time that the warrior spent with the knight, the more he found himself wanting to become disobedient.
“The kingdom, sensing the warrior’s impending disobedience, declared war. The knight, leading a small army, was ready to defend his home. He only had one question. Would the warrior he had befriended stand with him, or with the kingdom he had started to question?”
Dean took the opportunity to interrupt. “How hard was it for the warrior to decide?”
“You’re not going to let the book get to the good parts?”
“Cas!” Dean harrumphed in frustration. “Seriously?”
“I’m ignoring you now and going back to the story. I suggest you listen, Dean.” Cas turned the page. “For the warrior, there was no doubt he would stand by the knight’s side. For not only had the knight taught the warrior about the virtues of free will, but he had also introduced the warrior to the concept of love.
“The battle had been difficult, but in the end, the knight and his forces were victorious. The kingdom withdrew their forces and exiled the warrior who had chosen to abandon them. The knight was rewarded for his bravery, earning the title of Lord. The other knight chose to continue to serve his brother as his reward, while the warrior asked that he could stay to keep watch over the newly named lord.
“Although the Lord was expected to help in the running of the kingdom, he found that his heart belonged to protecting it. His knight often called it hunting, as the three of them hunted for those who caused trouble for the kingdom. The knight took upon the duty to search for the issues. The Lord would run head first, often blindly, into the troubles they found. And the warrior was always there, watching them, protecting them and keeping them safe.”
Dean chuckled, causing Cas to look up from the book. “Did you find something amusing, Dean?”
“Just wondering if this story has an editor, that’s all. It’s good though. Keep going, Cas.”
“I wasn’t aware that you were familiar with this story.”
“I’ve heard of it.”
Cas flashed the cover of the book, “Did you want me to continue?”
“Yeah, I want to see where it goes.”
“As I was saying.” Cas turned the page. “The Lord’s kingdom differed greatly from how the warrior’s kingdom had been. At times, the warrior found himself homesick and wanting to return his former home. The warrior knew that he would never be welcome back, as did the Lord, so the Lord often went out of his way to make the warrior feel like he was home.
“The Lord introduced many of his kingdom’s customs, pastimes, and culinary delights to the warrior, trying to find anything that the warrior enjoyed. The Lord found that he was quite fond of taking care of the warrior. The warrior, while appreciative of the attention received from the Lord, knew that he was falling more in love with his Lord every day. Uncertain and afraid that the Lord would not return his affections, the warrior chose to leave.”
“Uh, excuse me?” Dean piped up. “He can’t just leave.”
Cas turned the book around and pointed to a random sentence. “That’s what it says right here, Dean.”
“No, because the warrior always comes when the Lord calls.”
“I don’t remember reading that part out loud.”
“It doesn’t matter, I know the story.” Dean crossed his arms over his chest. “Fix it.”
“I’m not the one who wrote the story. I’m just reading it.” Cas turned the book around and flipped the page. “Are you going to let me continue?”
“No! That part of the story is wrong.”
Cas gently set the open book down on the nightstand before standing. He lifted the tray from Dean’s lap and carried it over to the desk before walking over to his side of the bed. He smiled softly at his hunter before kicking his shoes off and sitting down next to him.
“Come here, Dean.”
Dean wrapped his arms around Cas’ waist and hugged him tightly. “That’s not how the story goes.”
“Dean?”
“I know you let go. I know you stayed.” Dean sniffled, Cas unsure if it was due to his cold or if he was crying. “But please know it wasn’t because I didn’t return your affections.” Dean’s fingers dug into Cas’ side. “I’ve loved you for the longest time, Cas. And then you were gone, and I…”
Cas felt Dean choke back a sob. He wrapped his arm around his lover. “Dean, this story is not finished. It is nowhere near complete.” Cas reached his free hand down and cupped Dean’s chin, gently tilting his head up. “I had to atone. And while I had an idea of how you felt? I wasn’t sure of anything. It was safer for you if I stayed. I know now how big of a mistake I made.”
Dean sat up and scooted closer to Cas, resting his head on his angel’s shoulder. “Does the warrior come back in the story?”
“Hand me the book?”
“Cas, I know damn well you’re not reading from the book.”
Cas tilted his head and raised his eyebrow. “I can also not finish the story.”
“Fine.” Dean leaned over and grabbed the book off the nightstand, closing it before handing it to Cas. “Whoops.”
“You’re lucky you’re ill, Dean.” Cas flipped the book back open and turned a few pages, pretending to find his lost page. “Here we are. The warrior visited the knight first to ask advice. ‘Sir Knight,’ the warrior spoke, ‘it is time for me to spread my wings and leave the nest.’
“His admission surprised the knight and the knight responded, ‘Our Lord will be heartbroken. Have you told him yet?’
“’I have not, I came to you first.’ The warrior stated. ‘I am not sure how to tell our Lord. He has given me so much.’
“The knight gave the warrior a sad smile and clasped his hand on the smaller man’s shoulder. ‘Our Lord would not have you leave, brave warrior. You should talk to him, and perhaps the reason that ails you and makes you want to leave will be healed.’
“Emboldened by the knight’s advice, the warrior sought out the Lord. He searched the tavern, but the Lord wasn’t there. He checked the kitchens, but his Lord wasn’t there either. He finally checked the stables and found his Lord tending to his beloved steed.” Cas paused and peeked at Dean. His eyes were closed, but he was grinning from ear to ear. “The warrior leaned against the entrance to the horse’s stall. ‘Is there anything in this world you love more than your steed, my Lord?’
“The question from the warrior made the Lord jump. ‘We need to get you a bell. How long have you been standing there?’
“’Long enough to know that any maiden that would want to catch your eye has high competition from a horse.’
“The Lord rubbed awkwardly at his neck before returning his attention to the steed. ‘You asked me a question?’
“’I asked if there is anything you love more than your horse.’
“’Of course.’ The Lord responded with false offense. ‘My brother, for starters. A good strong ale. Pork belly cooked in fat.’”
Dean snorted, “Only you can make that sound medieval and nerdy.”
“Shut up, Dean,” Cas laughed as he continued. “The warrior smiled as the Lord listed the things that made him happy. ‘So, you will be ok.’
“’Of course, I will be ok. I have my brother, my best friend, and the kingdom to protect.’
“The warrior didn’t hesitate with his next sentence. ’I’m leaving, my Lord.’” Cas felt Dean’s fingers dig into his sides again.
“The Lord looked away from his steed. ‘You’re what?’ He asked the warrior. ‘Why?’
“’I need to be on my own for a while. There are problems that cannot be solved while I am here and distracted.’
“The Lord was hurt and confused by the warrior’s admission. ‘Then let’s leave, together. You and I. We can figure this out, can’t we?’
“’My Lord,’ the warrior hung his head in shame as he confessed, ‘you are my distraction. I know that you cannot return the feelings that I feel for you. I cannot stay here.’ The warrior stood up straight and turned to leave. ‘Your brother is aware. He will protect you.’
“’No.’ The Lord dropped his horse’s brush and grabbed the warrior’s wrist. ‘I forbid it.’
“’You would stop me?’ The warrior questioned, his eyes closed tight.”
“The Lord better if he’s smart.” Dean interrupted.
Cas kissed the top of Dean’s head. “If you keep cutting in, you won’t find out.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Read faster. I’m falling asleep.”
“Or, if you’re going to be a brat, I can say the story is done and you can go to sleep.”
“Cas,” Dean whined, “please finish?”
Cas turned the page. “’I need to stop you.’ The Lord replied. ‘Warrior, do you think you mean nothing to me?’
“The warrior carefully chose his next words. ’I don’t mean to you, what you mean to me.’
“’Warrior,’ the Lord spoke affectionately, ‘I’m sorry. I don’t talk about these things. But I need you to know I have loved you for longer than I have realized, for longer than I have known how to express.’
“Sounds about right,” Dean muttered.
Cas ignored him and continued. “’Please don’t say that because I’m leaving,’ The warrior pleaded, ‘that is cruel, and beneath− ‘
“The Lord interrupted the warrior with a soft and gentle kiss. The Lord’s hands cupped the warrior’s face, his thumbs gently brushing over the stubble. ‘You would find me cruel?’ The Lord asked of the warrior.
“’Only if this isn’t real,’ the warrior replied. ‘Is this real? Please let this be real.’ The warrior asked in both his Lord’s language and his native tongue.
Dean cut in again. “’I will do everything it takes to prove to you this is real,’ the Lord said to his warrior.”
“’His warrior’ Dean?” Cas asked, smiling.
“You’re mine, aren’t you, Angel?”
“Always.”
“Then yeah, ‘cause that’s what I said.” Dean sighed contently. “And I’m not done proving it, just in case you ever doubt it.”
“I won’t, Dean. Now, are you going to sleep finally?”
“You didn’t finish the story.”
Cas tilted his head in confusion. “I didn’t. You did. That’s where I was going to end the story.”
“Cas. Did you forget what happened after I said that?”
“We kissed again.”
“Really?” Dean sat up and grabbed the book from Cas’ hands. He flipped to the back of the book. “’Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.’”
“I’ll be honest, Dean. I thought that was only in the movie.”
“Yeah, well now you know.” Dean pulled Cas in for a kiss that knocked Wesley and Buttercup’s to second place.
Cas enjoyed a quiet, pleasant life. A little lonely in the love department, perhaps, but he had a comfortable rhythm to his days thanks to running his basement bookstore, Subtext.
His days got a nice little shake-up when a storm blew a fantastically beautiful book-lover into his store; Unfortunately, Dean wasn't from Sioux Falls, and Cas wasn't sure if he was interested in any more than a dry place to pass the time.
Obviously, Cas didn't pine.
He was far too sensible for that. Or so he told himself.
A PB Exchange fic for @sternchencas -- Read on AO3!
Subtext. Could there be a more perfect name for a basement bookstore? Castiel certainly didn’t think so. It had been Armstrong’s Books when he’d been lucky enough to snag the place at a failing business auction, after saving every penny, dime, and dollar that he could find since he was in high school. He’d never wanted anything else in his life, other than his own book store. And one of the first things he’d done when he got one was to change the name. Subtext was his home. Quite literally, for the first couple of years—he hadn’t been able to afford the store expenses and his rent, so he’d hunkered down in the stockroom at the back, amongst the pallets of yet-to-be-unpacked deliveries and discarded trade publications that he’d one day get around to recycling.
Five years on, business was better. He’d worked with friends and other businesses, established a name for himself among the local network of entrepreneurs, had some good write-ups and reviews in newspapers that drew booklovers from surrounding towns. Now he had a solid, if not excessive, income.
Mondays were game nights, when his friend Charlie brought her table-top group to play RPGs and endless rounds of Munchkin. Avid fantasy readers, some of them would pick up a couple of books a week, not to mention copious coffees from the tiny machine Cas had installed behind the counter. Wednesdays were for the classics reading club, mostly housewives and busybodies, but at least they all purchased their own copies. Thursday was student night, where coffee was free and students got ten percent off, and were encouraged to sit and work amongst the stacks. On Saturday afternoons, Castiel did readings for the local kids, before opening the store up in the evening for poetry jams and dramatic readings that were surprisingly popular with local young people.
The events gave Cas's life a rhythm, a meaning beyond waking up every day and dusting the stacks. He was content, in his small, bookish bubble.
His bubble popped one Saturday morning.
READ ON AO3!
*new* Mini Tag List (these people volunteered, I swear, I don’t hold them against their will.)
Summary/Tags: DeanCas Tangled AU, Fluff, Shipper Sam Winchester, Oblivious Dean Winchester, Getting Together, First Kiss, Fairytale, Cas has Wings instead of Long Hair.
Written for Round 4 of the Profound Bond Exchange for @usarechan
Castiel was beautiful from the first moment Dean had seen him.
Dean wasn’t sure what he had been expecting when he climbed that dilapidated tower in the middle of that forest all those months ago, but it sure as hell wasn’t a man with black wings jutting out from his shoulders. The dark ink-black wings with violet underlays and tips were absolutely stunning and the fact that Dean was one of very few people who actually got to see them made a slight trill of exhilaration run down his spine every time he thought about them.
It had been nearly a year now since Sam, Cas, and Dean had arrived back in the capital and reunited Castiel with his real family. Almost a year since Cas had seen the lanterns up-close for the first time, all bright-eyed with wonder and excitement, and Dean was doing everything within his power to make sure the second time he got to see them was just as magical.
“You should kiss him.” Sam whispered, elbow nudging Dean in the side. Dean glared at him, mumbled something about getting two separate boats to watch the lantern celebration, and Sam rolled his eyes. “It’s been a whole year, Dean. Just kiss him already.”
“Shut up, Sammy.”
“I’m just saying that--”
“Shut. Up. Sammy.” Dean murmured through gritted teeth, “He’s a prince.”
“And you’re the knight who rescued him from a tower. How much more cliche do you two need to get before you realize that’s in lo--” Dean’s hand clapped over his mouth, effectively silencing him before he could say the dreaded L word.
“Shh.”
Sam pried Dean’s hand from his face and sighed, letting the issue drop as Dean went on to explain his elaborate plan for the lantern celebration this year. None of which, Sam begrudgingly accepted, had anything to do with accepting his feelings for Castiel. Unless, well, Sam did something about it.
-----
Sam was supposed to have been at the dock at 6pm to help Dean set up the boat for tonight’s celebration, and yet it was not 7 o’clock with no signs of his meddling little brother. Which, if Dean knew anything, it was that an absent Sam usually meant trouble of some sort heading his way, so his nerves were already on edge when Cas arrived at 8. His wings were tucked away, though Dean could see the outline of them through his light coat as he helped him onto the boat.
“Is Sam not coming with us?” Cas asked and Dean shook his head.
“Apparently not.”
Castiel hummed in response and smiled as Dean wrapped a blanket around his shoulders. As Dean rowed them out to the middle of the lake with two lanterns tucked underneath his seat just minutes before they were supposed to release them. And just as he had hoped, Cas’ eyes were bright with excitement and the corners of his mouth were upturned in a small, content smile. Dean felt his heart ache with fondness as he carefully handed Cas his lantern and watched as he let it go just above the water’s surface. Dean let his own lantern go up above them, and chuckled as it met Cas’, floating up into the sky side-by-side.
Cas came to sit beside him, reaching the blanket over Dean’s shoulders to share the warmth, and they watched as hundreds of lanterns drifted by, lights reflecting off the water and shining in the night air like wandering lightning bugs. When Dean finally looks back down at Cas, he’s surprised to find him staring not at the lanterns, but at himself.
“Do I have pie on my face or something?” Dean asked, heart beating a little quicker in his chest as he noticed Cas’ eyes flickering between staring into his eyes and glancing at his lips.
“No. If you did, I’d have wiped it off for you.” Cas said plainly, and Dean chuckled nervously. Cas reached out, tentatively touching Dean’s cheek and pausing. When Dean didn’t react, he moved forward, gently pressing their lips together. He pulled back a few moments later and smiled big and goofy and Dean stayed very still. Cas looked back up at the sky, once again watching the lanterns.
“You--” Dean started, but then stopped.
“I’ve loved you for a long time, Dean,” Cas’ took Dean’s hand into his own and leaned against him, his head resting heavy on Dean’s shoulder, “Thank you.”
Dean took a deep breath, trying to will his heart to stop pounding, and pecked a soft kiss to Cas’ hair, “Anything for you, angel.” Cas squeezed Dean’s hand and they stayed in comfortable silence as the last lanterns floated off into the horizon.
for the @profoundnet exchange
theme: fairytale
pairings: destiel
word count: 8.2k
tags: no warnings apply, historical/royalty au, fairytale elements, love at first sight
ao3
Once upon a time, a simple encounter changes the course of two boys’ lives forever.
It all begins at the market. Cas makes his way through the bustling crowd easily. There is fresh bread at this stall as well as sweets, which he knows his father enjoys very much. When he purchases the vegetables his mother asked for, he also gets himself an apple. Biting into the ripe fruit, he looks around and plans where he might walk next.
Then, suddenly, he hears a commotion at a nearby stall.
“Wait, no, wait!” a young man shrieks. That grimy bastard Alastair is holding his arm tightly, the pale skin of his delicate forearm clearly visible. “I wasn’t stealing!”
Alastair laughs. “Sure you weren’t. I’ve half a mind to take your hand either way and then it’s a warning for you and a trophy for me.”
“Sir, I’ve no need to steal your wares, I wasn’t stealing. But-but I will pay you for them if it pleases you.” The boy tries to tug his arm away but he can’t, his eyes are wide and terrified.
“If it pleases me,” Alastair mocks him. Then, his eyes move up and down his figure lecherously. Cas can’t really see anything beneath the huge cloak, but he’s clearly a fit young man in his twenties. “Y’know what would please me…”
“Leave him alone.” Cas inserts himself between them, glaring. “Don’t you have better things to do, old man?” He represses a shiver at the way Alastair had been leering.
Alastair just sneers at him. “Mind your own damn business.”
“And you pick on someone your own size. Otherwise, it’s just embarrassing.” Cas scoffs and ushers the stranger away as quickly as he thinks they can escape. After a few steps, he takes the other man’s hand in his and tugs him down a narrow alleyway. When they emerge on the other side, he turns sharply and walks them briskly through another section of the market, not stopping until they reach the fountain. There, he finds them a place to sit on the edge of the basin.
He sits first and finally gets a chance to look at the person he’s just removed from Alastair’s clutches. He’s just a boy, really, can’t be any older than Cas himself. He’s pale with freckled skin and a pair of green eyes, wide and soft, above his perfectly straight nose and rosebud lips. No wonder he’s wearing a hooded cloak in the summer heat, this boy would’ve attracted attention from any of the more nefarious salesmen at the marketplace if more people had seen his beautiful face.
Cas realizes that he’s been staring and he tries not to blush. He gestures to the space next to him and is grateful when the other boy sits there. He seems to be staring right back.
“Hi,” the boy finally says. “Thank you.”
“Oh, it was nothing. Guy’s a creep.”
“Yeah.” His smile might be the prettiest one Cas has ever seen. “I… Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. My name is Cas.”
His nose scrunches with what Cas thinks might be confusion. “Cas, huh? Is that a nickname?”
“No, not as far as I know, anyway. Just been Cas my whole life.”
The boy grins at him. “Well, I believe it suits you.”
Cas returns the smile, feeling warm in the summer sunshine sitting next to the cutest boy in the kingdom. “So, will you tell me your name and what brings you to these parts?” he asks. “I feel like I would remember having met you before.”
“O-oh,” the boy stammers, looking shocked. “I’m…Dean.”
“Are you sure?” Cas laughs at his hesitation. It just earns him another crooked grin.
“Yes, I’m Dean. Pleased to meet you.” He extends his hand to Cas, who takes it, shaking it vigorously between his own. “And I live…a ways away, I don’t often get the opportunity to visit the market.”
“Really?” Cas says. “That’s a shame. I insist on showing you all of the best vendors, then, if this is to be our only meeting.”
“I hope that it is not,” Dean says softly, shyly, and Cas feels overwhelmed with joy. Beaming, he stands and takes Dean’s hand back.
“Come on then, there’s a lot to see!”
: : : : :
Dean hoists himself over the railing of his balcony, panting with the effort. This damned cloak was far too hot to wear outside today, but there’s no way to avoid wearing it. If he were to be caught…
“So.” The voice startles him badly and Dean almost hits his head on the hard stone. His little brother Sam is leaning against the huge glass door with a stormy expression on his face. “Had fun today, did you?”
“Sammy.” Dean rushes to his side, looking past him into his chambers. “What’s going on?”
“You snuck out again!” He hits Dean in the shoulder with all of the force a scrawny fourteen-year-old can muster. “If Mom saw you, she’d be so mad.”
“And that’s why we’re not going to tell her, isn’t that right, string bean?”
“Ugh!” Sam pushes him away and stomps into the room, knocking one of Dean’s books off of the couch in order to throw himself down on it dramatically. “You never let me come with you but you always want me to lie for you and it isn’t fair!”
Dean winces. “Look short stuff, you can come with me when you’re older. When I’m king, you can do whatever the hell you want. But right now we’re both a little trapped here. And I gotta watch my own back out there. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Sam pouts some more but Dean knows he just needs time. He knows that Sam doesn’t like being cooped up any more than he does.
“What do you say we go riding tomorrow?” he says, watching Sam fight the oncoming smile at his words.
“Just you and me?”
“Bobby’s allowed it before. We could ask him to go to the Western Wood again.”
“Let’s do that.” Sam nods decisively. “Did you see anything interesting today?”
Dean thinks about a gorgeous boy with blue eyes who held his hand all morning and he says no.
The Happiest Place on Earth by thatpeculiarone
For @robotsnchicks
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18288023
Summary: Somehow Team Free Will 2.0 end up in Florida and somehow, they end up in Disney World. Dean finds himself in a land of fairy tales and make believe but is ultimately prepared for a day of nightmares.
Yet, it turns out Disney World has a lot of surprises.
Tags: Canon Universe, Disney World, First Kiss.
Rating: SFW
Thank you to all these amazing people for participating in the Profound Bond’s Fairy Tale Exchange 2019! I hope everyone enjoyed their amazing gifts. The next round opens up soon, so keep an eye open on that! And special thanks to @foxymoley for creating this beautiful banner for us!!!
If you’d like to join the exchange, then head on over and join our discord! Information can be found on the wiki which you can access here.
List of creations below the cut.
A Kissing Story by @nickelkeep for morrigan (eliza_sugarcane)
Dean is nursing a cold and because he wants to make sure his immune system stays up to snuff, he refuses to let Cas heal him. Cas plays along and heals him in the old fashion way. With Orange Juice, Chicken Noodle Soup... and a Bedtime Story?
General Rating
Tags: Fairy Tale Retelling, Domestic Fluff, Established Destiel, Story within a Story, The Princess Bride References
Pearl Diving and Other Magical Acts by @drawlight for JessJessTheBest
There are no such things as fairytales.
Except maybe the one about the angel with the human heart.
How does it go?
Oh yes, that's right, Once Upon A Time.
Teen Rating
Tags: Soulmates, True Love, Pining, Fairytale Elements, The Snow Queen Elements
Turning Pages by @tobythewise for saltnhalo
When Dean and Castiel find themselves thrust into the pages of a storybook, Dean has flashbacks of Gabriel's tricks. He assumes that if he can go through with how the story is supposed to be told, he can navigate himself back out. But can he really go through with what the Book expects him to do?
OR
The one where Dean attempts to be Prince Charming five times and fails and the one time Castiel succeeds.
I Found by @unholy-wine for Jess [thatpeculiarone]
On the day his new neighbor moves in, Dean finds a plant on the sidewalk in front of his house. Perhaps it’s generous to call it a plant: it’s small, and doesn’t seem like it has much of a life left without interference. He hesitates. Maybe the plant is his neighbor's. He should go ask.
Teen Rating
Tags: Fluff, Witch!Cas
With Conviction by @profound-boning for iCeDreams
Once upon a time, a simple encounter changes the course of two boys’ lives forever.
It all begins at the market.
General Rating
Tags: No warnings apply, historical au, royalty au, fantasy au, alternating POVs, love at first sight, happy ending
The Hunter and the Angel by @a-insominia for snarkysnartes
The monsters are still around, but so is the angel. And on the darkest of nights when your blood could freeze, when you hear a creak on the floorboard, see a shadow at the window, hear a whisper on the wind - that's when he comes, fulfilling a promise he made to the hunter.
Teen Rating
Tags: Major Character Death, Post-Canon, Heavy Angst, Post-Canon, References to Canon, Winchesters in Heaven, Future Fic
The Happiest Place on Earth by thatpeculiarone for robotsnchicks
Somehow Team Free Will 2.0 end up in Florida and somehow, they end up in Disney World.
Dean finds himself in a land of fairy tales and make believe but is ultimately prepared for a day of nightmares.
Yet, it turns out Disney World has a lot of surprises.
Teen Rating
Tags: Disney World, First Kiss, Canon Universe, Dean's Fear of Heights
Aladdean by @alessariel for profound-boning
There’s no nice way to put it: Dean’s a thief (among other unsavory things). But no matter what the palace guard claims, Dean only steals what he and his brother need to survive. Down on his luck and starving, Dean is approached by a strange man offering him the chance of a lifetime. It’s supposed to be an easy job. What could possibly go wrong?
***
After the storm summoned by his rage and desperation had died down, Castiel collapsed on the smooth metallic floor. Castiel‘s mind wandered back to the one thing occupying it since he’d found himself imprisoned here once more. For an ageless being of insurmountable powers it was kind of pathetic how he couldn‘t stop thinking about one lowly, inconsequential human.
Only Dean was anything but low or inconsequential, at least to Castiel.
Mature Rating
Tags: Fairytale Fusion, Angst, First Kiss, Wingfic, Djinn!Cas, Mentions of Prostitution, Desperate Dean, no smut, minor Charlie/Meg
Kiss Me Like One Of Your French Frogs by @nox-lee for sunny/blueeyesandpie
When a routine hunt goes sideways, Cas is hit with a curse and turned into a frog. Sam and Dean hit the books to find a cure, and Dean finds more than he bargained for.
Teen Rating
Tags: canon universe, fairy tale curses, animal transformation, true love's kiss
(Pillowfort)
Disappear in the Trees by @wildsofourhearts for MalMuses
In a library that once entered, can't be exited, Castiel, against his will, works as the lone librarian, doing his best to make the people who wander inside comfortable in their final moments. Forced to weave human lives into storybooks for the library to devour, he hasn't seen the outside world in decades. Enter Dean Winchester. Can the chains of the library hold Castiel with another, more profound, bond forming between he and Dean?
Teen Rating
Tags: Hunter Dean Winchester, Librarian Castiel, Dark Fairy Tale Elements, Castiel and Dean Winchester Have a Profound Bond, Falling in Love, Hurt Castiel, Protective Dean Winchester
Under the Red Hood by iCeDreams for noxlee
Do not go into the woods, do not go when the moon is full and the wolf howls, hiding in the thicket.
Having been under Wolf’s Night for more than ten generations, Dean trained under the Order of the Hunters to slay the wolf that has been taking the children from Chesterford. Donning his red hood, he seeks out this monster to make Silver Ash safe again.
Teen Rating
Tags: Injured Dean Winchester, Mentor/Protégé, Snarky Castiel, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Red Riding Hood,
(Fanfiction.Net)
Of Bears and Dinosaurs by @elizasugarcane for canadduh
Dean sometimes wonders what he did to deserve this.
Teen Rating
Tags: Fluff, parent cas, bedtime story, cute
You Broke Up With Me by turningthepages for Pimmy
"Fairytales ain’t real and if they were I wouldn’t wanna have that shit. I mean who’s that happy all the damn time? If you always have sunshine coming outta your ass then where’s the passion?"
Mature Rating
Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers
What All Fairy Tales Have in Common by @blueeyesandpie for Insominia
Dean is struck by a sleeping curse, and there doesn't appear to be a cure...
Teen Rating
Tags: Fairytale elements, Sleeping Beauty, angst with a happy ending, canon compliant, Sam feels guilty when he shouldn't
i'm where i'm meant to be by @hanneswrites for usarechan
DeanCas Tangled AU || Fluff
Dean has been crushing on Cas since they first met, their feelings come to a head during the yearly Lantern Celebration (from Tangled).
General Rating
Tags: Shipper Sam, Oblivious Dean, Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010), First Kiss, Getting Together
Old Tales Made New by @malmuses for sternchencas
Cas enjoyed a quiet, pleasant life. A little lonely in the love department, perhaps, but he had a pleasant rhythm to his days thanks to running his basement bookstore, Subtext.
His days got a pleasant little shake-up when a hurricane blew a fantastically beautiful book-lover into his store; Unfortunately, Dean wasn't from Sioux Falls, and Cas wasn't sure if he was interested in any more than a dry place to pass the time.
Obviously, Cas didn't pine.
He was far too sensible for that. Or so he told himself.
Gabriel had seen a lot of pining in his time. Over the slow passing of millennia, he’d observed some of the world’s greatest love stories. Antony and Cleopatra. Orpheus and Eurydice. Mary and Joseph, not to toot his own horn. But these two… these two might be the death of him...
Gabriel had only been in the bunker three days, but he was already totally done watching Dean and Cas dance around each other, awkwardly no-homoing their way through life.
So, he came to a decision.
He was going to make them fake it. He might have been a little low on grace, but pocket dimensions and reality manipulation? Child's play, for him! Time for some new roles for Dean and Cas, in their very own fairytales.
"Changing Channels" but with fairytales. Or, when Gabriel gets fed up and forces the hunter and the angel to play at getting together... repeatedly.
Teen Rating
Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Inspired by Changing Channels, Fake/Pretend Relationship (or kind of), Dean Winchester Needs to Use Actual Words, Friends to Lovers, Gabriel Ex Machina, Miscommunication
Groundhogs in Sweaters by @saywhatjessie for unholywine (floor)
“You ever think about what our lives would be like if the monsters looked like how they were supposed to?”
Or Dean muses over what life could be like and Cas is too cute for words about it.
General Rating
Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural), Canon verse, fairytales - Freeform Profound Bond Gift Exchange, Crack
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters 1/1
Relationship: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Tags: Major Character Death
Additional tags: Fairy Tale Elements, Post-Canon, Futurefic, References to Canon, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, Bittersweet, Winchesters in Heaven
Summary: The monsters are still around, but so is the angel. And on the darkest of nights when your blood could freeze, when you hear a creak on the floorboard, see a shadow at the window, hear a whisper on the wind - that's when he comes, fulfilling a promise he made to the hunter.
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Whoooo PB Fairytale Exchange! I’ve been a raging ball of excitement for months!
For you @snarkysnartes and I hope you enjoy it :D
