I pay for my place by captainangua
Rating: General audiences
Word count: 4k
After their confrontation with Chuck, Sam finds a dog on the doorstep.
As a long time member of team #givesamadog, I didn’t need anything other than that one sentence summary to make me read this fic. What more could I ask for?
If you need a little more to entice you, what follows is a very cute fic where Team Free Will adopt an adorable little dog, Dean and Cas are happy, Sam and Eileen are cute, and everyone lives.
A short, soft fic perfect for anyone needing a little something to brighten their day.
After a life filled with fighting spirits and demons and freaking Gods there’s basically not much left to surprise him, to be honest.
And yet he finds himself stopping in his tracks at the kitchen’s door and his eyes going wide right, his sight set on Dean inside making breakfast.
Naturally the breakfast-part isn’t the shocking thing here, considering Dean does it practically every day like a caring mother hen determined to see her chicks fed. No, it’s more the fact that he’s doing the whole thing while wearing hideous mint green sweatpants and a huge, pink hoodie with disturbingly creepy cartoon bunnies printed on it.
He looks all kinds of wrong and Sam has to blink several time to keep the mighty tears of anguish at bay.
“Oh hell --”
Dean grimaces at his brother’s reaction. “It’s not that bad.”
That’s clearly the lie of the century.
“I mean, I know that couples like to share their clothes,” Sam adds, scrunching up his nose, “but this is ridiculous, Dean.”
Sam is fairly aware that these abominations aren’t part of Dean’s wardrobe but Cas’. He’s been witness as the former angel bought the clothes for three dollars at the local flea market the other day, looking so happy about his purchase that the brothers both decided to mask their expressions of disgust and shoot him absolutely fake thumbs-ups instead.
After years of wearing a simple suit and a tan coat Cas obviously craved some color (lots of it, actually) and neither Dean nor Sam had the heart to belittle his choice.
But that still didn’t mean Sam expected to see these atrocious clothes on his brother’s body anytime soon. Or at all.
“They are ugly,” Dean agrees with a sigh. “But they’re also comfortable.”
And on top of that they’re Cas’ and they probably smell like the guy, too, and Dean is so stupidly in love his eyesight totally stops giving a damn.
“You’re hopeless,” Sam mutters, shaking his head in fond exasperation.
Which totally proves to be right when just a minute later Cas enters the kitchen, his face instantly lighting up like a Christmas tree as he spots Dean in his clothes, as though he’s seriously never seen anything more beautiful, and Sam’s utter mess of a brother actually blushes at the open adoration directed at him.
Romantic Theory by 2street2car
Rating: Teen and Up
Word Count: 6.9k
Dean doesn’t just remember Hell; he remembers being raised from it, too.
Dean’s back from Hell. He’s… acting a little odd, a little “kooky,” as Bobby says. But that’s to be expected when a guy comes back from the dead and crawls his way out of his own grave, right?
Especially since the thing that saved him swallowed him whole in the process.
This is Lazarus Rising but told a little to the left.
I was one of the lucky people who got to watch that particular episode completely blind. I remember the growing feeling of dread as Bobby, Sam, and Dean try to figure out what brought Dean back to life. This fic makes me experience that again, but multiplied by one hundred— even upon reread.
This fic is told through multiple POVs: the gas station owner as he watches video footage of Dean’s return, Ruby, Sam, and Bobby. We watch Dean’s strange behaviour through them. The use of outsider POVs is very effective as, while the events are familiar to us as they follow the plot of the episode, the new perspective allows the author to really lean into the horror of everything that happens. If this story was told through Dean’s eyes, this fic would be completely different. By the end of the fic, the reader is on the edge of their seat waiting for Cas to arrive.
Primed and ready for the closing lines to steal their breath away.
Supernaturally Enchanted by Annehiggins
Rating: Mature
Word count: 33k
Dean falls into the land of Angelasia. There he meets a handsome prince who may be his True Love – not that he believes in that crap. An AR set toward the end of a very different second season.
Do you enjoy canon verse fic as well as AU with a side of fairy tale? Then you're in for a treat because this fic has the best of both worlds.
When the fic begins, Angelasia is in danger -- if no one from the line of succession is able to find their happy ending, all the magic in the kingom will fade and everyone will be doomed to a gloomy destiny.
Castiel should have found his happiness already as the next in line to the throne. But at almost 30, he hasn't found his true love yet and has long ago lost any hope of ever finding the one.
That's when the Dean we know from canon, thanks to an encounter with witches gone wrong, finds himself transported from the world of Supernatural we know to this fairy tale land.
From then on, it's such a delight to see all these fairy tale tropes and fables we know from childhood come to life as Dean tries to navigate this knew world while trying to find his way back to his reality.
Dean and Cas meet after a brave rescue where swords come to play, and even the Impala turned into a horse has a role, and from then on, like a good ol' fairy tale, they instantly fall for each other.
It's so enjoyable to see them being so soft and caring together. This story is adorable and it will definitely leave you with a smile on your face by the end of it.
The Unexpected Consequences of Amnesia by 6Ord3dom (@pray4jensen)
Rating: Mature
Word Count: 10k
When a spell backfires and results in Sam losing a year’s worth of memories, Sam’s really not that worried. After all, Dean reassures him that he hasn’t missed much and for the first time in a long time, the supernatural world’s at peace.
Except then Dean and Cas exchange a look. Except then Sam keeps seeing them sneak around at night, into each other’s bedrooms, or whispering stealthily into each other’s ears whenever they think that he’s not looking.
So naturally, Sam just has to investigate.
Or the one where Sam obliviously and almost single-handedly brings about the collapse of Dean and Cas’ marriage in the span of one week.
So I know that it's a joke in the fandom that sometimes Sam is simply oblivious to what's happening underneath his nose, but this fic takes that idea to a whole new level. It's hilarious, and on just the right side of cracky, with just a little hint of angst to keep it spicy.
The fic begins with Sam getting hit with a memory loss curse that erases all of his memories of the past year. He finds himself in a world where the supernatural is mostly under control, Cas has fallen to become human, and things are mostly happy. "Like marital bliss" Dean tells him. (There is absolutely nothing suspicious about that line. Absolutely. Nothing.)
Throughout this fic, Sam is delightfully obtuse as he tries to discover what, exactly, Dean and Cas are hiding from him (they must be hiding something! They keep on sneaking off together and whispering!), even as they work a case together. He also has to deal with such horrors as Dean trying to get two hotel rooms when one would clearly do, Dean and Cas sneaking into the bathroom together (to talk about Sam, of course!), and Dean and Cas interrupting Sam's precious beauty sleep with their midnight wrestling (in the same bed, no less!). Cas also has a disastrous accident where he sits on a Sharpie, and that makes his ass hurt for the rest of the fic. Really, it's a miracle that they're even able to investigate this case.
This fic is a light-hearted little romp and it never fails to bring a smile to my face with its humor. Read it when you need a pick me up, or as a palate cleanser from a ton of angst! 💖
A Man May Change by Hekate1308 (@hekate1308)
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 7k
Sam wishes he didn't hate the person his brother has become. He really does.
Outsider POV’s always had a special place in my heart and this story is no exception. Quite the contrary, actually!
It is told from Sam’s perspective, showing the journey of Dean changing right in front of his eyes. At first Dean tries everything to make his father proud, to show this stereotypical ladies man facade to the world, but when he enrolls in college things slowly begin to take a different turn and Sam certainly notices. Suddenly there are new hobbies and new friends, especially one with intensely blue eyes …
It's wonderful to see Dean find himself, away from all the pressure and expectations, away from everything that has been put on his shoulders. To finally stop hiding his true self and not give a damn about what other people might think about that.
Sam has been growing up with that since he’s able to remember and though his mighty weapon, the powerful puppy dog look, proved to be successful occasionally, Dean’s an insistent pighead more often than not. It’s a beloved Winchester trait he liked to nurse for a very long time.
But, thankfully, somewhere along the way Castiel showed up and turned Dean into a compliant puddle of goo almost instantly.
Because his dear big brother is obviously incapable of saying no to those big, blue angel eyes.
A very helpful turn of events, that’s for sure.
So when Sam finds himself in need of an agreeable Dean, he just goes straight to Castiel.
“Cas, I need your help,” he says one day. “I have a favor to ask of Dean and, well …”
“I see.” Castiel grabs a cup of coffee and studies Sam intently. “How can I be of assistance?”
Sam smiles relieved. Castiel’s easy acceptance is always something to cherish. “Well, it’s kinda big, I’ve gotta confess –”
Castiel nods like he totally understands. “You want a dog.”
Sam blinks a few times, staring at the angel. “Uh …”
Actually he just wanted to borrow the Impala for about a week (or maybe a bit longer) to visit some libraries high up north, but this … this is way too important to simply wave it off. “Why … why would you think that?”
Castiel tilts his head. “Because of the way you always look at dog owners playing with their pets in the park. It’s the same face Dean makes when he’s seeing a pie he can’t have.”
Sam ducks his head. He’s apparently been way to obvious if even an angel still learning human mannerisms is able to call him out.
“Well, yeah …” he mumbles.
Castiel straightens his back. “I will talk to Dean.”
Sam casts him an incredulous look. “You … you seriously think you could get me a dog?”
“Of course,” Castiel states simply, sipping his coffee and looking freaking confident.
Sam snorts at that. “Sorry, man,” he counters. “But even you can’t bring Dean to get us a dog!”
Castiel raises an eyebrow, the “Is that a challenge?” clear as day.
“Okay, fine,” Sam concedes, chuckling. “Show me what you got! Perform a fucking miracle!”
Castiel takes a last gulp and then marches out of the room like a man on a mission, calling Dean’s name.
And just five minutes later Dean drops onto the chair across from Sam, looking a bit rumpled and dazed, before eventually clearing his throat in a very melodramatic fashion. “Okay, bitch, listen up!” he announces in his bossy you’re-not-allowed-to-contradict-me voice. “There are a lot of things to discuss before we’re getting that stupid dog, you hear me?”
And while Dean keeps talking about rules and restrictions, Sam can’t do anything else than gape at Castiel who is standing just behind Dean, smirking and mouthing “You’re welcome!”.
content: After hearing some suspicious noises coming out of Dean's bedroom the night before, Sam decides to confront his brother.
word count: 2,088
“Dean, we need to talk.”
Sam's voice sounds very serious while he leans against the kitchen counter and folds his stupidly long arms in front of his chest, glaring at his older brother with the familiar I-don't-support-your-life-choices look. He doesn't even waste his time with a “Good morning” or something similar and that's always a bad sign.
Dean, however, isn't really impressed by that. He places the bacon onto the hot pan at a leisurely pace, ignoring Sam completely, until he finally shoots a quick glance over his shoulder.
“And what's so important at 7 a.m.?”
Sam huffs impatiently. “You know!”
Dean rolls his eyes. “No, I don't know. That's why I'm asking.”
Sam fidgets uncomfortably as if he'd rather be somewhere else and doesn't want to have this discussion at all. And then he starts to gesticulate, flailing his limbs in Dean's vague direction, and performs a very complicated dance with his eyebrows.
“How about we talk about last night?”
Quite suddenly Dean's attention is grabbed, but he keeps himself from acting like a deer in the headlights. Instead he clears his throat and asks, a bit croaky, “What do you mean?”
“Well, just look at you!” Sam says, pointing at Dean's face with an accusatory expression. “There is that stupid grin I've seen so many times and I think it's even worse than ever before. And let's not even mention that huge hickey on your neck.”
Dean ducks his head and tries forcefully – and highly unsuccessfully – to fight back a blush.
Damn.
Yeah, he's been smiling like a lunatic since he woke up this morning and noticed Castiel still lying beside him, pressed as close as possible, their legs entangled, their breaths intermingled. It felt so freaking warm and right that it actually took some time for Dean to realize that he wasn't dreaming.
That last night really happened.
“So, what about it?” Dean asks defensively, avoiding Sam's narrowed eyes and aiming for casual. “I'm not allowed to have some fun?”
Although 'fun' is the understatement of the freaking century.
Even the goddamned millennium.
Because the thing Dean and Castiel started the night before, after months and years of longing glances and pining and pain – it's so much more than that!
And at the same time it begun so unspectacular.
So unlike anything else in their lives.
For a very long while Dean had imagined his first kiss with Castiel would be kinda rushed and desperate, maybe after a hunt almost gone wrong and Dean far too emotional to care about his usual defenses. A mix of nearly-dying and overboiling feelings – just like it always has been with them.
But in the end it happened during a TV documentation about an old European king – that Henry guy with the six wives, if Dean remembers correctly – while Castiel argued quite passionately with the narrator about inaccuracies, looking endearing and like everything Dean ever wanted in life, and the hunter couldn't help himself any longer and leaned in.
And felt as though he won the fucking lottery when Castiel responded very enthusiastically.
Yeah, it'd been freaking awesome!
So of course there is this stupid smile on his face right now!
And Dean isn't sure if it'll ever go away.
“Oh God, it actually hurts looking at you,” Sam groans. “It's been worse enough hearing it, I don't need to see the annoying aftermath.”
Dean listens up. “You … heard us?”
Granted, it wouldn't be far from the first time Sam got a portion of Dean's love life against his will, but thinking about his baby brother overhearing his first night with Castiel – that, though they didn't go quite far, had been one of the most intense experiences of Dean's existence – doesn't feel right and he finds himself grimacing.
“I walked by your room and heard … well, things.” Sam shudders. “And sure, it wasn't the worst I've ever heard, but –”
“But?”
Sam sighs deeply. “You should know that I don't approve.”
What?
Dean's stomach drops several floors and he can't do anything else but stare at his brother in utter shock.
Did he seriously hear that correctly?
He actually thought that Sam would be all teasing and smug and supportive, eager to make Dean blush as often as possible about the whole thing while simultaneously rooting for their relationship so fucking hard, always grinning and smirking – but seeing him now, glaring at Dean as if he committed a serious crime, leaves a very bitter taste in the hunter's mouth.
It feels horrible.
“You … don't?” Dean hates that his voice sounds so weak and unsure. Sam's opinion has always been so damned important to him and to imagine that he doesn't –
“You really think I'd be okay with you bringing some random stranger here to have a good time?” Sam asks incredulously. “The bunker is supposed to be a fucking secret, with all the knowledge and the dangers and the cursed objects and whatever, and you acting so irresponsible isn't helping the issue.”
He keeps on ranting about Dean's poor judgment while the older Winchester just stares at his brother, sighing downright relieved. Obviously Sam noticed the second person in Dean's room, but didn't realize who it'd been.
Apparently he didn't catch the ten minutes Dean moaned, yelled and whispered Castiel's name on repeat like a prayer over and over again.
And thank God for that!
“So you think I'm a reckless idiot?” Dean summarizes and in the back of his mind he knows that he should feel offended by that and he sure as hell will be at some point in the not so distant future, but right now he's far too happy to deal with any negative feelings.
It'd have been devastating if Sam honestly would have been against Dean and Castiel taking it to the next level.
Heart-crushing.
And Dean wouldn't have had any idea how to deal with a mess like that.
“Well, sometimes you come to some stupid decisions,” Sam agrees, apparently totally unaware of Dean's inner turmoil. “And dragging some stranger to the bunker –”
Suddenly he's interrupted by Castiel shuffling into the kitchen and he immediately straightens his posture, clearing his throat awkwardly and looking so fucking sheepish Dean would have mocked him mercilessly under normal circumstances, but fortunately for Sam Dean is way to busy enjoying the sight in front of him.
Castiel is like a sleep-rumpled dream come true and Dean has a hard time not to make some embarrassing noises, probably not dissimilar to the ones Sam overheard the night before. But how the hell is he supposed to keep a clear head with the former angel sporting a delicious bedhead while being wrapped in Dean's clothes? Castiel obviously took some sweatpants and a shirt out of the hunter's closet without hesitating, like it's the most normal thing to do, and Dean's heart clenches at the easy familiarity.
“Coffee?” Castiel rumbles, rubbing his eyes and yawning quite unashamedly.
Since becoming human Castiel turned out to be the opposite of a morning person. Without some caffeine in his system he's monosyllabic and grumpy and the best thing that ever happened to Dean.
“Sure, sunshine,” Dean greets him cheerfully before taking the frying bacon off the open flame, grabbing a mug with coffee he actually used for himself just a minute ago and pressing it into Castiel's awaiting hands.
It's a testament to the significance of the night before that Castiel even spares a moment to smile at Dean before he downs the beverage in one, long gulp.
And Dean registers from the corner of his eye that Sam seems surprised by the small, yet so meaningful gesture as well.
“You look good,” Dean whispers, quite pleased when Castiel flushes an adorable pink and drops his gaze. “I like seeing you in my clothes.”
Castiel bites his bottom lip. “They smell very nice,” he admits in a low voice, obviously determined not to let Sam hear his little confession.
And granted, they agreed on informing Sam about their changed relationship at their own pace, however, since his stupid brother decided to be sneaky and ignore personal boundaries Dean sees no reason whatsoever to hold off.
So he surges forward and connects their lips in a soft kiss. Castiel stiffens for a moment, most likely very aware of Sam's presence, but just a moment later Dean can feel him smiling into the kiss and returning it as eager as the night before.
A now familiar, and yet still so new and exciting warmth rushes through Dean's system and he can't help thinking that he's the luckiest guy alive.
“Go back to my room, Cas” Dean breaths after they pulled away from each other a little bit. “I promised you breakfast in bed after all.”
Castiel beams at those words. “Don't take too long.”
He kisses Dean once more, apparently very pleased with Dean having no issues with being affectionate in front of his brother, before giving Sam a shy smile and leaving the room.
And Dean finds himself watching his retreating form like some lovesick girl.
And he couldn't care less.
It feels like an eternity – though it's probably been about a minute or so – until he finally turns his attention back to his brother.
And Sam … well, his eyes obviously grew really fucking huge when Dean wasn't looking.
His jaw dropped at some point, now appearing slack and freaking useless, and he stares back and forth between Dean and the hallway where Castiel just disappeared around the corner, shell-shocked.
“You … Cas …” he stammers, unable to form coherent sentences. “What … how …?”
Dean feels kinda smug watching his overwhelmed brother, but in place of grinning from ear to ear he plasters an fake-angry expression on his face and asks in a dark tone, “So, you really said you don't approve?”
Sam's brain cells clearly turned to mush during the kiss because instead of calling Dean out on his bullshit he takes it for real, spluttering immediately and shaking his head so forcefully Dean almost fears it'll fall off sometime soon.
“No, of course not!” he hurries to assure, sounding frantic. “I had no idea that you and Cas … shit, I never meant … I'm happy for you –”
Dean laughs aloud and slaps Sam's shoulder a bit harder than necessary. “Don't get your panties in a twist, Sammy. I'm only joking.”
Sam visibly deflates and transforms into a relieved pile of Sasquatch.
“I know you wouldn't … well, that,” Dean says.
“I would never!” Sam states once again, quite firmly. “I'm seriously happy for you guys. I was actually waiting for you to get your shit together, all this tension was killing me –”
And then he suddenly grabs Dean's arm and pulls him into a crushing hug, suffocating his older brother with all the love he can find inside his massive body.
It's a lot of love.
“I'm really happy –”
“Yeah, yeah,” Dean cuts in and pushes him back to get some air. “Don't get all sappy on me here, okay?”
Sam starts to smirk. “Well, it seems you have no trouble getting sappy without me. I mean, that little scene was very romantic –”
“Oh, shut up!” Dean waves him off. “Don't distract me from the fact that you actually thought I would bring some stranger here for a quick fuck.”
Sam takes a deep breath. “Yeah, okay, that was kinda shitty of me.”
Dean snorts and crosses his arms. “I would never do something so stupid, alright?” He turns back towards his bacon and proceeds to create a breakfast so freaking awesome Castiel won't be able to stop smiling even for a second. “And it's doesn't matter anyway. There won't be anyone else, so you don't have to worry.”
Sam's eyebrows climb very high hearing those words. “There won't?”
Dean shoots him the you-are-so-ridiculous look. “It's Cas, man!” he says, more than sure that this is explanation enough. “Of course there won't be anyone else.”
He knew from the moment he first realized he had feelings far from platonic for Castiel all these years ago that as soon as he would dare to take this step there would be no going back.
And usually thoughts like that would have frightened him to no end.
But instead he found himself utterly content with the image, even back then.
“So the noises you heard last night – there will be a lot more,” Dean promises and enjoys the sight of Sam pulling a face.
