INBOX #305682

[foolintherain]

TEXT | VIDEO | AUDIO | IMAGES | EMOJIS

"I can't answer my phone right now, but you know what to do."

Comments

lmaaao

[venatoris]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you.

[ KIND OF because he truly enjoyed imbibing with Cas and it's kind of a bummer they can't now. ]

[foolintherain]

[ They just need to find the sUPerNAtuRAL shit around here that works on angels, and then it's party time (until Cas gets addicted and it's endversecas 2.0).

Castiel is "typing" and then deleting, because he begins to write "you have nothing to apologize for" and then remembers. Yes. Yes, he sure as fuck does have something to apologize for. ]

Would you mind telling me what happened?

[venatoris]

[ CHRIST ]

it's too much to type.

Come home.

text > action

[foolintherain]

[ Castiel feels a little like a dog who's strayed too far, being whistled at to get back to its master's side. But, at least for the time being, it's a welcomed feeling. Barely a moment after Dean's sent the words, Castiel is there at Dean's side. He lets himself sit on the edge of the bed, gently but firmly reminding himself that this is his bed too and that he's welcome. He strokes Dean's cheek and his forehead, presumably checking Dean's temperature but really, it's just an excuse to touch him. That probably becomes obvious anyway when he pushes his fingers up into Dean's hair to gently scratch through his scalp. ]

How are you feeling?

[ There is a lot that Castiel can heal. There isn't a human ailment he can't heal, in fact. At least, that was true on Earth. Jelly legs here in Trench are apparently the exception. It's endlessly frustrating. ]

[venatoris]

[ Not his intention, but at least Cas comes, because this is his home, and Dean wants him here rather than fluttering around wherever the hell it is Cas likes to go. ]

Tired. Squidlike. Where were you?

[foolintherain]

Mm.

[ Cas likes to go anywhere that isn't bothering Dean. He knows that being, uh, up Dean's ass, isn't where Dean wants him 90% of the times, so. Personal space. He gives it.

...When he feels like he has to, which is obviously not right now as he sits next to Dean, carding his fingers slowly through Dean's hair and looking at him the same way Michelangelo studied Cavalieri. L'amor mi prende... ]

I was replanting your dahlia.

[venatoris]

[ At present (and recently, before his death), Dean hasn't overly minded Cas being up his ass. Before, when they were from the future, they'd spent a lot of time entangled in one another, curled in bed, whispering plans, making fun of Sam.

Dean misses that. Weirdly, he misses a lot of things about being that Dean. It's getting better, though - fixing things with Cas helped, though there's always something traumatic going on to dampen his joy.

Because of course there is.

He tips his head into Cas' fingers, closing his eyes. ]

I figured it was like...dead dead.

[foolintherain]

It was, when I spread your ashes on it. And now, miraculously, it's alive again, so I brought it home to the greenhouse.

[ Things were easier a month or so ago, at least for a little while. Nothing gold can stay, but that doesn't mean they can't enjoy life while it lasts. They were better at that, in the end. But that Dean and this one are the same soul, and he was gone, and now he's here, like his flower. That's something Castiel won't ever take for granted.

He shoves Dean a little bit, gently, to sit more on the bed and pull Dean more into his embrace, all the better for methodic head petting. There's nowhere else he needs or wants to be, and Dean seems relatively sated, so why not get comfortable?

Cas hesitates to break the calmness, but better to get the conversation over with. Especially with their problem still in the basement, and Anakin still alive. ]

Tell me what happened? Sam said you went to confront Anakin Skywalker by yourselves.

[venatoris]

[ He groans a little in protest as he moved; though it doesn't hurt. He's just whining because he can, because he's tired, because his limbs still feel a little like jelly. ]

Sam texted me and said Anakin was on the move against Ariadne, and we needed to move fast. I guess Maul gave him a heads up.

[ He shakes his head. ]

It all went to shit pretty fast..Anakin came at me and... [ He lifts a shoulder, because he doesn't want to call Sam out on what he thought he saw. ]

Like I said. Happened fast. Dude ran me through with a lightsaber, which I guess if you're gonna go, is a pretty damn cool way to go.

[foolintherain]

[ There's no judgement from Castiel at Dean's pained whining, only guilt. If he could heal Dean's aches, he would. The helpless feeling is uncomfortably familiar, but it makes it easier to fall back on old, human habits, like making sure the glass of water at Dean's bedside is full, stroking his hair, and keeping weed and whiskey readily available.

Castiel's eyes are lowered as he listens, and his breathing slows to almost nothing, though his fingers stroking through Dean's hair remain steady, meditative and massaging. ]

It would've been cooler not to've been stabbed.

[ Just throwing that out there, but obviously Dean's aware. The coolness of death by lightsaber is sadly lost on Cas. A noble, self-sacrificing death is a much cooler way to go, which, if Ariadne was involved, maybe that gives some meaning to what happened. ]

What does "on the move against Ariadne" mean? He threatened her?

[venatoris]

[ yeah, yeah. He knows, Cas. But still. He got ran through by Darth freakin' Vader. Badass. ]

That's what I assumed. There wasn't really time to ask. I just dropped everything and met up with Sam.

[ In hindsight, he should've called Cas - especially with Sam being a friggin' dick lately. But he just hadn't been thinking. Sam had made it sound like they needed to move, now. ]

[foolintherain]

[ Sure it was, Dean. You're very cool.

There wasn't time. Of course. No time to send a text or a mental, "Hey Cas, doing something incredibly stupid, see you later." Castiel can't hold back a frustrated sigh. But, what's done is done, Dean is back, and hopefully they've learned a few lessons from this. Castiel has learned to keep closer tabs on Dean again. He should've known better than to trust a Winchester to keep himself alive unsupervised. Especially with Anakin still, presumably, alive.

Speaking of— ]

Is Ariadne alright? Have you spoken to her?

[venatoris]

[ He was worried about his friend :<

But have no fear, lessons have definitely been learned. God, even if they can fix Sam and cure him, get his soul back...will Dean ever be able to trust him again? This is a mess. ]

She's fine. I'm pretty sure it was all a setup.

[foolintherain]

A setup?

[ It's good to hear that Ariadne is alright, given she was potentially in danger, but that sounds even worse, to Castiel. He scrambles for whom to blame. It wouldn't be Anakin or Ariadne. Sam seemed less than concerned for Dean's wellbeing, but he wasn't corrupted at the time, so he'd have had nothing to gain by having Dean killed. Which leaves only the informant. ]

That... Maul person?

[ does Castiel have to smite a bitch ]

[venatoris]

I don't know. [ It's honest, because he really doesn't. ]

He was there, but I dunno...Anakin almost seemed like he knew I was coming. And Sam..

[ He pauses, hesitating a little because he doesn't really want to believe it. ]

It's almost like Sam just let it happen.

[foolintherain]

[ Maul or Sam, then. ...But the possibility is there that it was both of them. Or just Sam, for some reason, but what reason would he have for wanting Dean dead? Other than Dean's heartbreak being annoying to him, but Castiel was sure that his threat was enough to ensure Sam wouldn't intentionally set Dean up to be killed...

Regardless, that's something Castiel decides he can look into on his own. Dean needs to focus on healing himself. So now that Castiel has the information, he doesn't ask for more, only tilts Dean's chin up and meets his eyes, to reassure him. ]

You know that Sam, the Sam that we know, wouldn't do something like that.

[venatoris]

It’s.. it’s still Sam.

[ He’s very weakly trying to defend his brother, here. Because he’s supposed to. ]

We’ll fix it. We’ll fix him.

[foolintherain]

Of course.

[ Since Sam's incapacitation, Castiel's been researching beasthood, and... It's grim, at best. Most of the sources he consulted recommended death. Theoretically, Sam would be resurrected just as Dean was, but... There's always the chance that he might not return. Castiel isn't sure which Dean would prefer — his brother as a beast or no brother at all — and so he doesn't ask. He hasn't given up hope of curing Sam just yet. "Incredibly difficult" is different from "impossible," and the Winchesters are very good at beating the odds.

Anyway, with Dean still healing, Sam's past actions and current condition are the last things Dean needs to be thinking about. So, he decides to circle back around and answer one of Dean's earlier questions. He begins running his fingers through Dean's hair again, and his voice lilts a bit. ]

You know the... club in Cellar Door, Earworm?

[ Cas can't remember if he's ever taken Dean there. Probably not, because it wasn't Dean's scene, back when Cas was visiting the club nightly, but also he can't remember a lot of his nights spent there, so... maybe. ]

[venatoris]

[ he shifts a little closer against Cas, wanting the contact, the press of heat against him. He hates how needy he feels, but at the same time, he doesn’t give a shit. ]

Yeah. That’s where Sam and I were when he came at me with a knife.

[ you know, when he called you a junkie and dean punched him in the nose. ]

[foolintherain]

[ For years, Cas craved that except sensation: the press of heat from another living body, any body. Being an angel with a vastly different kind of anatomy from a human, he shouldn't feel that way anymore. But he does, with Dean. Dean has always been the exception. Dean leans more against him, and it sends a pleasant little flush of heat through Castiel, incredibly. He presses his nose to Dean's hair and lets his right hand trail lower, brushing over the stubble of Dean's cheek and jaw and quietly marveling at the slow, steady pulse proving that Dean is wonderfully, incredibly alive. ]

I see.

[ ...Despite Sam's best efforts, apparently. But this turn of conversation isn't supposed to be about Sam, goddamn it. So Cas doesn't let himself dwell. ]

Well, you asked before how much it took. I drank about two and a half bottles of what they consider their strongest grain alcohol, in shots.

[venatoris]

[ Sam still got him in the end, didn't he. Came at Dean with a knife towards his belly, slashing away, Dean only skittering away in the nick of time.

It's a vivid, visceral memory that twists his heart up in his chest. The chatter about Cas and his booze is a nice distraction. ]

With...Bolin? Two and a half bottles of that rotgut they sell here?

[foolintherain]

[ Let's please not talk about Sam stabbing Dean, or also the reason why Dean was at that bar to begin with. Silly stories only. ]

About that, yes. Though I don't entirely remember if I stopped there, or the majority of how the night ended.

[ After a moment's thought, Castiel is quick to assure Dean: ]

Obviously your friend Bolin wasn't allowed to touch the stuff, or any of the more... interesting indulgences that Earmworm has to offer.

[venatoris]

[ Yeah, no need to chat about their fight and all that.

And it's good to calm him down, but Dean can feel himself beginning to get worked up, face twisting in a little frown. ]

Glad to hear it. What about you? Did you touch any of the 'interesting indulgences that Earworm has to offer'?

[ Since, you know. You ARE reverting. ]

[foolintherain]

[ Castiel pulls back a little to see the expression Dean's making, because he gets the distinct impression from Dean's tone that he's not talking about the magic mushrooms. ]

If you're asking if I fucked anyone while I was mourning you, Dean. No. It didn't even occur to me.

[ The jealous tone would be flattering if Cas hadn't actually screwed around on Dean, before the whole timeline doubled back on itself. Now it's just a sore reminder of how badly he screwed up. It's not a mistake he'd make again, even if he were stoned out of his mind. Which he basically was, that first night. ]

[venatoris]

[ That makes him laugh -- hard, so much so that it turns into a wheezing cough that he has to dampen with a choked down glass of whiskey. ]

God, I'm not sure I'm gonna get used to you you saying the word 'fuck'.