glorious_spoon: (Default)
[personal profile] glorious_spoon
Title: empire of dirt
Pairing: Dean/Castiel implied
Warnings: Spoilers for the season finale
Rating: PG
Summary: In which Castiel is patient and Dean is defiant. Coda to 6.22, very short.

A/N: Okay, so, yeah. The season finale kind of broke my heart a little. And I'm a little drunk right now, so this might not actually make much sense at all :P

“You must understand,” Castiel says, gently. “Surely now, you understand.”

Dean glares up at him, skin down to bone and red with his brother’s blood. Fierce eyes with no sense behind them, only fury. “You can go fuck yourself.”

Castiel cups his cheek, and the blood is gone. He raises Dean up from the dirty floor upon which he has been kneeling; a gesture, and Dean’s gaunt and naked body is strong, healthy, clothed. Soft clean garments, and nothing like the rough flannel and old leather he’s worn his whole life. His thumb strokes along the line of Dean’s cheekbone, and the wear and worry of years melt away. Dean flinches away from his gentle touch like it’s a blow.

“I raised you up once,” Castiel whispers. “I can raise you up again. I can give you anything. Everything.”

“Sure thing, Mephistopheles,” Dean snarls. “I want my brother back. I want my friend Cas back. Can you give me that?”

“I am no demon. Surely you can see that it’s better this way?”

He pulls his hand back, willing Dean to stand. To stay, at last, and accept the gifts that Castiel is offering him.

Heaven and earth rest within his grasp, and yet this, still, he cannot compel. Dean pulls away from him, twists away, falling as weakness sinks back into his limbs, as chains wrap themselves around his wrists, as the clothes and health and transitory youth melt away from him. He lands hard in the pool of blood that spreads beneath his brother’s body, thin and aged and twisted yet again. His head is bowed; he reaches out to touch Sam’s still face with trembling fingers, leaving smears of red behind.

“He would not accept me,” Castiel explains quietly. “He chose his fate, just as you are choosing yours.”

“Newsflash,” Dean growls without raising his head. “I ain’t gonna accept you either. Not now, not the next time you walk through that door, not ever. So you can just cut the crap now. Send me downstairs. Get it the hell over with.”

Castiel rests his hand briefly on the curve of Dean’s skull, fragile and familiar. Dean Winchester is precious to him, still. His body is the one that Castiel built for him, branded with Castiel’s own handprint. Dean belongs to him in a way that nothing else does, and he’ll come to see that in time. He must. “You loved me, once.”

“Yeah, well, that was before you went all Vader on my ass.” Dean turns his head aside, sinks down until both his hands are braced on the floor, in the blood and filth that he keeps choosing, over and over and over again against all reason. When he speaks again, his voice is dull, tired. “Damn it, Cas. Just kill me already. Please.”

Castiel touches him again, and a shudder rolls down the sharp bare line of Dean’s back. It hurts to see, but it cannot last forever. It cannot. Dean will come back to him in the end, because he has no other choice. “You will accept me,” he says gently. “In time.”

Dean doesn’t answer, but Castiel was expecting that. He has gone through this a thousand times already, and a thousand times it has been the same. Someday, though. Someday it will be different.

He pulls himself away from the dark room, back to Heaven and the business of chastising Raphael’s wayward followers. Back to breathing in and drinking in the potency of a million souls, the worship of billions more, power beyond all measure at his fingertips, the whole world his to command. To make right, finally.

It should be enough; more than enough. It should be everything he’s dreamed of and more.

In the back of his mind, though, a defiant figure still kneels, whispering doubts; casting seeds of darkness over all the good he has achieved.

Date: 2011-05-23 03:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ginzai.livejournal.com
This is ten shades of awesome. Castiel's insanity clashing with Dean's futile determination is just wrenching, plus the imagery with Sam's blood? *shiver* That final line as an air of "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" to it as well.

The finale is a bit heartbreaking, but it's also the thing that finally kicked me over into actively shipping Dean/Cas. It was just too much to resist!

Date: 2011-05-28 01:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
Thank you so much!

Dean's pigheaded stubbornness was definitely going through my mind when I wrote this. I think he'd be able to hold out for a long time, just out of willpower.

I think the finale pushed a lot of people into D/C. It was pretty epic. (Also, I've been meaning to read that story for the longest time, and have yet to get around to it. So thank you for reminding me :P)

Date: 2011-05-23 03:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] switchbladesis.livejournal.com
Oh God, oh Sam, oh Dean, oh Cas. Dean's still very much himself in this, but Castiel's too far gone to even relate to him any more. But he still loves him. In a way.

Date: 2011-05-28 01:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
In a way, yes. In a really kind of scary way. :P Thank you bb.

Date: 2011-05-23 06:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shoofus.livejournal.com
i could see that

Date: 2011-05-28 01:52 am (UTC)

Date: 2011-05-23 11:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] eternal-moonie.livejournal.com
WOOHOO!!!!

Absolutely LOVE this!!!

Date: 2011-05-28 01:52 am (UTC)

Date: 2011-05-23 12:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] twilighthdfan.livejournal.com
Oh, this was awesome. And exactly what I see Cas being like, still needing Dean's love and Dean still being all defiant. Loved it!!!

Date: 2011-05-28 01:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
Thank you!

Yeah, I think Cas here sort of thinks he can MAKE Dean love him, which...no. :P

Date: 2011-05-23 12:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lazyastaroth.livejournal.com
*Cries* No, Cas... please... come back...

Date: 2011-05-28 01:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
Oh, we will get him back. XD

Date: 2011-05-23 04:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lottz.livejournal.com
I kinda like this Cas in a 'only in fic' kinda way. It's kind of delicious!

Thank you for writing this!

Date: 2011-05-28 01:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
Yeah, this is definitely not a version of Cas I want to see on my screen, but it was a bit cathartic. Glad you liked!

Date: 2011-05-23 04:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cousinmary.livejournal.com
OOo, I liked this. Hate to say that someone -should- write drunk, but... can I buy you a drink? ;-)

Date: 2011-05-28 01:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
*grin* Thanks! I always accept drinks.

Date: 2011-05-23 05:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] irismay42.livejournal.com
This was amazing. I'd had my own ideas for a fic along these lines, but it never would have been a hundredth as good as this!

Date: 2011-05-28 01:54 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
Thank you! You should definitely write fic along these lines. I would totally read it.

Date: 2011-05-24 12:42 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] marourin.livejournal.com
<3 oh yes, this is the kinda coda I'm looking to see, psycho-Cas and defiant!Dean because...this is Dean. It's sad that Cas is so lost that he'd come to do such horrible things to Dean >:

Date: 2011-05-28 01:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
<3 Thank you! Cas is a little far gone in this, but I'm hoping he'll come back eventually...

Date: 2011-05-24 04:36 am (UTC)
majorshipper: (SPN: angel of the lord)
From: [personal profile] majorshipper
Mm, this is exactly what I was hoping would come out after the finale, after all the wailing died down. It makes perfect sense, and I love the imagery of Sam's blood, having been the one who went down first, the idea that Cas keeps Dean alive because he knows one day he'll break....it's beautiful in a slightly terrifying way.

Date: 2011-05-28 01:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
Thank you!

I think this was sort of my version of wailing :P. I think that Cas in this is trying to MAKE Dean choose him, which...well, he hasn't really been doing too well with comprehending the subtleties of free will. I'm glad you enjoyed this.

Date: 2011-05-24 11:13 am (UTC)
geckoholic: (Default)
From: [personal profile] geckoholic
*shivers* This is so horrible a possibility, and so good and well-written and chilling and I can't even.

Date: 2011-05-28 01:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
Thank you!

Yeah, this is...not where I'm hoping the Show goes with it, to say the least. But I'm glad you liked :)

Date: 2011-05-25 11:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] twoskeletons.livejournal.com
In the back of his mind, though, a defiant figure still kneels, whispering doubts; casting seeds of darkness over all the good he has achieved.
Perfect.

Great coda.

Date: 2011-05-28 01:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-spoon.livejournal.com
Thank you so much!

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