Fic: With This Ring (SPN, Dean/Castiel)
Title: With This Ring
Pairings/Characters: Dean/Castiel, Castiel/Anna (sort of)
Genre: AU, human Castiel, arranged marriage
Warnings: homophobia
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1946
Summary: Castiel goes to buy engagement rings. He ends up with something far better.
Author's Notes: This story was written for Dean/Cas Summer Lovin' as a gift to Sofiwick, but because I was not happy with it, I wrote another fic for her. It seemed silly to have it just sitting on my computer, however, when it was already finished, so I decided to post it anyway.
The prompt I used was Castiel goes to a jewelry store to buy an engagement ring for Anna, the woman his family chose for him to marry. He ends up marrying the jeweler, Dean, instead.
Thank you to my wonderful friend yavaworm for taking the time out of what I'm sure has been a busy and wonderful week to beta this story!
With This Ring
Castiel loves Anna. He loves her very much. The problem is that he does not love her the way that his family wants him to.
The Angells are very traditional people. They are firmly set in their ways and they will not budge for anyone. Nothing matters more to them than keeping up appearances. So what if their youngest son does not like women? Does he think that he is the only one who has had to make sacrifices for his family to reach their current position?
Castiel does not mind so much for his own sake. He has never been in love, nor does he think he ever will be. There have been a couple of ill-advised flings in his past, but all that they proved was that Castiel is not made for relationships. In that light, spending his life with a woman he truly cares about does not seem so bad. It is not as if he is giving up anything but years of loneliness.
The person he really feels bad for is Anna. She is a lovely woman and Castiel has no doubt that she could easily win the heart of any man - any straight man, that is. Instead she is being forced to marry a man who will never be able to satisfy all her needs and who will never love her as anything more than a friend. It hardly seems fair.
Unfortunately, both their families have proven deaf to the young couple’s objections. And this is the reason why Castiel is standing in a jewellery shop, asking the most beautiful man that he has ever seen to help him pick out a ring for his future wife.
*****
Dean wishes that there was some way to tell the universe to go fuck itself. He does not usually believe in a higher power, but someone somewhere seems to have a seriously cruel sense of irony.
When the man walked in, Dean actually sent out a prayer that he would not be there to buy an engagement ring. Of course, that meant that the first words out of the man’s gorgeously kissable mouth were,
“I’m here to buy an engagement ring.”
It did not help that those words were spoken in a deep, gravelly voice that sent tingling shivers down Dean’s spine, nor that the eyes above that delicious mouth - bluer than any sapphire Dean had ever worked with - bored into his with startling intensity.
For the first time ever, Dean finds himself regretting his chosen profession.
*****
“What sort of ring did you have in mind?” the beautiful man asks. He does not wear a name tag, but Castiel assumes that he is the owner of the shop and the maker of all its fine jewellery. Castiel cannot help thinking that if he could make gems out of his eyes, he would never need to work another day again.
“An engagement ring,” he replies, confused at having to repeat himself.
The man does not roll his eyes, but Castiel recognises the look and he knows it was a close thing. If he was the type to blush, he would, but he is not. Instead he just takes a moment to wonder at the fact that he feels embarrassment. Apparently, he cares more about what this stranger thinks of him than any other person in his life.
“Yes, I got that,” the man says. “What I meant was, would you like a plain ring or something more elaborate? Gold, white gold, titanium? Gemstones?”
“Oh.” Castiel frowns. He probably should have considered this sooner. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”
The man shrugs.
“No problem,” he says. “You’re not the first. Why don’t you tell me a bit about fiancée and we’ll see if can’t find something to suit her?”
*****
The next hour or so is both one of the best and one of the worst of Dean’s life. It does not take long for him to realise that the man, whose name he learns is Castiel, is, as his name implies, a complete alien. He is utterly unable to decipher even the simplest non-verbal code or to detect even the slightest hint of sarcasm. This is not entirely a bad thing, since it allows Dean to be completely obvious about his attraction without being called on it. Unfortunately, it also means that Dean’s particular brand of humour goes right over Castiel’s head, which leads to a few awkward moments. The worst part of it all is that instead of the annoyance that Dean ought to feel, he is instead left with the completely unwelcome and entirely humiliating sensation of finding it all adorable.
Then there is the staring. Normal people know to break eye-contact once in a while. Castiel is obviously not a normal person. Several times, Dean has to forcefully call his attention to a ring that he is displaying to make him tear his gaze from Dean’s face. If it were any other attractive person, Dean would preen under the attention and use it to flirt shamelessly. Now it only serves to confuse him. If Castiel is addled enough by love to be getting married, why is he staring at Dean as if he has never seen anything more fascinating in his life?
Dean also cannot help but notice that Castiel knows remarkably little about the woman he is about to marry. He can describe her physical appearance and her personality well enough, but when it comes to her preferences and interests, he becomes more vague. There is also something about the tone in which he talks about her that does not sound like a man madly in love. Then again, maybe that is just Dean’s wishful thinking.
They are finally able to narrow the choices down to two rings. One is a milgrain ring with three intertwined bands of rose gold and a star of diamonds at the front. The other is one of Dean’s odder designs. The band is made of white gold and it is made up of tiny, painstakingly crafted feathers. At the front, there are two wings of pure gold, meant to symbolise the way two spouses carry each other through life. Sappy, to be sure, but then it is an engagement ring and Dean is actually rather proud of it.
To Dean, the choice is simple. The rose gold ring is beautiful, but too ordinary. Whoever this Anna person is, she must be truly special to have caught a man like Castiel. A person like that deserves something unique. The sentimental part of Dean - the one he always pretends does not exist - comes up with the additional embarrassing thought that to go through life with Castiel must truly mean never again touching ground. It is a frightening thought, because Dean has never been the type to believe in lifelong monogamy, yet only one hour with this man has apparently changed his mind. He just knows that he and Castiel would make each other happy - or drive each other mental, but is not that the best kind of relationship?
He is saved from drowning in the gooey mire of his own sentimentality by Castiel’s voice breaking through his thoughts.
“I think Anna would like this one.” He is holding the rose gold ring. His voice is firm, but Dean thinks he can detect a hint of doubt in his eyes. It is clear that it is not the ring that he prefers.
“And do you like it?” Dean cannot believe that it is his own voice speaking. He has never been good at the whole professional thing, but this is stretching the limits, even for him.
Castiel looks at him as if he is the one from a different planet.
“It doesn’t signify what I think of it,” he says. “The ring is for Anna.”
Dean shakes his head before he can think about it.
“Dude, no!” he says. “The ring is meant to symbolise your love for her. If you give her something you think is fugly, what does that say about your feelings?”
Castiel tilts his head in that manner that Dean has learned means that he is confused by something and struggling to make sense of it.
“It says that I respect her opinions and won’t try to change her?” he says, his tone making it a question.
Dean blinks, surprised at the valid argument. Still, he cannot quite agree.
“Yes, fine, in any other gift it would say that. But an engagement ring is supposed to be for the both of you, to symbolise your union. It should reflect both your personalities.”
Castiel’s brow furrows slightly.
“I don’t believe that is possible,” he says. “Anna and I are too different and our tastes are too dissimilar. I will be happy to find something that she likes.”
Dean sighs.
“And Sam says I have no sense of romance,” he mutters. Apparently he did not speak quietly enough, because Castiel’s stare looks even more bewildered.
“Romance has nothing to do with it,” he states candidly. “This is a marriage of convenience.”
Dean almost chokes on nothing. At least his instincts were spot on, he thinks. In as calm and polite a tone as he can manage, he says,
“Excuse me?”
Castiel seems completely unaware that there is anything strange about what he just said.
“A marriage of convenience,” he repeats. “My family doesn’t approve of my lifestyle. They wish to see me properly settled, so that I can give them grandchildren and perpetuate the family name.”
Dean does not know what to say to that. The scariest part is the impassive manner in which Castiel says it. He settles for,
“Your lifestyle?” and nearly bites off his own tongue. Curse his incurable optimism!
As if reading his thoughts, Castiel tells him,
“I’m homosexual. My family considers this to be a sign of degeneracy. That is why they arranged for me to marry Anna.”
Dean knows what he should do. He should take the ring that Castiel selected, put it in a box and send the man on his way to spend his life in a loveless marriage. This is not his mess to clean up. What he should not do is get involved. He should not tell Castiel all the reasons why his family is wrong, why now would be a good time for rebellion and try to convince him to stay with Dean instead. So, of course, that is exactly what he does. The only surprise is that he is successful.
*****
Two years later
Castiel looks down at the rings on his finger. One of them is the winged engagement ring that he had not wanted to buy for Anna. The other is a plain titanium band with a single large emerald surrounded by smaller sapphires. It is one of Dean’s simpler designs, but Castiel thinks it is more beautiful than any masterpiece.
A pair of hands slide around his waist to rest on his stomach. The left one has two rings on the ring finger. One is an exact replica of Castiel’s engagement ring. The other is an inverted copy of his wedding band, with a large sapphire surrounded by smaller emeralds.
“Admiring the bling again?” Dean’s voice says in his ear. “If I’d known you were so materialistic, I never would have proposed to you.”
Castiel leans back in Dean’s embrace and closes his eyes with a smile.
“Yes, you would have,” he says.
Dean huffs out a laugh and nibbles at his ear.
“Yes, I would have,” he agrees. Castiel can hear the love and contentment in his voice. He turns his head into his husband’s kiss, as Dean whispers, “Happy anniversary, sweetheart!”
Pairings/Characters: Dean/Castiel, Castiel/Anna (sort of)
Genre: AU, human Castiel, arranged marriage
Warnings: homophobia
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1946
Summary: Castiel goes to buy engagement rings. He ends up with something far better.
Author's Notes: This story was written for Dean/Cas Summer Lovin' as a gift to Sofiwick, but because I was not happy with it, I wrote another fic for her. It seemed silly to have it just sitting on my computer, however, when it was already finished, so I decided to post it anyway.
The prompt I used was Castiel goes to a jewelry store to buy an engagement ring for Anna, the woman his family chose for him to marry. He ends up marrying the jeweler, Dean, instead.
Thank you to my wonderful friend yavaworm for taking the time out of what I'm sure has been a busy and wonderful week to beta this story!
With This Ring
Castiel loves Anna. He loves her very much. The problem is that he does not love her the way that his family wants him to.
The Angells are very traditional people. They are firmly set in their ways and they will not budge for anyone. Nothing matters more to them than keeping up appearances. So what if their youngest son does not like women? Does he think that he is the only one who has had to make sacrifices for his family to reach their current position?
Castiel does not mind so much for his own sake. He has never been in love, nor does he think he ever will be. There have been a couple of ill-advised flings in his past, but all that they proved was that Castiel is not made for relationships. In that light, spending his life with a woman he truly cares about does not seem so bad. It is not as if he is giving up anything but years of loneliness.
The person he really feels bad for is Anna. She is a lovely woman and Castiel has no doubt that she could easily win the heart of any man - any straight man, that is. Instead she is being forced to marry a man who will never be able to satisfy all her needs and who will never love her as anything more than a friend. It hardly seems fair.
Unfortunately, both their families have proven deaf to the young couple’s objections. And this is the reason why Castiel is standing in a jewellery shop, asking the most beautiful man that he has ever seen to help him pick out a ring for his future wife.
*****
Dean wishes that there was some way to tell the universe to go fuck itself. He does not usually believe in a higher power, but someone somewhere seems to have a seriously cruel sense of irony.
When the man walked in, Dean actually sent out a prayer that he would not be there to buy an engagement ring. Of course, that meant that the first words out of the man’s gorgeously kissable mouth were,
“I’m here to buy an engagement ring.”
It did not help that those words were spoken in a deep, gravelly voice that sent tingling shivers down Dean’s spine, nor that the eyes above that delicious mouth - bluer than any sapphire Dean had ever worked with - bored into his with startling intensity.
For the first time ever, Dean finds himself regretting his chosen profession.
*****
“What sort of ring did you have in mind?” the beautiful man asks. He does not wear a name tag, but Castiel assumes that he is the owner of the shop and the maker of all its fine jewellery. Castiel cannot help thinking that if he could make gems out of his eyes, he would never need to work another day again.
“An engagement ring,” he replies, confused at having to repeat himself.
The man does not roll his eyes, but Castiel recognises the look and he knows it was a close thing. If he was the type to blush, he would, but he is not. Instead he just takes a moment to wonder at the fact that he feels embarrassment. Apparently, he cares more about what this stranger thinks of him than any other person in his life.
“Yes, I got that,” the man says. “What I meant was, would you like a plain ring or something more elaborate? Gold, white gold, titanium? Gemstones?”
“Oh.” Castiel frowns. He probably should have considered this sooner. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”
The man shrugs.
“No problem,” he says. “You’re not the first. Why don’t you tell me a bit about fiancée and we’ll see if can’t find something to suit her?”
*****
The next hour or so is both one of the best and one of the worst of Dean’s life. It does not take long for him to realise that the man, whose name he learns is Castiel, is, as his name implies, a complete alien. He is utterly unable to decipher even the simplest non-verbal code or to detect even the slightest hint of sarcasm. This is not entirely a bad thing, since it allows Dean to be completely obvious about his attraction without being called on it. Unfortunately, it also means that Dean’s particular brand of humour goes right over Castiel’s head, which leads to a few awkward moments. The worst part of it all is that instead of the annoyance that Dean ought to feel, he is instead left with the completely unwelcome and entirely humiliating sensation of finding it all adorable.
Then there is the staring. Normal people know to break eye-contact once in a while. Castiel is obviously not a normal person. Several times, Dean has to forcefully call his attention to a ring that he is displaying to make him tear his gaze from Dean’s face. If it were any other attractive person, Dean would preen under the attention and use it to flirt shamelessly. Now it only serves to confuse him. If Castiel is addled enough by love to be getting married, why is he staring at Dean as if he has never seen anything more fascinating in his life?
Dean also cannot help but notice that Castiel knows remarkably little about the woman he is about to marry. He can describe her physical appearance and her personality well enough, but when it comes to her preferences and interests, he becomes more vague. There is also something about the tone in which he talks about her that does not sound like a man madly in love. Then again, maybe that is just Dean’s wishful thinking.
They are finally able to narrow the choices down to two rings. One is a milgrain ring with three intertwined bands of rose gold and a star of diamonds at the front. The other is one of Dean’s odder designs. The band is made of white gold and it is made up of tiny, painstakingly crafted feathers. At the front, there are two wings of pure gold, meant to symbolise the way two spouses carry each other through life. Sappy, to be sure, but then it is an engagement ring and Dean is actually rather proud of it.
To Dean, the choice is simple. The rose gold ring is beautiful, but too ordinary. Whoever this Anna person is, she must be truly special to have caught a man like Castiel. A person like that deserves something unique. The sentimental part of Dean - the one he always pretends does not exist - comes up with the additional embarrassing thought that to go through life with Castiel must truly mean never again touching ground. It is a frightening thought, because Dean has never been the type to believe in lifelong monogamy, yet only one hour with this man has apparently changed his mind. He just knows that he and Castiel would make each other happy - or drive each other mental, but is not that the best kind of relationship?
He is saved from drowning in the gooey mire of his own sentimentality by Castiel’s voice breaking through his thoughts.
“I think Anna would like this one.” He is holding the rose gold ring. His voice is firm, but Dean thinks he can detect a hint of doubt in his eyes. It is clear that it is not the ring that he prefers.
“And do you like it?” Dean cannot believe that it is his own voice speaking. He has never been good at the whole professional thing, but this is stretching the limits, even for him.
Castiel looks at him as if he is the one from a different planet.
“It doesn’t signify what I think of it,” he says. “The ring is for Anna.”
Dean shakes his head before he can think about it.
“Dude, no!” he says. “The ring is meant to symbolise your love for her. If you give her something you think is fugly, what does that say about your feelings?”
Castiel tilts his head in that manner that Dean has learned means that he is confused by something and struggling to make sense of it.
“It says that I respect her opinions and won’t try to change her?” he says, his tone making it a question.
Dean blinks, surprised at the valid argument. Still, he cannot quite agree.
“Yes, fine, in any other gift it would say that. But an engagement ring is supposed to be for the both of you, to symbolise your union. It should reflect both your personalities.”
Castiel’s brow furrows slightly.
“I don’t believe that is possible,” he says. “Anna and I are too different and our tastes are too dissimilar. I will be happy to find something that she likes.”
Dean sighs.
“And Sam says I have no sense of romance,” he mutters. Apparently he did not speak quietly enough, because Castiel’s stare looks even more bewildered.
“Romance has nothing to do with it,” he states candidly. “This is a marriage of convenience.”
Dean almost chokes on nothing. At least his instincts were spot on, he thinks. In as calm and polite a tone as he can manage, he says,
“Excuse me?”
Castiel seems completely unaware that there is anything strange about what he just said.
“A marriage of convenience,” he repeats. “My family doesn’t approve of my lifestyle. They wish to see me properly settled, so that I can give them grandchildren and perpetuate the family name.”
Dean does not know what to say to that. The scariest part is the impassive manner in which Castiel says it. He settles for,
“Your lifestyle?” and nearly bites off his own tongue. Curse his incurable optimism!
As if reading his thoughts, Castiel tells him,
“I’m homosexual. My family considers this to be a sign of degeneracy. That is why they arranged for me to marry Anna.”
Dean knows what he should do. He should take the ring that Castiel selected, put it in a box and send the man on his way to spend his life in a loveless marriage. This is not his mess to clean up. What he should not do is get involved. He should not tell Castiel all the reasons why his family is wrong, why now would be a good time for rebellion and try to convince him to stay with Dean instead. So, of course, that is exactly what he does. The only surprise is that he is successful.
*****
Two years later
Castiel looks down at the rings on his finger. One of them is the winged engagement ring that he had not wanted to buy for Anna. The other is a plain titanium band with a single large emerald surrounded by smaller sapphires. It is one of Dean’s simpler designs, but Castiel thinks it is more beautiful than any masterpiece.
A pair of hands slide around his waist to rest on his stomach. The left one has two rings on the ring finger. One is an exact replica of Castiel’s engagement ring. The other is an inverted copy of his wedding band, with a large sapphire surrounded by smaller emeralds.
“Admiring the bling again?” Dean’s voice says in his ear. “If I’d known you were so materialistic, I never would have proposed to you.”
Castiel leans back in Dean’s embrace and closes his eyes with a smile.
“Yes, you would have,” he says.
Dean huffs out a laugh and nibbles at his ear.
“Yes, I would have,” he agrees. Castiel can hear the love and contentment in his voice. He turns his head into his husband’s kiss, as Dean whispers, “Happy anniversary, sweetheart!”