SPN: A Heartbeat Away (A Breath Too Far)
Title: A Heartbeat Away (A Breath Too Far)
Author: chef_geekier
Artist: tiggeratl1
Fandom/Genre: Supernatural/RPF alternate dimensions.
Pairings: Unrequited Dean/Cas, brief Dean/Misha, mentioned non-con OMC/Misha
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 5,800
Warnings: Kidnapping, spiked drinks, alternate realities, allusions to underage non-con (nothing graphic), angst, captivity, brief violence, minor (16 years) with crush on adult, minor/adult kiss, some bad language, character death.
Summary: When Cas turned up and asked for Dean's help tracking down a dimension-hopping, teen-kidnapping, hard-to-track-down mage, he didn't think twice before agreeing to help. He really should have. Because now he's chained up in a basement with a sixteen year old boy named Misha who looks a lot like Cas, unable to do anything while Sam and Cas grow ever more desperate to find him.
Art Post (Check it out, it's absolutely gorgeous!)
“Dean, I require your assistance.”
“Sure Cas. What's up?”
It was just like the start of any other hunt. In the course of his quest to find God, Cas often came across odd supernatural occurrences. In order to stay hidden he frequently passed the news to Bobby or the Winchesters to sort out.
“Someone is messing with reality. Portals between alternate universes have been opening up briefly every three months, twice in one reality with two to nine days between. Someone is coming through the portal, kidnapping at least one attractive young man in their mid to late teens, and returning to their own reality.”
“Woah,” Dean raised an eyebrow. “That's... a new one. So, how do we stop it?”
“A portal recently opened in Wyoming. I can transport you and Sam there. It is most likely a powerful mage, they have defences against being located personally.” Cas looked a little put out at that. Dean figured that if he could, the angel would just smite the mage and be done with it - something Dean wasn't exactly against.
“Okay then,” he started throwing his things together. “Sam'll be back soon with breakfast. Wyoming's too far to drive on that timeline, so I guess you'll have to zap us.” He paused and glanced over at his friend. “You can bring the Impala too, right?”
“Yes Dean,” Cas nodded. “I wouldn't attempt to separate you from your baby.” In Cas' usual deadpan voice, that phrase sounded incredibly weird. But it reassured Dean, so when Sam came back they were able to leave immediately.
~*~
By the end of the first day, they were no closer to finding out who was responsible. On the bright side, no one had yet gone missing. On the downside, there were too many strangers in town to identify them all - it was market day, with people from all over the county coming to this particular town. Dean was hopeful that in the morning most would be gone, and they could start hunting properly.
“This is ridiculous,” Dean muttered, glancing around the packed bar. There was barely any room to move, and he couldn't hear anything over the dull roar of people and music around him.
Instead of trying to stick it out, Dean left the bar, his beer untouched on the counter.
He didn't notice the eyes following him out of the room. There were simply too many people pressed in together for his hunter instincts to work properly.
~*~
“Dean,” Sam looked highly uncomfortable as he sat at the table. “I just... we have no leads here. Other than someone's gonna disappear in the next week. With everything else happening, do you really think we can do anything here?”
“Cas asked me to,” Dean shrugged. “So I'm gonna try.”
“Damn it Dean, you need to talk to him about this crush! It's getting ridiculous.”
“I don't know what you're talking about Sammy.”
Unfortunately, the hated diminutive didn't distract his brother, only earning him a light glare.
“Oh really, Dean? Cas asks you for something, you drop everything to help him! No matter what he asks.”
“Not like he hasn't done the same for us,” Dean shifted uncomfortably. “Anyway, he's asking for help to save people. That's what we do, remember? Save people in over their heads?”
“I know that, but...” Sam sighed and shook his head. “Dean, you like Cas. I know you do. You should just tell him, go for it!”
“Whatever,” Dean headed to the bathroom. “Keep looking.”
Holding back a frustrated growl, Sam turned back to his laptop. He'd meant it when he said they had no leads here. So while the police scanner was on in the background, he started looking into potential hunts in the area for when they admitted defeat.
~*~
There was still nothing the next day, and Dean was rapidly growing frustrated - until he saw a flyer in town for a youth gathering that day to celebrate school letting out. He followed a group of kids in their late teens out of town towards where the bonfire would be, figuring that since it was hot kids going missing, hanging around where they were was probably his best hope of finding the mage.
“Dude, you're gonna look like a creeper,” Sam pointed out, rather disturbed, when Dean called him from the gathering. It seemed the entire under twenty five population of the town was showing up, so Dean just shrugged off his brother's concerns.
“Nah, there's plenty of people here. I'm blending pretty well.” He took a swig from the beer he'd snagged earlier. “But I could do with another... pair...” Dean trailed off as his vision started to go fuzzy, and he cursed himself for taking an already open drink. It was sloppy, something he should have learned years ago, and still he fell for it.
“Dean? … Dean!”
“Sammy... drugged... Cas...” Dean managed to get out before strong arms were around his shoulders.
“Dude! Is he wasted already?” He heard some of the kids laughing at him, and he tried to open his eyes to communicate. But he was being dragged away, and within a few steps he'd lost the battle to stay concious.
~*~
There was cold stone underneath him.
That was the first thing to occur to Dean as he slowly woke up. His head ached something fierce, and his body felt like he'd gone a few rounds with a werewolf.
“Hey,” a soft voice sounded next to him, and Dean tried to open his eyes more. “You waking up? Please wake up, please don't be dead.”
Eventually Dean managed to move his head and focus on the young man sitting a few feet away, and nearly choked in surprise.
“Cas!?” He rasped, throat feeling like sandpaper, but he saw almost immediately that it couldn't be the angel. For one thing, the boy was too young, late teens at the most. For another, he was naked and covered in dirt, scratches and bruises, especially around the places where he was tangled in chains. Dean tried to sit up, and found that he was similarly naked and bound. It wasn't a pleasant realisation.
“You're alive,” the kid smiled weakly, and Dean turned his attention back to him. “He brought you in this morning. I thought you might not wake up... the last one didn't.”
“Hold up,” Dean managed to sit after a few attempts. The boy made no move to help him, seeming reluctant to touch him. “Who are you, who is 'he', and where are we?”
“I'm Misha,” the kid raised his knees to his chest and wrapped skinny arms around them. “As for the other two... I've been here for a while, a week or so, and I still don't know. I got snatched from a school trip, woke up here. There were a couple of corpses in the corner when I got here, but they got moved soon after. And he brought down another guy a couple days after, but he never woke up.”
Dean listened with a sinking feeling. With no way to contact Sam or Cas, he was stuck until they found him. He looked around at the room they were in and tried to keep from swearing. They were underground, in a cellar of some sort. There was a series of small windows, too hight to reach and not even large enough for Misha's shoulders to slide through along one wall, and a solid staircase along another. Misha had clearly been using one section of floor as a makeshift toilet, and the two of them were chained to the wall opposite the stairs, close together.
Trying the chains, Dean couldn't figure out how they were attached until Misha spoke up.
“He welded you into them before he brought you down. Then he hooked the chains to the wall.”
Now that it had been pointed out, Dean could see where the chains were welded so that he was caught in a net of metal. No way he was going to be able to slip out of them. He managed to stand and checked where they were attached to the wall. It looked as though only a padlock kept the chains and wall together, but with no tools he couldn't pick the lock, or even break it. He sighed and slumped against the wall again, sinking down.
“So,” he decided to question his only available source. “Any idea what he wants with us?”
Misha's face immediately closed off, and he seemed to hunch in on himself. If that wasn't enough of a clue, Dean could now see hand-shaped bruises on the boy's hips, and felt a sudden surge of rage.
“He...” Misha trailed off, staring at his knees. “I don't know his end game. I think he's just a sadist.”
Dean said nothing, just settled back. He was fairly certain that the protectiveness running through him then wasn't just because Misha looked like a young Cas. It was because he was a normal kid, and was obviously being hurt. After a moment, he decided to change the subject.
“Hey kid, how old are you?”
“Sixteen,” Misha looked up again, clearly grateful for the new topic. “I'm going... I was going to become president one day, once I finished school and college. But that won't happen now.” He looked down again, and Dean really wanted to find some way of comforting him.
“Hey,” he reached out and put a hand on Misha's shoulder, squeezing gently. The boy flinched a little, but quickly regained his composure. “My brother and me, we track down bad guys like this. It's what we do. And Sam knows that I got taken, so he's gonna be looking for me. Plus, we've got an angel on our side, so it's only a matter of time before we're found and get out of here.”
“An angel? Really?” Misha looked sceptical, and Dean flashed him a grin. He could talk about Cas all day... so maybe Sam did have a point about having a crush on him. When they got out he'd do something about it. Maybe.
“Yeah, Castiel - Cas. He pulled me out of Hell, then turned against Heaven to try and save humanity. He's awesome to have around in a fight, and pretty cool to hang out with, even if he doesn't understand much of how humans work these days.”
“Cas,” Misha looked thoughtful, even as he edged a little closer. “That's what you called me when you woke up.”
“Yeah, you look a lot like his vessel,” Dean shrugged, letting the kid get comfortable by his side. “You're younger though, and there's something about Cas that just... you look at him and know that he isn't a normal human.”
The pair fell into silence, Dean's arm around Misha's shoulders as they tried to share body heat and avoid more bruises from the chains.
~*~
“He was here somewhere,” Sam muttered as he and Castiel searched the empty field for signs of Dean. The Impala was sitting abandoned by the side of the road, and Sam grew more concerned with every passing minute. “C'mon Dean, give us a clue...”
“Sam,” Castiel called then, reaching down to collect something from the ground. Sam jogged over, heart freezing up when he saw what Cas was holding. Dean's cell phone.
“No,” Sam tried to deny it, but he couldn't. Dean was gone. “We... we have to find him.”
Cas nodded, anger rolling off him in waves. Sam knew that the angel wouldn't give up, that they'd keep searching for something until they found him. Then Cas shifted, an almost imperceptible change in his posture, and it seemed he was listening to something.
“The portal opened again,” Cas spoke then, looking at Sam. “The mage hasn't finished here. We can still find him before he leaves.”
~*~
It was a couple of hours later - Dean couldn't tell the exact time - when Misha shifted a little.
“This is so weird,” he muttered, and Dean grinned. “I mean, getting snatched and chained up in a dungeon? It's something out of a bad horror movie. I hate those.”
“Bad horror movies?” Dean asked, arm still wrapped around the kid's shoulders.
“Horror movies in general. Can't watch them.”
“Not even the old black and white classics?”
“Nope,” Misha shook his head. “I can't separate movie from reality.”
“I have the the same problem sometimes,” Dean confided in him. “Though mostly because hunting monster is my life.”
“Yeah, that could get confusing,” Misha nodded solemnly, and Dean wasn't sure if the kid was mocking him or not. “So... alternate realities really exist.”
“Yep.”
“In yours, magic and demons and monsters are real.”
“Yep.”
“...How does anyone in your world make it to puberty?”
“Not a clue. Blind luck, mostly.”
Misha sniggered at that, and Dean found himself relaxing a little. If he had to be chained up and defenceless with anyone, at least he was with someone who had a sense of humour.
They whiled away the time sharing stories about their lives. Dean told about his first kiss, and losing his virginity. Misha pouted and claimed that his first (and thus far only) kiss didn't count, because the girl had shoved her tongue so far into his mouth that he'd gagged on it. Dean totally agreed.
The light was fading, and it reminded Dean just how bad his situation was - even if he did have an entertaining co-prisoner. It was way past time Sam or Cas should have found him, going by previous experience. His stomach growled then, reminding Dean how long it had been since he'd last eaten.
“You get used to it,” Misha spoke up then, and Dean raised an eyebrow.
“Get used to what?”
“Being hungry. He feeds me once every couple of days. So far, anyway. Nothing much, just enough to keep me from starving. He'll probably feed us less now, try to make sure you get weaker, 'cause I'm pretty sure you could take him in a fight.”
“You bet your ass I could,” Dean grinned, trying to downplay how worried he was getting. C'mon Cas, he thought desperately. Time to be my kick-ass personal saviour once again.
But there was no answer.
Dean froze then, thinking. There was something he hadn't tried in a while, since he had the sigils carved into his ribs and Cas couldn't tell exactly where he was. But maybe...
“Hey Misha, what's your full name?”
“Dmitri Tippens Krushnic.”
“Wha?” Dean blinked, while Misha shrugged.
“Misha's been my nickname for years. Mom had a thing for Russia.”
“Okay,” Dean shook his head, trying to focus again. “This is gonna sound weird, but … but Cas can't trace me 'cause of some symbols he carved into my ribs, trying to protect me form the other creepy-ass angels. Usually I just call him and tell him where to meet me, but since I don't know where I am...”
“You'll try getting him to trace me instead?”
“Huh. You're pretty quick on the uptake.”
“Evil genius in the making,” Misha shrugged. “So, how are you gonna call him without a phone?”
“Well, it's something I haven't tried in a while, but... ah...” he shifted, highly uncomfortable with the idea, but Misha was staring at him with those blue eyes so similar to Cas', and he couldn't back down now. “I'm gonna... try praying.”
Misha stared at Dean for a moment, then shrugged.
“If you think it's worth a shot, go ahead.”
Dean flashed him a thankful grin, then closed his eyes.
“Hey Cas,” he spoke aloud, concentrating with all his might. “I know you can't really track me, and I can't tell you where I am. But I'm being held with a kid called Dmitri Tippens Krushnic. He's from another reality, one that probably doesn't have monsters an' stuff roaming around. He seems to be that reality's version of Jimmy. Uh... Come get us when you can, okay? ...Amen, I guess.”
When he opened his eyes, Misha was staring at him, interested and concerned at the same time.
“That was a prayer?”
“Prayer, summoning;... something along those lines. Used to work.”
“Hmm,” Misha hummed in acknowledgement. “But... he was always in the same reality, wasn't he?”
“Yeah,” Dean's shoulders slumped without his permission. “Then he always had an ear out in case I needed him. These days, we use phones. And I don't even know if payers can cross realities.”
“Well, would it help if I prayed too?”
“Maybe,” Dean shrugged. He settled back against the wall while Misha closed his eyes.
“Hey Castiel,” the boy started much as Dean had. “Um, I'm Misha - Dmitri, I mean - and Dean's with me. We need your help. Please.” He paused for a moment, then started again. “If you can't get to us, the guy who took us is about five-six, long blonde hair, and pretty built. Um. I think he's got brown eyes, but I'm not sure. Oh, and he's got a burn mark on his neck. Hope that helps... Amen.”
“Good thinking,” Dean smiled, and Misha ducked his head. “We'll be fine. Cas'll find us.”
“...And if he doesn't?” Misha whispered. “What if he can't reach us?”
Dean swallowed hard, and moved closer to him again.
“Then we wait for the creep to come back down here, and I kick his ass until he lets us go.”
“As simple as that, huh?”
“Naturally,” Dean gave him a winning smile. “Any problem can be solved with enough violence. You just have to know where to apply it.”
“If you say so,” Misha smiled back.
By now, the light was almost fully faded. Not really knowing what else to do, Dean pulled Misha in so the kid's head was resting on his shoulder.
“Let's get some sleep,” Dean suggested. “Nothing more to do right now anyway.”
“Okay,” Misha whispered, and snuggled in closer. Realising the need for comfort, Dean chose not to raise any objections. At least the kid seemed to be getting over his fear of touch.
~*~
Sam looked up as Cas froze, staring at nothing. The angel's lips moved faintly for a few seconds before he started speaking in a lighter tone than usual, sounding almost like Jimmy had.
“...took us is about five-six, long blonde hair, and pretty built. Um. I think he's got brown eyes, but I'm not sure. Oh, and he's got a burn mark on his neck. Hope that helps... Amen.”
Quickly Sam grabbed a pen and wrote down what Cas said. The angel fell silent for a moment, then blinked hard and focussed on Sam.
“What was that?” Sam was more than a little freaked.
“Someone prayed to me,” Castiel spoke quickly, mouth trying to keep up with his brain. “I could feel Dean trying to reach me, but the connection wasn't strong enough. The boy with him, he felt very similar to Jimmy. He may be a different reality's Jimmy, that would allow him to reach me much easier.”
“So you can track him?” Sam asked, hope rising.
“No, but he described the mage. If we find him, we can find Dean.”
~*~
With a description - however vague - Sam and Cas were able to narrow down their search a great deal, and even start questioning people properly. Even so, it seemed to be taking forever. Sam spent the evening going from bar to bar, motel to motel, trying to find anyone who matched the description. Castiel tried flying in decreasing concentric circles over the town, invisible to human eyes, trying to see anyone acting suspiciously. He knew that the longer he stayed here the more likely it became that he would be found by another angel, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. After all, he'd already died once for Dean, how could he leave him trapped in another reality?
All too soon, the town closed down for the night, and Sam and Cas met up again at Sam's motel room.
“I just don't know what else to do,” Sam fretted. “Are you sure you can't track the kid?”
“I'm quite sure,” Castiel spoke sharply, concern plain in his voice. “There was enough connection for the prayer to get through, but they are being shielded from detection from someone quite adept at incantations. If I could find them, I would.”
“Okay,” Sam sighed, dejected. “But what else can we do? The description isn't matching anyone new in town.”
“We keep looking,” Castiel declared. “I shall try to locate where the portal opens - it has done so three times in fairly rapid succession, there should be some residue left that I may be able to detect. If I can find it, perhaps I can break through as well. You should keep searching in town. People are more likely to speak to you. For now though, you need to sleep. You will be of no use to Dean if you collapse during a fight with the mage.”
Sam blinked, a little taken aback. That was quite possibly the longest speech he'd heard Cas give. It made sense though - and Sam knew how much Cas cared for Dean as well. He clearly wanted Dean back safe and sound.
“Right,” Sam nodded, standing and gathering his things. “I'll hit the arcade tomorrow, see if any of the kids remember seeing anything.” At that, Castiel disappeared, leaving Sam to try and get some sleep.
Somehow though, he doubted it would be that easy.
~*~
Dean woke to the feeling of being constricted not only by the chains, but also by Misha, who'd managed to wrap around him during the night. He sighed and dropped his head a little, resting his chin on the top of Misha's head as he thought.
Things weren't looking good. The fact that he'd slept all through the night was worrying, given the discomfort and circumstances. He considered how hungry and dehydrated he was getting, and decided that was most likely the cause. They needed to start figuring out a way to get out of here.
“Mmph... Dean?” Misha mumbled then as he came awake. Dean pulled back and watched as the kid blinked, sleep-filled eyes rapidly clearing. The situation had obviously taught him to wake quickly.
“Yeah kid, I'm still here.”
“More's the pity.”
Dean didn't take offence at the statement, instead taking it for what it was - snark aimed at the situation, the kid wishing that they were both in their own homes.
The pair fell silent again as Misha repositioned himself so that he wasn't wrapped around Dean, but was sitting pressed against his side. Once again, Dean dropped his arm around the kid's shoulder. He figured they were both craving a bit of physical comfort at the moment.
“So...” Misha began. “Any ideas for escape?”
“Several. One even involves lasers,” Dean quipped, pleased to see the small smile on Misha's face. “...Nothing serious though. Whoever this guy is, he's done a good job of sweeping out the room. Nothing we could use as lock picks or weapons.”
“We're going to die down here, aren't we?” Misha asked in a small voice, and Dean was once again reminded of how young his companion was.
“Hey now,” he squeezed Misha's shoulder. “I'm gonna do everything I can to get us out. And I know Cas and Sam won't stop looking either. Don't give up yet.”
“You're just trying to make me feel better.”
“Is it working?” Dean grinned down at Misha. He looked back for a moment, then a small smile started tugging at his lips.
“Yeah. It is a little... I know it's selfish, but I'm glad there's someone here with me.”
“Don't worry about it,” Dean waved off the teen's concern. “Being held captive always sucks, but it's worse when you're alone. Believe me, I know.”
Dean noticed the way Misha looked at him then and tried to ignore the uneasy feeling in his stomach. Sam used to look at him like that, like Dean was the greatest person in the world and knew the answers to all of life's problems. It was hero-worship at best. At worst, since he wasn't related to Misha, it was a potentially dangerous crush.
He also tried to ignore the fact that he'd wanted Cas to look at him like that for quite a while now.
“So, tell me more about your Russian-loving mom,” Dean smiled weakly, trying to think of a safe topic to talk about. One of these days, he would meet up with Fate and gank the bitch.
If they got out of this alive, of course.
~*~
Sam was getting desperate. It had been over twenty four hours now since Dean had gone missing, and they seemed no closer to finding him. Having had no luck at the arcade or park, he'd decided to head back to where Dean had disappeared from. He figured that the portal had to have been fairly close by - Dean wasn't a small man, and even Sam would have difficulty carrying him long distances.
“Come on Dean,” he spoke to himself. “How does this stuff keep happening to us? We're grown men, we should be able to last more than a month between getting kidnapped... I'm so kicking your ass for making me worry. When we find you again. I can't... I can't lose you a third time, I'm no good without you.” Sam realised he was babbling to thin air whilst leaning against the Impala, but he couldn't stop. Dean would never let him say all of this to his face anyway, and he needed to say it out loud, so why not talk to the car?
“Seriously Dean, I'm... I'm a wreck without you, man. Make all sorts of really dumb decisions. The Ruby thing? Not even my biggest mistake... though yeah, pretty big. Anyway... you just gotta hang on. We're looking for you, I promise. I'll never stop. Cas won't either. We're gonna find you, and you're gonna be okay. Promise.”
After a moment of silence, movement caught his eye, just at the edge of his vision. Sam turned slowly, trying to work out where it came from.
There - back in the forest a bit. Moving quickly, but quietly, Sam headed towards it, making sure he had his weapons in easy reach. It wasn't far before he realised what exactly had caught his attention, and he smiled darkly as he pulled out his cell phone.
“Cas,” he spoke as quietly as he could. “Got him. Forest behind where Dean was taken from. He's got another kid.”
Sam held back as long as he could - until the boy woke and started struggling. Bright green eyes caught Sam's attention, and he couldn't stop himself from rushing forward as the mage backhanded the young boy, sending him sprawling.
“Hey!” Sam shouted, lunging at him.
The mage dodged quicker than he'd thought, but was clearly surprised. He fought back with some skill, never letting Sam close enough to grab him.
“Interfering busybody,” the mage snarled, forcing Sam back with a couple of hard jabs. “Quit messing in other people's business!”
“Creep,” Sam shot back. It wasn't particularly original or insulting, but he was focused more on trying to win the fight without killing his best chance at finding Dean.
As he took his next step, everything seemed to happen in slow motion, with Sam unable to do anything to stop it. There was a flash of tan coat, Cas running toward them looking furious, and Sam realised that the mage must have had some sort of spell to prevent the angel from getting close earlier. Just as Sam thought that they were going to win, the mage stepped back and spoke in a horrible-sounding language. Sam tried to lunge forward and stop him, but the boy - who'd been rolling around, trying to keep out of the way - ended up under his feet, and Sam was sent sprawling to the ground just as the mage burst into flames.
“No!” Sam cried, scrambling to his feet as time sped up again. Within seconds, the mage's body had disintegrated into ash and blew away on the breeze, along with Sam's hopes of getting his brother back.
~*~
Dean froze, instantly alert. Something wasn't right. Well, a lot of things weren't right at the moment, but now...
“Do you hear that?” Misha was just as tense next to him. “Sounds like...”
“Fire,” Dean confirmed, dread rapidly filling him. “Shit.”
With each passing second the sound grew louder, and it was clear that the building above their little basement was burning. Things were just going from bad to worse.
“What do we do?” Misha was clearly close to panicking, not that Dean blamed him at all. “Burning's a horrible way to die, I don't wanna burn to death!”
“We'll, uh,” Dean was about to say something, anything, when the door above the stairs blew in, shrapnel quickly setting the stairs themselves ablaze. The only good thing about the room, Dean thought, was that it would take a long time to fill up with smoke, and there wasn't much fuel to burn down here.
Hearing a rather ominous creak, Dean glanced up at the ceiling above them - then threw himself on top of Misha, protecting the kid as one of the beams snapped, sending debris falling down on top of them.
“Fuck!” Dean spat out through gritted teeth, feeling his back start to burn. Misha was looking up at him with wide, terrified eyes, and Dean gave up. They weren't getting out alive. Sam and Cas weren't coming in time.
They were going to die.
“I don't wanna burn,” Misha whispered. Dean closed his eyes briefly, then nodded.
“You won't. I can make it quick.”
Misha looked startled for a moment, then nodded as he tried to blink away sudden tears. Dean took a breath, and realised he couldn't resist any more. He couldn't let the kid die like this.
“Hey Mish,” he whispered as he gently brushed the boy's nose with his own. “No one should die without getting a proper kiss.”
Misha's eyes flew open for a moment, then fluttered closed as Dean lowered his head a little more and brushed their lips together. He was gentle at first, but soon pressed for more as Misha's arms came up to shyly wrap around his neck. He knew that they didn't have much time, was conscious of the room burning around them and the pain in his back. But Misha was making little whimpering noises in the back of his throat and arching up into him, kissing back as he quickly learned what to do. If he had the time, Dean knew he wouldn't be able to keep from exploring the young body beneath him.
He wondered what sort of monster that made him.
Reluctantly he pulled back and managed to sit up. The easiest thing would be to break Misha's neck, quick and almost painless for the boy. So he gently placed his hands on Misha's head and smiled sadly down at him.
“I'll be seeing you, Mish,” he whispered as the roaring of the fire grew closer.
“Yeah,” Misha nodded, a little out of breath from the kiss and the smoke.
Then there was a snap, and he stopped breathing all together.
~*~
A few days later, Castiel managed to break through the barriers between realities, now that he knew what language the mage was using for his spells. He and Sam arrived on the front lawn of a burned-out husk of a house in the middle of nowhere.
“No,” Sam tried to deny what his heart already knew, as he and Cas slowly picked their way through the rubble.
In a closet near the front of the house was a pile of clothes that Sam recognised as Dean's. He picked up the old leather jacket and held it tight. It was dirty and smoky, burned in several places, but he couldn't put it down. Underneath, it still smelled of Dean.
They continued to search, and Cas was the one to find the photo album. Sam tried not to gag at the sight, page upon page of pale, bruised, naked teenagers, wrapped in chains. The sick feeling grew as he realised that many of the kids looked a lot like Dean had as a teen - and the others looked like what he imagined Jimmy Novak had. It was only then that he realised the mage had looked rather like a shorter version of himself.
“Cas,” Sam whispered, not knowing how to explain. But the angel nodded anyway, expression unreadable.
“I know. I see it too.”
As they neared the back of the house, a sickening smell hit Sam's nose, and this time he did vomit. He'd recognise the smell of burned flesh anywhere.
Cas didn't stop though. He stood at the edge of a large hole in the floor, looking down. When Sam managed to get his feet back underneath him, he carefully approached to stand at the angel's side, already knowing what they'd find.
In a blink, Castiel transported them both down to the basement, where Dean's burned body lay wrapped around that of the alternate-Jimmy. From the posture, it was clear that Dean had been trying to protect the boy from the flames.
“Dean,” Sam dropped to his knees, tears gathering. “I'm so... I'm so sorry.”
Then Cas knelt and touched Dean's forehead, frowning.
“Something is not right,” he muttered. Sam looked up, incredulous that that was all Cas had to say, but the angle quickly continued. “His soul is not in Heaven, nor back on any version of Earth... It is not where it is supposed to be.”
“Where is it then?” Sam asked, not sure how much more he could stand.
“I don't know. But if it is not in Heaven, then we have a chance at finding him.” He looked up at Sam, certainty burning in his eyes. “We will find him. Even if I have to break into Hell again to do it.”
Author: chef_geekier
Artist: tiggeratl1
Fandom/Genre: Supernatural/RPF alternate dimensions.
Pairings: Unrequited Dean/Cas, brief Dean/Misha, mentioned non-con OMC/Misha
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 5,800
Warnings: Kidnapping, spiked drinks, alternate realities, allusions to underage non-con (nothing graphic), angst, captivity, brief violence, minor (16 years) with crush on adult, minor/adult kiss, some bad language, character death.
Summary: When Cas turned up and asked for Dean's help tracking down a dimension-hopping, teen-kidnapping, hard-to-track-down mage, he didn't think twice before agreeing to help. He really should have. Because now he's chained up in a basement with a sixteen year old boy named Misha who looks a lot like Cas, unable to do anything while Sam and Cas grow ever more desperate to find him.
Art Post (Check it out, it's absolutely gorgeous!)
“Dean, I require your assistance.”
“Sure Cas. What's up?”
It was just like the start of any other hunt. In the course of his quest to find God, Cas often came across odd supernatural occurrences. In order to stay hidden he frequently passed the news to Bobby or the Winchesters to sort out.
“Someone is messing with reality. Portals between alternate universes have been opening up briefly every three months, twice in one reality with two to nine days between. Someone is coming through the portal, kidnapping at least one attractive young man in their mid to late teens, and returning to their own reality.”
“Woah,” Dean raised an eyebrow. “That's... a new one. So, how do we stop it?”
“A portal recently opened in Wyoming. I can transport you and Sam there. It is most likely a powerful mage, they have defences against being located personally.” Cas looked a little put out at that. Dean figured that if he could, the angel would just smite the mage and be done with it - something Dean wasn't exactly against.
“Okay then,” he started throwing his things together. “Sam'll be back soon with breakfast. Wyoming's too far to drive on that timeline, so I guess you'll have to zap us.” He paused and glanced over at his friend. “You can bring the Impala too, right?”
“Yes Dean,” Cas nodded. “I wouldn't attempt to separate you from your baby.” In Cas' usual deadpan voice, that phrase sounded incredibly weird. But it reassured Dean, so when Sam came back they were able to leave immediately.
~*~
By the end of the first day, they were no closer to finding out who was responsible. On the bright side, no one had yet gone missing. On the downside, there were too many strangers in town to identify them all - it was market day, with people from all over the county coming to this particular town. Dean was hopeful that in the morning most would be gone, and they could start hunting properly.
“This is ridiculous,” Dean muttered, glancing around the packed bar. There was barely any room to move, and he couldn't hear anything over the dull roar of people and music around him.
Instead of trying to stick it out, Dean left the bar, his beer untouched on the counter.
He didn't notice the eyes following him out of the room. There were simply too many people pressed in together for his hunter instincts to work properly.
~*~
“Dean,” Sam looked highly uncomfortable as he sat at the table. “I just... we have no leads here. Other than someone's gonna disappear in the next week. With everything else happening, do you really think we can do anything here?”
“Cas asked me to,” Dean shrugged. “So I'm gonna try.”
“Damn it Dean, you need to talk to him about this crush! It's getting ridiculous.”
“I don't know what you're talking about Sammy.”
Unfortunately, the hated diminutive didn't distract his brother, only earning him a light glare.
“Oh really, Dean? Cas asks you for something, you drop everything to help him! No matter what he asks.”
“Not like he hasn't done the same for us,” Dean shifted uncomfortably. “Anyway, he's asking for help to save people. That's what we do, remember? Save people in over their heads?”
“I know that, but...” Sam sighed and shook his head. “Dean, you like Cas. I know you do. You should just tell him, go for it!”
“Whatever,” Dean headed to the bathroom. “Keep looking.”
Holding back a frustrated growl, Sam turned back to his laptop. He'd meant it when he said they had no leads here. So while the police scanner was on in the background, he started looking into potential hunts in the area for when they admitted defeat.
~*~
There was still nothing the next day, and Dean was rapidly growing frustrated - until he saw a flyer in town for a youth gathering that day to celebrate school letting out. He followed a group of kids in their late teens out of town towards where the bonfire would be, figuring that since it was hot kids going missing, hanging around where they were was probably his best hope of finding the mage.
“Dude, you're gonna look like a creeper,” Sam pointed out, rather disturbed, when Dean called him from the gathering. It seemed the entire under twenty five population of the town was showing up, so Dean just shrugged off his brother's concerns.
“Nah, there's plenty of people here. I'm blending pretty well.” He took a swig from the beer he'd snagged earlier. “But I could do with another... pair...” Dean trailed off as his vision started to go fuzzy, and he cursed himself for taking an already open drink. It was sloppy, something he should have learned years ago, and still he fell for it.
“Dean? … Dean!”
“Sammy... drugged... Cas...” Dean managed to get out before strong arms were around his shoulders.
“Dude! Is he wasted already?” He heard some of the kids laughing at him, and he tried to open his eyes to communicate. But he was being dragged away, and within a few steps he'd lost the battle to stay concious.
~*~
There was cold stone underneath him.
That was the first thing to occur to Dean as he slowly woke up. His head ached something fierce, and his body felt like he'd gone a few rounds with a werewolf.
“Hey,” a soft voice sounded next to him, and Dean tried to open his eyes more. “You waking up? Please wake up, please don't be dead.”
Eventually Dean managed to move his head and focus on the young man sitting a few feet away, and nearly choked in surprise.
“Cas!?” He rasped, throat feeling like sandpaper, but he saw almost immediately that it couldn't be the angel. For one thing, the boy was too young, late teens at the most. For another, he was naked and covered in dirt, scratches and bruises, especially around the places where he was tangled in chains. Dean tried to sit up, and found that he was similarly naked and bound. It wasn't a pleasant realisation.
“You're alive,” the kid smiled weakly, and Dean turned his attention back to him. “He brought you in this morning. I thought you might not wake up... the last one didn't.”
“Hold up,” Dean managed to sit after a few attempts. The boy made no move to help him, seeming reluctant to touch him. “Who are you, who is 'he', and where are we?”
“I'm Misha,” the kid raised his knees to his chest and wrapped skinny arms around them. “As for the other two... I've been here for a while, a week or so, and I still don't know. I got snatched from a school trip, woke up here. There were a couple of corpses in the corner when I got here, but they got moved soon after. And he brought down another guy a couple days after, but he never woke up.”
Dean listened with a sinking feeling. With no way to contact Sam or Cas, he was stuck until they found him. He looked around at the room they were in and tried to keep from swearing. They were underground, in a cellar of some sort. There was a series of small windows, too hight to reach and not even large enough for Misha's shoulders to slide through along one wall, and a solid staircase along another. Misha had clearly been using one section of floor as a makeshift toilet, and the two of them were chained to the wall opposite the stairs, close together.
Trying the chains, Dean couldn't figure out how they were attached until Misha spoke up.
“He welded you into them before he brought you down. Then he hooked the chains to the wall.”
Now that it had been pointed out, Dean could see where the chains were welded so that he was caught in a net of metal. No way he was going to be able to slip out of them. He managed to stand and checked where they were attached to the wall. It looked as though only a padlock kept the chains and wall together, but with no tools he couldn't pick the lock, or even break it. He sighed and slumped against the wall again, sinking down.
“So,” he decided to question his only available source. “Any idea what he wants with us?”
Misha's face immediately closed off, and he seemed to hunch in on himself. If that wasn't enough of a clue, Dean could now see hand-shaped bruises on the boy's hips, and felt a sudden surge of rage.
“He...” Misha trailed off, staring at his knees. “I don't know his end game. I think he's just a sadist.”
Dean said nothing, just settled back. He was fairly certain that the protectiveness running through him then wasn't just because Misha looked like a young Cas. It was because he was a normal kid, and was obviously being hurt. After a moment, he decided to change the subject.
“Hey kid, how old are you?”
“Sixteen,” Misha looked up again, clearly grateful for the new topic. “I'm going... I was going to become president one day, once I finished school and college. But that won't happen now.” He looked down again, and Dean really wanted to find some way of comforting him.
“Hey,” he reached out and put a hand on Misha's shoulder, squeezing gently. The boy flinched a little, but quickly regained his composure. “My brother and me, we track down bad guys like this. It's what we do. And Sam knows that I got taken, so he's gonna be looking for me. Plus, we've got an angel on our side, so it's only a matter of time before we're found and get out of here.”
“An angel? Really?” Misha looked sceptical, and Dean flashed him a grin. He could talk about Cas all day... so maybe Sam did have a point about having a crush on him. When they got out he'd do something about it. Maybe.
“Yeah, Castiel - Cas. He pulled me out of Hell, then turned against Heaven to try and save humanity. He's awesome to have around in a fight, and pretty cool to hang out with, even if he doesn't understand much of how humans work these days.”
“Cas,” Misha looked thoughtful, even as he edged a little closer. “That's what you called me when you woke up.”
“Yeah, you look a lot like his vessel,” Dean shrugged, letting the kid get comfortable by his side. “You're younger though, and there's something about Cas that just... you look at him and know that he isn't a normal human.”
The pair fell into silence, Dean's arm around Misha's shoulders as they tried to share body heat and avoid more bruises from the chains.
~*~
“He was here somewhere,” Sam muttered as he and Castiel searched the empty field for signs of Dean. The Impala was sitting abandoned by the side of the road, and Sam grew more concerned with every passing minute. “C'mon Dean, give us a clue...”
“Sam,” Castiel called then, reaching down to collect something from the ground. Sam jogged over, heart freezing up when he saw what Cas was holding. Dean's cell phone.
“No,” Sam tried to deny it, but he couldn't. Dean was gone. “We... we have to find him.”
Cas nodded, anger rolling off him in waves. Sam knew that the angel wouldn't give up, that they'd keep searching for something until they found him. Then Cas shifted, an almost imperceptible change in his posture, and it seemed he was listening to something.
“The portal opened again,” Cas spoke then, looking at Sam. “The mage hasn't finished here. We can still find him before he leaves.”
~*~
It was a couple of hours later - Dean couldn't tell the exact time - when Misha shifted a little.
“This is so weird,” he muttered, and Dean grinned. “I mean, getting snatched and chained up in a dungeon? It's something out of a bad horror movie. I hate those.”
“Bad horror movies?” Dean asked, arm still wrapped around the kid's shoulders.
“Horror movies in general. Can't watch them.”
“Not even the old black and white classics?”
“Nope,” Misha shook his head. “I can't separate movie from reality.”
“I have the the same problem sometimes,” Dean confided in him. “Though mostly because hunting monster is my life.”
“Yeah, that could get confusing,” Misha nodded solemnly, and Dean wasn't sure if the kid was mocking him or not. “So... alternate realities really exist.”
“Yep.”
“In yours, magic and demons and monsters are real.”
“Yep.”
“...How does anyone in your world make it to puberty?”
“Not a clue. Blind luck, mostly.”
Misha sniggered at that, and Dean found himself relaxing a little. If he had to be chained up and defenceless with anyone, at least he was with someone who had a sense of humour.
They whiled away the time sharing stories about their lives. Dean told about his first kiss, and losing his virginity. Misha pouted and claimed that his first (and thus far only) kiss didn't count, because the girl had shoved her tongue so far into his mouth that he'd gagged on it. Dean totally agreed.
The light was fading, and it reminded Dean just how bad his situation was - even if he did have an entertaining co-prisoner. It was way past time Sam or Cas should have found him, going by previous experience. His stomach growled then, reminding Dean how long it had been since he'd last eaten.
“You get used to it,” Misha spoke up then, and Dean raised an eyebrow.
“Get used to what?”
“Being hungry. He feeds me once every couple of days. So far, anyway. Nothing much, just enough to keep me from starving. He'll probably feed us less now, try to make sure you get weaker, 'cause I'm pretty sure you could take him in a fight.”
“You bet your ass I could,” Dean grinned, trying to downplay how worried he was getting. C'mon Cas, he thought desperately. Time to be my kick-ass personal saviour once again.
But there was no answer.
Dean froze then, thinking. There was something he hadn't tried in a while, since he had the sigils carved into his ribs and Cas couldn't tell exactly where he was. But maybe...
“Hey Misha, what's your full name?”
“Dmitri Tippens Krushnic.”
“Wha?” Dean blinked, while Misha shrugged.
“Misha's been my nickname for years. Mom had a thing for Russia.”
“Okay,” Dean shook his head, trying to focus again. “This is gonna sound weird, but … but Cas can't trace me 'cause of some symbols he carved into my ribs, trying to protect me form the other creepy-ass angels. Usually I just call him and tell him where to meet me, but since I don't know where I am...”
“You'll try getting him to trace me instead?”
“Huh. You're pretty quick on the uptake.”
“Evil genius in the making,” Misha shrugged. “So, how are you gonna call him without a phone?”
“Well, it's something I haven't tried in a while, but... ah...” he shifted, highly uncomfortable with the idea, but Misha was staring at him with those blue eyes so similar to Cas', and he couldn't back down now. “I'm gonna... try praying.”
Misha stared at Dean for a moment, then shrugged.
“If you think it's worth a shot, go ahead.”
Dean flashed him a thankful grin, then closed his eyes.
“Hey Cas,” he spoke aloud, concentrating with all his might. “I know you can't really track me, and I can't tell you where I am. But I'm being held with a kid called Dmitri Tippens Krushnic. He's from another reality, one that probably doesn't have monsters an' stuff roaming around. He seems to be that reality's version of Jimmy. Uh... Come get us when you can, okay? ...Amen, I guess.”
When he opened his eyes, Misha was staring at him, interested and concerned at the same time.
“That was a prayer?”
“Prayer, summoning;... something along those lines. Used to work.”
“Hmm,” Misha hummed in acknowledgement. “But... he was always in the same reality, wasn't he?”
“Yeah,” Dean's shoulders slumped without his permission. “Then he always had an ear out in case I needed him. These days, we use phones. And I don't even know if payers can cross realities.”
“Well, would it help if I prayed too?”
“Maybe,” Dean shrugged. He settled back against the wall while Misha closed his eyes.
“Hey Castiel,” the boy started much as Dean had. “Um, I'm Misha - Dmitri, I mean - and Dean's with me. We need your help. Please.” He paused for a moment, then started again. “If you can't get to us, the guy who took us is about five-six, long blonde hair, and pretty built. Um. I think he's got brown eyes, but I'm not sure. Oh, and he's got a burn mark on his neck. Hope that helps... Amen.”
“Good thinking,” Dean smiled, and Misha ducked his head. “We'll be fine. Cas'll find us.”
“...And if he doesn't?” Misha whispered. “What if he can't reach us?”
Dean swallowed hard, and moved closer to him again.
“Then we wait for the creep to come back down here, and I kick his ass until he lets us go.”
“As simple as that, huh?”
“Naturally,” Dean gave him a winning smile. “Any problem can be solved with enough violence. You just have to know where to apply it.”
“If you say so,” Misha smiled back.
By now, the light was almost fully faded. Not really knowing what else to do, Dean pulled Misha in so the kid's head was resting on his shoulder.
“Let's get some sleep,” Dean suggested. “Nothing more to do right now anyway.”
“Okay,” Misha whispered, and snuggled in closer. Realising the need for comfort, Dean chose not to raise any objections. At least the kid seemed to be getting over his fear of touch.
~*~
Sam looked up as Cas froze, staring at nothing. The angel's lips moved faintly for a few seconds before he started speaking in a lighter tone than usual, sounding almost like Jimmy had.
“...took us is about five-six, long blonde hair, and pretty built. Um. I think he's got brown eyes, but I'm not sure. Oh, and he's got a burn mark on his neck. Hope that helps... Amen.”
Quickly Sam grabbed a pen and wrote down what Cas said. The angel fell silent for a moment, then blinked hard and focussed on Sam.
“What was that?” Sam was more than a little freaked.
“Someone prayed to me,” Castiel spoke quickly, mouth trying to keep up with his brain. “I could feel Dean trying to reach me, but the connection wasn't strong enough. The boy with him, he felt very similar to Jimmy. He may be a different reality's Jimmy, that would allow him to reach me much easier.”
“So you can track him?” Sam asked, hope rising.
“No, but he described the mage. If we find him, we can find Dean.”
~*~
With a description - however vague - Sam and Cas were able to narrow down their search a great deal, and even start questioning people properly. Even so, it seemed to be taking forever. Sam spent the evening going from bar to bar, motel to motel, trying to find anyone who matched the description. Castiel tried flying in decreasing concentric circles over the town, invisible to human eyes, trying to see anyone acting suspiciously. He knew that the longer he stayed here the more likely it became that he would be found by another angel, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. After all, he'd already died once for Dean, how could he leave him trapped in another reality?
All too soon, the town closed down for the night, and Sam and Cas met up again at Sam's motel room.
“I just don't know what else to do,” Sam fretted. “Are you sure you can't track the kid?”
“I'm quite sure,” Castiel spoke sharply, concern plain in his voice. “There was enough connection for the prayer to get through, but they are being shielded from detection from someone quite adept at incantations. If I could find them, I would.”
“Okay,” Sam sighed, dejected. “But what else can we do? The description isn't matching anyone new in town.”
“We keep looking,” Castiel declared. “I shall try to locate where the portal opens - it has done so three times in fairly rapid succession, there should be some residue left that I may be able to detect. If I can find it, perhaps I can break through as well. You should keep searching in town. People are more likely to speak to you. For now though, you need to sleep. You will be of no use to Dean if you collapse during a fight with the mage.”
Sam blinked, a little taken aback. That was quite possibly the longest speech he'd heard Cas give. It made sense though - and Sam knew how much Cas cared for Dean as well. He clearly wanted Dean back safe and sound.
“Right,” Sam nodded, standing and gathering his things. “I'll hit the arcade tomorrow, see if any of the kids remember seeing anything.” At that, Castiel disappeared, leaving Sam to try and get some sleep.
Somehow though, he doubted it would be that easy.
~*~
Dean woke to the feeling of being constricted not only by the chains, but also by Misha, who'd managed to wrap around him during the night. He sighed and dropped his head a little, resting his chin on the top of Misha's head as he thought.
Things weren't looking good. The fact that he'd slept all through the night was worrying, given the discomfort and circumstances. He considered how hungry and dehydrated he was getting, and decided that was most likely the cause. They needed to start figuring out a way to get out of here.
“Mmph... Dean?” Misha mumbled then as he came awake. Dean pulled back and watched as the kid blinked, sleep-filled eyes rapidly clearing. The situation had obviously taught him to wake quickly.
“Yeah kid, I'm still here.”
“More's the pity.”
Dean didn't take offence at the statement, instead taking it for what it was - snark aimed at the situation, the kid wishing that they were both in their own homes.
The pair fell silent again as Misha repositioned himself so that he wasn't wrapped around Dean, but was sitting pressed against his side. Once again, Dean dropped his arm around the kid's shoulder. He figured they were both craving a bit of physical comfort at the moment.
“So...” Misha began. “Any ideas for escape?”
“Several. One even involves lasers,” Dean quipped, pleased to see the small smile on Misha's face. “...Nothing serious though. Whoever this guy is, he's done a good job of sweeping out the room. Nothing we could use as lock picks or weapons.”
“We're going to die down here, aren't we?” Misha asked in a small voice, and Dean was once again reminded of how young his companion was.
“Hey now,” he squeezed Misha's shoulder. “I'm gonna do everything I can to get us out. And I know Cas and Sam won't stop looking either. Don't give up yet.”
“You're just trying to make me feel better.”
“Is it working?” Dean grinned down at Misha. He looked back for a moment, then a small smile started tugging at his lips.
“Yeah. It is a little... I know it's selfish, but I'm glad there's someone here with me.”
“Don't worry about it,” Dean waved off the teen's concern. “Being held captive always sucks, but it's worse when you're alone. Believe me, I know.”
Dean noticed the way Misha looked at him then and tried to ignore the uneasy feeling in his stomach. Sam used to look at him like that, like Dean was the greatest person in the world and knew the answers to all of life's problems. It was hero-worship at best. At worst, since he wasn't related to Misha, it was a potentially dangerous crush.
He also tried to ignore the fact that he'd wanted Cas to look at him like that for quite a while now.
“So, tell me more about your Russian-loving mom,” Dean smiled weakly, trying to think of a safe topic to talk about. One of these days, he would meet up with Fate and gank the bitch.
If they got out of this alive, of course.
~*~
Sam was getting desperate. It had been over twenty four hours now since Dean had gone missing, and they seemed no closer to finding him. Having had no luck at the arcade or park, he'd decided to head back to where Dean had disappeared from. He figured that the portal had to have been fairly close by - Dean wasn't a small man, and even Sam would have difficulty carrying him long distances.
“Come on Dean,” he spoke to himself. “How does this stuff keep happening to us? We're grown men, we should be able to last more than a month between getting kidnapped... I'm so kicking your ass for making me worry. When we find you again. I can't... I can't lose you a third time, I'm no good without you.” Sam realised he was babbling to thin air whilst leaning against the Impala, but he couldn't stop. Dean would never let him say all of this to his face anyway, and he needed to say it out loud, so why not talk to the car?
“Seriously Dean, I'm... I'm a wreck without you, man. Make all sorts of really dumb decisions. The Ruby thing? Not even my biggest mistake... though yeah, pretty big. Anyway... you just gotta hang on. We're looking for you, I promise. I'll never stop. Cas won't either. We're gonna find you, and you're gonna be okay. Promise.”
After a moment of silence, movement caught his eye, just at the edge of his vision. Sam turned slowly, trying to work out where it came from.
There - back in the forest a bit. Moving quickly, but quietly, Sam headed towards it, making sure he had his weapons in easy reach. It wasn't far before he realised what exactly had caught his attention, and he smiled darkly as he pulled out his cell phone.
“Cas,” he spoke as quietly as he could. “Got him. Forest behind where Dean was taken from. He's got another kid.”
Sam held back as long as he could - until the boy woke and started struggling. Bright green eyes caught Sam's attention, and he couldn't stop himself from rushing forward as the mage backhanded the young boy, sending him sprawling.
“Hey!” Sam shouted, lunging at him.
The mage dodged quicker than he'd thought, but was clearly surprised. He fought back with some skill, never letting Sam close enough to grab him.
“Interfering busybody,” the mage snarled, forcing Sam back with a couple of hard jabs. “Quit messing in other people's business!”
“Creep,” Sam shot back. It wasn't particularly original or insulting, but he was focused more on trying to win the fight without killing his best chance at finding Dean.
As he took his next step, everything seemed to happen in slow motion, with Sam unable to do anything to stop it. There was a flash of tan coat, Cas running toward them looking furious, and Sam realised that the mage must have had some sort of spell to prevent the angel from getting close earlier. Just as Sam thought that they were going to win, the mage stepped back and spoke in a horrible-sounding language. Sam tried to lunge forward and stop him, but the boy - who'd been rolling around, trying to keep out of the way - ended up under his feet, and Sam was sent sprawling to the ground just as the mage burst into flames.
“No!” Sam cried, scrambling to his feet as time sped up again. Within seconds, the mage's body had disintegrated into ash and blew away on the breeze, along with Sam's hopes of getting his brother back.
~*~
Dean froze, instantly alert. Something wasn't right. Well, a lot of things weren't right at the moment, but now...
“Do you hear that?” Misha was just as tense next to him. “Sounds like...”
“Fire,” Dean confirmed, dread rapidly filling him. “Shit.”
With each passing second the sound grew louder, and it was clear that the building above their little basement was burning. Things were just going from bad to worse.
“What do we do?” Misha was clearly close to panicking, not that Dean blamed him at all. “Burning's a horrible way to die, I don't wanna burn to death!”
“We'll, uh,” Dean was about to say something, anything, when the door above the stairs blew in, shrapnel quickly setting the stairs themselves ablaze. The only good thing about the room, Dean thought, was that it would take a long time to fill up with smoke, and there wasn't much fuel to burn down here.
Hearing a rather ominous creak, Dean glanced up at the ceiling above them - then threw himself on top of Misha, protecting the kid as one of the beams snapped, sending debris falling down on top of them.
“Fuck!” Dean spat out through gritted teeth, feeling his back start to burn. Misha was looking up at him with wide, terrified eyes, and Dean gave up. They weren't getting out alive. Sam and Cas weren't coming in time.
They were going to die.
“I don't wanna burn,” Misha whispered. Dean closed his eyes briefly, then nodded.
“You won't. I can make it quick.”
Misha looked startled for a moment, then nodded as he tried to blink away sudden tears. Dean took a breath, and realised he couldn't resist any more. He couldn't let the kid die like this.
“Hey Mish,” he whispered as he gently brushed the boy's nose with his own. “No one should die without getting a proper kiss.”
Misha's eyes flew open for a moment, then fluttered closed as Dean lowered his head a little more and brushed their lips together. He was gentle at first, but soon pressed for more as Misha's arms came up to shyly wrap around his neck. He knew that they didn't have much time, was conscious of the room burning around them and the pain in his back. But Misha was making little whimpering noises in the back of his throat and arching up into him, kissing back as he quickly learned what to do. If he had the time, Dean knew he wouldn't be able to keep from exploring the young body beneath him.
He wondered what sort of monster that made him.
Reluctantly he pulled back and managed to sit up. The easiest thing would be to break Misha's neck, quick and almost painless for the boy. So he gently placed his hands on Misha's head and smiled sadly down at him.
“I'll be seeing you, Mish,” he whispered as the roaring of the fire grew closer.
“Yeah,” Misha nodded, a little out of breath from the kiss and the smoke.
Then there was a snap, and he stopped breathing all together.
~*~
A few days later, Castiel managed to break through the barriers between realities, now that he knew what language the mage was using for his spells. He and Sam arrived on the front lawn of a burned-out husk of a house in the middle of nowhere.
“No,” Sam tried to deny what his heart already knew, as he and Cas slowly picked their way through the rubble.
In a closet near the front of the house was a pile of clothes that Sam recognised as Dean's. He picked up the old leather jacket and held it tight. It was dirty and smoky, burned in several places, but he couldn't put it down. Underneath, it still smelled of Dean.
They continued to search, and Cas was the one to find the photo album. Sam tried not to gag at the sight, page upon page of pale, bruised, naked teenagers, wrapped in chains. The sick feeling grew as he realised that many of the kids looked a lot like Dean had as a teen - and the others looked like what he imagined Jimmy Novak had. It was only then that he realised the mage had looked rather like a shorter version of himself.
“Cas,” Sam whispered, not knowing how to explain. But the angel nodded anyway, expression unreadable.
“I know. I see it too.”
As they neared the back of the house, a sickening smell hit Sam's nose, and this time he did vomit. He'd recognise the smell of burned flesh anywhere.
Cas didn't stop though. He stood at the edge of a large hole in the floor, looking down. When Sam managed to get his feet back underneath him, he carefully approached to stand at the angel's side, already knowing what they'd find.
In a blink, Castiel transported them both down to the basement, where Dean's burned body lay wrapped around that of the alternate-Jimmy. From the posture, it was clear that Dean had been trying to protect the boy from the flames.
“Dean,” Sam dropped to his knees, tears gathering. “I'm so... I'm so sorry.”
Then Cas knelt and touched Dean's forehead, frowning.
“Something is not right,” he muttered. Sam looked up, incredulous that that was all Cas had to say, but the angle quickly continued. “His soul is not in Heaven, nor back on any version of Earth... It is not where it is supposed to be.”
“Where is it then?” Sam asked, not sure how much more he could stand.
“I don't know. But if it is not in Heaven, then we have a chance at finding him.” He looked up at Sam, certainty burning in his eyes. “We will find him. Even if I have to break into Hell again to do it.”