Stockholm Syndrome ch. 3/?
Title: Stockholm Syndrome
Author: earth_heart
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter
Genre: Dark!fic, kidnapping, demons and angels
Warnings: Slight abuse, weakened angel, D/s themes
Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Eric Kripke and the CW/WB. I make no profit from this story.
Summary: Stockholm Syndrome: -noun Psychiatry . an emotional attachment to a captor formed by a hostage as a result of continuous stress, dependence, and a need to cooperate for survival. In which Dean is a demon who kidnaps the angel Castiel because he wants him, and Castiel comes to love Dean because he can’t remember anything but the demon.
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Chapter 3: Survival overpowers hate
The door opened quietly, and Castiel knew that Dean was entering the room. The angel kept his eyes closed, though, and tried to keep his body relaxed. He felt the first touch of fingers through the thin blanket, tracking the way they gently stroked over his upper thigh.
“Castiel.” the demon called quietly, his voice so gentle it was as if he wasn’t a demon at all. “Wake up, Cas.”
“I do not sleep.” Castiel murmured, his face pressed into his pillow. He opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder at Dean; the familiar feelings of anger at this demon warring with the need to please that had been growing in him.
Days had blurred together during Castiel’s captivity. He could no longer tell how long he’d been living in this room, with no one but Dean as his companion. Time in Hell passed differently than time in Heaven, and on Earth; he could have been here for years already. What he did know was that the longer he stayed, the harder it was to remember anything outside of the walls of his room. All he had was Dean, and he was coming to depend more and more on the demon, craving his praise. There was only one rule, and that was do not disobey. So long as Castiel was obedient, he was safe and unharmed.
“Mornin’, Cas.” Dean said, smiling as he carded his fingers through the angel’s hair. Unconsciously the Seraph tilted his head into the touch, a soft noise slipping from him as he basked in the show of tenderness.
“Good morning, Dean.” he replied, letting his eyes fall half-closed as he enjoyed the affectionate touches. “Did you sleep well?” Part of him really hoped that Dean had, because he liked it when the demon was bright and alert, rather than quiet and surly.
“Yeah. Would have slept better if you’d slept with me.”
The thought that Dean wanted to sleep in the same bed both excited and worried Castiel. The need to please Dean eagerly whirled at the thought of sleeping with the demon, while the part of him that was still firmly and angel of the Lord recoiled. It should have horrified him to realize that part of the Seraphim was fading away, but it really didn’t.
“Why can’t I?” The words slipped out before he realized he wanted to say them, and the angel tried not to think of how petulant and whiny he sounded.
Dean smiled and stroked Castiel’s face, leaning forward to kiss him on the forehead. “Because, Cas. No one else is allowed to see you yet. You’re my angel, and if they saw how beautiful you are, they’d want to steal you away from me.”
The thought of being taken away from Dean terrified him, and Castiel all but crawled into the demon’s lap, arms sliding around Dean’s neck as he held onto him. “No, don’t let them take me away.” he begged. “I don’t want to be taken away from you.”
Dean’s arms wrapped around him, stroking up and down his back as he made soothing noises. “It’s alright, Cas. No one’s going to take you from me. You’re my angel.”
Calmed by the gentle petting, Castiel rested his head on Dean’s shoulder, humming and making other little delighted noises. It felt so nice to be taken care of like this. The Seraph had only ever been a soldier, meant to show the glory and wrath of God. No one but him had groomed his wings, or touched him in any way that wasn’t professional. Dean’s strokes and caresses were infectious, and Castiel never wanted them to stop.
When they stopped, the angel whined and arched back to try and follow the demon’s hands. “Dean?” he asked worriedly, looking into Dean’s green eyes. Had he done something wrong?
“I have to go to work.” Dean said, smiling at Castiel and cupping the angel’s face in his hands. “I’ll be back after lunch, okay?” When Dean pressed a gentle kiss to Castiel’s cheek the angel nuzzled eagerly into the contact.
Feeling himself being gently pushed back, he whined in protest and clung to Dean harder, nuzzling into the demon’s throat and wrapping his wings around them both. His actions were met with a chuckle.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can, Cas. I promise.” Dean murmured, untangling himself from the Seraphim and heading for the door. Castiel watched him go with sad eyes, his wings drooping behind him. As soon as the door vanished, the angel looked down at his lap. He caught sight of the ever-present manacles, and at once his anger roared through him again.
Of course, how could he have been so stupid? He was nothing more than a captive, a prize for the demon to crow over until he grew tired and decided the angel was no longer wanted. He might very well kill the Seraph then, if the learned the incantation or found the right weapon.
Castiel flared out his wings in an aggressive response to an invisible foe, clenching his teeth. He had to hold onto his anger, and he had to find a way to outsmart Dean.
The demon would learn that he was no complacent creature to be coddled and treated like some pet.
“You seem awfully happy.” Sam said when Dean arrived at their usual meeting place. “Did you finally get some?”
Dean grinned at his brother, winking. He’d let Sammy think that was what happened. No one but Dean would know of the gorgeous angel waiting for him back in his rooms.
“Is that why you never want to leave your room anymore?” his brother teased, nudging him playfully with his tail and laughing. Dean nudged back with his own tail, taking a bite out of the bacon cheeseburger he’d summoned up. (He could enjoy entrails, or raw meat like so many other demons did, or even fresh souls; but Dean had eaten Earth-food before and was rather fond of it. Sam couldn’t tease him, either, because his brother was currently making his way through some kind of chicken-based salad.)
“Maybe I just like relaxing.” Dean countered, though the smirk he shot at Sammy would convince his brother that he was doing anything but resting, even if all he really was doing was spending time with his angel.
Speaking of which... “Hey, gotta go.” the demon said, finishing the last of his burger in one large bite. He twined his tail affectionately with Sam’s, hearing his brother’s teasing jibe before he bolted to his room.
Calling up the trap-door eagerly, Dean hurried through, shutting it once he was in Castiel’s room and turning to wish it away. With his back turned, he didn’t catch the angel’s movement until the creature was slamming him roughly into the wall. Dean grunted and pushed back, but something came around and slammed across his head.
Crumpling to the ground, Dean rolled away, though he couldn’t escape the wings that continued to buffet him, knocking him silly. Snarling, he gathered himself enough to tackle Castiel’s legs, taking the angel down.
Surprised when Castiel flipped them over, Dean bucked beneath the angel. When the Seraph’s fist connected with his jaw, he growled in pain. The creature still had enough strength to cause some pain, which only made Dean angrier.
“Cas!” he bellowed, his tail curling around the angel’s neck and throwing him to the side. He held Castiel down with his tail around the angel’s throat, constricting it and watching as Castiel gasped and clawed at his neck, trying to loosen the tail.
“Dammit, Cas, when are you going to learn?!” Dean demanded, claws digging into his angel’s sides and dragging him forward roughly. He scored row after row of jagged tears over the angel’s chest and stomach, digging in as he brought up one knee to painfully slam it into the creature’s groin.
Choking on a scream, Castiel tried to beat at Dean with his wings. The demon just tightened his tail and grabbed the right wing, claws ripping and tearing through the feathers to get at the flesh beneath. When his fingers curled around the knobby bone of the wing arch, he crushed it unmercifully.
The angel’s scream was mixed in with his true voice, and as much as Dean wanted to let go and slap his hands over his ears, he just gritted his teeth and kept going. Seeing how much Castiel reacted to the pain in his wings, Dean gripped the left wing and broke the bones in that one as well. Castiel’s scream was enough to shake the whole room that time, and Dean sat back to look down at him.
“You know I don’t like hurting you, Cas.” he whispered, looking down at the quivering angel. “Hurting you is the last thing I want to do. I don’t like it when you’re in pain. But if you’re going to continuously misbehave, you leave me no choice. Every time you disobey, I’m going to have to hurt you, and it’s going to get worse. I don’t want that.”
Finally, Dean uncurled his tail from the angel’s neck, already able to see the bruises blooming. Castiel gasped for breath, tears streaming down the sides of his face and wetting his hair as he looked at Dean with terrified blue eyes. The wounds on his body were already almost gone, the blood vanishing as the gashes closed over. Dean could hear the sound of his wings resetting, and watched as new feathers slowly grew where he’d ripped them out in clumps.
Slowly, Castiel pushed himself up. Hesitantly, as if he was afraid Dean was going to attack him again, the angel crawled into the demon’s lap, arms curling around his chest so he could cling to him.
Tears smeared over his skin when Castiel buried his face into Dean’s neck, and the demon cooed softly, carding his fingers through the angel’s hair. “I don’t want to hurt you, Cas. I love you. I love you so much. You’re my gorgeous angel.”
“I’m sorry.” Castiel whispered into his skin. “I’m so sorry. I won’t do it again. I’ll behave; I promise I’ll be good. Please don’t hurt me again.”
“We’ve been through this already, Cas.” Dean said sadly, though he continued to stroke his angel’s hair. “You promised that last time too, and then you were bad.”
“No, no, I mean it this time.” the angel promised shakily, his voice weak and wavering. “I won’t do it again. I’ll be your good angel, I promise. I swear.” He shifted and leaned back without letting Dean go, and Dean looked down into those wide, frightened eyes. He didn’t see the familiar defiance, only the angel’s fear for him. That fear was less pleasing than the defiance.
Cupping the angel’s cheek, Dean pressed gentle kisses across the angel’s forehead and down his cheek, tenderly licking away his tears. “Shh, shh, don’t cry. It’s alright, Cas. I love you, angel. I don’t want you to be sad. Stop crying for me, please?”
It took a while, but finally tears stopped rolling down Castiel’s cheeks, and Dean soothed him gently; smiling as he ran his fingers up behind the angel’s ears to card them through his thick, soft hair. “Good. Good boy, Cas.”
The praise seemed to make the angel relax further, and he offered Dean a shy smile. Stunned by how beautiful that tiny curl of the Seraph’s lips was, Dean smiled back, coaxing a larger one from his angel.
He could tell that Castiel was still afraid of him, because when he reached out to stroke the angel’s wing he flinched and drew back. Dean simply shushed him gently, moving his hand a bit at a time until his fingers slipped into those glossy feathers. Careful not to tug or muss them, he just stroked the primary and secondary feathers, straightening out pinions when he found them crooked.
A low moan startled him, causing Dean to look at the angel. His breath hitched. Castiel was staring at him in wonder, his cheeks flushed and his eyes glassy from pleasure. Curious, Dean tugged lightly on the feathers in his hold, and his angel let out a groan, bucking his hips.
“Does that feel good, angel?” Dean purred, lowering his head until his lips barely brushed Castiel’s ear. “Do you like when I do that?”
“Yes.” Castiel moaned, his hands scrabbling over Dean’s back. Smiling, Dean tugged a little harder, pleased and aroused by the whimper it drew. However, he couldn’t keep going. His lunch break was almost over, and Alistair hated tardiness.
Reluctantly pulling away, Dean gently pushed Castiel off his lap. The angel whined and tried to cling to him, but the demon untangled himself anyway.
“I’m sorry, Cas. Gotta get back to work. I’ll be back as quickly as I can, though, I swear.” He stroked his angel’s cheek, delighted when Castiel nuzzled into the touch. “Be a good angel, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll be good, I promise.” Castiel told him. Dean didn’t like the fear he still saw lurking there, but he didn’t have time to do anything about it. After one quick kiss to his angel’s forehead, he left the room.
Once Dean was gone, Castiel crawled over to where the demon had been sitting and curled up. He pressed his cheek against the blankets, trying to find Dean’s smell. His wings still hurt even though they were healed, and his grace pulsed with pain. Never had he expected Dean to attack so savagely, although considering how his last punishments had gone, he should have seen it coming.
Escaping was not an option. Disobedience was not a good idea. Besides, Dean really wasn’t that bad. He was sweet, and kind; gentle and caring. No one had ever cared about Castiel as much as Dean obviously did. The Seraph had never heard the words ‘I love you’ before, and hearing them was nice.
What he’d felt when Dean had touched his wings... He wanted to feel that again. It had felt good. Whenever he’d groomed his wings, he’d never felt such a thing. Bringing them around, Castiel ran his fingers curiously through the feathers, right where Dean had groomed him, and felt nothing but the normal pleasant feeling he usually experienced when he did it.
Settling his wings against his back one more, Castiel turned and pressed his face into the blanket, catching the faintest hint of Dean’s scent and smiling. He didn’t move there for the longest time, letting the pain slowly fade from his wings and grace. Even after he was completely healed he remained there.
The sound of the door alerted him several hours later, and the angel opened his eyes and rolled over. Eagerly sitting himself at the foot of the bed, he shyly watched Dean approach from underneath his eyelashes; hugging the bedpost much as he had so long ago. “Welcome back, Dean.” he hummed.
Seeing Dean’s smile made the angel’s grace sing, and he leaned towards the demon without Dean even having to reach for him. When the demon’s warm hand cupped his cheek, Castiel made a soft keening sound at the back of his throat, reveling in the gentle contact.
“Move back, Cas. I wanna try something.” Dean murmured, and Castiel scrambled to obey, backing up and watching from the center of the bed as Dean kneeled at the end. “Roll over, angel. Lay on your stomach. Can you do that for me?”
“I can, I can.” Castiel promised, hastening to obey. He settled himself on top of the blanket, pressing his face into his pillow and relaxing. Curious, the Seraph peered over his shoulder, watching Dean come closer. The demon crawled up the bed, nudging Castiel’s legs apart and sitting between them.
At the first touch to his wings, Castiel quickly buried his face into the pillows, keening at the caress. He felt Dean’s fingers slide through the feathers, gently grooming them, though occasionally he would grip some and give them a gentle tug.
Every single action had Castiel shuddering and moaning, his face heating from the flush and the fact that he was panting into his pillow. Arousal pumped through him, thick and heavy. It was almost more than Castiel could stand, having never felt such a thing before.
“Dean.” he moaned, arching up as the demon’s long fingers slid underneath his wings, brushing over his oil glands. Whatever he wanted to say next was lost in the cry that spilled from his lips, and the angel ripped himself away from Dean’s touch, rolling out of reach and curling up.
He stared at Dean with wide, frightened eyes, watching as the demon immediately put his hands up and started speaking gently.
“Cas, Cas, it’s okay. It’s okay, angel. What’s wrong, was I hurting you?”
Castiel shook his head, drawing his legs up and resting his chin on his knees. He wrapped his arms around his legs, wings folding around him in an effort to protect him. There was no trying to hide from Dean, though; he still wanted to see the demon. “No, you didn’t hurt me.” he whispered. It’s just, I’ve never been touched like that before. And then you touched my oil glands, and they’re really sensitive. I wasn’t prepared for it. I’m sorry.” The Seraph shut his eyes tightly and hid his face. His voice came out muffled. “Please don’t be angry. I’m sorry.”
A hand ran through his hair gently. “I’m not mad, Cas.” he heard Dean say softly. Fingers wiggled under his chin to lift his face. Dean’s eyes were tender. “I’m sorry, angel. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Castiel relaxed and nuzzled into Dean’s palm, letting out a soft, contented noise. Dean pulled his hand a way and he made a sound of distress then, but the demon only slipped behind him, wrapping his arms around Castiel’s waist and pulling him back. It was difficult for a moment until the Seraph angled his wings just right, and then he all but melted into Dean’s hold.
With Dean’s fingers combing through his hair, and the furnace-like warmth of the demon behind him, Castiel quickly drifted off into a state that was not sleep-like, but close enough.