Unexpected Destinies Chapter 168
Title: Unexpected Destinies
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash, bare backing, wing!fic, Grace!sex
Word Count: 3,184
Summary: Castiel helps his bond mate recover from what happened.
PRESENT
Frustration and a sense of helplessness welled up within Castiel as he watched Dean sleep and he hated it. It had been several days since Samuel's death and the... incident.
It was at times like this, when Castiel could hardly even think about what had happened, that he understood fully why his bond mate was having such a hard time dealing with it all. That knowledge didn't make it an easier to witness his hunter's distress, though, or make the frustration and helplessness any easier to bear. Indeed, if anything, that understanding only made them worse. He wanted to be able to do something- anything!- to help Dean come to terms with all that had happened to his precious human, to help his bond mate get better, but nothing he had thought of seemed to make a difference.
All Castiel had to do was look at Dean's sleeping face to see that. He frowned as he traced the dark circles under his bond mate's eyes and the tense lines marring his beautiful face. He knew precisely why his hunter could find little relaxation even in sleep. Just like after Hell, Dean was constantly plagued by nightmares now and while he could easily keep them at bay with a little of his Grace, he worried about making his beloved over dependent on him. His bond mate really needed to be able to sleep peacefully when he wasn't around.
Whenever Castiel tried easing away, though, the nightmares would rush back in and he had no idea what he could do to correct that. He'd tried speaking with Bobby about the issue, but all his friend had been able to tell him was that the nightmares would be there as long as it took for Dean to find some way of handling the memories of what had happened to him. Though the words had seemed cold, he'd been able to read his own anguish and helplessness in Bobby's eyes and knew the hunter wanted there to be some simple solution they could get or do for Dean.
Against his every instinct, Castiel slowly pulled his Grace back, away from where he'd been using it to calm his bond mate's dreams. Instead he quietly began to speak, muttering soothing words and hoping that his voice would be enough to keep Dean grounded and let his human's sleeping mind know that he was safe. It wasn't a long term solution as it also relied on his presence, but he saw it as a first step, which Bobby had said was important. Apparently humans rarely just 'got over' traumatic events quickly and instead did so slowly, one step at a time. It was frustrating, but if that was the only way to help his hunter, then that was what he'd do. One slow step at a time.
Part of why Castiel was so worried was that Dean had yet to show any interest in sex or the physical side of their relationship since the incident. While he'd always miss being that close to and intertwined with his bond mate's body, he'd gladly give it all up if that was what his hunter needed. The thing, though, was that he knew that it wasn't. He'd become far too well acquainted with the human concept of 'life affirming' sex to not know just how and why it was engaged in by so many, besides he knew Dean far too well to know that his human could ever be completely fine and healthy without it. His bond mate was simply far too tactile for that not to mention that sex had long since become crucial to the way Dean saw himself for his hunter to be able to do without it.
If it had simply been a matter of his bond mate refusing to give into his need to touch others, then Castiel would know what to do, but it wasn't. Dean hadn't stopped touching people, rather the opposite in fact when it came to himself and Michael in particular. With them his hunter had become extremely 'clingy' as Gwen had taken to calling it, almost refusing to let them go when in the same room as him. While he had no problem remaining within touching distance of his bond mate and indeed, being extremely pleased at the fact that Dean could now admit to those types of feelings and needs, let alone to give into them, he hated what they signaled. This was not his hunter.
The problem was that Castiel was at a loss as to what to do. The fact that Dean was showing progress in some areas even as he was clearly so unwell was an irony not lost on him, but he infinitely preferred this to his human not having anything to hang on to. It had not escaped his attention that both Bobby and Sam had noticed that particular change in Dean and been shocked by it. He'd been a little afraid that one of them would comment on it and make his hunter self-conscious about his new found ability to reach out to others for physical comfort, but thankful neither of them had, even if he'd noticed them sneaking disbelieving looks whenever they thought that Dean wasn't looking. It was another indicator of how poorly his beloved was that his bond mate hadn't noticed.
A sudden frisson of pure terror followed by a moan alerted Castiel to the fact that he'd stopped his soothing whispering and dismay shot through him. He used his Grace to wake his bond mate faster and then pulled Dean close to him.
"Cas?" his hunter inquired.
"I'm here, Beloved, sorry about that," Castiel replied.
"Huh?"
"I stopped speaking."
"Cas," Dean said, turning to straddle him. "I know you can just dampen the nightmares out entirely but I also know why you're not. I get it, I really do and thanks for that."
"I dislike feeling you distressed like that."
"You and me both."
It wasn't until his bond mate's eyes dropped down to his lips after a moment of silence that Castiel realized how close they'd gotten. These days it felt so natural to be this close to Dean that it no longer seemed strange so it wasn't until now when it felt on the verge of becoming sexual that he realized that was where things were headed. He felt a rush of arousal and desire but he tempered it, determined to let his human decide whether or not Dean felt ready for this.
Castiel's uncertainty was erased a moment later when his bond mate closed the gap between them and kissed him. He responded instantly, savoring the taste of his hunter. Despite the urgency pouring from Dean now, there was still a lot of tenderness and vulnerability there and he used that as his guide when he swept his bond mate up and turned to lower Dean back onto the bed, though he brought his wings up through the mattress to cradle his hunter's body in their protective embrace.
"Cas," Dean moaned, pulling him close.
The shift in position allowed his bond mate access to the base of his wings and Castiel moaned in approval, rolling his hips. The friction felt wonderful and they both groaned with Dean throwing his head back and he took advantage of it to lick and nip his way down his bond mate's throat. He reached back and milked his own oil glands so he could start preparing his human for him.
Despite the last few days with no sexual encounters, Castiel felt like there had been no pause. They moved together flawlessly, slowly riding higher and higher. By the time he finally pushed into his bond mate, Dean was a helpless, quivering mess, unable to utter more than nonsensical encouragements. Any terror or thoughts of what had transpired were long gone and he congratulated himself on that as he held his hunter's gaze.
It was as Castiel was thinking of how far Dean had come to even want such tender intimacy and to be treated so gently that a new thought occurred to him. Was treating his bond mate so frailly just now actually a good idea? Or was now the time to show his hunter just how strong his beloved really was? To prove that no matter how fragile Dean might feel right now, his bond mate was anything but?
The moment he thought about it some more, Castiel suddenly knew without a doubt that he was right. Though he was pleased that his human felt comfortable enough to show his vulnerability to him and saw no need to hide it, he feared it might be a sign of more than just a passing trauma for Dean. His hunter had never been particularly good at seeing his own strength and now was probably no different.
With no warning, Castiel thrust harder, eliciting a startled gasp from Dean who was now looking at him with wide eyes at the sudden, unexpected change of pace.
"What?" Castiel asked, biting at the base of his bond mate's neck, hard enough to bruise. "It's not like you'll break."
When he pulled back, Castiel found Dean's eyes even wider than before and for a brief moment he was afraid that he'd gotten it wrong before his bond mate suddenly came alive beneath him. Dean grasped the back of his neck and pulled him down into a fierce kiss, tongue battling for dominance even as his hunter bucked beneath him. He responded with a mock growl and put up just enough resistance to make his bond mate have to really work for it before he allowed himself to be rolled so that he was the one laying on his back. The shift had caused him to slip from Dean, but that was okay for all of the emotions that were suddenly flooding out over their bond.
There was too much of it, all coming far too hard and fast, for Castiel to even hope to sort through it all, but that was okay as it was all so strong and vibrant and alive. It was all so Dean that he didn't mind in the slightest that things had changed and he moaned eagerly when his bond mate's fingers found his oil glands and Dean slicked his fingers in order to prep him. Given what they'd already done, neither of them was going to last much longer but he didn't mind that the prep was quick and dirty. His precious human couldn't hurt him and he cherished the very real feel of Dean moving within him, forcing his vessel to give way. Much as he'd been focused as his bond mate up until now he found that he needed this as well just now. Needed to feel Dean and how gloriously alive his hunter was and this accomplished that.
Their love making had gone from sweet and tender to hot, hard and rough in no time but Castiel didn't need the physical affection to know how true it was as he could feel it from his bond mate all the time. It was an accepted fact between them now, the bond sharing it as easily as Dean breathed and neither of them had been aware of precisely how much they'd come to cherish and rely on it until it had been so brutally torn from them. Which was exactly why they needed this life affirming sex now, so they could both feel it and each other and how despite what had happened that they'd both weathered it and survived, as had their bond.
The time Castiel had taken to prep his bond mate earlier wasn't lost as it meant that he could use his Grace to take Dean even as his hunter took him, thrusting hard and fast within him. His bond mate cried out, back arching and when their eyes locked, the cycle was complete and they were fully in tune with each other once more. Everything that they felt and couldn't always say sang between them over their bond even as they spiraled ever higher on the physical pleasure as they joined their bodies like their Grace and soul until they finally came together.
/
When Castiel came back from a brief visit to Heaven the next day he was pleased to find Dean outside without either Michael or Raphael in sight. Instead his bond mate was in the middle of the backyard with his cousin, sparring. The sight warmed him and he didn't announce his presence, instead he moved into the shadows of the back porch so that he could observe the session without distracting either his human or Gwen. Although he'd taken the time to fight with Dean- as had Michael and Raphael- he knew that it was vastly different from his hunter fighting with other humans. Not only did Dean not have to worry about injuring them while sparring with him and his brothers, but his bond mate also knew that he'd always be the weakest in those matches, even if they attempted to match their strength to human levels it was difficult and they would often accidentally use too much strength.
So it was good for Dean to be able to train against other humans. Castiel couldn't help but feel proud, though, as he saw how swiftly and easily his bond mate was able to handle anything that Gwen threw at him. His hunter had always been an excellent fighter which was the result of being a natural from a long line of hunters and John Winchester's intensive training program, but his brothers and himself had knowledge and experience of fighting styles and techniques which had long since been forgotten by humans. The energetic way his human was still moving proved that it had worked, especially when he took in the panting and sweat stained form of Sam laying sprawled on the ground nearby.
On some level Castiel thought that fighting against Gwen at this point might actually be more challenging for Dean than fighting against Sam would be. Unlike his brother, Dean's cousin would be used to fighting against opponents who had such a physical advantage over her because while Sam would have been used to his brother being bulkier than him, that was probably one of the few times the younger Winchester faced off against a human opponent who had such a distinct advantage over him. As a result, Sam would not be used to needing to find defensive moves that didn't rely on having a distinct strength advantage over his opponent. Gwen, on the other hand, would be far more used to that as most of the hunters that he'd seen were male so for her it would be a matter of habit to use techniques that were designed to overcome a foe's superior strength.
Castiel could observe that now as he watched her technique against Dean and his head tilted to one side at a particular move that she pulled. It was not a standard counter to the maneuver his bond mate had used but it was quite effective nonetheless. Apparently his hunter wasn't the only intuitive one in the family when it came to hand-to-hand, nor was Dean the only one completely unafraid of throwing the rule book out of the window and going with whatever came to mind and might work.
The more that he learned about Gwen the more that Castiel liked her and he was sure that they could become very good friends if given the chance. Or at least he thought so, he wasn't entirely sure what she thought of him and he didn't know how to go about discovering that. It was something he would have to ask his bond mate later as he would like to have another friend. Especially one who seemed to like and respect Dean as much as Gwen did.
"Castiel."
He had been concentrating so much on watching Dean and Gwen that Castiel had not noticed Bobby's approach until the hunter had spoken. He turned slightly to look at him and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. "Bobby."
"I suppose you're the reason for Dean's change in fighting style?" Bobby inquired, gesturing to the ongoing match.
"Myself and my brothers, yes. Michael was quite keen to teach Dean some of the older styles which have since been lost or forgotten by humans."
"They seem to work quite well. I've not seen Sam receive such a trashing at the hands of a human for more years that I care to remember just now."
The words caught Castiel by surprise and he looked back at his bond mate, wondering if Dean still had some anger towards his brother that needed dealing with despite their apparent reconciliation. It wasn't that he thought that Sam didn't deserve it, but rather that he hadn't expected his human to be able to hold on to his righteous anger now that his little brother was repentant and, for now at least, attempting to improve himself. He was happy that his hunter was succeeding in doing so as it meant that Dean had been able to heal more and come to more fully understand his own worth than he'd dared hope.
"Dean was quite enthusiastic about learning them," Castiel replied simply.
Bobby laughed. "I bet he was. The idjit always loved learning when it came to things like that. Show him anything physical or mechanical and he'd pick it up like it was nothing."
"He is not dumb, he can learn the theoretical too."
"Whoa, I didn't say that he was," Bobby replied hastily. "Dean has just never picked it up as easily, though I always suspected that had more to do with a lack of interest and sense of self-worth than anything else. That boy is far smarter than he gives himself credit for and I don't even pretend to know what he could accomplish if he were really to put his mind to it. The fact that he made an EMF reader from scratch proves that."
The sheer sincerity of Bobby's words made Castiel feel a little bad about how sharp his own had been but he'd heard far too much negative said about his bond mate lately to be anything but defensive. Besides, he knew enough about human psychology now to know that Dean's old lack of self-worth and self-esteem had to have come from somewhere and the most likely source of that was his human's family and close friends. Not that they were the only reason for it, but they would have definitely played a major part in it. And given Sam's penchant for walking out on his brother so easily and frequently combined with all that his friend had said while accepting Lucifer's influence, he knew that he was right.
Beside him Bobby snorted and Castiel turned back to look inquiringly at the hunter, not sure what he had done to elicit that particular response.
"You really are head over heels, aren't ya?"
Castiel frowned. "I do not understand that reference."
A.N.: Hey guys, yes I'm still alive, my laptop almost wasn't though! It blue screened on me and it took a while to find someone who could figure out why and how to fix it. But that's now been done and said person provided with lots of cookies!
For those of you who missed it, this fic has now received a stunningly awesome art by the wonderful yuki_mura12. If you haven't seen it yet, go see it! It's fantastic and still making me bounce thinking of it!
On another note, mimi_sardinia figured out that code I was looking for. So if you wanna discuss season 8 stuff use this:
[table bgcolor="grey"][tbody][tr][td][font color="grey"]BLAH, BLAH, season 8, BLAH[/font][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table]
only replace the [ and ] with < and >.
Chapter 169
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash, bare backing, wing!fic, Grace!sex
Word Count: 3,184
Summary: Castiel helps his bond mate recover from what happened.
PRESENT
Frustration and a sense of helplessness welled up within Castiel as he watched Dean sleep and he hated it. It had been several days since Samuel's death and the... incident.
It was at times like this, when Castiel could hardly even think about what had happened, that he understood fully why his bond mate was having such a hard time dealing with it all. That knowledge didn't make it an easier to witness his hunter's distress, though, or make the frustration and helplessness any easier to bear. Indeed, if anything, that understanding only made them worse. He wanted to be able to do something- anything!- to help Dean come to terms with all that had happened to his precious human, to help his bond mate get better, but nothing he had thought of seemed to make a difference.
All Castiel had to do was look at Dean's sleeping face to see that. He frowned as he traced the dark circles under his bond mate's eyes and the tense lines marring his beautiful face. He knew precisely why his hunter could find little relaxation even in sleep. Just like after Hell, Dean was constantly plagued by nightmares now and while he could easily keep them at bay with a little of his Grace, he worried about making his beloved over dependent on him. His bond mate really needed to be able to sleep peacefully when he wasn't around.
Whenever Castiel tried easing away, though, the nightmares would rush back in and he had no idea what he could do to correct that. He'd tried speaking with Bobby about the issue, but all his friend had been able to tell him was that the nightmares would be there as long as it took for Dean to find some way of handling the memories of what had happened to him. Though the words had seemed cold, he'd been able to read his own anguish and helplessness in Bobby's eyes and knew the hunter wanted there to be some simple solution they could get or do for Dean.
Against his every instinct, Castiel slowly pulled his Grace back, away from where he'd been using it to calm his bond mate's dreams. Instead he quietly began to speak, muttering soothing words and hoping that his voice would be enough to keep Dean grounded and let his human's sleeping mind know that he was safe. It wasn't a long term solution as it also relied on his presence, but he saw it as a first step, which Bobby had said was important. Apparently humans rarely just 'got over' traumatic events quickly and instead did so slowly, one step at a time. It was frustrating, but if that was the only way to help his hunter, then that was what he'd do. One slow step at a time.
Part of why Castiel was so worried was that Dean had yet to show any interest in sex or the physical side of their relationship since the incident. While he'd always miss being that close to and intertwined with his bond mate's body, he'd gladly give it all up if that was what his hunter needed. The thing, though, was that he knew that it wasn't. He'd become far too well acquainted with the human concept of 'life affirming' sex to not know just how and why it was engaged in by so many, besides he knew Dean far too well to know that his human could ever be completely fine and healthy without it. His bond mate was simply far too tactile for that not to mention that sex had long since become crucial to the way Dean saw himself for his hunter to be able to do without it.
If it had simply been a matter of his bond mate refusing to give into his need to touch others, then Castiel would know what to do, but it wasn't. Dean hadn't stopped touching people, rather the opposite in fact when it came to himself and Michael in particular. With them his hunter had become extremely 'clingy' as Gwen had taken to calling it, almost refusing to let them go when in the same room as him. While he had no problem remaining within touching distance of his bond mate and indeed, being extremely pleased at the fact that Dean could now admit to those types of feelings and needs, let alone to give into them, he hated what they signaled. This was not his hunter.
The problem was that Castiel was at a loss as to what to do. The fact that Dean was showing progress in some areas even as he was clearly so unwell was an irony not lost on him, but he infinitely preferred this to his human not having anything to hang on to. It had not escaped his attention that both Bobby and Sam had noticed that particular change in Dean and been shocked by it. He'd been a little afraid that one of them would comment on it and make his hunter self-conscious about his new found ability to reach out to others for physical comfort, but thankful neither of them had, even if he'd noticed them sneaking disbelieving looks whenever they thought that Dean wasn't looking. It was another indicator of how poorly his beloved was that his bond mate hadn't noticed.
A sudden frisson of pure terror followed by a moan alerted Castiel to the fact that he'd stopped his soothing whispering and dismay shot through him. He used his Grace to wake his bond mate faster and then pulled Dean close to him.
"Cas?" his hunter inquired.
"I'm here, Beloved, sorry about that," Castiel replied.
"Huh?"
"I stopped speaking."
"Cas," Dean said, turning to straddle him. "I know you can just dampen the nightmares out entirely but I also know why you're not. I get it, I really do and thanks for that."
"I dislike feeling you distressed like that."
"You and me both."
It wasn't until his bond mate's eyes dropped down to his lips after a moment of silence that Castiel realized how close they'd gotten. These days it felt so natural to be this close to Dean that it no longer seemed strange so it wasn't until now when it felt on the verge of becoming sexual that he realized that was where things were headed. He felt a rush of arousal and desire but he tempered it, determined to let his human decide whether or not Dean felt ready for this.
Castiel's uncertainty was erased a moment later when his bond mate closed the gap between them and kissed him. He responded instantly, savoring the taste of his hunter. Despite the urgency pouring from Dean now, there was still a lot of tenderness and vulnerability there and he used that as his guide when he swept his bond mate up and turned to lower Dean back onto the bed, though he brought his wings up through the mattress to cradle his hunter's body in their protective embrace.
"Cas," Dean moaned, pulling him close.
The shift in position allowed his bond mate access to the base of his wings and Castiel moaned in approval, rolling his hips. The friction felt wonderful and they both groaned with Dean throwing his head back and he took advantage of it to lick and nip his way down his bond mate's throat. He reached back and milked his own oil glands so he could start preparing his human for him.
Despite the last few days with no sexual encounters, Castiel felt like there had been no pause. They moved together flawlessly, slowly riding higher and higher. By the time he finally pushed into his bond mate, Dean was a helpless, quivering mess, unable to utter more than nonsensical encouragements. Any terror or thoughts of what had transpired were long gone and he congratulated himself on that as he held his hunter's gaze.
It was as Castiel was thinking of how far Dean had come to even want such tender intimacy and to be treated so gently that a new thought occurred to him. Was treating his bond mate so frailly just now actually a good idea? Or was now the time to show his hunter just how strong his beloved really was? To prove that no matter how fragile Dean might feel right now, his bond mate was anything but?
The moment he thought about it some more, Castiel suddenly knew without a doubt that he was right. Though he was pleased that his human felt comfortable enough to show his vulnerability to him and saw no need to hide it, he feared it might be a sign of more than just a passing trauma for Dean. His hunter had never been particularly good at seeing his own strength and now was probably no different.
With no warning, Castiel thrust harder, eliciting a startled gasp from Dean who was now looking at him with wide eyes at the sudden, unexpected change of pace.
"What?" Castiel asked, biting at the base of his bond mate's neck, hard enough to bruise. "It's not like you'll break."
When he pulled back, Castiel found Dean's eyes even wider than before and for a brief moment he was afraid that he'd gotten it wrong before his bond mate suddenly came alive beneath him. Dean grasped the back of his neck and pulled him down into a fierce kiss, tongue battling for dominance even as his hunter bucked beneath him. He responded with a mock growl and put up just enough resistance to make his bond mate have to really work for it before he allowed himself to be rolled so that he was the one laying on his back. The shift had caused him to slip from Dean, but that was okay for all of the emotions that were suddenly flooding out over their bond.
There was too much of it, all coming far too hard and fast, for Castiel to even hope to sort through it all, but that was okay as it was all so strong and vibrant and alive. It was all so Dean that he didn't mind in the slightest that things had changed and he moaned eagerly when his bond mate's fingers found his oil glands and Dean slicked his fingers in order to prep him. Given what they'd already done, neither of them was going to last much longer but he didn't mind that the prep was quick and dirty. His precious human couldn't hurt him and he cherished the very real feel of Dean moving within him, forcing his vessel to give way. Much as he'd been focused as his bond mate up until now he found that he needed this as well just now. Needed to feel Dean and how gloriously alive his hunter was and this accomplished that.
Their love making had gone from sweet and tender to hot, hard and rough in no time but Castiel didn't need the physical affection to know how true it was as he could feel it from his bond mate all the time. It was an accepted fact between them now, the bond sharing it as easily as Dean breathed and neither of them had been aware of precisely how much they'd come to cherish and rely on it until it had been so brutally torn from them. Which was exactly why they needed this life affirming sex now, so they could both feel it and each other and how despite what had happened that they'd both weathered it and survived, as had their bond.
The time Castiel had taken to prep his bond mate earlier wasn't lost as it meant that he could use his Grace to take Dean even as his hunter took him, thrusting hard and fast within him. His bond mate cried out, back arching and when their eyes locked, the cycle was complete and they were fully in tune with each other once more. Everything that they felt and couldn't always say sang between them over their bond even as they spiraled ever higher on the physical pleasure as they joined their bodies like their Grace and soul until they finally came together.
/
When Castiel came back from a brief visit to Heaven the next day he was pleased to find Dean outside without either Michael or Raphael in sight. Instead his bond mate was in the middle of the backyard with his cousin, sparring. The sight warmed him and he didn't announce his presence, instead he moved into the shadows of the back porch so that he could observe the session without distracting either his human or Gwen. Although he'd taken the time to fight with Dean- as had Michael and Raphael- he knew that it was vastly different from his hunter fighting with other humans. Not only did Dean not have to worry about injuring them while sparring with him and his brothers, but his bond mate also knew that he'd always be the weakest in those matches, even if they attempted to match their strength to human levels it was difficult and they would often accidentally use too much strength.
So it was good for Dean to be able to train against other humans. Castiel couldn't help but feel proud, though, as he saw how swiftly and easily his bond mate was able to handle anything that Gwen threw at him. His hunter had always been an excellent fighter which was the result of being a natural from a long line of hunters and John Winchester's intensive training program, but his brothers and himself had knowledge and experience of fighting styles and techniques which had long since been forgotten by humans. The energetic way his human was still moving proved that it had worked, especially when he took in the panting and sweat stained form of Sam laying sprawled on the ground nearby.
On some level Castiel thought that fighting against Gwen at this point might actually be more challenging for Dean than fighting against Sam would be. Unlike his brother, Dean's cousin would be used to fighting against opponents who had such a physical advantage over her because while Sam would have been used to his brother being bulkier than him, that was probably one of the few times the younger Winchester faced off against a human opponent who had such a distinct advantage over him. As a result, Sam would not be used to needing to find defensive moves that didn't rely on having a distinct strength advantage over his opponent. Gwen, on the other hand, would be far more used to that as most of the hunters that he'd seen were male so for her it would be a matter of habit to use techniques that were designed to overcome a foe's superior strength.
Castiel could observe that now as he watched her technique against Dean and his head tilted to one side at a particular move that she pulled. It was not a standard counter to the maneuver his bond mate had used but it was quite effective nonetheless. Apparently his hunter wasn't the only intuitive one in the family when it came to hand-to-hand, nor was Dean the only one completely unafraid of throwing the rule book out of the window and going with whatever came to mind and might work.
The more that he learned about Gwen the more that Castiel liked her and he was sure that they could become very good friends if given the chance. Or at least he thought so, he wasn't entirely sure what she thought of him and he didn't know how to go about discovering that. It was something he would have to ask his bond mate later as he would like to have another friend. Especially one who seemed to like and respect Dean as much as Gwen did.
"Castiel."
He had been concentrating so much on watching Dean and Gwen that Castiel had not noticed Bobby's approach until the hunter had spoken. He turned slightly to look at him and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. "Bobby."
"I suppose you're the reason for Dean's change in fighting style?" Bobby inquired, gesturing to the ongoing match.
"Myself and my brothers, yes. Michael was quite keen to teach Dean some of the older styles which have since been lost or forgotten by humans."
"They seem to work quite well. I've not seen Sam receive such a trashing at the hands of a human for more years that I care to remember just now."
The words caught Castiel by surprise and he looked back at his bond mate, wondering if Dean still had some anger towards his brother that needed dealing with despite their apparent reconciliation. It wasn't that he thought that Sam didn't deserve it, but rather that he hadn't expected his human to be able to hold on to his righteous anger now that his little brother was repentant and, for now at least, attempting to improve himself. He was happy that his hunter was succeeding in doing so as it meant that Dean had been able to heal more and come to more fully understand his own worth than he'd dared hope.
"Dean was quite enthusiastic about learning them," Castiel replied simply.
Bobby laughed. "I bet he was. The idjit always loved learning when it came to things like that. Show him anything physical or mechanical and he'd pick it up like it was nothing."
"He is not dumb, he can learn the theoretical too."
"Whoa, I didn't say that he was," Bobby replied hastily. "Dean has just never picked it up as easily, though I always suspected that had more to do with a lack of interest and sense of self-worth than anything else. That boy is far smarter than he gives himself credit for and I don't even pretend to know what he could accomplish if he were really to put his mind to it. The fact that he made an EMF reader from scratch proves that."
The sheer sincerity of Bobby's words made Castiel feel a little bad about how sharp his own had been but he'd heard far too much negative said about his bond mate lately to be anything but defensive. Besides, he knew enough about human psychology now to know that Dean's old lack of self-worth and self-esteem had to have come from somewhere and the most likely source of that was his human's family and close friends. Not that they were the only reason for it, but they would have definitely played a major part in it. And given Sam's penchant for walking out on his brother so easily and frequently combined with all that his friend had said while accepting Lucifer's influence, he knew that he was right.
Beside him Bobby snorted and Castiel turned back to look inquiringly at the hunter, not sure what he had done to elicit that particular response.
"You really are head over heels, aren't ya?"
Castiel frowned. "I do not understand that reference."
A.N.: Hey guys, yes I'm still alive, my laptop almost wasn't though! It blue screened on me and it took a while to find someone who could figure out why and how to fix it. But that's now been done and said person provided with lots of cookies!
For those of you who missed it, this fic has now received a stunningly awesome art by the wonderful yuki_mura12. If you haven't seen it yet, go see it! It's fantastic and still making me bounce thinking of it!
On another note, mimi_sardinia figured out that code I was looking for. So if you wanna discuss season 8 stuff use this:
[table bgcolor="grey"][tbody][tr][td][font color="grey"]BLAH, BLAH, season 8, BLAH[/font][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table]
only replace the [ and ] with < and >.
Chapter 169