Fic: A Merman's Tail
SPN-Reverse Bang: A Merman's Tail
Art link: Art Masterlist
Artist: terrorinyertub
Author: remivel
Fandom/Genre: SPN, Fairy Tale AU
Pairing(s): Dean/Castiel
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 14,500
Warnings: Explicit sexual content, borrows greatly from the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, Crowley as Ursula
Summary: Castiel was a merman who was born with the tail of a Great White Shark. Treated as an abomination by his own kind, Castiel found solace in observing humans and following their ships. He was content with watching them from afar, until he saved Dean, a human prince, from being killed by a shark. Soon, watching Dean from afar was not enough, and he wished to leave his life under the sea for a chance at being part of Dean's world.
PART 3
Three days before the month was up, a large storm swept through the kingdom. Dean and Castiel sat by the fireplace in Dean’s chambers, Impala snoozing quietly by their feet.
“Do you like it here, Cas?” Dean asked, wrapping the blanket around them tighter.
Castiel looked up at Dean and nodded.
“I mean… Don’t you miss your home? You must have family where you’re from.”
Castiel contemplated what Dean was saying. Yes, he missed his home. He missed his family, his dad, all of the fish and the merpeople. But he had never been this happy under the sea. He was happy with Dean-and he knew of only one way to say that.
He leaned in close to Dean and pressed his lips against his. It was a slow and intimate kiss, Dean’s hand cradling the back of Cas’ head gently. When they parted, Dean kept his hand on Cas’ nape, playing with the strands of hair there as he kept his focus on Cas’ face. Even without words, Dean could see so much love and emotion in Cas’ face. It made him forget how to breathe. “Cas…” he whispered. “Cas I-“
A loud knock on the door rang through the whole room and startled Dean and Cas out of the trance they seemed to be in. Cas watched in disappointment as Dean got up and padded to the door. He heard Dean talking to someone who sounded very alarmed, and Dean’s expression suddenly changed. He looked towards Cas. “Someone’s been badly injured in the storm, we’re calling on Gabriel. I’ll be right back,” he told Cas. Cas just nodded in response.
He waited for Dean in Dean’s chambers but when an hour passed and he still hadn’t returned, Castiel went out of the room to look for him. He found Dean, Sam and Gabriel in one of the rooms downstairs, Gabriel tending to someone lying on the bed.
“It only seems to be a minor injury,” he heard Gabriel say. “It will heal in a few days.”
“Thank you,” the man said, and a chill went down Castiel’s spine at the sound.
The man’s voice… that was his voice!
Cas walked closer until the man’s face came into view. The man was a stranger but he had dark hair and features somewhat similar to Castiel’s-except his eyes were a rich shade of brown. When Cas approached the bed, Dean stopped him. “He needs some rest, Cas, come on,” Dean said, pulling him away from the bed.
“Tell me where else are you hurt?” Gabriel asked the man.
“My leg…” the man answered.
Cas was frozen on the spot, his gaze focused intently on the man as Dean tried to pull him away. Why did this man have his voice?
“Come on Cas, it’s late. They have to treat him,” Dean said, pulling him towards the door. Just as Dean closed the door behind him, the man looked up at Cas and his eyes glowed an eerie red for a split second. Cas turned and pushed the door open again in alarm. It banged on the wall hard and everyone stopped and looked at him. But Castiel didn’t notice. He kept his attention on the man, who looked up at him innocently.
“What’s wrong Cas?” Dean asked as Cas finally let himself be led out of the room. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Cas’ eyes were wide. He couldn’t have seen it wrong. Those eyes… they were Crowley’s eyes.
Dean walked with him all the way back to his own room. “Get some rest,” he told Cas. “We’ll talk tomorrow,” he said.
+++
Cas spent the rest of the night in a fitful sleep. When he woke up, it was to the sight of Sam and Gabriel looming over him. “Hey Cas, I have no time to explain but we better go now,” Gabriel said to him.
Within minutes, Castiel found himself in a carriage bound for Gabriel’s home. Cas looked at Gabriel in question, then at Sam. They both looked troubled. “Dean is… Dean’s not feeling well,” Sam told him.
“Oh please, Sam, the man needs to know the truth,” Gabriel said suddenly. “Look here, Cas,” he began, placing a hand on Cas’ shoulder. “I don’t know what happened but suddenly Dean’s been speaking nonsense today.”
Castiel frowned.
“He wouldn’t leave Mark’s side the whole night,” Gabriel said. “The man you saw last night. His name is Mark, apparently,” he explained.
Castiel jolted in alarm. Crowley!
“And now Dean suddenly thinks he’s in love.”
‘No!’ Castiel wanted to scream.
“I’m sorry we had to get you out of the palace,” Sam said. “Dean ordered that you be imprisoned for impersonating his savior.”
‘Impersonating? That’s wrong!’ Castiel’s mind screamed. ‘I saved him!’ he tried to mouth, tapping his chest with his hand urgently.
“I know Cas, I know it’s you who saved him,” Sam said. “But get this: Dean said he was saved by a man with blue eyes before. Now, since this Mark appeared, Dean is ignoring what he said before and claiming that this is the man who saved him instead. It feels wrong. I can feel it in my gut… that man’s up to no good.”
“I bet it’s magic,” Gabriel declared.
“There’s no such-“ Sam was about to say but Gabriel shushed him with an impatient wave of his hand.
“Oh stop it for one second will you? How else can you explain it? We all know Dean’s head over heels for Cas, and then Mark appears, and all of a sudden he’s throwing Cas in jail and marrying this guy? It’s impossible! You know your brother. Dean would never do that.”
‘Marrying?!’ Castiel tried to stand from his seat in alarm, intent on getting off the carriage and back to the palace.
“Whoa, are you insane?” Gabriel said, pulling Castiel back to sit. “You can’t just get off of a moving carriage. Besides, if the guards see you, they’ll lock you up,” Gabriel told him. “You’re hiding in my house for now until we figure this whole thing out.”
Sam shot Castiel a worried look. “I’m sorry, Cas. I’ll try to talk my brother out of this. And alright, alright, if it IS magic, we’ll find a way to break the spell before they wed in two days.”
+++
“I’m going to tell your father,” Balthazar said once they were safely inside a room in Gabriel’s house.
Castiel shook his head.
“He’s the only one who can stop Crowley now. He has to know,” Balthazar explained. He placed his claw over Castiel’s hand in reassurance. “You won’t get turned into a shark by that slimy Crowley. Your father is far more powerful than some sea demon. He will be fine. And you will get to live with your prince. Trust me.”
Castiel looked at Balthazar worriedly before nodding his head.
“Great. I do hope I get back to the kingdom in time. Wish me luck!” he said.
Castiel mouthed ‘good luck!’ at him before Balthazar jumped out of his window and made his arduous journey to the river and back to the sea.
+++
On the day of the wedding, Balthazar had yet to return.
Sam was now convinced Dean was under some sort of magic, and he was hell bent on exposing Mark for the fraud that he was. “Dean would never act like that. He’s spouting love poems and singing praises about Mark. It’s creepy,” Sam commented.
“How do we defeat someone with magic then?” Gabriel asked.
Cas thought about it for a moment. Crowley was using his voice. This meant he had the vial containing his voice with him. Cas had an idea.
He stood up from his seat and rummaged through Gabriel’s drawer.
“What’re you doing?” Gabriel asked.
After a few more seconds, he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a vial and showed it to them.
“A vial?” Gabriel asked, and Cas nodded eagerly. “What does that have to do with magic?”
Sam looked at the vial in Cas’ hands intently. “Wait, Mark… he kept a small vial hung around his neck with a string. It had something bright and blue in it.”
Cas nodded enthusiastically, pointing to the vial in his hand again.
“I remember seeing that vial when I was treating him. I told him to remove it from his neck so I could check his wounds but he refused and didn’t even let me touch it. I didn’t think it was weird at first, but now that you mention it, it’s really, really weird,” Gabriel said.
“You think that’s his magic? If we get rid of the vial, will that break the spell?” Sam asked.
“It’s worth a shot,” Gabriel said. “Alright kiddos, let’s go break up a wedding.”
+++
Getting Cas back in the palace was surprisingly easy. Sam knew all the secret passageways that led them directly to the patio where the wedding was being held. There, guests were waiting for the wedding to begin. The looks of confusion were evident on their faces, for they had no idea who this person was that Dean was marrying. Even Jo and Ellen looked troubled as they sat by the pews up front. Bobby, on the other hand, was just plain annoyed as he talked to the priest, who every so often would shake his head.
“Bobby tried to talk Dean out of marrying this guy,” Gabriel whispered to Cas. “Dean just played the ‘you’re not my father’ card. It was a bloodbath.”
Castiel looked worriedly at Bobby. This whole thing wasn’t just hurting him, it was also hurting everyone who was close to Dean. It was all his fault. He didn’t mean to cause them pain. He had to stop Crowley no matter what.
+++
After a few minutes, Sam stepped out of the palace wearing a white suit. He looked uncomfortable as he walked down the aisle to take his place at the front as Dean’s best man. Then Dean came out, and Castiel’s world slowed down around him. This was the first time he was seeing Dean again since Crowley arrived-and Dean looked nothing like himself. He was pale, the sun-kissed glow jarringly absent from his skin. His face looked blank as well, and his eyes, once bright and green, were now dark and murky like the life was sucked out of him. Castiel wanted to run out to him and hold him in his arms.
Then Mark stepped out, and Castiel went from worried to seething. Even though he looked like an ordinary man, Castiel could now feel the magic emanating from him. No doubt that man was Crowley, and when the slowly setting sun’s light reached Mark’s eyes, they glowed bright red, confirming Castiel’s suspicions.
But Castiel soon realized his mistake when he saw the sun begin to set in the horizon. He had forgotten all about his deadline. Within minutes, he would turn into a merman and Crowley would take him and change him into a shark completely. He would never see Dean again.
Without even realizing it, Castiel stepped out of the crowd and ran towards Crowley.
“Mother of-Castiel!” Gabriel hissed, but it was too late, Castiel was almost at the altar.
The guests gasped and Mark turned just in time to see Castiel barreling towards him. His eyes glowed bright red and with a quick wave of his hand, he sent Castiel flying across the patio and landing violently on the stone floor. Gabriel rushed to Cas’ side, helping him up.
The guests screamed and tried to run away in fear, but Mark shook his head in disapproval. In an instant, sharp and jagged whale bones emerged from the sea and were impaled around the patio, imprisoning everyone. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked the crowd. “There’s a wedding going on. You wouldn’t want to miss the entertainment, now do you?” he said. Beside him, Dean looked on impassively.
Sam tried to grab Mark from behind but Mark held out a hand and froze Sam on the spot. “I wouldn’t try anything funny if I were you, moose,” he said.
“You’re not marrying my brother,” Sam said through gritted teeth.
This made Mark laugh. “Dear me, why would I even want to do that?” he said. “I just wanted to have a bit of fun with little Castiel over here.”
Castiel shook away the pain in his body and stood ready to attack Mark again.
“Won’t be long now Castiel, before you become my pet,” he said, glancing at the setting sun. “You didn’t really think the human would fall in love with you, did you? I gave you time, Castiel. Plenty of time. I really did want you to succeed,” he said with feigned sympathy.
“Wow, this guy’s a slimy asshole,” Gabriel muttered.
“Now I guess it’s back to the ocean for you,” Mark said.
Gabriel blinked in confusion. “What’s he talking about?” he asked, but Castiel kept his eyes on Crowley, wishing he could do something, anything.
“Oh? Didn’t you tell your friends, Castiel? Oh wait, I forgot, you couldn’t. See Castiel here-“ Mark was beginning to explain, when out of nowhere Bobby came and growled, “You don’t mess with my family, you asshole,” before delivering a skull rattling punch straight on Mark’s jaw.
The force of the blow made Mark’s head snap sideways, the shining blue vial tied to his neck slipping out of his shirt. Castiel took this opportunity and ran straight towards Mark, tackling him to the ground. He grabbed hold of the string and pulled at it with all his might. It snapped, sending the vial flying in the air. It crashed by Dean’s feet, and in an instant the blue light erupted, blinding everyone for a split second.
When the light subsided, Dean blinked, his eyes now their usual bright green. “Cas?” he asked in confusion.
“Dean!” Cas gasped. Then he put a hand against his throat in surprise. “I can talk again!” he said, getting up and rushing to hug Dean.
Just as they were about to touch, Cas froze.
“You’re too late!” Mark said in triumph.
Cas glanced at the sun and his eyes widened in fear. Then he looked back at Dean helplessly before he fell to the floor in agony.
Mark cackled loudly as he stood up from the floor, and slowly his features morphed, until he finally showed his true appearance. His tentacles slithered on the floor, sending the guests into new fits of screaming and tears.
Dean’s eyes flew to the sea demon, and then back at Castiel crumpled on the floor. He knelt down to help Cas, but Cas pushed him away. “No, Dean. Don’t look!” he pleaded.
“Cas, what’s going on?” he asked, but Cas didn’t have to answer. Instead, he transformed. His pants tore as his tail took shape and his great white shark coloring returned. Dean’s jaw dropped as he watched Castiel turn back into a merman. “You’re-“ he said breathlessly, unable to believe his own eyes.
“I’m sorry, Dean. I’m so sorry,” Castiel apologized.
Then one of Crowley’s tentacles wrapped around Castiel’s torso and pulled him away from Dean.
“No!” Dean screamed, reaching his hand out to grab Castiel’s, but Crowley only slithered away.
“Sorry, lover boy. This merman is mine,” Crowley gloated as Castiel struggled to free himself from his grasp. “Oh, if only you confessed your love sooner,” he taunted Dean.
Dean’s face grew murderous, pulling out a knife from his belt. “Let him go,” he said.
Crowley laughed. “You’re going to attack me with a bread knife? Please! I always knew you humans were stupid, but not this-“ before he could finish the sentence, he howled in pain as Castiel used his magic on the tentacle holding him, making it explode into a thousand pieces.
Castiel toppled to the ground just as Dean lunged forward and drove his knife into Crowley’s chest, missing his heart by a mere inch. Crowley screamed in pain and in anger, his magic exploding from him and sending nearly half of the patio crashing onto the beach below.
The next thing Dean realized, he was lying on rubble and sand, and when he looked up, Crowley was dragging Castiel back into the sea. Dean grabbed Sam’s sword and ran after them, Gabriel and Sam’s screams for him to come back going unheard.
He grabbed at one of Crowley’s tentacles at the last second, and all three of them plunged into the depths of the water. He struck at Crowley with the sword and it sliced through his side. Crowley grabbed him by the neck and pulled him deeper and deeper into the ocean. Already his vision was going black. He was going to drown.
“Dean!” Cas yelled in alarm. This was it. Crowley was going to kill Dean. He couldn’t let Dean die. He had to save Dean!
With speed he didn’t know he possessed, he swam towards Crowley, and gathered all of his remaining magic in his palms. The moment his palms touched Crowley’s skin, the sea demon was thrown violently backward and Dean was freed. Crowley slammed into the rocks below with bone-crushing force and Castiel pulled Dean by his arm and swam as fast as he could to the surface. It was almost like the first time he saved Dean, and once they broke the surface, Castiel searched Dean’s face for any signs of life. “Please be alive, please be alive,” he chanted. Then Dean sputtered water out of his mouth and opened his eyes. “Cas…” he said with a groan.
“Dean! Cas!” they heard Sam call out.
Cas turned and saw Sam and Gabriel rowing a small boat towards them. He helped them carry Dean into the boat. “Take Dean back to the shore,” he told them.
“No, Cas, I won’t leave-“ Dean protested weakly.
“Go. Take him away from here. It’s not safe,” Cas said.
“No, Cas! I can’t lose you,” he said, reaching his hand out for Cas.
“You won’t,” Cas said before diving back down into the water.
+++
Castiel swam back just as Crowley started getting up. He knew his magic would not be enough to stop him. And now that he had depleted all of his energy, he didn’t know how else he could defeat Crowley.
“You and your human gave me so much trouble. When I’m done with you, I think I’ll go back and teach that Dean a lesson,” Crowley said, spitting out blood from his mouth in disgust. “Now let’s see how much your father is willing to pay to prevent his son from turning into a shark…”
“This was your plan all along?” Castiel said in alarm. “You’re using me as a bargaining chip to get back at my father?”
Crowley stopped and blinked. “Why yes, I thought it would be obvious by now,” he said. “No matter how much you fight me, you can’t escape. We had a deal.”
“Leave them out of this! My father, and Dean, they had nothing to do with our deal,” Castiel said.
Crowley paused, seemingly contemplating his options for a bit. Then finally he said, “No. I don’t think so,” he said.
Furiously, Castiel charged at Crowley but the sea demon parried his attack with a swoosh of his tentacles. “You’re no match for me, little merman!”
“He isn’t, but I am.”
They both turned around and found Chuck and an army of mermen swimming towards them, a worried Balthazar hitching a ride on Chuck’s crown. “Let my son go,” Chuck said.
Crowley chuckled. “No can do. We had a deal. He will be my great white shark unless you strike a bargain with me.”
Chuck menacingly pointed his trident at Crowley. “How is this for a deal. You break your deal with my son and I keep you alive,” Chuck said.
This made Crowley laugh even harder. “You fool! Even if you kill me, the deal still stands. Castiel’s soul is mine, and before the sun rises tomorrow, he will be a shark.”
Chuck placed the tip of his trident against Crowley’s throat with just enough controlled force not to break skin. “That may be so, Crowley. But you underestimate my power and the power of the most powerful mermen in the sea. While your corpse rots on the ocean floor, we will have all the time in the world to gather our magic and counter your curse. I give it a day, maybe two at most, before we break the spell.”
This time, Crowley’s laugh was more nervous than confident. “You-you’re bluffing,” he said.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Chuck said, his trident starting to glow. “But I suppose you will never find out, now will you?” he said.
Crowley’s eyes grew wide in fear. “Fine fine, you have your deal. Your son is free to go, just leave me in peace,” he said, and with a snap of Crowley’s fingers, the magic binding Castiel was gone.
Chuck eased his trident from Crowley’s neck, and the moment he did, the sea demon shimmered and disappeared into a puff of red ink. Once all of the ink dispersed, Chuck sighed in relief.
“Father,” Castiel whispered in disbelief.
Chuck looked at Castiel with a troubled expression before pulling his son into a tight hug. “Oh Castiel,” he said.
Cas hugged his father back tightly. “I am so sorry, father. I was so childish and selfish.”
“That doesn’t matter now,” Chuck said. “What matters is you’re safe,” he said. “You’re my son and I care about you, whether you believe me or not.”
“I believe you father,” Castiel replied. “I will not be so foolish again.”
Chuck smiled and looked at Castiel’s face. “Following one’s heart is not such a foolish thing to do.”
“Father?” Cas asked in confusion.
“The human. You love him, don’t you?” Chuck asked.
At the thought of Dean, Castiel’s face fell. He could not be with Dean anymore, not after all that had happened.
“Do you want to go back to him?” Chuck asked.
“I cannot, father,” Castiel replied. “He saw who I am… he would not want to live with someone like me…”
“He fought against a sea demon to save you. I believe it’s safe to assume the boy doesn’t care you have a tail instead of legs,” he said.
Castiel tried to smile at his father’s words, but it was no use. “It doesn’t matter now. I am not human, father. There’s no way for me to-“
“What do you think of me? Am I not the god of the sea?” Chuck said, acting affronted. “I have powers too, you know!”
“You can? And you will-” Castiel said in disbelief. “You will allow me to become human?” Castiel asked, his voice unsure yet full of hope.
Chuck smiled. “I only want you to be happy… and if your happiness lies on land with that human, then so be it,” he declared.
“And that’s not all!” Balthazar happily chimed in. “If you wish to return to the sea from time to time, you’re always free to come by for a visit. Just give us advanced notice so your father can turn you back temporarily.”
Castiel’s eyes grew wide in surprise, and he hugged Balthazar and his father tightly. Then Alfie raced towards him and gave him a big hug as well. “You just came back! And now you’re going again!” Alfie complained. “Promise me you’ll come by for a visit someday? I can’t tend to your human artifact collection alone.”
Castiel smiled and patted Alfie’s side. “Of course,” he said. “Thank you, Alfie.”
++
At the shore, exactly where Dean first met Cas, he was pacing. “Castiel! You son of a bitch! You better be alive!” he shouted to the sea.
Then, a particularly large wave came crashing to the shore, sweeping Dean off his feet and submerging him in water. He closed his eyes and held his breath, and when the water receded a second later, Cas was already on top of him, naked. When Cas opened his eyes he saw Dean looking at him with a shocked expression.
“You’re… you’re alive,” Dean said breathlessly.
“Hello, Dean,” Castiel said as they both stood up. Then Dean embraced Cas. “Don’t ever leave me again, okay?” he said.
“Yes, Dean,” Cas replied.
When they parted, Dean held Cas by his shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a merman?” Dean asked, “Oh, right, never mind,” Dean said immediately after realizing the answer for himself.
“You don’t mind, do you? That I am not really a human?” Castiel asked tentatively.
Dean grinned. “You know, I kinda suspected from the start. I mean, your palm is seared on my shoulder after all,” he said. This earned a light chuckle from Castiel, and Dean smiled wider and brushed a wet lock of hair from Cas’ face. “And no, I don’t mind,” he said. “I thought your shark tail was pretty impressive.”
Castiel blinked in surprise. “You were-you weren’t frightened of me?”
“Me? Frightened?” Dean scoffed. “That was you, why would I be frightened?”
Castiel smiled as tears of joy welled in his eyes. Dean accepted him. To Dean, he wasn’t a freak or something to be scared of. To Dean, he was merely Castiel. It was more than Castiel could’ve ever asked for. “Thank you, Dean,” he said.
“What are you thanking me for?” Dean asked. “This is all my fault. None of this undersea fiasco would’ve happened if I just manned up. I know I’m the king of denial and emotional constipation… but this is better late than never….” He said.
Cas cocked his head to the side as he waited for Dean to continue.
“I love you, Castiel,” Dean said.
The gravity of those words gave Cas so much happiness and he pounced at Dean and kissed him for all he was worth.
When they parted, Dean grinned at Cas slyly. “You know… I could get used to seeing you naked all the time. It’s a good look on you,” Dean quipped.
Cas looked down and flushed when he realized he was naked on the beach while Dean was fully clothed. He tried to cover himself with his hands, but Dean just laughed.
“We could try something new… how ‘bout doing it on the beach?”
Cas frowned. “My father could be watching,” he said.
Dean looked to the ocean and cringed. “Oh, eew,” he said. “Let’s just get you clothes now, alright?” Dean said.
Cas nodded. “And Dean?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you, too,” Cas said.
Dean beamed. “I know. Come on, Sam and Gabriel would want to know what happened to you and to that octopus-man….”
“He was a sea demon, not an octopus,” Cas corrected.
“Well, then you have a lot of explaining to do,” Dean said.
Cas smiled. “That’s okay. I have all the time in the world.”
From that day on, Castiel, the little merman, lived with Prince Dean in his palace. Every now and then, he would come to visit his home under the sea with Dean, who was transformed temporarily into a merman every time they visited. The other merpeople still despised humans, but they learned to accept Dean’s presence eventually.
They soon wed on by the beach where Cas brought Dean after saving him, and they became well loved rulers of the kingdom. And they lived happily ever after.
The End
PART 1
PART 2
Art link: Art Masterlist
Artist: terrorinyertub
Author: remivel
Fandom/Genre: SPN, Fairy Tale AU
Pairing(s): Dean/Castiel
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 14,500
Warnings: Explicit sexual content, borrows greatly from the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, Crowley as Ursula
Summary: Castiel was a merman who was born with the tail of a Great White Shark. Treated as an abomination by his own kind, Castiel found solace in observing humans and following their ships. He was content with watching them from afar, until he saved Dean, a human prince, from being killed by a shark. Soon, watching Dean from afar was not enough, and he wished to leave his life under the sea for a chance at being part of Dean's world.
PART 3
Three days before the month was up, a large storm swept through the kingdom. Dean and Castiel sat by the fireplace in Dean’s chambers, Impala snoozing quietly by their feet.
“Do you like it here, Cas?” Dean asked, wrapping the blanket around them tighter.
Castiel looked up at Dean and nodded.
“I mean… Don’t you miss your home? You must have family where you’re from.”
Castiel contemplated what Dean was saying. Yes, he missed his home. He missed his family, his dad, all of the fish and the merpeople. But he had never been this happy under the sea. He was happy with Dean-and he knew of only one way to say that.
He leaned in close to Dean and pressed his lips against his. It was a slow and intimate kiss, Dean’s hand cradling the back of Cas’ head gently. When they parted, Dean kept his hand on Cas’ nape, playing with the strands of hair there as he kept his focus on Cas’ face. Even without words, Dean could see so much love and emotion in Cas’ face. It made him forget how to breathe. “Cas…” he whispered. “Cas I-“
A loud knock on the door rang through the whole room and startled Dean and Cas out of the trance they seemed to be in. Cas watched in disappointment as Dean got up and padded to the door. He heard Dean talking to someone who sounded very alarmed, and Dean’s expression suddenly changed. He looked towards Cas. “Someone’s been badly injured in the storm, we’re calling on Gabriel. I’ll be right back,” he told Cas. Cas just nodded in response.
He waited for Dean in Dean’s chambers but when an hour passed and he still hadn’t returned, Castiel went out of the room to look for him. He found Dean, Sam and Gabriel in one of the rooms downstairs, Gabriel tending to someone lying on the bed.
“It only seems to be a minor injury,” he heard Gabriel say. “It will heal in a few days.”
“Thank you,” the man said, and a chill went down Castiel’s spine at the sound.
The man’s voice… that was his voice!
Cas walked closer until the man’s face came into view. The man was a stranger but he had dark hair and features somewhat similar to Castiel’s-except his eyes were a rich shade of brown. When Cas approached the bed, Dean stopped him. “He needs some rest, Cas, come on,” Dean said, pulling him away from the bed.
“Tell me where else are you hurt?” Gabriel asked the man.
“My leg…” the man answered.
Cas was frozen on the spot, his gaze focused intently on the man as Dean tried to pull him away. Why did this man have his voice?
“Come on Cas, it’s late. They have to treat him,” Dean said, pulling him towards the door. Just as Dean closed the door behind him, the man looked up at Cas and his eyes glowed an eerie red for a split second. Cas turned and pushed the door open again in alarm. It banged on the wall hard and everyone stopped and looked at him. But Castiel didn’t notice. He kept his attention on the man, who looked up at him innocently.
“What’s wrong Cas?” Dean asked as Cas finally let himself be led out of the room. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Cas’ eyes were wide. He couldn’t have seen it wrong. Those eyes… they were Crowley’s eyes.
Dean walked with him all the way back to his own room. “Get some rest,” he told Cas. “We’ll talk tomorrow,” he said.
+++
Cas spent the rest of the night in a fitful sleep. When he woke up, it was to the sight of Sam and Gabriel looming over him. “Hey Cas, I have no time to explain but we better go now,” Gabriel said to him.
Within minutes, Castiel found himself in a carriage bound for Gabriel’s home. Cas looked at Gabriel in question, then at Sam. They both looked troubled. “Dean is… Dean’s not feeling well,” Sam told him.
“Oh please, Sam, the man needs to know the truth,” Gabriel said suddenly. “Look here, Cas,” he began, placing a hand on Cas’ shoulder. “I don’t know what happened but suddenly Dean’s been speaking nonsense today.”
Castiel frowned.
“He wouldn’t leave Mark’s side the whole night,” Gabriel said. “The man you saw last night. His name is Mark, apparently,” he explained.
Castiel jolted in alarm. Crowley!
“And now Dean suddenly thinks he’s in love.”
‘No!’ Castiel wanted to scream.
“I’m sorry we had to get you out of the palace,” Sam said. “Dean ordered that you be imprisoned for impersonating his savior.”
‘Impersonating? That’s wrong!’ Castiel’s mind screamed. ‘I saved him!’ he tried to mouth, tapping his chest with his hand urgently.
“I know Cas, I know it’s you who saved him,” Sam said. “But get this: Dean said he was saved by a man with blue eyes before. Now, since this Mark appeared, Dean is ignoring what he said before and claiming that this is the man who saved him instead. It feels wrong. I can feel it in my gut… that man’s up to no good.”
“I bet it’s magic,” Gabriel declared.
“There’s no such-“ Sam was about to say but Gabriel shushed him with an impatient wave of his hand.
“Oh stop it for one second will you? How else can you explain it? We all know Dean’s head over heels for Cas, and then Mark appears, and all of a sudden he’s throwing Cas in jail and marrying this guy? It’s impossible! You know your brother. Dean would never do that.”
‘Marrying?!’ Castiel tried to stand from his seat in alarm, intent on getting off the carriage and back to the palace.
“Whoa, are you insane?” Gabriel said, pulling Castiel back to sit. “You can’t just get off of a moving carriage. Besides, if the guards see you, they’ll lock you up,” Gabriel told him. “You’re hiding in my house for now until we figure this whole thing out.”
Sam shot Castiel a worried look. “I’m sorry, Cas. I’ll try to talk my brother out of this. And alright, alright, if it IS magic, we’ll find a way to break the spell before they wed in two days.”
+++
“I’m going to tell your father,” Balthazar said once they were safely inside a room in Gabriel’s house.
Castiel shook his head.
“He’s the only one who can stop Crowley now. He has to know,” Balthazar explained. He placed his claw over Castiel’s hand in reassurance. “You won’t get turned into a shark by that slimy Crowley. Your father is far more powerful than some sea demon. He will be fine. And you will get to live with your prince. Trust me.”
Castiel looked at Balthazar worriedly before nodding his head.
“Great. I do hope I get back to the kingdom in time. Wish me luck!” he said.
Castiel mouthed ‘good luck!’ at him before Balthazar jumped out of his window and made his arduous journey to the river and back to the sea.
+++
On the day of the wedding, Balthazar had yet to return.
Sam was now convinced Dean was under some sort of magic, and he was hell bent on exposing Mark for the fraud that he was. “Dean would never act like that. He’s spouting love poems and singing praises about Mark. It’s creepy,” Sam commented.
“How do we defeat someone with magic then?” Gabriel asked.
Cas thought about it for a moment. Crowley was using his voice. This meant he had the vial containing his voice with him. Cas had an idea.
He stood up from his seat and rummaged through Gabriel’s drawer.
“What’re you doing?” Gabriel asked.
After a few more seconds, he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a vial and showed it to them.
“A vial?” Gabriel asked, and Cas nodded eagerly. “What does that have to do with magic?”
Sam looked at the vial in Cas’ hands intently. “Wait, Mark… he kept a small vial hung around his neck with a string. It had something bright and blue in it.”
Cas nodded enthusiastically, pointing to the vial in his hand again.
“I remember seeing that vial when I was treating him. I told him to remove it from his neck so I could check his wounds but he refused and didn’t even let me touch it. I didn’t think it was weird at first, but now that you mention it, it’s really, really weird,” Gabriel said.
“You think that’s his magic? If we get rid of the vial, will that break the spell?” Sam asked.
“It’s worth a shot,” Gabriel said. “Alright kiddos, let’s go break up a wedding.”
+++
Getting Cas back in the palace was surprisingly easy. Sam knew all the secret passageways that led them directly to the patio where the wedding was being held. There, guests were waiting for the wedding to begin. The looks of confusion were evident on their faces, for they had no idea who this person was that Dean was marrying. Even Jo and Ellen looked troubled as they sat by the pews up front. Bobby, on the other hand, was just plain annoyed as he talked to the priest, who every so often would shake his head.
“Bobby tried to talk Dean out of marrying this guy,” Gabriel whispered to Cas. “Dean just played the ‘you’re not my father’ card. It was a bloodbath.”
Castiel looked worriedly at Bobby. This whole thing wasn’t just hurting him, it was also hurting everyone who was close to Dean. It was all his fault. He didn’t mean to cause them pain. He had to stop Crowley no matter what.
+++
After a few minutes, Sam stepped out of the palace wearing a white suit. He looked uncomfortable as he walked down the aisle to take his place at the front as Dean’s best man. Then Dean came out, and Castiel’s world slowed down around him. This was the first time he was seeing Dean again since Crowley arrived-and Dean looked nothing like himself. He was pale, the sun-kissed glow jarringly absent from his skin. His face looked blank as well, and his eyes, once bright and green, were now dark and murky like the life was sucked out of him. Castiel wanted to run out to him and hold him in his arms.
Then Mark stepped out, and Castiel went from worried to seething. Even though he looked like an ordinary man, Castiel could now feel the magic emanating from him. No doubt that man was Crowley, and when the slowly setting sun’s light reached Mark’s eyes, they glowed bright red, confirming Castiel’s suspicions.
But Castiel soon realized his mistake when he saw the sun begin to set in the horizon. He had forgotten all about his deadline. Within minutes, he would turn into a merman and Crowley would take him and change him into a shark completely. He would never see Dean again.
Without even realizing it, Castiel stepped out of the crowd and ran towards Crowley.
“Mother of-Castiel!” Gabriel hissed, but it was too late, Castiel was almost at the altar.
The guests gasped and Mark turned just in time to see Castiel barreling towards him. His eyes glowed bright red and with a quick wave of his hand, he sent Castiel flying across the patio and landing violently on the stone floor. Gabriel rushed to Cas’ side, helping him up.
The guests screamed and tried to run away in fear, but Mark shook his head in disapproval. In an instant, sharp and jagged whale bones emerged from the sea and were impaled around the patio, imprisoning everyone. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked the crowd. “There’s a wedding going on. You wouldn’t want to miss the entertainment, now do you?” he said. Beside him, Dean looked on impassively.
Sam tried to grab Mark from behind but Mark held out a hand and froze Sam on the spot. “I wouldn’t try anything funny if I were you, moose,” he said.
“You’re not marrying my brother,” Sam said through gritted teeth.
This made Mark laugh. “Dear me, why would I even want to do that?” he said. “I just wanted to have a bit of fun with little Castiel over here.”
Castiel shook away the pain in his body and stood ready to attack Mark again.
“Won’t be long now Castiel, before you become my pet,” he said, glancing at the setting sun. “You didn’t really think the human would fall in love with you, did you? I gave you time, Castiel. Plenty of time. I really did want you to succeed,” he said with feigned sympathy.
“Wow, this guy’s a slimy asshole,” Gabriel muttered.
“Now I guess it’s back to the ocean for you,” Mark said.
Gabriel blinked in confusion. “What’s he talking about?” he asked, but Castiel kept his eyes on Crowley, wishing he could do something, anything.
“Oh? Didn’t you tell your friends, Castiel? Oh wait, I forgot, you couldn’t. See Castiel here-“ Mark was beginning to explain, when out of nowhere Bobby came and growled, “You don’t mess with my family, you asshole,” before delivering a skull rattling punch straight on Mark’s jaw.
The force of the blow made Mark’s head snap sideways, the shining blue vial tied to his neck slipping out of his shirt. Castiel took this opportunity and ran straight towards Mark, tackling him to the ground. He grabbed hold of the string and pulled at it with all his might. It snapped, sending the vial flying in the air. It crashed by Dean’s feet, and in an instant the blue light erupted, blinding everyone for a split second.
When the light subsided, Dean blinked, his eyes now their usual bright green. “Cas?” he asked in confusion.
“Dean!” Cas gasped. Then he put a hand against his throat in surprise. “I can talk again!” he said, getting up and rushing to hug Dean.
Just as they were about to touch, Cas froze.
“You’re too late!” Mark said in triumph.
Cas glanced at the sun and his eyes widened in fear. Then he looked back at Dean helplessly before he fell to the floor in agony.
Mark cackled loudly as he stood up from the floor, and slowly his features morphed, until he finally showed his true appearance. His tentacles slithered on the floor, sending the guests into new fits of screaming and tears.
Dean’s eyes flew to the sea demon, and then back at Castiel crumpled on the floor. He knelt down to help Cas, but Cas pushed him away. “No, Dean. Don’t look!” he pleaded.
“Cas, what’s going on?” he asked, but Cas didn’t have to answer. Instead, he transformed. His pants tore as his tail took shape and his great white shark coloring returned. Dean’s jaw dropped as he watched Castiel turn back into a merman. “You’re-“ he said breathlessly, unable to believe his own eyes.
“I’m sorry, Dean. I’m so sorry,” Castiel apologized.
Then one of Crowley’s tentacles wrapped around Castiel’s torso and pulled him away from Dean.
“No!” Dean screamed, reaching his hand out to grab Castiel’s, but Crowley only slithered away.
“Sorry, lover boy. This merman is mine,” Crowley gloated as Castiel struggled to free himself from his grasp. “Oh, if only you confessed your love sooner,” he taunted Dean.
Dean’s face grew murderous, pulling out a knife from his belt. “Let him go,” he said.
Crowley laughed. “You’re going to attack me with a bread knife? Please! I always knew you humans were stupid, but not this-“ before he could finish the sentence, he howled in pain as Castiel used his magic on the tentacle holding him, making it explode into a thousand pieces.
Castiel toppled to the ground just as Dean lunged forward and drove his knife into Crowley’s chest, missing his heart by a mere inch. Crowley screamed in pain and in anger, his magic exploding from him and sending nearly half of the patio crashing onto the beach below.
The next thing Dean realized, he was lying on rubble and sand, and when he looked up, Crowley was dragging Castiel back into the sea. Dean grabbed Sam’s sword and ran after them, Gabriel and Sam’s screams for him to come back going unheard.
He grabbed at one of Crowley’s tentacles at the last second, and all three of them plunged into the depths of the water. He struck at Crowley with the sword and it sliced through his side. Crowley grabbed him by the neck and pulled him deeper and deeper into the ocean. Already his vision was going black. He was going to drown.
“Dean!” Cas yelled in alarm. This was it. Crowley was going to kill Dean. He couldn’t let Dean die. He had to save Dean!
With speed he didn’t know he possessed, he swam towards Crowley, and gathered all of his remaining magic in his palms. The moment his palms touched Crowley’s skin, the sea demon was thrown violently backward and Dean was freed. Crowley slammed into the rocks below with bone-crushing force and Castiel pulled Dean by his arm and swam as fast as he could to the surface. It was almost like the first time he saved Dean, and once they broke the surface, Castiel searched Dean’s face for any signs of life. “Please be alive, please be alive,” he chanted. Then Dean sputtered water out of his mouth and opened his eyes. “Cas…” he said with a groan.
“Dean! Cas!” they heard Sam call out.
Cas turned and saw Sam and Gabriel rowing a small boat towards them. He helped them carry Dean into the boat. “Take Dean back to the shore,” he told them.
“No, Cas, I won’t leave-“ Dean protested weakly.
“Go. Take him away from here. It’s not safe,” Cas said.
“No, Cas! I can’t lose you,” he said, reaching his hand out for Cas.
“You won’t,” Cas said before diving back down into the water.
+++
Castiel swam back just as Crowley started getting up. He knew his magic would not be enough to stop him. And now that he had depleted all of his energy, he didn’t know how else he could defeat Crowley.
“You and your human gave me so much trouble. When I’m done with you, I think I’ll go back and teach that Dean a lesson,” Crowley said, spitting out blood from his mouth in disgust. “Now let’s see how much your father is willing to pay to prevent his son from turning into a shark…”
“This was your plan all along?” Castiel said in alarm. “You’re using me as a bargaining chip to get back at my father?”
Crowley stopped and blinked. “Why yes, I thought it would be obvious by now,” he said. “No matter how much you fight me, you can’t escape. We had a deal.”
“Leave them out of this! My father, and Dean, they had nothing to do with our deal,” Castiel said.
Crowley paused, seemingly contemplating his options for a bit. Then finally he said, “No. I don’t think so,” he said.
Furiously, Castiel charged at Crowley but the sea demon parried his attack with a swoosh of his tentacles. “You’re no match for me, little merman!”
“He isn’t, but I am.”
They both turned around and found Chuck and an army of mermen swimming towards them, a worried Balthazar hitching a ride on Chuck’s crown. “Let my son go,” Chuck said.
Crowley chuckled. “No can do. We had a deal. He will be my great white shark unless you strike a bargain with me.”
Chuck menacingly pointed his trident at Crowley. “How is this for a deal. You break your deal with my son and I keep you alive,” Chuck said.
This made Crowley laugh even harder. “You fool! Even if you kill me, the deal still stands. Castiel’s soul is mine, and before the sun rises tomorrow, he will be a shark.”
Chuck placed the tip of his trident against Crowley’s throat with just enough controlled force not to break skin. “That may be so, Crowley. But you underestimate my power and the power of the most powerful mermen in the sea. While your corpse rots on the ocean floor, we will have all the time in the world to gather our magic and counter your curse. I give it a day, maybe two at most, before we break the spell.”
This time, Crowley’s laugh was more nervous than confident. “You-you’re bluffing,” he said.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Chuck said, his trident starting to glow. “But I suppose you will never find out, now will you?” he said.
Crowley’s eyes grew wide in fear. “Fine fine, you have your deal. Your son is free to go, just leave me in peace,” he said, and with a snap of Crowley’s fingers, the magic binding Castiel was gone.
Chuck eased his trident from Crowley’s neck, and the moment he did, the sea demon shimmered and disappeared into a puff of red ink. Once all of the ink dispersed, Chuck sighed in relief.
“Father,” Castiel whispered in disbelief.
Chuck looked at Castiel with a troubled expression before pulling his son into a tight hug. “Oh Castiel,” he said.
Cas hugged his father back tightly. “I am so sorry, father. I was so childish and selfish.”
“That doesn’t matter now,” Chuck said. “What matters is you’re safe,” he said. “You’re my son and I care about you, whether you believe me or not.”
“I believe you father,” Castiel replied. “I will not be so foolish again.”
Chuck smiled and looked at Castiel’s face. “Following one’s heart is not such a foolish thing to do.”
“Father?” Cas asked in confusion.
“The human. You love him, don’t you?” Chuck asked.
At the thought of Dean, Castiel’s face fell. He could not be with Dean anymore, not after all that had happened.
“Do you want to go back to him?” Chuck asked.
“I cannot, father,” Castiel replied. “He saw who I am… he would not want to live with someone like me…”
“He fought against a sea demon to save you. I believe it’s safe to assume the boy doesn’t care you have a tail instead of legs,” he said.
Castiel tried to smile at his father’s words, but it was no use. “It doesn’t matter now. I am not human, father. There’s no way for me to-“
“What do you think of me? Am I not the god of the sea?” Chuck said, acting affronted. “I have powers too, you know!”
“You can? And you will-” Castiel said in disbelief. “You will allow me to become human?” Castiel asked, his voice unsure yet full of hope.
Chuck smiled. “I only want you to be happy… and if your happiness lies on land with that human, then so be it,” he declared.
“And that’s not all!” Balthazar happily chimed in. “If you wish to return to the sea from time to time, you’re always free to come by for a visit. Just give us advanced notice so your father can turn you back temporarily.”
Castiel’s eyes grew wide in surprise, and he hugged Balthazar and his father tightly. Then Alfie raced towards him and gave him a big hug as well. “You just came back! And now you’re going again!” Alfie complained. “Promise me you’ll come by for a visit someday? I can’t tend to your human artifact collection alone.”
Castiel smiled and patted Alfie’s side. “Of course,” he said. “Thank you, Alfie.”
++
At the shore, exactly where Dean first met Cas, he was pacing. “Castiel! You son of a bitch! You better be alive!” he shouted to the sea.
Then, a particularly large wave came crashing to the shore, sweeping Dean off his feet and submerging him in water. He closed his eyes and held his breath, and when the water receded a second later, Cas was already on top of him, naked. When Cas opened his eyes he saw Dean looking at him with a shocked expression.
“You’re… you’re alive,” Dean said breathlessly.
“Hello, Dean,” Castiel said as they both stood up. Then Dean embraced Cas. “Don’t ever leave me again, okay?” he said.
“Yes, Dean,” Cas replied.
When they parted, Dean held Cas by his shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a merman?” Dean asked, “Oh, right, never mind,” Dean said immediately after realizing the answer for himself.
“You don’t mind, do you? That I am not really a human?” Castiel asked tentatively.
Dean grinned. “You know, I kinda suspected from the start. I mean, your palm is seared on my shoulder after all,” he said. This earned a light chuckle from Castiel, and Dean smiled wider and brushed a wet lock of hair from Cas’ face. “And no, I don’t mind,” he said. “I thought your shark tail was pretty impressive.”
Castiel blinked in surprise. “You were-you weren’t frightened of me?”
“Me? Frightened?” Dean scoffed. “That was you, why would I be frightened?”
Castiel smiled as tears of joy welled in his eyes. Dean accepted him. To Dean, he wasn’t a freak or something to be scared of. To Dean, he was merely Castiel. It was more than Castiel could’ve ever asked for. “Thank you, Dean,” he said.
“What are you thanking me for?” Dean asked. “This is all my fault. None of this undersea fiasco would’ve happened if I just manned up. I know I’m the king of denial and emotional constipation… but this is better late than never….” He said.
Cas cocked his head to the side as he waited for Dean to continue.
“I love you, Castiel,” Dean said.
The gravity of those words gave Cas so much happiness and he pounced at Dean and kissed him for all he was worth.
When they parted, Dean grinned at Cas slyly. “You know… I could get used to seeing you naked all the time. It’s a good look on you,” Dean quipped.
Cas looked down and flushed when he realized he was naked on the beach while Dean was fully clothed. He tried to cover himself with his hands, but Dean just laughed.
“We could try something new… how ‘bout doing it on the beach?”
Cas frowned. “My father could be watching,” he said.
Dean looked to the ocean and cringed. “Oh, eew,” he said. “Let’s just get you clothes now, alright?” Dean said.
Cas nodded. “And Dean?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you, too,” Cas said.
Dean beamed. “I know. Come on, Sam and Gabriel would want to know what happened to you and to that octopus-man….”
“He was a sea demon, not an octopus,” Cas corrected.
“Well, then you have a lot of explaining to do,” Dean said.
Cas smiled. “That’s okay. I have all the time in the world.”
From that day on, Castiel, the little merman, lived with Prince Dean in his palace. Every now and then, he would come to visit his home under the sea with Dean, who was transformed temporarily into a merman every time they visited. The other merpeople still despised humans, but they learned to accept Dean’s presence eventually.
They soon wed on by the beach where Cas brought Dean after saving him, and they became well loved rulers of the kingdom. And they lived happily ever after.
The End
PART 1
PART 2