#endingsfixitzine

My piece for @destielzine / Endings Fix-it Zine!

Sharing my 2-page piece done for @destielzine

Dean may be in heaven, but that doesn’t mean he has to rest in peace. Jack reckons with the fact that Dean Winchester lets no one else decide his fate. And Dean has decided his fate is to rescue Castiel from the Empty.

“He should be here,” Dean interrupts, with a voice of rough, badly sawn wood. “He deserves to be here.”

 Angels don’t come here. Not like that. “You know the deal he made, Dean.”

-- keep reading on ao3 -->

In the shadow of Mount San Jacinto and under the cover of dawn, Castiel wakes to winter’s pleasant chill flooding through the window. Stirring, he looks over the soft curve of Dean’s shoulder where he faces the window, at the moon hovering high and rising out of sight. He strokes down the soft plane of Dean’s chest before resting his hand over his stomach, where Dean breathes, long and deep.

For a long few minutes, nothing moves. The palms outside sit still, the semis traveling up State Route 111 don’t backfire, and no guests scream or blast their music. The world stands still, consisting of only Dean’s body in his arms and the sheets pulled over their shoulders.

For all of the desert’s hot afternoons and warmer evenings, nights are something to be treasured, especially in the cooler months, where the air is more bearable. Dean sleeps easier as the temperatures fall, content to let someone hold him, to rest in layers rather than stripping down just to cool off. As the years pass, Castiel has begun to acclimate to human temperatures. Spring and fall are his favorite, but only in other parts of the country, where it actually rains and the sun doesn’t bake the earth.

How they ended up in Palm Springs is a mystery to everyone but themselves.

Dean has a different story every morning when a guest asks just how four out-of-towners settled down in one of the most inhospitable cities in the country. Sometimes, he’ll say their car broke down and they never left. Other times, he’ll say they loved to golf and wanted to stay close to their country club. The reality is something much simpler. One day, Dean woke up and packed a bag with all of his things, and told Sam and Castiel to do the same.

It took a month, but they found a home, a place Castiel never thought Dean would settle down in. Now, Sam and Eileen live in the room next door. Dean sleeps soundly in the owner’s suite, and Castiel nuzzles his nape, chasing the scent of smoke clinging to the ends of his hair. Such a human smell, from the bonfire they held to celebrate the new year. He never showered after, just fell into bed, and Castiel climbed in with him, desperate to feel warm flesh against his own.

Looking at Dean last night, Castiel couldn't help but marvel at him, his muscles gone soft and his hair graying at his temples. Their hunting days ended the day Dean signed the lease. The most they do now is strip used linens from beds and clean the pool, and sit at the front desk waiting for tourists to step in the door. Dean has never looked happier in his life, and every day, Castiel cherishes his smile and kisses him every chance he gets, because this, this is something neither of them thought they would ever have.

Castiel, especially.

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Supernatural (TV 2005) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural), Sam Winchester, Jack Kline Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Castiel/Dean Winchester in Purgatory, Season/Series 15, Episode: s15e09 The Trap, Episode: s15e12 Galaxy Brain, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary:

“Cas, I need to tell you something,” said Dean. He squeezed his hand gently. “Dean, there’s no need. I heard your prayer.”