promptober days 3 & 4: stealth and woodland (imagine this takes place somewhere in season 9)
Theyāve had better hunts, to say the least.Ā
From the beginning this one was a mess. First, thereās human Cas, still adjusting to truly feeling the weight of his body and having to throw his weight behind a knife, not to mention the recoil on a pistol. Add that to the Impala breaking down on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere and the fact that it was pouring down rain as they meandered through the woods in search of the latest monster, and youāve got the perfect conditions for Dean to be in a mood.Ā
Heād let Cas shower first, which meant that in addition to fuming about how their usual brand of stealth was ruined by the storm, he was sopping wet and hovering around the motel room because he didnāt want to make the place grimy. Dean didnāt, and doesnāt, want his frustration to get the best of him like it had before, because heās not angry at Cas. Itās the whole damn day, and since Cas isnāt juiced up anymore, he canāt do things like break the Impala.
(Well, Deanās not even sure Cas could do that when he was all angel.)Ā
Dean squeezes a bit of shampoo from the motelās tiny complimentary bottle and suds up his hair, savoring every moment that the hot water sprays down his back. Sometimes heās amazed that his body hasnāt given up on him, after dying, coming back to life, being buried, and being thrown against countless walls and trees by demons and monsters alike.Ā
From the other side of the thin wall that separates the bathroom from the motel room, Dean hears the television turn on. Cas has gotten into watching things, but itās usually reruns of obscure detective shows from the 1980s. Dean smiles to himself as he imagines Cas settling in for Matlock or Remington Steele in his pajamas.Ā
Dean finishes up and towels himself off, throwing on his pajamas as quickly as possible to ward off the chill that comes with being back in the motelās frigid air (the only temperature options seem to be freezing or boiling).Ā
In the room, Cas is sitting cross-legged on one of the beds, his hair sticking up in every direction while he reads a takeout menu. Heās holding it far too close to his face; it occurs to Dean that human Cas might need glasses, although heās not sure how thatāll go, with their lifestyle. Dean turns to the television, a quip about aging detectives at the ready, when he sees a familiar face on the screen: Dr. Sexy.Ā
āHowād you find this?ā Dean asks.
āWhat?ā Cas looks up from the menu.Ā
āMy, uh, favorite show.ā
āChannel guide.ā Cas picks up a laminated card from the bed and waves it at him.
āI...thanks.ā Dean sits down on the other bed. He doesnāt really know what to do with Cas at the moment, because he showed his hand, didnāt he? When Cas got killed by April, heād felt terror that heād never experienced except for the other times heād lost him. The angel walking into the lake, swallowed by darkness, is the first thing of many that comes to mind.Ā
Cas moves to sit next to Dean, showing him the menu; itās for a pizza place. Theyāre sitting close enough that their shoulders are pressed together, and when Cas hands Dean the glossy paper, their fingers brush. Dean glances up, and thereās Cas, eyes as blue as ever.Ā
Dean takes a slow breath, and Cas smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkling.
Theyāve had better hunts, and itāll all be okay.Ā