#raisecas

Dean thought for a moment about what could be wrong, and then decided to tell the man to come get a private reading at Dean’s house the next day.  Castiel agreed and showed up on time, and Dean felt the odd imbalance again.

  “Castiel, I cannot get a clear reading on you at all,” Dean began, “I think there may be something that you’re not telling me about your state of mind.”  Dean looked down his table at Castiel who looked down at his lap nervously.

  “Cas, if you’re not honest with me I can’t help you, do you want a reading or not?”

  Castiel looked up, and his eyes were clouded over, not with anger or fear, but with something Dean could not quite put his finger on.  Cas licked his lips and looked Dean in the eye, “I know you’re an amazing psychic Dean, and there’s only one reason why you can’t read me.  I am telling you this in complete confidence, if you breach my trust then you can count on your name being dragged through the mud so thoroughly, no one will want to be read by you again, do you understand.”

  Dean swallowed hard and nodded; he could tell Cas was powerful, in what he didn’t know yet, but he knew he was about to get his answer.

  “All right, how familiar are you with witchcraft Dean?”

  “I mean, I know it’s out there, and I know there are some very powerful witches out there, but I’ve never encountered one before, only wannabes with spells that wouldn’t work even if there was a miracle.”

  “Well, the reason you can’t read me is because I put a very powerful spell on myself, a spell that completely prohibits any genuine fortune telling or psychic readings from happening.  The real reason I accepted your reading in the coffee shop was not because I wanted my fortune told, but because I was sent to find you by the other witches in my coven.  I am one of those ‘powerful witches’ Dean.”

  Dean stared at Cas with his mouth open for a minute before he could regain his composure.  So all of that stuff with his cards, the reason he couldn’t get a good reading from them or from Cas’s mind was because of some spell?

  “No, that’s not right, I’ve practiced against hexes and spells before, why wasn’t I able to break yours?”

  “Well, you almost did, you’re a very good psychic Dean, but I had already weakened your abilities before you even started the reading.  Do you remember the overwhelming urge that you had to give me a reading?”  Dean nodded, so Castiel continued.

  “That urge, that was me, it was another spell, one that beckoned you to me and allowed me to ensure that you would be the one giving me the reading.”

  Dean stared at Cas again; amazed at the amount of spells the other man had been able to put on him in such a short amount of time.  Cas really was powerful…

  “So wait, I thought that the reason I wanted to do your reading was because I thought you were cute, but it was really just because you ‘beckoned’ me to you?”

  “Not exactly, I did use a sort of, love spell.  I used a spell that fed off of your natural desires and heightened them.  So, I-uh, I suppose that you do still think I’m cute, but I just heightened that feeling so that you would gravitate towards me more than anyone else in the coffee shop.”

  Dean thought about what Cas had just said and paused for a moment.  He began collecting his tarot cards and asked Castiel his next question while he was working, “So, what exactly does your coven want with me?  I’m just a psychic, you’re all witches, what good am I to you?”

  “You’re actually very important to us Dean.  You see, there are quite a few spells that require certain tactics that none of us know, like tarot for example.  None of us have been chosen by a deck; we’re a very small coven, but you obviously have a very strong connection with your cards.  I could feel the connection through my spell.  I also saw that you do tea leaf reading, that is necessary in certain spells as well, to ensure that the more dangerous and powerful spells are going correctly.”

  “So basically you want me to train you guys?”

  “Basically, yes.”

“And what do I get out of it if I do agree to help you?”

  Castiel thought about Dean’s question for a moment.  He should really ask the coven about this, but there was no time, they had very pressing issues and needed Dean’s help now.  Plus Cas wasn’t sure if Dean would consider helping them again without knowing something now.

  “You would receive protection and aid from the coven.  We could do spells for you, or provide you with rare ingredients or potions that you may need.  We also have a small amount of money that we could give you.  How does all of that sound?”

  “It sounds like we’ve got a deal!”  Dean stuck his hand out over the table and waited for Castiel to shake it.  When Cas finally took Dean’s hand they shook, but Dean held onto Cas’s hand for a moment more.  Dean flipped Cas’s hand over and began to trace the lines on his palm.  “How would you like a palm reading Cas?  Now that all the spells have lifted, of course.”

  “How did you know the spells lifted?”  Cas was shocked that Dean was able to tell, most people couldn’t tell when a spell was lifted or put on them.

  “The cards told me, now, time for a palm reading.”  Dean read Cas’s palm and got the average answers that he expected.  Palm reading never gave Dean very detailed results, but the vague answers that they did give were always very accurate.  Dean finished the reading and turned Cas’s hand back over and put it on the table.  He then put both of his hands on top of Cas’s, and a mischievous grin grew across his face.

  “So, Cas, you’re okay with me thinking that you’re cute,” Dean said with a sly wink.

  “Well, uh, I-I guess, I mean, I think you are quite pleasing as well, so, yes, I’m quite okay with that.”

  “Hmm, that’s good.  I might just have to ask you on a date then, after all, we are going to be spending a lot of time together with all this training stuff, and we wouldn’t want the sexual tension building in front of everyone, would we?”

  Castiel blushed furiously and looked down at where Dean was holding his hand against the table.  “I-I know a pretty decent coffee shop we can go to, much better than the place you go to anyways.”

  “Hey, I like Sam and Gabriel’s shop!  I mean; I kind of have to, Sam is my brother after all.”

  “Well, aren’t you in for a shock then, Gabriel’s my brother, but I still don’t like his coffee.  I have always loved his sweets though, he has the biggest sweet tooth.”  Cas looked across the table and saw Dean grinning furiously.  “What’s so funny Dean?”

  “Oh, nothing Cas, just admiring the view.”  Dean lifted his hands off of Cas’s and moved them to Cas’s face, “Why don’t we just call this our first date and get it over with?”

  Before Cas could get a word out Dean had moved over to his side of the table and was pressing his mouth against Cas’s.  Cas felt something shift in the atmosphere, but he ignored it and kept kissing Dean.  They kissed over and over again, teeth colliding, hands running through hair and down each other’s necks and backs.  Dean pulled back and bit the bottom of Cas’s lip, making him groan and pull Dean back in for more.  Dean slipped his tongue into Cas’s mouth, and Cas matched Dean’s pace.  Soon they were both out of their chairs and Cas had Dean pressed up against a wall.

  They could feel every part of each other they were touching, and they were quickly losing control.  The atmosphere in the room reached a fever pitch and Dean’s tarot cards began flying off the table.  Cas reached under Dean’s shirt so that he could get closer, but it wasn’t close enough.  Dean pulled back and looked Cas in the eyes.  Their lips were swollen and their breathing was heavy.

  “I-I need to go get my cards Cas,” Dean said, slumping against the wall.

  “Yes, you should go do that.  Did you feel that?  The change in the room?”

  Dean bent over to pick up his cards and answered Cas, “Yeah, it was strange, I guess that’s what happens when you mix a strong psychic with a powerful witch and the after affects of a pseudo love spell.”

  “I guess so,” Cas said, running a hand through his hair, “and to think this all started with a bit of basic magic and a simple spell.”

“A request?”  The king responded, tilting his head.  “We owe you nothing, why should we fulfill a request when you have nothing to offer?”

  “Well, your highness, I-I’d be willing to work at the castle for the rest of my days, if you’ll just do this one thing for my family.  My brother was banned from the kingdom, and he died just a few days ago, but you see, his dying wish was to be buried alongside our mother.  The only problem is that our mother is buried in the kingdom’s cemetery.  So I was wondering, your highness, if you could do me the honor of allowing my brother to be buried in the kingdom’s cemetery with our mother.  I will serve you and your family for the rest of my life if you just do this one thing for me.”

  The king sat on his throne and rubbed his chin for a moment.  His wife leaned over and muttered in his ear, and then he made his decision, “I will honor your wishes peasant man.  Your brother will be buried in the kingdom cemetery and you will be our stable boy.  You have a day to bury your brother and then you must start your service.”

  “Thank you your highness, you won’t regret your decision!”  Sam walked out of the castle, happy to be fulfilling his brother’s final wish.

  Sam worked happily in the castle.  No one spoke to him for the first few days, but after a while one of the princes came to check in on him.

  “Hello there stable boy,” the prince with long blonde hair walked up to Sam with a honey stick in his mouth, “what is your name?”

  Sam bowed before responding, “Prince, nice to see you, my name is Sam.”

  “I’m Gabriel,” the prince responded, “you can just call me that, considering you’re going to be stuck here for a while.  Do you want a honey stick?”

  Sam declined his offer and got back to work.  The prince watched for a while but then grew bored and walked away.  After that the prince came and visited Sam every day.  Sometimes he would bring snacks, other times he would ask Sam to take a break and read or walk with him.  Sam was apprehensive of to take the breaks at first, but Gabriel assured him that his father would not mind, and Sam began to feel more relaxed.

  The days went on like that and Sam and Gabriel grew closer.  After about a year at the castle the two were inseparable, and one day Gabriel told Sam that he wished they could have been of the same standing.

  “I don’t care if I would have to be a peasant or you a noble, I just wish that we wouldn’t have to talk and meet in between you cleaning out the stables,” Gabriel said, taking a bite out of one of the figs he had brought with him.

  “I know Gabriel, I wish it were that way too.  Unfortunately it’s not, I’m indebted to your family and I have to work for your father to pay off my debts.”

  “Well you’re not indebted to me, I want you to know that.  I don’t come out here to see you every day just for my amusement or to humor the poor peasant stable worker.  I come out here because I care about you Sam.  You’ve been with our family for quite a while now, and I want you to know that.”  Gabriel stopped and sat down underneath the shade of a large tree.  They had walked quite a way from the castle, and Gabriel knew no one would be looking for them for a while.

  Sam sat down next to Gabriel and grabbed a fig, “I know Gabriel, I care about you too.  More than I probably should…” Sam took a bite out of the fig and looked down at his hands, his hair covering his face.

  Gabriel reached out and tucked Sam’s hair behind his ear, “I think I know how you feel,” he said as he put his hand under Sam’s chin and tilted Sam’s head toward his.  Sam leaned in towards Gabriel and looked in his eyes.  Gabriel winked at Sam and closed the gap between their mouths, passionately kissing the poor peasant man he had fallen for.  Their kisses were sticky and greedy; fig juice and sugar mixing with pleasure and want.  They separated and rested their foreheads against each other’s.

“Hey Cas, what’s up,” Dean asked, sliding closer to Cas on the railing so that their arms were touching.

  “Nothing much, this party is super lame though, they’re not even playing good music…and God does the beer suck!  Got any extra cigarettes?”  Dean reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the box of Marlboro’s handing them to Cas.  Cas took a cigarette from the box and put it in his mouth, waggling his eyebrows at Dean so that he would light it.  After Dean lit his cigarette Cas put the box back in Dean’s jacket pocket with a wink and took a drag.

  “Nice haircut,” Dean said, captivated by the way that Cas was just looking out from the balcony.  He was either people watching or star gazing, but Dean didn’t care.  Cas looked amazing just leaning on the railing smoking and concentrating on whatever it was that he was looking at.

  “Thanks, undercuts are the new Mohawk,” Cas said with a wink.  Dean looked at his haircut again and noticed that there was a cross shaved into one side.  The tips of the longer part of Cas’s hair were blue, and it matched his eyes perfectly.  Dean looked down at his gray henley and felt a little out of place standing next to Cas.  Cas who had his ear lobes pierced all the way up his ears, Cas who had snakebites and a tongue ring, Cas who had an undercut and blue hair, Cas who had massive angel wings tattooed on his back.  Dean was just wearing his henley and some light blue jeans.  He kept his hairstyle pretty standard, almost like a grown out military cut, the closest he’d ever gotten to a piercing was when he accidentally stabbed himself cutting an air hose at the garage.  One place where he could keep up with Cas though, was tattoos.  Dean loved tattoos, and he was working on getting enough money saved up to get a full biomechanical sleeve.

  Still, Cas was badass, and Dean was pretty average.  Cas was mysterious, from his style to his clear blue eyes, and Dean was just a mechanic at a local garage trying to pay his way through college at KU.  Somehow though Cas liked talking to Dean, and Dean thanked whatever gods were out there that someone like Cas was interested in him.

  “Dean, hey, Dean,” Cas waved his hand in front of Dean’s face trying to get his attention, “you spaced out worse than me!  I asked you a question!”

  “What?  Sorry Cas, you’re right I was pretty zoned out for a minute there, what did you ask me?”

  “I asked if you wanted to ditch this party and go do something fun,” Cas looked at Dean with a knowing look in his eyes.  Cas had an odd sense of fun, but Dean decided that anything would be better than this…

“Sure, let’s blow this Popsicle stand, what’re you thinking?”

  “Well, I was thinking we could go see what everyone else is up to, I mean did you notice the severe lack of interesting people at this party?  I need my fill of geeky Charlie, and my asshole brother Gabe, and sarcastic Meg, and guess where they all are,” Cas said raising one eyebrow expectantly.

  “Where?”

  “Our old high school!”  Cas smirked at Dean and waited for Dean’s response.

  “What?  Why would they be there?  First off they’re planning on knocking that shit-hole down, and second off it’s completely locked up, it’d take hours to break in.”

  “You underestimate us Dean!  They’re not set to knock it down for another two weeks, and besides, we’ve broken in there before!  Don’t you wanna go roam the halls one more time?  I’ll put up a bit more graffiti and you can go relive the glory days, you were our star quarterback.”

  Dean thought about Cas’s offer for a moment, “Fine, anything’s better than this, and I’m guessing they’re going to have better booze there, aren’t they?”

  “There we go Dean, catching on quick,” Cas said sarcastically, “only the finest, stolen straight from Jo’s mom’s restaurant!  She’s there too, by the by, and if my sources are correct our resident goody two shoes will be there as well.”

  “No fucking way, you got Sam and Jess to break into our old high school,” Dean said, looking at Cas with disbelief.

  “Well, Gabe can be quite persuasive, and they’re quite the sentimental couple, they’re just torn to bits about the school closing, and they wanted to get one last look or something like that, now come on!  Gabe’s gonna drink all the good stuff before we even get there!”  Cas put out his cigarette and then took Dean’s and did the same, and then he grabbed Dean’s hand and pulled him out of the party and down the street to their old high school.

  **********************************************************************************************

  “Clarence!  You made it!  And look, you even brought a cute little friend.”  Meg smiled at Dean from her spot in the bleachers.  Cas and Dean had found them easily, they just followed the smell of cigarettes and the sound of Sam’s loud laughter.

  “Clarence?”  Dean asked, looking at Cas.

  “Hello Meg, it’s always wonderful to see my little demon,” Cas winked at Meg and she pretended to faint before breaking out into a fit of laughter.  Cas turned to Dean and answered his question, “Meg’s been calling me Clarence since I got my wings, something about some old Christmas movie I’ve never seen…”

  “Oh!  You mean It’s a Wonderful Life!  How have you never seen that Cas, it’s a classic?”

  “Never got around to it I guess, I’m not all that pop culture savvy to be quite honest, now what are we all doing just lying around on the bleachers?”

  Gabriel walked up to Cas and put his arm around his brother’s shoulders, “Actually, we were just about to start playing some games, right everyone?”

  Everyone nodded and a chorus of yes’s floated around the room.  “Oh yeah,” Cas began, “what kind of games?”

  “Well little brother, you missed our vote, but we decided that since we’re in our old high school it was only fitting to play some cheesy old high school games.  Our first game will be decided by chance!”  Gabriel pulled a quarter out of his pocket and flipped it high in the air, “Heads or tails Cas!”

  “Tails!”  Cas yelled, excited about the coin flip.

  “Tails it is!  My vote was for truth or dare, and our other option was seven minutes in heaven, so looks like seven minutes it is!  Who’s got an empty bottle?”

  Charlie finished off the bottle of peach schnapps she was holding and waved it at Gabe, “Got one over here!”

  “Sweet, somebody break the lock off that closet and let’s get started!”  Meg ran over to the closet and took off one of her steel-toed boots.  She smashed it against the rusted over lock a few times and the lock broke off, “Done!  Let’s play!”

  Everyone sat in a circle and Gabriel put the bottle in the middle.  “All right, ground rules, you’ve got to go in the closet with anyone you spin on except siblings, deal?” 

  Everyone nodded in agreement and Cas reached for the bottle, “I say that since my call got us to play this game, I get to go first.”  No one stopped Cas, so he spun the bottle and waited for it to land.

  “Well, well, well, looks like our first pair is Cas and his buddy,” Meg said looking down at the bottle that was pointing straight at Dean.

  “You two have fun in there,” Sam said shoving Dean towards the closet.

  Cas grabbed Dean’s hand again and pulled him to the closet, “Oh, we will Sam,” he said with a wink before closing the door firmly.

  “Uh, hey Cas,” Dean said blinking his eyes and hoping they would adjust quickly.  Cas took a step towards Dean so that they were touching and he reached out to try and get a feel for where Dean was.  Cas clumsily pawed his way up to Dean’s face and put his hands under Dean’s chin.

  “I’ve been waiting a long time to do this Dean,” Cas said, as he pulled Dean in for a kiss.  They stood and kissed in the total darkness for the whole seven minutes.  Cas tasted like cigarettes and mint, and Dean tasted like cigarettes and whisky.  They ran their hands up and down each other’s bodies.  Chests, arms, backs, they tried to feel as much of each other as they could.  Cas started reaching under Dean’s shirt when they heard yelling from outside of the closet.

  “Time’s up!  Time’s up!  We’re coming in!  Make sure you’ve got your pants on!”  Suddenly the closet door swung open and Dean quickly adjusted his shirt.

  “Well, looks like you two were enjoying yourselves,” Charlie said.  Dean and Cas’s lips were swollen and Cas’s hair was completely messed up.  Everyone made their way back to the circle and Dean grabbed the bottle.