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"Cassie, there's no shame in summoning a-" "It's the principal, Jimmy. I don't see why you insist on having the same argument with me over and over about this when my feelings, clearly, have not changed." Identical sets of stormy blues glared at one another across the small space of their attic. Magick crackled in the air around them, causing Castiel's wild locks to swish with the force. Jimmy conceded and let out a sigh of defeat, running dirtied fingertips through his shorter, well-managed hair, casting his eyes to the side. Though his twin was protesting the very idea of what they were about to do, it didn't stop him from setting up the necessary pieces for the ritual to take place. The crystals were aligned in the perfect positions, candles of appropriate color and scents strategically placed at the pivotal corners of their drawn runes on the wooden floor. Jimmy understood his brother's hesitation: what they were doing wasn't necessarily legal. Then again, almost anything they did involving their magick was frowned upon by the human-run society. Their town may have been on the modern up-swing of things, but it did not stop the nasty stares and muttered words. There was also the unerring sense of unknown that followed their powers as the symbols began to charge the underlying current of their magick. A summon was perfectly capable of being specific enough for the witches to know exactly what would appear within their circle – if it was a normal summons, that is. In the case of summoning, and inadvertently binding, a guardian? Well, they were stuck with whatever fate graced them, whatever creature felt the pull towards their magick enough to allow themselves to be bound. There was actually quite a bit of speculation on the 'allowing' part of the ceremony, but they were in enough mental turmoil without focusing on all of the finer details of morality. "What if we get a succubus? Or a siren?" Jimmy's attention snapped back towards his brother and his brow raised suggestively. Castiel, who had been quite serious with his tone, managed to roll his eyes and hold up a hand that halted whatever snarky remark Jimmy was about to say. It took merely a moment, though, for the corners of Castiel's lips to turn upwards slightly, which was something his twin considered a success. A surge of affection – pushed from Jimmy's magick – pulsed through the room towards Castiel, which was warmly accepted with a soft, pulsing glow. The twins were unique witches. Their birth and circumstances surrounding it had caused their magick to be bonded together, to feed from one another and combine in a force that was completely unknown. While it was a fascinating new concept to even the oldest of mages, it was also a target upon the twins' back. Many humans still sought to destroy the evidence of magick, believing it to be a harborer of evil occurrences. Many witches themselves wanted to possess that power, to obtain the ability of feeding from the source of another. Truthfully, Jimmy and Castiel were lucky that both tended to focus on the light side of magick and strayed from the darkness. If one had decided to sway towards the darker spells and summons, the other may have easily ended up surviving as a source of magick and nothing more: a battery, almost. Though, as the saying goes: with great power comes great responsibility. After arguing day and night over the need for protection, the twins had finally come to the agreement of summoning a guardian. They knew many who had done so, despite the loopholes lawyers tried to make and how most of society viewed the practice itself. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and the twins felt like they had no other choice. Not with the threat of many Non-Magick Alliance breathing down their backs. No, a guardian was their last-ditch effort, and Jimmy was thankful that Castiel had finally given in. He wasn't sure he could stand wearing the spelled clothing and drinking the protective potions regularly. The clothes were too itchy and the potions, well, let's just say he'd rather do something that was occasionally viewed as illegal than deal with those side effects anymore. Jimmy adjusted the book in his lap, crossing his legs beneath it as he thumbed through to the next page, the leather-bound tome letting some ancient dust loose. Castiel was in position on the opposite side of the runes, murmuring something beneath his breath as he dusted his crushed ingredients into the circle. Sprite wings, newt skin, and something about the eye of a goat, it wasn't Jimmy's job to keep track of that stuff. Cassie had always been better with ingredients and measurements. There was no room for improvisation during magickal spells and summons.... or at least, that's what Cassie had always told him. So, Jimmy was left to focus on the energy and speak the words after checking to make sure his portion of the protective circle was flawless. Both twins had impeccable skills when it came to writing the runes, drawing the symbols, so it was one less thing for them to worry about. The charge in the room began to thicken, filling the air between the twins as their eyes met one another across the room. Castiel closed his after a moment, taking a deep breath, allowing himself to focus and push his magick towards his twin. Jimmy felt it strengthen in his veins, flow through him, and he focused it again on the words written on the old tome's page. His accent was thick and natural, something he'd developed from years spent in Romania studying their language. It was a simplistic spell, truthfully, but the energy had to be right, along with the runes, his accent, everything. The stories that came from a poor summoning never ended well. With a deep breath of his own, Jimmy began to chant, feeling his magick flow and focus, boosted by the power of his brother's. "Noi vă numim, un tutore, să vă legați și să NE protejați. Căutăm magia voastră să găsiți a noastră. Trimitem magia noastră pentru a găsi a voastră. Noi vă numim, un tutore, să vă legați și să NE protejați." As he spoke, the candles flickered and changed the shadows in the small room. They elongated and danced, possessed by the pull of the brothers' magick. The ingredients in the circle began to pull together and congeal into a thick mass, which was twisted and grotesque at first, but began to fully form as Jimmy completed the incantation. As he neared the end, both sets of crystal blue eyes were focused on the form taking shape in the circle, unsure what to expect from the blob of inky black oil. It was shapeless and would remain so until the incantation was truly complete and the summons was sealed with blood. It took merely a moment after Jimmy spoke the final word, their magick heavy and thick in the air, for them both to slip their witch's knives over the ends of their right ring fingers. A bit of pinching and their blood pooled in the air, holding for only a moment, before being sucked into the blob itself. And as the mass began to take a true shape, the twins held their breath... and waited."We call you, a guardian, to bind and protect us.. We're looking for your magic to find ours. We send our magick to find yours. We call you, a guardian, to bind and protect us."
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Summoning itself wasn't truly illegal. Many witches and mages used their magickal abilities to summon a variety of objects, living and non-living. Mages often used smaller summoning spells to retrieve items from other mages: books, potions, and other menial items. These types of summons were not the ones that humans had a problem with at the end of the day. No, it was when they realized that magickal folk could summon living creatures that the issues began. Animal rights activists truly started it all, spurred on my many political figures that claimed it was cruelty to be drawing animals from one location into another that way. The issues surrounding it had been talked down over a year or so, but there were still radicals that occasionally cropped up on the news, spewing what they believed was knowledge but was really just emotional manipulation against those who were magickally inclined. The discovery that witches and mages could summon humanoid creatures sent the world into an uproar. It did not help the cause to know that the first incident that humans had noticed was a case where a dark mage had summoned an elf in order to enslave and get information from her. The idea of slavery and the violation of human will had brought negative connotations to almost everything magickal and had started a strange sort of revolution across the entire world. It was hard to convince humans that not all witches and mages were inclined to study dark magick, but many were more progressive than originally believed. Witches and mages had more allies coming out of the woodwork each and every day, working to help protect them where they needed it. Though, they couldn't do all of the protecting... which is where guardians came in.Castiel had known this was a bad idea. He had tried to convince Jimmy that protection was unnecessary. With their combined powers, they should be able to protect themselves from whatever threats come their way. Though, he knew the outcome of that conversation each time they had it: it didn't work then, it wouldn't work now. No matter how much they practiced and how much they learned about their abilities, there was no way they could protect themselves from the inevitable. Not without help, as loathe as Castiel was to admit it. Oh, and then there was the fact that half of society viewed the summoning of a guardian illegal. The very suggestion seemed to put a bad taste into people's mouths and even Castiel was tense while setting up the proper sigils in the attic. He couldn't help but feel a keen sense of wrongness about this, not enjoying the idea that they were almost enslaving another creature to protect them. He knew the argument for the other side, though: guardians picked their destiny. Guardians had chosen for one reason or another to take on the role of a protector to whoever they chose, or whoever summoned them. There was little else known about the positions guardians took simply because no one thought to ask. Or if they had asked, guardians had wished not to discuss the details. It was a personal choice, and even Castiel had come to respect that... but it still didn't stop him from feeling as though they were taking the freedom of one humanoid creature in order to protect their own asses. Twin sets of blue eyes watched the figure the in the middle as it began to form. Castiel's eyes left it only for a brief moment to catch a glimpse of his brother's face across the room. Jimmy had curiosity written on his features and the tension in his shoulders, the latter being what Castiel was mirroring himself. His expression, however, was a perpetual frown as he waited as patiently as he could for the magick in the air to die and the figure to fully form itself. The unknown was something Castiel had never enjoyed; he preferred to be the one in control and let Jimmy deal with being the more flexible of the two. A cough was heard as the air began to clear and snapped both of the twin's attentions back to the figure standing in the middle. Castiel felt his throat dry up, eyes widening a miniscule amount as he took in the guardian before him. The man before him was as naked as the day he was born with a dark hue to his skin that could easily pass as a tan, but held a sooty undertone that was hard to explain. Freckles dusted over him like constellations in the night sky, present in the dips and bulges of his muscular frame, and even in the delicate, softer areas he possessed. Castiel had to bite his tongue as his eyes raked up the back of a pair of beautiful bowed legs, curving into a round ass that he was certain would haunt his dreams for some time to come. The guardian possessed dimples at the base of his spine and a back most swimmer's desire. But what really drew Castiel's eyes were the pair of wings sprouted near the man's shoulder blades. They were beautiful in a dark kind of way, with not a feather to be seen. No, they were leathery, folded up as much as they could be without being too uncomfortable, they were impressive in size. They reached above the sandy colored hair on top of the guardian's head and the end points fell just beneath his knees. The first thought that came to Castiel's mind upon seeing them, however, was a sort of horrified awe that they had possibly summoned a demon of sorts. Flicking his eyes back to his brother, he could see that Jimmy's mouth was open and his eyes were staring -"James." Castiel spoke his brother's name with a hard tone, underlying with exasperation. Jimmy's mouth swiftly shut as he pulled his eyes away from the guardian's private area. His eyes flashed to his twin's, seeing the questioning raise of his eyebrow, before deciding to just ignore it and finally look at the face of their summoned creature. It didn't help, though, because he was again stricken by how beautiful their guardian was: brilliant green eyes, face dusted with freckles, and a smirk that made Jimmy want to stay on his knees and do whatever the guardian asked of him. "Well... as wonderful as it is being oogled by a pair of hot twins – like, seriously, it's been a fantasy of mine for many years – I really think it'd be best if I got dressed before we get down to business." Jimmy hadn't expected his voice to be so deep, though it didn't help his immediate infatuation with this.... creature. He scrambled to his feet rather clumsily, not possessing the same kind of feral grace his brother had, before giving their guardian an awkward smile. "Yes, right, well... let's do that, then. Uh, Cassie, you got something he could wear?" There was no way they'd leave the guardian unattended in their attic, though Jimmy could see the hesitation Castiel had at leaving him alone with his brother. Giving Castiel a wink, the other man sighed and swiftly walked around the sigils before heading down the stairs to retrieve something for their guardian to wear. "Cassie, huh? Isn't that a girl's name?" Jimmy's gaze fell back to the guardian, who was watching Castiel leave with a bit of a glint in his eye, bringing the twin to raise his eyebrow. "His name's Castiel. And I'm Jimmy. Is there, uh, something you prefer to be called?" Some creatures had high orders of respect. Others could never grow to respect a witch or mage that had 'trapped' them. There were even creatures out there that didn't speak a lick of the human tongue, so Jimmy considered them to be very lucky, even if their guardian seemed a bit snarky. Dark, leathery wings shuddered at the creature's sides as he stood up a little straighter, possessing no shame with the fact that he was completely nude, and returned the cocky grin to his lips. Jimmy decided that grin – that upturn of those pouty lips - would surely be the death of him "You can call me Dean."
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If the twins had been worried about getting Dean acclimated to their lifestyle, they shouldn’t have even bothered. Castiel's clothes fit Dean a little snuggly in certain places – namely the bottom of his pants and the shoulders of his shirt – and loosely about his waist. It thoroughly distracted both of the Novaks while Dean walked around their small kitchen like he owned it. It had been a concern of Castiel's that they wouldn't be able to fit the needs of their guardian, and that they wouldn't be able to provide whatever it might be with the comforts of a home. Yet, Dean was here, making himself right at home as he prepped a dinner for the three of them. The sun had set a long time ago and it was probably much too late for dinner, but Castiel couldn't find it in himself to deny the guardian when he seemed so... naturally inclined to take things over in such a way. It fascinated him to watch Dean's muscles move beneath the soft cotton of his own shirt, to watch those broad hands work ground beef into perfect patties before putting them onto the small stove top. And while Jimmy might call his thoughts almost perverse, Castiel did not see it that way. He caught view of the muscles, certainly, but he did not miss the other little nuances in Dean's appearance. His hair was brown, but almost golden along the edges. His green eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiled a genuine smile, and they weren't saturated with green, but flecked with gold as well. His body was covered with constellations, freckles and markings that only seemed to accentuate the way he moved and the dark undertone of his skin that Castiel now understood to merely be the color of his flesh. It must have had something to do with his true nature – whatever species the creature was considered. Briefly, Castiel wondered if Dean possessed some kind of magickal abilities, but he didn't voice his thoughts. He didn't want to come across as rude and giving the guardian and interrogation shortly after his summons would probably qualify as such. Castiel sat in silence at the island in the center of their kitchen, his back bowed slightly as he perched on the stool and watched Dean work. The scents that filled the air were mouthwatering and he couldn’t recall the last time he and Jimmy had the time to prepare a proper dinner together. He swiftly flicked his gaze over towards his twin, seeing that his eyes were watching Dean in a similar fashion. They were quizzical, calculating, but at the same time... admiring. That admiration was something Castiel seemed to share, and given their own strange relationship, most others wouldn't understand why Castiel did not feel jealousy seeing that expression on his twin's face when he looked at someone other than his brother. "So how do you two like your burgers? With all the fixin's?" Castiel and Jimmy both snapped their heads up towards Dean's face, seeing the now-familiar smirk growing there and the sparkle in his eyes. They'd been caught, and while Jimmy did not possess much shame, Castiel had the decency to blush slightly. It was Jimmy who responded first, licking his lips and purposely leaning against the island's countertop, crossing his arms to rest on his elbows. "You can just put cheese on mine. Cassie enjoys the lettuce and other rabbit food, though." "Alright, then. One rabbit burger, and the other cheesy, coming up." Dean was humming something, and while it wasn't familiar to Castiel, Jimmy was bouncing his foot along with the unknown beat. A frown pulled Castiel's lips down at the corners as he realized that there was a bit of a disconnect between how Jimmy and Dean were reacting and how Dean reacted with Castiel. Granted, he'd always been the shy one, the odd-man out, as it were. Jimmy had always reassured him that it was okay, that those who didn't understand his unique abilities and quirks didn't deserve him, and the words had comforted him... until now. Now, he had a strong desire to learn more, to be able to connect with the two other figures in the kitchen more than he did. He didn't wish to be a man on the outside anymore. He just had to think of how to go about learning without being... well, ridiculous."Your wings are wicked, man." Jimmy spoke the words with no hesitation, but with an obviously envious compliment in his tone. The leathery skin that made them up was a charcoal coloration in the light of their kitchen and it was obvious that there was strong musculature lining the bones and structure of them. Jimmy yearned to see Dean stretch them, to see if he was a creature lucky enough to possess wings and fly with them. Many creatures in the universe could possess wings but not enable them to do much other than protect and distract. Yet... given the size of Dean's wings, in proportion to his body frame... Jimmy was almost certain that Dean could take flight with them. Dean, on the other hand, didn't seem very impressed. At the mention of his wings, they seemed to tuck in a little further, rustling the material of Cassie's borrowed shirt. From his angle, Jimmy could see that Dean's brow had furrowed and he was frowning. "Uh... thanks, I guess. They're nothing special." Even Castiel looked surprised – and like he was going to protest – but the entire mood changed when Dean sat the completed burgers down in front of them and pulled up his own stool. He took a bite without waiting for them to begin, groaning happily as he licked the grease from his lips. His magnificent eyes seemed to flick back and forth between the frozen twins for a moment before he nodded to their plates, cocking one eyebrow. That set Jimmy into action and he groaned happily. The first bite was bliss on his tongue and he vowed to always tell Dean he couldn’t cook so the guardian would take over. "So... you brothers summoned me for a reason. What is it you need me to protect you from?" Jimmy – who's mouth was full of deliciousness – slowly looked towards Castiel and raised an eyebrow, unsure of how much of their story they wanted to reveal to their summoned guardian quite yet. Luckily, Cassie was there to save the day, as usual. But he still gave more of a direct answer than Jimmy was sure he would've. "Our family, actually. Our own abilities have been able to only hold them off for so long and... well, Jimmy figured we could use the extra help." Before Jimmy could be truly offended – it was a decision they made together! - Dean was chuckling and licking his fingers, wings stretching a little behind him. "Lucky for you both, that's my job. And I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself." "If you're as good at protecting as you are at cooking, we're in good hands." Jimmy's words left his mouth without a second thought; honestly, that wasn't any different from any other time. But it got Dean laughing and earned Jimmy a wink. Worth it.
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It was hard to adjust to life living with Dean, and it had only been a week. Castiel assumed it was simply because he was so used to living with his twin, and adding another body into the mix had taken some getting used to. There was a change in their routine because of Dean, especially since their small, two bedroom house only possessed one bathroom that they all needed to share now. It had been easy when he just had to share with Jimmy; they solved the problem by occupying it together, most of the time. Now? There were no more early morning showers together – which, unfortunately, meant no shower sex – nor did they even stand side-by-side at the vanity to get ready together anymore. It was quite taxing on both of their moods, especially since their whole world was essentially being turned on its head. Castiel missed the way his brother curled against him while they slept, or the way he'd spontaneously wake him by sucking on his cock. He missed the little touches that used to exasperate him: butt pinches or smacks, light brushes against his ribs when Jimmy knew he was slightly ticklish, or running his hands through Castiel's hair to muss it up more than the state it permanently seemed to live in. All in all, it was starting to grate on Castiel's nerves, especially since their sex life had taken a dive completely. They went from fooling around at least every other day to barely touching at all with Dean in the house. The worst part of it all was that Dean's presence was making Castiel irritable... and jealous. The jealousy wasn't something he expected, but reared its ugly head one early morning when he was brewing coffee. He was the first one up – not a surprise – and that had been the unspoken rule for years: first one awake makes coffee. Though, and Castiel smiled fondly at the thought, each time Jimmy woke first he tended to distract him with his mouth in certain places and Castiel ended up brewing the coffee anyway. As if on a specific internal schedule, Dean lumbered his way down the stairs and into the small kitchen, beginning to rummage around in the fridge for something to make for breakfast. He had been cooking for them almost every single night since his arrival, which was rather nice, considering Jimmy didn't have many culinary skills except for baking and Castiel could hardly put together a salad. That wasn't what brought on the jealousy, however. Castiel could easily get used to the prepping of food, the way that Dean made himself at home in their kitchen. He was comfortable this way and the last thing that the witch wanted to do was make their summoned guardian uncomfortable. No, the jealousy came when Jimmy woke. Always a late riser, Jimmy stumbled into the kitchen with a large yawn and bleary gaze, searching around for nothing before managing to plant himself down onto a stool. He gave Castiel a nod, a quirked half-smile, the usual morning treatment. But Dean? Dean got a: "Good morning, Dean" and more of a smile than Jimmy typically managed to give Castiel. It was a stupid thing to feel jealous over, but the feeling only seem to twist and grow within his gut when he realized that Dean and Jimmy could fall into easy conversation with one another while Dean prepared omelets for breakfast. Even the topic of conversation didn't bother Castiel. What poked the little green man on the witch's back was the fact that Jimmy seemed completely unaffected by the change in their lives. His twin had always been the nonchalant, go-with-the-flow, type. It was the opposite of everything that Castiel was as a person. A bit of a cliché when it comes to twins, but they were simply playing the hands they were dealt. So it shouldn't have surprised him to know that Jimmy would adjust easily, but he figured his brother would have felt some semblance of frustration. Did he not care that they could no longer share intimacy? Was he not bothered by the fact that the presence of Dean was putting a hold on their relationship? How could he be so unphased by all of this? Maybe Castiel was being irrational, but it didn't stop him from adding his dash of cream and sugar to his coffee and leaving the other two to serve themselves. He moved from the kitchen into the living room and plopped himself onto their worn couch, ignoring the little voice in his head that told him he was sulking. He lifted the remote control out of pure habit, sipping at his coffee as his blue eyes watched the screen. The news flashed onto the television and the reporter began to talk about the most recent agenda of the Non-Magick Alliance. The Non-Magick Alliance was a radical group of people that had banded together in order to try and control the use of magick from those who possessed it. They claimed witches and mages were akin to terrorists, or people who possessed too much power. They were often called 'threats' to society. The NMA was known for its protests and harsh measures to accuse and expose those in the magickal community, in hopes that one day, one of them would slip up. They pushed for politicians in the major cities to start registering magickal folk as well as creatures, stating that it would be 'for the greater good and the safety of all' that those in power knew exactly who to watch, or in some cases, who to target. While Castiel tried his best to understand both sides of things, it was unfortunate to know that those who might not agree with the use of magick in certain circumstances were automatically lumped in with the NMA. The NMA encompassed all opposition of magick and the magickal community, including creatures. It meant that those who were on the fence could be persuaded, even if they didn't have harsh views. It also meant that those who were on the extreme end of the belief – those who wanted magickal folk registered, or even exterminated – were in the same faction. Though, the NMA was often separated into sectors that possessed different leaders, depending on the depth of their belief, faith, or understanding. One of those leaders was on the screen now, one who's eyes haunted Castiel and Jimmy even years after they had left their home. His charismatic gestures and natural speaking abilities had brought him a long way. He was amassing followers each and every day to fight against the 'disease' that was magick. The more the reporter let him talk, the angrier Castiel felt, yet he couldn't tear his eyes away. His brother hadn't changed a bit. "Cassie, breakfast is ready." Hearing Jimmy's voice snapped him from his subconscious thought, but did not ease his anger. Castiel glared at the screen, glared at his worm of a brother, before shutting the power off and slamming the remote down a little more the necessary. Taking a deep breath, he stood and stalked into the kitchen, his mood officially soured. And when Dean and Jimmy asked what was bothering him, he didn't have the heart to say and dampen their own spirits.
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"So, Jimmy, how did it go?" "Hmm? Oh... the summoning?" "I assumed you didn't invite me out just to have coffee?" The amusement on Sam's face made Jimmy smirk a little. He had missed the company of his friend – a mage that the twins had known for several years now – and was happy to have him around. Though, Sam was a sharp as ever, and once the two had gotten settled into their chairs, he had dug right to the source of why Jimmy had asked him out for coffee that day. He and Castiel had been keeping Dean a secret for about a week now. While he knew that it was obviously going to change, he wasn't sure how to necessarily go about it. The last thing he wanted was backlash for their own business. The mage across from him worked with magickal law and Jimmy had convinced himself that this meeting would solely revolve around how this decision might affect the twins' business, though he knew he had a more selfish agenda than that. The tension formed between the trio was almost palpable. Sure, Jimmy always tried to break the ice, to make things friendly, but he could only do so much. It was starting to wear down on him physically and emotionally. He knew that the tension seemed to be based on his brother's foul mood, but Jimmy couldn't even figure out why his twin had such a stick up his ass. Without knowing what the root of the problem was, Jimmy was having a hard time trying to solve the issue so everything could be okay again. That was the real reason he'd invited Sam out for coffee; he wanted to pick his brain and see how he adjusted to the life of having a guardian. "It went as expected. Castiel put down the sigils and I spoke the summons, so it was perfect." The cocky attitude was an easy deflection that had Sam rolling his eyes and sending Jimmy a quirked, half-smile. It was filled with a sense of exasperated affection for the dark-haired man. Sam had to admit that there was a moment of appeal to see him squirming, especially since he was so usually calm headed. Jimmy fidgeted in his seat and let out a sigh, sipping his coffee before crossing one of his legs, allowing his foot to bounce. "We have a guardian now, so it went right." "What kind of guardian? Do you know?" "We haven't directly asked. You know how that is." Sam nodded solemnly; his own guardian was a fairy and they were incredibly proud. It would be a mistake to get a fairy for a guardian and ask them what kind of creature they were. Being a fairy was quite obvious, so someone would have to be completely stupid to mistake a fairy for anything else, but that was the whole point. Sam hadn't asked Gabriel what he was simply because the eccentric man had announced it the moment he'd taken a corporeal form. "Well... what's his name? What does he look like? Surely he's at least given you -" "His name's Dean and he has these huge, impressive leathery wings. I think Cassie assumes he's some kind of demon? But he doesn't have the creepy dark eyes and he hasn't tried to possess us or anything, so I'm not sure about that. I just think he's a winged creature of some kind... Uh, Sam? You okay there?" The taller man had frozen and was staring at Jimmy like he had a third head. He couldn't say second because, you know, identical twin. He snapped a finger in front of the mage's eyes, trying to capture his attention, and even dared to look behind him to see if there was someone back there. He knew from the glazed look on Sam's eyes that he wasn't physically seeing anything. He was lost in a memory. Jimmy frowned with concern and reached across the small table, touching the back of the mage's hand. "Sam? You alright?" "You... you said Dean? Short hair, freckles, green eyes?" It was Jimmy's turn to look rather bewildered, his brow creasing. Did they really get themselves into a steaming pile of shit by summoning some well-known creature? How horrible did they have to be in order for Sam to know about them and have that look on his face? What if Castiel was right? Jimmy would never hear the end of that - "Jimmy, quit over thinking. Dean isn't a demon. He's... he's my brother, I think." "Wait, what?"Jimmy owed him. Jimmy owed him big time. It had been his twin brother's idea to take Dean shopping at the small market along the edge of town. That was his way of bribing Castiel and he knew it; Jimmy was well aware that Castiel preferred to shop there than the bigger corporate grocery stores. It was his way of buttering Castiiel up before he dropped the real bomb on him: he had to take Dean. Not that Dean was bad company, but Castiel was still trying to figure out his feelings when it came to the guardian. His jealousy from that morning was still bright and vivid in his stomach, practically making him nauseous as they drove down the city streets. Dean was constantly shifting in the passenger seat, whether he was bouncing his legs or adjusting his wings, and it reminded him a lot of Jimmy. He missed bringing Jimmy out to the market like this. He missed spending time with his twin in public, whether they could act like a couple or not. Ultimately, he just missed Jimmy, even though they lived together. He missed the relationship he had with his brother. A soft sigh left his chapped lips as he managed to park on a corner spot, shutting off the car and stepping out onto the sidewalk. Dean followed suit, stepping out and stretching his wings once before tucking them back against his shoulders. It was a small motion that made Castiel thankful; there weren't too many winged creatures in their city and it drew plenty of attention. "Let's go." His voice sounded gruff even to his own ears as he tried his best not to admire the way that Dean's torso filled out his shirt. He had to purposely avert his eyes away from the swaggering walk his bowlegs gave him as Dean sidled up to him and took in the market as they hit the main stretch. The scents that surrounded them had an immediate calming effect Castiel, the tension slipping from his shoulders as he led the way to the stalls that had fresh fruits and vegetables. He was rather picky, going through each and every item individually before he would gather the amount he desired and pay the vendor. It was around the third stall that he realized Dean was staring at him. "Yes?" "I've never seen someone care so much about vegetables before." Castiel was surprised by the look on Dean's face when he caught Castiel's smile. The witch couldn't help it; the disdain that Dean seemed to have towards vegetables was amusing. "Well, as much as we enjoy them, we can't live off of your burgers and homemade fries forever, right?" Dean mumbled something in obvious disagreement that had Castiel chuckling, shaking his head as they slowly veered their way towards something that would be more Dean's speed. There were fresh coffee beans scenting the area with a thick aroma. Mingled in was something a little more spicy: jerky and other dried meats. Castiel watched as Dean suddenly became more interested, his wings seeming to flutter with what he could only assume was thinly veiled excitement. "This... is awesome." "I'm glad you think so." Dean shot Castiel a smile that the witch returned, watching as Dean picked out a few different types of jerky: some plain flavored and some exotic, which Castiel paid for without much thought. It was when they were on their way back to the car that Dean finally spoke again, looking at Castiel over the roof. His features were soft with a hint of curiosity, but his smile spoke volumes. "Thanks for this, Cas." Castiel wasn't entirely sure what 'this' was, but he hoped to get Dean to smile like that again. He hoped to get Jimmy smiling like that again, too.
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"So... let me get this straight. You think Dean, the creature we summoned to protect us as a guardian, is your brother?" Jimmy looked incredibly skeptical, glancing over the mage's features and seeing almost no similarities. Sure, they had similar noses and jaw bones, but that was about it. And those could easily fall into a category of simple, masculine traits that most men had in common. Sam's hair was dark and long, his eyes a hazel color, and his features warm. Not to mention that he was practically a giant, towering over the average man by several inches. It made him intimidating to those who didn't know him, but he was truly like a large dog when it came to personality. He could play people like a fiddle with those puppy dog eyes; he could also make them quake by leering over them in a court room. Jimmy had seen both sides to Sam and still couldn't make out much of a resemblance to the creature that was currently living in his house. He had to actively think about how his comparisons were mentally trained around the fact that he was incredibly attracted to Dean and not at all to Sam. Dean had those bow legs, freckles he could count for hours, and those green eyes. Oh, and he couldn't forget the lips. The witch adjusted in his seat to avoid putting himself into a compromising position, his questioning gaze still settled onto the mage across the table. How in the world could Sam be related to a creature, of all things? How could Dean possess those wings and Sam be without? He felt like there was something missing, a connection that he was failing to grasp as Sam let out a long sigh and focused his eyes down onto his cup of coffee. It was clutched between both his hands, slowly rotating in his nimble fingers. "I've been doing a lot of research as to how creatures are... well, made. Sometimes, of course, they're born. But there are other ways that people can become creatures. One of the more interesting ways is that people can choose to become a creature and undergo the transformation. It's complex and highly dangerous, but manageable if someone goes to the right person. It's also not necessarily legal -" Sam shrugged at that, as if the mage who tended to specialize in the legality of magick was nonchalant about breaking the law - "but there's no way to reverse it, so what could someone do?" "So are you saying that your brother was changed into a creature?" Sam looked distinctly uncomfortable with the question, but he wasn't denying it. Jimmy wasn't going to let up on this, not now that it had been brought up. The fact that they summoned one creature out of who knows how many and it turned out to be related to one of their close friends was completely overwhelming. And intriguing. Sam looked down at his coffee again, his shoulders bunched and tensed as he spoke. "Well, you know what I've told you about my dad, right?" Jimmy nodded and felt anger coiling in his gut. John Winchester had been a right sack of shit to his son... and turns out, probably his other son. "Yeah, well, he kind of screwed us over when he died. He had loads of debts he owed in the community of dark magick and there was no possible way I could pay them off by myself. My brother, Dean, decided to take matters into his own hands. By transforming himself into a guardian for his creator – one of the many people my father owed – the man relieved all of our debts." Jimmy was stunned into silence by this revelation, but his curiosity soon won out. "Why've you not mentioned him before, though? We've been friends for years, Sam!" The taller mage at least had the audacity to look sheepish. "There's a good explanation. The transformation into a creature sends them into a different realm for a small amount of time. During the transformation, their human life essentially dissipates. Dean didn't die, but it was like he... he was never there. My memories of him were very faint and sometimes, I wondered if I ever had a brother at all, or my mind was just conjuring one up for me. I couldn't find any records of Dean and only knew of his name because I heard that one of my distant clients had a guardian by that name a long time ago." Jimmy, once again, sat in silence. There was so much information to take in, so many things he didn't know or understanding being brought to light. He stayed silent as he downed the rest of his coffee, running his hand over his face and glancing towards his friend across from him. He was watching him with almost closed-off features, defensive and waiting for his response. That confused Jimmy a little; what would he possibly be defensive about? "Sam... it's alright. What made you suspect that our guardian was your Dean?" "When you confirmed the description. I've had dreams about him for as long as I can remember, though they started to slow down a few years back. But recently? In the past week or so I've had a dream about him almost every night. Like... his presence here in our world brought him back to life in my head." Sam was smiling slightly as he talked and Jimmy couldn't help but smile back in return. Then, it faltered, and he spoke in a low tone. "Do you think Dean would remember you, should I bring you to meet him?" Jimmy immediately realized that it was probably the wrong thing to ask. Sam looked downtrodden as he picked at the sleeve on his cup, chewing on his bottom lip. His voice was soft and low, almost hopeful, but Jimmy knew he was trying his best not to get his hopes too high. "I don't know, Jimmy. There's so much that's not understood... I don't think I'd want to face him if he had no clue who I was, you know? That'd be tougher than me just never knowing." Both men nodded in understanding before Sam finished his own coffee and then stood, brushing his hands down his pants before turning his eyes back to Jimmy. "Keep me updated, though, would you? And if you need any advice on helping him to get settled, feel free to call me." "Your number is the first I'll dial." Sam left the café laughing and shaking his head, and though Jimmy was smiling, he couldn't let it reach his eyes. The news that Dean could be Sam's long-lost brother was immense and something he wasn't sure he could keep to himself. Why wasn't Castiel the one to get the secret dumped onto him? His twin had always been the one with more control. Huffing with irritation that could only be directed towards himself, Jimmy recycled his coffee cup before heading back outside. He was lucky that the shop was only a few blocks from their home; the walk wouldn't be too bad. Plus, it gave him time to mull over this new information about guardians, Sam, and Dean. It also helped him to realize that he hadn't gotten the advice from Sam that he'd wanted in the first place. A groan lifted from his lips as he walked down the sidewalk, deciding that he'd have to give the mage another call soon, if Castiel and Dean hadn't gotten along on their little shopping trip.
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The town was small, but the magickal community thrived and survived alongside those who didn't possess magick at all. Many different witches and mages settled here, living among creatures and humans in a friendly way, all while maintaining an air of privacy. All of these factors had been what drew Jimmy and Castiel here after a long couple of years on the run. Their intention had been to simply pass through – stay at the local inn, keep under the radar, drink their potions to conceal their identities – until they could figure out their next move. They'd just passed in from the stale heat of the desert and the relief the mountains brought was immense. After a night or two of staying at the inn, chatting with locals and learning about the town, Castiel and Jimmy found it hard to leave. There was just something about this place that drew them in and made them feel safe. While Cas had been wearier of such a feeling at first, Jimmy had embraced it. The playful twin had been exhausted with moving from place to place, drained with the constant looking over their shoulders to see if they were being followed by their crazy family. It took some convincing on Jimmy's part, but eventually Castiel conceded to the idea of staying in the town of Silver Maple for a little while. Castiel had given them a time frame of six months. In the first two months, both twins had purchased a small home with some of the cash they'd stolen. A month later, they had purchased a small business-front on Main street so Jimmy could sell his homemade candy. Jimmy convinced Castiel to also sell his tea and honey, which became a huge hit in the town. They weren't raking in six figures, but it was enough for them to live comfortably within Silver Maple and not draw much attention to themselves. Six months came and went, and their year in Silver Maple was marked by the witches using their powers to help a local woman who had become possessed. They saved her life and from that point on, the twins had a side job of helping those who needed it with minimal use of their magickal abilities. An unspoken understanding seemed to form among the commonfolk: Castiel and Jimmy needed to be protected. And while the twins were vaguely aware of how the locals acted around them, the protection the town provided was mostly behind the scenes. They didn't spread gossip about the twins. They didn't brag about how skilled the witches were and what tasks they helped the locals with. The twins' names never left local tongues without being paired with general statements and compliments. The witches minded their own business, and so did the townsfolk. It was this simply fact that probably kept them there for so long. Their business, the easily named Tea & Sweets, was a well-known establishment popular among the locals and tourists. Castiel's tea was varied and sold easily, paired often with some of the sweets Jimmy created. It didn't take long for Tea & Sweets to take off and for the twins to be able to adjust their hours to suit them. Most of the Main street shops were closed on Sundays, and the twins took liberties of having Monday off, too. They kept later hours on Friday and Saturday to make up for it, and opened rather early to keep up with the crowd who might want their teas fresh, and to-go. No one worked in the store except for the twins, and most of the time, it could be run by one of them at a time while the other ran errands around town. With the summoning of their guardian, the twins had closed their shop in a premeditated gesture that they would use to try and help their guardian adjust. It just so happened that Dean hadn't needed much of an adjustment period and now, their week of figuring everything out, had come to its end. Tuesday morning arrived and the trio had made their way in Cas' car to park in the alleyway behind Tea & Sweets. Dean had seemed... curious about their lives outside of the home, and while Castiel was hesitant to introduce him to the local people, Jimmy was practically bouncing off of the walls. He had always been one that could adjust to new situations easily. His energy made it hard for Castiel to keep a smile from his face, and even Dean seemed a bit more awake this morning as they all walked up to the powder-blue back door of the store and waited for Jimmy to unlock it, urging the door open so they could all go inside. "This place smells good." Dean made the comment casually as he walked around the small back room, which doubled as a kitchen for Jimmy's craft. There were ingredients for all kinds of sweets and candies, along with recipe cards and clean surfaces. Plants lined the large window in the back and a beaded curtain separated the small space from the front of the store. The twins watched Dean take things in, looking a little apprehensive of what his opinion would be, though his initial comment had Jimmy relaxing with a broad smile. "Thanks. You'd be surprised, though – Cassie's teas pair really well with the constant scent of sugar." Jimmy shot his brother a wink, making him smile and turn a little pink around the edges, shrugging his shoulders before he ducked through the silly beaded curtain Jimmy had insisted upon when they'd decorated the store. The place needed some serious dusting. The air thickened around them and suddenly, everything was set into motion with a simple flick of Castiel's wrist. The windows opened with gusto and allowed sunlight to pour in. The few lights within the shop lit themselves while a small rag began to dust all of the surfaces and a broom swept the floor. Castiel walked through the mayhem easily, heading behind the counter and turning on their computer system, which had been provided by their good friend Charlie. They'd helped her with a few protection spells so she could work her own business and she'd returned the favor by setting them up with some really nice technology. Castiel smiled as he thought of Charlie, making a mental note to have some of her favorite things sent to her today. A low whistle of approval sounded and Castiel lifted his head, peering over to see Dean's expression of wonder as he watched a rag float through the air to dust and clean the glass cases that would hold Jimmy's candy confections. A smirk fought its way onto the witch's face as he watched their guardian's wings ruffled and spread a bit behind him. "Have you ever protected witches before?" Castiel spoke without considering the idea that maybe the question would be offensive, but if Dean felt that way, he didn't show it. The man shook his head, smiling in a softer way as he approached the windows and touched the petals on some of the violet flowers soaking up the sun while being water by a floating watering can. It was nice to see such an expression when the twins were used to the typical smirk Dean wore, something Castiel had assumed was a protective cover for Dean's persona. That was alright by him; he could only hope that Dean would eventually relax and trust the twins enough to act like his true self in front of them, but it had only been a little over a week. "What can I do to help?" "Well, I could use you back here! Cassie has the easy job of opening the front." Jimmy's voice sounded from the back, startling both Castiel and Dean into looking towards the beaded doorway. They met their gazes across the shop and chuckled. "He's right," Castiel acquiesced, shrugging his shoulders helplessly as Dean saluted him and disappeared into the back to presumably help his brother get the baking started. Castiel allowed his magick to clean the front of the store for a few more minutes before the activity died down. He lifted himself from the stool behind the register and approached the front door, unlocking it by hand and waving a hand over the knob to remove the magickal protections he'd put there himself. One could never be too cautious. There was something satisfying about turning their closed sign to 'open' each day, so he insisted on doing so with his own two hands. He walked around the front and double-checked everything that he could. He straightened an art piece a local girl had done and adjusted the small price sticker beside it. He shifted some of the chairs by the three circular tables they had in the corner of the store, available to those who wanted to come in and enjoy their purchases fresh. A frown creased his features as he approached one of the walls and touched his fingers over some of the peeling paint, which was fading because of the intense amount of sunlight that seemed to always rest on that place. It would need a new coat and he'd need to redo the sigils and protective signs soon, which were drawn beneath the paint because they last thing they needed was to look like some weird, cult store. Adding the task to his mental list, he returned to the register as the bell above their door rang and revealed their first pair of customers. "Hello, welcome to Tea & Sweets. Let me know if I can help with anything." Castiel spoke to the unfamiliar faces with a slightly uplifted tone – on Jimmy's request that he didn't come off so 'gruff' to the customers – and received a pair of nods in return. As Castiel watched them sift through the variety of teas on the shelf, packaged in simple glass bottles, he felt something finally settle in himself. It was good to get back into routine. Even with the presence of Dean in the kitchen, working and chatting with Jimmy, Castiel was feeling more balanced than he had in a long time. Of course, it never took long for that feeling to get shot to shit.
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"Can you two believe this asshole?" The words came from Dean, who was positioned standing in the small space between the kitchen and the living room of their home. It still struck Jimmy as strange to think of this place as 'their' home and knowing that he subconsciously was including Dean in the mixture. Even with the time that had passed, Dean had become a steady constant in their lives. He helped with their business at Tea & Sweets and even tagged along whenever they headed off to do side jobs under the cover of the night. He also had become a friend – at least to Jimmy, though he knew his brother was less likely to show those kinds of emotions outright. Jimmy enjoyed having Dean around, his company and sense of humor were like a breath of fresh air and gave him an energy he hadn't felt in many, many years. Even with Castiel around and their magick feeding off of one another, their energy was often dampened and drained by the constant sense of stress that hovered just above them like a dark cloud. Dean brought a bit of sunshine to their lives and... shit, Jimmy really needed to calm down. He was thankful neither of the men in his compay could hear his thoughts. He never would've lived that one down. "Who are you talking about..." Castiel's words were cut short by something, further drawing Jimmy's attention away from the candy recipe he'd been tweaking at the kitchen table. A sense of dread began to pool in his gut and he stood up from his stool, pushing it out with a light scratching sound and following his twin out to where Dean was standing. Jimmy took in Dean's tense stance, his wings flared slightly and his grip threatening to shatter the mug he was holding. Castiel looked like a force beside him; he was glaring at the TV screen with that hard set to his jaw, the muscle beneath his ear ticking from the strain. Jimmy was momentarily distracted by just how hot they both were and his subconscious mind easily formed many visions of what they all could look like together. A shake of his head dispelled them though as he focused on the TV and what seemed to be the center of their attention and the destruction of their otherwise happy mood. "They say that the cult leader Lucifer is on the move once again, gaining followers for the Non-Magick Alliance. The man has been a hot topic lately and gained quite the momentum for his campaign, especially in light of the Brickston-Darby case that reached its conclusion mere weeks ago. For those of you who might not remember, Lionel Brickston was..." Jimmy's attention snapped back to Castiel, who was watching him with a stony expression on his features. Jimmy understood a few different things in that moment: one - Castiel had been hiding his knowledge of Lucifer's rise in power from him, two – Dean was a little oblivious to the movement of the NMA, and three – Jimmy was scared. He could feel his own hands shaking and the disbelief forming on his features as he stared at Castiel, his own brother, who had a brief moment of weakness that let slip his knowledge about Lucifer for just a moment too long. Jimmy noticed it; Jimmy noticed everything. "I can't believe it's developed into something like this. People are really following this douchebag? Just because of a few bad witches and a few corrupt guardians? I figured people would've been smarter than this by now." "Dean." Cas's voice was sharp and deep, causing Dean's rambling to abruptly come to a halt. He eyed the twins and raised his eyebrows, feeling the magickal tension in the air around him for the first time. "What's going on?" "Apparently, if you want to know more about him, you should ask Castiel. He's the one who's been keeping up on him." His brother had the decency to wince as Jimmy's venom-laced tone dropped the truth between them. The air visibly crackled as the lights around them pulsed and threatened to shatter. Out of the corner of his eye, Jimmy could see Dean looking curiously towards Castiel, confusion on his own features as his ignorance of the situation kept him blissfully unaware. Unable to take it anymore, Jimmy turned on his heel and stomped out of the room, swiftly heading up the stairs and slamming the door to the master bedroom. Jimmy sucked in a shaking breath and then snapped his eyes open, realizing that this was the last place he wanted to be. It was completely saturated with the presence of him and his brother. He ripped the door open and almost splintered it, the old wood creaking against the hinges as he barreled across the hallway and slammed the door to their small study, loud enough to shake the doorframe. Jimmy began to pace, his mind in a whirl and his magick crackling. The full moon was near which meant their abilities were climbing. They were supposed to be performing a job on that night, helping out a newcomer who seemed to have an attachment issue with something darkly twined with magick. That was what he should be worrying about, not the secrets his brother was keeping from him! Castiel always coddled him, tried to protect him too much, and this is where it landed them. A frustrated sound left him as he kicked a bookshelf, causing tomes to rain down onto the floor around him, several languages staining the pages he stared down at. His fists clenched at his side as he tried to calm his magick, not wanting to accidentally break anything.Castiel stared after his brother, able to feel the pain of betrayal radiating from their magickal bond. It was his fault and he knew it, but there was no point in going after Jimmy right now. He'd never listen to Castiel until he calmed down, so he knew he had some time to address the, now very present, elephant in the room with Dean. The guardian was looking at him with concern and Castiel felt his energy drain. He slumped his shoulders and moved to sit on the couch, silencing the newscaster on the TV with a wave of his hand, but the images continued to play. It was a flashing menagerie of his flamboyant brother in front of crowds, signs with protest lingo, and news reporters interviewing people who held no relevance at all. He put his elbows onto his knees and rested his face into his hands – though only for a moment, before his long fingers twisted into his dark hair and tugged on the strands. "I've been keeping something from Jimmy." "Well... I figured as much." Dean's cocky attitude wasn't something he could deal with right now, and he made sure to show it by the glare he sent the guardian's way. Dean raised a hand in surrender and took a seat beside Castiel, where he could feel the creature's warmth keenly over everything else. Except the despair of his brother, of course. "I've been keeping tabs on the media coverage of Lucifer so I can be aware of his movements and where he's been rallying. I've been waiting to see if he gets too close to us... and I think Jimmy was under the impression that his influence had been on the decline, not rising." "What does all of this have to do with you guys? He seems systematic in his targets... why would he go after you?" Castiel looked at Dean, saw the intelligence in his eyes, and knew that he couldn't lie to him. Well, he could, but what would be the point in that? There was no reason to lie to Dean and if he was their guardian, then he deserved to know what he might possibly be up against in his position of keeping the twins safe. "Lucifer is our brother. Half-brother, really, and he's a lunatic. He's been hunting us down for... years. We've been on the run... and, and this is all my fault. Jimmy was tired of running and wanted to settle. So, I gave in. And we got comfortable here and tried to live a private life but now? Lucifer is gaining power and we can't stay. There's no way we could risk -" "Cas, stop." Castiel had been rambling, something very unlike him, as he caught sight of Dean's green hues. They were alight with determination and dedication, burning with a passion that only rivaled Jimmy's own. Dean spoke slowly, setting down his mug and turning his body to face Castiel head on, which Cas understood as him taking the situation very seriously. "You don't have to leave. Just because this Lucifer is gaining power doesn't mean he knows where you two are, right? I know you've got wards all over and protection spells around to keep you both safe. You're a powerful witch – you and Jimmy both – so I doubt he would find you easily. You'd probably find out if he was sniffing down your trail." The use of terms had Castiel snorting, but feeling a little better. He did have wards and spells to keep them safe, and their shop. He used all of the magickal protection he knew of in order to keep them out of Lucifer's radar. "And... you have me, you know. I'm your guardian; I'm meant to guard you both. But you guys need to keep me in the loop... you need to keep me in the loop. Otherwise, I dunno what to prepare for, or who to expect, you know?" Castiel grimaced because he knew that Dean was right. He should've warned Dean from the beginning, but he had been too focused and blinded by his burning desire to keep Jimmy happy. He figured that the blissful nature of ignorance would've been on his side, but again, he failed. He couldn't keep failing or someone would get hurt. He needed to maintain his focus and needed to find a balance. He had gotten soft; he had gotten lax. That had to change. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry, Dean, for not telling you sooner." "No sweat, Cas. You might not think so, but I understand where you're coming from." The witch looked at Dean skeptically – how could he possibly know what Castiel was going through? A sad smile surprised him before Dean wiped it away and clapped a hand onto his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze before rising up onto his feet and padding into the kitchen. "So, Jimmy's favorite pasta sound good for dinner? I think he's gonna need it." A smile worked its way onto Castiel's lips unbidden. Dean knew just what to say and he could only hope that it would help butter Jimmy up a little so he could accept Castiel's apology.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Come on, Jim. You and Cas have got to come. I don't think Gabriel would ever forgive me if you didn't." The weeks following the fall-out between the twins had been rather tense. Castiel had bent over backwards in order to try and make things up to Jimmy, though he suspected that his brother had help from a certain leathery-winged guardian. Especially when it came to cooking. Castiel might have many talents, but cooking didn't seem to be one of them. The man could grow the ingredients, sure, but the execution took more practice for him. Jimmy assumed that was where Dean would come in and step up the game, making some of the most delicious meals that Jimmy had ever tasted. It was hard to remember why he was angry when his stomach was full and his brother alternated between giving him foot massages or letting him watch his favorite, stupid television shows. At one point, Jimmy thought they were laying it on a little thick, but Castiel didn't call him a 'drama queen' ironically. Luckily for the trio, the thickness of the summer was thinning to autumn, putting every magickal being in a better mood as the coming of the equinox. Powers peaked and rose during the seasonal changes and that often meant a celebration was in order. There were no large gatherings or parties in their small town, but they often got together with a few of their friends and had small feast. It was Sam's turn to host with the help of his guardian, Gabriel. Jimmy liked the fairy and believed there was more than guardianship binding him with the mage, but Gabriel tended to be the type of person Castiel could only handle in small doses. Jimmy didn't know how Dean would feel – Dean hadn't met any of their friends yet, as the twins were rather selfishly keeping him to themselves. Castiel claimed it was because of the stigma against having a guardian, while Jimmy had a feeling it was more in line with his own reasoning of just wanting to take up all of Dean's time. In reality, it wasn't fair. The man deserved to make friends and do things on his own. They couldn't use excuses of settling him in anymore. Dean had been settled into their home mere days after they'd summoned him. Making a decision for his brother and himself, Jimmy gave the mage a nod and crooked grin. "I'm sure we could manage to close the shop for the equinox and join you. There won't be too many people, right? You know how Cassie gets around crowds -" "Of course not! Just some of the usual suspects, you know. Gabe is planning on making a cake and you know you don't want to miss that." Jimmy echoed a groan of anticipation. Gabriel made some of the best cakes around, no one could deny that. He couldn't wait to get home and tell his brother and Dean the good news.Jimmy tended to meet with Sam about once a week, or once every two weeks, for coffee at a place called The Buzz that was owned by their mutual friend Charlie. The young woman was completely human, but must have had some magickal lineage due to her abilities to sense the auras of others. She was the only one who'd been able to tell immediately that the twins were more than just brothers. They were connected on a level that brought them closer than most romantically involved couples could get. They were able to share and feed off of one another's magick – a rare occurrence, they discovered, based on her researching skills. It was one of the few places the twins felt safe in frequenting on a regular basis, though Jimmy was the one frequenting while Castiel tended to stay at the shop by himself. Except now, he had Dean. Castiel was quickly discovering that Dean was a source of entertainment in his own right. He enjoyed music and singing – even if it was off key. He even danced around in the kitchen sometimes when Jimmy let him take over with the more simplistic recipes they sold in their store. He would bake the items up until they were just one step from completion, and let Jimmy take care of the rest. Dean couldn't add the magick most of them possessed, after all. That was what he was doing in the back, dancing around and singing to a song that Castiel couldn't recognize if he tried. He tended to enjoy the more classical arts and songs that possessed almost all instrumental sounds instead of voices. When Dean had found a particular radio station he liked, the witch had almost requested that he shut off the horrendous noise, only to be stopped by a glare Jimmy sent his way. His twin had pointedly nodded towards Dean and Castiel had seen just how happy it made the guardian to find something familiar in this time. After that, there was no way Castiel could protest. So, he let Dean do as he pleased. It was a slow day with the summer winding down and most people busy with their jobs, children attending school, and the shifting of the seasons. Business would pick up when fall hit them full-force, especially on Castiel's side of it. His teas always sold well during the chillier times of year, whereas Jimmy's sweets were steady sales all year long. Letting out a sigh as a lone walker moved right past the storefront, Castiel shifted and moved into the back to see what Dean was working on. What he saw made him pause and smile, something easing in his chest that he didn't realize was tense in the first place. Dean's wings were relaxed, almost dragging the ground as he moved around the kitchen with a learned familiarity. He was singing under his breath to a song he could match the low pitch of, his hips swaying as he stood at the counter with his back to Castiel. There were dusty handprints along the backside of his jeans from where he'd evidently wiped some ingredient off and Castiel could see the same substance along the back collar of the neck of his shirt. A brief desire to lick it from the freckled skin caused Castiel to pause, wondering where that sudden urge had come from. Though... it wasn't really sudden at all. Castiel was in denial about the urges he'd been feeling towards Dean for quite some time. He first tried to brush them off as a lack of sexual activity between him and his brother. They couldn't be nearly as active as they used to be with Dean living under their roof. They also hadn't come right out and told their guardian about their romantic arrangement and feelings for one another, though Castiel knew Dean was smart. He had probably assumed or figured it out on his own by now. It still didn't ease the guilt that had started to pool in Cas's gut every time he thought something sexual about the winged creature. "You see somethin' you like?" Castiel was forced from his momentary stupor, eyes sharply lifting to see that Dean was looking at him over his shoulder, that familiar smirk etched onto his lips. Those green eyes, warm like emeralds, were filled with playfulness that Castiel could easily compare to Jimmy's. Dean and his brother were alike in so many ways that it was hard for him not to feel similarly about the two men. Castiel opened his mouth to speak, but was unable to find the words, a familiar heat of embarrassment crawling up his neck and to his ears. He could hear Dean's laughter and it drew him back, causing him to lift his fallen gaze to the guardian once more. Dean's laughter wasn't mocking and Castiel could see the concern hidden in his gaze as he spoke. "Hey, Cas, I was only teasing. Did you need something?" Dean was brushing his hands off on a towel now and facing Castiel, giving the witch a great view of everything Dean had to offer. In his mind, it was quite a lot. Dean was a very attractive man and it confused Castiel because he'd only ever been attracted to Jimmy. Jimmy might've explored the world of romance in their younger years, but it was never something that interested Castiel. He had only ever wanted Jimmy... that is, until Dean had come along. He had come into their lives and wormed his way into Castiel's heart unbidden. "No... I was just coming to check and see if you were alright back here." The words finally came out and made Dean smile, the worry seeming to lift from his shoulders. "I'm doing alright, Cas, thanks for asking." Castiel isn't sure what compelled him to move forward, but one moment he was in the doorway and the next, he was standing beside Dean and looking down at the maple-leaf shaped cookies that were cooling on the multi-level cooling rack. "These look great, Dean. Are they going to be frosted?" Normally, he didn't care much about the treats, but if it brought him closer to Dean, then Castiel seemed to be satisfied. "Yeah, but I was gonna wait until Jimmy returned. I know how he likes 'em to look a certain way." The way Dean spoke of Jimmy's slight control-issue in the kitchen made Castiel chuckle, shaking his head a little. He caught sight of Dean's own grin from the corner of his eye, drawing his gaze. He didn't realize it, but at some point, he'd turned his body to mirror Dean's so now they were facing one another... and in rather close proximity. Dean was even more magnificent to see up close; his freckles were the perfect shade of gold to match the flecks in his green eyes. His lips were full enough to be considered almost feminine, but the cut of his masculine jaw easily dissuaded such a notion. His long eyelashes dusted his cheeks with each blink – and Castiel was staring again. "Jesus, Cas, feels like you're lookin' into my soul." Dean deflected the moment with a slight chuckle, but his tone was low with their closeness and Castiel couldn't find it in himself to give a damn about moving away. Reaching a hand up, he brushed his fingertips along the side of Dean's face, moving some of the white powder from his skin into the air. He could easily mask the motion as cleaning the area for him. He could easily play it cool and step away like it never happened. He could easily do one of many things. Instead, Castiel did something he had only imagined in his dreams. The witch leaned up slightly – Dean wasn't too much taller than him and Jimmy, after all – and tasted those full lips. He gripped the side of Dean's face and held him close, letting himself chase the fantasy if only for a moment. Magick crackled in the air around them as Castiel felt Dean return the kiss, a soft sound leaving him to get trapped between their mouths. Dean was hard in body but pliant in will, allowing Castiel to have the control he craved in the kiss they shared. Dean had all of the opportunity in the world to break it, but he didn't. And neither did Castiel.
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"So, it looks like we're going to Sam and Gabe's for the equinox - " The tension in the room was immediately palpable as Jimmy lifted his gaze from the floor and caught sight of something that looked terribly compromising. His brother, his twin brother and the man he was in love with, was wrapped around their guardian. The paper coffee cup in his hand fell to the ground and spilled all over the tile. Jimmy felt as though his entire being were slowed down – the rate of his heart was heavy in his chest, the blood thick in his veins, his magickal aura like lead in the air around him. The whole scenario was more suited to be described as an out-of-body-experience at this rate. It felt like Jimmy was looking down on himself, watching his eyes widen instead of feeling them, and watching his mouth gape open like a fly trap. From there, he could watch his brother and guardian's reactions with startling clarity. There had been a moment of hesitation before Castiel had stepped back from Dean, as if he'd been burned. Dean himself seemed to be at a loss for words; those entrancing green eyes were locked on Castiel, clouded and unclear, and his wings were loose and pliant behind him. It all changed in a mere moment when Castiel turned to face his twin in the doorway and spoke his name: "Jimmy." Dean's calm nature was immediately shattered, causing him to twist his attention to the twin in question, and Jimmy was simultaneously thrust back into his body. He wasn't sure when his chest started to rise and fall rapidly, but he was certain this is how hyperventilation felt. The world was blurring around the edges and he felt his arm shoot out to the side, grasping tightly at the end of the closest countertop. The nearby spoon bent and twisted at the proximity of his hand, drawing Dean's eye from his face to the twisted utensil that had done nothing wrong. Jimmy missed the widening of the guardian's eyes because his gaze was focused on Castiel. My twin. My lover. My world. What have you done? "Jimmy." It was the last thing that Jimmy heard, his brother's gravelly tones littered with worry, before everything went black."He's going to be fine, Cas." "How could you possibly know that, Dean?" The guardian fought the immediate urge to roll his eyes. It had been two hours since they'd left the shop with Jimmy in his arms, unconscious after collapsing by the back door. They weren't sure what the cause of his sudden blackout was, but Castiel had rambled on and on about the possibility of magickal withdraw or the shock literally 'knocking Jimmy on his ass'. Dean just let him talk because he figured it helped the witch cope with the multitude of emotions he was probably feeling. Dean was filled with them, too, considering the compromising position they'd been caught in. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of guilt; they might have thought they were hiding it, but Dean was very much aware that the twins were in love with one another. Dean was also a selfish creature that didn't care, though it was a smaller part of him. He'd seen them together and felt jealousy that they could share such a beautiful thing together. It had been many, many years since he'd felt that kind of connection with someone else. Even then, it had been one-sided, much to Dean's disdain. The twins had something special; it was tied to their magick and their power, making them more powerful than he could understand. He had a feeling that no one in this town knew the truth about the twins and how their magick was more like a shared pool instead of separate streams. He imagined they would attract unwanted attention if that information was common knowledge. Then again... Dean thought back to Lucifer for a moment and caught himself grimacing. Maybe it already was common knowledge to some. Maybe that was why Castiel had been so wary about settling down. Maybe Lucifer knew more than the twins thought. Dean's mind was reeling and he missed Castiel addressing him. Well... he must've missed it a few times, if Castiel standing before him and speaking loudly had anything to show for it. "Dean, have you even been listening to me?! Is Jimmy going to be okay? Why isn't he awake?" "He just needs to recover, Cas. He's got a bump on his head that might last a couple of days, and he might have a minor concussion - " "Damn it." " - but he'll be okay. You need to calm down before you blow the fuses." Dean looked pointedly towards the flickering lightbulbs of the twins' bedroom. Castiel let out a loud sigh and the rigidity seemed to fade from his very being. He suddenly looked very tired and Dean felt immeasurably guilty. He shifted up, his wings adjusting behind him and tugging at his shoulders, before his eyes locked with Castiel's and he spoke quietly. "Cas... I'm sorry about what happened in the kitchen." Castiel looked bewildered and Dean was confused. "What do you have to be sorry for?" "For the kiss?" "I kissed you Dean, not the other way around." Dean's eyebrows shot up at the vehemence in Castiel's voice. The witch's power was swirling around them again; Dean could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. So, Castiel was beating himself up over what Jimmy had witnessed? Dean wasn't going to allow that. "Last time I checked, Cas, kissing was a two-way street." Castiel had kissed him, sure, and Dean was still confused as all hell about that, but he wasn't going to let him take the fall for something they had both clearly wanted. "He's... he's right, Cassie." Both sets of eyes shot down to the man whose head was resting in Dean's lap. He was draped between those bowed legs and Dean couldn't help but notice just how handsome Jimmy was, too. Both of the twins were devastatingly good looking and it just wasn't fair. Dean truly was a selfish creature for wanting both of them, but knowing he had no chance. Well... at least, he thought he had no chance. Right up until Castiel had changed everything and kissed him. "Why?" Jimmy spoke again and the noise that came from Castiel's throat sounded strangled. Dean took the moment to look down at the twin in his lap, a frown on his lips and a deep sadness settling into his features. "I'm so sorry, Jim..." "Why... though?" The muscles in Dean's face were starting to hurt from switching emotions so quickly. Why wasn't Jimmy screaming and shouting? Why wasn't Jimmy angry with them for basically cheating? Why was he so... calm? Dean wasn't able to compute any of these emotions, looking towards Castiel and seeing that the witch was just as confused as he was, if not just a little guiltier looking, too. "I just.. Jimmy I've been..." "I know, Cassie. I could tell. But maybe you could've talked with me about it, first? We've talked about this before..." "I know, Jimmy..." "Well, you know what? I don't know... so what the hell is going on?" Dean didn't like feeling left out of conversations. He particularly didn't enjoy it when it seemed like he was the topic of conversation and everyone was talking as though he wasn't there. He knew that was what was happening with the twins, except it was harder because they were talking to one another in half-sentences. Twin-lingo, or some shit. His frustration must've been amusing because both of the twins were suddenly giving him smiles. Jimmy's was relaxed and understanding; Castiel's was predatory.
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"... and you're certain it's them?""Yes, it has been confirmed.""These sources are to be trusted?"Sharp eyes landed on the bound figures along the edge of the room. They were plain looking people, arms tied behind their backs and blindfolds obscuring their gaze. The darker figure bowed his head in confirmation; he was satisfied. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he twisted on his feet, letting his long robe flow behind him. The piece was adorned with plain stitching of a white dove against purple fabric, made of seemingly inexpensive materials, just like his clothes beneath. His appearance of a commoner was broken merely because of his reputation – exactly as he wanted it.The man approached his captives and removed their blindfolds one by one. Two young men, an older woman, and a young girl were in attendance. The smile he wore was sweet and coaxing, his natural charisma playing its part immediately."You have all been very helpful in your duties. Now, it is time for you to make a decision."The captives looked towards one another nervously; the young girl began to sniffle."Come now, the process is only slightly painful. You can, of course, refuse to join our ranks. Though your skills have proven useful thus far and I would prefer to keep you working for the righteous cause."Defiance lit up in one of the young man's faces – something the leader had been prepared for – and he shook his head. Stepping back, he swept his arm towards a welcoming white door, a smile still lighting up his features."Then you are free to go, sir. Thank you for your service."The cocky teenager rose up and was released from his bonds by the apparent second-in-command before he strode to the door and let himself out into the light beyond. The rest of the audience missed a very subtle nod between the two men, too busy and focused on the decision they were about to make."The rest of you have decided to fight on the side of good and join our ranks. I welcome you with open arms. Please see Uriel for your assignments and your badge."As he spoke, second-in-command Uriel stepped behind the captives and unbound them, helping them to rise to their feet as the leader stepped forward and kissed their foreheads in turn. In a grand gesture, he motioned for them to follow Uriel through a gorgeous set of French-style doors further into the building to receive their proper welcome.When alone, the door clicking shut with finality, Lucifer stepped out of the main room and walked the short distance to his own chamber down the hallway, closing the door behind him. He turned slowly on his heel, full-well knowing what he was going to see, as his smile turned wicked. A soft glow was pulsing from a large stone basin, the waters within swirling to form pictures.Lucifer slowly approached, savoring the moment, before letting out a soft chuckle. He danced his fingertips in a ghostly waltz along the surface of the water before speaking to himself, eyes alight at the vision of the familiar faces before him and the faint sounds of distant screams echoing through the building."I'll be seeing you again soon, my brothers... very soon."
BREAKING NEWS
TIMOTHY GREEN, 19, of Westboro was found dead in his parents' home early this morning. Upon returning home from a late shift, his mother discovered his body on the kitchen floor. The cause of death is currently unknown, though foul play is suspected. Magickal energy was detected on the property, despite the family being Non-Magickal. Symbols – believed to be of Romanian origin – were found painted on the back door, accessing the kitchen.
Story to be updated as more information is released.
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Everything changed once Jimmy had caught Castiel and Dean kissing in the kitchen. The boys had all sat down and had a very long conversation, one where Jimmy had an ice pack pressed to the bump on his head and Dean's wings kept fidgeting. The guardian couldn't shake the feeling that he'd done something wrong, though he was perfectly aware that attraction wasn't something to feel wrong about. He had learned that a long time ago. It might have been frowned upon for a guardian to have some kind of romantic relations with their summoners, but in truth, that was an old idea. Even when Dean had been the guardian to a vampire named Benny, that was considered an older taboo. Thoughts of Benny tended to sour Dean's mood, even after all of this time, so he immediately squashed them. His focus had come back just in time for him to keep the cookies in the oven from burning. He yanked them out with speed and precision, practically throwing them onto the countertop and shutting the oven door. His wings ruffled behind him as he grabbed a spatula and began to put the cookies onto cooling racks, humming along with the radio playing in the corner of the large kitchen. If he focused hard enough, he could hear the voices of the twins from the front of the shop, which brought a slight smile to his lips and lifted his spirits. The twins seemed to have that effect on him – and plenty of other effects, now that he thought about it. No. Don't think about it. No need to pop a boner while baking cookies. Dean knew that the twins were preparing to close the store early for the equinox party they'd all be attending later that afternoon. If he was being honest with himself (a rare occurrence), he was nervous about this party. He'd be required to mingle and meet all of the twins' friends. Most of the townsfolk he knew by face, at least, but he didn't really know anyone except Castiel and Jimmy. He figured the witches were just secretive and liked to keep to themselves, only finding out they actually had friends recently. Well... Jimmy seemed to have friends that naturally adopted Castiel too. It made sense to Dean; Castiel wasn't the most social of the two of them and Jimmy practically drew energy from others. The twins may have identical features, but their personalities couldn't have been more opposite, in Dean's opinion. A smile spread his lips as he thought about them both, shaking his head lightly and chuckling at the memory of them that morning, arguing over how much syrup was acceptable over French toast. "Dean! How're the cookies coming?" Jimmy waltzed into his kitchen with a smile on his face, his hair only slightly mussed as he ran a hand through it. He tended to keep it a little shorter than Castiel did, Dean realized, which could explain why Castiel had permanent bed-head. "They're out, just cooling now before I sprinkle on the powdered sugar and box 'em up." A flush crept up Dean's features as he felt Jimmy's lips press against his cheek, drawing his green eyes to gaze down towards the slightly shorter witch. Jimmy's returned grin was a soft thing and the tender moment was only ruined by the motion of him reaching out and pinching Dean's ass through his jeans. A surprised chuckle burst from the guardian's lips, his wings shaking with it as he shook his head. Jimmy laughed a little himself before appearing back at Dean's side, waving a hand over the cookies in a way that Dean recognized as Jimmy casting a cooling spell. He then passed a sifter to Dean and held up a bag of powdered sugar, pouring it inside while Dean held it steady. "Are you nervous about later?" Jimmy's question was casual, but Dean could hear the concern masked in his tone as he attempted to remain nonchalant. Instead of outright denying it, Dean made a noncommittal noise and began to sift the sugar slowly over the warm cookies. He kept his eyes down and away from Jimmy's gaze, pretending to put all of his focus on his sifting duties. As if much thought goes into something like this, anyway. "You really don't have to be." Jimmy always had a knack for filling the silence. "Everyone that will be there are close friends. And if you want to leave because you're uncomfortable, we can. Don't feel obligated to stay just because of us, Dean." It was in that moment that Dean felt grateful for Jimmy and his understanding, even when Dean didn't say a word. He gave him a smile that said as much – only to look away when he heard Castiel's deep rumble coming from the kitchen doorway. "I'd happily escort you home, too, should you become so uncomfortable." "You only say that because crowds make you just as anxious." Jimmy spoke of his twin affectionately, even when he paired his words with a roll of his eyes. Castiel's expression didn't falter from its slightly formed scowl, something that Dean had learned to recognize as being an almost permanent fixture on the other twin's face. It was really a shame – Jimmy had a great smile and Dean could only imagine what Cas's would look like. Similar, he suspected, to his twin brother's but with subtle differences. There were always subtle differences between them, things he picked up on because he spent so much time with the pair. "Ya'll don't have to worry about me. I'm sure I can handle a small gathering of friends, yeah? If they're your friends, they're probably nice enough." Both twins ended up chuckling at that, which caused Dean to pause in his sifting duties. He gave them both a quirked brow, receiving a large smile from Jimmy and a pinched one from Cas. "What's with the laughter?" "Well... let's just say, sometimes our friends are a handful when all together. But! I'm sure you'll fit right in, don't worry!" Jimmy's tone was almost sing-song as he packed up the decorated cookies and sealed the lids on their containers. Dean's brows knit together and his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched Jimmy carry the containers out of the back door to the shop, the small bell dinging behind him. Dean felt a hand squeeze his shoulder lightly and he shifted his gaze to Cas, who was standing beside him and giving him a firm nod. "He's right. You'll fit right in. Don't think too hard." Castiel gave him a little half smile before squeezing his shoulder once again, following his twin out of the door and propping it open for Dean to follow. He looked back at Dean, raising an eyebrow expectantly, and the guardian shook out his wings a little before taking in a deep breath. Cas seemed troubled and Jimmy seemed too chipper about this party. Dean couldn't help but feel like he was missing out on something, something each twin was well aware of but was keeping from him. Irritation tensed his wings before he willed them to relax and plastered a smile on his lips. "You're right, Cas. Let's get going then, shall we?" Dean would get to the bottom of whatever the twins were keeping from him, one way or another. He just knew he'd have to be patient and wait it out, especially since they had the party to attend.
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Dean could count on one hand how many times he'd been in Castiel's car. One of the many perks of living in a smaller town meant that walking was an easy method of transportation. The twins had habits of walking to work, walking to the farmer's market when they needed ingredients, and even walking to places like The Buzz and to the small park at the town center. It was rather nice in comparison to many cities that Dean had lived in. The large skyscrapers and crowded streets were something to behold, but there was a charm about living in a place where almost everybody knew everybody. This place was tightly knit; there was a sense of security here that Dean had not experienced anywhere else. The people of this place had each other's backs and Dean had a good feeling that they would come to the aid of those in need without a second thought. No amount of caring neighbors could make him feel safe in Castiel's clunky pimp-mobile, though. He grumbled and griped as he climbed into the back seat, his wings tucked in but still being the main reason Jimmy had to sit in the passenger seat while Castiel drove. Apparently, the equinox party was being held at a close friend's house and he lived on the edge of the town, practically in the middle of nowhere. Walking would have taken too long and with their haul of desserts, they didn't have much of an option. Dean had teased the twins about what their magick was really good for, but the looks he'd gotten in return revealed that they hadn't thought it to be as funny as the guardian himself did. Probably another reason why Dean was crammed into the back seat with boxes of cookies on either side of him and the twin witches got the roomier front spaces of the car. "It won't take too long, Dean, don't get your panties in a bunch." Jimmy's words had been teasing, but Dean's response was a quip he didn't think twice about uttering. "Not even wearing 'em today, so nothing to bunch." The silence that he was met with in the aftermath caused him to raise his gaze, seeing the heated look on Castiel's face in the rearview mirror and the surprise on Jimmy's as he turned in the seat to look at him. Instead of addressing his embarrassment verbally, Dean just shrugged and looked out of the window, brushing off the incident and letting the twins mull over the idea of him wearing panties without much satisfaction to go off of. He had a feeling that would be changing very soon, if the heat on Castiel's face was anything to go by. And Dean had learned, very quickly, that if Castiel wanted something done in the bedroom, he was very... convincing and tended to get his way. Shifting in his seat, Dean squashed those thoughts. He didn't want to be in a compromising position edging on complete arousal the entire party. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass the twins in front of their friends. Part of Dean wished that the drive wasn't going to take so long because the longer it lasted, the more anxious he was getting. He hadn't met any of these people before and the twins were acting a little on edge about the whole thing. He wasn't sure why that was, but instinct told him it was because of him. Were they embarrassed about having a guardian? Did their friends even know about him? The idea had never occurred to Dean that some of the people the twins knew might not be on the more liberal side when it came to summoning guardians. His brows creased as he stared out of the window, his wings folded in such a way that it tinged on uncomfortable, but he found focus in the pain. He would have to be on his best behavior for Castiel and Jimmy, wanting to make a good impression. The last thing he wanted was to ruin this party for the twins who worked so hard and didn't seem to have any time to really relax and enjoy themselves."Alright, we're almost there." Jimmy had spoken the words to fill the silent void in the car. Dean had gone quiet early into the journey, watching the world pass by out of the back window after making a very interesting comment about his choice in undergarments. Jimmy and Castiel had both tucked that information away to use at a later time – maybe even that night, if they were lucky. But the silence that came after was tense, at first, and had slowly dissipated around them. It had been an easy thing, uncharged, and calm. As they neared Sam's place, however, that all seemed to change. The driveway was winding back through trees and hedges once they passed through the automatic gate, a natural part of the completely fenced in yard. Halfway up the drive, there were cars parked, indicating a decent turnout for the equinox. Jimmy looked towards his brother, sensing tension across their bond, and frowned as he saw the white-knuckled grip Castiel had on the wheel. He reached over and placed a warm hand against his thigh, making the other man jump slightly in his seat and snap out of his worried thoughts. "They're just our friends, Cassie. It'll be alright. We can leave whenever you get too overwhelmed." For as long as Jimmy could remember, Castiel had been the level-headed one between them. He was the calm of the storm, the rock against the waves. His weaknesses were few and his fears were often hidden away. Crowds and groups, however, had become rather apparent early on. Castiel's magick was very sensitive, it seemed, and it brought him to be more aware of those around him when they were in a populated area. It put Castiel on edge and drained him physically, making him even more unapproachable than most seemed to think he was in the first place. It was something Jimmy had broached lightly in conversation many years ago, and it was now something the twin always took into account. It was only fair, after all – Castiel was normally the one who took care of him, but sometimes... the favor needed to be returned. "I have an idea." Dean's voice startled them both out of the moment as Castiel pulled into a vacant part of the drive and parked, Jimmy turning at the same time to meet Dean's green gaze. "What's that?" He was curious to see what the guardian was thinking, especially since he seemed a little more relaxed with this thought in his mind. "How about Cas focuses on me? I'm probably gonna be pretty out of place here in the beginning, and I could use some help getting acclimated." Dean was a genius. Castiel was always better when he had something to focus on, and Jimmy was practically kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner. He grinned widely towards Dean, showing his approval, before looking at his brother. Castiel seemed to be in thought about it, the corners of his mouth turned down, before he gave a subtle nod. "That... that makes sense. Alright. We can all stick together and do introductions before things really get going." Both Dean and Jimmy nodded simultaneously; if Castiel had a plan and was on board, then they were both capable of going along. All three men emerged from the car and Jimmy caught sight of Dean stretching out his leathery wings. They were truly fascinating, so muscled and unique in their appearance, but both twins knew that Dean was a little self-conscious about them being there. So the glimpses they tended to take were subtle, the touches gentle, and the wings never seemed to come up in conversation. Luckily for them, Jimmy had forewarned Sam about Dean's sensitivity to his wings, and hopefully everyone else would be aware of it, too. They all grabbed a box of cookies before walking up the drive, bits of gravel giving way beneath their feet.The house was a sprawling ranch with wide windows that were open to the fall breeze. Many of the trees surrounding the property were beginning to turn, surrounding them all with a true sense of autumn. Castiel made sure to take a few deep breaths as they approached the open front door of the house. He had nothing to worry about, honestly. He didn't enjoy it when his panic rose like bile in his throat and took root there, making him swallow more as if to dislodge it. Most of the people here he would know, if not all of them, and so he had no reason to be so on edge. He was grateful that Jimmy would be there, and even Dean, who he focused on as they walked up the stone steps to the threshold of Sam's house. The guardian appeared at ease, but the twins could read him well. His wings were tucked in and stiff against his back, an echoing tension residing in his angled jawline. He was nervous to be in a new place, to meet new people. It was understandable. Castiel was nervous to be around so many at once, afraid of how sensitive his magick might become. But both twins were truly anxious about another factor entirely: Dean meeting Sam. Jimmy had admitted to Castiel that Sam believed Dean to be his long-lost brother. There wasn't a story to be told about it, except that Dean had sacrificed himself to pay off the debts of their father, and had become a guardian many years ago. Samuel had little recollection of Dean as a person, but was aware of his presence along the magickal plane ever since he'd arrived in town due to the twins' summons. Samuel was eager to see his brother again, but the twins had urged him to take things slowly. There was an underlying worry to the entire situation that none of them wanted to address: would Dean remember Sam? It was a question that held a lot of weight and could carry quite a bit of turmoil with it, but it was one they would have the answer to, soon enough. "Oh thank Goddess you're here! I am about to ring Gabriel's neck if he doesn’t leave me the hell alone!" Castiel knew the voice speaking to them, but Charlie's presence still always managed to take him by surprise. He started, adjusting his grip on the box of cookies as a way to cover it up, and felt the subtle shift in the space behind him as Dean moved a little closer. The thoughtfulness behind such a simple act made Castiel settle slightly; Dean was aware of him and both he and Jimmy were looking out for him. Charlie was an overwhelming influence, despite being almost completely non-magickal. Yet, she was still one of their closest friends, and quite a force to be reckoned with. "What's he doing now? Just being his usual self?" There was a teasing tone to his voice, but most were deadpanned as they left Castiel's lips. A chuckle came from his twin as Charlie grinned at them all, nodding her head and waving her free hand around, the other clutched around a drink. "Of course he is! He's so insufferable sometimes, I dunno how Sam puts up with his shi – oh, hello!" The presence of Dean was suddenly the center of attention as Charlie seemed to notice him, standing behind the twins, half obscured by their bodies. Castiel opened his mouth to speak, to do introductions, but Dean managed to wiggle between the twins before giving Charlie a grin of his own. If Castiel and Jimmy had been worried about introductions, apparently, they didn't need to. "Nice to meet ya, I'm Dean. I'd shake hands, but you know... precious cargo." "Oh! Cookies, hell yes! Let's bring 'em into the kitchen!" Charlie turned and immediately led the way, but not before shooting the twins a subtle look that indicated they would be having a discussion later. Probably about Dean. Castiel would be surprised if the topic were anything else. In fact... he had a feeling that Dean would be a heavy topic of conversation for the entire equinox. Though if he handled the rest of it like he handled Charlie, then Dean would be just fine. That thought eased the knot of tension in Castiel's chest as he followed Dean and Jimmy down the hallway towards the kitchen.
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Of course, Sam wasn't in the kitchen. Jimmy wasn't sure if he was feeling relief or disappointment at the revelation, but some kind of tension was released from his shoulders as they made their way into the spacious area behind Charlie. The open room was decorated for the season with fall colors and soft lighting. There were platters of food spread across the circular kitchen island that doubled as the table to eat around during casual events. The equinox was certainly more of a party than anything else, so there weren't any chairs in the kitchen to be found. Bypassing the covered island, Jimmy led the way to the counter where other desserts seemed to have found their home. There was a large, covered item sitting nearest the wall and out of the way, which Jimmy knew better than to try and uncover. He set his boxes of cookies down and turned to watch Castiel and Dean do the same. The Guardian, however, had moved his roaming eyes to the covered item by the wall. A playful smile emerged on Jimmy's face as he spoke up, wanting to answer the unanswered question on Dean's face. "That's Gabriel's cake. He makes one for every equinox. I wouldn't try and peek, though." "Why not? Why cover a cake?" "He likes the dramatics." Castiel's voice tacked in on the end as he set his own boxes of cookies down, his eyes rolling despite the playful edge to his words. Dean looked a little bewildered at the idea, canting his head as he reached out to try and shift a bit of the cover away, only to be stopped by Castiel's hand on his arm. Jimmy would've done the same, had he been the twin closest to the creature, but his eyes were wide with warning. "Ah, you don't want to do that." Dean pulled his hand back in alarm, his brows knit together in a combination of confusion and defiance. It always made Jimmy's heart race to see that stubborn streak, knowing just how deeply ingrained it was in the guardian's personality. It was simply a part of who he was and who he was known to be. He was curious and stubborn about it, not enjoying the idea of the unknown. Jimmy and Castiel knew that all too well at this point and they knew better than to test Dean's limits on it. However... this situation was different. "As much as I'd love to indulge you," Castiel murmured, stepping into Dean's personal space in order to speak in a more hushed tone. "The last person who tried to steal a glance at Gabriel's cake before it was time turned entirely blue with red hands." The speed that Dean's hand shot away from the space before the cover was comical; Jimmy couldn't stop his laughter. The confusion on Dean's face was even more priceless, looking from the laughing Jimmy to the stone-faced Castiel. "You shittin' me?" "He's... he's, ah, telling the truth. Gabriel's into pranks. If you try to peak, he'll know, and everyone will know," Jimmy responded through his laughter, shaking his head and wiping a tear from his eye as Dean's look of horror seemed to bring him to recoil from the cake completely, so much so that he took a few steps away from the counter altogether. "Jody will never forgive him for that." Charlie's voice rang out and the trio turned to see her bemused look paired with her raised eyebrows. They had completely forgotten she was there and had, apparently, been watching them the entire time. Jimmy knew that look, too – it meant he'd have questions to answer later. He could already see all of the mechanics working in her mind, trying to piece together answers to questions she hadn't asked yet. Jimmy was thankful for her discretion, though he was mentally starting a timer to see how long it would last. "Come on, time to go join the rest of the party. They're all outside." Once again, Charlie led the way without even thinking about it. In a brief moment of being alone, all three men looked at one another. Jimmy gave Dean and Castiel a reassuring smile, reaching out to squeeze Dean's arm and give his twin a nod. Their magickal bond seemed to settle around them: a constant energy pulsing through the air. The presence of it wasn't always known, but when it was, Dean's wings fluttered. The leathery appendages – fascinating and wonderful as they were – trembled behind him before falling into a more relaxed posture. Jimmy was thankful that both seemed to be as relaxed as they could be before jumping right into the fray. Jimmy shared a brief glance with Castiel as they shifted, so Dean wouldn't catch it, and Castiel returned the look they both shared on their almost identical features. They were determined to introduce Dean to Sam, determined to let it not ruin the evening if something went wrong. They were hopeful that it would turn out right.They didn't have to go through much of the house to get to the backyard where everyone was gathered. There was a small mud room right off of the kitchen that had a beautiful set of doors leading right into the vast space. It felt good to get outside once again, the fresh air and scent of pine all around them. Dean felt his wings relax a little more, though that feeling vanished quickly as the bustling conversation outside seemed to die with the trio stepping down into the yard. Quickly, Dean's green eyes took in his surroundings. There was a massive fire pit – though, well crafted – up on a small hill a little ways from the house itself. Surrounding it were a variety of seats, which were filled with different figures of all shapes and sizes. Most were magickal; it was crackling on the air like the flames, filling the open sky with energy. Though the sun was long from setting, it seemed to cast a glow around the property. It kept the air charged and made the hairs on his arms stand on end. "Jimmy! Cas!" A blond was waving her arms in the air, a broad smile on her face as she seemed to be calling the twins over. She didn't hesitate when she saw Dean with them, and that made him immediately like her. All three approached the group with no hesitation in their steps, though Dean was stationed between the twins and walking slightly behind them. "Who's your new friend?" Dean couldn't stop himself from bristling a little, though the woman didn't seem to mean anything by it. She was just curious; he needed to take a deep breath and calm down. These were the twins' friends. The twins were already rather secretive about their lives and he needed to understand that being a friend to the Novaks was probably a well-earned position. A smile naturally pulled onto Dean's face as he looked over to Castiel, who seemed to be solely focused on him without looking his way. The man had gravitated into his space, his upper arm brushing against his own, while his eyes were tight on his brother and the smile on his lips was easing. "Jody! This is Dean. Dean, this is Jody." "Nice to meet ya." "Look at the ass on this guy!" Dean whipped around so fast that he almost tripped over Jimmy, who grabbed his arm to steady him. Castiel huffed a breath of frustration already and Dean got a good idea of who this short, blond, annoying man was: Gabriel. "Dean, this is Gabe. Gabe, Dean." Jimmy could barely finish his introduction before Gabriel was speaking again. "Ooh, ho, ho! So this is the infamous Dean-o!" "Dean." It didn't matter that Dean corrected him; Gabriel continued to talk as if he were obsessed with the sound of his own voice. Probably was, too. Dean felt his wings tensing behind him for a moment at the shit-eating grin on the man's... no, fae's face. He caught a glimpse of the golden, shimmering, almost iridescent wings almost immediately after his own tightened up behind him. Dean hadn't met many fae in his life, but he knew the race to be rather tricky. They were prideful and easily offended – Dean knew this not from rumor, but from personal experience – so he knew he needed to try to keep on the good side of his stranger. "Cassie and Jimbo have said so much about you." Well... that took him by surprise. Dean shot the twins a glance. Jimmy didn't look embarrassed, just accepting as he shrugged his shoulders. Castiel, on the other hand, had narrowed his gaze towards the fae. Dean found that to be very, very interesting. But he didn't have long to contemplate on it, simply because another voice was joining the cacophony. This one was a little deeper and paired to a man that... "Jimmy, Castiel. Good to see you both. Gabriel, leave them be." … was familiar. Very familiar. He was gargantuan in height, towering over everyone at the gathering for the equinox. He had shaggy hair and a soft face, a grin that could split it in half. Hazel eyes warmed, yet he seemed guarded as he approached Dean. This was something that the guardian understood well because it was reflected in his own tense stance, his own hesitation as his green gaze widened and his lips parted. "Dean... it's... it's good to see you, again." "You... you remember me?" All other sound fell away. This was Sam, his Sammy, whom he had left so many years ago. He'd sprouted in height; he was a man now. It didn't change the fact that Dean recognized his own blood, his brother. An uncomfortable clenching worked at his chest as the taller man grinned and nodded, confirming that Sam remembered who his brother was... or, at least, who he used to be. "I've always been aware, I guess. Like you were a dream. Sometimes, you'd be more present, and sometimes like a very faded memory. But, yes, I remember you, Dean." Dean hardly had time to breathe before he was wrapped in a huge hug, Sam's arms curled around his frame tightly, managing to avoid his leathery wings. After a very brief moment of hesitation, Dean returned the hug with vigor. He squeezed and held onto Sam in hopes of making up all of the years he'd been away. The clenching loosened in his chest and gave way to a more welcome, warm feeling. It was the feeling of coming home.
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An old loveseat had been pulled out to the firepit, and that is where the twins sat. Their thighs were pressed together and drinks rested in their hands as both tracked the movements of an animated Dean talking with his brother. They had known it would be a risky idea to introduce the two together: what if they held no memories of each other? What if they had parted on bad terms? Castiel had insisted that it was a slim possibility. Dean would have told them otherwise, he was certain. Jimmy had still worried, though he was relieved to see that it had been for nothing. The two brothers were close to one another, chatting away and catching up. Dean's wings were constantly shifting and moving, the leathery material shifting in the wind that passed through the backyard. The twins had watched them play games together, from throwing water balloons to darts, and they had both stood aside and let Dean sit with Sam when dinner had been served. Dean's mood was so light, so incredibly contagious, that everyone seemed to be in good spirits for the remainder of the party. Jimmy had noticed that even Castiel was more relaxed beside him – though he knew his own presence could have eased his anxiety. A firm palm against his thigh gave a gentle squeeze and drew Jimmy's gaze from watching the pair of brothers, his blue eyes meeting identical ones. "We did the right thing." "I agree. He looks really happy." Castiel bobbed his head and sipped at his water, his eyes shifting past his brother to watch the two once more. Everyone around him was a little inebriated, as they typically were during such festivities. Gabriel's cake had already been served and his combined ingredients seemed to always loosen the crowd up slightly. Castiel knew better than to ask what Gabriel put into his cakes and other confections. He and Jimmy had learned early on in their friendship with the fae that they needed to take small portions of those offered gifts. That, at least, seemed to avoid offending the shorter man. "I'm glad we decided to come." Castiel turned his eyes away from wandering and rested them on Jimmy once more, watching as his twin surveyed the area with a lax smile on his lips. He knew that Jimmy had been stressed more than usual with the movements of Lucfier on the rise and the risk of their discovery a lingering possibility. His brother was always beautiful with his execution of stress: it rarely ever showed. But in a moment like this? Everyone else was distracted by activities and the mood was light around them, so it weighed heavily on Jimmy even more to know what they might end up missing out on. As much as it pained Castiel to admit, they'd found a home in this place. The idea of leaving it behind or getting it taken from them was unpleasant. Though that feeling often warred with the guilt he felt with the very idea that their ties to Lucifer could put their friends in harms way. "So am I." Jimmy must have been surprised by his response, if the quirk of his brow was anything to go by. Castiel worked on a small smile just for his twin, and Jimmy's features eased into an expression of curious amusement. "You really mean that." "Of course I do. Being here makes you happy." A soft smile crept onto Jimmy's features as he leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Castiel's lips that caused a rumble in his chest. The instances where they could do something like this, in public, were so few and far between, that Castiel knew Jimmy enjoyed taking advantage of it. Granted, he wasn't complaining much, either. The physical contact did wonders between them, eased their magickal connection and smoothed out the frayed edges of their moods. As they sat back, they shared another quiet smile, only to be interrupted by a drawl positioned behind them. "You know... I always knew something was up." Both men turned their heads over the back of the loveseat to see Dean approaching, a cocky smile on his lips and sway to his hips. They wore identical expressions of surprise as he continued to approach, close enough to bend at the waist and rest his forearms against the back of the couch between them. He lowered his voice and kept his tone quite playful, though there was something else shining in those emerald eyes. "You two may think you're clever, but you're not. I couldn't figure out what it was that you were hidin'. I figured it was just some kind of surprise, introducin' me to your friends or something. But this? Introducing me to Sam?" A laugh bubbled from the guardian's lips, his mood positively bright, and it drew grins from both of the twins. They had never seen Dean so... open, so released of hidden stresses. It thrilled them both and sent static charges through their magick – something they were both certain he could feel. The darkening of his gaze answered the unspoken question: yes, he could definitely feel it. "I never would've guessed it in a million years. I know that I can't thank you enough for something like this... but I'm willing to try a few things, to show my appreciation, if you're up for it." Both twins reacted to his growled suggestion in different ways. Jimmy's brows shot up into his hairline, a stunned look playing out over his features at the brazen way Dean made his suggestion. Castiel, on the other end of the spectrum, had narrowed his gaze and given Dean a positively feral grin. "Oh... I'm certain we could make an arrangement." The answering grin Dean returned was beautiful, lighting up his features as he straightened himself out. He raised his arms above his head and stretched his wings to their full capacity, something that both twins marveled at for a moment. Though... a flash of something else drew their attention away. Both men were quite known for looking their guardian up and down, appreciating his good looks frequently. They both immediately caught sight of the cerulean line of lace peeking out from the top of his jeans. A low chuckle left his lips as the image disappeared all too quickly for the twins, Jimmy's mouth gaping slightly like a fish and Castiel immediately rising to his feet. He grabbed his twin's hand and yanked him up from the couch, jerking his head towards the fence's side-gate. "Cas – we should say goodbye -" "No one will care, James." A shudder rolled down Jimmy's spine at the tone Castiel used. Even Dean seemed affected, his wings shaking out with excitement despite the cocky grin on his features. The guardian knew exactly what he was doing to the witches, and neither of them would be ashamed to admit it. The only thing they really needed to focus on was getting home and making sure that they hadn't imagined the blue lace they'd seen. The car thrummed with tense, sexual energy as Jimmy put the key into the ignition and started it up. The drive home would be a torturous one, but he knew he couldn't be speeding at a time like this. "You can speed a little bit, Jim, yeesh." He knew Dean was teasing, but it only made him grip the steering wheel harder. "You want the cop who pulls us over to discover three, grown-ass men with erections? 'Oh hey, officer! Yeah, I was speeding, but it's because that man in the backseat has an appointment with us and our bed that he can't miss.' Yeah, that'll go over really well." The nonchalance in Jimmy's tone must have been amusing – or maybe it was just the scenario, itself? - but he wouldn't trade the sound of Dean's boisterous laughter for anything else in the world at that moment. Except, maybe, the sight of him in whatever he was wearing beneath his jeans. Maybe.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Dean had to admit that seeing the twins use magick always did something to him. They used it in different ways, too. Jimmy seemed to be more willing to use his abilities for the simple things, like cleaning up spilled sprinkles or shutting an open cabinet door. 'Lazy' magick is what Cas had often called it, though always pairing it with affection in his tone. Castiel seemed to use his magick for more practical purposes, like true spells and fixing the warding on their shop or home. He seemed to take his magick just as seriously as he took most scenarios in their day-to-day life. It made their journey into the house all the more thrilling to see Cas being the one to use his magick for simple actions. He unlocked and thrust their door open with a swish and wave of his wrist and hand. Even with his mouth occupied on Dean's throat, he managed to get them all inside and shut the door behind them with another flick of his wrist. He stepped away from Dean only to move to Jimmy, tugging his brother's shirt over his head while twisting his fingers and muttering something beneath his breath that had his twin gasping for air. "What'd you do to him, Cas?" Dean asked, surprised at the husky nature of his own breath. He felt like the house was twenty degrees warmer, a flush creeping down from his ears that he could feel continued in his toes. Jimmy was dropping his pants onto the floor at the base of the stairs when Cas turned to him and approached, crowding into his space and causing his wings to shudder. "Would you like to know, Dean? Should I show you?" Dean always trembled when Cas used that tone, a deep rumble from his wildest fantasies. Dean didn't even know he had fantasies until the twins had come along. Well... he had fantasies, but they'd never been paired to beautiful blue eyes or messy, fuck-me hair. Dean could only nod, unable to find his voice as Castiel grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and tugged him in for a rough, all-encompassing kiss. The guardian let Cas dominate the kiss, tongue commanding as one hand separated to twist his fingers. Their lips separated for Cas to murmur a spell, the pause long enough for Dean to mutter a gasp and for Cas to catch him about the waist as his knees buckled with surprise. "Jimmy's used to it, and you'll get used to it, too. I'm sure." A soft chuckle was tinged along Cas's words, making Dean chuckle as well. The sensation had been rather indescribable. He was relaxed in a way that would be very convenient for their evening, and he was oddly slick. "Did you just prep me with magick, Cas?" Dean's tone was toying and playful, but he couldn't hide the awe, either. The witch chuckled and gave the affirmative nod before grabbing onto Dean's hand and tugging him up the stairs. Jimmy had already disappeared into the bedroom, his underwear left on the floor. Dean was too preoccupied by Cas's hands on him and his lips to notice that he was already moved into the bedroom. He felt the mattress of their bed against the backs of his knees and he sat onto it, feeling a second pair of hands grasping his shirt and yanking it over his head. "Patience, James." "Shut up, Cas." They were all chuckling, breathless and flushed with exertion as the moment paused around them. They were all wearing smiles and, for once, the usual tension that seemed to hang around them had all but dissipated. Their previous experiences in the bedroom had always been overcast with worry: about Lucifer and his movements, about Dean meeting Sam, about their lives in general. But the good feelings that had spread that evening followed them, kept their moods light and the tension dimmed. The only urgency they felt was from the twins, who wanted desperately to get Dean out of his jeans. "I believe you have been hiding something from us, Dean." Cas stepped back as he spoke, quirking a dark brow and pairing it with a grin. Dean could feel Jimmy nodding with agreement behind him, the bed shaking slightly with the eager motion. Dean flushed a little and stood from his seat, putting his fingers along his beltline and finding the button to his jeans. "I wasn't sure how... how you both might take it. I figured it'd be a good surprise to try out, huh?" Dean's chuckle was nervous, causing Jimmy and Cas to share a glance before watching as Dean unbuttoned his jeans and tugged down the zipper. "You don't need to be nervous, Dean." Jimmy's words were soft, encouraging as he moved his own naked frame to the edge of the bed. He was on his knees, his cock resting half-hard against his thigh. Dean thought the twins were beautiful in their own ways, and this moment proved no different. Jimmy had wonderful smile-lines around his eyes, crinkling as he gave Dean a grin of encouragement. His cock was ruddy compared to his twins and curved to the left when fully erect. Jimmy also breathed a bit heavily in comparison to Castiel, and that often led to him being louder, too. "We're excited to see them." "Even if you did lie about having them on."Dean's head whipped to see Castiel staring at him. His smile was softer than Jimmy's – a private thing he only shared between his twin and his guardian – and it settled something in Dean. The panic that had been fluttering around in his stomach seemed to calm as he gave a definitive nod and took the leap. He slipped his jeans down over his hips, let them drop from his bowed thighs to pool around his ankles. He stepped out of them and revealed himself in the panties he'd chosen. Blue, to match the twins' eyes, with lace along the top waistband the bands around each thigh. Heat pooled into his face as he heard Jimmy's blatant moan from the bed, movement catching his eye as he saw the twin stroking a hand over his rapidly hardening cock. "You like 'em?" The question may have been an unnecessary one, but neither twin chastised him for it. Jimmy nodded with an eager smile for his answer, while Cas took a step forward and drew Dean close. Castiel was like the eye of a storm, pulling him in and keeping him captive, garnering all of his attention. "They're wonderful, Dean. Beautiful." It was second nature for Dean to immediately rebuff such compliments, which was probably why Cas had stolen his lips for a fierce kiss once he spoke them. A groan echoed between them, straight from Dean's chest, as he felt Castiel's hands reach around and cup over the soft material covering Dean's ass. He took a step forward that caused Dean to retreat back one, a pattern repeated until he reached the bed again. He was swiftly withdrawn from Castiel and pulled onto the mattress, barely with time to breathe before Jimmy was kissing him instead. These kisses were passionate bordering on playful, with nips and twists of the tongue. Dean urged himself closer and pressed his body against Jimmy's, their frames touching in almost every possible way. Dean swallowed Jimmy's moan and felt the other man rutting his hard cock against Dean's, slotting it against his panty-covered erection immediately. "You two look amazing together." Both men parted, flushed and panting, to look up at Cas. The other man had stripped while they'd been preoccupied with each other, and both scanned their eyes over his figure. Castiel was fit beneath his looser clothes, something only privy to Jimmy and Dean's gaze. His thick thighs and angled hips made Dean's mouth water and his wings flare in a display of possession that was mirrored when he looked at Jimmy's similar features. He groaned and leaned back on the bed, chuckling softly. "I'm a lucky bastard." "That you are." Jimmy laughed as Castiel climbed onto the bed with them, and they became entangled in limbs and kisses. It started soft and sweet, the twins feeling their hands over Dean's broad body and his soft panties. It didn't stay that way for long. A few minutes of gentleness was enough to get them all prepared for what was to come, their actions desperate and wanting. Moans echoed in the room around them and it took one talented pair of hands and some wriggling hips to get the panties off of Dean's body, letting his cock smack free into Jimmy's in front of him. Everyone moaned at that, and with some shuffling around, Dean ended up atop Jimmy, who was laying on his back and facing him. "Get inside me soon, Dean." "What do you say, James?" "… please, Dean." The prompting came from Castiel, not Dean, though it made Dean groan to see Jimmy fall into line at his twin's beck and call. He urged forward and captured Jimmy's mouth, sensing Castiel behind him and feeling contact on his wings immediately after. Cas touched them delicately, feeling the leathery skin beneath his fingertips before tentatively grasping onto the strong bone at the base, near Dean's shoulder blade. Dean gasped loudly, rutting his cock against Jimmy's as he tried hard to focus on both sensations at the same time. With some help from an impatient witch below him, Dean's cock finally found where it needed to be. He pressed forward and groaned as Jimmy's hole gave way, his entrance slick and tight. Dean slowly pushed himself forward, Jimmy's hands grasping at the pillow above him, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. Dean seated himself inside Jimmy, arms shaking as he held off from any fervent thrusting. He took a moment to just look at the beautiful, trusting man below him, a smile growing on his lips. "You're gorgeous, Jim." The blush that greeted him was worth it, causing him to grin more as he pulled back and thrust in, bouncing Jimmy's body beneath his and causing the other man to cry out with delight. Dean was vaguely aware of Castiel moving closer, his hands still exploring Dean's back and wings, but he hadn't realized how close until Cas's growl was right in his ear. "You're both gorgeous. Look at you. Fuck him rough, Dean, that's how he likes it." Dean was more than aware of how Jimmy enjoyed being fucked, but he had yet to really watch Cas fuck his twin. He groaned at the vision of it, of how Castiel would know that fact first hand, and snapped his hips forward. Jimmy's moans and gasps were fuel to the fire and Dean picked up a brutal pace, keeping his thrusts deep and rolling his hips to hit the tender spot inside of Jimmy every pass. A glance down showed Dean that Jimmy was close already, his cock leaking fluid between them and bouncing with Dean's thrusts, making him moan at the sight. He grit his teeth and continued, sweat pooling at the base of his neck. He stopped only to shudder as Cas gripped his left wing tight enough to stop him in his tracks. He groaned and froze, feeling Cas's other hand grasp his right ass cheek and spread it. "Oh shit." Jimmy braced himself, seeing Cas behind Dean, and Cas slowly worked his way into Dean until he was completely filled. Dean moaned and arched, his wings flaring out to their full spread. There was a crashing sound to the left, but no one even looked. The twins were star-struck by Dean's wingspan, looking at the powerful appendages with awe. They were only brought back to the moment when Dean began to rock between them, spurring them both into action. Dean was panting, sweating, and swearing softly under his breath. Jimmy was joining in on the noise – his moans echoing, mirroring Dean's, strains of statements muttered in harsh breaths between them. Cas was quiet, preferring always to listen as he thrust himself deeply and slowly inside Dean. The fast pace didn't return; it forced them all to focus on one another and the feelings flowing between them. Jimmy was the first to go, his body bowing and going taut beneath Dean's. He cried out to the ceiling and the windows burst open, letting it a rush of autumn air. He spilled between them, splattering himself and Dean's chest with his release. He went limp beneath Dean as Cas's thrusts forced him to continue forward, Dean spilling into Jimmy a few moments later. It took all of the guardian's strength to hold himself up – he didn't want to crush Jimmy – as Cas picked up the pace for several more thrusts. Dean felt the warmth of Cas's release at the same time the other man grunted, his arms wrapped beneath Dean's and his palms bracing his chest. It was then that Dean realized he was trembling and Cas was holding him together, like he'd fall apart at any moment. His wings were draped heavily on either side of the bed and he was panting strongly, his lungs burning with the effort. "Dean... Dean, are you okay?" Jimmy's concerned voice brought Dean crashing back as he blinked slowly, looking at the handsome man below him. He gave a nod as Cas eased him out of Jimmy and let his twin adjust. Both managed to get him between them on the bed, spooning either side of him. Dean curled between them as Jimmy murmured a spell to clean them, Cas tugging the sheets up over their tired bodies. "Thank you... both." Cas and Jimmy's eyes met over Dean's sleepy form, his green hues already hidden behind his eyelids. They didn't ask what he was thanking them for; they already had a good idea. Jimmy leaned down and kissed Dean's cheek, Cas doing the same to his forehead a moment later before they settled down beside him and spoke in unison. "You're welcome, Dean."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The plan to reunite Sam and Dean had been one of the twins' better ones over the course of the past several years. Their guardian had been open before, but some invisible wall had crumbled when the reconnection between the brothers. They saw the younger Winchester far more often now that Dean was back in his life, and it felt like a missing piece had been replaced. The twins themselves felt more in sync than ever; their magickal abilities drawing in more customers than ever before. The teas Castiel brewed were becoming more popular with their unique flavors and ability to comfort, while the sweets seemed to pair with them in more pronounced ways. Tea & Sweets had been quite the stop for locals and visitors alike, but with their magicks working and the presence of Dean, it seemed to attract newcomers left and right. The trio fell into a blissful lull after the equinox. It was a routine of working, spending time together, and see their friends, but it felt natural. Many strayed from routines in their lives because they fought structure or because they found a boring aspect about it all. Others thrived on it, the stability and the knowledge of what is to come. The routines they fell into, however, brought on none of those emotions. It had become second nature to them and it was anything but boring. The twins could be open within their close circle of friends and relatives; Dean could be more himself now that some of the pain from his shoulders was lifted after all of these years. All three of them worked together in harmony and while some might struggle with the idea of keeping up with one romantic partner, let alone two, they adjusted as if it was what they were meant to do for the rest of their lives. It wasn't said in words, not yet, but the underlying emotion was always present. Jimmy had even teased them one evening about how the triangle was the strongest shape in nature, to which Castiel and Dean couldn't form an argument against. Of course... all good things must come to an end."I fuckin' hate the cold." Dean blustered through the back door of the shop after removing the trash, shaking out his leather wings only for a moment. He pulled them back against his body instantly and let out a huff of indignation as Jimmy laughed at him from the counter. "You shouldn't have lost, then." "Rock, paper, scissors is a dumb way to decide who takes out the trash." Jimmy laughed even more at the grumpy nature of Dean's statement, already hearing the smile form through his words by the end of his sentence. He lifted his gaze and blue eyes met green for a moment. Dean was still playfully glaring as Jimmy approached and brushed some snowfall from his hair, the wet droplets falling onto the dark material of his coat. "Is Dean complaining about losing?" "He's complaining about the cold." "It's a dumb way to settle things, that's all I'm saying!" Dean grumbled as Jimmy continued to laugh, knowing that the twins were just teasing him, but still being bitter about how the cold had bitten at his wings. They may have been strong, but they weren't feathered, damnit. They lacked any kind of protection from the cold that was sweeping through Silver Maple at this time of year. His smile naturally began to form as he heard Castiel's rumbling laughter from the front desk – so different from his own twin brother's that it made Dean wonder how anyone ever got the two of them mixed up. "I've got your tea waiting here, Dean." "Yeah – go warm up, you big baby." The guardian desperately tried to avoid jumping as Jimmy pinched his ass through his jeans, but he failed. A laugh punched its way through as he shook his head and passed through the beaded curtain in the doorway, smiling towards Cas as he passed a black mug his way. A nod of thanks and approval was all Dean gave him before he lifted the mug and blew on it, sipping carefully before taking a look towards the front door. It was almost closing time, but they usually got a rush around this time since it was Saturday and Tea & Sweets would be closed for the next two days. "I like how you've decorated, Cas." The witch looked around the shop for a moment and frowned, as if critiquing his work for the thousandth time. With the approaching holidays, the twins had decided a little décor change was in order. Instead of the typical, gaudy decorations seen around this time of year, they had gone with something a bit simpler. Natural garland was strung in the windows, tinkling with soft, silver and gold lights that ebbed and faded into existence every few moments in alternating patterns. Castiel had spelled the glass to frost slightly around the edges, which went well with the color scheme of the small signs in the windows sporting prices of holiday gift sets and discounts. Jimmy had added his own touch with some golden ribbons and green shelving tapestries. Silvery orbs of light lingered around the ceiling, slowly bobbing up and down, giving everything a very ethereal, yet warm glow around the shop. Dean knew better than to think those lights were just that; he knew they were also a security system, a way for the twins to tell if danger was nearby. He wasn't sure exactly how it worked or what happened if they did detect something, but the twins had reassured him that he would know it when it happened. He supposed he just wasn't expecting it to happen so suddenly. It was a simple as a new face walking into the store, and the glowing lights suddenly stopped moving. It was a subtle change, something guests might never notice, but easily caught the eye of Castiel and Dean at the front desk. Instantly, Dean felt Castiel tense beside him, magickal energy flickering in the air and causing the hairs on his arms to stand up. "Castiel. It's good to see you." "Uriel. I can't say the same." Dean found it unnerving that, despite how Uriel's greeting was typically given with warm connotation, there was absolutely none of it in his voice or features. He looked like the kind of man that would guard someone or something important. Stoic, with an air of danger around him... danger that caused Dean's wings to puff up slightly behind him. Uriel walked around the front of the shop leisurely, though his stance was obviously guarded and confident. Dean already determined that he didn't like the man the moment he spoke, but to know that his presence adversely affected Castiel only seemed to make it worse. Dean stood from his stool slowly and set his tea down, watching as the stranger turned to face him with a dark gaze. "You can call off your hound, Castiel. I merely came to relay a message to you and your brother." It took everything in Dean's power to not growl and make Uriel's statement more truth than he wanted it to be. "I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we don't want to hear anything you have to say." It was Jimmy who spoke this time, emerging through the curtain and almost breaking the tense silence that had settled. Magickal energy curled around them all to the point of feeling suffocating, stifling the thin air around them. "Lucifer suspected that your tongue never learned its lesson, James." "Bite me, asshole." Jimmy didn’t possess the control that Castiel had, his emotions more volatile than even Dean's sometimes. Dean found himself stepping closer to the younger twin, hoping that his very presence would do what it was supposed to do and calm him down. The last thing they needed was some kind of crazy fight happening right in front of the store. "Distasteful," Uriel scoffed, the disgust lightly tainting his voice. "Just say whatever you need to say, pal, and leave," Dean answered, his tone carefully casual. He was surprised when Uriel looked his way and cocked an eyebrow, eyeing Dean with a gaze that could be called calculating. The creature fought the urge to shudder; it felt like this man was committing him to memory. Dean didn't enjoy the way that gaze fell upon him. It only lasted moments before Uriel turned back towards the twins and spoke once more, a smile in his voice that never curved his lips. "Very well. Lucifer commends you on your town of choice and your ability to stay hidden for so long. He also wishes you both a happy holiday." The silence that fell after was filled with anticipation, though Uriel didn't speak again. Dean was surprised and his lips parted before closing again, his gaze shooting towards the twins, who looked equally as confused. Jimmy's expression was more obvious: lips parted, brows furrowed, body tense enough to snap. While Castiel only raised an eyebrow, his expression schooled into a mask that no one would be able to read. "I can't say we'll return the same sentiments," was all he responded with, though Dean could tell that the gears in his mind were moving rapidly through the calculated coolness of his blue eyes. "He had assumed as much." And those were the last words spoken by the tall man before he turned and walked out of the shop, letting the door shut behind him. The chimes sang into the room and the tense air seemed to lift. The glowing orbs of light began their dance again and the shop's sign – jostled by the force of the closing door – flipped to read Closed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"They've summoned a guardian." The marble on the grungy table top stopped spinning as Lucifer's fingertips slowly lowered down to the surface. The motel room was empty and the dingy light settled around them, only to be disturbed by the luminescent glow of headlights that occasionally passed by on the dark road. Lucifer's eyes met with Uriel's and he blinked them slowly, but his face was as impassive as ever. In the times where his charisma wasn't needed, the man's expression was often a blank slate. Uriel knew from experience that Lucifer thought carefully before allowing emotion to be expressed; the only people to ever get a true rise from him were his brothers. Passing on the news he'd obtained, Uriel hadn't been sure how Lucifer would react. Though, he could have admitted to expecting the impassiveness the powerful man expressed. "That's interesting. Was it there? Is it powerful?" Lucifer had always talked of summoned guardians in a way that suggested they were lesser beings. It was a viewpoint Uriel shared, though he often didn't express it. "It was hard to discern. He seems physically strong, yes, but his origin wasn't immediately obvious." "How so?" Lucifer spoke with an inquiry that suggested he was truly interested in what kind of creature was now tied to his brothers. Uriel wasn't quite sure he was interested in the nature of his casual questions; he understood that Lucifer was methodical about his process. He would want to know the details he needed to know and nothing more. Luckily, Uriel was a man of little words. It was part of the reason the two had worked so well together for all of these years. Lucifer, a mad man with a vision, and Uriel, a bodyguard who would take secrets to the grave. "The only obvious trait he possessed was a pair of wings, akin to a bat." "So, not a fae then. Lucky for my brothers, I suppose." Uriel watched as Lucifer garnered a thoughtful expression, tapping his index finger on his chin while his other arm crossed over his chest. His eyes never left the man as he looked towards the window and seemed to mull over the information in his mind. "And the followers... they've been scouting, yes?" "Each and every one has been into the shop at least once, yes." "Excellent. We will gather their reports this evening." A brief nod was the only interaction between the men for a long moment. Uriel moved from standing at the motel door to sitting at the small table. The marble was spinning again, the colors of it blending together into a small, whirling bit of blues and purples, the outer yellow coloration making it garish when it was still. The distraction only lasted a moment before Uriel was giving Lucifer his attention once more, the man speaking again. "So, they've summoned a guardian in hopes of having another against me. They're smart. They've learned over time. But we've got them trapped, now. I know where they are and where they've been hiding. I know they have a guard dog. And all of our ducks are getting in a row." The ducks, of course, being the newest of followers. It was a slow process, but now that the pieces were falling into place... the bigger picture was a beautiful one, one that Uriel could get behind. He leaned back in his chair and watched as the marble on the table began to spin faster and faster in its place. "The media have been covering other stories. You're not in the limelight at the current moment. You could easily strike within the next day or two." Lucifer bobbed his head in confirmation, but his lips quirked in a way that Uriel recognized. Lucifer had already thought of this; Lucifer already had a plan for them – and for Jimmy, Castiel, and their friend. "This town is full of magick... full of potential. It doesn’t have to start with them. Find out about this guardian and find out about their friends. Despite the nature of my brothers, I'm certain they've made at least one or two that could help us out." Uriel stood and pushed his chair back into place. He gave Lucifer a nod before slipping out of the room and disappearing, assumedly to his own room so he could begin his assigned task. A smile quirked onto Lucifer's face as headlights illuminated the wall behind him and the marble spun so quickly it almost levitated off of the table. "I'll be seeing you soon, my brothers. It's been far too long." A lone chuckle filled the room as the marble crumbled to dust on the table.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"It's been a week since Uriel, Cassie. And we haven't seen or heard anything more from Lucifer." Jimmy's soft voice came from the other side of the bed, towards the end of it where his head rested. Castiel wasn't sure how he got there, but it didn't quite matter when he was focused more on tracing random shapes into the bowed legs draped across his stomach. A lift of his head revealed to him that his twin was doing the same, except to Dean's closest shoulder as the guardian rested his head towards Jimmy's chest. Dean's large wings took over a good chunk of the bed, outstretched and occasionally twitching as they all came down from their orgasms in the rising light of the morning. "I know, Jimmy. Does it strike you as... strange?" "I dunno. Seems like something he'd do." Dean spoke up with a gruff tone and both twins shot him a look – Jimmy's face sporting surprise at the fact that Dean was even awake, while Castiel's looked more skeptical about the words that had actually left Dean's lips. "Do you know much about Lucifer, Dean?" "Nah, but I know about his type." It was Castiel's turn to raise his brows in surprise while Jimmy propped himself up on his arms, looking at the other man with interest. "What do you mean, Dean? Lucifer is like his own breed of evil." "Yeah... but plenty of people think that about their own demons, you know? I thought the same, and people I've guarded in the past thought the same. Everyone thinks their own personal evil is the worst kind. And yeah, Lucifer is a fucked up guy, but he's just that – a guy. An evil, twisted bastard who has weaknesses like everyone else." As Dean talked he became more animated with his hands and his wings, the large appendages twitching and shifting on the bed. Castiel and Jimmy shared a glance at one another over him before glancing back down towards the guardian. Dean shared their lives as their summoned creature, yes, but he was so much more than that to them now. They hadn't expressed their feelings in words – Dean wasn't big on those – but it was an undercurrent that had been present for quite some time. Even then, the twins knew little about Dean's past. Even Sam hadn't shared because the poor mage hadn't truly remembered why Dean had been pulled away from him, why Dean had become a guardian in the first place. Dean had his reasons, but the mention of it was a sensitive topic that was avoided at all costs. This was the most open Dean had been in a while and Castiel wondered, briefly, if the orgasm and early morning had given some looseness to his lips. "Listen – it's healthy to worry, but you both are incredibly strong witches." Castiel had the decency to blush and look away while Jimmy cracked a grin, cocking an eyebrow in his usual manner. "Ah, you're sweet to say that, Dean," he said, leaning forward to plant a sloppy, playful kiss against his cheek to lighten the mood a little. The look on Dean's face had both twins chuckling while he wiped the saliva away from his cheek with the back of his hand. "It's true. You hide your abilities, but I can sense it. Together, you're a force to be reckoned with. You've just got to hold onto that power and someone like the leader of the Non-Magick Alliance won't stand a chance. Besides," he said with a cocky grin, throwing his arm up to point his own thumb back at his chest. " - you've got me, too." Castiel chuckled as Jimmy swiped a hand through Dean's hair and slowly climbed out of bed. Both men watched as Jimmy limped into the bathroom, satisfaction on their faces as they recalled how Jimmy had gotten the limp in the first place. Turning their eyes back to each other, Cas felt his features soften as he stroked a hand over Dean's closest thigh and squeezed softly on the bare, freckled flesh. "We appreciate your help, Dean, and we're happy that you're willing to help." Green eyes locked onto blue and Dean quirked Castiel a smile that spoke volumes about his personality. "It's my job, Cas, but I would've offered my help, anyway," he commented smoothly, shifting his legs off of Castiel's body and sitting up in bed, stretching his wings out behind him and his arms above him. Castiel watched the almost translucent wings with awe; Dean truly was a creature filled with beauty. His wings were unlike any other creature's he'd encountered or even read about. It made Castiel curious about what kind of lineage Dean had gotten in his guardianship, but he knew better than to ask. "If the two of you are going to continue being lazy asses in bed, that's fine, but I'm gonna grab some coffee. You want your usuals?" Jimmy popped his head out of the bathroom door before emerging from it completely, tugging a loose maroon sweatshirt over his naked chest. Dark jeans clung to his legs and he already had thick socks on in order to brace against the chill of the morning that they all knew accompanied the snow this time of year. Castiel looked towards Jimmy and nodded, letting out a yawn as he slumped back into the pillows. Dean, on the other hand, eyed Jimmy before climbing out of bed. "I'll go with you." "And leave Cassie here by his lonesome, Dean?" Jimmy's voice was teasing, but it still caused Castiel to grumble incoherently from the bed and Dean to roll his eyes and smirk. "You know he's going to just fall back asleep. Besides, I'm awake. Just gimme a minute to throw some clothes on." Dean disappeared into the bathroom while Jimmy moved to the end of the bed to grab his shoes. He tugged them on and looked towards his twin, who was already curled back into the blankets with his mess of hair barely visible above the edge of the quilt. He looked at him with fondness and squeezed the shape of his calf beneath the material. "Be back soon, Cassie." He earned nothing more than a muffled sound as Castiel melted into the quilt and pillows. Jimmy rolled his eyes at his brother and straightened up as Dean emerged in his usual jeans and flannel over a thicker henley. He grabbed his shoes as well and the two left the bedroom quietly, moving to grab their scarves, hats, and coats from the door. Dean glared at Jimmy as he shoved a knitted hat onto his head, but the man just grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek before they both made their way out into the biting cold."Do you celebrate Christmas?" The question came after minutes of silence as both men braced against the cold, walking through it on the mostly barren sidewalks as they headed towards The Buzz. Jimmy looked to Dean with surprise and then cracked a smile, ignoring the pull of it against his chapped lips. "Yeah, we do, actually. Why?" "Oh... just curious. Some witches don't, I've heard." Jimmy eyed Dean suspiciously, but the guardian was closed off on purpose. Jimmy thought it was adorable and couldn't help but bump his shoulder against the other man as they rounded the corner that led to the street they needed. "You're right, some don't. But Cassie and I have celebrated since we were kids and we just kept up with it. Cassie acts like he doesn't enjoy the major holidays or even the equinox, but he secretly adores them, don't let him fool you." Dean chuckled and looked towards Jimmy with a glint in his eyes that Jimmy didn't really recognize. He huffed out a breath of visible air against the chill, and began to speak, drawing Jimmy's attention to his deep tones that paired well with the way their shoes crunched against the snow on the sidewalk. "Sammy and I always celebrated, too, but I'm not sure how much he remembers. Christmas was his favorite holiday, along with the summer solstice." "What's your favorite holiday, Dean?" "I always enjoyed Christmas, too." The admission was a quiet one and Jimmy almost missed it. He could sense that there was pain in that admission, but he didn't press on it. Dean would share his history when he was ready. Jimmy slipped his hand out of his pocket and snuck it into Dean's, squeezing his hand comfortably and drawing a smile from the other man's face. They both lifted their heads just in time to see their favorite coffee shop across the street. Some strangers were leaving it in a rush, which Jimmy associated with the idea that they were just trying to keep the coffees in their hands warm and their bodies warmer with more movement. He could understand the appeal. He huffed out a breath and looked towards the large windows decorated with bees adorned with scarves, seeing their familiar redheaded friend waving at them from behind the busy counter as she handed a customer their beverage. Jimmy waved his hand from across the street as Dean did the same and they both looked across the road before crossing. Safety first, and all that. Then... something happened. Jimmy was jerked back from where his hand and arm had been intertwined with Dean's because the man had halted dead in his tracks, right in the middle of the street. A look of confusion was on his face as his brows creased deeply and his wings stiffened behind his back. "Dean, the fuck... what's going-?" "No! Jimmy get down!" There wasn't time to register before Dean was grabbing Jimmy roughly by his upper arms and shielding him with his own body. Large, leathery wings wrapped tightly around him and blocked his vision, but it didn't stop Jimmy from seeing the smoke, hearing the explosion as the building in front of the cracked and shattered. Jimmy shouted as the force of it and the energized heat threw both men forward, launching them into the icy street. Dean clung to Jimmy roughly and hissed as magickal energy pulsed through the area. Jimmy could feel it react with his own energy, ripping a scream from his lungs that joined the screams of several others that he could only hear once the ringing left his ears. Jimmy felt his body being shifted and the cool metal of a car pressing against the back of his head. He opened his eyes when he felt Dean's presence leave him, his veins alight with the magickal force still seeping from The Buzz. … or rather, where The Buzz once stood. "Ch-Charlie!" Jimmy's voice was a wreck as he coughed, smoke thick in the area as he blinked through the heat of it. It was as though the area was burning, yet there were no flames. The thickness in the air was magick, still pulsing from the central location of the explosion. Panic welled in his chest as he looked across the street, feeling frozen in place by the pressure of the energy around him. He gasped as he fought back the anxiety he felt, his mind racing with thoughts of Charlie explosion magick no not Charlie oh god Dean no Charlie... Lucifer, had to be... no other way... magick searing... What if Charlie didn’t make it? What if it was Lucifer? It didn't make sense, not with the magick he could feel, that was burning through him and almost attacking his own magickal energy. Lucifer despised magick, aimed to rid the world of it. It didn't add up; nothing made sense. Jimmy's mind was ringing with a high pitch as the world tilted, his body slipping from where it was propped against a parked car. The world went dark just in time for him to see a familiar winged figure rising from the settling dust, like the shadow of some kind of angel.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The town was small enough that it took only moments for a pair of police cars to arrive on the scene and the tape to go up around where The Buzz once stood. The ashes had settled but the magickal energy remained. An ambulance had come and whisked away those who had needed it from the magickal burns on their skin and the effects they were having on the victims. The police officers were interviewing witnesses who were coherent enough to speak and looking over the scene with as scrutinizing a gaze as anyone would. In a little town like Silver Maple, these occurrences didn’t happen. The occasional fire? Sure. A car accident? Plausible. Possessions and magickal injuries? Of course. Explosions? No. A scene where there was no clear motive, no clear witnesses, no clear signs of where the incident occurred? Unheard of. The police, no matter how good they were at their jobs, were just as stumped as the stunned witnesses. They were just as confused as the magickal folk that stood around and tried to make sense of what had happened. Two of those folk included Dean and Jimmy, standing off to the side and out of the way, with Jimmy leaning against Dean for support as the magick ebbed out of his system. Jimmy was in Dean’s arms and the creature alternated between looking down at the man’s face and glancing towards the scene of the explosion. His brows were creased; his lips were pulled down into a frown. Jimmy couldn’t stop shaking against him and Dean alternated between kissing his forehead and squeezing him, trying to help him ride out the aftershocks of whatever had happened to him. Dean didn’t speak because he knew it wouldn’t matter. Jimmy’s eyes were glazed over when they were opened and he wasn’t speaking anything other than the occasional mumble. When an EMT had approached Dean, the guardian had merely shook his head and let him attend to someone who looked like their arm was twisted the wrong way. He could take care of Jimmy. He had to. It was his job. Taking care of Jimmy in that moment was the only thing that kept Dean from drowning in panic and doubt, from raging to find whoever had done this to The Buzz and whoever had taken Charlie. “Char... where’s... Charlie?” Dean squeezed Jimmy a little tighter and turned his gaze away from the delirious man, gazing out over the ash-covered wreckage once more. Dean had rushed in as fast as he could, intent on grabbing Charlie and bringing her to safety. He may not have known her too long, but she had already grown on him. And if she was a friend who helped care for the twins, then she was a friend of Dean’s. Though he may have been a guardian for the twins... anyone in their small circle automatically was treated with the same respects; Dean gave himself the responsibility to try and protect all of them that he was able. He’d failed, though he wasn’t sure how. When Dean had rushed in, eyes burning from the smoke and his wings feeling the singe of the powerful aftershocks, Charlie hadn’t been there at the counter. He searched for signs of blood, flesh, anything that would lead to where she’d gone... but there was nothing. It’s as if she hadn’t been there at all. No footprints in the ash to indicate that she had escaped, either. It was all very strange to Dean and screamed foul play. “Shh, Jim. Don’t worry. We’ll find her.” Dean was just mumbling what he hoped were comforting sentiments to Jimmy when he heard a shout in their direction from across the street. “Dean! Jimmy!” Dean’s head whipped to the side as he caught sight of Castiel rushing across the street towards them, barreling past the police to get to their side. His eyes were as wild as his air and magickal energy crackled around him as he caught sight of his brother in Dean’s arms. “What happened? What the fuck happened?!” “I wish I knew, Cas. Jimmy got affected by the magick. The whole place is practically vibrating with it. I don’t know how to help.” The panic edging on Dean’s voice seemed to ground Castiel as he suddenly calmed, looking towards Jimmy and stepping close to the duo. He leaned in and placed a hand on his twin’s forehead, closing his eyes and letting out a soft murmur in what Dean recognized as Romanian. “Centru.” A pulse of warmth rushed over all of them and both Dean and Jimmy gasped in the aftermath. Jimmy opened his eyes and blinked away the cloudiness, groaning as he slumped into Dean and buried his face into the man’s chest. Dean supported his weight easily and looked towards Castiel, who was staring at the previous location of their favorite coffee shop with complete disbelief. “Dean...” “If I knew, I’d tell ya, Cas.” The pain wasn’t lost on Castiel, this time, and it reflected from Dean’s voice onto Cas’s face. Jimmy stirred against Dean and looked towards the wreckage, his features tight with anger. “Lucifer. It had to be.” The sudden accusation had both his twin and guardian looking towards him, Castiel calculating while Dean looked sad. He stroked a hand down Jimmy’s back and murmured something to both of them, his green eyes shimmering. “You can’t be sure. I know you don’t want to -” “Dean how could you say -!” “ - Jim. I know you don’t want to hear it,” Dean continued with a firm tone, glancing down at the weakened man in his arms with a solid gaze. “But you have no way of proof. Let the police try and figure it out. Why would Lucifer use magick? Or have anyone helping him that would use magick? He’s completely against it.” Jimmy was quieted as Castiel spoke in response. “He’s right, Jimmy. It makes no sense and isn’t Lucifer’s motive.” It hadn’t been said outright, but the trio knew what Lucifer’s true motive was: he was the leader of the NMA, after all. Lucifer wanted to rid the world of magick. He may have been starting at a ground-level with his operation, trying to get magick sanctioned and controlled by laws and regulations, but it was evident he had a bigger plan. As a man who wanted to get rid of magick, it wouldn’t make sense for him to use magick in his quest... Would it?Sam and Gabriel arrived on the scene shortly after Castiel, both as stunned as the three had been initially. Sam quickly recovered and moved to talk with the officers, familiar with both Jody and Donna. He wanted to know details, wanted to know what to expect since he specialized in magickal law and worked with others to try and help against the rallies of those like Lucifer’s following. An attack like this could mean horrible results for the progress they had been making, and Sam was there to support the police as much as he was to try and help solve some of the missing pieces with his abilities as a mage. Gabriel separated from Sam, but was sure to keep a close eye on the larger man. He walked up to Castiel, Jimmy, and Dean with a grim expression on his face. It was a shadow of his usual jovial self, but Dean knew that the times called for it. “Are you guys okay?” Gabriel’s voice was quiet as he spoke, addressing them all with his golden wings rigid behind him. Dean’s own wings were in a similar, protective and alert stance at his back, though they were folded in as he continued to lean against the brick wall with his arms around Jimmy. The other man was slowly gaining his strength back after Castiel centered their magick. Apparently, that was what had driven Castiel to them; he’d felt the aftershocks of the explosion against their magickal bond and knew something was wrong. Since he wasn’t in the direct effects, he wasn’t as badly drained and disoriented as Jimmy had been. “Jimmy’s going to be fine, just needs a bit of support right now.” Dean spoke softly as he looked down at the man in his grasp, who hadn’t let his eyes leave the explosion sight since they first started talking about it, a torn look on his face. He imagined he was reliving Charlie’s wave, her happy expression, disappearing right before his eyes... just like Dean was. “I was really talking to you, big guy.” Dean’s gaze shot up towards Gabriel with surprise, and Castiel turned to look at the other man as well, his brows creased with confusion. “What do you mean?” Dean answered carefully, also confused. “Come on, I’m a guardian, too. You don’t have to play the big-and-tough card with me.” Gabriel’s expression went from an attempt at playful to a shift of realization as both pairs of confused eyes didn’t change or alter. “Oh. You don’t even realize you’re hurt, do you?” Castiel looked startled as he shot his gaze to Dean, eyes widening as he finally caught sight of the edges of Dean’s wings. Upon such scrutiny, they tucked in tightly behind him, Dean feeling as self-conscious as he always did when someone stared at his wings like that. “What are you talking about?” “Dean,” Castiel responded with a breathless, pained voice, approaching and touching very gently along the edges of his wing. He winced then and Castiel withdrew, murmuring a gentle apology. “S’fine,” Dean responded with his own mumble, glancing towards Gabriel as the fairy rolled his eyes. He stepped back and waved a hand, glancing back towards Sam once more before pulling out his phone and beginning to rapidly send a message to someone. “Come on. We need to get out of here in case something else happens. Let’s go see Jess. We’ll be safe there and she can help.” Dean didn’t even bother asking about Jess; if Gabriel trusted her, then Dean knew that he could trust her. The twins followed, too, with Jimmy still being supported by Dean’s arm beneath his own, and Castiel walking close to his other side. Hopefully they would find some answers soon. Hopefully before something else happened... because though it wasn’t said aloud, everyone knew that this wasn’t the end.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A young blonde woman was standing on her front porch when they pulled up in two separate vehicles. Gabriel and Sam were out and moving first, while Dean was supporting Jimmy and Castiel brought up the group from behind. "I saw what happened on the news. Get inside, quickly now," the woman said, ushering them into her non-descript home. It looked like any other house in the suburb surrounding: dark roof, light siding, white-picketed fence. Even the car in the driveway was black and plain. Dean had been around enough to know that sometimes people chose to live hidden in plain sight, so he briefly wondered if that was the case with this 'Jess' woman. It turns out, he was right. A few hours later and Dean had learned all about how Jess fit into the eclectic group he had found himself entangled with because of Castiel and Jimmy. Jess was a healer, and a powerful one at that, but she had been driven from her original home and family because of her association with magick. Her family had no lineage of magick that they knew of and were avidly against such usage. In her own words: 'they'd be the type to follow that fuck, Lucifer, if they were around today.' Her family had been wealthy and connected and widespread, so her original habit of going into hiding had been a necessity until she'd moved Silver Maple. Sam was the first to encounter Jess, who had been a nervous wreck around him and ended up confiding in him about what she did for a living. He'd introduced her to Gabriel and slowly incorporated her into the town itself. Jess had been living there ever since, patching up and healing those who needed it the most. Dean had to respect her for her skills and her wit. She had given him plenty of sass at the hissed curses and winces he'd expressed while she'd patched up the burns on his wings. The more she had talked with him, the more he'd been at ease around her and felt he was able to take his eyes away from the twins as they sat on the couch and leaned into one another. Her magick was a soothing balm as the burn marks lost their energy and the itch of healing began to form beneath the fleshy skin of his wings. It took time and concentration on her part, so Dean allowed silence in their casual conversation. "How's he looking, Jess?" Both of their heads lifted, clarity clearing their gazes as they met Sam's worried expression in the doorway that connected the living room to the kitchen, where Jess had set up to heal Dean's wings. They both watched as Sam's gentle gaze flickered over the outstretched appendages attached between his brother's shoulders. They twitched and tugged in slightly, Dean's instincts telling him to hide them, only for him to wince as Jess pulled roughly to keep the one she was working on outstretched. She tsked him with her mouth and caused him to roll his eyes before answering. "I'll be fine, Sammy. Anything on the news?" "No, nothing important. Jody and Donna can't express their personal thoughts of course... but they're on the same page as us and keeping their connections open. They've asked the public for any information and leads, so we'll be in touch with them about what kind of calls are coming in." Dean hadn't known Charlie for long, but it was his understanding that she had been the technological member of their little friend group. He knew that this process would have been easier if it had been anyone but Charlie to go missing; everyone knew it and the tension was an underlying buzz between them all. "That's all we can ask for, then." Jess' voice broke the silence as she finally stood from her position behind Dean and used the table to brace herself. She grabbed a piece of chocolate from a bowl in the center and popped it into her mouth, letting herself breathe deeply and steadily as her magick centered and her energy returned. "I just -" Sam battled for the words and Dean found himself smiling in a strained way, familiar with the look on his brother's face because it was one he often wore himself. "Wish you could do more? I get it, Sammy, but we need some kind of direction." Dean's smile widened a little as Sam chuckled dryly and sent a raised brow in his direction. "Since when did you become the one who preferred to think things through instead of just rushing in head first?" Surprise flickered across Dean's features then: Sam remembered more than Dean assumed, and it softened something that had been aching inside of him. Dean stood and tucked his wings in, casting a look of thanks back at Jess (who waved it off as if it were nothing) and approaching Sam to clap a hand onto the tall man's shoulder. "What kind of guardian would I be if I was reckless, Sammy?" Both men found themselves chuckling softly before their attention was drawn into the living room. The television had been turned up and everyone's eyes were focused on it as the news continued to cover the destruction of The Buzz. Some of the calls were coming in and being displayed, some leads being described. There was mention of it being a rogue magick user bent on making a statement, it being an accidental result of magickal barriers gone haywire, and some that suggested it wasn't magick at all. Some of those who were affected, but not badly enough to be hospitalized, were being interviewed. They all described similar circumstances before the explosion and after: chatter, getting coffee, nothing out of the ordinary before a sudden bright light and absence of sound, then the pulsing of strong magick throwing off the entire atmosphere of the place. The room grew heavy as they watched and listened, taking in the interviews and news coverage as best as they could. Dean pulled his eyes from the screen when he felt a pull to look towards the twins, both of whom were sitting on the couch to his left. He watched as Jimmy looked downtrodden at the shots of the absent building, and winced at each mention of the destruction and the harm that came to those inside. It was Castiel's reaction that was drawing Dean, though – confusion furrowing those dark, handsome brows and setting his lips into a firm line. "What's wrong, Cas?" Dean spoke the words without thinking, causing the witch in question to blink and turn to see almost all of the eyes in the room on him. Castiel cleared his throat and tossed a hand through the air to wave towards the television set, speaking in a tone that was tight with his confusion and frustration. "These people being interviewed... do any of you recognize a signal one of them?" All eyes except for Dean's turned to the screen - he wouldn't be familiar enough with the general townsfolk to notice a difference – so he kept watching Castiel. The man was watching the reactions of the others after a moment or two, the interviews on a reel as other news stories were covered on a rolling bar at the bottom of the screen. "No." Gabriel was the one to speak next, his eyes wide and calculating as they scanned over the faces that passed. "No, not one person is familiar to me. Who are these people?" "I don't... I don't recognize them, either." Sam spoke as well, settling onto the arm of the chair that Gabriel was in, leaning forward and studying the screen as if it would just drop the answers into their laps. It was Jimmy who spoke next and drew the attention of the room, his eyes on the screen and his voice stronger, but sobering. "I recognize them." "How? We know almost everyone in town, even if It's just based on magickal surveillance," Sam asked, Gabriel nodding in agreement. Even Castiel looked interested in what his twin was saying, though he seemed confused as to why Jimmy would know them but Cas wouldn't. Dean wasn't all that surprised; Jimmy was the more social of the two, so he tended to talk with others and notice people. "They've all been into Tea & Sweets recently. Just one time, I believe, since they aren't instantly recognizable... but the more I see their faces, the more I remember. That's the only place I've seen them." A murmur settled amongst the group and Dean clenched his jaw. "They're Watchers." "Watchers?" Castiel and Jimmy asked the question at the same time, and Gabriel looked at Dean knowingly, his face draining of color around the edges. "Do you really think so?" Dean turned to Jess, who was also pale-faced, staring at Dean with an unsure expression. He gave a slight shrug and sat down on the couch, letting a sigh heave from his shoulders. "It's just a guess, but it seems like it. Watchers... watchers are like scouts for specific magickal users. They are usually branded, can be magickal or non-magickal, and are non-descript. They blend right in and have the abilities to go unnoticed by sensing spells and wards." "They're usually hired or forced," Gabriel continued with a soft strain to his tone. "Sometimes... people summon Guardians to keep themselves protected specifically from Watchers. Guardians are too easy to detect themselves, so they can't be summoned to become a Watcher, but some... some can find them really easily. It's rare, though." "They're plain," Dean finished, sighing softly. "I didn't think anything about Watchers possibly being here, not with how many magickal users and protections there are in Silver Maple." "So... so what?" Jimmy asked, his brows tightly knit in confusion. "What is so important about Watchers? They're plain, they're essentially scouts... but what real power do they have? Why does it matter that they're here?" "I have to admit that I'm wondering the same thing." Gabriel and Dean's gazes met before Jess was the one who spoke up, her hands gripping tightly to the back of a chair so hard that her knuckles were white. "Watchers are only brought around to spy for extremely powerful and typically wealthy magickal users. They're brought around as a sign of what's to come for whoever they're looking for... and what comes is usually death."The phone began to chime just as he walked out of the room. He stopped and strongly considered just leaving it on the counter, where he'd just been sitting to eat his late dinner before finally heading to his bedroom. It rang again and again before he growled to himself and turned, huffing as he approached the counter and looked at the screen to see who was calling at such a crazy hour. He frowned at the unfamiliar number before sighing: he wouldn't have fallen asleep for another hour or so anyway. He swiped along the screen and brought the phone to his ear. "'Lo, who's this?" It took a moment before the caller answered his question, almost long enough that he checked to see if the call was still connected. "Benny... it's me, Dean. I need your help." "Cher," the big man breathed, settling down onto his stool at the counter, running a hand through his hair. "Dean... what're ya calling for? I haven't talked to ya since -" "It's not about that," was the soft responses, cutting Benny's train of thought off at the urgency in his tone. Benny straightened up and grabbed his nearby laptop, opening the lid and letting it power on, the glow of it illuminating the area around him as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Well, what're ya lookin' for, cher?" "There's a situation I'm involved in and we think there are Watchers here." "Watchers?" That grabbed Benny's attention as he logged onto his computer and pulled up an encrypted program, allowing it time to boot up properly as he rose from the stool and began to prep his coffee pot. If Dean was calling, it was serious, and he was in for an even longer night than he had planned. "What've ya gotten yerself into, Dean?" There was quiet rustling and the sound of a door closing before Dean spoke again, his voice more resigned than before. It was a familiar tone to Benny... similar to the last night he'd seen Dean, all those years ago. "It's the men who summoned me... they're friend is missing, freak accident, apparently. But these Watchers... I think that's what they are, anyway, they've appeared and I need to know who they're looking for. You're the only one I could think to call that could help." "That I can," Benny said, settling down with his steaming mug of black coffee and beginning to type into the program what he would need. "Thanks Benny... hopefully it'll help us find Charlie." "I'll help ya find 'im, cher, don't worry." "She was there one minute and then... gone, Benny. It was so strange." Dean's correction was noted to Benny, and the somber nature of his voice paused his large fingers on the keyboard. He gave the other man a moment before he spoke, his voice softer than before. "What happened, cher? Give me the details. Lemme help." It took about an hour of phone conversation, relaying details, and computer work before they said their goodbyes with promises to be in contact against soon. Benny ran his hands over his face and stared at his computer screen. His gaze flicked to the phone he'd set beside him and watched for a moment. He stopped his mind from wandering down memory lane before he stood up and grabbed his empty mug, carrying into the sink while muttering: "What kinda trouble did ya get into this time, Dean?" Hopefully, he could help find the answers. Hopefully... it could help ease the guilt that had returned to eat slowly at his conscience.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I’ve gotten news from Benny.” It had been three days since the incident with The Buzz and everyone was antsy. The twins and Dean had moved into the spared bedroom at Sam and Gabriel’s home; Jess spent most of her days visiting when she didn’t have clients. She only took old clients, established ones, under strict orders from Sam not to bring anyone new into her house or on her property... just in case. Sam and Gabriel lived rather far outside of the city limits, so the last thing they needed was to arrive too late in case of an emergency. The entire town seemed to be on high alert while Donna and Jody fielded many calls from concerned citizens just trying to help. They were also aware that many could be attempting to deceive, but overall, nothing really stood out to anyone. That was the problem, at the end of the day. No one was getting any closer to finding Charlie or discovering the whereabouts of Lucifer and his Watchers. Dean had been smiling when he entered the living room that afternoon, holding up his phone and glancing towards the group gathered there. The twins looked as though they hadn’t slept in days – which was true, Dean was a testament to that – and Sam was in a similar state. Gabriel was puttering around the kitchen, often muttering to himself while he worked into a baking frenzy, apparently due to his stress. Jess wasn’t there at the moment; she had an elderly client that always showed up at the same time on the same day of the week. All eyes turned to him with differing expressions on their faces, but the ones that caught him were the confused gazes of the twins. “Who’s Benny?” They inquired about him at the same time and Dean fought back a grimace. Ah, that’s right – his contacting Benny about gaining help to figure out a lead on what happened to Charlie, what was going on with the Watchers, and what that might mean to Lucifer had been a plan he’d taken upon himself to initiate. He’d meant to tell the group, he really had... but with everything going on, it had slipped his mind. It wasn’t something he was proud to admit, either, especially since he was a Guardian. Things like this weren’t allowed to slip his mind. “He’s an old... friend, and contact. He’s pretty savvy and has a lot of connections, so I contacted him a few days ago and asked if he’d be able to help us with finding out anything.” A shrug rocked his shoulders as he walked into the kitchen and took the free seat at the table just in time for Gabriel to set down another pie. This one was blueberry and lemon. There was already a half-eaten apple pie and cherry pie on the table, along with one large platter of sugar cookies and two loaves of banana bread. He sniffed at the pie and his mouth watered, but he knew he couldn’t possibly eat another slice, even if Gabriel’s pie was incredibly delicious. His green eyes flicked up to catch two matching sets of blues eyeing him wearily. “And we can trust Benny?” Castiel was the one to speak, his voice hesitant, while there was a different look on Jimmy’s face. He seemed unsure about something else, but Dean couldn’t guess what. Dean nodded for a moment and waited for everyone to stow their suspicions. It took Sam to break up a bit of the silence that was becoming more and more tense with the passing moments. “So... what did Benny say?” The twins seemed to snap out of their stupor and looked towards Dean with a new reluctance. Dean gave them all what he hoped was a reassuring smile before flicking through the email Benny had sent to his phone. It had a lot of details in it and a lot of information. Dean knew that he had been making the right choice – even if it had been a difficult one – when he had contacted Benny. “He said there are definitely Watchers in the area – most likely those we suspected in the first place. They’re marked by whoever is using them, and the magick is what he was able to track.” Dean rubbed at the back of his neck and grimaced as he continued to read. “He couldn’t tell you who marked them, though. Whoever did it was a very powerful magick user and had blocks in place. Whoever is behind this... they really didn’t wish to have anything connecting back to them. Benny had a tough time finding what he did, apparently.” “Did he find anything on Charlie?” Jimmy’s voice was tight and tired. Dean knew that the man blamed himself, even if the conclusion made no sense and even if Jimmy didn’t outright say it. Dean gave the man a little smile and reached over, squeezing Jimmy’s hand that was resting around his chilled tea on the table. A half-eaten cookie rested on the small plate in front of him and he looked so downtrodden that both Castiel and Dean were put-off. “She’s nearby.” There was a commotion all at once, everyone speaking at once. Sam’s hands flew onto the table and he shot out of his chair, speaking of going to find her immediately. Gabriel whipped around so fast that one of his oven mitts flew off and about hit Sam in the back of his head. Both twins were speaking so quickly that Dean hardly caught what they were saying. Dean looked at them all with a startled expression before raising his voice over them, speaking as calmly as he could manage with the rising energy in the room. “All Benny could find was that she hasn’t left town. Wherever she is, she’s still within the limits of the county.” “She’s been right beneath our noses the whole time.” Castiel practically growled, his irritation finally boiling over as he stood up from his chair and began to pace. Dean watched him carefully as Jimmy straightened in his chair. “Well... can’t we go look for her?! If she’s still around here, we could find her, easily! We could use our magick and seek her out -” “Jimmy, listen to yourself.” It was Gabriel who spoke this time, being the rare voice of reason among the rising sense of chaos that was starting to settle over them, their nervous energies that had been building for days rising to a peak. “Listen. We can’t just go into this, magick at the ready, alright? Seems weird that I have to be the one saying this,” he said, pointedly looking towards his boyfriend, who had the decency to look a bit sheepish. It was true that Sam tended to be the voice that led them into thinking and planning, but even his patience was worn thin. It seemed that Gabriel’s cooking at helped him to center his attentions and put a good use to his own emotions. “Why not?” Jimmy seemed frustrated, his temper flaring and causing the lights in the room to pulse. Gabriel swung a spatula – thankfully clean – in his direction and scowled. “If you break my lightbulbs again, I swear to fuck, James.” Dean’s eyebrows rose as he saw the wings behind Gabriel flickering back and forth with more motion than they’d ever had. “Listen to me. I swear all you witches are so impatient.” Both of the twins shot a look to Gabriel this time, but the man seemed indifferent their glares. “Listen. We can’t just go snooping around with our magickal energy in the air. If Lucifer is out there... that’s just a glaring beacon for him to come and find you. I know we don’t necessarily know why he’s been after you -” he looked pointedly to the twins, who glanced at one another with almost blank expressions this time. Dean was colored curious. “- but the last thing we want is to send him an invitation, and also let him know we’re coming, right?” “... he’s got a point.” Dean spoke softly, loathe to admit that Gabriel was correct, grimacing even as he said it. As an apparent reward for his agreement, Gabriel plopped a piece of the fresh pie onto Dean’s small plate. The scent was overwhelming and Dean couldn’t stop himself from taking a moment to just enjoy it. His hand reached out and fiddled with his fork as he looked towards the others and continued to speak. “I’d be a terrible Guardian if I let you go in there like that. You’d walk right into a trap, I’d bet. In fact...” Dean tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment before Sam picked up his train of thought, eyes wide. “Whoever is behind this is using Charlie as bait.” “Exactly.” Dean and Gabriel spoke at the same time, both men on the same kind of wavelengths. Dean chalked it up to the fact that they were both Guardians. Their need to protect their charges overpowered almost everything else, sometimes even rational thought. And with what they were dealing with... the last thing they needed was to act without thinking. “Right,” Jimmy said, more energy in his voice than had been there in days. “We need a plan, then.” “Yes, he’s right. We need a plan. How do we use Benny’s information to our advantage? Do we honestly think that Lucifer is behind the attack on Charlie and is using his Watchers to try and keep people from his trail?” Castiel was speculating as Gabriel joined the group around the table, all of them looking at one another as they felt the first tendrils of hope in days. “It’s better to assume that. Uriel showed up on your doorstep. That seemed warning enough to me, right?” Gabriel spoke this time with an agreeing nod from Dean, though Sam was still furrowing his brow and apparently thinking. “Why, though?” “Why what, Sammy?” “Why would Lucifer – someone so clearly anti-magick - utilize magick to try and find you? What draws him to you both, specifically? Why does he care?” Everyone turned to look at the twins, who were looking at one another. “We wish we knew,” was their unhelpful response.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The warehouse was spelled; she could feel it against her skin, prickling and almost burning if she moved too quickly. It drained her and made her feel weaker every hour that passed. The air was cold and bitter, with a foul kind of smell that reached her nostrils every time she breathed too deeply. It smelled of burned hair and dark, putrid magick. The smell was dangerously familiar, something that she recognized from years prior, something she actively tended to avoid solely because nothing good could ever come of whatever caused that scent. The aura in the room was oppressive in a way that staunched her own abilities, even if she was starkly human. When she’d first woken, it had been to a powerful throbbing against the right side of her head and a burning along her right arm. When her eyes were capable of focusing, she’d been able to look around and realize she was trapped inside of a warehouse pretty quickly. There were boxes and metal traveling containers stacked high up towards the ceiling. There were chains and netting draped up in the rafters and the lights were low-quality and industrial. They illuminated only the immediate areas beneath them and left the corners, the edges of her vision cast in shadows. When she’d woken, she’d been strapped to a chair. She hadn’t remained there long, though. Just as she’d been tugging at her restraints to see what she was working against, a door opened from somewhere behind her and she could hear the sound of footsteps. No one spoke; they didn’t even breathe loudly. She braced herself for an onslaught of something, only to discover three average looking people standing near her, watching her closely. One woman and two men – though one was more of a boy, a teenager, than anything else. They looked exhausted and weary, but determined in whatever their mission happened to be. One of them moved behind her – the man – and began to untie her ropes. The woman approached her and spoke softly, though there was hardly an inflection in her tone. “Don’t struggle; don’t try to escape. It won’t end well for anyone.” It was then that Charlie noticed the younger man was holding a gun in her direction. The color drained from her face and she nodded, briefly. The throbbing in her head magnified and she groaned as she felt the ache in her arms return as their binds loosened. She noted, with a grimace, that the binds around her wrists did not. The man tugged the ropes and moved her to her feet – Charlie swiftly realized that her ankles hadn’t been bound. It didn’t matter, however, because her feet felt as heavy as cement and her ankles like jelly. The woman helped to keep her steady while the man tugged her from her seated position and walked her out of the warehouse room. The younger man was close behind her and she could feel the barrel of the gun occasionally brushing against the material of her singed shirt, causing her spine to stiffen and her pace to be maintained even as her head swam. Something in this place was not right. The metallic hallway soon gave way to a set of stairs – rickety and rusted, looking very, very precarious – though she hardly had time to hesitate. She wobbled as the trio led her down the stairs and into a stone hallway past a large, reinforced metal door. A shiver rolled through her body as the temperature changed from the chill of the warehouse to something much warmer. Glancing around, Charlie realized that there wasn’t much to identify in the hallway except for a variety of metal doors that lined the walls on either side. She couldn’t hear anything beyond them. She couldn’t hear anything at all except her own labored breathing and the footsteps of each person in the hall. How strange. They rounded a corner and approached a large, wooden door that the man in front of her opened with a hefty push. Beyond was a room that would be rather rustic and welcoming if it didn’t have a shroud of dark magick pulsing around its outer edges. “You must be Charlie.” A shudder rolled through her body at the warmth of the voice that came from a small, open room just out of her view on the left side of the larger space. She turned her head to see a man emerging – a man that she recognized quite well, a man she had hoped she would never have the pleasure of meeting. “Lucifer.” She hissed the word out, her eyes widening as she saw the grin cross his features. His eyes were cold, calculating, and filled with an intelligence that the interviews never seemed to express fully. “I’m pleased to know you’ve heard of me. Please, let’s make our guest comfortable. Get those things off of her,” he said, waving dismissively towards the three people surrounding her. Soon, her wrists were free and she felt the gun leave the space between her shoulder blades. The large wooden door was shut behind them with a resounding thud, a finalizing sound that caused dread to bloom in Charlie’s stomach. “It’s a shame that I know you, but am not sure how you know me.” Charlie spoke hesitantly, her eyes watching from where she stood as the three others disappeared to the right, behind a smaller wooden door, their footsteps disappearing. Lucifer chuckled as he approached, finding a large cushioned chair and seating himself in it with a nonchalance that Charlie knew better than to take lightly. “Oh, I don’t know much about you Charlie, but I don’t really care about you, I’m sorry to say. I care about your friends.” Charlie stiffened and watched Lucifer as he tapped his fingers along the arm of his chair, his eyes staying on her as a larger man slipped into the room from the right, walking to stand behind Lucifer with his hands folded in front of him. A bodyguard. How interesting. “I don’t have many of those.” “Ah, true. But you have just enough for the few you have to be the men I’m looking for.” “You mean Castiel and James?” “See, Uriel,” Lucifer said, apparently delighted by Charlie’s response, if his smile said anything about it. “I told you she’d be a smart acquisition.” Uriel, the bodyguard Charlie assumed, didn’t seem to be amused. “Yes, I mean Castiel and James. You see – I need them. But they won’t come easily, or quietly, without some... convincing.” Realization dawned on Charlie. “So I’m the method of convincing?” “Yes. I may have mistaken your intelligence,” he mused, a spark in his eyes that chilled Charlie to her bare feet. Her hands clenched on her side and she set her jaw, stubborn as ever as she watched Lucifer wearily. “You’re going to bring the twins right to me. I’ve already received word that they’re making moves to try and find you.” Charlie certainly hoped it was a bluff... but knowing the twins, and Dean, and her other friends, she figured he was right. “What makes you think they’ll come?” It was a shot in the dark; Lucifer knew it. He laughed and Charlie grit her teeth against the sound, hating the way it mocked her. “Oh, I know they’ll come for you, Charlie. And they’ll need to do it quickly, or there won’t be much of you to come for.” Before the shock of that information set in, Charlie was immobile. Lucifer had twisted his hand and a wash of cold settled over her, freezing her in place. Her body then lifted from the ground and was forced to follow Lucifer as he left the room, heading to the left and pulling a helpless Charlie along behind him. Despite being frozen, she was able to see around her as they walked down a short hallway and into an adjoining room. Inside this room was a large, magickal orb with energy pulsing from it. Close to it, was a chained creature. It was chained within a large cage, a soft pulsing glow forming a visible trail between it and the orb. It did not move as Lucifer and Charlie moved past; it did not move still as Lucifer manipulated Charlie with twists of his hands and fingers, chaining her unmoving body with an invisible force to a large, circular stone upon the ground. “I can feel the magick in your blood,” Lucifer spoke, his tone smooth and seductive as Charlie felt tears welling in the corners of her eyes. “I know it’s there... and I want it.” Lucifer smiled, almost sweet and sad towards her as he straightened up and approached the caged being. Charlie marveled as the pulsing light there glowed stronger, the trail between the orb and it beginning to strengthen as Lucifer grew closer. Lucifer, the leader of the anti-magick movement, was magickal. And he was going to use that magick on Charlie. “Luckily, I don’t have to do that work myself. I have a very special Guardian for that.” Charlie’s eyes widened as she opened her mouth, only to find herself rendered of the ability to speak. The pulsing creature in the cage twitched and writhed as Lucifer touched the magickal trail with his fingertips, a shrill, inhuman scream sounding around them and causing Charlie to arch in protest. “He’s an Absorber. They’re incredibly rare. It took me many years to uncover his whereabouts, and even longer to transfer him to me. He’s proven to be very useful. I’m sure you’ll discover why.” Charlie tensed as much as her bound body would allow, and she watched as Lucifer smirked in her direction. “Now now, Charlie dear, don’t cry. It’ll be over before you know it. And if you’re strong enough... you’ll see it through to the end, won’t you?” A tendril of light began to pulse and pull away from the orb, making a crooked path right for Charlie as the stone slab beneath her began to pulse and glow with a similar light. “Just...” Lucifer stepped away, a darkness filling his features as a grin split his lips. His words were soft as he watched the pathway growing, getting closer and closer to Charlie’s panicking form. “... be sure to think happy thoughts. I’ve found it’s the only way others have kept from completely going mad.” A chuckle sounded from him as the path of light made contact with Charlie’s forehead, her lips parting in a silent scream.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“How do you know Benny?”The question came from Jimmy, causing Dean to look up from the map he’d been studying for so long he felt like his eyes were going to be permanently crossed. Castiel watched the interaction and saw how Dean’s gaze sharpened and his expression seemed to close off. He turned his blue eyes to meet the identical glance of his twin, who had raised his brows expectantly and with a bit of surprise. In their relationship so far, Dean had been rather open with them about everything. They knew how he’d become a guardian in order to protect Sam. They knew had traveled and was more intelligent than he let on. They knew the little things, like how he enjoyed cooking and griped about cold weather. They knew he was sensitive about the odd nature of his wings and how they seemed to be unique, even among other guardians. The topic of Benny, however, seemed to be a sore point for him, and that brought out the curiosity in both men sitting opposite of him. They watched as Dean’s wings instinctively tucked closer to his body, a defensive gesture that was paired with the tell-tale click of his jaw clenching. He had to know that they wouldn’t let the subject drop, not since they’d never heard of this mysterious ‘Benny’ before. It seemed rather… convenient that Dean knew someone who could help them out, someone who was an old friend. Castiel didn’t want to feel suspicious towards Dean, but the small seeds of doubt had been planted. Jimmy, on the other hand, didn’t seem to harbor any kind of suspicions towards the guardian – he was simply curious. He kept his expression open, despite his exhaustion, while Castiel’s was still guarded. He’d always been the more cautious of the brothers. Dean looked between them and let out a sigh that sank down into his bones, his shoulders slumping as he shoved the map away and towards the center of the table. “He’s an old… friend. I first met him when I was young, after becoming a guardian. He helped me get out of a tight spot, and we kind of hit it off from there.”His vague response didn’t seem to thrill either twin. Castiel was wearing his signature frown, while the cogs in Jimmy’s mind could be seen whirring behind his eyes. When realization dawned on him, Dean felt a heavy weight settle into his stomach and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “You were his guardian… weren’t you?”Surprise immediately shifted onto Castiel’s face as he looked towards Jimmy and back to Dean, blinking hard at this news. He studied Dean’s handsome features as they tightened with what seemed to be a painful memory. He nodded, the action short, as his wings bristled slightly behind him. He was no longer looking at the twins, but rather glancing at his folded arms on the table, his shoulders hunched and defensive. Castiel was dumbfounded, knowing the implications of what it meant that Dean was no longer Benny’s guardian. He couldn’t be, not since he was theirs.“Oh, Dean,” Jimmy breathed out softly, a sadness in his voice as he reached over and placed a hand against Dean’s closest arm. The guardian didn’t recoil, so both men took it as a step in the right direction. “What happened?”“He didn’t need me anymore.”Castiel studied Dean as he answered Jimmy’s question in a gruff tone, ignoring the sounds of quiet chatter in the adjoining room. He scooted his own chair closer to Dean’s and reached out to touch Dean’s other arm, warmed by the spark that jolted through him with the contact. “You cared for him.”“You could say that.”“You… loved him,” Jimmy spoke in a whisper this time, pain for their partner bleeding into his voice. All the tension seemed to drain out of Dean as he nodded in confirmation. Castiel was stunned. Dean had loved Benny, was his guardian, and somehow ended up broken from his guardianship with the other man. Castiel knew that breaking a guardianship wasn’t easy work. It could often be painful and required the complete agreement from both parties, blood from each side, and some good spell casting. The magick of it was considered taboo; a guardian bond was strong and difficult to break. Very rarely did people break the bond, simply because there was no reason to. “He didn’t need me anymore. It was mutual.”“Mutual enough to break the bond. But magick doesn’t take the feelings away.”Jimmy was much better with comforting than Castiel was, so the man was content with letting his twin do the talking. He squeezed Dean’s arm in reassurance and was surprised when he looked up to see vivid green eyes staring at him. “I need you both to know that I don’t feel for him anymore. That ship sailed a long time ago. It’s just not a pleasant memory, is all.” Dean’s words were soft, his tone gruff. It didn’t portray the vulnerability that was evident in his eyes, something that drew both men closer to his sides. “We know.”“We understand.”“It’s okay, Dean.”“We don’t have to talk about it anymore.”“Thank you for sharing this with us.”It went unsaid that they were there to listen if he ever wanted to discuss more about it. They all three knew that was the case when it came to communication between them. Jimmy leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the back of Dean’s hand, causing the man to smile. Castiel took a different course of action, cupping the side of Dean’s face to turn him his direction. Leaning in, Castiel placed a soft kiss on Dean’s lips, keeping the grip on his cheek firm and warm. The way Dean sighed and melted into the kiss told Castiel all he needed to know.“Show off.”Jimmy’s words made them both pull away and laugh, Dean rolling his eyes playfully towards the jealous man as Castiel leaned across and gave Jimmy a similar kiss, causing some of the trouble to melt away from the edges of his tired eyes. “Everything okay in here?”All three men turned to glance towards Gabriel, who was standing in the doorway with Sam behind him. They both looked concerned, which was only alleviated by the confirming nods of the trio sitting at the table. “Everything’s fine,” was Dean’s response, flashing them a smile as he stood up from his chair and stretched his arms above his head. “Wish I could’ve found something useful on the map, though.” The offending piece of paper was still sitting in the middle of the table, forgotten. Gabriel approached and skimmed his eyes over it while Sam shifted around the table to move to the kitchen sink, grabbing himself a glass of water. “There’s quite a few places she could be kept,” Gabriel said, touching several places surrounding the small city. “A few abandoned farms, some old warehouses past the train tracks. All places that would be pretty stereotype for a villainous lair.” Sam snorted from behind them, causing the twins to crack a smile at Gabriel’s antics. The mood was heavy in the air around them, but the light-hearted nature of the other guardian could at least lessen it some. “Does that seem like Lucifer’s style, though?”The answering voice was Jess, who had stopped by after the sun had set to try and catch up on any new leads. She’d shown up looking just as tired and bedraggled as the rest of them. The longer they went without answers, they knew they had less of a chance of finding Charlie alive. No one was saying it, but everyone knew that Lucifer wasn’t going to keep Charlie around for very long. He’d taken her to get his point across – but his point wouldn’t be final until he made a show of it. The last thing any of them wanted was to find Charlie as a sign of what was to come for them. The tension was thick in the air as they all shook their head in response to Jess, Dean being the one to speak up.“No, it doesn’t. That’s why it’s so difficult. He could be right under our noses.”“He probably wants us like this,” Jimmy said, exhausted. “He wants us running around and trying to figure him out, playing this game to string us along. He’s always been flashy, a show off. It’s just as much about the performance as it is the finale with him.”“Then let’s consider the finale… and work back from there,” Castiel suggested, grimly. He knew that the last thing any of them wanted to do was think about Lucifer’s endgame. It wouldn’t end pretty, that much was certain, but the uncertainty of it all was what really seemed to get under their skin. “That’s the problem though, isn’t it? That we don’t know what he wants with you,” Sam countered, looking pointedly at the twins as he leaned against the counter. “Does he want you both dead? Alive? Does he want Dean? What is his motivation to make such a spectacle? Does he have a reason at all?”“He’d have a reason,” Castiel answered. “Lucifer is meticulous with his reasoning. Everything is a show because he’s a manipulator. He wants people to come to their conclusions because he made it so. He thrives off the power it can bring him.”Their discussion quieted as they went over the various scenarios they could be presented with, long after the moon had risen from behind the trees. Jess bid them all a goodnight, using the cover of darkness to return to her home, hoping to get some rest. It was hard for the others to do the same, so they attempted to do it in shifts. They took turns occupying the couch, the television on low so the news could play and alert them of any further developments. Jimmy and Sam slept first, both men comically draped on the couch. Gabriel had started to bake – “I need to be doing something” – while Castiel and Dean continued to sit at the small table in the kitchen and brainstorm.Their quiet evening was disrupted by a harsh rapping on the front door that had Jimmy and Sam bolting from the couch, Dean moving towards the front door.“Guys! Guys, it’s Jody! We caught two guys trying to break into Jess’s place and figured you might want to talk to them before the press finds out.”And, for the first time in days, the air around them felt lighter. “We’re coming, Jody. We all are.”
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Hey, readers! Just a small update to let all of you know that I haven’t abandoned my stories. I have just been in a bit of a muse rut lately – between traveling, work, and sickness, my muse is trying to vacate my body to a different plane. I am going to try my best to get some chapters out when I can, but no guarantees on just when that may be. You might also see some new, shorter stories from me, too. Who knows!I just know it’s been a while since I’ve written any chapters for y’all and I hate knowing I’m keeping you waiting. I appreciate you all so much and your continued support. Thank you for being you. <3Much love to you all.xo.
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“Well, I’ll be the first to admit that this is the only time I’ve been in a cop car willingly.”The words left Dean’s mouth in a grunt as Jody’s cruiser shot over a speedbump, the red and blues of the lights casting an eerie glow on their surroundings. Sam and Gabriel followed at the same speed in their car, Jody in the lead as an escort while they headed into the police station where the two trespassers were being held. Jimmy chuckled at Dean’s joke and Castiel had squeezed his hand, while Jody was talking on the phone about holding the men and keeping them out of the cell block for now. It didn’t take long for both vehicles to pull up to the precinct, the group climbing out of the vehicles and heading into the lit building. They were greeted by a green-faced Jess and a grim Donna who had a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. Jody approached and murmured quietly to Jess, reassuring her Dean assumed, as Donna addressed the group of men standing before her.“Follow me. Don’t say anything just yet.”They all followed her down the curve of a hallway and into a door on the left, revealing one side of a two-way mirror. The other side sat two younger men, fidgeting where they sat, looking completely ordinary. They were so strikingly ordinary that Dean’s hair stood up on the back of his neck and he looked towards Jimmy as the man’s brow ruffled and he spoke under his breath. “I don’t recognize these two.” Great, that meant they hadn’t gone into the shop the twins owned. That meant they were new additions to Lucifer’s gang, or they were simply a pair that hadn’t been seen until now. Dean’s head was beginning to throb at the implications of just how many Watchers Lucifer was controlling. His head throbbed mainly because he couldn’t figure out why. None of them knew why Lucifer was after the twins, or if he was after the twins at all. He was missing too many pieces of the larger puzzle and it was starting to fray at his nerves. Running a hand over his forehead, he watched the two men as they sat beside one another, cuffed hands on the table, and didn’t speak. Hell, they didn’t even look at one another. They just sat there, occasionally shifting, staring at the two-way mirror. For a moment, Dean wanted to ask Donna the stupid question about whether it was actually two-way, or if the pair were just incredibly narcissistic. He kept his mouth shut instead, figuring that was the smarter way to approach the issue at hand. “They’re not talkers, huh?” Ah, well, Gabriel spoke first as he walked closer to the mirror, looking at the two men with a frown on his lips. Even Sam, who was standing behind them all, seemed just as confused. “They don’t even appear… nervous? If I had been arrested at that age, I would have been shaking.” Dean glanced towards his brother and smiled slightly, happy to know that Sam seemed to have steered clear of trouble while Dean was away. He had always wondered if Sam had done alright while he was a guardian, always hoped that without someone to properly raise him, that Sam would be okay. He hadn’t gotten the chance to ask him, but he hoped that once everything calmed down, they could have that conversation. At least, he hoped they got the opportunity to do so. “Wait.”Castiel spoke this time, approaching the mirror as well with Donna not far behind him. “Is that one… crying? The one on the right?”All of them seemed to hold their breath as they directed their attention to the younger looking man on their right, whose longer hair was shifting as he slowly began to shake his head. Tears fell quietly to leave drops upon the table top beneath him as he began to mutter under his breath. It was soft enough that the words themselves weren’t picked up, but everyone waited to see if he got louder. As a minute passed, the man seemed to only become more distraught, his body shaking in the chair. The man beside him seemed completely unphased – well, that wasn’t exactly true, either. He was staring at the mirror with his jaw set, muscles flexed beneath his clothes as he seemed to grit his teeth behind closed lips. He was shaking, too, but in a different way that the man beside him. Both were showing signs of pain, but why? “Are they hurt, Donna?” Sam spoke, his voice carrying easily over the heads of everyone else. Donna shook her head, dread beginning to curl into the room’s atmosphere. “No. No, they weren’t injured when we booked them. They were just caught trying to open Jess’ window. No broken glass, nothing like that present at the scene.”Donna’s voice died softly as the man on the right began to absolutely fall apart. They all watched with mixed expressions of horror and shock as his voice grew in volume, his words finally being heard.“No, no please don’t. I swear, I don’t… I don’t want this, please! Please, I’ll do anything else! I’ll do whatever you ask, just please! Spare me! Please!” Tears were pouring down his reddened face and even a line of mucus dripped from his nostrils. He was sobbing now, looking younger in his distress than he had before. At the same time, both men jerked in their seats and the man on the right let out a pained scream, one that had Donna on her radio clipped to her shirt.“Jody, Jody quick!”Jody would have never arrived in time. All at once, total chaos broke out in the other room. The man on the left began to shake in his seat – no, shake wasn’t the right word. He was vibrating, his entire frame tense as his head tossed back and he let out a yelp of agony. Something dark was beginning to spread out beneath his shirt, staining the green color of it a muddled brown. The spot started small and grew in size as he seized in the chair and then went still. The man on the right was writhing, screaming in agony, a spot of his own forming as he begged and pleaded to anyone that would listen. “Spare me! Save me! Please! Please!”No one had time to react as he bucked in his seat before falling limp, his body slamming into the table beneath him. They could see the darkness that bled into material of his grey shirt along his back, both of the men with similar injuries, and both similarly lifeless in the other room. Jimmy was shaking between Dean and Castiel, his mouth open and gaping, his face deathly white. Dean’s wing that was closest to the twins instinctively reached out and wrapped around them. Everyone in the room jumped when Jody rushed into the adjoining room, gasping at the scene she rushed in on. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the seemingly dead men and then turned to look at the mirror.“What in the hell happened?! They were in here for maybe ten minutes!”“Gabe?”Sam spoke with surprise as they all watched Gabriel appear beside Jody, then make his way close to where the men were sitting. He adjusted them carefully and lifted the shirt on the younger man’s back, his face grim as he dropped it down and then moved to the other man, having to twist his body to check his chest beneath the shirt. Standing up, he stepped back from them and everyone on the other side of the mirror watched his wings twitch with irritation.“They were Watchers. They were meant to get caught.”“Decoys,” Dean breathed, causing Castiel to stiffen beneath the curve of his wing.“So Lucifer sent Decoys to try and do… what. Spook us? Throw us off? Remind us of something?”All of Jimmy’s questions had gone unanswered as they got a ride home from a quietly shaken Jody. By the time they all got back to Sam and Gabriel’s house on the outskirts, they said a quiet farewell and dragged their exhausted bodies inside just as the sun was beginning to color the sky and take the inky black of night away. Sam and Gabe separated from the trio to go to their own bedroom, while Dean led the twins into their temporary space and settled them both on the bed. The guardian carefully and gently stripped them of their clothes and wiped down their faces and chests with a wash cloth. Then, he did a quick run of himself before climbing into bed beside them. He tucked them in and curled around them himself, falling asleep much faster than he’d anticipated, considering how disturbed everyone had been watching those two men die.They’d died because Lucifer had made it so. They weren’t sure how he was getting such abilities, or who was helping him with such dark magick, but there was no point in stressing over it at the ass-crack of dawn. The exhaustion swept Jimmy and Dean under, Jimmy asleep almost from the moment his head at touched the pillow. And Dean wasn’t too far behind him, unconscious before he could ever notice that Castiel hadn’t managed to relax like the others had. Castiel hadn’t been able to quiet his mind. Castiel knew he wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon because the two men dying in front of him was a sight that would remain in his conscious mind for a long time. Castiel also couldn’t sleep because, during their deaths, he had felt a pull towards his magick. It was a sign, an indicator. It was something only he’d felt, for Jimmy hadn’t reacted when Castiel had initially felt the disturbance. His eyes had watched as Jimmy stared on at the dead men through the mirror, completely dumbfounded while the others had started talking about the Decoys. Castiel had hardly listened to the explanations, feeling off-balance as his magick was pulled a second time. Purposeful. The feeling was directional. Castiel wasn’t exactly sure what it meant.He knew he had to follow it.
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Here's another update to simply say I haven't abandoned this story.Just having a little difficulty with muse-cooperation, lately. Thank you, if you've stuck around. Feel free to leave an encouraging comment. They really make my day.xo.
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Blue eyes stared down at the pair on the bed, wrapped around one another, Dean’s leathery wings draped out behind him to rest over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. Jimmy was curled into Dean’s chest, nestled there in the protective curl of his arms. Castiel had been settled behind Jimmy, protecting his back, sandwiching the more vulnerable man as much as he was able. He felt guilty for leaving them, pushing blankets in his wake to keep shape against his twin as he slipped on a pair of shoes and his jacket from a discarded chair near the bedroom door. One last look over his shoulder reassured him that two of the most important people in his life were safe, before he quietly closed the door and slipped down the hallway. He could hear distant snores coming from Sam and Gabriel’s bedroom, happy to hear them undisturbed as he crept towards the front door. Opening that was a bit more difficult, but he managed to get it closed with a quiet click before locking it with his spare key. Now he just had to get to the car, start it without waking anyone, and follow the pull against his magick. His mind whirled with the idea that it was something only he could feel – not his twin, who shared a magickal bond with him. Castiel slipped into the front seat of his car and took a deep breath, staring at the house one last time, before starting the car and turning out of the drive. He refused to look back; he refused to check and see if a light had turned on, if the engine starting had woken anyone in the house. He knew that he was more likely to turn back if there was a light to guide him home. He knew that he couldn’t allow himself to do that, not when Charlie was out there somewhere, suffering under whatever Lucifer wanted with her. His grip tightened on the steering wheel as he stared ahead at his headlights guiding the way back into town. He could only hope that he wasn’t too late… and that he wasn’t driving into a trap.
‘It’s the… eye of the tiger it’s the thrill of the fight…’
Dean’s eyes flew open and he rotated his arm carefully back to snatch his phone off the bedside table, pressing the side button to silence the ringer. He glared at the screen, finding the light of it offensive in the darkness of the bedroom, only to have them widen when he saw Benny’s name flashing across it. Carefully, he made sure to extract himself from Jimmy’s hold and slip out of the room, not wanting to disturb the twins from some much needed rest. Closing the door quietly behind him, he finally answered the call as he walked into the kitchen, voice gruff from sleep.“Benny?”“Dean, sorry to wake ya, cher, but I found more information on this Lucifer character.”Dean rubbed at his eyes with his fist and quietly walked to the coffee maker, starting it up. He had a feeling that he was in for quite the night. “No, you’re fine, Benny. Whatcha got for me?”“Lucifer has Watchers everywhere, cher. And I mean it. All over the country, thousands of ‘em. From people listed as homeless to people in power. He’s gatherin’ ranks.”“Shit.”Dean sat down, his knees feeling weak as he stared at the dark liquid beginning to drip from the pot. He felt like there was a heavy weight settling onto his chest with the news, shaking his head briefly as he focused back on what Benny was saying, the man’s voice frantic and rushed.“ – like politicians an’ shit, Dean. It’s crazy. Whateva he’s planning, it’s bigger than we coulda thought. An’ have you seen the news lately, Dean? The stories they’re coverin’ are all about missin’ peoples and arrestin’ magickal folk. People are rallyin’ in big cities and extremist groups are steppin’ forward, cher. They’re callin’ for extermination.”He could feel the color draining from his face as Benny spoke, his free hand clenching into a fist against his thigh. “Extermination of magickal people? That’s not possible.”“We like to think so, cher, but if they gather steam? People’s minds are bein’ influenced. People in power are feelin’ pressure. An’ you know who they’re citin’ as bein’ a face of hope for it all?”“Lucifer,” Dean responded, his teeth gritting so hard that he was certain if he clenched his jaw harder, they would crack. “Yes. The leader of the NMA himself! Doesn’ that all seem a little convenient? That Lucifer has people in power, Watchers everywhere, an’ is tryin’ to coax non-magickal folk to not kill us all, but instead to make us register?”“What?!”“Yeah! It’s all ova the news, cher! He’s fightin’ for a magickal registry for all ranks of life, from lesser fae to powerful witches and guardians.”“But why a registry?”“I wish I knew, cher,” Benny breathed into the phone, sounding winded and less excited about the information he hadn’t discovered yet. Dean couldn’t blame him. He stood up and grabbed a mug, pouring himself some coffee, even though he was convinced he wouldn’t need it since his adrenaline was already causing his hands to shake. “I wish I knew. But don’ ya think it’s strange that tha leader of the NMA wants information access to all the magickal folk, but doesn’ want ‘em dead?”Dean could feel his mind rushing a mile a minute. “Wait… Benny, he wants access to those records?”“Yeah… he suggested tha’ he help run the locations who would register people with magick.”“And he has Watchers… all over the country…”“Yeah… whatcha thinkin’, cher?”“Benny,” Dean rushed, setting his mug down, his eyes wide as he stared out of the kitchen window and into the dark yard outside. Moonlight scattered bright shadows across the trees, dark tendrils like fingers creeping towards the house. “Benny, what if he wants to know that information because he wants locations on those who are more powerful?”“Why would he wan’ that?”“I’m not sure… but he’s searching, practically hunting for Cas and Jimmy… they’re really powerful, Benny. Their magick is bound together. If they were to use it at the same time, with all their skill and energy, I can’t imagine what they would be able to accomplish. What if he wants to get that information and like… sell it or something? To hunters? Or, or other governments?”“Dean…” Benny’s voice was suddenly quiet, shell-shocked, and had Dean stopping in his tracks. “Dean it’s… it’s so much worse than that…”“Benny, what do you mean? What’s happening?”“I jus’ found a story… a missin’ boy from a few years back. Lucifer led a charge to find ‘im, claimin’ it was magickal folk who took ‘im. Police didn’ have much evidence… but the story doesn’ make sense, cher.”“How? What’d you find?” Dean was pacing, though he wasn’t sure when he started, his mug of coffee growing cold at the kitchen table.“Cher,” Benny breathed, sucking in harshly. “It doesn’ make any sense ‘cause the boy was magick. The only one in his family, seems like. An’ Dean… fuck, Dean, he was an Absorber.”Dean’s phone clattered to the ground as he cursed aloud, wings flaring out with agitation and fear as he gazed through the window of the living room and saw a bright spot of moonlight were the twins’ car used to be.“Come on… where in the world are you taking me to…?” Castiel huffed out in exasperation, eyes scanning the road in front of him as he passed through another light, this time turning right. The pull on his magick was stronger now, more uncomfortable than ever, but he couldn’t stop following it. He’d never mistrusted his gut before; it had never steered him wrong. He growled out in frustration as the main part of the city began to fade away, the lights dimming as he drove into the more industrial side of town. Factories and warehouses lined the smaller streets, where the only lights available came from large floodlights on the sides of the buildings. He glanced around him as he drove, slow enough to not worry too much about attracting unwanted attention or running into anything undesirable. He rounded a corner, left this time, with a frown as he caught movement from the corner of his eye. Turning his head, Castiel hit the brakes hard enough to squeal as he saw a flash of red spilling out from a pile of discarded trash bags near a dumpster.“No.” That red was too familiar. Cas threw the car in park and jumped out of the driver’s seat, cursing under his breath as he ran over to the pile. The smell was abhorrent, but he didn’t care as he shoved one of the heavy trash bags out of the way to reveal more of the red: it was hair. The figure of a redheaded woman was discarded amongst the trash, unmoving, and Castiel felt bile rise in his throat. He stood still in a moment of disbelief before leaning over, shaking hands reaching out to turn the woman’s body over so he could see her face. It wasn’t Charlie.The breath of relief that rushed out of him was so forceful that he almost fell over, stumbling to catch his weight against the dumpster in front of him. A strange woman’s face stared up at him, eyes glassy with death, a singed hole right between her eyes that led into the cavern of her head. Castiel was hardly recovered from the twist of emotion when he felt a harsh tug against his magick. He jerked upright, gasping, and turned slightly to catch only a glimpse of a dark figure to his left that had managed to sneak up on him – a dark figure who was holding something high above his head, only to bring it down against Castiel’s temple. Darkness washed over him as his body crumpled to the ground.
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Pain throbbed in his temple, prompting Castiel to immediately groan and keep his eyes screwed shut. He yearned for darkness and silence, his mind muddied by the pain, but it wasn’t meant to be. He could hear rustling and shifting; he caught the sound of footsteps and a dripping from somewhere behind him. He could also hear the sounds of people breathing, but they were dull and shallow in comparison to the voice that sounded right in front of him.“Ah, excellent, you’re coming to. I was worried that Uriel had hit you a little too hard.”There was a clicking sound that was hardly discernable from disappointment, and Castiel failed to tell if it was directed at his waking consciousness or the man who’d apparently caused him to be in this state. He cracked his eyes open and was pleasantly surprised that he wasn’t fighting the urge to close them again. The room was dimly lit and he blinked rapidly as he attempted to process everything he was seeing. He appeared to be underground – if the stone walls and damp smell were anything to go off of – and in a room that was surrounded by magick. The heaviness of it weighed down on him and he felt suffocated by its influence. He let out a ragged sigh and grimaced as pain bloomed anew near his ribs, though he couldn’t recall ever getting hurt there. A wince touched his features as he opened his eyes once more and they alighted upon the man in front of him, a familiar figure whose grin was charming and malicious all at once. “Lucifer.”“Castiel. It’s good to see you.”If Castiel didn’t know any better, he would have taken Lucifer’s words to be completely genuine as he spoke them with such reverence. His smile was wide as he stood from where he’d crouched before Castiel’s prone form and turned away, walking towards the central point of the room that was occupied by a large, glowing orb. It seemed to be the only light source around them – adding light to a caged figure nearby through a strand that connected them together. Castiel immediately recognized the connection, having read about it a long time ago.“You have an Absorber? Why?”“Ah, Castiel! Always the smart one, weren’t you? Far more observant than that brash twin of yours. A shame he didn’t come with you; I assumed you were attached at the hip.” The mere mention of Jimmy from Lucifer’s lips had Castiel’s blood boiling and he grit his teeth, finally taking the time to register his body… only to find that he couldn’t move. Some invisible force was holding him in a kneeling position near a large, circular stone slab. He could speak; he could move his eyes. He couldn’t turn his head, flex his fingers, or even dream of moving his body a fraction with whatever was holding him down. “I have an Absorber-“ Lucifer continued, oblivious to Castiel’s irritation. “-because I wanted one, Castiel. It took some work, but I found him by using the right resources. And he’s been a rather important piece in my overall plan.”As Lucifer spoke, he trailed his fingertips close to the path of light connecting the Absorber to the orb, causing the energy to spike with magick, charging the very air around them. If Castiel could have flinched, he would have as the Absorber screamed something completely inhuman and thrashed in its age, the surrounding light growing brighter. It lit up the horrible smile on Lucifer’s face. “He’s integral to my success, to the rise of the Non-Magickal Alliance. Finding him made it easier to find you, in fact. Once I realized what methods I needed to employ… well, let’s just say that I could have found you and James ages ago. But where’s the fun in that?” The chuckle that came from Lucifer caused Castiel to bristle. He had to be bluffing; he and Jimmy had set up precaution after precaution to avoid Lucifer. There was no way the man could have found them easily after all of their time and effort. “If it was so easy,” Castiel gritted out, “then what took you so long?”The briefest flash of something foul passed over Lucifer’s features as he turned to face him, though it was quickly shifted away as the condescending smile returned. But Castiel had seen it. He knew Lucifer was bluffing. “You know how much I love the game Castiel! What fun is there in winning quickly? In an easy victory? There’s no satisfaction in that.” The way he purred the word ‘satisfaction’ had Castiel’s blood boiling again. He let out a huff and kept his glare set on the man before him, watching as Lucifer approached him and crouched down to his eye-level once more. “Tracking down you and James… I’ll admit, had its difficulties. I underestimated just how powerful your magick is… then, I got to thinking. ‘There’s no way Castiel is doing all of this by himself,’ I thought. And after a little digging, I realized I was right.”The color drained from Castiel’s face as Lucifer’s smile grew, his eyes harsh as he continued to monologue. “I found something extremely interesting back home, after talking with cousin Alfie. You remember him, don’t you? Shame he wasn’t more useful for me-“ Castiel’s stomach dropped “-but he did let me in on one tiny bit of important information.” Castiel wished he could have tipped his head away as Lucifer leaned forward, but he had no control. He felt Lucifer’s fingertips trace along his cheekbone and down his jaw, stopping to grip his chin roughly as he smirked in his face.“You and James share magick! How delightful!”Lucifer’s attention was drawn away from Castiel only from a commotion from behind him, where Lucifer was looking over his head and rising to his feet. It sounded muffled – as if behind a door? – and Castiel’s assumption was confirmed as he heard it smack open and the voices become clear. “I swear, I was only-““Shut up!”Castiel startled slightly as he recognized the first voice, his heart racing as he wished he could turn his head around. Unfortunately, he had to settle for simply listening to the exchange and watching Lucifer’s face react to the disturbance. He didn’t seem phased; he still held a cocky smirk on his lips and his eyes burned with curiosity. “How interesting. You’re not who I expected to show up first, but I’ll take what I can get. Why don’t you come join the party?”Castiel watched as Lucifer’s fingers twitched and there was a strangled sound. There was the charge of magick in the air once more, making Castiel’s nostrils flare and nose wrinkle against the scent. It wasn’t but a moment before he felt someone being placed beside him, a looming figure that he could only just catch from the corner of his eyes. He was just as surprised as Lucifer to see Sam kneeling beside him, forced and prone just as he was, with Lucifer looking him over like he was choosing a pig for slaughter. “I believe you’re… Sam, right?” Lucifer didn’t look to Sam or Castiel for confirmation, but instead over their heads at someone behind him. His grin revealed he had the affirmative of Sam’s identity and Castiel could practically feel the tall man stiffen beside him. “Oh, I know about you, Sam. I know about everyone in your little group. Shame you decided to pick friends with Castiel and James. Your choices put you and everyone you care about in danger.” Lucifer spoke the words as if they were common knowledge, taking a step back from the pair and surveying them. “I half expected it to be James blazing in here, trying to rescue his twin from my evil clutches or whatever he’d call me. I could practically paint the picture myself, if I wanted. But this doesn’t change anything. Your presence will simply be witness to my greatness, before it will be witness to nothing at all.”Once more, common knowledge, nonchalance. He spoke of Sam’s demise as if it were merely another part to play, another scene in some movie he was directing in his own mind. Castiel had known that his half-brother was mad – but he hadn’t realized just how deep the insanity went. “I think ‘greatness’ isn’t a word I’d associate with what you’re known for,” Sam’s voice snarked from beside Castiel and he saw Lucifer tense briefly before letting out a chuckle. “No, of course not. Not right now… not without seeing, without understanding.” Both men were silent as Lucifer strutted back to the orb, admiring the glow as if it were a rare jewel or some kind of prized possession. Which, Castiel realized swiftly, it probably was – only a highly specialized orb would be able to maintain a connection between an Absorber and their energy source. He swallowed thickly and focused back on Lucifer, who was beginning to talk again. “Couldn’t you both imagine a world where magick was used to its full potential? Where those who possessed certain powers were put to their best uses? Instead, we’re stuck with powerful witches healing non-magick folk in hospitals using their rudimentary methods. We’re seeing wasted talent behind the guise of tea shops and cafes! The non-magick people rule our country – our world - without even realizing what true power rests in our bloodlines, in our abilities.” Light flared in Lucifer’s eyes and around his fingers, the acrid smell of burning magick singing Castiel’s nostrils and making his eyes water. “Magickal folk obviously can’t be trusted with their own gifts. They need guidance; they need a place for their abilities to be used in the most effective way possible.”“And you’re the one who can use those abilities? Make them effective? You? One man?”Sam seemed to latch onto the madness of Lucifer faster than Castiel, but once the man at his side spoke, Castiel realized what Lucifer was saying. His eyes flicked to the trapped Absorber and the floating connection between it and the orb, and back to Lucifer – who’s grin had turned absolutely maniacal. “Of course, Sam. The world knows me as a leader for those against magick, when in fact, my bloodline leads from those who harbor some of the strongest magick in the world. It’s the very same magick that has helped me all of these years, who has gained me thousands of followers all over the globe. It’s the very same magick that courses through Castiel and James’ blood.” The last sentence he spat out, as if the very idea offended him, and the sting of magick flickered across to them, making both men groan as it danced along their skin. “It’s all quite simple, really. I’ve done my part all of these years to build a reputation, to gain trust and followers. Non-magick people believe I’m going to lead them into a revolutionized, safer world where magick will be more controlled. They’re so daft that they’ve played the power right into my hands.”The chuckle that echoed around them was menacing, and the silence after was only disturbed by a whimper coming from the cage nearby. “Soon enough, I’ll be able to convince the leaders to start registering magickal people. I’ll know their range of magick, their abilities. I’ll be able to locate them, offer them a new life – a life away from being marked, from being shunned by those who don’t possess magick. All they have to do is relent their powers to me – or, rather, to this magickal well-“ he waved his fingers towards the glowing orb “- and they can live a normal life. They’ll be unregistered, normal people. They’ll be able to live a full life without being ostracized.”Castiel felt hatred coiling in his gut at what Lucifer was saying. It went so far beyond what he ever imagined it could be. He clenched his jaw in anger while Sam spoke up again, his voice also low with righteous fury. “And what of their powers? After the Absorber transfers them to the well?”Lucifer laughed. He laughed, and laughed some more, his grin wide and a tinge insane as he looked towards both kneeling men and approached them, crouching to view them both with broad hands balanced on his knees. “Why – they go to me of course.”The dread of having assumed the worse and it being confirmed turned Castiel a little green around the edges. All of the years he’d been working and planning, Lucifer had been taking in other people’s magick. “I can’t take it all at once, of course,” he added, standing again and sweeping an arm across the room as if gesturing to a large audience. “That would destroy even the most powerful of witches. But luckily, my Absorber has this… connection, you see. He maintains the magick for me, keeps it fresh, and when I need more… I have all of the access I want to an almost endless supply.”“It’s not endless, though, is it, Lucifer?” Castiel’s voice grunted out as pain electrified over his skin. Lucifer whipped around and looked at him, eyes narrowed as the instability flashed across them. “What did you say?”“It’s not endless,” Castiel said again, his voice stronger than he felt. “It’s not an endless supply of magick because you can’t use it without the Absorber. You were never strong enough to wield your own magick, so you need help to harness it and maintain it at all.”Lucifer snarled his rage at the implied weakness, waving a hand through the air that ripped a scream from Castiel’s throat. It felt like his body was ablaze, and all he could do was suffer through it. His frame shook in place and tears pulled from his eyes as he screamed again, his voice going hoarse at the inferno that licked across his skin. Then, it was doused, as if he had been soaked with water and the calm exuding from Lucifer was almost as unsettling as the nature of the man himself. “You’re right,” he admitted softly, shrugging his shoulders as if the outburst hadn’t caused him to completely lose control. “I cannot maintain magick on my own. The power of our bloodline went to you and James, unfortunately. But – that won’t matter for long. The reuniting of the magickal bond of our lines will strengthen me once you and James surrender your powers.” He stated it as though it was a fact, that it would happen regardless of any intervention. Or maybe… maybe Lucifer honestly thought there would be no intervention. He thought he was going to get away with his plan, see his twisted future come to fruition.He had no idea that it was never meant to be. He had no inkling of suspicion at why Sam was the one caught and brought into his secret chamber, and not James himself, or Dean. It was that knowledge that kept Castiel breathing through the aftermath of his pain, gritting his teeth against the smiling lunatic. Let him smile while he still could.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“How’d you let him do that?”Dean hissed the words at Gabriel, rolling his head to ease the stiffness in his neck after having been ducked for so long. Both Guardians were behind a large set of dumpsters, spying on the warehouse where Sam had been taken and where Jimmy had guided them to. Their wings were rigid behind them and Gabriel shot Dean a look that would have knocked anyone else onto their ass. Dean regretted the question the moment it was asked, but he couldn’t take it back now. Tensions were high with Charlie and Castiel missing, and now that they’d watched Sam being taken, the men were at the end of their wits. It had been the plan, of course, but it didn’t mean they were happy about it. “I can’t control him, Dean-o. That’s only for the bedroom.”The joke fell flat, but Dean forced a disbelieving chuckle anyway as he shook his head. The fae managed a light smile before they watched the door once more. It was as if they were willing Sam to step back out, though they both knew the truth. Letting out a sigh, Dean straightened and turned back to where Jimmy was standing – where he had been standing for the last several minutes, staring at their car’s ajar driver’s door like Castiel was going to pop out and shout ‘surprise’. It would have been totally unlike the man to do so, but Dean had almost wished for the same thing when they’d first encountered the abandoned vehicle. It was a clear sign that Castiel had been taken, just as they had all feared. And it was only a few minutes after the discovery that Jimmy had winced and jerked his head towards the warehouse.“That’s where he is,” he grit out through clenched teeth, his fists balled up at his sides. Dean had flared his wings protectively, ignoring the way magick had charged in the air around them. “You can feel it?” he’d asked, only to receive a nod in affirmation. That was when Sam had spoken up about being a decoy – about how he would be able to help where none of the others could, about his own magick and that Lucifer wouldn’t suspect to find him. He would be nothing but a pawn to the man, but they would all know just how important it would be to get Sam on the inside instead of Jimmy. Jimmy had protested immediately, wanting to be the one to save his brother, but Dean had managed to convince him that it would be giving Lucifer exactly what he wanted. It was obvious to all of them – even Jimmy – that he wanted both twins, not just one. He had obviously lured Castiel there somehow and was probably hoping to bait James right to him. They wouldn’t be playing into his hands so easily, however, and Sam’s brilliant mind had come to their rescue. Gabriel hadn’t been happy about his charge, and boyfriend, risking his neck… but they knew it was their only option. Dean and Gabriel possessed their own abilities as Guardians, but it was nothing useful in the grand scheme of things. Sam was always thinking ‘big picture’ while the rest were simply reacting to the here-and-now. He was their voice of reason, and how he was a voice of reason who walked right into Lucifer’s lair. It was exactly where they wanted him.“Fuck,” Jimmy said, running his hands through his hair and groaning weakly. Dean stepped forward and slung his arm around the man right before his knees buckled. “What’s going on, Jim?” Dean asked with worry in his voice, brushing away Jimmy’s damp hair away from his forehead. His color was drained and his voice choked as he spoke out, his forehead bobbing forward to rest against Dean’s chest. “They’re hurting him. I can feel it. It’s… ah, fuck. I can feel it through our magick.”Gabriel made a noise of sympathy, keeping close to the pair while also keeping his eyes on the warehouse nearby. Dean couldn’t do anything for Jimmy except grit his teeth and hold the man aloft. If he let go now, Jimmy would crumple to the ground. He leaned his head down and placed a kiss on Jimmy’s temple, before speaking softly to him and letting his wings close around them to give them both some privacy. “You’ve got this, Jim. We’re going to get Cas back and Sam. We’re going to find Charlie and dismantle this whole thing Lucifer is doing. We need you to help us do it. We can do it together, babe,” he murmured, feeling Jimmy straightening up in his grasp and watching as the man pulled his head back, jaw set, and gave Dean a nod. “You’re right. You’re right. Let’s find a way in there that doesn’t involve our asses being caught by bid-dark-and-scary,” he commented, his emotions shuttering away as he leaned up and kissed Dean’s chin, watching with slight admiration as Dean’s large wings folded back behind him and Gabriel came back into view. He was smiling, though it was a shadow of his usual, shit-eating grin. There was tension surrounding all of them, but they knew what they had to do. Gabriel slipped his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed, putting it to his ear as they all remained close to the abandoned car. After a moment of silence, Gabriel spoke softly.“Alright, what’ve you got for us?”The others knew it was Jess on the line, who had been tracking them via their phone GPS, who was holed up safely in Gabriel and Sam’s house with a computer to help as much as she was able. They had asked her to look up locations around where they finally stopped, and after a few more comments from Gabriel, they were waiting to see if she could locate an entrance for them to the warehouse that wasn’t – quite literally – the front door. “Really?” Gabriel sounded surprised and a smile grew on his lips. “Alright, excellent, thanks Jess.”He hung up the phone and motioned for the others to follow him as they headed back towards their lookout position behind the dumpsters.“Okay,” he began, pointing towards the opposite side of the warehouse. “Jess said there’s a service entrance on the back side of the building over here. It’s secluded, so they might be guarding it, but it shouldn’t be something we can’t take care of,” Gabriel commented confidently, turning to point behind them. “The best approach would be to go down a block or two and cross the street, sneak up from behind the building to try and stay away from anyone who might be watching.”Dean and Jimmy nodded their agreement as they all began to walk away from the car and down into the darkness of the next alleyway. “Once we’re in, Jess said that layout indicates some separation in the warehouse itself. We’ll be away from the main storage area – back by office spaces, it looks like. So unless they gutted the place, we might have better cover and might be able to find something useful.” Gabriel was talking, giving them information but also keeping the oppressive silence at bay. It helped comfort all of them as they trekked through the dark alleys, unsure of what they were heading into but hoping they were making the right decision.“We’re coming for you Cassie,” Jimmy said softy, his voice tight as they crossed the street and disappeared behind a nearby building. Dean brushed against his side with an outstretched wing and hoped that their rescue mission wouldn’t be in vain. He had to hope that they were a step ahead of Lucifer and not giving him exactly what he wanted.“Jody. Yeah, it’s Jess. I’ve got the boys’ locations. You’re going to want to send some people down there. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s going to be big and it might not end well. They’ll need any help that they can get. Yeah… yeah, sure… okay, thanks Jody. I’ll be sure to let you know.”“Of course it wasn’t going to be unlocked,” Dean growled as he yanked on the door handle, their urgency more palpable now that they reached the dark side of the building and located the service entrance Jess had described to Gabriel. Jimmy was looking around anxiously while Gabriel was observing the door, frowning as the handle turned and twisted, but nothing happened. He tapped along the door and then stepped back, closing his eyes and letting his wings flutter behind him. A grin split his lips as he turned to the right and took a few steps before facing a nondescript brick portion of the wall. “That’s not the door,” Gabriel responded, startling both Dean – who had a foot raised, ready to try and kick said door off its hinges – and Jimmy who was keeping an eye out for anyone who might have been patrolling. “It wouldn’t be, would it? Why have an obvious door with nothing guarding it, no magickal traps? I wasn’t looking for it – so I didn’t sense it before…” he trailed off, murmuring to himself as Dean and Jimmy approached, watching as Gabriel waved his hands over the bricks and slowly, a white glow began to reveal itself in a strange pattern. “A fae door,” Jimmy breathed, answering Dean’s unspoken question as the shape manifested and Gabriel nodded in response. “What a tricky bastard. Why would he have a fae door?”“He must have a way to access it. And he wants to be one of the only ones able to,” Gabriel explained, a strain in his voice as he began to trace shapes over the shimmering door. The magick charged his wings and they fluttered rapidly behind him. Dean was sure he imagined the breeze coming off of them, knowing full-well that the glittery wings of a fae weren’t corporeal. “He must be guarding something behind here, then,” Dean murmured softly. “He blocked the other entrance off, but didn’t want to draw suspicion.” Jimmy nodded at Dean’s voiced thoughts, though both men were drawn back to Gabriel as he let out a small sound of triumph. The door shimmered brightly and lined itself with blue before disappearing, an archway in its place. He looked towards Dean and Jimmy with a tired smile and waved them in after he stepped through himself. Once on the other side, Dean could barely hold in his gasp, hearing Jimmy lacking restraint beside him as they took in everything together. The room before them was more like a chamber, and in the chamber were several large cages. It was a space charged with magick, but it was stagnant – and indicator that the magick wasn’t coming from a source within the room itself. That was a surprise to the trio because the room was full of people in varying ages. Young children up to elderly folk lined the cages, some asleep on the ground and others looking towards the men with a startled expression. The room was oddly silent as Jimmy took a step forward, looking over all of the trapped souls with an ache in his chest. “What… what happened to all of you?” He spoke in a hushed tone as Gabriel stood beside him, Dean looking around to see if there was another entrance to the room, or anything that might help them. No one spoke up, all just staring at Jimmy and Gabriel, watching them with a mix of apprehension and wonder. Jimmy looked at Gabriel with a troubled expression, finding a similar confusion on the fae’s face. “We’ll get them out of here,” Jimmy murmured to Gabriel, watching the Guardian nod as Dean approached them both.“There’s another entrance over this way,” he explained, looking at the people in the cages and back to the others. Jimmy gave him a nod before turning to look at Gabriel. He was already waving them off.“Go on – find Cassie and Sam and Charlie. I’ll get these people free.” A grim determination was set in the man’s jaw that kept Jimmy and Dean from arguing, both men shifting to retreat through the entrance that Dean had discovered. It led into a small hallway, which ended opening into the large warehouse space. A door across the hall revealed a plain looking bathroom, while another door led to a precarious looking set of metal stairs, heading down into darkness. Both men looked at one another before beginning their descent, trying to be as quiet as possible.“You know, Castiel,” Lucifer said, pacing slowly back and forth in front of him and Sam, his eyes roaming around the room as if he were looking for the right words to say. Really, Castiel wanted him to stop talking. “It’s a shame James didn’t come to get you. It would have made this whole process a lot easier. Now, I’m going to have to use your friend here to try and get what I want.” His wave towards Sam was as though he was a miniscule thing, and not a man who was hulking even while on his knees. “The name’s Sam, remember?” The snark that left him was so much like Dean that Castiel had to fight a smile. Lucifer’s brows rose, but his smile never faltered. “Oh, I remembered,” he cooed towards Sam as he approached. “I just don’t care.”A flick of his wrist and Sam was weightlessly carried over to the stone slab, his body rearranged as if controlled by a puppet master until he was lying flat upon his back. He still couldn’t move; Castiel could see the twitching of his muscles as he strained against the invisible hold. Castiel began to panic at the idea of Sam suffering because of him, his own magick crackling in the air around them as it fought the hold Lucifer had on him. Immediately, the man’s sharp eyes locked onto Castiel.“There’s some of that spark!” he crowed, as if in victory, while Sam continued to struggle. What magick he possessed couldn’t be harnessed the same way a witch’s could be. As a mage, Sam to use more traditional ways of harnessing his abilities. It didn’t exclude him from Lucifer’s influence, however, and everyone in the room knew it. Castiel growled at Lucifer and is magick lashed out once more, stinging the air and making the hair on his arms stand up. Lucifer clapped his hands together with delight as the orb began to pulse behind him. “Are you angry, Castiel? Does the idea of me hurting your little friend here bring your magick out to play?” The idea that crossed Lucifer’s mind was readable on his face and Castiel hated it. “Would I be stirring the pot if I told you that Sam will probably be harder to break than your dear friend Charlie? She gave up almost immediately against my Absorber.”The idea of Charlie lying there on that slab, prone and subjected to the tortures of Lucifer made him see red. The hold on Castiel faltered slightly: he felt it and kept pressing at the weakness. He wasn’t the only one who felt it, though, and Lucifer quickly slapped his hand onto the orb, absorbing the energy and drawing on the inhuman screams of the Absorber as it jerked around in its cage. The hold on Castiel tightened once more and he snarled at his half-brother, watching the man chuckle in delight. “You’re stronger by yourself than I thought, Castiel,” he murmured with false admiration. Castiel knew that he didn’t admire him - but his powers and abilities, his magick. That’s what it had always been about. “Did you know that Charlie had magick, Castiel? I bet you didn’t. It was deep in her bloodline… so far back, I think it surprised her a little. What she felt was just a sort of ‘sixth-sense’ for magick was really magick itself. What a wonder. It’s a shame she never got to use it to her full potential.” Again, Castiel’s magick flared, and the hold on him loosened ever-so-slightly, enough for him to gather his bearings and clench his fists. Sam twitched on the slab uncomfortably as the room heated around them, Lucifer’s brows furrowing as a frown began to mar his features. He pulled on the magick of the orb once again and Castiel growled at him, fighting against the sensation threatening to lock him down once more. “Uriel,” Lucifer ground out, and Castiel felt a presence behind him before feeling broad hands wrapping around his throat. It surprised him, causing him to gasp and the hold on his magick to falter. The iron grip of physical hands suffocating him doubled the sensation of being trapped beneath Lucifer’s invisible hold. “I’m done playing games,” Lucifer snarled as he placed his second hand upon the orb and a strand of light began to slowly curl out towards Sam. His eyes were wide and panicked as he shouted – but no sound left him. The path urged closer and closer to him, the Absorber becoming restless at the other end of the connection. Castiel’s eyes blazed and he felt a pulse in his powers, despite how the room was spinning from a lack of oxygen. Lucifer – who was so focused on getting the connection to Sam – didn’t realize that a lack of concentration would be his downfall. Castiel’s powers flared out the moment the door behind him burst open. Uriel’s hands disappeared from him at the same time Lucifer’s power broke. Castiel launched himself to his feet and turned, seeing Dean grappling with the large form of Uriel with Jimmy taking in the scene before him. Castiel couldn’t stop himself from smiling at seeing his twin, his heart soaring as their magickal bond strengthened at their close proximity. It was charged with energy and adrenaline as both witches turned towards Lucifer, who looked genuinely surprised at their appearance. He was also surprised to see a redhead emerging from the doorway, gun in hand and held steadily towards him. “Charlie?” Castiel spoke with surprise, incredibly happy to see her, only to have his attention directed back to Lucifer as the man shouted his disapproval at the turn of events.“You think you’ve won this? You have no idea what I am capable of!” Lucifer’s voice roared around them, ringing in their ears. His hands on the orb glowed brightly, evidently focused on something other than Sam. The curling tendril of light retreated immediately and Sam scrambled to his feet from the slab, panting heavily and trying to gain his bearings. “Why would you want to live in fear of those non-magick people ruling your lives?! You’ll never have control – you’ll never have true freedom!” His voice was grating on their ears and Castiel could hardly focus on anything else. The magickal charge of energy in the room was so strong, everyone could feel it like shocks across their skin. Even Charlie seemed affected, the gun wavering in her grasp and her eyes watering. “Being under your rule would be no freedom at all!” Dean crowed from behind them, Uriel in a headlock as his wings flared wide behind him. He looked like some kind of dark angel, his features a snarl of challenge as the broad man passed out from the hold Dean had on him. His form crumpled at his feet, Dean stepping over him and stalking towards the mad man behind the orb. “He’s right!” James shouted, startling Castiel with how close he was, mere inches from touching him. Castiel’s mind was still fuzzy from whatever hold Lucifer had on him, but the fog was lifting as Sam’s voice thundered around them. “No one can have this power! Non-magickal people and magickal people can live together! You’re the one putting other ideas in their heads – using fear and manipulation to try and convince them of a war that doesn’t exist!” “No!” Lucifer snarled, the power flaring around them. The Absorber thrashed again in its cage, the glow from it bright and almost blinding, casting Lucifer in an unearthly light. “I will have control! I will have power!” “No, you won’t,” Castiel said, his voice calm, but cutting through the chaos nonetheless. Lucifer looked at them, eyes wild as if he realized for the first time that they were both there, just as he’d always wanted. He gazed at them and his eyes widened when he saw them grasp one another’s hands, the realization of his mistake – letting his emotions get the best of him – forming as terror on his face. “That power is meant to be mine!” He cried, his voice riddled with disbelief. Dean came to stand behind the twins, his wings dark and foreboding, as both men turned identical stares to their half-brother and felt the magick grow between them. “It was never meant to be yours,” Jimmy murmured, his voice almost sweet as he smiled towards Lucifer. He could feel how Castiel was charging their magick, feel the powerful wave that was beginning to crest over them all. He could feel the tremor in his brother’s hand at the effort it was taking, pulsing his own magick in as aid. “You became corrupted by power, Lucifer. Instead of it making you strong, you became reliant. It only made you weaker,” Jimmy taunted, taking a step towards the orb without Lucifer realizing. The man was crazed as he snarled once more towards the twins, towards them all as they gathered around. “The truth is-“ Jimmy said, another step, another movement unnoticed by the panicking Lucifer. “-magick is only as strong as those who use it. It thrives on confidence and purity. Corruption only leads to weakness.”“And you, Lucifer, will always. be. weak.”Castiel spoke the words with a last urge of his magick, seeing the realization dawning on Lucifer’s face as he saw Jimmy’s hand raise towards the orb. He let out a cry of desperation, his own powers flaring from the orb’s influence right before Jimmy made contact. With the combined efforts of both twins working together, their magick pooled in with the collected magick in the well, and pushed against Lucifer. A loud crack was heard in the room that was drowned out by the sound of Lucifer’s screaming.The pain was unlike anything he’d ever felt. It was as though his soul was being extracted from his body, all of his nerve-endings on fire as the magick was pulled from him. It left him in waves, shifting from him in flashes of light to go back into the well, back to where he had been taking it from for all of this time. He couldn’t stop the screams as he watched the magickal light fading from the orb… and traveling back up through the connection to the one being who could control it all. The darkness encompassed him and brought him to his knees. The last thing Lucifer saw before he hit the floor was a bright flash of light from the Absorber, and the shattering of its cage around him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The news was still reporting on the incident almost a year after Lucifer’s capture. “Jack, you know you can turn that off any time, bud?”Dean’s voice echoed playfully from the entrance to the kitchen, his wings shifting against his back as he looked at the boy in the living room. His hair was tousled from sleep – even though it was well into the afternoon – and his eyes remained glued to the television screen even as he waved at Dean. “I know I can,” he replied almost stubbornly, reminding Dean immediately of Castiel. The boy was still getting used to his freedom and picking up habits from the twins and Dean seemed to be one of his new favorite past times. Dean knew he would be lying if he called it anything but endearing. “Why do you keep watching?” This question was more serious as he pushed off from the wall and entered the room instead, taking a seat beside Jack and watching the story as it began to play across the screen. Some news anchor was covering a live story about another politician being brought to justice after it was uncovered that he’d been trafficking younger magick folk to Lucifer so they could be ‘cleansed’. It still made Dean uncomfortable to see just how far Lucifer’s web had been weaved, but Jack seemed oblivious to it all. His fascination with the stories was the opposite reaction of what any of them would have expected of him, but then again, Jack was a bit of an oddball all the way around. “I don’t watch for the bad guys, you know,” he said, as if that explained exactly what Dean was thinking. And, truthfully, it did shed a little light on Dean’s curiosity without him having to outright ask. His brows raised as he looked from the screen to Jack, using the silence as a prompt.“Okay…?”“Sometimes… sometimes, they show interviews with the rescued people,” Jack explained, waving a hand towards the screen. “And I like watching them. I like seeing what they’re saying; I like their updates.” Something clenched in Dean’s chest as his features softened. It made sense that Jack would want to see what good came out of the whole situation. The updates on those rescued from Lucifer’s influence weren’t the easiest thing to watch, but Jack seemed to enjoy just knowing that the people were okay. They would never be the same: after their magick was Absorbed, it was never returned to them. They were living ordinary lives as non-magick folk, stripped of their abilities, but… but they were alive. That was all that seemed to matter to Jack. Dean knew, as well as the twins, that he harbored some of the guilt from it all. It kept him up at night, kept him from sleeping for fear that the nightmares would take hold. Though, as time passed, the nightmares weren’t as frequent. The stress was starting to fade from the young man’s eyes. He smiled more, took interest in more things, and stopped apologizing for the fact that he existed. That was probably the hardest pill for them all to swallow, the hardest idea of them to understand. How could they? How could they even begin to understand what Jack had gone through being trapped by Lucifer – being the one to strip all of those innocent people of their powers? To watch so many perish as he Absorbed them? The best thing that they could all try to do was simply help him move on – to make it known that they would never truly understand, but they were here for him, nonetheless. And they weren’t going anywhere.“Well… let’s watch, then, and see who they interview today.”Gabriel had helped the captive people escape, Donna and Jody there and ready to bring them to safety. He had used a lot of his abilities as a fae to unlocked their cages - almost passing out by the time Sam had found him. The groups they had rescued were a small number of those who had fallen victim to Lucifer's plans, who had been stripped of their abilities and magick. Lucifer sometimes utilized those folk to be his Watchers, to run his errands and do the dirty work. Sometimes, he took them away and they never came back. The rescued had been traumatized, but were recovering. Their interviews were some of the first shared, but even after all of this time, they sometimes made an appearance in the news again for follow-ups.Castiel found them about twenty minutes later, talking quietly on the couch with one of Dean’s wings stretched protectively around Jack’s shoulders as they watched the elderly woman being interviewed. She was smiling as she explained how happy she was that so many people were being brought to justice, at how lucky they were that Lucifer had been brought down before he could do any real damage. Castiel smiled to himself as he saw the smiles on Jack and Dean’s faces. It was difficult to try and do right by Jack, but they were all making an effort. He turned his gaze away from them as Jimmy sidled up beside him, nudging him with his shoulder before leaning in for a small kiss. “Are we all ready to go? We don’t want to be late.” That got everyone up and moving, putting on their thicker coats, gloves, hats, and scarves. A new set for Jack and Dean had been made by Jess when winter had started creeping into the town. It had been a tradition for everyone in their group of friends to get them from her, only they had never gotten the chance the year before with everything going on. Dean happily put on his own beanie while he watched Jimmy adjust Jack’s back a little on his head so his ears were covered. He turned his gaze beside him to see Castiel watching him closely, causing him to tilt his head and his wings to shift. “See something you like?” he murmured, echoing those familiar words in order to draw a smile to Castiel’s lips – which worked exactly like he’d hoped. “Of course,” he said, matter-of-factly before urging Dean down to plant a kiss on his lips. Dean sighed into the embrace before hearing someone clear their throat, causing them to break apart and see Jimmy standing expectantly by the door with Jack. “Do I get one too?” He asked cheekily, causing Dean to laugh before closing the distance between them and planting a wet kiss on his lips. Jimmy let out a gagging sound, eliciting more laughter as the group headed out of the door and to the car. They all clambered in and Jimmy cranked the heat from the passenger side while Castiel turned on the wipers to get rid of the fresh layer of snow. Carefully, he pulled out of the drive and started into town, listening to the others talk around him as they explained the Christmas lights to Jack. They pulled into the parking lot of Tea & Sweets and climbed out of the car, tucking hands into their pockets and their chins into their scarves against the bite of the winter air as it breezed through the streets. The crunch of snow beneath their feet joined the sounds of general chatter that increased in volume as they reached their destination and joined the gathering crowd on the sidewalk. Main Street in Silver Maple looked beautiful around Christmas time. The lamps were decorated with holly and lights; each shop added their own flare with decorations of their own. It was warm, inviting, and even picturesque. It was hard to believe that such a beautiful small town had been victim to such horrendous acts merely a year earlier. But sometimes, the smallest of towns had the strongest of people. Silver Maple was no exception. That’s why a majority of the residents were gathered outside in the chilly afternoon light, the sun beginning to set and casting everything in a watercolor glow. They were chatting and laughing in front of a newly built storefront, the lights in the windows dark, making it the only darkened space on the whole street. Even Tea & Sweets left lights on in the windows during off-hours, so it was almost an odd sight to see the shadows here. The woman standing in front of the store, however, was anything but a shadow. Her bright red hair and smile were truly a sight to behold – and though there were still some shadows in her eyes, they always light up when she was surrounded by those who loved her. “Alright, everyone, welcome!” Her voice rang out clear and the general hubbub settled. The group of four moved towards the front of the crowd, all smiling as they made eye contact with their friend, prompting her to smile even bigger.“I can’t thank you all enough for your help and generosity… in getting my shop opened again. Your support this past year has been essential, and is the only reason I’m able to open again in the first place.” A ripple of noises moved through the crowd, a mixture of sad nostalgia and encouragement for the fidgeting woman. Though, to Dean and the others, they knew she was fidgeting out of excitement and not nervousness. “I can’t wait to start caffeinating you all like I did before!” The joke had the desired effect and laughter pulsed through the small crowd. Charlie’s smile was blinding, and Dean was thankful that some of the scars on her face had faded it almost nothing over the course of the year. The last thing she needed was a constant reminder of what happened to her every time she looked in the mirror. “So, I’m proud to announce-““Wait, who let her have scissors that big?” Jimmy’s voice was startled as Charlie pulled a pair of comically large scissors from behind a bench. It comment startled a laugh from both Castiel and Jack, making Dean smile widely and his wings ruffle with pleasure at the sound. “-the grand re-opening of The Buzz!”Cheers and applause roared through the small street as Charlie cut the red ribbon tied across the entrance of her shop. The lights inside immediately flared to life – a soft, inviting glow – while rainbow Christmas lights flashed in a repetitive pattern around the edges of her windows and doorway. Charlie’s cheeks flushed at the praise as she unlocked the front doors and propped them open, a soft bell chiming to welcome everyone in. “The hot chocolate prepped on the counter is on me! Come warm up, everybody!”People began to file in one by one, already commenting on the new interior of the coffee shop and raving about the delicious hot chocolate Charlie had made – and the assortments of add-ins scattered across the bar in fandom-themed bowls. The four men waited until most of the crowd was inside before approaching Charlie, who squealed with delight and gave each one of them a large hug. “Thank you guys for coming!”“Like we would have missed it,” Castiel scoffed, and Dean chuckled.“Though we really only came for the hot chocolate,” Dean dead-panned, earning a playful punch to his arm that had his wings shaking with his laughter. “It is damn good hot chocolate,” Charlie said excitedly.“I’d like to try some,” Jack said, giving her a bright smile. If anyone was the forgiving type, it was Charlie. Jack had been so nervous to meet her, especially knowing that he’d gotten rid of a magickal lineage she had never known existed in her bloodline. He felt so guilty that their first meeting had been filled with stutters and shaking hands, but Charlie had simply hugged the boy until he’d hugged her back. They’d been great friends ever since. “Okay, Jack! Let’s get you some hot chocolate – and maybe some coffee, too. I’ll get you to switch to the dark side if it’s the last thing I do!” Charlie crowed, ushering Jack inside. The trio of men on the sidewalk couldn’t contain their laughter as they heard Jack say something that distinctly sounded like: ‘I don’t know what that means’. They all knew he’d be engaged in a long conversation about how coffee was so much better than tea, which would inevitably lead into a Star Wars conversation, and the men would eventually have to go and rescue him. “It looks great,” Jimmy said as he glanced over the store front, his smile soft and warm. Castiel sidled up beside him and knocked their elbows together, nodding his head in agreement. “I’m happy for her,” Castiel murmured, leaning into Jimmy as the man rested his head against his brother’s shoulder. Dean watched as Castiel placed a soft kiss on Jimmy’s forehead before making eye contact with him and giving him a smile. Dean approached, taking the smile as a golden opportunity, and wrapped his arms gently around both men. His wings shifted out and surrounded them as they all stood in the glow of the rainbow lights. He held onto them loosely, but only because the moment didn’t call for anything more. He watched fresh snowflakes fall onto both heads of dark hair, listened to the laughter of his friends inside, and Dean knew that he’d never be happier.