[Supernatural Fic] Practically Human 6/18
Jul. 7th, 2010 05:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
daylight_darknightI promise there will be more of a plot developing. Just give it a couple more chapters.
Title: Practically Human 6/18
Characters: Castiel, Bobby, Dean
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and a little violence and disturbing stuff in later chapters
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Drama
Word Count: ~18,000 in 18 in little chapters
Spoilers: Up to the end of season 5
Summary: Some things are a lot easier to deal with when the world is ending.
AN: This takes place in a slight AU where season 5 ends almost the exact same way except Castiel's powers are never restored and Bobby is still in a wheelchair. While Dean goes off to keep his promise to his brother, Castiel ends up left behind at Bobby's as he tries to adjust to his new life as a human.
Chapter 6
Castiel’s eyes moved back and forth between the different jars of tomato sauce as he tried to figure out whether he liked mushrooms. He glanced at the list held in his hand where pasta sauce was written unhelpfully in Bobby’s sharp, slanted handwriting. The entire list had proven unhelpful in general. Castiel had already spent fifteen minutes trying to figure out which brand of butter he was supposed to buy.
When he’d gone grocery shopping with Bobby before, he’d simply followed behind fetching and carrying. On this occasion, the hunter had declared that it was time the former angel made himself useful and had handed him the list before directing him out the door. Castiel didn’t really mind. He often felt the urge to get out of the confines of the house and this provide him with both an excuse and a destination, but he was uncertain if he was completely ready for the responsibility of choosing groceries.
Gazing over the top of the shelves, Castiel could just make out the cashier at the front. The young man was watching a small television screen, but kept glancing up to give Castiel odd looks. The looks had begun after the second time Castiel had required careful directions to find an item on his list. He had discovered some of the things to be completely unidentifiable. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what these foods were. He had come across a plethora of different foods during his observations of humanity. He simply found them hard to identify in their current brightly coloured packaging.
The label on the pasta sauce containing mushrooms had a picture of a gray haired woman who was giving him a disconcerting grin. Castiel picked up a jar without mushrooms and placed in his basket with the other groceries.
The cashier rang him up slowly seemingly distracted by the news being shown on the television.
“It’s weird,” he commented as Castiel handed him the money Bobby had given him.
“What’s weird?” the former angel inquired obligingly.
“All those disasters that happened, the hurricanes, the earthquakes, the volcanoes. And now this.” The cashier nodded to the television where the news anchor was reporting on a replica of the Eiffel Tower that was being made out of cans of beans. “It just stopped. It’s like there was a war and it’s finally over.”
“The war is over,” replied Castiel. “Lucifer has been defeated and imprisoned once more.”
Frozen, the cashier stood staring, the receipt and change hanging from his outstretched hand, as Castiel suddenly realized he’d forgotten to lie again.
“Yeah. Well…” The man hastily pushed change, receipt and groceries in Castiel’s direction. “You don’t sound too happy about it.”
Frowning, Castiel picked up his bags and made his way out, the bell at the entrance jangling as he left the store. Outside, the sun was high and bright. The world was full of the fresh green of new growth interspersed with the bright colours of blooming flowers. As Castiel walked along the road, he watched the people already in their summer clothes contentedly enjoying the warm weather as they freely went about their lives.
The war was over. They had won. They had accomplished what they set out to do.
Shouldn’t he be happy?
Birdsong echoed from the trees and Castiel stared at the ground watching the dust from the gravel shoulder cover his new boots.
******
“I am not a TV sitcom dad,” Dean said vehemently.
“A what?” Castiel questioned frowning as he sat down on his bed and wishing not for the first time that Dean would stop his constant use of peculiar references.
“You know,” Dean explained as if it should be obvious to anyone including former angels, “One of those men with bald heads and big beer bellies who spend all their time in a busted up armchair watching TV and drinking.”
Feeling only slightly more enlightened, Castiel shook his head. “I don’t believe you are. Last time I saw you, you still had hair.”
“That’s not what Lisa thinks.”
“Because you’re going bald?”
“I am not going bald!” Dean yelled then paused catching his breath before continuing. “Lisa thinks I’ve been spending too much time drinking and watching television, that I need to get out of the house.”
Castiel straightened up, his eyes narrowing. “You haven’t left the house?’
“Well, no,” admitted Dean reluctantly. “But I need some time. It’s only been a couple of weeks. Don’t I deserve a break after everything I’ve been through?”
“Yes, but I don’t see how that necessitates you staying at home.” Things seemed worse with Dean than he’d realized. Castiel might not understand the grieving process of humans, but confining oneself to a single building didn’t seem healthy or helpful.
“It does if I want it to,” Dean snapped back in response. “What have you been spending your time doing?”
Castiel hesitated. Most of the time, he was too busy trying to figure out how to live as a human to consider what he proposed to do with his new life on Earth, but as time passed, the issue appeared more and more frequently in the forefront of his mind and he had yet to find an answer.
“Reading various books. Going for walks. Sitting on the porch,” he answered because that is what he seemed to spend most of his spare time doing.
Dean snorted and Castiel could almost hear his eyes roll. “That’s how you intend to spend your human existence? I thought I taught you better than that.”
Castiel’s teeth gritted against each other and with some of his once heavenly wrath, he replied, “And spending my time watching television and drinking copious amounts of alcohol would be better?”
The line was silent a moment before Dean spoke again. “Fine, maybe I’ll take Ben out for a burger or something.” He still sounded peevish, but also slightly contrite. “But It’s only because I’m trying to set a good example,” he insisted.
“Of course,” Castiel replied.
Chapter 7
Title: Practically Human 6/18
Characters: Castiel, Bobby, Dean
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and a little violence and disturbing stuff in later chapters
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Drama
Word Count: ~18,000 in 18 in little chapters
Spoilers: Up to the end of season 5
Summary: Some things are a lot easier to deal with when the world is ending.
AN: This takes place in a slight AU where season 5 ends almost the exact same way except Castiel's powers are never restored and Bobby is still in a wheelchair. While Dean goes off to keep his promise to his brother, Castiel ends up left behind at Bobby's as he tries to adjust to his new life as a human.
Chapter 6
Castiel’s eyes moved back and forth between the different jars of tomato sauce as he tried to figure out whether he liked mushrooms. He glanced at the list held in his hand where pasta sauce was written unhelpfully in Bobby’s sharp, slanted handwriting. The entire list had proven unhelpful in general. Castiel had already spent fifteen minutes trying to figure out which brand of butter he was supposed to buy.
When he’d gone grocery shopping with Bobby before, he’d simply followed behind fetching and carrying. On this occasion, the hunter had declared that it was time the former angel made himself useful and had handed him the list before directing him out the door. Castiel didn’t really mind. He often felt the urge to get out of the confines of the house and this provide him with both an excuse and a destination, but he was uncertain if he was completely ready for the responsibility of choosing groceries.
Gazing over the top of the shelves, Castiel could just make out the cashier at the front. The young man was watching a small television screen, but kept glancing up to give Castiel odd looks. The looks had begun after the second time Castiel had required careful directions to find an item on his list. He had discovered some of the things to be completely unidentifiable. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what these foods were. He had come across a plethora of different foods during his observations of humanity. He simply found them hard to identify in their current brightly coloured packaging.
The label on the pasta sauce containing mushrooms had a picture of a gray haired woman who was giving him a disconcerting grin. Castiel picked up a jar without mushrooms and placed in his basket with the other groceries.
The cashier rang him up slowly seemingly distracted by the news being shown on the television.
“It’s weird,” he commented as Castiel handed him the money Bobby had given him.
“What’s weird?” the former angel inquired obligingly.
“All those disasters that happened, the hurricanes, the earthquakes, the volcanoes. And now this.” The cashier nodded to the television where the news anchor was reporting on a replica of the Eiffel Tower that was being made out of cans of beans. “It just stopped. It’s like there was a war and it’s finally over.”
“The war is over,” replied Castiel. “Lucifer has been defeated and imprisoned once more.”
Frozen, the cashier stood staring, the receipt and change hanging from his outstretched hand, as Castiel suddenly realized he’d forgotten to lie again.
“Yeah. Well…” The man hastily pushed change, receipt and groceries in Castiel’s direction. “You don’t sound too happy about it.”
Frowning, Castiel picked up his bags and made his way out, the bell at the entrance jangling as he left the store. Outside, the sun was high and bright. The world was full of the fresh green of new growth interspersed with the bright colours of blooming flowers. As Castiel walked along the road, he watched the people already in their summer clothes contentedly enjoying the warm weather as they freely went about their lives.
The war was over. They had won. They had accomplished what they set out to do.
Shouldn’t he be happy?
Birdsong echoed from the trees and Castiel stared at the ground watching the dust from the gravel shoulder cover his new boots.
******
“I am not a TV sitcom dad,” Dean said vehemently.
“A what?” Castiel questioned frowning as he sat down on his bed and wishing not for the first time that Dean would stop his constant use of peculiar references.
“You know,” Dean explained as if it should be obvious to anyone including former angels, “One of those men with bald heads and big beer bellies who spend all their time in a busted up armchair watching TV and drinking.”
Feeling only slightly more enlightened, Castiel shook his head. “I don’t believe you are. Last time I saw you, you still had hair.”
“That’s not what Lisa thinks.”
“Because you’re going bald?”
“I am not going bald!” Dean yelled then paused catching his breath before continuing. “Lisa thinks I’ve been spending too much time drinking and watching television, that I need to get out of the house.”
Castiel straightened up, his eyes narrowing. “You haven’t left the house?’
“Well, no,” admitted Dean reluctantly. “But I need some time. It’s only been a couple of weeks. Don’t I deserve a break after everything I’ve been through?”
“Yes, but I don’t see how that necessitates you staying at home.” Things seemed worse with Dean than he’d realized. Castiel might not understand the grieving process of humans, but confining oneself to a single building didn’t seem healthy or helpful.
“It does if I want it to,” Dean snapped back in response. “What have you been spending your time doing?”
Castiel hesitated. Most of the time, he was too busy trying to figure out how to live as a human to consider what he proposed to do with his new life on Earth, but as time passed, the issue appeared more and more frequently in the forefront of his mind and he had yet to find an answer.
“Reading various books. Going for walks. Sitting on the porch,” he answered because that is what he seemed to spend most of his spare time doing.
Dean snorted and Castiel could almost hear his eyes roll. “That’s how you intend to spend your human existence? I thought I taught you better than that.”
Castiel’s teeth gritted against each other and with some of his once heavenly wrath, he replied, “And spending my time watching television and drinking copious amounts of alcohol would be better?”
The line was silent a moment before Dean spoke again. “Fine, maybe I’ll take Ben out for a burger or something.” He still sounded peevish, but also slightly contrite. “But It’s only because I’m trying to set a good example,” he insisted.
“Of course,” Castiel replied.
Chapter 7
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-08 01:40 am (UTC)Castiel’s teeth gritted against each other and with some of his once heavenly wrath, he replied, “And spending my time watching television and drinking copious amounts of alcohol would be better?”
The line was silent a moment before Dean spoke again. “Fine, maybe I’ll take Ben out for a burger or something.” He still sounded peevish, but also slightly contrite. “But It’s only because I’m trying to set a good example,” he insisted.
“Of course,” Castiel replied.
LOL! Human or not, it's nice to see that some parts of Cas will NEVER change.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-09 04:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-08 01:59 am (UTC)LOL, that's rich! One of the funny moments thus far.
That and Castiel grocery shopping. I'm giggling just thinking about him comparing cans of tomato sauce in Walmart.
You write so well. Honestly, it's ripping my heart out, but since it's being done properly, I'm pretty sure the heart will heal back nicely.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-09 04:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-08 02:45 am (UTC)The "going bald?" bit made me smile. So there's more light on Dean's situation annnd motivation to change it from Castiel. Now, what does he have to do on his end? D:
Make your angel happy, Dean. I'll be waiting for it.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-09 05:05 am (UTC)I'm glad I made you smile :)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-08 05:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-09 04:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-08 09:39 am (UTC)Can't wait for more.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-09 05:06 am (UTC)More is here! :)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-08 10:12 am (UTC)Bobby as a mentor, in his own cantankerous way, is providing a safe haven for Cas, as he figures out what his life is now.
Going through the tossed aside clothes, going to the thrift store, (and I like that you didn't have to say it was a thrift store, because Cas probably doesn't know the fine distinction, but I've shopped in enough of them that I recognized the flavor at once), forgetting to lie, wondering about his own mortality as a human now, feeling tears for the first time, all of these things you showed were very well done.
And Dean. I like the phone calls that are letting us see that Dean isn't really doing very well at all. I especially like the plumber bit. Lisa may have had a wild streak ten something years ago, but she's pretty settled down now, and Dean is sticking out like a sore thumb.
Laurie
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-09 05:38 am (UTC)I love having Castiel as human with a little bit of angel still in him, because there's so much that can be done with that, including a lot I haven't been able to fit in this fic.
Bobby is always awesome and I really want him to be a father figure to Cas like he is to the Winchesters.
I've been through many thrift stores too, but you can probably tell.
With Dean, I really see him as being out of place at Lisa's and having to adjust to his new life almost as much as Castiel is having to adjust to being human.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-08 06:24 pm (UTC)Thank you for sharing !
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-09 04:29 am (UTC)