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daylight_darknightTitle: Practically Human 14/19
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: ~19,000 in 19 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 14
The upstairs had become Castiel’s refuge over the past two weeks. It was his way of escaping from Bobby and the constant watchful gaze directed at him as if he might break again at any moment. Unfortunately, the upper floor was not completely safe. Bobby was very good at making himself heard and his voice could carry to the furthest corners of the house and even, as Castiel found out on the few occasions he’d dared sneak out there, up to the roof.
The old hunter still insisted on making Castiel get out of bed each morning and eat every meal even when Castiel found both undesirable. The feelings of entrapment and unease in his human skin still plagued him and he often felt the compulsion to grab another one of Bobby’s whiskey bottles and consume the entire thing, but Bobby had begun keeping them in a locked cabinet, the pain medication too for some reason.
Castiel found himself with little time to linger on his feelings though. Besides working on several projects in the salvage yard, Bobby also had Castiel translating ancient texts having realized the advantages of having on hand someone who understood every human language ever spoken. The result being Castiel was quickly learning the mechanics behind automobiles while Bobby was slowly adding to the multitude of languages he already knew. The tasks kept Castiel busy but he found them unsatisfying and he continued to switch between a disconsolate lethargy and a restless need to escape.
However that afternoon after not hearing from Bobby for several hours, he felt compelled to leave his refuge and slowly made his way downstairs in search of him. A quick scan of the main floor revealed it was empty, but voices could be heard coming from outside and Castiel realized Bobby must be dealing with a customer. Customers did come to use the salvage yard, but fairly infrequently. Most just helped themselves to what they needed and dropped the cash off with Bobby.
Exiting the house, Castiel found Bobby a little ways off next to an old rust covered sedan and talking to a middle aged woman with greying brown hair. She wore jeans and a white blouse and had a warm, friendly smile on her face.
She was also a demon.
“Bobby!” he yelled in warning as he ran towards him realizing the hunter couldn’t see the evilness of the demon oozing out of the poor possessed woman like he could.
Bobby turned in his direction confused by his alarm. The demon however swung around with a snarl of frustration which soon became a wicked smile as she gazed at him.
Seeing her look, it didn’t take long for Bobby to catch on. “Christo!” he shouted as his instincts kicked in.
The woman’s eyes flashed black revealing what Castiel had seen all along. Bobby tried to back away but he was already too close to her and had little room to manoeuvre. Leaping forward, the demon attempted to grab him, but by that time Castiel had already made it to them and he tackled the demon bringing them both to the ground. The pair rolled along the dusty gravel each fighting to gain dominance, Castiel struggling in desperation as he realized that the demon was stronger than he was. The demon was barely fazed by the blows the former angel delivered, but a hit to the head sent Castiel reeling and he faltered giving the demon the upper hand.
Fortunately, at that moment, they were both hit by a large wave of water, holy water as was immediately made evident from the reaction of the demon that cried and withered as it steamed. Castiel was able to roll out of the way while above him he heard Bobby’s gruff voice reciting a Latin exorcism. The woman’s mouth soon opened in an inhuman scream as black smoke poured forth, the demon heading on its long journey back to hell.
“Damn, I must be getting soft,” said Bobby as he gazed down at the woman, empty bucket still in his hands. “I didn’t even think to check her. Thank goodness, I keep plenty of holy water around.”
Still feeling the blow he’d received, Castiel pushed himself up to his knees and gave his head a shake letting off a spray of water. He was drenched from the waist up. “You’re aim could use some work.”
“Right. Next time, I’ll wait until the demon’s done with you and moved out of the way before I try to throw holy water at it.”
Castiel glowered in response.
“Anyway…,” Bobby continued clearing his throat. “Thanks, Feathers. I owe you one.”
Shrugging absently, the former angel unsteadily stood up wiping away the water that was dripping down his forehead. Glancing at the unfortunate woman on the ground, he noticed she was still alive. She was unconscious, but he could see her slow breathing and the fragile, gossamer strands of her soul glowing now that they were pure once more. She was free.
“You know you’ve got pretty good reflexes even without your mojo and being able to see demons would come in pretty useful,” Bobby commented a thoughtful expression on his face.
Castiel tilted his head and frowned at him. “What are you saying?”
“Ever considered being a hunter?”
******
“So, Bobby’s going to teach you to be a hunter?” Dean said over the phone that night.
“Yes,” Castiel replied. The decision had been made fairly swiftly. Though he still had doubts about his ability to do much good in his current diminished state, there was something about being a hunter that felt right. He had a mission again, a purpose.
“Huh.” Dean’s tone seemed slightly hesitant. “I guess that makes sense.”
Castiel felt surprised by Dean’s lack of enthusiasm for the plan. “You think it’s a bad idea?”
“No. I think you’ll be a great hunter. After all, you have the greatest hunter in the world to use as an example,” Dean declared and Castiel could hear the smirk in his voice.
“Yes, working with Bobby will be quite an advantage.”
Dean gave a fake cough. “I meant me.”
“I know,” Castiel answered unapologetically. “Bobby says I already have most of the skills and knowledge needed. I just need to learn how to do things the human way.”
“As long as that’s not the only human thing you plan on doing.”
Feeling the need to change the subject, Castiel asked, “How is your new employment going?”
A tired sigh came through the line. “It’s going. It’s just when I got the job, I thought I’d be doing more actual fixing of cars and less of the oil changes and tire rotations. Not to mention, working on minivans and hybrid SUVs isn’t exactly the same as working on the Impala.”
“It’s not what you expected?” Castiel frowned. He’d thought Dean had found his own purpose in this job.
“Not really. The boss is nice enough, nice enough to pay me under the table and not ask too many question, but he still says I need to work my way up and there’s so much ‘do this’ and ‘do that’.”
Shaking his head, the former angel found himself rolling his eyes at that comment. “You never were good at taking orders from anyone other than your father.”
“That’s true,” Dean admitted. “Really though, it’s the completely idiotic customers that I have to deal with that are driving me insane.”
“You could work somewhere else.”
Dean snorted. “Not likely. There aren’t many places that are going to hire a guy with no references and no experience. I need to stick with this place and hope it gets better even if that means being nice to jerk customers. I almost wished the dickhead I dealt with yesterday was a demon; then I could have taken care of him.” For a moment, there was an almost venomous intensity in his voice. “Do you think there might be more attacks or was the demon that attacked you acting on its own?”
“We’re unsure, but we’ve strengthened the wards on the house and extended them to include the entire property.” After they’d discreetly dropped the depossessed woman at a nearby hospital, they’d spent the rest of the day working on the wards. Considering neither Castiel nor Bobby were popular among the denizens of hell, retaliation was always possible, though if hell was truly out for revenge, it was unlikely they’d send a single demon.
“Well, it’s been quiet here, very quiet. Sometimes I wish…” Dean trailed off leaving the phone silent.
“Dean?”
“Never mind,” the former hunter said quickly and dismissively. “I should go. Got to get up and work tomorrow, remember? I’ll talk to you later.”
“Good night,” Castiel said quietly as Dean hung up.
Chapter 15
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: ~19,000 in 19 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 14
The upstairs had become Castiel’s refuge over the past two weeks. It was his way of escaping from Bobby and the constant watchful gaze directed at him as if he might break again at any moment. Unfortunately, the upper floor was not completely safe. Bobby was very good at making himself heard and his voice could carry to the furthest corners of the house and even, as Castiel found out on the few occasions he’d dared sneak out there, up to the roof.
The old hunter still insisted on making Castiel get out of bed each morning and eat every meal even when Castiel found both undesirable. The feelings of entrapment and unease in his human skin still plagued him and he often felt the compulsion to grab another one of Bobby’s whiskey bottles and consume the entire thing, but Bobby had begun keeping them in a locked cabinet, the pain medication too for some reason.
Castiel found himself with little time to linger on his feelings though. Besides working on several projects in the salvage yard, Bobby also had Castiel translating ancient texts having realized the advantages of having on hand someone who understood every human language ever spoken. The result being Castiel was quickly learning the mechanics behind automobiles while Bobby was slowly adding to the multitude of languages he already knew. The tasks kept Castiel busy but he found them unsatisfying and he continued to switch between a disconsolate lethargy and a restless need to escape.
However that afternoon after not hearing from Bobby for several hours, he felt compelled to leave his refuge and slowly made his way downstairs in search of him. A quick scan of the main floor revealed it was empty, but voices could be heard coming from outside and Castiel realized Bobby must be dealing with a customer. Customers did come to use the salvage yard, but fairly infrequently. Most just helped themselves to what they needed and dropped the cash off with Bobby.
Exiting the house, Castiel found Bobby a little ways off next to an old rust covered sedan and talking to a middle aged woman with greying brown hair. She wore jeans and a white blouse and had a warm, friendly smile on her face.
She was also a demon.
“Bobby!” he yelled in warning as he ran towards him realizing the hunter couldn’t see the evilness of the demon oozing out of the poor possessed woman like he could.
Bobby turned in his direction confused by his alarm. The demon however swung around with a snarl of frustration which soon became a wicked smile as she gazed at him.
Seeing her look, it didn’t take long for Bobby to catch on. “Christo!” he shouted as his instincts kicked in.
The woman’s eyes flashed black revealing what Castiel had seen all along. Bobby tried to back away but he was already too close to her and had little room to manoeuvre. Leaping forward, the demon attempted to grab him, but by that time Castiel had already made it to them and he tackled the demon bringing them both to the ground. The pair rolled along the dusty gravel each fighting to gain dominance, Castiel struggling in desperation as he realized that the demon was stronger than he was. The demon was barely fazed by the blows the former angel delivered, but a hit to the head sent Castiel reeling and he faltered giving the demon the upper hand.
Fortunately, at that moment, they were both hit by a large wave of water, holy water as was immediately made evident from the reaction of the demon that cried and withered as it steamed. Castiel was able to roll out of the way while above him he heard Bobby’s gruff voice reciting a Latin exorcism. The woman’s mouth soon opened in an inhuman scream as black smoke poured forth, the demon heading on its long journey back to hell.
“Damn, I must be getting soft,” said Bobby as he gazed down at the woman, empty bucket still in his hands. “I didn’t even think to check her. Thank goodness, I keep plenty of holy water around.”
Still feeling the blow he’d received, Castiel pushed himself up to his knees and gave his head a shake letting off a spray of water. He was drenched from the waist up. “You’re aim could use some work.”
“Right. Next time, I’ll wait until the demon’s done with you and moved out of the way before I try to throw holy water at it.”
Castiel glowered in response.
“Anyway…,” Bobby continued clearing his throat. “Thanks, Feathers. I owe you one.”
Shrugging absently, the former angel unsteadily stood up wiping away the water that was dripping down his forehead. Glancing at the unfortunate woman on the ground, he noticed she was still alive. She was unconscious, but he could see her slow breathing and the fragile, gossamer strands of her soul glowing now that they were pure once more. She was free.
“You know you’ve got pretty good reflexes even without your mojo and being able to see demons would come in pretty useful,” Bobby commented a thoughtful expression on his face.
Castiel tilted his head and frowned at him. “What are you saying?”
“Ever considered being a hunter?”
******
“So, Bobby’s going to teach you to be a hunter?” Dean said over the phone that night.
“Yes,” Castiel replied. The decision had been made fairly swiftly. Though he still had doubts about his ability to do much good in his current diminished state, there was something about being a hunter that felt right. He had a mission again, a purpose.
“Huh.” Dean’s tone seemed slightly hesitant. “I guess that makes sense.”
Castiel felt surprised by Dean’s lack of enthusiasm for the plan. “You think it’s a bad idea?”
“No. I think you’ll be a great hunter. After all, you have the greatest hunter in the world to use as an example,” Dean declared and Castiel could hear the smirk in his voice.
“Yes, working with Bobby will be quite an advantage.”
Dean gave a fake cough. “I meant me.”
“I know,” Castiel answered unapologetically. “Bobby says I already have most of the skills and knowledge needed. I just need to learn how to do things the human way.”
“As long as that’s not the only human thing you plan on doing.”
Feeling the need to change the subject, Castiel asked, “How is your new employment going?”
A tired sigh came through the line. “It’s going. It’s just when I got the job, I thought I’d be doing more actual fixing of cars and less of the oil changes and tire rotations. Not to mention, working on minivans and hybrid SUVs isn’t exactly the same as working on the Impala.”
“It’s not what you expected?” Castiel frowned. He’d thought Dean had found his own purpose in this job.
“Not really. The boss is nice enough, nice enough to pay me under the table and not ask too many question, but he still says I need to work my way up and there’s so much ‘do this’ and ‘do that’.”
Shaking his head, the former angel found himself rolling his eyes at that comment. “You never were good at taking orders from anyone other than your father.”
“That’s true,” Dean admitted. “Really though, it’s the completely idiotic customers that I have to deal with that are driving me insane.”
“You could work somewhere else.”
Dean snorted. “Not likely. There aren’t many places that are going to hire a guy with no references and no experience. I need to stick with this place and hope it gets better even if that means being nice to jerk customers. I almost wished the dickhead I dealt with yesterday was a demon; then I could have taken care of him.” For a moment, there was an almost venomous intensity in his voice. “Do you think there might be more attacks or was the demon that attacked you acting on its own?”
“We’re unsure, but we’ve strengthened the wards on the house and extended them to include the entire property.” After they’d discreetly dropped the depossessed woman at a nearby hospital, they’d spent the rest of the day working on the wards. Considering neither Castiel nor Bobby were popular among the denizens of hell, retaliation was always possible, though if hell was truly out for revenge, it was unlikely they’d send a single demon.
“Well, it’s been quiet here, very quiet. Sometimes I wish…” Dean trailed off leaving the phone silent.
“Dean?”
“Never mind,” the former hunter said quickly and dismissively. “I should go. Got to get up and work tomorrow, remember? I’ll talk to you later.”
“Good night,” Castiel said quietly as Dean hung up.
Chapter 15
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(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-16 09:29 pm (UTC)I wonder if Dean is remembering the Cas from The End here.
Still, It's not like Cas can get a normal job so I guess this is better than nothing.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-16 10:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-17 02:08 am (UTC)And Cas as a hunter? Makes perfect sense, honestly.
It's a good chapter. Maybe not your favorite, but it's still good.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-17 06:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-18 04:33 am (UTC)And the snappy exchange between Cas and Bobby after the woah-!action was fun. Favorite line: "Next time, I’ll wait until the demon’s done with you and moved out of the way before I try to throw holy water at it." xD
Dean and Cas should totally go hunting things, savin' people together. D: