Snuggles

[buckynats]

snuggle with someonespecial

What better time than these cool, crisp mornings or rapidly lengthening nights to jump right under a warm blanket with that irreplaceable person in your life? Even if you're not sleeping together - heck, even if you've not been straight with your feelings and you're not officially an "item" - there's nothing wrong with cuddling up. Grab a book, get some hot cocoa, turn on the TV (if you're in an era where the tube's available), or just enjoy each other's presence on the couch or in the bed.

• Comment with your character, preference, etc.
• This is a gen or shipping meme, not a smut meme, but if you want interactions to turn to something more, I can't stop you.
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[singlemantear]

[Dean sleeps like the dead, black and silent and void of anything. He wakes with a start hours later. He doesn't know how long. He stirs and feels he's not alone. His arm aches. He can sense Cas. The Mark isn't a fan of heaven.

He blinks his eyes open and has a moment of panic where he's not sure if they're still black or not. When he's pretty sure they aren't, he turns to look at Cas where he's sat on the edge of the bed.]

You been here all night?

[heraldingangel]

[ His breathing picks up and his heartbeat rises in tempo, signs that he's waking up, but he doesn't disappear, doesn't even think to do so. He stays, pulling out of his dreams to watch him pull away from the tendrils of sleep before he realizes he's not alone.

Castiel lets him process his presence silent until he turns to him. ]

More or less. [ He says, from his perch on the edge of the bed. ] How did you sleep? [ He asks if he didn't spend the night tearing out his nightmares from root to stem. ]

[singlemantear]

[Dean runs a hand over his face. He'd remind Cas that it's creepy to watch someone sleep but they're kind of beyond that at this point. Dean's actually grateful for Cas's presence, even if he can't say so.]

Pretty good, actually. I guess being a demon tires you out.

[It's a bad joke and it churns his stomach to think about going back to that, but it's the only way he knows how to cope with stuff.]

[heraldingangel]

[ His mouth pulls into a grim line finding no humor in his words. Not when he spends every waking hour afraid of what might happen next. They didn't stop the darkness, only slowed it down. They're powerless. He's powerless to stop it. ]

You're not a demon anymore.

[ They cured him. At least, for now. ]

We won't let that happen again. [ He won't. He'll stay by his side to make sure of it. ] We'll find a way to remove the mark.

[singlemantear]

[He can tell Cas isn't amused.]

I know, I know. I'm just joking.

[Dean sits up and runs a hand through his hair. He knows he owes Cas and Sam for pulling him out of that dark hole. Again.]

I uh, don't know that I thanked you yet, for uh, not letting me kill my own brother. For bringing me back.

[He looks up at Cas. He means it.]

Thank you.

[heraldingangel]

[ The sentiment behind Dean's words draw a slow but firm nod from him. ]

I made the mistake of not believing in you once. I won't make that mistake again.

[ Back during the Apocalypse when they were up against a wall, nowhere to go, faced with impossible odds. He'd given up. On Dean. Sam. The world. It was only Dean's endless love for his brother that saw them through to the end. ​]

I won't leave you to face your demons alone

[singlemantear]

[Dean huffs out a laugh at Cas's choice of words.]

My demons being myself, you mean.

[He does appreciate Cas's loyalty though, that he'll stick by Dean even when he's at his lowest. Is there anything lower than being a demon? Than trying to murder your brother and your best friend for fun?

He feels sick with himself. Even if it's not entirely his fault. The Mark is his fault and therefore everything it brings with it is also his fault. He brought this on himself.

He rubs his hands over his face and through his hair again. He's awake but he still feels exhausted.]

What time is it?

[That's the one thing with living in a bunker, you never can tell what damn time it is without look at your phone or a clock and he's got neither within easy reach right now. Plus, Cas always knows what time it is in every place on earth.]

[heraldingangel]

[ That earns him an uneasy look. Having witnessed the soul he saved from Hell be corrupted by the Mark of Cain, he doesn't see the joke in that. If Sam hadn't called him for help... he doesn't want to think about what might have happened. ]

You're not a demon, Dean.

[ He immediately corrects, mouth tightly pressed together at the suggestion that he might still be. ]

We cured you. [ A pause. ] At least for now.

[ He adds, unwilling to leave out the truth. The exchange leaves him brooding on Dean's condition and barely registers the question that follows. He doesn't have to think about it and prattles off the time - sometime in the early morning. ]

Sam is still sleeping. He'll most likely check on you when he wakes up.

[singlemantear]

[Dean knows he's not a Demon right now. He knows what that feels like, which is a weird thing to know. Like it's weird to know what Hell smells like and what Purgatory sounds like. He knows what it's like to see the world through those black eyes (not black, it turns out).

He also knows with the Mark on his arm, the "cure" is temporary.]

Course he will.

[Dean's sure Sam will barely let him out of his sight or Cas's sight until the Mark is gone (if it ever is).

Speaking of, a searing pain suddenly shoots through his forearm and seemingly right between his eyes. He grunts and squeezes his eyes shut as he holds on to his arm, gritting his teeth at the onslaught of what feels like pure hate and anger.]

Fuck.

[heraldingangel]

Dean!

[ All semblance of control goes out the window the moment he clutches his arm. Fear snakes its way in, coiling around him, as he closes the distance to touch his arm. His eyes glow blue, dipping into his well of grace, and presses that power into him to counteract the stain of original sin. ]

[singlemantear]

[When Cas touches him, starts flooding him with Grace, the Mark recoils and screams inside him. It wants Dean to pull away and lash out. Dean fights it, lets Cas's Grace in until the Mark retreats and he's left gasping and trembling, he sinks back against the mattress and feels his eyes water and spill over from the intensity.]