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Dean Winchester's isn't really sure when the nightmares started, and at first, they're not all nightmares. Some of them are really good dreams, but as of lately, they've been pretty bad. All the dreams star the same boy, Castiel Novak, who comes from a large and religious family. Dean's never really cared for the whole creator in the sky thing, but just observing Castiel and his family in his dreams gives Dean a new respect for all of it.
Most of the dreams are just flashbacks of Castiel's life, ever since he was five. Dean isn't sure where his brain is getting all this back story from, or how it's even playing them in chronological order, but he doesn't really mind all that much. As pathetic as it sounds, Dean is actually growing fond of this imaginary boy. He likes Castiel's pretty blue eyes and dark head of hair. He finds himself jerking off often with Castiel's name on his lips, despite how silly the whole thing is. Castiel doesn't exist, so why is he getting Dean so flustered?
Dean likes everything about Castiel. The way he's always so shy around everyone. The way he tilts his head just slightly left when he's confused. The way his laughter just spills out of his mouth and becomes contagious to everyone else in the room. Dean's completely infatuated with his literal dream boy, and he doesn't know how to make it stop.
Dean hasn't told anyone about Castiel or the dreams. After all, there's no way he wants to explain that he's in love with someone who doesn't really exist. And there's not really anyone around to tell. His parents both died years prior to his twenty seventh birthday, and Sam, his brother, had moved out to California to attend college. Dean hadn't seen him since he went out, but he planned to head out in three weeks when Sam has it off for spring break.
And that's when Dean presumes that the nightmares start. It starts out completely normal, Castiel getting off work and heading out to the car. Dean can still picture the twenty four year old's slim body even through the suit he wears to work at the floral shop, though Dean doesn't understand why he wears such nice clothes.
It's about nine at night, later than Castiel usually gets off-not that Dean takes notice of that, that'd be silly-and it's dark and quiet around. Dean probably should have guessed what came next, after all, it's what happens in all the movies and the books. Castiel's just getting his keys out when the man presses himself against the other's back, a gun pressed directly under Castiel's chin. Dean can almost feel the cold barrel through the dream, and if he'd been conscious, he'd probably shiver. He knows Castiel does.
The man's voice is gruff as he tells Castiel not to scream, and another man comes over, a cloth in his hand. Castiel's too afraid to move as the second man ties the cloth around his eyes as a blindfold and they work together to propel Castiel in the direction of their car. It's not a van like in the stereotypical movies, but rather, a truck. They put Castiel in between them in the front seat, the second man now holding the gun against Castiel's side.
They don't talk as they drive, and Castiel barely moves-barely breathes. He's on the verge of trembling and crying, but the men pay no attention to him as they drive away. Dean wakes up shaking all over, feeling sick from the dream. He knows it's not real, Castiel's not real, but it doesn't feel like just a dream at all. It all felt real, and that's what really gets Dean's skin crawling. He tries to shake it off by watching some tv, but there's nothing good on and it proves to be a bad distraction.
Dean's jumpy all day, even from little things like dogs barking from outside on the streets. He tries to cheer up by thinking about all the good things about Castiel. He likes to remember the day that he opened the flower shop-Beautiful Fragrance-and how happy he looked that day. He's still the only worker, but he loves it, Dean can tell by the way his eyes always light up as he gets ready every morning.
Dean likes when Castiel moved out of his parents' home when he was nineteen and got a cat straight away to keep him company. The cat is dark black, like Castiel's hair, and named Nox. Dean's never seen a cat been more affectionate before, but he assumes it's just because Castiel is very cuddly himself. Dean can't deny how much he wants to pull Castiel into his arms and just hold onto him forever.
But, of course, it's impossible to do so. Castiel isn't any more real than a book character. He tries to keep that in mind for the rest of the day.
~~
Dean's afraid to go to sleep that night, but he knows he needs to be well rested for work at the shop the next day. So he drifts off with the fear of what he may see that night.
The nightmare continues almost exactly where he left off, only they're no longer driving, but rather, parked in front of a crappy looking house. Paint is peeling off, and in the dark, Dean can tell that the house used to be blue. There's broken windows all over, and barely any sign that anyone lives there. The man with the gun pulls Castiel out of the car rather roughly as the other man drives off to hide the car. Dean doesn't know how he knows that, but he just does.
The man pushes the gun into Castiel's back and Castiel's body goes still. No one has said anything since Castiel was blindfolded, but it's obvious that the blue eyed boy has been kidnapped. The man brings Castiel inside and to the bathroom. Dean's confused on why until he feels sick at the thought that Castiel was about to be murdered in the bathtub. However, the man opens the closet door, kneels, and lifts a tile from the floor, revealing a hole leading below the house.
He gives Castiel a prod forward and tells him that he's about to drop into a hole and that he needs to bend his knees before he hits the ground. And then he's being pushed down the hole, landing in a heap at the bottom. He scurries out of the way so the man can jump down after him, and then he's back at Castiel's side, the gun returning to his side. There's a lantern on down there, shining light weakly around the room. There's not a whole lot down there, just some weapons scattered around, and a mattress in the corner. The floor and walls are all made of crumbly rock.
The man leads Castiel to a wall and haves him sit, and only then does Dean see the thick chains hanging from the wall. Castiel is forced to put his hands above his head and the man chains him into the cuffs, removing the blindfold. Castiel's eyes are wide and frightened as he quickly assesses his surroundings, tugging lightly on the chains to see if they were sturdy. The other man comes down the hole and the two stare at Castiel for a moment before speaking in low voices to each other.
The man who'd brought Castiel down there laughed at something and knelt beside Castiel, making the blue eyed man flinch. "How old are you, sweetheart?" He asked, the laugh still hidden in his voice. Castiel didn't do or say anything, just staring with his large doe like eyes. The man pulls his arm back and slaps Castiel across the face with enough force to send him to the side, yanking on the chains. Still, he doesn't say anything as he lowers his eyes. "You a virgin?"
Castiel's cheeks turn red and both men laugh. "He is for sure, Alistair," the standing man says, grinning from ear to ear. The other man-Alistair-lets out another laugh before standing and both men make their way towards the hole. The unnamed man turns back to Castiel before he goes up, speaking it a cheerful voice. "We're going to have a lot of fun with you, darling." And then he disappears up the hole and the sound of the tile being moved back into place ends the nightmare.
Dean jerks awake when it happens, covered in a thin layer of sweat. His hands are shaking as his eyes dart over to the digital clock beside his bed. He's still got fifteen minutes before he usually gets up, but he's too shaken up to go back to sleep. He gets out and gathers his clothes for the day before stripping and jumping into the shower.
As the hot water soothes him, he thinks about the dream. Not for the first time, he wonders where his brain is getting this and why his brain insists on putting him through this torture of getting him to fall in love with an imaginary man and then have such awful things happen to him.
Dean also wonders how in the world he's able to recall every detail from the dream even hours after he wakes. He knows it's not normal because he never used to be able to do so until he started dreaming about Castiel.
His shower lasts ten minutes less than it normally does, and that's only because he doesn't feel like jerking off to the image of Castiel blowing him, as awful as it sounds. He eats quickly and gets ready before he heads off to work half an hour early. His boss, Bobby Singer, won't mind, though. He's always up at this time and They have a nice chat before Dean has to actually get to work.
Dean wonders if he should tell Bobby about the dreams, but just as he pulls into the driveway, he decides against it. This wasn't something he could just share with anyone. Bobby is already out in the yard, on the phone with one of their customers. Dean doesn't bother him, but clocks in early and looks at the schedule for the day.
Two cars need done by today and one by the end of the week. Dean heads over to where they rest, his tools already laid out. He's the only one who works for Bobby, and the older man only does the office work inside his cluttered house. It's quite lonesome, but Dean doesn't really mind. He likes to spend his time thinking about his dream boy and what it would be like to actually have Castiel real and in his arms. He spends the day just thinking about it.
~~
Sam calls before Dean goes to bed that night and confirms the date of which Dean's coming over. Just hearing Sam's voice again helps Dean relax for what's coming after he falls asleep, and by the time they hang up, he's not really worried for the nightmares at all.
It's only after the dream starts that Dean feels that fear well in his chest again. Dean doesn't know how much time has passed, but Castiel seems to be doing okay. He's got a bruise on his cheek from being slapped, and his arms have lost all color from being held above his head all this time, but other than that he seems okay. Alistair comes down the hole and over to where Castiel is, a bowl of soup in his hands.
Castiel's super hungry, so Dean knows that it hasn't been more than a few days since he last saw. Alistair kneels beside Castiel, the bowl in his hands still. "Here, sweetheart," he speaks in a kind voice, holding a spoonful of soup to Castiel's lips. Castiel takes it in quickly, thankful to have something in his empty stomach. Dean can almost feel the effects before Castiel and Dean feels sick when he realizes the man is being drugged. The bowl is empty before the effects take their hold on Castiel and his eyes glaze over as his body relaxes.
Alistair smiles and unchains Castiel, picking him up with ease. Dean's sickness only gets worse when the older man brings Castiel to the mattress and lays him down gently. Alistair's hands move over Castiel's limp and pliant body, who is in a hazy state, not really knowing what's going on. Alistair makes quick work of removing Castiel's clothes, and it's the first time that Dean has seen the man naked, and he's more beautiful than Dean ever could have imagined.
He snaps back to the scene as Alistair slides his hands down Castiel's lithe body, until they rest on his prominent hips. Dean's afraid he might throw up as Alistair slides his lower clothes off and hikes Castiel's legs over his shoulders and pushes inside quickly. Castiel winces a bit but he doesn't have any resistance in him-the drugs have already taken that away from him.
Dean tries to think of other things as the scene plays in front of him. Thinks about how Castiel looks really beautiful when he's in his shop, his pretty flowers all around him. He thinks about how nimble Castiel's fingers are when he makes pies for himself and his neighbors because that's just how Castiel is. He's so sweet that Dean wishes desperately that he could have someone like Castiel in his life.
By the time that Alistair is spent, the other man is downstairs as well, and Dean learns that his name is Crowley. Alistair pulls out of Castiel, zipping his pants back up as Crowley gets himself ready for his own turn. Dean focuses on Alistair, who's taking the bowl and the spoon from where he'd set it down, speaking to his friend, though Dean doesn't listen to them. He's too busy trying not to be sick.
To watch someone get raped not once but twice is something on its own, but watching Castiel get raped while being drugged makes Dean furious. He loses his virginity to two monsters rather than to someone who he loves. It's so unfair and it's not even a real situation.
Dean wakes shortly after that. Needless to say, he has a bad day.
~~
The nightmares continue for several more weeks as Dean prepares to go out to California. He watches every night as Crowley and Alistair beat Castiel every day and rape him almost every night-always drugging him up before they do that. Dean's a little grateful that they're at least doing that instead of without them because he knows that Castiel's can't really feel the pain it brings in his hazy state. But Castiel knows it's happening to him, but he needs the food so he always eats the soup.
The two men get creative days later, using the weapons that were strewn around the room. Crowley's favorite is a dull knife, and he likes to run the dull tip over Castiel's sides until he reaches a dip and forces the blade to slice through Castiel's skin to draw blood, despite how much pressure he has to use to break the skin.
Alistair's favorite weapon is a rusty pipe. He likes to slam it into Castiel's back and shoulders, and Dean is absolutely positive that he's broken a few ribs with the force he puts into it. Castiel doesn't talk much, just lets out little whimpers at nearly everything. The men don't do a lot of talking to him, either, unless they're in a good mood. It's then that they take their time with giving Castiel the most painful experiences they can.
By the time that Dean's leaving for California, Castiel is almost unrecognizable. His face is bloated and purple, one eye swelled shut and black. Dean knows he's got broken bones all over, especially his ribs and one of his wrists. Castiel's covered in blue and black bruises until there's hardly any clear flesh left. He's got cuts all over his torso and thighs, and Dean knows he's not going to be able to survive a whole lot more of this.
Dean's never been more worried for someone who doesn't exist, but Castiel has managed to make Dean more stressed than he's ever been in his life. And to make it worse, Dean can still see the image of Castiel sitting there in his thick cuffs, sitting in a pool of his blood that never seems to dry. It's there every time Dean closes his eyes.
Despite the nightmares, Dean still heads out to California, driving because he would never ride an airplane to anywhere. He arrives at Sam's apartment three days after he sets out, and Sam is delighted to see him. They spend the whole day catching up everything, but Dean leaves Castiel out of the conversation altogether.
Sam tells him about how well things are going at school, and about his new girlfriend, Jess. It helps Dean forget about the nightmares he faces every night, and before he knows it, he's laughing and smiling again and he has no trouble staying relaxed. He and Sam talk for hours before Sam suggests going out for dinner. Dean easily agrees when Sam mentions that Catherine's Corner has the best pie he's ever eaten before.
The ride there goes smoothly, and the food is the best thing Dean has eaten in a long time-especially the pie he ordered for dessert. It's only after they're both done eating that they decide to take a walk around the town to let Dean get to know California a little better. Two minutes after walking, Dean starts to get a funny feeling in his stomach, though he's not sure why.
However, just moments later, he sees it. The lights in the building are all off and the closed sign hangs in the window, but Dean can clearly see the pink letters painted above the door. Beautiful Fragrance. Every muscle freezes in Dean's body, and he can't tear his eyes away from the store. There was no way-it had to be impossible. After all, Castiel isn't real.
Sam asks him what's wrong, but Dean doesn't even hear as he tears across the street, not minding traffic. Luckily he doesn't get hit. Dean peers through the window, and his heart pounds in his chest. There's the flowers that Castiel had just set up before he had been kidnapped, though all the pretty flowers were wilted and dead now. Every detail is exactly the same as that awful night when Dean's nightmares started, and he has no idea how this is happening. Castiel wasn't real, no matter how much Dean wished he could be.
Sam comes over to Dean and puts a hand on his brother's shoulder. Dean looks up, looking more confused than Sam had ever seen him. "Who owns this shop?" Dean asks, his voice barely a whisper.
"I don't really know his name, but, uh, he's been missing for almost a month now. Why does it matter?"
Dean doesn't say anything more to his confused brother before dashing down the street and slipping into the empty phone booth. He grabs the yellow pages phone book and flips furiously through the pages until he reaches the N's.
His eyes scan down the list until they fall on several Novaks-Jimmy, Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. Dean recognizes the names easily, as they were Castiel's brothers and father. So Dean tore out the page before stepping out of the booth. "We have to go to this house," Dean insists as he points to Jimmy's name.
Sam runs a hand through his hair, looking over the address. "Dean, what's this all about? I don't understand what's going on. Why do we have to go here?"
"Because… I don't know! We just-" Dean tugs at his own hair, feeling so confused and frustrated. "Please, we just need to
go here because I don't have a good reason. Just a feeling."
Sam looks hesitant as he glances at the paper again before nodding. "Alright, fine, come on." Dean nods as well and the two boys head back to Sam's car, Dean impatiently looking over the paper. He briefly wonders why Castiel isn't listed in the book but then remembered that Castiel liked to have a cell phone rather than a home phone because he used it more and why would he want to pay for both?
Jimmy's house looks so familiar to Dean and it takes him a moment to realize that it's because he watched Castiel grow up here in his dreams. Everything around him seems so crazy and impossible, but he knows something serious is going on here.
Without waiting for Sam, Dean jumps out of the car and hurries up the sidewalk, ringing the doorbell and then nervously knocking on the door because he's not sure if the doorbell is actually ringing. Sam comes over just as a man opens the door, a frown etched onto his face. Dean's speechless for a moment as he takes in the sight of Castiel's father, much older looking since he was last in Dean's dream. "Can I help you boys?" He asks, voice sounding choked as if he'd been crying recently.
Dean hasn't a clue what to say, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. He can't believe what's going on at the moment-what he's seeing in front of him. It meant something huge. Castiel was real. And he was being beaten and raped by two monsters. Not only that, but Dean was the only one who knew where he was.
Before he can stop himself, Dean blurts. "Castiel's alive." Jimmy's features soften for a moment before he hardens again, though there's the ghost of pain in his eyes.
"Is this some kind of joke?" He accuses, taking a step back and trying to shut the door. "Please, go away." Dean sticks his foot in the door before it can shut, just as Gabriel comes out from another room, asking his father who was there.
The door opens just slightly when Jimmy sees that Dean isn't going to go away anytime soon. "Gabriel," Dean greets, to the other man's surprise. "I'm Dean Winchester, and this is my brother, Sam. May I please come in? I have to talk to you guys." Both the men look hesitant, but a small 'please' from Dean convinces them to open the door all the way and let the two brothers inside.
Dean knows the house by heart and leads Sam into the living room, where he's surprised to find Michael sitting on the couch, staring at the blank tv. He looks up, though, when Dean and Sam come in, looking confused. Dean sits on the smaller couch that Jimmy must have gotten after Castiel moved out of the house, and Jimmy and Gabriel sit beside Michael. "Michael, this is Dean and Sam. They say they have to tell us something."
"Just me, actually," Dean speaks up, suddenly feeling very nervous. "It's about Cas-tiel." His cheeks burn red at his catch of almost calling Castiel just Cas. Michael's jaw tenses, Gabriel's hands ball into fists, and Jimmy's eyes turn sadder at Dean's words.
"W-What about Cassie?" Gabriel asks in a shaky voice, hands still clenched, though Dean can see them visibly shaking.
Dean takes a moment before he starts his story. "I know this is going to sound crazy. Believe me, I thought it was crazy, too, but you guys are real and it's still blowing my mind." The Novak family looked at him in confusion, and Dean looked down at his hands nervously. "Alright, just hear me out, okay? I'm not crazy, I swear."
After that, Dean launched into his story about how he'd been dreaming about Castiel and his life-including dreaming about the other men in his family. Dean watches Jimmy's face go from confused to complete devastation when Dean talks about Castiel's current state, until the man bursts into tears and covers his face. Dean stops talking after that as Michael wraps his arms around his father.
Michael glares at Dean with rage and shouts at him to leave and never come back, accusing him of playing a cruel joke on them. Dean tries to reason with him, but Michael just threatens to call the cops. Sam puts a hand on Dean's shoulder and Dean gives up, allowing Sam to apologize for him and lead him out of the house and back to the car.
Dean's head is swimming as he sits in the passenger seat, staring at Jimmy's house and wondering how it all went so wrong so fast. He had been hoping that they would believe him-that they would try and help him find Castiel. Dean still can't believe that Castiel is real. This man that he'd practically fallen in love with was real and alive and oh god, he was kidnapped. Dean's been watching a real, alive human being beaten every day and raped almost every night.
Sam buckles up and then looks at Dean, not bothering to turn on the car. "Dean, what the hell was that all about?" He demands, the confusion and anger on his face as he watches his brother. "Why would you go in there and say those things to that poor family? Do you have any idea what they've been through? They've lost someone very dear to them, who, for all they know, could be dead!"
"He's not dead," Dean speaks, interrupting Sam. "He's still alive, but not for long. Sammy, I need your help."
"Dean, no, just stop," Sam runs a hand through his hair. "These dreams are a bunch of nonsense. It's just not possible. Those people in there are going through a lot and showing up and telling them all this… this crap is not helping!" Dean said nothing as he looked at the house, almost feeling betrayed that his own brother wouldn't believe him. "You need to get this out of your head, Dean. You've done enough damage already."
Dean continued to keep quiet as he looked out the window, causing Sam to sigh and start the car. On the way back to Sam's house, they didn't speak a word to one another.
~~
Dean has another nightmare about Castiel that night. He doesn't know how much time has passed since he last saw Castiel, but he's only getting worse. Alistair starts off the dream by taking Castiel out of the chains. He doesn't even need the drugs to keep the fight out of Castiel because the blue eyed man is already too weak to fight back. He drags Castiel over to the mattress and Dean tries to wake himself up before having to watch Castiel get raped again, but he can't.
And Alistair doesn't rape Castiel that night. Instead, he removes Castiel's clothes and picks up a knife. Castiel lets out a little whimper and tries to push Alistair away, but the older man easily holds him down. "Struggling will only get you more scars, beautiful," the man whispers as he caresses Castiel's bruised and swollen face. Castiel winces and closes his eyes until Alistair removes his hand. "Come on, sweetheart, don't act like that. You know how much I love playing with you."
Castiel doesn't say anything as Alistair runs the blade of the knife over Castiel's abused skin. Dean can nearly feel the cold of the metal in the dream, and it makes him shiver. Alistair brings the knife to Castiel's throat, letting the tip rest in the dip of Castiel's neck for a moment before he brought it down to Castiel's collarbone, pressing hard enough to break the skin and draw blood, but not hard enough for there to be a lot of pain.
Dean, however, can still see Castiel flinch, to which Alistair laughs darkly. "You know, red looks beautiful on you, darling," he speaks as he smears Castiel's blood with his thumb. Castiel keeps quiet even as the man brings his thumb to his lips and licks Castiel's blood off. It makes Dean feel sick as the man lets out an exaggerated moan, grinning. "Tastes even better."
The knife's tip presses right under one of Castiel's ribs, which have become clearly visible with his only soup diet. Alistair lets it just sit there for a while before gradually applying pressure, the blade sinking into Castiel's flesh slowly, the blue eyed man letting out a cry at the pain it brought with. It was now that Dean wished Castiel was drugged. It would at least take away some of the pain.
Alistair smiles when Castiel starts to writhe in pain, then pulls out the knife, watching with fascination as the wound dribbles blood down the side of Castiel's chest. It wasn't a deep nor big wound, so Dean wasn't so concerned about it being life threatening. He did, however, become more angry and sickened as Alistair leaned down to lick at the blood spilling from Castiel.
From behind, Dean heard the familiar sound of someone coming into the basement and the situation suddenly got worse. Crowley came over to the two, a frown on his face. "You two started without me?" He feigned hurt for a moment before grinning and kneeling on the other side of Castiel's body. He took the knife from his friend and was much less gentle with the act of slicing open Castiel's skin, earning a yelp from the blue eyed man.
Castiel's close to losing consciousness as the two men take turns lapping at wounds and opening fresh ones as they satisfy their sick desires. It's not until Castiel becomes a helpless, whimpering mess that the two men decide to leave him alone for the night. They leave Castiel unchained and undressed on the bed, but they both retreat back up to the bathroom. Castiel's left naked and bleeding as darkness takes over him.
Dean wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, sweat dripping down his forehead as he shakes in bed. Sam comes into the room immediately, a bat in his hand for protection. Once he sees Dean, however, he lowers it and comes over to the bed. "What's wrong?"
Dean opens his mouth to tell Sam about his latest nightmare involving Castiel, but he remembers the incident at Jimmy's house, and how even Sam didn't believe him. He closes his mouth again and shakes his head, though he's slightly disappointed he can't confide in Sam without being ridiculed. "Nothing, don't worry about it. It was just a dream," he says as he tries smiling, but it doesn't look even remotely real and makes Sam feel worse about having yelled at his brother earlier that day. He hates that Dean can't trust him enough to tell him these things, but he knows it's his own fault.
So Sam just nods and pats Dean on the shoulder, picking up his bat again. "Try and get some more sleep. I don't want you to be grumpy all day tomorrow," he calls over his shoulder as he heads back to his own room. Dean just rolls his eyes and flops down again, putting his pillow over his head to try and sleep again. He doesn't dream about Castiel anymore that night.
~~
It's around lunch time the next day that it suddenly hits Dean. He and Sam are at another restaurant drinking their milkshakes when Dean realizes that he knows where Castiel is because Castiel is real. He doesn't know exactly where it is, but he knew he could recognize the house in a second if he were to see it. He's always known that in the back of his mind, and until now, it didn't really matter because he didn’t think that Castiel was real.
He chokes on his milkshake when he comes to this conclusion, and he knows for a fact that Castiel is still in town or just on the outskirts. He doesn't know how he knows, he just has the gut feeling. Sam is quick to pat him on the back and ask him if he's alright, but Dean just starts talking. "I know where Castiel is, Sam. Not exactly, but I know what the house looks like," he rushes out quickly while he gets up. Sam sighs softly and shakes his head.
"Dean, I already told you enough about this, okay? It's really not funny anymore."
Dean looks at Sam with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "You think I'm making this up?" Sam nodded and Dean felt his anger swell. "Okay, then how about you have continuous dreams about some man you've never seen before suddenly get kidnapped after you've grown an attachment to him and then watch him wither away each and every day by some sick monsters who get off to raping and beating an innocent man, and then you learn it's all real and you're the only one who can save him while everyone else thinks you're going insane!"
Sam looked surprised at Dean's outburst and many other customers were looking over at the commotion, too. "Dean, please, just sit down and we can talk about this rationally." His brother's words only angered Dean more and he snatched his coat from the back of his chair.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about. You don't believe me. And you know what? I don't care anymore. I'm going to find Castiel because he deserves to go home to his family. Don't count on me for dinner," he spat as he stormed out of the restaurant. He walked back to Sam's house to grab his car before he started driving all over the city to try and find the one house he was looking for.
Metallica was blasting through the speakers, but he could barely focus on it as his eyes scanned house after house, whole body tense. Each house he passed made him feel more and more helpless, wishing he had gotten to see more of the ride. Sam tried calling him several times, but Dean always declined the call, too upset with his brother for their episode earlier.
It was dark before Dean decided to go back to Sam's house, though it was reluctant. Nothing looked familiar to him and it was driving him insane. He had to find Castiel, he just had to. He was the blue eyed man's only hope.
Sam was still up when Dean got home, watching the tv. The moment that Dean entered, however, he turned it off and looked at his brother. "Dean?" He called softly, almost hesitantly. Dean didn't answer, just toed off his boots and hung up his jacket as he went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. Sam sighed and came into the kitchen. "Dean, look, I'm sorry."
Dean still continued to ignore his brother as he took out some cereal and milk, eating it without even looking at the taller man. "I didn't meant for it to end up like that. I just want you to understand that you're wrong. It's impossible to be having dreams about someone's life that you don't even know." Dean clenches his jaw as he eats the cereal, the image of Castiel's falling unconscious while being naked and bleeding fresh in his mind. That, he knew, was real. Castiel was real. And how this was all happening, he didn't know, but he knew it was all real.
"Dean, come on, say something. Please," Sam begged, leaning his hands against the chair. Dean looked up at his brother after a long pause and sighed.
"I'm going back out early tomorrow to keep looking for him," he spoke, taking another bite of his cereal. Sam let out a frustrated sigh and turned and left the room. Dean dumped the rest of the cereal the moment Sam left and locked himself in his room. He didn't dream of Castiel that night.
~~
Dean was gone before Sam even got up. Normally he'd leave a note, but today he didn't even think about doing so, knowing that Sam knew where he was going and what he was up to. He skipped breakfast in order to start searching, this time taking off from Castiel's store and going as far as he remembered before he tried to find different ways to secluded locations where the house could be.
He went back to the shop several times when he got too far out of city limits and the feeling that he was close starting to fade. It was dark before he knew it and he still hadn't found the missing man. He went back to Sam's house, and the two brothers continued to ignore one another. Not a word was spoken between the two all day.
The moment that Dean closed his eyes that night, he was asleep. His nightmares continued that night, and for some reason, Dean had the feeling that he was completely caught up, and that what he was witnessing now was really happening. Alistair already had Castiel naked and on the mattress, hovering over him as he kissed Castiel. Castiel wasn't fighting back, but he wasn't engaging in it, either, just letting it happen.
Alistair's hands were all over Castiel's body, smoothing over the rough expanses of his skin. His hand traveled lower, as if he expected Castiel to become aroused with his touching, but he did not. Instead, his eyes closed and he tried to fight the urge to be sick. Alistair didn't seem to mind, though, as he spread Castiel's legs and slid in between the blue eyed man's thighs. Slowly, his pants came down, and then his underwear, and Castiel had only a moment to think before he was being unwillingly penetrated. Castiel struggled to shut out the pain as Alistair paid no mind to him, lost in his own pleasure.
It only lasted a few minutes and then Castiel was empty again, the sounds of a zipper being closed sounding through the quiet basement. Alistair was leaning over Castiel again after a moment, kissing the healing wound on the younger man's neck. "You're just so irresistible, you know that?" He whispered, running his tongue over the soon to be scar. "You know, you've been so good to us that I think you deserve a little treat. How about we bring some of our friends down here to have some fun with you, hmm?"
Castiel let out a whine at the thought, and Alistair laughed. "They'll have lots of fun playing with you, sweetheart," he spoke as he kissed Castiel again. He chained Castiel back up, this time leaving him completely naked. "I'll see you in the morning. I can't wait for the party." He laughed again as he left Castiel there in the dark.
~~
Dean was frantic when he woke up. Time was running out too quickly. If Dean didn't find the man before tonight, Dean knew somehow that Castiel wouldn't survive. His body was too weak to take the sexual and physical abuse that these men would offer to him. It wasn't even six in the morning, but Dean didn't care as he quickly dressed himself in new clothes. He stumbles often as he struggles to get into his pants, only growing more frustrated as he keeps working.
It doesn't take Sam long to wake up and come into the room, yawning and rubbing his eyes. When he sees Dean getting dressed, he looks confused, but Dean doesn't have time to waste. "I have to find Cas today, Sam," he explains, slipping his feet into shoes. "If I don't, he's going to end up dying." He grabbed his phone and wallet and shoves them in his pocket.
"Dean…" Sam sighs, running a hand through his hair. Dean looks too upset and impatient for him to find it in himself to argue about it and just pulls a tight smile. "Be careful, alright?" Dean just nods with a 'sure, whatever', knowing that Sam still didn't believe him about Castiel.
Dean brushed past his little brother and snatched his keys up, heading out to his car. The engine was familiar sounding, and normally he'd sit and listen to it, but today, the moment that it came to life, he was taking off down the street. His nerves were on edge, eyes searching frantically for something that he would recognize from the dreams, but he came up short. He started at the shop again and took off from there, having to circle back often, each time becoming more frantic and frustrated.
Dean didn't know what else to try-where else to go. He was so scared about losing Castiel. About not being able to bring him home alive to his family. He stopped several people on the street and described to them about the house, but no one seemed to know where it was. Dean only let out a groan when the windows were back up.
Nearly four hours after Dean set out, he had to stop and eat, his stomach almost eating itself. However, as he ate, he felt sick. He didn't even order his usual pie, but rather, choked down his meal and hit the road again, feeling more and more anxious as time wound down much too quickly. He was helplessly running out of places to look, things to do to try and find Castiel. He was terrified that he'd be too late to save the man he was falling in love with despite never knowing him in real life.
His hands shook as they took him further to the city limits, debating whether to just drive the whole boundary of the city. His hands seemed to understand that they needed to do that, and he just went with it, though he was scared he'd waste the time in doing so.
Dean's eyes are desperately searching every house, every landmark, every turn, just in case he finds something familiar. And to his luck, he does recognize something. It's just a tree, one that's got a weird bend to it and a light colored green canopy. Dean nearly sobs in relief and follows that road, constantly checking his surroundings and finding, to his relief, that he knew where he was going. He knew that he could find the house.
And suddenly, it's right there in front of him. The house looks just as it did in the dream, and Dean can't believe this is all really happening. Castiel was in that basement, wasting away. He pulls out his phone and dials Sam's number, trying to keep his hands from shaking.
"Dean?"
"Sam, call the cops. I'm going to need an ambulance, too. I found it, Sammy. The house where Cas is. I'm going in to rescue him, but I need you to call the cops. Please." He rushed out the address quickly afterwards and hung up straight away so Sam wouldn't be able to argue with him. He pocketed his phone and got out, grabbing his gun from the trunk, tucking it into his waist band.
His stomach was twisting and turning nervously, but he forced himself to be calm as he rounded the house to the back. He tried all the windows, which were all locked but one. He thanked his lucky stars and popped it open wide enough for him to slip inside.
The house was too quiet for Dean's liking, but he considered the idea that that was okay. Perhaps the men weren't here at the moment and he could just slip downstairs and get Castiel. However, as he neared the bathroom, he heard voices in the bedroom, laughing quietly and conversing in hushed voices. Dean tried to ignore it as he quietly moved the tile out of the way and jumped down the hole.
There was a quiet whimper from the other side of the room, and Dean's heart constricted painfully when he realized that it was Castiel. The basement was dark-the light from the lantern having had gone out. Dean was quick to rush over to the chained man and kneel by his side, pulling out his phone and shining the flashlight. Castiel flinched away from Dean with a weak plea of 'no, please' and it only hurt Dean more.
Ever so gently, he reached out a hand and cupped Castiel's cheeks, saddened when he felt the wetness of tears. "Shh, Castiel, you're alright. I'm not going to hurt you, I swear," Dean whispered, trying to sound as sincere and friendly as he could. Castiel was still trembling under Dean's hand, but it was a great deal less than what Dean was expecting.
"W-Who are you?" Castiel choked out, filling Dean with warmth. It had been so long since he'd heard Castiel's voice, and he had missed it a lot.
"My name is Dean Winchester," He spoke, his thumb gently caressing Castiel's swollen cheek. "The police are on their way, and an ambulance, too, okay? They're going to get you out of here, I promise." He ached to tell Castiel about his dreams, and wanted so badly to be able to hold Castiel in his arms. To caress his body and nurse him back to health. But he knew he wasn't allowed to, and that Castiel would be very uncomfortable around him if he did that.
"How d-did you find me?" He whimpered, his voice weak and defeated. Dean hates how it sounds, and smiles sadly at the younger man.
"I'll tell you some other time, okay? Right now we have to get you out of here." Dean's hands are warm and gentle against Castiel's skin, running up his numb arms to the cuffs holding his wrists in place. He inspects the cuffs with the light from his phone before deciding that he couldn't get them off without having the key. He went over to the mattress and picked up Castiel's clothes, coming back over to the man. "Here, let's get your clothes back on."
Castiel is too weak and tired to answer, just letting Dean carefully help him into his boxers and pants. The shirt, however, would not go on until his arms could come down.
Just as Dean is doing the button of Castiel's jeans, he hears it. There's footsteps approaching the bathroom. Below him, Castiel lets out a frightened whimper and Dean pulls out his gun. "Don't worry, Cas, I won't let them hurt you," Dean promises as he cocks his gun. He hears Alistair's shout of alarm when he sees the tile moved away and then another set of footsteps come running down to the bathroom. Dean moves to squat protectively in front of Castiel, who's shaking with fear.
Alistair comes down first with a flashlight. Something shiny catches Dean's eye, and he realizes with horror that it's a knife. Crowley is down a moment later, a knife in his hand as well. Both beams of the flashlights land on Dean, who can't even make out the dark shapes of the other two men. Dean has never been more afraid in his life.
The beams of light move as the two men do and Dean freaks out when he realizes that they are running towards him. He jumps to his feet, using the flashlight on his phone to seek out the two figures. He managed to duck just in time as Alistair swung his blade at him, and landed a hard punch in the man's side. Alistair doubled over and Dean took a swing at Crowley. His hand was caught and a solid object collided with his face. As Dean stumbled back, he realized that it was Crowley's fist.
Suddenly, his feet were knocked out from under him and he hit the ground hard with his shoulder. He let out a cry of pain before he was kicked in the stomach and the back simultaneously. Alistair leaned down and gripped Dean's jaw painfully tight and Crowley shined the flashlight in his eyes. "Boy, you picked the wrong fight to get into," Alistair hissed as he slammed his fist into Dean's cheek, sending the green eyed man tumbling to the side.
Dean's body ached from the abuse he was suffering as Alistair grabbed Dean again, this time it was both of his arms. He held Dean against his body as Crowley moved in front of Dean. There was a blade placed at his throat and Dean's mind briefly flickered to when they had cut Castiel. "Who are you?" Crowley spat, letting the tip of the blade poke against Dean's skin.
Dean stubbornly kept quiet and Crowley punched him again. Dean felt blood pool in his mouth but he didn't say anything, repeating to himself that Castiel had survived so much more than this. Alistair gripped his hair and twisted his head at a painful angle. "You answer him," Alistair commanded, pushing just a bit further to have Dean cry out in pain.
"You're going to jail," Dean laughed despite the blood dribbling down his chin and the pain pulsing from his neck. "You're going to jail for raping Cas and beating him like the monsters you are!" Crowley snarled and slammed his fist into Dean's gut, causing the younger man to gasp for air.
Dean's body had never taken anything like this before. He couldn't possibly understand how Castiel could have endured this torment and so much more and worse things. Crowley was just rearing his arm back for another hit when all four of the men heard the sound of sirens wailing in the distance, quickly getting closer.
Dean let out a laugh. "I told you," he said, grinning. "You're going to jail, you monsters." Crowley punched Dean again before Alistair shoved him to the side. The two men got up and made a quick run for the hole, helping one another out. Dean let out a groan before picking himself up and going over to Castiel, who was crying.
"Hey," Dean whispered, careful not to touch him and hurt him. "Are you alright?" Castiel nodded weakly and Dean smiled despite the blood and the ache in his jaw. "Good. Just hang in there, okay? The police-they're coming to rescue you."
Castiel let out a relieved sob, face crumbling. "H-How is my f-family?" He whimpered, eyes hopeful as he looked at Dean.
"They hate me, but they're alright," Dean spoke, laughing softly. "They kicked me out of the house when I tried to tell them you were still alive. They're sad, but they're okay. They'll be happy to see you again." Castiel let out a relieved sigh just as they heard the sound of the front door being smashed in. Castiel flinched and Dean got up to go to the hole. "I'll be back, okay? I swear I'll come back."
Then he climbed out of the hole and went to find the police. They had both Alistair and Crowley against the wall and were taking way all of their weapons. The moment that Dean entered the room, a gun was aimed at his chest and he was quick to throw his hands into the air.
"Don't shoot, please," he spoke, slowly lowering his hands to put his gun onto the ground so that he wouldn't be mistaken for a bad guy. "I'm just trying to help the guy chained up downstairs. His name is Castiel Novak and he's in need of some keys that one of these gentlemen have in order to uncuff himself from the wall."
The men looked at Dean skeptically before retrieving the keys from Alistair's pocket. "Alright, buddy, take us to Castiel," the man with the keys said. Dean quickly led him to the bathroom and then down the hole, going back over to where Castiel hadn't moved. The police man fiddled with the key for a moment before sticking it into the keyhole and unlatching the cuffs. Dean held Castiel's arms up while he did so and then very slowly lowered them so they wouldn't hurt Castiel by just falling down.
"Is the ambulance here yet?" Dean asked as he slowly let go of the other man's arms. The police officer nodded and Dean leaned down. "I'm going to pick you up. Is that alright?" He asked Castiel softly, to which he replied to with a yes. So Dean carefully picked Castiel up in his arms, nearly wincing at how light the man was. He had absolutely no trouble.
Dean carried the mostly limp Castiel to the hole and handed him off gently to climb up and then take Castiel again. Alistair and Crowley were both in the process of getting arrested when Castiel and Dean walked by. They sneered at Dean but Castiel didn't even look at them. Dean carried him out to the ambulance, where the paramedics were already waiting. They sprang to life when they saw Castiel and the blue eyed man was taken from his grasp almost immediately.
"Dean!" The man in question turned to see his brother coming towards him. Dean gave a half smile, too tired to do much more. "Thank god you're alright," he breathed as he stopped in front of Dean. "I was so worried. I guess you were right. About Castiel."
"Of course I was. Why would I make something like this up?" Dean asked somewhat coldly. He was still upset that Sam hadn't trusted him. He'd expected him to believe him about anything, and he hadn't on something that was this important. Sam shifted almost uncomfortably in front of Dean and didn't say anything more. "Now, I have to go to the hospital and make sure Cas ends up okay. Will you swing by his family and tell them the news?"
Dean stepped away before Sam could even answer, heading towards his car. As he slid in, his eyes glanced back to the ambulance, which was loading up to leave. He still found it hard to believe that all of this was real. He let out a sigh before throwing the car in reverse and backing out to go to the hospital.