Welcome to the Prompt Party!

[misachan]

(which is of course totally different from the pants party.:)

Internets, I have had a day. Not a bad day, really, but just a day of running around going "That thing! Where is that thing?", then finding it and ten minutes later having to go "That other thing! Where is that other thing?" And on top of that it's rainy and blargh and traffic was wretched and I have to do dishes in a bit.

And while I can't watch the premiere tonight I still want to celebrate, so here's what we're doing: prompt me.

Give me a one word (or two or three, whatever) prompt

OR

request a missing scene/coda/timestamp/what-have-you from something I've written


and I'll write you comment fic. See? Party!

(It may not happen immediately, but I promise I will answer every prompt!)

ETA: I am working on everything! *flail!* The party will go all weekend, so anyone who came late feel free to join in!

Comments

Re: Unexpected Findings (2/4)

[misachan.livejournal.com]

While Dean felt out of place, he consoled himself that at least he didn't look it as badly as Castiel did. Dean saw the some of the interns giving the weirdo wearing the suit and trenchcoat in one hundred degree heat strange looks but no one seemed want to step up and be the one to ask who the hell he was and where he'd come from. They were probably used to dealing with weirdos, for all Dean knew.

It was already almost dusk by the time the heads of the dig took a break from photographing and drawing the wings and trying to match them from anything they knew from Pueblo mythology, letting Dean and Cas finally get an up close look. Dean gave Sam all the credit in the world for that; he knew how to talk to these people and while he didn't know how Sam had explained away Cas, whatever he'd said seemed to have worked.

Dean saw Castiel's eyes go tight as he looked at the wings. "These really what they look like, Cas?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Cas had been quiet ever since he'd seen the wings, quiet even for him, and Dean fought back the worry prickling at the back of his mind. "So, who was the poor son of a bitch? Can you tell?"

Castiel nodded again. "Easily. These markings are distinctive to us. Like looking at a photograph."

Dean didn't like that tone in Cas' voice at all. "So, what? Did you know the guy?"

Castiel's lips quirked up into an expression that in no way resembled a smile. "You could say that." He brushed his fingertips along one of the black lines. "They're mine."

The canyon was too quiet. The heads of the dig were staring at them and Dean dragged Castiel back by one arm. "How the fuck that they be yours?" he said, keeping his voice low. "These things have been here a thousand years."

"I imagine I was time traveling," Castiel said, and Dean fought back the urge to shake him.

"Yeah, I figured that part out, Cas." He had a hard time tearing his gaze away from the wings, he had no idea how Castiel was managing it. "What happened?"

"They're not a chronicle, Dean."

"You're taking this pretty fucking well."

"I've been hunted for most of the past year. I've had to make peace with the idea that might not end well for me." Dean didn't know what look he had on his face, but Castiel furrowed his brow at him. "I don't know why you're so alarmed. There's no reason to believe this lies in my near future. Hundreds of years could go by before this event."

"Or this could go down tomorrow."

Castiel looked back at the wings. "That is the pessimistic view." Sam beckoned them over and Castiel tilted his head again. "We should see what he wants."

"You go. I'll catch up with you."

Cas gave him another look but didn't argue. When he was at a safe distance away Dean stepped forward and took a good, hard look at the wings. They were closer to being lined up with his shoulders than Castiel's, and he had to boost himself on his toes to get that extra inch or so to make it just right. Cas was a couple inches shorter than him. The only way the wings would burn in at this height would be if someone tall had held him up off the ground. By the collar, Dean thought to himself, even though he knew by the throat was more likely.

There was a slight indentation in the rock that Dean traced with one fingertip. He told himself there was no way the rock would still hold a sword mark after how many thousands of years. Then he kept telling himself that the indentation being right over where Cas' heart would be was just a coincidence.

Re: Unexpected Findings (3/4)

[misachan.livejournal.com]

Dean couldn't see who Castiel was fighting - all he could tell that Cas was losing. A blow to the side of the head sent him reeling back, blood flowing down from his temple; before he could steady himself Dean saw whoever it was reach out and haul him off his feet, slamming him hard against the rock wall. There was a resigned look in Cas' eyes that twisted Dean into knots. "Cas, don't you give up, it's not over yet," Dean said but Castiel couldn't hear him, Dean wasn't even really there and it was too late anyway. The attacker's sword gleamed in the moonlight for just a second before Dean watched it plunge into Castiel's heart. The soft cry of pain loud in the silent canyon.

Dean felt his own heart almost stop when he saw fear flood Cas' eyes as the light began to build. Like he'd realized too late that maybe he wasn't prepared for this after all.

He woke with Castiel's final scream echoing in his ears; before he was even fully conscious he fumbled his phone out of his pocket and hit send on Castiel's number. He almost passed out with relief when he heard Cas' voice on the other line. "Dean? Is something wrong?"

"I...no, Cas, it's cool." There was no way he was going to admit out loud I had a nightmare that you died and freaked out. "Must've hit the wrong number." He couldn't hear Castiel's response over the sudden burst of static. "Where the hell are you? Your signal's crap."

"I felt the need to clear my head."

Dean was about to ask again where he was before realizing there was really only one place he could be. "I'm on my way."

***

The trip took longer than Dean had expected; some of the access roads were closed at night and Dean wound up having hike his way down and sneak past site security. He finally found Cas sitting against the wall, staring up at the wings. "Hey," he said. "Thought you might have taken off by now."

Castiel just frowned at him. "You said you were coming."

Dean shook his head and made his way over, kicking a discarded candy wrapper out of his way. "Fucking interns." He eased himself down next to Castiel. "Hanging out at your own grave is morbid, Cas."

"I believe you would know."

Dean grinned. "Yeah, maybe. Both the fake one and the real one. Couldn't resist." He glanced over at Cas. "You okay?"

Castiel let out a long sigh, still staring up at the wings. "I suppose I'm not as sanguine about this as I'd pretended."

"Look at this way," Dean said, and Castiel looked at him. "It's easy to avoid now. Just don't jump back that far in time it won't happen."

Castiel shook his head. "You don't understand." He looked back up at the spread of wings. "This only means that I traveled back knowing it would be my death."

Dean pushed aside how his stomach went cold hearing that. "Why the hell would you do that?"

Castiel's eyes cut back toward him. "I've done it before."

Re: Unexpected Findings (4/4)

[misachan.livejournal.com]

"Jesus, Cas." Dean rubbed his hands over his face. "Just don't do it. It's easy."

"Whatever the reason, it must have been very important." He let out another long breath. "Is this what it feels like to be human, Dean?"

"I don't get you."

"Humans go through life knowing eventually it will end. It's different for us." He wrapped his arms around his knees, his expression thoughtful. "How do you do this every day?"

"It doesn't have to happen, Cas."

"It already has happened."

Dean shook his head. The urge to shake Castiel until he started making sense was back and this time Dean wasn't sure he could resist it. "Take me with you," Dean blurted out. When Castiel sent him a questioning look Dean continued, "If you have to be stupid enough to do this, I want to go with you."

"The need might not arise for hundreds of years, Dean."

Dean shrugged. "So? You're already time traveling. Make a stop on the way."

"No." He said it like Dean had been joking. "That would strand you thousands of years in the past."

"Or we'll stop the son of a bitch together."

Castiel looked like he was about to lose his patience. "It's happened. We can't change that."

"Who says?"

"It's literally carved in stone."

"So that means you don't even try to change it?"

Castiel curled in on himself tighter, staring up at the wings. "The past can't be changed. You know that." Dean was so angry he couldn't even argue anymore; he wanted to storm off and leave Castiel there to brood but stayed anyway. Dean thought maybe it was the dream that held him there, sitting next to Castiel for long, silent minutes.

If so, he was glad it did. "I don't want to die, Dean," Castiel whispered, his eyes wide blue circles.

When he looked over Dean saw that same fear from the dream. He knew in another second Castiel would blink and that fear would be gone, smoothed away under the usual angelic calm, as if that mask had never cracked. But it was there now. Dean pulled him over by his tie and kissed him hard, not even knowing why. Maybe that was the dream too. Dean just didn't ever want to see Castiel's eyes look like that.

After that first split second of surprise Dean felt Cas hitch in a breath and push him against the cliff wall. "You don't wanna die?" Dean said when Castiel finally let him up for air, speaking right up against his lips. "Then you grab me and we make it not happen. I do shit all the time that's not supposed to be possible. You grab me and we change this. You hear me?" Castiel nodded and kissed him again; Dean wasn't sure if Cas had even heard him and really couldn't bring himself to care, opening up to the kiss and pulling Castiel as close as he could. "Get us out of here, Cas," Dean growled. Castiel nodded again and Dean heard the sound of wings.

***

The canyon was silent under clear night sky. An armadillo scuttling around the rocks was the only thing there to see a man stroll out from behind an outcropping, munching on the remains of a candy bar and tossing the crumpled up wrapper at the center of the wings. Or at least it was something that looked like a man. "Little bro, you're almost not worth the effort."

Gabriel walked over to the wings, rapping on the rock with his knuckles. Some of his best work, if he said so himself. "And we're all even up for for that whole TV thing now, so I don't wanna hear any complaining if we run into each other again." He knew the humans were going to cut the etching out of the wall in the morning, carting the section off to the university and he couldn't wait to see what they came up with. This was going to be even better than the theories about all the stone heads he'd put on that island. Not as good as the platypus, but that kind of inspiration only hits once every few millenia.

Then he disappeared too, grinning with anticipation, leaving the canyon still and quiet.

Re: Unexpected Findings (4/4)

[peachpai.livejournal.com]

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. Just...love. ♥ D/C kisses and nerd!Sam and Gabe. The Gabriel tie-in was too perfect for words.

(Also, for not knowing much about archaeology, you still got it right.)

Re: Unexpected Findings (4/4)

[serrico.livejournal.com]

Ooh, very nice! And hee, answering the question with Gabriel. *g*