Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Summary:

Something strange is going on in the cafe. Every customer seems to be wandering around like zombies, and there's a blonde woman disassembling an odd machine in the corner...

Maybe this holiday is going to be more memorable than Yaz thought.

Read on AO3!

@eddymango I am so, SO sorry this is so late!! There was an unfortunate (and expensive 😭) series of events that meant I had to rewrite the entire second chapter, and I just kept adding things... I really can't apologise enough. Still, I hope you enjoy it!

Grishaverse Fic Rec Masterlist

here is a list of all my Grishaverse fic recs! this list will be updated every time i add a new one :D

My favourite Kanej fics

Modern AUs

Wesper fics under 10k

my ask box is always open, so feel free to request a fic rec list if you want some things to read!

All My Fic Recs

Here's every single fic rec list I've ever done! The list will be updated every time a new list is added. (Lists with an * beside them were originally posted on one of my sideblogs.)

Destiel Masterlist (Dean Winchester and Castiel, Supernatural)

Natsby (Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, The Great Gatsby)

Johnlock (John Watson and Sherlock Holmes, BBC Sherlock)

Ineffable Husbands (Crowley and Aziraphale, Good Omens)

Professor Layton (Professor Layton Game Series)

A-Spec Across Fandoms

Cockles (Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles, Supernatural RPF)

Spideyson & Irondad Masterlist* (Peter Parker and Tony Stark (platonic!), MCU)

Grishaverse Masterlist* (The Grishaverse books and Shadow and Bone Netflix show)

Daredevil Masterlist* (Daredevil, the Netflix MCU)

Thasmin* (Thirteenth Doctor and Yasmin Khan, Doctor Who)

spoken words aren't for you (I just don't like them)

1.7k - After Cas comes back from the Empty, Dean isn't sure what to do with his feelings, so he goes online for some friendly advice.

Read on AO3.

There’s a lot of things that Dean Winchester knows. For example, he knows how to make silver bullets. He knows how to behead a vampire. He knows how to fix the Impala. One thing he doesn’t know, however, is how to deal with bringing your best friend of twelve years back from the dead after he confessed his undying love for you.

He doubts there is much advice out there for this particular situation.

He scours the internet anyway, of course, because that is what he has been doing to learn new information for the past thirty years, ever since his dad decided to stop being a dad and started expecting Dean to parent himself and Sammy.

As predicted, all the results including the phrase “back from the dead” either lead him to the websites for horror movies (which he does read, since he might as well add some things to his watchlist while he is there), or discussions about necromancy, which he can confidently say are mostly horseshit. There are plenty of articles on dealing with someone who has a crush on you, when he tries a more ambiguous search, but most of them either explain how to let people down gently or end up with the couple getting married and living out their perfect, stupid, happy ever after.

Dean isn’t really sure which option he would prefer, in this situation.

He scrolls to the bottom of one blog - advice given to a young woman whose best friend confessed he has had feelings for her for years, while hers remain strictly platonic - when he sees the button at the bottom: Want advice from your Agony Aunt? Email me with your troubles here!

Dean hovers the mouse over it, for just a moment. It’s a ridiculous idea, really. He should just go out there and talk to Cas like a man and get the awkwardness over with. But he clicks anyway, shrugging to himself. It can’t hurt anyone, right?

Dear Agony Aunt, he types, already feeling stupid. I have a problem, and I don’t know who else to ask for advice.

He nearly exits out of the email right then and there, but something in the back of his mind urges him to continue.

Best to leave the exact details out, Dean decides. My best friend of twelve years - one of my only friends, really - was recently in a situation where he thought he was going to die. On his deathbed, he made a huge speech, saying that his true happiness was loving me, and that he thought it was something he could never have. He had made peace with having unrequited feelings for me for all this time, and he never expected to get anything in return.

Luckily - and to the surprise of everyone - he managed to survive. I thought I would never have to deal with his confession, but now he lives in the same house as me and it’s awkward whenever we see each other because I don’t know what to tell him. He’s expecting a response, and I don’t have one for him.

Until he said “I love you” to me, I hadn’t even considered the possibility that we could be in a relationship. I’ve been with guys and girls before, so sexuality isn’t a problem for me, but he had always seemed a little out of touch, so I assumed it wasn’t really his thing. I don’t necessarily want to say no to him, but I’m also scared that if I say yes, then our relationship will never go back to the way it was and it could ruin us.

Dean takes a big breath, dragging a hand down his face. He sounds like a whiny bitch and he knows it - Sammy would be laughing his ass off if he could read this now - but he forces himself to finish anyway.

Any advice would be appreciated. I really don’t know what to do, and I don’t think either of us can keep trying to avoid each other for much longer.

-Dean.

Without giving himself a moment to reread it or doubt his decision, Dean sends the email, slamming his laptop shut.

“What are you doing?” Sam asks, popping his head around the kitchen door and staring at Dean suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Dean replies, a little too quickly.

Sam narrows his eyes but decides not to push. “I’m going to stay with Eileen. I’ll be back in a few days.”

Dean nods, trying to pretend that this is absolutely fine with him. “Tell her I said hi.”

After a moment of hesitation, Sam asks, “You’ll be okay, right?”

He flashes him his most convincing smile. “I’ll be fine. Have fun, Sammy. You’ve earned it.”

As Dean predicted, things get even more awkward around the bunker without Sam to act as a buffer. He spends most of his days in his bedroom, binging horror movies in his sweatpants, only leaving when he has to make food. He always makes enough for Cas and leaves it on a plate wrapped in tinfoil, just in case he needs to eat food now.

Dean hasn’t held a conversation with him for long enough since he came back to know.

A few days pass, and Dean forgets about the email entirely. He’s pretty sure those websites are a scam, and besides, his situation is weird enough to warrant being ignored.

Then one day, he is pouring his morning coffee when he receives an email notification. All it contains is a link to the Agony Aunt’s blog, and a single phrase: I hope things get better for you!

Dean clicks the link, not sure what to expect.

Dear Dean, it begins, and he can already feel his palms beginning to sweat.

I’m so sorry to hear that your friend was in an accident, but I’m glad he is okay now! I’m sure that was a very traumatic time for both of you, and it is good to hear you got through it.

“Oh lady,” Dean mutters. “You have no idea.”

Now, from what you have written, it is clear that the confession your friend made led to quite a shock. I often get messages from people who are unsure how to deal with other people’s feelings, but it is a rare occasion that they aren’t sure how to react. Usually, they ask me how to move someone to the ‘friendzone’, or how to move a friendship to a relationship. It seems to me that you have yet to decide which one of these you would like to choose.

Listen to me, Dean: I could sit here and write an essay on the pros and cons of each option, but I will never know the exact circumstances of your situation, so it will never feel right. Ultimately, the decision has to be up to you. Would you like your relationship to stay the same as it was before? You mention that your friend has never expected anything of you beforehand, so I doubt he will expect anything of you now if you choose to let him down gently. Or would you like to take the brave step and try and transform your relationship into something more? If this is the case, then you mustn't be scared of losing him. He has stayed by your side for twelve years, and has even defied death to be with you. The potential of more is always worth the risk, trust me.

All I can suggest in this case is to decide, and to decide quickly. If you continue to ignore and avoid your feelings instead of facing up to them, then you will lose him entirely - both as a friend and a potential lover.

So, Dean, what will you choose?

Yours,

Agony Aunt.

Dean stares at his phone for a very long time. The woman behind the screen has no idea exactly how many times Cas has defied death to be by his side, and how they had both saved each other. The last line rings in his head, repeating over and over like a mantra.

So, Dean, what will you choose?

“Dean?” Cas’ gravelly voice jerks him out of his thoughts. “What are you doing?”

He looks down and realises that he has poured coffee all over the counter. He’s lucky he hasn’t scalded himself. “Uh… I just got a bit distracted, I guess.”

“Oh,” Cas answers, hovering awkwardly in the doorway. “Thank you for all the meals you have been leaving.”

Dean spaces out for a minute, forgetting that he had done that entirely. “No worries, dude,” he manages to answer, the question still bouncing around his head like the DVD logo on a TV screen. So, Dean, what will you choose?

She’s right, he thinks suddenly. She is utterly and completely right. He needs to make a decision.

“I choose you,” Dean declares, not realising he has said it out loud until it is too late.

“Pardon?” Cas asks politely, squinting at him.

“I, uh - sorry, that was a shit way of phrasing it, I sound like I’m playing Pokemon.” He lets out a nervous laugh, his brain screaming at him to say something. This is his last moment to back out. If he wanted, he could brush it off as a weird comment and retreat back to his room, leaving his problems for Future Dean.

“What you said,” he says instead, stumbling over his words. “Before you died, I mean. I guess I had to think about it for a bit because I’m pretty fucked up and my brain sorta short-circuited, and I was so focused on getting you back that I never really stopped to think-”

He cuts himself off, taking a deep breath in. “What I mean to say,” he states slowly, lifting his head up to look Cas in the eye. “Is that I’m an idiot. But I’m an idiot who loves you, so…”

Cas’ entire body seems to melt under the statement. “Really?” he asks, as if Dean would be cruel enough to mess with his feelings like that. “I thought you hated me. You’ve been ignoring me ever since I came back, so I assumed-”

Dean crosses the room in three easy strides, pulling Cas into a tight hug. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, pulling him close. “I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’ll probably fuck things up along the way… but I love you man, I think I have for a long, long time.”

Hypothermia

i love a bit of hurt/comfort, and while this trope is very specific... well, it does help me feel a bit warmer after a cold January day :)

On Drowning by domesticadventures (28k)

this is thee hypothermia fic. seriously, no other fic for no other fandom has ever done this trope better, and it's one of my all time favourite fics. the hurt/comfort is delicious and the writing is amazing!!

Falling Home by sunshinewinchesters (15k)

this is a really sweet post s8 fic, and one of my favourite human!cas fics!!

Under The Midnight Sun by NorthernSparrow (232k)

i will stop reccing this fic the day i die. the world building is phenomenal and i have never read such a long fic in such a little amount of time. seriously, i devoured the whole thing in about 2 days, it's amazing!

The Big Freeze by strangeandcharm (8.5k)

the author of this understood the assignment. it's so good!!

Happily Ever After by Castielslostwings (31k)

this is the tropiest fic ever - as the author intended, of course - and they nail every single trope in it. also i love sam and charlie trying to set dean and cas up :)

All The Nights by NorthernSparrow (32k)

seriously, i think NorthernSparrow maybe just gets a free pass for being on fic rec lists twice, because all their fics are amazing. this one is so good!!! it deals with the divorce arc in s15 and is just. amazing

Wild by Castielslostwings (67k)

another person on the list twice!! i love this one - it is just so sweet, and i was so invested in all the peril going on!

Snow Place Like Home (But My Home Is With You) by almaasi (47k)

is it just a tad late to be reccing a christmas fic? yes. do i care? no. it is so so sweet and fluffy and adorable, it definitely deserved to be on the list!

and that's it! i hope you enjoy them all! and as always, thank you so much to all the brilliant writers who blessed us with these fics. happy new year!

Destiel Fic Recs Masterpost

I've recced a lot of Destiel fics in the past, so here's a list of them! This will be updated every time a new one arrives, so you have plenty to choose from.

My all time favourites

Alternate Universes

Apocalypse/Dystopia AU

Coffee Shop AU

College/University AU

Soulmate AU pt 1 / pt 2

Tropes

Bed Sharing

Case Fics

Established Relationship

Major Character Death

Slow Burn

John Winchester is an Asshole

Fluff

Fix Its

Friends to Lovers

Enemies to Lovers

Angst with a Happy Ending

Fake/Pretend Relationships

Hypothermia

Word Count

Under 2000 words

Under 10,000 words pt 1 / pt 2

Over 100,000 words

Episode Specific Fics

15x18 fics

15x19 fics

15x20 Fix It Fics

Holidays

Halloween

Christmas pt 1 / pt 2

New Year's

Sexualities

Asexuality and other A-spec Identities

Bisexual Dean

Includes other ships

Sabriel

Dean/Other or Cas/Other

Other

Wattpad Fics

Writer!Castiel Fics

Podfics