deancasbigbang:

Title: From You The Flowers Grow
Author: winkingwinchesters
Artist: lowkeyguru
Rating: Mature
Pairings: Dean/Cas
Wordcount: 20000
Warnings/Tags: canon divergent, cas-centric, creature!cas, canon-typical violence/gore, slow burn, original characters
Posting: 10/29/2018

Summary:

Castiel has spent the last six years building a life for himself in the backwoods of West Virginia. He has friends, dogs, even goats to look after along with a nursery (the plant kind, not the child kind). After a long-lost family member arrives in town, Castiel’s Angelic nature is revealed, and now he has the gossiping townspeople, an overly curious hunter, and his tumultuous past to contend with.

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The drive starts out silent. Not quite peaceful, as there is an armed hunter in Castiel’s passenger seat, but at least it is quiet. As they officially leave Bubbling Springs, the hunter speaks.

“You know, I can’t say I’ve ever heard the name Castiel before,” he says. “Is that a family name or…?”

“No,” Castiel says, keeping his eyes fixed on the road. He stops his hands from tightening on the steering wheel.

“Your friends didn’t seem to know it,” the hunter says. Castiel glances at him. He doesn’t look like he’s trying to goad him; it’s more like curiosity. Castiel almost finds that more annoying.

“I can only assume you are not Detective Hetfield of the West Virginia State Police,” he says.
“Is that the same as keeping a false identity for years?” the hunter asks.

Castiel doesn’t answer. He could tell this hunter that it was meant to be protection, not only his but everyone else’s, or that Steve Fischer is a better version of himself, one that hasn’t killed anyone in loyalty to the wrong cause. It doesn’t matter. If the hunter finds him worth hunting, he’s welcome to shoot him right now. It won’t do anything but waste a bullet.

They reach the gas station before the hunter can choose another part of Castiel to prod at. Castiel waits as he gathers all the coins from the glove box, roughly three dollars worth, and opens the door. He looks over when the hunter still hasn’t gotten out.

“I’m Dean,” the hunter says.

Castiel stares at him until he looks away and then says, “I can’t say I’ve heard the name Dean before.”

Dean rolls his eyes as he gets out. “Thanks for the ride. And for ganking the psycho murder bitch. And the quarters”

Castiel doesn’t respond. Dean shuts the door. Castiel waits until he’s gotten to the phone to drive away.

Mostly because the truck refuses to shift out of park.