Castiel and other alt Dean

[tiredofurinating]

Castiel had been wondering how to navigate that another version of Dean lived all by himself in the woods, but close by. His chance came when Lucy informed him that the other Ruby and Sam wanted to get married privately. They had told no one else. Of course Cas considered himself a friend by extension and offered his service in person to officiate for them. The two of them seemed to like that.

As for Dean, he offered to be the one to inform him when Lucy and he were talking. The cabin in the woods was easy to find when he pictured it in his mind; logs were neatly staked on the side of the structure, the long blades of grass swayed in the breeze, and inside where a fire crackled was the familiar face. Cas willed himself to cross into that space.

"Hello, Dean," his voice neither echos nor does it not carry his presence inside the cabin. "I hope this isn't as awkward for you as it is for me." He looks around the space but touches nothing to warrant Dean lashing out at him. What was it that people say sometimes? Oh yes, this was 'starting from square one again.'

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[tiredofurinating]

Lucy will be in the lives for a long time, if not forever. Someone like her has easily wormed her way into the hearts, lives and threads of family of those in town. Sam, at least, finds her actions harmless and something to thank her later for.

Surely that is something both of them looked into separately when they heard about the town's history. As far as Sam could decipher, the magic hadn't contaminated the water. The people that remained or found a home in town were happy to have free will again. It's been a long time since he heard Dean talk about something that made him happy. Sam nods thoughtfully. But he has to block out the urge to apologize for that. That's a whole other beast he will have to live with on his own. "Yeah, actually that's one thing I can't argue with." He noticed when he came in that the luxuries were still fairly sparse on the counter but the place was fully furnished. "You have a great place here. Did Lucy..." he doesn't finish that sentence. Whatever reason Dean ended up moving in to it is great. Sam quietly alludes that he believes his brother deserves it. His place has fewer comforts (square footage), but at the end of the day, he was was happy Ruby took charge in deciding where it was. There was a proper kitchen, a bedroom-living room and a bathroom in a smaller cabin on the opposite end from this one. It was heated by a wood stove. Sam had no complaints of all the blankets had gathered to decorate. Sam tilted his head back to the door. "Other side of... the outskirts of town. It's a twenty five minute walk from the center. The path is overgrown in some areas. Ruby found it." He smiles fondly at how clever his soon to be wife is. Ruby said something similar to wishing their cabin stays remote. "You might have to get involved in the town politics if it does. Get them to build outwards in another direction." He had said something similar to Ruby, too.

Lucifer had absolutely ensured that the annoying creature comforts that his human host needed were luxurious. Sam scraps his teeth over his lip, trying not to think back. He felt a pang of guilt at least that bathtubs were substitutes for beds, knowing better than to say anything. Instead he nods. He shakes his at the question. "No, um, Ruby would never. It's a comfortable place we have. Our cabin." The worst for them had been the hard floor made barrly any better by a thin blanket the first couple of nights. But they had each other to distract from that. "Lucy saw that we got a mattress. I assume she did the same for you." His way of asking that the tub isn't still a thing with Dean.

[donttrustmyself]

Dean is glad that Sam doesn't apologize. At some point, he has to stop apologizing for everything Lucifer did (and for his part in allowing Lucifer the opportunity) and focus on living what's left of his life. Dean is just trying not to do more harm in his own life. "Yeah. When I first got here, I was in some standard apartment. It was fine but Lucy called it a transitional placement." He rolls his eyes a little to show he's not sure he believes it. "She brought coffee and pie over one day, talked to me a little then the next day brought me keys and drove me out to the cabin. I tried to argue with her and tell it was too much; the apartment was fine. You can imagine how that went." Lucy doesn't argue. She simply smiles, nods then does what she wants anyway. You can go along with it or you can get bulldozed in the process. Dean frowned at Sam's suggestion. "No thanks. I'll let Lucy fight those battles." You couldn't pay him to get involved in politics. He'd end up moving further out into the woods in a tent if necessary.

Dean nods a little at Sam's reassurance that he's not sleeping in bathtubs. Most nights, Dean sleeps in bed as well unless he's just not sleeping at all, and he still has those nights. "That's good," he says after a moment. Whether Sam believes it or not, Dean believes that Sam deserves comfort and good things in life. Yeah, it took him a long time to forgive Sam for saying yes to Lucifer. Still, in the end, he'd just been glad that he no longer lived in a world without his baby brother, even if his relationship and feelings toward his baby brother is complicated. "Yeah, practically brand new with some sort of brand new fancy protective cover on it. Clean sheets, blankets. She set me up." He has always assumed that Cas had something to do with that.

[tiredofurinating]

He agrees with more of a look in his eye than a nod. "Sounds like it all worked out anyway. Last I heard the apartment has a waitlist now." Lucy has a way of knowing what people need and some part of Sam still wonders if she is clairvoyant in her intuition. The fact Lucy moved Dean to the cabin worked out to delay the housing problem for a tiny amount of time.

Sam isn't surprised when Dean shoots down the idea and shrugs a shoulder. "Right, pretend I said nothing at all..." There's an awkward pause before Sam opens his mouth again. "Glad you're comfortable, man."

The talk of sleeping is bathtubs is a little bit concerning. "You aren't either, right? Sleeping in a tub?" It's odd enough of an idea that he has to ask the question back. Having a sleepless night is another story. He expects they both have those and won't ask about that. If Dean asked, Sam would eventually tell his brother Ruby helped him a lot to come to terms with ordinary life again. Everyday Lucifer was more behind him. Sam sought to mend things with Ruby as a way to make up for being gone so long. Doing good for the community, like politics, had been a suggestion Lucy gave him and he'd been considering. He resisted the urge to inform Dean that the cover was waterproof. Lucy had also given Ruby one for their mattress. "This place. Sounds like you really like it here. You deserve it."