Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Castiel finds himself in a gray, dingy place with a dark sky and flashing red lights.

It’s not unlike Purgatory, and he finds the comparison unsavory. He had been helping Sam catalog artifacts in the bunker that had no previous description. Sam had explicitly enlisted Castiel’s help because he would be impervious to most of the weird curses, spells, and charms that might plague the objects, but it seems that no matter how careful they are, nothing goes their way. Cas can only imagine how pissed Dean is going to be when he finds out.

The angel pushes himself to his feet and surveys his surroundings, his grace allowing him to see through the dark environment with ease. He doesn’t have much grace these days, but now that Chuck is defeated and the brothers have mostly retired from hunting, Cas doesn’t use it very often and has plenty of time to recuperate when he does. It’s not enough to transport him back to the bunker; whatever it was that sent him here originally drained him enough that he has to stay.

The place seems to be like a decrepit, rundown town, with vines crawling over everything. He carefully steps around them and tries to determine what the best way to civilization might be, if he can even find any here. Just as he starts to head to his left, the sound of a guitar rings out through the air, radiating from his right. He vaguely places the song as Master of Puppets by Metalica, thanks to the pop culture knowledge bestowed on him by Metatron, but he isn't overly familiar with it. Dean favors hard rock over heavy metal.

Still, music means that someone is there playing it, so he heads toward it. A swarm of creatures screeches overhead, flocking together and hurtling through the sky toward the music as well. They seem distinctly less pleased about it than he is. Cas has certainly never seen creatures like them before. They seem bat-like, with large leathery wings and long, thick tails. They chitter unpleasantly, and Cas thinks that he might actually be in purgatory for a moment because, certainly, no creature like that exists on Earth.

Or, his Earth, at least.

The idea of multidimensional travel occurs to him about as soon as he wishes it hadn’t. He isn’t super interested in running into any other angels.

Some of the bat-like creatures swoop down on him, teeth gnashing, but they soon leave him alone. Whether they find him too difficult to be prey or are just too bothered by the noise, he isn’t sure. After a few minutes, the song reaches its end and the music stops. He can hear some distant yelling and hopes that the bats haven't found someone else who was easier to munch on instead.

He reaches what seems to be a cluster of trailers when the bats dive at him again. With the music gone, they seem less inclined to leave him alone. His wings act as sufficient blockers; soft, fluffy feathers hardening into a solid, metal-like texture with sharp edges. Humans don’t often understand that angels can use their wings as a shield and a weapon as well as for flying. It almost seems silly to smite a bunch of bat creatures just because they are annoying him, but even he can only keep up a defense against the constant barrage for so long. His wings are brittle from years of disuse, and even though he can fly again, he doesn’t do it very often. He lowers his defenses, and in a flash of bright light, all the bats within a 10-foot radius of him fall dead.

The rest hover around him hesitantly but seem discouraged by the disintegrating husks of their brethren. They start to make a tactical retreat but suddenly fall to the ground as well. Cas steps closer, investigating them curiously. They're not injured in any way, not like the ones that he smote, but rather seem to have just stopped working, like one of Jack’s toys with no batteries. He wonders if something was controlling them. Whatever it was, the threat is gone now.

He weaves through the jumble of house trailers, trying to pinpoint where he thought the music had been coming from when he hears someone talking. They sound distressed. He moves a little faster, rounding the corner, until the sight before him stops him in his tracks. It’s a child. Cas is no good with ages, but he thinks the kid might be in high school. A teenager then. He’s crying, holding another boy—an older one—in his lap. It doesn’t look good. It appears that the boy is just as startled by Cas’s sudden appearance as the angel is by them.

"Hello," Cas says carefully, taking a hesitant step forward.

"Who the hell are you?" The boy demands, his voice wobbly.

"My name is Castiel."

The boy just stares at him, as if he can figure him out based on his appearance alone.

"Your friend…"  Cas begins.

"Leave him alone!" The boy yells, upset again, hugging the body closer to him.

"He isn’t dead," Cas says bluntly because he doesn’t know how to properly deal with this situation. "I can heal him if you want."

The kid stares at him as if he doesn’t know what that means.

"I can’t do much," Cas warns. "But I could help stabilize him until you can get him to a human hospital."

"What does that mean?" The boy asks, almost accusingly.

"A hospital?" Cas is confused. He thought that was pretty standard. Certainly, a human would know how to get medical help, even one as young as this.

"You said ‘a human hospital.’ Are you not human?"

Cas sees his mistake now. "I am not." There is no point in lying. "But I can help your friend. Though I will not heal him without your permission."

The boy debates for a moment, obviously torn between helping his friend and trusting a stranger. "Fine. But if you try anything…"

"You will kill or otherwise injure me." Cas nods resolutely. He is well aware of this human threat by now.

The kid gives him a weird look but allows Cas to get closer. Cas kneels on the ground next to the pair and rests a hand on the older boy’s chest. He is breathing, but it is shallow, and he is bleeding out. It seems that the bats had a far more successful time making a meal of this older boy than they did of him. Unfortunate. He focuses his grace on the major wounds—two decorating his torso and one at the juncture of his neck. He uses his grace to carefully stitch the wounds shut and halt the flow of blood. He repairs the tissues there, knitting together individual cells until the wounds are twice as shallow as before. The older boy's breathing evens out and is stronger than before, though he doesn’t wake up.

Cas pulls away, a little drained but satisfied with his work.

"Eddie?" The boy asks, shaking the elder where he lies on the ground. Eddie doesn’t stir, and the boy turns to Cas accusingly. "What did you do? He isn’t waking up."

"He needs to rest," Cas explains gently, aware of the distress caused by seeing loved ones hurt. "His body needs to regenerate the blood. It is also probably best that he stay unconscious for now, as he would be in a lot of pain. As I said before, this is a temporary solution until we can get him proper medical help."

The boy seems placated.

"What is your name, if you don’t mind me asking."

"Dustin." The boy replies.

"Nice to meet you, Dustin."

"Thank you. Um… I already forgot your name."

Cas smiles. "That’s okay. I’m Castiel."

He sees Dustin mouth his name as if trying to fit the syllables of it together properly.

"You can just call me Cas."

"Thanks, Cas."

"Now, what is the best way to get to the hospital? Can you drive?" His barometer for what is allowed at what age has been somewhat skewed by being around the Winchesters and raising Jack. He easily lifts Eddie into his arms and stands to his feet, looking at Dustin expectantly.

"I can’t. But Steve can."

Cas doesn’t know who Steve is, but it must be another friend of his.

"Where’d I drop the… fucking… walkie-talkie…" Dustin mumbles to himself, picking up a shoddy-looking spear and using it as a crutch as he takes a few wobbly steps forward.

"You are injured as well." Cas points out.

"Yeah, I think I hurt it coming back through the portal." He says as if that explains anything.

Cas blinks. "Here, let me." An injured ankle will not be that much to ask of his grace, especially if it means getting them somewhere safe faster. He easily shifts his grip to cradle Eddie’s unconscious body in one arm and rests his other hand on Dustin’s shoulder. He lets his grace run through the kid's body, fixing the broken ankle with ease.

Dustin stares up at him astonished as he moves away and holds Eddie in a bridal carry again. "You really are some sort of cleric." He says, something like reverence in his voice.

Cas isn’t exactly sure what that means, but it seems like a compliment. He thinks.

Dustin moves quickly now that he is uninjured, and Cas follows him to a brick-like object that lies abandoned on the ground. It crackles, staticky in his hand. This must be the walkie-talkie that he was talking about. Cas has never interacted with one before but understands from Dean that it is a communication device, one that predates the cellular devices they have now. He notes that it is odd for Dustin to have one, but he does not comment aloud as the device crackles again.

"Steve?" Dustin speaks nervously into the device.

"Dustin?" A voice comes back. "Is everything okay?"

"Eddie’s hurt." 

Chapter Text

"We’re on our way." Steve's reply rings out, his staticky voice filling the air. "Where are you? Is he bleeding?"

"We’re by his trailer. He cut the rope to get through the portal and went back out to distract the bats. He… uuh…" Dustin’s gaze flickers over to Cas, who stands there patiently watching the exchange, effortlessly holding Eddie in his arms. "He’s not bleeding, but he needs a hospital."

"We’ll be there soon," the voice on the other end soothes. "Just hold on."

"Steve." Dustin’s voice is small and tentative, like he’s afraid of the answer his question might bring. "Did you get him?"

The walkie-talkie crackles ominously, filling the silence with tense anticipation.

"Yeah. I think we got him."  The reply sounds more resigned than excited. "I think he got Max too, though."

Dustin stiffens.

"I don’t think the gates are going to open. Not like in Nancy’s vision." There’s a pause before the device crackles again, springing back to life. "I think I see you."

Dustin looks around, and Cas can spot a group of three figures in the distance. Dustin forgoes the walkie-talkie entirely and starts jumping up and down, waving his hands, and yelling instead. The group yells some sort of acknowledgment back, and Dustin takes off running toward them. Cas follows at a much more subdued pace.

He watches as Dustin launches himself into the arms of another older boy, who catches him and pulls him into a tight hug. This must be Steve. Cas stops a few feet away to be respectful of their reunion. The rest of the group is made up of two girls who seem to be closer to Steve’s age. Cas wonders if they have been acting as adults to solve whatever issue has been plaguing their town.

"Who’s he?" The girl with curly brown hair asks, motioning to Cas with her sawed-off shotgun. Castiel becomes suddenly aware of how many teenagers he is surrounded by and finds himself feeling rather out of place. He doesn’t have much experience with teenagers, besides the moments he shares with Claire, and hopes that they are kinder to him than she is. Though, they have no reason to intrinsically hate him as Claire does.

"That’s Cas," Dustin says. "He healed Eddie."

"He has powers like El does?" The other girl asks, borderline excited.

"Not mind powers, but, like, healing powers." Dustin clarifies.

"We should still get your friend to a hospital," Cas says, drawing their attention away from where they discuss among themselves. "My healing and his body can only do so much. It would be very beneficial to get him medical attention as soon as possible."

"Right. Think we can make it back through the portal?" Steve asks Dustin, who stares at Eddie’s limp body contemplatively.

"We have to try."

Cas follows the group as they lead the way through the trailer park and through the door of one trailer in particular. They weave through the thin halls and into a bedroom. The portal in question sits on the ceiling of the room, revealing the same room hanging upside down above them but in full color. It clicks for Cas. This dimension mirrors the real world in this universe, like a gray, desolate version, empty of life and frozen in time.

"How are we going to do this?" the second girl asks, looking around for something to reach with.

"The bedsheet rope is severed now. And half of it is on the other side." Dustin frowns.

The group turns at the wooshing sound caused by the displacement of air to find that Cas is no longer where he was standing just a few moments ago.

"If you give me the other half, I could tie it back together for you." Cas’s gravelly voice rings out from over their heads, and they see Cas in the normal world above them. Eddie has been laid out of the way, and Cas stares down at them, one-half of their makeshift rope in hand.

"You can teleport?" Dustin exclaims. The rest of the group blinks up at the angel, astonished.

"I can fly, yes." Cas clarifies. "The rope, please."

Snapping out of her stunned haze, the curly-haired girl retrieves the severed bedsheet and tosses it up through the portal to Cas. The angel catches it easily and reconnects the two halves, tugging on it firmly to test its strength. He tosses it back through the portal and watches in fascination as it hangs in the air both ways. He steps out of the way and shoves the dirty, stained mattress that's on the floor to rest under the rope as instructed. The four of them make it through the portal with no issue, though Steve gets winded as he hits the mattress, wincing as he slams against injuries from days prior.

"Now, the hospital?" Cas asks, holding Eddie in his arms again.

"Right." Steve nods and leads the way out of the trailer. "I can drive."

The ride over is relatively uneventful, though Dustin remains firmly in the back seat, keeping a constant eye on Eddie. It’s only when they get to the hospital that things start to get out of hand. And it’s not even that Castiel has a short fuse or that he’s had a long day that shortens it even further. Cas actually considers himself fairly patient; he is, after all, an angel, but he has zero tolerance for the hatred and bias that humans have for each other.

The two girls run ahead into the hospital, getting the attention of the nurses and inquiring about Max, while Steve and Dustin stay with Cas, anxiously hovering around Eddie as they walk inside. They walk through the front doors and up to the crowd of nurses that have gathered around the girls.

"Please," the curly-haired one is saying as she is looked over for injuries. "Our friend, he’s really hurt." But her protests fall on deaf ears.

Cas clears his throat. "Excuse me. This boy here is in great need of medical help."

Dustin shifts on his feet nervously as the nurses turn to look at Eddie. No one says anything for a moment.

"Is that Eddie Munson?" One of the nurses asks, and they all whisper to each other, seemingly torn.

Cas frowns. "I do not understand. I have informed you of someone who is in dire need of medical care, and you are doing nothing. Is that not your job?"

Some of the nurses continue to whisper to each other.

"He murdered all those kids."

"Maybe he just deserves to die."

"Don’t say that about him!" Dustin yells, tears gathering in his eyes. He steps forward like he’s going to do something about it, but Steve catches him, pulling him back.

"I don’t understand," Cas says again, this time turning to look at Steve, who is trying to comfort Dustin.

"Everyone thinks that he’s responsible for a bunch of murders that have happened recently, but he’s not. Wrong place, wrong time kind of thing. The person who actually did it is..." Steve trails off, glancing over at the nurses briefly. "…someone else."

This makes sense to Cas, unfortunately. Some sort of supernatural being has been killing people, but none of the townspeople know of the supernatural influence, besides this group of kids, for some reason. The nurses have no way of knowing about the dark, upside-down dimension that he found himself in earlier and therefore find it easiest to blame things they don’t understand on Eddie. He sighs.

"You swore the Hippocratic Oath, did you not?" Cas speaks up again, looking back over to the nurses. "In which you promised to do no harm and help those in need, regardless of the situation?" He levels with them with an accusing glare. "And the way that I see it, you are refusing to do your job because of personal bias, which I could easily use to get you fired."

The nurses start to look increasingly nervous.

"As a member of the FBI," everyone turns to look at him, shocked. "I find it unfortunate that you are wasting my time by refusing to treat this boy, who has been rather crucial in aiding the capture of the actual killer. But, I’m sure if it is of too much moral hassle for you, we could find another hospital that would be willing to treat him, and I can spend the ride over there writing up a report on you."

The nurses pale, and one of them steps out of the crowd. "Of course, it’s not too much hassle, Agent." She rushes to placate him. "We’ll get a doctor for him right away." She runs off to go find someone and a couple of the other nurses follow after her.

"Also, I believe that some of these kids wanted to inquire about their friends. Max, was it?" He turns to look at the gaggle of teens.

"Max. Maxine Mayfield." Steve speaks up.

They follow another nurse over to the main desk. "Room 204." The nurse says eventually, eyes scanning over the computer screen in front of her.

"How is she?" one of the girls asks.

"Not great." The nurse grimaces like she wishes she could give better news. "Multiple broken bones, damaged eyesight, and currently in a coma."

Cas frowns, looking at the worry that spreads across the other teens' faces. Not that much time has passed since he healed Eddie and Dustin, but he will have to see what he can do to help their friend.

"We have a room waiting for Mr. Munson, sir." Another nurse says something from off to their right. "If you’ll come right this way."

"Thank you," Cas says, and they follow her down the hall.

They end up in a room on the third floor, which is rather inconvenient for trying to check on both Eddie and Max, but he doesn’t complain. Instead, he sets Eddie down in the hospital bed and lets the doctors take over.

"Did you call his uncle?" Dustin speaks up, looking over to the nurse who led them there. "He’s probably Eddie’s emergency contact. He would like to know how he’s doing. He’s been missing for a few days."

"We will let him know." She reassures.

"Shall we go check on Max?" Cas suggests.

"I’m going to stay here," Dustin says firmly, like he expects someone to fight him on it.

"I’ll stay with him." Steve volunteers.

The two girls exchange glances. "I’ll go with you. Someone will need to give introductions." The curly-haired one says.

Cas nods gratefully, and they walk out of the room together.

"I never got your name." He says as they ride the elevator down to Max’s room.

"Oh, I’m Nancy." The girl introduces herself. "Nancy Wheeler." She sticks her hand out, and he shakes it to be polite.

"Castiel.  Most people find it more comfortable to call me Cas.

"Nice to meet you. You know Dustin’s and Steve's names. The other girl's name is Robin. And then, of course, Eddie."

They walk down the hall until they find room 204. A redheaded girl, Dustin's age, is unconscious on the bed. A dark-skinned boy has pulled a chair up next to her and is holding her hand. A younger girl with a similar complexion is asleep on a nearby chair.

"Hey, Lucas," Nancy says softly, startling him. She turns back to Cas. "This is Lucas and his sister Erica. And then, Max." She gestures to the redhead on the bed. Cas thinks somewhat wistfully that she reminds him of Charlie. Something aches in his chest for a moment, a longing to go home, but he ignores it and moves closer to the bed.

"This is Castiel." Nancy introduces him, and Lucas eyes him warily as he approaches the bed. "He’s here to help."

"I can’t promise much." Cas reminds her. "It’s been a long and taxing day, but I will do what I can."

He reaches out and presses two fingers against her forehead, letting his grace run through her. He starts by aligning the broken bones, speeding up the process so that they heal faster and without issues. He fixes her vision so it is not so fuzzy and eases the mental pain that plagues her. Her consciousness stirs, responding to his presence, and he withdraws his grace, feeling fatigued.

"She should wake up shortly." He reports back, and they both look at him hopefully. "I require rest. I will return to Eddie’s room in case any other issues arise."

"Eddie’s here?"  Lucas asks.

"You should stay here." He tells Nancy, "I can find my way back to his room by myself."

Nancy stays to explain the situation to Lucas, and Cas trudges back down the hall to the elevator. He finds himself feeling grateful for the elevator, even this slow, clunky version of one. He leans against the wall, allowing himself to rest until it dings. He makes his way down to Eddie’s room and finds that all the doctors have left. Dustin has curled up on the plush armchair and is asleep as well. Steve and Robin are nowhere to be found. He wonders if the older teens have more of their group to find or if they are getting treated themselves. He resolves to check in on them later.

For now, he settles down on the couch under the window, situating himself sideways so his back is against the armrest. He pulls his legs up to his chest, knocking his shoes off his feet, and leans to lay his head against the back of the couch. Before he knows it, he falls asleep thinking of home.

Chapter Text

Cas wakes to fingers threading through his hair. He takes stock of the grace swirling inside him, and he feels less drained than before. He opens his eyes and blinks at his surroundings blearily. Dean is standing next to him, smiling down at him. Cas briefly wonders if he fell asleep at the map table again, looking into lore for Sam, until the events of the day come rushing back to him.

"Dean," Cas says excitedly, standing to his feet and letting his husband wrap him in his arms.

"I leave you two alone for 30 minutes, and look what happens to you." Dean teases, but Cas can hear the hint of worry that weaves through his voice. "You not only landed yourself in an alternate universe, but one in the 80s."

Cas nods. That would explain the big walkie-talkies, boxy computers, and clunky elevators. "Are the kids…" Cas suddenly remembers, surveying the room to see who all was in it.

"Your partner cleared me of the murder charges." Eddie pipes up from the hospital bed. He’s the only other person in the room.

Cas glances back over to Dean. "You did?"

Dean nods.

"Thank you. I was going to try and find a way to clear his name, but I needed to rest first."

"Happy to do it. As soon as the group filled me in on the situation, I was able to get it cleared up pretty easily. I’m not taking home any more stray teenagers." Dean teases. "Two kids is enough for me."

"You guys are..." Eddie trails off, looking at how close they stand to each other with wide eyes. "Friends of Dorothy?"

"Damn, haven’t heard that one in a while," Dean mutters to himself.

"I suppose we are," Cas says contemplatively. "We never visited her and Charlie in Oz, but—"

"No, Cas." Dean cuts him off, amused. "It’s a code. He wants to know if we’re gay."

"Oh." He looks confused.

Dean sighs, looking sad. "It’s the 80s, babe. A lot of people think that being gay is bad according to the Bible, so gay people have to be secretive about it."

"But God is—"

"Utterly indifferent to sexual orientation, I know," Dean says as if they’ve had this conversation before.

"Humans," Cas grumbles, upset.

"You love us." Dean teases again, pressing a kiss to the top of Cas’s head.

"Unfortunately."

"Wow, um…" They turn to look over at Eddie, who is looking at them like they hung the moon.

"It gets better, kid," Dean reassures.

"Thanks…" He shakes his head as if to clear it. "Dustin said you healed me, like some sort of cleric."

Dean snorts. "Nah, more like a padalin."

"I am an Angel of the Lord," Cas says. He thinks they are referring to terminology from Dungeons and Dragons. It’s one of the things that Dean pretends to be too cool to be interested in, like how he is with LARPing. Cas wisely decides that now is not the time to call him out on it.

"See," Dean gestures. "Smiting and healing things. That’s a padalin."

"Well, I just wanted to say thank you. For getting me out of that place." He looks nervous.

"Of course," Cas reassures him gently. "No one deserves that. You were very brave for protecting your friends."

Eddie flushes a little, looking embarrassed by the praise.

"I don’t suppose you brought a way back home with you?" Cas asks Dean, feeling tired still.

"Eager to leave already?"

"It has been a long day."

"You low on juice?" Dean asks, suddenly concerned. "I know you were sleeping earlier but I thought that it might’ve just been to pass the time."

"It is better than it was, but I would still like to rest. Preferably in my own universe. I hope you were not counting on me to fly us home."

"Nah, that’s what the kid is for."

"Dean," Cas sighs, "it’s unfair to take advantage of Jack that way."

"Oh, come on. You know it doesn’t drain him. He’s drawn to you like a magnet to metal. That’s how we found you in the first place. What, you think we just started universe hopping?"

"Well, I was wondering what took you so long."

"Sassy."

"You guys are like an old married couple," Eddie says, poking fun at their banter.

"Can it, hotshot." Dean points at him threateningly. "Don’t think that I didn’t see the way you acted around that other kid. What was his name, Steve?"

Eddie’s eyes widen, looking embarrassed again. "Yeah, well, it’s not like that is ever gonna work out. He’s, like, the straightest guy in town."  He says disappointedly.

"Nah, he’s just a repressed bisexual," Dean says nonchalantly. "Even if he doesn’t know it yet. I would know, as a former repressed bisexual myself. If you can find a way to drop that you can like both genders, his mind will be blown."

Cas nods in agreement. "He acts in a very similar way to how Dean was when he was that age."

"Hey." Dean protests on reflex.

Eddie hums, thinking. "I’ll see what I can do."

"Don’t say I never did anything for you."

"You haven’t had any more issues, have you?" Cas asks, remembering the trouble they ran into when they first got to the hospital.

"Nah, my uncle is here now. Wayne always comes to bat for me. I’ll be fine if you leave me here with him. You look like you’re about to fall over."

"He’s right. Let’s get you home, sweetheart." Dean chimes in.

Something like panic suddenly spikes in Cas’s chest, worry settling throughout his veins. "But what about the others? Max. Is Max doing okay? And Dustin, I should say something before we leave—"

"Hey, we’ll be okay, man. I appreciate the assist, but we’ve dealt with this before. Max is doing fine, and I’ll let Dustin know you left.  We have all that we need here. You should go back to where you’re needed as well."

Cas softens. "Thank you, Eddie Munson. It was a pleasure to meet you. Don’t let anyone ever make you less than yourself."

"I won’t. Travel safe, Castiel."

"Ready?" Dean asks, taking Cas’s hands in his own. Cas nods. "Alright, kid." He speaks slightly louder, looking up at the ceiling, "Take us home."

Between one blink and the next, the pair is gone. If Eddie hadn’t just spent the past week fighting for his life against superpowered monsters and crazy bat creatures, he might’ve thought it was the craziest thing he'd seen. Instead, he leans back against the plush mattress of the hospital bed and starts planning out a way to score a date with Steve Harrington.