States Apart

States Apart

A Supernatural story by Ellie @HunterWhoLived

My huckleberry has come through BIG TIME in our next #SPNWishList entry! Ellie answered the prompt, "Dean and Cas and a movie." Early on in her process, she messaged me (and I'm paraphrasing): "Do they have to be in the same place at the same time?" Ooof. I knew right then: There would be pain. Enjoy.  -- Jennie

Pie, burgers, and watching movies were a few things that brought Dean comfort.

That's why ever since he found out that Chuck was still around, Dean had been trying every possible way he could to seek comfort. From bad jokes on the back of a cereal box, to fluffy hot dog pajamas, Dean was clinging to what he knew was real.

The thing that brought Dean the most comfort, that allowed him to escape from the horrors of his life, was watching movies. More specifically, movies where he was certain that the bad guys were going to lose. This never failed to bring Dean hope, even during the darkest of times, when winning felt impossible.

Immersing himself in a fictional world had allowed him to zone out of the terrors of the real world. Movies had taught him not to give up, and most importantly, movies were something that Dean knew would always be there, no matter what. They were things that Dean knew he could count on, and knew were real.

Even at a young age, when Dean was left alone with his thoughts in a cheap, dusty motel room, his father out on a hunt and Sammy asleep in bed, Dean would often turn on the TV to watch “Scooby-Doo.”

This was one of the only times Dean smiled and truly felt at peace. Seeing the Scooby gang unmask the bad guys and save people filled him with the hope that one day he would be able to do the same. It taught him that the good guys can win, no matter how impossible it seems.

After his father went missing and he started hunting with Sam, these moments grew rarer and rarer for Dean. Problems seemed to occur one after another, so it wasn’t often that Dean could stop for air, let alone stop to watch a two-hour-long movie.

Later on down the line, however, when the brothers moved into the bunker, Dean often found himself zoning out for a couple of hours, immersed in a fictional world.

After Castiel had moved into the Bunker and the Winchesters had defeated the Darkness, it was then that Dean decided to introduce his best friend to his Western collection.

Cas was reluctant at first, and it took a few months, but after seeing how down Dean was over Mary leaving, Cas eventually came round. The angel knew that the Wild West had always been an interest of Dean’s, so seeing his childlike smile as he told Castiel everything he knew about Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp made it feel worth it.

The two of them would sit on the bed, leaning against the headboard with a bag of licorice and a six-pack of beer between them. Dean’s TV would be balanced on his dressing table. And a childlike smile would be present on the hunter’s face the second the title screen for “Tombstone” appeared.

As the narrator began talking, Dean did too: “...to form the ruthless gang, recognized by the red sashes they wear. They emerge as the earliest example of organized crime in America...”

With a flourish, he would add, attempting a Western accent: "They call themselves... The Cowboys."

Even though Castiel didn’t fully understand it, seeing the pure joy on Dean’s face never failed to make the angel happy. It wasn’t often he saw the older Winchester smile -- not a genuine one, at least -- and after everything that they had been through, the Winchesters deserved every bit of peace they could get.

As time went on, movie nights started to become a more regular thing for the hunter and the angel.

When Dean returned home, after being possessed by the archangel, Michael, a lot of things didn’t feel the same. For starters, the bunker was full of strangers, hunters from the apocalypse world, who Dean had never gotten the chance to know.

And on top of that, Jack had become human, which meant that Castiel was spending the majority of his time teaching the boy how to hunt without his powers. Dean truly felt alone and found himself once again turning to movies -- something that Dean knew would always be there.

Despite this, however, things still didn’t feel the same. Not without his best friend by his side to partake in the fictional adventures with him.

So, when Castiel wasn’t busy, Dean would ask him to join him in the Dean Cave. Of course, Cas would say yes, and it wasn’t long before the two of them would be, once again, sitting in the two comfortable recliners in front of the TV. Just like always, there would be a bag of licorice and a six-pack between them.

That very Halloween, Dean had chosen to take a break from their usually scheduled cowboy movies, and instead decided to introduce Castiel to the horror-movie marathon that happened every year on a channel called Shocker. Let’s just say, that didn’t go as smoothly as Dean hoped...

“Are we watching the movie about guns and tuberculosis?” Castiel asked.

Dean shook his head but smiled at Cas’ description. “I was thinking we could go for something different this time around.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“You’ll see.” Dean’s smile grew as he picked up the TV remote, and after he pressed “play,” the silhouette of a largely built man carrying a blood-dripping ax showed up on the screen. In front of the man were the words, “All Saints’ Day,” looking as if they had been written in blood.

Cas turned to Dean with a confused squint. “We’re watching a film about the day after Halloween?”

“Yeah, but it’s more than that. Just wait for it,” Dean replied, eager for the movie to start.

Castiel turned back to the TV. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he was willing to give it a try. After all, could it be worse than watching a Clint Eastwood movie for the tenth time?

"Here we go. It’s starting. It’s starting!” Dean waved at the TV with childlike enthusiasm, almost jumping out of his seat as the movie started.

Castiel furrowed his eyebrows at Dean, who was grinning from ear to ear. He kept his eyes on him as he listened to Dean quote the narration word for word: “Killed in a prank gone wrong, mechanic David Yaeger comes back every year on the day after Halloween to take his revenge.”

Castiel pondered what Dean had said. “So David Yaeger is a vengeful spirit? How do we kill him?”

Dean shook his head at the angel’s question, but a smile remained on his face. “We don’t kill him, Cas. He’s a movie character. He’s not real.”

“Oh,” was all Castiel replied. And with that, both men spent the next couple of days in the Dean Cave, binge-watching the entirety of the “All Saints’ Day” series, with beer, pizza, licorice, and Dean endlessly quoting the movie, word for word.

There were many more times like this. Times where Dean would approach the angel and say, “Hey, Cas, wanna watch a movie?” To which Castiel would reply, “Of course, Dean.”

Dean would then order pizza, grab a few beers, and the two of them would spend the rest of the evening binge-watching movies. No questions asked. And, for Dean, it became more than just an escape; it was something special that he shared with Castiel.

And as a guy named Dirk once said, it was zen.

However, things were different now. Dean didn’t have his best friend at his side to watch movies with him. Dean couldn’t look at Castiel as he quoted Doc Holliday with a smirk on his face, nor could he talk Cas into wearing a cowboy hat, which the angel would reluctantly go along with.

He couldn’t do any of those things, because Cas had left, and as far as Dean knew, he wasn't coming back.

In all honesty, Dean couldn’t bear the thought of Castiel leaving. He hated that they were on bad terms. He hated that what once was a special friendship had been torn apart. Fragmented. Shattered into pieces that Dean wasn’t sure could be glued back together.

Now, Dean sat in the Dean Cave, with “Tombstone” on the TV and an empty chair next to him. A chair that once held his best friend.

There was a pizza box on the table next to him, and a six-pack, just like always. But this time the beers weren’t for two people, they were for one.

And the enthusiastic smile that Dean usually wore when he was watching movies with Cas had gone. This time there was a blank expression on Dean’s face -- an expression that hid more pain than anyone could bear.

Dean picked up a bottle from the table and flicked off the cap. He took a sip, but the alcohol that usually numbed the pain... didn’t. Dean could feel the same weight crushing his chest. He still had doubts about what was real and what wasn’t, but right now, the thing that was bothering him the most was Castiel.

The angel had moved on, and in Dean’s mind, there was no fixing that. All Dean knew was that Castiel was in a cabin somewhere, working cases and enjoying the time spent away from the Winchesters. Time spent away from him. 

Dean didn’t know how wrong he was.

Castiel wasn't having fun. At first, he thought moving on would be easy. But it was far from it.

Hearing Dean’s voice on the phone had been difficult for the angel. It hadn’t just made him angry, but it had made Castiel think of all the happy times they had spent together.

His time with the Winchesters hadn’t only changed him for the better, but they were moments where Castiel got to experience true happiness for the first time.

Yes, he was still angry with Dean, but he would never forget the endless hours they had spent watching movies together. Castiel had learned a lot about cowboys, the Wild West, and a serial killer who went by the name of David Yaeger.

Those memories were enough to bring a tear to Castiel’s eye. And, as if to add salt to the wound, when Castiel turned the TV on that night, the first thing he saw was Val Kilmer playing one of Dean’s favorite cowboys, Doc Holliday.

It was “Tombstone.”

Castiel remembered watching this movie with Dean. It was the first cowboy movie the angel had ever watched, and it happened to be one of the Dean’s favorites.

Castiel grabbed a beer from the cabin’s fridge. He didn’t need to drink, but over the years it had become something he had gotten used to. Something that he used to do while watching a movie with an old friend.

Castiel sat down on one of the recliners in front of the cabin’s lone TV. He glanced over at the other chair, part of him expecting Dean to enter the room carrying a pepperoni pizza. But instead, the chair remained empty.

So, there Castiel sat, for two hours. A beer in his hand, “Tombstone” on the TV, and an empty chair beside him, mourning what once was.

And unbeknownst to him, a few states away, Dean was doing the same thing.