The Third Hunt - SPN/Destiel (Trade with Snowydays)

[MaiMai]

This is my half of a trade with Snowydays~ Part of it, anyway! I really, really hope it's okay and that you enjoy it! It's been a while since I wrote SPN, so it's taken me a while to get used to the characters again, but I hope it's not too bad!!

And apologies for the many historical inaccuracies...history is not my thing!

There's a lot of plot in this first part, but I promise there will be fluffy ship-ness soon.

The Third Hunt - Part One

“I still don' get why this virus thing should be our responsibility. Okay, so it's weird. I'll grant you that. I mean, a several million year old virus being revived or whatever, that's not exactly normal. But why is this anything to do with us?" Dean’s fingers drummed against the steering wheel as he spoke, restless.

Castiel didn't respond for a moment, and Dean would have begun to doubt whether he had heard him, only this was his usual conduct. Finally, he replied,

"Trust me, Dean. This is something supernatural."

Dean glanced away from the road, briefly catching Castiel's blue eyes with his own. He sighed, long-suffering, yet patient.

"So I'm just supposed to trust your Spidey-senses on this one?"

Castiel's eyebrows furrowed and he cast the hunter a look of confusion.

"Spidey-senses?"

"It's a reference to-" Dean began, but recalling the time he had ill-advisedly attempted to explain Batman to Castiel - "I do not understand why the combination of a man and a small flying rodent should be so popular." "It's just cool, Cas." - thought better of it. "Know what, forget it. We'll go look into the case. Run through it for me."

Rather than spreading a pile of documents across his lap, Castiel simply began to speak, apparently recalling everything from memory.

"An oil company were digging. They came across something odd enshrined in the ice; this turned out to be the virus. Pithovirus. It is an ancient virus of Neanderthal origin. The scientists managed to revive it-"

“’Course they did. Find some weird organism in the ice, what else are you gonna do with it?” Dean paused, realising that Castiel was watching him, waiting to continue, “Sorry. Go on.”

“Within three days all four of those scientists were hospitalised.”

“So? It’s a virus, right? What’s so strange about that? I mean, apart from the fact it’s ancient an’ all.”

“Pithovirus is only capable of infecting single celled organisms. The doctors at the hospital the scientists were admitted to do not seem to know how they could have become infected by it.”

Dean frowned, taking in the information. Alright, so it was a medical anomaly, at least.

"An' this hospital is the one we're on the way to, right?"

"Yes."

"What did they get stuck in there for? What symptoms?"

"The official explanation is ‘coma’. No other details.”

Something about Castiel's monotone suggested that he wasn't entirely convinced.

"You think it's more than that?"

"I think it is more than that, yes, Dean."

"Alright, we'll check it out. Though I’m still not convinced it has anything to do with us."

This was only the third case they had worked on together, and by 'together', Dean meant just the two of them. It was difficult to get used to Castiel's constant presence in the Impala, stoic and staring straight ahead. Although, strangely enough, Dean didn't mind it quite as much as he had been expecting.

"Dean."

"Yeah?"

"I believe this is the hospital."

Dean slammed on the brakes to make the turning, silently apologising to Baby in his head.

He pulled up to the pavement, parking close to the hospital entrance, and jerked his head in the direction of the glove compartment, "Get the CDC ID cards." Dean instructed as he got out of the car, surveying the hospital before them. It looked rather intensive for what the report had described as 'mild coma'.

Now that he thought about it, how could a coma be 'mild', anyway?

"Right, Cas, let's-Cas?"

Castiel was yet to join him. Dean frowned and bent down to look through the window, discovering the angel helplessly rooting through a pile of ID cards.

"What's the hold up?"

Castiel gave Dean a blank look, glancing from him and back down to the mess of identity cards strewn across the folds of his trench coat.

"What is the CDC?"

Dean wasn't sure whether to laugh or cover his face with his hands in despair. At length, he got back into the car and reached across to clear up the clutter of ID cards.

"Here. This one," he handed the correct card to Castiel with a wry smile. "Now let's go."

At first glance, the hospital appeared practically deserted apart from the reception staff. Dean was used to seeing them bustling with doctors and patients – the absence of people was convenient, but that didn't make it any less unnerving.

They approached the main desk, Dean reaching out as they walked to flip Castiel's ID card so that it was the correct way up. He refused to go through that particular hassle again.

"Agents Henson and Hendrix, CDC," he led, holding up his own card for inspection.

"We're here about the scientists," Castiel added matter-of-factly.

The receptionist barely had time to approve their IDs before they were being accosted by a harried looking doctor.

“You two are here about the pithovirus?”

“Yeah, we’re here about the virus.”

The doctor’s worn face appeared immensely relieved, and he led them down the corridor.

“Thank God. I wasn’t expecting anyone from the CDC for at least another week. I’ve never seen anything like it. The virus isn’t – well, it shouldn’t be – capable of infecting any organisms other than amoeba.”

Castiel nodded along as the doctor spoke. Up close, he looked younger than he had first appeared to be.

“So what kinda symptoms have you been seeing?” Dean asked seriously.

“Aside from the unexplained coma – that’s definitely not something I’ve seen before – there have been some, uh, strange symptoms,” here he paused, as if unsure how to go on.

“Maybe we should take a look for ourselves?” Dean suggested in the lull.

“Yes. Yes, perhaps that would be best.”

“Doc, another question. How is the virus spreading?”

At this the doctor gave the two of them a look of utter helplessness.

“That, I’m afraid, I can’t answer. There’s no apparent path of infection, so it’s near impossible to tell. Add to that the virus has a very short incubation period, and it’s difficult to say.”

As they followed the doctor through a pair of double doors to their right, Dean leant in and murmured to Castiel, "They ain't usually this quick to co-operate; something has to be wrong. Maybe you were right about there being something goin' on here."

The angel gave him a piercing, somewhat disarming look which took Dean by surprise.

"Did you ever doubt me, Dean?"

The hunter spluttered, not sure how to respond. Thankfully, he was spared from having to do so when they came to halt in front of a secure ward. A swipe and a click sounded as the doctor opened the door, motioning for Dean and Castiel to follow.

Inside there was only one other doctor, which struck Dean as odd. If this virus was such a big deal, then shouldn’t they be taking a more thorough approach to caring for the victims? In fact, the doctor seemed almost happy to be able to escape once his colleague had returned, and wasted no time in doing so.

“This is Dr Steele. He was the first to be infected.”

The man was apparently unconscious. Dean’s gaze, however, dipped immediately to his arms that lay exposed above the sterile hospital sheets, and was soon followed by Castiel’s.

An intricate network of angular drawings criss-crossed the scientist’s skin. They were raised, as if they had at one point been carved but had since healed over and scarred.

"What in the hell...?"

“Stone Age carvings. Or at least, that’s what they’re saying.”

“And the virus dates back to the Stone Age?”

“Yes. It’s astounding that it is still capable of being infectious, but yes.”

Castiel frowned thoughtfully. Something was definitely…off.

“What symptoms have you seen so far?”

The doctor shifted.

“That’s where it gets even more…odd. The symptoms of the illness start out as fairly mundane. From there it progresses quickly into a comatose state, although with an increased amount of brain activity, which is uncommon to say the least. This continues, and it’s almost as though they start…burning up.”

“Burning up?” Dean questioned sharply.

“What is causing the burns?” Castiel interjected.

"Ah, that's where it gets even more...odd. You see, the burns are not externally inflicted. They're internal. The symptoms are exactly the same with all the other patients, too: coma, increased brain activity, body temperature sky rocketing. They should be dead by now, at the temperatures they've reached. Only...they're burning up from the inside, instead."

Dean drew back, straightening up and addressing Stephenson.

"And they were all a part of the team that was working on reviving this virus?"

"The pithovirus? Yes. But even with the proximity, that still begs the question of how they became infected in the first place. The only thing we're certain of is that they've all been infected by it, and it's not responding to anything."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing. We've tried everything we can think of, but none of it has made a difference. Their conditions remain the same."

Dean nodded slowly, “Could you leave us to it for a minute, doctor…?”

“Stephenson. No problem, agents.”

The doctor nodded, still looking remarkably relieved. He was obviously out of his depth, and Dean couldn't blame him. It seemed as though Castiel might have been onto something, after all.

Once they were safely on their own, Dean crouched down to examine the unconscious Dr Steele. “Jeez, there are actually burn marks,” he observed, indicating the man’s neck, where several inches of charred flesh were exposed. Then, with a furtive glance around him, he slipped his phone out of his pocket.

"Dean."

"Yeah, Cas?"

"Is it customary to photograph unconscious patients?"

Dean scowled, "Just make sure Stephenson don't come back before I'm finished."

-

"Okay, fine. I admit that there's something weird going on with this…pithovirus, or whatever the hell it is. Who ever heard of four guys gettin' fried from the inside out? That's can't be normal. And then there's the drawings. Those're definitely abnormal."

Castiel's expression was as monotone as usual, but his voice hinted at arrogance as he replied, "I haven't been wrong before."

"Yeah, but with all due respect, Cas," Dean said gruffly as he turned the page of a heavy paperback, "This is only the third case we've worked together. There's still time." Ever the voice of bitter experience.

Castiel didn't respond, so Dean returned, somewhat reluctantly, to his research. This had never been his favourite aspect of hunting; he much preferred the more practical, hands-on side of things.

"Cas."

"Yes, Dean?"

"It might help if you were holdin' the book the right way up, you know," He pointed out, reaching across the desk to set the volume the correct way up in Castiel's hands. "There." Despite the weary shake of his head, his actions argued a resigned affection, the bite of impatience in his voice minimal.

For a moment, Castiel simply looked at the book, before turning the same piercing gaze on Dean.

"I was wondering why it was more difficult than usual to read; thank you."

"No problem," Dean replied gruffly, throwing up both hands as he leant back in his seat. This was definitely going to be slow-going.

Nonetheless, he returned to the pages before him.

They didn't know what they were looking for, exactly – actually, they had no idea - so they had started in the most logical place: the Neanderthal period, since that was the origin of the virus.

Neanderthals believed that the ultimate driving force of the world was will. This notion of will translated into the belief that a separate god existed within every physical object, state and process. However, in direct counterpoint to the conventions of the later primitive religion, when a negative situation arose offerings would be withheld until it improved, as opposed to increased-

"Do you recognise this, Dean?" Castiel pushed the book across the table. On the open page was an odd, angular illustration of what looked like a man with horns. Dean frowned.

"Now thatcha mention it, it does look familiar..." He grabbed his phone from his pocket, scrolling through his photos until he reached the one he was looking for. "It's the same as those freaky illustrations the scientist guy had!"

No doubt about it; they were the same character. Only, one was depicted on stone, and the other on flesh.

"Yes," Castiel appeared to be thinking deeply, eyes flickering between the photograph and the book. At length, he pointed to a block of text alongside the illustration. "Read this."

One of the most commonly worshipped gods was the god associated with decay. This covered a broad area of human experience, from death to general illness. Although the name of the god remains unknown, it is typically depicted in Neanderthal drawings as possessing horns-

"It's a god."

"A god of death and decay. That means illness," Castiel clarified grimly.

Dean drummed his fingers against the table top, an explanation slowly coming to mind. "So this company, they're drilling, right? And they unearth this ancient virus. What if this God sees it's chance? The doc said it himself: this thing should only be capable of infecting single-celled organisms. But if it's charged with some god's freaky mojo-"

"Then it has no limits," Castiel murmured thoughtfully.

"Exactly! This god's prob'ly been stuck under the ice for, what, a couple billion years? It’s not gonna pass up a chance like this to escape."

"How do we kill it?"

Dean shook his head, "You've got me there. Not exactly the expert on Neanderthal gods. I was hopin' you would have an idea."

"I have never come across anything like this either."

"I guess the only thing for it is to call Bobby an' hope he knows somethin' about it."

Castiel didn't reply, so Dean took his silence to be agreement.

"Let's head back to the motel an' I'll get a hold of him."

"Can you not do it here?" The angel asked suddenly.

"No, Cas. It's a library."

"A library?"

Dean huffed, getting up from the table, "That means no phones. C'mon."

TBC...

[Melody]

I love this!! The plot is very thought out and very well done! Also everyone is really in charachter! I hope you add more

[Snowydays]

omG BABY THIS IS SO GOOD OMIGOSH QWQ SO SO excited do the rest!!! this is amazing omg I can't express this enough I don't think my fic can do this justice Q-Q I'll send you a pm on how my ones doing but really I can't thank you enough the whole adorable Cas who doesn't understand references and Dean being all siiggghh lemme explain omg I can't comprehend this!! I'll give you a better review tomorrow ^-^

[MoonDuck]

I actually love how Castiel is confused by Batman xD There are parts where I laughed out loud, I loveeee how you write Cas. And how Dean and Cas interact with each other. And I really want to know how the case ends. Looking forward to the TBC part!

[NorthernLady]

There's a lot of plot in this first part, but I promise there will be fluffy ship-ness soon.

Another SPN story, YAY! You wrote destiel, does it mean they both gonna be sick or there's gonna be some destiel stuff? You can ignore me if it's it's too spoilery to reveal

[anna]

Aaah this is so good, with all the My Bloody Valentine feels and the case is pretty interesting too. Reminds me of this Doctor Who episode

[MaiMai]

I love this!! The plot is very thought out and very well done! Also everyone is really in charachter! I hope you add more

Thank you so much! I spent a lot of time trying to get the plot straight, so that's really nice to hear!

omG BABY THIS IS SO GOOD OMIGOSH QWQ SO SO excited do the rest!!! this is amazing omg I can't express this enough I don't think my fic can do this justice Q-Q I'll send you a pm on how my ones doing but really I can't thank you enough the whole adorable Cas who doesn't understand references and Dean being all siiggghh lemme explain omg I can't comprehend this!! I'll give you a better review tomorrow ^-^

Ahhh I'm so relieved you like it! I hope the next part is good enough! And the first part of your fic is perfect omg, totally does it justice UWU

I actually love how Castiel is confused by Batman xD There are parts where I laughed out loud, I loveeee how you write Cas. And how Dean and Cas interact with each other. And I really want to know how the case ends. Looking forward to the TBC part!

Thank you so much! I'm never sure about the humour in my fics, so it's really great when people actually find it funny.

There's a lot of plot in this first part, but I promise there will be fluffy ship-ness soon.

Another SPN story, YAY! You wrote destiel, does it mean they both gonna be sick or there's gonna be some destiel stuff? You can ignore me if it's it's too spoilery to reveal

I think the next part will sort of answer this...? SPN stories are always good

Aaah this is so good, with all the My Bloody Valentine feels and the case is pretty interesting too. Reminds me of this Doctor Who episode

Thank you~! And oh my gosh, I haven't seen that episode for years, but it actually used to be one of my favourites! Maybe it was at the back of my mind whilst I was writing!

Aaand here is the next part! I hope it's not too disappointing! xD

The Third Hunt - Part Two

There were a lot of things about hunting with Castiel that Dean suspected he would never get used to.

One of these was that, as an angel, Castiel required no sleep. Dean doubted he would ever become accustomed to waking up in the middle of the night to find Castiel awake, watching television or, on one unnerving occasion, sat by the bed and observing him attentively.

So when Dean half woke and rolled over to see Castiel seated at the table, it took a second for him to orient himself and register that this was situation normal, grip relaxing on his gun.

Only there was something about Castiel's posture, tense and rigid, that made him uneasy.

"Cas?" His voice was deep with sleep, "You alrigh'?"

"I do not know."

Castiel expressing any form of doubt was most definitely out of character. Frowning, Dean got out of bed, padding softly over to sit with him.

"What is it?"

"I-I think-" Castiel looked genuinely frightened, a rare emotion for the angel, "I think there is an error with my vessel."

"An...error?" Dean asked uncertainly, "You mean, you're short-circuiting or something?"

"I believe the human term is 'malfunction'. A 'defect'. A 'flaw'. A 'glitch'. A 'fault'. A-"

"Cas, quit being a human thesaurus an' tell me what's going on. Well, not human, exactly-never mind, what is it?"

"I do not know," Castiel repeated, voice hushed.

"I can't help if y' can't tell me what's wrong, Cas."

"I cannot describe it."

Dean sighed, resting his elbows on the table, "Try."

Still, Castiel looked utterly lost. His gaze shifted from Dean to the table and back again, seeming to lose focus. If anything, he was appearing tenser by the second.

"Cas, I’m not psychic-"

"hhh!-hh'kschuu!"

Dean broke off in slight surprise, having seen Castiel stiffen and pitch forward with the sneeze, "Can I say bless ya, or is there some kinda issue with that, you bein' an angel an' all?"

"That was it." The sudden admission took Dean aback.

"That...was your, uh, malfunction?"

"Yes."

In the dim motel room, unlit save for the burnished light of the street lights that filtered in from outside, Dean could just about make out the terror in Castiel's expression. He was caught between the desire to laugh at the absurdity of the situation and the urge to reassure him.

"It was just a sneeze, Cas. It's, uh, normal. It's human."

"My presence in this vessel should negate any reflexive human reactions. I was not aware that this...sneeze-ing was possible."

Dean didn't quite know how to continue; this wasn't a conversation he had ever pictured the two of them having. "I wouldn't worry about it, Cas-" he broke off to yawn, "I'm gonna head back to bed, alright?"

"...okay, Dean." After a moment, Castiel nodded.

Dean still had the impression that something wasn't quite right, but it was four in the morning and, honestly, the pull of sleep was overwhelming.

And that was where the mystery ended – or at least, that was what Dean had thought at the time.

At first, he wasn't sure what had woken him. All Dean knew was that he was suddenly and very definitely awake.

Then, he heard it.

"hh-hh-huh-hiih!"

He raised his head, squinting, just in time witness Castiel succumbing to a small fit of sneezes, shoulders stiffening as he sneezed openly towards his lap. "hhi-tkschu! hp'tsshuu! hhu'ihshuuh!"

Dean cleared his throat, "Uh, Cas?"

When Castiel raised his eyes to his, he appeared distinctly tired, haggard, even exhausted. Granted, he never looked the best, but the dark, bruised-looking shadows beneath his eyes seemed more prominent than usual.

"Yes, Deand?"

Add to that stuffy, blunt-edged consonants, and overall, he was rather a miserable sight.

"Woah," Dean pushed himself up into a sitting position. "You sound like shit."

"What exactly does-"

"It's an expression, Cas," he amended hurriedly, then frowned. "Seriously, though. Are you sick? 'Cause you sure sound like it."

"I-I dohh-dond't-hit'sshuh!"

Dean cringed as Castiel sneezed openly, but at the same time, the obvious helplessness of the angel was damn-near breaking his heart. When Castiel turned weary, teary eyes on him, however, he found himself incapable of simply sitting back and watching.

He would put it down to latent big-brother instincts.

"You need tissues," he stated decisively. A short search yielded a small box in the bathroom cabinet; he would have to pick up more later. "Here."

Castiel looked blankly at the square box before him, prompting a heavy sigh from Dean.

"Course. You don' know how to use tissues, either."

"I have observed themb beindg used..." he responded, frowning bemusedly as he tugged one from the box. Once he had done so he merely held the tissue, lost as to what to do next.

Dean sighed heavily, "You gotta, uh, put it to your nose, Cas." Confusedly, Castiel raised the tissue and covered the whole lower portion of his face, just his blue eyes visible over the top. "No, you-dammit, c'mere."

Dean moved to stand behind Castiel's chair, taking the hand that was holding the tissue in his own, "Like this." He guided him gently to wipe at his nose.

"...thandk you, Dean."

"No problem," he replied gruffly. The whole situation felt oddly intimate, and Dean couldn't work out what to say next. Fortunately, he was spared from having to

do so by the tinny ring of his phone.

"Hello? Yeah, this is Agent Henson...you've got another? Same symptoms as the rest? Okay. We'll be there soon as possible."

When Dean replaced his phone in his pocket, Castiel was looking at him pointedly. "Adnother?"

"Yeah. You want to come, or-"

There was no reply save for the slamming of the door behind him. Dean was left standing in silent incredulity.

"Don' wait up, then."

-

Castiel couldn't concentrate.

Dean was asking the doctor something, examining the latest patient. Only, his words suddenly seemed to have no meaning; they were simply a jumble of phonetics, as opposed to coherent sentences.

Everything felt wrong, from the way the whole expanse of his forehead seemed to ache, to the unusual heaviness of his limbs, to the faint, low-key buzzing and prickling that appeared to have taken up residence somewhere in his nasal vicinity, spreading right along his cheekbones. It was distracting, to say the least.

The worst thing about it, though, was that his concentration was going haywire. Normally, Castiel would have had no qualms remaining focused on the job. However, it was becoming difficult to ignore the increasingly abnormal functioning of his vessel.

"Is there any sorta list of symptoms you could give us? It'd be helpful to know exactly what we're dealing with."

"Of course, agent; I'll fetch you one."

There was a hand on his shoulder. Castiel turned to Dean, finding them abruptly alone - unless you counted the unconscious patient, that is.

"What's with you? Still malfunctioning?"

It had been Castiel's intention to give a genuine response, only what came out was a husky, faintly whining, "It itches, Deand, I cannot concendtrate like this."

"Yeah, well, welcome to the common cold, Cas. Just gotta suck it up and get on with things," His voice was firm, but not unkind.

"Here."

On Stephenson's return Dean hastily dropped his hand from the angel's shoulder, instead holding it out to take the print-out from the doctor.

"Thanks. We'll leave you to it," Dean nodded to him and had to nudge Castiel to get him to start walking.

As they left, he skimmed the page, eyes pausing on a paragraph near the top.

"Shit," Dean had stopped.

Castiel backtracked a few steps, "Deand?"

Instead of replying, Dean wordlessly flipped the paper so that Castiel could read it, pointing to the second paragraph down.

Early symptoms of pithovirus take a similar form to the common cold, including congestion, fever, cough, sore throat and sneezing. The virus progresses to coma within the space of around three days-

"Deand, I believe we have a problemb."

"You think?"

[NorthernLady]

Early symptoms of pithovirus take a similar form to the common cold, including congestion, fever, cough, sore throat and sneezing. The virus progresses to coma within the space of around three days-

"Deand, I believe we have a problemb."

"You think?"

OH dear Love that vessel malfuctioning bit and the sneezy angel of course! Now the question is, will they be able to exit the hospital without arousing the doctors suspicions

[daystar428]

Cas is so cute!! I can't wait to read what happens to them next! Great plot

[Snowydays]

AGGH BABY

THIS IS SO CUTE AND WORRYING ITS BRINGING ME SO MUCH FEELS QWQ

No really thank you thank you thank you this is wonderful <3

[KickingUpTheDust]

Eeeeeeeeeeee owh my poor baby cassie :-) that cutie patootie needs a helping hand

[MaiMai]

Early symptoms of pithovirus take a similar form to the common cold, including congestion, fever, cough, sore throat and sneezing. The virus progresses to coma within the space of around three days-

"Deand, I believe we have a problemb."

"You think?"

OH dear Love that vessel malfuctioning bit and the sneezy angel of course! Now the question is, will they be able to exit the hospital without arousing the doctors suspicions

Haha, thank you! And that's a plot point that I...totally didn't address...

Cas is so cute!! I can't wait to read what happens to them next! Great plot

Thank youu! Cas is so much fun to write, ahaha~

AGGH BABY

THIS IS SO CUTE AND WORRYING ITS BRINGING ME SO MUCH FEELS QWQ

No really thank you thank you thank you this is wonderful <3

So glad you like it, Snowydays, really! I've really enjoyed doing this trade with you!

Eeeeeeeeeeee owh my poor baby cassie :-) that cutie patootie needs a helping hand

He's so adorably helpless, haha

Alrighty, this is the last part, so I hope you guys (and especially Snowydays! ) enjoy it! The elusive Destiel finally makes an appearance here. (I am a terrible SPN ship writer, I'm so sorry)

The Third Hunt - Part Three

This was just perfect; one of them was already down - and it was Castiel, of all people.

When they returned to the motel Dean forced a cup of tea on him and made him sit down, much to the angel's confusion. "It's sorta a human tradition," Dean had explained simply when Castiel had asked.

"So, I spoke to Bobby and he told me – after he finished giving me shit about not doing research properly, we were looking, jeez – that he reckons we can gank this thing if we destroy the virus an' stake the god, but it's-"

"hh'zztshuu!"

"Bless y'. It's gotta be done at the same time, since some of the god's power is gonna be in the virus itself-"

"iih'chshuu! Uh, Dean,"

"Jesus, Cas!"

Castiel had managed to spill hot tea down one hand, and was looking at the forming burn mark with a mixture of blankness and utter helplessness. Dean got up to grab the First Aid kit from his duffle bag and knelt down at Castiel's side. He took his left hand wordlessly and gently in his own, starting to cool and bandage it. Castiel looked almost ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Deand. Bmy-bmy vessel-"

"-is malfunctioning, yeah, you've said," Dean responded shortly. Once Castiel's hand was safely bandaged, Dean gave him a swift, critical look up and down.

"Maybe you should sit this one out, Cas."

"Dno. Dno, Dean, I cand hunt."

Dean smiled wryly, "Yeah, I've heard that one before. But seriously; if you can't even handle a cup of tea, what if we need t' use your freaky angel mojo? I don't want you killin' us both by accident."

Castiel had no answer to this. This 'being sick' thing was entirely unfamiliar territory to him.

"Thend what do you suggest we do?"

Honestly, Dean didn't know. The problem was, the destruction of the virus and the staking of the god had to happen-

"-at the same time. Unless we call another hunter to take your place, we have a pretty big problem."

Castiel's eyes held a steely resolve as he stated, "I'll do it. We dond't have bmuch other optiod. Waitidg for adnother hundter will take too londg."

As much as he hated to admit it, Dean was in agreement with that. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"You’ve got a point," he admitted grudgingly. Then, frowning, he raised a hand to press the back of to Castiel's forehead. The angel recoiled with a small hiss.

"Your hand is too cold."

"I ain't cold," Dean's frown deepened. "You must be runnin' a fever."

"You bmean bmy vessel."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Before Castiel could protest, Dean drew closer and pressed his forehead to his, frowning.

“You’re burnin’ up.”

This close, Castiel’s piercing gaze was all the more so, and after a moment Dean started to pull away.

“Y’know, I really don’t think it’s safe for you to-mmph!” A stifled exclamation escaped him when rough lips collided with his own without warning.

“Cas, what the hell was that?!” Dean recoiled, one hand to his mouth, blushing furiously. In the face of his shock, Castiel cocked his head to the side as if in thought.

“I do dnot dknow. I thought that was the accepted social respondse to such proximity?”

“I hate to think what type of shows you’ve been watching. No, Cas, it ain’t,” Dean was still a little shaken.

“Why are your cheeks so pindk? Do you have a…fever too?”

Castiel attempted to emulate Dean’s gesture from earlier, reaching out a hand to the hunter’s forehead. Determinedly, Dean evaded it.

“No. No, Cas, let’s just-just figure out what we’re gonna do about this god, alright? That’s the important thing here.”

With a sniffle, Castiel nodded, “The god should appear ondce the virus is destroyed. You will go to the lab and destroy it. I will go to the hospital and deal with the god.”

“What? No. I’m not letting ya go to the hospital on your own,” Dean glowered.

Castiel looked confused.

“Why?”

“Because-“

“hiiihshhuu!”

“Because of that,” he sighed. His eyebrows drew together in concern when Castiel let out a short volley of coughs following the expulsion, “You’re not making me any keener to let you fight this thing.”

Castiel fixed Dean with a stubborn stare, “I can fight perfectly well, Deand.” The inevitable protest was cut short when Dean’s phone rang yet again, and he got up to take the call. When he returned, he was gripping a wooden stake plus his own hunting knife.

“The doc just called. He sounded pretty damn freaked out, an’ I can’t really blame the guy. The markings are glowing and all this strange shit. Sounds like our God has decided to show his face.”

A hand stopped Castiel as he began to get up, “I’m still not convinced by this. If you do have this freaky virus thing-“

He stopped short. Castiel had ignored his hand and gotten up, drawing himself up to his full height and squaring his shoulders. Even exhausted-looking and sniffling, he still posed an intimidating sight. Dean felt the rest of his protest die in his throat.

“I’mb hudting, Deadn. Let’s kill this god.”

-

His first thought was that it was quiet. Far, far too quiet. Quiet was good, though; quiet worked. If there was less of a chance that innocent people would be harmed when Dean took down this thing, then he would take it.

He and Cas had been here enough times now that Dean knew the way to the ward like the contents of the Impala. Straight down the corridor, left, right, right again, and there it was.

It was obvious that something was wrong from the second he walked in. For starters, the glaring hospital lights were out. They were dimmed at night, he had enough experience to know that, but they were never fully out.

Next there was the fact that this was an intensive care ward, and there was a distinct lack of staff members. Dean would have thought that at least the doctor would have shown up, considering he had called him there. Apparently the guy had decided to make like a coward and leave it all to him. He would have been pissed, if not for the fact that he would honestly have liked to do the same thing.

There was also the feel of the place. When you’ve been hunting for as long as Dean has, you’ve got good enough instincts to tell immediately when something is wrong. The air felt as if it had been charged with some kind of outlandish energy, and that certainly indicated that not everything was as it should be.

Dean advanced, a wooden stake clutched hard in his right hand.

It was there, bending over the nearest bed. He peered round the plastic curtain in a futile attempt to see what was happening.

The god was definitely a woman – the build gave that away, and damn, she was sorta hot – but the longer Dean looked the more he could see that she wasn’t quite human. Her body had an odd, angular quality that was strongly reminiscent of the Stone Age paintings he’d been staring at over the last few days, as if she’d walked straight out of the illustrations. That, and she was obviously not from the modern world; her clothing could be referred to as scantily clad at best. Aside from the freakishly angular edges of her body, she closely resembled several of the strippers Dean had encountered recently. He tried to push the thought from his mind as he crept closer. Get her while she’s distracted.

Dean paused. Adjusted his grip, took aim. Raised the stake, and-

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.”

He ignored her. Trying to throw you off, you’ve still got time, do it now. The stake went plummeting downwards. Next there was a clatter and a hand around his throat.

“I warned you.” Dean had a brief glance of sharp cheek bones and an expression of rage before he was being slammed into the sterile floor. His breath caught as his shoulder blades collided painfully with the tiling. He had just managed to escape his head receiving the same treatment, though that wasn’t much consolation because it really hurt.

“Oh yeah? Why not?” he managed through gritted teeth. She stood over him, stone cold eyes boring into his skull.

“Several reasons, the main of which would be that I would have to kill you,” Dean snorted derisively. “But that really doesn’t matter, because I’m going to kill you anyway.”

Dean’s eyes flicked around the room quickly. The stake was just about in his eye line, slid half way beneath one of the hospital beds. If he could just get to it…

“What would be the point of killing me?” If there was one thing he had learnt, it was to keep them talking. Buy time and think about your next move.

“Please. If I didn’t kill you, would you spare me?” The god asked with a sneer. “No. And neither would your little angel in the trench coat, so I suppose he’ll just have to go too.” Dean frowned, focusing his conversation on keeping her talking instead of on his searing shoulders.

“I’m not with anyone else.” This earned him another slam, this time against the opposite wall. He slid down dizzily, stars bursting before his eyes from the impact.

“Liar,” Came the hiss, much closer than Dean was comfortable with. “You didn’t think the art was just for decoration, did you? You two have been here too many times…”

“How did y’know? About Cas?” Dean’s voice was rough and strangled; her fingers were closing around his throat. They were unnaturally long, brittle but strong.

“Oh, please. Do you really think I wouldn’t be able to tell? We celestials have a knack for sensing the energy of others. I daresay that’s why he was so interested. Doesn’t that bother you? That he never told you that was why? I bet you your little angel-boy knew all along what you were dealing with-“

Dean had had enough. Snarling, he struck out blindly, “Get off me, bitch!”

The moment he screamed it was as if an enchantment had been broken. The god recoiled and stood surveying him with feral eyes. Dean pushed himself up off the floor, ignoring the screams of protest from his head. At the same moment that she pounced he dove for the stake, sliding on the polished floor. The rough wood against his palm was the most relieving feeling imaginable.

Dean leapt back up and swung round, finding himself practically face to face with her. He lunged forward – but something held him back at the last second.

With a feeling of dread settling in his stomach Dean looked down. One of the comatose scientists had a tight grip on his wrist. He could see his skin turning white around it as the circulation was slowly cut off. That was definitely going to leave a bruise.

For the first time since he had been visiting the hospital, Dr Steele’s eyes were open - and Dean did not like what he saw in them.

“What did you think the infection was for? You humans and your evolved religions,” The god spat. “I had to ensure I had some followers when I returned.” Dean stayed quiet and squinted in the gloomy light. Was it just him, or had something about her appearance…shifted?

She was saying something in a strange, dead, primitive sounding language, but it didn’t take long for Dean to recognise it as a command. His mind raced. How many more people were in here? It couldn’t be more than five or six, but would that be too many for him to take on alone?

But no one else appeared.

“Looks like your followers got bored of you,” Dean observed. The god screeched in fury and ripped back the curtains of each of the consequent beds. Every one of the inhabitants had been staked. That could only mean one thing.

Cas.

The grasp on his wrist weakened and fell away.

“I will deal with himb. Focus ond the god.”

Dean didn’t even think about it, just acted on instinct and threw himself towards the thing. The stake pierced through her ribcage with a satisfying crunch. He jammed it forward, prompting another howl, then let go. She slithered to the ground. Silently he watched as her limbs twitched for a few moments longer, then fell still. Dead.

“Is it donde?” Castiel emerged from the plastic curtains of the beds, a faint glow fading behind him.

“Done,” Dean confirmed. He couldn’t resist adding: “Awfully kind of you to turn up, but I woulda been fine without you.”

“Of course. You looked as if you were doindg just ‘finde’ whend I turned up.”

With a scowl, Dean withdrew the stake from the god’s body, watching as she disintegrated a few moments later into dust.

“Don’t you get sarcastic with me. That’s Sammy’s job; don’t need you doin’ it, too.”

Practically in unison, they turned towards the doors. It was never a good idea to hang around for too long after a hunt – it tended to raise awkward questions that couldn’t be easily answered.

“Let’s get outta-Cas?”

Castiel had stumbled, and seemed to be struggling to regain his balance. He looked desperately to Dean. “Everythindg is bmovidg-“

“Woah, easy there,” Dean managed to grab him just before the angel pitched headlong into the floor. He grimaced as he felt him shaking with a combination of shivers and a hacking cough. “I guess it was a cold, after all. C’mon, let’s get you back to the motel.”

Weak, Castiel had to be practically carried back to the Impala. Dean manhandled him into the passenger seat as gently as possible, then climbed into the drivers’ seat himself.

“D-Deadn?”

“Yeah?” He responded shortly, not taking his eyes of the road.

“Whh-whe-hhi-“

“Cas, if you’re gonna sneeze then do that first, then talk.”

“iih’kktsshuhh!-hhizshuu!”

“Bless ya.”

“Whedn we return to the motel roomb, could we do that agaidn?”

“Do what again?”

“Kissidg.”

Dean practically choked. Of all the ‘human traditions’ that Cas had yet to understand, that had to be the one that he did pick up on, of all things.

“You’re restin’ when we get back to the motel, that’s what you’re gonna do,” he replied gruffly.

Perhaps his foot pressed down just a little bit harder on the accelerator, but Castiel didn’t need to know that.

Third hunt unlucky?

More like third hunt lucky.

[Its_Glimpse]

Oh man alive, this is great?? It's oddly cute at times, even with the intensity of being mid-hunt and having a man (angel?) down. I really enjoyed this; fantastic job!

[2SHY222]

I love it. It's like watching an episode but with words.....I can't get enough!

[SterlingSilver]

MaiMai, you've outdone yourself!! I've just read the whole thing, and it's LOVELY <3. Cas is so adorable in this, with his stuffy voice and sneezes, and unnff x333. I also love that for a moment they thought it was a virus, and then by the end, Dean was like, "Oh, just a regular cold after all!" That's such a fun trope! You write hurt/comfort so well, and you also thought up a fantastic plot too! Thank you so much for sharing x3

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

I am so late to the party on this one! Holy Chuck that sent me spiraling.

I dont know how I found this so late, but thank you Lord that I have!

[Snowydays]

HIII!! I just want to say this was so amazing!! QwQ Thank you so so much. It's wonderful. And I'm so sorry but atm I'm on mobile and my part is stuck on my IPad (which isn't with me atm) so I'm so so sorry for the delay! And everything I wanted to say has been told by everyone else here. Thank you so much! You are so great!!

[MaiMai]

Oh man alive, this is great?? It's oddly cute at times, even with the intensity of being mid-hunt and having a man (angel?) down. I really enjoyed this; fantastic job!

Gah thank yoouu! <3 Hunts always need a bit of fluff thrown in.

I love it. It's like watching an episode but with words.....I can't get enough!

Woah, thank you! UWU That's such a compliment, and that was kinda what I was going for too, so Tysm!!!

MaiMai, you've outdone yourself!! I've just read the whole thing, and it's LOVELY <3. Cas is so adorable in this, with his stuffy voice and sneezes, and unnff x333. I also love that for a moment they thought it was a virus, and then by the end, Dean was like, "Oh, just a regular cold after all!" That's such a fun trope! You write hurt/comfort so well, and you also thought up a fantastic plot too! Thank you so much for sharing x3

Scatter~! Thank you thank you!!! I usually stick to solely fluff, so I was experimenting a bit with this one, but I'm happy with how it turned out and that people liked it!

I am so late to the party on this one! Holy Chuck that sent me spiraling.

I dont know how I found this so late, but thank you Lord that I have!

I'm glad you found it too?? Thank you so much for reading and commenting!!

HIII!! I just want to say this was so amazing!! QwQ Thank you so so much. It's wonderful. And I'm so sorry but atm I'm on mobile and my part is stuck on my IPad (which isn't with me atm) so I'm so so sorry for the delay! And everything I wanted to say has been told by everyone else here. Thank you so much! You are so great!!

Yay, I'm so so happy you enjoyed it, Snowydays! And no worries about that, take as much time as you need!

[spirkestielgirl87]

Loved literally everything about this story. Plotty and suspenseful yet fluffy and cute at the same time. Well done!