Work Text:
Castiel woke up to the gentle buzzing of his phone on the bedside table. He reached out with a shaky hand to silence the device, then flopped bonelessly back onto his pillow. Like most recent days, there was a chill in the air. He had no inclination to leave the warmth of the bed, but a little messenger would soon be well on her way to complaining about starvation. For now, she slept peacefully at his back, taking up space on his otherwise empty cot.
He turned around to look at her fondly, noting how her nose scrunched up at the disturbance. Yes, his little Dita truly was the cutest cat in the world. When Castiel had first moved into the small town at the base of the mountain, he had been looking for a picturesque place that would provide a calm setting to write his next novel. Until that point, he’d lived a big-city life in a concrete jungle filled with people working hard and playing harder. Everyone moved so fast. Castiel had felt utterly alone in the middle of a crowd like that, .
Not that conditions had improved much in that respect. He had a few friends from his college days, but the last time he’d seen them had been a year ago. They all video chatted every month or so, a poor replacement for their previous interactions. Friends aside, it had been even longer since he’d seen his family. There was no bad blood between them; they just weren’t that close. He did love Gabriel and Anna, and just like with his friends they spoke fairly regularly. Gabriel especially made it his mission to annoy his little brother whenever the opportunity arose. Still, he missed Anna’s hugs and Gabriel’s pats on the head, made even funnier by how much taller Castiel had become than his brother. Simply put, it had been a long time since Castiel had touched or been touched kindly by another human.
He passed his index finger gently along Dita’s ear, watching as it flicked away from the contact. She had been left in a cardboard box by the side of the highway where Castiel had found her. He was on his way to his new home at the time when he’d spotted the kitten in an entirely serendipitous moment. A pet certainly wasn't a part of his packing checklist, but one look at her big eyes and pink nose changed that. He had immediately picked her up and taken her to the nearest vet. A quick examination and some immunizations later, the pair was sent on their way. She remained calm under Castiel’s watchful gaze the whole time, only flattening her ears and hissing when the technician tried to take her away from her new human. The technician had only chuckled and remarked to Castiel that his cat was clearly very attached to him. As someone who’d never had anything “attached” to him before, Castiel felt his chest grow warm and he mumbled something about what a cute kitty she was. When Castiel pulled out of the vet’s office, he couldn’t help but feel that his new place would be a wonderfully fresh start for the both of them.
That had been about a year ago, and now she had squirmed her way into every aspect of his life. She could always be found curling around his ankles at breakfast, kneading his stomach as he sipped coffee in the evenings, and butting her head against his chin scruff throughout the day. Being an author meant that most days were spent in front of his typewriter - Castiel had nothing against laptops but he just liked the sounds of the keys on the old device much better. He majored in computer science at college while quietly nurturing his passion for crafting with words. Upon graduating, he realized he really didn’t want to go into a drab software job and become another industry drone. He instead turned to writing the novel he’d dreamed of his entire life - it featured a lone protagonist who went on a grand adventure and picked up a family along the way. Although that sounds like the plot of every young adult novel in existence, his work was distinguished by the depth he put into every character. Each was a well-rounded individual with flaws, ambitions, and distinct personalities. The actual storyline was fairly simple and the focus was more on the emotional journey the protagonist made. He hadn’t included any romance either, which was another unique selling point. Within the pages, Castiel had hidden his deepest wish to find a family of his own, an end to the gripping loneliness.
It took him two whole years to write the novel. During that time, he’d used his programming knowledge to freelance whenever he needed funds - this allowed him to take as much time as he wanted to flesh out his writing. The book had been published when he was twenty-four, quickly becoming a success. Readers loved the story’s unique focus and the poetry which Cas had interspersed to provide more insight into the characters. With how popular it had become, his publisher wanted him to crank out another novel in the same style. The problem was that Cas felt the protagonist’s emotional journey was complete. Any additions would either be repetitive or unnecessary. The only connection they had left to make was of a romantic nature, and Cas wasn’t ready to open that can of worms. The reason his characters were so nuanced in the first place was because they were reflections of him and his dreams. That he yearned for someone to share his life with was private, and since he’d never had a relationship before he didn’t have any personal experience to draw on for the “happy ending”.
A second buzz from his phone drew Cas’ attention, distracting him from the somber thoughts swirling around in his head. He picked up his phone to view the notification, using his other hand to stroke along Dita’s soft head. It was a happy birthday message from Gabriel that contained a promise to call later. Cas chuckled at the numerous emojis that littered the text and looked forward to that talk. His brother could always be counted on to cheer him up when he got too far in his head. So could his cat, who had now woken up and started to purr quietly under Cas’ ministrations. He gave her one last pat on her head and shoved the covers off, ready to start his day.
He didn’t have anything special planned, even if it was his twenty-sixth birthday. He quickly washed up and went to prepare breakfast. Cooking always felt like the worst chore since he never had anyone to cook for. Still, birthdays were supposed to be special, so he decided pancakes would be a good way to spoil himself. Dita made her way to the kitchen when she heard the stove turn on. She jumped up onto the counter next to the stove to watch Cas, swishing her tail and daintily licking her paws.
“Dita, you know you’re not supposed to bathe right by the food.”
She leveled him with a look and huffed, but stopped moving. The pancakes finished cooking in no time, and Cas poured Dita’s food into her bowl before he sat down. They ate together, Cas staring forlornly at the empty chair on the other side of the table. Dita finished within a few minutes and curled up in Cas’ lap. He sat there for a while after eating, simply petting his cat and reveling in the stillness of the morning.
The repeated motions had Dita dozing off within a few minutes. She seemed to be dreaming about something; her ears and tails kept flicking and some chittering could be heard. All of a sudden, she jumped off Cas’ legs and ran to scratch at the back door. This was fairly unusual behavior from the normally lethargic-in-winter cat. She wasn’t a big fan of the cold and Cas often had to drag her outside for exercise when the temperature dropped. When Cas got up to see what was wrong, she clawed her way up a side table to fetch her harness. Cas slipped it on, thinking that maybe she had to use the restroom urgently. That didn’t make sense though, since she was an indoor cat and was trained to use her litter box. He paused to think, and she started batting at him as if telling him to hurry up.
With Dita’s harness and leash properly put on, Cas pulled on his snow boots and puffy jacket. They made him feel a bit like the abominable snowman but at least he’d be warm. As he threw open the back door, a gust of wind blew directly into his face. He shivered, wondering if Dita REALLY needed to go outside in such weather. The kitty was undeterred, pulling at the leash when Cas stood frozen in the doorway. He shook his head once and walked out, pausing only to close and lock the door. The backyard had a small wooden fence that opened, leading out to a little trail that went into the woods. The pair often went walking down the trail, especially in the warmer weather. There was no big wildlife in the woods so the area was relatively safe. The trees provided solace, and within a few minutes of walking Cas always felt like he’d been transported to an alternate world.
It was no different today. The snow coated all the trees and bushes, turning them into white-coated sentinels. The sight was quite beautiful. Cas was thankful that Dita had dragged him out to see it. He briefly wished that someone else was holding his hand as he walked through his personal winter wonderland, but the nature around him quickly distracted from the sobering thought. As they walked, Dita’s ears kept swiveling around. She was listening for something, but it didn’t seem like there was any being around.
Cas could tell the moment she figured out where her target was. She froze, nose raised to the air and ears straight up. A moment later she sprung into motion, taking off in a seemingly random direction. Cas was so shocked that he forgot to hold onto the leash. It slipped through his fingers, prompting him to chase and call after his kitty fruitlessly. She slowed down a bit, making sure that Cas was following her as she led him through twists and turns between the trees. Only a short while later, she stopped in front of a mound of snow.
Cas was very confused. There’s no way Dita made him run all this was for a random pile of snow. As he thought this, the pile moved. He rubbed his eyes, thinking the cold had made him delirious. When it moved again, he braced himself for a wild animal to jump out and attack him. Dita was unphased, huffing at her human and moving closer to the snow to poke at it.
“Dita, get away from there! We need to go, right now.”
“Mmrmph” came the faint, vaguely-human-sounding moan from the snow pile. Clearly some unsuspecting person had fallen victim to the elements and needed help.
Cas crouched down near Dita, helping her scoop away handfuls of snow. His fingers brushed against fabric within a minute, and he continued digging with renewed vigor. The moaning got less frantic - whoever was inside knew they were being helped. Pretty soon, the sounds had formed into rushed and unfiltered words.
“Oh my gosh I was not expecting anyone out here to find me. I mean REALLY what the hell are you doing out here in this weather? I’m thankful of course. I was just out here exploring my new backyard when I got lost and then BAM! This giant pile of snow just fell on me and I couldn’t move.”
By this point, Cas had dug out the person’s feet and was inching closer to his arms. The person kept wriggling, speeding up the process by dislodging more snow. With one last heave, an arm shot out of the snow and Cas gripped a shoulder and a hand to carefully pull the person up. The snow parted to reveal the most beautiful being Cas had ever seen. The first thing he registered was the greenest of greens, easily more vibrant than the forest’s leaves of spring. When green met blue, Cas felt something in him shift and settle. His heartbeat roared in his ears and he could dimly hear Dita meowing inquisitively in the background. The owner of the green eyes looked similarly shaken, his eyes wide and lips parted. Dita nosed at the stranger’s other hand, and when they looked down to see what she wanted the spell was broken.
Cas sucked in a lungful of air and looked away, suddenly aware that he was staring rather creepily. When he got his breathing back under control, he looked up to see the green-eyed god looking at where their hands were still joined. Rather than the disgust Cas had expected to see on his face, the person looked contemplative, almost pleased. Most importantly, neither of them released the other’s hand. In fact, their grips seemed to tighten. Cas cleared his throat, ready to introduce himself to what appeared to be a new neighbor. From the way his soul was vibrating, maybe they’d even be something more. The stranger beat him to it, looking up at him with twinkling eyes.
“Good morning, Sunshine. Some coffee?”
The rest was history.
Bonus:
The guest of honor at Dean and Cas’ wedding was, of course, Dita. Everyone who attended knew that the couple might not have found each other without her. She stole the show, socializing and receiving treats (mostly from Gabe) and pets from all the attendees. She ended the day in her favorite place though - her precious human’s lap. Getting Dean and Cas together had many benefits in her view. Not only was Castiel deliriously happy all the time, but some of the proceeds from his newest bestselling novel (in the Romance category!) were used to pamper her with top-notch treats and a small cat-palace. Dean fell in love with her almost as quickly as he fell in love with Cas, which is to say that by the end of their first meeting/coffee date she was purring satisfactorily in his lap. They both doted on her incessantly and she became the happiest kitty in the world.