srs2013 | Bonus Round 2

Bonus Round 1 is now closed, and Bonus Round 2 is now open!

This round, the theme is holidays/special occasions.

If you have an idea for something you'd like to see, please leave the ship, a holiday/special occasion, and any other details as a PROMPT below. After you've posted, read through everyone else's prompts, and leave a FILL for any which catch your eye. Fills can be in any media, and they need not be long, but please put a little effort in--if anyone starts spamming this post for points, we'll be able to tell.

You should place PROMPT/FILL, your current team affiliation and a brief summary in the comment title. Do not forget to change the title of the comment when posting a FILL as a reply to a PROMPT. NSFW prompts and fills should mention this in the summary or at the top of the post. Reminder that team names must be in alphabetical order (ie. Balthazar/Death, not Death/Balthazar) and that portmanteaus (ie. Lubriel, Annaby) are not allowed when identifying team affiliation.

You will be awarded five points per prompt for the first five prompts you leave. The first three fills posted for each prompt will receive 15 points, the next three 10 points, and the next three 5 points. Prompts with ten or more fills will no longer receive fill points.

Bonus rounds are still rarepair only, but you can post prompts or fills for any rare ship this round, including gen/platonic ones (which should be indicated with an & as above). Due to some unforeseen complication from last round, we have changed the rules. It is now 15 points per fill for the first three fills by three different people. So if someone does a fic for Fill 1 and a fanmix for Fill 2, then get 15 + 10 points, and then Person 2 does a fill and Person 3 does a fill, so even though those would be fills 3 and 4, they count as 15 and 15 points since they're fills by new people. You are still not permitted to fill your own prompt. We also encourage people not to fill prompts from their teammates, although the points will not be deducted if you do.

Bonus round fills can include links provided they are publicly viewable. Works can also be cross-posted to other websites, as there is no anonymity requirement in bonus rounds. However, works posted directly to comments will be limited to 16,000 characters by the Dreamwidth comment limit. Longer works should therefore be divided between multiple comments.

Remember, Team Chuck can participate in bonus rounds, and if you change teams, points earned will transfer with you until the end of the team shuffle period.

This round is now closed.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sam takes human!cas out to see fireworks for the first time. Cas goes on to talk about how he's never actually seen them from /below/ before. Maybe some angst that leads to fluff please :3

"I used to watch these every year with Dean when we were younger." Sam reminisced, staring up at the colorfully lit up sky. As each firework exploded and sparks of color dotted the star speckled sky, he was taken back to different memories of all the many times they celebrated the Fourth of July. He smiled when he remembered the time they went to a firework viewing show without paying and how relieved he was when they didn't get caught. He almost laughed out loud when he remembered the time Dean almost blew himself up trying to use homemade fireworks, which went horribly as expected. The image of clueless, awkward, newly humanized Cas trying to prepare a package of fireworks popped into his head and almost caused him to choke from holding back laughter. He could very clearly see the formerly all powerful celestial being tangled up in wires or prematurely setting something on fire, resulting in an explosion of dark powder in his face and his hair getting spiked. He would tilt his head at Sam and wonder why he was laughing, eyes wide like a confused puppy.

If Cas heard his choke, he surely wasn't acknowledging it. He sat, knees curled up to his chest, on the crunchy, dead grass, staring in awe at the lights in front of him. The sky brightened red and then blue, lighting his face up with those corresponding colors. His head was cocked slightly to the side in wonder as he gaped at the sight before him. Sam's smile softened as he looked fondly towards Cas' glowing face. He was like a small child, trying to understand where the splashes of color were coming from. Sam scooted slightly closer to Cas.

"I haven't done anything like this in years. Dean and I are usually hunting or something every year during this time. He'd probably tease me about it, but I really like watching fireworks. I feel like all my troubles are being launched into the sky and dissolved into nothing, raining down in the form of joy and forgiveness. It is just...relaxing." Sam said, exhaling a content and fulfilled sigh. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked at the silent man next to him, wondering why he had yet to say a word. He couldn't be too mesmerized to talk.

"Cas? Are you okay?" He stared at Cas for a full minute before seeing the tears trickling slowly down his cheek. His chest tightened and his throat closed at the sight of the normally stolid man expressing an emotion that was very, very human.

"Huh? Oh," he muttered in a low, gravelly voice, wiping his face clear of the tears that stained his cheek, "it's nothing. Please, do not let me distract you from enjoying the colorful lights in the sky."

"Cas, you know I can't enjoy anything with you sitting there crying." He slid his calm, steady hand over the shaking one next to him. He rubbed his calloused thumb along Cas' rough hand, giving warmth to ice. He asked again, "Cas, what's wrong?"

"It's just....I've never seen these from below before...They look so different from down here...with these eyes that aren't mine...with this body that isn't mine..." He bit his lower lip, waiting for Sam to laugh at him. To his surprise, he pulled Cas into a soft hug, one he could easily pull away from if he tried; he didn't.

"You don't need wings or a halo to be an angel." That's all it took. Cas broke and buried his head in his Sam's broad shoulder. His arms lifted and wrapped around Sam's torso as silent tears escaped his eyes, collecting in a puddle on Sam's jacket. Sam rubbed his back and breathed in the familiar scent of Cas, the same scent that had given him comfort when all his faith was diminishing.

"You know Dean and I don't care that you are human now. Especially me...it means you can't run off as often." Sam breathed out a testing laugh, not sure if it was appropriate.

"I won't leave again. Promise you won't leave me?" He whispered warily, gripping Sam's jacket tight enough to turn his knuckles white. He held on like Sam would evaporate into the atmosphere if he didn’t keep him grounded. He held on and silently hoped he would never be alone again.

“I would never." Sam promised softly, gently kissing the top of his head.

"I need you, Sam..."

"...I need you too, Cas."

The fireworks exploded in the sky, raining down joy and forgiveness on the man who had never felt anything before, ridding him of all his troubles.

Edited 2013-10-19 15:13 (UTC)

Castiel clearly isn’t enjoying the car ride. Sam tries to chat him up but all he gets is one word replies and then stony silence.

“It’s cold,” Castiel mumbles, pulling his jacket tighter over his chest. It was an unusually chilly for the 4th of July but it wasn’t that cold, Castiel just woke up extra grumpy that day. Sam understood why Castiel had been in such a mood lately, it was just a few weeks ago that he lost his the last little traces of his grace and maybe the best thing to do was let him sulk a little but Sam couldn’t stand watching him be so miserable.

“It will be fun, I promise.”
“That’s rather presumptions,” Castiel snorts.
“Trust me, you haven’t lived till you’ve seen firework.”
“I have seen fireworks.” Castiel sits up straight in his seat and gives Sam a hard look. “I’m an angel I’ve seen everything.”

“It’s not the same unless you see them up close.” Sam is sure he sees Castiel roll his eyes but he doesn’t argue with him anymore. When they get to the camp grounds it’s so full that Sam has to park on the grass instead of a lot. Sam pulls him into the crowd, they walk around the carnival while waiting for it to get dark, Castiel refuses most of the food that’s offered to him but he grudgingly tries a bit of funnel cake.

“Exactly when are we going to start having ‘fun’,” Castiel asks him poking at a strawberry on top of the pastry.

Sam sighs and stands up, Castiel gets a look in his eye like he’s sure he’s about to be allowed to return home but Sam grabs his hand and yanks him off the bench. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“Away from here.”

“But-”

“It’s too crowded here. We won’t get a good spot.” Sam pulls him through the crowd, the sea of people seems to go and on, Castiel can’t see where it ends but he hopes Sam’s extra height gives him an advantage to that. When they finally breakthrough they’re back in the parking lot but Sam walks right by the car and continues to the lake.

“Where are we going?” Castiel repeats, he looks behind him to the quickly disappearing fairgrounds.
“I know just the spot to go to!” Sam smiles back at him. Soon they’re walking through the woods and whacking branches out of the way as they push through. Castiel is just about to tell Sam that he’s tired and wants to go home when they break through the wall of trees and into a clearing. “See? I knew there had to be one of these if we walked far enough.”

“You mean you didn’t know?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Sam drops to his knees and pulls Castiel down with him. “We’re here now.”
“Sam, the ground is wet,” Castiel complains but Sam is already laid back with his hands laced behind his head.

“Come on, it’s better if you’re lying down. Then all you can see is the sky.”

Castiel lets out a frustrated sigh but he complies, he lies down next to the hunter and tries not to grimace at the wet feeling leaking through his shirt. They slip into a silence as the sky turns from a pale blue to a inky black, Sam keeps taking nervous glances at the Castiel, not sure if he’ll keep waiting or just give up go wait in the car.

A tiny fizzle sounds out and a two seconds later the sky lights up. It a shower of green that trickles out into a gold bustle. More and more follow till all the sound it drowned out by the boom of the fireworks, flashes of red, green, blue, any colour you could think of paints the space above them. Sam risks another glance at Castiel and finds him staring wondrously up at the display, it makes a smile crack across Sam’s lips.

“So, is it good?”

“It’s….” Castiel trails off as a purple and red one explodes and drowns out all the other fading fireworks. “It’s very different from down here.”

“Is it?”

“Yes, much…bigger. It takes up the whole sky.” A small grin sprouts on Castiel’s lips. He turns his head towards Sam, the fireworks reflection dances in his eyes. “They all blend together, it looks spectacular.”

“I’m glad you like it.” The fireworks continue to explode above them yet they have trouble tearing their gazes away from each other. Hesitantly Castiel leans forwards, Sam follows, but just as their lips are about to touch the final sounds off and Castiel jumps in surprise. He’s back to staring at the sky and Sam’s happy for him but a can’t help being disappointed it ruined the moment.

Still Sam thinks the fireworks aren’t nearly as amazing as the rarely seen smile on Castiel’s lips.

Bonus Round 2

prompt, team crowley/sam, 4th of july (sam/cas)

Re: prompt, team crowley/sam, 4th of july (sam/cas)

Fill: Team Castiel/Lucifer. Castiel's first holiday.