sakura_no_miko

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: one-sided Sam/Castiel, Dean/Castiel

Warnings: brief mentions of sex, mild dubcon feelings

Other notes: time travel, unrequited love, alternate universe, marriage, family, domesticity,

Length: 12k

Summary: Castiel is utterly convinced he can’t love anyone, but Sam, so when a strange occurrence at a carnival shows him otherwise, he doesn’t know what to do.

My thoughts:

The first time I read this, it didn’t quite get to me. I read it and thought, well, that was some interesting wish-fulfillment. I mean, plot-wise, it’s awfully convenient that you secure your happy future by seeing said future.

I might have just been grumpy, because the whole seeing-your-future thing would terrify me. At least in this fic–and the Teen Wolf version I’m also writing a rec for–the characters wake up in bed with people they know, if not like. Can you imagine waking up in bed with someone you haven’t even met yet? Freaky.

But, if I examine my own bias here, what makes me uncomfortable? The idea of a set future, to some extent. I think the author deals with that quite well–she has Castiel reflect that he’ll have to make this future. I like the idea of the future being a motivator, rather than fate or destiny. He sees this potential future, finds he enjoys it, and decides to work hard to make it happen.

Now, me, I’d be afraid of the “work hard to make it happen” part. I’d be too scared of messing up. but I suppose Castiel, here, is a better person than I am.

I really like Dean in this AU–this is a not-angsty Dean. how can such a thing exist? I mean, even most AUs I read still have him as a wounded warrior of some sort. This is a Dean who’s friendly, who’s an older brother that’s both a bit stronger and more experienced–experienced enough to see how much Castiel is pining away and hurting–and yet young and immature enough to be a jerk to get Castiel’s attention. it’s a Dean who’s just so young. Weirdly innocent, even–weird for Dean, at any rate. I love seeing Dean through Castiel’s eyes. It’s not unusual to position Castiel as the person who sees past Dean’s self-loathing, but there’s just something so joyful about reading an account where someone points out every sweet thing about someone else, all the little quirks and details that the person themselves would never notice. That sort of lovey-dovey glow you get when you talk about your loved one.

It really is the details that make this story come alive. Castiel taking in all the details of his future life, his room, himself, his Dean. Really warm. Lovey-dovey and warm and–ah, makes you feel hopeful, really.

This author also wrote The Freaky Box Thing, which also features magically-induced epiphanies.

(Looking for more fic recs?)
Originally posted on tumblr on 04/23/13