#id been thinkin abt this since the beginning so i had to get today's done :')

[clairenatural]

Suptober 2020, Day 16: Switch it Up! (600 words, destiel, the barn meeting but reverse!verse except also with demon!dean for some extra fun)

The barn doors crash open and the man–the creature–storms in. Before either of the brothers can react the creature flicks its wrist, sending Gabriel flying across the room and crashing into a wall. Castiel shoots, several times, but the bullets only serve to irritate it. He's about to grab his knife and charge when the guy–thing–steps into a devil's trap. "Son of a bitch," it grumbles, but stops advancing. Instead, it fixes Castiel with an icy glare.

"Devil's trap? Really? That's how you're gonna repay the guy who just broke you out of hell?"

“It’s how I repay the guy who just threw my brother across the room.”

The creature rolls its eyes. “He’ll be fine.” From behind him Gabriel groans, proving his statement. “I just needed him to shut up so I could talk to you.”

“You’re a demon.” Castiel isn’t sure if it’s a question or a statement.

The man's green eyes flick to black. He grins. "Baby, I'm a Knight of Hell. Which means that knife won’t work, by the way." Castiel glances at the knife by his side, his hand still on the hilt. "Who else do you think would've dragged your sorry ass out of there?"

At this, Castiel stiffens. Involuntarily, his hand goes to the cross hanging around his neck. The demon tracks his movement, raises his eyebrows–and laughs. "What, you–you thought someone upstairs saved you?" Castiel refuses to look at him. "You think, what? You deserved to be saved by God himself? That you're on some holy mission?" He's still laughing. "Oh, this is good."

Castiel swallows, thickly, and looks up just in time to see the demon step to the very edge of the devil’s trap. They’re almost nose-to-nose, and Castiel’s about to stab him anyway, but the demon speaks–a low voice Castiel hasn’t heard before–and it stops him in his tracks.

"That's your problem, Cas–you have too much faith." The black clears from his eyes, and Castiel finds himself staring into endless green. For just a moment, he forgets that the creature in front of him is one of the purest forms of evil Hell can muster. 

"Who are you?" He breathes. The demon smiles.

"Dean."

"Is that your name, or the man you're possessing's?"

"Does it matter? He was a poor mechanic from Kansas."

"Let him go," Castiel commands, but Dean just sighs.

"Don't get your righteous panties in a twist, alright? He was in a car crash a few days ago. He's brain dead."

"How very courteous of you," Castiel bites back, refusing to admit that it’s a consideration he wouldn’t have expected from a demon.

"I couldn't let a meat suit this pretty go to waste, could I?" Dean winks, and Castiel suddenly remembers they're only a few inches apart. Quickly, he steps back, praying Dean hadn’t noticed the redness on his cheeks. By the smirk on the demon's face, he definitely had.

"I won't do Hell's work," Castiel changes the subject back to the more important matter. 

The demon rolls his eyes again. "Not asking you to, buddy."

"Then why did you pull me back up here?"

"Newsflash, angel boy. God's gone. The angels don't care about you, and Hell ain't what she used to be. So you and me? We're tearing it all down."

Castiel scoffs. He takes another step back, incredulous, and considers Dean closely. If he didn’t know better, he’d think there was something close to desperation there. 

Behind him, Gabriel starts to sit up. Castiel immediately trains his salt gun back on the demon, but he doesn’t even move, and for some reason that loosens a bit of the distrust in Castiel’s chest. 

He sighs and lowers himself to the ground, settling cross-legged a few feet from the devil’s trap. “Fine,” he grits out, and Dean grins. “I’m listening.”