hardhearted | ic inbox ; exitvoid

[ His hands clench at the mention of family, the family who had abandoned earth and all its people. Family he had pushed aside so he could stay and inevitably sacrifice himself for this cause. He has no right, and it makes him angry. Angrier than he's felt in such a long, long time.

Castiel stumbles back a little with the push, but the hold doesn't disconnect. If anything, it only causes him to grip tighter, and he remembers, once, when he'd held onto something (someone) just as strongly. ]

No. [ He uses the leverage to lean forward and stare at him. A silent invitation: he will have to try harder than that. ] I have always believed that there was... more. This is not nothing.

[ His voice drops low. ]

I pulled it to save you. You were wrong.

[ there might have been something, cas, once. but dean will make sure you think you've drowned it all out after what you did at the church. reality is different of course, that it's all dean's fault their bond is well dead by now.

or should be, except cas keeps clinging even after dean shoves at him. ]

I'm not wrong. [ don't you even dare say that. ] You've lost it, Cas, finally spilled all your marbles, haven't you? Well, newsflash, you're useless to me like this, so get lost--

[ and he shoves again, this time with a step and enough force that should send cas right over the edge of the dock, right into the murky dark waters of the harbor. ]

[ It's faint, the hurt he feels at those words. Castiel knows he is, has known for years, but to actually hear it spoken directly to him... The pain is outstanding. It's worse than anything physical he's ever experienced, and for a moment, he nearly lets go. He almost lets Dean win, allows him to take the final shred of connection between them and destroy it.

But he can't. He won't. He's held on this long, and he absolutely refuses to let go.

So, he doesn't. His fingers dig even deeper into the fabric of the other man's clothes even as the momentum drags him backwards into the water. Perhaps it's selfish of him, but the fight is ingrained to his very core—if he falls, he will not go alone. And what's one more time? He takes Dean with him.

Castiel forgets to breathe when the cold slams into him, still clutching hard at Dean until his fingers finally numb and he has to push away. Water rushes into his mouth, and he chokes, trying to kick his way back to the surface. ]

[ dean expects to see just a flash of hurt followed by the sound of a splash... not to be dragged in with the ex-angel while hurt etches itself into cas' face. the water is a cold greeting, freezing him down to the core of his bones, clothing sagging him down immediately. he feels cas let go, feels him flail next to him. he's about to turn, but a wild arm smacks him lightly on the side, and he turns to see cas grasping for the surface, and dean wonders-- wonders if there's something wrong.

seconds ago he was shoving at cas to back off, ready to punch him if he didn't get his way... and now it's dean who grabs a handful of cas' clothing, drags him back upwards to the surface.

breaking out from the muddy water, dean gasps for air, yanking cas with him. ]

Stupid--

[ son of a bitch. breathlessness steals his words though, leave him glaring at cas instead. ]

[ He's drank at least a mouthful of the water by the time he's breathing air instead, maybe more, gagging a little on the taste of it as he coughs and continues to scramble for something to hold onto. His fingers brush Dean's hand gripping onto him, barely conscious of the silent curse or the look he's being given. The frigid sensation working through him is very much like waking up, lost and alone and utterly confused.

Castiel pushes him away and reaches out to grab the edge of the dock instead, teeth grit in an effort to calm himself. He's not afraid of the water, knows enough about swimming to keep himself afloat and not drown, but beyond that, there's a strange sort of tension in the dark below. Curious, deafening.

He feels dizzy, and by the time he manages to wipe at his face, he realizes his entire body is shaking. ]

At least I am - [ He breaks to cough again, spitting out what comes up. ] - willing to admit it.

[ And it's all he bothers to say, forcing his arms to work as he tries to pull himself from the water. ]

[ dean keeps afloat nearby as cas struggles his way to the rocks, watching the other man cough and hack up water. it's cold, so cold, almost shockingly so but he stays still for just a few seconds, simply watching.

he hates what they are now, how it's all come down to this. hates it more than anything, and yet he'd been the one to push them in, shove at their bond even further. sure, he sees that, knows it's all on him, yet the anger is so hard to control these days...

dean starts after him then, drags himself out of the water and up the rocks. he doesn't bother helping cas, mutely makes his way past him until he's on even ground again, clothes soaked through and a chill settling on his skin. he tries his best not to shake though, even when he speaks up, finally, back turned to cas. ]

Until you come to your senses, I better not see so much as a hair of you.

[ or he'll make sure there won't be anything else left. ]

[ Unlike Dean, he doesn't move from the spot he's dragged himself to. It had been cold in the water, but with the temperature, it's even more so. Castiel can't stand it, numbly forcing water out of his shirt and visibly shivering with it. It'd been something he'd always detested about being human, the susceptibility to the elements and how easily he succumbed to them now. Always suffering in some form or another.

The sound of Dean's voice is distant, but he hears himself saying something in response. okay or all right or some other variation of yes. Maybe he says it a few times to drill it in; he's not entirely sure. The only true thing he knows is that he doesn't turn to acknowledge him. Castiel doesn't look at Dean just as Dean doesn't look at him.

Instead, he rests his arms on bent knees and runs his fingers through wet hair to coax the water from it. He's freezing, and he harbors a strange suspicion it's more than his body that's cold. What else had he expected after all this time? ]

Goodbye, Dean. [ Mumbled quietly under his breath, his eyes the only part of him that feel hot. ]

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