spn_springfling | gift for kuwlshadow

Title: Desperate Times
Pairing: Sam/Cas
Rating: PG-13-ish
Any warnings: very slight dub-con? as in, they both want it but if they don't do it *right now* they're going to die ;)

Cas scrambles past the heavy iron door into the empty storage container, Sam right behind him, and then turns to help Sam shove it shut, pressing his back against it until they can get the lock in place – moments before the monster chasing them slams into it with bone-shuddering force, letting out a furious screech of protest at having its prey snatched from its grasp.

Cas stays where he is, instinct telling him to hold the door shut against the would-be intruder, but Sam grabs his arm as he backs away from the door quickly.

“Get away from it,” he instructs, his voice a low hiss, as though the thing outside doesn’t already know they’re there. “It’s gonna get really hot in a few seconds, you don’t wanna be up against that…”

Cas realizes he’s right, a moment before they hear the hiss of flame from the other side of the door. A second blast leaves the iron glowing red around the edges. Cas glances around uneasily at the thin metal walls that surround them. The storage container is small, and the air in the room already feels much warmer than the chilly autumn air outside.

“This is just a tin box,” he observes, and the look Sam gives him tells him that his hunting companion already realized this. “We can’t stay in here for long. It’ll either get in – or roast us alive where we are.”

“Why’s it even after us?” Sam wonders, frustration in his voice as he runs a shaky hand through his hair. “It’s not like we were even close to killing it. We didn’t even know it was a dragon until it was… chasing after us shooting flames at our asses! So… why?”

“Why was it… shooting flames at our asses?” Cas swallows slowly, feeling a familiar heat creeping up his face, a heat that has nothing to do with the steadily rising temperature of the room. Suddenly, he’s finding it very difficult to meet Sam’s eyes. “I – I don’t know why it would be… I mean… all its previous victims have been attractive males of high school age. And while you’re… certainly attractive, Sam, you aren’t exactly…”

Sam frowns, turning to face Cas with a look of concern that only makes Cas feel more self-conscious, his face flushed under Sam’s focused attention. “You’re attractive. Are you saying you aren’t attractive, because…?”

“Sam. This is… hardly the time…” Cas clears his throat.

As if punctuating his words, the dragon slams the full force of its body weight against the metal door again, and the latch seems to give a little more than it did the last time. Another blast of flame hits the door from the other side, the iron glowing ominously red. It won’t be long before the dragon gets inside.

Cas grabs Sam’s arm and wordlessly pulls him back, as far from the door as they can go. He knows it won’t help much – won’t be long before the entire container is hot as an oven – but for now, it’s all he can do.

“Wait… wait…” Sam holds up a hand, a thoughtful frown on his face. “Just a second… it’s been targeting high school boys because… not necessarily because it prefers high school boys, but because they’re virgins…”

“Of course, dragons prefer virgins, we know this…” Cas is a little impatient, he doesn’t understand why Sam is pointing this out at this particular moment.

He understands the basic concept of virginity, though it’s never been something that’s been an issue for him, as an angel – except for that one, very awkward incident when Dean made it one. Angels aren’t really corporeal in nature, and while they’re certainly capable of sexual intercourse while in human form, and even more intense levels of intimacy in their true forms – Castiel never would have considered the concept of virginity in relationship to himself… before…

But… he’s human now, and… and he’s never been with anyone, and…

“Oh.” Cas blinks, as realization slowly dawns. “It’s… after me.”

“Yeah.” Sam nods, a little breathless, as he casts his worried gaze toward the door again. “And… in a couple minutes…”

Cas reconsiders the situation in light of this new information, and he is once again acutely aware of the new human sensations and emotions that are often so overwhelming. His heart is racing, his palms damp, and he feels like he might throw up. It could be the heat in the room, but he’s fairly certain it’s something else, something he rarely felt in his former angelic state – fear. As an angel, Castiel could have obliterated the monster outside the door with little more than a thought.

Now, he’s… smaller. Not in terms of his vessel, but in every other way he can imagine. He’s weaker, more vulnerable, now, and he can’t stop being aware of it, especially when hunting with Sam or Dean… especially in moments like this, with his mind edged with panic that steals away his focus and makes it hard to think, to plan – not that there’s a wealth of options here. There’s no back door, no exit that isn’t blocked by a ferocious dragon, and the room is swiftly heating up with every blast from the dragon’s mouth. They aren’t in possession of a knight’s sword to kill the beast, and it’s only minutes away from melting the very hinges of the door and getting inside.

He’s trying to process the fact that he’s about to be devoured, or at least taken away somewhere to be eaten more slowly, by a dragon, when Sam suddenly moves into his space, gripping his arm with one hand, the other cupping the back of his head. Before Cas can even think to wonder what’s happening, Sam’s mouth is on his, in a kiss that’s urgent but gentle, somehow forceful and yet tentative.

Sam pulls back after just a moment, and Cas studies his face closely, seeing concern and uncertainty, but beyond that… unmistakable desire.

“We haven’t got a weapon,” Sam echoes Cas’s earlier thoughts, though his voice is hushed, a little shaky. “That thing’s gonna get in here in a minute, but… but we could make it just… go away. I mean… it can tell, and… and maybe there’s a chance, if… if you weren’t…”

“A virgin,” Cas whispers, his heart thumping against his ribs, but this time with something different from the fear of moments earlier.

“I know it’s crazy,” Sam admits, rushed and uncertain. “And if you don’t want to, I’ll understand, but I can’t lose you, Cas, and I… I wanted to anyway, okay? I know you know I wanted to, but I was waiting, wanted to make sure you wanted it and you were ready ‘cause you’re human now and it’s all different but there’s not time, Cas, okay? There’s no time, so…”

“Yes.”

Sam blinks, his anxious words coming to an abrupt halt. He draws in an unsteady breath, studying Cas’s face for a moment before he echoes, “Yes?”

“Yes.” Cas nods. “I – I want you to.”

“Okay… okay…”

Sam repeats the words, a breathless whisper as he nods, processing Cas’s decision and steeling himself to act. And then, he turns Cas around and pushes him up against the wall, hands sliding under both his coats to push them off his shoulders and onto the floor. The metal wall of the tin room is warm against his back, even so far away from the dragon’s fiery breath – but nowhere near matching the heat of Sam’s hands as they tug Cas’s shirt free and reach under it, strong, firm hands sliding over bare skin.

Sam freezes for a moment, meeting Cas’s eyes with concern – and then apparently pleased with what he sees there, because a slow smile spreads over his face, something dark and delighted in his eyes as he leans in close to kiss the side of Cas’s neck, one hand rising to cup the back of Cas’s head and run through his hair. Sam whispers in Cas’s ear, low and dark and sending shivers of anticipation up Cas’s spine.

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted this, angel… I’m going to love saving your life…”