Gabriel Big Bang art masterpost: Roadhouse Ink
Title: Roadhouse Ink
Author: epicycles
Artist: cassiopeia7
Genre/Pairing: Gen
Warnings/Spoilers: Art contains story spoilers.
Summary: After an injury, Dean retires from hunting to become a tattoo artist, slipping anti-possession symbols into all the art. One day two djinn -- the supposed Trickster and his younger brother -- turn up on Dean's doorstep, needing his help and offering a wish in return.
Artist notes: I've been a fan of my author's writing since her awesome and wonderful "Cowboys and Archangels" fic from last year's GBB, so getting her story was a thrill. Thanks, epicycles, for your enthusiasm and suggestions! Thanks also to my art beta maichan, for her sharp eyes, advice and pretty red lines, and to vicious_sock for all the encouragement. Finally, thanks to the gabriel_bigbang mods for making everything so easy. Y'all rock!
The Roadhouse Ink crew.
Dean can feel his mouth drop open.
"You're a djinn."
The Trickster-djinn nods. With the tattoos, it's like he's grown larger somehow, his presence expanding to fill the room. He looks older, more severe, more graceful and more dangerous than ever before. There's something powerful in the way he stands, something proud in the turn of his head.
Dean's never really been as frightened of the Trickster as he probably should have been, but now all he wants to do is run.
"Okay, you know what? Never mind. This was a bad idea in the first place.
Sorry Dean, it's been fun, but I'm gonna have to take my business elsewhere."
The djinn raises his hand, fingers ready to snap Dean out of existence.
Dean winces in anticipation but he only has time to wonder vaguely if Sam will
ever find out happened to him when suddenly a voice breaks in.
"Gabriel. Stop."
It doesn't take much longer to finish. The tattoo is definitely adding to itself,
the ink stretching away from his needle as he movies it until it's almost more
like painting, each stroke leaving a long line of color.
The last few lines stretch across Cas's back of their own accord, joining and
sinking in, and Cas takes a deep breath and sighs it out.
There's a tingle against Dean's skin like the one he felt before, but it passes in an instant.
Gabriel is content to just show up when Dean's alone,
like he's Dean's own personal Great Gazoo.
In the story, Dean's got a busted-up knee and can no longer drive,
but you know he's gonna keep his Baby close . . . hey, it had to be done.