Big Bang: One Man Band (7/7)
Title: One Man Band
Author: licklesoxy
Artist: sumer_starlight
Beta: erraticxthought
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Swearing. Violence.
Previous: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Summary: Superpower AU. The Winchesters have little interest in a petty thief who goes around stealing items of no street value. This changes, though, when they figure out that Gabriel isn't working alone. Who is he working for, and what interest do they have in a set of four, seemingly useless rings? The Winchesters are about to find out, the hard way.
-o-
Epilogue
By some strange miracle, Dean Winchester had not lost his job. He'd been absent on days that he'd been rotated in, had missed at least one important call to seal a dealership with a company they'd tried to make on with for months, and he'd cost the company some major sales. Being one of the managers, he was responsible for a lot, and having not been there, he'd caused quite a fair amount of hassle for the employees.
He, somehow, still had his managing position. Despite having been scolded quite harshly by no less than four separate people - three higher ups, plus the other manager that he worked with - and having his pay for the month docked, he'd got off basically scot-free. How he'd pulled that one off, Dean did not know. He must have gained enough karma points at some point in his life; most of them probably came from him having tolerated Gabriel's snark and Sammy's bitch faces for the past few days. There was no denying that his patience for those two must have helped him acquire some sort of leeway somewhere, giving him the benefit of keeping his career.
Any normal person would be absolutely ecstatic, so why did Dean feel like shit? His mood had been sour from the moment he'd stepped into work, and it had not been from the reprimands he'd received. In fact, those interactions had been the highlight of his day, because he'd been able to zone out and not think of the work he needed to do.
Drawing out a deep sigh as he opened his front door and made his way into his shared home, Dean slammed the door shut behind him, revelling in the loud bang it created. Pulling off his jacket, he tossed it aside, not caring that it would just drop to the floor and collect dust. It was an old coat anyway, and he'd be able to buy another one if it got too damaged.
Stepping into the lounge, he took a look around the room with a sense of dread. He did not want to be here. For the better part of ten years, he'd shared this dull crap hole with his brother, and he was sick of it. He didn't mind not having his own personal space - it was hard to miss what he'd never had - but he was tired of having to come back to this same house every day.
To be honest, he was just sick of it all. A stable career was nice to have, helped keep a good amount of money coming in, but that money going into the maintenance of a building he didn't even want was kind of a mood killer.
When he thought about it, he knew why he wasn't happy. He'd expected to lose his job. Not being fired meant he'd have to keep going back there, and made it so he didn't have an excuse to just up and leave here. Dean blew out a long sigh, brushing his hand through his hair as he did so. When his fingers came back greasy, Dean tutted in disgust. A shower was his best option, but that could wait until later.
Huffing, Dean walked into the kitchen and sat himself in one of the chairs. Staring drearily at the wood of the table, he scratched idly at an itch on his neck as he contemplated what he could cook for dinner. Burgers were out of the question - Sam would throw a hissy fit if he found out Dean was eating them again, after already having had them for four nights in a row - and pizza was not something he fancied ordering right now. There was always the option of sandwiches, but Dean wasn't even sure if the bread would be in date or not. He truly did not want to have to force anything stale down his throat.
Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Dean stretched his arms up and groaned softly. Wasn't this great? He'd had a rather productive day of work - not including the yelling or his mood, obviously - and he'd been active all day. Why was his body choosing now to be lazy, when he needed to get some grub in his stomach?
The sound of his ringtone brought him out of his wonderings. Digging into his pocket, he grabbed his cell phone and pulled it out with a quick tug. Checking the name on its display, he frowned. It was Sam. Confused as to why his brother would be calling at this time - shouldn't Sam be on his way back already? - Dean shrugged, hoping it was something he didn't need to be worried about. He flipped his phone open and answered.
"Yeah?"
"Put the news on," was the immediate reply from the other end of the line.
Dean's frown deepened. "Sam, what-"
"Just do it, Dean!"
Ignoring the irritated tone, Dean narrowed his eyes and reached out to switch the television on. After a few moments of flicking through the channels until he was on the right on, Dean sat back and watched, wondering what the hell had got his brother in such a state of eagerness.
Only a few seconds passed before Dean understood what the commotion was about.
"That son of a bitch."
Sam snorted. "Yeah, I know."
On the screen stood a woman. She held a microphone in her hand and she was stood outside the remains of what looked to be a warehouse. Her words were clear and rapid, explaining that the property had been storage space for a wealthy investor, and that all the items inside had been stolen some time earlier that day. From the dark markings covering the metal, there had been some kind of fire, but it was clear that none of the priceless artifacts that had been concealed within the warehouse had not been burnt away in the blaze.
Under usual circumstances, Dean wouldn't have paid the news story any attention. But, and he was sure this was the reason Sam had called him, there was something standing off to the side, just in view of the camera, that seemed completely out of place there.
The dog was large and familiar, and it had no collar. Its brown fur was flat and neat, and it stood perfectly still, unfazed by all the happenings surrounding it. It was staring at the camera, almost as though it could see past the lens and into the eyes of those watching it.
Planted firmly in its mouth was the end of what appeared to be a lollipop.
Yapping once, the dog's tail began wagging as it shook its body happily, almost as if it knew Dean was watching it. Then, without a second glance back, the dog turned on its heels and pranced out of shot.
Dean knew a dare when he saw one.
"You think it's him?"
Dean shook his head. Fighting the urge to smile in disbelief, he replied, saying, "Of course it is, Sammy. Smug douchebag's calling us out."
"You going to take the bait?" Sam didn't sound upset or annoyed. In fact, his tone indicated that he was simply curious as to what Dean's answer would be.
This time, Dean couldn't stop the grin from forming on his lips.
"You bet your ass I am."
-o-
Gabriel was a man of action. He didn't enjoy sitting down and watching others do the work that he himself could do. Standing around and not participating was boring; merely witnessing events was something he'd never been able to do.
He had to be cautious. Michael undoubtedly knew that he was the one who'd taken the rings from him. Putting his face on the television, even though it had not been his human one, was a risky move. Though he knew for a fact that Michael wasn't a television fan, it didn't stop him from being slightly nervous.
What he had to remember, was that he'd been able to hide himself from his family all the time he'd been working for Kali's group. Yes, he'd worked under an alias, had made sure that no one knew of his real name in case they spilled the beans to someone who could relay the information back to Michael and Raphael, so it had been slightly easier than it would be now. His name was plastered across news stories due to the jobs he'd done under Michael, and that would cause problems if people recognised him.
But he couldn't let that worry rule his life. Which was why, upon seeing the opportunity to pull off a steal whilst also provoking two muttonheads that he'd become acquianted with over the past few days to come and try to stop him, he'd gone for it.
Having left blatant clues as to his whereabouts at the location of the warehouse, all Gabriel could do now was wait and see if his message had been received, and whether or not they'd actually come. He hoped they would. Sam and Dean were idiots, of course, but they were entertaining. He hadn't had much of a chance to screw with them whilst they'd been sorting out the rings, but now none of them had any huge ass world saving work to do, so why not play around?
Obviously, he knew they probably had jobs and lives back home - he'd done enough snooping around to know neither of them had families. Finding out that they were brothers had been kind of surprising, but that just meant there was a higher chance of them sticking together.
The sound of a car caught his attention, bringing him from that line of thought. Glancing around, his gaze locked onto a black Impala as it made its way down the street, before parking across the road from where he was settled on the wall. Watching as two ridiculously tall idiots got out of the car, Gabriel could not contain the huge smirk that made its way onto his face. He hadn't expected both would actually come - Sam didn't seem like one to abandon his responsibilities back home - but he was not complaining.
Standing up, he gave the two a small wave as their gazes locked onto his form.
"Hello, boys." Now the fun could begin.
-o-
Author: licklesoxy
Artist: sumer_starlight
Beta: erraticxthought
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Swearing. Violence.
Previous: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Summary: Superpower AU. The Winchesters have little interest in a petty thief who goes around stealing items of no street value. This changes, though, when they figure out that Gabriel isn't working alone. Who is he working for, and what interest do they have in a set of four, seemingly useless rings? The Winchesters are about to find out, the hard way.
-o-
Epilogue
By some strange miracle, Dean Winchester had not lost his job. He'd been absent on days that he'd been rotated in, had missed at least one important call to seal a dealership with a company they'd tried to make on with for months, and he'd cost the company some major sales. Being one of the managers, he was responsible for a lot, and having not been there, he'd caused quite a fair amount of hassle for the employees.
He, somehow, still had his managing position. Despite having been scolded quite harshly by no less than four separate people - three higher ups, plus the other manager that he worked with - and having his pay for the month docked, he'd got off basically scot-free. How he'd pulled that one off, Dean did not know. He must have gained enough karma points at some point in his life; most of them probably came from him having tolerated Gabriel's snark and Sammy's bitch faces for the past few days. There was no denying that his patience for those two must have helped him acquire some sort of leeway somewhere, giving him the benefit of keeping his career.
Any normal person would be absolutely ecstatic, so why did Dean feel like shit? His mood had been sour from the moment he'd stepped into work, and it had not been from the reprimands he'd received. In fact, those interactions had been the highlight of his day, because he'd been able to zone out and not think of the work he needed to do.
Drawing out a deep sigh as he opened his front door and made his way into his shared home, Dean slammed the door shut behind him, revelling in the loud bang it created. Pulling off his jacket, he tossed it aside, not caring that it would just drop to the floor and collect dust. It was an old coat anyway, and he'd be able to buy another one if it got too damaged.
Stepping into the lounge, he took a look around the room with a sense of dread. He did not want to be here. For the better part of ten years, he'd shared this dull crap hole with his brother, and he was sick of it. He didn't mind not having his own personal space - it was hard to miss what he'd never had - but he was tired of having to come back to this same house every day.
To be honest, he was just sick of it all. A stable career was nice to have, helped keep a good amount of money coming in, but that money going into the maintenance of a building he didn't even want was kind of a mood killer.
When he thought about it, he knew why he wasn't happy. He'd expected to lose his job. Not being fired meant he'd have to keep going back there, and made it so he didn't have an excuse to just up and leave here. Dean blew out a long sigh, brushing his hand through his hair as he did so. When his fingers came back greasy, Dean tutted in disgust. A shower was his best option, but that could wait until later.
Huffing, Dean walked into the kitchen and sat himself in one of the chairs. Staring drearily at the wood of the table, he scratched idly at an itch on his neck as he contemplated what he could cook for dinner. Burgers were out of the question - Sam would throw a hissy fit if he found out Dean was eating them again, after already having had them for four nights in a row - and pizza was not something he fancied ordering right now. There was always the option of sandwiches, but Dean wasn't even sure if the bread would be in date or not. He truly did not want to have to force anything stale down his throat.
Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Dean stretched his arms up and groaned softly. Wasn't this great? He'd had a rather productive day of work - not including the yelling or his mood, obviously - and he'd been active all day. Why was his body choosing now to be lazy, when he needed to get some grub in his stomach?
The sound of his ringtone brought him out of his wonderings. Digging into his pocket, he grabbed his cell phone and pulled it out with a quick tug. Checking the name on its display, he frowned. It was Sam. Confused as to why his brother would be calling at this time - shouldn't Sam be on his way back already? - Dean shrugged, hoping it was something he didn't need to be worried about. He flipped his phone open and answered.
"Yeah?"
"Put the news on," was the immediate reply from the other end of the line.
Dean's frown deepened. "Sam, what-"
"Just do it, Dean!"
Ignoring the irritated tone, Dean narrowed his eyes and reached out to switch the television on. After a few moments of flicking through the channels until he was on the right on, Dean sat back and watched, wondering what the hell had got his brother in such a state of eagerness.
Only a few seconds passed before Dean understood what the commotion was about.
"That son of a bitch."
Sam snorted. "Yeah, I know."
On the screen stood a woman. She held a microphone in her hand and she was stood outside the remains of what looked to be a warehouse. Her words were clear and rapid, explaining that the property had been storage space for a wealthy investor, and that all the items inside had been stolen some time earlier that day. From the dark markings covering the metal, there had been some kind of fire, but it was clear that none of the priceless artifacts that had been concealed within the warehouse had not been burnt away in the blaze.
Under usual circumstances, Dean wouldn't have paid the news story any attention. But, and he was sure this was the reason Sam had called him, there was something standing off to the side, just in view of the camera, that seemed completely out of place there.
The dog was large and familiar, and it had no collar. Its brown fur was flat and neat, and it stood perfectly still, unfazed by all the happenings surrounding it. It was staring at the camera, almost as though it could see past the lens and into the eyes of those watching it.
Planted firmly in its mouth was the end of what appeared to be a lollipop.
Yapping once, the dog's tail began wagging as it shook its body happily, almost as if it knew Dean was watching it. Then, without a second glance back, the dog turned on its heels and pranced out of shot.
Dean knew a dare when he saw one.
"You think it's him?"
Dean shook his head. Fighting the urge to smile in disbelief, he replied, saying, "Of course it is, Sammy. Smug douchebag's calling us out."
"You going to take the bait?" Sam didn't sound upset or annoyed. In fact, his tone indicated that he was simply curious as to what Dean's answer would be.
This time, Dean couldn't stop the grin from forming on his lips.
"You bet your ass I am."
-o-
Gabriel was a man of action. He didn't enjoy sitting down and watching others do the work that he himself could do. Standing around and not participating was boring; merely witnessing events was something he'd never been able to do.
He had to be cautious. Michael undoubtedly knew that he was the one who'd taken the rings from him. Putting his face on the television, even though it had not been his human one, was a risky move. Though he knew for a fact that Michael wasn't a television fan, it didn't stop him from being slightly nervous.
What he had to remember, was that he'd been able to hide himself from his family all the time he'd been working for Kali's group. Yes, he'd worked under an alias, had made sure that no one knew of his real name in case they spilled the beans to someone who could relay the information back to Michael and Raphael, so it had been slightly easier than it would be now. His name was plastered across news stories due to the jobs he'd done under Michael, and that would cause problems if people recognised him.
But he couldn't let that worry rule his life. Which was why, upon seeing the opportunity to pull off a steal whilst also provoking two muttonheads that he'd become acquianted with over the past few days to come and try to stop him, he'd gone for it.
Having left blatant clues as to his whereabouts at the location of the warehouse, all Gabriel could do now was wait and see if his message had been received, and whether or not they'd actually come. He hoped they would. Sam and Dean were idiots, of course, but they were entertaining. He hadn't had much of a chance to screw with them whilst they'd been sorting out the rings, but now none of them had any huge ass world saving work to do, so why not play around?
Obviously, he knew they probably had jobs and lives back home - he'd done enough snooping around to know neither of them had families. Finding out that they were brothers had been kind of surprising, but that just meant there was a higher chance of them sticking together.
The sound of a car caught his attention, bringing him from that line of thought. Glancing around, his gaze locked onto a black Impala as it made its way down the street, before parking across the road from where he was settled on the wall. Watching as two ridiculously tall idiots got out of the car, Gabriel could not contain the huge smirk that made its way onto his face. He hadn't expected both would actually come - Sam didn't seem like one to abandon his responsibilities back home - but he was not complaining.
Standing up, he gave the two a small wave as their gazes locked onto his form.
"Hello, boys." Now the fun could begin.
-o-