Family Is... Cooperation (1/1)
Title: Family Is... Cooperation
Series: Family Is...
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Castiel and Jo
Genre: Family
Summary: A collection of one-shots set in Season 5: Family can mean a lot of things, and over time, Castiel learns what it feels to truly be in one.
Other one-shots: Family Is... Communication
Family Is... Kindness
AN: I blame midterms for my lack of stories lately. They turned my brain into the equivalent of road-kill for weeks. So I apologize to all of you readers; I hope this would slightly make up for it.
Their garrison was on a mountain top as they prepared for today's training exercise. Livid storm clouds were gathering overhead, and the air was filled with the noxious odors of souls being corrupted and demons skittering across the village below.
Castiel was standing ramrod straight, his sword at the ready. He tried to gather as much encouragement as he could from his siblings beside him, but they do not offer him anything, only a calm façade to show that they were ready and unafraid. This exercise was to test their fighting prowess, and whoever would get the most kills will be awarded with special honors and the possibility of a promotion in their ranks.
The only rule was that the fights will be individually carried out. No one was supposed to help their comrades, no matter how dire the situation would become, no matter how injured or close to death their brother would get, no matter how much they scream and beg to have a savior.
Needless to say, casualties on both sides were overwhelming.
O _x
I. Tekken
"So… Panda?"
"Yes."
"You chose Panda out of all the major badasses here?"
"Is there something wrong?"
"You just picked the cuddly marshmallow of the bunch."
"But I thought you said all the characters are very capable at combat,"
"Yeah, and you got the cuddly one."
"It was the only one whose appearance made sense to me. The others seem… too unnatural."
"You just picked a panda that knows kung fu,"
"And?"
"So you - ugh, never mind. Press start then."
"Start?"
"The button."
"This one?"
"No, that's just a sticker."
"This one?"
"That's for the tokens."
"What about this?"
"Cas, that's not even - Here, let me do it."
"Now what?"
"Hang on, it's still loading. Once that's done, get ready to press all the buttons on this side like your spiffy little halo depends on it."
"I'm go- ?"
"Go, Cas! It's started!"
"What am I - ?"
"Hit the buttons, damn it! You're dying!"
"…My opponent's… quite ruthless in her attacks. Did I provoke her in some reason?"
"She just wants to turn you into a punching bag, so fight back!"
"She is aware that pandas are endangered species?"
"Focus! You're gonna - Aw, crap."
"I believe I lost."
"No kidding. Pause. I thought you said you can handle it already. I did a demo, like, twenty times,"
"Twenty-three times."
"And aren't you supposed to be used to fighting?"
"Not as a panda."
"…Alright, do you want me to coach you on this round? I could tell you what moves you can do."
"I would appreciate that."
"Okay - oh, and that endangered species comment… you've been hanging out with Sam again, haven't you?"
"We just watch nature documentaries together. They're very fascinating."
"I rest my case."
"It was either that or watch Dr. Sexy with Dean."
"No freaking way! He actually watches that crap?"
"… I… wasn't supposed to tell you that, was I?"
"Cas, you just did me a favor, trust me."
"He would be angry with me now."
"You know what'd be even worse? If a panda, who's being played a warrior of God, loses to a preppy chick in a mini-skirt."
"…"
"You wouldn't wanna contribute to the death of pandas everywhere, would you?"
"…No."
"Then get ready to destroy her."
"Very well."
"Okay… right punch, left kick, right kick, now go back a little so you can do a juggling uppercut."
"A what?"
"Forward now, forward… now punch her in the - No, no! The other way! Other way! Do a flying cross chop then a quarter circle back."
"Jo, I - "
"High jump, roll sideways then front kick."
"The panda looks drunk now - "
"You gotta spin then counter with an ankle sweep and - "
"I don't know what I'm doing."
"You press the left button and pull the - Screw this. Tag me."
"What?"
"I'm turning this into a tag-team. I'm not letting this pile of fur go down. It's gonna kick ass and it's gonna do it like a damn pro. Now tag me and move over."
"…Alright."
"Prepare to be mauled, bitch."
"Be careful. She's a formidable adversary."
"Cas, I just fought a bunch of these guys who are way tougher than her. I think I can win this last round for us."
II. Twisted Metal
"Jo - "
"Not a word."
"There's nothing wrong in being defeated."
"I got beat up by a scrawny chick in a mini-skirt!"
"Still, you fought very impressively."
"Whatever."
"I never knew a panda could bend that way. It was somewhat disturbing and I thought it would've died doing such a maneuver."
"…"
"Jo, you're driving too fast."
"Gotta get some distance."
"I'm fairly certain you're going over the speed limit."
"Speed limits don't exist here."
"I just saw a sign."
"There was no sign!"
"Because you're driving too fast to see it."
"This is not the time to be a backseat-driver!"
"The police might catch you."
"Cas, there aren't any damn police! They don't exist in this game!"
"…"
"…"
"You're still upset over that last game,"
"Am not."
"You're trying to run over every civilian on the road."
"Part of the objective is getting random people."
"I doubt the objective stated you need to run over one hundred forty-two victims."
"You've been counting?"
"It's rather hard to ignore."
"Cas, just… please just shoot the bad guys."
"I can't. I might hit our allies because you're driving too fast."
"Oh, for the love of - Holy crap! Cas! Six o'clock! Shoot!"
"What does time have to do with - ?"
"Behind you!"
"What is that?"
"That's the boss!"
"What?"
"Mega bad guy. Shoot it!"
"…Why is it still there?"
"It's a mega bad guy. It's not going down with just a couple of missiles."
"… It's - I think I made it mad."
"Yeah, that means the fight officially started. Hang on, I'm gonna take us to a better vantage point."
"Jo, wait!"
"Whoah! What? What happened?"
"You just ran over a cat."
"…Are you kidding me?"
"I believe there was - "
"We're in the middle of an attack! We have bigger things to worry about!"
"…"
"…"
"... I feel bad for the cat."
"You just have to learn to live with the disappointment."
"Like what you're doing after you lost the previous game?"
"…Don't make me shoot you too."
"My apologies."
"Anyway, you still got some missiles on you, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay. On three, we use everything we got."
"And our combined power will kill the beast?"
"That, or we'll make it even more pissed off and get vaporized."
"…"
"Ready to raise some hell, little angel?"
"Let's do this."
"There we go! Alright, Cas, your stuff will let you have the better aim out of both of us. I'll get the boss' attention while you control where most of the ammo is going. Aim them where it hurts most."
"Understood."
"Good. And just in case this doesn't work out, I got a spare missile I can use so we can at least get to retreat and restock. Here we go: one, two… three!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Cas, did you just aim the missiles at the thing's… uhm, nether regions?"
"Yes."
"Has Dean been teaching you how to fight dirty?"
"No, but I have been studying a few of your techniques for the past hours."
"…"
"Jo?"
"I'm so proud of you!"
"…I don't understand,"
"We'll celebrate later. Right now, we still gotta finish this."
"Agreed."
III. House of the Dead
"I'm not going in there."
"Are you serious?"
"I keep dying."
"Wimp."
"No matter what tactic I use, I keep dying."
"You die again, you live again. It's not that bad."
"It's infuriating."
"Oh, come on! You're gonna let dying stop you?"
"…"
"…I heard dying didn't stop you before. Dean told me when… you know,"
"That's different."
"Hell yeah, it is! If you had the guts to face your brother, then you damn well have the guts for this!"
"… Fine."
"I'll cover the right, you cover the left, alright?"
"Alright."
"Great."
"It's still infuriating though."
"I know, those creeps really pissed me off too when I was still a noob. You'll get the hang of this."
"Before or after the end of the world?"
"Did you just use sarcasm?"
"I have no reason to believe I did."
"… Are you actually stalling me with sarcasm?"
"No."
"That's it. I'm breaking the door down."
"Jo - "
"Too late. Time to splatter these guys."
"This… This is insane… There's no way there are this many creatures in one building."
"Don't tell me you're not enjoying shooting them,"
"I'm not."
"Could've sworn I saw you grinning when we nailed that last swarm."
"…I wasn't - "
"Your gun is practically touching the screen, by the way."
"Is there a problem?"
"You just look really, really eager. It's kind of adorable actually."
"I simply don't wish to die again."
"Right."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"There it is."
"What?"
"That little grin. You really are enjoying this, aren't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure, you don't - Oh, heads-up! Things are bursting out of the walls."
"This is the part where I usually die."
"Yeah, and this is the part where you keep forgetting you got backup. Hang on, I'll save your ass."
"…Jo, I'm dying again."
"I got this. Just keep shaking those things off you."
"May I remind you that we are using our last token,"
"Crap. Okay, do you wanna go out in a blaze of glory or do you wanna try getting to the next level?"
"…"
"Cas?"
"I refuse to die in this room again."
"Then you better step up. We got a minute to plow through them before our health goes poof."
"This would be so much easier if I could smite them myself."
"Hey, if you can jump into the game, go right ahead. But you still need to get rid of that thing clawing at your face."
"Why is it doing that anyway?"
"I dunno. Maybe it's bored."
"So it claws at my face?"
"Yep."
"… How come it's not clawing at your face?"
"It must sense you're new."
"But - "
"Cas, clock's ticking and our health isn't getting any better. Any plans?"
"There's one. We stop shooting - "
"What?"
" - we put our guns down - "
"Excuse me?"
" - and I kick the side of the machine."
"Kick the side of - Cas, this isn't a TV that can be fixed with just a good kick! We gotta - !"
"There."
"…What did - ? Holy crap, we're on the next level? And with full health?"
"We should be."
"How the hell did you know that would happen?"
"I read the mind of the man at the token booth for any weaknesses to this game."
"…"
"Apparently, the machine is very susceptible to just the right degree of contact."
"So… you cheated?"
"As a last resort."
"Aren't angels supposed to be full of honor and all that virtuous crap?"
"We are also soldiers who fight for victory."
"Unbelievable. You couldn't have done that half an hour ago?"
"As I said, it was a last resort."
"Huh. Anything else I should be informed of?"
"No, that's all."
"In that case, we still have a long way to go if we want a decent prize at the ticket counter."
"What can we get with the tickets we do have?"
"Either a sticker of one of those random guys I ran over or a paperweight that looks like Barbie's shrunken head."
"What about with more tickets?"
"Uhh… We could get you a stuffed toy panda."
"…"
"We're gonna play ten times more intense now, aren't we?"
"Yes."
"Remind me to bring you to arcades more often."
Oh, God. I finally finished this monstrosity!
So I got the idea of video games when I remembered Jo owning all the high scores in 2x05 (Simon Says). It seemed like a fun idea.
And if there are any inaccuracies to the games here, forgive me. I haven't been playing any video game for some time so my knowledge is a little rusty.
So for those who are unfamiliar with the games, here are some links so you can see just how insane and destructive they are XD
Tekken
Twisted Metal
House of the Dead
Series: Family Is...
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Castiel and Jo
Genre: Family
Summary: A collection of one-shots set in Season 5: Family can mean a lot of things, and over time, Castiel learns what it feels to truly be in one.
Other one-shots: Family Is... Communication
Family Is... Kindness
AN: I blame midterms for my lack of stories lately. They turned my brain into the equivalent of road-kill for weeks. So I apologize to all of you readers; I hope this would slightly make up for it.
Their garrison was on a mountain top as they prepared for today's training exercise. Livid storm clouds were gathering overhead, and the air was filled with the noxious odors of souls being corrupted and demons skittering across the village below.
Castiel was standing ramrod straight, his sword at the ready. He tried to gather as much encouragement as he could from his siblings beside him, but they do not offer him anything, only a calm façade to show that they were ready and unafraid. This exercise was to test their fighting prowess, and whoever would get the most kills will be awarded with special honors and the possibility of a promotion in their ranks.
The only rule was that the fights will be individually carried out. No one was supposed to help their comrades, no matter how dire the situation would become, no matter how injured or close to death their brother would get, no matter how much they scream and beg to have a savior.
Needless to say, casualties on both sides were overwhelming.
O _x
I. Tekken
"So… Panda?"
"Yes."
"You chose Panda out of all the major badasses here?"
"Is there something wrong?"
"You just picked the cuddly marshmallow of the bunch."
"But I thought you said all the characters are very capable at combat,"
"Yeah, and you got the cuddly one."
"It was the only one whose appearance made sense to me. The others seem… too unnatural."
"You just picked a panda that knows kung fu,"
"And?"
"So you - ugh, never mind. Press start then."
"Start?"
"The button."
"This one?"
"No, that's just a sticker."
"This one?"
"That's for the tokens."
"What about this?"
"Cas, that's not even - Here, let me do it."
"Now what?"
"Hang on, it's still loading. Once that's done, get ready to press all the buttons on this side like your spiffy little halo depends on it."
"I'm go- ?"
"Go, Cas! It's started!"
"What am I - ?"
"Hit the buttons, damn it! You're dying!"
"…My opponent's… quite ruthless in her attacks. Did I provoke her in some reason?"
"She just wants to turn you into a punching bag, so fight back!"
"She is aware that pandas are endangered species?"
"Focus! You're gonna - Aw, crap."
"I believe I lost."
"No kidding. Pause. I thought you said you can handle it already. I did a demo, like, twenty times,"
"Twenty-three times."
"And aren't you supposed to be used to fighting?"
"Not as a panda."
"…Alright, do you want me to coach you on this round? I could tell you what moves you can do."
"I would appreciate that."
"Okay - oh, and that endangered species comment… you've been hanging out with Sam again, haven't you?"
"We just watch nature documentaries together. They're very fascinating."
"I rest my case."
"It was either that or watch Dr. Sexy with Dean."
"No freaking way! He actually watches that crap?"
"… I… wasn't supposed to tell you that, was I?"
"Cas, you just did me a favor, trust me."
"He would be angry with me now."
"You know what'd be even worse? If a panda, who's being played a warrior of God, loses to a preppy chick in a mini-skirt."
"…"
"You wouldn't wanna contribute to the death of pandas everywhere, would you?"
"…No."
"Then get ready to destroy her."
"Very well."
"Okay… right punch, left kick, right kick, now go back a little so you can do a juggling uppercut."
"A what?"
"Forward now, forward… now punch her in the - No, no! The other way! Other way! Do a flying cross chop then a quarter circle back."
"Jo, I - "
"High jump, roll sideways then front kick."
"The panda looks drunk now - "
"You gotta spin then counter with an ankle sweep and - "
"I don't know what I'm doing."
"You press the left button and pull the - Screw this. Tag me."
"What?"
"I'm turning this into a tag-team. I'm not letting this pile of fur go down. It's gonna kick ass and it's gonna do it like a damn pro. Now tag me and move over."
"…Alright."
"Prepare to be mauled, bitch."
"Be careful. She's a formidable adversary."
"Cas, I just fought a bunch of these guys who are way tougher than her. I think I can win this last round for us."
II. Twisted Metal
"Jo - "
"Not a word."
"There's nothing wrong in being defeated."
"I got beat up by a scrawny chick in a mini-skirt!"
"Still, you fought very impressively."
"Whatever."
"I never knew a panda could bend that way. It was somewhat disturbing and I thought it would've died doing such a maneuver."
"…"
"Jo, you're driving too fast."
"Gotta get some distance."
"I'm fairly certain you're going over the speed limit."
"Speed limits don't exist here."
"I just saw a sign."
"There was no sign!"
"Because you're driving too fast to see it."
"This is not the time to be a backseat-driver!"
"The police might catch you."
"Cas, there aren't any damn police! They don't exist in this game!"
"…"
"…"
"You're still upset over that last game,"
"Am not."
"You're trying to run over every civilian on the road."
"Part of the objective is getting random people."
"I doubt the objective stated you need to run over one hundred forty-two victims."
"You've been counting?"
"It's rather hard to ignore."
"Cas, just… please just shoot the bad guys."
"I can't. I might hit our allies because you're driving too fast."
"Oh, for the love of - Holy crap! Cas! Six o'clock! Shoot!"
"What does time have to do with - ?"
"Behind you!"
"What is that?"
"That's the boss!"
"What?"
"Mega bad guy. Shoot it!"
"…Why is it still there?"
"It's a mega bad guy. It's not going down with just a couple of missiles."
"… It's - I think I made it mad."
"Yeah, that means the fight officially started. Hang on, I'm gonna take us to a better vantage point."
"Jo, wait!"
"Whoah! What? What happened?"
"You just ran over a cat."
"…Are you kidding me?"
"I believe there was - "
"We're in the middle of an attack! We have bigger things to worry about!"
"…"
"…"
"... I feel bad for the cat."
"You just have to learn to live with the disappointment."
"Like what you're doing after you lost the previous game?"
"…Don't make me shoot you too."
"My apologies."
"Anyway, you still got some missiles on you, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay. On three, we use everything we got."
"And our combined power will kill the beast?"
"That, or we'll make it even more pissed off and get vaporized."
"…"
"Ready to raise some hell, little angel?"
"Let's do this."
"There we go! Alright, Cas, your stuff will let you have the better aim out of both of us. I'll get the boss' attention while you control where most of the ammo is going. Aim them where it hurts most."
"Understood."
"Good. And just in case this doesn't work out, I got a spare missile I can use so we can at least get to retreat and restock. Here we go: one, two… three!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Cas, did you just aim the missiles at the thing's… uhm, nether regions?"
"Yes."
"Has Dean been teaching you how to fight dirty?"
"No, but I have been studying a few of your techniques for the past hours."
"…"
"Jo?"
"I'm so proud of you!"
"…I don't understand,"
"We'll celebrate later. Right now, we still gotta finish this."
"Agreed."
III. House of the Dead
"I'm not going in there."
"Are you serious?"
"I keep dying."
"Wimp."
"No matter what tactic I use, I keep dying."
"You die again, you live again. It's not that bad."
"It's infuriating."
"Oh, come on! You're gonna let dying stop you?"
"…"
"…I heard dying didn't stop you before. Dean told me when… you know,"
"That's different."
"Hell yeah, it is! If you had the guts to face your brother, then you damn well have the guts for this!"
"… Fine."
"I'll cover the right, you cover the left, alright?"
"Alright."
"Great."
"It's still infuriating though."
"I know, those creeps really pissed me off too when I was still a noob. You'll get the hang of this."
"Before or after the end of the world?"
"Did you just use sarcasm?"
"I have no reason to believe I did."
"… Are you actually stalling me with sarcasm?"
"No."
"That's it. I'm breaking the door down."
"Jo - "
"Too late. Time to splatter these guys."
"This… This is insane… There's no way there are this many creatures in one building."
"Don't tell me you're not enjoying shooting them,"
"I'm not."
"Could've sworn I saw you grinning when we nailed that last swarm."
"…I wasn't - "
"Your gun is practically touching the screen, by the way."
"Is there a problem?"
"You just look really, really eager. It's kind of adorable actually."
"I simply don't wish to die again."
"Right."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"There it is."
"What?"
"That little grin. You really are enjoying this, aren't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure, you don't - Oh, heads-up! Things are bursting out of the walls."
"This is the part where I usually die."
"Yeah, and this is the part where you keep forgetting you got backup. Hang on, I'll save your ass."
"…Jo, I'm dying again."
"I got this. Just keep shaking those things off you."
"May I remind you that we are using our last token,"
"Crap. Okay, do you wanna go out in a blaze of glory or do you wanna try getting to the next level?"
"…"
"Cas?"
"I refuse to die in this room again."
"Then you better step up. We got a minute to plow through them before our health goes poof."
"This would be so much easier if I could smite them myself."
"Hey, if you can jump into the game, go right ahead. But you still need to get rid of that thing clawing at your face."
"Why is it doing that anyway?"
"I dunno. Maybe it's bored."
"So it claws at my face?"
"Yep."
"… How come it's not clawing at your face?"
"It must sense you're new."
"But - "
"Cas, clock's ticking and our health isn't getting any better. Any plans?"
"There's one. We stop shooting - "
"What?"
" - we put our guns down - "
"Excuse me?"
" - and I kick the side of the machine."
"Kick the side of - Cas, this isn't a TV that can be fixed with just a good kick! We gotta - !"
"There."
"…What did - ? Holy crap, we're on the next level? And with full health?"
"We should be."
"How the hell did you know that would happen?"
"I read the mind of the man at the token booth for any weaknesses to this game."
"…"
"Apparently, the machine is very susceptible to just the right degree of contact."
"So… you cheated?"
"As a last resort."
"Aren't angels supposed to be full of honor and all that virtuous crap?"
"We are also soldiers who fight for victory."
"Unbelievable. You couldn't have done that half an hour ago?"
"As I said, it was a last resort."
"Huh. Anything else I should be informed of?"
"No, that's all."
"In that case, we still have a long way to go if we want a decent prize at the ticket counter."
"What can we get with the tickets we do have?"
"Either a sticker of one of those random guys I ran over or a paperweight that looks like Barbie's shrunken head."
"What about with more tickets?"
"Uhh… We could get you a stuffed toy panda."
"…"
"We're gonna play ten times more intense now, aren't we?"
"Yes."
"Remind me to bring you to arcades more often."
Oh, God. I finally finished this monstrosity!
So I got the idea of video games when I remembered Jo owning all the high scores in 2x05 (Simon Says). It seemed like a fun idea.
And if there are any inaccuracies to the games here, forgive me. I haven't been playing any video game for some time so my knowledge is a little rusty.
So for those who are unfamiliar with the games, here are some links so you can see just how insane and destructive they are XD
Tekken
Twisted Metal
House of the Dead