Big Bang: One Man Band (5/7)
Title: One Man Band
Author: licklesoxy
Artist: sumer_starlight
Beta: erraticxthought
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Swearing. Violence.
Previous: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Next: 6 | 7
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-
Chapter Five
The house was not what Dean had expected. Small and quaint, it was no different than the many others lined up neatly along the street. Blending in perfectly, there was no real way to determine that it held any powerful creature within it, unless blatantly told so.
"You sure this is the right place?" he asked.
Gabriel sighed. "I lived here once, moron. Of course I know it's the right place."
Dean couldn't believe that they were doing this. They were on a quest to steal from Michael. Michael, the most powerful person known to exist, and they were going in blind. They had just a few hours to get the job done, before Michael set out on his own journey to free Lucifer from his cage.
This entire situation was messed up.
"I can't believe you're related to him. You're the Gabriel."
Dean grunted. "I can."
He could see Sam rolling his eyes out of the corner of his vision. Dean frowned. What was Sam's deal? Not only did they have to put up with someone who could warp reality at will, they had to do it with the knowledge that this could easily be a trap.
Gabriel, the dick, was Michael and Lucifer's freakin' brother. He was the youngest of a family of reality warpers, famous for the fact that each one shared the exact same powers that their father had. Just one child sharing the same power of a parent was unheard of, but this family had four of them. Their abilities being so overpowered had just been the icing on the cake, making the family one of the most well known bunch in history. All of their names were known, though their faces had remained a mystery somehow.
Dean pursed his lips. If they'd had the advantage of knowing what each brother in the family looked like, then perhaps he and Sammy wouldn't be in this mess right now. He'd known from the beginning that Gabriel would be trouble, but this was stupid. What kind of shit luck must he and his brother have to get caught up in the affairs of the most hated set of brothers in the world?
"What happens if he finds out?" Sam asked, breaking Dean out of his thoughts.
Gabriel let out a scoff. "He's not going to find out, because if he does, we're as good as dead."
That wasn't exactly reassuring. Feeling a chill run down his spine, Dean drew in a deep breath to try and keep his calm. It would do no good to reprimand Gabriel now, considering this could still turn sour. He didn't quite trust Gabriel, but he was the only person that actually knew what was happening here, so they had to go on his word. For the time being, they needed to do what he said.
So far it had gone very well. Nothing about Gabriel's story of Michael wanting to free Lucifer had been proven wrong as of yet, meaning there could actually be some truth behind it. Dean was still hoping it was a lie, though, because if they failed here and Lucifer was broken out of his cage, then all hell would break loose.
Dean frowned. What on Earth had he and his brother involved themselves in? This was far bigger than anything they'd done before; they were dealing with people who were easily ten times more dangerous than anyone they'd ever tackled with on previous jobs. What had they been thinking when taking on this task?
Had he finally gone nuts after all these years, and was manipulative enough to drag Sammy along with him? Dean shook his head. He was being ridiculous. Thoughts like that were things he didn't want to dwell on. He was fine, great even. This was terrifying, yes, but he was making a difference here. If they got this right, they had the potential to save hundreds, if not thousands of lives.
That was worth something, wasn't it?
"Okay, here we go," Gabriel said, breaking him out of his thoughts.
-o-
It had to go wrong. Sam understood that, overall, they'd had a brilliant amount of good luck. No one had spotted them coming in, the place was practically deserted, and they'd found the rings almost immediately. It seemed that Michael had not thought it necessary to keep them hidden, and Sam could understand why - the guy was powerful, and had a family that had always followed his orders. The idea that anyone would try and go against him was almost certainly a foreign absurdity to the guy.
That was why, after a few minutes inside the house, Sam got the feeling that everything was about to go to hell. Gabriel had the rings secured firmly in his grasp - he wasn't using any power, and had told Sam to do the same, for fear of catching the attention of his brothers - and they were about to make their way back outside.
When the attack came, Sam could honestly say that he wasn't surprised. From the way Gabriel had tensed moments before, quickly stuffing the rings into his pocket, he'd been expecting it also. Letting out a gasp, hearing Dean do the same beside him, Sam watched with a growing terror as Gabriel was shoved back into the two of them by an unseen force.
Collapsing into a heap on the floor with an undignified cry, Sam felt a swell of pain course through his shoulder where Gabriel's head had made impact. Flinching when the person currently on top of him decided to move, Sam closed his eyes as the pain became more intense.
"Damn it, Raphael." Grunting out the words with disdain, Gabriel heaved himself up and back into a standing position. Judging from what Sam could hear in the tone, Gabriel was not at all pleased to see his brother.
Staying on the floor for the time being, as it was quite comfortable now the weight had been lifted from his body, Sam wasn't quite able to contain his groans. Reopening his eyes, he frowned. Having someone thrown into him hurt a hell of a lot more than he thought it would. Blinking dazedly at the ceiling, he was only vaguely aware of Dean hovering over him worriedly. Biting out what he assumed was a positive answer when Dean asked if he was okay, Sam began regretting all the decisions he'd made since Dean's initial suggestion that they try and stop Gabriel.
Interfering with Gabriel's plans had caused more trouble than it was worth, but even working with him seemed to create havoc. Sam just wanted it all to be over, so he could get home and sit down for a while.
Blowing out a long breath through his nose, Sam refocused his vision and adjusted his position slightly, so he could get a good look at their attacker.
What he saw completely threw him off guard.
"That's Raphael?" he questioned, voice cracking startlingly as he stared in befuddlement. He was certainly not an expert on the famous family whose affairs he was currently involved in, but he was pretty sure that the four brothers were just that - brothers. Had one of them transitioned at any point in their lives, he was sure he'd have known about it.
Although he couldn't see Gabriel's face, Sam could tell that he rolled his eyes upon hearing the question.
"You really think this is what we actually look like?" he asked, turning to throw Sam an expression that clearly indicated what he thought of Sam's intelligence right now. "I didn't expect Dean to be the bright one of your family."
Once the words sank in, Sam's mind went blank. That wasn't what Gabriel actually looked like? He was using a fake face? What the hell? So, the person they had entrusted their lives with, the person they'd put their faith in, was... what, exactly? Was he an impostor? If he were to show them what he really looked like, would they recognise him, or would he appear as a total stranger that not even the media had any shots of?
Sure, it did make a tiny bit of sense if he stretched the logic of the situation - Gabriel was related to Lucifer, one of the most hated and feared people to ever walk the Earth, so perhaps this was a way of keeping that tidbit of information from the public knowledge. But from what Sam could determine, Gabriel kept up the illusion constantly, and Raphael seemed bent on holding up a fake image also. He couldn't understand why. Where was the benefit in it?
"I suggest you put them back, Gabriel." The voice was low and dangerous. Attention being pulled back to the situation at hand, Sam had to force himself not to cringe. Raphael's expression was full of venom, almost as if he - Sam had to remind himself Raphael indeed identified as male, despite the appearance - was willing and wanting to attack his brother once more. Did everyone in Gabriel's family hate each others' guts or something?
"No can do, bro. Going to hide these babies where you and Mikey have no hope of finding them," Gabriel explained, and the tone with which he spoke the words was entirely too joyful for Sam's liking. Was he trying to provoke Raphael into beating the hell out of them all?
Pushing himself up until he was in an upright position, Sam couldn't help but feel a little put out. What had he and Dean got themselves into? Pursing his lips, he felt his jaw clench as an undeniable chill ran down his spine. It was far too familiar as it made him shiver in spite of the warmth inside the house, and Sam wasn't quite able to hide his discomfort. He wanted away from this place, quickly, but deep down he knew that wasn't going to happen. Raphael was going to unleash his power on them; despite Gabriel having the exact same powers, it was possible that both Winchesters would not survive this encounter.
Sam wished he'd stayed in bed. At least then he and Dean would be safe.
The piercing sound of the shot was unexpected. Jumping in surprise, Sam's heart rate increased involuntarily. Turning to Dean with wide eyes, he was stunned to see his brother with his gun in his hand. Dean looked pissed off, and the grip he had on the weapon was tight enough to turn his knuckles white.
Yet, as Sam continued to inspect his brother, he noticed something wasn't quite right. Dean's expression was one filled with rage, yes, but there was another emotion there, something that didn't fit with the fury. As his heart rate began calming down, Sam narrowed his eyes, before he turned to look at the person who Dean had shot at; the person who was still standing, without a single scratch on them.
Sam felt the blood drain from his face. There was no way in Hell that Dean had missed. That meant that either Raphael had deflected the bullet somehow, or he'd actually taken the full force of it without even flinching. Praying for the former to be true, Sam took a step back.
This was about to turn incredibly dangerous.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't break their necks." It was clear from his pitch and expression that Raphael wasn't addressing either Sam or Dean. His words were for Gabriel only.
Sam watched as Gabriel tilted his head slightly. "Go right ahead. It'll just be more mess for you to explain to Michael when he finds out you let someone takes his precious rings."
Gabriel was mocking Raphael; he was doing it purposely. The douchebag knew exactly what he was doing, and what would happen because of it. Sam shuddered in horror. Perhaps this was a trap afterall.
Terror filling him as Raphael took a step forwards, hand raised and features livid, Sam couldn't deny that the urge to flee poured into him in waves. He wanted to run. His powers weren't up to scratch, and Dean's had been proven to be useless in this situation.
They were going to die.
Unable to take his eyes off the approaching figure, Sam only just caught sight of another movement out of the corner of his vision. It was fast and subtle, something that seemed deliberately done out of Raphael's line of sight. Focus being drawn to Gabriel's hand as he sparked the match - had he been holding that the whole time, or had he just this second made it materialise? - making it light up, Sam stared in complete confusion as Gabriel waited a moment longer, before holding the match up for all to see.
Remarkably, this made Raphael stop in his tracks, and Sam could have sworn he saw a flash of panic cross his features. Without waiting a second more, Gabriel dropped the match to the floor. Unexpectedly, as it made contact, a whole area of the carpet lit up in flames.
The ring of fire was something that Sam had never seen before. The flames that surrounded Raphael were bright and hot. Staring in bewilderment as, for no apparent reason, Raphael remained utterly still, only letting out what could be described as a growl, Sam frowned.
"It's a special oil," Gabriel explained, no doubt having seen his confusion. "Our family made it years ago. He steps over that, he fries."
Sam turned to Gabriel and huffed in disbelief.
"And you couldn't have told us this before?" Dean asked, anger lacing his tone. "That tiny bit of information could have been helpful to know, you dick."
Gabriel shrugged. "Didn't seem important until now," he said, smirking when Dean glared at him in response.
"You'll not get away with this, Gabriel," Raphael said, almost as if stating a fact rather than an opinion. Attention being drawn to the person inside the ring of fire, Sam felt a wave of honest to God sympathy flow into him. He had no idea why he felt sad for Raphael - hell, he'd only just met the guy for the first time today, and he was sure the guy wanted him dead - but the sense of sorrow was there.
Despite this sudden sadness, Sam squashed it down in favour of anger - that was all Raphael deserved right now.
"We getting out of here, or you going to stare at my bro all day? Believe me, you will not win that staring competition," Gabriel said, tone far too cheerful for Sam's liking.
-o-
Author: licklesoxy
Artist: sumer_starlight
Beta: erraticxthought
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Swearing. Violence.
Previous: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Next: 6 | 7
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-
Chapter Five
The house was not what Dean had expected. Small and quaint, it was no different than the many others lined up neatly along the street. Blending in perfectly, there was no real way to determine that it held any powerful creature within it, unless blatantly told so.
"You sure this is the right place?" he asked.
Gabriel sighed. "I lived here once, moron. Of course I know it's the right place."
Dean couldn't believe that they were doing this. They were on a quest to steal from Michael. Michael, the most powerful person known to exist, and they were going in blind. They had just a few hours to get the job done, before Michael set out on his own journey to free Lucifer from his cage.
This entire situation was messed up.
"I can't believe you're related to him. You're the Gabriel."
Dean grunted. "I can."
He could see Sam rolling his eyes out of the corner of his vision. Dean frowned. What was Sam's deal? Not only did they have to put up with someone who could warp reality at will, they had to do it with the knowledge that this could easily be a trap.
Gabriel, the dick, was Michael and Lucifer's freakin' brother. He was the youngest of a family of reality warpers, famous for the fact that each one shared the exact same powers that their father had. Just one child sharing the same power of a parent was unheard of, but this family had four of them. Their abilities being so overpowered had just been the icing on the cake, making the family one of the most well known bunch in history. All of their names were known, though their faces had remained a mystery somehow.
Dean pursed his lips. If they'd had the advantage of knowing what each brother in the family looked like, then perhaps he and Sammy wouldn't be in this mess right now. He'd known from the beginning that Gabriel would be trouble, but this was stupid. What kind of shit luck must he and his brother have to get caught up in the affairs of the most hated set of brothers in the world?
"What happens if he finds out?" Sam asked, breaking Dean out of his thoughts.
Gabriel let out a scoff. "He's not going to find out, because if he does, we're as good as dead."
That wasn't exactly reassuring. Feeling a chill run down his spine, Dean drew in a deep breath to try and keep his calm. It would do no good to reprimand Gabriel now, considering this could still turn sour. He didn't quite trust Gabriel, but he was the only person that actually knew what was happening here, so they had to go on his word. For the time being, they needed to do what he said.
So far it had gone very well. Nothing about Gabriel's story of Michael wanting to free Lucifer had been proven wrong as of yet, meaning there could actually be some truth behind it. Dean was still hoping it was a lie, though, because if they failed here and Lucifer was broken out of his cage, then all hell would break loose.
Dean frowned. What on Earth had he and his brother involved themselves in? This was far bigger than anything they'd done before; they were dealing with people who were easily ten times more dangerous than anyone they'd ever tackled with on previous jobs. What had they been thinking when taking on this task?
Had he finally gone nuts after all these years, and was manipulative enough to drag Sammy along with him? Dean shook his head. He was being ridiculous. Thoughts like that were things he didn't want to dwell on. He was fine, great even. This was terrifying, yes, but he was making a difference here. If they got this right, they had the potential to save hundreds, if not thousands of lives.
That was worth something, wasn't it?
"Okay, here we go," Gabriel said, breaking him out of his thoughts.
-o-
It had to go wrong. Sam understood that, overall, they'd had a brilliant amount of good luck. No one had spotted them coming in, the place was practically deserted, and they'd found the rings almost immediately. It seemed that Michael had not thought it necessary to keep them hidden, and Sam could understand why - the guy was powerful, and had a family that had always followed his orders. The idea that anyone would try and go against him was almost certainly a foreign absurdity to the guy.
That was why, after a few minutes inside the house, Sam got the feeling that everything was about to go to hell. Gabriel had the rings secured firmly in his grasp - he wasn't using any power, and had told Sam to do the same, for fear of catching the attention of his brothers - and they were about to make their way back outside.
When the attack came, Sam could honestly say that he wasn't surprised. From the way Gabriel had tensed moments before, quickly stuffing the rings into his pocket, he'd been expecting it also. Letting out a gasp, hearing Dean do the same beside him, Sam watched with a growing terror as Gabriel was shoved back into the two of them by an unseen force.
Collapsing into a heap on the floor with an undignified cry, Sam felt a swell of pain course through his shoulder where Gabriel's head had made impact. Flinching when the person currently on top of him decided to move, Sam closed his eyes as the pain became more intense.
"Damn it, Raphael." Grunting out the words with disdain, Gabriel heaved himself up and back into a standing position. Judging from what Sam could hear in the tone, Gabriel was not at all pleased to see his brother.
Staying on the floor for the time being, as it was quite comfortable now the weight had been lifted from his body, Sam wasn't quite able to contain his groans. Reopening his eyes, he frowned. Having someone thrown into him hurt a hell of a lot more than he thought it would. Blinking dazedly at the ceiling, he was only vaguely aware of Dean hovering over him worriedly. Biting out what he assumed was a positive answer when Dean asked if he was okay, Sam began regretting all the decisions he'd made since Dean's initial suggestion that they try and stop Gabriel.
Interfering with Gabriel's plans had caused more trouble than it was worth, but even working with him seemed to create havoc. Sam just wanted it all to be over, so he could get home and sit down for a while.
Blowing out a long breath through his nose, Sam refocused his vision and adjusted his position slightly, so he could get a good look at their attacker.
What he saw completely threw him off guard.
"That's Raphael?" he questioned, voice cracking startlingly as he stared in befuddlement. He was certainly not an expert on the famous family whose affairs he was currently involved in, but he was pretty sure that the four brothers were just that - brothers. Had one of them transitioned at any point in their lives, he was sure he'd have known about it.
Although he couldn't see Gabriel's face, Sam could tell that he rolled his eyes upon hearing the question.
"You really think this is what we actually look like?" he asked, turning to throw Sam an expression that clearly indicated what he thought of Sam's intelligence right now. "I didn't expect Dean to be the bright one of your family."
Once the words sank in, Sam's mind went blank. That wasn't what Gabriel actually looked like? He was using a fake face? What the hell? So, the person they had entrusted their lives with, the person they'd put their faith in, was... what, exactly? Was he an impostor? If he were to show them what he really looked like, would they recognise him, or would he appear as a total stranger that not even the media had any shots of?
Sure, it did make a tiny bit of sense if he stretched the logic of the situation - Gabriel was related to Lucifer, one of the most hated and feared people to ever walk the Earth, so perhaps this was a way of keeping that tidbit of information from the public knowledge. But from what Sam could determine, Gabriel kept up the illusion constantly, and Raphael seemed bent on holding up a fake image also. He couldn't understand why. Where was the benefit in it?
"I suggest you put them back, Gabriel." The voice was low and dangerous. Attention being pulled back to the situation at hand, Sam had to force himself not to cringe. Raphael's expression was full of venom, almost as if he - Sam had to remind himself Raphael indeed identified as male, despite the appearance - was willing and wanting to attack his brother once more. Did everyone in Gabriel's family hate each others' guts or something?
"No can do, bro. Going to hide these babies where you and Mikey have no hope of finding them," Gabriel explained, and the tone with which he spoke the words was entirely too joyful for Sam's liking. Was he trying to provoke Raphael into beating the hell out of them all?
Pushing himself up until he was in an upright position, Sam couldn't help but feel a little put out. What had he and Dean got themselves into? Pursing his lips, he felt his jaw clench as an undeniable chill ran down his spine. It was far too familiar as it made him shiver in spite of the warmth inside the house, and Sam wasn't quite able to hide his discomfort. He wanted away from this place, quickly, but deep down he knew that wasn't going to happen. Raphael was going to unleash his power on them; despite Gabriel having the exact same powers, it was possible that both Winchesters would not survive this encounter.
Sam wished he'd stayed in bed. At least then he and Dean would be safe.
The piercing sound of the shot was unexpected. Jumping in surprise, Sam's heart rate increased involuntarily. Turning to Dean with wide eyes, he was stunned to see his brother with his gun in his hand. Dean looked pissed off, and the grip he had on the weapon was tight enough to turn his knuckles white.
Yet, as Sam continued to inspect his brother, he noticed something wasn't quite right. Dean's expression was one filled with rage, yes, but there was another emotion there, something that didn't fit with the fury. As his heart rate began calming down, Sam narrowed his eyes, before he turned to look at the person who Dean had shot at; the person who was still standing, without a single scratch on them.
Sam felt the blood drain from his face. There was no way in Hell that Dean had missed. That meant that either Raphael had deflected the bullet somehow, or he'd actually taken the full force of it without even flinching. Praying for the former to be true, Sam took a step back.
This was about to turn incredibly dangerous.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't break their necks." It was clear from his pitch and expression that Raphael wasn't addressing either Sam or Dean. His words were for Gabriel only.
Sam watched as Gabriel tilted his head slightly. "Go right ahead. It'll just be more mess for you to explain to Michael when he finds out you let someone takes his precious rings."
Gabriel was mocking Raphael; he was doing it purposely. The douchebag knew exactly what he was doing, and what would happen because of it. Sam shuddered in horror. Perhaps this was a trap afterall.
Terror filling him as Raphael took a step forwards, hand raised and features livid, Sam couldn't deny that the urge to flee poured into him in waves. He wanted to run. His powers weren't up to scratch, and Dean's had been proven to be useless in this situation.
They were going to die.
Unable to take his eyes off the approaching figure, Sam only just caught sight of another movement out of the corner of his vision. It was fast and subtle, something that seemed deliberately done out of Raphael's line of sight. Focus being drawn to Gabriel's hand as he sparked the match - had he been holding that the whole time, or had he just this second made it materialise? - making it light up, Sam stared in complete confusion as Gabriel waited a moment longer, before holding the match up for all to see.
Remarkably, this made Raphael stop in his tracks, and Sam could have sworn he saw a flash of panic cross his features. Without waiting a second more, Gabriel dropped the match to the floor. Unexpectedly, as it made contact, a whole area of the carpet lit up in flames.
The ring of fire was something that Sam had never seen before. The flames that surrounded Raphael were bright and hot. Staring in bewilderment as, for no apparent reason, Raphael remained utterly still, only letting out what could be described as a growl, Sam frowned.
"It's a special oil," Gabriel explained, no doubt having seen his confusion. "Our family made it years ago. He steps over that, he fries."
Sam turned to Gabriel and huffed in disbelief.
"And you couldn't have told us this before?" Dean asked, anger lacing his tone. "That tiny bit of information could have been helpful to know, you dick."
Gabriel shrugged. "Didn't seem important until now," he said, smirking when Dean glared at him in response.
"You'll not get away with this, Gabriel," Raphael said, almost as if stating a fact rather than an opinion. Attention being drawn to the person inside the ring of fire, Sam felt a wave of honest to God sympathy flow into him. He had no idea why he felt sad for Raphael - hell, he'd only just met the guy for the first time today, and he was sure the guy wanted him dead - but the sense of sorrow was there.
Despite this sudden sadness, Sam squashed it down in favour of anger - that was all Raphael deserved right now.
"We getting out of here, or you going to stare at my bro all day? Believe me, you will not win that staring competition," Gabriel said, tone far too cheerful for Sam's liking.
-o-