Superman Tonight (8/?)
Title: Superman Tonight (8/?)
Author: lonelyphoenix85
Rating: R, for a few foul words, and more sure to come in subsequent parts.
Genre: Pre-slash, h/c
Pairing:Sam/Gabriel pre-slash, implied Dean/Cas
Spoilers: through to Changing Channels (5x08)
Warnings: None
Word Count: 2117 (this part, 15806 total so far)
Disclaimer: It only belongs to me when I'm dreaming! Bon Jovi owns the song, and the rest is property of the almighty Kripke!
Author's Note: Just wanted to say thanks to my awesome new beta for this story, of_red_clouds - you're awesome!
Previous chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Sam woke slowly, the sensation of it strange in the way that something almost forgotten tends to become.
For the second morning in a row he felt calm, rested...
Safe.
Raising his head off the pillow slightly, he glanced around the room, smiling softly as he saw Dean still slouched in the chair beside the second bed. The second bed which held a still sleeping - *Unconscious,* he corrected himself worriedly - angel. His smile quickly faded.
Dean would never forgive himself if Castiel wasn’t okay.
It wouldn’t matter to Dean that Cas had probably known he was too weak to search for the demons before he’d done it - in the world of Dean Winchester there was only room for one martyr, and that was Dean Winchester.
It followed that anything that happened to Cas would be Dean’s fault, and Sam felt a sudden rush of anger towards the angel - Castiel might not have cared what happened to him, but he knew Dean well enough that he should have known the hunter would blame himself. Dean had enough on his shoulders without adding to it.
Sam knew he wasn’t being fair to Castiel, and so he resolutely pushed his anger aside. Worry returned with a vengeance - he hoped Gabriel would be able to help the younger angel.
Sitting up in the bed Sam scanned the room again, looking for any sign that the Archangel had been there.
He felt his smile return at the sight of a Styrofoam cup with steam rising up from it on the desk across the room. Standing, he crossed the room quickly and scooped it up. Taking a sip, he grinned in surprise at the sweet taste.
Not coffee this morning then. The thick, chocolatey liquid warmed him as he took slow sips, eyes resting on his brother again.
“Thanks Gabriel,” he whispered, keeping his voice soft. He didn’t want to wake Dean just yet - he needed a few more minutes, at least, before he was ready to face him.
He didn’t know if the Archangel was still hanging around close by or not, but if he was then hopefully he would appreciate the acknowledgement. ‘Thanks’ was probably not something the trickster-angel heard very often, but Sam owed him a lot more than just a simple thank you.
The scale of what the Archangel had done to him, done for him, hadn’t quite hit him yet - he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to fully grasp it - but he was grateful.
The problem was, of course, that Sam could think of no sure-fire way to convince Dean that they should trust Gabriel. Especially considering the whole Ruby debacle.
Sam’s judgement was, in Dean’s eyes, questionable at best.
Gabriel’s history with them would be another problem - Sam would be lying if he didn’t admit that that was still holding him back a little too.
Total trust for the being who toyed with them, who tormented him for months on end in the worst possible way, who until very very recently had been set against them even if he hadn’t been siding with Michael or Lucifer...it was asking a lot.
So it worried and confused him how much he wanted to just give in and trust.
It would worry Dean too, if Sam told him that.
Finishing his drink, Sam sighed softly and walked over to wake his brother. He still had no idea what he was going to say, but it was past time he said something.
“Dean.” Sam stood a few feet away as he spoke, out of reach in case Dean startled awake. “Dean, wake up…”
“Whu…Sammy…?” Dean blinked and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. “What’s wrong? Cas…?!” His gaze flashed to the unconscious angel in panic.
“He’s fine - still out cold, but no worse than yesterday I think. I…I need to tell you something.”
“Tell me what Sam?”
Sam tried not to let Dean’s guarded eyes, or the wariness in his voice, hurt - he deserved it after all. It would be a long time before Dean trusted him again, and that was that.
“I know what kept Lucifer out of my head - - - Or rather, who…” Sam trailed off, trying to think of a way to explain without Dean going ballistic.
The story was long and Dean’s patience…well, Dean had no patience left for Gabriel. Sam would really have his work cut out for him.
“Well are you gonna share with the class Sammy? Or are you waiting for me to guess?”
“Gabriel…it was Gabriel…he says he wants to help Dean - he might even…”
That was as far as Sam got before his brother exploded, jumping from the chair to crowd into the younger man’s personal space. Sam had to force himself not to back away.
“Gabriel?! What the hell, dude? Are you even listening to yourself?! Don’t you remember what he said last week?”
“If you’ll just let me explain…”
“Explain?! Yeah Sammy, you explain, because you’ve been such a stellar judge of character so far…”
“Look, I know I screwed up Dean, but you’re gonna have to get past that eventually. I’m not claiming to be perfect, I’m not even claiming to be sure here, but I think we need to give him the benefit of the doubt…we need help, and like it or not he’s the only one offering these days.”
“We’ve got Cas…”
“Who’s currently unconscious! Not asleep, Dean…unconscious! He needs help just as badly as we do - maybe even more. I know it’s a risk, I get that…but it’s a risk we can’t afford not to take. I’m not asking you to trust him, just…hear him out, please? If not for me then for Cas?”
Dean’s eyes were glued to the angel, something like fear filling them as he listened to Sam.
The younger Winchester knew exactly what would be going through his brother’s mind right now - he was almost certainly drowning in guilt and self-reproof, and warring with himself over whether Sam was right. Whether they could trust the Trickster to help them…to help Castiel.
Sam steeled himself before continuing - best to get it all out there, give Dean chance to vent all at once so that they could get to dealing with things properly.
“There’s more.”
He almost chickened out at the dark expression his brother turned on him, but pushed on after a moment.
“I…he turned up two days ago. I didn’t know what to say yesterday…how to explain it…”
“More secrets, Sammy?”
Dean just sounded sad now, resigned…betrayed.
“When was I supposed to tell you?” Sam asked defensively. “Before I knew what the hell was going? When Cas was passing out? When you were sat by his bedside worried sick?”
“An archangel who wants us to hand over our bodies to homicidal maniacs turning up out of the blue is a priority Sam…It’s need to fucking know information.”
“What about an archangel who wants to help? What about an archangel who burned the damned demon blood out of my body? Who…”
“Who what?”
Dean’s question was quiet, his tone firm as he practically hissed the word between clenched teeth, cutting Sam off mid-tirade.
“Do you want the long version, the short version, or just that bit for now?”
“Let’s start with the short version…”
Glad that Dean was finally willing to listen, Sam decided not to waste any time.
“He turned up while you were gone, and wouldn’t listen when I told him to leave. He said he wanted to help, told me why when I asked. Then he told me a few home truths, dealt with my miniature nervous breakdown and kept Lucifer out of my head while I slept. He did it again last night, only this time we talked. Turns out while dealing with my breakdown, he also fixed a few things - including burning out the demon blood…all of it.”
“Why? What’s he got to gain?”
“His brothers’ lives.”
“Last week he was all set to sit by and watch…”
“Last week I couldn’t see any other way, Dean-o.”
“Sonuvabitch!” Dean exclaimed, spinning to face the new arrival.
Gabriel sat on the desk by the window, swinging his legs as he sucked on a red candy-cane.
“Now now Winchester…you really should be careful what you call my Father - he can have quite the temper at times…” Gabriel smirked.
“I asked you to wait…” Sam cut in, not wanting the two to get into a bickering match right now.
“I waited…you were taking too long Sammy.” Gabriel pouted, his tone petulant.
He reminded Sam so much of an impatient child that the hunter had to swallow a grin, knowing Dean wouldn’t understand the easy camaraderie he already felt with the angel - how could he when even Sam didn’t understand it?
“Fine, you get to finish the explanation then.”
“Sure thing Sasquatch. I’m gonna go with the short short version though, more important things to do than placate your brother, you know.” Not giving either man a chance to respond, he continued. “I want to help, you need my help, Sam’s demon-blood free and - hey Sammy, what day were you born?”
“Uh…Monday, I think?” Sam replied warily, glancing at Dean.
“Monday.” The elder hunter confirmed with a nod, looking confused.
“Awww…there goes that joke! Why couldn’t you have been born on a Tuesday? Although I suppose you are kinda ‘fair of face’…oh well…anyways, mind terribly if I leave the longer explanations until later, Buck-o?” Gabriel asked, turning his head back towards Dean. “I need to try and save my brother’s life right now.”
Sam could tell the second Gabriel’s words registered. Dean’s face paled as his eyes shot once more to the prone angel.
“Save his life?! You mean Cas…” He trailed off, almost not wanting to ask, afraid of the answer.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, hanging out with Winchesters appears to be hazardous to your health these days Dean-o. Sammy, shut your brother up for five minutes please? I need to concentrate. Don’t go far though, I might need your help.”
Gabriel didn’t wait for a reply as he snapped himself to Castiel’s bedside, placing a hand gently on his brother’s chest.
SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN
Dean couldn’t tear his eyes off Cas - not even when he felt Sam tugging on his arm, pulling him to sit on the empty bed.
Cas had said he just needed to rest, hadn’t he? He couldn’t be dying…
Could he?
He watched as Gabriel placed his hand on the younger angel, and tensed. He didn’t trust the archangel as far as he could throw him, and considering the little shit could disappear before he ever got a grip…yeah, he didn’t trust him.
Sam’s hand tightened on his arm, and he realised that he was half stood already, only his brother’s grip stopping him from going over there and…
And what…? Protecting Castiel from a guy who could snap his fingers and send Dean to the freaking moon if he felt like it? Getting in the way?
Dean sat back down with a sigh. He hated feeling so helpless.
“For the record? This is an unbelievably bad idea, and when he kills us all I’m totally saying I told you so. Repeatedly. Forever.”
“Dean, enough… He’s helping - just give the guy a chance, that’s all I’m asking,” Sam pleaded softly.
“Sammy I…look can we not do this right now? I’m still pissed at you, and I have every right to be, but I can’t do this with Cas…with him…”
Dean cut himself off, swallowing harshly around the lump in his throat and ignoring the burning sensation in his eyes.
Gabriel was right - being around them was dangerous, no-one got out whole and unharmed. Their parents. Jess. Ash. Pamela. Adam. All dead. Bobby crippled.
They were a jinx, a curse…
And now Cas wasn’t just cut off from Heaven…now Cas was dying because of them too.
So he really couldn’t deal with Sam’s issues right now.
“Yeah…okay Dean.”
Sam sounded hurt, but damn it! What did he expect? That Dean would be happy he’d been lied to again? That his brother had gone behind his back again?
Dragging his hand down his face, Dean nudged Sam with his elbow.
“Bitch.”
He watched Sam look up in surprise, before replying with a faint smile and his own elbow-dig.
“Jerk.”
The tension lessened and Dean’s focus drifted back to Cas, worry tearing at him. If he had just thought…why the hell hadn’t the stupid idiot told him he wasn’t strong enough?!
Once Gabriel fixed him, Dean was gonna kill him for being so freaking stupid!
“Winchester! Get your idiotic ass over here. You too Sammy.”
Dean was on his feet before the archangel had even finished speaking, not waiting to see if Sam was following.
Chapter 9
Author: lonelyphoenix85
Rating: R, for a few foul words, and more sure to come in subsequent parts.
Genre: Pre-slash, h/c
Pairing:Sam/Gabriel pre-slash, implied Dean/Cas
Spoilers: through to Changing Channels (5x08)
Warnings: None
Word Count: 2117 (this part, 15806 total so far)
Disclaimer: It only belongs to me when I'm dreaming! Bon Jovi owns the song, and the rest is property of the almighty Kripke!
Author's Note: Just wanted to say thanks to my awesome new beta for this story, of_red_clouds - you're awesome!
Previous chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Sam woke slowly, the sensation of it strange in the way that something almost forgotten tends to become.
For the second morning in a row he felt calm, rested...
Safe.
Raising his head off the pillow slightly, he glanced around the room, smiling softly as he saw Dean still slouched in the chair beside the second bed. The second bed which held a still sleeping - *Unconscious,* he corrected himself worriedly - angel. His smile quickly faded.
Dean would never forgive himself if Castiel wasn’t okay.
It wouldn’t matter to Dean that Cas had probably known he was too weak to search for the demons before he’d done it - in the world of Dean Winchester there was only room for one martyr, and that was Dean Winchester.
It followed that anything that happened to Cas would be Dean’s fault, and Sam felt a sudden rush of anger towards the angel - Castiel might not have cared what happened to him, but he knew Dean well enough that he should have known the hunter would blame himself. Dean had enough on his shoulders without adding to it.
Sam knew he wasn’t being fair to Castiel, and so he resolutely pushed his anger aside. Worry returned with a vengeance - he hoped Gabriel would be able to help the younger angel.
Sitting up in the bed Sam scanned the room again, looking for any sign that the Archangel had been there.
He felt his smile return at the sight of a Styrofoam cup with steam rising up from it on the desk across the room. Standing, he crossed the room quickly and scooped it up. Taking a sip, he grinned in surprise at the sweet taste.
Not coffee this morning then. The thick, chocolatey liquid warmed him as he took slow sips, eyes resting on his brother again.
“Thanks Gabriel,” he whispered, keeping his voice soft. He didn’t want to wake Dean just yet - he needed a few more minutes, at least, before he was ready to face him.
He didn’t know if the Archangel was still hanging around close by or not, but if he was then hopefully he would appreciate the acknowledgement. ‘Thanks’ was probably not something the trickster-angel heard very often, but Sam owed him a lot more than just a simple thank you.
The scale of what the Archangel had done to him, done for him, hadn’t quite hit him yet - he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to fully grasp it - but he was grateful.
The problem was, of course, that Sam could think of no sure-fire way to convince Dean that they should trust Gabriel. Especially considering the whole Ruby debacle.
Sam’s judgement was, in Dean’s eyes, questionable at best.
Gabriel’s history with them would be another problem - Sam would be lying if he didn’t admit that that was still holding him back a little too.
Total trust for the being who toyed with them, who tormented him for months on end in the worst possible way, who until very very recently had been set against them even if he hadn’t been siding with Michael or Lucifer...it was asking a lot.
So it worried and confused him how much he wanted to just give in and trust.
It would worry Dean too, if Sam told him that.
Finishing his drink, Sam sighed softly and walked over to wake his brother. He still had no idea what he was going to say, but it was past time he said something.
“Dean.” Sam stood a few feet away as he spoke, out of reach in case Dean startled awake. “Dean, wake up…”
“Whu…Sammy…?” Dean blinked and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. “What’s wrong? Cas…?!” His gaze flashed to the unconscious angel in panic.
“He’s fine - still out cold, but no worse than yesterday I think. I…I need to tell you something.”
“Tell me what Sam?”
Sam tried not to let Dean’s guarded eyes, or the wariness in his voice, hurt - he deserved it after all. It would be a long time before Dean trusted him again, and that was that.
“I know what kept Lucifer out of my head - - - Or rather, who…” Sam trailed off, trying to think of a way to explain without Dean going ballistic.
The story was long and Dean’s patience…well, Dean had no patience left for Gabriel. Sam would really have his work cut out for him.
“Well are you gonna share with the class Sammy? Or are you waiting for me to guess?”
“Gabriel…it was Gabriel…he says he wants to help Dean - he might even…”
That was as far as Sam got before his brother exploded, jumping from the chair to crowd into the younger man’s personal space. Sam had to force himself not to back away.
“Gabriel?! What the hell, dude? Are you even listening to yourself?! Don’t you remember what he said last week?”
“If you’ll just let me explain…”
“Explain?! Yeah Sammy, you explain, because you’ve been such a stellar judge of character so far…”
“Look, I know I screwed up Dean, but you’re gonna have to get past that eventually. I’m not claiming to be perfect, I’m not even claiming to be sure here, but I think we need to give him the benefit of the doubt…we need help, and like it or not he’s the only one offering these days.”
“We’ve got Cas…”
“Who’s currently unconscious! Not asleep, Dean…unconscious! He needs help just as badly as we do - maybe even more. I know it’s a risk, I get that…but it’s a risk we can’t afford not to take. I’m not asking you to trust him, just…hear him out, please? If not for me then for Cas?”
Dean’s eyes were glued to the angel, something like fear filling them as he listened to Sam.
The younger Winchester knew exactly what would be going through his brother’s mind right now - he was almost certainly drowning in guilt and self-reproof, and warring with himself over whether Sam was right. Whether they could trust the Trickster to help them…to help Castiel.
Sam steeled himself before continuing - best to get it all out there, give Dean chance to vent all at once so that they could get to dealing with things properly.
“There’s more.”
He almost chickened out at the dark expression his brother turned on him, but pushed on after a moment.
“I…he turned up two days ago. I didn’t know what to say yesterday…how to explain it…”
“More secrets, Sammy?”
Dean just sounded sad now, resigned…betrayed.
“When was I supposed to tell you?” Sam asked defensively. “Before I knew what the hell was going? When Cas was passing out? When you were sat by his bedside worried sick?”
“An archangel who wants us to hand over our bodies to homicidal maniacs turning up out of the blue is a priority Sam…It’s need to fucking know information.”
“What about an archangel who wants to help? What about an archangel who burned the damned demon blood out of my body? Who…”
“Who what?”
Dean’s question was quiet, his tone firm as he practically hissed the word between clenched teeth, cutting Sam off mid-tirade.
“Do you want the long version, the short version, or just that bit for now?”
“Let’s start with the short version…”
Glad that Dean was finally willing to listen, Sam decided not to waste any time.
“He turned up while you were gone, and wouldn’t listen when I told him to leave. He said he wanted to help, told me why when I asked. Then he told me a few home truths, dealt with my miniature nervous breakdown and kept Lucifer out of my head while I slept. He did it again last night, only this time we talked. Turns out while dealing with my breakdown, he also fixed a few things - including burning out the demon blood…all of it.”
“Why? What’s he got to gain?”
“His brothers’ lives.”
“Last week he was all set to sit by and watch…”
“Last week I couldn’t see any other way, Dean-o.”
“Sonuvabitch!” Dean exclaimed, spinning to face the new arrival.
Gabriel sat on the desk by the window, swinging his legs as he sucked on a red candy-cane.
“Now now Winchester…you really should be careful what you call my Father - he can have quite the temper at times…” Gabriel smirked.
“I asked you to wait…” Sam cut in, not wanting the two to get into a bickering match right now.
“I waited…you were taking too long Sammy.” Gabriel pouted, his tone petulant.
He reminded Sam so much of an impatient child that the hunter had to swallow a grin, knowing Dean wouldn’t understand the easy camaraderie he already felt with the angel - how could he when even Sam didn’t understand it?
“Fine, you get to finish the explanation then.”
“Sure thing Sasquatch. I’m gonna go with the short short version though, more important things to do than placate your brother, you know.” Not giving either man a chance to respond, he continued. “I want to help, you need my help, Sam’s demon-blood free and - hey Sammy, what day were you born?”
“Uh…Monday, I think?” Sam replied warily, glancing at Dean.
“Monday.” The elder hunter confirmed with a nod, looking confused.
“Awww…there goes that joke! Why couldn’t you have been born on a Tuesday? Although I suppose you are kinda ‘fair of face’…oh well…anyways, mind terribly if I leave the longer explanations until later, Buck-o?” Gabriel asked, turning his head back towards Dean. “I need to try and save my brother’s life right now.”
Sam could tell the second Gabriel’s words registered. Dean’s face paled as his eyes shot once more to the prone angel.
“Save his life?! You mean Cas…” He trailed off, almost not wanting to ask, afraid of the answer.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, hanging out with Winchesters appears to be hazardous to your health these days Dean-o. Sammy, shut your brother up for five minutes please? I need to concentrate. Don’t go far though, I might need your help.”
Gabriel didn’t wait for a reply as he snapped himself to Castiel’s bedside, placing a hand gently on his brother’s chest.
SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN
Dean couldn’t tear his eyes off Cas - not even when he felt Sam tugging on his arm, pulling him to sit on the empty bed.
Cas had said he just needed to rest, hadn’t he? He couldn’t be dying…
Could he?
He watched as Gabriel placed his hand on the younger angel, and tensed. He didn’t trust the archangel as far as he could throw him, and considering the little shit could disappear before he ever got a grip…yeah, he didn’t trust him.
Sam’s hand tightened on his arm, and he realised that he was half stood already, only his brother’s grip stopping him from going over there and…
And what…? Protecting Castiel from a guy who could snap his fingers and send Dean to the freaking moon if he felt like it? Getting in the way?
Dean sat back down with a sigh. He hated feeling so helpless.
“For the record? This is an unbelievably bad idea, and when he kills us all I’m totally saying I told you so. Repeatedly. Forever.”
“Dean, enough… He’s helping - just give the guy a chance, that’s all I’m asking,” Sam pleaded softly.
“Sammy I…look can we not do this right now? I’m still pissed at you, and I have every right to be, but I can’t do this with Cas…with him…”
Dean cut himself off, swallowing harshly around the lump in his throat and ignoring the burning sensation in his eyes.
Gabriel was right - being around them was dangerous, no-one got out whole and unharmed. Their parents. Jess. Ash. Pamela. Adam. All dead. Bobby crippled.
They were a jinx, a curse…
And now Cas wasn’t just cut off from Heaven…now Cas was dying because of them too.
So he really couldn’t deal with Sam’s issues right now.
“Yeah…okay Dean.”
Sam sounded hurt, but damn it! What did he expect? That Dean would be happy he’d been lied to again? That his brother had gone behind his back again?
Dragging his hand down his face, Dean nudged Sam with his elbow.
“Bitch.”
He watched Sam look up in surprise, before replying with a faint smile and his own elbow-dig.
“Jerk.”
The tension lessened and Dean’s focus drifted back to Cas, worry tearing at him. If he had just thought…why the hell hadn’t the stupid idiot told him he wasn’t strong enough?!
Once Gabriel fixed him, Dean was gonna kill him for being so freaking stupid!
“Winchester! Get your idiotic ass over here. You too Sammy.”
Dean was on his feet before the archangel had even finished speaking, not waiting to see if Sam was following.
Chapter 9