I Am No Angel Chapter 7
Title: I Am No Angel
Author: Miss Meh
Pairing: Dean/Castiel, Sam/Gabriel, Adam/Michael
Rating: R for swearing and implied sexual situations
Warnings: AU, copious amounts of fluff and sexual innuendo, fusion with Beauty and the Beast
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 5153
Status: WIP
Summary: His wings always seemed to be the problem, Castiel figured. But when he and his family move to Sioux Falls and he meets a Beast locked away in a castle, could his wings be the solution?
A/N: I wanted to let you guys know ahead of time that I know there is a discrepancy with the ages of Dean, Sam, and Adam in my fic. I made Adam four years younger than Sam rather than seven. I did this because I knew what ages I wanted everyone else and I didn't want a huge age gap between he and Michael. I know, technically Adam is a hundred and fifty years older than Michael, but still.
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Chapter Seven: Somehow I found a way to get lost in you
Let me inside; let me get close to you
Change your mind; I’ll get lost if you want me to
Somehow I found a way to get lost in you
--“Lost in You” Three Days Grace
Lucifer could be patient when he needed to be, but his followers were not so virtuous. It had been five days since he had taken Michael’s father and while Lucifer was content to wait for Michael to come crawling back, dragging his freak of a brother with him, one demon in particular was not satisfied with the delay. Alistair had come to him at least once each day to request permission to torture his human charge. Each and every time he did so, Lucifer had told him in no uncertain terms that if his torture master were to so much as point one of his instruments in the man’s direction, Alistair would find himself at the other end of the knife. Lucifer wouldn’t hesitate to hand the demon over to his own students, most of whom he had tortured at some point and probably wouldn’t pass up a chance to return the favor.
No, he wasn’t going to let Alistair sink his claws into Michael’s father. The man was too important at this point to end up dead because his blood-thirsty underlings got carried away. Lucifer needed him for leverage or all of his carefully laid plans would fall apart.
Michael finally showed up late on the fifth day, sans the all import angel commodity he had been sent out to find. And after all of the effort he had expended to keep the man’s father safe, too. So, Lucifer felt that his slight loss of control was perfectly reasonable under the circumstances. His first reaction was a holy fury that would have terrified all who beheld it-had he allowed anyone to see it, that is-followed by a calm that was just as frightening in its promise of retribution. Michael wasn’t following Lucifer’s plan and he was going to suffer for it.
For now, at least, he would attempt to act diplomatic. There would be no way to extract the information from the man if Lucifer went into a rage and killed him. “Michael,” he acknowledged as Ruby pushed the former soldier in front of him. “Ruby, send for Alistair and tell him to bring the human.” She bowed her head and back away to comply with his request. As soon as she was out of sight, Lucifer shot a private grin at Michael, one that he knew had always gotten him out of trouble when they had been friends. “I never get tired of that,” he admitted. “The bowing and the sucking up and the attempts to meet my every whim. The power…” He drew in a deep breath through his nose as though he could smell it in the air around them. “It’s intoxicating. I find it impossible to understand how you could throw this away. There was a time several years ago when those of us in the garrison-myself included, I must confess-would have done anything we possibly could simply to please you.” His face twisted bitterly at the awareness that he was once that weak. “I cannot comprehend it.”
A commotion at the entrance to his quarters-the former occupants and their grubby little miniatures had been chased out by his subordinates to make way for his arrival-derailed him from that train of thought and his gaze left Michael’s for the moment to watch as the man’s father was dragged in. He was gagged and his arms were tied behind his back at an angle that looked quite painful, but he wasn’t bleeding. Lucifer was somewhat surprised and gratified when he saw this. It appeared that Alistair had been heeding his orders, even if he was being spectacularly annoying at the same time, and he was pleased that his inferiors had shown their guest the proper hospitality.
Once both father and son were in place before him, he turned to the younger of the two and affected a judgmental tone. “So, Michael, now that your father has arrived, would you care to explain why you feel that your brother’s life is more important than his?”
A surprised look crossed Michael’s face briefly, but an instant later, he was covering it up with his usual bland expression. Lucifer allowed himself a moment of malicious self-satisfaction for making his former friend lose some of that fabled self-control. “I would not presume to impose more importance on the life of one of my family members over the other. If I had in fact decided that my brother was of greater significance, I would not have come back at all. I would have left my father to his fate and stayed away so that you would not have a chance to use me against Castiel. As it is, I have returned to inform you that my brother has somehow gotten himself caught in a trap.” Lucifer leaned forward in a silent request for more information. “There was some kind of curse laid around the ruins of a castle in Ilchester Forest. It was set specifically for an angel and as such, we can get to him, but he cannot leave the castle grounds. As this is the case, I will lead you to him instead.” Michael stepped closer to his father as he continued. “The only thing I would ask of you is that you release my father and let us both live in peace once you have what you want.”
Lucifer leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he thought over what the man had just told him. Finally he looked up and his hands came together in slowly building applause. “Oh, bravo, Michael!” he cried mockingly. “That was a brilliant performance.” His eyes glittered with crazy laughter as he surveyed the confused expressions on the faces of his former friend and said friend’s father.
“Lucifer,” Michael said seriously. “I am telling you the truth. My brother is trapped and-”
“Oh, I have no doubt about that, friend,” Lucifer sneered. “However, I find your indifference to the matter troubling, to say the least. The Michael I knew would not have even dreamed of letting me take his brother. Not without putting up some sort of a fight.” He saw that Michael’s face was carefully blank and knew that he was right. “You are going to lead me into a trap, aren’t you, Michael? And you think that I would be stupid enough to walk into it unknowingly?” He smirked down at the man, whose expression had hardened as Lucifer spoke. “Tell you what, I’ll bite. You lead me into this little trap of yours and we’ll see which can hold up better: my army of supernatural beings or whatever pile of peasants you managed to scrap up. I hope their lives are worth it.”
Lucifer didn’t bother to hide his grin as he motioned for Michael and his father to be taken away. He would have the angel for his own and everyone knew it. Just look at my track record, Lucifer thought smugly. He had been leading his own forces and conquering city after city while the other man had been hiding away in the woods like the coward he was.
Michael should have chosen between his father and brother when he had the chance. Once Lucifer found the winged freak, he would keep the three of them alive long enough to watch him use the angel for any manner of horrifying things and then he would kill them all.
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Even if he didn’t look it, Castiel was worried. The upcoming battle weighed on his mind and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Everyone had a part to play in the fight against Lucifer-everyone except for him, that is. Days ago, when they had been formulating their plan, it had seemed like the best course of action. Out of the six of them, he and Gabriel were the only ones without any previous fighting experience and even the candlestick was more useful due to his inability to die while cursed. Besides, as Michael had been quick to point out, Castiel was the one Lucifer wanted and therefore should be kept as far from the battle as possible. Problem was, the angel wanted to be a part of the fight. He refused to let the people he cared about, the man he loved, go up against the devil without him.
“Screw that!” Dean exclaimed loudly when Castiel brought these concerns to him. They were alone at the breakfast table for once and the angel was going to take advantage of that fact. “S’always good to know how to protect yourself and, no offense to Mike, but he seems to think of you like the damsel in a damn fairytale or something. I s’pose it’s the big brother’s right to think like that-if I had my way, Sammy would have ‘princess’ stamped on that abnormally large forehead of his-but it tends to cloud our judgment a bit.” He looked Castiel up and down as though sizing him up before a huge grin overtook his face. “Angels are supposed to be the warriors of God, right? Wings must have some perks-well, besides the obvious one, of course. Train you up a bit and you’ll be kicking ass in no time.” He reached out and brushed his knuckles across the angel’s right wing, his fingers curled under to protect the feathers from the sharp claws at their tips. Neither of them breathed for a moment, caught up in the emotions the simple touch evoked. Then, Dean pulled away and with a shaky breath, said softly, “I don’t want you fighting either, Cas, but if you have to, I’d at least feel better about it if you were able to protect yourself.”
“Dean…” Castiel’s voice caught in his throat. Was this…? Could Dean actually feel the same way that he did?
“Eugh,” a voice interrupted, causing both Dean and Castiel to turn toward it. Gabriel was the one who had spoken, but Sam and Adam were there too-both looking at the candelabra as though they wanted to kill him.
“Gabriel!” Sam scolded. “Do you want to have sex with me sometime this century? ‘Cause if you do, you have a piss poor way of showing it.” Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but Sam’s voice rose to talk over him. Sexual frustration colored his tone and it was apparent to anyone who was listening where this was coming from. “In case you hadn’t noticed, sex requires sex organs, which require humanity, which we don’t have! Think about that the next time you feel like interrupting Dean and Castiel while they’re eyefucking or whatever it is they do.” Sam stopped abruptly as he realized what he had just said and his eyes moved from his lover, who was staring at him with slack-jawed astonishment, to his brother.
Castiel’s own mortification was all-consuming, but when Sam turned, he couldn’t help but want to see Dean’s expression as well. How was he reacting to all of this? And did Sam’s words actually mean what they implied? Were he and Dean really…eyefucking? His gaze finally found Dean and saw that his face was completely blank. What did that mean? Castiel wondered.
Dean calmly faced the angel. “We are going to ignore them,” he said decisively. He reached out and grabbed Castiel’s arm. As he dragged the winged man towards the door, Dean asked, “Hey, Cas, you ever use a bow and arrow?”
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Gabriel heard the door slam shut behind Dean and the angel, but his eyes were still fixated on Sam. Hot damn, he was so fucking horny right now! And, God damn it, that meant that as much as he hated to admit it, Sam was right. He really did need to start thinking before he opened his mouth. If he kept interrupting the emotionally stunted couple right when they might actually be making progress, his poor Sammy would remain a virgin forever.
“Gabriel, what sick fantasy world is your twisted mind living in?” Sam asked, his expression still warring between embarrassment for what he had said and his frustration-sexual and otherwise-with the candlestick. Gabriel was nonplussed. He looked at Adam, trying to figure out what he had missed, only to see the teacup slowly backing away from them, dismay clearly written on his face. He turned back to Sam and gave him a ‘What the fuck are you talking about?’ look. His boyfriend rolled his eyes. “I’m not a virgin, Gabriel. Hell, I was twenty-two when we were cursed. I had girlfriends; you even met some of them. Did you really think that we never did anything?”
Gabriel’s brain was processing what Sam was saying, but it wasn’t doing it very fast. As a result, his first thought was, Huh, I didn’t realize I was speaking out loud. Then, the full force of the words hit him. He searched for something to say and finally blurted out, “But the first time we…” He couldn’t finish that thought in his usual manner. Sam was the only one who could shock the pervert out of him. He tried again, attempting to make his voice sound indignant rather than wounded. “You said, and I quote, ‘Gabriel, I’ve never done this before’. And you’re so damn innocent all the time. What the hell was I supposed to think?”
Sam’s posture turned defensive and he huffed, “What I meant was, ‘Gabriel, I’ve never done this before with a guy.’ Seriously, Gabriel, have you really believed that this whole time?” Something dawned on him and he gasped, “Is that why you made us wait so long to…?”
“Yes, okay?” Gabriel snapped. “I didn’t think you would be comfortable with that level of intimacy right away. Especially when we couldn’t actually…” He trailed off, uncertain. Was it possible that Sam actually liked girls better? Would he leave Gabriel once they returned to being human? “You know what, forget about it. None of this shit will be important once we’re human again anyway.”
Much to Gabriel’s chagrin, Sam had gotten very good at reading his expressions over the years. Although self-doubt didn’t make an appearance very often, he apparently knew what it looked like because he leaned down and swept the candelabra up into his arms. “Oh, Gabriel, don’t think like that,” he pleaded. “You know I love it when you’re inside of me.”
Gabriel felt the corners of his mouth lift a bit and he was about to tell Sam that he loved those private moments too-those times when they could just be together without the rest of the world interfering, but before he could, a cracking noise came from the dining room doors. The pair turned their heads and were somewhat shocked by the source of the disturbance.
It was Adam. He was throwing himself against the door, trying to get out of the room and failing because he had no arms to open them with. Gabriel could hear him muttering faintly, “…gonna kill Dean…leaving me in here with those…don’t want to hear that shit…brother’s private life should stay private…so gross…” Sam moved to let him out before the teacup ended up shattering himself. As he hopped away, he yelled back to them, “I’m gonna have to wash my brain out with scalding hot water and a shit ton of bleach. I fucking hate you guys.”
Sam sighed. “I suppose we should probably go find Dean and Castiel. If Dean’s going to be teaching the angel how to fight, we should probably practice a bit too.” He set the candlestick on his shoulder and made his way into the hallway.
Before he had gone more than a few steps, Gabriel spoke up in a small voice so unlike his normal boisterous one that it shocked Sam almost as much as the question itself did. “Sam, d’you think… Could you maybe, put me inside you? Just for a little while?” Where the fuck is this coming from? Gabriel thought frantically. “Y’know what, Sam? Never mind, stupid question.” He looked anywhere but Sam’s eyes.
His boyfriend didn’t speak for a moment, but then, he was lifting Gabriel off of his shoulder and opening himself up. The candlestick sighed with contentment as he settled in next to Sam’s pendulum-the piece of him that was as close to a heart as one could find in a clock. It was so comfortable, so warm, and so surprisingly non-sexual in its intimacy. It doesn’t get any better than this.
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When Sam and Gabriel finally caught up to them, Dean had the angel throwing rocks at a target while airborne. Sam pulled the door to his chest open and, taking the hint, Gabriel clambered up onto his shoulder before anyone had a chance to notice where he had just been. The clock closed himself back up, already missing the warmth his lover provided, and moved to stand next to Dean. His brother looked away from the angel long enough to send Sam a scowl before his attention was drawn back up to the skies. He didn’t see Adam, so he guessed that his little brother was off sulking somewhere. Sam and Gabriel would have to apologize to him later. While their conversation in the dining hall hadn’t actually been explicit, Sam realized that it had sounded that way to Adam and he knew from firsthand experience that anything was considered ‘too much information’ when it came to your brother’s sex life.
Dean yelled something up to Castiel, jerking Sam out of his thoughts. He looked up to see the angel descending, his wings spread wide to lend balance as he landed in front of them. “Great job, Cas!” Dean exclaimed exuberantly. “You’ve got really good aim and you’re stronger than you look.” He grinned at the angel and Sam wasn’t as surprised as he should have been that Castiel smiled tentatively back at Dean.
“Thank you, Dean,” the angel said, quietly pleased by the praise.
Sam waited for one of them to speak, but they just stood there staring at each other for so long that Sam became uncomfortable and shifted slightly on his base. The movement, as insignificant as it was, seemed to jolt them out of their mutual fascination with one another. Since he had already distracted them, however unintentionally, Sam cleared his throat and asked, “So what happened to the bow and arrow?”
Dean glared at him and didn’t respond. Castiel looked back and forth between them before deciding to speak. “Dean took it away from me. He said to…” The angel hesitated momentarily and then continued uncertainly, “‘Leave it to the fucking cupids.’”
The phrasing-so essentially Dean-and Castiel’s deadpan tone made Sam choke on a laugh. Dean gave him a look that said he knew his brother was amused but was graciously going to ignore it, then focused back on the angel. “You did a great job with the rocks, Cas. You don’t need a stupid bow and arrow,” he assured him, resting a paw on the winged man’s shoulder for a second. Dean looked up, saw Sam staring at him, and glowered. “What are you guys doing down here anyway?” he demanded.
Sam gulped and glanced at Gabriel. By the look on his face, his boyfriend could tell just as well as Sam could that Dean was still pissed about what had happened at breakfast. “We just thought that if you were going to teach Castiel to fight, we might as well come down here and train as well. I can still hold a sword and Gabriel…” He looked over at the candlestick on his shoulder. “Well, Gabriel probably can’t do much of anything,” he admitted.
Gabriel looked affronted. “I’ll have you know that, while I may not have hands, I am still dangerous.” He hopped down to the ground and fiddled with something for a moment before turning to face them. He brandished a candlestick at them, a sharp sewing needle protruding from the wax. “En garde!” he exclaimed, and moved to poke Sam with his weapon. Gabriel must have seen the look on Sam’s face though-the one that said, You won’t be sleeping inside of me if you follow through with that-and abruptly changed course to stab Dean instead.
“Ow!” Dean yelped, rubbing at his forearm. “What the fuck was that for?”
“Ha! I win!” Gabriel shouted in return. He seemed to perceive Dean’s murderous intent and backed away hastily. “Magnanimous victor that I am, I shall bow out gracefully.” He made a short little bow and then started hopping away at top speed. “I will accept your praise and congratulations later.”
Sam shook his head and watched his brother chase his boyfriend around the corner of the castle. He looked at Castiel, grinned, and said, “Well one thing’s for sure. With Gabriel around, you guys won’t need to adopt.”
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God damn it, he hated his brothers. Sam wasn’t usually that bad-make no mistake though, Gabriel sure as hell made up for that-but Dean had always had a habit of broadcasting his escapades. The episode this morning hadn’t been the worst by far that Adam had heard about his eldest brother’s habits, but hearing about Sam as well-and from his own mouth this time, instead of from Gabriel, who had a tendency to embellish-was just… Hell, he didn’t know what it was, but it grossed him out. Someday, when he had his own sex life, he would get them back for that.
Adam did the teacup approximation of stalking as he went down the halls that led to the tallest tower. Michael had predicted-based on travel time and other factors-that the most probable day for the upcoming battle would be tomorrow, give or take a day, and had advised that they post a lookout. After being traumatized by Sam and Gabriel, he had decided to forgo breakfast and take first watch for Lucifer and company. When he arrived in the tower room, he heaved a sigh and hopped up onto the windowsill, then proceeded to stare dejectedly out at the span of forest surrounding the Winchester land.
Adam wasn’t sulking. Sure, some of his behavior shared characteristics with sulking, but he wasn’t a kid anymore, so of course what he was doing wasn’t even in the same category. He let his mind wander back to what had happened earlier and how his brothers had completely forgotten that he was even in the room. Being a teacup, and not a particularly ornate one at that, Adam was used to being over-looked. Even before they had been cursed, he had never really felt that he fit in with his siblings, especially Dean. Not only was there an eight year age gap between them, but he was also highly aware of the fact that he was illegitimate. They had never given any indication that this affected how they felt about him, but Adam knew that Dean was very sensitive about his mother. The few times that he spoke of her, the reverence in his voice… Well, Adam couldn’t help feeling that he resented their father for even daring to look at a woman who wasn’t Mary Winchester. That sense of not belonging had faded after the curse-being stuck in a castle for over a century had brought them much closer together-but he still wasn’t a driving force in his brothers’ lives. Sam had Gabriel and now Dean had Castiel and, well, he was lonely.
That’s why it had been so nice to have Michael around, if only for one day. Even though he was a teacup, a teenager, male-all things that said neither of them should be interested-the man had paid attention to him, had listened when he spoke. And that, more than any physical attraction the teacup might feel for him, made Adam want to be with him.
Fuck, he groaned. They would be going into battle, most likely in the next twenty-four hours, and here he was trying to justify… what? What exactly was he trying to say, that he was in love with the man? His thoughts ground to a halt. Love. No fucking way I…
Adam forced himself to calm down and think reasonably. It really wasn’t likely that he was in love with Michael. He had only met the man once and it wasn’t like they had spent a great amount of time together, not enough to form a relationship around anyway. However, if he was being honest with himself, he could see the potential for their current affinity to turn into something more in the future. For all that Michael was a giant stick in the mud with no detectable sense of humor-that might have been the situation though-Adam found him strangely intriguing. He wanted to get to know him better. Throw in the sexual tension he was feeling… Shit, he was screwed. God damned teenage hormones.
Adam shook himself. Now wasn’t the time to think about this. He focused back on the trees in the distance, scanning for movement. One moment of distraction could allow the enemy through their gates with no warning. He needed to pay attention, and not just because he didn’t want to dwell on his recently discovered passion for a certain male form. He had to be vigilant. All of their lives may depend on it.
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Dean was going to try again. Sam’s comments from earlier had given him a sense of urgency. He needed to tell Cas how he felt on his own terms or someone else was going to do it for him and Dean really didn’t want that to happen. He just needed to calm down, play it cool, and ask the fucking question. Right, he scoffed. Easier said than done.
He looked over at Cas as they walked toward the castle from the training grounds. His angel was really happy right now, Dean could tell. He might not be smiling, but his eyes were shining brightly. Dean’s praise had replaced Cas’s earlier melancholy with something that seemed to be partly pride, partly some other emotion Dean couldn’t name.
And he was happy that Cas was happy. It wasn’t just Dean’s fear of rejection talking when he said that he didn’t want to ruin whatever it was they had by asking the angel to marry him again. But still, a part of him was scared of that possibility. Dean had no way of knowing whether or not Cas returned his feelings and that terrified him. He was going to do it anyway though, because he could die tomorrow and while he wouldn’t regret dying to protect his angel, he would regret it if he never told said angel that he had been serious about that marriage proposal.
With that thought in mind, Dean cleared his throat to get Cas’s attention. “Hey, Cas, you remember when I asked you to marry me?” Some of the light faded from the angel’s eyes and he nodded. Dean swallowed hard when he saw that he had tainted Cas’s happiness, but he continued on, hoping that what he had to say would be able to make up for it. “Well, I just wanted you to know that I still want to marry you.” He glanced up at the other man and saw that his face was frozen in confusion. “You know, because you’re an angel, yeah, but also…”
Cas cut him off before he could finish. “I am no angel, Dean,” he said firmly. “I doubt very much that marrying you will break your curse.” When he saw Dean’s devastated look, the angel backtracked. “Dean, tomorrow is going to be horrible enough as it is without us being upset with one another. Please do not be angry with me for refusing to bow to your wishes on this matter.”
Dean didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t even been able to tell Cas his feelings before the angel shot him down. Outwardly, he let a false grin stretch across his face, while inside he was crumbling away with desolation and hopelessness. “Of course, Cas. You’re my best friend. I couldn’t stay mad at you.” The angel was staring at him in a strange way, emotions swirling in the depths of his eyes, but he didn’t say anything. “So, yeah, you really did great today with the rocks and all…”
Cas let Dean babble on for a while longer before doing something that was completely shocking. His right wing stretched out and brushed along Dean’s back in a silent gesture of comfort and support. Dean went stiff, in awe at the feeling of Cas’s feathers gently mingling with his fur, and his gaze jerked up to meet Castiel’s. “Cas…” he murmured. The angel didn’t answer, just smiled and entered the castle.
Dean felt a thrill of hope surge through him. Maybe he still had a chance.
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Michael tensed when he spotted the castle through the trees ahead. He hoped that its occupants were ready for them. It had taken Lucifer and his men two days to navigate through Ilchester Forest to reach this very spot. Michael tugged at his tightly bound wrists and sighed. This might dampen his ability to fight just a bit, but he had warned the others that Lucifer might bind him and so they knew to cut him free as soon as they were able. He had no doubt in his mind that Dean and Sam at least would find their way to him eventually. Castiel would most probably be sequestered away inside the castle somewhere and the spunky little candlestick could hold his own. The only one Michael was really worried about was Adam. What could a teacup do in all of the madness that would overwhelm them once the battle started?
He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the teacup since he had left and Michael found that very strange. Nobody had ever occupied his thoughts the way this cursed teenager did. And at the most inappropriate times too, he thought wryly as he came back to himself.
They were at the entrance now. Lucifer grabbed him by his bound arms and shoved him through, the gates opening with a resounding crash as he fell through them. His startled yell rang out in the silence and the creatures behind Lucifer responded to it with a battle cry before charging in.
Lucifer yanked Michael to his feet as his men hurried forward in a chaotic rush. “This should be one for the history books, eh, old friend?”
Chapter Six | Masterpost | Chapter Eight
Author: Miss Meh
Pairing: Dean/Castiel, Sam/Gabriel, Adam/Michael
Rating: R for swearing and implied sexual situations
Warnings: AU, copious amounts of fluff and sexual innuendo, fusion with Beauty and the Beast
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 5153
Status: WIP
Summary: His wings always seemed to be the problem, Castiel figured. But when he and his family move to Sioux Falls and he meets a Beast locked away in a castle, could his wings be the solution?
A/N: I wanted to let you guys know ahead of time that I know there is a discrepancy with the ages of Dean, Sam, and Adam in my fic. I made Adam four years younger than Sam rather than seven. I did this because I knew what ages I wanted everyone else and I didn't want a huge age gap between he and Michael. I know, technically Adam is a hundred and fifty years older than Michael, but still.
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Chapter Seven: Somehow I found a way to get lost in you
Let me inside; let me get close to you
Change your mind; I’ll get lost if you want me to
Somehow I found a way to get lost in you
--“Lost in You” Three Days Grace
Lucifer could be patient when he needed to be, but his followers were not so virtuous. It had been five days since he had taken Michael’s father and while Lucifer was content to wait for Michael to come crawling back, dragging his freak of a brother with him, one demon in particular was not satisfied with the delay. Alistair had come to him at least once each day to request permission to torture his human charge. Each and every time he did so, Lucifer had told him in no uncertain terms that if his torture master were to so much as point one of his instruments in the man’s direction, Alistair would find himself at the other end of the knife. Lucifer wouldn’t hesitate to hand the demon over to his own students, most of whom he had tortured at some point and probably wouldn’t pass up a chance to return the favor.
No, he wasn’t going to let Alistair sink his claws into Michael’s father. The man was too important at this point to end up dead because his blood-thirsty underlings got carried away. Lucifer needed him for leverage or all of his carefully laid plans would fall apart.
Michael finally showed up late on the fifth day, sans the all import angel commodity he had been sent out to find. And after all of the effort he had expended to keep the man’s father safe, too. So, Lucifer felt that his slight loss of control was perfectly reasonable under the circumstances. His first reaction was a holy fury that would have terrified all who beheld it-had he allowed anyone to see it, that is-followed by a calm that was just as frightening in its promise of retribution. Michael wasn’t following Lucifer’s plan and he was going to suffer for it.
For now, at least, he would attempt to act diplomatic. There would be no way to extract the information from the man if Lucifer went into a rage and killed him. “Michael,” he acknowledged as Ruby pushed the former soldier in front of him. “Ruby, send for Alistair and tell him to bring the human.” She bowed her head and back away to comply with his request. As soon as she was out of sight, Lucifer shot a private grin at Michael, one that he knew had always gotten him out of trouble when they had been friends. “I never get tired of that,” he admitted. “The bowing and the sucking up and the attempts to meet my every whim. The power…” He drew in a deep breath through his nose as though he could smell it in the air around them. “It’s intoxicating. I find it impossible to understand how you could throw this away. There was a time several years ago when those of us in the garrison-myself included, I must confess-would have done anything we possibly could simply to please you.” His face twisted bitterly at the awareness that he was once that weak. “I cannot comprehend it.”
A commotion at the entrance to his quarters-the former occupants and their grubby little miniatures had been chased out by his subordinates to make way for his arrival-derailed him from that train of thought and his gaze left Michael’s for the moment to watch as the man’s father was dragged in. He was gagged and his arms were tied behind his back at an angle that looked quite painful, but he wasn’t bleeding. Lucifer was somewhat surprised and gratified when he saw this. It appeared that Alistair had been heeding his orders, even if he was being spectacularly annoying at the same time, and he was pleased that his inferiors had shown their guest the proper hospitality.
Once both father and son were in place before him, he turned to the younger of the two and affected a judgmental tone. “So, Michael, now that your father has arrived, would you care to explain why you feel that your brother’s life is more important than his?”
A surprised look crossed Michael’s face briefly, but an instant later, he was covering it up with his usual bland expression. Lucifer allowed himself a moment of malicious self-satisfaction for making his former friend lose some of that fabled self-control. “I would not presume to impose more importance on the life of one of my family members over the other. If I had in fact decided that my brother was of greater significance, I would not have come back at all. I would have left my father to his fate and stayed away so that you would not have a chance to use me against Castiel. As it is, I have returned to inform you that my brother has somehow gotten himself caught in a trap.” Lucifer leaned forward in a silent request for more information. “There was some kind of curse laid around the ruins of a castle in Ilchester Forest. It was set specifically for an angel and as such, we can get to him, but he cannot leave the castle grounds. As this is the case, I will lead you to him instead.” Michael stepped closer to his father as he continued. “The only thing I would ask of you is that you release my father and let us both live in peace once you have what you want.”
Lucifer leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he thought over what the man had just told him. Finally he looked up and his hands came together in slowly building applause. “Oh, bravo, Michael!” he cried mockingly. “That was a brilliant performance.” His eyes glittered with crazy laughter as he surveyed the confused expressions on the faces of his former friend and said friend’s father.
“Lucifer,” Michael said seriously. “I am telling you the truth. My brother is trapped and-”
“Oh, I have no doubt about that, friend,” Lucifer sneered. “However, I find your indifference to the matter troubling, to say the least. The Michael I knew would not have even dreamed of letting me take his brother. Not without putting up some sort of a fight.” He saw that Michael’s face was carefully blank and knew that he was right. “You are going to lead me into a trap, aren’t you, Michael? And you think that I would be stupid enough to walk into it unknowingly?” He smirked down at the man, whose expression had hardened as Lucifer spoke. “Tell you what, I’ll bite. You lead me into this little trap of yours and we’ll see which can hold up better: my army of supernatural beings or whatever pile of peasants you managed to scrap up. I hope their lives are worth it.”
Lucifer didn’t bother to hide his grin as he motioned for Michael and his father to be taken away. He would have the angel for his own and everyone knew it. Just look at my track record, Lucifer thought smugly. He had been leading his own forces and conquering city after city while the other man had been hiding away in the woods like the coward he was.
Michael should have chosen between his father and brother when he had the chance. Once Lucifer found the winged freak, he would keep the three of them alive long enough to watch him use the angel for any manner of horrifying things and then he would kill them all.
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Even if he didn’t look it, Castiel was worried. The upcoming battle weighed on his mind and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Everyone had a part to play in the fight against Lucifer-everyone except for him, that is. Days ago, when they had been formulating their plan, it had seemed like the best course of action. Out of the six of them, he and Gabriel were the only ones without any previous fighting experience and even the candlestick was more useful due to his inability to die while cursed. Besides, as Michael had been quick to point out, Castiel was the one Lucifer wanted and therefore should be kept as far from the battle as possible. Problem was, the angel wanted to be a part of the fight. He refused to let the people he cared about, the man he loved, go up against the devil without him.
“Screw that!” Dean exclaimed loudly when Castiel brought these concerns to him. They were alone at the breakfast table for once and the angel was going to take advantage of that fact. “S’always good to know how to protect yourself and, no offense to Mike, but he seems to think of you like the damsel in a damn fairytale or something. I s’pose it’s the big brother’s right to think like that-if I had my way, Sammy would have ‘princess’ stamped on that abnormally large forehead of his-but it tends to cloud our judgment a bit.” He looked Castiel up and down as though sizing him up before a huge grin overtook his face. “Angels are supposed to be the warriors of God, right? Wings must have some perks-well, besides the obvious one, of course. Train you up a bit and you’ll be kicking ass in no time.” He reached out and brushed his knuckles across the angel’s right wing, his fingers curled under to protect the feathers from the sharp claws at their tips. Neither of them breathed for a moment, caught up in the emotions the simple touch evoked. Then, Dean pulled away and with a shaky breath, said softly, “I don’t want you fighting either, Cas, but if you have to, I’d at least feel better about it if you were able to protect yourself.”
“Dean…” Castiel’s voice caught in his throat. Was this…? Could Dean actually feel the same way that he did?
“Eugh,” a voice interrupted, causing both Dean and Castiel to turn toward it. Gabriel was the one who had spoken, but Sam and Adam were there too-both looking at the candelabra as though they wanted to kill him.
“Gabriel!” Sam scolded. “Do you want to have sex with me sometime this century? ‘Cause if you do, you have a piss poor way of showing it.” Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but Sam’s voice rose to talk over him. Sexual frustration colored his tone and it was apparent to anyone who was listening where this was coming from. “In case you hadn’t noticed, sex requires sex organs, which require humanity, which we don’t have! Think about that the next time you feel like interrupting Dean and Castiel while they’re eyefucking or whatever it is they do.” Sam stopped abruptly as he realized what he had just said and his eyes moved from his lover, who was staring at him with slack-jawed astonishment, to his brother.
Castiel’s own mortification was all-consuming, but when Sam turned, he couldn’t help but want to see Dean’s expression as well. How was he reacting to all of this? And did Sam’s words actually mean what they implied? Were he and Dean really…eyefucking? His gaze finally found Dean and saw that his face was completely blank. What did that mean? Castiel wondered.
Dean calmly faced the angel. “We are going to ignore them,” he said decisively. He reached out and grabbed Castiel’s arm. As he dragged the winged man towards the door, Dean asked, “Hey, Cas, you ever use a bow and arrow?”
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Gabriel heard the door slam shut behind Dean and the angel, but his eyes were still fixated on Sam. Hot damn, he was so fucking horny right now! And, God damn it, that meant that as much as he hated to admit it, Sam was right. He really did need to start thinking before he opened his mouth. If he kept interrupting the emotionally stunted couple right when they might actually be making progress, his poor Sammy would remain a virgin forever.
“Gabriel, what sick fantasy world is your twisted mind living in?” Sam asked, his expression still warring between embarrassment for what he had said and his frustration-sexual and otherwise-with the candlestick. Gabriel was nonplussed. He looked at Adam, trying to figure out what he had missed, only to see the teacup slowly backing away from them, dismay clearly written on his face. He turned back to Sam and gave him a ‘What the fuck are you talking about?’ look. His boyfriend rolled his eyes. “I’m not a virgin, Gabriel. Hell, I was twenty-two when we were cursed. I had girlfriends; you even met some of them. Did you really think that we never did anything?”
Gabriel’s brain was processing what Sam was saying, but it wasn’t doing it very fast. As a result, his first thought was, Huh, I didn’t realize I was speaking out loud. Then, the full force of the words hit him. He searched for something to say and finally blurted out, “But the first time we…” He couldn’t finish that thought in his usual manner. Sam was the only one who could shock the pervert out of him. He tried again, attempting to make his voice sound indignant rather than wounded. “You said, and I quote, ‘Gabriel, I’ve never done this before’. And you’re so damn innocent all the time. What the hell was I supposed to think?”
Sam’s posture turned defensive and he huffed, “What I meant was, ‘Gabriel, I’ve never done this before with a guy.’ Seriously, Gabriel, have you really believed that this whole time?” Something dawned on him and he gasped, “Is that why you made us wait so long to…?”
“Yes, okay?” Gabriel snapped. “I didn’t think you would be comfortable with that level of intimacy right away. Especially when we couldn’t actually…” He trailed off, uncertain. Was it possible that Sam actually liked girls better? Would he leave Gabriel once they returned to being human? “You know what, forget about it. None of this shit will be important once we’re human again anyway.”
Much to Gabriel’s chagrin, Sam had gotten very good at reading his expressions over the years. Although self-doubt didn’t make an appearance very often, he apparently knew what it looked like because he leaned down and swept the candelabra up into his arms. “Oh, Gabriel, don’t think like that,” he pleaded. “You know I love it when you’re inside of me.”
Gabriel felt the corners of his mouth lift a bit and he was about to tell Sam that he loved those private moments too-those times when they could just be together without the rest of the world interfering, but before he could, a cracking noise came from the dining room doors. The pair turned their heads and were somewhat shocked by the source of the disturbance.
It was Adam. He was throwing himself against the door, trying to get out of the room and failing because he had no arms to open them with. Gabriel could hear him muttering faintly, “…gonna kill Dean…leaving me in here with those…don’t want to hear that shit…brother’s private life should stay private…so gross…” Sam moved to let him out before the teacup ended up shattering himself. As he hopped away, he yelled back to them, “I’m gonna have to wash my brain out with scalding hot water and a shit ton of bleach. I fucking hate you guys.”
Sam sighed. “I suppose we should probably go find Dean and Castiel. If Dean’s going to be teaching the angel how to fight, we should probably practice a bit too.” He set the candlestick on his shoulder and made his way into the hallway.
Before he had gone more than a few steps, Gabriel spoke up in a small voice so unlike his normal boisterous one that it shocked Sam almost as much as the question itself did. “Sam, d’you think… Could you maybe, put me inside you? Just for a little while?” Where the fuck is this coming from? Gabriel thought frantically. “Y’know what, Sam? Never mind, stupid question.” He looked anywhere but Sam’s eyes.
His boyfriend didn’t speak for a moment, but then, he was lifting Gabriel off of his shoulder and opening himself up. The candlestick sighed with contentment as he settled in next to Sam’s pendulum-the piece of him that was as close to a heart as one could find in a clock. It was so comfortable, so warm, and so surprisingly non-sexual in its intimacy. It doesn’t get any better than this.
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When Sam and Gabriel finally caught up to them, Dean had the angel throwing rocks at a target while airborne. Sam pulled the door to his chest open and, taking the hint, Gabriel clambered up onto his shoulder before anyone had a chance to notice where he had just been. The clock closed himself back up, already missing the warmth his lover provided, and moved to stand next to Dean. His brother looked away from the angel long enough to send Sam a scowl before his attention was drawn back up to the skies. He didn’t see Adam, so he guessed that his little brother was off sulking somewhere. Sam and Gabriel would have to apologize to him later. While their conversation in the dining hall hadn’t actually been explicit, Sam realized that it had sounded that way to Adam and he knew from firsthand experience that anything was considered ‘too much information’ when it came to your brother’s sex life.
Dean yelled something up to Castiel, jerking Sam out of his thoughts. He looked up to see the angel descending, his wings spread wide to lend balance as he landed in front of them. “Great job, Cas!” Dean exclaimed exuberantly. “You’ve got really good aim and you’re stronger than you look.” He grinned at the angel and Sam wasn’t as surprised as he should have been that Castiel smiled tentatively back at Dean.
“Thank you, Dean,” the angel said, quietly pleased by the praise.
Sam waited for one of them to speak, but they just stood there staring at each other for so long that Sam became uncomfortable and shifted slightly on his base. The movement, as insignificant as it was, seemed to jolt them out of their mutual fascination with one another. Since he had already distracted them, however unintentionally, Sam cleared his throat and asked, “So what happened to the bow and arrow?”
Dean glared at him and didn’t respond. Castiel looked back and forth between them before deciding to speak. “Dean took it away from me. He said to…” The angel hesitated momentarily and then continued uncertainly, “‘Leave it to the fucking cupids.’”
The phrasing-so essentially Dean-and Castiel’s deadpan tone made Sam choke on a laugh. Dean gave him a look that said he knew his brother was amused but was graciously going to ignore it, then focused back on the angel. “You did a great job with the rocks, Cas. You don’t need a stupid bow and arrow,” he assured him, resting a paw on the winged man’s shoulder for a second. Dean looked up, saw Sam staring at him, and glowered. “What are you guys doing down here anyway?” he demanded.
Sam gulped and glanced at Gabriel. By the look on his face, his boyfriend could tell just as well as Sam could that Dean was still pissed about what had happened at breakfast. “We just thought that if you were going to teach Castiel to fight, we might as well come down here and train as well. I can still hold a sword and Gabriel…” He looked over at the candlestick on his shoulder. “Well, Gabriel probably can’t do much of anything,” he admitted.
Gabriel looked affronted. “I’ll have you know that, while I may not have hands, I am still dangerous.” He hopped down to the ground and fiddled with something for a moment before turning to face them. He brandished a candlestick at them, a sharp sewing needle protruding from the wax. “En garde!” he exclaimed, and moved to poke Sam with his weapon. Gabriel must have seen the look on Sam’s face though-the one that said, You won’t be sleeping inside of me if you follow through with that-and abruptly changed course to stab Dean instead.
“Ow!” Dean yelped, rubbing at his forearm. “What the fuck was that for?”
“Ha! I win!” Gabriel shouted in return. He seemed to perceive Dean’s murderous intent and backed away hastily. “Magnanimous victor that I am, I shall bow out gracefully.” He made a short little bow and then started hopping away at top speed. “I will accept your praise and congratulations later.”
Sam shook his head and watched his brother chase his boyfriend around the corner of the castle. He looked at Castiel, grinned, and said, “Well one thing’s for sure. With Gabriel around, you guys won’t need to adopt.”
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God damn it, he hated his brothers. Sam wasn’t usually that bad-make no mistake though, Gabriel sure as hell made up for that-but Dean had always had a habit of broadcasting his escapades. The episode this morning hadn’t been the worst by far that Adam had heard about his eldest brother’s habits, but hearing about Sam as well-and from his own mouth this time, instead of from Gabriel, who had a tendency to embellish-was just… Hell, he didn’t know what it was, but it grossed him out. Someday, when he had his own sex life, he would get them back for that.
Adam did the teacup approximation of stalking as he went down the halls that led to the tallest tower. Michael had predicted-based on travel time and other factors-that the most probable day for the upcoming battle would be tomorrow, give or take a day, and had advised that they post a lookout. After being traumatized by Sam and Gabriel, he had decided to forgo breakfast and take first watch for Lucifer and company. When he arrived in the tower room, he heaved a sigh and hopped up onto the windowsill, then proceeded to stare dejectedly out at the span of forest surrounding the Winchester land.
Adam wasn’t sulking. Sure, some of his behavior shared characteristics with sulking, but he wasn’t a kid anymore, so of course what he was doing wasn’t even in the same category. He let his mind wander back to what had happened earlier and how his brothers had completely forgotten that he was even in the room. Being a teacup, and not a particularly ornate one at that, Adam was used to being over-looked. Even before they had been cursed, he had never really felt that he fit in with his siblings, especially Dean. Not only was there an eight year age gap between them, but he was also highly aware of the fact that he was illegitimate. They had never given any indication that this affected how they felt about him, but Adam knew that Dean was very sensitive about his mother. The few times that he spoke of her, the reverence in his voice… Well, Adam couldn’t help feeling that he resented their father for even daring to look at a woman who wasn’t Mary Winchester. That sense of not belonging had faded after the curse-being stuck in a castle for over a century had brought them much closer together-but he still wasn’t a driving force in his brothers’ lives. Sam had Gabriel and now Dean had Castiel and, well, he was lonely.
That’s why it had been so nice to have Michael around, if only for one day. Even though he was a teacup, a teenager, male-all things that said neither of them should be interested-the man had paid attention to him, had listened when he spoke. And that, more than any physical attraction the teacup might feel for him, made Adam want to be with him.
Fuck, he groaned. They would be going into battle, most likely in the next twenty-four hours, and here he was trying to justify… what? What exactly was he trying to say, that he was in love with the man? His thoughts ground to a halt. Love. No fucking way I…
Adam forced himself to calm down and think reasonably. It really wasn’t likely that he was in love with Michael. He had only met the man once and it wasn’t like they had spent a great amount of time together, not enough to form a relationship around anyway. However, if he was being honest with himself, he could see the potential for their current affinity to turn into something more in the future. For all that Michael was a giant stick in the mud with no detectable sense of humor-that might have been the situation though-Adam found him strangely intriguing. He wanted to get to know him better. Throw in the sexual tension he was feeling… Shit, he was screwed. God damned teenage hormones.
Adam shook himself. Now wasn’t the time to think about this. He focused back on the trees in the distance, scanning for movement. One moment of distraction could allow the enemy through their gates with no warning. He needed to pay attention, and not just because he didn’t want to dwell on his recently discovered passion for a certain male form. He had to be vigilant. All of their lives may depend on it.
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Dean was going to try again. Sam’s comments from earlier had given him a sense of urgency. He needed to tell Cas how he felt on his own terms or someone else was going to do it for him and Dean really didn’t want that to happen. He just needed to calm down, play it cool, and ask the fucking question. Right, he scoffed. Easier said than done.
He looked over at Cas as they walked toward the castle from the training grounds. His angel was really happy right now, Dean could tell. He might not be smiling, but his eyes were shining brightly. Dean’s praise had replaced Cas’s earlier melancholy with something that seemed to be partly pride, partly some other emotion Dean couldn’t name.
And he was happy that Cas was happy. It wasn’t just Dean’s fear of rejection talking when he said that he didn’t want to ruin whatever it was they had by asking the angel to marry him again. But still, a part of him was scared of that possibility. Dean had no way of knowing whether or not Cas returned his feelings and that terrified him. He was going to do it anyway though, because he could die tomorrow and while he wouldn’t regret dying to protect his angel, he would regret it if he never told said angel that he had been serious about that marriage proposal.
With that thought in mind, Dean cleared his throat to get Cas’s attention. “Hey, Cas, you remember when I asked you to marry me?” Some of the light faded from the angel’s eyes and he nodded. Dean swallowed hard when he saw that he had tainted Cas’s happiness, but he continued on, hoping that what he had to say would be able to make up for it. “Well, I just wanted you to know that I still want to marry you.” He glanced up at the other man and saw that his face was frozen in confusion. “You know, because you’re an angel, yeah, but also…”
Cas cut him off before he could finish. “I am no angel, Dean,” he said firmly. “I doubt very much that marrying you will break your curse.” When he saw Dean’s devastated look, the angel backtracked. “Dean, tomorrow is going to be horrible enough as it is without us being upset with one another. Please do not be angry with me for refusing to bow to your wishes on this matter.”
Dean didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t even been able to tell Cas his feelings before the angel shot him down. Outwardly, he let a false grin stretch across his face, while inside he was crumbling away with desolation and hopelessness. “Of course, Cas. You’re my best friend. I couldn’t stay mad at you.” The angel was staring at him in a strange way, emotions swirling in the depths of his eyes, but he didn’t say anything. “So, yeah, you really did great today with the rocks and all…”
Cas let Dean babble on for a while longer before doing something that was completely shocking. His right wing stretched out and brushed along Dean’s back in a silent gesture of comfort and support. Dean went stiff, in awe at the feeling of Cas’s feathers gently mingling with his fur, and his gaze jerked up to meet Castiel’s. “Cas…” he murmured. The angel didn’t answer, just smiled and entered the castle.
Dean felt a thrill of hope surge through him. Maybe he still had a chance.
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Michael tensed when he spotted the castle through the trees ahead. He hoped that its occupants were ready for them. It had taken Lucifer and his men two days to navigate through Ilchester Forest to reach this very spot. Michael tugged at his tightly bound wrists and sighed. This might dampen his ability to fight just a bit, but he had warned the others that Lucifer might bind him and so they knew to cut him free as soon as they were able. He had no doubt in his mind that Dean and Sam at least would find their way to him eventually. Castiel would most probably be sequestered away inside the castle somewhere and the spunky little candlestick could hold his own. The only one Michael was really worried about was Adam. What could a teacup do in all of the madness that would overwhelm them once the battle started?
He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the teacup since he had left and Michael found that very strange. Nobody had ever occupied his thoughts the way this cursed teenager did. And at the most inappropriate times too, he thought wryly as he came back to himself.
They were at the entrance now. Lucifer grabbed him by his bound arms and shoved him through, the gates opening with a resounding crash as he fell through them. His startled yell rang out in the silence and the creatures behind Lucifer responded to it with a battle cry before charging in.
Lucifer yanked Michael to his feet as his men hurried forward in a chaotic rush. “This should be one for the history books, eh, old friend?”
Chapter Six | Masterpost | Chapter Eight