Sunstorm (8/25)
Title: Sunstorm (8/25)
Author: scyllaya
Rating: PG-13
Characters and/or Pairing: Gabriel/Dean, OCs
Spoilers: pagan world AU, so only know who Gabriel is.
Warnings: some cursing
Word Count: ~ 2500 (this chapter)
Disclaimer: All names and characters in this story belong to CW/WB and Kripke. I’m making no profit. It’s just for fun! Don’t sue me! =D
Summary: Deandalon was not one of the great gods, there was probably nothing that made him any different from the thousands of lesser gods that walked the mortal world, but the day the sky broke open with dazzling golden light and they all thought the Sun fell to the ground only he stayed behind and dared to go to the burning bright archangel.
AN: Un-betad, sorry for that. Ignore my mistakes please!
The chosen theme song for this fanfiction is Two Steps From Hell’s brilliant piece ‘Operation Sandstorm’.
<<< Previous Chapter
Chapter Eight
Puck won again, naturally. Dean was not surprised and even Gabriel seemed to have accepted that there was no beating a fairy in its on game anytime soon, not even for him. The sprite still disappeared right after Dean exclaimed that he had enough. The angel was starting to get scarily good at it as well and the sudden change in his presence managed to throw off even Puck for a short while. The second Dean saw Gabriel he knew Creide's spell was successful, because no matter how hard he looked or focused he couldn't sense the bright electric power he came to associate with the archangel. He still felt powerful, more than a little, but it was still a large shift. And as he managed to keep his calm despite Puck's jokes and insults the demigod didn't know how it would feel when his true power bled through.
Dean managed to get strength back into his body after spending a few short moments lying on the cool grass of the forest ground then he got to his feet while Gabriel watched him with a particular expression on his face. If he didn't know better he would've said it was amusement.
'You know it never stops to amaze me what all Creide can do with just a few words and some drawings' he remarked as he took a good look at Gabriel again.
'Words can be very powerful' Gabriel answered.
'I suppose' Dean shrugged as he stretched his arms and started walking, Gabriel followed. 'I don't understand magic that well, what I can do all comes from the gut' he grinned.
'I'm sure you could acquire a considerable amount of knowledge from Creide if you wanted to' Gabriel told him. Dean shook his head even before answering.
'Nah, that would demand more focus and patience than I have' Dean answered. 'And I'm also not the type to sit over books for who knows how long' he chuckled.
'What do you know about Gwydion?' Gabriel asked suddenly after they walked a little in silence and the question made Dean stop dead in his tracks.
'How do you know about him?' he asked with a deep frown.
'I knew that spell was not Creide's creation and after I asked she told me that it was from him' Gabriel explained. Dean blinked at the angel for a few seconds in shock.
'Creide talked about Gwydion?' he managed to ask then, just to make sure.
'From your reaction I assume that's unexpected' the angel said.
'She never talks about him' Dean said. 'In the past two decades she mentioned him maybe a half dozen times.'
'Did you know him?' Gabriel asked.
'Never met him' Dean said and he started walking again Gabriel only a step behind. 'I just know that he was very strong, he hated demons and any witch who served them and that he died for Creide and Patrick.'
Gabriel stayed silent and Dean continued after he glanced at him.
'Almost twenty years ago on really dry summer day I headed towards the nearest town and I was just out of the valley when I saw someone walking towards me. I stopped because I was curious as who else was dumb enough to be on the road besides me. It was Creide, but I swear she was just skin and bone, dirty and beaten up. It took only a look and I knew that she must've been traveling for weeks with not much to eat or drink, if anything at all. When I got close enough was when I saw how she held her child tightly in her arms. Patrick was only a few weeks old. Creide couldn't die because her magic protected her from most faces of death, but the kid... I don't know all details but it were probably demons taking revenge on Gwydion and he stayed behind and fought while he sent Creide away to save their newborn son.'
'But you did not know that' Gabriel said. 'So you helped an unknown witch showing up out of nowhere.'
'I didn't know who she was or what she was. All I saw was a crying mother protecting her dying child, so yes of course I helped' Dean said.
'Dying?' Gabriel asked.
'Yes, magic might've made it impossible for Creide to starve to death but there is no spell that keeps an infant fed when his mother has no milk from thirst' Dean explained. 'It didn't seem like he was gonna make it, some of the spirits brought some milk to feed him but he was too weak to drink at first.' Dean paused. 'Didn't look like it, but he made it, strong kid. After that they just never left again' the demigod finished the story.
'I see why Creide said that she was in your dept' Gabriel replied.
'Nah, she helps me out every time I land on the wrong side of another god. Saved my skin more times than I can count, she more than repaid me.'
'What about Puck?' Gabriel asked and the question shook Dean out of the old memories.
'What about him?' he asked in return.
'How did he end up here?' the angel asked.
'Oh he was here long before I' Dean answered. 'I don't even know how old is he or why he's mostly here and not on the other side. Puck is Puck and not even the oldest spirits of this place know much about him. I learnt most of my tricks from him and many other things too. He may seem like some dim-witted little sprite and I admit he is not famous for his bravery, but I think he knows a lot more than he lets on. He's probably also a whole lot stronger than one would expect, but again I have no clue how strong that could be. Fairies are really good at keeping their secrets, when they don't want you to know something then you won't know it. And Puck obviously doesn't want anyone to know much about him.'
'That is anything but surprising from an old sprite' Gabriel said.
'And speaking of secrets' Dean looked at the angel. 'It might be time for you to start using all those fine skills I was trying to get into your noggin so far and get into the magnificent and exciting world of lies too.' Gabriel frowned. 'It's not enough to look like a god and feel like a god...'
'One has to act like one' Gabriel finished. 'What exactly do you have in mind?'
'We start with small steps' Dean said. 'Step one: act human' he said with a grin.
'I have no need of--'
'You got to follow me lead scamp' Dean cut him off as he pushed one of the large jugs of beer the barmaid brought out towards the angel. He chose a more quiet and isolated table than he normally would've here, but he knew that this was not going to be an easy exercise. 'Besides you don't drink this because you need it but because it's good, or in your case you're drinking because it would look mighty weird if you just stared at it the whole night.'
'Fine' Gabriel agreed, he got really good at expressing annoyance at this point.
'So like I said only the owner knows who I really am, for everyone else I am human and right now so are you. If I do something you do the same, it's not that hard, you watch, copy and learn.'
'I don't see the importance of this' Gabriel said.
'Have you ever talked to a human before?' Dean asked.
'Of course' the angel replied immediately.
'All right. Have you ever talked to a human who was not a Prophet, a chosen Heavenly warrior or anything remotely similar?'
'No.'
'Figured as much' Dean chuckled. 'You want to be or look like one of the many. So we're going to eat and drink and be like everyone else inside here.'
Gabriel nodded after he looked long and searchingly at Dean then he shifted his attention to their surroundings. The Green Man was busy and crowded just like every night and he was rather sure that it was the perfect place to start. Even if Gabriel didn't manage to grasp what was the most appropriate way to act around here the mostly drunk patrons would just think him strange and nothing else. The old Dagda was the only one with a good eye for non-humans, but if Dean told him Gabriel was a god the innkeeper would be more than delighted by his new powerful guest.
'We need a name for you' Dean exclaimed suddenly and Gabriel turned his attention back on him and looked at the demigod questioningly. 'You can't be called “Gabriel” when you want to be seen as someone else' Dean explained and the angel's eyes lighted up with understanding the next second and his face darkened right after. 'You didn't think about that, huh?' Dean asked and the angel shook his head. 'With everything else going on... this is just a name.'
'It's what I am' Gabriel answered.
'What you're leaving behind' Dean corrected him. 'It's not like you will be doing what you did before anymore. And anyhow you're wrong, your name doesn't define you.'
'Fine I will think of something' the angel said with a resigned tone as he leaned his elbows on the table.
'I know it's hard for you but--'
'You don't know a damn thing!' Gabriel snapped at him. 'You cannot possibly comprehend what all of this is doing to me.'
'No one is forcing you' Dean reminded him. 'So if you had enough just stop.'
'I can't' Gabriel answered.
'Why? Tell me, why do you have to hide?' Dean just knew that this was the worst place to discuss all this, but the people around them were all loud and no one paid them attention in their dark corner. 'Why are you doing this to yourself if it's so hard for you?'
'Because I can't go back' the angel answered quietly. 'And if they find me they will make me and I... can't stand them any longer, I can't be around them... I just can't.'
Dean looked at him for a second while he tried to figure out what the angel meant.
'Your brothers?' he asked finally and Gabriel nodded again.
'I couldn't bear it anymore... how my family fell apart and how my brothers turned to strangers and my Father is... just gone, he left us behind. So I left and my older brothers... are not pleased about it. That's why I have to hide, because they would drag me back... I didn't want to become like them but all the things I have to do in order to get away? I feel like I'm turning into something even worse.'
A dark and heavy silence fell between them and Dean was sure that they needed something stronger than beer.
'I would gladly throw my name away on some days' Dean said after a long silence and Gabriel looked at him again. 'How I told you that the valley has the same name as I? It's the other way around. It's not the place that was named after the god who resides there, but I was named “Valley of Shades” because the spirits found me down there one day and there was just no one else to name me but them, and spirits are always named after what they are from... so they simply did the same with me. I'm in the valley so I am the valley.' he chuckled dryly, they really needed to drink something stronger.
'But hey' he continued. 'I may have been tossed away as a useless rag, but the spirits are free down there and Patrick's alive so... like I said before, sometimes things are simply bad but you are what you do and not the name that has been given to you nor what your family thinks about you' he took a large swing from his beer and stood up. 'I get us something else to drink' he said quickly and walked away to get some real alcohol before Gabriel could speak again.
It was of course too optimistic of him to believe that Gabriel would not continue where they left off.
'Why would you possibly be tossed way?' he asked the second Dean sat down with a bottle of strong drink and the demigod drowned his whiskey right away and slid the other cup to the angel.
'Drink' he told him, Gabriel frowned down at the cup. 'Drink' he repeated and he was sure that his face told clearly that he was not going to argue about this. The angel reached out and emptied the cup in one go easily.
'I'm not a real god' Dean told him.
'I think I told you that several times myself' Gabriel answered and that made Dean chuckle despite himself.
'Well what I mean is that I'm a demigod... my father was human.' He refilled both his and Gabriel's cup and drank, he motioned the angel to do the same and this time he didn't need to prompt him much. 'So I am nowhere near as powerful as a real god, I get wounded easily I have limited powers and I don't even know whether I would only live as long as a human or not. So there, compared to all the other deities living up in the mountains... I'm really pathetically weak. I don't actually know if that was the reason I was dropped down to the valley or not, but if I'm ever allowed to show my face among them that will be definitely the first thing I will ask from my dear mother.' He filled and emptied his cup again and refilled Gabriel's cup too.
'She is up there?' Gabriel asked.
'Sure, she is the Goddess Morrígan after all' Dean said as he drank another cup. 'The great goddess of war and magic, the phantom queen of battlefields, patron of warriors and witches' he heard all the praises directed at her many times in his life now. 'But I only managed to inherit her shape-shifting power' he added.
'You also seem to be fond of witches yourself' Gabriel said and that dragged a real laugh out of Dean.
'Apparently' he agreed.
'And I am a warrior too among other things' the angel told him. 'Choose me a name' he said then.
'What?' Dean asked.
'I need a new name and I want you to choose me one' the angel repeated. 'If I will be renamed by a god of this world I would prefer you to be the one.'
Dean started at the archangel with wide eyes for a few moments, then smiled.
'In that case it's time to eat, I cannot think with an empty stomach' he said lightly, the sudden warmth in his chest chasing away the sorrow that started to cloud his heart.
Chapter Nine >>>
___________________________________________________________
Comments are my chocolate pancakes :D Speak to me, tell me what you think of this story. First Fantasy AU I ever tried to write.
Follow me on Twitter? @Scyllaya
Author: scyllaya
Rating: PG-13
Characters and/or Pairing: Gabriel/Dean, OCs
Spoilers: pagan world AU, so only know who Gabriel is.
Warnings: some cursing
Word Count: ~ 2500 (this chapter)
Disclaimer: All names and characters in this story belong to CW/WB and Kripke. I’m making no profit. It’s just for fun! Don’t sue me! =D
Summary: Deandalon was not one of the great gods, there was probably nothing that made him any different from the thousands of lesser gods that walked the mortal world, but the day the sky broke open with dazzling golden light and they all thought the Sun fell to the ground only he stayed behind and dared to go to the burning bright archangel.
AN: Un-betad, sorry for that. Ignore my mistakes please!
The chosen theme song for this fanfiction is Two Steps From Hell’s brilliant piece ‘Operation Sandstorm’.
<<< Previous Chapter
Chapter Eight
Puck won again, naturally. Dean was not surprised and even Gabriel seemed to have accepted that there was no beating a fairy in its on game anytime soon, not even for him. The sprite still disappeared right after Dean exclaimed that he had enough. The angel was starting to get scarily good at it as well and the sudden change in his presence managed to throw off even Puck for a short while. The second Dean saw Gabriel he knew Creide's spell was successful, because no matter how hard he looked or focused he couldn't sense the bright electric power he came to associate with the archangel. He still felt powerful, more than a little, but it was still a large shift. And as he managed to keep his calm despite Puck's jokes and insults the demigod didn't know how it would feel when his true power bled through.
Dean managed to get strength back into his body after spending a few short moments lying on the cool grass of the forest ground then he got to his feet while Gabriel watched him with a particular expression on his face. If he didn't know better he would've said it was amusement.
'You know it never stops to amaze me what all Creide can do with just a few words and some drawings' he remarked as he took a good look at Gabriel again.
'Words can be very powerful' Gabriel answered.
'I suppose' Dean shrugged as he stretched his arms and started walking, Gabriel followed. 'I don't understand magic that well, what I can do all comes from the gut' he grinned.
'I'm sure you could acquire a considerable amount of knowledge from Creide if you wanted to' Gabriel told him. Dean shook his head even before answering.
'Nah, that would demand more focus and patience than I have' Dean answered. 'And I'm also not the type to sit over books for who knows how long' he chuckled.
'What do you know about Gwydion?' Gabriel asked suddenly after they walked a little in silence and the question made Dean stop dead in his tracks.
'How do you know about him?' he asked with a deep frown.
'I knew that spell was not Creide's creation and after I asked she told me that it was from him' Gabriel explained. Dean blinked at the angel for a few seconds in shock.
'Creide talked about Gwydion?' he managed to ask then, just to make sure.
'From your reaction I assume that's unexpected' the angel said.
'She never talks about him' Dean said. 'In the past two decades she mentioned him maybe a half dozen times.'
'Did you know him?' Gabriel asked.
'Never met him' Dean said and he started walking again Gabriel only a step behind. 'I just know that he was very strong, he hated demons and any witch who served them and that he died for Creide and Patrick.'
Gabriel stayed silent and Dean continued after he glanced at him.
'Almost twenty years ago on really dry summer day I headed towards the nearest town and I was just out of the valley when I saw someone walking towards me. I stopped because I was curious as who else was dumb enough to be on the road besides me. It was Creide, but I swear she was just skin and bone, dirty and beaten up. It took only a look and I knew that she must've been traveling for weeks with not much to eat or drink, if anything at all. When I got close enough was when I saw how she held her child tightly in her arms. Patrick was only a few weeks old. Creide couldn't die because her magic protected her from most faces of death, but the kid... I don't know all details but it were probably demons taking revenge on Gwydion and he stayed behind and fought while he sent Creide away to save their newborn son.'
'But you did not know that' Gabriel said. 'So you helped an unknown witch showing up out of nowhere.'
'I didn't know who she was or what she was. All I saw was a crying mother protecting her dying child, so yes of course I helped' Dean said.
'Dying?' Gabriel asked.
'Yes, magic might've made it impossible for Creide to starve to death but there is no spell that keeps an infant fed when his mother has no milk from thirst' Dean explained. 'It didn't seem like he was gonna make it, some of the spirits brought some milk to feed him but he was too weak to drink at first.' Dean paused. 'Didn't look like it, but he made it, strong kid. After that they just never left again' the demigod finished the story.
'I see why Creide said that she was in your dept' Gabriel replied.
'Nah, she helps me out every time I land on the wrong side of another god. Saved my skin more times than I can count, she more than repaid me.'
'What about Puck?' Gabriel asked and the question shook Dean out of the old memories.
'What about him?' he asked in return.
'How did he end up here?' the angel asked.
'Oh he was here long before I' Dean answered. 'I don't even know how old is he or why he's mostly here and not on the other side. Puck is Puck and not even the oldest spirits of this place know much about him. I learnt most of my tricks from him and many other things too. He may seem like some dim-witted little sprite and I admit he is not famous for his bravery, but I think he knows a lot more than he lets on. He's probably also a whole lot stronger than one would expect, but again I have no clue how strong that could be. Fairies are really good at keeping their secrets, when they don't want you to know something then you won't know it. And Puck obviously doesn't want anyone to know much about him.'
'That is anything but surprising from an old sprite' Gabriel said.
'And speaking of secrets' Dean looked at the angel. 'It might be time for you to start using all those fine skills I was trying to get into your noggin so far and get into the magnificent and exciting world of lies too.' Gabriel frowned. 'It's not enough to look like a god and feel like a god...'
'One has to act like one' Gabriel finished. 'What exactly do you have in mind?'
'We start with small steps' Dean said. 'Step one: act human' he said with a grin.
'I have no need of--'
'You got to follow me lead scamp' Dean cut him off as he pushed one of the large jugs of beer the barmaid brought out towards the angel. He chose a more quiet and isolated table than he normally would've here, but he knew that this was not going to be an easy exercise. 'Besides you don't drink this because you need it but because it's good, or in your case you're drinking because it would look mighty weird if you just stared at it the whole night.'
'Fine' Gabriel agreed, he got really good at expressing annoyance at this point.
'So like I said only the owner knows who I really am, for everyone else I am human and right now so are you. If I do something you do the same, it's not that hard, you watch, copy and learn.'
'I don't see the importance of this' Gabriel said.
'Have you ever talked to a human before?' Dean asked.
'Of course' the angel replied immediately.
'All right. Have you ever talked to a human who was not a Prophet, a chosen Heavenly warrior or anything remotely similar?'
'No.'
'Figured as much' Dean chuckled. 'You want to be or look like one of the many. So we're going to eat and drink and be like everyone else inside here.'
Gabriel nodded after he looked long and searchingly at Dean then he shifted his attention to their surroundings. The Green Man was busy and crowded just like every night and he was rather sure that it was the perfect place to start. Even if Gabriel didn't manage to grasp what was the most appropriate way to act around here the mostly drunk patrons would just think him strange and nothing else. The old Dagda was the only one with a good eye for non-humans, but if Dean told him Gabriel was a god the innkeeper would be more than delighted by his new powerful guest.
'We need a name for you' Dean exclaimed suddenly and Gabriel turned his attention back on him and looked at the demigod questioningly. 'You can't be called “Gabriel” when you want to be seen as someone else' Dean explained and the angel's eyes lighted up with understanding the next second and his face darkened right after. 'You didn't think about that, huh?' Dean asked and the angel shook his head. 'With everything else going on... this is just a name.'
'It's what I am' Gabriel answered.
'What you're leaving behind' Dean corrected him. 'It's not like you will be doing what you did before anymore. And anyhow you're wrong, your name doesn't define you.'
'Fine I will think of something' the angel said with a resigned tone as he leaned his elbows on the table.
'I know it's hard for you but--'
'You don't know a damn thing!' Gabriel snapped at him. 'You cannot possibly comprehend what all of this is doing to me.'
'No one is forcing you' Dean reminded him. 'So if you had enough just stop.'
'I can't' Gabriel answered.
'Why? Tell me, why do you have to hide?' Dean just knew that this was the worst place to discuss all this, but the people around them were all loud and no one paid them attention in their dark corner. 'Why are you doing this to yourself if it's so hard for you?'
'Because I can't go back' the angel answered quietly. 'And if they find me they will make me and I... can't stand them any longer, I can't be around them... I just can't.'
Dean looked at him for a second while he tried to figure out what the angel meant.
'Your brothers?' he asked finally and Gabriel nodded again.
'I couldn't bear it anymore... how my family fell apart and how my brothers turned to strangers and my Father is... just gone, he left us behind. So I left and my older brothers... are not pleased about it. That's why I have to hide, because they would drag me back... I didn't want to become like them but all the things I have to do in order to get away? I feel like I'm turning into something even worse.'
A dark and heavy silence fell between them and Dean was sure that they needed something stronger than beer.
'I would gladly throw my name away on some days' Dean said after a long silence and Gabriel looked at him again. 'How I told you that the valley has the same name as I? It's the other way around. It's not the place that was named after the god who resides there, but I was named “Valley of Shades” because the spirits found me down there one day and there was just no one else to name me but them, and spirits are always named after what they are from... so they simply did the same with me. I'm in the valley so I am the valley.' he chuckled dryly, they really needed to drink something stronger.
'But hey' he continued. 'I may have been tossed away as a useless rag, but the spirits are free down there and Patrick's alive so... like I said before, sometimes things are simply bad but you are what you do and not the name that has been given to you nor what your family thinks about you' he took a large swing from his beer and stood up. 'I get us something else to drink' he said quickly and walked away to get some real alcohol before Gabriel could speak again.
It was of course too optimistic of him to believe that Gabriel would not continue where they left off.
'Why would you possibly be tossed way?' he asked the second Dean sat down with a bottle of strong drink and the demigod drowned his whiskey right away and slid the other cup to the angel.
'Drink' he told him, Gabriel frowned down at the cup. 'Drink' he repeated and he was sure that his face told clearly that he was not going to argue about this. The angel reached out and emptied the cup in one go easily.
'I'm not a real god' Dean told him.
'I think I told you that several times myself' Gabriel answered and that made Dean chuckle despite himself.
'Well what I mean is that I'm a demigod... my father was human.' He refilled both his and Gabriel's cup and drank, he motioned the angel to do the same and this time he didn't need to prompt him much. 'So I am nowhere near as powerful as a real god, I get wounded easily I have limited powers and I don't even know whether I would only live as long as a human or not. So there, compared to all the other deities living up in the mountains... I'm really pathetically weak. I don't actually know if that was the reason I was dropped down to the valley or not, but if I'm ever allowed to show my face among them that will be definitely the first thing I will ask from my dear mother.' He filled and emptied his cup again and refilled Gabriel's cup too.
'She is up there?' Gabriel asked.
'Sure, she is the Goddess Morrígan after all' Dean said as he drank another cup. 'The great goddess of war and magic, the phantom queen of battlefields, patron of warriors and witches' he heard all the praises directed at her many times in his life now. 'But I only managed to inherit her shape-shifting power' he added.
'You also seem to be fond of witches yourself' Gabriel said and that dragged a real laugh out of Dean.
'Apparently' he agreed.
'And I am a warrior too among other things' the angel told him. 'Choose me a name' he said then.
'What?' Dean asked.
'I need a new name and I want you to choose me one' the angel repeated. 'If I will be renamed by a god of this world I would prefer you to be the one.'
Dean started at the archangel with wide eyes for a few moments, then smiled.
'In that case it's time to eat, I cannot think with an empty stomach' he said lightly, the sudden warmth in his chest chasing away the sorrow that started to cloud his heart.
Chapter Nine >>>
___________________________________________________________
Comments are my chocolate pancakes :D Speak to me, tell me what you think of this story. First Fantasy AU I ever tried to write.
Follow me on Twitter? @Scyllaya