A/N: Because I can! And this idea has been playing around in my head ever since the last episode. Unbeta'd so if you see mistakes (and you will) either let me know or kindly ignore. Anywho, lemme know what you think.
Warnings: None. Well...there's death but not for any major players. Rated T just to be safe and whatnot.
Death was furious.
Make that the understatement of all existence. He was downright enraged. How dare some little fallen angel with daddy issues trap him here, on this planet. In this cheap vessel. It was disgraceful.
He was as old as time itself and would one day reap God himself, and he was stuck in Chicago. Where it was raining.
Although, upon some reflection, there were worse places he could be. Death brought a napkin to wipe his mouth as he sat in a small pizza parlor, enjoying the silence and food. The bodies littered around him were some small comfort. He could still access his powers through his own will, but there was a nagging in the back of his mind. Of the orders the Morning Star had given him to destroy this city. Impudent little upstart.
At least the pizza was good.
Which was a shame, because if who he was waiting for never showed up he would wipe out this entire city. He had been stuck here in his vessel for a few days now and had to admit that he'd forgotten how good it felt to be down in the physical world and make a kill. He normally left the everyday items to his reapers, as that's what they were good at. Helping those who had passed to move on. He just killed them and left.
Maybe he should take a holiday after this was all over.
And he liked his vessel too, despite it being...well, fleshy. But, as a human vessel, not much could be done about that. It was younger than he was, although he could be stuck in a vessel that looked one hundred and that would still be younger than his true age. That God and his little creations...speaking of which-
The back door creaked as someone entered the parlor and Death smiled. About friggin' time.
There was a quick intake of breath as the visitor surveyed the scene. Bodies splayed everywhere, most seated with their food looking as though they had simply keeled over. Which they had, thanks to him.
The intruder crept quietly up behind him, keeping relatively silent but to no avail. Death could feel the pull from his scythe as the weapon got closer to him. So that's where it had gone. He'd been looking for that. Best to get that away before someone got hurt.
His would-be killer gasped as the scythe burned hot and Death heard the clatter of it as it dropped to the floor.
"Thanks," he said, "for returning that." And the weapon appeared next to his hand, on the checkered table cloth, right where it belonged. The weapon was part of him, part of his soul, just like his car. Foolish for anyone to think they could use it against him.
There was another moment of silence. Death could feel his attacker's hesitation. This wouldn't do at all.
"Why don't you join me?" He asked mildly, "The pizza's delicious." And it was.
His attacker was slow in coming over, taking careful steps. Death wanted to snort at the absurdity of it all but restrained himself. No need to make the fearful more skittish.
"Sit down." he said as the person, man, came into his peripheral vision. Death focused on taking another bite from his pizza, "Took you long enough to find me." he started as the man across from him now finally sat down, "I've been wanting to talk to you," He looked up at the man, his black hair messed wildly, almost as much as the suit and trench coat he wore, but his blue eyes were intense and vibrant. Like the ocean during the storm. Death could appreciate beauty when he saw it, "Castiel."
The rebel angel glared back at him, "I was unaware of that." he said, his voice deep and grating. Like gravel with a hint of softness to it. Death liked the sound of it, "Are you going to kill me now?" How like an angel to be so blunt. Also, how arrogant.
"You have an inflated sense of importance." Death sighed as he put his pizza down and wiped his hands with the napkin, "To a thing like me, a thing like you..." He trailed off and gave it some actual thought, sipping his soda, "Well, think about how you'd feel if a bacterium sat at your table and started to get snarky." he smirked before getting serious again, "This is one little planet, one tiny solar system in a galaxy that's barely out of its diapers. I'm old, Castiel, very old." he paused one last time and let his very being sink into his next words, "So I invite you to contemplate how insignificant I find you."
After a moment of silence, in which the angel continued to glare but fear was now obvious in his eyes, Death took it upon himself to serve his guest some pizza. Because, c'mon, this was really great pizza and he had to share it, "Eat." he commanded.
The angel blinked at him, pulling himself out of his probably terror-driven thoughts, and looked down and the plate in confusion. Death gave him his poker face and saw the angel start to sweat. Carefully the angel picked up a knife and fork and cut off a small slice, putting into his mouth and chewing as though this was the last thing he was ever going to do.
"Good, isn't it?" Death asked as the angel continued chewing and after a second he raised his eyebrows in slight agreement. Death went back to eating his own slice.
"I feel compelled to ask," Castiel said and shifted slightly in his seat, Death looked up, "How old are you?"
"As old as God." Death replied and he saw the angel's eyes flare. "Maybe older." he continued, "Neither of us can remember anymore. Life, death, chicken, egg." The angel tilted his head slightly at the reference, confused. It was a little cute, Death had to admit, "Regardless, at the end, I'll reap him too."
That got the angel's attention.
"God?" he asked, sounding incredulous, "You'll reap God?"
It was the same no matter where he went. All children thought their parents were invincible. How wrong every single one of them were.
"Oh yes." Death said, his voice dark, "God will die too, Castiel." Saying the angel looked shocked would be an understatement. As would heartbroken.
"This is just a bit above your pay grade, I understand." Death sighed.
"Why am I still alive?" Castiel asked sharply and Death paused in his eating, "Why am I sitting here with you? What do you want?" And there it was, the crux of the matter.
"What I want," Death said, "is this leash around my neck off." And he could feel it, even now, "Lucifer has me bound to him, some unseemly little spell, and he has me where he wants, when he wants." It was the worst humiliation he could suffer, "That is why I had to wait for you to catch up." Death explained and Castiel's eyes widened, "He made me his weapon! Hurricanes, floods, raising the dead; I'm more powerful than you can process and I'm enslaved to a bratty child having a tantrum!"
Damn, he hadn't meant to go that far. To reveal that much but he couldn't help it, he was Death and he was helpless here. Forced to rely on an angel to get out of this. But what he had said was true. It wasn't that he didn't like killing people, but it would be on his terms! Not some child's.
"And," Castiel said slowly, his eyes inquiring, "you think I can unbind you somehow?"
"There it is again," Death signed, "that arrogance that all angels seem to possess, of course you can't. But you can help me take the bullets out of Lucifer's gun." He held out his right hand slowly, the one with his ring, "I understand you want this."
Castiel's eyes darted to the ring and back to Death. His entire body tense.
"Yes?" he said.
"Well, I'm inclined to give it to you." The weight of what he said was noticed by both occupants. Death could taste Castiel's desperation and the angel probably knew it.
"What-" the angel looked confused, "what about Chicago?"
Death grinned and held the tension a little longer before, "I guess it can stay." he said simply and started pulling off his ring, "I like the pizza."
Castiel stared at him nonplus.
"There are conditions of course."
"Like what?" Castiel's eyes never left the ring as Death held it out to him.
"You must do whatever it takes to defeat Lucifer." Death's eyes never left Castiel's.
"Of course." The ex-soldier angel answer, his voice hard and determined. Death knew of his plan, knew what it would cost him. Were Castiel a human Death might doubt his word, but he wasn't. So he didn't. Still, to be safe-
"I have your word?" Death asked and held out the ring. Castiel stared at it for a moment, switched to Death's face, then back to the ring.
"Yes." he whispered then shook himself, "Yes." he said again, stronger.
"Remember Castiel," Death said, the name rolling nicely off his tongue, and he gave what he liked to consider his trademark smile, one that chilled his enemies very soul, "you can't cheat Death." And he dropped the ring into the other man's hand, the storm that was brewing abruptly stopping.
Castiel gripped it tight, his hand shaking slightly. Death knew the angel hadn't expected to live through this.
"You need the instruction manual?" he asked, taking another bite of his pizza. Damn, it had gone cold.
"No, I know what to do." Right, this was an angel. Not a man. Castiel stood up slowly, putting the ring into one of his trench coat's pockets and turned to leave, "Thank you, Death."
Huh, not every day someone thanked him.
"Call me Dean." the angel turned around quickly and Death smiled at his bewildered expression, "It's what I'm calling myself in this form."
"Dean?" the angel tried.
"Closest I could find to Death, so sue me." The head tilt was back again and Death grinned.
"I see." the angel answered slowly, and it was easy to hear in his voice how much he didn't see but people rarely argued with Death. Castiel turned to go again and it wasn't until he had opened the front door that Death threw in his last words.
"Good luck Cas!" he called and vanished before the angel could say anything more. The sun coming out from behind the clouds as people walked through the city, oblivious to what had almost happened.
Death wasn't furious anymore.