Lucifer

Playing Castiel is the most fun I've had in a while. Possession of any vessel presents endless opportunities for mischief, but another angel? It's been a long time. Too long.

Of course, little Cassie is especially delicious. Poor, tortured, heartbroken idiot. His memories aren't worth spending too much time on, but I've got the basics. Daddy issues - well, I can sympathise there - are just the beginning. He misses Heaven and his self-image is shot to pieces; something about being 'expendable'. Well, I can see why he'd think that, he seems very expendable to me.

And of course, Dean Winchester. I've quickly discovered that inside Castiel's bleak, self-hating mind, all roads lead to Dean. He's not even that unhappy about being in love with a human who sees him as a tool, although he's certainly pretty torn up about that too. He's unhappy because Dean is unhappy. It's embarrassing, really. He's so obsessed with Dean Fucking Winchester that you'd think the plaid-clad bastard was his true vessel; he certainly outdoes Michael in the Dean fan club stakes.

The whole thing is so hilarious that I've decided to keep up my cover for a while and see if I can't mess with Deano's mind a bit. Surely Sammy's stalwart brother has noticed Castiel panting after him? Maybe he even likes it. It's quite the ego boost. Yeah, Cassie should provide some good old-fashioned fun, even if he's raging at me inside his own head the entire time. Father above, he just will not shut up.

"Lucifer. Lucifer! Lucifer, lying to them was not part of the plan."

"We didn't have a plan, amigo. You spread your legs without so much as a pick-up line from me. Are you always this easy?"

"I said yes to you because you were supposed to help rid the world of Amara. So do it!"

"In due time. Besides, this is fun! Have they stopped having fun up in Heaven, Castiel? Is it banned?"

"Using my body as a puppet-"

"Is what all angels do. He who is without sin, all that. Don't be casting those stones at me, you hypocrite."

"Lucifer! I gave my vessel to you freely, but tell Sam and Dean who you are!"

"Yeah, yeah. I will, but why do it the boring way? Don't you want to know how long it takes darling Dean to figure out that his boyfriend's been hijacked?"

"Dean won't notice. You're a good actor."

"We'll see, Cassie."

As it turns out, I'm pretty sure that Dean notices something off about me as soon as I go visit the bunker. I should have worked a bit harder on the mannerisms and I definitely slipped up on the eye contact. Oh well; things to improve on for my next performance.

After a delightful but busy day of fucking shit up because I've been away from work for way too long, I decide to drop back into the bunker. Maybe Sam will be awake this time. Maybe I can test Dean out and see if he's got an angel fetish after all. The possibilities are endless. I ignore Castiel bitching at me about lying being wrong- who does he think I am? - as I unlock the door and wander in, descending the stairs at a light jog. Feels good to be in a physical body again.

Yet again, it's just Dean. He's wearing a suit and sitting at the library table, flipping through a book on animal possession. He glances up as I walk in, green eyes widening in suprise. He leans back in his chair, watching me with a suspicious gaze. Trying to keep my arms from moving around too much, I fix him with my best Castiel face, all apologetic blue eyes and set mouth.

"Hello, Dean," I drone out the old greeting, setting my voice to gravelly and watching Dean relax slightly. He smiles at me. Result!

"Hey, Cas." His voice is low and smooth and I imagine it must have quite the warming effect on my vessel when Cassie is behind the wheel. I nod at him and my eyes naturally go to flick away, but I notice Dean's head twitch slightly, as though he's trying to recapture my gaze. Right, of course. The staring. Sending a mocking comment to an incensed Castiel, I stare into Dean's eyes for a long moment, wondering how long is sufficient before a conversation might ensue. Several seconds pass before Dean speaks again.

"You OK, man?" The concern in his voice is far more intense than I would have expected. Looking at the thoughts and feelings floating around my borrowed head space, I'd have thought Dean barely spared a thought for his pet angel, let alone cared deeply about his welfare. Castiel appears to have totally dismissed the idea of Dean returning his feelings. Is it because Dean exclusively screws women? Ugh, humans.

I've always found gender preference baffling. I know that some angels do develop attraction to humans - I'm wearing one such angel - but it's considered pretty distasteful and odd. They're not only a different species, but they're fucking pathetic. Barely worth a second glance, let alone actual emotions. And sex is a fun perk of having a vessel, but humans all look so similar anyway. How does anyone care enough about the physical details of humans to only fuck one sort?

Sighing internally, I focus on the interaction I'm having. Dean asked me if I'm OK. I hold his gaze and nod, smiling a little in the way that I noticed made his breathing pick up earlier. Is that not a sign of attraction? Damn, I hope so, that would just be too much fun.

"Where's Sam?" I ask. Dean frowns at me.

"He's in the shower. Why, do you need to speak to him?"

I shrug. "Not really. How was your day?"

I wonder what Dean's face would look like if I'd added a 'honey' to the end of that sentence. Castiel is cringing inside of me in a very human way. At least he can really grasp how much I'm going to humiliate him. It'd be a shame if this was wasted on him. Dean has finally looked away from me and is rambling about being on some hunting case all day. I know about the hunting stuff. Sam would sometimes talk about it, tell me things, open up as though I was his therapist rather than his torturer. I knew his entire fucking life story. Him and Dean's.

Dean stands up as he talks, stretching and then gesturing to the open book in front of him, making a frustrated comment about being unable to find some herb for a special exorcism spell. I'm removing Castiel's infernal coat as he speaks and when he turns to look at me, I'm shrugging off the suit jacket too. His voice trails off and he looks me up and down, skin flushing slightly, breath catching. Bingo.

"Oh, Cassie. Are you blind?"

"What? No. Is my vessel having vision problems?"

I don't answer. I smile into Dean's eyes as I unbutton one wrist and begin rolling up the sleeve. He swallows as he watches me do so. It's not until I'm rolling up the other sleeve that he appears able to speak.

"You, uh, you a bit warm, Cas?"

Of course I'm not warm. One, I'm me, so the room is actually chillier than it was before I walked in. Two, I'm a fucking angel. But Dean Winchester is not known for his intellect. I step closer to him, loosening my tie casually with one hand and running the fingers of the other through Castiel's soft, side-swept hair.

"No, Dean, I'm fine."

He stares at me with his mouth open and nods slowly. Clearing his throat, he looks back down at the book. "Well, uh, OK. Um. I know you're probably thinking that we've got bigger fish to fry, why are we hunting... But we just needed a break. Sam especially."

Dean looks back up, frowning. "He's pretty messed up, Cas. Lucifer terrifies him."

I hold back the smug smile that threatens to overtake my controlled mask. Damn right I scare him. I scare everyone. That's sort of my specialty. Tilting my head in a classic Castiel pose, I take another step closer, making sure than my face is still serious. "Lucifer is a frightening angel. He's powerful, dangerous, intelligent... "

Dean is staring at me with pink cheeks and dilated pupils, which even I can recognise as desire, despite the topic of conversation. Or possibly because of? Maybe I was right about the angel fetish thing. I lean towards Dean as though sharing a secret with him. "I'm not sure that we did do the right thing, leaving Lucifer down there. He could be very instrumental in defeating the Darkness."

Dean jerks as though I've slapped him. "You think Sam should have said yes?"

I shake my head quickly. "No, no, not that. Of course not Sam. But if there was another way to release Lucifer? I just think that we might need him."

Dean is frowning heavily at me and I idly wonder if he's starting to put the pieces together. He speaks slowly as though I'm a bit stupid. "Cas, Lucifer is evil. He wants humanity gone. He can't be trusted."

I could snap his neck, just like Rowena's. It's a tempting thought and I suggest it to Castiel, wincing at his furious, desperate tirade against me in response. For a moment, I feel him buck against my control and I gasp, staggering a little, almost into Dean's arms. How poetic. He's worried, lightly touching my shoulders before pulling away, his panicked voice in my ear asking if I'm alright. I assure him that I'm fine as I straighten up, our faces inches apart, and I watch with detached interest as he stares at my mouth. One track mind, this one.

"Do not pull that shit again, Castiel."

"If you hurt Dean- if you hurt either of them-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Retribution. Punishment. Yadda yadda yah."

"I mean it. Don't even think about harming them, Lucifer."

"Broken record. Say, check out his eyelashes. You ever stood this close to ole Deano before? Of course you have. He's very pretty, don't you think?"

"Go screw yourself."

"Is that a request? Naughty, naughty. Wouldn't you prefer I screw Dean? I think I could manage it, as a gift of thanks to you."

"Dean wouldn't- don't you dare even-"

Cutting off Castiel's spluttering inside my head, I smile warmly at Dean, who looks sort of hypnotised and appears to be holding his breath. I take pity on him and step back, watching him exhale shakily, looking away again. Are all humans this ruled by their emotions and desires? Sam always seemed a bit more on top of things, but even he was a mess. I try to think back to Nick, as he was when I got him to say yes to me. He was overly emotional too; it was what made him so easy to manipulate. Humans are just such crap.

"Dean, I know that Lucifer isn't to be trusted," I say softly, giving him Castiel's wide, trustworthy baby blues. "I just think that we should keep open minds when we're dealing with something like the Darkness. And I know that you're worried about Sam. I am too. But maybe going back into Hell was good for him."

Dean is hooked on my every word, but at the last part his brows furrow in confusion. "What? How?"

"He had a lot of issues to do with Lucifer and the Cage," I reply, my voice low and smooth. "This whole experience might have been an opportunity for him to realise that he's stronger because of everything he's been through, not weaker. Going back down there could be the push he's been needing to find out who he really is."

Dean has been frowning at his shoes as I speak. I raise my left hand and clap it onto his shoulder, squeezing gently. "This could be a good thing."

Dean's eyes dart first to my hand and then up to me, but his expression is oddly not as enthralled as I'd expected. Instead, he looks mildly alarmed and his frown wanders off to the side, as though he's lost in thought. I watch him intently for a moment, wondering if I might be able to read his thoughts if I concentrate. I'm a bit rusty.

"Cas, something's different about you," Dean says suddenly, looking me directly in the eyes. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

I raise my eyebrows. He's close to realising. If I'm going to have my fun properly and really piss Castiel off, I ought to just get on with it. Licking my lips slowly, I give Dean my most lustful expression (I imagine it suits Cassie quite well) and watch his mind stutter to a halt as I lean closer, gripping his shoulder tightly...

"Hey, guys, what's up?"

I pull back immediately, smirking as Sam wanders in, having clearly failed to pick up on the magical moment he's interrupted. I'm not too bothered but Dean looks torn between shock and bitter disappointment. Clapping him heartily on the shoulder, I wink at him and stroll past, leaving him frozen to the spot. Classic.

"Well, hello, Sam!" I grin at my favourite human, who's ruffling his own damp hair as he folds into a chair. He smiles easily back at me, although the smile flickers as I settle on the edge of the table next to him, closer than probably necessary. He glances at Dean as though worried he might be offended so I shift a little closer, smiling down at Sam as though he's the best thing I've seen all day. I can feel Dean's confusion and irritation without even looking at him.

"Um, hey, Cas," mumbles Sam, glancing up at me and seeming slightly worried. I run my eyes slowly up and down Sam's long frame, hearing both brothers inhale sharply. Messing with one was fun, messing with the other would have been fun too, but messing with them both together? Excellent.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" I ask concernedly. "I know you must be pretty shaken up."

Sam nods, his face unsure as he stares at me. "Yeah, I am a bit. Hell really takes it out of me, I guess."

I cluck sympathetically. "Of course."

Dean is standing on Sam's other side and he clears his throat loudly, doing a crap job of pretending he's not petty and jealous. I ignore him. "Say, Sammy, Dean and I were just saying that maybe we were a bit hasty about Lucifer."

"What?" snaps Dean. "You said that, not me!"

"Hush, Dean, the grown ups are talking," I say without looking at him, winking at Sam. Dean splutters and Sam's mouth drops open. I continue speaking. "See, Lucifer is kind of a badass, and kind of the only one who can stop Aunty Amara. So would it really be so bad if he were to... I don't know, escape his cage without using you as a vessel?"

"OK," Dean almost shouts. "OK, something really frigging weird is going on with you, Cas. What are you talking about?"

I shoot him a bored glance and snap my fingers, rendering him mute. Sam is leaning back in his chair, eyeing me with horror. Yep, he's twigged. I give him a shit-eating grin and spread my hands out as though I'm about to take a bow. "Hey, Sammy. Finally made it topside!"

"No," he whispers, looking queasy. His hands are clenched around the arms of his chair.

"Yes," I correct him gently, tapping him once on the nose. He flinches as though I struck him. Suddenly, Dean is up in my face, green eyes furious and mouth working silently. He swings a punch at my face, although of course it barely makes my head twitch and he cringes in pain, cradling his probably fractured hand. He's already standing between my knees, so I grip the lapels of his suit jacket and haul him closer until we're almost nose to nose.

"This where you wanna be, big boy?" I purr, smirking into his wide eyes. "I'm sure Cas would be only too happy to accommodate, but I'm afraid you're just really not my type."

Enjoying the stricken look on his face, I launch him easily across the room, watching him hit the wall painfully and land in a heap. Sam scrambles to his feet, face pale but angry.

"Lucifer, enough," he snarls. I smile up at him, raising my hands in surrender.

"Anything you say, old pal." Standing and stretching, I smile lazily at them both. "Well, now that I'm out and proud, let's get to work. Where should we start?"