TitleThe Road of the Damned (9/?)
Rating: M. Violence, blood and gore kids!
Pairings: None this chapter
Genre: Horror/Drama
Spoilers: None this chapter
Warnings: graphic gore, blood, violence.
A/N: I needed something fluffy after this week T_T so some brother fun. Next chapter Dean angst ho! Happy Easter! Or April Fool's, whatever your time zone may be :D
Dean had apparently returned from his evening of drinking.
Gabriel was sitting cross legged beside him, chin in his hand as he looked around the room.
"Bobby sure knows his stuff," he remarked. "A panic basement? Genius."
Castiel blinked as the shouting upstairs grew louder. "Bobby certainly knows what he is doing."
The basement was cool, musty to his nose. Bobby had stocked it with some spare furniture; a desk was shoved against one wall, a rack of weapons along the other. A low table creaked in the corner, bending alarmingly at the amount of books stacked on top of it. Bobby had rolled two sleeping bags over the carpet in the middle of the room for the angels. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it would do.
Gabriel cast his eyes to the ceiling, sighing. "Noisy, isn't he?"
Castiel picked a loose thread on his borrowed jeans. "Dean is…opinionated."
Gabriel flopped back onto his sleeping bag. Castiel tried not to notice the plume of dust that rose with the motion, or the sudden itching in his nose.
"You can say that again." Gabriel tapped a tuneless beat against his ribs with his fingers. "I think Bobby knows more than he's letting on though. He didn't even look shocked when we said we were angels. And his Enochian? I know that accent from somewhere."
"Perhaps."
The voices above continued their shouting. Even the devil's trap seemed to be cringing, it's outline expanding and retracting the longer Castiel stared at it.
Gabriel gave an experimental wiggle, the sleeping bag rustling beneath him. "Still think this was all worth it, little brother?" Something slammed upstairs. "That he's worth it?"
Castiel turned his head to look Gabriel in the eye. "If we can find a way to stop the daemor, anything is worth it. Even Dean's wrath."
Gabriel rolled his eyes, blowing a strand of hair out of his eyes. In his borrowed shirt and torn jeans, Gabriel looked more comfortable being human than Castiel could ever be. "You're willing to do whatever it takes, aren't you?"
The archangel rolled onto his side, propping his head on one hand. Despite the smile on his face, his gold eyes were serious. "Why are they worth so much to you, kiddo? They've not exactly been the most hospitable."
Castiel turned his face back to the ceiling. "All my life I prepared for the moment I would walk amongst man," he said quietly. "I…it is not as I imagined it but…I would not trade it for anything."
Gabriel snorted. "You poor sorry bastard. If you think this is amazing I should have shown you Vegas before everything went to shit."
He yelped as Castiel rolled over to give him a half-hearted shove. "You wouldn't understand, Gabriel. You've been to Earth before!"
Gabriel chuckled, grabbing at Castiel's arm before he could poke him. "Yeah, with a garrison. To do battle. Wasn't exactly a vacation."
Castiel's smile slipped. The second war of heaven. Shortly after Lucifer fell the pagan gods declared heaven weak, and threatened to overturn the balance of the world. Many a brother and sister had been lost.
Again. Would heaven ever tire of war?
"You have more experience than me," he finally said. "Of that, I envy you."
He squawked as Gabriel released him, unceremoniously choosing to steam roller him into submission.
"And beauty!" Gabriel quipped, making sure to elbow Castiel in the stomach on his second roll over his brother. "Can't forget that."
With a grin, Castiel grabbed a handful of his brother's toffee blonde hair. "Is that so? I wonder how handsome the humans would find you, bald?"
Gabriel thrashed in mock horror, jabbing his fingers into Castiel's belly in retaliation. "If I go down, you're coming with me!"
His words were too close to the truth. Castiel's fingers went slack, and Gabriel realized his mistake. He propped himself up on his elbows, eyes wide and hair disheveled.
"I uh…poor choice of words."
Castiel sighed, letting his arms fall to the floor. "What is happening, Gabriel? Why did Michael…"
The shouting had stopped upstairs. The basement seemed too quiet, the devil's trap glaring down at them from above. Gabriel pressed closer, tangling his legs with Castiel's.
"I don't know," the archangel admitted quietly, tightening his arms around Castiel's waist. "I thought he and Raphael were just being dicks as per usual but…I think they did something. Something bad. And you were too close to finding out what."
The cold air seemed to bite at him, and Castiel shivered, blinking his dry eyes. "Something that led to those monsters."
Unbidden, a voice curled in his mind, slick and treacherous.
Brother.
"Gabriel," he started, squirming slightly as Gabriel rubbed his cheek against a ticklish patch of skin. "In the woods-"
"She's an ugly one, that's for sure," Gabriel huffed. "And foul mouthed. Did you hear what she called me that first time? The nerve of some monsters."
Castiel swallowed nervously, his mouth too dry. "Did you…did you hear her speak? In the woods?"
Gabriel raised his head, frowning up at his brother. "No. I just kinda figured they wanted to kill us, what with all the snarling and, well, attempted killing."
Castiel avoided his brother's eyes. "She…I heard…something."
"Something?" Gabriel arched an eyebrow. "Like… a high pitched screaming? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that was Sammy boy."
"Hey!"
The voice made them both jump. Gabriel rolled off Castiel, sitting up hurriedly. "Well I mean, maybe it was a manly scream?"
Sam stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Lucky trotted past his legs, mouth open and tongue lolling as he flopped down on Castiel much like Gabriel had done.
"I think all the screaming came from you, short stuff," Sam grinned, pushing away from the door. "I came to see if you were all settled in okay."
Castiel rubbed Lucky's ears, exhaling forcefully as the dog settled more heavily on his chest. "We are…ah…comfortable."
"I can see that." Sam paused at the foot of their sleeping bags, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm uh…sorry about the noise."
Gabriel rolled his eyes. "You mean the entertainment? Your brother has a pair of lungs on him."
Sam looked embarrassed, his cheeks flushing as red as his plaid shirt. "He's just drunk. Ignore him, that's pretty much what I do."
"No." Castiel struggled to sit up, despite Lucky's whined protests. "Dean has a right to mistrust us, and I would not begrudge him that. I only hope we can prove our worth to him."
Sam smiled sadly at him. "Angels. Quick to forgive huh?
Gabriel laughed loudly. "Only the best of us. You should meet my sister. Raphael can hold a grudge for eternity."
For once, Castiel slept. It was an uneasy rest however, full of dark shapes and pale eyes, shadows that grabbed at his arms and legs as he tried to escape them. A voice constantly whispered to him, but it was too far away to make out the words.
The sun was barely up when he awoke, streaming in through the small window weakly. Gabriel was still asleep as Castiel crept by. Bobby had left a pile of old clothes by the door, and Castiel chose a pair of ratty dirt smudged jeans. He wondered briefly if he should ask for undergarments later, but decided he didn't quite mind the light scrape of fabric against his upper thighs. It was a reminder that he was close to human now, something he should not forget.
The basement steps creaked as he stepped on them, the bare pads of his feet brushing along the rough wood. The house was still, the others apparently still asleep. Castiel padded into the kitchen, trailing his hand lightly along the peeling wallpaper. The house's very foundations seemed to hum back at him, content and peaceful.
A bark drew his attention to the window, and curiously, Castiel leaned over the sink, pulling away the thin curtains.
Beyond the yard, stood Dean.
He was barefoot like Castiel, hands in his pockets as he hunched over something. Bobby's apparently vicious dogs milled around his feet; a menagerie of mutts and mongrels. In the morning mist and the rising sun, Dean's outline seemed to faintly glow.
"He out there again?"
Bobby lumbered into the kitchen, a coffee mug in one hand as he rubbed his eye with the other. Castiel pulled away from the window guiltily.
"He is."
Bobby snorted, going to the sink. The town was lucky enough to still have running water and electricity, though both were rationed. Castiel was unclear as to the mechanics, but he had heard Sam mention something about generators when talking to Gabriel.
"Surprised the dogs haven't eaten him." Grabbing a clear glass pot, Bobby filled it with water. "They always had more bark than bite though."
The man looked less intimidating out of his work clothes and hat. Castiel noted the silver hairs peppered through Bobby's hair and along his jaw, suddenly sad. The man had no doubt aged more than he should have. Like they all had.
"Coffee?"
Castiel stared perplexedly at the tin of brown powder the man offered him. "Um…no, thank you."
Bobby shrugged, spooning some of the powder into his own mug. "Suit yourself."
The pot of water was put on the small stove, a tiny flickering flame warming it. It gurgled happily as Castiel stole another look out the window.
"What is it he's looking at?" he asked, noting Dean's bowed head. It almost looked like the human was praying.
Bobby pulled aside the curtain, glaring out into the yard much more confidently than Castiel had.
"John," he said curtly. "Only body they ever allowed buried here."
Castiel started. Sam had explained how the townsfolk preferred to burn their dead, just in case they should ever rise again. "The body was not burned?"
Bobby shrugged. "Dean wouldn't have it. And after everythin' John did for this town…we owed 'im."
The water whistled, and Bobby turned away to make his coffee. Outside, Dean shifted from foot to foot, breath showing in the cool morning air. Castiel could now see the roughly hewn wooden cross in front of him; practically two sticks lashed together and driven into the dry ground.
Castiel lowered his eyes respectfully. "How did he pass away?"
The spoon clinked loudly against the mug's sides as Bobby stirred the brown sludge in his cup. He took a tentative sip, making a face. "Like they all do. In the end, John Winchester was just a man."
Bobby set his mug down on the small table in the center of the kitchen, sinking into a rickety chair. He motioned for Castiel to join him.
"Now listen close feathers, 'cause I'll likely only say this once."
Castiel obeyed, pulling the chair away from the table. It scraped along the yellowed linoleum floor, but Bobby didn't protest. He took a deep gulp of coffee as Castiel settled down.
"This town was built with blood. With sweat and tears we built the damn walls and roofs, but blood is the mortar, the hot sticky thing that keeps this sorry settlement together." The mug made a dull sound against the wooden table as he set it down. "We lost folks. Good people that I would sell my soul for, but we lost 'em. Sacrifices for the greater good and all that shit."
Castiel dared not ask what sort of sacrifices. He remembered the desiccated corpses along the fence and wondered if they had been one.
Bobby pointed at him. "But it's the people in it, the real people walkin' 'round and breathin' that I care 'bout. You help me keep 'em that way and we'll be best friends."
He paused and glanced towards the window. "But if you don't…if I have to put a marker beside John's with a son's name on it…"
He picked up the mug, taking a long sip. When he set it down again, Bobby's eyes were hard and glittering.
"Angel or not, I will destroy you."
Castiel did not doubt his words. The angel nodded seriously.
"I understand."
"Good!" Bobby leaned back in his chair, wincing as his back cracked. "With that outta the way, maybe we can start comin' up with a battleplan."
Castiel looked at him quizzically. "A…battleplan?"
Bobby chortled into his coffee. "Well you don't wanna sit 'round here twiddlin' your thumbs now, do ya? Daemor are getting to be a pain in my rear end. Gimmie a solution."
Castiel shifted uncomfortably. "Well there are certain wards, perhaps rituals we can assist with. My knowledge is fairly limited but perhaps Gab-"
The front door slammed. Castiel stiffened as Dean walked into the kitchen, half expecting the human to yell at him to leave.
Instead, Dean merely glanced over at him, giving Bobby a pat on the shoulder. "Any coffee?"
Bobby jerked his head towards the stove. "Boiled some water, coffee 's on the side."
Dean wrinkled his nose as he picked up the carton. "This instant stuff? Last time I tried to make a cup, a maggot fell out."
"Extra protein, stop your bellyachin'."
Castiel was bewildered. Dean had been so angry last night but now-
Dean offered the carton, giving it a shake. "How 'bout you, Clarence? Coffee?"
"My name is Castiel," he managed nervously. "But I suppose I could try some."
It would be best to attempt to appease Dean in any way possible.
Dean rolled his eyes, grabbing another mug from the cupboard. "Nevermind. I forgot how alien you angels are."
There was a clatter, and Gabriel shuffled into the kitchen. His hair was disheveled, the plaid shirt he had picked from the pile so large it swamped him. The neck gaped, and Gabriel's bare shoulder peeked through.
"At least we don't have tentacles or something," the archangel quipped, wiggling his fingers towards Dean. "I'd find that too distracting I think."
Castiel smiled warmly at his brother. "You find most things distracting."
Gabriel swatted at him, digging his fingers into Castiel's wild dark hair playfully. "Ha ha, widdle brudder."
Dean's face was unreadable as he handed Castiel the steaming mug, but the anger he had displayed before seemed absent now. Hopefully for good. Castiel accepted the drink with a smile. A second was offered to Gabriel, and after eyeing the peace offering shrewdly while asking if it was poisoned, he slurped it down loudly.
By the time Sam joined them all, a second pot had been boiled and drunk. A humble breakfast of tinned fruits and dried jerky was eaten, and the kitchen cleaned. Bobby corralled the dogs safely back in their kennel, just as the town seemed to come to life.
Castiel stood on the porch, squinting against the bright sun as he watched the town. "What is it you do, Bobby?"
The man chuckled, fastening a toolbelt of sorts around his middle. "Oh a bit-a-this, a bit-o-that."
He glanced back into the house, where Gabriel was loudly complaining about the giant-sized clothes he was forced to wear. Sam retorted something about midgets and the sounds of a scuffle came from the study.
"Most o' the time I feel like a damn babysitter," Bobby muttered. "But today I just happen to be a handyman. Generators need checkin',water gotta be piped…the fun ever ends 'round here."
Castiel nodded. "May I assist in any way?"
Bobby smiled, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Much obliged, but for the time bein' it's safer if you stick close to the house. This town 'aint much keen on visitors and…well, how 'bout we keep the whole angel thing on the down low?"
Castiel could only manage a bewildered nod."As you…wish."
Bobby's boots clattered loudly down the porch steps, and round the back of the house the dogs started barking. "If you're that bored, ask Dean to take you to the fence. That damn thing always needs repairs."
Castiel watched him stride away, dirt clouds rising at his feet. Bobby's house was set away from the town, but Castiel could see the shapes of people emerging from the buildings, waving and calling to each other. Reluctantly, he withdrew inside, searching out the clattering in the study.
Lucky rose to greet him as he entered, licking Castiel's offered hand. Gabriel stood by the window, arms spread sullenly. Sam crouched beside him, trying to tuck the huge folds of the shirt into Gabriel's sides, pinning them as he went. He was chuckling.
"You're like a little kid," he got out around the pins between his lips. "You even pout like one."
Gabriel's scowl deepened. "You're enjoying this. He's enjoying this, Castiel! Torturing me with pins!"
Castiel hid his smile. "It is only practical, Gabriel. I'm sure Samuel is very…skilled with sewing."
On cue, Gabriel yelped. Sam grinned happily, readjusting the fold. "Sorry."
"No you're not," Gabriel growled. "But you will be."
Sam clucked his tongue. "Ah, ah little one," he chided, shooting a wink towards Castiel. "Grumpy angels don't get any dessert."
Gabriel quivered with indignation. "I am an archangel! I've slain demons bigger and badder than you, Winchester!"
Sam arched an eyebrow, looking at Castiel. "Do archangel's whine this much in heaven?"
"Oh even more so," Castiel said sadly,ignoring Gabriel's spluttering. "They are the worst."
Gabriel puffed himself up, earning himself another poke with the needle. "When I tell my life story to the scribes, I will not be merciful. You all suck." He dropped one arm to point viciously at Sam. "I'm making you a hunchback. A hideous, hideous hunchback. With a limp."
"Sounds about right."
All three turned, Castiel straightening as he spotted Dean by the door. The elder Winchester was smirking, looking at his brother.
"Maybe a hump will make him look more human, instead of the sasquatch we know he is," Dean said, stooping to pet Lucky as he bounded over.
Sam smiled, the pins glittering. "Whatever. Gabriel said he's making you a girl."
Gabriel shrugged one shoulder. "I figured why let that pretty face go to waste? You'll be known as Deanna the beautiful, but bitchy."
Castiel winced, expecting Dean to dislike the idea. Surprisingly, the man just nodded.
"Do I get massive boobs?"
Gabriel winked. "The biggest."
He yelped as another pin found his soft skin, turning on Sam. Shaking his head at the bickering duo, Dean turned away. He nodded towards Castiel, eyes flinty.
"Come on," he said gruffly. "Bobby said the fence needed repair, and two pair of hands are better than one."
Castiel tried to catch Gabriel's eye as he followed Dean out of the study, but his brother was seemingly content bickering. Wonderful, Castiel was on his own.
With Dean.
Heaven help him.
