Author's Note:
I'm sorry if things seem like they're going too fast, it feels slow when I'm writing it ha ha ha. Is there more of something that you'd like me to expand on? Give me some hints on how to slow it down for you :) (and no, I have a reason why Sam's not getting air time so expanding on him is out of the question XP)
I'll try to keep the song reference out of here but while I was writing this chapter I was listening to Anthem of the Angels by Breaking Benjamin XD
The lights were dim, the room barely lit. Castiel flinched when he tried to roll over. He was finding that the longer he stayed in this tournament the harder it would be to get out of bed every day. He felt stiff, like he hadn't moved in days… again. A long, slow groan rumbled in his throat as he sat up, peaking at a sharp hiss, his hands drawn to his abdomen immediately. "Ah…" he whined quietly, removing his hands from the wound to peer down at it. In the dark room he couldn't properly see it but he could see enough of the bandages and stains to remember what happened.
"Dean," he called out weakly at first, clearing his throat and trying again. "Dean I'm awake."
There was a soft rustling sound and Dean sat up from the couch, a smile on his face, "Cas," he whispered, rising to his feet and padding across the smooth floor with bare feet. Tears clung to the corners of his eyes as he carefully lowered himself onto the side of the bed, barely jostling it as he sat. Hesitant fingers reached up and stroked the stubbled cheek of his wincing angel, moaning quietly in pain. "How are you feeling?"
"Like crap," Castiel replied in a whispered growl, hissing again after adjusting his position.
"Whoa, whoa, be careful." Dean lifted his arms to bubble Castiel a little, just in case there might be some falling left or right. "You're hurt, Cas. Badly. Just… don't move much."
"It's nothing, Dean. I will be fine in a few hours." Castiel groaned, running a hand up through his surprisingly clean hair. "Did you wash me?"
"Yeah… I had some practice after your coma incident…" Dean averted his eyes sadly. "But it'll okay now."
Castiel was vaguely listening, he leaned back again only to be cushioned by Dean and lowered slowly back into the bed. He closed his eyes again and rested a while longer, Dean remaining by his side.
Hours later Castiel woke again, this time feeling nearly 100 times better than before. He stretched, barely wincing at the tug on his wound. 'Better.' He thought, bemused, running slender fingers along the indent in his skin; fresh, smooth, and extremely sensitive to touch. He shivered lightly and slowly started to rise from the bed, his bare feet touching the cooled tile around the bed. Letting the sheets slip from his body, the silky motions making him feel a little better though he couldn't be sure as to why, it just made him feel like a little sexier, a little more desirable.
The room was still, quiet… Something was amiss; something wasn't sitting right with him. Castiel looked down at the packed bags beside the door, his head slowly tilting to the side while his confusion attempted to solve itself. Dean's arms slipped around his waist, gently closing the gap between them. "Hey, you're up."
Castiel rested against Dean with a smile, "Yes, I'm feeling much better." He looked down at their bags, "Are we finished in Athens? Are we going to Mumbai now?"
Dean's eyes darkened and he held a little tighter, silent for what seemed like hours to Castiel. "We're going home." He said in a low voice, protective.
Castiel felt a sudden mixture of emotion at hearing that, the tiny fearful voice he'd had when first captured cried for joy, relief washing over him. But just as quickly as that relief came it was drowned out with regret and shame. He couldn't give up, not now. He needed to do this, he needed to win. "Dean… no." Castiel shifted from Dean's arms and turned around to face him, his face soft yet his eyes had hardened with determination. "We have to stay."
"I won't let you," Dean scowled, "You nearly died, Cas! More times now than I can count."
"Yes, I told you-"
"I can't take it anymore, I can't lose you!" Dean shouted, his hands gripping Castiel's shoulders.
"You knew this would happen!" Castiel shouted back, his voice carrying more strength than Dean's by far. "You knew. I told you from the beginning, I told you I never wanted to because I'd fight my brothers, because I was scared to get hurt." His eyes watered with anger, stepping closer to Dean, pushing him backward. "I told you from day one." He growled, "I told you that you'd regret it, that once you do it you can't take it back. Well I wasn't lying, Dean. We can't give up now, we have to push forward, we have to win."
"Winning isn't as important as your life, Cas!"
"No, it's more." Castiel straightened his back and lifted his jaw, "I'm not doing it for the prizes or fame, I'm doing it to make a difference, to get to a point where people have to listen to what I say."
"Cas, no." Dean's mind was at war with itself, he wanted to help Castiel achieve this, to save his brothers but he couldn't stand seeing his baby hurt like that.
"You promised." Castiel muttered after a moment of silence. "You promised that if you made me do this, you'd help me save my brothers and sisters."
Dean closed his eyes, he remembered that but what could he say? "I don't know…"
"I'm still doing this, with or without your help." Castiel snarled and moved to the clothing Dean had set out for him hours before. "We're going to Mumbai, both of us. You don't have to watch if you don't want to."
Dean didn't say anything, just stood in silence as Castiel readied them for the flight.
Every moment in Mumbai should have been amazing, the place was gorgeous and all set up and ready for them. The festivities were beautiful, fun and exciting and yet all Dean could think of was Castiel's slender frame frozen in a strange bed for days on end. Their connection did more than let them know how the other felt, Castiel was directly affected by it and his own mood didn't help. He sat, stone cold and angry the whole way to the stadium for opening ceremonies for this next round.
Castiel's eyes drifted to Dean's face, tormented and twisted in an uncharacteristic frown. He couldn't bear to see Dean looking that way but they just weren't ever on the same page with this, possibly for two seconds as they passed one another by but other than that they remained at ends with one another. Castiel shifted to touch Dean but stopped and turned away again, Dean promised him, Dean lied.
The ceremonies finished and they were sent off to the waiting room, a similar set up to the others. Castiel sat against a wall as he waited, their next fight since his loss was coming around the corner. He'd be alone this time.
"Cas…" Dean started slowly, only to get an angry stare. "Just… just stop, okay? It's like chasing darkness…"
"No." Castiel stood and marched toward the doors, "Stay here, Dean. I'll be back later."
Dean bit his lip; anyone in the game this long couldn't be easy. "Cas!"
Castiel didn't answer; he walked down the dark corridor alone. A memory of his nightmare flashed behind his eyes, walking alone, naked, and pushing open those heavy doors all on his own. He grit his teeth and swallowed what doubt he was feeling. It was bullshit, he wanted nothing more than to scream at Dean, call him a coward and a million other things. But he wouldn't, couldn't do it. Instead Castiel shoved those doors open and marched in on his own, bottom lip held tightly so as not to quiver on its own as well.
The confusion in the arena was more than just a little, murmurs erupted loud enough that he could hear a whispy hum rise in the room. Castiel didn't stop though; he marched to the ring's edge and gracefully flew himself onto it with a single flutter of his beautiful wings.
"Castiel is alone, his human missing. Where is Dean Winchester? And angel can't do it alone." There was a strange discussion about the rules that Castiel hadn't considered first, though despite the tension he got lucky. After a long pause, it was ruled that Castiel would be allowed to participate in the match alone, granted no one believed he could do it. Someone with a weak connection to their human could never make it this far, alone was just a funny thought. "Dean Winchester you still have a chance to save this match." The announcer called through the stadium, everyone watching knew that this would undoubtedly be Castiel's final match if he did it alone. He'd already lost once.
The bell rang and Castiel did all he could to avoid his brother's attack. Today his opponent was Adnachiel, the angel of independence. It seemed ironic to him, ducking this way and that to escape a finishing blow. He fought alone against a team involving Adnachiel of all beings, it was laughable.
"Be honest, Castiel." Adnachiel shouted as his move barely grazed his brother's side, their faces drifting closer than they should. "You're weak on your own."
Castiel clenched his jaw and with a sharp grunt he managed to twist out of Adnachiel's range for a moment, his wings rustling to readjust his balance. "Maybe," He responded gruffly, his wings flexing and throwing him forward in a burst of energy, just in time to avoid another lunge by Adnachiel. "But I never claimed I wasn't."
Dean clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, "Damn it, Cas!" He shouted, slamming his fist into a wall, shaking from the reverberations.
"OH! Castiel is down, folks!" The announcer called excitedly into the microphone, "He's lasted a lot longer than we all thought, didn't he? Struggling to get up again and –OH! That's gotta hurt! Adnachiel just slams right into him, crushing him into the arena floor like a cockroach!"
Castiel coughed and groaned, his abdomen throbbing like a bitch. In the last five minutes he'd taken one hell of a beating, he almost preferred the quick 'arm through the gut' moves to the brutal bludgeoning. He looked up at Adnachiel, eyes wet from pain and hurt feelings though his emotion had been held back considerably.
"You can't save us, Castiel." Adnachiel snarled, betrayal evident on his face. Just like every other angel he'd wanted to believe Castiel, to believe that someone was coming for them, to save them. But the number of times that Castiel had been taken down, how easily he'd been dismantled and pierced through, Adnachiel had lost hope. It was easier than having it crushed. "You're not strong enough. No one can save us."
Castiel stared up at the glowing palm Adnachiel held above him, he'd failed. After this last move he would be done, made a liar and a false hope to his brothers. Castiel closed his eyes, letting hot tears streak his bruised and bloodied face. "I'm sorry." He whispered.
"No he's not!" Dean shouted from the ringside. Castiel's eyes flashed open with the bright light associated with their connection and bond. Dean reached forward with Castiel's strength and battered Adnachiel away, slowly rising from the crater they'd made. He took a breath and leapt forward with a burst of energy, wings flared up in a dominant display.
In half the time it'd taken Adnachiel to beat Castiel down, he'd already returned the favour and then some. Castiel perched over his brother five minutes later, shimmering eyes staring down intently. "Surrender, Adnachiel." He demanded, "Surrender and I won't hurt you any further."
His brother shifted and stared up at him, a new look in those eyes. Hope had returned to him, though it was barely a candle in the wind. He nodded slowly, "I give up," he smiled softly.
Castiel sighed, relieved, stepping off Adnachiel and lending him a hand to help him up. "By the looks of it, Castiel and Dean win! Quite the 'snatching victory from the jaws of defeat' move boys, I wonder if they played it like that from the start to get our affections back."
Dean let the announcer go off on his little tangent, not wanting to correct him and inform everyone that he and Castiel had been fighting over this. "I thought I was just chasing darkness. What changed your mind?" His angel's voice was surprising to hear in the mixture of his thoughts.
Dean just smiled and kissed Castiel's cheek. "We can chase the dark together," he pet his angel's hair gently, "If you go then so will I, we're partners."
Castiel blushed lightly and nodded, "So you'll stay with me?"
"Forever."
Castiel through his arms around Dean and buried his face against his lover's neck, "I love you," he whispered.
Dean closed his eyes and held Castiel close, resting his head against Castiel's. "I love you too."
After making up things seemed to go even better than before, Dean's mind was clear in this; if Castiel died then he would follow suit. If Castiel was injured he'd never leave his side. Dean would never abandon his angel again. In turn, his focus was incredible. Dean had a game plan if Castiel was hurt but he never wanted to see that, not if he could help it. He'd upped his game, he'd pushed the envelope and in doing so their next two matches were amazing. It'd been two more weeks and everything was falling into place, the battles in Mumbai were hard, that couldn't be sneezed at.
The next one Castiel had to face off against Eth, guardian angel of time, making sure things happened when they were supposed to. Obviously he'd been having difficulty being chained to a human. He was anxious, strung out and far from himself. He lashed out viciously at Castiel, he'd been doing this for so long it hadn't even mattered who his opponent was anymore, he just had to beat them down or be beaten, either way he had to fight.
Castiel remembered Eth from heaven, patient and timely. He was the type you'd go to for advice, or possibly someone who you knew could calm you down. Right now it was tragic to see him, his face twisted in a snarl and lashing out at everything that moved toward him. Castiel was as gentle as he could be, knowing full well asking Eth to surrender would be impossible. The fight was longer than most, Castiel fluttering around and using Eth's strategy. His brother was not used to exerting himself, Eth's battles had to end within a certain time limit or he'd tire out undoubtedly. Castiel waited until then, just avoiding and taunting until finally he pinned his brother to the floor in a hold that was nearly impossible to break free of. Eth struggled of course, however the referee counted to ten before the angel of time could possibly wriggle enough to be able to get up.
"Castiel and Dean win again!"
Their next fight was one that hurt Castiel to see, his fight was against his sister Nisroc, the angel of freedom. "Sister…" he whispered softly, watching the way she slowly trudged up to meet him in the ring. Her tiny limbs looked heavy, her head hung low and even her wings drooped further than normal.
She looked up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. She'd heard Castiel's claims and she believed in him, she fully believed he could do the impossible, she prayed he could. "Castiel," she returned the whisper with a sob, her limbs shaking as they were forced up, her human not letting her give in like she so deeply wanted to. "Brother…"
Castiel grit his teeth and shook his head to avert his eyes from her trembling, "I will be as kind as I can." He wanted nothing more than to let her go without hurting her, but she'd never be able to surrender like others had before her.
The fight started with a bang and ended just as explosively. The fight was drawn out, she was swift and avoided his attacks almost easily, Castiel was much larger than she but that didn't matter if he could never land a hit. The whole way she begged him to save everyone, to save her. Expressing how happy she was that he was even trying. Every moment they were in close proximity she said something to him, something meaningful and something heart wrenching. Finally he caught her by the throat and didn't let go of her, not until he'd managed to knock her out or get the ten count like he had done with Eth.
"Castiel and Dean win again! Moving on to the next round, everyone! You two will be in the semi-finals, see you both in Osaka!"
Dean breathed a sigh of relief though he couldn't shake the heavy feeling in his gut watching Castiel's trembling hands slowly letting go of Nisroc's still body. "Cas, you had to… Remember what you're doing this for."
"I know." Castiel sighed and walked to Dean's side, a small smile creeping onto his face, "We're in the semi-finals, Dean."
"Yeah, feel weird yet?"
"Nope, ready for the plane ride?"
"Nope."
They both laughed a little and shared a soft kiss, neither could believe where they were standing. They were, by far, the underdogs in this. When they'd started no one knew their names and yet now every angel Castiel came across knew him, knew his reasons for being there. Dean had received several phone calls from friends, from classmates, family, people who couldn't believe they were seeing him on TV, seeing him win on TV.
Though as they packed and walked to the airport Dean couldn't help but consider Sam in all this, his little brother had gone missing over a month ago now and no one had heard a single thing. His parents were at a loss and the police had come up with nothing. Dean ran a hand up into his hair, a tribute to Sam's habit that Dean had adopted since the boy's disappearance. "Hey Cas, when this is done and we rescue the angels…"
Castiel reached over and took Dean's hand, giving it a squeeze, "I know; we'll do all we can to find Sam." He said, understanding Dean's raw emotions perfectly. Those were the most intense feelings that crossed their connection, the raw, unaltered and unhindered feelings that they felt at any given time.
While they were sitting quietly in the waiting room for the boarding time, Castiel allowed himself to be vaguely entertained by the television above them as he stared over at the other angels keeping to themselves whether it be by orders or otherwise. He sighed and closed his eyes, ready to sleep when suddenly Dean jolted beside him.
"Holy shit!" Dean stood and ran to the TV and raised the volume, a massive building smoking from the top of it was displayed from what looked like a helicopter camera. The black plumage was blocking out the sky in several areas, raging fires licking up the sides of the building and enveloping most of it.
"The main office for Crystal Wings has exploded into flames! Within the last hour bombs were placed around the building and went off without warning. The top floors are completely gone, scattered around the street in massive chunks. The middle was also hit pretty hard and the main structures in the sub-levels of the building have been blown apart leaving it completely unstable. This is the third major Crystal Wings building that's been hit in last month alone, not counting the factories and stores." The newscaster on the TV recounted different scenarios, showing footage already sent in to them from bystanders.
Dean watched in horror as the grainy footage played, debris and bodies flying out of the building all in one go. "That's… so awful…"
Castiel stood beside him and nodded slowly, "Though those are the people who started enslaving us in the first place…"
"That doesn't mean they deserve to die." Dean shook his head, "This is just…"
"Many believe the group calling themselves the Freedom Fighters are the ones responsible for this attack and several others, including Crystal Wings' testing facilities in Chicago, Illinois. In other news, there has been a sudden increase in angel captures as of late in the state of Illinois…"
Dean turned the volume back down, "Freedom Fighters, huh? I don't like those activist groups, they take things way too far."
Castiel shook his head in disbelief, "Did you not hear that last part!" He choked out, "Testing facilities were damaged somehow and now suddenly in the same state angels are being captured in high numbers! Are people just ignoring the obvious connection here!"
Dean furrowed his brow, thinking of what that meant. He couldn't imagine what it was like in a testing facility for angels, it must be the worst kind of torture for them. "I'm sorry, Cas." He looked back at the screen, watching the building burn in silence.
Author's Note:
There, that's all the Sammy you get for a while lol feel satisfied!
