Soapy Pagans
Gabriel woke up curled up against his son; wings fanned out and splayed protectively around the teen. The archangel smiled as he watched Vali sleep. He looked so peaceful with his messy hair and easy expression. Maybe, with time, he'd look so peaceful even when awake?
"Gabriel?" A soft knock sounded against the door and Kevin peaked into the room along with Custos. "You up?"
Gabriel sat up a little, forcing a smile at his friend. "Yeah, I'm up."
"We left you guys some breakfast. Jody says to eat it while it's still warm."
"Okay," Gabriel sighed, flopping back down against the pillows of his and Vali's shared bed. "Thanks."
The door clicked shut again and Gabriel turned his attention back onto his son. He reached out, stroking his small fingers along Vali's cheek. Vali squirmed under the touch, nose scrunching up before his eyes started to flutter open.
"Morning, sleepy head," Gabriel hummed as Vali's eyes started to focus. Vali frowned and looked around himself, eyes suddenly going wide. He scrambled out of the bed, but his feet were tangled in the blankets he and Gabe had been cocooned in and he fell onto the floor. "Vali?!"
Vali looked up at Gabriel with wide eyes, breath coming out fast. "Dad?" he questioned and Gabriel nodded. Vali pressed and hand to his head, taking in deep breaths as he tried to calm himself. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize," Gabriel said then. He hopped off the bed and landed on the floor beside his son. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I…didn't know where I was for a second," Vali revealed. "I haven't woken up in a real bed since…" He glanced at Gabriel, his gaze turning sad and Gabriel felt a wave of guilt splash over him. Vali watched him silently, clearly noticing how Gabriel's shoulder's slumped. He swallowed hard and took another look around the room he'd woken up in, the tension in his shoulders slowly leaving. He sniffed the air after a moment, brows arching. "What's that smell?"
Gabriel took a quick sniff. "Waffles," he revealed. "Everyone ate already, but Kevin said they left us some." Gabriel reached out, squeezing Vali's closest hand. "Feeling up for some grub?"
"Hells yeah," Vali agreed and he pushed himself up, bending down to pick Gabriel up into his arms. Gabe smiled at him and wrapped his wings around his son protectively again as Vali walked them to the door.
The kitchen was empty when they got there, but a big plate of waffles was stacked up in the center of the table with a pitcher of syrup, a bowl of strawberries, and a gallon of milk with two cups set out beside it.
"This looks good," Vali commented, mouth practically watering at the sight of the fluffy waffles. Gabriel nodded in agreement, flying out of his son's arms and landing in one of the chairs around the table. Vali took a seat beside him and the two piled up their plates, smothering their waffles in fresh strawberries and syrup. Gabe took a large bite of his waffle, taking half a strawberry with.
"Oh man," he moaned loudly, licking his lips of the syrup that had smeared over his mouth. "These are awesome." He looked to Vali to see what his son thought of their breakfast, smirking as he watched Vali shovel in waffle after waffle.
A snort sounded from the doorway and Gabriel turned, eyes falling on an oil covered Dean. "Like father like son," the hunter chuckled before making his way to the full coffee pot. "Morning."
"Morning," Gabriel and Vali said through full mouths.
Dean poured himself a cup of coffee, grimacing as he got some oil on the handle and his mug. "Man, I need a shower," he huffed, wiping his hands on his shirt and further smearing the oil covering him.
"What are you working on?" Vali asked and Dean gave him a tired smile.
"Bobby's truck. Thing needed an oil change. The Impala's next and then I think I'll take a look at Jody's next." He bobbed his head at the young pagan. "Want to help?"
Vali's mouth dropped and his fork lowered from his lips. "I…" He shifted uncomfortably. "I've never worked on a car before –"
"No time like the present then," Dean said with a wink. He downed the rest of his coffee then and set it into the sink. "I'll be outside by the garage. Come find me when you finish eating."
"I…" Vali swallowed. "Okay." Dean gave him another smile then and disappeared from the kitchen. "Damn it…" Vali moaned. He let his head fall into his hands and gripped at his dark hair. "That was so awkward."
"Uh…just a little bit," Gabriel agreed. He glanced between the door Dean had just left through and his son. "What was that all about?"
"He's intimidating, okay, Dad?" Vali burst out, looking up at his father. "He's huge, built, and…and..."
"If you're intimidated by Dean I'd hate to see you around Sam."
"Sam's not a problem. He's huge, but he looks like he was a golden retriever in a past life or something."
Gabriel burst into laughter, tears building at the corners of his eyes. Vali glared at him and tossed one of his strawberries at the archangel's cheek. Gabriel caught it with his mouth and chewed it slowly. "Nice throw," he commented. "If we're sticking with the dog analogies…just picture Dean as a whiny Chihuahua when you start feeling intimidated." Vali let out a snort and Gabriel pointed his fork at his son. "Trust me, it works."
"Okay, Dad. I'll try it." Vali wiped at his mouth then. "I think I'm done."
"Do you want me to hang around the garage with you? Just in case the big bad Chihuahua needs to get spritzed with a spray bottle?" Gabriel offered. It was said like a joke, but Gabriel meant it. Vali was still getting used to everything and though Gabriel knew he could trust Dean with his son, he wanted to be there for Vali anyway.
"Sure, Dad," Vali said while pushing out of his chair and Gabriel let out a relieved sigh before flying from his chair and to his son's shoulder.
Together, the two of them made their way out into the hot morning air. They weren't the only ones other than Dean that were taking advantage of the warm weather. Balthazar, Castiel, and Lucifer were rolling around in the gravel, flapping their wings in the dust kicked up.
"Dust bath?" Vali questioned. "I knew Chinchillas did that, but I didn't think angels did," he hummed.
"These angels do," Gabriel chuckled as he watched his little brothers shake their dusty wings. "Honestly, it's just an excuse for another bath night so they can try drowning one of the guys in the bathtub."
Vali arched a brow. "I call not getting that job," he joked before spinning on his heal and starting for the garage. Gabriel followed him and they both nearly tripped when Dean wheeled out from underneath the Impala.
"Hey, guys," he greeted. He sat up, wiping his dirty hands on a rag. "I finished the Impala and Bobby's truck so all we have left is Jody's car. I was thinking we could give the cars a wash too since its warm out and…" He pointed at the three dirt covered angels. "We could kill two birds with one stone and blast those three with as much soap and water we got."
"Sounds like a plan, Dean-O," Gabriel agreed. He looked to Vali to see if his son was okay with it too, but Vali was gone from his side and already following Dean to Jody's car at the far end of the garage.
"Okay," Dean started, patting Jody's car lightly. "Changing oil is actually a lot easier than you'd think." He looked Vali up and down, his eyes stopping on Vali's shaking hands. "I'll walk you through the steps though." Vali's hands calmed and Dean smiled a little before starting to explain the first few steps for Vali to follow. Gabriel watched from the sidelines, not helping physically but emotionally and mentally. He conjured up a pair of pompoms with his grace and magiced up a cheer-leading shirt and shorts. He cheered for his son as he got through each step, earning a few laughs from his now oil covered son and Dean with each cheer.
It only took a few minutes to get the oil completely changed and soon Dean was patting Vali's shoulder, praising him on a job well-done. Gabriel flew to them then, flicking his wrist to create two buckets full of soapy water.
"Thanks, Gabe," Dean said before hurrying to the Impala and starting her up. He moved her outside and did the same to Jody's car until the two cars were outside beside Bobby's truck in the driveway.
Vali dragged the soapy buckets outside and Gabriel conjured up a sponge while Dean grabbed the hose connected to the side of Jody's house. Balthazar, Castiel, and Lucifer were still playing in the dusty gravel of the driveway, oblivious of the bath they were about to get.
"Hey angels!" Dean shouted suddenly and everyone turned just as Dean shot an arc of cold water at Balthazar, Castiel, and Lucifer.
The angels cried out as the cold water hit them, wings flapping wildly and their dirt covered bodies instantly becoming wet and muddy.
Vali bent over, laughing hard and clutching at his stomach as the three sopping wet angels shouted at the cackling Winchester dousing them with cold water. A glint of mischief shined in Dean's eye and he turned the hose onto Vali and Gabriel, dowsing the two like he had with Balthazar, Castiel, and Lucifer.
"Damn it, Dean!" Gabe yelped, leaping behind Vali for cover. "I thought you were on our side?"
Dean answered by sending another arc of water at them and the two dived behind the Impala for cover. Gabriel snapped his fingers together, conjuring up two water pistols for himself and his son. The two got firing, shooting back at Dean with full force while Balthazar, Castiel, and Lucifer crawled for cover in the back of Bobby's pickup truck. Balthazar and Castiel popped up a second later with giant guns in their hands. Dean froze, eyes going wide.
"What the—"
Lucifer jumped onto the hood of Bobby's truck with his own gun, nearly toppling over since it was twice his size. He fired and a bright red water balloon shot from the muzzle into Dean's thigh. Cold water soaked through the hunter's shorts and the angels cheered.
"Nice one, Uncle Luci!" Vali cheered on the sidelines and the angel waved at him before aiming at Dean again. The hunter dived for cover, landing behind one of Jody's shrubs in the front of the house.
"Fire!" Lucifer cried and everyone took aim at the hunter, shooting at him until he was soaked with cold water and covered in broken balloon bits.
Dean spat out a spray of water and held up his hose, aiming back at Vali and Gabriel just as the front door to Jody's house swung open to reveal Sam, Bobby, and Jody on the other side. The two hunters and sheriff stared down at the older Winchester and then allowed their gaze to roam over the water soaked vehicles, angels, and pagan.
"Well…" Bobby huffed. "That's one way to kill two birds with one stone." He reached out for Dean; picking out a blue balloon piece from the hunter's soaked hair.
"Yeah, though, busted balloons aren't really my idea of clean," Jody added, taking the balloon piece from Bobby. She pointed at the hunter. "You're on bath duty tonight."
Dean pouted. "But—"
"No buts, Dean," Jody scolded.
"Yeah, you should have had the angels make a soap bubble gun instead of a water balloon gun," Sam chuckled. The others laughed with him and slowly, Vali lifted his hand, clicking his fingers together just like Gabriel and the other angels did when they wanted to use their grace for something mischievous.
Vali's grace ran throughout the yard, wrapping around each water gun and water balloon gun. The guns shimmered in the angels' hands, shifting and warping until they became bright green guns with soap oozing out of the muzzle. Castiel experimentally pulled the trigger and soap shot out, smacking Dean' right in the chin.
"What the—"
"You're not the only ones with powers," Vali revealed lowering his hands. Gabriel stared at his son in shock.
"Vali, that was awesome!" Gabriel cheered and the young pagan blushed a little, rubbing at his hair nervously.
"I…uh…thanks. I'm a little rusty. I haven't used my powers in forever."
"Rusty?" Dean sputtered, wiping the bubbles currently giving him a sudsy goatee away. "Dude, listen to your Dad. It was awesome, man."
"Dean's right," Sam agreed. He waved a hand at the soap guns and started to push Bobby and Jody back into the house. "Why don't you guys finish your 'bath'? We're just gonna…" He dived into the house. "…hang out in here." He shut the door, locking the it behind himself, Bobby, and Jody.
"Bitch," Dean cursed and Gabriel shot him with his own soap gun, getting the hunter's sopping wet hair.
"Come on, Dean-O, you heard the hunter. Time to finish bath time." The archangel shot again, hitting the hunter behind the ear again. "Don't forget to wash behind your ears!"