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Sam felt off balance, practically naked, as he tried to throw a punch. Lacking the usual weight behind him he was used to, he very nearly fell as he went right past the man who had stolen his wings.
Thaddeus laughed. “Some fighter you are! Can’t even hit a man who’s standing still. Come on, Winchester, I thought you could fight! If you want your wings back, you gotta beat me. Quit playing around.”
The words didn’t bother Sam. He’d learned to take battlefield taunts when he was just a child, thanks to having a big brother who was encouraged to “toughen his little brother up, boy, we don’t have time for him to be a weakling or a coward.” He could take a blow just as well, for the same reason. What he was struggling with was not having the balance. Turned out, his dad’s policy of never taking off the wings even to sleep? Meant you didn’t know how to fight without them.
Sam wouldn’t have minded running the obstacle course Thaddeus set up for him. He didn’t even mind the fights between him and his goal. He sometimes volunteered for the gladiator games, because it was good training and, ironically, kept unwanted attention off of him. As long as he found a good balance between “oh of course he’s strong and nimble and wears wings, he’s a part-time gladiator” and “how come he’s a mechanic and not one of the pros sponsored by the lords”, he could train and keep his wings and still go about his business with the resistance.
He minded being forced to run, and he minded having his wings taken from him. They hadn’t been these specific wings for obvious reasons, but he’d had wings on his back round the clock since he was old enough to be fitted for a pair. John Winchester would sacrifice everything else before he’d let one of his boys go without wings. He minded that Thaddeus was up on a platform that Sam wouldn’t be able to reach until he’d completed the course and retrieved his wings, but was taunting Sam along the way. He minded being clumsy like this.
“Hey. Thadde-ass.” That voice was nearly always one Sam rejoiced to hear. Now was one of the few exceptions. “Did you really think you could break into my house and take something that belongs to me and get away with it?”
Sam wanted to tell Castiel that it was all right, that he’d be fine. He never wanted Castiel to worry about him. He never wanted Castiel to see him as weak or unable to protect himself. Castiel didn’t mind – he would happily look out for Sam as much as Sam wanted him to or needed him to – but he understood Sam’s fear that he was somehow betraying the resistance by shacking up with an angel, and his need to take care of himself as much as possible. Of course… this time, Sam just might need to accept that he needed Castiel’s help, if this was the trouble he was going to have with this course, he had to admit to himself as he once again went stumbling without even contacting the guy he was supposed to be fighting.
Thaddeus just laughed. “Castiel! Good to see you, buddy! Here to rescue your pet? Go get him! Of course, he’ll never get his wings back, you know how those wards work.” Angelic assistance would make the wards freeze up so that only a very few people could open them – and none of them would have any reason to help a Winchester. Worse, Sam’s implants were attuned to these wings, and without them present, he wouldn’t be able to attune to another pair. One of the many ways the angels kept humans under their control, even with allowing some of them to have wings. If Castiel helped him, Sam would be trapped like this forever.
“Fight me for it.” Sam hadn’t thought things could get any worse, but that voice… things were worse. “You against me. If you win, Castiel takes Sam home like this, and I replace him as your toy. If I win, you shut down the game, let Sam have his wings back, and leave my family alone.”
“Jack, no.” Sam finally managed to connect a solid punch on the guy he was fighting, and that was enough to take him out. He could focus on Jack and Cas. “I’ll get through this. Don’t put yourself at risk.”
“Sam, you’re bleeding already.” Sam blinked, examining himself. Huh. There was a cut on his chest that was trickling. It wasn’t that bad, but it would be more difficult to finish the course if he was already bleeding somewhat. This was the easy part. It didn’t matter. He’d make it. He’d kill himself trying before he let Jack put himself in danger. “Let me do this, Sam, please. I can’t just watch.”
“Then don’t watch. Go get Dean. He can do something.” Sam judged the wall ahead of him, backing up to get a running start for the jump. With his wings, he’d have cleared it easily; as it was, he barely caught the top of it with enough strength to haul himself up and over. There were two ways forward – along the wall, a balance test, or dropping on the other side. If he had to fight, he’d rather be on solid ground, but he’d have to make the jump again and he’d be more tired then.
A quick glance up showed that Jack was just as stubborn as any Winchester. Thaddeus actually looked scared as Jack advanced on him. “You took my father. You were counting on Castiel not interfering because of the consequences. The thing is, you forgot about me. Maybe you just assumed that if I interfered, if I help Sam, it would count as angelic. You thought wrong.” Jack walked right past Thaddeus into the wards.
It was too late, but Sam couldn’t help it. “No! Jack! Don’t…” He took off running along the wall. He couldn’t do anything, but maybe he was wrong and he could.
The wards parted, letting Jack right through. Jack grabbed the wings and flew them to Sam. “I’m not an angel. I may have grace, but I have blood and bone and soul, too. Turns out, those trump grace in this case. Here.” He let Sam take the wings.
Sam could get the wings on easily. Now Castiel was interfering, holding Thaddeus on the platform instead of allowing him to fly away. Jack and Sam flew to him, landing on the other side from Castiel. Thaddeus was trapped in the circle of wings, and Sam allowed himself momentary distraction at the feel of Castiel’s wingtips brushing his own. Only momentarily, though; not nearly long enough for Thaddeus to take advantage of him.
“Thaddeus, you took my mate. Do you know the punishment?” Thaddeus shuddered, and Sam felt a twinge of sympathy for him. Angels didn’t reserve cruel punishments for humans; they were just as bad to the angels who broke the laws. If Castiel decided to file charges, he was likely in for a rough time. Normally, Sam would try to intervene, but… he couldn’t shake the mental images of Jack losing the fight he offered Thaddeus and being trapped as his pet.
Thaddeus regained a little bravery. “Castiel, I know you’re a weird little angel who has too much heart, but calling your pet your mate? You don’t think the archangels will actually punish me, do you? At worst they’ll give me a token slap on the wrist for borrowing your pet without permission. You know that.”
“He is my mate, not my pet.” Castiel let his blade drop into his hand. “I will not suffer the insults. I had planned to let you off with a warning that there is no statute of limitations on harming an angel’s family, and I would be keeping a close eye on you, but you just changed my mind. Jack, would you please restrain Thaddeus’s wings?”
Thaddeus’s eyes went wide and he backed toward Sam, wings spread as wide as possible without touching anyone else’s. “You wouldn’t dare. You’re the merciful one!”
“You threatened my family, Thaddeus.” Castiel nodded to Jack, who grabbed hold of the left wing and forced it inward. “You were given several opportunities to back down and make it right, and each time, you chose insults and continued persecution. I have no reason to believe you would stop if I showed you mercy.” He got hold of the right wing, forcing it to furl, allowing Jack to bind the wings together. “Let’s go see what the archangels have to say about this.”
Thaddeus turned around, staring at Sam. “Please. Sam, I’m sorry, I didn’t…”
“You didn’t what? You didn’t think I was worth showing even the tiniest scrap of respect to? You didn’t think Castiel was worth showing the respect of – even if you disagree with his interpretation of my status – treating his mate with respect?” Sam put a hand to his chest, where the bleeding had nearly stopped, but not quite. “I could forgive what you did to me, if it were just me. It’s not. When you threaten me, you threaten my family. I can’t forgive what you did to Castiel and Jack and Dean.”
“Dean? He’s not even here!” Thaddeus scoffed. “Some brother.”
“Dean’s not here because he’s still in the trap you set,” Castiel deadpanned. “I’ll be freeing him as soon as we’re safe, but it wasn’t hurting him any and it will let him get the cursing and thrashing out before he can take it out on anyone else.” Sam huffed a soft laugh. That sounded like Dean. “Jack, take Sam home.”
“Yes, Castiel.” Jack wrapped Sam in a tight hug. “I’m glad you’re safe, Sam. I was so scared when Castiel told me what happened!”