entrancelogs | Three's Company

Entry tags:

Three's Company

Who: Crowley and Adam
Where: A hallway
When: Sunday morning
Rating: PG13
Summary: Crowley and Adam and angels
The Story:

Crowley's not enjoying himself at all. The last event was boring, but tolerable. This is something else entirely. These things tear the very demonic energy from his body that makes him what he is. After an extended run-in, he's weak and more on edge than he's been in a long while.

He walks down the hall with quick footsteps, wanting to get back to the relative safety of his room. There are a few people he's got concerns for, but he's not going to voice those to anyone. He's not worried about them really, anyway. It's just that he doesn't want to lose any more allies than he already has.

Turning a corner, he catches sight of Adam and he's momentarily distracted. He hasn't seen the little man in a while now.

"Well if it isn't my favorite zombie-battling buddy."

The distraction makes him stop checking over his shoulder just long enough for an angel to wind up there, just outside of his own vision and before he gets Adam's attention.

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_{[Him? What if that angel decides it likes the taste of human better than demon? Adam doesn't want to end up within grabbing distance of a stone statue monster, either.

He has the urge to look at Crowley, just a flicker of a glance, but forcibly stops himself.]}

But they can't move when they're being looked at... right? _{[According to a video post from someone he barely knows. It's a weak defense and he knows it. He instead latches onto what he sees as a thin ray of hope.]} And it didn't grab you.

_{[He's never seen one up close. Looking at its face, it doesn't look like any angel he's ever met before--real angels could kill with a touch, or even less than that. Some monster wouldn't need to lunge at someone if it could snap its fingers and leave someone crippled on the ground.

... Right?]}

No, I think I moved my shoulder into it.

[ Alright. If it's not holding him, maybe he can just--

He leans away from it slowly and once he's put a few inches between his shoulder and the stone hand, he takes a cautious step towards Adam. ]

Is it doing anything?

[ It's a bit tough for Crowley to trust anyone with his safety, but he also knows that the littlest Winchester is a few bolts short of a functioning Ikea futon and he's got to trust Adam's hold on reality, which is likely tenuous at best. Great. ]

So what, touching you just...?

_{[Just what? Don't leave him in suspense, demon. As shaky as his standing is, that deep-seated self-preservation instinct is still intact and pushing him right into the arms of fight or flight mode. rowley will need to cover some extra distance to reach Adam, as he's already taken an extra away by the time Crowley moves.]}

I don't know, do you see it doing anything? I'm watching that one, but what about behind me?

_{[There's something vaguely sarcastic in the way Adam suddenly wonders if this isn't how he could get caught, too, by something creeping up on him in his blind spot like a ghost. That'd be just his luck. If he's watching Crowley's new best friend, then Crowley had better be doing the same. ]}

There's nothing behind you. Just keep your eyes on it!

[ Crowley's moves are still slow and cautious. He doesn't know what really makes these things tick at all. For all he knows, sudden movement could kill him, right? It's a bit tough to completely trust Martha's word on the matter.

He doesn't answer Adam's other question--doesn't tell him that he feels a bit weaker, like that stone hand sucked some small measure of power from him forcibly. The last thing he needs is Adam even more afraid and high strung. ]

_{[Did someone say afraid and high-strung? Hell does wonders to mellow a guy out in terms of being able to take a licking and not flinch at pedestrian levels of agony. Fighting with his Mirror and nearly shredding himself into Swiss cheese on window glass? Bruising bones rolling down the stairs? That hadn't hurt. He could still be a little unhinged and take pain.

But the unknown? A monster that looks, by all accounts, more like an angel than actual angels? Those are enough to strike him in all the wrong ways.

Everyone's afraid of something. Homicidal angels might be Adam's bête noire.]}

And when that doesn't work?

_{[Because Crowley better believe he's backing away from that thing, too. Eventually they're going to reach the corner at the end of the hall, or someone's eyeballs are going too dry to hold out. It's only a matter of which happens first.]}

Let's try to stay positive, yeah?

[ Because Crowley is closer to this thing and if it feeds on energy, he has no doubt which of them it would go for even if he wasn't. He's already died once in Wonderland and he's not aiming for a second, especially not at the hands of a bloody Winchester, red-headed step child of the bunch or not. ]

Instead of when, what about if.

[ He takes a deep breath and starts to turn himself slowly so they they'll eventually both be facing it, but he's not quite there yet. ]

If that fails, we're going to die, so let's see that it doesn't.

_{[First Bela and now Crowley? He's winning every award there is when it comes to needing other people to give him pep talks, apparently. He'll have to add positive thinking to his daily routine.

Provide, of course, that he survives. Things with wings seem really goddamn determined to make sure he doesn't.]}

Yeah, well, about that blinking part...

_{[That is a definite "when," not "if." Can demons conjure things up like angels? Is Crowley going to squeegee his eyeballs for him? If not, depending solely on his will not to close his eyes for a microsecond pretty much guarantees someone's imminent demise.]}

[ Crowley finally turns to face it, staring right at it. It's a truly ugly, creepy thing and Crowley can appreciate that another time when he's not concerned for his life. ]

Blink now. I'm looking at it.

[ They can manage this. It'll just take some teamwork, which Crowley isn't actually very good at and which Adam doesn't seem to have a great inclination for, either. Hopefully, he can at least take orders because Crowley's great at giving them. That's really more his style of teamwork, anyway. ]

_{[Too bad Crowley just couldn't beat this thing to death with a pipe again. The things you think about when you're one (maybe two) monsters away from another awful death...

Adam listens without complaint, but before he knows what he's doing, he's rubbing his eyes with the back of his arm. They're scratchy with dryness already.]}

This is unbelievable.

_{[It's only that Crowley's in a tight spot, too, that makes looking away bearable. Even then, he doesn't look away for long; if that's the only thing holding the thing back, then he doesn't want to take any more chances than the demon does. He does, however, make sure to take another step back, orienting himself so that his back is against a wall. He still trusts his luck least of all.]}

What were you saying about zombies...?

_{[Crowley might have seriously jinxed the both of them this time around. Here's hoping this monster battling round ends without any causalities like the last time.]}

[ Crowley starts to glance back at him curiously before stopping himself. In that instant, the thing cuts the distance between them in half. ]

Shit!

What are you talking about? Forget zombies. Focus on this.

[ He steps back carefully, assuming that Adam will follow his lead. They have to get away from this thing and he's aiming for keeping them both alive, but if someone's going down, it's not Crowley.

It's not personal, because he doesn't trust anyone, but he especially doesn't trust Adam to be reliable here. He's a nervous wreck and clearly a few bulbs short of a storefront sign. Most people are generally reliable in one way or another, but with trauma like Adam's, the only thing to be relied on is that he'll be unpredictable and erratic. ]

_{[Oh, Crowley, how quickly you forget about your own zombie-battling jokes...]}

Whoa!

_{[Adam's exclamation is indignant. So much for a demon's eagle eye. In a split second, the thing is so much closer, an optical illusion that's there one minute and gone the next. Seeing it move so fast a second time is enough to make his heart thud painfully, a tennis ball smacking the inside of his ribs.]}

If I'd known kidding might get me killed, I would've kept my mouth shut.

_{[The words escape him calmly enough; Adam always has extra sarcasm to share. He's also interested in keeping number one alive, which is why he doesn't need prompting to keep stepping backward, trying to reclaim the distance the Weeping Angel had closed.]}

I'm watching. But if that's going to happen every time, then what? How do you stop it?

_{[A "we" probably doesn't factor into this situation. If Crowley can poof off like an angel any time he damn well pleases, that just leaves the defenseless human being. What a shocker.

If Crowley could, he should've done it by now.]}

[ If Crowley could, he would have. His powers are impressive, but he's no angel. If he was, he would have popped them both off.

He keeps stepping back with Adam, eyes focused on the angel. What do they do to get away? They can't leave without taking their eyes off of it. A door, maybe? ]

I've got my eyes on it. Check for a door we can go into. I don't think turning a corner will do. We need to block it out.

[ That's what he's going to do, because at the end of the day, it's never been about power for Crowley. It's about being clever. ]

_{[Adam's first instinct is to bolt--to get himself as far away from danger as possible. It's only the experience from past hard lessons that keeps him from doing just that.]}

And you think they can't break through a door?

_{[But he spins around nonetheless, putting enough faith in the demon that it won't let the Weeping Angel charge toward either of them when Crowley's still in the line of fire. Please, for once, don't let the monster kill my ass.

There are about a hundred thousand doors to choose, and with the statue situated in the corner of his eye, Adam reaches for one, opening it up to find an empty room. Staying barricaded inside? Maybe not the worst plan ever. Of course the one time he thinks to do the opposite is when angelic killers take over the mansion.]}

It's empty. _{[He turns back, poised on the threshold. The Weeping Angel is back to having two people stare it down.]} I got it.

_{[Crowley can get back. Fair is fair--Crowley's watched his back, and Adam's got his now. Just Crowley's lucky day he's not confusing hallucinatory danger with real danger.]}

[ Of course Crowley feels ever-so-lucky today as he moves quickly for the door. ]

As we close the door behind us, we should look out the crack so it can't follow us inside.

[ He reaches Adam quickly, trusting him for the moment, but that trust has its limits and he's already pushing them pretty hard.

Crowley doesn't trust in general and trusting a Winchester who's been gently used by Lucifer is about the last thing he wants.

Sure, he likes Adam just fine, but like and trust aren't related for Crowley the way they are for most people. Crowley trusts reliable people, not likable people, and Adam is hardly reliable, even if his deer-in-the-bear-trap routine is endearing and hilarious. ]

Ready?

_{[Right at this moment, Adam is beyond ready to put dibs on this room and imagine up the most anti-Weeping Angel space he can, because he really doesn't care to find out what's going to happen once the door closes and one of those things disappears from their line of sight.

He's willing to find out if putting a door between himself and it buys him a little more time in the end. He nods, eyes on the statue.]}

Here goes nothing.

_{[Or everything. Who's counting, right? As he's still closest to the door handle, he grasps it and starts to gingerly bring the door to a near close.

He's been to Hell, and not blinking still feels like torture.]}

[ Crowley's heart is pounding. This is a gamble, certainly, but it's the one with the best odds, at least. Standing there and staring at that thing forever certainly hadn't been a real option, but this still seems insanely stupid.

When the door clicks shut, he sighs audibly. ]

Now we wait and see if that actually worked. I say we keep attention on the door, but they don't seem to be able to move through things. I think that should at least slow or deter it.

_{[Once they're both locked inside, Adam backs off almost to the other side of the room. As great as it'd be to have a staring contest with the only way in and make sure the statue stays a statue, he would have been happier if there had been something in the room to push against the door, reinforce it.

Would have been better if they'd ended up in someone's furnished apartment, honestly. Pickings in an empty room are slim.

Still, every one of these rooms seems to have a super-powered closet. That's better than nothing. In case the Weeping Angel doesn't get bored and leave, there has to be something else to do... Adam shoots a glance at the window, considering the options. Something.]}

We hope.

_{[He's not so good at waiting to die anymore.]}

Ahh, ever an optimist, aren't you?

[ Not that Crowley can blame him. He likes to prepare for the worst. It's how he stays alive. Adam is entirely correct in being wary of the unknown.

Really, if he were Adam, he'd be wary of everything. Lucifer's not a fun creature to piss off and Adam's been his chew toy for how long?

With everything that goes on here, he's tempted to run a salt line over the door, but he doubts it would do anything against those things. Really, he'd just trap himself, wouldn't he? ]

Just a little experienced.

_{[With monsters finding a way to kill a person, and with Hell. Not to mention, Crowley isn't human. He is. Adam doesn't say it, but his experience comes with the practical knowledge that if something happens, chances are likely he'll go down first before someone that survived Hell and learned how to adapt down there does. No, the thought certainly doesn't fill him with a great deal of optimism.

He exhales audibly. A bright idea could strike at any time. Any time.]}

I can guess what'll happen if one of those things grabs me. _{[Death, lots of death.]} But what about you?

_{[Adam's lack of optimism is normal, he's just a human. No special powers, not even any special training. If a demon needs to hide alongside one, though, that's not a good sign, either.]}

I've no idea, but I could feel it, however briefly, sucking my energy away. Whatever it does, it's not pretty for any of us.

[ Crowley's been rendered human quite often in this place and he's used to being weak in that regard, but he hadn't dealt with much that really makes him feel weak as a demon. It's beyond disconcerting. ]

I think we should just avoid those things grabbing either of us, don't you?

[ Mutual survival seemed to be the optimal way to go and it's a generally good selling point, even for the more purebred Winchesters. ]

_{[Crowley puts a better spin on the experience than Adam would have, but sucking away something's energy doesn't sound any more pleasant than something biting out someone's internal organs.]}

So, a killer and a damn good one.

_{[Great. Adam traces the circumference of the room, keeping the door in the periphery of his vision. He stops briefly to glance out the window, looking for grey shapes on the grass and somewhat relieved to find none. In the middle of his pacing, he reserves another glance for the demon.

Yeah, he'd like to not die, but how many times has he wished that and had the opposite happen?]}

I'm not arguing with that plan. It would be beating down the door by now if it was going to come in, wouldn't it? _{[Then he thinks of that creepy flapping sound of invisible wings.]} Or do you think they... fly like the other ones?

I don't think they're anything like actual angels, if that's what you're asking. Angels kill a lot faster than that.

[ Especially Crowley. He knows what it feels like to be attacked by an angel. These things are powerful, but they're not holy. They don't hurt the same way at all. ]

Whatever they are, I don't think they can move through walls. It would be in here already if it could, don't you think? We seem relatively safe for now.

Right.

_{[He only has the barest idea of Crowley's reputation, but already Adam can see where Crowley might get his credentials as a salesman. All a well-put way of beating around the bush.

The answer doesn't reassure him, since it'd be nice to know definitively if those things can pop around as easily as angels can, but it'll have to do. No one's holding his hand through this one. He sighs under his breath, coming to a stop at a spot far from the door.]}

Waiting it is.

Waiting and warding.

[ Crowley's not an idiot. Angels or not, he goes to the closet to get everything he needs to ward the room against everything that could possibly be out there. He's quick, but methodical about it, as if he's done it many times, but has learned the best way to be thorough.

The end results are symbols in chalk and blood on every wall and the ceiling and floor. ]

_{[Crowley's talking to the wrong Winchester. Adam understands warding in terms of angels, because Dean had at least done him a solid by showing him the blood symbols that could keep an angel away, but his practical experience ends there. His brow furrows questioningly, but he steps out of the way and says nothing as Crowley digs around in the closet.

The things he doesn't know about demons could fill a book. The things a demon knows could probably fill twenty, he's betting. At least they can rest agreed that he knows far more than Adam.]}

What's all that?

_{[He's well past the point of pretending he's too cool and independent to ask like his twelve-year-old self.]}

Protection. I'll teach you some of it some time when we're not hiding for our lives, if you like. I've got all sorts of fun things for every monster you can imagine.

[ Not that he'll teach him anything for demons, but he's happy to have random things warded against angels. He thinks about Castiel getting that angry, constipated look on his face and it's positively perfect. ]

Remind me when this is all over.

_{[Adam's thoughts brush against the same subject Crowley's thinking about. Really, where's the payoff? Would a demon actually teach some nobody like Adam how to deal with monsters when demons fall under that category themselves?

Where's the advantage in showing him anything? There isn't one, and that's why Adam inwardly views the offer with a good deal of skepticism, even if outwardly he shifts, watching the process closely.]}

And this all... keeps things from getting in? _{[Hunter though he may not be, "warding" is pretty clear.]} Does everyone know this or is there some kind of "How To Deal With Monsters" school?

[ Crowley's advantage is in gaining an ally, one with emotional sway and negative feelings for one Dean Winchester. Crowley may be his loose ally for now, but he's honestly waiting for the knife in his back from Dean and he'll be prepared. ]

No, everyone doesn't. I know more than most people--probably more than any hunters--but there are a handful of us around who know these things. You can't be too safe, turtledove.

_{[Well, he could've guessed that much himself--most people don't even accept that monsters exist, as far as Adam knows, aside from the monsters themselves and the people who hunt them. He's silent on that front. His own lack of knowledge feels glaringly obvious.

It's only when Crowley insists on giving him more pet names that Adam quirks a brow, drawing himself out of his reverie.]}

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

_{[Spoken with the dryness of someone who's already kicked the bucket twice outside of this place. Safe, yeah, he'll get on that the next time someone needs something from him and dredges him out of Hell.]}

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Three's Company

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