On a wing and a prayer

[the_baking_vampire]

This isn't the first charge he's ever had as a guardian angel, so it's not exactly as if he's new at his job. He's never broken the rules before or failed in his task. He's always followed strictly to the rules and protected his charges with the utmost care and diligence.

He never thought things would be so much different with John Grimm.

As a boy, he'd lost his parents, and Seere had been tasked to him without any real explanation of why. Sometimes, that's how it goes; an assignment without a reason. It's never bothered him. All he knew was that he needed to protect the boy, and by extension, that usually meant protecting his twin sister, as well, inseparable as they were.

For years, Seere watched him grow, a sad, shy, and reserved child who turned into a handsome young man.

It was difficult when John entered the military. Seere can't fix mental anguish. How does one protect against that sort of thing without keeping a soul from gaining the necessary experiences to benefit from having lived? So, he watches as John struggles through bootcamp, watches as he struggles with the deaths of his friends, with the guilt that comes with it. He wants to help, but there's nothing he can do. He can't protect everyone. Only John.

Seere is wary when John gets selected for the RRTS. It's such a dangerous squad. Protecting him becomes a full-time task, flitting in and out of John's vision, exploiting those fractional blind spots that all humans have to subtly change the trajectory of bullets or nudge him away from a falling object or protect him from an explosion.

During these years, he's grown closer to John. He knows he shouldn't get attached, but John is such a sweet, loyal person, Seere can't help but care for him. He's gentle and protects those around him, gives everything he's got to try to keep his friends safe. He's grown into a man that Seere is proud to watch over, even if it's become dangerous to do so. Angels aren't allowed to love.

Still, his job goes well up until John is in his 26th year -- and he suddenly disappears.

Seere tracks his last signature to the point where it disappeared. It's a portal to Mars. Seere knows this, but he can't go. He can't leave the sphere of influence that Angels have on Earth. He can't travel to Mars with him, can't protect him. For once in his eternal life, Seere is afraid he will fail. He's not afraid of the punishment for it, he's afraid for John.

So, he heads back to Heaven to wait, and never have two days seemed so long for someone with as much patience as he has.

As soon as John's familiar tug reappears on Earth, Seere seeks him out.

He finds him at the hospital, beside the bed of his sister, and he immediately looks the both of them over for injuries. John is perfectly healthy, as far as Seere can tell, but Sam seems as if she has been wounded. Not fatally so, thankfully.

He breathes out a sigh of relief. He is so glad to see his charge is safe.

Comments

[the_baking_vampire]

Seere frowns a little more and takes a cautious step closer. He knows this man is a hunter. He was briefed. Vaguely. Nobody really tells him anything important, only that he needs to protect this man and his brother, which is somewhat difficult, considering Seere is most definitely not a warrior and his ability to exorcise demons is not exactly on par with Castiel's.

"He can't hear you. He's on assignment elsewhere. I know I'm not what you were expecting, but I'll do everything I can to help you. There are demons here, aren't there? You're hunting them?"

[lovestheimpala]

"Trying to earn your wings?"

[the_baking_vampire]

"I already have my wings." He unfurls them just to prove it. They'renotthatsmall,arethey?

[lovestheimpala]

Those wings unfold and Dean goes from annoyed amusement to aiming straight between his eyes.

"What the hell are you? 'Cause you're no angel. Don't bother lying. Got no time for this shit. What are you really and what did you do to Cas?"

Because last he checked, his eyes should be bleeding down his cheek for seeing an angel without a vessel. And last he checked, vessels didnt have wings.

[the_baking_vampire]

"What?"

Seere is very surprised by that response. "I am an angel, just of a different order than Castiel. He's a warrior. I'm not. I'm just a guardian."

He tucks his wings back in, seeing as they obviously aren't helping him in this situation. "What makes you think I'm not an angel?"

[lovestheimpala]

"If you're an angel, why can I see you? Where's the the eye-burning light of grace and and the six wings and lion's head. How can I even look at you? You're supposed to be the size of the Chrysler building, right? Why are you so... small."

[the_baking_vampire]

If Seere hadn't accepted his rather ... diminutive stature on the day he was created, he probably would have been insulted. Or laughed.

As it is, he just smiles. At least he understands now. "You're used to dealing with warriors. As I said, I'm just a guardian. I was created to protect and serve whoever I'm assigned to, which means that I work much more closely with humans than other angels. With that specification in mind, Guardians were created more compact. 'Suitable for human consumption', you might say."

[lovestheimpala]

"Perfect. That's exactly what I needed."

There's a little eyeroll but he doesn't really have much to work here. No Sam, no Bobb y, no Cas, and as much as he'd like to puff up and say he can handle it on his own, he knows he can't.

"So you're not a warrior, but you can fight, right? 'Cause I've got a town swarming with demons and I need to know that when we go out there, you're not gonna bail on me."

[the_baking_vampire]

"I am here to defend you. I would not leave your side. If you are the sword, I will be the shield." Seere's never gone up against demons before, but he is particularly good at defending others, so if Dean is good at the fighting bit, then they should make it through this.

[lovestheimpala]

"You've got a blade, right? Tell me you've at least got that."

[the_baking_vampire]

Awkward shuffle. "They do not give blades to my class of angel."

[lovestheimpala]

Ff- "Fine. Just bring whatever mojo you've got. Car's outside."

He grabs his back and heads for the door, and the whole time he'll be muttering inaudible curses about what he'd like to do to the guy who decided to send down a glorified teddy bear instead of a fighter.

[the_baking_vampire]

Seere can hear him, but he doesn't say anything about it.

He follows Dean out to the car, and he tips his head to the side. "What's the plan?"

[lovestheimpala]

"Just follow my lead."

That means he doesn't have a plan. Not really. Plan is to sneak into the bar where he knows they're holed up and take it from there.

There was a plan, but that included an angel who has a fucking clue. So they're just going to hope this goes their way.

[the_baking_vampire]

Wonderful. That won't go wrong.

At least when they hit the back door, Seere can move to the other side of it and unlock it from there, which he does, holding it open for Dean.

He's a little nervous. The presence of this many demons is an abomination and it scratches at him. He doesn't like it.

[lovestheimpala]

Before they go in he'll salt any window and door he can spot to limit their exits, and he's trying to be quiet about this, but Seere's being so tense that he can almost smell the fear.

"You okay? You're lookin' kinda pale there."

[the_baking_vampire]

"I'm fine." He probably thinks it's a good thing that, as an angel, his presence is relatively insignificant and hard to notice, or the demons would have sensed him by now. Small favors.

"Please do not be concerned about me. I will do my duty."

[lovestheimpala]

"You're not exactly making that easy."

Dean turns to give him a little look before he ducks down and heads into the building, holy water in one hand and knife in the other.

[the_baking_vampire]

Seere follows after him, and it's only a few bends later when they come across their first demon. A single one. Seere can handle a single one, right? Right. He is an angel, and as an angel, he still has the ability to smite things, so he flies next to it and places his hand on the demon's forehead.

Now, it's not as impressive as the smiting ability of an angel like Castiel. Where an angel in the higher ranks might be able to smite a demon in, oh, three seconds, Seere takes eight seconds, and in addition to that, it's not even got all the fireworks. No, his just results in a subdued glow and a quiet 'pop' at the end, like he's just killed some particularly sinister bubble wrap.

He looks at the demon as it drops to the floor, and then he looks back at Dean, biting at his lip because he knows that was pathetic. But... at least he can do it?

[lovestheimpala]

Well, that's... impotent. Then again, it does the job and that really is ALL that matters.

"Good job," he says with a half-smile that inditactes he might be really trying to not be a dick here.

There's no time for that. There's a hallway in front of them that goes both left and right, and Dean motions for Seere to take one end while he himself goes down the other to see what's in store for him.

[the_baking_vampire]

Seere knows it's false praise, but it's better than being scolded. It's not really his fault he's just a Guardian.

And the only reason he agrees to splitting up is that because Dean is his charge now, Seere will be able to sense if he's in pain. Hopefully that will be enough for Seere to get there in time.

So, he goes left, checking each room in turn. He runs across a single demon two doors down, and he manages to smite that one, too, but good lord, if he runs across two at the same time, he has no idea how he'll fight them.

[lovestheimpala]

It's only a little easier on his side of things. He runs into two first, and then one shortly after that, but he handles it well enough. It's sad that he probably has more experience with demon slaying than the angel does, but that's just how it is. A handful of demons isn't too bad considering the type of things he has been through. He'll get beaten and bruised, but he'll hold his own just fine.

[the_baking_vampire]

Seere has to rely more on agility to keep himself out of trouble. Unlike the demons, he's not rooted into a body, so he can use his wings to fend off attacks and fly out of the way. So, he manages to handle his side, too, although he certainly doesn't post a time for the record books.

Once he can't sense any more in his immediate vicinity, he wings back to find Dean. "Are you alright?"

[lovestheimpala]

Dean's backed up against the wall with a nasty black eye, a split lip, and a deep cut on his arm, but he's sort of smiling.

"Yeah, 'm fine. How about you?"

[the_baking_vampire]

At least this is something he can deal with. He moves over to him and reaches out, pressing his index and middle fingers against Dean's forehead and passes his grace through him. Soon enough, those injuries are gone without a trace.

"I'm sorry I was slow."