Neutral Omens

"You have your hobbies and I have mine." Then Crowley snorted.

"Jealous?" he asked, pointing at Michael. "Of that? You wish. Oh, come on, Raph, you know you'd love it if I did something demonic to you. It'd be a major turn-on, I'm sure."

From:

The healer's demeanor suddenly changed and he looked up at the taller angel somewhat tearfully, shaking just slightly in his arms.

"You see how he is Michael?" He swallowed then faced Crowley. "And don't act like you haven't tried to! You know how much I hate that and you... you..." He shuddered and turned to Mike. "He thinks it's funny," he said, voice wavering. "He thinks it's funny what he tried to do..." A few tears trickled down his cheeks and he trembled.

"Well Michael won't let you do that again!" He cried. "You think you can get away with your filthy antics well you can't!" He shrank against Michael and looked up at him, visibly agitated. "Don't let him touch me again, I don't want to be touched like that by a demon like him, please don't let him touch me..."

From:

This far Michael had managed to follow the interaction between Raphael and Crowley without stepping in, even though some of the comments had made his blood boil. Now, however, he couldn't stay silent any longer.

"Don't worry, love," he said, drawing Raphael closer to himself with one hand, gently wiping away the tears with the other. Seeing Raphael cry made his heart ache. "I won't let him do anything to you." He glared at the demon over Raphael's head. "One step closer, and I will make you regret it," he growled.

And to think he had decided the demon wasn't that bad after all! Well, he definitely should have known better than to trust a demon.

"It's all right, love," he whispered at Raphael. "It's all right." When he thought Raphael wasn't shaking as badly as before, he asked sharply, his eyes directed at the demon, "Just what did he try to do?" In his mind he vowed a thousand painful deaths to the demon if he'd hurt his precious Raphael in any way.

From:

Wiping a few more tears away with the back of his own hand, Raphael looked at Crowley with red-rimmed eyes and explained in gasps.

"He... he did something to my infirmary and all I wanted to know was what he did but he couldn't tell me! The whole place reeked of demonic aura and all I did was ask a question," he said with a shiver, "But I went alone and he mocked me. And then he..." Raphael took a breath. "When I insisted on knowing what he did to my hospital he attacked me. He forced my arms behind my back and twisted them, hurting me and saying he didn't have to tell me anything.

When I tried to get free," he went on in a strangled voice, "He picked me up and threw me on the bed, then pinned me down and... and..." He dissolved into tears again. "I'm shorter than he is! I couldn't fight him off! He said that if I was nosy, bad things would happen to me, and that I was going to Fall and then he touched me...."

Raphael clung to Michael for a moment and dried his eyes again.

"Frankie attacked and distracted him and I just barely slipped away," he sniffed. "But we weren't together yet my love and I knew he'd lie if I said anything so... so I didn't, I ran away and hid in my room," he explained miserably. "Besides, I don't want you to get into trouble on my account!

Just please don't let him touch me, not again..." He broke down once again and became mostly incoherent. Sobs wracked his body but he let Michael hold and steady him.

And that is what happened anyway. For the most part. Kinda. More or less a few insignificant details.

From:

Michael listened to Raphael's explanation, too shocked and enraged to say anything. He couldn't even recall when he'd last felt as angry. Given his temper, this was quite remarkable. How dared the demon! Nobody was allowed to hurt his Raphael.

Leaving his right arm around Raphael, he felt the hilt of his sword forming in the grip of his left hand. As the sword was there, flames flaring high, he pointed with it at the demon. As much as he would have liked to hit first and ask questions later, Raphael was there next to him, and he wasn't about to put Raphael into unnecessary danger.

"You have exactly ten seconds to explain yourself, demon," he growled.

From:

Crowley gaped as he listened to Raphael's "explanation" of what had happened. For the first time in a long time he was completely speechless. Knowing that anything he said would be assumed to be a lie unless he agreed with the angel, which would also make him look bad, Crowley quickly considered his options. Clutching the hose tightly with the half-formed plan to put out the flames on Michael's sword should it get too close, he willed himself to speak calmly.

"I notice that you somehow neglected to mention the fact that you attacked me first during that little scenario," drawled Crowley to Raphael. Two could play this little game...

From:

An indignant gasp escaped Raphael's throat as Crowley made his, albeit truthful, accusation. Regardless of it's veracity, Raphael wasn't about to let Michael believe him.

"You know me, Michael," he said in a voice that was equally tearful and offended. "You know how I feel about violence. You know how I feel about hurting others.

Would I attack first as he accuses, with no other cause aside from an unanswered question? Would I attack someone bigger and stronger than me?" There were more tears. "Then again, I suppose that a demon wouldn't be above blaming the victim."

He looked Crowley straight in the eyes, blood-shot ones gazing into yellow.

"You're despicable," he spat before going back to soaking Michael's shirt with his sobbing.

From:

"No," said Crowley significantly. "A demon wouldn't be."

He winced to see Raphael manipulate Michael so obviously, but the larger angel seemed to be eating it up with a spoon. Well, it looked like Raphael would soon have plenty of time to learn subtlety.

"Yeah, I'm a horrible, nasty, evil demon, so why don't you leave so that you don't have to tolerate my awful presence any longer."

From:

Raphael bristled at his comment but he refused to acknowledge that it bothered him aloud.

"We don't have to leave; we've as much right to be here as you, and perhaps moreso since we don't intend any mischief and aren't going to do anything wrong. You cannot be trusted, just like you couldn't be with the infirmary.

Why don't you leave, if you feel so offended or threatened?" He frowned. "Or perhaps if you cannot behave around angels you will be made to leave."

From:

Michael glared at Crowley, still hugging Raphael close, his shirt soaked from the other angel's tears only serving to make him more furious. "You heard him, demon," he growled, resisting the urge to simply attack. His sword longed to cut demonic flesh, the dance of the flames like a call to battle, but he couldn't do like his every instinct was telling him to. For one thing, Adam would definitely not like it; for another, a battle, even against a lower demon, would put Raphael at an unnecessary risk.

"Unless you can behave yourself, leave my sight and fast. I will not tolerate you upsetting Raphael any further." He would have demanded the demon to apologize, but figured that the vile creature probably wasn't even capable of such an action.

From:

"I'm not leaving," scoffed Crowley, refusing to back down, which would indicate fear. "I was here first. And don't you dare condescend to me. Neither of you has ever had any say as to how I behave."

He was beginning to think that his behaviour was better than most angels, but he'd have to contemplate the consequences of that later. For now, his attention was focused on not getting discorporated by a smite happy idiot and a manipulative, scheming little prick.

From:

"Oh, really?" Raphael asked, sniffed yet still taunting. "You think you can oppose Michael? I should dearly like to see that. You're not so much, not now when it's a warrior you're threatening and not a small defenseless healer.

So unless you want to lose a few limbs or would like to be discorporated - why don't you bugger off? There's a good demon," Raphael sneered back at him, throwing the condescending words he'd so hated back in the demon's face and deriving satisfaction from the fact that Michael was beside him to back his words up.

"We aren't leaving. And if you don't act a little more respectful and give Michael the politeness he is due, I'll bless every drop of water that comes from that hose you're holding."

From:

"I can oppose Michael," snapped Crowley in frustration. "I have opposed Michael. Three times already and it's getting really old. Get this through your thick holy heads. You. Can't. Hurt. Me. At. The. Manor. And if I really had tried to hurt you, Adam would have stopped me the same way he will stop you if you don't back the hell off."

He was faintly embarrassed at hiding behind a teenager, but outnumbered and outpowered, his options were limited. Crowley looked nervously at the hose in his hand, but held onto it thinking he could drop it before Raphael could finish blessing it. At the moment it was all he had.

"No one gets my respect without earning it. If you're polite to me, I'll be polite right back, but look at who's holding the damn sword here."

From:

"You have gotten lucky three times," Raphael retorted. "And I would not be so confident if I were you. You attempted to manhandle me; and he had not intervened by the time I fled. How far do you think one has to go before he steps in? Perhaps he judges 'hurt' by a different definition.

Or perhaps, being the anti-Christ and all, he would worry about you more than I. But if that is the case then I do not fear; Michael defeated his father by going all out - if need be, he could surely defeat the son. And I should fight as strongly."

His eyes flashed with anger and he took a step towards the demon, still holding on to Michael.

"You don't respect anybody. You're an insufferable know-it-all who thinks he's a big deal until he's outmatched and must resort to lies and deception. Propriety doesn't work with creatures like you; you're flippant and snide and I wouldn't trust you for a moment without a sword to guard against your deceits and wiles."

From:

Michael lowered his sword a bit as Crowley didn't seem to be getting outwardly aggressive. Hwoever, he wasn't about to put it away yet. Who knew what the demon was plotting.

"I can't hurt you at the Manor, eh?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Might I remind you what happened the last time you confronted me? Maybe I can't discorporate you, but would you like to test just how far I can go before Adam decides to interfere?"

From:

Crowley rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "I've had worse than a punch in the jaw. And to attack me just because I happen to be in the same room with you is hardly angelic. What is your problem anyway? You know I'm no threat to you and yet you keep menacing me with your little Freudian symbol there."

He swiveled to Raphael. "As for you, don't think that hiding behind your muscley friend is going to help. It's pathetic. You're supposedly a fucking archangel, not a kitten. How could someone as weak as you help anyone? And if you're not, why should He keep you around? You're useless."

From: