[Fic] "It’s Not Easy Being King"

[lux_tuli]

Title: "It’s Not Easy Being King"

Fandom: Supernatural

Rating: Teen

Pairing(s): Castiel x Sam Winchester

Characters: Sam Winchester, Castiel, Meg Masters, Raphael, Dean Winchester

Word Count: 3,179

Summary: [Post S5 AU] Most people would probably celebrate and eat a burger or two after managing to get out of a place as bad as the Cage. But no, Sam has plans - plans to become the new king of Hell and he is not going to let anyone stand in his way.

Written for: SPN Reverse Bang

Originally posted: February 17, 2017

Artwork by: azazelsocks

The Cage had not been kind to Sam, it had been designed to serve as a punishment for a rebellious archangel, and coming out of that experience had twisted him in a way that there was no return to the person that he used to be. Perhaps it had been Lucifer’s influence, after all the Devil knew how to get underneath his skin better than anyone else.

 

He knew that Hell had to change. Crowley was a weak and ineffective king, souls were mismanaged and the demons neither feared or respected him. And who would respect a coward that turned tail when things got tough? He had been a crossroad demon, a salesperson, and not a soldier. A leader needed to be firm and absolute.

 

Sam had not shared his thoughts with his brother Dean or Castiel because he knew that they would try to stop him and say that something was broken inside of him, a lingering aftereffect of the Cage. However, he was fortunate as he knew of one demon that would be willing to help him. Meg, Lucifer’s right hand woman and as he had heard it, no fan of Crowley either.

 

“Sam Winchester, in the flesh….and alone to boot, to what do I owe this honor?” Meg drawled out in a curious tone as he found her cradling a beer inside a hole in the wall bar.

 

“Thought you would be interested in kicking Crowley the Usurper King off his undeserved throne.” Sam answered softly, not wanting to draw the attention of anymore else with his talk, as he settled into the stool beside her.

 

“Oh yeah? And who are you going to place in his stead? Gonna pop our Father out of the box?” She sounded hopeful. Sam did not understand why she adored Lucifer so much when it was clear that he despised demons just as much as humans. Furthermore, the Devil had no interest in the inner workings of Hell. It had just been a means to an end in his eyes.

 

“Yeah, no. I was thinking more along the lines of me.” Meg howled out in laughter, tears streaming down her face as if he had told the funniest joke ever, “Have you lost a few screws in your noggin’?”

 

“Am I supposed to forget that you demons have called me the boy king?” He pointed out. It was a name that had been thrown at him before and while he had not made much of it at the time, he had not forgotten about it. As Lucifer’s true vessel, the throne was meant to be his and he was going to reclaim what was his, even if he did not have the archangel riding shotgun.

 

“You’re being serious,” Meg’s jaw dropped in shock.

 

“Very, so what is it going to be? Are you in or not?” He finally offered.

 

---

 

Sam had stormed into Hell with Meg at his side and an army of demons following behind him that she had recruited. Apparently there was still many that were loyal to Lucifer so they were easily swayed to rally behind him and others that were discontent with Crowley’s rule as king.

 

While Sam had brought an army with him, there was no army to defend Crowley, even as the alarms echoed through hallways of Hell. It just went to show how little support that he had in Hell.

 

It just figured that Crowley would not do his own fighting and instead sent hellhounds after him. He managed to take them all out, though not before Juliet took a good chunk out of his lower right arm. He paid his heavily bleeding arm little mind as he tracked down Crowley to put him in his place.

 

---

 

After Sam had subdued the little cretin, he put Meg temporarily in charge of things as he returned to the surface to take care of his arm. He prayed to Castiel, wondering if it was blasphemy for the King of Hell to pray to an angel.

 

He heard the unmistakable sound of feathers as Castiel materialized inside the room. His features became consumed by concern as he regarded him. “Sam, what happened?” He questioned, brows furrowing.

 

Sam was unclear if it was remnants of Lucifer’s grace lingering inside him or if the power came with the job but he could now sense Castiel’s grace, weakened as it was but still present nevertheless.

 

“I will be alright, just got into a fight that got a little rough.” He answered vaguely.

 

“Why didn’t you contact Dean or I? We could have provided assistance.” Castiel frowned at him.

 

“It’s something that I had to do on my own.” Sam insisted, not wanting any more debate on the matter. The angel gripped his right arm to take a closer look at it and he watched as his frown deepened.

 

“I’m afraid that I can only do so much being cut off as I am from the Host. I’m sorry but I don’t think that I will be able to save your hand.” Bright blue eyes bore into him with sadness.

 

“It’s not your fault…I guess no more late night sessions alone with my right hand then.” Sam joked lightly and it went right over Castiel’s halo as he squinted his eyes at him in confusion.

 

Once Sam had hacked off the now dead weight, Castiel had healed his stub of an arm. It was going to be a bit of hindrance as he was always accustomed to holding weapons with his right hand but he would adjust.

 

“You should call Dean, he’s worried about you.” Castiel advised him just about as Sam was ready to head out.

 

“That’s because he’s a big brother and worries about everything.” Sam chuckled as he brushed him off.

 

“I worry about you too.” The angel added firmly.

 

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” He gave him a small, genuine smile. Those that had cared about him had been few, especially when he had realized that many of the people he knew growing up were only invested in him to manipulate him towards becoming Lucifer’s vessel. Nothing more than a pawn.

 

Ruby had used him too. The whole experience had left a bitter taste in his mouth, he had been willing to overlook the fact that she was a demon because he knew that once upon a time she had been human. He had believed her when she said that she remembered what it was like to be human and had supposedly gone against Lilith for him but it was all just a clever act so Sam was not quick to trust anyone else.

 

But Castiel was not like the others. Angels had been shown to not be as wholesome as the Bible had suggested but even amongst the liars and deceivers of the Host, Castiel had remained pure. And so there was no reason to doubt his sincerity.

 

---

 

It had been a week since he had claimed the throne of Hell and things were progressing, albeit slowly. He was not too worried, it was not like Rome had been built in a day. He had stomped out most of the unruly disobedience with a few demonstrations of what would happen if they crossed him.

 

Presently he found himself raiding Lucifer’s old crypts, which Meg thankfully knew the locations of as Yellow Eyes had taken her to them, in an effort to stock up on weapons and other useful items. He never would have thought that the archangel was such a hoarder and had made off with quite a bit before he was given the boot out of Heaven. He was pretty sure that the angel blade that basically sung in his hold had once been Lucifer’s own archangel blade. Strange how he had kept it locked up instead of using it. Sam decided to hold onto it because it would prove useful if the forces of Heaven tried to oppose him.

 

Though, he had not gotten any indication that Heaven was aware that there had been a change in the leadership, not a single envoy had appeared at his door. So long as the Devil was locked in his Cage, he supposed that the angels did not care about what happened in Hell so long as it was contained to Hell itself.

 

He was perusing through the old tomes, noting that Lucifer had been a bit of a nerd himself, when his cell phone rang. He gave a look to Meg to not say anything as he answered it.

 

“Yeah?” Sam said plainly.

 

“What is this rumor that I’m hearing that you took over Hell!?” Dean shouted through the phone, causing Sam to pull it away from his ear. Well, he had not expected news to travel so fast.

 

“Who told you?” He spoke calmly.

 

“Cas heard it over angel radio! Dammit, Sam, what were you thinking! Is this why you have been gone so much lately?” Well, so that meant the angels did know that he had taken over Hell.

 

“You wouldn’t understand and that’s why I didn’t tell you of my plans. You would have only gotten in the way.”

 

“Damn right I would!” Dean affirmed.

 

“Look, it’s a done deal. You yelling at me isn’t going to change the facts.”

 

“You can still abdicate the throne and come back. It’s not like it’s a lifelong commitment.” His brother suggested. Sam scowled at the thought.

 

“No, I have not come so far to suddenly give up on my plans. Bye, Dean.” Sam huffed as he ended the call.

 

“Trouble in paradise? I bet big brother was not too keen on your new title.” Meg cackled.

 

---

 

Now aware that the angels knew that Sam was king, he had expecting perhaps a small army to come pounding on his doors. There was no army but there was one particular angel that showed up. The one angel that he knew better than any other. No doubt Castiel was seething in anger at his actions but it was a little reassuring that he did not have his angel blade out.

 

Meg gave him a look wondering if he needed backup but Sam simply waved her off. He could have greeted the angel sarcastically but decided against it because he was probably skating on thin ice already.

 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” He pursed his lips, observing how Castiel’s hands were balled up into fists.

 

“Why? Why would you do this? Heaven is in an uproar thinking you are going to let out Lucifer next. I intercepted an assassin on my way here.” He was grateful that despite Castiel’s opposition to Sam as king of Hell, he still cared for him as enough of a friend to take care of the assassin.

 

“And why would I let the Devil out? Do you think that I have forgotten how he had tortured me in the Cage? He can rot in there with Michael for the rest of eternity for all I care.” Sam snarled out. Sure, he could understand Lucifer’s plight and sympathize with him but he would never forgive him for what he did.

 

Not just the Cage either, he had ruined his whole life. Demons manipulating him to bring him closer to his so called destiny of being his meatsuit. Jessica and his mother would have never have died if it was not for Lucifer. Sure, he had not done the deed outright, it was the Azazel, but it had been done for his own benefit.

 

“No, I haven’t but they don’t know you like I do. Sam, please, step down before Heaven launches an assault, I don’t want to see you hurt or worse.” Castiel pleaded.

 

“No, the die has already been cast.” Sam shook his head. However, it appeared that the angel did not want to accept his refusal and he stepped forward, reaching his hand out towards him. “Cas, I don’t want to fight you.” He spoke as he wrapped his left and now only hand around Castiel’s wrist, stopping his fingers from touching his forehead.

 

“Why don’t you want to be saved, Sam?”

 

“I have accepted my fate. This is a decision that I have made for myself without any outside force influencing me.” Sam released Castiel’s arm and it dropped to his side.

 

“It doesn’t have to be like this.”

 

“I’m afraid that it has to be.” Sam insisted. He wished that Castiel could understand his point of view and see that he was trying to change things for the better.

 

“Then we must go our separate ways.” Cas frowned, saddened by the thought.

 

“Go in peace, I have no quarrel with you.” Sam sighed, watching as his friend turned around and flew away.

 

As soon as Castiel disappeared from sight, Meg approached him, tilting her head, “Is it wise to let him go like this?”

 

“He’s still my friend...even if we aren’t on the same side anymore.” And if possible, he would like to not engage him in battle. There were many things that Sam had been willing to sacrifice in order to take the throne but his friendship with Castiel was not one of them.

 

---

 

Castiel’s warning had came true, Sam had been attending to endless onslaught of paperwork when the alarm bells rang through all of Hell and a panicked Meg ran towards him saying that angels had attacked. The paperwork was left forgotten as he stormed forward to confront his opposition, Lucifer’s old angel blade in hand.

 

As he stared down at the ranks of angel that had descended down into Hell, Castiel was not among them, not that he had expected him to be but had a worry that he would join them. In the front of the group taking charge was none other than Raphael, the only archangel that was left free to roam as she pleased. Her true form stood out over the others as archangels had six wings instead of two.

 

“The famed boyking…” Raphael spat in disgust.

 

“I doubt that you have come to chit chat with the new neighbor. Especially not with the full might of Have at your side and bearing arms instead of pie.” Sam smirked as he scanned over the soldiers lined behind Raphael. He could see the uneasiness in their eyes.

 

“You’re an abomination that needs to be put down.” She asserted.

 

“So, I’m a terminally ill dog now?” Sam snickered, “Well, you can go ahead and try but I won’t go down without a fight.” He had faced one archangel before and came out victorious, what was another?

 

The pleasantries were over and fighting broke out. Unlike when he had invaded Hell and the demons failed to rally behind Crowley, the demons had backed him up, going after their angelic attackers while Sam concentrated on Raphael.

 

Crowley had hardly been any match for him but the archangel was a worthy opponent. They were God’s oldest and most powerful soldiers but Sam was confident that he could still come out triumphant. He had held his own against Lucifer and wrestled back control of his body from him so there was hope that he could defeat Raphael.

 

He paid little mind to the nicks from Raphael’s blade or his own blood coating his skin, they were of little consequence and paled in comparison to when he had lost his right hand. Raphael had countered one of his blows and knocked him down to the ground about ready to deliver a devastating blow when Castiel appeared behind the archangel and attacked her.

 

“Castiel! You dare defy your own kin for this abomination?” Raphael growled out in rage.

 

“That abomination is my friend and I won’t let you kill him!” Castiel hissed.

 

“And since when have you ever thought of Castiel as family? You all rejected him as soon as he had stood up for my brother and I.” Sam pushed himself up to his feet and countered.

 

“He rebelled against our Father’s will just like Lucifer did.” Sam grew enraged by the comparison, Castiel was nothing like Lucifer. Castiel had gone against his orders because he cared about humanity and he knew that a fight between two archangels would wipe out most of the Earth.

 

“You have some nerve! Castiel is a million times better than any one of you angels.” Sam fumed.

 

“I will not be lectured by the likes of you.” Raphael’s lips curled in disgust, repulsed by his entire existence. It was nothing new. First he was the boy with the demon blood and now he was the scorned king of Hell. Either way, he did not care about their opinions of him.

 

“Then perhaps you should re-think your insults next time.” Sam growled out. He is unable to even spare a glance at his demonic subjects to see how they were faring as all of his attention was centered on taking out Raphael, Castiel fighting by his side. It spoke volumes that Castiel personally disagreed with his actions, he would still jump in to defend him.

 

After Castiel is punctured by an unfamiliar looking blade, Sam lunged at Raphael and sunk Lucifer’s blade right through her chest, casting an imprint of wings onto the floor. He paid little mind to the angels that started to flee now that their was dead as Sam knelt beside Castiel and pulled him close to his chest with his arm.

 

“Sam...I’m dying…” The angel grunted out painfully. He was taken back by surprise as while Castiel had been wounded, he had not thought that it was fatal.

 

“Shh, no, no, I’m not going to let that happen…” Sam firmly insisted, refusing to believe that his friend was going to die like this.

 

“Listen to me, Sam...I don’t want to spend my last few moments with regrets….I love you...more than a brother.” Castiel confessed as he croaked weakly and reached up to touch his face.

 

“I-” Sam started to respond until Castiel lost consciousness, “Cas! Cas! Stay with me!” He cried out desperately, caring not if it ruined his image as king of Hell.

 

“He needs to be healed...fast!” Meg informed him as she skedaddled over to his side.

 

“Is there anything we can do?”

 

She paused for a moment to consider their options before finally opening her mouth, “There were rumors that one of the staffs kept in Lucifer’s crypt had belonged to Raphael.”

 

“And?” He prodded impatiently as there was no time to dawdle with the angel’s life in the balance.

 

“Raphael was known as the Healer and the staff is known for its healing properties.” Meg explained.

 

“Then what are you waiting for? Go get it!” Sam snapped and the demon disappeared with a poof.

 

---

 

Thankfully, Lady Luck had decided to shine down on him for once as the staff that Meg retrieved from the crypt was in fact the same one that had belonged to Raphael. The staff worked its magic and Castiel was healed.

 

Sam smiled down at his angel and said, “I love you too.”