Act VI: Two-persons love triangles

Although Castiel and Horknath had expressly asked Fergus not to do too many robberies anymore, they still had some money to earn, and their employer still had some debts to collect elsewhere. The gentlemen thieves had never fully been out of business - they just didn't do big robberies that often anymore.

Castiel was secretly glad about it, and not only because he was relieved to know that he was to act against the law a little less often. Truth be told, he had deeply fallen for Dean over the last few months, and it made his feelings for a certain masked vigilante quite painful. It had taken him some time to realize it, but he had developed a secret crush for Cherry Saddle. He hoped that by meeting less often, his feelings would finally die down and be saved just for Dean.

Carleen, on the other side, was growing restless. Granted, she loved Horknath more than anyone in the world. She really did. And she wasn't exactly attracted to this Goliath guy- well, alright, but it was just a meaningless crush. And she might have dreamt of him at night more than once.
Truth be told, she felt terrible about it, and tried her hardest not to let Horknath know, but- for some reason, she needed closure. She desperately needed to see Goliath again, and maybe just talk tot him, or even just kiss him so her subconscious would finally acknowledge that Horknath was the only one that might lit up that spark for her, and leave her be.

That might have been the reason why, when she and Dean found the tiniest hint that the gentlemen thieves might attempt a new robbery, she dragged him there with her. She felt her heart racing in her chest when they found an open window whose lock had been forced in a remote aisle of a mansion.
Finally, they would meet again.

Carleen threw a glance at Dean and try to suppress her giddy smile, but let's be real, it was hard for her to do so.
"Let's go, Mr. Saddle," she whispered to him on a playful tone and with a wink, before she snuck inside the mansion.

Dean, without really knowing it, was entertaining the exact same thoughts that his life-long best friend had in that moment - and he had for quite some time by now, to his utmost embarrassment and shame. Just- not about Goliath, of course. And it made him mad, oh so mad, that he just couldn't forget that stupid, definitely one-sided little crush he had on the Panthom - who, just so we don't forget it, was a criminal. A criminal! And this criminal kept plaguing his dreams like some ghost made of guilty attraction while he had the sweetest, most handsome boyfriend one could ever wish for! And that was why, when Carleen had told him there were voices about the thieves planning to invade yet another house, he jumped on it without any hesitation. He needed closure. He just needed it. Whether it be the Phantom ending up in shackles and in a police car or anything else. Literally anything. He just nodded to Carleen, his smile just a little bit more nervous.
"After you, Mrs. Scissorhands", he answered as playfully, following her inside the mansion.

Horknath, on the other hand, had hoped really hard he'd never meet the two masked vigilantes ever again. He couldn't deal with the kind of guilt that came whenever his thoughts wandered over to them - and on one of them in particular too. Once or twice he had even found himself overlapping the slender figure and cheeky smile of Carleen, the girl he loved more than anyone else in the whole world, to the one of the Fairy - and that thought always left him full of shame. He was happy with Carleen. He was very happy! Why couldn't he avoid thinking of this other woman, that meant absolutely nothing to him whatsoever? Suddenly, his grim trail of thoughts was interrupted by the soft noise of careful steps proceeding in a distant corridor. His ears perked up. "Phantom", he whispered. "I think we have company."
Why did he even sound worried - they were the thieves, so they were the dangerous presences in the house right now! Right?

If Horknath might have heard steps, they were definitely Carleen's - she wore high heels so often during daytime that even a good deal of training and missions at night couldn't fully correct her steps. Besides, agility was Dean's talent, not hers.

Castiel gritted his teeth - he was trying to pick the lock of a kind of treasure room - for some reason reach people liked to stock their most prized belonging in one place and thought that a key would keep them safe from robbery, oddly enough - and turned slightly to look at Horknath, with a soft sigh. "I hoped we wouldn't see them tonight. I need you to buy me time," he whispered hastily to his friend. "There are three locks to this door, and they seem quite complex." He knew that forcing the door was also an option - his friend was more than capable of doing so - but it might alert more people that the two vigilantes. That was only to be used as a last-resort solution.

Horknath threw a wide-eyed glance at his friend. "What?" He sounded definitely terrified of that idea. It was already dreadful enough that they were around, but now he had to face them alone? To face the Fairy alone? Then again, if there had been another solution, Castiel would have probably suggested it first, right? He groaned, throwing a wary glance to the door. "Alright, fine. But try to get to me quick, alright?" He rose from his position and moved through the corridors to find a point where he would surely block the two vigilantes. He would be waiting for them, tall and imposing, squared up for a fight.

Castiel shot a sorry smile at his friend before he went away, and went back to working on picking up the locks.

Since Carleen was in front, she was the first one to spot Goliath, and couldn't help the wide grin that bloomed on her lips. "Well, well, well. Looks like you've been waiting for us, handsome. I hope it's because you missed me!" Part of her rational mind was yelling at her to sTOP FLIRTING with the pretty boy right this instant. She had a perfect boyfriend, for fuck's sake! Why did she feel the need to flirt with Goliath anytime she saw him!

And Horknath promptly flushed deep red under his mask - and unfortunately for him, it was quite well visible on his uncovered cheeks. "I- I've been waiting here because I could hear you click-clacketing with your heels from three blocks away, and not certainly for whatever reason you might think!", he answered, maybe too defensively to be taken seriously. "You will not get past me!" God he was so mad for always falling for those flirty compliments she threw at him! He was a faithful man. He had an amazing girlfriend. He needed to stop blushing like a stupid little boy!

Dean threw a glance at Carleen, rolling his eyes at her. Was that really the moment to flirt with the enemy? Then he glared at Goliath, who despite the evident fluster, hadn't left his defensive stance. Damn, the corridor was too narrow, and that guy was way too big. There was no way he could get around him... "Oh we will get past you", he quipped back. "I bet your friend is lock picking some drawer or trying to force open a safe, huh? If you two were done already, you'd be both here! So we came in just at the right moment!" He knew he was right when Goliath's stance became more aggressive.

"Don't make me repeat myself. I. Won't. Let you get past me."

"Always so mean with us, Goliath," Carleen said with a teasing smile, before she threw a glance at Dean. Her friend seemed quite resolute about going past the giant to find the Phantom... She couldn't blame Dean, though. Because of his weird abilities, the Phantom was usually quite unpredictable, and could actually leave the place with the item he and Goliath were after while his colleague handled both Dean and Carleen.

Not this time, though. Carleen used her powers to control a bunch of ribbons attached to her hips, and unrolled the long bands to have them curl around Goliath, to knot themselves around his body and push him to the side. Thankfully enough, her powers held more force than her weak little body.

"Now, Cherry!" She yelled at Dean, to let him know that she would try to hold on for as long as possible.

Dean simply nodded at Carleen - they had planned every possible outcome early on, and this had been one of them. They had definitely suspected that Goliath could have been right there, to keep an eye on eventual disturbances as his colleague opened up safes or closed doors. He sprinted past Goliath, quickly and swiftly disappearing in the dark down the corridor.

And Horknath could just watch, powerless as Cherry ran away, too surprised and stunned by being suddenly restricted to react properly. Seeing the vigilante disappear though made the shock wear away, and he immediately tried to break away from those bands. "Let me go", he roared, trying to force the binds apart by flexing his shoulder and attempting to open his arms.

Dean made his way down the corridors, peeking behind every open door, trying to keep as silent as he could. When he finally saw the flicker of a light coming from the last door down the hall, he steeled himself and quickly entered into the room, his staff in his hands. He hated it, but his heart jumped in his chest at the sight of the Phantom. "We should stop meeting like this", he said, to get his attention. "And by that I mean you should stop breaking into houses and stealing stuff that's not yours."

Carleen was a bit startled by Goliath's roar, and forgot to focus on her ribbons for a split second. The thief probably broke through the fabric, since her powers were not running through it anymore, and she bit on her lower lip briefly.
But if there was one thing she had learned about Goliath, it's that she landed more critical hits with her words than with her actions.
"Already trying to leave me, Goliath? You're wounding my heart. And here I thought you might like me back just a little bit," she said with a pout.

Castiel started when he heard Cherry Saddle's voice, and he abruptly turned around, to look at him. And he immediately regretted doing so, for he was reminded of how much he had missed meeting with him. "It's the last time I'm stealing," he replied quietly to him. "That is, if we can get through this robbery without you stopping us again, Mr. Saddle."

Horknath felt relieved when the ribbons keeping him still were tore apart merely with a hard flex of his arms. He rubbed his forearms a little - the binds had been pretty tight around him, and even if he was far stronger than the average human being, he wasn't a robot, that hadn't been pleasant. But he stuttered and sputtered as soon as the Fairy hit him with yet another flirty remark, face growing red quickly. "W-would you stop that once and for all!", he exclaimed, sounding outraged. "You and your dirty mind games won't affect me!" He crossed his arms on his chest, mostly because he didn't like how much her quips were actually affecting him and making his heart beat faster. "I'm sure that whatever your civilian identity is, a pretty girl like you can do better than a criminal that breaks into other people's houses, so do yourself a favor and cut that off!"

Dean had to force himself to swallow, throat growing dry when he met the Phantom's impossibly blue eyes. He scoffed, hard, when the first thought he got at the sight of the thief was 'Finally'. And then scoffed even more when his words registered in his brain. "The last time you steal? Yeah, right, as if I never heard that before", he said sarcastically. "Why would I even believe you?" The grip on his staff got stronger, his knuckles whitening. He was clearly more tense than usual.

Carleen couldn't hold back a chuckle, but it wasn't as gleeful as per usual. "Maybe. Maybe your civilian self - the one struggling to make ends meet to the point he has to steal at night - also deserves much better than a pretty girl who fights criminals at night." She had taken a few steps towards Goliath though, knowing just how flustered he usually was when she was sweet-talking with him, but- she was actually being half honest there. She had thought about telling Horknath of her late-night activities more than once. She couldn't, however, having him go through the fear of knowing that she was out there, fighting against criminals, nor could she tell him about Goliath. She simply couldn't.

Castiel tilted his head to the side. "You're right. You have no reason to trust a man like me. But you do know that I've never once lied to you, Mr. Saddle." Well. Technically, it was true. When confronted with a situation in which he couldn't tell him the truth, Castiel would rather stay silent than lie to his face. "But- It seems like you've caught us off-guard for tonight. Either you finally manage to catch Goliath and I, or this will indeed be our last robbery."

Horknath didn't feel menaced by the Fairy. Not physically at least, not by a long shot - but he definitely didn't trust himself enough to be that close to her. His thoughts went to Carleen when the vigilante's words went through his ears, and he scoffed. "What you're saying makes no sense. Any man with a woman like that would have to deem himself lucky", he replied, holding his ground for once instead of stepping back. "Besides, this is the last time for us. The last time we have to do this - from tomorrow on, me and the Phantom will be no more."

Dean's jaw tightened. He didn't like to admit it but it was true - the Phantom had never once managed to lie to him. He was way too straightforward for that. So, about that being their last robbery... "Well. I like the first option better", he murmured, the need for closure strengthening in his chest. If I don't get him now, he'll vanish at the dawn like a cloud of smoke. "So don't mind me if I'll try that out." He got into a fighting stance and attacked the other man, trying to ground him.

Carleen's smug smile - that she had been sporting the moment Goliath suggested that anyone dating her should have felt lucky - disappeared when she learned about this 'last time' thing. "Wait-" she scoffed "You're- you're quitting? Why? You're rich enough now? Or is stealing not fun anymore?"

Fighting had never been Castiel's strong point - well. He found himself quite assured with a blade, but he didn't want to harm the vigilante, and a sword never proved useful in any encounters with Cherry Saddle nor the police, so he usually left the fighting to Horknath. So he tried his best to dodge the vigilante's assaults, and he eventually made his wings sprout out from his back so he'd have more balance when he'd try to steal that staff from him-
But he had forgotten for a split moment that he was in a treasure room, and that waving extra limbs around wasn't a glorious idea. He just had the time to hear a vase crashing to the ground before an alarm went off.
Shit.
Of course, there was no window to that room for him to flee in a blink. He tried to rush towards the main door, so that he might have a chance to find Horknath before the house guards did.

After a second of astonished silence, Horknath scoffed loudly. "We're simply done with it, that's all. What - would you rather have us keep robbing people? I thought your goal was to get us to stop", he observed with a small smirk, for once being the one provoking her. "You're sending a lot of mixed signals here, lady-" His taunting was cut short by sirens blaring into his sensitive ears, making him hiss. "Shit - shit", he cursed through gritted teeth, franctically looking around for an escape route. "PHANTOM! I'M GETTING OUT", he shouted in the empty corridor before he tried to get past the Fairy. Who, coincidentally, was blocking the only way out, and had now all the chances to stop him.

Dean was having none of that. Absolutely none of that. "HEY-", he protested as the Phantom rushed beside him. He couldn't let him go like that - not yet. NOT YET! He tried to grab him by the arm, the shoulder, anything, to keep him there and stop him from fleeing - but that something ended up being one of the wings.

Carleen panicked when she heard the sirens blowing off. She panicked, so she didn't think about the fact that being discovered by the guards might endanger her as well. So she crossed her wrists in front of her, unleashing her needles to keep Goliath at bay. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANYWHERE, GOLIATH."

Castiel heard Horknath's cry, and was half relieved - that meant he could throw himself out of the first window he'd find. However, he stopped dead in his tracks when he felt a strong pull on his wings, that had him yelp. His wings were too sensitive - both in the pleasant and unpleasant way, but most of all, it felt inappropriate to let Cherry Saddle grab them. In a desperate attempt to set himself free, he turned around as best as he could. Pulling himself away wasn't helping, so what if-
He reached for the vigilante's staff, secured a leg around it effortlessly and gave a twist so he might try to kick Cherry Saddle in the chest.
If this worked, he'd have to thank Dean for insisting he gave pole dancing a try.

Horknath roared with barely contained frustration. "Are you mad? You're going to get us both in trouble!" He bit his lower lip, paling when he hear the hurried footsteps of the guards coming over to check the corridor. He didn't have much time to take a decision. He looked around, desperate to find a way out, a hiding place, a shadowy corner, anything- He cursed, harshly grabbed the Fairy by her wrist, uncaring of the strong needles piercing his palms and yanked her away, quickly opening and closing a door behind their shoulders.
Much to his embarrassment, because disgraces never come alone, it was the door leading to a very small broom closet, where he was fitting by a sheer miracle - together with the vigilante, who found herself plastered against his chest. "Now be quiet", he whispered hastily.

Dean was not expecting that move. Not at all. He thought that the Phantom would have staggered a bit, maybe even fallen on the ground if he was particularly lucky - but instead he had used his staff to twirl around it as effortlessly as a dancer, and he had taken that kick straight to his chest without managing to oppose any kind of resistence. But if he had to fall, he wasn't certainly going alone. He managed to rest his hands on the ground and used his arms and hands as levers, immediately jumping back to his feet and throwing himself forward to grab him yet again. "Not this time", he said through gritted teeth, his voice strained because of the hit he had taken.

Carleen had been startled the moment her needles pierced through Goliath's skin, and she immediately felt sorry and retrieved the other ones - only to be yanked into a narrow cupboard, pressed against the orc's face, and oh god was he handsome.
He mind had actually gone blank and, in the rush of adrenaline, without even thinking, she looked up at the thief and whispered "You want me to shut up? Make me," with a cocky grin.

Castiel groaned this time. The more Saddle pulled at his wings the more he felt filled with this raw, odd and foreign need that clouded his mind-
And that's when he heard yells and footsteps getting nearer. Shit. He pushed the vigilante against a bookshelf with all his weight, hoping the shock might get him to let go of him.
He didn't expect said bookshelf to turn around like a cliché entrance to a small secret cabinet, which caused probably both of them to lose balance. He flapped his wings around in a desperate way to set himself free, but probably only managed to be the one falling on top of Cherry Saddle, who he was now pinning to the floor.

Horknath didn't think he could get any more red in the face, yet there he was. Reddening and struggling to breathe and think because of adrenaline and fear of being caught by the guards, and because why did those words sound so provoking and inviting at the same time and oh no, she smelled so good and her body felt so soft against his- He didn't think his next action through. He definitely didn't. With a frustrated growl he grabbed the Fairy by her shoulders and threw himself in to kiss her. It was clumsy and a little awkward, but hard and passionate and this was so wrong and- familiar, weirdly enough.

Dean let out a very non-manly squeal as he stumbled backwards and fell uncerimoniously on his butt. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself pressed down by a very handsome, winged man and damn if that didn't look like a scene out of some cheesy romance novel-slash-weird Bible fanfiction. He wanted to kick the Phantom away. He really did. But his body probably wasn't getting the memo, because instead of punching him and kicking him out of that secret room so that he could be found by security, he just stood still, hands still firmly tangled in the man's soft feathers and gaze lost in those beautiful, beautiful blue eyes. ... great, now he was becoming the heroine of that cheesy romance novel.

Carleen first hated herself for even asking for a kiss from a guy she barely even knew - from a criminal. No matter how much she had dreamt about it, no matter how many times she had thought that a mere bland kiss, with no spark would be enough to prove that Horknath was the one... Well, there was Horknath. And she was betraying his trust, his love-
There were sparks. And she knew those sparks. She knew that awkward, passionate way of kissing. She had been hungrily kissing Goliath back, but she progressively stopped, her heart clenching as she pulled back just enough to try to take a look at the orc behind the mask, in spite of how dark it was in that closet.
"Horknath?" She asked in a shaken, bewildered whisper.

Castiel was left panting on top of the vigilante, with still a slight tug on his feathers given their current position. He barely heard the commotion in the room they had just left, too busy getting lost in those beautiful, green eyes. He cupped Saddle's cheek, caressing the freckles across the other man's skin with his thumb. Why? Why did he have every single feature he loved in Dean? Why did he have to be so brave and stubborn?
He only realized that he had leaned down some more when his forehead laid against the vigilante's, and he stopped there, still out of breath.
Why did he have to fall for him like he had fallen for Dean?

Horknath froze when the Fairy called him by his rightful name. Her voice uttering that single word with wonder and confusion was enough to dissipate his confusion and the wave of sickness he had felt for kissing a woman that wasn't Carleen. ... speaking of Carleen- His eyes widened when his brain finally put together two plus two - the physical resemblance, the color of her eyes, the ability to make him flush and stutter without even trying... could it be!? COULD IT- "I'M SORRY", he blurted out loudly, instinctively, before quickly covering his mouth with his hands to make himself shut up.

Dean felt the other man's warm breath fan over his open lips and he thought he might go crazy. Actually, scratch that. He was crazy. He definitely was for wanting to kiss a wanted criminal - for pulling down said wanted criminal and kissing the hell out of him, just to feel horrible about it the second Castiel's sweet smile came into his mind. Why did the Phantom have to be so similar, so close to the man he loved?

Carleen too felt extremely shameful that Horknath would know that she was willing to cheat on him with someone else - well to her credit she had been willing to cheat on him because she had fallen for... him again, or so it seemed.
She shushed him quietly though, and since he probably flinched because of some remaining needles, she carefully used her powers to fully get them out of the way. "Horknath, I'm so sorry, I was meaning to tell you-" she began in a hurried whisper, fearing that she might lose him.

Castiel shivered and hungrily kissed the vigilante back, shushing the voice of reason at the back of his mind yelling at him that there could only be Dean- only to pause after a bit, because- he knew that passion. He knew those caresses, those demanding lips. He knew those eyes, and those freckles.
He knew that man.
Castiel carefully pulled back. Questions were urging into his mind all at once, as well as uncertainty, and fear, and guilt- Either his suppositions were wrong, and this would be a stupid move from him, or he was right, and he needed- he needed to make sure.
On an impulse, he pulled off his own mask with one hand.

Horknath couldn't believe that Carleen was the one feeling ashamed- well, alright, he also couldn't believe that he had fallen for the exact same woman, dressed in different ways, twice. He honestly felt almost relieved now, at the thought that he wasn't a dirty cheater! "Shh, please, it's me who is sorry! I mean, I'm here to rob a house, you're here to stop me, so really I'm the one who should be apologizing to you- oh my God, what must you be thinking of me now-" Time to panic.

Dean didn't move. He didn't move a single inch when the Phantom raised up a little and pulled off his mask, revealing what Dean had started to suspect since the moment their lips had touched. Silently, he peeled off his own mask. "Somehow, this feels less awkward than when I saw you stripping on a stage and full of glitter for the first time", he said finally, voice slightly hoarse with an unknown emotion as he tried to break the heavy silence.

Carleen actually held back a small chuckle, and shushed Horknath. "Shh. We'll talk later. First, we need to get out of there unnoticed." She rose on her tiptoes to peck his lips again, and to let him know that no, she wasn't mad at him. Well, they certainly would need to explain themselves, but let's be real. The fact that she had been dating Goliath all along was kinda pleasing.

Castiel couldn't help the smile that bloomed on his lips when he heard Dean's joke. "Maybe it's because I'm not wearing impractical underwear." He sighed. "We should probably... get out of there. I owe you an explanation, before you drag me to the nearest police station." Well. To him, it was as good as over between them. Dean had been trying to put him behind bars for months now, and he was a wanted criminal. Surely he wouldn't allow for their relationship to go on.

Horknath looked awfully pleased too (cut him some slack, he had been dating the Fairy for that whole time, and the Fairy was a beautiful woman) - and even more relieved now, since Carleen didn't seem mad at him for some strange reason. Sure, maybe she was waiting for them to be out of danger to then yell at him that she didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. He took a deep breath. "Alright", he answered in a low voice, clearing his throat. He leaned towards the door, trying to gauge whether it was safe to sprint out and towards the exit or not. "The guards are on the other side of the corridor. They are going in the rooms where the valuables are kept", he murmured, with the same serious voice he used with Castiel. "If you could get on my back, we could get out without being noticed. I'm a bit more silent than you", he added apologetically, nodding towards the heels she was wearing.

Dean's grin faltered. "Hey- hey, wait a second, no way", he answered a little loudly before he could help himself. "No way", he repeated in a whisper. "I'm not getting my boyfriend in a prison cell! C'mon - it's not like you are a serial killer or something." He straightened up to leave a peck on his lips. "C'mon. We should get going."

Carleen's smile turned into a grin the moment Horknath used his Goliath voice. She fell even more in love with him in that moment, if it were even possible. "Ah- Don't worry. Dean already told me these are a-" She whispered back, before she slapped a hand on her mouth. Shit. "...Forget what I said. Let's get out," she corrected herself hurriedly, before she wrapped her arms around his shoulder to try to get on his back.
Blowing off your cover and your best friend's, Carleen? Good job.

Castiel let out a soft, relieved smile the moment Dean confirmed that he'd still love him in spite of that revelation. He nodded quietly, put his mask back on and got up, offering his hand to his boyfriend. "There's a window here. I could carry you and fly us to a safer place. If- you agree to me doing so. I remember that flying is not your favorite thing."