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The dim light from the passing street lamps passed through Babys windows, the slow strobe of shadows and brightness a constant companion on the open road. There were barely any other cars on the road at this hour, and the ones that were disappeared quickly with Dean manning the gas pedal.
The boys were up front, Sam and Dean. They weren’t paying any attention to you, caught up in driving through the night to who knows where. Another hunt, probably a ghost. Sammy may be asleep, you couldn't be sure.
To be honest, you didn't really care what was going on in the front seat. All your attention was on the archangel in the back with you, so focused on a conjured up Game Boy that he didn't notice when you stretched out your legs and settled your feet into his lap, your shoes forgotten on the floor.
The ride to where ever was quiet, the gentle purr of the engine and the eight-bit soundtrack from Gabriels game mixing together in a surprisingly relaxing harmony. Sam soon confirmed that, yes he was asleep, as the soft snoring also filled the cab.
You couldn't sleep, though. It was late, and the white noise of the engine was usually enough to put you under any day. But watching Gabriel, his face lit up from the game, concentrating so hard on beating the next gym trainer, your mind was too wound up with questions for sleep to ever claim you.
“Whatcha thinkin’ ’bout, sugar?” Gabriel asked, not looking up from his game, yet somehow he knew you were staring.
“Nothing special,” you snark back, raising a foot to lightly poke his game with your toes. “Just you.”
“Ooh, a subject worthy of my time and attention.” With a flick of his wrist the game vanished as your words slowly sank in. “Hey!” he gasped with fake hurt in his voice. “You shouldn’t make fun of someone who knows all your ticklish spots.” He ran a finger quickly along the bottom of your foot, drawing a yelping laugh from you.
“Ah! Stop, ass!” you snorted, kicking your feet free from his grasp.
“Dork,” Gabriel countered as you tucked your toes under his leg for protection, wiggling them in deep.
“Hey, knock it off back there.” Dean spoke from the drivers seat, clearly annoyed at the rough housing going on behind him.
“Or what, Deano? You gonna turn the car around? No Wally World?!”
“Shuddup,” Dean scoffed as he rolled his eyes, focusing on the road again.
Your giggles died down as well, and the car was thrown into silence again. Gabriel hands were moving along your shin, gently rubbing through the fabric of your jeans. You still didn't look away from him, and he huffed a breathy laugh as he eyed you questioningly. “Seriously, what?” he asked through a smile. “Is there something on my face?”
“No,” you said quietly, leaning into the Impalas door. “Like I said, just thinking.”
“About me?” And there’s that trickster smile.
You paused, debating whether or not to even bring this up. “About your vessel,” you finally said.
Gabriels smile faltered, just for a second. Flickered as quickly as the passing lights through the window, then just as quickly replaced with the tell tale smirk, the mask of a trickster. “My vessel?” his tone hesitant. You frowned, this was definitely too personal of a question for you to be asking an archangel, judging by the way Gabriel was looking at you.
“Sorry. I was just curious.” Embarrassment and guilt crept over you as you pulled your feet back, trying to curl up into the corner of the leather seat, before Gabriel pressed a reassuring hand to your ankle, tugging your feet back to his lap.
“‘S okay.” He looked down, a sad flash in his eyes. It was quiet again, Gabriel picking at the seams of your socks and you gazing at him earnestly. You weren't going to push him to talk if it made him uncomfortable. You could wait him out, though. “It’s just,” he took a calming breath, “the kid had a hard life. Too hard, too young. I try not to dwell on it too much.”
“So, you did take a human vessel.” You say as you rubbed the foot Gabriel isn't grasping along his thigh reassuringly. “Will you tell me something about him, please?”
“What do you wanna know, cupcake?” His face was relaxed, but his carefree smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
“Uhm, what was his name?”
“Sorry, sugar. That stays with me. Witness protection.”
“Oh, okay.” You weren’t sure when it had happened, but Gabriels hand was clutching yours, his thumb brushing against your wrist. “What about his family?”
Gabriel sighed as he sank further into the seat, his head falling back to lay on the headrest. “He was an orphan at six. No other family to go to, so he was put to work. It was so hard for him, and he just kept trying to run away all the time.”
“Sounds familiar.” Gabriel turned his head to you, a frown and a raised eyebrow cast your way. “I’m kidding, Gabriel. Sorry.” You sat up a bit, raised a hand to cup his cheek, secretly relieved when the frown relaxed and his eyes slipped shut. Ticking off Gabriel often meant weeks of relentless pranks, and you didn't want to go through that again. “When did you find him?” you asked, your voice a hushed whisper as you curled up next to him.
“After I left home. He was barely nineteen, living on the streets for almost 4 years. He was...doing what he had to.” Gabriels voice cracked a bit, and it was your turn to interlace your fingers, squeezing his hand to offer some comfort. “He was always too skinny to do the heavy work, too pretty, too soft.”
You had to take a few calming breaths before you spoke again, closed your eyes and rested your forehead on Gabriels shoulder. He placed a soft kiss on the top of your head before he settled his head on top of yours and pulled you closer.
“Where is he now?” you asked after a moment, your voice muffled through the fabric of his jacket.
“In Heaven. He was able to stick with me for a while after he let me in. but he needed to move on eventually. I had to make some changes to his body so I could stay in here indefinitely.”
“Do you still see him?”
“I'll always be connected to his soul.”
You pulled out of Gabriels grasp a bit, wanting to look into his eyes. “If you're able to talk to him, please, tell him I’m sorry.” You could feel the tears starting to form, but you tried to blink them away. “No one should ever have to live like that. To go through what he did, even if you did come and save him.”
Gabriel smiled sweetly at you, raising a thumb to wipe away an errant tear that rolled down your cheek. “You’re too good for us, sugar.” He leaned forward, pressing his lips against yours in a chaste kiss. “But I’ll deliver your message. That’s my job, after all.”
You rolled your eyes, something you did often around Gabriel, but still grateful that he had broken the tense mood. Wiping the last of the tears from your eyes, you settled back against Gabriels side, missing the understanding look Dean shared with Gabriel in the rear view mirror.
With Gabriels hand stroking your hair and the purr of the engine, you expected to be asleep within a few minutes. But your mind kept wandering back to the boy Gabriel had possessed.
“Gabriel.”
“Hmm?”
“Well, can I, uhm,” you stuttered, eyes lowered as you nervously shifted in the seat. “Can, can I see him? See what he looked like?”
Gabriel snorted a laugh that caused your cheeks to burn a deep red. “Looking for a little arm candy, kitten? Trophy boy toy?”
“No, Gabriel.” You borrowed one of Sams bitch faces, the one that said I will throw you out of this car. “Nevermind.” you huffed out, turning to look out your window.
When his chuckling died down, Gabriel patted your arm. “Sweetness, look.”
As you turned back to him, the golden glow of his Grace was radiating over Gabriels body. “Look” he said again, like he was afraid you would cower away from him like this. His voice was echoing with the power of his true self as his Grace was curling around him.
The light faded, and the sight you saw left you breathless. It was undeniably Gabriel, but changed.
His honey brown hair, while still raked back and curling behind his ears, was fuller and a bit shinier. The little wrinkles, smile and frown lines, had smoothed over leaving his skin plump with a rosy tint to his cheeks. Gabriels already small body had shrank even further, the lanky frame of a growing teenager left in its place.
But his eyes were the same. They still held the same beautiful amber color, the same glint of something special hidden there.
This was the vessel Gabriel took, youthful and alluring.
“Whoa.” said Dean from the front.
“Oh, shut up, Dean-o.”
“Dude, did you not change your clothes?” Dean laughed.
Gabriel held up both his hands, the sleeves of his familiar olive jacket spilling past the ends of his fingers. The rest of his clothes were also hanging off of him.
He clicked his tongue, “Whatever.” With a roll of his eyes and a snap of his fingers (which ended with a middle finger pointed towards Dean) it all fit properly.
“Hey, don't make me put you into a timeout with that attitude, young man.” Dean said playfully.
“Gabriel,” came the awed whisper as you found your voice, calling his attention back to you. “Look at you! You're an angel!”
“Yeah, did you not know that?” he laughed at your enthusiasm.
You ignored him as you kneeled on the seat, touching his face, turning him so you could get a good look at every angle.
“Like a cherub painting come to life,” you whispered to yourself, not listening when Dean snickered.
“He's laughing at you.” Gabriel said solemnly.
“Who, Dean?” you asked, a giddy smile plastered to your face. “Let that asshole laugh. This is amazing!”
“No.” Gabriel tapped his temple a few times, his tone serious. “He can hear you.”
Realization washed over you, and your smile faded. “Oh.” You sat back on your heels as Gabriel took your hands, his bright eyes peering at you.
“He's listening. Just tell him what you said earlier. It's okay.”
All of a sudden, you couldn't think of anything to say. You looked in Gabriels eyes, into this childs eyes, this child that barely got to live. And the life he had was full of pain, hardship, and terror. What could you possibly even say to him.
Your could feel a burning in your throat and the tears threatening to return as you thought about his past life. Hell, by comparison you’d been living in the lap of luxury. A soft bed every night, a warm body to snuggle with, never worrying about when you would eat next. And what did he have. Some hay to sleep on, no blanket, scraps to eat, and the constant threat of other people.
“You're overthinking.” Your train of thought was interrupted by Gabriels fingers running through your hair, his hand making its way down to grasp the back of your neck. “Hey, he’s okay. I promise. All sunshine and rainbows for him now.”
A shaky breath escaped you, the weight on your neck calming, grounding. You tried to look past Gabriel, into the heaven of his vessels soul. Tried to see it as a different person, but you could only imagine him as Gabriel, your Gabriel, and it broke your heart even more.
“Oh, baby,” you sniffled. “You didn't deserve that, to be alone for so long. To be afraid. I hope you're safe now, that they treat you well. We haven’t always had the best experience with angels, present company included.”
Gabriel scoffed and tickled the sensitive skin behind your ears. “You monster!” he laughed. You laughed and tried to squirm away, and Gabriel stopped wiggling his fingers when you play slapped his arm. Your mood became serious again when you looked back into Gabriels eyes. You raised a hand up to his jaw.
“I’m so sorry.” You leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on Gabriels cheek, and he leaned into the touch.
“He says he likes you, thinks I should do my best to keep you around. And he says thank you. He’s in a good place.”
“I’m glad,” you sighed.
“So,” Gabriel started, gesturing to his body, “what do you think of the goods? Should I keep my vessel like this?”
“Ooh, no, thank you. You're cute, but I would feel like I’m robbing the cradle.”
“Hey, I may be adorable, but I am older than the universe. If anything, you're robbing the grave, sweets.”
You looked over Gabriels small form again, pretending to inspect it thoroughly. “Maybe so, but I thought you were beautiful before. You don't have to stay like this.”
“Gotcha. I’ll just put this body away for special occasions.” Gabriels brow waggle looked so foreign on his young face, but that only made you laugh more. “Well, see you on the other side,” Gabriel said as his skin began to glow with Grace.
“Wait!” you called before the light overtook Gabriel all together.
“Yes?” he drawled as the brightness faded.
“Do you, uhm, do you want to lie down with me for a bit? Before you change back, I mean.”
“For him?” Gabriel asked knowingly.
“For him.”
Gabriel smiled as he crawled across the seat to push you down, your head landing on a pillow that wasn't there before as the bench seat magically stretched out with enough room for the two of you. You felt a warm blanket flutter down onto your body as Gabriel lodged himself snugly in your arms. You breathed in the smell of him, sugar and rain, and closed your eyes, ready to give in to sleep.
“Hey,” Gabriel whispered. As you opened your eyes, you saw him lift his head and give you a kiss, sweet and tender, deepened just a little.
“Gabriel…”
“That was from him.”
You hummed appreciatively, pressing your foreheads together, your hand buried in Gabriels hair.
“I mean, there was more, but I had to pull it back a little. That boy has a wicked imagination.”
“Oh Gabriel,” you groaned, smacking him once with your pillow before you smashed it into his smirking face. “Way to ruin the moment, you ass!”
“Dork.” came the muted reply from under your pillow.