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“What the hell is Y/N doing here?” Dean questioned angrily from where he was seated, restrained by the grace of the angel who was standing in the center of the room wrapped in a silk smoking jacket.
“Oh, her?” Metatron responded. “Well, I’m sure dear old Castiel told you about our discussion. About how every hero needs a villain? Well, I was refining some of the roles in my story, and thought: ‘You know what else this needs? A love interest!’ And I picked her.” He gestures towards the limp form behind his desk.
Behind the cluttered worktable, a high-backed armchair sat, so big it looked to be swallowing the figure of the girl slumped unconscious in it. Her head has lolled forwards, causing her Y/HC hair to fall around her face, framing her cheekbones and slightly open mouth. She wore denim shorts and a black camisole under an unbuttoned blue plaid shirt, clearly too big to be hers. The sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and the hem fell almost to her thighs. After a moment the brothers recognized it as Gabriel’s.
The angel turned back to the Winchesters, shrugging vaguely and continuing. “I wasn’t sure who to choose, but then I figured: If I’m going to introduce an element of romance, why not make it a love triangle? Those seem very popular nowadays.” he raised an eyebrow at he brothers, tilting his head a minuscule degree as he noticed their confusion. “Haven’t you been told?”
The boys looked puzzled, glancing at Y/N then back to Metatron. Love triangle? She’d been living in the Bunker for some time now, along with the semi-unwelcome presence of Gabriel. They were hesitant about allowing the former trickster to stay, but as he was her guardian angel it seemed wrong to separate them. Gabriel had brought her to the brothers a year ago, begging for them to take her in. The archangel explained how he had been assigned to protect and watch over her since her birth. Her parents had just been slaughtered by demons and he was too paranoid to leave her unprotected. Reluctant at first, the Winchesters had brought her in, but when they discovered her desire to be useful and her affinity for research, they quickly warmed up to her and she became a permanent fixture in the Bunker, helping them out on cases and generally taking care of them.
Almost every day Gabriel popped in to check on her, or just to visit. He stayed for weeks sometimes, before inexplicably disappearing, only to reappear a day or two later. Along with him, the archangel brought copious amounts of candy and an aura of mischief. It had become routine for Sam to occasionally wake up to “Heat of the Moment” playing on his radio, or for Dean to find syrup in his beer bottle instead of alcohol. They’d gradually accepted the former Trickster, as well as the fact that Y/N would never be the butt of his jokes. His over-protectiveness of her did not extend to her personal space however, and he regularly materialized draped over her lap when she sat in a chair or with his arms hanging off her shoulders and his chin on her head.
The short, grizzled angel’s gaze flicked between the two men and his smile grew. “Oh-ho! I see my brother has been keeping secrets from his two stooges!”
“What are you talking about, Metatron?” Sam asked wearily.
“Well,” the angel responded, his voice bright with glee. “Let’s just say that her guardian angel has been protecting her quite thoroughly from everyone except himself. He’s been trying his utmost to, shall we say, make her fall in love. With him.” The angel smirked to himself as he nodded knowingly. “I’m surprised you hadn’t picked up on it, he’s practically been throwing himself at her.”
Understanding dawned on the boys as they recalled all Gabriel’s seemingly accidental touches and small gifts, the way he used to stare at her when she worked. Sam’s brow furrowed as he remembered the time he walked into Y/N’s room late at night to grab one of her lore books and saw the former Trickster standing over her bed, watching her sleep. He had brushed it off as a guardian angel thing, but now the actions seemed obvious.
“Dude, Gabriel and Y/N?” Dean murmured, raising his eyebrows.
“Not quite.” Metatron responded. “She has no idea how he feels, though I’ve got no clue how, the man isn’t exactly subtle.”
This was true, and the two men could see that now, but they had figured it was just the archangel’s flirty sense of humor, he hit on practically anything that moved. And his disregard for privacy wasn’t isolated to Y/N, he grabbed Dean’s face and ruffled Sam’s hair constantly, even braiding it from time to time, much to Sam’s annoyance.
“I thought to myself: Nothing provides more character depth than a romantic struggle, so when Y/N becomes aware of my brother’s feelings for her, it’ll be all the more dramatic when she picks me!”
Dean shot a glance at the beaming angel. “You do realize that she doesn’t love you either.”
Metatron’s eyes danced and he chuckled. “I can remedy that. I control the cupids now. By the time they’re done with her, she’ll be so in enamored of me she won’t be able to see straight. Perfect for the plot.”
Dean growled and Sam’s face puckered in worry. They knew that not only was Metatron capable of doing this, he would do it on a whim.
“Not immediately though, we want some conflict in the main love-interest. We need her deliberating, not knowing where to turn, trapped between two angels who love her! The readers’ll eat it up.” The little man winked, and continued. “Which is why I have taken the liberty of summoning Gabriel. He’ll be here any minute, and you can just stay in this room ‘till he confesses. You two are free to move around now too, my characters need a full range of motion.” He snapped his fingers and the pressure pushing the men into the chairs was lifted. They sprung up and started towards the short man.
“Ah, ah, ah.” Metatron said, flicking his fingers and causing them to be thrown away from him. “Not until I’m safely away. And don’t even try getting out of the room. It’s warded and the locks are unpickable. The windows don’t break either. Knock yourselves out boys, give me some good theatrics.” he finished, dematerializing with a wave.
About two seconds after he left, Gabriel appeared, stumbling a little and looking about wildly. He glared at the Winchesters.
“I leave you chuckle-heads alone for one day and this is what happens. Y’all have problems.” he rolled his eyes. “And now you’ve pulled me into it.” After heaving a heavy sigh he raised an eyebrow in their direction. “So where have you guys stowed Y/N?”
Sam and Dean looked at the floor and Sam started to explain. “Well-”
At that moment, Y/N stirred and moaned quietly, opening her eyes and looking around in a baffled manner. Gabriel’s attention instantly snapped to her and his eyes widened in shock. He rounded on the Winchesters, who backed away from the furious archangel as Sam raised his hands in a placating manner. “Gabriel-” he began.
“You. Did. Not.” Gabriel interrupted, advancing on the pair in a threatening manner. Despite the fact that both Sam and Dean were taller than him, he seemed to be towering over them, his whiskey colored eyes blazing.
“Gabe?” her voice came from the back of the room, faint and confused. The archangel whirled around, materializing at her side instantaneously and gently grabbing her chin. He lifted her face and examined her for injuries, tilting her head this way and that. He finished his inspection by grasping her hands and drawing her to her feet, checking her legs and torso. Once he was satisfied that she was unharmed, he pulled her into a hug that she returned without a thought.
The brothers shifted uncomfortably, burdened with their new knowledge.
“Are you okay, Y/N? What happened to you?” he questions, concern tainting his voice as she pulls out of the embrace. He moves to stand directly behind her, his hands twitching as if to grab her waist, but they remain his sides.
“I dunno. I just went out to pick up some food, I was in the grocery store and someone tapped my shoulder, so I turned around and everything went white. Then I woke up just now.” She gazed around the room and locked eyes with Sam and Dean. “Where are we?”
“Metatron’s hideout.”
She turned her head and looked back up into Gabriel’s golden-brown eyes. “I assume you can’t get us out?” He shook his head slowly and dropped his eyes from hers. “Sorry, Y/N. We’re stuck.” She sighed and leaned the back of her head against his chest as if it was as natural to her as breathing, completely ignorant of the way he tensed as she made contact with him. The Winchesters, however, were now acutely aware of Gabriel’s feelings. They both glanced away, awkwardly staring at anything but the girl lost in thought and the paralyzed archangel. After a few moments Sam cleared his throat and asked Y/N to check the windows and doors, despite knowing they were impenetrable. She obliged and walked off to attempt to pick the lock on the door, pulling hairpins out of her pocket.
As soon as she was out of earshot Dean and Sam walked over to Gabriel, startling him out of his reverie. Pulling him aside, they told him of what Metatron had communicated. Air hissed out from between the archangel’s teeth and his eyes narrowed. After some muttering in Enochian (Sam was pretty sure he was cursing) he exhaled and closed his eyes.
“I’m sorry guys, I can’t tell her.”
“Um, yeah you can. You have to. It’s the only way Metatron will come back, and we need him to get us out of here.” Dean replied, crossing his arms. “When he comes, we can jump him, he can’t hold all of us. Then we just zap outta here.”
Gabriel sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He looked up at them, pleading. “I can’t! What if she thinks it’s weird?” He flashed his best puppy-dog eyes in their direction. “C’mon boy-o’s there has to be another way.”
Dean rolled his eyes and looked up, as if asking the ceiling for patience. Sam was more sympathetic, but just as firm. “It might suck, but you gotta. And besides, you two have been friends since birth, literally. If it goes badly you’ll work past it.” He seized the archangel’s shoulders and propelled him towards the door where Y/N was crouched, working at the lock.
Gabriel groaned under his breath and walked unwillingly towards her. He stopped halfway and turned back to the brothers, mouthing “Please?” Dean shook his head, jabbed his finger at Y/N and seized Sam’s arm, pulling him out of their vicinity.
Y/N felt his breath on her head, warm and perpetually smelling of chocolate. She smiled and tilted her head back, her Y/EC eyes staring into his amber ones. “Heya, Gabe.” She stood and stretched, abandoning the lock in favor of wrapping her arms around him, her constant protector and best friend. She pulled back after a moment and flipped a few strands of his light brown hair back into place, laughing a little.
He gazed down at her, a small grin pulling his lips up. She cocked her head and stared back questioningly. “You need something or you just keeping me company? These locks won’t budge by the way.”
“Yeah I know.” He muttered. “Metatron made ‘em special.”
She huffed, blowing a piece of her Y/HC hair out of her face, but it just fell right back down. “Then why’d you guys let me work on it so long?” She asked, slightly amused. “Needed to have your special bromance moment?”
He sighed, still looking fixedly at her as the grin left his mouth. He leaned down, tucking the stray segment of hair back behind her ear and holding his face about four inches from hers. To his surprise she didn’t move back, seeming unperturbed by the close proximity.
“Do you know why Metatron wanted us here?”
“No, actually, do you?”
Exhaling heavily again, he began to explain. “He wants you to be the love interest in his own personal story. That we’re in. And he thinks that it’ll be better if the love interest is a participant in a love-triangle.”
She raised an eyebrow. “As in me, interested in him?” Gabriel nodded. “Gross. Creepy little bastard. Wait, a love triangle? Him, me, and who else?” He dropped his gaze, but didn’t move his head back. “Who, Gabe?”
“Him, you, and... and me.” He kept his eyes trained on the floor, too scared to face her. Silently, he waited for the axe to fall, for her to recoil or tell him he wasn’t good enough. Or worse, to laugh.
“Huh.” His eyes snapped up to examine her face. She was looking into nothing, her stare unfocused and thoughtful. “Huh.” she repeated.
“It’s fine, you aren’t supposed to love me back.” He said in a low voice: “Metatron’ll be happy I guess.” and he laughed bitterly, turning to go. He was stopped by her hand grabbing a fistful of his jacket and pulling him in for a kiss.
His eyes widened in surprise and he heard faint, muffled chortling from Sam and Dean’s area of the room. Resolving to exact his revenge at some later date, he turned his attention back to the more pressing matter at hand. Her. His hands slowly came up and, not precisely sure what to do with them, he tentatively placed them on her hips. She smiled into the kiss so he assumed this was okay. After a few more moments she drew back and beamed up at him.
“Well why didn’t you say something, you idiot.”
He stood there for a few moments, staring down at her in shock.
“Umm, I-”
He was cut off by the guffawing from the corner, and he twisted around to glare at them before turning back to her, her face still turned up to his, a smirk now playing over her features. As he opened his mouth to resume his explanation, he was stopped once again mid-word by her pecking him on the lips.
“Less talking, more kissing.” She proclaimed, grabbing his hand and striding over to the Winchesters, who were struggling to contain gales of mirth.
“Did you orchestrate this?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow at them.
“The confession: yes, the kidnapping: no.” Sam laughed.
They elaborated on Metatron’s words, explaining the necessity for Gabriel’s admission and outlining their plan. The entire time they talked, her hand never left the archangel’s, a fact that the boys did not fail to pick up on. They also noticed the rather obvious motion of Gabriel stepping behind Y/N and placing his chin on the top of her head, pulling her in to his chest. They finished and Y/N opened her mouth to speak.
At that moment there was a flash of white and the sound of ruffling feathers. All four of them spun around to face a furious Metatron, his face glowering and the air around him crackling with energy.
“This is not the way the story goes.” His scrutiny shifted from Y/N to Gabriel, his eyes narrowing. “She doesn’t fall for you.”
Y/N poked her head out from behind Gabriel, the place he had shoved her when the light flashed, and spoke. “Hate to break it to you darlin’, but you might be a tad too late for that.”
He fixed his steely grey eyes on her and the corner of his mouth twitched up in a smug smirk. “I control the cupids, ‘darling’, it’s never too late for me. And once you’re well and truly set right, I’m going to kill the third wheel there. For simple closure.” He looked at the archangel again. “Nothing personal, just tying up loose ends.”
Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows at the man. “Aren’t you a little out of your league? I am an archangel.” He shrugged. “Just thought I’d warn you bucko.”
Metatron let out a burst of high pitched laughter. “Haven’t you heard? I’m the new God. You archangels can’t hold a candle to me now. I’ll turn you into dust within seconds.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes and flexed his shoulders, feeling Y/N's hand move on his back. “Bring it pipsqueak.” He said, and both angels stepped forward to meet each other.
“Stop!”
Every male in the room turns to look at Y/N, seemingly stunned at her outburst.
“Stop.” She squared her shoulders and emerged from behind Gabriel, brushing away his hands as he attempted to stop her. She stood before the short man, and spoke her piece. “You have to swear not to hurt them.”
The angel looked at her in confusion.
“If I go with you, you have to promise to leave them alone.”
Gabriel gasped and lunged forward, only to be slammed against the wall from a gesture of Metatron’s hand.
“Did I hear you correctly?”
She swallowed and stood up, her back ramrod straight. “Yes.”
Somewhere out of her peripheral vision she saw Sam, Dean, and her guardian angel pinned against the wall. The untrapped angel stalked forward and she could sense faint suspicion behind his triumphant expression.
“This is even better than I planned it. Sacrifice, inner turmoil.” He threw a glance at Gabriel and the Winchesters. “Helplessness.” He circled her, his smile turning predatory. “All elements of a good story. I’m so glad I brought you in, my dear, you make a phenomenal plot twist.”
She looked back over her shoulder to the men held against the wall, her face regretful and sad. Metatron giggled and for a second and her expression changed. She winked at Gabriel before her visage settled back into a sorrowful countenance.
She's acting. He realized. She's got a plan of some kind and I have to be ready.
He went limp and dropped his head forward in a defeated manner. Y/N hung hers in a similar fashion and walked dejectedly to Metatron's side. Dean's eyes were drawn to a trickle of blood running down her fingers.
Metatron put an arm around her shoulders, ignoring the way she flinched away from him. He walked her towards the door and opened it with a flick of his fingers, steering her through the piles of books.
As they neared the doorway she stepped away lightly and the angel turned towards her, raising his eyebrows as she pulled her camisole up a few inches, revealing her stomach.
"So eager, my dear?" Chuckled Metatron.
"Blood tattoo, bitch." She responded, slamming her bleeding hand on the angel sigil that marked her abdomen.
Metatron screamed as white light flooded the room again and he was blasted out, leaving the door open.
Gabriel opened his eyes hesitantly and looked down. He seemed to still be situated in his vessel, and not blown miles away. He raised his eyes to Y/N's with a bemused look on his face, wondering how it was that he was still tethered here.
She laughed, an exhausted expression on her face. "I warded you. Check out your back."
Gabriel craned his head around to see his back where her hands had been. A complicated symbol was scrawled there in her blood.
"I read about it in some book, it's supposed to protect the bearer from magic, no matter how powerful." Gabriel rushed to her, the restraints now gone, and pulled her into his arms. Her nose filled with the smell of him, caramel and clean laundry. His hand fell to her arm and she hissed and flinched, pulling back from his touch.
He held her at arms length by her shoulders and dropped his other hand to her arm, lifting it up and exposing the underside, where a long, shallow cut was oozing blood. Concern rose in his eyes and he bent down to kiss her forehead, causing the cut to close and the blood to evaporate.
“Don’t scare me like that, kiddo. And don’t relax too much. There will be repercussions for this.” He said, looking into her eyes.
“I’m looking forward to it.” She responded, mirth ghosting over her face.
“Oh, get a room you two.” Grumbled Dean. “And while you’re at it, can we leave?”
They all stepped through the doorway and out into a dimly lit hall, where Gabriel flexed his shoulder as if stretching his wings, and placed a hand on Y/N’s shoulder. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”
In a brief flurry of feathers, the Winchesters found themselves back in the Bunker. Sighing, they dropped their gear and fell into chairs. “I am going to sleep for a week.” Sam said in a tired voice. Dean nodded.
They turned to look into the library and saw Gabriel seated in an armchair with Y/N curled up in his lap, her head tucked into the crook of his neck, and his arms wrapped around her. Their eyes were closed and they both wore huge smiles.
Dean rolled his eyes and gestured to Sam. The brothers left to their respective rooms, leaving the couple each other's embrace.
Y/N breathed in her angel’s scent and smiled, nestling deeper into his arms. He smelled like home, like safety, like warmth. And he was hers. She could definitely get used to this.