Archive of Our Own

Raising a hand up to muffle her yawn, the twenty-two-year-old Claire Novak buried her head back into her claimed spot on the sleeping blue-eyed, messy-haired angel who was lying propped up by an obnoxious number of pillows. She couldn’t deny how safe she felt then, how loved, with his arm resting around her protectively, tucking her naturally into his side. Castiel may not have been her father, but he certainly did try to give her back what she had lost.

When she caught movement on the other side of the dozing angel, she frowned and lifted her head up, tilting it slightly, to glance around Cas. Who else was here with them? Her fingers slid towards where she knew Cas’s Angel blade was. At the sight of Jack, though, her—what—half-brother, she supposed—she rolled her eyes, tucking back against Cas’s side and relaxing once more. Waving at her, the young man grinned widely. He was such a doof sometimes. But she had to admit, she was growing fond of him. Maybe having a brother wouldn’t be so bad. After all, she did like Alex and Patience—sometimes—and they were practically her sisters now thanks to Jody.

A soft, unexpected snore caused both kids’ eyes to dart upwards in surprise.

“Was that—?” Claire started to whisper, her mouth dropping in mid-thought.

Jack nodded slightly with a frown. “He’s been sleeping more lately,” he answered back just as low as she had to ensure they didn’t wake up the resting Seraph.

“Does anyone else know that?”

“Sam.” Jack then shrugged. “And I think Uncle Gabe.”

“But not Dean?”

“No.”

Claire scoffed softly. “Figures.”

“Why?”

“Because they’re a couple of dumbasses, Jack.” To put it lightly and not waste an entire day. Claire sighed inwardly, trying to brush aside her annoyance that reared its ugly head whenever these things came to light. Cas she could excuse somewhat. He was an angel, but Dean?

“Yes, that was what Sam said as well,” Jack murmured with a nod.

“He’d know,” she drawled before she fully sat up, pulling reluctantly away from Cas. Vaguely, she could recall Sam and Gabriel being in the room last night with them while they all watched some movie or movies. “Speaking of which, where’d they go?”

“Sam went to his room about an hour ago, and Uncle Gabe went not long after.”

She nodded slowly. She would probably go soon too. After all, she had a room here now in the bunker. At least temporarily, while Jody and Donna were out with Dean, hopefully talking sense into the stubborn, idiot Hunter. So, there was no need to be found sleeping on the angel, no matter how nice it felt. Plus, it’d ruin her image. And she really didn’t want Cas to focus too much on it and get the wrong idea. She was still warming up to this whole thing between the two of them. Sort of.

“Claire?” Jack murmured a moment later.

“Yeah?”

“Is the reason everyone thinks their dumbasses because they love each other but haven’t said the actual words yet?”

She laughed quietly, rolling her eyes. “Part of it, yeah.”

“Oh.” Jack nodded slowly, seeming to process this for a moment. “Well, then, I’m on Team Caschester,” he stated with a wide smile.

Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped. “What?” she whispered harshly. “Wait. Do you mean Destiel, Jack? Because, trust me, kid, we’re all on that team.”

The Nephilim’s blue eyes, eerily similar to Cas’s shade of blue, narrowed, and his head tilted. “But Sam’s my dad too?” His brows furrowed more. “In fact, I have three fathers: Castiel, Sam, and Dean.” A deep frown then appeared before he silently picked at the blanket draped across the three of them for a few moments. “Though, Dean, I suppose, is more reluctant than the others,” he stated, hesitantly glancing back up at her. “I think he still believes I’ll take Castiel from him. I’ve apologized numerous times for the day of my birth, but he doesn’t want to hear it.”

Claire opened her mouth to respond, but a voice down the hallway caught their attention.

“Yes! Got another one for Team Destiel, Sam!” Gabriel’s voice loudly announced from somewhere in the bunker.

“Ugh,” mumbled the Seraph grumpily, clearly having woken up to his brother’s shouts. He rolled his shoulders slightly, his eyes still closed as he covered a yawn. “It’s too damn early for your antics, brother.”

Both Claire and Jack pulled away, suppressing their smiles.

However, as they did, the young blonde noticed the badly damaged appendages that were also stretching with Castiel as he woke up. Her mouth dropped before her head whipped over to Jack, noticing that he also had a look of surprise.

“Your wings . . .” Her voice cracked as she drew in a trembling breath. She had always imagined Cas’s wings to be so perfect, beautiful looking, full of gorgeous feathers, but to see them actually be so far from the truth? Her chest constricted for him.

The Seraph’s eyes opened in surprise before he jerked his shoulders, his broken wings returning back to the Ethereal plane.

“I apologize, Claire,” rumbled the prickly, kind voice. “You shouldn’t have seen that just now.” Castiel pinched his lips together tightly. “Are you all right?” He looked her over as if he expected to find some sort of injuries at her seeing his wings.

“Never mind that. What happened to them?” When she caught his eyes darting far from hers, she glared at him. “Castiel, answer me! What happened to your wings?”

“I did,” a low voice spoke up from the doorway with drenched pant legs.

“Dean,” Cas breathed, cerulean eyes moving to him instantly.

“Mornin’, Sunshine,” drawled the eldest Winchester with a sad smirk and his hands in his pockets as he leaned casually against the doorjamb. “What? Kids couldn’t sleep last night so you decided to let them sleep in your bed?” He shook his head quietly. “Shouldn’t do that, man. You’ll never get the little monsters out of your bed then. Learned that the hard way with Sammy.”

The angel smiled faintly. “You’re back.”

Dean shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah. Sorry I was later than the five hours I said I’d be.”

“What?” Cas sat up straighter almost instantly, nearly bumping into Claire as a result. “When did you speak with me?”

Green eyes blinked before he glanced towards the kids and then back to the angel. “I prayed to you, man. You didn’t hear it?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Dean gave a short laugh and nodded, his Adam’s Apple bobbing. “I see. Well, I did.”

Claire glanced at Dean and then to Castiel before she sighed heavily. Her earlier question would have to wait. She knew enough to know she and Jack needed to leave and give them privacy. Before it got more awkward than it already was starting to be.

“Hey, Jack?” She glanced at the Nephilim who was looking on with an extremely confused look. “Let’s go see about breakfast. You can show me that crap you eat that drives Sam up the wall.” That seemed to get him to snap out of it.

“Krunch Cookie Crunch?” Jack stated with a wide smile.

“Yeah, that.” She slowly threw off the blanket that someone had laid across them. Probably Sam she decided. It seemed too nice for something Candy Man would do. She brushed past Dean, pausing briefly to rest a hand on his arm. She then glanced back at Castiel whose eyes narrowed on her suspiciously. She turned back to the taller, green-eyed man. With narrowed eyes, she glared openly at him, knowing Cas couldn’t see her face, then squeezed his arm tightly for a second before she walked past. She knew Cas wouldn’t appreciate it if she had just threatened Winchester openly, but she hoped the idiot got the message. If he hurt Cas, she’d find a way to hurt him.

She followed Jack out a moment later down the hallway. They followed the twists and turns until they finally reached the kitchen. She chewed on her bottom lip as she watched him grab the cereal box from his hiding spot.

“Jack?”

“Yes?” He paused, glancing at her.

“You’re part Angel, right?”

“I’m a Nephilim.” His brows furrowed slightly when she didn’t say anything else. “Why?”

“You saw his wings, didn’t you? Just now, I mean?” She glanced at him and caught his frown before he nodded jerkily. “Can you heal them?”

He sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging. “I’ve tried. Several times over the years. Something blocks me, though.” He glanced up to his right, clearly recalling something. He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before he sighed. “That, and every time I try,” Jack explained, “Cas gets upset, stating I don’t need to waste my Grace on him.” He then shrugged. “However, I could perhaps rewrite it if Billie returned with another book. I haven’t tried that yet.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course.” Jack flashed a soft smile to her. “He’s my father, too, Claire. He just was yours first. I’d do anything for him, especially this to help him get back what he’s lost.”

She glanced down and nodded hesitantly. “Yeah.” A part of her wanted to argue until she was blue in the face that Cas wasn’t her dad, but she remembered the feeling she had waking up snuggled against the angel earlier. It felt like it used to with her dad—before Cas showed up. She then sighed as she glanced towards the doorway. The urge to leave was too overwhelming for her. Though, it always was when she started down that path. “Think I’ll go see if Candy Man wants to join us. You gonna be okay for a minute?”

He squinted at her and tilted his head. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Thrusting a hand into her back pocket, she shrugged. “Never mind.” She turned away a moment later and left, heading down the hallway.

She didn’t know which room the archangel had chosen. So, she chose the usual suspected rooms, knocking before she’d enter each one, only to find that they were empty. It was strange to see so many unused rooms in the bunker. In some ways, it felt like a tomb there sometimes, full of memories of old friends who were no longer there. She walked past Sam’s room after a few more minutes of searching, glancing at the closed door.

She could understand why Sam had been upset earlier. Dean had been a dick. Like usual. She would have thought he’d have been used to it by now, seeing as how they were brothers, but she supposed he had thought Dean had grown out of this running phase. After all, Dean was almost a dinosaur by all estimates. Yet he still ran when things got tough. Like she did.

“Oh, come on, Cassie,” a muffled voice filtered out from one of the nearby rooms.

Claire’s eyes narrowed before she turned towards the room across from Sam’s. The door was open only by a sliver, and she could see flickering light from all around it. She took a few steps towards the door, her eyes glancing in between. The archangel was sprawled out on top of a small cot, lights flickering against his face. Frowning, she knocked against the door before she opened it fully. Might as well do what she said she was going to do.

“Hey, so Jack and I—” Blue eyes widened when she saw the large flat screen tv hanging on the opposite wall from Gabriel’s bed. “Is that—?”

“What? No!” Gabriel instantly cried, snapping his fingers to change the channel quickly. His bowl of candy tumbled to the floor as a result of his panicked action. “Of course not. It’s nobody! I . . . I don’t even know what I was watching. Random channel.”

“Were you spying on them?” Claire demanded, stepping more into the room. She could have sworn she had seen Cas’s room on that screen.

“Huh? What are you talking about, sport? Spying on who?” The archangel huffed a laugh, waving his hand dismissively. “You clearly have been watching too many spy thrillers with—”

“Uh-huh. So, who’s winning?” she cut in sharply, rolling her eyes as he continued to try to explain away what she had seen. Adults were always the same. Lying manipulators. Jody was one of the few who didn’t. “So, out with it. What’s happened since we left?”

“I—”

“Either you start talking, or I walk out this door and tell them.” She then raised a brow when he didn’t react. It was all about applying the right kind of pressure on a person. Dean had taught her that. “I wonder who they’d believe more, you or me?” She shrugged carelessly. “I am, after all, only the daughter of Jimmy Novak, a man who gave his life up, his vessel, so Cas could save the world. And you’re . . . what? The archangel who every now and then shows up at the last minute and dies, only to come back like a cockroach a few years later to do it all again?”

“All right. Fine!” Gabriel grumbled, snapping his fingers and changing the channel back to the livestream of Cas’s room. “Happy now, emo Sleeping Beauty?”

She shrugged, pulling up a chair from the desk beside the door and setting it beside the cot. “Depends on what these two idiots do. Now, turn up the volume, will you?”

He snorted before he snapped his fingers. “Anything else? Maybe a fluffed pillow?” he mocked, rolling his eyes.

“Maybe later.” She leaned back and put her boots up on the edge of his cot, which he promptly kicked back off with an annoyed look. “Hey!”

“Hey yourself. This is my bed.”

“So?” She scoffed. “It’s not like you sleep, Gabriel.”

“Maybe I don’t sleep now, but that doesn’t give you a reason to put your dirty boots up on my bed, brat.” He then turned back towards the tv, which she followed suit.

Cas was standing now with his back to Dean in the middle of his room. He was looking down at something on his dresser that was offscreen. A photo Claire thought she remembered, but she couldn’t recall what the photo was of exactly. Probably one of Team Free Will, she guessed.

“Cas, will you just—” Dean stepped forward, his right hand grabbing ahold of Cas’s left shoulder to turn him around so they would be facing one another again.

“What, Dean?” the angel replied darkly, his body gracefully rotating as he too took a step forward. “What more do you want from me?”

“Nothing, man. I just want to talk to you.”

“What for?” Cas shrugged listlessly. “You’ve made it all quite clear earlier where I stand with you. I’m expected to—”

“I was wrong!”

“Oh, ho, ho!” Gabriel commented with a scoff, his hands clasped together underneath his chin as he continued to watch. “Did I just hear an admission from Dean-o? Clearly it’s a sign of the impending apocalypse if ever there was one.”

“Oh, pipe down over there, chicken wings!” Claire huffed, rolling her eyes dramatically. “I’m trying to listen.”

“Yeah, I know, man. Shocking, but I mean it. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. You or Sam. You two—let’s be honest, Cas. Without you and Sam, I’d be a complete mess all the damn time. I need you both.”

“If only your brother heard that, Dean,” muttered the archangel under his breath.

“Oh, puh-lease. Sam doesn’t need to hear any of that garbage,” Claire scoffed. “It’s the same crap he spouts anytime he gets caught. It’s his go-to phrase.”

“I’m sure Sam would still appreciate it nonetheless,” Gabriel countered.

“Then he’s an idiot, and so are you,” Claire huffed, crossing her arms. “It’s just words. They don’t matter. Not about that at least.”

The archangel turned towards her, opening his mouth to retort, only to go silent at his brother’s next words.

“No, you don’t. You never needed me.” Cas sighed heavily, taking a baby step back. “I’m what I’ve always been to you, Dean. A tool. A weapon you can use. I don’t matter. I never have.”

“Cas—”

“And I’m tired of it, Dean. I’m tired of all of it.”

“We can fix this. I’m—shit, Cas, I want to fix this. Please let me.” Dean took a step towards him, which caused the angel to step back instantly. “Cas—”

“I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me. Everything! Within reason. As long as your plans didn’t entail your death or injury or emotional harm. Even last night, I let you go without a fight.”

“Cas—” Dean reached towards his angel again, his eyes widening when Cas stepped out of his reach once more.

“No! This time you ‘shut up and let me do what I have to do.”

“Oh, snap!” Claire exclaimed, her eyes darting to Gabriel. They both looked at each other with wide eyes before their heads whipped back to the tv.

“Of all the humans, the billions of you there are, you, Dean Winchester, you are the one who . . .” Cas huffed a harsh laugh, his hand curling at his side. He drew in several breaths in an attempt to calm himself, but it was clear he was losing that battle spectacularly.

Recognizing all the signs of his brother’s impending loss of control and recalling Cas’s earlier tantrum, Gabriel flew up from the cot, rushing towards the door.

“Hey, where are you going?” Claire called out to the archangel.

“Cas!” the older brother shouted over his shoulder, as if that explained everything in the world, throwing open the door.

“Drives you so far up the wall some days that you consider tossing my sorry ass back into Hell every now and then?” Dean offered cheekily.

Gabriel halted, his eyes snapping to the tv, transfixed by the image displayed, as he watched his brother’s shoulders sag minutely.

“Because we both know you could if you wanted to, Cas. Because I’m the disrespectful, ungrateful, idiotic human you went to Hell to rescue. Whom you’ve continued to save over and over again with not so much of a ‘thank you’ even.”

“Don’t,” Cas said quietly, turning away from him.

“What?”

“Don’t play cute, Dean. Not about this.”

“So, you do think I’m cute, Cas,” remarked the Hunter, forcing a cocky grin to his face.

“Dean,” the angel warned, giving him an unamused look.

“Yeah?”

“Enough.” The Seraph sighed heavily, shaking his head. “Your false platitudes, fake flirting, overall distractions you continue to throw at me. Just stop. Please. Drop the act.”

Dean nodded, holding his hands up. “All right. You’re right.” He gave a gentle smile. “I’m just giving you the same lines that I always do, aren’t I?” He took a few steps back as if to give Castiel some breathing room. “I don’t know what I got to do, Cas, to show you how bad I want to fix this, but I’ll do it. I’ll do anything. Cause these past few months, the crap we’ve said to one another, it sucked, you know? So, you need to root around in my head, go ahead. I ain’t lying to you. This isn’t a trick or a distraction. It’s not. I—well, it took a little—I don’t know—breakdown session with Jody and Donna I guess in the Impala to figure it out.”

Gabriel walked back into the room, blinking in surprise. Was Dean actually . . . no . . . no he couldn’t be . . .

“What did your guardians do to him?” the archangel demanded, turning towards Claire.

“What?” Claire huffed, shaking her head. “No. One session with Donna and Jody doesn’t cause this. Trust me. Plus, they believe in the peel back like an onion method. This isn’t them. Can’t be.”

Gabriel pointed at the tv, though, standing next to Claire. “Uh, blondie, trust me. That—that’s not just Dean alone. Dude is known for his denial. Something fundamental there shifted. And it shifted after your spunky moms showed up.”

“Spunky moms what?” a female voice chimed in from the doorway before Claire could reply.

Both Claire and Gabriel turned towards the woman, watching Jody and then Donna a moment later slowly walk into the room. The two sheriffs wore matching curious looks before their heads tilted slightly to see what Claire and Gabriel had been watching on the tv.

“Wait a minute. Is that—”

“Oh, Christmas trees!” Donna shouted with large eyes and wide grin before she turned towards her fellow sheriff. “He made a Destiel channel, Jody!” She then rushed towards Gabriel, throwing her arms around him and hugging him fiercely. “New favorite angel! Yes!”

“Donna. Donna!” Jody repeated a little bit louder. “DONNA!”

“You are my absolute new favorite ever!” declared the Minnesota sheriff happily as she squeezed Gabriel tightly.

“Oh, for goodness— Donna Hanscum, release the angel! Now!”

“But, Jody!”

“Release him!”

Donna sighed heavily but did as Jody ordered. She was reluctant to, though, Claire noticed.

Gabriel forced a grin before he scratched the back of his head. “Okay. Well, let’s not do that again. Ever.” He then glanced back at the tv to see what was happening. Cas and Dean were staring at one another still. They hadn’t moved since Dean’s admission.

“What’s wrong, Fruity Pebbles? Not used to hugs?” Claire mocked, crossing her arms when she caught the amber eyes on her.

“You know, brat,” Gabriel snarked, glancing back at her, “I could snap my fingers easily, and—”

“Don’t threaten her!”

“She started it!” he argued, glancing at Jody who was glaring at him.

“So? You’re an archangel! You should know better!”

“Uh-hello?!” he scoffed back, throwing his hands up. “My dad is only, you know, God! Not like the big man was around a lot to discipline us all. Not with you lot around.”

“You’re still older than the universe itself. Are you not?”

“Well, yes, but—”

Jody pointed her finger at him. “No buts. You should know better.”

He reared back slightly before he turned back to the tv, retaking his seat on his cot. He huffed as he leaned back against the headboard. When he caught a hand reaching towards his candy bowl a few moments later, he opened his mouth to retort something to the candy thief but closed it a moment later. With an inward sigh, he moved the bowl closer to the human. He would have to make friends with them eventually, especially if Cas went through with his plan to be fully human.

“Thanks,” Donna quietly said, smiling at him from the lower left of the cot as she grabbed a handful of candy from his bowl.

“So, Sugar Angel here thinks you did something to Dean,” Claire remarked as they watched, their eyes glued to the screen.

“I’m just saying a leopard doesn’t change his spots that quick. That’s it.”

“I’d imagine the same could be said about you, Gabriel,” Jody replied with a pointed look.

He shook his head, frowning. What had he done to the Sioux Falls Sheriff to deserve this spitefulness? It couldn’t be solely because of his words to Claire. He wasn’t serious about it at all. Cas would have murdered him, or likely found a way to murder him more likely. He knew the girl had a spot in his little bro’s heart. It was easy to see how much Cas cared about both kids, his kids.

“Wait! Something’s happening!” Donna declared a moment later, regaining everyone’s attention.

Gabe’s amber eyes darted to his screen. He tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowing. What in the world was his baby brother doing? Was he leaving the room? Castiel was walking towards the door.

“Uh, Cas?” Dean seemed just as confused as the rest of them. “What are you doing, man?”

“You said you’d do anything to fix this,” the blue-eyed angel murmured as he slowly removed his Angel blade from his sleeve and turned back towards Dean.

“Yeah.” Dean licked his lips before he shrugged. “Still not following you there, buddy. What does your Angel blade have to do with fixing us?”

Gabriel’s body tensed instantly when he watched Cas hold his blade out towards Dean.

“Don’t you dare,” the archangel whispered angrily, his eyes large with dread.

“Uh, Gabe? What’s going on?” Claire asked. “What’s he doing?”

He waved her back, though, his mind trying to think of possible ways he could avert this without Cas knowing they were watching it. He was coming up empty unfortunately.

“Cas?”

“I told you before how my Grace was failing me, my powers. I haven’t been the same since the Fall. Since my return from the Empty. I doubt I ever will be.”

“That doesn’t matter, though,” Dean replied, hesitating slightly before he took a small step towards the angel. “You’re here. That’s what matters.”

“What am I, though? Angel? Human? Something in-between?”

“You’re Cas,” Dean simply answered, his head tilting slightly so he’d meet the angel’s faraway gaze. “The Seraph who broke ranks, who told his family to fuck off so many times to protect me, Sammy, the world, all of us. The occasional dumbass, too, who tries so hard to make things better, to fix things, that sometimes it goes horribly wrong but still you try even when the rest of us don’t have the faith you have.” Dean forced a shaky laugh, clearly holding himself back by a thread from going to the angel. “So, who are you? You’re the same you’ve always been, a little bit more human, emotional even you could say, but you’re still . . .” His tongue instantly pressed against the side of his cheek before he swept it over his teeth and swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing visibly as his eyes darted to the far side of the room. “It doesn’t matter to me if you’re a fully-powered Angel or a human or whatever. It doesn’t, Cas. It never has. It never will.”

If only Winchester knew how badly those words needed to be said. How close Cas was getting to the tipping point so many fallen angels before him had fallen victim to. To rip out one’s Grace and chose a human life—Gabriel had only ever considered it once, and it had horrified him to this day. To go against his very nature, his purpose, it was beyond words, beyond descriptions.

Dean then sighed heavily, a hand going through his hair before he pursed his lips for a moment and continued. “I was wrong. I’ve been wrong for a really long time. And I’m sorry. I acted like, well, a world-class dick to you. I treated you like shit, assuming all of it would bounce off you, that it wouldn’t matter to you at all. After all, I was only some pissant human you were ordered to rescue from Hell. You were angel. What did it matter if I treated you like that? It did, though. I see that now.”

Amber eyes widened as he noticed his brother’s head tilt. Cas was searching Dean’s eyes for any hint of mistruth. Cas didn’t believe Dean, couldn’t believe him. Not after so many missed opportunities, misunderstandings they had over the years. Gabe could tell, though, that the eldest Winchester was opening himself up fully to the vulnerability for once, for the heartbreak and rejection that could come from it. They weren’t just words. Not this time. This time, he meant it.

“So, you know, if your Grace burns out, well, we’ll deal with that. Together, Cas. You, me, Sammy, Jack, all of us.” Dean’s eyes darted to the floor before he forced himself to glance back up. “I abandoned you the last time. Chose Sammy over you. You’ve always chosen me, though, Cas. Even when you . . . when you walked out that bunker not too long ago and told me you were moving on . . . you still chose me. So,” Dean drew in a stilted breath “here’s me choosing you, Cas.”

“Holy shit!” Claire cried, leaning forward with her mouth dropped.

“Wow.”

“That’s our boy,” murmured Jody, glancing knowingly at Donna.

“You gave up so much for me over the years. I never once acknowledged that. At least I don’t think I did. Not in the way I should have at least,” Dean continued. “You always put me first before yourself even. Hell, Purgatory should have been a wake-up call for me to see how . . . Time after time . . .” He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly, his shoulders sagging as if a weight was lifting off it. His head lulled forward. He slowly drew in a breath. The world spun on with bated breath. “Each time I lost you, Cas, it got harder. I . . . hell, when Lucifer killed you and I saw your wings—your fucking wings, Cas—I couldn’t look at the kid. I couldn’t be near him. Because it would only remind me of how I had missed my chance yet again to—I don’t know—come clean. To finally be honest with myself.”

“Is he—?”

“Shh!

Claire didn’t know who had spoken. She didn’t care. After eleven years of these two dumbasses and all their stares and all their sacrificing for the other, they were finally here on the precipice. Finally, it’d come to a conclusion, to an end.

Dean stepped closer as Castiel stared back, neither blinking. With a gentle smile, the Hunter slowly reached forward, his hand resting atop of Cas’s before pushing aside the blade so it was pointed downwards towards the floor and no longer towards the angel.

“Angel, human, or something in-between, you belong here, Grace or not. Not because I want you to, not because I need you, man. You belong here because this is your home, too.”

Collective gasps rang out all around Gabriel from the other humans. The archangel brushed it off, though, focusing instead on his little brother. He saw the minute flinch of Cas’s hand holding his blade. The Seraph had nearly dropped it at Dean’s words.

“I should have made that clearer to you long ago especially after that whole Gadreel fiasco. You’ll always have a place here. You never need to worry about ever being alone or without a home again. I mean it, Cas. I won’t throw you back out onto the streets. I shouldn’t have done it the first time to you. I should have chosen you then.”

The older angel closed his eyes, hearing the soft metallic noise as his brother’s blade fell to the floor a moment later. He could feel the heavy air around the room, the emotions that swirled about. His brother’s was the strongest of all. Though, Gabriel had always been more in tune with the blue-eyed angel’s emotions than the others.

He could feel the intense longing, suffocating almost in its strength. It was the one thing every fallen angel ever had in common. They all wanted to have a home again, a sense of belonging. The longer an angel was on Earth, the more suspectable they were to that longing. And Cas had been on Earth for so long.

Reopening his eyes and blinking back the unexpected sting, he watched his little brother curl in on himself, as Dean looked on helplessly. After everything Cas had suffered, all that he had lost, this was too much for the young Seraph. Gabriel watched his brother’s badly damaged wings, still safely tucked in the Ethereal plane, curl limply around himself protectively.

For a brief moment, the older brother considered snapping in and pulling his little brother into a loving, warm embrace, sending him all the affection they never had felt prior to their interactions with humans. Love was the strongest weapon, stronger than Grace, stronger than everything. The writer of the Harry Potter series had gotten that right at least.

“Hey,” Dean murmured, taking another step forward until he was mere inches from the silently crying angel. He hesitated briefly, his arms coming up a bit. It was clear he wanted to embrace him, but something stopped him each time he tried. He grimaced a moment later and glared off at something in the distance. He likely was recalling something distasteful from his childhood, some line John Winchester had said. A second later, the eldest Winchester threw it all aside. He took the final step towards him and pulled him into a fierce embrace. “I got you, Angel. I got you.”

Suddenly, a fury of chorus of cooing sounds assaulted Gabe’s ears. He turned his head to silence the three women in the room. Only when he did, he realized quickly they were all glaring at him instead.

“Are those sound effects really necessary, Gabriel?” Jody asked, her hands on her hips.

Sound effects? It then hit him. Oh. Right. He had arranged for a ‘live studio audience’ for his live stream. He shrugged and half grinned before he snapped his fingers. “Oops.” Briefly, he wondered what else he had forgotten, but he supposed that would take the fun out of it when it happened.

“Claire?”

“Shit,” the blonde groaned before she turned towards the opened door and saw Jack standing in the doorway with his bowl of cereal. “Sorry. I meant to come back.”

Jack shrugged, though, and stepped inside hesitantly. His light azure eyes darted to the television as he likely noticed everyone had been engrossed by it. His head tilted.

“It’s the Cas and Dean show,” she remarked with a shrug. “Want to join?”

The Nephilim smiled widely before he nodded. He then paused and glanced into the hallway.

“Should I wake Sam?”

“NO!” everyone yelled back.

“Okay then.” He closed the door behind him before he padded over to cot.

Gabriel instantly snapped his fingers, expanding his bed and sending everyone to sit on it in various areas. He should have done that awhile back, he supposed, when the sheriffs showed up. Amber eyes narrowed on the cereal in Jack’s hand.

“Krunch Cookie Crunch?” the archangel asked, raising a brow at him.

Jack’s face lit up, and he nodded fervently. “Yep. I’ve got another box in the kitchen if—”

Gabriel merely snapped his fingers a second later, though, ripping open the top of the box of sugary cereal and sticking a hand in to grab a bit of it.

“Well, if you’re taking requests,” Claire drawled, “the humans might want something too. You know, just a thought.”

Glancing upwards at the ceiling, the angel shook his head and glanced at her. “And what do you want, Princess Peach?”

Claire shrugged. “Nachos maybe?” A snap later, a tub of nachos was in her hands. “With extra jalapenos . . . and not the ones from the jar either.”

Gabriel glared at her.

“Fresh picked ones,” the blonde said with a smirk. “And for my drink . . . I’ll have a club soda.” Two more snaps, and she had everything she requested.

“Oh!” Donna perked up, her eyes widening. “Me next!”

“Donna!” Jody hissed, glaring at her mildly.

“What? I’m hungry.”

The sandy-haired angel glanced at the sheriff of Minnesota and forced a smile. “Yes?” He just barely held back from snapping his fingers at Claire and turning the little imp into a fairy or something.

“Chips.”

“What kind?”

“Um, nacho cheese. With one of those umbrella drinks. Don’t care which. Surprise me.”

He inclined his head to her and snapped his fingers, snapping in an extra bowl of cheese for her chips and a Pina colada. Amber eyes then darted towards Jody.

“And for you?” he asked politely.

Jody smiled back, though, and shook her head. “No. I’m good. Thanks.”

He watched her for a minute before he nodded. He turned back to the screen, sighing inwardly. It didn’t sit right with him. While he knew it was ultimately her decision to choose nothing, he didn’t like it. He wanted to give her a peace offering, but she wasn’t willing to give him the chance for it. With a playback through his conversations with Cas and his interactions with the others, he finally chose something that he hoped she’d like. Two snaps later, and a bowl of chocolate covered popcorn and a beer appeared next to Jody. He kept his eyes glued to the screen, but he felt her eyes dart to him a second later. It really wasn’t anything for him, none of it was, but he hoped she understood. That it was his way of apologizing for whatever he had done to upset her.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

He turned back, meeting Jody’s eyes. “I know, but clearly I upset you somehow.”

“What?”

“Guys, can we not do this now?” Claire remarked with a sigh. “You’re ruining the mood.”

“Claire!”

“What?” she replied with a scoff. “Candy Man here is trying to buy your affection, which gross by the way, and you’re playing all—”

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Back that train up, Emo Barbie!” Gabriel argued. “I am not trying to ‘buy her affection.’ She is so not my type.”

“Oh?” Claire stated, crossing her arms. “And what is your type, Sugar Daddy, hmm?”

“Sam!”

Gabriel blinked rapidly. Had he said that out loud? He didn’t think so, but . . . there it was.

“Look, guys!” Jack continued happily, pointing at the screen. “Sam’s on the screen now!”

The archangel’s head whipped back to the tv, and his mouth dropped at the sight of the door closed behind the freakishly tall Winchester brother. His hands came up to his head, digging his palms in. Oh, this was bad. This was very bad.

“Uh, dude, no reason to panic. It’s just Sam.”

“No. No you don’t understand.” None of them did. Gabriel groaned, closing his eyes. A second later, he heard foreboding music echo around the room, which he promptly snapped off. That was not helping at all.

“Gabriel? What’s going on?” Jody asked quietly.

His palms hit his head several times before he sighed loudly. “So, funny thing . . . you know how Sam always jokes we should lock them in a room together and not let them out until they, you know, confessed their undying love for one another?”

“You didn’t!”

“Yeah . . . only Sam wasn’t supposed to be locked in there with them!”

“So, just snap your fingers, Hot Wings.”

Gabriel shook his head. “Yeah. See, I didn’t want to break this time and interrupt, so I may have added a tiny little thing where I can’t?”

“You didn’t.”

He winced, his head hanging. “I did.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Claire said with a scoff. “You snapped some magic thing on the room that basically locks them inside if the door’s closed. And the only way they can get out is if they, you know, say three little words they haven’t been able to say to one another in eleven years.”

“Well, technically, Cas did tell Dean he loved him,” countered the Nephilim happily.

“Not helping, Jack,” she replied with a fierce glare. “And while we were finally—FINALLY—getting somewhere with those dumbasses, we now have Sam in there. Sam, Gabriel!”

“Yeah. I’m aware, Blondie,” drawled the archangel.

“Chief cockblocker of all times,” Claire went on.

“Hey! He may be many things, but—”

She pointed at him. “No. You no longer get to talk there, Bird Brain!”

Gabriel scoffed. “Now, listen here, Teen Angst Troll—”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Oh, honestly!” Jody huffed. “Will you two knock it off?”

“He started it!”

“No, she did!”

“I don’t care which one of you idiots started it. I’m finishing it!” Jody snapped, glaring at both of them. “Gabriel, I need you to think. What about a loophole?”

“I didn’t make one,” he declared with a shrug. “I wanted them to have no other option than to use their damn words.”

“All right.” Jody nodded slowly, glancing at Donna briefly before she turned back. “So, the only way they can get out is if—”

“They say ‘I love you,’ something they haven’t managed to say in eleven freakin’ years,” Claire bitterly remarked, glaring at Gabriel.

“You can interact with the room, though, right? Alter it?”

“Like you did with the Dr. Sexy bit?” Donna suggested.

“No,” he answered with a heavy sigh. “I wanted it to be free of interruptions, free of distractions once that door closed.”

“Except Sam’s in there now. Big distraction.”

“Claire,” Jody warned, glancing at the blonde.

Gabe’s eyes narrowed, though. She was right. Sam was in there. He hadn’t taken the big moose into consideration when he created this ‘safe space’ for his brother and Dean. He tilted his head as he watched the tall, long-haired man on the tv stand in front of the closed door, watching his older brother embracing tenderly the angel whose back was to Sam.

“Oh, Claire Bear, you’re a genius,” he murmured before he snapped his fingers. “Maybe.”

“Huh?”

He brushed off her confusion, though, and cleared his throat, his eyes glued to Sam.

“Golden Goose to Moose. Come in, Moose!” Gabriel loudly called out.

“What the hell?” Sam murmured before he glanced around the room wildly. He clearly had heard Gabriel.

“Sammy?” Dean whispered a second later, his head coming up to glance around Castiel. The second he saw him, his arms fell to his sides as he took a giant step back. He had fallen back into his old ways again. Pretend and flaunt that male testosterone to distract.

Gabriel winced, knowing how that had been entirely his fault. He could only imagine how Dean had taken Sam’s obvious surprise. “It’s me, Sam. Gabe. You know, the hot angel?” He chuckled quietly as he heard the ladies’ groan. “I may have done something stupid, and you might be—okay you are trapped with them, but I have good reason. Promise! I do!”

Green eyes darted back to Cas a moment later and then to Sam as the angel curled more into himself. “What the hell are you doing here, man?” Dean demanded, unaware of the conversation his younger brother was hearing. When Sam said nothing, likely still listening to Gabriel based on the fierce glare, the older brother scoffed and took a step back to his broken angel. He hesitated only for a moment before he embraced Cas again. “Sorry,” he murmured softly to the Seraph, his eyes never leaving Sam’s form.

“Wait. You’re talking to him?” Jody asked, glancing between Sam on the tv and Gabriel.

The sandy-haired man nodded slightly, licking his lips as he thought on what he’d say next. He could tell the Jolly Green Giant was not happy. “You weren’t supposed to get caught up in the whole Cas and Dean fiasco. Honest. Though, for the record, just taking a page out of your playbook here, Sam-alam.” He winced more when he caught Sam’s bitch face. Yeah, he deserved that.

“Hey! You keep glaring like that, we’re going to be having some serious words, Sam,” Dean growled suddenly.

“Huh?” the younger Winchester replied, blinking before he glanced at his older brother in obvious confusion. The glare had fallen away quickly.

Gabriel’s head fell forward. This was just going from bad to worse.

“Don’t play stupid with me,” the older Winchester snapped, glaring back as he gently rubbed Cas’s back. “You know, I’d have thought with that whole college thing and in touch with your feelings crap you spout to me all the time—how you went on about crap, you wouldn’t be one of those dicks. Guess I learned the truth after all, huh? Like father, like son.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I think he’s suggesting you have a problem with him hugging Castiel, Sam,” Gabriel answered, yelping when Jody and Donna both hit his arm hard.

“I don’t have a problem with you hugging Cas!” Sam declared, taking a step forward towards his brother and the blue-eyed man. “Remember? I’m all for Team CasDean.”

“Then what’s with all the glares?” Dean threw back.

“That was nothing, man.”

“Didn’t look like nothing,” argued the older brother.

“Well, it was. I was just— all right, fine.” Sam sighed heavily, shaking his head. “I was thinking of Gabriel, okay?”

“Awe. You were thinking of me, Sam-wich?” He then frowned when he heard the half-ranted prayer telling Gabriel just where he could go. “Well, that wasn’t nice.”

“That ass? Why the hell were you think—” Dean’s voice then broke off suddenly, and his eyes darted down to the angel in his arms. Something must have happened. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s just me. Me and Sammy.” Dean rubbed the angel’s back gently. “We’re here. You’re not alone, Cas. I got you.”

Gabe’s head tilted to the side as he watched his brother’s wings, broken with few and far between raven feathers, curl around Dean protectively. The young Seraph had probably felt Dean’s emotions rev up somehow in his post-breakdown haze and assumed the older Winchester had needed protection for some reason.

“So, I’ll make this quick while your brother is talking to mine, and they’re not paying attention to the rest of the damn world. When you shut the door, you unfortunately got locked in with them. Only way to break it and get back out again to the real world is if Dean and Cas talk, like, really talk to one another about their profound bond. Understand?”

“You’re an idiot,” Sam mumbled under his breath, glancing upwards at the ceiling.

“Yeah. Not one of my better plans, I admit, but our stubborn brothers needed the shove.” Gabriel sighed heavily when he saw Sam roll his eyes. “So, you know, if you can come up with anything, it’d be appreciated. We’re all rooting for you out here.” He winced when he saw the tall man pull the earpiece out and toss it onto the floor before he stomped on it. “All right. Guess we just get to wait.”

“Or you snap your fingers and create another one?” Claire remarked dryly.

“No.” The archangel shook his head. “It was making things worse. You saw that. He knows what he’s up against. Just got to trust him now.”

“Yeah, because, you know, he’s been doing so awesome for eleven years, after all.”

“Oh, and you think you could do so much better, do you?” Gabriel shot back, crossing his arms as he glanced at Claire.

“Then that?” she replied, motioning towards the tv. “Yeah. Probably. First off, I wouldn’t have left it to Sam to stumble across them. I mean, it is Sam.”

“So?”

“So, whenever they have a moment, you know, the big ones, here comes Sam, butting in.”

“Claire,” Jody said disapprovingly.

“What? It’s true.”

“But Cas is the third wheel, though,” Jack chimed in. “He provides stability and—” He frowned when he caught all the looks. “What?”

Gabriel snapped in another box of that sugary cereal and handed it to his nephew. “Here, kiddo. Have the box. Special prize in that one.”

“I said that wrong, didn’t I?” Jack quietly said, glancing down as he took the box.

The older angel scratched the back of his head before he sighed. He wasn’t good around kids usually. “It’s okay. Your heart’s in the right place, and that’s all that matters, bud.”

“Yeah?” Jack’s eyes shot up as his face morphed into a giant hopeful grin.

Gabriel chuckled quietly before he ruffled Jack’s hair. “Always, kiddo.” When he caught Jody’s and Donna’s eyes on him, his brows furrowed. “What?”

“Nothing,” the ladies drawled, sharing a secret glance with one another.

“Dean?”

“Ugh,” Claire groaned, tossing a few of her snacks at the screen as Sam moved closer to Cas and his brother. “Get off the screen!”

“Can you not throw things at my tv please?” Gabriel sighed, giving the bratty young woman a look. He frowned when she rolled her eyes. “Keep it up and I’ll send you to a time out, Sassy Pants.” Damn! He blinked as he recalled saying similar words to another insolent little brat not so long ago.

“Is he okay?” Sam asked, glancing between them.

“Stupid questions for 100, Alex,” Claire drawled again, frowning when Jody raised a brow at her. “What? Come on. That was stupid! Cas is only crying in Dean’s arms, but here’s Sam—oblivious troll asking if he’s okay. Yeah, cause, you know, totally natural for an Angel of the Freakin’ Lord to be crying. Come on!”

“Castiel isn’t an Angel of the Lord,” Gabriel stated. “He hasn’t been one for a long time.”

“No. He’s the Angel of the Winchesters. I know. Namely Dean.”

“And Sam!” argued the archangel.

“Sam. Sam. Sam!” Claire mocked, scoffing. “Why don’t you just marry him already, Gabe?”

“Maybe I will. And you’ll be our flower girl!” he shot back. “Oh, I can see it now. You’ll be in cute little pink bows, all happy, and with stuffed bears and unicorns.”

Claire’s mouth dropped.

“You guys done? Or are you going to keep at it all night?” Jody sighed.

“Ask him. He started it.”

Gabriel opened his mouth, only to scoff and force a smile. Nope. He wasn’t going to fall for her bait. Not this time. He turned back towards the tv and waited. As far as he could see, Dean was still hugging Cas with Sam looking on helplessly. He considered snapping in another earpiece just to see what the big man’s plan was, but he knew it wouldn’t help really. Sam knew more than any of them. He wasn’t just Dean’s brother after all. He was best friends with Cas too.

“Sammy, just go. Please,” Dean softly said, hesitantly glancing at his younger brother. “I got this. You don’t need to—”

“He can’t,” Cas finally spoke, his voice rough as sandpaper. He sniffled slightly.

“What?” Green eyes darted back down. “What do you mean that he can’t?”

“Gabriel.” The young angel slowly pulled back before he wandered over to his cot and sat down on the edge of it. “He locked us in here.”

Wincing, the archangel in question let out a little sound that was so not a whimper—because archangels never whimpered—no. Never. They— Oh, this wasn’t going . . .

“Ooh, someone’s gonna be in trouble!” Claire sung happily, elbowing Gabriel in the side.

Dean’s entire body tensed painfully. His eyes narrowed before he forced out a harsh, dark laugh. “I’m sorry. I think I heard you wrong, Cas. Did you . . . you didn’t just say . . .” Green eyes flashed then towards his brother who was grimacing. He drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly as he tried to reign back in his anger.

“He’s been talking to Sam,” Cas quietly stated a second later, his head lowering into his hands.

“Thanks, little bro,” grumbled Gabriel, shaking his head as he hesitantly peeked over at Dean. The eldest Winchester hadn’t moved or said anything for a bit, which was very troubling.

Dean let out a low chuckle before he shook his head, his tongue pressed against his cheek briefly. “Good one, guys. You about had me there.”

Cas and Sam both glanced at him in confusion.

“No . . .” Dean murmured, noticing their looks. “Guys, he died.” He shook his head and scoffed. “I don’t know what this is, but it ain’t your brother, Cas. It can’t be. Your brother died. Wings and—”

“You saw my wings burned into the Earth once,” the angel softly pointed out. “You even gave me a Hunter’s Funeral. And here I am.”

Dean took a small step back. He stared back horrified for a brief moment.

“Whoa!”

Gabriel had to agree with that assessment. Whoa indeed. He watched Dean stare back. He could almost see the emotions rolling off the Hunter at those words, at those images. He hadn’t even been there, but to hear the finality—he would have likely been a sobbing wreck.

Dean frowned a second later and blinked back whatever he was thinking.

“This is Gabriel, Cas,” the older brother argued. “Come on! Out of all the other dicks he could choose from, why would your dick dad bring him back?”

“Why’d he bring me back all those times? To torture me of course. To give me a bit more rope to hang myself with. To make the story that more tragic. Take your pick. It all ends the same. With the broken, rejected angel. But you’re wrong, though. It wasn’t Chuck. Not this time.”

“Cas!”

“Though, I’m not really an angel anymore, am I?” the Seraph murmured before he shrugged lethargically. “An angel doesn’t breakdown like that. An angel is a warrior, an emotionless robot sent to do God’s work whatever it may be upon His Creation.”

“They’re going to be stuck there until the end of time, aren’t they?” Claire groaned.

“Oh, give them a moment. They have eleven years of emotional shit to deal with after all.”

“Jack and Claire brought him back while you were gone, Dean,” Sam stated quietly, breaking the silence as Dean stared numbly at the silent form of Cas. “Billie gave him a book, I guess, with Gabriel in it, and Jack rewrote the ending to bring him back.”

Dean scoffed, shaking his head before he ran a hand through his hair. “Great. Because the last time we went messing with the natural order of things, it went swimmingly, didn’t it? No cosmic consequences or nothing happened.”

“You still haven’t let that go, have you?” Cas scoffed. “I wasn’t going to sit idly by—”

“It wasn’t your decision to make!” Dean gruffly interjected.

“Guys!” Sam shouted. “Stop it!”

“Oh, look. Sam’s butting in yet again, guys,” Claire drawled, rolling her eyes. “So glad he’s in there to help things along, aren’t you?”

“Hush.”

Gabriel glared at her, resisting the urge to snap a piece of duct tape on her mouth.

“This world needs you, Dean!” the angel retorted, a little fight reentering his eyes.

“Yeah, well, this world needs you, too, dumbass!” the Hunter snapped back.

Castiel let out a harsh barking laugh. “Me? Why? So, it can see what happens when an angel falls in love with a human!”

“Well, there’s one ‘I love you.”

“It doesn’t count,” Gabriel sighed heavily. “He didn’t specify who loved whom.”

“You’re kidding. Right?” Claire stated, staring at him like he had grown a third head.

“Unfortunately, I’m not.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Jody groaned a moment later.

“Or at least their sake,” Donna remarked dryly. “Not that I wouldn’t, ya know—”

“What?” yelled incredulously the sheriff of Sioux Falls, her head whipping to her fellow sheriff.

“What?” Donna shrugged. “Them boys aren’t bad looking, Jodes. And I ain’t dead.”

“Dean is practically our son.”

“Yeah, but he ain’t thankfully,” Donna argued with a smirk.

“It’s like I don’t even know you anymore,” Jody sighed, throwing her hands up into the air.

“Yeah, well, speaking as the said human loved by said angel, you can argue ‘til you’re blue in the damn face, Cas, but I know that I wouldn’t have made it this far without you. Sam either.”

The Seraph shrugged. “Which proves my point. I am only here—”

“So, help me, Cas, if you so much as utter that damn line,” Dean growled, “I’ll kick your feathery ass from here to the moon. You are not a tool or a weapon for us or any other stupid thought you think you are!”

Cas huffed, rolling his eyes as he threw up his hands and shook his head. “Then what am I?”

“You’re my fucking angelic best friend who right now is driving me up the goddamn wall!”

“You still can’t say it. Eleven years, and you still can’t be honest about our bond.”

“What do you want me to say, Cas?” Dean replied with a helpless shrug. “That I care for you? Of course I do!”

“I love you, Dean. Not as a brother. Not as a friend. Not as anything else than what that word is intended for.”

“Go, Cas.”

“That counts, little bro.” Gabriel smiled fondly as he watched his younger sibling go on.

“I’ve told you this repeatedly. I’ve shown it every step of the way through our friendship. I always came when you called, Dean. Always! Even when I knew it would get me in trouble with my superiors. Even when you didn’t want me anywhere near you, I came. I threw everything I knew out the door, sacrificed everything, for you.”

Dean stared back silently.

“And do you know where it got me? Without my family. Without my friends. Without my home. Without my powers. Without my wings. Without my strength. Without my purpose. Without everything I ever knew. And in its place, I am lost, a shell of what I once was, homeless, abandoned, weak, broken, an angel without a purpose anymore. You can’t even say I fell because even fallen angels have purpose. I’m nothing now, Dean.”

“Bullshit!” the Hunter stated quietly. He pinched his lips together for a brief second before he shook his head forcefully. “Your family—they didn’t care for you. Your friends—they didn’t know you. Your home—it was a prison to you. Your powers—your wings—your strength—they’re still there, Cas. And your purpose—shit, man, it’s what it’s always been.”

“And what’s that?”

“To—” Dean’s voice gave out surprisingly, which caused him to shake his head again. His tongue jutted out, slowly gliding across his lips before he tried again. “To save Dean Winchester.”

“Now, we’re talking,” Jody said with a smile. “Keep going.”

“What?” Claire and Jack both said, glancing in confusion.

“Shh!” Donna and Gabe replied.

“I am more than—”

“I know you are, Cas. Just let me finish, will you?” He forced a smile when the angel motioned for him to continue. “You put your life on the line for a rebellious, arrogant asshole human who thought he knew everything there was to know about life, about God, about whatever. You flew down to Hell, battled its armies to rescue me, the so-called Righteous Man. You didn’t judge me. You didn’t pity me. You just did your job and brought me topside at great risk to yourself. You stayed by my side through everything. You did everything I asked and more to keep me safe. Protected Sammy when I couldn’t.” He scoffed, sighing heavily. “I couldn’t say the words, Cas. I—It’s not how we were raised. But I thought you’d see through my actions—” He paused again, running a hand through his hair. His eyes fell to the floor as he clearly thought on his words carefully. “Purgatory—I wasn’t going to leave that place without you, man. Because I need you. And when I came back up, I was a wreck. Sam saw some of it, but I flew off the rails. Every fucking time I lose you, in fact, dumbass, I’m lost, broken inside more than usual.” Green eyes searched the blue oceans silently watching him. “The first few times, I lied to myself. Said it was just cause I never had a best friend. It was true after all. But then Purgatory, Naomi, fucking Lucifer even. I’ve told you this already, but I’ll tell you again and keep telling you until you hear me. It got harder each time, Cas! To the point where I hated it when you’d leave because all I could think about is ‘What if he doesn’t come back this time?’ ‘What if this is truly the end?’ And each time, you came back, and I swore to myself I’d tell you then.” He shrugged. “Course we know I didn’t.”

“What does this have to do with the ‘To save Dean Winchester’ line?” Jack asked curiously, glancing at the others.

“He’s getting to it, kiddo.” Gabriel thought he was at least.

“Okay then.” Jack happily returned to munching on his cereal as he watched.

“You could see through me like no one else could. And you told me once one of my greatest fears, said it in such a way that . . . ‘You don’t believe you deserve to be saved.’ Remember that? I didn’t. I had one purpose too, Cas. Protect Sammy. Dad drilled that into my head so much it’s engrained into my very soul. Protect Sammy. Protect him over your own pathetic life. Because Sammy matters. You don’t.”

“Yeah. Okay then. If John Winchester comes back, we’re shootin’ him, right, Jodes?” Donna asked seriously. “Cause I got just the gun for him, too.”

“You protected me, watched over me. And you’d look at me like I was worth a damn. Like I mattered. Sure, the whole ‘I’ll watch over you’ crap got a little weird sometimes, but . . . I get it. I do.”

“I sincerely doubt you do, Dean,” Castiel replied dryly.

“Every time you’d watch over me, you were keeping me safe, making sure I’d sleep through the night, know that I wasn’t alone as I thought I was. That you’d be there, protecting me, loving me.”

“Gabriel says—”

“Not now, Sam,” Dean replied, cutting his younger brother off with a gentle look.

“What does Gabriel say?” Castiel asked, though, glancing at Sam.

The younger brother glanced at his older who was now giving him a fierce look that clearly said ‘Don’t say it.’

“Uh, he told us what the meaning, um, of ‘watching over’ is,” Sam quietly answered, averting his eyes far from his brother’s.

Cas huffed, rolling his eyes. “Did he now?”

“Hey! What’s that for?” Gabriel shouted at the tv, tossing Skittles at it. “I told them! Not the whole thing, but I told enough! So, enough of that eye-rolling, baby bro.”

“You realize he can’t hear you, right?” Claire asked with a raised brow.

“Yes . . . and your point?”

Claire shrugged. “Just making sure you’re not going senile there, old man.”

“That if an angel offers to watch over you, you’re considered special in that angel’s eyes,” Sam continued, glancing hesitantly at his brother.

“Well, we know that, Sammy,” Dean scoffed. “Cas and I’ve always had a more profound bond. Ain’t that, right, Cas?” The eldest Winchester flashed a grin at the unamused angel.

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed when he heard his brother’s responding huffed, dark laugh. “What did you do, Castiel?” he murmured, his head tilting slightly. Normally, the archangel would have ignored it, assumed the Seraph’s reaction was similar to saying ‘Now you say it.’ But that laugh—it didn’t sit right with him at all.

“If you mean the bond you ignored for years, yes. Though,” Castiel shrugged “if I’m not hearing your prayers anymore as you claimed to have made, maybe it’s finally broken.”

“No!” Gabriel growled, his eyes widening as the image of his brother earlier sobbing flashed in his mind. It all clicked in horrifying fashion. What if his breakdown wasn’t because of Dean’s declaration of his always having a home but instead breaking . . . “You dumbass!”

“What?” the humans all yelled, glancing at him.

“Speak, Hot Wings! What the hell does that mean?”

“He broke their damn bond!” Gabriel snarled, shaking his head. He turned to Jack. “Get that damn Reaper or Death or whatever the hell she goes by here now and rewrite that book!”

Jack cocked his head to the side in obvious confusion.

“Aren’t you flying off the handles over nothing? Castiel could be lying.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Buttercup,” the older angelic brother drawled sarcastically, glancing at Claire. “Did Cas suddenly get better at lying? I mean, sure I’ve been dead for, what, almost a year? It could’ve happened. Just like Cassie and Luci and Mickey and Ralphie and me could all be the best brothers ever, too. And we could all be one big happy family with a loving father—oh, that’s right. My dad’s a fucking douchecanoe who abandoned his children and loves to torture the hell out of the Winchesters for book sales and because he can.”

“Gabriel, she’s just saying—”

“Yeah, I know what she’s saying, Jody. I do. But here’s what I’m saying.” Gabriel’s whole body morphed into seriousness, something that seemed unnatural. “My dumbass of a little brother with the emotional range of a teacup severed his bond with Dean, likely out of anger and hurt. When an angel severs that sort of bond, he becomes more susceptible to the dark forces, my older brother’s influences. Think of it as a sort of weighing scales. More humanity, more emotional bonds, more good. Less humanity, less bonds, less good. Get the picture?”

“But—”

“Do you think Lucifer just woke up one day and went ‘Hmm, let’s screw with humanity’ today? He didn’t. It was gradual. The changes in him were slow enough we didn’t notice. Not until it was too late. Until Dad cast him down to Hell. And by then we couldn’t do anything—I couldn’t do anything.” Gabriel had sworn to himself he wouldn’t let that happen to Cas, but it appeared he was failing there too. “An angel is only as good as its bonds. When those bonds break, the Grace inside alters. It morphs. It turns people like my beautiful brother Lucifer into the mutated monster he became. For humans to become demons, their souls have to be twisted, perverted. For an angel, it’s our Grace.”

“So, what? You’re saying Cas is turning into, like, Lucifer?”

The humans warily glanced at the screen at the angel.

“The stronger the bond, and trust me that bond was fucking stronger than Dad even, the worse it is,” Gabriel declared morbidly.

“Cas?” Dean murmured, gaining everyone’s attention again. “What do you—no. It’s not broken. Maybe something was just interfering. Like, we just had a bad connection or something.”

“Or maybe,” Castiel replied neutrally, “I did what you always expected me to do, Dean. What you always feared.”

Gabe’s eyes narrowed into slits when he caught his brother’s brief twitch of his left wing in the ethereal plane as he spoke. It was minute, barely there, but he was sure he had seen it. When it happened again, his eyes widened. For just a millisecond, Cas’s wing had reached out towards Dean, almost longingly, before it sharply pulled back. What was he playing at? Gabriel then scoffed and shook his head, his eyes focused entirely on his brother’s True Form squished inside his vessel. The Grace was dim, sure, but it didn’t seem dark like Lucifer’s had near the end.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” drawled the archangel. He turned towards Claire. “You might be right, Rainbow Bright.”

“What?”

“His wing’s twitching.”

“And?”

“It’s a tell,” Gabriel explained dryly. “It always twitched whenever he’d lie.”

“So, he’s not—”

“Nope.” He shrugged. “I overreacted. Too damn afraid I’d watch another brother I love lose himself.” And, instead, he had a little brother who clearly had learned a few of the Winchester tricks and was throwing yet another temper tantrum, one intended to hurt Dean as badly as Cas felt.

“Well, next time, don’t. Okay?” Claire huffed, crossing her arms. “The humans who love that idiot can’t handle that possibility.”

“But what about his not hearing Dean’s prayer, though? Could it have been interference?” Jody asked carefully, glancing at Gabriel.

“Possibly.” He frowned as he took a moment to think. “Though, considering how he admitted earlier his powers are weakening, it could just be he was too low on Grace to hear it. More human than Angel at that moment. I mean, sometimes I missed Sam’s prayers, and it wasn’t because I was trying to sever our bond. I just was too low on Grace.”

It made sense after all. If Cas was this susceptible to emotions to throw yet another tantrum, maybe his Grace was dangerously low. Humans were known for their emotional vulnerability. Angels had Grace to dampen that weakness thankfully. But when they were low—oh, could it be hellish. So, that and the knowledge of how out of control Castiel had been the previous night, it was possible.

“Sam prayed to you?”

“Not a lot. But once he learned I was on humanity’s side, he’d send the occasional one or two here and there.”

“What about?”

The archangel flashed a lopsided grin. “Sorry. That falls strictly under the Human-Angel confidentiality clause.” Not that there really was one, but he wasn’t ever going to break that confidence. Cas had his human, and Gabriel had his.

“Poor Dean,” whispered Donna a moment later, pointedly ignoring her adopted niece and the archangel’s conversation. Her eyes were glued to the tv.

Her words caused a deafening silence to fall on the group as they turned their attention back to the screen, forgetting all about the lightheartedness of the earlier moment again. It was hard not to feel something when they watched the man they all cared for visibly break. His anxiety was evident in every tremor as he paced about the small room, so utterly lost.

“I’m sorry,” Dean begged, practically gasping out the words. “Cas, I . . . please . . . I—”

“You what, Dean?” Cas shot back, his head tilting slightly. “Need me? Depend on me?” Each word was returned with unexpected coldness.

“I do need you! It’s true!” Dean helplessly glanced at Sam who was watching them unashamed.

“Please don’t speak. Please don’t speak,” Claire chanted, her hands clasped tightly as though praying for a miracle to happen.

Gabriel glanced at the young blonde instantly at hearing her words. “Careful there.” He waited until her eyes found his. “Cas might think you’re talking to him,” he commented, trying to push aside his own uneasiness at what was occurring on the screen.

“Shhh!” hissed Jody, glaring mildly at them before she whispered tenderly to the screen, “You can do it, Dean. It’s all right.” She reached for Donna’s hand, eyes still locked onto the image.

"I'm not good at this, Cas." Dean tried to make his wiping at his cheek look casual but failed. More tears just leaked out instead.

"You're doing fine, Dean," Sam interrupted.

The sandy-haired archangel winced painfully. He was rather surprised the three on screen couldn't hear the chorus of loud boos and jeers that reverberated around his bedroom at Sam’s words. For a brief moment, he considered doing what Claire had suggested earlier and conjure up another earpiece. If only to save himself from hearing the others’ disapproval for the youngest Winchester. Though, he knew the urge to tell Sam to hide under the bed and shut up would be too great. The moose was just trying to help, but that was how the roads to hell were paved.

Dean shook his head, motioning Sam to quiet. He drew in a slow breath, his face becoming more determined with each moment his eyes watched the stoic angel.

“I'm not good at this, Cas,” he admitted quietly, taking a step towards the Seraph before he stopped short. “Not at all.” He shook his head. “I can give you all sorts of excuses why. But it doesn't really matter. You’ve probably heard ‘em all from me over the years. I've been doing the same thing, spouting the same lines, for eleven years.”

Castiel scoffed, glancing away.

“And, well, let’s be honest. Making new habits—way harder than fighting monsters.” Green sought the blue it loved so much. However, Cas’s deep cerulean remained on the wall he was glaring at, denying Dean. “I don't blame you for not believing me. I don't." Dean paused to clear his throat and quickly swiped another hand across his cheeks.

“No. You blame me for everything else,” Cas stated callously. “Like Jack. Like Mary. Like Sam. Like Gabriel. Like Claire. Like Rowena. Should I continue or--?” He shrugged listlessly.

Gabriel’s mouth dropped as his eyes widened.

“What the hell, Cas?” Claire gasped.

“Oh, Angel, that was—” Donna shook her head.

“Agreed,” Jody scoffed.

“He’s hurt,” Jack said quietly with a small frown.

“So?” the ladies argued with glares.

“Doesn’t mean he can be an ass to Dean who’s trying,” Jody declared.

“The ladies are right here, kiddo,” Gabriel stated with a sigh. “My baby bro is being a cold, heartless dick right now. Stubborn as shit too.”

The Seraph was being the biggest brat on Earth right then. Hurt or not, he still was a primordial being, meaning that at the very least he should have had a little experience at reigning in his emotions a bit better than this. After all, he had spent the last eleven years on Earth with the Winchester. He had to learn something from them, right? That wasn’t just trivial knowledge like top ten Zepplin tracks or how much it cost to fill up an old ’67 Impala?

“Cas, please,” Sam spoke up, regaining everyone’s attention. “Listen to what—”

“What Dean’s saying?” Castiel finished before he shook his head. He rolled his eyes and turned around dramatically, walking back towards the dresser. “Your brother is giving me everything I’ve ever wanted to hear, Sam. Offering it all up on a platter for me. You know this. Do you know what’ll happen when I give in, when I believe his lies again? The first time—the very first time—someone makes a comment, someone looks our way, he’ll resort to his old ways again. He’ll pull back like always. Claim I’m just his friend, a buddy. Because that’s all I am to you, Dean. A little plaything you can toy around with when you’re bored.”

“All right. Where’s an angel blade?”

“Jody!”

“I’m not going to kill him, Claire! I’m just going to remind him what happens to people who hurt Dean!” the Sioux Falls sheriff declared.

“No.” Dean’s mouth opened and closed several times before he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, taking a moment to calm himself again. His hands slowly ran down his face a second later, and he exhaled loudly. His eyes darted to the angel, all the hurt and pain conveyed in the deep green. Nothing was hidden anymore. “Then, the minute I do that, Cas, the second, you walk away. Save yourself. But I won’t, man. I won’t,” he pleaded, his voice cracking with dread.

“You’d say anything to get your way, Winchester!” Cas shouted back.

Dean latched onto the anger and used it, retorting, “If it meant having you in my life, dumbass, then you’re damn right I would!”

“Why?” Cas growled, striding purposefully into his personal space. His eyes were stormy blue, flashing with sparks of Grace underneath. “I don’t matter to you! I never did! And I never will!”

Dean scoffed before he clenched his jaw and stood up taller, glaring down at him. “Is that what you think? That you don’t matter to me?” When the angel said nothing, Dean scoffed again. “For fuck’s sake, Cas, are you that damn stubborn you can’t even see past your own damn vessel to see this for what it is?”

“And what is this, Dean, hmm? Other than another damn ploy to—”

Dean grabbed Cas’s hand suddenly, snatched a hold of it and threw it against his bicep, where the handprint scar used to be. His eyes stared deep into the raging oceanic depths of the angel’s eyes. His hand clenched tightly and forced Cas’s hand to remain there even as the angel tried to yank back.

“When an angel stakes a claim on a human soul, it leaves a mark! Remember those words? You should. You said them! And you fucking shish kabobbed the shit out of my soul!”

“Whoa!”

“Go, Dean!”

Gabriel grinned widely, nodding in agreement with the ladies. It was starting well at least. Though, the reason he was grinning wasn’t because of Dean’s words. Words were good and all, sure, but it was actions Gabriel found more believable. So, with Dean’s actions combined with his little brother’s shocked stupid expression, he was feeling pretty good about it. Dean had finally shaken Cas enough to reach him. The angel was actually listening this time, hearing the eldest Winchester’s shouting declarations of love.

“You made me question everything I knew. Everything, Castiel! You didn’t matter, though?!” Dean forced a harsh laugh, staring at the surprised angel. “You have always fucking mattered! Every damn time! And not because you’re a goddamn angel either so don’t even give me that lame bullshit! You matter because I can’t live without you! Because when you’re gone—whether that be in the Empty or wherever the fuck you are this time, I’m not complete anymore, not whole. And I can’t breathe! I can’t function! Sam can’t fix that. No matter how hard my idiot brother tries, he can’t. Not anymore.”

Sam looked on silently with a soft, knowing smile. He took a step back, giving them some space.

“The only thing—the only damn fucking thing that works—is when you come back to me, when you are standing right there, in my damn space like always with those damn blue eyes of yours that see me, the real me. The Dean Winchester that no one sees, not even Sammy. So, you want me to say the words, Cas?” Dean threw up his free hand. “Fine. Read my lips!” He leaned closer. Their eyes locked in a fierce glare. “I love you, you fucking, dorky, trench-coat encased, jackass of an angel who is so damn stubborn you drive me insane and make me consider shoving you up against the nearest damn wall and shutting you up like this once and for all!”

Loud cheers rang out as the kiss that had been years in the making finally happened.

“About damn time,” Claire remarked with a laugh, shaking her head.

“Right?” Donna said with a shake of her head. “I was beginn’ to think we were gonna have to resort to desperate measures if it didn’t happen sooner.”

Gabriel couldn’t help it, overcome with all the others’ emotions surrounding him—all the happiness. He snapped his fingers, causing confetti to rain down on all of them in his room with balloons floating about. He considered for half a moment doing the same in Cas’s room, but knew his brother would likely thrust his blade deep into his side for it later. And while it wouldn’t kill him necessarily, he didn’t feel like losing any Grace over it. Not yet at least.

Amber eyes then watched the tall, long-haired man silently slip out of the now unlocked room. The archangel smiled inwardly and waited.

Dean pulled back a moment later, drawing in a deep breath to calm his nerves likely. His eyes searched the unnerved angel’s face, trying to look past the confusion and surprise. He laughed silently when the angel’s head tilted all the way to the side.

“You’re my big win, Cas,” Dean drawled, his free hand moving to rest against Cas’s shoulder. “You always have been. You always will be. And I should have said all of this years ago. Pushed aside all the bullshit, all the macho bravado, and been real with you instead of the abusive dick I was.”

When the door to Gabriel’s room flew open a moment later, everyone jumped in surprise. Amber eyes calmly darted to the doorway, though.

“Hiya, Sammy.”

“Gabriel!” growled the tall, long-haired man as he stepped into the room, clearly irritated. He then paused, having noticed the others in the room. “Jody? Donna?” His eyes widened. “Claire? Jack? What—?” He blinked, his annoyance melting away. “Have you all been in here spying on them?”

Claire shrugged. “Blame Candy Man. He started it.”

The archangel rolled his eyes. “Hey, I’m just doing what any good big brother would do and make sure my little bro was okay. That’s it. If it turned into a sort of, say, greatest episode of Destiel ever, not my fault. I didn’t do this. That was all them.”

Sam crossed his arms and gave him a look.

“What? I didn’t shut the door that locked them in there. You did,” Gabriel replied with a shrug.

The youngest Winchester brother scoffed.

“Cas?”

“Dean?”

“Sam!” Gabriel yelled out gruffly, chuckling when he felt the hard punch to his arm. “What? I thought it was like Marco Polo: Supernatural Edition.” He grinned when he heard the other laughs around the room. “Which I’d totally win. Let’s be honest.”

Claire snorted. “Cause you’d cheat.”

“Hey, it ain’t cheating, Clarilina, if no one said you couldn’t use your powers.” He glanced at Jack and grinned at his nephew. “Keep that in mind, kiddo.”

When the sandy-haired archangel felt the ever-calming presence join him a few moments later, he chuckled quietly and held out his bowl of candy. He said nothing when he heard the clinking of the Skittles followed by a soft grunt of appreciation.

“I’m going to screw this up sometimes,” Dean admitted quietly, finally breaking the silence on the screen. “I’m going to say stupid shit that’s going to piss you off. I’m going to do something someday probably that is just going to make you want to beat the crap out of me like usual. But I need you to know . . .” He sighed heavily, his eyes darting to the floor briefly before he returned to staring into the sparkling sapphires. “You . . . Cas . . . I’m going to put in the work. To prove to you I’m—”

“Dean—”

“Cas, I mean it. You and me.” He motioned between them. “We’re just better together. I used to think it was cause we were good friends, best friends, but it ain’t. It’s more than that. You always said it was, and I blew it off. Took you and our ‘profound’ bond for granted. Now that it’s gone . . . I’m going to get it back. Not sure how yet, but I’m going to fix this.”

The blue-eyed, messy-haired angel tilted his head to the side. His eyes sparkled with hidden mirth before he forced a gentle laugh. He glanced down briefly and shook his head, amusement curving his chapped lips upwards.

“What?”

“Dean, it’s not broken.”

“But you said—”

“I lied.” He drew in an unnecessary breath, meeting Dean’s gaze. They just stared at one another in utter silence.

“Oh, hey, look, guys,” Claire drawled, rolling her eyes as she laughed. “The eye-fucking! It’s even worse than before!”

Snickering, Donna threw some of her candy at the tv. “Get a room already, will ya two!”

Gabriel chuckled, snapping his fingers to end the broadcast as he decided to give the boys some privacy just in case. He didn’t need to glance over to know what smile was now on Sam’s face. He had it memorized down to the dimples.

“Hey!” the group shouted.

“Sorry. That concludes the PG-13 viewing party,” retorted the archangel. “You got to pay extra for the—”

“Ugh! God! Gabriel!”

“That’s your brother, Gabe!”

He chuckled, rolling his eyes. Silly humans, always humanizing everything. He watched the happy group, save for Sam, file out. He nodded at Jody and Donna and smiled at Jack and Claire.

“Guess I need a new ship,” joked the youngest Winchester with another quiet laugh when they were finally alone. “Since Dean sort of sank the SS Sastiel with that kiss.”

Gabriel’s eyes lit up in amusement before he snorted. He patted his Sam’s arm gently.

“Don’t worry, Sam-moose. I got just the right one in mind for you.”

“Oh?” He rolled his eyes. “Is it as epic as Sastiel was, Gabe?”

“It could give it a run for its money, yeah.”

“I’m going to regret this, I know, but lay it on me. What is it?”

“Sabriel of course,” declared the grinning archangel. “The best ship of all.”

Sam chuckled loudly, shaking his head. “You’re incorrigible,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, but unlike our brothers, we didn’t spend years dancing around the issue. Did we?” He smirked as he leaned towards Sam. “Eventually, I’m gonna wear you down, Samilocks, and you’ll realize I’m just right for you.”

“Maybe.” Sam then smirked at him. “Or maybe my big brother will use his new boyfriend’s Angel Blade on you for lusting after his younger brother.”

“Yeah, pot meet kettle there,” Gabriel remarked, rolling his eyes. “He’s just lucky I didn’t give him the Big Brother speech. I’m scarier.” He then shrugged. “Come to think about it. I can still give it, can’t I?” He moved to stand, chuckling when Sam grabbed his arm.

“Gabe, no. Let them be.”

“Oh? Turning a new leaf there, are you?”

“What?”

“Nothing,” the older angel replied with a snort. “Just, well, and don’t take this the wrong way, but you do have a habit of, well, interrupting the happy couple sometimes.”

“I do not!”

Amber eyes glanced at the human. “Want to see the highlight reel there, Chief?” He held his fingers up as if ready to snap them.

Sam huffed a sigh. “If I did, it wasn’t intentional.”

“I know.” Gabriel smiled at him, letting his hand drop back down to his side before he patted the human’s arm. “But you know what they say, the road to Hell was paved with good intentions.”

“Were they really?” replied dryly the younger Winchester. “Like, were you there for it?”

“Oh, ha-ha. Nerd.”

“Sugar addict.” He playfully nudged the angel.

Gabriel grinned widely, his mischievousness taking over. “Wait! Are my senses deceiving me?” He caught Sam’s eyeroll. “Was that a flirtation I hear, Winchester?”

“You wish.” The taller man stood back up with a laugh.

“Awe. You’re playing hard to get. I so love this game!” He clapped loudly.

“Dream on, Gabe!” he scoffed, shoving the angel back lightly. “My answer remains the same as it always is. Not in a million years.”

“Then I’ll wait two, Sam. And I have a really long lifespan, you know?” He then smirked before he lowered his voice. “Course that’s not the only—”

“Gabriel!” groaned Sam, shaking his head with a laugh. “Keep it up, and I’ll tell Dean.”

“Go ahead. And I’ll tell Cas how you were leading me on all these years. All those prayers. All those late-night sessions we’d have.” Gabriel shrugged, not meaning his threat.

“Yeah? Well, my brother’s scarier.”

“Nah. You just haven’t seen Cassie at full strength yet.”

“I saw him after rescuing Dean from Hell. Dean’s still scarier.”

“No. You saw Cas in a vessel. You haven’t seen his True Form. Trust me. That sucker—baby bro is fierce. Size of the Chrysler building!”

“And you?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Big enough.”

“So, we talking goat-size or . . .?”

“I should banish you for that, Sam Bunyan.” He huffed before he stood up. He then held up two fingers and sighed. “It’d be easier if I showed you.”

Sam’s brows furrowed. “Can you do that?”

“Uh . . . hello? Archangel here.” Gabriel scoffed. “Course I can.”

“No. I mean, you can do that without, you know, burning out my eyes?”

Amber eyes narrowed. “Sam . . .” He sighed and shook his head. “I wouldn’t suggest it if it was going to hurt you. I do sort of care for you after all.”

“No, I know that. Never mind. Forget it.” He nodded at Gabriel. “Do it.”

Gabriel frowned slightly before he gently pressed his fingers against Sam’s temple. He sent him brief flashes of his True Form, watching Sam’s face for any signs of discomfort. When he sent the last image, he let his hand fall to his side and stepped back to give him a moment.

“Gabe?” Sam murmured, hazel eyes opening a moment later in pure awe.

“Handsome, aren’t I?” he joked, trying to ignore the strange feeling deep in his gut now. He hadn’t even shown Kali his True Form. It was strange to think that, but there it was.

“Gabriel? What’s wrong?”

The archangel chuckled quietly as he heard his little brother’s voice through Angel Radio.

“Little brothers . . . always interrupting,” Gabriel teased, chuckling when he caught Sam’s scoff.

“Nothing, Cassie. I’m good,” the older brother returned through their link. “Now, be a good boyfriend and attend to your human.”

“You know?”

Amber eyes rolled dramatically.

“Everyone knows, Cas. Heaven, Hell, Earth. You name it. You were projecting your happiness to all of us after all.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry about it, little bro. Go get your happy ending. Got it?”

“And you?”

“Working on it.”

Gabriel then shut off Angel Radio and caught Sam’s look. “What?”

“You’re a good brother, Gabe.”

“Nah.” He shook his head. “If I were a good brother, I’d have stuck around, protected them. Instead, I ran off. Left Cas to the wolves.” And Balthazar too, but he tried not to think about him often. It hurt too much. “All because I was tired of the fighting. But what can you do, right? We can’t all be Dean Winchester, big brother of the year.”

Sam scoffed, shaking his head. “You’d rather have with Cas our Winchester co-dependency, toxic brotherly relationship? Trust me. It’s not worth it. You taught us that.”

“Did I?”

“Yeah. At least you tried. We’re a bit more bull-headed than you thought we were, though.”

“Ain’t that the truth?”

Sam patted his shoulder. “Come on. They’re probably all having a beer or something in the kitchen to celebrate.”

The sandy-haired man tilted his head slightly, staring back at Sam.

“What?”

“Are you asking me out on a date, Sam Winchester?”

“Oh, for the love of—”

Gabriel instantly pressed his hand over Sam’s mouth. “Shh. Don’t say my father’s name in vain!” He smirked. “He’s sort of a dick about that, you know?” He chuckled before he brushed past him.

“GABE!”

“SAM!” he yelled over his shoulder, chuckling loudly as he took off in a dead sprint down the halls towards the kitchen. He could hear Sam’s heavy footfalls behind him, knowing the big lumberjack with perfect hair was racing after him.

“GABRIEL!” The ‘Get Back Here’ was left unsaid but clearly heard.

“SAMUEL!” His amusement increased as he slid into the kitchen. Everyone’s heads shot up with wide eyes. When he heard his human’s ranted prayers mixed with veiled threats of death and dismemberment, his shit-eating grin widened exponentially before he turned back to the audience. “So—” He slowly walked up to the nearest table.

“Gabriel,” Sam growled, stepping up behind him.

“To Cas and Dean, yeah?” drawled the mischievous archangel, grabbing one of the beers from the table and cracking the cap off.

Sam huffed in annoyance, grabbing himself a beer as well and doing the same.

“Later,” he murmured under his breath, still glaring at Gabriel.

The archangel chuckled quietly before he leaned towards him, lowering his voice. “Promise?” He then winked before he turned back, hearing Sam’s resulting choking fit.

“Gabriel?” a voice softly said a moment later.

“Yeah?” He glanced towards the young woman staring at him. He thought about making some sort of joke, but Claire was giving off serious vibes. He couldn’t tell why exactly, but he knew enough to know jokes wouldn’t be appropriate here. “What is it, kiddo?”

“You’re going to be around more, aren’t you? Like, you’re not planning on running off again?”

He frowned, tipping his beer back as he considered her question for half a moment. Was he planning on running? No. Not really. At least he didn’t think so. Though, he hadn’t really had time to consider what his next plans were to be honest. Could he see himself sticking around the bunker? He swallowed down the bubbles. There were worse places to be he supposed.

Sam was here. So, there were a thousand points right there for staying. However, he didn’t really belong here, though, did he? He didn’t really belong anywhere actually. He snorted, taking another sip of beer as he sent a sarcastic ‘Thanks, Dad’ prayer for that thought.

Cas was here too, probably forever now with the whole Destiel thing a major go now. So, there were another thousand points. He wanted to become close with his brother again. Like it was before. Though, they would so not become the next go-dependent brother pair by any means. One of those was enough in the universe. But it would be nice to be there for Cas, to make up for lost time again.

“Uh, hey, guys?” a gruff voice said hesitantly from the entryway. “We celebratin’ or—wait—”

Gabriel felt Dean’s anger more than saw it. He whirled around, setting his beer down and stepping forward to hold out a hand to the elder Winchester.

“Hey, congrats.” Gabriel grinned cockily, briefly noticing Cas’s eyes narrowing on him from Dean’s side. When Dean’s green eyes darted down to his hand with a scoff, the big angelic brother grabbed the human’s hand anyway, pulling him in slowly. “Hurt my brother, Winchester, and I’ll smite your ass. Got it?” His Grace flashed in his eyes threateningly as the large shadows of his wings spread out wide and tall, towering over Dean.

“Gabriel,” Cas warned with a glare.

Releasing Dean a moment later, the archangel chuckled quietly, tucking his wings back in and dimming his Grace. He watched Dean’s eyes flash angrily. “Good.” He then glanced at Sam, feeling Dean’s anger increase dramatically beside him, before he turned back. “Oh, and, hey, before I forget, I’m in love with your brother. Byeee.” He snapped his fingers, vanishing from the room prior to reappearing just outside the kitchen in the hallway.

“GABRIEL!”

Enjoying the look of pure shock and loss for words on Dean’s face, the sandy-haired archangel snickered before he caught the pissed hazel eyes from across the room. The raging moose, beautiful as always, had found his hiding spot.

“I’m going to murder you!” Sam snarled, glaring murderously at him.

“Shit!” The archangel took off racing down the hallway. He considered snapping himself to Tahiti. He heard it was a magical place after all. But he lived for the thrill of the chase. His shoulder slammed a few times into the wall as his shoes slid across the floor. He could feel that Sam was gaining on him. Though, long legs usually did help after all.

Throwing open the bunker door, Gabriel stepped out into the winter wonderland, pausing when he saw how high the snow had gotten now. His thoughts vanished when Sam collided into him a moment later, sending them flying into a large snowbank.

Sam smashed a handful of snow against Gabriel’s face, which turned into melted water almost instantly. He grabbed more snow and attempted again with the same results.

“UGH! Why won’t it just . . . Goddamn it!” Sam shouted in utter frustration as he tried once more with more melted water drenching them.

Gabriel tried very hard not to laugh, but he couldn’t help it. Sam was just too damn adorable sometimes for his own good. The archangel snapped his fingers, causing several snowmen to appear on either side of them. He caught Sam’s look of confusion and just smirked.

“Just wait.” He then nodded just as Sam’s mouth opened.

The snowmen instantly started chucking snowballs towards the humans who had followed up after them a few moments later.

“Snowball fight!” Donna yelled out, quickly packing snowballs and sending then through the air.

Jody joined in soon after with Claire. Both women packing their snowballs really tight and compact before they tossed them, one towards Sam and the other at Dean.

“Come on, Jack! Like this,” Claire shouted, laughing as she threw another one at Cas who only tilted his head as the snowball melted on impact.

As he watched Sam’s eyes widen, he leaned up, chuckling. “Snowballs won’t work on Cas and me—angels, you know, the whole Grace burning stuff—but you guys, well . . .”

Sam scoffed, grabbing more snow that promptly melted against Gabe’s face.

“You done?” remarked the angel with a chuckle. The second he caught the snowball headed towards Sam from the direction of the others, he wrapped his arms around his human and rolled them to safety. He chuckled loudly when he glanced back up, seeing all the white clumps of snow sprinkled in Sam’s hair. “Oh, Sam-moose. Winter looks so good on you.”

“Can you not flirt with me? Just once. Please?”

“Nope.” Gabriel grinned. “It’s sorta our thing.”

Sam rolled his eyes before he shoved Gabe’s face into the snow. “Dream on.”

“Oh, I do, Sam. I do.”

The youngest Winchester snorted and stood up, ducking another snowball headed his way. “Read my lips. You and me . . . never gonna happen.”

Gabriel shrugged, pushing himself up on his elbows. “Eh, we’ll see.”

“What does that mean?”

Amber eyes darted gradually over to where their brothers were, Dean currently throwing handfuls of snow against a confused Cas.

“We are nothing like them, Gabe!”

A second later, Dean’s loud chuckles rang out, regaining their attention. Jody and Donna both had turned towards him with snowballs in hand and wide grins. Jack and Claire had stopped as well with snowballs aimed at one another. He was wiping off the remnants of another snowball that one of the snowmen had thrown at them.

Sam and Gabe’s eyes widened as they watched the blue-eyed Seraph draw his blade a moment later, stalking towards the snowmen.

“Cas, wait!” Dean yelled after him, grabbing his angel’s arm to pull him back. “No!”

Gabriel watched his snowmen become sliced ribbons a second later and sighed heavily. Amber eyes darted to his baby brother.

“Really, Castiel?” the older angelic brother sighed.

“What?” Blue eyes narrowed in confusion. “They were attacking!”

“They were supposed to—oh, brother.” Gabriel threw up his hands and fell back against the snow. A thought then occurred to him as he stared up at the sky. It had stopped snowing thankfully. “Hey, Sam?”

“What, Gabe?”

He turned his head, catching Sam’s eyes before he spread his arms and legs out rapidly against the snow to push it aside. Though, he could see some of it melting already where his skin was touching the white precipitation. This wouldn’t last long.

“Look! Snow angel!”

Sam stared at him for a moment before shaking his head and laughing. “You’re an idiot.”

“Maybe, but it got you to laugh.” Gabriel grinned. “Admit it, Sam-I-Am. You like me!”

“Never,” Sam drawled, glancing away.

The archangel then turned his head towards his brother who was staring down in confusion. He could see the question before Cas even asked it.

“Come over here, you big lug,” he huffed to his baby brother. “I’ll teach you how to make one.” He patted the spot next to him. “Space out a little bit more from me. You need to spread way out for this.” He chuckled when he saw Sam lay down on his other side. “First, you lay back. Then you spread your arms and legs out like so. And repeat until all the snow is pushed to the side.” He glanced at his brother, watching the angel. He bit back his laugh as he watched Cas’s face scrunch up in concentration. “Don’t focus so much on getting it right. Just have fun with it. Make them big like yours.”

The second the words left his mouth, he realized he shouldn’t have said it.

“Close your eyes!” Gabriel shouted, throwing an arm over Sam’s eyes.

Cas’s wings appeared for a brief moment, spreading the snow wide and leaving a massive imprint behind, before they vanished back to the Ethereal plane.

“Show off,” muttered the archangel.

“Cas?”

“Yes, Dean?” came the ever-faithful reply.

“You realize you just nearly blinded all of us, right?”

The angelic big brother turned his head to glance at the elder Winchester brother.

“I waited until Gabriel said something,” Cas argued with a petulant huff.

“And the reason you didn’t say anything was . . .?”

Blue eyes rolled dramatically to the Heavens. “I was a little busy, Dean, trying to make my wings bigger than my brother’s.”

Snickers rang out, which even Gabe snorted inwardly at.

“Well, guess I can forgive you for that, Angel. They’re a damn amazing sight to see.”

Gabriel glanced back at his baby brother and saw the shy, proud smile. Good one, Winchester.