Chapter Text
It’s not that Sam doesn’t know Gabriel’s an archangel, ok? It’s not like he doesn’t know he’s one of heaven’s deadliest weapons. It’s just that, well, sometimes he forgets. Whether it’s because Gabriel lacks the level of maturity that Sam thinks he should be at given that he’s easily billions of years old or because he tends to act more human, more heathen than any angel Sam’s ever met , the fact remains that Sam rarely thinks of him as anything other than Gabriel. If you don’t think that encompasses a lot, well, you’ d be wrong.
In any case, the reminders of the fact that Sam gets sometimes are strange at best and just flat out weird at worst.
These are the antecedents that occur on Samhain Day (or night) of 2020: because of Covid , he and Dean have taken to wearing masks. First, not only are they required everywhere these days, but two, Cas can’t heal anymore, or, well, he can, but it takes a lot out of him these days (thanks, Chuck) and seeing as how the whole story revolves around them being heroes and they’ve decided to play along with Chuck’s whatever for the time being- well, they can hardly be out of commission can they? No, the world needs its heroes.
…t hen again, seeing as how Chuck wants them to keep on going until the story unfolds the way he wants it to, maybe they’d be safe from a pesky thing like a virus.
Still, if life has taught Sam anything it’s that Beings that say one thing and do a million others can hardly be trusted.
Th e mask remains.
Unfortunately, the mask is what is currently cutting off his circulation and he can’t breathe. That’s what he gets for buying heavy duty, durable ones. If he’d had on a cheap one it would have already snapped with how hard it’s being pulled against his neck.
Not to mention Sam hasn’t encountered a demon this strong in ages. Who was this bastard? Where did he come from? Those are the (very pertinent if you ask him) questions running through Sam’s mind as his vision starts to go a lot dark around the edges.
He’s not sure why Gabriel chooses to pop into his mind at that point but there he is, in the center of his soul.
“ Heya kiddo. How’s it hanging?” says the apparition. And, who knows, maybe Gabriel’s the one who’s going to cross him over. Maybe he’s the new Charon- no wait, that’s the wrong mythology .
Anyway.
“Currently dying.” Sam says, unencumbered because it’s a thing that he’s noticed- where he might be hurting on the outside, in the depth of his soul where he is now, he’s always ok.
“Like IRL?” Gabriel asks.
IRL. It takes Sam a moment to realize what he’s being asked and he can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of an archangel using slang. Although Michael seems to have a pretty good grasp of it. Hey, maybe he should call Michael to help him.
Although Michael had specifically said he wanted no part of them…still, Adam would probably take offense if he just left one of them to die. Then again, they had left Adam to rot soooo , maybe not?
Gabriel seems to be following his train of thought because his eyes widen and he says oh shit and then Sam is back amongst the mostly living and Chuck dammit now everything hurts. His mostly lifeless body is being beaten to a bloody pulp by the demon and Sam can’t so much as call out to Dean for help.
Dean and Cas had gone in through the back. They should be there shortly.
There’s a bright light that Sam would totally be shutting his eyes against, really, he would except he can’t cos his eyelids hurt. You’d think he’d be familiar with all sorts of pain but eyelids, well, he can’t quite recall the last time his eyelids hurt so he’s running with the idea that maybe they never have before.
Where was he? Oh right, dying and bright light. Although when he chances a glance at it, it’s less of a bright light and more of a glowing light and something is in the middle of it. It’s probably Chuck, coming to save him before the demon kills him because Chuck wants Dean to kill him.
Some angels: good.
Other angels: bad.
Some demons: meh, some are good. Meg. Crowley. Even Belphegor was kinda funny.
Most demons: bad. Very bad.
Some gods: they’re not too bad. Unless you have to kill them.
Chuck: very bad.
But this isn’t Chuck, Sam realizes, because Chuck doesn’t glow warm and…homey. He glows cold and bright and makes your innards hurt.
“Kiddo, you ok?”
“Still breathing". Sam says. Or maybe not. Maybe he just thinks it.
“Alright, let me put this bastard down and then I'll come help you, ok?”
“K". Sam speaks (possibly thinks) at him.
His eyes are closing of their own accord now but he still manages to see it.
“Alright, bucko. What is it? What do you want and why are you here?”
“Loki. You are no match for me. Run along little god.”
Sam watches Gabriel do… something and the next thing he hears is the demon’s sharp gasp.
“Oh shit.” The demon opens his mouth to exit the vessel but his mouth remains open, no tell tale smoke visible.
“Um, no. You get to stay in there. I want you to feel this.” Gabriel says.
And so the screaming begins.
Dean and Cas have arrived and Dean’s saying something but Sam’s without the energy or will to respond. He’s fading fast, his eyes almost fully closed.
He watches as his brother marches up to Gabriel, swats him across the head to get his attention and there’s a lot of yelling (he can’t hear them but that’s definitely Dean’s yelling face. Being that Sam’s been on the receiving end of that face many a time he would know.) And a lot of pointing at him.
Gabriel looks his way then and in the next moment he’s a lot closer, his eyes boring into Sam’s .
“Hang on, Sammy, don’t go yet.”
“Don’t call me Sammy.” He thinks at him. Even he knows he’s not actually saying anything anymore.
He’s in the middle of mildly wondering what he’s supposed to be hanging on to when he feels it. It’s like the warm glow has become a thing and it’s right in his chest. It feels good and Sam turns to it. He wants to find it. But he can’t move because something is holding him down.
“Hang on, Sammy.”
“To what?” He says. And he blinks because he heard his own voice that time and he’s talking again?
“Almost there. Geez, kiddo, it’s like you’re an expert in not dying or something . This is coming along much faster than I anticipated.”
“I'm Sam Winchester.” He says because that if that doesn’t explain everything he doesn’t know what does.
“That you are.”
And then Sam is being lifted up and he doesn’t hurt anymore. He’s alive again.
“You’re really here?” He can’t help but ask and he feels like it’s a valid question because there are so few truths in his life that he sometimes has trouble discerning truth from a lie. He turns to Dean.
“Is that Gabriel? Is Gabriel here?”
Something Sam can’t name crosses Dean’s face but he nods and quietly affirms. “Yes, he is.”
Sam nods back, if Dean says yes then it’s yes. He turns to the demon who seems to be writhing in pain.
“Who is that? He was strong.”
Gabriel hums and turns to walk back to the demon but as he goes he seems to change with every step he takes.
He seems to get bigger. Not physically but, like, his presence. It’s so big that when he turns back to Dean and Cas he sees he’s not the only one craning his neck upwards. They watch, in tandem, as something arcs out of Gabriel and plunges into the demon, making it start shrieking in earnest. It starts babbling in a tongue Sam’s never heard and he watches as Gabriel shakes his head and responds in kind.
Off to the side he hears Dean ask Cas if he’s speaking Enochian but Sam already knows that his response will be no because Sam is almost fluent in Enochian (not something he often admits but a fact nonetheless. You don’t spend as much time as he did with only Lucifer as a cage-mate and not pick it up). So although he’s not surprised to hear Cas respond no, he is a little taken aback when Cas explains that he doesn’t actually know what language it is. He sounds surprised and not a little unafraid. Out of Sam’s peripherals he sees how that momentarily discombobulates Dean, who shifts a little closer to Cas - whether to protect him or be protected, Sam doesn’t know. Sam only knows he’s not afraid.
The demon starts bubbling. Huge blisters are appearing all over and they start popping and the demon kneels and puts his hands together as he pleads with Gabriel. Sam watches coldly. He knows Gabriel won’t reconsider.
Only Gabriel does. Between one blink and the next, the demon is upright and standing, blister and pain free.
“ Wha -", Dean starts only to be stopped by Cas .
“He’s granting him a kinder death.”
“Why?” Dean spits out.
Cas turns to look at him.
“Because Gabriel understands what it’s like to be lost.”
The words hit Sam like a sledgehammer and he wipes an errant tear off his face. Someone is crying but it’s not him. It can’t be. Why would he be crying? Over a demon? But when he glances at his fingers he sees the proof in the pudding.
As they watch, Gabriel unsheathes a gigantic sword out of one of the many realms they now know to exist and Sam hears Cas gasp. The sword is a gold ornate blade, the handle bejeweled. It looks heavy. It looks like Gabriel shouldn’t be able to lift it.
But Gabriel’s always been the little archangel that could. Gabriel is stronger than Sam can imagine. And Gabriel is twirling the thing like it weighs naught but a pencil.
He’s still twirling when he spins and the blade arcs through the air ; they hear a “Thank You" and then the demons head is on the floor.
It’s over and they’re all standing there, slightly dazed (even Cas ) when Gabriel turns to Sam.
“So. You on Snapchat?”