Blood dripped into Sam Winchester's eye as floored the gas pedal of the Impala. His right arm burned as he swung the steering wheel around and guided the Chevy down the long and narrow path to the Men of Letters bunker, where they would be safe, and where he could patch himself and his idiot of a brother up.
He chanced a quick look at Dean, passed out in the seat next to him. There were deep cuts in his throat, where the some of the vampires had they had been hunting had got a little too close for comfort. A long shallow cut ran down his face from hairline to chin, and his shirt was torn in places from daggers.
Sam cursed. Dean would crucify him if there was blood left on the seats. But neither that, nor the blood trickling down his cheek was his main worry. Right now his one and only concern was Dean; and not just his physical wounds. Dean hadn't been right since Castiel had left without as much as a "goodbye"...
~flashback~
"What the fuck!?" Sam yelped, the clay vase he'd collected on his hunt slipping from his fingers. There on the bed was his brother and an angel, both in a deep sleep and curled up around each other like fucking spoons.
Sam hadn't known what to expect when he told Cas to watch Dean while he was sick, but it certainly wasn't this.
Castiel's eyes fluttered as he seemingly awoke. "Sam? You're back already" he said in an overly tired voice.
"And you're in bed with my brother" stated the younger Winchester.
Castiel's back straightened. "Do you have a problem with that?" he snapped, any sign that he'd just woken up vanishing.
"Not at all, just-" Sam didn't quite know how to phrase it. "-I didn't exactly see this one coming."
The angel relaxed, but his eyes were still cold. "Neither did I."
The awkward silence was deafening; Sam bent down to scrape together what was left of the broken vase and Cas reluctantly slid out of bed, gently enough to let Dean keep on sleeping.
Sam huffed as he set the shattered pieces on the motel table. It didn't look like it could be easily fixed, at least by human hands. Before he could turn, however, Castiel was at his shoulder. His hands passed over the broken artefact; a sound like a boot on gravel and the clay vase was whole.
Sam nodded his thanks to the angel, who was still silent and stiff of shoulder. There wasn't an elephant in the room; it was a fucking whale. The hunter knew it had to be addressed sooner or later, and when he spoke he saw Cas sigh like he knew what was coming.
"Why the hell were you sleeping with my brother?" It came out harsher then he wanted, and he didn't like the look on the angel's face as the words hit him.
"He was cold, and sick, and- and he was having nightmares, and you asked me to watch him!" Castiel's words came fast and he looked like he didn't even know what he was saying.
"I said "watch", Cas, not "get in bed with."
"We didn't have intercourse!' said the angel defensively.
Sam nearly laughed. "I gathered that, yeah."
"Then why are you angry?"
A little taken aback, Sam felt slightly guilty. Maybe he was being a bit hard on Castiel. Sam knew he would've never acted this way if Dean was sleeping with some random chick he picked up at a bar, but because it was Cas, he felt a little unsure. He knew all too well about their "profound bond", but since when had a relationship with a Winchester ended well?
"I'm not angry" Sam said cautiously. "I just think that Dean might not be in the right state of mind right now? Like, before you arrived he was sitting on his bed humming the theme from 'Cheers'."
Cas cocked his head and remained silent, allowing Sam to continue.
"I don't know what his reaction might be, Cas. He's been off his face on meds for a week now, so what do you thinks' gonna happen when he finds out he slept with you?"
Castiel's shoulders slumped, making Sam feel like he'd kicked a puppy. He didn't like saying any of this, but all he could think about was Dean, an angsty, broody Dean stressing about what happened and what could've happened the night he slept with an angel.
At that moment, Dean groaned and shifted on the bed, slowly regaining consciousness. Cas muttered something in a language foreign to human ears, and said "Maybe I should leave..."
"Yeah, at least for a little while." Sam was grateful for Dean's interruption.
Castiel cast one long look at Dean, making Sam almost change his mind, but there was a sound like a heavy book being closed and the angel was gone.
Sam sighed as Dean mumbled something incomprehensible. He felt terrible, but he needed to know what kind of state of mind Dean was in before anything could be acted upon.
"Sammy? Cas!?" Dean opened his green eyes and pushed himself up on the bed shakily. "Sam?"
The younger hunter forced a smile. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Nice nap?"
~End of flashback~
The Impala skidded in the dirt as Sam hit the brakes a little harder than necessary. He all but threw Dean across his shoulder and- not without some difficulty- managed to get him inside the bunker and onto his bed.
Huffing, he cleaned up his own and Dean's wounds, hoping that he would wake soon after one of the vamps knocked him right out with a lead pipe. Generally, Dean would've never made a mistake like that. Dean would've been on his guard and iced the vamp before it had even got its stinking hands on the pipe in the first place.
Pre-Cas Dean wouldn't be passed out on the bed.
Sam shook his head slowly. Dean hadn't been the same since Cas disappeared. He had been lethargic, quiet, withdrawn, really only getting animated during a hunt; but even then he was clumsy and slow.
Months had passed, and Dean was still upset that Castiel had left without a word. Contrary to what he had told Sam, he remembered Castiel getting into bed with him, he remembered how nice it felt to be so close, he remembered waking up, frightened and confused, in the angel's arms, and most of all, he remembered the kissing, and the "I love you".
Though his mind had been cloudy with fever and meds, he remembered the last part clear as day. And he wished for nothing more than to know why Castiel had left so soon.
Sam was none the wiser, however. He has no idea why Dean was acting like a pining puppy, and he was worried. He regretted making Cas leave, but he had been thinking about nothing but his brother's welfare.
But it was his brother's welfare that was worrying him now. Making doubly sure Dean was okay, Sam left the warded safety of the bunker. Closing his eyes, he started to pray.
"Castiel, it's Sam. You're probably not hearing this- I mean, you haven't heard the last couple," he cut himself off when his tone became bitter, and continued once he was sure any trace of malice towards the angel was gone. "Dean's hurt. Again. And it's just because he let himself get thwacked by a vampire. I- I think he misses you. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I told you to leave, Cas, I was worried about how Dean would react, you know how he is..."
Sam heard the telltale flutter-and-thump of an angel appearing and felt a shadow over him. He opened his eyes eagerly, but there was no battered trench-coat or blue tie. Instead, the man in front of him wore inconspicuous jeans and a green jacket, and had pushed back gold hair.
"Hey, Samsquatch,' said the Trickster, a small smile on his lips.
"Gabriel," Sam said, taken aback. He felt his stomach twist. He hadn't seen Gabriel for a long time, and his hazel eyes were comfortingly familiar. "Uh... how've you been?"
The angel frowned slightly. "Can the niceties, Jolly Green. We know why I'm here."
"Actually, I was praying to Cas-"
"That's the point, idiot. You prayed to Castiel, I came on his behalf." Gabriel's eyes flashed dangerously, all traces of a smile gone. "My brother doesn't exactly feel up to zapping down every time a Winchester needs a light bulb fixed."
"Is he okay?" Sam felt his stomach drop. What had happened?
"You should know, considering you and your princess brother did this to him."
"Just tell me, would you! I know what I did. None of this is Dean's fault, and now he's suffering because of it."
The Trickster's hazel eyes widened slightly. "Suffering? What's wrong with Dean?"
Sam shook his head. "It's like he's constantly out of it. He sleeps too much. He's nearly gotten himself killed on more than one occasion. " At this point the angel opened his mouth to make some form of snarky comment about Winchester mortality rates, but Sam cut him off. "I don't know what's wrong with him, but I know it's because I made Castiel leave."
Gabriel sighed heavily. "It's always you two, isn't it." In a tone that sounded like he knew the words off by heart, he began to explain: "Angel's aren't like humans in terms of sex. Humans see it as a casual pleasure. Angels can't and don't. They have to find a mate to be properly matched with a sexual partner."
Gabriel rolled his eyes at his own monotonous words, like a child forced to recite a speech he didn't write. "When an angel finds a mate, it is for life. And that can take years to do. Once a mate is found, they form a bond that is nearly unbreakable." He cast Sam a pointed look at the word "bond". "When the angel is sure they have found their partner, they are able to make first moves- fuck it." The Trickster shook his head, hating his own words. "I never liked that lecture."
Comprehension dawned on Sam. "So my brother and Castiel have a bond?" the word was a bittersweet candy on his tongue.
"Nailed it, Moose. Basically, that whole spiel is an angel guide line- it doesn't have to be followed if you don't want to." By the look in Gabriel's eyes, he probably didn't follow it at all. "But it does hold a few grains of truth. Angel's do mate for life, and they do have to form bonds for the sex to be completely fucking awesome. But that bond can affect both sides depending on the mood. Whatever Dean and Cas have going on, it's been on the backburner for a while now, at least until they managed to spark it off. And since they parted on bad terms, Castiel is as weak as a human stuck inside with the flu."
"And Dean is acting like a lovesick idiot" muttered Sam, wanting nothing more than to punch himself. Had he known about whatever freaky angel bond they had going, he never would've interfered.
Gabriel nodded. "Bingo."
"How do we fix this? I mean, we can't just let them stay like this forever, right?"
The angel ran a hand through his hair, accompanied by a shrug. 'I don't have a clue. I'd bet anything that theirs is the first angel/human bond on a long time. I've always thought it was impossible."
The younger Winchester cursed. Of course it was supposedly impossible. Anything impossible always ended up happening to his little family. "I don't suppose it would be as easy as just getting them in the same room with each other?" he said after a short pause.
Gabriel shrugged again. "It's worth a shot. I can bring Castiel's sorry ass down here if you can wake up Sleeping Beauty, and we'll see what happens."
Sam nodded. The Trickster flashed him a small smile before he angel-zapped himself to wherever the hell he and Cas frequented. Sam swallowed a lump in his throat. For all the bad Gabriel had done to him, Sam felt like the angel was trying to redeem himself. It also didn't help the sometimes he made Sam feel like a goofy teenager again.
Shaking his head, Sam slipped back into the bunker and into Dean's room. He was surprised to see his brother fully conscious and sitting up, if a little unfocused in the eyes.
"Dean, hey. How're you feeling?"
"Like shit," he grumbled predictably. The older hunter rubbed his neck, finding the strips of gauze and tape. "What the hell happened?"
"A vamp got you on the head with pipe. You've been out cold for a while.' Sam tossed his brother a water bottle he'd grabbed on the way down, Dean fumbling the catch.
"And you ganked all of them by yourself?" he asked after downing half the bottle.
"Yours was the last one. He didn't take long after I got the dead man's blood into his system." Sam said modestly.
Dean nodded, wincing as the cuts on his neck stung. Sam's phone buzzed in his pocket, and Dean watched his mouth curl into a grim smile.
"I'll be back in bit. Don't move too much." The younger Winchester was already halfway out the door as he called over his shoulder.
"Not much chance of that" muttered Dean, lying back against the headboard.
Sam got to the door as fast as he could and threw it open. It had started to rain lightly, and standing in the gentle shower was Castiel. Well, a pale, sick looking shadow of Castiel being supported by Gabriel. "Little help here, Moose?" asked the Trickster, giving Sam a pleading look.
Alarmed, Sam hooked his arm over Cas' shoulders and helped him inside. Cas muttered something that Sam couldn't quite hear as the angel and the hunter deposited him into a seat.
Gabriel knelt down beside his brother, both hands on his shoulders. "Cas, hey, look at me. Don't you pass out on me now."
Castiel managed to fix him with a cold stare. 'You brought me down here, Gabriel. What was it you said about not coming back to see Dean again?" The words sounded like it took massive amounts of effort to say.
Sheepishly, the Trickster shot Sam a glance. "I never said that. Cas isn't right in the head right now, he's not thinking straight."
"Liar," mumbled Castiel.
Sam said nothing. He watched as Castiel's eyelids fluttered shut, only to reopen blearily as Gabriel talked. Guilt washed over him in waves. He'd overreacted, and now Castiel and Dean were worse off from it. He should've just let them be.
"Sam? Sammy?"
The younger Winchester jumped as Dean's voice floated through the open door that lead to his room. Gabriel shot Sam a panicked look. "Stall him!" he mouthed, motioning to a barely conscious Castiel.
Sam dashed down the corridor and nearly ran straight into his brother. "Dean! I thought you were resting," he asked brightly, blocking Dean's view of the Cas and Gabe with his body.
Dean frowned. "I heard voices."
'Voices? Nope, no voices here, Dean. Just me." Sam could tell that Dean didn't believe a word he said.
"You suck at lying. Let me through, would you?"
"Maybe you should go lie down or something, you still look shitty," Sam said desperately.
"Dude, no. Stop being an idiot and tell me what the hell's going on!" Dean craned his neck, trying to see over his brother's shoulder.
Sam opened his mouth to respond but his words stuck in his throat when a faint and unmistakable "Dean?" reached his ears.
The older hunter froze. "Cas?"
Swearing, Sam shifted to let his brother through. Standing in the middle of the room, Castiel's blue eyes fixed on Dean like a blind man seeing the sun. Dean was stock still. Gabriel was off to the side, watching his brother warily.
"You- you look like crap," stated Dean quietly.
Cas eyed him. "So do you."
Dean walked slowly toward the angel, still very obviously tired. Castiel's eyes never left him. "I thought you'd never come back," said Dean softly when he was about a foot away from Cas.
Cas flicked his gaze towards Sam for a split second, giving him a cold look. "There were complications in me doing so."
Gabriel looked as guilty as the younger hunter felt, which only made him feel slightly better about the whole situation.
To Sam's surprise, Dean lifted his arm and brushed his fingertips down Castiel's jaw. "It doesn't matter. You're here now, Angel."
"Angel!?" Gabriel spluttered, any trace of guilt vanishing. "Seriously, Angel?! This is too sappy for words, even for you Winchesters." He met Sam's eyes and his mouth stretched into a grin at his uncomfortable expression. "C'mon, Samsquatch. I think it's best if we leave these two to their bonding experience."
Twin looks of irritation from both Dean and Cas lasered onto their respective brothers and Sam skirted around them both and followed Gabriel out of the bunker.
Rain was still falling, a little heavier now than before, but Gabriel simply leaned against the cement walls of the bunker, grinning. "Either they're gonna be having some deep-and-meaningful conversation or fucking when you go back in there."
Sam groaned. "I know. Maybe I'll sleep in the garage for the next week."
Gabe smiled at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling and making Sam's stomach do a back flip. "Listen, Moose. If you ever want to catch up and grab a beer when the domestics get too much, you know how to reach me."
Sam gave him a smile of his own. "I'll probably have to take you up on that offer some time soon." Something flickered in the angel's hazel eyes that the hunter couldn't place, but it was gone as soon as he saw it.
"Alright then, Sammy. I'm holding you to that one." One more quick, warm smile and with a click of his fingers, Gabriel vanished and Sam was left standing in the rain, thoughts rushing through his mind.
His brother was in love/some weird-ass bond with an angel.
They may or may not have been getting it on in that very moment.
And Sam felt like he was thirteen years old and breathless after talking to a girl he liked.
Long story short, his life was either taking a turn for the better, or the absolute worst.