Pairing: Castiel/Gabriel

Warnings: None

Spoilers: None

Notes: Written for a challenge on livejournal.

Prompt: Anniversary at schmoop_bingo


"Dance with me, Castiel." Gabriel says, holding out his hand to the younger Angel.

Castiel gives him a blank look. "I do not think the end of the world is an appropriate time to dance, brother."

"Sure it is. You just have no sense of humor." Gabriel grabs Castiel's hand and drags him outside. It's New Years' Eve and the humans are already letting off fireworks. The sky lights up with reds, blues, greens, and golds. Castiel tilts his head up towards the sky.

"Why do they celebrate when the world is ending?" He asks, eyes scanning the horizon.

"Because they don't know it's ending." Gabriel tugs Castiel out further in the yard and curls an arm around his waist.

Castiel allows himself to be arranged into a dancing position, clasping Gabriel's hand in his own and letting Gabriel led. They waltz around Bobby's yard while fireworks light up the sky and the world continues on, oblivious to its' own end in just a few short hours.

Dean and Sam come outside and watch the Angels dance, wondering what they're doing.

"The world is ending and these two idjits are dancing?" Bobby hands the Winchesters a beer and settles into his rocking chair.

"Guess so. No one ever said Angels made sense." Sam drops into the chair on the other side of Bobby while Dean leans his hip against the railing.

The Angels continue their dance, happy to ignore the humans for a moment. Gabriel manifests his wings, bright gold and white, everything that represents good and everything pure. His halo appears a moment later, looking more like a crown befitting of his status of Archangel.

A moment's hesitation and Castiel is manifesting his own wings and halo. His feathers are dark, smoky grey and black shot through with silver and his halo is smaller than Gabriel's, but no less beautiful.

The humans on the porch stare in awe, marveling that they can see this without, you know, having their eyes burn out of their skulls.

Gabriel brushes his wings against Castiel's and smiles with the other Angel looks at him, expression blank, but Gabriel can see the hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth, and the sparkle in his eyes, the blue made even brighter by the fireworks.

So what if the world is ending? They tried everything they could to stop it, but it's inevitable. Heaven or Hell must win and there's really nothing three humans and two Angels can do against the forces of Heaven and Hell, no matter how hard they try.

Gabriel sighs and squeezes Castiel's hand harder as the fireworks become more frequent, the displays getting bigger and brighter, the sparkles falling from the sky and down to Earth, fading before they can reach the ground.

Gabriel stops dancing and just rests his head against Castiel's shoulder. "I'm sorry, you know."

"For what?" Castiel asks, looking down at the top of Gabriel's head, wings gliding over Gabriel's.

"For leaving, for staying away for so long. For trapping Sam in the time loop, for trapping them and you in TVland, for not standing up to Michael and Lucifer. For everything, really." Gabriel mumbles into Castiel's trench coat.

"I forgave you all of that a long time ago, brother." Castiel wraps his Grace around Gabriel's.

They join the Winchesters and Bobby on the porch and watch as the world celebrates its' own demise unknowingly.