Hellooo! So this is my first SPN fic on here, though I've been obsessed for quite some time and a major fic has been in the works for several months now. Hope you enjoy this little one shot; basically, Cupid has been having some issues with soul mates getting off track, and he asks Sam, Dean, and Castiel for help. Little do they know that this seemingly uncomplicated case might bring some VERY unexpected things to light ;D

IN THIS VERSE: Basically most everyone is alive, Cas, Dean, and Sam are all their 'normal' selves (i.e. no crazy!Cas or demon blood!Sam or anything like that), and this doesn't fit anywhere in the overall plot of the show, aside from they've already met angels obviously, and they know who Gabriel is, and Uriel is an assbutt. I think that's pretty much it, hopefully the fic explains itself enough.

COVER IMAGE: I found that hilarious drawing from a post on tumblr, and can't for the life of me remember/find the original illustrator. If you know who it is, please PM me so I can give credit! If that's you, PM me so I can give credit (plus if you want me to take it down I totally understand just let me know!) Thanks!

Enjoy the fic lovelies :D

"Sammy. Sammy! Sammy, breathe, man, breathe! What's wrong?" Sam was, at the moment, literally on the ground, silent, tears beginning to form. "What's wrong with him!?" Dean yelled, while the Cupid just chuckled.

"Nothing, he'll be fine, once he can stop laughing. Don't worry, I had the same reaction when I found out, and I'm still standing here, aren't I?" he said, and finally Sam's body released him from the silent, choking laughter for a gasp of air as he fell backwards to the ground, still guffawing at whatever Cupid had just whispered in his ear.

"What? Found out what?"

"Don't!" Sam wheezed. "Don't tell him, not yet," he breathed. He picked himself up off the grass, and joined the Cupid across the threshold. "Now that I'm where you can't kill me…" Sam chuckled. "Castiel!" he yelled, running as fast as he could after the Cupid into the house.

Balls!

*2 HOURS EARLIER*

"Dean. Dean! Get up, come on, found a case," Sam said, tossing a pillow at his head and smacking him right on the kisser. Dean swatted it away, rolled over, and snored again. Sam sighed, rolled his eyes, and began packing up their things, he'd try again in a little while. And hey, while Dean was asleep… Sam grabbed his cell and slipped outside.

"Hey Gabe," Sam said, happy to hear his voice again.

"Sam! Dammit, man, I haven't heard from you in ages!" he yelled. Then, quieter, "I missed you." Sam chuckled.

"I've missed you too. But Dean and I've been working non-stop, and I already told you, I haven't found the right opportunity yet. When it presents itself, I'll take it, first chance I get. I promise," Sam said, glancing back through the motel window at Dean's sleeping form. Gabriel had renounced nearly everything about him that had to do with the angels, and that set him apart from anyone else Sam had ever met; he didn't have to be involved in the job, but he knew, and he could protect himself. Sam had never considered the possibility that he might be able to find happiness, but he had, in Gabriel, for quite some time now. But he hadn't been able to tell Dean: when, while hunting monsters to save the world, are you supposed to be able to come out to your brother as bi-species-sexual? Everything was always so complicated, and it gave Sam a headache to think of Dean's reaction, especially considering it was Gabriel, and him and Dean hadn't really got on since they first met. But maybe with this case… "Hey, listen, I gotta head out to Milwaukee, we've got a case there that might give me a chance, actually. We've got a cupid who called in some trouble, knew we had connections with angels and the like before, and asked us for help. We're going to check it out today, and maybe I can somehow… you know." Gabe sighed.

"I'm not rushing you, Sam. Whenever you're comfortable. We've got all the time in the world," he replied. It was something he always told Sam, even though, with a hunter's life, that was never really true.

"All the time in the world," Sam murmured. They said their goodbyes and Sam went back inside to wake Dean, but he was already awake, and having an argument with Castiel.

"…c'mon, man!"

"Dean, I am not-"

"Oh, don't give me that 'I merely take the vessel form of a male, Dean' crap. You know what I meant."

"I apologize, but it's hard enough to target within a half-mile with you guys and your wards against angels now, let alone exactly where I appear once I'm in the room."

"Save it…" Dean rolled back over, and Sam walked over to Cas.

"What happened?"

"Dean called me and told me where you two were, said he needed to speak with me. I misplaced my landing, that's all."

"He landed right on top of me, dude!" Dean called from underneath his pillow. Sam burst out laughing at the thought, and patted Cas on the shoulder.

"Nice one, Cas. Wish I'd've seen that one," he said. "C'mon, Dean, up. We've got a case. Plus, apparently, you wanted to talk to your angel, and I need to borrow him too, so hurry up."

"He's not my angel…" Dean muttered, but got up and led Cas outside.

"What is it you wish to ask?"

"Do you think something's… up, with Sam?" Cas raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong, you mean? He appears to be in peak physical condition, and mentally quite stable considering, more so than you at least-"

"Yeah, yeah, stuff it Watson. I didn't mean wrong, I just meant… different. D'you think he could be… Could he be seeing someone? And me not know it? He's been different these past couple weeks man, I'm telling you, spending more time texting on his phone than ever, and he always says it's Jo, or even Bobby, but Jo would always rather talk on the phone, if she has to at all, and Bobby couldn't send a text if his life depended on it. I'm telling you man…" Dean shook his head, and ran a hand through his bedhead.

"Now that you mention it… well… n-never mind." Cas disappeared in a flutter of wings before Dean could question it, and he stormed back inside in a huff, where Sam was already talking to Cas.

"Alright, so last night I got an email from a guy named Eddie G. Lover. It's just the name of the vessel he uses though; he's a Cupid. He said he's been having trouble with the souls he's supposed to bring together, that they're being forced off-course by something outside of his control. He asked us three for help, seeing as we're the only hunters who've truly dealt with their kind. He's in Milwaukee, about a twenty minute drive from here," Sam said. Dean shrugged.

"There could be something to it. Let's go check it out, we haven't had a near-normal case in ages…"

"So these souls, they just… bounce back? Like the same magnets rebounding from each other?" Castiel asked.

"Yes, exactly," said the Cupid.

"So how can we help, exactly? Do you have any sort of leads?"

"As a matter of fact, I do have one of note. I think it might involve the Children of Eris. They're very few and far between, but they cause mischief wherever they go, on purpose or not. They're the opposite of a cupid, essentially, being the children of the goddess of chaos and discord. They love a good prank, and upending the natural order is a game to them. I've found traces of what might lead us to them, but they're back at my cabin, about two miles from here. Castiel?" A hand on Sam and Dean's shoulders, and they were suddenly outside of an impressive, yet cozy looking cabin. Dean shuddered and glared at Cas.

"Really? No warning?" Sam shook his head, chuckling at their incessant bickering since they woke up. Today was just not Cas and Dean's day. They gestured for Cupid to lead the way, but he paused.

"Erhm… There's a bit of a snag in this plan at the mo," Eddie said, and chuckled to himself.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, here's the thing… Cupids are a tricky business. Cupid magic is even trickier, and my house is full of it. I can't allow two people who haven't realized their match to cross the threshold," he said, gesturing at the doorway, which held a slight pink aura around it. "So Sam, it'll have to be just you on this, you can take pictures or anything you need, if you like, but I can't risk those two," he said, glancing back.

"What!? How is Sam able to? He doesn't have a-" Sam was looking sheepish.

"Aw, hell no. I was only speculating! Cas, weren't we only speculating? We didn't think-" Dean threw his hands in the air. "Well, who is she?" Sam coughed, and Cupid chuckled. Sam muttered the correction under his breath. "What?"

"Ahem. Uh, it's, uh, he. N-not she." Dean rolled his eyes.

"I don't care if it's a friggin' cat, Sam, that's your choice. But who!?" he cried. Sam was taken aback, surprised at how quickly Dean had carried on, like his baby brother coming out as bisexual was a normal occurrence and not relevant to the argument.

"Well…" He trailed off and murmured it.

"Who?"

"Gabriel! It's Gabriel, okay!?" Sam huffed, throwing his hands in the air, mimicking Dean. The latter smacked a hand to his forehead.

"Really, Sam, really? You have to go for the one guy who wants to KILL US?" he cried.

"Obviously he doesn't! That was never his intention! Can we talk about this later, please?" Dean huffed, muttering under his breath.

"Stupid angels… buttwads with wings… Sam goes for the prick-iest one of all…"

"Oh calm down, you big baby." Everyone fell silent, realizing the words had fallen from Cas' lips.

"Calm down? Calm down!? You're next, pal! Gabriel is your brother, you should've known about thi-" Then it clicked. "You did know about it!" He shoved a finger in Castiel's chest, and Cas stumbled back in surprise, glaring at Dean. "You were going to say that, this morning! And you 'poofed' before you finished so I couldn't ask!" Dean started towards Cas.

"Dean! Bigger problems here! I'm going with the nice Cupid here and you're staying, that's that!" Sam cried, following Eddie. But he paused right before the threshold. "Wait… who is Dean's match?" Sam had a hunch, and the Cupid was all too happy to oblige. He whispered the name, crossed the threshold, and that was when the wheezing fit took over. In the blink of an eye, Sam had crossed the pink aura to keep Dean out (and more importantly, away from his throat), and hollered the name back to Dean before running as fast as he could after the Cupid.

The dead silence that was left in Sam's wake was deafening. Dean was unresponsive, while Cas just stood there, flushing a deep pink in his cheeks.

"Uh-"

"Don't. Don't even…"

"Well, Dean, that's pretty important news to reconcile, your brother being with Gabriel and all." Dean was surprised, to say the least. Cas wasn't talking about… the other thing.

"What about it? He likes the douchiest of the douche angels. What can I do? Obviously they're meant for each other, if the Cupid had no issues with it. Hell, as long as he's happy, I couldn't care less. Just so long as he doesn't bring 'Gabe' to Christmas dinner. I might rip his throat out," he muttered. Cas sighed.

"For once, I can truly empathize, I believe." Dean chuckled. "But you took the news of your brother's sexuality quite well. I never questioned your acceptance of those different from you, but it is quite a surprise, considering you've never been around someone who is as such before," Cas mused. Dean shuffled his feet, and looked away at the ground. Cas was poking at Dean's covers, and he didn't like it.

"What are you trying to get at, Cas, don't beat around the bush."

"I'm not beating around any shrubbery-" he saw the look in Dean's apple-green eyes, and nodded. "Ah. Another turn-of-phrase. I am not 'getting at' anything." The silence afterwards was too much. Dean had been tortured, had tortured others, had killed, had lied, had cheated, had been killed, lied to, and cheated, and he had no problem holding back things he didn't want others to know. So he was dumbfounded at what happened next.

"I have 'been around someone who is as such…'" Dean muttered, looking to the heavens for strength, knowing they were about as much help as hoping to a pack of gum. "Well, I haven't, but…" He trailed off, and Castiel hid a smirk, knowing he had cracked his best friend. "It's just that… I… uh, I am, too, you know?" Dean muttered, kicking at a small stone. Cas raised an eyebrow, sparing a glance at Dean's face, which was radiating embarrassment.

"I thought as much." Dean playfully kicked Cas' shoe.

"You shouldn't have made me say it then. You know me and chick flick moments, asshat." Castiel shrugged.

"It was for your own good, not for mine," he said. He placed his hands in the pocket of his trench coat, and looked up to the blue sky above. When he glanced back at Dean, he caught him watching. Dean quickly looked away.

"How long have you known?"

"I haven't. But you have such a deep capacity to love, Dean Winchester, I've never doubted that it could be for anyone," Cas said with a small sigh. He looked away. Dean shifted his weight, and looked to the sky. But when he looked up, all he saw was the blue of Cas' eyes staring back at him.

A few hours later, they found themselves back in the motel room, Cas and Dean poring over the books on mythology they had with them, while Sam searched the web on his laptop. The evidence that the Cupid had had was strange. At the sites where his matches were supposed to come together, he always found the glowing mark of Eris, which he photographed at each site, nothing more.

"They want us to know it's Eris and her kids, but they don't want us to find them. How helpful," Dean muttered. Castiel was staring at the photographs, deep in thought, before he was suddenly on the bed with them, laid out in rows. Dean jumped, nearly spilling his beer on the books.

"Cas! We said no apparating within the room, remember? The house rules?" Sam smirked at the Harry Potter terminology Dean used to describe Cas' movements, while Cas held up a hand, shushing him. It was so unlike Cas that Dean actually fell silent and rose to see what was going on.

"These markings, they are the same general shape, the mark of Eris, we know that. But underneath them, every time, is a different marking, something smaller. Do you have the enlarging circle?" Dean rolled his eyes, knowing Cas always started to forget the names of human objects when he was getting sleepy, as Sam began to question. Magnifying glass, Dean mouthed. Sam tossed it to him, and he handed it to Cas, watching over his shoulder. "A pen and paper too, please," he asked, and Dean retrieved them. Cas wrote down each symbol underneath the mark of Eris in the photographs, looking more alert and concerned as he went, then looked to the page. "It's just as I thought… These are Enochian. Someone is spelling out a message, most likely an angel, or someone working with an angel. What is going on…" Castiel's hands flew across the page as he tried the different combinations, before the symbols finally settled into a form that clicked to Cas. "This is much more complex than I thought… or really not complex at all."

"What, what?" Dean said, grabbing Cas' shoulder. "Don't you dare poof out on me Cas, or I'll rip you limb from limb. What's going on?"

"Dean, let me go, I have to right this wrong by myself, please-" before he could say another word, Dean had grabbed the sigil-engraved handcuffs and handcuffed himself to Cas. Sam cleared his throat.

"Ahem, Dean, I know you found out you guys are soul mates and all, but can you please get a room if you're gonna do that stuff right now?" he joked. Castiel and Dean both whipped around to glare at Sam, who quickly held up his hands and fell silent. Dean turned his attention back to Cas.

"Well, sorry, you're not going anywhere by yourself, not until you tell us what's going on, and even then…" Cas threw the pen and pad across the room.

"This is bigger than you having a hissy fit all day because of this and that and everything else I've done to wrong you, Dean! This is dangerous, and I can't put you and Sam in harm's way unnecessarily!"

"Well, hate to break it to you Cas, but news flash: if you're in harm's way, it's necessary! We're in this together, remember?" he cried, poking a finger at Cas' heart. "You and me, to the end of the line, problems big and small, life threatening or not, you and me, Cas, no if's, and's, or but's about it, do you understand me?" He lowered his voice as Castiel looked away. "What did it say, Cas?"

"The message, it's in Enochian, under each symbol of Eris, there was a letter, maybe two. The message reads, 'Come alone, Uriel.'"

"Oh, that dirty, slimy-" Well, I won't print the remainder of those expletives here, young readers, after all…

"Dean, please, calm down," Cas urged.

"You are not going in there alone, you hear me? Uriel is bad news, all over, he's going to hurt you Cas, and hurt you bad, after all that's gone down," Dean said, the hint of a quaver at the end of his sentence.

"Dean, I must go see him. He's already altering Fate itself by altering the destinies of these lovers he's set apart, he might turn to more… brutal methods to draw me out soon enough. Let me go before any blood is spilled," Cas pleaded.

"I can't, Cas. Not by yourself."

"He said, come alone-"

"Since when do we ever listen to that crap? We come up with a plan and screw them over, right Sammy?" Sam was startled, being included in their moment all of a sudden. He chuckled.

"Uh, yeah, something like that… if the plan works in our favor." Dean patted Cas on the back.

"Don't listen to that pessimism. We're getting through this. Together."

"Uriel, brother!" Cas called out into the darkness. A moment later he was struck with the invisible force of Uriel's power.

"I said, come alone!" he roared, and Cas rolled over from where he'd fallen to see Dean hoisted into the air, being choked by Uriel.

"Dean, no!" Cas cried, surging forward, but Uriel threw out his hand and knocked Cas away into a tree, knocking him out of sorts. Sam, where are you!?

"How dare you, betray Heaven again and again, defy me, and now you insult me by thinking I won't know that you'd bring your favorite pet to our little chat?" Uriel said, throwing Dean against the nearest tree. He forgot about Sam. That's all that matters. We can still pull through… Uriel took his time, walking towards where Cas was, crawling over to Dean. Uriel reared back and kicked Castiel in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Abandoning angel powers, Uriel simply beat on Cas until he could barely breathe, with Dean powerless to help.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU SONOFABITCH!" Dean cried, fighting to get out of the clutch of Uriel's powers. In that moment, Castiel was able to cut a gaping, glowing gash in Uriel's vessel with his angel blade. That released Dean for the moment, who slumped to the ground in a heap, hitting his head on a tree root. Uriel roared in a rage, kicked the blade from Castiel's hand, and picked it up himself. He wasn't going to simply punish Cas, he was going to kill him. Cas prayed to his father above, if he still remained anywhere, and braced himself for death. It was a good plan, but it looks like Sam couldn't get past Uriel's other angel guards in time.

With the last of his strength, Dean flung himself over top of Cas. The blade was about to plunge straight through his heart when Uriel seized, stabbed right through the heart by none other than Sammy, just in time. With one final lash outwards, Uriel fell to the ground, and with an imprint of wings burned into the dirt, he was dead.

Heavy breathing was all that broke the silence, but a moment later Castiel realized it was only coming from himself and Sam.

"Dean? Dean!?" he cried out in a panic. He sat up, Dean held carefully in his lap. His breathing was shallow, and his hand was pressed against a deep gash across his side. When Castiel gently pulled it away, it was coated in Dean's own warm blood. Apple-green met sky-blue.

"Hey, Cas, it's okay. It's just a scratch, it'll be okay…" But the gash was deep, and had possibly severed an artery, or something, Cas didn't know, but he was bleeding out too fast. Cas tried to stop the bleeding, to heal him, but he was shaking so badly, it fizzled and sputtered, and Dean only winced. Sam put a hand on Cas' shoulder.

"Hey, Cas, breathe. Focus on fixing Dean. He'll be okay, but only if you calm down," he said. Cas looked away, took a deep breath, reined in his emotions, and focused on the task at hand. He placed his hand over the wound, and a moment later it was sealed up, good as new. But Dean had lost a lot of blood, and after a small smile and another 'it's gonna be okay, Cas,' he passed out in Cas' arms.

"He has to be taken to the hospital," Cas said.

"They won't be able to do anything for him, Cas. We can't explain the fact that he's missing several pints of blood but isn't wounded anymore. We'll take him to Bobby's, he can rest up there, and when he wakes up, we'll see what to do next." Cas stood up, cradling Dean carefully in his arms, his concerned eyes never leaving his friend's sleeping face. "Go, now, with him, and I'll drive the car and our stuff back up there myself." Cas gave one glance and a nod to Sam, and with a flutter of wings, the angel and his best friend disappeared.

"Shouldn't Cas rest or something?" Ellen asked, peeking over Bobby's shoulder. "I mean, he did just get pretty beaten up, according to Sam," she murmured. Sam and Jo joined them just as Bobby answered.

"Technically, as an angel? No. But yes, considering that, any normal being would need some shuteye, or time to think. But I already asked him, and Cas insisted on waiting with him." Dean had been in and out of sleep for a day now, and when he was sort of awake, he was incoherent, asking over and over if Cas was okay, even though he was sitting right there. Cas refused to leave Dean's side until he was fully awake and coherent, and while the angel never really displayed emotion so openly as a human, it was apparent to those who were close to him (which was everyone in the house at that moment) that he was deeply downright scared. Sam had tried to convince him that it was okay, that Dean's body was just taking a long time to recuperate because he was always running on little to no sleep, and that there was nothing to worry about, that he was safe now. But while Cas was polite and grateful for Sam's attempts, and Ellen's and Jo's and Bobby's, it was clear he didn't believe it.

"Hmm… Cas?" came a faint voice from the bed. Castiel, who had begun pacing the room, was by Dean's side in an instant, and the others quietly shuffled into the room as well.

"Dean?" he asked, voice quiet, and broken.

"R-remind… Remind me tomorrow to take your- your clothes to the dry cleaner's… I got blood all over them, I made a mess…" he trailed off, a small smile gracing his face. "I like my angels cleaned up and in good working order," he said, while Cas just chuckled, voice wavering with relief as he replied.

"Sure, Dean. Whatever pleases you." Dean sat up carefully, wincing only slightly, genuinely feeling loads better. But Cas flinched at Dean's pain, and then came the guilt. "Dean, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault, I never should have let you-" Dean cut him off.

"Whoa there, let me? You don't let me do anything, Cas, you know that," he said with a laugh. "I would've found a way to come save your ass and nearly die in the process again with or without your consent," he said, but Cas just looked away.

"But if only I had-"

"Hey, dude. No if only's, no but what if's, no I should have's. I told you, we're in this together. It's my choice to save your sorry ass, isn't it?" Cas had to crack a smile at that.

"Something like that," he replied. Dean took his hand and looked him in the eye.

"You're not allowed to blame yourself, you understand? I made my choice, and you're not gonna sit there and feel guilty over it." Cas nodded, and their eyes met once more. Sam roughly ahem-ahem-ed, bringing attention to the rest of the room. Jo snickered.

"Damn, you two are so made for each other," she said, clueless to the announcement made back at the cupid's cabin. Sam and Dean burst out laughing, even Cas was chuckling at her comment.

"What?" Ellen, Jo, and Bobby asked.

"Nothing," said Sam. "Uh, well, Cas, I'm really glad you and Dean are okay, but could I ask you a favor?"

"Of course." Sam went and whispered in his ear. "Ahh. I'll be back in a moment."

Well, 'in a moment' was not a lie, but Cas' fulfillment of Sam's request was a bit much.

"DAMMIT Castiel! Are you nuts!? Barging in on- whoa." Gabriel, friggin' trickster-slash-angel-of-the-lord, had reappeared with Cas, with a shower curtain wrapped around himself, still dripping water. The whole room was dead silent, but Sam slowly turned as he heard the sound of suffocation, maybe strangling, coming from the bed. Dean was laughing so hard that he was almost completely silent, face red, tears streaming down his face, much like Sam the day before. The others in the room shifted uncomfortably, except for Gabriel, who was just annoyed. When Dean could finally speak, he was still gasping for breath in fits and starts.

"Ellen- aha-Jo, Bobby, HA, meet Sam's new boyfriend," he choked out before collapsing into a fit of Dean-ish giggles. Sam put his head in his hands.

"Cas, this isn't what I meant-"

"But you said to retrieve Gabriel to meet everyone, seeing as it felt appropriate."

"I- I meant- YOU DON'T GRAB PEOPLE OUT OF THE- Okay, Cas, whatever man…" Sam said, trailing off into laughter with Dean.

"Jo, go get Sammy's boyfriend a robe, or some clothes, or somethin'," said Ellen.

"Nice shower curtain," Jo commented as she passed by, pointing at the pigs with angel wings. Bobby gave up and just left the room, and when Jo returned with clothing for Gabe, she, Sam, and 'his boy toy,' as Jo put it, left, leaving the two men who had started it all to themselves once more. Dean scooted over on the bed, and gestured at the space next to him. Castiel removed the blood-stained trench coat, as well as his suit jacket and tie, kicked off his shoes, and climbed onto the bed next to Dean. Looking so weary, Dean thought to himself that Cas had never looked more human than in that moment. He wrapped an arm around Cas' shoulders, pulling him in to rest his head against his chest, and gently stroked the angel's hair. They sat like that in peace for what could have been minutes, or days, or years, or decades… and all Dean knew was that he was wrong, so wrong before. He had been wrong to correct Sam earlier, and everyone before that.

Because of course, Cas always was "hisangel."

And he always would be.