B is for Beautiful, a supernatural fanfic

Title: B is for Beautiful

Author: OpheliacAngel

Pairings: Gabriel/Dean, Sam/Castiel

Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family

Rating: Teen

Summary: Gabriel knows it's his place to ignore Dean's idiocy from time to time and take care of him like any normal boyfriend would. Dean jumps at the chance to repay the favor, though it doesn't turn out too well, and the newly joined Sam and Castiel ponder the two's idiosyncrasies. I envision this as being set in a future Season 8, where Gabriel makes the decision to strengthen his relationship with Dean after Purgatory.

A/N: I was originally going to upload these as two separate pieces, but then I thought they were meant to be placed together. Some ideas just popped up in my head randomly, and I mashed them all together to create this. I had an incredibly fun time with both of them, and the last came out of the fact that I'm getting more into Sam/Castiel lately, and just had to add them in. I'm nervous to upload this so, hope you like.

Everything was fine, fine for a long while actually, until Dean had to go ahead and do something stupid, over such a short period of time and made Sam panicky beyond belief and Gabriel... Gabriel finally learned just how fragile human beings are. He thought he knew it before, but Dean often surprised him in strange and due to this, terrible ways that made him rethink everything around him. Humans needed nourishment and rest and peace of mind, and even though the Winchesters never really had that last part, the other two were mandatory; otherwise, there were consequences. Consequences Gabriel never wanted to have to see or imagine ever again.

Dean was stupid and Dean was paying for it, except for the fact that Gabriel really really didn't want to watch him pay for it. What could he say, he just wasn't the same guy anymore? He didn't like seeing Dean in distress, he only wanted him happy and horny and stretched out underneath him or on top of him, eyes fixated on the archangel with lust, longing and love.

Gabriel's only rational explanation was to take Dean where he would be cared for the most efficiently, so they could get back to the lovemaking and consuming copious amounts of candy till they literally couldn't move anymore. Before any action could be taken though, the eldest Winchester had grabbed his arm and voiced, more like shouted his concerns to the archangel, which just about led to a panic attack; in Dean's current state then, it especially wouldn't have been good news. The archangel gave in, primarily due to Dean's fear of hospitals, something which, to this day, he still had yet to figure out.

Sam ended up calling a doctor/hunter he knew, and luckily he had been close enough to prevent Dean from getting any worse; his throat had swelled up a little and prevented Dean from properly swallowing down the amount of water his body needed. Gabriel had been pissed to discover the only thing the doctor could do for his human was to stick a needle in him, providing Dean further pain because apparently it was a little difficult to find a sufficient vein, and pump him full of fluids. At that point, Gabriel was all too set to send the doctor someplace where he would quickly learn the true meaning of pain, but Sam told him Dean would be okay if they both just listened to what the guy said. So Gabriel, already wrecked with a million different emotions at once, happily relented.

"The I.V. needs to stay in," Gabriel demanded, removing Dean's hand from his arm and holding it gently in his own, rubbing his thumb over the smooth surface because the human was too out of it to notice. "Doctor's orders," he explained.

Dean smiled weakly, pleading, without putting much effort in it. "Couldn't I just... drink a bunch of water or somethin'?". Gabriel merely shook his head and checked the needle for the hundredth time.

He crossed his fingers that this wouldn't go on long. If he hadn't changed as a result of Dean pushing himself forcefully into his life, he would right now probably be taking advantage of Dean's incapacitation and having his own way with him; shower him with lust and accomplish a dozen things on his never-ending to-do list. But spending time with Dean had left him soft; a hard piece of candy that was regrettably, maybe just a little bit wonderfully, gooey and warm at its very delectable center. He loved Dean, and now the only logical thing for him to do was to hold his shaking hand and give out love to the one person who deserved it most.

"Where's Sam anyway?"

"Out on a coffee run," the archangel fidgeted on the chair he sat in, adjusting his clothes because they felt too tight and stuffy. He cast his eyes downward and sighed, tying to give off the impression that he was really bored when all he truly felt was anxiety over Dean's current position. Sam had been hesitant to leave him but that only made the archangel feel like he wasn't capable of watching Dean like a hawk. So yeah, he did practically shove the youngest Winchester right out the door and tell him to bring back something worthwhile. Dean needed to relax anyways, and he couldn't do it with an overly concerned younger brother constantly hovering over him like he literally couldn't move from that spot. Gabriel wasn't as bad as that, he knew he wasn't.

"Good, I could use a little pick me up right now."

"Not for you. Doctor's orders," he repeated, and couldn't help but let his heart swell with love for a minute at the human's frustration, and the way he held back his tongue to prevent arguing. Gabriel was only doing what was best, and Dean was finally starting to figure it out.

"I feel so stupid," Dean picked at the sheet underneath him with his fingers uncomfortably. The bed was small, maybe just big enough for Gabriel to curl himself around Dean if he wanted to, if not for inevitably disrupting the I.V., something neither of them could afford. Dean shivered a little, his head laying back against the pillows from its previous upright position; Gabriel wanted to move closer, but also didn't want to overcrowd the human. "You must hate me."

"On the contrary, kiddo," he smiled fondly at the human, "you just neglect to think more often than not and put me in a position I really don't want to be in. But," he added in a grin, "you're still my favorite human."

Dean started fidgeting with the I.V. again. Gabriel restrained him and threw him a warning glare, "If you don't quit it, I'm gonna get Sam to drive you straight to the hospital." Gabriel figured he wouldn't actually zap Dean there; he was still in a weakened state, not to mention, the archangel was thinking a long car ride might give the eldest Winchester a new way of looking at certain things.

He looked up, pouting, "You wouldn't."

"Don't underestimate me, Deano." He's done it plenty of times before and Gabriel has always, always proved him wrong. It's just what he does.

"Why do you even care so much anyway? What's it to you if I get a little dehydrated..." 'A little?' Gabriel thinks and scoffs. More like massively, dangerous enough to faint right on the spot and scare his brother and the archangel half to death.

"...Is it cause you can't blow me the way you want?"

Gabriel stilled his hands, all too ready to strangle Dean and that wouldn't be such a good idea. He settled instead for an even more brutal, 'I mean business' glare. "I chose to mark you not because I thought it would be loads of fun, but because I wanted to be able to take care of you. Since you've pulled this stupid stunt and showed me that you really are incapable of paying attention to your body's needs, I figured I should up the 'taking care part' a notch. So I apologize if what you want to be is alone and possibly dead right now, Deano, but if you expect me to allow you to suffer bodily harm or emotional trauma, then what's the point of us being in a relationship at all?"

Dean gulped, sweat trickling down his previously dry forehead. Gabriel resumed cooling him down with a wet washcloth.

"We're in a...," he took a deep breath, "... a relationship?"

"What the hell did you think this was, chuckle head?"

Dean laughed and smiled and with major embarrassment realized tears were coming to his eyes; luckily there was only one or two that managed to fall. Hey, he couldn't help it, he was a freaking mess at this point and Gabriel choosing to say exactly this now, while he was entirely not prepared, just made everything a million times more emotional. He felt relieved enough to almost forget about the whole mess he was in.

"I don't know," he finally answered after minutes of taking it all in. "Just thought it was a fling to you or something like that."

Gabriel kissed him, moistening incredibly dry lips with his own. He moaned for more but forced himself to pull away; he could take as much of Dean as he wanted when he wasn't like this. "What do you say, game of I-Spy, kiddo?" He ruffled Dean's sweat-dampened hair and then ran his fingers methodically through it, suddenly very relieved at the good turn of events. Dean was sweating again, which meant it wouldn't be too long before he was back up on his feet. The I.V. was working.

Dean sunk deeper into the bed and pillows and only wanted to scream his lungs out at how much he loved Gabriel right about now, despite how shitty he felt in reality. Instead, he decided to go for nodding and preventing his itching fingers from traveling anywhere near the needle. It took a lot of effort, but as the game progressed and he focused more and more on relaxing his racing mind and restless body, he eventually felt a bone-searing exhaustion sink into his skin. He didn't want to fall asleep now, right in the middle of the game, waiting to see if Gabriel would offer up more confessions as a result of ever-growing sympathy for Dean. He was tired though, and keeping his eyes open was a struggle he couldn't endure for long.

And Gabriel's voice, it just kept lulling him into bliss. "I spy with my little eye... something starting with the letter M."

Dean didn't even have to guess, "Milkshake."

"Wait, how did you know? It's not even in the room."

"Cause that's all you've been thinking about lately. And by the way... you're cheating.

"Am not."

"Totally are, Gabe. Just give up already, I'm way better at this than you are." Gabriel suddenly pouted and Dean just had to laugh at that. "I spy with my little... ah, forget it. I spy with my eye, something that begins with O."

"Oval."

"What?"

"The shape of the rug underneath the table over there."

"What're you an interior decorator now? I'm not talking about the shape of a freaking rug. Guess again."

"Orange flavored cotton candy."

"Nope. Does that even exist?"

"You betcha." Gabriel licked his lips, "If you're lucky I'll be feeding it to you in a couple days time, then you can see how sweet I can really be." Gabriel thought about his next answer for a minute, "Oral sex," he grinned wide, "with my favorite human."

"Is that all you can seriously think about?"

Gabriel just decided to shrug in the manner of a three year old and then go on a word rampage. "Opal. Orangutan. Officially really fucking horny right about now. Origami. Original sin. Octopus. Orifice..."

Dean rolled his eyes. Un-freaking believable. "It's overgrown, for the love of..."

"Overgrown as in what?" He stared at Dean intently, lowering his eyes to that of suspicion and almost fury.

"Your hair."

He relaxed just a minuscule and took the defensive position, "Dean, I told you already. I want to try something different."

Seriously? Was he really hearing this from a trickster/archangel, or was this some sort of freaky dream where later on he would wake up and run his fingers obsessively through Gabriel's hair; the exact length that he loved and that it should always be. "Yeah, and sooner rather than later I'm gonna start calling you Tarzan. What was so wrong with your hair before, Gabe? I loved it for one thing, now... you just look like a homeless guy left out too long in the rain."

"Prick."

"Douche."

"Thickheaded, infuriatingly stupid human."

"Dick."

"Bitch."

"Hey, that's my line... jerk."

Gabriel crossed his arms, "Fine, it'll go then." A pair of scissors suddenly appeared in his hands and without doing it himself, they weirdly floated upward and began snipping large strands of hair away at a time. It's not like the human hadn't seen this sort of thing before, it just never really stopped being weird. If Gabriel was mad enough at him, he could just send those scissors straight to him and Dean would get an instant, painful makeover. It didn't matter that Gabriel loved him massively and downright obsessively; it still didn't stop the Winchester from thinking about things that could, though probably never would, happen. Dean watched uneasily and with a little bit of fascination out of the corner of his eye, wishing the scissors would go away soon.

"There," the scissors stilled. "Better now?"

Gabriel noticed his wary look and snapped his fingers; the deadly instrument dissipated and left Gabriel's usual gorgeous hair behind, hair the hunter loved to play with. Dean smiled tiredly, "Yeah, looks great."

"Feels great too," the archangel reluctantly admitted, running his hand through it briefly. "So... back to the game."

"Back to the game."

"Hmm...," Gabriel glanced around the room, trying to find something that hadn't been noticed yet; an object on a nearby dresser caught his eye. "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with the letter B." He changed his mind in his head when he looked back at Dean and noticed something new, and promised to lie when the human guessed. Though he brushed it to the side when realizing that same human was peacefully asleep, finally, after hours of distress, restlessness and frustration.

'No', Gabriel thought, 'B isn't for bear.'

He leaned forward and kissed Dean's forehead, "B is for..."

The archangel smiled, "Beautiful."

...

It all started with a fistfight; primarily a fistfight between Gabriel and Baldur, who Dean really hated to see but whatever, he loved watching his boyfriend beat the shit out of him on an early Saturday afternoon. Sure, Dean's first question had been: why the hell are they engaged in throwing punches at one another and not utilizing their god-like talents? Dean didn't mean to imply that he wasn't enjoying the show though, cause if asked, he really freaking was.

Dean was cheering Gabriel on whenever he wasn't completely engaged in the blood bath before him; Gabriel's face was heavily bruised already, his nose emitted a blood flow that wouldn't stop, and Baldur clearly favored his left arm and right leg, kinda a funny combo there. The hunter was getting all too lost in the moment, especially since it seemed the archangel was winning, and of course he was. Dean threw a punch or two himself from how pumped up he was, though not anywhere near Gabriel's opponent. It was all just fun and games, no matter how much he desperately wanted his fist to meet Baldur's face.

In fact, Dean was so focused on the belief that there was no way Gabriel could lose, no possible way, that he most certainly didn't anticipate the next punch from Baldur. It was a punch that sent Gabriel spiraling towards the ground and very soon after, the sound of his cheek slamming against the hardwood floor reverberated around the room.

Dean felt his heart surge up within his suddenly tight chest, and he was already running before he forced himself to spring into action. He collapsed beside Gabriel for a split second, making sure the archangel was relatively okay before he remembered the other hostile presence in the room. The archangel could call this fun and games every single time if he wanted to, and every single time meant every Saturday like clockwork, but to Dean, to Dean this was war.

"The game isn't finished yet, little human." It meant get out of my way, and Dean Winchester hated nothing more than being told what to do, especially when it came to involve Gabriel in any way, shape or form.

Dean growled, going into a protective stance over the unmoving Gabriel. There was no way he was giving up his ground so that this prick could cheat and take hold of Gabriel when he didn't have a fair chance. He never felt this much of a feral need to destroy swell up inside him before, to protect his mate from the maliciously intended whims of their enemy.

"I would back down if I were you."

The hunter only stepped forward, still maintaining a barrier between the archangel and Baldur, and crossed his arms. "Over my dead body." He was growing more worried by the second that Gabriel wasn't waking up. He didn't know how long he could hold his ground against a demi-god.

"It might happen," Baldur responded, "it would be an enjoyable sight."

Then, Dean heard the most beautiful voice he had ever heard in his entire life, "And I would stop threatening him if you know what's good for you Baly."

Gabriel spit out blood and stood up steadily, laying a firm arm on Dean's and gently guiding him away from Baldur's gaze. Dean wanted to protest, but Gabriel seemed like he was up to the task of finishing the fight, so he backed off and Baldur laughed, "At least you know your place, Winchester. Your place as submissive."

Dean gritted his teeth to ignore him; Gabriel didn't even spare him a glance before he threw a brutal punch to the demi-god's face. Dean grinned at the sight of it and Gabriel turned around to wink at him, his eyes filled with lust and love, well, at least that last part was what Dean liked to think was there. Though really, sometimes the things Gabriel would do for him easily proved that. The hunter could barely finish the thought, for the split second that the archangel was not facing him, Baldur lunged forward. Dean screamed to watch out but it didn't even seem like Gabriel needed the warning; the next three or so punches sent Baldur falling to his knees and gasping for air through his now all too broken nose. Dean breathed a sigh of relief when it became clear Gabriel had won, except for the fact that he pretty much knew it all along.

Suddenly, his heart swelled with a love he couldn't deny and a certain pride in the archangel he couldn't suppress.

"You won again," Baldur grinned nastily. "Next time, you may not be so lucky."

"I'm counting on a challenge next time, Bal!" Gabriel shouted after him as he vanished in much the same way Gabriel did, although when Gabriel did it, it pissed Dean off to no end, especially when they were having a conversation and he just decided right then and there to end it in the worst way possible. He took a step forward, ready to face the damage Baldur had caused to his lifelong mate, just like always, but his face fell when he blinked and afterward noticed the bruises and filthy marks on his flawless skin were gone. Immediately, rage filled him before he could hold enough of it back to control himself; he felt it in every pore, imagined it oozing out of every patch of skin. Gabriel turned towards him, face filling with confusion and an innocence Dean really freaking hated.

"What?" Gabriel asked.

"You," Dean answered, "you're shutting me out again."

"Shutting you out?" Gabriel stepped forward but Dean pulled back, just about ready to mark that skin again with his own fist. "What the hell are you talking about, Deano?"

"You're not being fair," he spat. "You expect me to egg you on but then when it's over... it's really over." Dean's face fell even more, it didn't matter how hard he tried to keep it inside.

"Really over? Of course it's over, I won. I'll always win, and you'll always be there to cheer me on. It's just how it goes, kiddo..."

"It's not fair cause you're shutting me down! You're allowed to put your worried face on when I'm hurt and take care of me, but the second I see something's wrong with you, and you notice that I see it, you just heal yourself with a snap of your fingers and what the fuck am I supposed to think? That you don't think I'm capable of caring about you, of doing something for you because you have this massive stick up your butt that tells you to always be one-hundred percent around me, all the time?"

Gabriel dared not interrupt, he had never seen Dean this worked up before, especially over something that seemed so much more trivial than it was just before this outpouring of fury and outrage. It was all he could do to prevent his mouth from hanging open and eyes widening obscenely. He never really thought about it before, what Dean was saying, except the fact that he does realize he takes any measure to escape Dean's concern over any of his temporary conditions. This really pissed the hunter off though, and he felt sort of guilty and sorry about that.

"I didn't...," he tried.

"Just forget it, I don't want to hear any of your excuses anymore! The next time I get hurt, just leave me the hell alone and let me heal on my own."

And with those final words, Dean walked away. It was so final that Gabriel didn't dare try to say anything else or stop him. The Winchester just needed time to think and cool down and Gabriel knew better than to interrupt him or protest when he was in one of those moods. He sighed, crossing his arms and returning the limp to his vessel's leg and the bruising on his cheek, as well as various other places he easily stared to protest. What could he say? He honestly felt like suffering.

...

Meanwhile, Sam and Castiel's gazes had flicked over to the two with interest, primarily shock, when they realized they were suddenly watching an argument happening right before their very eyes. Sam knew his brother and the archangel got into arguments, actually it was the third in a week now, but he hadn't actually seen any of them, just eavesdropped outside a closed door or entered worriedly, only under extreme circumstances, just to see the two instantly shut up and Gabriel disappearing seconds later.

When Dean and Gabriel were together, which was most of the time, it was all making-out sessions and kissing and talk that sent Sam running towards the bathroom about to throw up. It was all happy though, and right now, right now the mood in the room was anything but happy. Gabriel seemed distraught and Dean pissed and honestly, as much as it sickened Sam all those other times, he really just wanted them to kiss and make-up after only a few agonizing and awkwardly long seconds. When finally, finally it was over, Dean walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Sam didn't want to know what was running through Gabriel's head: guilt, frustration, anger?

"So, what is going on?" Castiel asked Sam curiously and with a tad bit of worry, breaking the Winchester's concentration on the slouched archangel. It was like all the life had oozed out of him in one simple, terrible motion.

"Oh, uh..." Sam brushed his hair back from his forehead and Castiel watched as his incredibly soft and beautiful hair flew back gracefully. "Dean is getting all pissed off, cause Gabriel won't let him console him or help him heal, I guess. And Gabriel," he continued, "well, it looks like he feels pretty bad about the whole thing. Which would explain the bruising coming back."

Castiel nodded, staring at the archangel across the room intently. He wondered where Dean roamed off to when he and Gabriel got into an argument. It didn't happen too often, but when it did it definitely shook him in a way that Sam already seemed to be used to. "Is this all...," he ventured, "normal? Will we ever partake in this?"

Sam shrugged, "It's bound to happen in any relationship. If it happens too much, that means something is seriously wrong and the two probably aren't meant to be together. But it's sometimes good if arguments are started, since it kinda acts as a form of communication."

"So should I be doing this right now?"

Sam started and instantly sat up further in his chair, "No no. Not unless there's a perfectly good reason, like you don't like something I'm doing," Sam offered, "or are just really mad for some reason."

Castiel nodded again and looked back towards Gabriel, who walked into his and Dean's bedroom and shut the door behind him. "Should we check on him?"

Sam looked up at the door, "Nah. Let's do something else instead," and with that he pulled Castiel from the lapels of his trench coat across the small table towards him and practically kissed the life out of him. The angel melted into the familiar touch; they've been doing this more and more lately, courtesy of Gabriel's pushing, and life honestly couldn't have been better between the angel and the youngest Winchester.

"Wait," Cas moaned and pulled away. "Won't Gabriel be..."

"Jealous?" Sam only grinned and yanked Castiel towards the other bedroom. Gabriel jealous? That couldn't be a bad thing at all.

...

Dean sprawled out on the couch, far enough away from Cas' and Sam's prying eyes. He didn't want to explain anything to them, he just wanted to stop thinking about it even though it was all too inevitable to think about. There was so little of his life now where he wasn't around Gabriel, where the archangel wasn't annoying him into an early grave or making him fall off the bed from laughing so freaking hard.

He just missed Gabriel, and he really didn't think he'd stop missing him anytime soon.

"So," the archangel suddenly appeared and plopped down on the couch beside him. Dean scowled at him and scooted to the far end. "Got anything else to say, Deano?"

"You mean 'do you' have anything to say?"

"Well," Gabriel shrugged, "you cut me off last time, so..." He hurriedly unwrapped the wrapper from the lollipop he was holding and slammed it in his mouth, sucking on the sweet, what looked to be cherry surface, loudly and obnoxiously.

Dean sighed and flipped off the TV, "I cut you off because you don't listen to me half the time. Get that?"

Gabriel sighed in return loudly, but when Dean shot him a death glare he gave in. "Yeah, I get it."

"Good."

The two turned away from each other; Gabriel managed to break before the hunter did. "Listen, okay. I'm sorry. That good enough for you, or do I have to go on a whole speel about how I should let you kick my ass because I'm not fair to you and don't share my feelings?"

"Just..." Dean turned towards him, "an apology doesn't mean anything. I mean, it does, but..." Shit, why does this have to be so freaking hard? "I just want you to stop doing it, it makes me feel...," Dean racked his brain for the right word, but then didn't want to say it when he found it. "...not too needed."

Aww. Gabriel's heart melted, "Of course you're needed. You actually think I could've won that fight without you cheering me on to victory?" Dean shrugged and that only pushed the archangel further on. He's so adorable when he's all shy and unsure and feeling unloved. Time to fix that. Gabriel scooted closer to his mate and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close and surprisingly Dean gave in, unable to resist Gabriel's all too apparent charms. It stopped being embarrassing a long time ago; Gabriel just felt so warm and safe to be around and Dean was done denying it was what he wanted.

"Now come on," Gabriel pressed, "we're wasting time by sulking and talking." His teeth pulled lightly on Dean's earlobe and Dean moaned, faced Gabriel and eyed him lustfully. Finally.

And then Gabriel made something new appear out of nowhere. "Want to share my bag of salt water taffy?" Because if it was anything that could make them come back together, it was this. It was Gabriel agreeing to share his sugary goodness, and Dean was well aware that sort of gesture was rare indeed.

Dean nodded, pulling a random piece out of the bag, but his lips ended up locking hungrily with Gabriel's instead of the sweet, sugary goodness. If all arguments were going to get resolved like this, Dean figured it wouldn't be that bad after all.

Everyone was set to live happily ever after, that is, until Gabriel nabbed the bag of taffy back and Sam and Castiel accidentally brought their own little make-out, 'ripping clothes off frantically' session into the already occupied living room. Dean sighed, visions of tackling Gabriel further down onto the couch, kissing him like there would be no tomorrow, and throwing the taffy out of the window, no matter the inevitable wrath of Gabriel, consuming his all too frantic mind.

Then... he made those visions reality.

FIN