In A Time of War

by cloudsarefluffy

-COMPLETE-The truth has crossed Dean's mind, always has since he started running half a decade ago. It nagged at him ruthlessly while he waited for sleep to take him, whenever a branch suspiciously broke nearby, when he was alone on chilly nights leaning on his car's hood, or while Sam slept not too far away on the dirty motel mattress after they had found each other.

**Author's Note: _

See guys- I'm not dead! Did ya miss me? (no) Haha I told you wheee~

No, I was busy writing this monster and dealing with life and- well you know. But be proud because this took for-fucking-ever.
This is over 41,967 (hahaha ironic, right?) words so you know what- don't even fuckin' try with me, and it's my own verse this so ha. BOOM BABY.

I'VE ALSO ALMOST BEEN CAUGHT WRITING THIS AT SCHOOL- DURING THE SMUT SCENES DO YOU KNOW HOW AWKWARD THAT IS TO EXPLAIN?
IT'S LIKE: "OH MY, IM SORRY. THEY AREN'T DOING A HAND JOB/BLOW JOB CURRENTLY. I SWEAR."

JUST NO.
THEY JUDGE ME NOW.
YOU GUYS BETTER BE FUCKIN GREATFUL JFC.

Also, the pic for this fic is what their feathers kind of look like so yeehaw. (god im southern jfc)

The teal/silver is Submissive
and the brown/gold is Dominant.

ENJOY!~

---

TRIGGER WARNING:

This fic contains some pretty dark ass shit, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK, YO.

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

THIS MAY NOT BE YOUR CUP OF TEA- AND IF IT ISN'T JUST LEAVE IDGAF.

...

Dean Winchester could truly say his life really started going downhill since he was twelve.

He remembered the day as if it had just happened, waking up and stumbling out of bed in the evening sun. His wings were ruffled and disheveled from the mattress, twitching and hitting things. Give him a little credit, he was still learning how to keep them in his body and deal with them. Considering that you count the fact he gained them last year and it was a fairly long process to work with them (they were like their own person stuck on his body to say at the least). The stale taste in his mouth only edged him further on into the bathroom to brush his teeth as he yawned.

While groggily brushing, Dean nearly choked on the toothbrush and paste when he noticed the new coloration on his wings. Instead, he spat all over the mirror, and fell back against the wall with a thump. His heart was rattling his ribcage as he noticed the new feathers appearing on his wings- he wasn't supposed to get these for another five years, at least.

Dean could hardly believe what he was seeing as he ran a trembling finger down the grain, the feathers bending to his finger- soft, downy, and shiny in the unnatural light. The metallic teal mixed with strands of silver were absolutely unmistakable. There was no way that Dean could believe they were anything else other than what he thought and knew. It only furthered Dean's frightful panic, his breath barely entering his lungs as his body shuddered against the plaster.

Dean wondered what would become of him now. He wasn't expecting for this type of coloration at all anyways, even if it had come surprisingly early. It was supposed to be brown with traces of gold; Dominant- not Submissive. Just like his father, John, had because the first born was supposed to be the leader after time passed and the one before died or some bullshit Dean never paid attention to. He couldn't wrap his mind around it a single fraction as he pulled the covers tighter around himself, wishing he was a strange version of colorblind. Just so he could know he wasn't going to end up somewhere he shouldn't being chased by people constantly.

Of course it did happen either way because Dean had awful luck like that, he really did.

That had been thirteen years ago now, at least, as Dean parked the rental car in a spot. Sam Wesson is beside him with his eyes darting back and forth nervously. The engine cut off abruptly, nothing but the peppered taps of fat raindrops against the outside of the car's body seeping into their overly-attentive ears. This wasn't the first time for them to know how to go about the motions and be paranoid throughout it all.

"Coast clear?"

"Should be. I don't see anyone."

Sam Wesson was in the same quickly sinking boat as Dean, his wings tucked in his back with the same exact teal and silver feathers on the insides- marking him as a Submissive. One who was on the run from the people after him. They were in this hell together, keeping themselves away from humans and angels alike- all wanting to claim the prize hung so tantalizingly above their heads for nothing more than their coloration. Over the past two years they'd been on this roller coaster of adrenaline-fueled escapes together, and each passing day only furthered their trust within another. That made them grow so close that they considered themselves brothers and watched each others back even more than when they originally met. They even sometimes swapped last names and made fake ID's with the identities listed as siblings. Gotta enjoy the little things when you can afford em'.

However, their little "shit-laced vacation" wasn't perfect. Sure, it was filled with endless road and music blaring from all sorts of radio stations from towns Dean never thought of seeing before in his lifetime, late nights with nothing but headlights illuminating the world in front of them with twinkling stars in the dark and chilly night sky. But that didn't mean it was all happy and go lucky. They had too many restless sleep attempts and close calls, their current location a result of one happening just yesterday. Dean had to push himself for an extra six hours of speeding and reckless driving before he even debated stopping for a motel.

The drive had taken it's toll out on him without any mercy.

Sam had to practically guide him into the questionable motel room, Dean leaning on him only to end up falling sloppily onto the mattress and passing out as soon as his face hit the worn fabric; even with his clothes still on. If Sam's heart wasn't still pounding in his chest from the near miss earlier, he would have made fun of him or chuckled- but of course, he could hear the beat in his ears perfectly over Dean's snores as he settles on the opposite bed with his legs tucked into his chest.

The journey to stay hidden was a tough one. Sam and Dean were both Submissives- angels that were basically on high demand right now by the two most powerful angels ever in existence. Michael and Lucifer were in a war, one so tragic and ruthless entire units would be wiped out in one battle or over even lesser skirmishes. Angels, contrary to any belief or myth, were not unlimited like most believed they had been. The number of them were dwindling quickly and both sides noticed as their numbers began to fall faster and faster with each passing minute. That's when they decided to finally do something, of course.

Apparently, their solution was to be just as barbaric as the problem they had created- breeding camps meant to "re-establish the population in the name of angelic loyalty". Fucking bullshit, honestly. Dean had been barely twenty then when it first started happening, and he remembered the order for Submissives to be sent to certain places all over the globe as soon as they were discovered; against their wills if it came down to it. Dean was rightfully and completely mortified, packing his bags as quickly as he could and leaving his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas behind as he feared for his life and the horrifying state of the world that it had somehow shifted to. Ever since then, Dean's been on the run and hasn't stopped for a single second in fear of being captured. That's how he met Sam in the first place.

It was a cold night, colder then Dean would've ever liked when he was outside. It was some small town in the mountains and it didn't help he was freezing his ass off in it while it rained. But he had no other choice than to deal with stopping there for the briefest of moments. A few days before he'd been figured out in a town fifty-three hours from where he was now, and he literally drove till he couldn't anymore. He was only there for a few more hours before he'd hit the worn interstate then, and he grit his teeth at the thought of having to add more to the gauge on the car within the past few days.

It was a combination of sleet and a drizzle, it was all clinging in his hair and chilling Dean to his stiffly overworked bones- even through the layers of fabric placed onto his skin. Even though the circumstances, he was grateful he could at least keep his wings in his body away from the harsh temperatures and wind. It only would have made him even more miserable than he was now, but at least it was better than the latter.

It was the sound of breaking glass that first caught Dean's attention. He knew where this was going, and fast.

He could smell the pheromones and feel the graces in the air, swirling around in a concoction that Dean was sure he'd avoid making himself if he could help it. Sam had been backed up in the corner, holding a broken beer bottle as if his life depended on it- which it did- and was staring at a Dominant before him as he growled in warning to the angel.

The dom had his wings stretched out wide and upwards, showing Sam his "true colors" and snarling at the fact Sam seemed to revolt from him, pushing his form further into the corner of mossy bricks, gripping the neck of the bottle tighter within his clammy and rain-moistened fingertips.

"You should learn to acknowledge a good thing when you see it, you little shit!" The angel had hissed.

"Fuck off! "

Dean had charged in then, saved his and Sam's asses before they sprinted away from that alley and Dominant- after that, the rest is history, and they've been together and attached at the hip ever since. Sam was grateful mostly because he thought he had been the only Submissive left for hundreds of miles, maybe even on the east coast, and Dean didn't blame him at all for feeling that way. For himself however, Dean was just relieved he found someone else living the same hell as he was, believe it or not.

The hours crept by like lifetimes, the sun coming up above horizon giving the room a blue and pink lighting that resembled a room during a baby shower before anyone knew the gender of the fucking thing. They could only afford only a few precious hours here before they were once again on the road- and it would probably be that way for several weeks before they could lay low again with any hopes of lesser tense and paranoid surroundings. It was a hard life, but preferable to the one being bred like livestock for the rest of their existence in a cage against their wills.

It always was and always will be.

When Dean awoke, his shirt was rumpled uncomfortably on his sweaty back as he shifted. Now that he wasn't about to pass out any second, the room had a hint of piss and other questionable bodily fluids that roamed around his nostrils with a putrid consistent mixture. He grunted, removing his face from the atrocious mattress and nearly vomiting when seeing all the "dry puddles" he had just slept on. Just because this was better than the latter, didn't make it any more acceptable to sleep on someone else's dried shit stain.

Sam nearly fell off bed when Dean woke him up, his legs already hanging off considering he was a damn Sasquatch and had to be taller than any person Dean ever knew or met. They both had one hour before they had to get on the road again. It was going to be a hard drive yet again- but it was normal and completely expected.

What they weren't expecting, however, was their motel door to be kicked down, the angels tracking them from earlier catching up somehow and scaring the living hell out of the subs. Dean cursed aloud, grappling Sam by the lapels of his jacket and throwing the both of them out one of the nearby windows.

"Go Sam! Run!"

The other sub looked to Dean, brow creased in fear and their eyes connecting, "We'll meet up at the storage unit right?"

"Of course- now go, dammit!"

They ran off in separate directions, hoping that somehow they'd both come out of this alive- somehow…

They also both knew Dean would be a highly prized Submissive, since his wings were so rare with their dark coloring and eagle-like bone structure, all put together in an attractive medium size and build. He would be locked up in a heartbeat, never to see a another day outside of a breeding camp or metallic prison. He was vital- probably one of the most treasured and sought out type of Submissive in the world, and for him to fall into the possession of any of Michael and Lucifer's camps was horrible, mortifying news.

The asphalt was met with a single pair of pounding feet, Dean (finding the sounds foreign with having Sam leave his side for the first time since they met) running and trying to figure how to get the hell out of dodge currently. Where would he go? What would he do? How in the hell was he supposed to get back to Sam and when? His mind was racing as his legs carried him forward, shouts reaching his ears and making more adrenaline pump through his veins, wings tucked tightly underneath his tingling skin.

Dean threw his back to a tree, his breathing rapid and eyes scanning the road as he hid alongside it in the brush. He was hoping that maybe he'd gotten away, and maybe Sammy did too as his muscles burned with a little relief at getting to stop.

"Let me go!"

Dean's heart sunk, his eyes finding Sam being dragged to a car with a net surrounding him. Seems like old habits for hard for Dean Winchester.

The angel ran forward, punching one of the Dominants square in the jaw and wrangling the other, Sam squirming to get free of some net over himself. His wings were out, flaring their feathers in signs of distress. Angels couldn't have them in their bodies when too overly stressed or if there was a certain ward on whatever item caused it- and Dean could feel his feathers slinking out one by one as the fight worsened with Sam screaming nearby.

"Dean!"

He felt it before he could react, an angelic blade pressed to his sweaty neck, heart and wings almost popping completely out of his form as the dom held him against his ramrod and freezing body, "Thinking of going somewhere, precious?"

"Don't hurt him!" Sam yelled, still entangled strongly in the net, his wings flapping about his back as he stared at the blade threatening to cut Dean Winchester's throat and kill him.

"Why shouldn't I hurt the lot of you?" he hissed, "You made me chase you for several days straight and made my superiors doubt my hunting skills after years of service. Not anymore, however- no, not when I hand them over such a rare Submissive to the cause. I'll more than likely be bowed down upon for it. Made a legend."

Dean swallows against the blade, feeling his skin press against the metal as his saliva works it's way down his throat slowly, Sam speaks again with his voice shaky and scratchy from his cries out to Dean while the other angel fought for him, "We'll do anything you want- please- just don't send us there."

"If I could have my way I'd take both of you for myself, but seeing how this will only result in having my head on a spike and my body in a tub of acid, I prefer to stick to the regulations. It's just how the system works, and I plan to follow it."

"Dean…"

The angel pressed the blade closer to his neck, Dean smirking although the situation, "Don't worry Sammy, we'll figure this out. We always do."

He could feel Sam's grace cry out, pleading and distraught with horror. Their worst fear had come true- they had finally been caught.

Didn't Dean say it was only a matter of time?

They were thrown into a van, their wings pulled out of their bodies and tied behind them with their hands. Dean could feel his grace weaken in the bonds, and he supposed that they were a certain metal or had Enochian enchantments on them. Bastards would do something like that…

"Dean, I'm so sorry- if I hadn't gotten caught you could have gotten away."

"Sammy, it's fine." Dean speaks curtly, his muscles aching a little from being pushed over their limit, "Just because we got ourselves here doesn't mean it's any of our faults. It's theirs- and you know it."

Sam just hangs his head, wings drooping a little and his weak grace feeling sour against Dean's, "If I'd only run a little faster..."

The older Submissive sighs, stretching his legs in the limited space, "Life is full of if's, don't be too hard on yourself. We're fine and we're gonna make it."

"What's going to happen to you Dean?" the other angel is shaking a little now, "With you being so rare and all I don't think they'll ever let you go… That terrifies me more than anything…"

The truth has crossed Dean's mind, always has since he started running half a decade ago. It nagged at him ruthlessly while he waited for sleep to take him, whenever a branch suspiciously broke nearby, when he was alone on chilly nights leaning on his car's hood, or while Sam slept not too far away on the dirty motel mattress after they had found each other. Dean probably thought about the string of words more than anything else in his life- and no matter how much he gloated or debated with himself on it, Dean never got a clear answer. Even now, with Sam in front of him blaming himself for the entire situation they are stuck in and asking Dean what was going to happen to him now, Dean was still as clueless as beforehand. That scared him more than anything, being clueless as to what was to happen next- but it was unavoidable now that he was in the back of this van, on his way to the camps he always imagined when he worried himself sick and he felt an anxious doubt fall into the pit of his stomach.

"I don't know…" Dean mutters, mostly to himself, and it's the blunt truth.

Sam curls in on himself a little more with those few but powerful words, "Whose camp do you think we're being sent to?"

"I have no idea on that either… From all the rumors I heard over the years is that they just send you wherever the hell they feel like you belong or deserve to be. Michael's little project is much more gruesome than Lucifer's- I know that for fucking sure. They say the treatment of subs there is the worst and the people aren't much better than the conditions they're forced in."

The angel feels the cold seeping through the metal, the low rush of the world outside they were once a part of in his ears, and Sam just sits there with his legs pulled tightly to his chest and face towards the floor- unable to feel, to think, to function. Dean's seen him like this only once before this, and he hoped it would be the last.

It was around the time Dean saved his feathers from the hunter after him in the alley. Apparently, Sam was about to mate with some Dominant named Jess- someone he'd apparently been with since his childhood years and grown close to after the call had been sent out for him to be collected. They had been found, chased, and Jess murdered for trying to be with the man she loved and nothing more. It's tragic and sad, but most people's- especially angel's- lives were this way now. So had become the normal status quo for everyone.

Dean didn't try to talk about it or to Sam or make any small conversations to fill in the large gap of silence. He knew what would work, he knew what wouldn't. Then again, with Sam in this state he rarely knew what was going to happen. The dude flipped like a switch- and Dean never knew when he was 'on' or 'off' to even begin with. Either way, it had taken Sam almost a full year or so to somewhat recover from the initial shock and fact of Jess' death to where he could function normally with Dean. After that, Dean made himself promise that he'd watch out even more for Sammy and that little bastard always came first.

While Dean laid against the thin wall of the van's back, he figured Sam knew he was probably going to end up better off than Dean. Considering he was around the average Submissive and there were many like him to being with. His wings were a light tan and shaped like a blue jay's, nothing too special in that department. They were a little larger than normal, and his sub coloration was strong- but they still weren't as special as Dean's. His combination was more than likely only achieved every century or so- maybe even longer than that.

The car abruptly stopped, yanking Dean out of his thoughts and making Sam slide a little on the floor as he gave a surprised noise. Quickly, they gave each other a worried glance and shifted closer to another as they heard the voices rumble outside and small metal click from guns- a sound they'd ritually learned from so many times at the end of one's loaded barrel and a finger near the trigger.

"Open the back!" a voice boomed from outside, ringing with familiarity and volume.

The door was shoved open as light flooded the enclosed space, several Dominants lining the car with stern faces and guns with angel blades mounted on the ends in firing position. Sam and Dean tried to push themselves further into the back, skin dragging on their bonds and Dean grit his teeth as he and Sam's body slid against each other in their panic. When he felt them grab ahold of his skin- Sam's grace shifted and cried out to Dean as the distance between them grew like their fear. Loneliness and horror at how he was being left inside of the van only made Same worsen the outcry.

"This one's going to Michael's camp-" Dean swallowed but found his mouth dry as his throat awkwardly convulsed against itself, Sam's eyes widening and the call from his grace waning from shock and disbelief in those few seconds, "the other one can be sent to Lucifer's."

Dean struggled against their arms, "No- let me go! Sam- Sammy!"

"Dean!" Sam cried out, trying to get closer but they were already starting to close the doors, "Dean don't leave me! Dean, please!"

"Sammy!"

Sam's screams to him were muffled by the door, the only sound reaching out being his feet kicking against the metal and bashing it to get it open. Dean fought against them, wings trying to break the ties and legs scrambling below him as the cloud of dirt worsened as he strained. The other angels held him back, growling into his ear and forcing him to stop, Dean's knees falling to the ground roughly as he watches the van roll away with Sam still inside of it. He breathes out, a shaky cloud of mist forming in front of him, limbs twitching as it settles into him that Sam's gone. He wasn't able to keep Sam safe. He failed.

His wings sag, muscles going limp as the gruff hands pick him up and drag him over to some other car. He's thrown in- literally- his face hitting the floor of the new van and causing the breath to leave his lungs as his body follows with a loud and painful thump. They shut the doors to the back abruptly, the inside of the space going pitch black against Dean's eyes. Dean shudders, his binds making a few small noises as he shakes in an utter anxiety-filled panic attack as the blankness somehow swirls around him, even under the skin of his eyelids. There's no escape.

The only other sounds in the van are his breathing, the faint sound of the engine and tires moving, and the overall ring of silence that makes Dean's head spin in a vicious cycle that reminds him of clothing in a rejected washing machine. He settles down onto the body of the car, finding the corner furthest from the door and curls up in it. He wishes he could fold his wings over himself to keep the chill away, hell- he wishes for a lot of things right now, and more so than just being warm. As the car moves on, a silent and single tear falls from Dean's cheek onto the metal flooring as he lets the hopelessness he feels take him.

…

"We've gotten word a new Submissive is on their way here sir."

Michael perks, "Really? What makes this one so special that you have to inform me in person?"

"It's the one sir-" the man gives a dark smile as he continues eagerly, "the one you've been waiting for this whole time."

Michael nods, not even bothering to keep his grin contained as the words slip simply from his lips, "Very good. Prepare everything in the next hour. I'm going to get myself ready for their arrival."

…

Dean feels the sharp tug before his eyes open, calloused fingers wrapping around him to wherever they can reach and not being gentle whatsoever as they yank him up. He snarls, wings puffing up and raising on his back in warning- a few of the angels handling him have stepped back a few steps at the display, but return to their aggressive gripping soon afterward.

The Submissive just lets go of trying to fight for now- deciding he'll save his energy for when it matters most. Dean's led to a chain-linked fence, men lining it and their eyes widening at the coloration and stature of Dean's wings. Dean is gritting his teeth as a few whistles are sent his way, comments making it to his ears that's he's sure would cause someone to get smacked if it were anywhere and anyone else.

Dean is taken to a special room, obviously special because it's one that has been cleaned beyond the normal standards- and his breath catches when he's left to himself. Dean knew that since he was so prized he just wasn't going to be thrown in with other Submissives directly, and if the room's anything to go by then he was going to get a VIP introduction. Dean straightens his back in the probably very few seconds he has alone, wills his grace to seem strong and unnerved by the situation. Raising his wings in the back to seem tougher is Dean's specialty, and overall he's trying to seem like he isn't terrified and a sub.

"What kind of name does a beautiful creature like you have?"

Dean wants to groan and gag at the horrendous line. It's almost as bad as "Are you made of honey because I wanna bee on that." line. He finds himself swallowing before he turns to the voice. It's a man behind him, his wings so black that Dean would imagine it the color of space- cold and seemingly a dark mass that swallows everything- the only thing popping out being the Dominant feathers lining the insides of his wings. Gold and brown, shining towards Dean as they show themselves. His grace is wafting around Dean, inviting and open- although it feels very forced. Oh dear fucking lord, this dick wanted to mate with him.

"Uhh- something anyone would be named, I imagine?"

"I hardly believe that." the man says, sauntering a little closer, mouth at a gentle smile that seems unnatural for him, "My name is Michael. Yours?"

Of fucking course- of fucking course the man trying to fuck him is no other than one of the angels leading the war and breeding camps firsthand himself. Dean grits his teeth at his awful luck, holding a growing inner growl, trying to keep his wings from flaring in anger from the situation at hand. Dean thinks about saying his real name, but decides against it because it would only dig him deeper in this ever-growing sinkhole of bullshit and awful circumstances. Instead he goes for the next best thing his mind can scrape up at the moment, and it still doesn't help much.

"Sam. Sam Wesson."

Dean tries to ignore the little twitch in Michael's smile, but can't as something repulses from the man even further- and if Dean didn't have to appear unintimidated right now he'd take a few steps back, "Hello there, Sam. I just want to go ahead and tell you that you won't be treated like all the other Submissives here- you're in the high class now."

"What does that mean? …"

Dean doesn't have much time to react, his wings and back getting pressed into the wall behind him, Michael smiles, tracing a finger at Dean's jaw line as if he were his most valuable treasure, "It means I'm planning on making you my mate, Sam. I've been waiting for a while to find you- and I've known about you for some time. I just didn't know what you looked like- but I can tell now not only are you special… you're absolutely gorgeous."

Dean cringes at that, bringing his chin down from where Michael had lifted it, "Thanks for that, but I'm not interested a single bit, dude."

"You will be, Sam. Once your next cycle starts I'll be there to sate you through it- you'll be happy, and the worries of this war and camp will be far from your mind. I promise you that."

"Trust me- you don't have to promise me anything because none of that bullshit will ever happen. I don't want to be your mate, and I'm sure as hell not going to forget the shit you've pulled..." Dean growls out, eyes narrowing at the excuse of a man before him.

Michael snarls, Dean getting pushed further and further into the wall as Michael's grace rubs against his like heated sandpaper made from broken glass, "Don't defy me Sam- you're a Submissive, it's not in your nature to deny Dominants and more especially me. If you keep up this little rebellious nature that you've fooled yourself into becoming," Michael leans in, voice dropping dangerously low as he leads his threat into Dean's ear as hot puffs of syllables, "I will crush it out of you bit by tiny bit. I have many methods, Sam. Don't make me use them. You'll regret it if I have to, trust me."

Dean now understands what people were saying when they told him Michael was a relentless self-centered egotistical bastard, and that his mind was dead set on the submission of all angels to him whether they wanted to bow down on one knee or not. The Submissive gives a warning growl, vibrating in his throat and telling Michael to back off himself before he takes action to protect himself. The angel laughs at it, dark and challenging, his grace snapping at Dean's much like a snake would it's prey before it strikes- a taste of what it'll get before it's snatched and swallowed whole in a matter of seconds. Michael's expression and words are venomous as he says one last thing.

"Do not think I won't snap your neck right now."

Dean stills at this a little, heart quickening even faster in his chest as the concern for his life reaches an all time high, but his gaze holds more so than Michael's grip. The Dominant sneers, baring his teeth in a show of power for a second and turning. His black wings are held with mistaken pride high above his head as he starts to leave the room.

"Put him in the bedroom-" Michael snaps out, his form already slinking past the door, "I want to go ahead and break him in…"

Dean tries to fight back, feeling like a horse would if it's about to be saddled and controlled- it's freedom ripped as it's forced to follow someone else's commands as spurs dig into it's flesh. Dean's mind is going into survival mode as Michael's words sink in but he's quickly dragged away against his will- reminding him of again of a horse who bucks violently to throw off an offending rider who only tightens the reins and latches on like a leech. The door slams behind him, Dean stumbling into the bedroom and throwing conjoined and rushed curse words towards the closed doors before calming himself a little now that he's finally alone. Dean straightens his wings that had puffed themselves out and gotten bent and moved during his attempts to run away- futile in earnest and giving him messy feathers to boot. He grunts, flexing his back muscles and figuring out how in the hell he was supposed to come about this without being slaughtered before he can really escape.

The bed in the room alongside Dean was pretty large, curtains lining the sides that probably matched the silk sheets and covers. At least Dean would have something comfortable underneath him as he was violated- to which he growls as that thought settles in his mind. Dean looks around for anything he could use as a weapon to defend himself, knowing every moment he spends out of Michael's presence is going to be limited and precious- and if he didn't want to be mated to him next time he visits- he knows that the drastic circumstances call for even further measures. He finds some metal nearby, a flimsy pole used to keep some sort of potted plant upwards- Dean thinks its stupid and utterly gaudy, but is glad because this will do exactly what he needs it to. He plans out exactly what and how he's intending to commit his intention with it. Dean snaps it near the end, a jagged and sharp edge forming at the newborn point, and it was nearly ready for what Dean needed it to do. Perfect.

Dean knows it isn't very long now, quickly muttering some Enochian onto the small hand-made weapon that Sam taught him during a few nights they were together, just in case they ever needed it. Looking back on it now, Dean's kind of glad the Sasquatch taught him some things so he could protect himself- he'll thank him seriously next time they meet. Dean's mind darkens a little at that sentence forged in his mind- that's if they ever do…

"I think we got off on the wrong foot, Sam." Michael opens the door suddenly, Dean quickly pulling his small knife up into his jacket's sleeve and whipping around to face the opening doorway, Michael thankfully not in the room enough to know what he's done, "I shouldn't have been so gruff in my forthcomings."

Dean gives an obviously fake smile, cheeks protesting about their position as Michael closes the distance step by step, "It's fine, you can always write of serious death threats as nothing more than the heat of the moment."

Michael seems to hold his true words back, tongue sort of shivering out his calmer response in protest, "I already told you Sam, we started this all wrong. I'm sorry I said such things to you. Most of this is due to the stress my dear little old brother is causing me currently, and I'm sorry that I turned to you to relieve it."

Dean just nods curtly, holding his weapon closer to his skin, his throat closing a little as he tries to swallow. He really wants to tell Michael to shove it and his false apology up his ass- but it'll only end with his head up on a spike and if there's anything he wants less it's the latter.

"So Dean…" Michael says, voice steady as he makes his intentions clear in the limited time Dean has left before their skin will more than likely slide against each other, "I was thinking we could further our bonding time here…"

Dean starts to protest- to tell Michael there's no way in absolute hell he's going to mate with him and to just leave it out of the question and reality completely, but the Dominant is shoving him into the wall with his lips pressed to Dean's. The Submissive tries to push him off outright, but Michael won't budge and doesn't seem to notice Dean's struggle against him as he groans on Dean's shock-stiffened lips. Not even as he moves his mouth to Dean's jaw line and to his twitching neck, sucking and nipping at the skin as his hands explore what his mouth can't reach currently. Against Dean's will, his body craves the touch, his wings spreading out and showing his coloration to Michael as if Dean actually wanted this. He bites his lip hard so they don't try to raise anymore, Michael only growling at the display that Dean wishes would just disappear completely.

"Stop-"

"I know you want it." Michael hisses out, tongue lapping the skin near Dean's ear, "Your body is telling me otherwise fairly clearly."

Dean goes to his very last resort. He takes the knife he had prepared specifically for this and stabs Michael in the side. The dom screams out in pain, hands leaving Dean's skin in seconds and rushing to the blade in his side as they both fumble away from each other. Dean moves from the wall, sprinting over to the doors and banging on them to get them to open as Michael hisses in pain somewhere behind him.

"You fucking bastard!" he brokenly cries out, voice loud and vibrating in the bedroom.

The doors fly open, knocking Dean back- men rushing forwards to subdue him and see what damage he's done to Michael in those few moments of privacy. The Submissive feels his wings and hands getting tied behind him once again, several angelic blades pressed to his available skin for the second time that day. Dean doesn't squirm much now that he's in such a dangerous position, eyes darting between the one weapon at his throat and Michael who's just across the room snarling currently.

"What do you want done with him, sir?"

Michael huffs in pain, hands holding his bloody side as he shuffles over to Dean. He reaches out and hits his face, Dean's body recoiling in shock as he spits blood out onto the overly-polished floor and his breath shakes out as the pain vibrates through him. Michael growls above him, his grace utterly pissed off and Dean can still smell the mating pheromones rolling off of him- even though they've soured with his attack.

"Take him to the cage. He'll stay there until I find some other sort of punishment for him. Keep him away from Adam at all costs- I know a bad idea when I see one."

Dean wishes he could retort by saying his idea of taking him as a mate was dumb as fuck- but the metal threatening to slice his throat open is still making itself known alongside the others. If he was staying silent for anything- it'd be so he can meet up with Sammy later and nothing else. Michael shuffles even closer as Dean finally looks at him after the blow, his voice reaching Dean's ear and his ear only.

"You ever… pull anything like that again-" Michael makes a dark snort of laughter that sends a shiver down Dean's back and stiffens it, "I'll fucking end you- I'll will rip your wings apart feather by feather, by joint and ligament, and watch you scream yourself hoarse from it. Once I'm better from whatever the hell you did to me, I swear I'm going to make you pay… Just wait till you get your heat, Sam."

Heat? Dean wasn't supposed to get heats unless… Oh shit-Michael was fucking right. Whenever a Submissive was about to be bonded with, or whenever a serious proposal is made to them, it kick starts their heat cycles so the mating and bonding is easier to achieve- even if the Submissive never intended it to happen. It happened to Sam but it wasn't as bad because it had been so fleeting; he and Dean just had to stay in separate rooms for a little while before his systems calmed down again. Dean swallows at Michael's stern, cold words and against the blade, his realization making Michael's mouth turn up at the corners in a sinister grin. God- this guy really was a fucking bastard…

"Go ahead and take him away. Once his first heat begins I'd like to be alerted. For now let him spend his time behind some bars, may do him some good. Though I'm thinking it won't."

Dean has a coarse and thick bag put over his head, and he doesn't know what in the hell is supposed to happen to him next as he's dragged away stumbling from the room to wherever Michael has just sentenced him to.

But he knows one thing for fucking certain, it's not going to be any good whatsoever.

…

Sam feels the van stop as the breaks creak and his body slides against the bottom again. His lungs feel like they're crushing into themselves, his cheeks still sticky from where he's cried through most of the drive to wherever the hell he's at now. Sam feels like shit for what happened all those miles and hours back- that he got himself and especially Dean caught because he wasn't thinking right, wasn't fast enough to dodge them and get away, and that Dean got ripped away from him because he was being a dense blubbering idiot. His wings flatten against his back in a position that shows how sore they are from being cooped up and tied around his waist for so long, grace coiling within him nervously as the doors are pulled open.

"Come on, we won't hurt you…" a man with a nice voice says softly, leading Sam out of the car with gentle fingers, "You're safe here."

Sam wants to snort, to laugh at how stupid he fucking sounds and at how wronghe is- but he's too exhausted for that right now, for any of it. He lets the men lead him to some room, one that reminded him of an old bus station that's been in better days than the one it's in now. The lights flicker a little above him- but for some reason Sam's more comfortable than he expects to be, his wings not flaring as much or twitching against his skin like he anticipated.

The men clean him off a little, brushing through his feathers gently, picking out the glass shards and pieces or chunks of dirt. Sam feels himself calm even more- his wings falling into a content position and his grace snug before he's moved out of the room again. Sam's led to a group of large and spacious cage-like rooms with one wall being bars and the others just cement blocks, several Submissives placed in each one before they stop and open the door to one, Sam walking forward as it closes shut behind him. Sam swallows in uneasiness, noticing there's only one sub in here other than him.

Sam looks back over to the angel in the corner, his head tilted in interest before he smirks. He has auburn hair flowed back from his hairline that matches his wings, brown eyes alight as he takes in Sam. Sam makes a somewhat "awkward first-meeting" smile at the other sub, sitting down in one of the chairs their… cell-has to offer. As soon as he takes the weight off his legs the other Submissive pulls up a chair in front of him, elbows leaning on the back as he smirks towards Sam again playfully.

"Nice to know someone else got discovered. What's your name?"

"Sam."

The sub nods, "I'm Gabriel Novak, but you can call me Gabe- pleasure to meet you in this hell hole, Sam."

Sam laughs despite himself, which he finds a little irregular, "Yeah… circumstances could have been better I suppose."

"So… where were you when you got caught?"

Sam tells him the name of the small town, "I was with another Submissive- his name was Dean. We'd been on the run together for a few years before we actually got caught… I'm worrying about him still, he got sent to Michael's camp instead of this one…"

"Tough break," Gabriel says softly, and Sam knows it's more than likely because every other Submissive can relate to that in some way, "I know what it's like to be separated from someone you consider family- except mine really is my own blood."

Seems like Sam was right on the mark there.

"Really? What happened that made you guys separate?"

Gabe sighs a little, looking out of the bars solemnly as he explains, "His name was Castiel- but I usually call him Cassie because he's my little brother. He refused to join either side during the war like me- and he's a really rare Dominant angel, like the whitest wings I've ever fucking seen on a guy- and he got caught trying to sneak subs out of Michael's home camp because Michael wouldn't listen to his pleas of peace. He's been trapped there ever since… I worry about him, too. Just like you are about Dean right now."

Sam nods his head to Gabe's words, ones that sink into his heart and really hits home; like straight up to the front door and kicking it in. He's truly concerned about how Dean is handling himself in Michael's camp currently- and if it's anything like Dean said it was, he was going to need all the prayers and luck in the world to get him out or even to make it in there alive. Sam bites his lower lip, looking over to Gabriel who's watching him intently like he's waiting for something to happen, but Sam doesn't know what he's expecting. The Submissive looks away for just a moment, particularly noticing the bars in front of him, keeping him here like a prisoner.

"How bad is it over there? ... In Michael's camp?…" Sam whispers, voice the smallest he's ever heard it in his short life.

"Worse than here- which I wish wasn't true. Sure, we get bred like we're nothing more than surrogate mothers- because we are. We only give them new soldiers to just go and kill off because they can't even talk shit through, and apparently sacrificing every angel in existence is the best fucking solution they have to their bitch fight… It's all we're apparently good for to them... Michael however is thousands of times worse than Lucifer is- I'll give him that one factor and that's it- because Michael is ruthless when it comes to things he wants or believes he deserves. Trust me."

"Sounds like an asshole straight out of the dictionary."

"That's putting it lightly and nicely, Sam."

Sam smiles a little, even though his heart is crying out in that statement fast, and it slowly fades because he realizes just how much danger Dean's now in, "Dean's pretty rare too, you know… Even though he's a Submissive he's got pretty large black wings on him, darker than some doms I've seen before- and he's been the best thing to ever happen to me. He protected me when we first met from getting captured, and I fucked it up by getting us caught and not being fast enough when it mattered… I- I'm sorry that was just straight up word vomit- you probably didn't wanna hear that..."

Gabriel slides himself over, leaning on one knee and placing a finger on Sam's chin, the sub leaning in without thinking to the touch as Gabriel speaks, "Sam, it's not your fault it happened and it never will. It shouldn't be this way in the first place, and I'm so sorry that you and Dean ever had to go through some serious life-threatening bullshit such as this because Michael and Lucifer can't sort out disagreements rationally and calmly like adults. You shouldn't be beating yourself up over things you can't control Sam, and I know for a fact that it wasn't you who did anything wrong at all. Now- before you go ahead and disagree with me and we both fight over something that's not worth our time and effort if we're honest- I'd like to go ahead and explain to you how this camp works before you really do go messing things up till you're so deep in shit you can't protect and stand up for yourself, okay?"

Sam just nods as he takes the words to heart.

"Here, Lucifer is more into you finding someone you're willing to mate with, so it's easier on you and the 'process'- and I find it actually goes smoother when you guys do pick each other rather than being thrown into a room together and forced. They'll have your cycles cataloged so they'll know whenever you're ready to... well, go at it. They'll send you to a special kind of area where the Dominants are and you walk around and get to pick. It's so much more easier for everyone and it means less of a scarring memory for you."

"I don't want that! I don't want be bred at all!" Sam scoffs.

"No one here truly does," Gabe shrugs, "but believe me when I say that it's easier than what Michael does. He'll do pairings that get him results rather than anything else. It's absolutely terrifying."

Sam gives out a shaky breath, putting his face in his hands as reality settles on his shoulders and it makes him glad he's sitting or his legs would likely give out, "We really are livestock aren't we?"

Gabriel comes over again, his grace trying to calm down Sam from his small anxiety attack, his wings fold against him in a non-threatening manner as he whispers comfortingly to the sub, "Hey, Sam it's okay, we're going to do fine, alright? Nothing's going to happen to any of us, okay?"

"Are you sure- do you see where we're at, Gabe? And Dean- I just... I just hope he's going to live by the end of it..."

"I know where we are and that you're concerned about Dean's well-being, but that doesn't mean I'm going to flip shit and let it get to me and you shouldn't either. We have to make it through this, okay Moose?"

Sam snorts a little at the name, a small smile working its way into his face although he feels like he's drowning, "Alright... I believe you. And Moose- really?"

Gabe shrugs nonchalantly, "You're tall as fuck dude, what did you expect? Jolly giant? Lame."

Sam just laughs, and for a second he actually believes he might be getting to feel okay.

…

"Shut the door!" one man yells as Dean's shoved into a metal cage, the bag roughly pulled from his head, "Michael said he can't be trusted!"

Dean falls against the flooring like he's done so much lately, the metallic clangs ringing out as his body takes the hits and pulses in discomfort. He grunts, getting up slowly as his face stings from Michael's hand meeting it roughly earlier, his mouth tasting faintly of rusty salt. The Submissive tries to stretch his wings, the bones and muscles in them aching from being manhandled and tied back for so long. He wishes this hell would just fucking end already... Dean hears a few whispers about his wings as he attuned himself back to his surroundings, how dark his feathers are and he knows it's more than likely an elephant in the room he doesn't want to ever deal with. Dean sighs, walking around the medium sized cage for a bit and looking at where ever he's been dumped off at.

He's in a group of cages, four pushed together to form a sort of cube, and in two of them are other angels. Dean perks a little, noticing one of them is another sub while the other has to be because of the coloration of his wings. From the feeling he's getting from his grace he believes there are Enochian enchantments and symbols on the cage he's in now that are making him feel even more like a prisoner- so it only pushes him to talk to the other angels before him to see if he can learn anything. He walks towards the bars, jangling them a bit to gain their attention. Only the one with the white wings looks up, black hair matted with dirt and sweat- blue eyes piercing towards Dean as he looks at him for the first time since he arrived.

"Uhh- hey there… I'm-"

"I already know who you are. Words do travel far."

Dean lets his small friendly smile fall a bit, his voice going a little sour because it seems a little rude to just interrupt someone when they first speak to you, "Oh… okay. What's your name then, if you already know me so well?"

The angel gets up, his white wings towering over his head. They're so tall they nearly reach the roof of the cage- Dean guesses the imprisoning cells they are in are at least seven or eight feet tall- and they're shaped like a dove's. The feathers are a pure and almost contrast-blinding white, the brightest Dean's ever seen on any angel before- and he cannot stop his mouth from falling wide open when he notices the Dominant coloring on the undersides of the angel's already abnormal wings. They're shiny and bright, and Dean can't help the smallest bit of interest spark in him from the sight; it's natural to be attracted to strong colorings and good saturation. It means they're healthy and strong and well- you get the inappropriate picture there. However, Dean quickly pulls the reins on his speeding off self-control back and pays attention to the situation at hand rather than the dom's feathers like he's supposed to be doing right now.

"My name is Castiel Novak."

Dean nods, breath trying to work it's way in and out of his lungs before he closes his mouth, attempting to try and speak once again, "Nice to meet you… Castiel. What are you in here for?"

Might as well get to know who's else is suffering and stuck in hell with you before you die, right?

"I was here trying to get Submissives away from my older brother."

"Michael's your older sibling? … Wow, talk about tough family bullshit and issues, eh?"

Castiel nods while he looks away, voice sounding as though he's sort of speaking to himself more than to Dean who's standing in front of him, "Yes, and I am afraid so about the family ties to him alongside Lucifer. I do not agree with what they both currently are doing with their obscure and unneeded argument- but Michael is the worst when it comes to treatment of Submissives especially, and all angels alike. It's why I came here in high hopes I could convince him to stop this and let it all go, but he refused to listen to me for even the smallest of seconds. In turn for his disregard to rationality, I let out several Submissives he planned on using for breeding. That didn't work out so well as you can observe."

Dean takes in Castiel's nostalgic words, noticing the small bits of emotion pricking his voice at certain times as he mentions Michael and Lucifer, "Well go you dude- I'm proud of you. Glad to know you're on our side."

"I'm not on anyone's side during this. I just want peace."

"How naturally political…" Dean grunts in distaste, turning away and dropping it because an argument isn't going to lead them anywhere good and he's too out of it and himself for that, "What's the guy doing over there? He hasn't even so much as looked at me since I got shoved in this damned thing."

Castiel glances back for a brief moment over his shoulder to the other angel in question, "That's Adam. He's a Submissive as well and tried to get out when I was aiding the other angels. My other brother, Gabriel, was at Lucifer's camp at the time trying to do the same thing as I was when I was discovered; except he's disguising himself to do so when I acted. He and I were the only ones to get caught when I attempted to jailbreak Submissives. Adam suffers the same sentences as I do- and let me just say Michael was never a gentle person when it comes to his punishments. What are you in here for, Sam?"

"Trust me, I already know about that whole ungentle thing…" Dean nearly laughs a bit at the fact everyone thinks that's his actual name and sits himself in the middle of his cage, no one being able to reach his wings or skin and he found much comfort in that, "I came here because I was on the run with someone else and we were caught. On the way to some camp we were stopped and I was taken from my friend…" Dean's voice drops at the bitter memory.

Castiel tilts his head, "I'm supposing that's not all, is it?"

"Sadly, no… I was forced into some special room or something right after I arrived, looked kind of like a palace or really nice hotel- and there is where I met Michael. A piece of work your fucking brother is because he kept trying to mate with me, against my will. I was in a random bedroom and he decided he try to make it official when I stabbed him with a damn blade I put an Enochian enchantment on. This is where it got me."

"No, it isn't- I am afraid to inform you. Michael is surely to give you an even rougher treatment than I and Adam. I'm sorry that my brother was so forceful and is still trying to bare down upon you when he can't understand a simple no; acting like such an untamed animal in the throes of it's instincts. Bonds are meant to be formed over time and trust- not over a man who believes he deserves as much without putting the effort in because it is labeled unnecessary from him."

Dean nods and gives an irritated snort, "Yeah… he said I'll be in here till he thinks of something ten times worse than being in this… cage bullshit. I'm just waiting till I hear the bell to toll for my funeral."

Castiel narrows his eyes for a moment, then they widen as he puts the invisible pieces together that Dean is unsure of what they are at the moment, "My brother is going to wait till your heat comes along to deal out his anger on you. Sam, you must know what this means, do you?"

The sub swallowed uneasily, shaking his head slowly, "Uhh- no. I don't…"

"My older brother is more than likely going to make you spend it completely alone. It's severely uncomfortable on your part, and can even cause physical pain if you aren't with someone to help aid it along in some way… Knowing my brother… he's going to make you beg for him till you almost fall into pieces from the absence of a simple touch."

"I- …"

Dean shivers from where he's sitting, wings folding in on himself as he shudders at the horrifying truth he didn't know existed. He doesn't want to beg for Michael, he doesn't want to have to go through hell so that damn bastard can feel he's entitled to something. Castiel notices this, walking over to Dean's cage wall and he sits himself down and thinks about what to do for a moment; if his furrowed brow is anything to go by. He watches Dean for a moment, how he processes what's going to happen to him before Dean looks up at him, dark green meeting sterling blue. Castiel lets his grace out a little, trying to calm Dean by being reassuring.

"My name isn't Sam…" the sub finds himself whispering suddenly, "It's actually Dean…"

"Nice to meet the real you then, Dean." Castiel smiles warmly, and Dean relaxes a little, wings resting easier on his back like some invisible weight had been lifted that he hadn't known he was carrying till now, "Why did you chose Sam?"

Dean bites his lip, "He was who I was on the run with. He and I are really close, I consider him my brother honestly. He got sent to Lucifer's camp instead. I just really want him back…"

Dean shuffles closer till he's at his cage wall, something he wasn't expecting himself to do either. He sighs, putting his face against the cold bars to sooth the small ache from Michael's fist meeting it earlier in the bedroom. Without Dean noticing at first, Castiel lifts his face up from the chin, seeing the swollen skin and discoloration.

"He hit you…" he says softly, finger gliding gently over the abused flesh on Dean's cheek.

Dean nods slightly against Castiel's lingering fingers, "He did, after I stabbed him in his side."

Castiel laughs a little despite his concern at Dean's fiery tone, "I'm sorry my brother is so rough to you, Dean… You don't deserve this…"

"No one does." Dean says at the same time as Adam.

Dean looks away from Castiel, the pads of his fingers still on his face as he turns to see Adam's back facing him, "You actually talk?"

"He does…" Castiel whispers to Dean, "but not much anymore. Michael's been very- thorough, with him. He only speaks when his words matter most. It just means they have more depth to them and you should pay attention to what he has to say. The man who usually never speaks has the strongest of voices and words."

Dean softens his eyes towards Adam's exposed back. He notices the faint scars on his skin and how some of the feathers on his wings are disfigured or even missing. Dean feels a swell of pity for him, noticing how he clings to himself tightly, how his legs are tucked in and his body constantly shivers. Dean feels Castiel's fingers leave his face as he continues on with what he was saying earlier.

"Adam probably won't talk to you, barely even speaks to me now after all that's happened between us; and I suppose that is understandable and I don't blame him for it. He especially quiets himself whenever Michael-" Adam cringes at the name and curls in on himself more, "comes around."

Dean nods, looking towards Castiel finally since Adam had spoken, "I can understand why… Your brother's threats are… Well, they are out there."

"What did he say to you?"

"He said he would rip my wings apart feather by feather, that he'd break my neck if I do so much as look at him wrong… Adam isn't the only one who's afraid of him, I can assure you that."

Castiel lets out a small growl, his wings flaring up and fluttering a little after Dean finishes and closes his mouth. Dean looks away from Castiel to his hand, a few cuts and bruises on it from the ties used to keep hands in place as he was transported here, and he finds Castiel's wrap around it. Dean looks up, brows knitted together in confusion. Castiel is looking towards Dean softly, but nods his head as if to confirm something and gets up, going over to Adam's side of his cage and sitting down with his back to Dean. He's whispering something to him but Dean's too far away to hear. Instead, the fatigue from Dean's rough day catches up to him, eyes fluttering closed as his brain begins to calm itself as best as it can now. He curls up next to the wall of Castiel's cage, wings folded over him protectively as he settles himself down on the cold, metal cage floor.

As he falls asleep, he thinks he can feel fingers gently brushing his feathers as someone talks to another nearby quietly.

…

Sam lays awake in his new-to-him bed, looking towards the plain bottom of Gabriel's top bunk as he runs a few fingers through his hair, thinking about how Dean's doing and what's going to happen to the both of them now. Suddenly, Gabe's head is hanging over the edge and making itself known when Gabe says hi, scaring Sam a little and making him jump. He quirks a brow, hair swaying a bit as he hangs downwards.

"There's no need to get so rowdy Sam… I'm just trying to see why you're grace is all negative and stuff. You should be asleep."

"So should you. Anyways… My grace? …" Sam whispers, noticing he's been sending out signals of his worry and confusion for the past few moments.

Gabe nods though it looks awkward from the angle he's in, "Yeah- you know, the stuff that makes you an angel? Anyways, what's wrong Moose?"

The Submissive sighs, "I'm just thinking about Dean and all of that again… Just can't help it, and I have the right to be worried… You said your brother was over there or somethin'?"

"Yeah-" Gabe nods and his expression saddens from the topic, "little old Cassie. He and I were working on getting subs out of here and at Michael's camp. He got caught, and I'm still working undercover so I-"

"Undercover? … What does that mean?"

Gabe smiles a little, reaching his wing down and letting Sam see the coloring of brown and gold among the wings that remind Sam of a barn owl's, "I use makeup to cover it up and stuff, they probably think I'm just infertile but hey, what can you do? They can't just throw me out- they never do that with any angel they already got their filthy hands on; unless they're dead."

Sam stares at Gabe and his wings, reaches a hand out to gently touch the feathers in the soft moonlight coming through the window above them. He pauses for a moment, looking at Gabriel's face before continuing on slowly. His fingertips meet the feathers, their grain soft and warm against his skin as they brush his hand as he gives them a light touch. A smile breaks out on Sam's face, and he lifts one of his wings over to Gabe's now outstretched hand, his breath catching in his throat as Gabe's fingers meet his feathers for the first time. The touch is light, warm and caressing. Gabe runs a finger along the lines of his wings, mouth turned up at the corners as he feels Sam's in turn.

"Amazing isn't it?" Gabe whispers, referring to how mesmerizing their wings were once they actually took the time to notice them, "In a time like this we need to find pride in our wings and not misfortune."

Sam nods and speaks slowly, "Yeah… and they are amazing… more than I can describe…"

Gabe looks towards Sam, his eyes alight in the moon's rays, the brown playful and intelligent as his fingers leave Sam's wings, voice even richer than his expression, "I'll see you in the morning, Moose."

"Seen you then, Gabe."

…

Dean awakes with a sudden jolt, head hitting the side of the metal cage as he grunts himself up. There's a faint ache in his lower abdomen, and he runs a hand over it for a moment to see if something could be fixed by a simple massage or something. He leans up, wings flaring out a little and he stretches himself. There's a shift inside the cage behind him, and Dean turns to find Castiel pressing himself tightly into the bars of his own cage- eyes wide and nostrils flaring at him as confusion seeps into the quickly tensing air around them. Dean quirks a brow, starts to lean up when a small cramp makes hims stop and rub his stomach again.

"Cas… Cas what's going on? Was I snuck something while I was out?"

The Dominant swallows slowly, "No… but- I believe you're going into heat Dean."

"He is. I can smell it from here. You better find something to do and fast, because Michael won't wait long to have his way with you." Adam whispers.

Dean starts to panic now that Adam has confirmed his current worst fear, "No! There's nothing I can do to stop this! Cas- Cas please! There's gotta be someway I can get out of this! Please!"

Cas shakes his head, "I'm sorry Dean, there's nothing we can do… If there was I assure you we'd be helping you."

"Fuck!" Dean cries out, wings flattening against his back and trembling, "I can't be mated to him Cas- he'll do such horrible things to me! I don't want to be someone's property! I'm more than just my damn feathers- can't anyone see that!"

Dean grabs onto the bars of his cage, getting so very desperate, "Cas- Cas please just try and find something I don't fucking care! Please!"

"Dean…"

"Dammit Cas!" Dean screams, yanking the bars and his wings flail out and hit against the metal, his cries mixing into the sound of metal crashing against itself, there's only one option left to take now, "Kill me!"

Cas looks over, eyes widening at Dean's blunt words. The Submissive quiets himself a little, fingers still holding onto the bars. He's shaking a little as he says those words again in a shallow voice.

"Cas… kill me, please…" Dean begs, "I can't go through that… I can't- I don't want this to happen because that hell I'm going to be forced into will kill me anyways, just please help me… You see that metal tube over there, hand it here- I can fix it okay-"

"No, Dean." Castiel says, voice booming in over the sounds Dean is making, "I won't let you do that to yourself. Not when I have an acting hand in it."

Dean grits his teeth, anger flaring into his fear, "Damn you Cas! This is my only way of ever getting out of here before I'm more than likely tortured to death- and I'm asking you to help me! Why won't you fucking help me!?"

Cas pulls himself over to the bars, grabbing Dean's shirt by the hem and he replies with his voice gruff and low, "Because Dean… I know that what Michael has planned for you isn't going to be easy at all, that maybe things are going completely wrong at every opportunity for them to- but there is no reason for you to die over this. There never is. There's a time for everyone and I'd rather have you come to it naturally rather than at your own hand. I promise I'll try my best to figure out how to help you- but handing you that pipe and letting you kill yourself is not the answer that I'm letting you take."

Dean slumps against the bars, knowing full and well Castiel is right.

"Cas… what's going to happen to me now? …"

The Dominant softens his eyes, his hand coming up to cup Dean's cheek, "Michael's probably going to put you in the pit. It's over there, and it was dug out specifically for putting angel's in partial exile or a sort of solitary confinement. No doubt he'll use it in your case. I'll try to help you as much as I can Dean, but I don't know how far that's going to get you."

"I don't wanna go, Cas…"

"I don't want you to, either."

Dean swallows to only find his mouth dry, hearing the approaching footsteps coming up behind him. He doesn't want to leave Cas- he doesn't want to be dragged out of the cage against his will and put into a hole to suffer, but he is. The sub cries out, wings flapping wildly as he's pulled by his arms to Michael who's waiting patiently for him beside what looks like a vertical tunnel in the ground. Dean screams loudly, violently thrashing against the fingers holding his skin tightly, kicking his legs out and trying his hardest to get away from them. Michael laughs as Dean's dropped roughly in front of him, coughing into the dirt and leaning up so his eyes can meet the Dominant's above him. This is going to be hell.

"Seems like it's time to pay for the stunts you've pulled, Sam… Oh, and do I have plans for you."

Dean is about to make one of his smart-ass retorts when Michael kicks him in the ribs. All of the air in his lungs flies out with his yelp of surprise and pain, bones aching from the blow and he curls in on himself. Dean's wings flare out from it as Michael just keeps kicking him further into the dirt.

"Michael!" Castiel yells from somewhere near them, Dean not even being able to open his eyes through the pain, "Michael stop!"

"What is it to you baby brother? Getting emotional again?" Michael hisses.

Dean knows Castiel is watching as he coughs up red onto the ground, "We're blood Michael… You shouldn't be doing this- Michael please. Don't force him to do any of this-"

Michael scoffs, "Your opinion doesn't matter here a single ounce, Castiel. This Submissive dared to defy me by violence and voice; now he is to pay the price of such an ignorant rebellion. If you do not wish for this to happen to him, he should have learned his place and kept his mouth shut- much like you Castiel. I'm the one who is making the decisions here, so stand down Castiel."

"You're a heartless psychopath!"

"No- I'm just efficient."

Dean cringes on the ground, yeah- beating people into submission was obviously managing things well in life. Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini would have loved this guy to bits.

"Bloodshed does count for immediate progress to you, doesn't it?" a voice rings out suddenly, startling all of them out of their heated argument.

The only sound now is all of their ragged breathing and Dean's heart thudding in his ears, and the mysterious voice starts again as soon as the overbearing silence settles among them, "Is that's what's considered achievements these days, Michael? Killing and forcing the creation of angels, blood being spilt in the name of a war no one wanted but you and your brother? It's pathetic, to think that men like you are given so much in the world to just throw it away over some pointless drawl like this- that countless people and angels have cut their skin and bled for you till they couldn't anymore, you to just to go off and treat their deaths as nothing but a toll of the attendance missing on your side. It's absolutely and purely shameful. You should be disgusted with yourself- and I'm hoping one day you will be. If that ever happens."

Michael takes one step forward with his face scrunched in pure anger, "You… arrogant little waste! Nothing but a damned Submissive who thinks they are above me- when you are not! I am the leader here, and I shall be the winner of this war! If this causes deaths and the creations of these camps, then so be it! My command weighs more than your words!"

"Then what about the weight of a million men? The weight of the graces laid to waste from your command and other hands committing your obtuse will? The weight of angels forced into this world from bonds that were not meant to be created in the first place? What about the weight of all your actions when they come bearing down upon you like no other force in existence?"

"Silence!" Michael screams, wings rising far above his head in a threatening manner, his volume and display causing a shiver of terror run down Dean's already twitching spine, "You know nothing of this war- of the meaning behind it and the victory that I am to claim! You know nothing, nothing but the inside of that damned cage!"

"Because you put me here! I was forced against my will to come to your side, and when I refused and tried to free myself I was only chained more! You are the one who knows nothing- nothing than your self-conceited needs and the fight with your own blood that's gone too far! You know nothing of the pain and suffering you've caused, or the deaths and lives that were not meant to happen- and all of the people who have been affected by your touch and words in ways you will never be able to understand or fathom! The war is not fought by you and Lucifer, it's fought but those who are willing to fight tooth to nail for you and your blasted opinions while you sit in a damn chair and plan how to get them all slaughtered! You'll never understand those people! People like me, like Castiel, and like Dean!"

Michael whips around, attention moving from Adam for a moment to the Submissive still shivering on the ground, wings splayed out and still spitting blood onto the ground from previous hits and assaults, "Dean? … You said your name was Sam…"

Dean tries to scurry away but Michael has him in his grasp in those fleeting seconds of his failed escape, fingers popping by how tightly they are pressing painfully into Dean's already tender flesh, "You lied to me again Dean… What did I tell you before this? I will not hesitate to break you- cell by cell if I see fit and if that is what it takes to make you obey me. So don't you ever think you can pull this little game on me again, or I will have your neck or wings snapped like twigs by every possible angle before we are through, understood?"

Dean doesn't say anything to defend himself this time, knows it will probably only further this madman's rage and he'll end up in worse condition than he threatened he would be in if he did anything else. So Dean just takes it, nods ever so slightly even though it feels so wrong to do so, lets his wings fall a little into a non-threatening demeanor as his stomach does flips behind his battered muscles. A darkened smirk crosses Michael's face, and Dean feels his fear and cramps peak when Michael pushes him into the pit behind him, Cas screaming out his name as Dean tumbles down and is met with pure black and nothing else.

…

Sam nearly hits his head again when he sits upright in the bottom bunk, except he does when Gabriel decides to flop his head down like he did last night unexpectedly.

"Dammit Gabe…" Sam grunts painfully, rubbing his skull where it met the hard wooden boards, "Could you at least warn a guy first before you jump him or somethin'?"

"Sorry Moose… Didn't mean to spook ya, just wanted to let you know the people here come to check on you the day after you get here."

Sam tilts his head, "Check? …"

The dom smirks a little, "A physical obviously."

"You mean- … ?"

"The whole nine yards."

"Just my damn luck…" Sam grumbles, shifting his weight a little on his elbows so he's more comfortable in the cramped space.

Gabe shrugs, his hair shifting as his head hangs, and Sam wonders how long he could stay in that position till the blood flow got to him, "Well, doesn't change that it's going to happen so stop thinking about moping and just prepare yourself a little, dude. They're pretty gentle here, and I promise it feels just like a doctor's appointment would. Like I said before, Lucifer treats you guys way better than Michael does in more ways than one that we can both be grateful for."

It's supposed to be comforting, but it only makes Sam think back to Dean for a split second- back to how he fucked every single thing up and it only makes the moment more bitter and sour. Sam grunts, ducking his still aching head and moving out from under the bunk. He yawns, stretching his wings a little and watching the people passing the bars of his and Gabriel's room. Speaking of the dom, Sam turns around to ask him a quick question when he notices how hard Gabe is looking directly at his wings- especially the Submissive feathers lining them. He's only snapped out of his stare fest when Sam tucks his wings closer to his body and clears his throat awkwardly.

"Uhh Gabe-" the Dominant seems to even fucking blush a little, "when am I going to be put out for the other angels to pick someone?"

Gabe swallows and tries to gather himself back within his own control, still on the bunk and looking out of the small windows lining the top of the walls and avoiding Sam's eyes now, "Before your first heat starts or when they believe you're ready for it. They let you take your time or until you're mostly comfortable. Really it depends on you and their schedule."

Sam nods, and as if on cue, several suited men walked up and called him out of the room. Gabriel says nothing, only watches Sam leave and gives him a reassuring smile and sly wink before he is out of the sub's sight. Either way, it makes Sam a little less on edge about leaving for some reason; like no matter what Gabe's got his back throughout all this if Sam needs it. When they stop making him walk, he's in some new room, an observation table in the middle with blue medical curtains hanging in a square around it. There's a man scribbling something onto a piece of paper when he sees Sam and beckons him over.

"Get over here you idjit."

Sam furrows his brow, "Nice to meet you too…"

"Sorry son, just doing my job- I call everyone here idjits. Guess time's just made me a lil' sour on the edges… Name's Bobby."

Going by the lack of wings on his back and grace Sam's guessing Bobby's a human, "I'm Sam."

He nods professionally, "Can you extend your wings for me? … So, how'd ya get caught?"

"I- …" Sam swallows as he lifts up and spreads his feathers, "I was on the run with someone, we were found and taken away."

"How long?"

"Excuse me? …"

"How long were you on the run, boy?"

Sam doesn't ask how Bobby somehow got that from just looking at him, "Several years, at least…"

Bobby just nods, "I figured you were… I can tell by the bags under your eyes, son. All the angels who've been on the run for a while have 'em- and you just seem so worked up even when you walked in here. Takes time to get so tensed up."

"Yeah… I guess it does."

Sam doesn't know there's a one-way mirror in the room, and there's a certain angel watching him with peaked interest as he says, "I think I've just found the Submissive I've been looking for."

…

"Dean!? Dean can you hear me?!"

Dean blinks his eyes open slowly groggily, his body aching in every possible fucking way, wings twitching in the coarse dirt as he coughs a rough reply, "Cas? …"

"Dean!" his voice is so far away and high up, and Dean's probably ten feet down in the ground right now at the least, "Dean are you okay!?"

Dean grunts his abdomen cramping in it's strongest fit yet, "I think so… I just hurt and ache like fucking hell-"

His reply is abruptly cut off as he falls back down into the soil, wings shivering around him as he moans out. He's too hot, he's too sore, everything's so god damn uncomfortable. He groans out, not able to understand Castiel's reply because his brain stops functioning through the pain and heat that's coiling in his body; like a volcano full of lava that's just about to erupt. Dean curls in on himself, wrapping one of his wings around him while the other twitches in the soil, making Dean wince as small pebbles lodge themselves within the grain.

"Dean!"

Dean whimpers, teeth biting down onto his lower lip as another debilitating cramp shoots straight through him, sending painful electric shocks through his skin and vibrating every bone in his form with a pounding burn that he just wants to extinguish immediately.

"Dean- has it started!?"

"Cas!" Dean just manages to cry out, voice breaking on the last syllable and it sounds so wanton and broken and it makes Dean want to vomit.

He can't dwell on it for too long though because he's in too much pain and he got kicked down into a fucking pit; he can sound like a cheap porno if he damn well pleases. Cas seems to go into some type of mode up there because Dean can hear him banging against the bars of his cage, metallic rings coming from above and filtering down faintly into Dean's ears. The sub finds himself rolling on the ground, making whimpering sounds as he just tries to calm this fucking burn that's going into the smallest of his veins and nerves; god this hurts. Cas seems to only thud against the bars harder, growls coming out that only unsettle Dean further and cause the burning to rise up in temperature and pace. If he survived this without self-combusting it would be a miracle.

"Dammit Cas- you aren't helping! Cut it the fuck out!"

His voice is shaky and completely breathless, and Dean's almost sure that it wasn't loud enough to reach Cas; but it seems that the angel somehow caught his plea from above. Dean can hear his panting clearly, and he knows for certain he's going to be sore as hell for trying to break down his cage wall like that. Dean also knows this won't get worse for him than it already is.

"Ready for me yet Dean?"

Dammit, he needs to stop fucking jinxing himself when it comes down to it. Jesus fucking Christ.

Dean looks up weakly, Michael smirking and snickering at how Dean's sprawled out on the floor of the pit. He's sure he's covered in dirt and he looks like he came out of a fucking coal mine that collapsed- but Dean can't help but glare at him for laughing at him in this state. He grips handfuls of soil in his hands and grits his teeth.

"You look so pretty down there…" he muses, "Want me to come down there and help with your- predicament?"

Dean can hear Cas' low warning growl as he snaps, "Maybe you'll break your neck when you reach the bottom. I don't need your fucking help so shove it asshole!"

Michael hisses at him, wings flaring, "I can smell you from here, Dean. It's pleading to me to come down there and take you as mine- but I won't… And what did I warn you about- something of do not test me ring a bell?"

"Well as long as I'm down here and you're up there I'm saying whatever the fuck I want- so how about you go get your ego out of your ass and fuck off!"

Dean swears he can hear a satisfied hum from Cas up there, but it's soon forgotten at the loud snarl Michael is giving him, "I will make you beg for the lightest touch or glance even, and I will make you bend your will to me and submit! If it means keeping you down in a hole till you learn your role that you've been given since birth, then I will make it the most educational experiences in your pitiful life!"

Dean cowers back from debris that's falling down on him alongside Michael's spit, a growl coming from above. Dean isn't sure if it's from Cas or Michael because he's too busy whimpering again and clenching his stomach; heats were a fucking bitch. Michael purrs at the sight, teeth flashing in a dark smile when Dean glances up once more. He shakes with pure fear and the pain his heat is giving him, tucking his wings tighter around himself in an attempt to make it somehow easier to bare.

"Forget leaving," Michael seems to be enthralled, watching the slightest twitch in Dean's feathers with hungry eyes, "I'm going to watch you until you plead for me."

Dean gives an impatient huff- but it's cut short as another cramp hits him. He can sense the two Dominant's near him; and his blood boils with the proximity, skin heating and his body calling out to them with his grace and pheromones against his will as he pushes himself furthest from Michael. Dean can hear his and Cas' breaths deepen, their soft growls picking up in volume and intensity in their throats as the seconds pass and the scent makes it ways upwards out of the pit. Dean notices how Michael tends to snarl at Castiel sometimes, their scents both reach Dean as he presses his back against the wall and shields himself with his wings as his body reacts to their pheromones.

It's getting so bad that Dean finds himself stretching out on the bottom of the pit, wings fluffing out and showing themselves willingly to Michael because Dean needs this to stop now- his veins pulsing with an intense fire he thinks can melt the bars to Cas' cage in mere seconds if he were able to touch them. Michael notices, pupils dilating and his tongue darting over his lower lip quickly as he sees Dean's desperate presentation.

Cas snarls out loudly, banging out the metal bars before Michael whips his head towards him and almost returns the sound but abruptly stops. An even sinister grin forms on Michael's face as Dean fears the worst for good reason. Dean doesn't recall how exactly, but he's out of the pit now, and he's supposing someone came down there to get him but he's so out of it and fighting the pain he doesn't truly care. He just knows he's out and that's all the truly matters at the moment. Cas sees him and growls in a way he hasn't heard yet, Dean's wings and spine shivering at the sound when he's set on the ground. He looks over, those piercing blue eyes on his and watching every move Michael makes towards him- and even Adam is watching in utter disgust and horror from his cage.

"Seems like little Castiel here is very interested. Can't have that now can we? Or maybe…"

Dean grunts, his wings flapping against his back. Dean doesn't need Cas to get hurt for him, already feels bad enough for the things he caused him and Adam for being here for less than a day- but he can't say sorry through his clenched teeth, and Dean thinks he's in so much pain it won't matter because the words will never be able to come out right. Instead, he whimpers into the ground again, fists tightening and tendons popping as he goes through another wave of unfiltered pain.

Castiel and Michael growl in unison, either towards Dean or themselves; Dean can't set the record straight because he doesn't have the strength to even lift his head up from the dirt and open his eyes. He can just hear what's going on, just knows he's getting picked up and set somewhere nearby and on metal. He blinks open his eyelids, seeing that he's back in some cage again and Michael is now leaving.

"Have fun!" Michael calls out in a sing-song voice.

Cas growls and watches him till he leaves, then his eyes immediately flicker to Dean who's trembling on the ground in his cage and whimpering once again. Cas kneels at the bars, saying something gentle and kind, and Dean finds himself dragging his body across the floor, each inch causing him more and more pain as he gets closer and closer to Cas. The Dominant only makes a small purr-like noise when Dean reaches him, his fingers carding through Dean's feathers and cleaning them. Already, it feels like smooth water over burns, removing all the heat and replacing it with a coolness that's so fucking refreshing. Dean relaxes and keens to Cas' fingertips.

"I'm so sorry, Dean." Cas whispers, fingers going through his wings gently, "I wish there's more I could do to help you…"

"Cas…"

Dean's so tired, and as he starts to doze off, other men come in and Castiel is immediately snarling at them, feathers rustled and warning vibrating off of the walls as they near his cage. Dean thinks they're coming for him to take him away, when instead they unlock Cas' cage and open the door and wait for him to come their way. The dom is confused at first, but they start to lead him out- Dean's whines hitting the air at the loss of Cas when they actually lead him to his door of his prison cell. Dean pricks up, wings raising a little when they open his cage and Cas practically barges in. Dean has to stop himself from mewling in relief, rolling over onto his stomach as Cas comes over before the door's even finished shutting. He growls at the other men and angels nearby, wings shrouding Dean protectively as Dean writhes beneath him. Instead of Cas trying to mate straight after they leave, he begins to curl his massive wing over Dean like a shield, white feathers warming him as Dean snuggles into the soothing sensation that is Cas.

In a way he's grateful, because as soon as he gets a lungful of his scent, his eyes shut and he drifts off into a very deep exhaustion.

…

Sam blinks for a moment, "What?"

"Lucifer-" the man states again, "he wants to see you."

"Oh…"

Sam's just gotten out of his physical with Bobby, so he has no fucking clue why in the hell Lucifer wants him. He's ordinary, he's practical- sure he's got strong coloring, but he's positive he's not the only sub who has them; and they probably have more attractive wings than his. He swallows nervously, wondering how in the hell he's supposed to explain to Gabriel that Lucifer himself was calling him to a meet-and-greet.

"Ah-" a voice rings in the Submissive's ears, unsettling him a fraction more, "Sam! Nice to finally meet you on my own terms!"

Sam nods, "Yeah, I suppose it is…"

"Don't by shy! There's nothing to be worked up about!"

Lucifer's wings are an unusual shade of black because it seems like they are outlined or glow in red, his Dominant coloring only standing out from the strands of gold. It just reminds Sam of singeing coals or burning embers- only causing Sam to work up even more uneasiness in the presence of Lucifer himself. The dom smiles, teeth briefly flashing before he sets a hand over Sam's shoulder and leads him off somewhere other than the hallway they're currently in.

"Let's cut to the chase here," Sam manages to say, because he has to know before his head explodes, "why are you even seeing me?"

Lucifer tilts his head in a mixture of abrupt confusion and surprise, "Excuse me?"

"Out of all the angels you can pick from to see in person, why me?"

Lucifer laughs, the sound only causing Sam to take a fraction of a step backwards, "That's very low way to think of yourself Sam! I picked you because you're a rare Submissive!"

Sam nearly snorts, but he catches himself thankfully before he can regret it, "Uhh… That's just… Rare?"

"Of course!" Lucifer's smirk falls a bit, "You don't see it do you?"

"See what?"

Lucifer walks him into another room, the lights dark- and his wings seem to glow even more so in the darkened space, "Lift your wing forward, you'll see now."

Sam finds that he obeys him, and after he does he nearly yelps out. His wing is glowing just like Lucifer's- except it's more of a soft-golden undertone than dark red- and he finds it suddenly hard to swallow. Lucifer chuckles, but continues gently.

"Not many angels have any auras. Especially Submissives, and you my friend are just a little concoction of the recessive variables. You have a lot of power, but you just don't know how to use it yet-"

"Use it? I didn't even know it existed until a couple of seconds ago!" Sam blurts.

Sam snaps his mouth shut in fear of retaliation from the angel before him for shouting at him, but instead, Lucifer only seems to laugh it off, "It's okay to be afraid or confused, Sam… Just think, with our potential- we can create the most powerful angels on the face of the Earth and in Heaven."

It's hard to even reply when Sam's chin meets the floor, mouth so widely agape his chin and jaw hurt, "You've got to be joking or something…"

"I'm not Sam. Why would I do that to you?" Lucifer slides closer and the air gets even more uncomfortable than before, "If you and I mate- our little mixed gene pool would give us the most able beings in all the universe if we wanted it. We can raise them, make them our own and teach them right from wrong. Just imagine Sam, having all those strong angels under your thumb because you gave them life- no one will dare cross you or defy you again in your lifetime if you so desire."

Sam shakes his head slowly, "I- I don't want that at all…"

"Why not Sam? Afraid you might get power-hungry?" Lucifer saunters closer, his voice dropping to a terrifying seductive whisper, "That you might get… greedy? Addicted?"

The sub nearly falls over something as he's taking slow steps back, "No- I'm afraid because it's something I don't want at all… I don't want people to fear me, I want respect."

"They'll give it to you, once you force it from them-"

"I'd rather earn it."

Lucifer narrows his eyes a little, his tone not shifting much as he speaks again, "I'll give you time to think over your decision, then… But I will be back Sam- you'll give in eventually and once you do, it'll be ever sweet from then on."

Sam blinks and finds himself outside of the room he was just in, lungs heaving and wings shaking a little on his back. He quickly stretches another out, not even seeing the glow on them anymore like he had just a few moments ago. Fuck, he can't help but think it's all a dream- or nightmare- but he can't deny it when he puts his wing on the inside of his shirt; seeing the faint golden glow just like he had before with Lucifer.

"Shit…" he mutters. Everything's going to hell…

Sam stumbles towards his room again- or cage, either works, really. When he returns Gabe shoots up to greet him, something happy and cheery on his lips- only for it to die when he's sees the frightened look on Sam's face and his grace screaming out in panic.

"Moose? Are you alright- is everything okay?"

"We've got a lot to talk about, Gabe…"

Gabriel tilts his head, "Something bad happen during your physical? You're not dying are you? …"

"No, but I wish I was-" Sam has to take a deep breath to attempt to ground himself before he continues, "Lucifer wants to make me his fucking mate."

…

Dean grunts awake, a faint buzzing in his stomach as he snuggles against the warm body beside him. All of his muscles ache from the strain they were put under, and his wings are so sensitive that every shift makes them sting. Dean blinks his eyes open and hums a little, lifting his head to look at Cas- meeting those bright blue eyes that are fixed on his own so intently.

"Have you just been staring at me or? …"

"I did keep watch, yes." Castiel admits, "But it was to make sure the endeavor Michael put you through did not cause too much permanent damage."

"Too much?"

Cas' smirk dies a little, "I believe you are sore at least- that is to be expected. I think we dodged the bullet for now but I cannot guarantee next time we will be so fortunate."

Dean nods, understanding completely, "I know… Thanks Cas… for everything."

"There's no need to thank me, Dean."

"Cas… what's going to happen now?"

The dom sighs, "I believe you're going to have another heat soon, and considering your body is already presenting itself to me alongside your scent- I believe it isn't long now."

Dean strongly blushes at that, his cheeks reddening and his tongue catching on his reply. He almost says it, but know he's only going to stutter and fluster himself more, so he cans it for later at least. He just sighs, pulling Cas closer to him so he can prepare for the pain that's soon to come to him again.

"I don't want to be mated to Michael…" Dean murmurs against Castiel's chest.

"I understand your hesitancy to the fullest extent."

Dean's head shoots up, "Cas- I can't be his mate if I'm already someone else's, right?"

Castiel's brow furrows, "I suppose not, no. Why?"

"If I go ahead and mate with you- I don't have to go through with all that torture and end up mated to Michael- besides, I like you better anyway…"

Cas' eyes widen at that, surprise and shock filling them as Dean's words settle in his brain, but soon it's replaced with something else that sends a shiver down Dean's spine- but in a good way since he arrived here. He opens his mouth to say something but Cas steals his lips and growls into them. Dean finds that the cage bottom isn't pressing into his side anymore, it's his back- and he's panting now as Castiel looms over him. The Dominant angel spreads his wings upwards, the feathers ruffling out. Dean notices the dried crimson on them, knows it's probably from himself, but he can't help how this time the burn that goes through him hits all the right places.

Dean feels his body react to Cas' grace and scent, and he spreads his wings out in a propositioning manner, baring his throat a little for Cas as the angel above growls again. Cas is fast soon afterward, his wings spreading high above his back, flexing the taut muscles as they brush the roof of the cage- going back and forth with the roll of his hips as Dean gasps out below, fingers gripping onto Cas' skin and holding on as the sensations roll throughout his nerves.

Castiel brings his wings down a little to cover them, and Dean can't help but grab a handful of feathers in his palm- a muffled cry coming from Cas at the touch. Dean smirks, guiding the downy wings over till he has them near. He keeps his eyes half-lidded and on Cas as he takes one of the feathers into his mouth singularly and sucks. He supposes the rusty tang is from his own blood, but he just keeps going with how Cas shudders above him and makes a growling sound once more. He removes Dean's mouth from the ends of his wing and sort of grimaces at the loss- but Dean knows Cas wants to make this about him, and he'd rather put his pleasure over his own because that's exactly how Dean feels about it.

Cas rolls his hips again, Dean crying out from the brief movement because it causes him to become breathless, and Cas chuckles at how he scrambles below. He removes Dean's clothing, the Submissive shuddering now- heat lulling off of his skin in waves, pheromones and grace hitching for the smallest of seconds.

"Are you sure you wanna? …" Cas sort of trails off, doubt plucking at his voice and Dean smiles warmly at it.

"I'm pretty positive, Cas."

The angel above grins softly back at that, and he continues on with whatever he'd been planning to do next, which was apparently taking Dean as his own. The sub below cries out, legs wrapping around Cas' waist as his heat peaks with the Dominant's thrusts, calling out his name brokenly and breathless. It makes Cas bring his attention to Dean's neck, humming along the sensitive skin each time Dean bucks his hips or shivers. His teeth nip, earning Cas more wanton moans and gasps from Dean- but it only furthers him onward. He takes a tongue, slowly dragging it down Dean's throat as the Submissive brings his shaky hand up to his back.

Dean can feel the muscles pull with each one of Castiel's movements, and he can't help the call he sends out to Cas to just keep going- so Cas answers. He reaches near the skin that connects Dean's unusual wings to his body and smirks when he apparently finds something he'd been looking for- what, Dean doesn't know because he can't remember now and is too caught up with what he's feeling to care really. It only makes it worse to concentrate when Cas' fingers drag over something on Dean's wing. The sub can only make his mouth fall agape and give out a shaky breath because there's no possible way he can respond to that kind of sensation and touch with sound. Castiel growls a little, lifting his fingers and Dean noticing their click with something- oil. Dean's mind remembers what that meant, and he can't help but smirk as much as he can when it clicks. Swapping their natural oils from their wings is part of the mating process Dean completely forgot about right now.

Cas looks at him, fingers shining in the air as he brings his wing forward and lathers it with Dean's oils. Dean bites his lower lip, a muffled moan building in his throat as he stares, Castiel's fingers working along the grain of his feathers as he works it in.

"Sorry to interrupt the show you've got going."

Cas and Dean stiffen immediately. They look up and Michael snickers, looking at them in admiration much like a child would at some animals trapped in a zoo. Castiel growls above Dean, the Submissive tightening in on himself as white wings close around him.

"What do you want Michael?" the words are hissed through Cas' clenched teeth, Dean as still as a rock underneath him as his tensed gaze falls on the other Dominant.

The man sneers, a pulse of fear starting in Dean's chest and working it's way outwards through his nerves, Michael speaks then with a dangerous smirk, "I never really thought about it until it hit me- impulse really… It only occurred to me when you to were pleading like bitches for each other that I could get the rarest mixture of angel ever if you mated. The most sought after Dominant and Submissive concoction that can be created, right at my fingertips. It's genius really. All I have to do is leave you two alone and presto- I have the perfect weapon to win the war."

Dean whimpered below Castiel as the dom growled his reply, "We're not going to be used as pawns in your war, Michael."

"Does it really matter in the end anyways?" Michael just brushes some invisible lint off of his shoulders, "You two will more than likely end up mated to each other, and all of that other blubbering nonsense that goes with a bond that no one really cares about anymore. All I want is results, and I'll get them eventually. Especially if you two are left alone and unsupervised long enough."

"Results aren't everything Michael."

The angel snorts, "Of course they are- that's what society is all about if you haven't noticed baby brother. Either way, why don't you two just finish up and give me what I'm waiting for- or, I can do it myself if the circumstances arise."

Dean really felt like livestock now; bred with the best to somehow make even better offspring. It didn't make any sense, and either way it felt like being thrown in a pit and forced to fight for his life. Even with Cas being the Dominant meant to mate with him for Michael's selfish desires, Dean still couldn't help the rise of putrid bile in the back of his throat. He should chose- even if Cas was approved by Dean- and not told that he would get fucked by someone because it would "make results". Fuck results, fuck Michael, fuck everything.

Dean only recalled the situation at hand as Cas soothed a thumb over his now somehow tear-dampened cheek, "Dean- it's alright. Michael's gone now… I'm here."

"Cas-" Dean's voice is as uncertain as what's going to end up happening, "I don't want that at all… Why do things have to be this way? Why can't we just be free and not locked up in here like fucking pets? Of course we're angels- but we still have humanity!"

"I cannot answer those questions as much as I want to, Dean… I wish I could have this happen differently myself, that Michael didn't loom over us like an ominous cloud of unspeakable things. I'm sorry, Dean- I really am."

Dean pulls Cas nearer, breath so close over Cas' heated skin it blows back on his face a little, "It's okay, Cas… We'll just roll with the punches as they come- if we can manage it. Let's just forget that they're watching us and just try to sleep or somethin' else. I'm not in the mood to uhh- you know… now with them watching us and all that bullshit…"

Castiel nods, wrapping his arms around Dean and his wings cover them once again, the deep black clashing against the bright white, "I'm here. I hope this isn't awkward or anything for you- being so close to intercourse and getting interu-"

"Cas… it's fine."

The Dominant just nods, and Dean lets his face fall fully against Castiel's chest. There's a heart beating rhythmically beneath Cas' skin faintly, Dean finding comfort in it's natural percussion and eyelids lulling to it's song. Cas runs soothing fingers over Dean's still over-heated skin, rubbing small circles where he finds knots as the Submissive gives a content sigh. Dean didn't know when hell would come back crashing down relentlessly again, didn't know when the cramps and burning would start up once more- but he's okay now that Cas is nearby just in case things go south. Literally.

"Promise me things will be alright." Dean whispers, "I just- I guess I really need to hear those words right now…"

It's true. Dean feels completely violated right now, like his whole life is intimately on display; or he's a puppet and Michael is happily pulling his strings. His stomach is churning, still frightful and uneasy by his heat, and Dean hopes that now since he has Cas it won't be so bad. Maybe it wouldn't even hurt this time.

"It sounds a little unbelievable Dean, but I promise I'll try to make this okay again. Also I- …" Cas pauses for a moment, eyes darting away as his voice mumbles out the rest of his words, "I'll try to hold myself back."

"Hold yourself back?"

"You're still deep within your heat Dean… With Michael fully expecting us to mate, I don't want to put us in a situation where you're pregnant and vulnerable while at that bastard's disposal. I'd rather have you completely safe."

Dean feels a swell in his chest, it feels fuzzy- warm. Kind of like a newborn kitten, and it purrs and resonates through his chest until Dean realizes he's actually making the sound himself. It staggers for a moment, but continues on as Dean voices the affection back to Cas. He cares, and god dammit in a place and time like this- it's just what Dean wants. What he needs. The sub finds it easier to breathe, settling himself against Cas as his worries sort of slip into the back of his mind. This may be better than what he was expecting, but that didn't mean it couldn't get worse.

…

Gabriel furrows his eyebrows as Sam slinks himself against a wall, "What the fuck am I going to do Gabe?"

"I don't know… I think it's a fair assumption to say I wasn't expecting this shit to happen…"

Sam holds his head in his hands, sort of lingering on the edge of a panic attack, "What am I supposed to think right now? I just- fuck. I don't want to be Lucifer's mate- I just can't. Don't you understand what I'm trying to say or- …?"

"I do Moose…" Gabe comes over and simply places a reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder, "I know this is so weird and fucked up right now, that things aren't making sense and all of that mating shit he's trying to force on you is barbaric, but you gotta keep yourself calm."

"How can I?" Sam rasps, "I feel like I'm drowning- all of this stuff just burying me more than six feet under and the light's getting cut out… God Gabe, how in the hell am I going to get out?"

The Dominant pulls Sam's hands away from his scalp from where they've been digging in uncomfortably, "We could find a way to fake something? Like a bond or pregnancy? Maybe Lucifer would back off then, you know?"

Sam shakes his head, "I can't fake being pregnant Gabe- it'll be obvious I'm not. Firsthand, is that my grace and scent will change and unless you got some type of magical aid other than your idea, it's a no go. Impossible, actually…"

"Then fake a bond Moose! See if you can find someone or I dunno- ask to be taken to the dom room. Maybe you can find some willing person who'll help you."

"It's not going to work! No one is going to help me! I'm a sub who doesn't matter, no one cares about what happens to me!"

"I do!"

"Well thank you but it's not really helping is it Gabe? I'm stuck! I've got one of the fucking angels who is leading this war trying to knock me up and-"

There's a loud snarl coming from Gabe, and Sam quiets immediately, Gabe's words drawn out like they're hot coals sitting on his tongue- rough and hissed, "Don't talk like that… Just- don't… You make it sound like you're worthless and nothing more than someone's fucking property and it's not like that at all. You're special Sam, even without your aura and your Submissive coloring. There's more to a person than their physical appearance Sam, and don't you think that's not even true. You're your own person and I think that's amazing, probably one of the best things about you if I have to make a list. You don't let your gender or anything else define you. You walk into a room with your back straight because you know you're gonna prove everyone yourself that you're not some sub who's gonna lie down and present themselves at the first command. That's frankly astounding."

Sam finds his mouth open and he shuts it. His wings shift a little on his back, pressing against him as Gabe's words sink in. Sam's always been this way when he comes to himself. Disparaged, at best. He was taught his whole life that because of his feathers he were to lie on his back and take everything like a good little Submissive, that he was nothing more than an incubator and literally someone's bitch. It's why he fought so hard against it for the longest time. He never wanted to become bonded or mated until he was with Jessica, and

even then he was a little reluctant. It was going against everything he ever made himself and programmed himself to believe. His morals; his code. All self-taught to make sure he never fell victim to any Dominant who thought his dick was the greatest in the universe when Sam's easily seen better. It doesn't matter then, as Sam lets the air fill his lungs and shock him into reality- sitting here on this floor, in this camp… none of it matters.

It's all about survival.

"How can I fake a bond?"

Gabe's eyes widen, "Well I actually wasn't expecting you to be so willing but, okay… It's easily done, just find a dom you're comfortable with enough for faking things. Maybe you can sneak out to the dom pen and pick-"

"I choose you."

…

"I'm finding this restrain hard to accomplish."

Dean shifts from where he's sitting criss-cross-applesauce beside Cas, already feeling the hot burning from earlier, "Sorry Cas… Guess my body's still working itself up or something…"

"Its fine, Dean. Are you okay?" Cas manages, and Dean can see how his throat is straining.

Dean nods, "Yeah, just a little groggy… Cas?"

"Yes Dean?"

"What if… what if you knock me up? …" Dean nearly gags at that, this is just fucking awkward- but it's gotta be said whether it's uncomfortable or not.

Cas' eyes widen at that, pupils stretching outward, "I would protect you to the best of my ability."

Dean looks away, curling himself up against the cage wall, "Well what if Michael comes in and separates us? What would we both do then? I don't want to be carrying any life in me if he's gonna be lurkin' around waiting… Besides, I think he'll abuse me and I don't think- …" Dean trails off as he looks down, rubbing a hand over his flat stomach, even though there's nothing growing behind its fleshed walls.

"I understand, Dean." Cas watches the door for some moments before returning his gaze to Dean, "You don't want to be expecting children and hits. I don't blame you for being hesitant. I promise that if you do end up carrying my offspring-"

"Why does it sound so weird when it's said aloud? I feel like I'm on Jerry Springer…"

Dean shifts as Castiel tilts his head in confusion, "I do not understand that… Either way there's nothing wrong with saying it, Dean."

The sub puts his face in his hands, "Dear God I'm going to be mated to a socially inept angel… Figures."

"What do you mean by inept?" Cas furrows his brow and his head moves back in offense, "I understand them as well as you do."

"Apparently you don't get the heebie jeebies from this. I think that's a little sociopathic."

"I am not a sociopath Dean, I do in fact have feelings. And it does bother me, thank you."

Dean snorts a laugh, "Mhmm, little Cas here is taken aback by his own bluntness."

The Dominant sighs and looks towards his chest, shoulder falling in defeat, "I feel like I'm bickering with a child."

"Am I too immature for you, Cas? My sense of humor too- grating?"

"I find your humor bland. I don't understand most of your references and jokes and I only understand them once you explain. You've told me this ruins them when I can't figure it out for myself."

"Because it does Cas-" Dean throws his arms up in the air as a sign of frustration, "that's the point of a joke- to get it and understand. That's why it's so funny. Or supposed to be…"

Cas grimaces, and it reminds Dean of whenever a cat is shoved into water, "We have gotten seriously off topic, Dean."

The sub swallows, "Way to kill a mood Cas, damn…"

Dean's thoughts leave the light, airy conversation only created a few moments prior- only to be whisked away with Castiel's grim reminder. The pressure is still lingering in Dean's lower abdomen; but it's not as strong as before. He hopes that maybe he and Cas can hold out and everything will be okay… Dean really hopes.

"My apologies, Dean."

Yeah, Dean really deserved a fucking apology. Just not from Cas.

…

Gabe wasn't taking Sam's decision too well. He's flaring his wings out over his head, grace swirling around the room like a pissed off hurricane. Sam's remained silent through most of it because he knows he probably overstepped an invisible line. He just doesn't know which yet. It's only as Gabe begins to snarl aloud that Sam makes his voice resonate through the air.

"Gabriel!"

The dom snaps to attention, seemingly out of his stupor as well as Sam continues, "I understand if I pushed you in a direction you weren't willing to go, okay? You're just the only Dominant here I can trust and I'm sorry if that bothers you. I've got no one else Gabe."

"It's not that I don't want to help you Moose because I really, really do- I'll blow my cover if I become your Dominant."

"Oh- I forgot…"

Gabe shakes his head, "It's not that either. I've been having to work my ass off for Lucifer to not figure or find out that I'm here. It'll just end horribly for all of us, really… Thing is, if I become your mate- even if faked- they'll put red flags up immediately and we already know Lucifer's checkin' in. Not exactly the best option to choose here Sammy… I'm sorry."

"Don't call me Sammy." the sub growls.

"Sam-"

"Can it Gabe." Sam is furious now, and a small part of him is really unsure why, "I asked you for help and you just blow me off. I understand if you don't want Lucifer to find you- but dammit he's trying to breed me. If I consent- which honestly seems like I'm going to be forced to now- then I'm going to become nothing more than Lucifer's little pet and baby maker! I'm not a damn child toaster oven, Gabriel! I'm not an easy fucking bake oven for spawn!"

Gabriel bites his lip, "No, you're not."

Sam drops his voice to a desperate whisper, "Then why don't you help me? …"

"Because I'm here fighting a war too!?" Gabe yells, "Don't you think I'm invested in this too! I may not have a side but I have fucking blood on both! My brothers are hashing it out better than my father technically did in the fucking Crusades! I have a weight like no other angel in here because those are my fucking brothers and the crimson on their hands are on mine! It's a shared burden, Sam! I'm just trying to clean up the damn mess they've created! I've lost so much in this god forsaken war I'm not even really a part of!"

Sam looks down at the slightly dirtied tiles, wings lowering from their defensive position and into a solemn one, "I've lost a lot too…" he murmurs.

"What? …"

"I've lost a lot too, in this war." Sam looks up, his gaze meeting Gabe's and he can see the fire of rage in the Dominant beginning to burn out, "Before I had really been on the run, I was with someone. A Dominant named Jessica Moore. I loved Jess, more than anyone I've let in this scarred abyss of myself. It was what caused me to really start running for my life, how I met Dean who saved my ass in more ways than one… The reason why was that Jess and I were about to mate and all, try to keep me grounded when all people wanted to do was uproot me and take me away. We were found by a hunter, chased into an alley way and held at gun point. Jess had jumped in front of a bullet for me when he tried to aim for me."

There's tears sliding their way down Sam's stressed weathered skin, "She died… for me. I killed her, Gabe. I got her killed. We tried to do the right thing and what did we get in return? A fucking bullet, that's what. She was murdered for trying to be with me, and I think that's just horrific… I lost her… I lost Dean…"

Gabe rushes over to Sam, holding him in his arms as Sam sobs out.

"I lost everything…"

…

"Cas-" Dean grits out almost painfully, "Cas this holding out thing isn't fucking working-"

The Submissives words are cut out in another jab of pain, his hiss ringing out as his muscles contract. Cas is at his side, rubbing his arms up and down to try and offer up some little comfort that he can manage.

"We can make it through this Dean. It's all going to be okay."

Dean groans, "Cas… I don't think I can…"

Castiel makes a small growl sound at that, and Dean sort of buckles at it. He's never had this happen to him before. That sound alone was able to make his knees weak and his body submit. Nature was a perfect bitch sometimes.

"Are you positive Dean?"

He only manages a nod.

Dean feels like he's on fucking fire right now. That his nerves are doused in gasoline and the outside world is match just beginning to scratch at the surface; dragging along but still not lighting. It's infuriating and painful. However, Cas feels like ice or something cold enough and perfect to just soothe the flames. Dean purrs at it, feeling Cas slide on top of him once more and the heat starts to ebb away into something more pleasurable.

"Is this what you want Dean?"

"It's what I need Cas…"

That's all Dean has to say and he's grateful. Not only is this becoming too extreme, he's too far gone for beginning to even attempting to speak coherently. He finds his tongue unable to form English syllables; nothing more than moans that sound dry and rough from his throat. The dom above him is growling, wings spread out and grace beckoning Dean's to come intertwine with it. So, naturally, Dean follows.

It's just a rush really because all Dean can pay attention to is the hot slide of Castiel's form against his own. Skin and skin, wing and feather. It feels absolutely amazing, better than Dean had initially thought about. Cas growls above him and Dean keens forward, back arching over the metal flooring and he gasps out brokenly.

Cas thrusts forwards, hips rolling with his wings held high above them as a shield. The scent is so strong for Dean it feels like it's suffocating him- but it's like getting high. He throws his head back, neck exposed and open for Cas to mark freely. Which he, of course, does.

Dean's shaking because how held back he's been in the past forty-eight hours and all those precious moments in between, that he's been waiting for so long to feel Cas' fingertips grip his skin roughly as he pushes forward. It's perfect, absolutely the very exact thing Dean is crying out for right now. His nerves tingle and his heart pounds, warmth swelling in his chest and groin and just- holy fuck. There's really no other word than just… wow.

Dean arches his spine once more, Cas' hot tongue working it's way down his throat, lapping his skin. Dean feels like he's about to explode; the heat is building and building and Cas has become more of like a fucking switch than a coolant. The Dominant growls possessively, a tingle going down Dean's spine as their wings touch. Cas has one hand on Dean's hip and the other in their wings. Dean can smell the hot, slick oil forming and he can't help but let a wanton whimper slide past his quickly flushing and bruising lips. Castiel grins at that.

"Cas…" Dean somehow manages to whine, reaching upwards with a trembling hand and imbedding his fingertips in the soft feathers of white flaring in front of him.

Dean feels the angel above him shudder with his touch, and he feels the downy grain bend towards him invitingly. For once during this, Dean smirks. He knows he just gained the upper hand, and well, just taking advantage of Cas like this was enough to drive him up the wall. The Submissive decides he's gonna play rough, gripping the feathers and sliding himself up even further against Castiel. His back isn't even touching the floor anymore with it, and Dean finds himself giving chuckles that make goosebumps appear on his to-be-mate's skin.

"De-"

Dean laughs, flipping them over and then straddling Cas' hips. There's sweat running down Dean's skin, rolling over his neck and over his collarbone. Cas seems transfixed by this little, insignificant droplet; eyes trailing it as it works its way to Dean's stomach. Dean feels Cas' hands grip his hip bones, fingers holding on tight and warmly as Dean starts to move up and down a little. His hips snap back, a moan drawn out from Cas that's gravely and dry. Dean flares out his wings above them and Cas snarls at the sight.

Dean smirks and takes a finger to put on Cas' chapped lips, find them quirk in confusion as Dean gives a seductive whisper into his ear, "It's my turn now."

Cas starts to say something else when Dean silences him by stroking his wing. There's a twinge of excitement brewing in the air and in Dean's nerves and skin. The Submissive takes the oil off of Castiel's wings, feeling it make his fingertips slippery and oily and just- perfect. Cas eyes him, pupils fully blown to where the stark blue is just a thin layer of his iris. He licks his lips in anticipation as Dean shifts on top of him.

Dean takes his slickened fingers and bends his wing forwards and rubs his feathers, hissing out and closing his eyes at the searing contact. He mixes Cas' oil into his own and suddenly he can feel puffs of breath in his face. Dean blinks open his eyelids to find Cas staring at him, an unexpected hand reaching up and stalling Dean's own at the wrist gently.

"No, let me…" Cas nearly whispers.

Castiel drops Dean's hand, the angel finding it fall limply to his thigh. Cas seems to slow everything down in just a few seconds, drawing them out and savoring them. His breath and skin brushes against Dean, his nerves seeming to calm from their jumpy, over-reactive state. Cas slowly brings his wing forward, Dean's eyes trailing it's curves and taught muscle lines. It's a small moment because Cas brings his fingers up to his feathers and moans a little at the pads of his own flesh taking some of the oil away. Dean watches in utter curiosity, breath catching in his throat and lungs as Castiel's hands near. He winds up crying out as they connect, the feeling and sensation of Cas just looking at his wings was uncomfortable from the strain- but this… this was torturous.

Cas rubs Dean's feathers, the angel crying out against the crook of Castiel's neck as his muscles spasm at the overbearing pleasure that's so intense it hurts. His teeth hold onto tanned skin to try and ground himself, Cas still rubbing the sensitive appendages on Dean's back with caring strokes. The smells are overwhelming in Dean's nose, burning his nostrils but in all the right ways as a cracked moan works its way out his dry throat. Cas chuckles at that, a sound vibrating deep within his chest and causing Dean's toes to curl with the movements of his fingertips.

Then, Cas presses his lips to Dean's. At first, the Submissive is a little confused. There's so many ways they can do this right now, so many things that can cause his throat to tighten and breath to stall in his ribcage, but not a single one of them has to involve Castiel's lips pressed to Dean's own. Not a single one that ever intended for this contact, and it seems to just take forever to be processed in Dean's brain. However, once it is, Dean comes alive. He moves his lips against Cas', teeth snagging on the dom's bottom lip as a small intake of air was made. Their mouths slot together, lips pressing softly as Dean slowly finds his back on the cage again. Instead of them going at it like they were before, Cas just gently works his feathers in the oil in tune with his mouth. There's no bucking hips, no cries of pleasure wrenched from kiss-marked throats, just the sound of muffled moans and feathers ruffling.

Dean bites at Cas' bottom lip, breath rushing out of his lungs against Cas' face as the Dominant above him calls out with his grace. Dean finds himself reaching back, leaning on a thin line- forces pushing him on every angle to make him plummet down into something Dean wants to feel so badly. There's a growl, Dean giving a stifled cry against Cas mouth as his body shakes when Cas resumes his motions in Dean's wings; even going as far as returning to their previous method of pleasure. So close, so fucking close.

Dean loses his balance, falling of the tight rope and downward into an indescribable rush of adrenaline and chemicals bursting through his veins and nerves. He throws his head back, Cas still going above him as their bodies begin to lock together, perfectly in sync. A quiet moment then, and Dean begins to recede back to himself much like a wave would to the ocean ever so faithfully. His breaths are still ragged as Cas moves downwards and Dean can't find himself complaining against it. White teeth flash by the corner of his eye, and then a sharp pain starts pulsing through Dean's neck.

Dean doesn't know how Cas managed it, but he feels another burst of whatever he felt earlier- and it's even stronger now. So much so that Dean's vocal cords stop functioning completely and he can only throw his head back in a silent scream. Cas seems to be feeling the same thing, wings jittery against the metal as Dean feels warm pulses under his skin. Dear lord, did they just? …

Oh fuck.

Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.

…

Sam watches as Gabriel removes his Submissive makeup. It's time for them to go to sleep, and the weight of Lucifer's intentions with him are like an ominous cloud darkened enough to show it's soon about to rain. And when it rains, it pours- naturally.

"Sam…" Gabe pauses, "Are you positive you want to fake a bond with me? You'll understand what will happen if we do this, too?"

"I think so…"

Gabe sighs, his wings lowering and the rag he used to wipe away the powder on his wings falls onto the floor, "If I do follow through with even faking a bond, then a red flag will appear immediately. It's a little odd if there's a mating pair between two subs, and they'll come to investigate- especially if Lucifer is so invested in you. That means I'm going to be discovered immediately Moose. Lucifer will know I'm here for sure and it's a bitch trying to slip underneath his radar. Trust me… So even if this somehow does work, my ass is going to be hung high and dry no matter what. I'm sacrificing a lot, you know."

Sam nods, eyes averting from the angel before him and to the floor, "I know you are… I thank you a lot. It must seem so selfish of me- running away from Lucifer when people have suffered so much worse…"

"Being Lucifer's mate isn't even close to dying on the battlefield or expecting in a cage, Sam. Lucifer might put up a relaxed and nonchalant front, but behind that he's a sinister son of a bitch and I've met no one like him. Michael's just as bad- maybe even worse- but he at least isn't two faced. He's direct with being an asshole."

"So this isn't conceded?" Sam's voice is shallow, barely audible in the room as the other Submissives slumber around them, "This isn't something to be ashamed of? …"

Gabriel tilts his head, "No."

"Then why do I feel that way? Why do I feel like I'm running away and being a coward about this? You said it was okay, that what I'm doing is rational and all but… I can't help but feel like I'm cheating the system while everyone's playing the shitty hand they were dealt."

"This is life Sam, not some game of cards. It's so much easier to cheat in poker than it is in reality because that's just how it is. You aren't bending the rules to avoid something you don't want to happen, you're escaping a life that'll leave you battered and broken beyond compare. Lucifer is much worse than a losing hand."

Sam just sighs, shaking his head in denial, "But that's what doesn't make sense to me. It's perfectly sound to want nothing to do with Lucifer or the war, to only have kids whenever I want and to form a bond when I'm consenting… I just feel like shit because so many people didn't have a choice or opportunity to save themselves. Yet here I am, with a door wide open like a fire escape. It isn't fair."

"It never is and never will be."

The Submissive just grunts in frustration. He's tried his best to explain his side to Gabriel, that he feels like an utter asshole for dodging this bullet while others get shot. It's like he gets a second chance, a restart, another life- and others can't rewind or get redoes while they wait to just die; for the "game over" sign to just appear. It's just a fact that causes Sam's stomach to become unsettled. It doesn't matter if he looks at the facts, it won't stop the burning ache for his throat to convulse and his stomach to empty itself completely on the floor below.

"Hey-" Sam's attention snaps back to Gabriel as he sees the Dominant settle on his top bunk with his leg hanging over the bars, reminding Sam of an innocent child, "this is war Sam. You gotta do what you gotta do."

Sam gives a small smirk, his cheeks feeling stiff- because why in the fuck is he even trying to smile right now- eyes narrowing a little and cloud over as his voice comes out as the deadest he's ever heard it in his life, "Yeah… Gotta do all you can to survive in a time of war."

…

Dean sits in the corner of the cage he now seems to share with Cas. The dom is still completely asleep, chest falling and rising as his eyelids flutter. Dean slipped out from underneath his wings and arms to come think in his corner much like a depressed, melancholy teenager would when they're sulking. His mind wouldn't stop buzzing with all that was just wrongright now. He and Cas were supposed to hold out- to ignore their bodies demands and just wait it out… but of course Dean utterly failed at that. His fingers gently come up to the healing bond bite on his neck, feeling the skin tingle from the opened flesh from Castiel's teeth. Dean makes a shuddered breath, heart pounding in his chest and a fresh tear working it's way down his chin.

Why did he have to be such a little bitch sometimes? God damn…

"D-Dean? …" Cas shifts, sitting up and blinking his unreal almost-royal-blue eyes a few times, "Why are you over there? … Are you crying?"

"N-No." God fucking dammit Dean fucking sucked at this emotional shit. Next thing on his list other than surviving was to put reins on his emotions.

The sub isn't surprised to find his mate- his new label that Dean is unsure to feel happy or regretful towards- rush over and cup his jaw reassuringly. It's natural to protect one's mate- it's even weirder referring to Dean himself in this way- when in distress or discomfort. Even though he's in inner turmoil about it, Dean leans into the touch and sighs. A small part of him slightly regrets giving in with Cas and to Michael's wishes, however, he can't deny the calm wave of safety wash over him at the small, but meaningful touch.

"What's wrong Dean?"

Dean gives a shaky breath as his vocal cords try to work without breaking- they of course fail at that, "I thought we could hold out Cas- that maybe my will and determination was strong enough I could work through the heat without having to do anything and do exactly what Michael planned on in the first place. But of course I failed- I overestimated myself and I just- I fucked up completely. I gave Michael exactly what he wanted. Might as well wrap me up in a bow with a tag that says 'your present will arrive in a few months'…"

There's more tears sliding down Dean's cheeks and he hates it, hates himself for being so vulnerable and useless. He should have had more self-control over himself, over that forsaken need he had felt coursing through his veins that was just utterly unnatural. His hand falls to his stomach, like there's already life forming in there- well, there might as well be already- and resting there protectively at the thought of harm coming towards it from Michael. What was going to happen now, especially if he conceived? What would happen to Cas? Would they be separated or-

"Dean, stop over thinking this. Everything's going to be fine."

The sub bites his lower lip for a second, feeling his vocal cords and throat having a painful shift, he hopes his voice won't come out strained- but of course it fucking does, "You sure about that, Cas?"

"There are some things in life I can never guarantee, that some promises I make will surely be broken, and I cannot change that. Even if I tried, even if I truly wanted to. This however, is something I'm sure of. I will die before Michael can even lay a hand on you."

"That's thoughtful Cas but…" Dean stalls on the subject, "I kinda want you here… alive, with me. It would be wrong in so many ways if I did end up pregnant and raising the child on my own. Not the exact best thing, you know?"

Cas nods and smiles faintly, "No, it's not."

Dean returns the gesture, "So that's it, yeah? Just roll with it if we can?"

"I've taken notice that we do this often." Cas assures, "We make it up as we go along."

"Yeah, that does seem like us…"

It's a small moment of happiness because that's of course when Michael pops up unannounced. The angel is smiling brightly even as Cas snarls and Dean huddles to his side. It seemed almost natural, but Dean despised how dependent and weak it made him look in Michael's eyes as the dom's lips stretch even further.

"So you two actually did it- perfect. If you don't mind little brother, we need to take your new mate here on a minor doctor visit."

Cas growls, teeth baring at his older brother, "Dean isn't going anywhere with you."

"It's only to assure his health Castiel. To make sure your coupling was actually a success and if Dean's in top notch condition-"

"Dean is not leaving this cage alone. If he goes, I follow. There isn't even going to be a debate."

Dean's surprised at how stern and dangerous Castiel's voice and tone have become, feeling it vibrate in their bodies as it hits the air. It reminds Dean of how a rattlesnake shakes its tail before striking- a warning not to fuck with it anymore. If you do, you're going to get fangs and venom in you, only to give you extreme pain for being a complete dumbass.

Instead of fighting for once, Michael actually does something unexpected, "Fine."

Dean feels his mouth and throat go dry, "Just like that? …"

"I'm only doing this because you might be pregnant Dean, and the less stress caused to you means an easier and better term for the child. Don't want something happening to the precious little thing, do we?"

"That somehow sounds like a threat…" Cas sneers.

"Isn't subtext amazing? You can mean something without truly implying it. Absolutely perfect when intending the imagination to create it's own little dark or impassive assumptions- how sweet of you to confirm that baby brother."

Dean bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself from shuddering at Michael's words. He was treating this like a joke- a game- and he was winning. That smirk on his face, the slight glint in his eyes, that sinister smirk of pleasure playing on his lips as those frighteningly sharp canines appear- it all makes sense now. Michael is their predator, and Dean and Cas are his prey. They probably look like flashing neon signs right now, offering themselves up like meals for the taking, all ripe and fresh. Michael was a twisted fucking bastard.

Michael gives them one last look before turning and walking away, voice still just as clear as he heads off in the opposite direction, "You may hide behind that unborn child for only a little while Dean… but once it's born- you're mine."

…

Sam's getting another check-up from Bobby because apparently Lucifer wants to speed this up and see how "plentiful" Sam can be. The sub feels awkward, the human poking and prodding around his skin and wings; making Sam feel like a science experiment. Bobby sighs, sitting down in a chair.

He looks really worn down, like a rock would be at the beginning of the shoreline. It's always first to take on the brunt force of the waves- the good and the bad ones, gentle and rough- and it's beaten and ebbed away inch by inch till nothing else remains. Bobby looks like a man who doesn't have much fight left in him, wrinkles from stress and bags from countless long nights adorn his face and make him look like he stepped out of a retirement home more than anything else. It's kind of sad because Bobby seems like a man who used to stand up for himself, against the things chucked at him from the world, that he could absorb the hits and bullshit without any strain. But now… Bobby looks like he's cracked, damaged, about to break apart, and unlike fine china you can't just glue a broken person back together. No matter how badly you really want to.

"You look a little worse for wear…" Sam says, hoping that maybe if he conversates with this man he'll get to understand him better.

"That's because I am, you idjit." Bobby snarks, then sighs and drops his overly defensive tone fully, "Sorry just… guess the years are catching up with me now."

Sam nods, "I understand you know… How sometimes the world can be too much and you feel like you have it all just resting on your shoulders and stuff… You just have that look."

Bobby doesn't snap, just sighs, "I guess you're not really an idjit then…"

"Why is that?"

"Most angels here never guess how much this job has put me through."

"Then quit."

"It isn't that easy." Bobby hisses and again loses his bite before continuing softly, "Life just ain't that luxurious. I wish it were just that simple to just walk away from things when it gets to be too much, but you can't. This isn't somethin' you can just turn your back on and think that as soon as your eyes aren't lookin' at it that it disappears or doesn't exist. It's not supposed to be that way."

Sam bites his lip, Bobby's right but Sam can't help it, "Yeah well, can't you just leave and go? There's nothing keeping you tied here, is there?"

Bobby deflates even further, and Sam feels guilt stick to him like thick, crude oil, "Not anymore…"

"N-Not anymore? …"

"I used to have a wife. Her name was Karen and she was a Submissive. Yeah I know, little weird for an angel and human to be together but hey, I've never been one to do normal relationships. Anyways, soon after the order for all the subs to get collected went out, Karen and I were discovered and she was sent here. I didn't want to leave her, so I made a deal with them to stay alongside her somehow. It's why I became the physician here, checking up on all the Submissives to give them a clean bill of health and guide them through their terms- and it seemed so casual and easy at first but… then the worst came when I was least expecting it… Karen was bred with practically anyone right in front of me, lost count of how many times I had to clean attempted bond marks on her neck, lost count of how many times I saw her with a swollen stomach instead of a flat one whenever I rarely saw her. She looked so awful- eyes sunken in her head and nothin' but bones- none of the woman I fell head over heels for all those years ago... It's somethin' that kept me up at night- still does."

Sam's body stiffens, "That's… awful."

Bobby nods, "Yeah, it was… But nothing can compare to having help deliver anotherbaby that isn't yours, and then for the love of your life die on the table right in front of you."

Sam's absolutely speechless.

"I guess that's what made me so spiteful, so sour towards a world that doesn't ever care or stop for you. I miss Karen, a lot, and I regret ever havin' agreed to this because well… I wouldn't be a broken man now, or be as damaged as I am because of seeing her that way."

Sam quirks a brow, "Yeah I understand that but… don't you think she was happy to see you? Even if she was pregnant with someone else's child, she still had you not so far away when she felt like falling apart. I would be grateful myself if I had that."

Bobby just gives a small smile, looking a little genuine but mostly distorted because of the sour topic. Sam's sure that Bobby doesn't really like to remind himself of Karen, of all that he'd seen and lost right under his fingertips. He had loved and lost her; god he could relate.

Sam tells Bobby about Jess- about how he loved her and how she died. How he met Dean and lost him too. Bobby seems interested, especially at how Sam describes how he felt when he lost Jess not so long ago.

"Huh…" Bobby says mostly to himself.

"What?"

Bobby smiles a little, "I thought I was the only who felt the way."

The sub returns the facial gesture, "Nah, you aren't."

They're smiling for a little moment before someone enters the room and the atmosphere changes completely. Sam feels that gruff sensation sweep around him once more, his body tensing and wings wanting to just bury themselves underneath his skin. Bobby looks over Sam's shoulder to behind him, the sub freezing from the gaze that's on his back.

"How's my little angel doing?"

"He's just fine Lucifer. No health problems as far as I can tell."

Sam swallows, hearing the satisfied tone clearly as he bites his lip, "That's perfect. When is he ready for action?"

"Action isn't the word I'd use but-" Bobby makes a quick glance towards Sam, so full of an apology and Sam doesn't understand why, "anytime should be okay."

Oh, now Sam gets it.

There doesn't even need to be a quick glance for Sam to know there's a wide smirk on Lucifer's face as he chuckles darkly, "Good… very good."

…

It's been some time since Michael visited Dean and Cas with his dangerous words and intentions, leaving the two to really think about what was going to happen and if things would get any better- especially for Dean. Right now, the Submissive has a hand placed on his stomach as he sits and stares out one of the cage walls absentmindedly rubbing. Castiel is busy trying to discuss tactics or anything he can find useful with Adam because apparently he knows his stuff. For Dean, he just doesn't get anything as he gives a small breath to try and calm himself.

Things have changed so drastically for Dean. He got captured, completely separated from Sam, approved and beaten by Michael, mated by Castiel and then bonded to him- which was probably the only really good thing, and now he could be even be pregnant. Funny how the world works sometimes. Some moments you feel like it's not even spinning, that it's stuck on replay or pause as you just stare at your ceiling at night wondering about anything while you wait for sleep to take you. Then others you spend stuck in the middle of a internal downfall where you feel like you can't breathe- you can't even think, that the only thing you need is time but it seems so trivial and non-existent as you plummet headfirst.

Dean's there now, feeling as though the world's slipping through and past his fingertips. Instead of falling, he's full on drowning- watching as the surface gets farther and farther as he sinks lower into the unfathomable depths. The ripples of light getting out of reach as the darkness swallows him greedily as he can only stare. Before, he spent his nights looking at stars and the road in front of his car, the high grass of Lawrence, Kansas and the ceilings of rundown motel bedrooms… Now he's here, looking out bars inside of fences, Submissives all around- some pregnant, some not- and they all look just as miserable as Dean feels. He couldn't have imagined it ever being this way- when he stayed up at night while Sam slept or when he was on his own- that the thing he'd worried about too much over his lifetime was nothing in compare to actually experiencing it firsthand. Reality is always so much more deeper than the imagination.

He feels arms snake around him, resting around his waist and joining his hand on his abdomen just as protectively. Dean leans into Cas, feeling some more of his stress ebb away as Cas hums. The dom intertwines their fingers as Dean feels Cas press his lips gently against his neck, Dean keening towards the tender pecks.

Soon, Dean's breaths are quick and his skin flushed, Cas nipping at his skin and soft, possessive growls are huffed into Dean's ear. Dean's hand wraps around his back to grasp Castiel's raven hair, the strands downy and warm. Cas rocks his hips upwards against Dean's back, teeth grazing the healing bond bite causing Dean to shiver and release a soft moan. Now that Dean isn't in heat and he's probably already knocked up, they can go as slow as they fucking want. Much like a vintner would as they let their prized wine age in barrels so it's sweeter than before.

"Cas…" Dean breathes out, teeth slightly snagging on his bottom lip as he feels his mate's hand slip below the hem of his dirtied jeans and how he begins to stroke softly.

"Yes, Dean?" Cas licks Dean's earlobe before he continues, "Is there something that you need?"

The Submissive stifled a moan instead of a reply, now that he isn't heat he's more aware of Adam sitting over in his cage silently nearby- and Dean feels a little traumatized and disgusted that he had put already put Adam through their fucking frenzy. So yeah, this time is slower and a tad quieter now that they don't feel so pushed.

Dean rocks in sync with Castiel, mouth open and head thrown back as Cas takes advantage of Dean's exposed and offered flesh. Dean feels the movements go through him like waves, their bodies moving back and forth against each other as Dean jerks his hips and Cas licks a long line up from Dean's jaw line to his ear. Cas' wings goes up behind them, shielding them from wandering eyes as Dean grips even tighter on Cas' hair.

There's a hot drag near Dean's collarbone, skin burning as Cas growls and bites again, Dean shuddering against his torso as he feels the heat building and building up inside of him. It's a little odd to think that just a few days ago Dean wasn't even here- that his mind wasn't on Michael, or how Cas can roll his hips just right-

Okay, Castiel is a fucking master.

Dean lets his head fall to his chest, gasping for air as he tenses for a split second as he just feels Cas' body against his. Dean tries to flip himself around, to try and move but Cas won't let him- holding him firmly in place at his hip.

"Not yet."

Dean whines, shifting on Cas because God dammit he needs release right now and he doesn't care if Cas wants to go slow or make it special. Dean feels like he's about to explode, burst apart at the seams, and all Cas wants to do is make the process a whole lot slower than needed. Dean only stills at the growl Castiel gives him, a shiver running down his strained spine as the Dominant takes control yet again.

"I promise this is going to be worth it, Dean."

Dean's struggle to let himself go stalls as he feels Cas flip him over onto the ground, the Dominant's wings surrounding them once more as he straddles Dean's hips and smiles softly. Dean thinks this is going to be just like when they had first done this- nothing but finishing it without worrying about how to get there. Just quick, rushed. No feelings or hushed whispers against flushed skin. For Dean, he's expecting this- for Cas to just go about this like they have been so far like tradition, but Cas doesn't. No, he slides down to Dean's level, his face mere inches away from Dean's. The sub can feel his hot breath on his cheeks as those eye sparkle with something Dean's never seen before- but it's warm and comforting, and Dean just wished it were something he could douse himself in.

Their eyes meet once more, half-lidded and glancing down to their swollen lips that are slightly parted. Cas moves in slow, gaze focused on Dean's mouth and how Dean's tongue dips out slightly to wet them, only to seize it with his own. Cas' lips are warm and gentle, dragging something out of Dean he never knew to exist as his mate slides his tongue through his parted lip, filling the empty gap.

Dean has always thought kissing was a little awkward. He never really had anyone he had wanted to do that with, anyone he wanted to get that close and intimate with, anyone whose tongue got the rights to enter his mouth. But with Cas, it's just… different. Dean finds that his insides feel like that kind of searing heat you'd find on a match once you lit it, swirling around and burning every available inch it could find. He wanted to explore his mate's mouth with his tongue, find all the sweet and soft spots and to drag his teeth along his lips.

Cas slots his body and mouth against Dean's, a groan coming from him that Dean finds to enjoy, feeling Cas' tongue sweep across his teeth in a quick, fluid motion. Dean feels himself starting to let go at the feel of Castiel's lips alone, his cry muffled by the lips sealing his own as he shudders against Cas for the countless time.

Cas was right, it was worth it.

…

Bobby has Sam still in the examination room. They're quiet now, even with Lucifer's absence, and Sam can't find any words relevant to how he feels. He supposes this is kind of like what happens when someone's told they have a terminal illness- the doctor sitting nearby while the patient realizes their lives are about to be over so soon. It's like a time bomb, and Sam hasn't got a clue to when it's supposed to detonate.

Sam's just been told he's "fit-for-duty" and Lucifer seems really happy about that as if it's a promise. Contrary to that bastard's belief, it's more like a death sentence. Sam doesn't want to even be mated to him, let alone carry and birth his children. The Submissive grips the stainless steel table tighter. He feels so exposed, so violated and nothing has even happened to him yet. He bites his lower lip, looking down at the floor with uncertain eyes.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to give you these." Bobby hands Sam two pills, "They aren't going to kill you or anythin', before you ask and prod."

Sam just stares at the curved rectangles, one side of the red and the other blue, they star back unnervingly, "Uhh, then what would they do to me? You just don't take a pill for nothing most of the time..."

Bobby clears his throat, "One of them is supposed to increase your fertility and the other is to induce a heat. Lucifer is making me give them to you, I'm sorry."

"Oh… of course that's what they are for…"

"Son," Bobby sounds genuine, eyes softened in an apologetic squint, "if I had birth control I'd give it to ya. But that stuff is forbidden here and you better believe they run a tight leash on em'. I can see if I can try and sneak you one, though I'll more than likely get hung for this…"

Sam takes the pills in his hands, staring at them instead of at Bobby because it's so much easier to avoid someone's eyes when you're feeling like tears are about to start rolling downwards like raindrops on glass, and you feel just as fragile, "Then why help me?"

There's a small pause, Sam being unsure of whether it's because Bobby is surprised he asked or is thinking of his response- either way he's just as uncertain, "I like you Sam, you seem like a good person. Sure, maybe some things you've done aren't the best- but no one's got a clean track record. I can see how much you've got to offer when I look at you, and Lucifer's right when he's says you're one of a kind. All the other Submissives I have to tend to break like twigs- sobbing and just shutting out the world. I don't blame them for it, but you… you've managed to stay head strong throughout all of this. Even with Lucifer waiting at your doorstep to take you to prom and you know what? I think that's worth dying for if it comes down to it."

Sam smiles, "Thanks Bobby."

He means it.

…

The doctor at Michael's camp is coming today, Dean being anxious and Cas extremely protective over him. Dean doesn't know if the news of being pregnant would be a blessing or death sentence. It's probably equal.

The doctor comes in then, and Dean heard a growl come from Castiel's chest. His words from earlier rang in Dean's head, "Wherever he goes, I follow."

"There's no need to be so defensive. I'm only here to help."

Cas closes into Dean's side and doesn't let him him go.

"Alright, we'll I'm coming in there so neither of you have to leave. My name's Charlie."

Dean doesn't know why, but he immediately takes to her. Maybe it's her ginger hair or her stature of "I don't give any fucks", it just matters that Dean instantly relaxes against Castiel as he feels his fear slip away.

Cas takes notice, but he only lets up a fraction as he speaks, "Are there any pills or injections Dean must take?"

Charlie isn't surprised by the inquiry, "No, I'm just here with an ultrasound kit."

Charlie comes into the cage, though Cas is giving a low vibrating warning in his chest- like a cat would when you're pissing it off or it's in water- as she nears. She puts up her hand in signs of peace, Dean's back still on Castiel's torso as she settles near them. Cas is stiff as a plank of wood- or maybe even a slab of cement- Charlie's hand nearing Dean's stomach when Cas bears his teeth in warning.

"It's alright… I'm just lifting his shirt."

Dean ends up having to do it himself, his mate still glaring at Charlie with his wings puffed out in a sign of dominance. Once the Submissive's stomach is revealed, Dean takes a moment to look at it. It's been a long time since Dean's even really seen it- having clothes on his person constantly just in case- other than quick glimpses from showers or while changing. Now, he can take the time to take it in. It's toned from all of his years of running and defending himself, and it's a little weird to think that he's actually going to have to deal with it being swollen up like a balloon in a not-so-distant future. Charlie just takes out a bottle and squeezes clear gel onto Dean's skin, making him him hiss in the awkward sensation.

Cas snarls, nearly flying towards Charlie- who seems completely unmoved- only to be stopped by Dean's stern arm, "It's not painful Cas… just cold."

The Dominant seems to calm himself at that, wings falling from where they had risen upwards to rest a little easier on his back. Dean finds it a little humorous, letting Charlie fix his stomach up for the ultrasound. God- it felt... awkward.

Dean's breath catches in his throat as he awaits for Charlie to start the machine up, the gel on his stomach feeling unnatural against the air. Like Dean had something coating his exposed skin that was warm, and he can only compare it to whenever he had petroleum jelly stuck on his hand when he was little for a day. There's a weird pressure on Dean's abdomen, making the sub get snapped back into reality to see that Charlie has begun while he was debating with himself.

"This is to just make sure if you conceived or not," Charlie says, eyes focused completely on the small screen lit up beside her, hand moving in circles with part of the ultrasound machine on Dean's lower torso, "oh- there we are."

Dean furrows his brow, he knew for a while know that some pregnancies were really fast but- surely this is a little early. Fear of something being completely and horribly wrong fills Dean as his breath catches in his throat as Charlie scans. Cas seems to notice, rubbing his hands up Dean's arms reassuringly as he still keeps a close eye on the doctor examining his mate.

"Just to let you know it can be this early for you to conceive, Dean. It's natural and even expected for you two since you're so rare and all... Se right there, that's where it's gonna be after some time passes, okay? I don't if it's good news or not but- congrats Dean you're pregnant."

Dean doesn't know whether to cry from joy or pure fear.

…

"So that's it then- there's nothing else you can do?"

"Does it look like I have many other available options, Gabe? If so, please tell me if you see one, it'd make this so much easier..."

Their breathing is the only sound in the room Sam hears alongside his train wreck of thoughts.

Gabe clears his throat, "So no ideas, no plans? We're just gonna sit back and let this happen? No fight- nothing?"

"That's easy for you to say- it's not even your ass that's on the line Gabriel."

The Dominant glares, "I already told you I care about what happens to you. It doesn't even matter who's got Lucifer's attention right now because we're both in this together."

Sam tries to think that maybe, somehow how out of all of this superficial bullshit swirling around them that the resolution is going to be a good one. The exposition being actually worth something in all of this tragedy that's been passed around much like the high school whore. It probably won't though. Considering no matter how hard you think about it- wish for things to be different it always ends up as something you never wanted. Especially with all of those unanswered prayers and wishes you make while you slink down a wall with your head thrown back against it, hoping for an ending like you've seen in the movies as a child. That maybe your "happy ending" was just right around the corner as your eyes scrunch and the first tear out of many begins to fall; splattering on the floor below as you just let it all out. Yeah, Sam really fucking hopes.

"Moose..." Gabriel begins, "Come on, stop crying... There's no need to cry."

He'd been too caught up in his thoughts to notice the hot droplets training down and over his cheekbones, and he wipes them away quickly as if they had personally offended him, "Don't talk to me like I'm an ignorant child."

"I'm not treating you like that at all, if anything I'm recalling to you as a friend, Sam." Gabe sits himself beside Sam on the floor, elbows resting on his knees with his hands tucked underneath his chin as he speaks, "You don't need to feel weak for crying, that you're not giving in or giving up. You're letting your emotions out in a completely natural way. Emotions are meant to be felt, meant to come in and sweep you off your feet and make you react. That's their purpose Sam, to make you human."

"Human? How can I feel human while I've got my back to a wall and a knife at my throat?" Sam scoffs.

The dom beside the Submissive shifts a little at those words, but continues on as best as he can manage, "That's just how it is Sam. You have to learn that it's okay to turn away and let it go, just let it out and rid yourself of that unbearable weight. What's the point of living if you limit yourself?"

"Because Gabe-" Sam snaps suddenly, "I hate being that vulnerable! I hate being the person who's falling apart at the seams when no one's looking! That whenever I think I'm alone it's okay to just break because no one will be there to see how pathetic I really am!"

"You aren't pathetic Sam. I've been trying to tell you that all along. Why can't you see how important you are?"

The sub lets his voice fell to a low whisper, lower lip trembling as his voice barely reaches the air outside his mouth, "Important? So far I've been told I'm fertile and that I'm going to be Lucifer's mate... I don't see how that gives me any worth."

Gabe only shifts closer to Sam, "Hey, that's not going to define you. You're too good for that. The only person who can label you is yourself."

"You think so?"

"I know as much Moose." Gabe smiles, "Besides, you given me all the reason to believe in you."

Sam feels a swell in his chest. He hasn't felt like he was appreciated in a long time. Sure, Dean was supportive and lent Sam a helping hand when he needed it- but that's all he ever felt like- a burden. For Gabe to say that he has laid some faith in him in the short time they've known each other... Well, lets just say it make Sam feel a whole lot better about himself and makes his heart practically sing.

"Thanks Gabe..." Sam mutters, pulling his legs closer to himself.

He feels an arm wrapping around his shoulder, and finds himself leaning into the owner of the appendage willingly.

...

Ever since Charlie confirmed Dean was in fact carrying Castiel's child, several things have happened. For one, Cas won't leave Dean's side or sight. If the Submissive needs anything or is anywhere, Cas is right by his side attached to his hip. Dean enjoys it, when it isn't suffocating. The second event that happens is Michael. Since the angel forming inside Dean's abdomen was discovered, the Dominant has not stopped his prodding and watchful obsession. In fact, it seems to have worsened it by how much his visits increase in duration and quantity. For Dean, he just ignores the angel and huddles next to Cas- happy to feel those warning snarls sent to the dom stalking behind him. Other than that it's not much of a big deal.

Yet.

…

Sam was in the cage with Gabriel when it started happening. At first, Sam just felt a little hot under the collar- lifting his wings so the cool air could swirl underneath the feathers and chill them. Gabe seemed to be comfortable, hanging out on his top bunk while Sam just shifted around to try and stop the sweat starting to bead on his skin.

It progressively worsened, Sam's body shaking a little as his veins felt like a gunpowder trail just waiting for the match to drop. He was panting softly, hands clenched above the stainless steel table as his teeth bite onto his tongue to fight the burning ache in his throat. It's only until he quietly moans that he realizes he's been slowly rocking himself on the chair, hips snapping still as Gabriel looks down from his bunk.

"Moose? Is everything okay? ..."

Sam wants to tell him that he's alright, that he's just got this fucking itch below his skin he just can't fucking reach. It's absolutely insufferable. But the sub finds his mouth unable to work, tongue unable to form words and all that comes out is a wanton whimper that makes Gabe's wings flare up and his eyes darken.

"Oh…" Is all he says, lungs taking in as much as they can within those few seconds without bursting, "Oh…"

Sam doesn't know what's going on really, just knows that he needs Gabe and his fingers on his skin, his tongue in his mouth or on his lips- fuck that- his neck-

"Sam… " Gabe growls, causing a shiver to travel around his spine and his wings to twitch.

The Dominant practically falls off of his bunk in his haste, Sam shifting to become available to his touch as he feels the heat wash over him. Sam should be terrified now, not only at the weird feeling coursing through his body but at the fact he's practically letting something he's fought against for so long just happen. All of his rational thought- however much remaining intact at the time- is gone as Gabe reaches him with a snarl. Sam spreads himself out, releasing a needy whimper for Gabe to just even look at him.

"Sam... Are you-"

Sam can't speak right now, so instead he flexes his wings around Gabe and shows him the underside, his Submissive feathers glittering with oil and sweat. Gabriel sees the proposal, pupils dilating as he slightly licks his lips.

"Mine!"

Sam's heart quickens, feeling the searing heat flush through his veins as his pulse becomes faster. His mouth transformed into a desert, tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth as Sam moans. There's a slide of clothes off of heated skin, the cloth falling to the floor as Gabe gives a satisfied huff.

This should be awkward, or at least something that should be bothering the both of them. They were supposed to be at least faking a bond not creating one- but it seems, as Sam wraps his legs around Gabe as he's pressed further into the table, that it doesn't matter. At least it's more believable.

Sam opens his mouth, head rolling back with his neck and back arching. The cold metal feels good against his hot spine. His feathers ruffle and puff out, oil sliding down the grain as Gabe runs a trembling finger downwards.

"Sam… Sam- is this okay? C-Can I touch your wings?"

The sub just holds them out as an open invitation.

The Dominant growls, mouth nearing Sam's sweat and wing-oil slicked skin, the vein jittery under the tanned flesh as the sharp canines near. Sam wants nothing more than those teeth to pierce through, to feel Gabe's tongue lapping up the blood with the evidence of new formed bond lingering as red on his lips.

Their coupling doesn't last as long as either of them want, but they have to be quick. There's guards walking around and half of the room is nothing but bars- and even then the others don't know Gabriel is undercover. It would be a little hard to explain why two Submissives were bonded considering they aren't meant to. So in the end, they had to be fast.

Sam goes limp under his new mate, nerves still burning but they feel better as Gabe moans into his neck, lips sealed tightly out of the now broken skin. The Submissive feels pleased, wings wrapping contentedly around Gabriel and closing him in, as though the world outside was threatening to barge in.

"He should be in heat by now-" speak of the devil, it's Lucifer that's approaching down the hallway, Gabriel reluctantly flying off of his mate and into his top bunk appearing to be asleep, "why wasn't I alerted?"

"I'm sorry sir…"

Sam does the best he can to stop the blood flow now that his head is clearer. It's drying along his protruding collar bone and sinking into his shirt- perfect. His wings stiffen as a cold voice rings out behind him.

"A little bird told me that you were ready."

There's a soft growl from Gabe, but it's only heard by Sam before he snarks back with a smirk, "A little bird? Since when do you have to rely on forest creatures to run your war? And don't you think it's a little crazy to be talking to animals?"

Gabe quietly snickers, back towards Lucifer so he doesn't get recognized.

"I am talking to you, Sam."

Sam hissed under his breath quickly, Gabe's near-silent laughter stopping at those words. Instead of even trying with another sentence, Sam just turns around gives the Dominant the best bitch face and glare mixture he can manage. It seems to work as Lucifer scowls sharply.

"Why don't you just come along and makes this easier?"

"Because I don't want to."

Lucifer rolls his eyes, "Don't be so irrational… Just step out and this can all be okay."

Sam snorts, no- this can never be okay. Ever.

"Sam… is that blood on your neck?"

"Maybe." Sam drops his volume a little, "You should know well enough by now what it looks like."

The dom sneers, "Come on, you're going to Bobby."

Sam just follows because what's the point of fighting? If he does struggle, then this bite wound from Gabe is going to be the least of his ever-growing list of worries.

The sub hisses as Bobby places alcohol onto the bond bite, the older man's face in a serious scowl. He's been silent for a little bit, and Sam has guessed that this means Bobby's got a few choice words to say and Sam's going to have to listen up. He swallows, feeling and seeing Bobby back away from his sensitive and damaged neck.

"What the hell were you thinkin' you idjit?!" Bobby's voice is low enough to only let Sam hear it, "You tryin' to get yourself killed or somethin'!?"

Sam sighs, "I wasn't expecting it- it just happened…"

"I told Gabriel letting other subs in his room was a horrible idea, like them being all around him isn't bad enough… You two have death wishes, I swear…"

"Wait- you know about Gabe? …"

Bobby sighs and looks up to the ceiling, probably thinking that whoever is listening needs to hurry up and end this before he loses it, "Of course I do. I specialize in angels, so I know what gender they are and more. Gabriel can't pull the wool over my eyes if he tried. So of course I know that he's sneaking in here under radar. I've been the main or only reason that boy hasn't gotten caught yet- and here he goes, bonding with the one angel Lucifer is dead set on… God bless…"

There's a moments pause for Sam so he can take all of this in, "Alright… But now that I'm bonded, don't you think that Lucifer will notice? How can we keep it hidden?"

"I could lie for you. He won't know any better. He's too cocky for that."

Sam's throat tightens and his fists clench, "Bobby- I can't make you do that. You're already doing so much and-"

"Can it you idjit… I want to help." Bobby steps aside, stripping off his gloves, "So let me."

"But won't that mean you could get into even deeper bullshit with Lucifer? If this comes back to bite you in the ass I don't think I'd want a long list of reasons for him to smite me…"

Bobby stalls, stopping with whatever he was doing beforehand and just sighing. Sam starts to think that maybe he pushed an invisible button or crossed over some line or boundary he didn't know existed. Bobby might be angry with him for being so concerned but the sub had a right to be. His mate's life (and his own) were on a fairly thin line as of late, and being sure they weren't going to tip over was about all he could do as it shook and weakened- sometimes growing even smaller.

Bobby just keeps his back to Sam as he softly responds, "Karen would really want me to. She used to go on and on about the treatment of Submissives. How people always walked on them, looked down on them- like they were inferior or a bug to just squash under their boots. I never realized until I came here what she truly meant by that… I've seen unfiltered pain, violent torture, unspeakable death… So much for one lifetime, and it's hard to imagine that this is going on all over the globe because these two knuckleheads think they've got the right to do as much. People have so much more potential to them then just holding a gun and pulling a trigger, or the color of something they can't control. Why can't they see that? We're peopleand they just- look right through us.Like we're purely nothing. We aren't transparent last time I checked, so I don't understand why the just can't notice we have faces and lives. But I guess it doesn't matter when you're on a high horse, you know? You've got everything in the world, so what does it matter?"

Sam just sits and thinks.

"How is he?" Lucifer comes in suddenly, making Sam jump and Bobby stiffen, "Did you fix his neck up properly?"

"He's fine- and of course I did. What do you think I do here? Lounge?"

The Dominant seems unbothered by the man's snark reply- Sam guessing that Bobby does this often- and then tilts his head, "How did he get that on his neck in the first place?"

Here it is, the game changer. One wrong reply and everything can go to shit- well, even worse shit than they're in right now but you get the point. But, if they do it just right, they can keep walking along till they find the exit off this highway of hell.

"I'm supposing since I gave him a pill to help induce heats, he had a flare up. It's been known that Submissives quarrel if they're in close quarters- completely opposite from if it's a Dominant. Their scents repel each other. I'm guessing the sub in his room got a little toothy and it just happened. No harm done."

Lucifer nods, "Alright. For a moment there I thought he actually went off and got bonded."

Nope.

Nope nope nope nope nope.

Lucifer leads Sam out of Bobby's area and into a hallway, his hand lingering on the small of the Submissive's back as he guides him somewhere. The touch makes Sam want to vomit, to curl in on himself to keep away those prying fingers. Instead, Lucifer seems to think that Sam has no personal space and is practically breathing onto his neck as he stops in front of a door in some abandoned hallway.

"How about we have some alone time?"

Sam's heart quickens, brain scrambling to find a different solution and it somehow happens just in time, "Wait! I want to learn how to use my powers…"

"Right now?"

"Yeah umm…" Sam rubs the back of his neck, "I'd rather be prepared, you know… Just in case. That way I also know what I'm doing beforehand- and it might come in handy or something."

Lucifer pauses, and Sam thinks he's about to decline when the Dominant speaks, "Fair enough. Time for some target practice."

Wait hold on a moment- "Target practice? …"

"You'll see Sam," Lucifer breaks out into a dark, sinister grin, "you'll see."

Sam almost wants to projectile vomit, somewhat close to that girl in some older horror movie Dean decided to put on one night that just- well, it had just bothered him a little. Lucifer's hand snakes a little under them hem of his jeans for a second, but lifts back up and hooks itself on Sam's belt loops. The Submissive wants to run, to push Lucifer up and stop this facade- that he was already mated and it was too late for him to try anymore.

Sam gets snapped out of his thoughts as Lucifer stops the both of them, a grin on his face that can rival the Cheshire cat if he wanted to, Sam's muscles tensing at the sharp canines glinting at him. If there's ever a time that Sam ever felt like backing up into a corner, it'd be now.

"Since you haven't used your powers yet, it may be a little strenuous on you. We'll start with something small and work our way up the ladder- but I'm also sure you can advance quickly and we won't have to linger too long."

Sam only nods, head barely moving as he keeps his eyes set on the Dominant before him in case he might be used as a test object.

"First- an apple." Lucifer's hand comes from behind his back, the deep red- almost crimson- fruit strikingly contrasting to his pale skin, "Focus on it and only it. It may take a bit for you to hone your abilities but that's what I'm here for."

The sub blinks his eyes once and tries his hardest to concentrate on the apple. It's starts as a dull throb, Sam guessing that maybe since he isn't letting his eyes even twitch is the cause, and moves into a full blown headache. Sam groans, gaze completely disconnecting from the torturous target and into the palms of his hands. God- Sam was just bested by a fruit. A fucking fruit.

"Are you okay Sam?"

Another grunt of pain, "Why does it feel like my head just got body slammed by an anvil?"

"I did warn you since you've had no proper training prior to this that you may struggle. It's kind of like exercising your muscles- the more you use them, the better they are. Right now I'd label it's strength to that of a floppy fish."

Right… Because Sam's brain is totally a slimy, scaly aquatic animal.

"Do you think you can continue?" Lucifer questions, Sam still unable to even open his eyes.

Sam just grunts in reply.

…

Dean feels Cas stir him awake, "Yeah?"

"How are you feeling?"

The Submissive lets a single hand fall to his stomach, "Normal?"

How was he supposed to feel? Fat?

Cas' fingers wrap around Dean's palm, "I was just making sure… You're scent and grace have… shifted."

"Yeah, that happens when you're pregnant, Cas. Did you think I was just going to look like I always did? Remain at a constant and then just pop an angel baby out of nowhere? I think you might need to retake Sex Ed."

"I know how pregnancy works Dean, I have been here for some time. I've seen the stages and know what happens. I am not ignorant to this natural process… It's just different this time because it's my own child and mate in the mix."

Dean smiles warmly, "So you're nervous then?"

His mate nods, "I am- concerned. Even if we weren't here at this camp, I believe I'd still be worried."

The sub snuggles into Castiel's lap, playing with the buttons of the worn tee adorning his torso as he sighs in content, "I think everyone's nervous when they're about to have a kid. It's just natural. Is that the only reason? …" Dean's fear pricks his voice suddenly, "You're not… regretting this are you? …"

"No-" Cas blurts, then more calmly adds, "it's the fact that we are practically located underneath Michael's thumb. He is not a man for keeping his word, nor restraining himself when it comes to things. I don't particularly enjoy my mate and unborn child anywhere near him."

"Cas…"

The Dominant was growling lowly, teeth gritting together with his jaw clenched in disgust and anger. Dean leans up, takes one had and places it to the side of Cas' face softly, pressing his lips on his skin in order to calm Cas down. Dean understands why he's so worked up, that the idea of Michael being so in control- it's terrifying. If Dean voiced his concern, it would be almost verbatim to Cas' own worries and fears. Cas leans into Dean's chaste kisses of comfort, a sigh escaping him and his shoulders fall from where they were tensed.

"I know that things are making sense right now, that things aren't exactly where we want them. But life isn't perfect, it's got it's smudges and blemishes- but it's still beautiful and we've still got each other. And even if you're taken from me…" Dean takes Cas' hand and places it on top of his stomach, his palm resting on the back of Castiel's hand, "I've always got a piece of you with me."

There's no more words because there doesn't have to be. People have always talked about a relationship, a love that is so deep in connection that sometimes there doesn't have to be anything said for the other understand. It's like it's own type of communication; and Dean and Cas have this language. It's spoken through their lips softly pressing together, through hands running up goose-bumped skin, through stolen breaths and stalled heartbeats. It's a simple way really for showing a complex and profound bond.

"Cas… can you promise me something? …" Dean asks, a little breathless from the constant kisses that are turning more and more heated.

"Anything."

Dean swallows, bites his lip and let's his wavering voice out, "Promise me we won't let this war break us. That Michael won't sever what we have because I don't want to go through losing you, okay? I'm not one usually to be emotional, or to show vulnerability when I have it but dammit Cas- I gotta have you. I need you… Michael and this war are not going to come in between that, okay? Can you do that, for me? Just try and stay as long as you can? …"

Cas nods, "I don't plan on leaving anytime soon if I have a choice Dean. In a few short days you've become the most important thing of my existence and I find it unfathomable to think of you ever being out of it after all of this… I never intended for myself to become bonded in life, or to ever have any children- it all seemed so tedious and pointless to me, like drawl… But with you I do not mind it, and I think that is why I'm mated to you in the first place Dean. You're my only exception."

"Isn't that a song?"

"I am not sure, I have never been one for radio or recent music trends."

Dean laughs, "Of course I get the one angel who doesn't get any pop culture references. That's okay though- means I can show you what's good and what's bad."

The Dominant scowls, "You act as though I'm a dog who needs training."

"Gotta get to some point of progress somehow I guess…"

Dean holds onto Cas' shirt, hoping that somehow everything would just be okay. Dean feels himself slinking off into sleep again, something he's been doing a lot lately and dammit Cas' heartbeat is just so relaxing against his ear.

Dean doesn't know how it happened or long it's been, but when he opens his eyes again Cas is gone.

…

Lucifer is dead set on teaching Sam even though the sub feels like his head is about to explode. It's like someone's taking a meat tenderizer and bashing it around in his skull trying to hit something. Of course, Lucifer just blows it off as "strain from never being used". It gets so bad that Sam nearly faints and that's when it actually clicks in Lucifer's head that he's been pushing Sam too far.

"Oh baby I'm sorry- I should have known…"

It's the worst apology ever for two reasons: one, Sam is not Lucifer's baby; and second is that it sounds so fake because it's practically forced through his teeth. They always told you, if you lie, at least make it sound convincing.

Sam can't give a reply, he's' too busy dealing with his stomach becoming a gymnast, his brain being a person who just crashed into a wall going seventy-miles-per-hour and they weren't wearing a seat belt. In short, Sam felt like utter shit, especially as bile worked it's way into his mouth and onto the floor.

"Seems you overshot a bit there..."

The comment makes San want to growl because it was the exact opposite in the role department, but he's too busy vomiting.

"Let Bobby check you one more time and then you can go to your room again. If you need me, just call."

The Submissive just glares- or tries to. How are you supposed to look menacing when you've got spit dribbling down your chin and your stomach's contents on the floor?

Sam has to be led out of the room Lucifer led him into, everything looking like the Twilight Zone as he walks down the mind-warped hallways. He swears he can even taste stale blood in his mouth as Bobby curses at his condition.

"He said he'd be careful with you and I warned him this would happen if he pushed you too far on this- and of course he does the exact opposite of what I told him to do. And he says he can lead an army when he can't even watch over one lone man."

The Submissive only groans in pain as a response.

"You alright, son? He didn't make you do too much did he?"

Sam puts a hand up as a gesture of "I'm fine. I think."

Bobby nods, "I can imagine that your brain feels like exploding right now at least... I think some rest and being with Gabe will do you some good. I can probably only give you a little bit of time before Lucifer comes over your shoulder again. I wish there was something I could do to help you more, but my powers here are limited- especially with you."

The sub just smiles as best as he can manage because right now he can actually see his pulse by the veins in his eyes. This really fucked him up.

He somehow makes it back to his room, Gabe at the bars when he arrives with the only thing lighting his face is the faint moonlight in the back of the room and the artificial ones overhead. His face is drawn up in concern, only to worsen when he sees how bad off Lucifer left Sam at. The Dominant growls, fingers tightening on the metal poles as he growls out in a protective rage. When the cage door is opened, Gabe practically rushes in and pulls Sam in with a snarl to the angels who brought him. Sam finds his back landing onto his bottom bunk with a soft thump, Gabe's presence nearby as the sub closes his eyes. He does feel a little better…

"You okay Moose, did he do anything? He didn't touch you… did he? …" his mate's voice dropped, wavering a bit which surprises Sam to say at the least.

"Nothing like that… More along the lines of practicing my powers which seemed to bite me in the ass. I'm managing, though… It feels like my brain's a lemon and it just got out through a juicer… Its just simple really. The other would just be hard to tell you…"

The dom gives a small sigh, "Okay that's a little easier to take…"

Sam licks his lip and bites the inside of his cheek for a second before speaking, "Why what did you think happened? …"

"I thought-" Gabe is now straddling Sam's hips, "I thought that he had violated you in every possible way, that he touched every available inch of your skin. That he exposed you and took everything for himself. Just the idea of him doing that just- fuck Sam it just messes with me in ways I can't describe. Are you positive that your okay, that there's no reason for me to pull Lucifer's and my own hair out?"

"I'm sure Gabe, thank you." Sam laughs softly, his brain being gullible by believing its a jackhammer in his skull.

Gabe presses his lips to Sam's, and it's gentle. It says a lot, just like all kisses do; except its what Sam's translating that sends a flutter through the sub's chest. Gabe cares, cares a lot, and he doesn't enjoy whenever Sam's gone if his lips slotting openly, invitingly, on his mate's. It seems as though he just feels like same is like a major internal organ, something he has to have to live and to function normally. It makes Sam hum.

"I wish we could do more than this…" Gabe whispers in Sam's ear, fingers running through his hair like a stream would through bedrock, "That I could absorb every inch of you and make you mine…"

"You already have." Sam quietly assures, hand sliding up Gabe's forearms and to the junction of his shoulder and neck, the pads of his fingers resting on the Dominant's collarbone and pulse point.

Sam's mate brightens at that, stealing his quickly flushing lips with his teeth softly. Sam moans, hips raising a little towards Gabe's. There's a quick flick of the dom's tongue on his lips before they pull away and work up in one corner to form a smirk, moonlight glinting off of his playful and suspicious expression as his wings set straight in determination.

"Gabe, what are you-"

The Submissive can't say anything else because of what he's seeing. Gabe is sliding further downwards, hazel eyes set intently on Sam's as his mouth reaches his mate's navel. Gabe presses his lips to the toned skin, Sam disconnecting his gaze to throw his head back in a wanton groan. He bites his lip, feeling the warmth boil underneath his skin as Gabe gradually kisses lower and lower. The Dominant nips at the flesh pulled over Sam's hip bone, causing a gasp and shiver to escape from the angel below. There's a spark ignited in Sam that makes his heart pound and his wings flutter.

Gabe then gives a small chuckle, hooking his fingers through the belt loops of the jeans and gently sliding them down Sam's waist. The sub has to grasp onto the sheets, a sound trapped in his throat that makes it burn as if not letting it free causes him physical pain, especially as Sam feels a hot tongue work its way down-

"Gabe…" Sam whimpers, muscles shaking with the effort of trying to be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible.

"Don't worry Sam, I'm going to take good care of you." another slide of his tongue, "Just let me do my job."

Sam gives a breathy and huffed snort, "You make this sound like you don't want to do this-"

Sam is cut off then by Gabriel using his mouth instead of his tongue.

It's absolutely perfect- better than before- just beyond words. The Submissive has to close his eyes, losing sight of Gabe's wings and form below as he bobs up and down in just the right ways, working his tongue around the slit.

About ten minutes in, Sam feels like he's about to burst- body and wings thrumming like he got six shots inside of a grande coffee with extra sugar. His throat is aching with how many sounds and words he's held back, and Gabe seems to enjoy the thought of causing him this kind of distress more than anything. He's drawing this out to every millisecond, and it feels like Sam's getting hazed to be in some sort of group or something. God- walking on hot coals would be easier than this.

In a few seconds, however, Sam finds himself in complete bliss. It's better than the first time we he was in heat but that's perfectly fine. Gabe slinks up, lips drawn up in a smile that makes any breath Sam gained wisp away.

"I have to say, afterglow looks perfect on you." Gabe whispers, pressing his mouth onto Sam's jaw line, "I wish I could have done more for you, or that you could return the favor but I don't want Lucifer to walk up and smell my mating pheromones because that would be an awkward family reunion."

Sam laughs quietly, a smile on his face so wide his cheeks start to ache with the strain, his wings splayed out in a completely content position, "It's fine Gabe… That was- enjoyable."

"Huh, so I am good… Oh, it was my first one."

"I don't even want to ask how you know because I don't want to lose my buzz."

"I learned from my own experiences."

"And it's gone."

They both chuckle together, and it dies out, but in a good way. It's one of those moments when the laughing ceases and the air around grows quiet, that you'd actually take the time to look into their eyes and see why you're trying in the first place. Why you grew close to them, what causes your heart to stutter and you pulse to quicken underneath your skin. Why you'd enjoy waking up to their body next to yours and their breath on your neck and everything would just be so absolutely perfect.

Gabe leans up and puts a chaste kiss on Sam's mouth, a hand cupping his mate's face as they let even more of the tension they've been having slip out. To Sam, this was absolutely perfect.

…

"Cas…" Dean's voice was rough now, calling his mate's name in pure fear and agony for the past few hours, "Cas…"

"I'm afraid he's a little… busy, at the moment."

Dean looks up from the ground, something he's been staring at utterly lost for the past few hours while he just echoed out Castiel's name on a loop, like a broken record. The only difference is that Dean isn't a circular disc from the fifties. Michael smiles, taking in Dean's tear-sticky and puffy cheeks, the bags under the Submissive's eyes from where he hasn't slept. The dom leans in to the bars, Dean- even with how exhausted he is- scurries a few inches away from the angel looming over and threatening to destroy everything.

"I do not understand why you are afraid, Dean. There is surely no threat."

Dean scoffs, voice dry and painful as it forms, "Yeah because you're just a perfectly normal person. It's not like you've committed genocide or anything…"

Michael squints, "This war has nothing to do with this."

"If not- then I have perfectly good enough reason to hate you and tell you to go fuck yourself. So I will." Dean drops his voice an octave lower making talking just a little easier while threatening, eyes unwavering as they connect with the Dominant's, "Go. Fuck. Yourself. "

"For a Submissive you do have a lot of fight in you. I can't wait to see it all drained out once I lance it out like an infection."

There's a moments pause because Dean doesn't care what happens to him really, and there's only one thing he needs to know right now- even with Michael right in front of him threatening to cut him open and make him bleed. One thing that takes precedence over Dean's pounding heart and tensed wings, one thing that matters more than the life even forming inside of Dean's body- that one, single thing, "What happened to Cas? …"

The abomination labeling himself as an angel seems surprised at Dean disregarding himself and his unborn child so quickly in the option of his mate's whereabouts, "I'll give you one thing, you are devoted. Pity you didn't worship me like you do my baby brother. What makes him so much more special than an angel who can make anything you want happen with the snap of his fingers?"

"Because there's more to a connection to someone than just money or prizes… Cas would be there for me even when he couldn't," and Dean's hand drops to his stomach to prove the point, "and he has done so much more for me in this few days I've spent with him when his abilities were limited than you could manage with your promises of a better life with all the time in the world. Now- answer my fucking question."

"You make it sound as if you have a bargaining chip, how very brave of you Dean. It's almost comical."

The Submissive glares, seeing Michael's lips twitch in amusement, "But I do, in case you've forgotten. I am carrying your key to winning the war, remember?"

Michael seems to tense then, realizing that Dean was right, so the sub speaks again, "So- where the fuck is Cas?"

"He's being attained at the moment, afraid he's too busy being drugged out of his mind. He's completely lax at the moment I believe. It's so he doesn't go into a rage or anything."

Sometimes whenever a Dominant is in a life or death situation, another Dominant is fighting them, or their mate is in danger, they will go into a very threatening and dangerous mindset called a rage. They're not the best thing to be the pinpoint or the cause of. Dean swallows nervously because it's more than likely taking a lot of IV drops to keep Cas so mellow.

"Now that we have our alone time, I thought we could try something."

Some other angel comes in, opening the door to Dean's cage and walking in. When the sub makes no move to get up or exit (because honestly, which latter is better?) the angel enters, a blade in his hand that soon presses to Dean's skin, a feeling that's not foreign to Dean at all. He's led out and walked until he's straight in front of Michael who grins. It just makes Dean want to projectile vomit.

"That's all I need from you right now. You may leave."

Dean looks away to watch the other angel leave, and as soon as his eyes are off of Michael his back is pressing into the ground and Michael looms above him chuckling. Dean squirmed underneath him, the putrid taste of bile working it's way up from his stomach as the situation settles in. The Dominant only seems to smile wider, gaining more enjoyment from Dean's struggle. What an asshole.

"There's no need to be so frightened Dean, everything is okay."

"No- it's not! Cas being drugged out of his damn mind is not okay! You trying to fucking rape me is not okay! Get off of me!"

Michael snarls, and Dean only stops as a hand wraps around his neck and presses, "What did I tell you about disobeying me Dean? What have I not done to show you not to cross me?"

Dean can't respond due to the fact Michael's hand only presses on his throat even more, closing Dean's windpipe slowly and painfully. Dean only fights harder, stupid really to think he should be trying to conserve air or keep the damage low and Michael to let go but it's something he can't think of because it's like as soon as Michael's hand pressed to his neck something in him snapped. Something animalistic and feral- this was for survival. Whether it's for himself or his and Castiel's child he cannot specifically tell you.

Michael doesn't let up as the life in Dean starts to trickle away, in fact, as the air forces it's way out of Dean's lungs and struggles to get in, Michael seems to get off on it. The Submissive feels his wings flapping against the dirt, his veins burn as his heart painfully pulses, the hand only to wrap tighter to the point where Dean think his neck will snap. He is surely going to die now.

In a weird sense of finality, Dean closes his eyes and waits for death to come.

Except, it doesn't exactly.

Instead, he finds himself gasping in all the air his damaged throat can manage. Eyes filled with tears as he hacks and even vomits on the ground beside him, his throat screaming at him as it has to move. Dean lets his head fall back to the dirt with a weak thump, lolling to one side as he tries to regulate his breathing now that he can actually fucking do so again.

"I told you to not test me, but you insistently push me. I promise you so much power, so much strength, the victory of this war; I even promised you the world. But you threw it all away, all of it for some other angel. My little brother no less!"

Dean can't speak, his vocal cords gone through so much strain that they can't even manage an audible squeak.

Michael flips over a cart carrying food set aside for the other Submissives, the soup spreading out onto the dirt. Dean watches as the other caged angels scurry over to where it's near their cages as they try to get the dirt-filled soup with bony fingers. Dean finds it heartbreaking.

"Pathetic." Michael hisses, "All of you are so greedy but I guess that's in your nature. To just take things."

Dean's mind scrambles. If he cannot defend himself verbally, or physically now that there's a sharp pain in his abdomen which reminds him that he's got two lives to protect right now- or one more important than his own. He starts inching back in the dirt, lungs aching as he pushes himself further in some direction his mind is telling him is the right one. Michael is too busy pacing, glaring at the other angels who are doing nothing more than reaching through the bars and eating ruined soup.

That's right, keep going. As much as you can manage.

It's only when Dean's halfway to wherever the small whisper is telling him to move towards when Michael turns to Dean. He only has a few precious seconds to scurry further when he feels Michael's hands on him again. Dean's eyes go wide at the Dominant's expression as he snarls.

"Where do you think you're going?" Michael sneers, "I am not done with you yet."

Dean feels a hand connect to his face, his bones vibrating against the blow as his brain tries to process the blow. Another hit, and this time it knocks Dean back into reality rather than the land of confusion. Dean pushes against Michael for all he's worth, hurting all over as they both fall to the ground from where Dean's foot slid under Michael's. Dean slides away, legs unable to get him off the ground as he reaches out.

Almost there.

Dean realizes then, that he's reaching for the latch to Adam's cage. It may not be much, but it will be enough. Dean is just about to click it open when two hands grab his ankle and drag him back, wings digging into the dirt as he tries to scream.

"You think it's so easy to defy me- to make things go your way! In no circumstance will I let you win!"

Dean pushes against Michael, mouth tasting of blood as the struggle ensues. He's so close yet so far away, hand merely a few inches. Adam's back is towards him, wings clinging to his form and it seems he hasn't moved at all since Dean first saw him all that time ago. This may not even work, but dammit Dean doesn't have many options to take at the moment.

"Why won't you just let me win!"

The Dominant seems to get lost within his rage just enough for Dean to slide the extra inch further to undo the latch on Adam's cage.

"Because you don't deserve to."

It's all Dean can say, and his voice cuts out right at the end of the sentence. As soon as the metal clicks, Adam is out of the cage and on top of Michael. Dean can only settle against the dirt and take the few moments to breathe because going by how majorly pissed off that little Submissive was Michael was going to have some major problems. So Dean closes his eyes, setting a hand over his bruised stomach gingerly and telling it that it's fine now- that it's okay.

"Dean."

Dean opens his eyes to find Adam offering a hand to him, Dean taking it and nodding a weak thank you. Adam lets him lean on him, Michael unconscious nearby as Adam kicks dirt onto his face.

"Are you alright?"

Dean nods. Then, his curiosity gets the better of him, he tilts his head and raises his eyebrows- though it's fairly limited from swelling- in confusion.

"Castiel had devised a plan with me that if he were to be taken away or unable to protect you that I'd do something. Normally it would have been pointless, but after I saw what Michael did to you I just couldn't let that happen anymore. He abused me in just the same ways, so I knew how you felt and how terrifying everything was. Besides, Castiel is my friend- even after he failed to get me out because all that matters is that he tried to. That's more than anyone's ever done with me. Now come on, I'm going to help you find him- Michael won't get up for a long, longtime."

Dean helps Adam do one more thing, freeing the other Submissives in the room and watching as they all ran off to free the others. It seems, with Michael lying on the floor, that Adam is their leader. There's a lot of good things about that.

Together they limp- mostly Dean- down the hallways, finding Castiel easily due to the fact they can hear the struggle going on in the room. Dean's is assaulted with pheromones that are so bitter from rage that he nearly pukes again on the floor, face wrenching in disgust.

"I know, putrid isn't it?"

Dean calls out with his grace as much as he can manage, and inside the room the fighting stops almost immediately. Then, there's banging on the door to the point where the hinges start coming undone on the walls, popping out with each hit and causing plaster dust to fall onto the floor below. Dean and Adam go over, undoing the locks, and no sooner Cas comes tumbling out and onto Dean. Adam laughs as Cas purrs.

"Dean- I'm so sorry they took me while you were sleeping… I'm so sorry."

Dean wants to tell Cas it's okay, but he remembers his voice is too damaged to work just as Castiel notices all of his injuries.

Cas snarls, teeth baring and wings flaring at the sight of fresh, dark bruises lining Dean's skin (especially his throat) and all of the blood on his face. Adam sets a hand on his shoulder, Cas seeming to calm a little towards it.

"I already took care of Michael. Dean's voice is gone for the moment, and for that I am sorry. But it's over now and that's all that matters. I'll try and see if I can get you two anything, and I'll send for Charlie. Just stay here."

Funny to think that the man who chose not to talk speaks for the man who cannot.

Adam leaves, and Dean has to sit down on the ground because this is just too much for him to handle really. Cas lets him rest against his torso, both holding onto to each other in silence. Even if Dean did have the ability to talk, he still probably wouldn't right now because all he needs is Cas right there with him. His mate massages his arms and tries to get Dean as comfortable he can, his fingers rubbing circles of apologies and promises as Dean just leans his back further into Cas. He closes his eyes, wings already on the insides of his back- which is just a relief- as exhaustion and fatigue cause his muscles to just rest heavily against his bones.

"Dean… how is… how is the baby? …" Cas sounds scared, mortified even. Dean can't blame him.

Dean's sort of worrying the same thing too- as much as he can manage with how worn out and stressed he is- their hands both falling to Dean's stomach. If you feel it just right, there's a small bump, and Dean's chest flutters and warms at it, a little of his worry slipping away as he nearly purrs. Cas presses his lips to the back of Dean's head, hand tightening a little on Dean's when they are both reassured that the child is still at least there.

"Oh my god- Dean!" Charlie's is enough to make the Submissive open his eyes till their half-lidded, a feat considering the variables against him.

She rushes over, Dean's eyes falling shut again. He's just so god damn tired.

"I understood when you said it was bad but… Jesus he looks like he's about to di-"

There's a growl from Cas, so Charlie ends the sentence there.

Dean can feel the awkward gel from before get placed on his skin, but he doesn't find enough energy to even shiver at the unnatural feeling. Instead, he lies pliantly against Cas' torso, his mate still pressing reassuring kisses to his battered skull.

"Oh thank God…"

Dean's assuming that's good.

"Dean, it's okay… It's just fine, it's okay." Cas whispers into his ear, voice so full of happiness that if Dean could manage it he'd probably cry.

No- it's more than okay. It's amazing.

"I'm going to have to patch him up but it's nothing superficial. With some rest and recovery time he should be fine."

Cas seems to become completely relaxed at that, shoulders falling from where they were tensed prior to the news. Dean settles against him, feeling Charlie fix him up and wrap bandages all over. It only causes him discomfort when he feels Charlie dab his face with something that causes it to burn, going by the strong smell in Dean's nose he's guessing it's alcohol.

Once she's finished, Castiel picks Dean up in his arms and leads him off somewhere. The only thing Dean knows by muffled whispers and the feeling of the backseat of a car pressing to his back is that he and Cas are leaving.

Finally, after all this time.

Dean smiles and lets sleep take him willingly, a hand resting on his abdomen in a way that feels almost habitual.

…

Sam wakes up slowly, grunting at how his head faintly aches. He stirs for a moment and finds that Gabe is clinging onto him, grunting in his sleep.

"Stop moving Moose. 'm tired."

Okay, so maybe he's awake.

"Sorry… I didn't know you were there."

Sam tries to get up, but Gabriel seems to only hold on tighter, making the sub groan and fall back onto the mattress in defeat.

"You're insufferable."

"And comfy."

Sam snorts, "I thought you went up to your bunk last night."

Sam can feel Gabe shake his head into his side, "No. I saw how comfortable you were and I snuggled up. I don't even need a blanket you're so warm and comfy Moose."

"Of course…" Sam laughs to himself, "My mate is a cat."

Gabe lifts his head up, all drawn together in mock hurt, "I'm not a cat."

"You sure act like one. I swear all you need is ears, a tail, and a fur coat. Then you're set."

Gabe is about to say something else when his mouth shuts abruptly. He quickly glances over to their room wall and practically slithers up the poles into his bunk. Sam thinks it's weird, confused at the action and thinking for a moment he had hurt Gabe's feelings when Lucifer walks up. Oh, that makes sense then.

"Rise and shine, Sam." Lucifer says and he can hear Gabe gag from above, "We're in for some more training today."

Sam gets off the mattress, "I don't think I can do anymore. Yesterday really pushed me."

"Bobby said you were perfectly fine, so that means you're capable of doing more. Now come on, I've got some more interesting things for you to target today."

Sam wants to argue more, but what's the point? Besides, Gabe is probably doing his best to keep himself from flinging his body towards Lucifer- even with the bars stalling him.

Notice the word stalling.

Sam exits the room, throwing one more glance over his shoulder to Gabe- his mate looking at him with a mixture of emotion Sam can't even begin to understand but will label: negative.

Lucifer leads Sam to the same room as before, but instead of apples there are angels. Other Submissives tied to the floor who has tears streaking their faces and gags in their mouths. It makes Sam freeze in place, all muscles going stiff under his skin at the sight. His heart quickens in his chest as he realizes how young or fragile some of them are. Gabe was right when he said that Lucifer surprised you with how fucked up he can get.

"I can't do this- they're people!"

Lucifer shrugs, "What's the difference?"

"An apple is different compared to an angel! There's a major difference!"

Lucifer glares towards Sam, "Then does it matter? No. I am still in charge here and it's either this- or we go ahead and form our bond. I don't care if you're willing for either. Now pick."

Sam swallows. He can take the easier route and make the other angels suffer. Sure, there would be pain for him for trying to use his powers again, but it was better than getting mated. But Sam can't do it. He can't lift his hand and focus on hurting the angels before him if he had a choice. There was no choice.

"I can't hurt them…" he whispers, "I'm not like you."

"Oh that's where you're wrong Sammy…" Lucifer saunters closer, a dark smirk playing on his face that causes all the air in Sam's lungs to feel like it's composed of poison, "You and I are a whole lot alike. More so than you think."

Sam backs away till he feels a wall at his back, wings pressing uncomfortably into the plaster as Lucifer closes the distance. He leans in, a chuckle rumbling in his throat as he licks a long line up Sam's neck. He's almost to Sam's earlobe when he stops abruptly. Sam thinks that maybe he changed his mind about it or something when a snarl rips through the air, causing everyone in the room to jump, chains rattling nearby from the trapped Submissives.

"You already bonded with someone!" Lucifer snarls, "That bite on your neck, it's not from a Submissive around you in heat, it was a Dominant! I didn't say you could be owned by someone else!"

"First of all, I am not property." Sam swallows, summoning up a small bit of courage that goes a long way, "Second is that I'm not yours to give. I'll neverbe yours."

…

Dean wakes up for a moment in the back of some rental car, a blanket draped over him as he slowly sits up. He's sore, sore down to his bones. He can probably tell you exactly where his bones are and where the sinews and muscle end that how achy he is. At least his throat feels better than earlier.

"Oh, you're awake." Cas notices from the wheel, managing to pass back a bag that smells delicious, "I got you some food. It's just soup because I didn't want to push your throat so early on. It's still warm."

"Thanks Cas…" Dean grabs the bag and opens up the small bowl.

It's chicken and rice, so it'll at least be easy on Dean's stomach. He eats it slowly, even though his stomach feels like it's about to eat itself so his throat doesn't hurt too much. Cas glances every now and then in the rear view mirror to check on Dean and see how he's handling the soup by himself.

"You okay?"

Dean nods, finishing the food too soon for his tastes and settling against the cushion. He notices that the trees from earlier have grown more sparse, "Where are we going?"

"To Lucifer's camp. I wish that we could just leave or hide ourselves away till you're better and completely safe, but my brother requires your assistance. Besides, we have an agreement that if one of us were to succeed in our intentions that we'd go aid the other."

"You sound so… military." Dean gives a weak smile, blanket wrapped around his body that's too cold.

Cas shrugs, the car turning off of something, "Either way I'm going to get Gabriel out of there, and I'll see if Sam is there too."

Dean nods, eyes closing once again as he settles against the world, "Just let me know if you want me to help."

"No. You're not leaving this car." Cas grips the steering wheel tighter, Dean can tell from the strain of fake leather.

"Why not?"

Cas sighs, "You're too injured Dean, let alone the fact you're pregnant. You've been asleep since I put you in the back of this car several hours ago."

"I'm not useless, I can still do something."

"Then watch the car."

Dean wants to grunt but his throat isn't up to it, neither is his body as he lulls to one side, "Fine…"

Dean wishes he didn't sound like a pouting child but he's sure he did nonetheless considering Cas is chuckling at him from the front seat. Dean just chucks the empty soup cup at his head and only snuggles into his blanket more as Castiel laughs harder at him.

…

Lucifer bares his teeth at those words, blackened wings raising as he grabs Sam roughly and drags him. The sub fights most of the way to wherever they are going, and it seems as though they are going to Bobby.

"Old man!" Lucifer yells, "You bastard! You lied!"

Bobby comes out, and Sam can only see the small second of realization behind those wise yet withered eyes, "Lied about what?"

"About that bite wound! It's not from a Submissive at all, you lied! He's bonded!"

"Are you sure-"

"Do not play with me old man! Did you, or did you not lie to me!?"

Bobby acts a little frustrated though Sam knows he's terrified, "How could I? He's only supposed to be with Submissives and he hasn't been sent to the Yard. The only Dominant he's seen is you."

Lucifer seems only to settle a little at this, and Sam can't believe how obtusely naive and gullible he is. For a man leading a war he's fairly ignorant, "Check him over again… This time, do not spare any detail or I will make you understand just how pissed off I am right now."

Sam practically gets shoved at Bobby, the man catching him just in time. His eyes look at him apologetically until they are behind the curtain and away from Lucifer's prying eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Sam." Bobby sets himself down on his small, wheeled stool. "I wish there was somethin' I could say or do but… there's not."

"It's okay Bobby, I understand. I'm surprised it took him this long…"

They both snort at that, but it's short-lived. Reality has a funny way of doing that, baring down on you in the most surreal of moments when you're trying to do nothing more than forget. Bobby slides a little closer and then sets a hand on his knee.

"I can't lie about this boy, you know that right? He already knows about the bond, and what that might lead to… If I say one more blasted word that isn't true from my mouth it'll only end bloody for the both of us. I'm sorry…"

Sam nods, "Thanks Bobby, for everything."

Bobby smiles, "You're welcome."

Just then Lucifer pulls back the curtain, foot stamping impatiently on the ground. Overall, he looks like a sports mom whose child didn't win the trophy, "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Don't get that way with me. Is it a bond bite or not?" going by the look on Lucifer's face he's expecting Bobby to lie.

Bobby shrugs, "It's one, yeah. What more do you want?"

Lucifer sends a quick glare towards Sam, "Well, is he pregnant?"

Sam doesn't want to know, just so this wouldn't make him feel more like shit.

"From what I can tell… He's got the indications of it, yes."

Lucifer snarls, hitting a small tray aside and sending it clattering to the floor. It makes Bobby and Sam flinch, the Submissive wanting nothing more than to hide himself away.

"Is there any way to remove it?"

Bobby gawks at the comment, "You dumb, boy? There isn't and even if there was it'd be too dangerous to perform because it's not supposed to happen!"

Lucifer growls, then looks toward the floor for a brief moment and then up again, "I warned you."

There's a sickening snap, Bobby falling to the floor in pain as Sam realizes what's happening. He jumps off of the table and onto the floor, wings shielding Bobby from Lucifer as the older man cries in pain. Lucifer just bares his teeth and walks away.

"Bobby- what happened?"

"Bastard… broke my… back."

Sam's throat goes dry at those words, "Bobby I-"

"Don't even… try you, idjit."

Sam just shuts his mouth and takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes and tries his hardest, pushes against the pain that grows strongly with each passing second until he hears a crack, falling back against the leg of the examination table. His brain hurts even worse than beforehand and his stomach churns. Sam only chances a glance at Bobby on the floor, he's unconscious, but still alive. The Submissive lets out a sigh of relief.

He tries getting up but his legs won't support his weight, and as Sam falls back to the floor he notices the drops of red below his face and the weird sensation of his face feeling… wet. Sam takes a finger and dabs under his nose, finding the tip bloodied. He grabs some of the gauze that Lucifer knocked over on the tray and presses it to his face, stomach coiling at the fact he taste and smell his own blood.

Sam feels like he's about to pass out, his head light and the room swirling whenever he opens his eyes. He curls himself underneath the table, finding comfort in the darkness and the cold metal against his aching temple. Sam grabs a shock blanket, one that's a horrendous shade of orange, that's nearby and snuggles under it. He lets his eyelashes touch his cheeks gratefully, not caring for the fact Lucifer can be nearby because he's just so worn out.

"Sam?"

The Submissive doesn't move, doesn't even open his eyes. He just grunts.

"God Sam what happened?"

It's not Bobby's voice so who is it? Either way, Sam feels himself slowly shifting closer, then having arms wrap around him and someone joining him underneath the table.

"Moose I'm so sorry…"

Oh, so it's Gabe. Sam just huddles closer, the taste and feeling of blood gone stale and he's wondered how much time has passed since he fixed Bobby. At that thought Sam opens his eyes for just a moment to see that the older man is gone. Sam makes a small sound, hands wrapping around the lapels of Gabe's button-down.

"Bobby's fine. I got pretty worried when I noticed you hadn't come back for several hours, and all of the sudden I'm just out of my room and I still don't understand why… But I followed your scent and all and… it's different."

Sam remembers Bobby's words. Perfect.

Gabe brushes some of Sam's hair out of his face, "That issue will come later, Moose. Right now we need to figure out to get the hell out of this place."

Sam wants to ask about all the other Submissives when his mate puts on a smirk, "I already let them go. It's sort of dumb to put the kill switch in such an easy place, isn't it? But that doesn't matter, we'll cross this bridge once we get to it- right now we need to try and get you out of here."

"Where's Lucifer?" Sam manages to mumble.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him since he came and got you from our cage. No one has. I think you and Bobby were the last to see him and going from what I discovered he wasn't a happy camper."

Sam shakes his head in agreement.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Sam's too out of it really to absorb everything, but he's turned now with his body still dependent on his mate's for balance, Lucifer standing right in front of them with his wings drawn back. Gabe lets Sam settle against a nearby wall, still underneath the blanket. Sam wants to say something, but more blood starts gushing from his nose and it kind of quiets him effectively.

"Lucifer."

"Gabriel."

The Dominants stare at each other and Sam realizes what's happening. It was more common many years back for two Dominants to sort of fight for a Submissive. It was scraped of course because it was literally a fight to the death that was nothing but bloody and feral. Sam coughs up blood onto the already soaked gauze and it just makes the situation that much worse.

"You think it's so easy to get away with this, with all you've done?" Lucifer hisses, black wings so taught Sam think he might actually snap a tendon, aura around them coiling like bile, "You thought that you could free my Submissives and go as far as take my mate from me at the same time without consequence?"

"He was never your mate in the first place Lucy, I think there's a very important thing you're lacking here. It's called common sense. Oh- and a sense of consent."

Lucifer snarls, "That doesn't matter! What matters is that you stole my mate and my war away from me and I'm going to make you suffer!"

"Bring it, asshole."

Sam wants to watch what's going on, to see if Gabriel is going to be okay or not but he can't. He's too busy leaning over on his side and vomiting onto the floor, blood mixing into the puke and swirling around. It only worsens the nausea that Sam feels as he throws his head back onto the wall while it pounds. He can hear the fight going on, can hear the growls and snarls and the graces clashing like the weapons of swordsmen in a duel. Sam just vomits again.

Suddenly there's arms on him, a grace he doesn't recognize but there's something about it that seems comfortingly familiar in several ways. Sam leans on the figure, leading him out of the room. Sam stops, leans back and against whoever is taking him out of the room like a stubborn cow would against it's reigns. He whines, wings drooping at the thought of leaving his mate in the fight and leaving with some stranger as he keeps his eyes shut to keep from upchucking again.

"I'm Castiel, Gabriel's brother. I'm here to help, and I can't do that with you in here getting sick. I'm going to put you in a car with someone you're close to, and I'll be back with your brother soon enough."

Sam seems to nod, not even fighting anymore as the smaller angel leads him out of the building and gates to some car he doesn't recognize as he starts gagging leaning over the edge of the sidewalk against Castiel.

"S-Sammy?"

It's a weak sounding voice, like it's been battered to hell and back but it's enough to recognize.

"Dean?"

Castiel opens the back door of the car for Sam to see his best friend cooped up in the corner, his face swollen and bruised, the only thing visible considering he's shrouded in a blanket. He's smiling as best as he can and Sam knows it's got to be painful. He slides his wings in his back, grateful for the feeling since he wasn't able to do it for days, getting into the back seat of the car. Dean is immediately purring- or trying to considering his voice sounds worse than a Thomas the Train Engine with dying batteries- and next to him.

"I've missed you Sammy… So much has happened since we got separated…"

Sam nods, managing a few words before his head starts aching again, "Yeah, I know… God we sound like shit…"

"We do…" Dean shares some of the blanket with Sam, the other Submissive noticing the black and dark purple bruise on his neck in the perfect shape of a hand, "Don't worry about it… It's not from Cas."

"Of course I'm going to worry…" Sam adds his own blanket on top of Dean's, both of them welcoming the extra heat.

Dean settles his head against Sam's arm, "Me too… Why is your nose bleeding so much?"

"It's a long story…" Sam whispers, "My stay here wasn't exactly paradise."

"I can imagine."

Sam looks out the window for a moment, Dean's scent calming him and taking off some of the assaulting pain. He's still worrying about Gabe in there against Lucifer, even with Cas at his side, "So what happened to you?"

Dean pauses for a moment, and when his voice comes out it's shallow, Sam's guesses it isn't from his injured neck, "When I arrived I met Michael himself. Dude's a fucked up son of a bitch let me tell you… He tried to mate with me the day I got there, so I stabbed his ass with one of those enchantments you taught me- thanks for that by the way…" Dean and Sam both smile slightly before the older Submissive continues, "He sent me to something called the cage after that. It's where I met Cas and Adam. Soon afterward I went into a heat and Michael threw me into something called the Pit. I was basically in a hole in the ground until I presented to him- which was the worst sensation ever… But thankfully he came up with the idea of Cas and I mating instead considering he's so rare himself."

"Gabe told me about that…"

"Gabe? You mean Castiel's brother?"

Sam nods, "Yeah, I didn't get an introduction like yours but… I was just put in the same room with him. He had makeup on his feathers so I didn't know he was a Dominant until later… He said Castiel has white wings? …"

Dean smiles, "Yeah, like bleach-white. Anyways, he put us in a cage together while I was still in heat. We tried holding out but… it didn't really work out so well…"

"I know… I went into heat because Lucifer had me put on pills and one thing led to another for Gabriel and I…"

"Wait- Lucifer? You mean? …"

Sam nods, "Yep. I was supposed to be his mate."

Dean nearly laughs, "Wow- we do have shit luck… Well, that would at least explain the change in your scent and grace since I last saw you…"

"Yeah… Bobby already told me. I don't think Gabe knows that I am yet…"

"Bobby?"

Sam smiles, "He was the doctor here. He really helped me out, tried to keep Lucifer off of me as much as he could. He also helped Gabriel hide as a Submissive until Lucifer put two and two together- especially after he found out I was bonded to and pregnant by someone else other than him."

The older Submissive nods, "Who would've thought… So, you're preggo now Sam? Feel all tingly inside?"

"No." Sam laughs, "It's only been a few days but, that's how it is. I don't feel any different…"

"It'll get weirder the more time passes. Make you feel- well, weird."

Sam tilts his head, "What? How would you… wait… You're- …?"

Dean smiles as he looks up, Sam can see how much he's like a fucking kitten even through all of the swollen and broken flesh, "Yeah, I am."

"To think for the longest time we were both afraid of this…"

"Things change, besides we got some pretty awesome mates to go with it."

Sam nods, "Yeah, we're doing pretty good aren't we?"

"As best as we can be at the moment…"

Sam looks out the window for a moment, "Why is your neck all like that? …"

Dean sort of cringed at the words, but he answers anyways, "Michael wasn't the gentlest of souls I met… This was a couple of hours ago- one of the reasons I'm in the car with you rather than in there helping them with Lucifer…"

"So he… abused you?"

"Pretty much, yeah…"

They are both quiet for a moment when Sam speaks up, "Lucifer wanted me to use some sort of ability I have. Turns out I've got something called an aura- I don't know what the fuck it is or what it does but… the things he was trying to make me do… The main reason he found out about my bond to Gabriel was that I refused to use my powers on Submissives- bastard had some idea that when we mated we would make these powerful angels and we'd force people to bend to our wills… It was all bullshit and I couldn't go through with it… The only time I used it was when he did something to Bobby, and that's how I got in this mess right here…"

Sam points to all the dried blood on his face and Dean nods, "Yeah, those two really were pieces of work, weren't they? Michael had the same vision, it just changed to Cas and I having a kid together and making it his weapon to win against Lucifer. Then he separated us and all this happened… We were on the road here as soon as we were freed."

They settle against each other, something they both thought they'd never get to do again just a few days ago, how they lives got flipped completely upside down in a small town. It all started in a motel, and now they're here at the beginning of the end, in the back of an unknown car battered and beaten. That all those drops of sweat and blood that have been given by them have led to this downfall. It just feels…

It feels indescribable.

…

Castiel sits in the driver's seat, his brother next to him in the passenger as the road flies underneath the rental car's tires. They've got the start of a plan, the blood still drying on their skin and clothes as their mates sleep in the back seat, both of them leaning on each other completely. Gabe and Castiel smile warmly at the sight, switching every now and then from the steering wheel to the window so they can sleep.

They've got one set destination in mind: Lawrence, Kansas.

It's apparently where Dean and Sam prepped a storage unit holding all they ever needed when they had nothing at all- it was perfect. Castiel sighs, turning onto another turnpike and watching as other cars pass him. It's been so long since he's been out of Michael's camp that he's somewhat forgotten what it looks like outside its walls. Gabe sits next to him silently, looking on their map and figuring out where Castiel needs to drive next. Sam and Dean stir lightly in the backseat, a content hum coming from the both of them before they settle.

"They deserve it, don't they?" Gabriel suddenly says softly in the cab of the car, his face barely illuminated by the dashboard and lights overhead, "For how much they went through during all of this…"

Castiel nods, looking back at the road and all of the signs passing him with the letters almost glowing at him, "I am sure it was something close to hell."

"You said Michael abused Dean? That's why he's got all those bruises and stuff on him?"

Castiel holds back a growl and only nods.

"That's awful… I don't think Lucifer really did anything other than forcing Sam to put his mind through a blender… Even then I feel like shit for letting it happen…"

"It's okay, we did our best. We took care of Michael and Lucifer and that's all that matters. How long till we get to Lawrence?"

Gabe still seems out of it, "About another hundred miles or so, give or take… I can't believe I didn't notice sooner though…"

Cas understands, "About Sam?"

"Yeah- like, how could I have been so blind you know? I noticed the scent and grace shift but, I thought that was because we had bonded and I was still getting used to it… I still am…"

"It is a little surprising to say at the least, but it's a good one."

"Yeah…" Gabe smiles warmly, glancing back to Sam who's still asleep, "it is."

The drive is spent in silence after that, and soon the "Welcome to Lawrence, Kansas" sign comes into their view and they are utterly relieved. Dean wakes up for a minor second, telling the brothers where to go to find the storage unit before passing out again on Sam's arm. At least his voice sounds better.

Cas nearly starts to cry as he sees the sign for the storage unit. It's then that the engine cuts off abruptly, nothing but the peppered taps of fat raindrops against the outside of the car's body seeping into their overly-attentive ears. Gabe opens the door to the back of the car, waking Sam and Dean up. The Submissives tumble out, still groggy even through all of their sleeping. Dean leans heavily on Castiel as they enter the small room. Dean grins immediately, the light coming on to reveal an old muscle car.

"Hey there baby…" he whispers, "I've missed you."

Castiel grins at his mate's words, leading them inside where he sees all that he and Sam have prepared as their "back-up plan". They'll be needing it, honestly. Now with Michael and Lucifer out of power, new angels will try and come forth to claim the titles they've left. It scares Castiel a little, but he knows that it'll at least be easier to deal with them than his brothers at the head of a genocide. He gets everything ready, purring quietly at the sight of Dean passed out in the back of the- something he mumbled around Impala before he conked out again- with a hand resting gingerly over his stomach.

And it was okay, it was all okay.

It seems so weird to say now, even with all that's happening around them that's too complicated to understand, with all that's caused them to come to this point- but it's true. It's all okay.

It should be…