A/N: Based on a request from DE_Winters.
Disclaimer: Supernatural isn't mine. Thanks to 29Pieces for beta reading!
"My Brother's Keeper"
Given how the world was slowly being taken over by capitalist Leviathan—and there was a turn of phrase—Gabriel was enjoying his second round of witness protection, hanging with Sleipnir, Narfi, and Fenrir…until those wily heathens decided to sell him off to a Prince of Hell. He escaped, of course, though not entirely unscathed, and now his grace was running more on the low side, leaving him a lone archangel wandering around a cold and unforgiving world without shelter. Or, more accurately, fun.
He knew he needed to stay off the radar, both Heaven's and the other pagan deities'. And he definitely didn't want to get involved in the Leviathan fiasco, which he was scant on the details but was sure the two stooge Winchesters were somehow involved in. They always seemed to be at the center of the end of the world these days.
Gabriel was idly curious if Castiel was still flitting around with them. Maybe he'd pop in, just to get a read on the situation before he picked a spot on the planet to hole up in until things blew over.
It took some time, but he eventually traced his little brother's small signature to a mental hospital in Indiana. That was curious, but maybe Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum were working a case there or something. Except, a sweep of the plot didn't show the Impala anywhere on site. Gabriel was even more flummoxed when he flew into the garden and found Castiel wearing patient scrubs—though still that silly trench coat—and sitting under a tree, head tipped back as he gazed dreamily up into the branches.
This was too weird.
Despite his better judgement, Gabriel moved closer, though kept himself invisible. To the human patients and nurses, of course, not a fellow angel.
Castiel lolled his head toward him as though sensing his presence, and his brow quirked in confusion for a moment before smoothing out. "Gabriel," he said amiably. "This is a pleasant surprise."
"Is it?" Not at all the reception he'd been expecting.
Castiel smiled at him. "You're a much nicer hallucination than Lucifer." He paused, mouth turning down. "Unless you plan to torment me in a pocket dimension. Then you wouldn't be a nice visitor. Can you be a nice visitor?"
Gabriel's jaw went slack as he gaped at Castiel. "What the hell happened to you?" he blurted.
Castiel cocked his head as though not understanding the question. Then he smiled again. "Everything."
"Uh-huh." Gabriel moved closer, enough to reach out and tentatively sense his brother's grace. It was intact, although somewhat…fizzy. Gabriel had honestly never seen anything like it. "What are you doing here?"
"Watching the bees."
Gabriel blinked. "No, I mean what are you doing in a mental hospital?"
"Oh. Well, when I took Sam's Hell trauma from his mind, I had some trouble…acclimating. Sam and Dean thought it was safest if I stayed here."
Gabriel's brows shot upward. "Wait, Hell trauma? And they left you here?"
"I broke Sam's wall," Castiel explained. "And then I died before I could fix it. But then I wasn't dead anymore, and Sam was dying, so I shifted his Cage scars to myself." He frowned. "Lucifer's ghost taunted me for a while, but I haven't seen him in a bit. Meg's been looking after me, but she's a demon and has better things to do most of the time. I think you're here because I was getting lonely."
Gabriel honestly had no idea what to say to all that, or even what half of it meant. All he could really piece together definitively was that Castiel had pulled some kind of self-sacrificial stunt to save one of the Winchesters, and they'd apparently promptly abandoned him here, with only a demon to watch out for him and make sure he didn't get into any trouble in his obviously vulnerable state.
Castiel clambered to his feet and stuck out his hand. "Pull my finger."
"Excuse me?"
Castiel jabbed his index finger at Gabriel in prompting. Giving him a dubious look, the archangel nevertheless took hold of the proffered finger and gave it a tug.
The light bulbs around the yard's patio exploded with a pop, eliciting a few startled yelps from staff members. Castiel giggled.
Gabriel gawked in disbelief. Okay, something was seriously wrong here.
…And yet, he couldn't help but find it slightly amusing as well. His little brother seemed to no longer have that stick up his ass, and he actually might be a little fun to hang out with.
Gabriel's face broke into a sly grin. "Hey, what do you say we blow this pop stand?"
Castiel shook his head. "I'm not supposed to go anywhere with hallucinations."
Gabriel nearly choked. "Bro, I'm not a hallucination. I'm real."
"That's what they all say."
Gabriel reached out and pinched him, infusing a little zing of his grace into the action as well. "Can hallucinations do that?"
Castiel rubbed his hand, brow creased pensively. "But, you're supposed to be dead."
"Ye-eah, and we're gonna keep telling people that. Look, I faked my death back at that hotel with Lucifer. I knew the Winchesters could take care of the Apocalypse without me, and what do you know, they did. Can't say much for the current state of things, however…" He shrugged. "So how about it? You and me, on the town."
Castiel frowned. "Oh, I don't know."
"Come on, bro. I'll look out for you. Wouldn't you rather hang with your awesome older brother than a demon?"
"Meg's very nice," Castiel argued, yet he shifted uncertainly. "But I have missed you."
Gabriel was taken aback by that, and almost found it touching. But he didn't like opening doors to old feelings, especially when it came to his angelic family, so he shoved it down and plastered on a mischievous grin instead. He clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Then let's go."
Castiel glanced around the garden one last time, and nodded. Gabriel gripped him tight and took wing.
He flew them to a beach in Tahiti. Castiel gazed out at the ocean, his eyes lighting up.
"There's so much there," he said in awe. "The perfect plan, all laid out under the surface where we can't even see it. Just like with the bees."
"Riight," Gabriel drawled, and diverted Castiel toward the seaside bar. It was going on late evening and the place was bustling. He ordered rum drinks for them, though made Castiel's a virgin. Even though it would take an entire truck load to get an angel drunk, Gabriel didn't think his brother needed any more help getting a bit tipsy.
Castiel sipped at his drink tentatively, nose scrunching up. "It's very tangy."
Gabriel clinked his glass against Castiel's. "Cheers, bro." He knocked his back and ordered another. He wouldn't mind getting a little buzz tonight.
He nursed the second drink more slowly to savor it, and roved his gaze around the bar in search of some delicious morsels. He spotted a brunette and red-head over in the corner, who were looking his way as well, and waggled his brows. "Hey, Cas, ready to be my wingman?"
Castiel canted his head inquisitively. "But we just got here. Why do you want to fly away?"
Gabriel rolled his eyes, and grabbed the angel's chin to turn his head toward the women. "I'll take Red."
He nudged Castiel into following and then sauntered his way over to the women. They flashed him sultry smiles as he sidled up to them.
"Evening, ladies," he greeted with a debonair grin.
They tittered in response.
"Hey," the red-head said. She quirked an odd look behind him. "Your friend has a thing for pajamas, huh?"
Oh, perhaps Gabriel should have stopped over to give him a wardrobe change. Too late now.
"And trench coats," he replied cheekily.
"I can see that."
"It's a very comfortable coat," Castiel put in. "Do you like bees?"
Gabriel suppressed a sigh. Okay, so the wingman thing wasn't going to work.
"Sure," the brunette said. "I love entomology."
Or maybe they'd lucked out.
Gabriel tuned out the insect talk and focused on the provocative red-head, whispering naughty come-ons in her ear that left her in a fit of giggles too much to get a word of her own in.
"Pull my finger."
Gabriel whirled around and clapped a restraining hand over Castiel's wrist. "Whoa, save that for the bedroom, bucko."
Castiel just gave him a confused look.
The brunette folded her arms across the table and leaned forward. "That's a little presumptuous of you, isn't it?"
But her tone was mildly teasing, so Gabriel flashed her a dashing grin. "Of course, where are my manners? Cas, go get us another round of drinks."
Castiel turned and headed for the bar without complaint.
Gabriel returned his attention to Red—he'd forgotten her name. If he'd asked at all. But he wasn't so absorbed that he noticed it was taking Castiel far too long to bring their drinks.
He looked up at the bar, and frowned when he didn't spot his brother. Oh great. The last thing he needed was an unhinged angel flitting off somewhere and exploding lightbulbs. But then he caught a flash of tan; thank Dad that stupid coat stood out on the beach.
Gabriel frowned, however, when he saw that Castiel was being led out of the bar by two burly men. …No, not men. Gabriel got a glimpse of their true faces. Demons.
Well, crap. He hastily excused himself from the ladies and hurried after his brother. Castiel probably didn't want to risk the humans in the bar and was waiting until they got outside to smite the demons. But why were they escorting Cas out anyway?
Gabriel quickened his pace and caught up with them on the beach, away from the lights of the bar. "Hey!" he shouted.
They turned, eyes flicking black. Each one had a hard grip on one of Castiel's arms, holding him firmly between them. What the hell was his little brother up to?
"Castiel?" Gabriel queried. Now would be a good time to turn around and smite them.
"So this is Castiel," one of the demons said, face breaking into a delighted grin. "Crowley will be surprised to hear he's not dead, and will pay a high bounty for him."
Gabriel's expression darkened. "I don't think so," he said in a voice low like distant thunder. "Let him go."
The demons sneered at him. "Not a chance."
Gabriel clenched his fists, and the air crackled with static. Castiel, however, did nothing.
One of the demons suddenly whipped out an angel blade and pointed it at Gabriel.
The archangel smirked. "Fellas, you have no idea who you're messing with."
He let his power burble forth just a touch, cracking the sky with a bolt of lightning as a gust of wind rustled his feathers. The reflection of unearthly aura that lit up the shadows of his wings shone in the demons' pitch black eyes.
"Let my brother go," he rumbled.
The demon charged at him, which was stupid. Gabriel brought a hand up and slapped it on the demon's head. Divine power coursed into the corrupt being, burning him out from the inside. The beach was lit up by the blazing glow momentarily before the body dropped, eyes smoking holes.
He spun back toward his brother in time to see the other demon also had an angel blade, and was now pressing it up under Castiel's chin. Gabriel froze. Unlike him, that blade could do the lesser angel harm.
"Cas, what are you waiting for?" Gabriel asked worriedly. "You can take this pond scum."
Castiel just gave him a pinched look. "I don't fight anymore."
Gabriel gaped at him. What? What the hell kind of response was that when a demon had an angel blade to your throat!
Guess this was up to Gabriel. He took a menacing step forward, the sky crackling with growing power again. The demon flicked a nervous look up, then back down. He took a few retreating steps backward, dragging Castiel with him. Gabriel followed.
"You are not leaving here with him," he growled.
The demon cast a wary look around the deserted beach as though weighing his options, but even though Castiel was compliant, there was no way the demon was going to outrun a livid archangel with a captive. Gabriel expected him to give it up and flee.
He did not expect the demon to shift—and plunge the angel blade into Castiel's back.
Castiel's cry shattered the night, and he dropped to his knees in the sand, continuing to pitch forward face first. The demon bolted.
Gabriel surged forward, forced to let the demon escape as he rushed to his little brother's side. The blade was still sticking out of his lower back, thankfully below the base of his wing, but it had been thrust in deeply and grace was glowing around the edges.
Gabriel skidded to his knees in the sand and reached for the hilt, hesitating for a brief moment. Pulling it out would make Castiel's grace bleed more, along with the blood in his vessel. But Gabriel needed to remove the blade before he could think about transporting them somewhere safe.
Clenching his jaw, Gabriel wrapped his fingers around the hilt and gave one swift yank.
Castiel jerked and cried out again. Blue grace oozed into the night, lighting a halo around them. Gabriel pressed a hand over the wound and applied pressure. A whimper sounded below, and he could feel Castiel shaking beneath him.
"Easy, kiddo. You're gonna be fine."
Gabriel wracked his brain for a safe place to go to, in case there were more demons around. Because apparently his little brother had a bounty on his head. And Gabriel thought he needed witness protection.
He decided the easiest thing to do would be to whip up a pocket dimension around them so he wouldn't have to move Castiel much. He even brought a bed up from the ground underneath him. The air rippled and ran like water, forming four walls and a balcony of a nice, beachside hotel.
Castiel grunted in pain, and Gabriel shifted on the plush mattress to hover over the wound.
"Just give me a sec," he said, holding out his hand and summoning up his grace. A golden hue filled the room as warm energy seeped down to mend grace and sinew. Unfortunately, the wound was deep, and after expending a good deal of power on their safe house, he couldn't heal it completely. But he got the entry wound closed enough that it wouldn't continue gushing blood and grace, so that was improvement.
Gabriel bent down and gently rolled Castiel onto his side, conjuring up a bunch of pillows to brace against him so he wouldn't roll over all the way and put undo pressure on his back.
Castiel's breathing was labored, but strong, and he at least seemed lucid. Or, well, as lucid as he was to begin with.
Gabriel scooted off the bed and snapped his fingers to create a chair to sit in. "You wanna explain what that was all about back there?" he prompted.
Castiel's eyes wavered with sorrow and shame. "I opened Purgatory."
Gabriel's brows rose sharply. "Excuse me?"
Castiel averted his gaze. "I needed the souls to defeat Raphael. Crowley made me a deal and we searched for a way to open Purgatory together. In the end, I didn't let him take his share of the souls. He's reasonably angry with me."
Well, that was…surprising. Gabriel leaned back and let out a low whistle. "Wow. I had no idea you had such gumption."
"It proved disastrous." He sighed. "I defeated Raphael, but at what cost? Gabriel? Why didn't you come help us?"
Gabriel stiffened. "You know I never wanted to fight with my family."
"I never wanted to, either," Castiel said morosely. "But I thought God brought me back for a purpose, that he wanted me to lead the angels in our newfound free will. But I made a mess of everything. I see now, these are punishment resurrections."
"I don't think Dad has that much of a hand in things," Gabriel muttered, not liking his brother's despondent attitude.
Castiel closed his eyes and winced. "Gabriel," he said, voice growing quieter as his eyelids drooped with exhaustion. "I want to go back to the hospital and watch the bees."
Gabriel didn't know what to say to that. Their little romp was obviously over, and yet he didn't really want to drop his brother off at that place and leave him. He now saw Castiel's happy-go-lucky demeanor for what it truly was—brokenness.
Gabriel still didn't have the whole story, but he had enough pieces to know that Castiel tried to do the right thing, made some mistakes, and then tried to fix it, essentially destroying himself in the process. And the two people who should have been there to help him had abandoned him in his time of need.
Gabriel had done a lot of abandoning in his time, but right now he found he didn't want to be that person. Not when Castiel literally had no one else. Except this demon, and Gabriel had to seriously question her motives for 'standing guard' over an angel who'd lost his sanity. What the hell were the Winchesters thinking trusting a demon with something so important?
But that was for another time. Castiel had nodded off, and for now Gabriel was going to let him rest and heal. And then he was going to stick around and look after him.
Because that's what brothers did.