In the morning they leave

Part Two

...

I wish that we'd never gone this far

And I wish I could take it away

...

It's barely afternoon when Dean opens his eyes and looks up to see someone he'd never thought he'd see again. He blinks a few times, tries to decide whether or not to chalk it up to hallucination when Gabriel bends down and places the palm of his hand on Dean's forehead, as if proving to the human that he is real and Dean's a complete idiot for thinking otherwise. He doesn't say it though.

"You're cold," he shrugs off his jacket and wraps it around Dean, tucking it in tightly around him to prevent the cold from seeping in. Dean already has the trench coat but any extra warmth he can get is much appreciated. He doesn't bother to shrug him off, what's the use anyways?

Gabriel sits back on his heels for a moment, seeming to be lost in thought before exclaiming, "Oh, Dean, you're just breaking my heart here, kiddo," and with that he pulls the human back against his chest, wrapping his arms around him. It's actually a very nice, comfortable position, and Dean sags back and just wills himself to relax, despite the embarrassment struggling to form in the pit of his stomach. Gabriel's warm breath tickles his ear and he chuckles when the human moves just a tiny bit closer, trying desperately to get closer to more warmth and security. It's all too noticeable and far too cute to the archangel, who never imagined seeing a Winchester literally beg for something without using words. Since they never would use words, especially the pigheaded Dean Winchester.

"Why'd you come back?" How'd you come back when you said you couldn't is the better question.

Gabriel shrugs nonchalantly, but Dean knows there must be a decent reason the archangel's not disclosing. Then, he speaks, "No one should have to be alone here."

Dean smiles a little, only a little since he's confident Gabriel can't see it. He stares at the woods around them, his eyes feeling heavy. Gabriel startles him by speaking again, "You can sleep if you want to, not going anywhere anytime soon."

"How long you gonna stay?" Dean hopes he says something like 'forever'. He's not counting on it though.

"As long as it takes."

There's silence for a little while as he thinks about that. As long as it takes for what? For me to shrivel up and die, fall asleep again and then when I wake up he'll just be gone and I'll be all alone again? At least Cas isn't here, at least Cas is safe and sound and I'm so happy I know he's okay. Thank you, Gabriel.

...

...

The hunter wakes up with his head on fire and his mouth parched beyond belief. He's starving, and he doesn't expect to be getting food anytime soon, but barely a second later Gabriel positions him against him better and brings a hunk of raw meat before his eyes. Dean turns away and swallows, tries weakly to push the archangel away even though he wants his warmth and the sense of safety only an archangel could ever provide, more than anything.

"Eat, Dean," he commands. "You'll feel better."

"Really? I'll feel better after eating that?"

Gabriel sighs, but doesn't push for the next few minutes or so. Dean feels really grateful and just a little bit guiltier than he wants to feel at this point, so he ends up giving in. "Give it to me. Just..." He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, "Help me," he regretfully admits. The archangel instantly breaks the meat up into small pieces and hands them to Dean one at a time. He can hardly hold them, his hands are shaking so hard from the cold.

He gets the meat down, just like last time, amazingly, and he wants to give himself a huge pat on the back. Except for the fact that he's pretty much too damn tired to do anything else but collapse back into Gabriel. He sees red eyes at the tree line not five feet away from them and tenses, his own eyes going wide as the panic starts to set in, making his heart beat fast, brutally accompanying the constant mind-numbing pain.

The archangel's hand splays out on his chest without hesitation, "They're not gonna touch you, kiddo." Gabriel growls, "They know better." Dean relaxes even though Gabriel presses back against the tree further, he doesn't want to be afraid of what that might mean. He's tired of being afraid.

"You should rest while you can."

"Why?" Dean shoves his hand away, Gabriel doesn't attempt to put it back. "Why the hell are you even here, what would give you reason to care?" He shouldn't be talking by how much it hurts to talk, but as much as he doesn't want to admit it, for it would ruin Dean Winchester forever, Gabriel's voice is soothing and reminds him that he didn't leave him to die. That he's not alone in any of this.

"Didn't anyone give you the memo, that I did what I did for you? That maybe I learned to appreciate your company and actually missed you?"

"I doubt it."

"Ah," Gabriel responds, "but that's because you don't know me. I've still got a few surprises up my sleeve."

Dean just shrugs, reveling in the sensation of the archangel's warmth sinking into his tense, extremely cold skin. "Fine, so you defied all freaking odds and came back here to see me. What am I supposed to say to that?"

Oh, I don't know. Maybe a little gratitude, a sprinkle of appreciation, maybe admit that you like me, the same way you did such a long time ago, so then we can kiss and make up. Let's just go for the kissing and making up part, actually.

Gabriel shrugs, "Say whatever you want." Even though that isn't what he means in the slightest.

"I don't want to be your pet," Dean breathes. "I owe you, I know that," his chest suddenly feels very very tight, and he squirms against Gabriel's hold in uncertainty and slight embarrassment. "But," he continues, I don't..."

"Whoever said I wanted that, Deano?"

"You," Dean whispers, "who you are, what you..."

Gabriel's arms wrap around him and it stills him, there's something incredibly intimate in the action, and no matter how hard Dean tries to fight against it, he can't. He physically and emotionally can't.

"I want to go back home."

He never reveals his feelings, and even if Gabriel is inflicting some of his mojo on him, he really doesn't care. He only cares about how sick and tired he is of trying to hide every single little thing, despite the fact that he should hide things from the trickster especially, because the chances are high that he will use those things against the Winchester. Dean always comes to regret anything and everything though, so why not put trust and faith in someone right now? Why not use Gabriel for that?

The archangel just stares at him gently, his arms wrapping themselves comfortably tighter around the human. "I know," he replies in this melancholic tone that sets the human on edge. It almost makes his mood match the archangel's more fully. Dean doesn't care how weak he sounds or how vulnerable he looks or how utterly entirely unlike Dean Winchester he is being. Gabriel doesn't seem to care about any of this, he isn't laughing or prying. He's just holding him like...

"Do you..." A wave of exhaustion suddenly overcomes Dean and he fights it, he fights it with every last breath he has in him. He doesn't want to leave yet, he has so many things he still wants to ask, still wants to say.

"Would you want me to, or would it freak you out?"

Dean doesn't know how to answer that; his emotions are so jumbled at this point and his head is a flurry of pain and exhaustion. He doesn't know what he wants, though he shouldn't say that, because he supposes he does know. He supposes the time spent together here proves everything. Though it doesn't really matter after all, he won't live for another ten minutes probably.

"I would want you to tell me the truth. I think it'd be better than dying to the sound of silence. Or thinking of all the stupid fucking mistakes I've made."

"Maybe when you wake up again, I'll whisper it in your ear."

Dean laughs at that, and gets thrown into a brutal coughing fit. Gabriel holds him up for it and rubs his back soothingly so he can feel better, then positions Dean against him once more, though really, it's more of Dean curling into the archangel like a weak little kitten. "See, you're a coward too. Jus' don't want to admit it..." Gabriel kisses Dean then, probably to revel in the satisfaction of proving him wrong; it's short but he can easily tell that it'd take his breath away if it had been just a little bit longer. "Gabe," he gasps. Gabriel kisses him again, a little longer this time around, just how he wanted it. The kiss warms him completely, sends pleasurable shivers up Dean's spine and he wishes, just goddamn wishes that this had been on a better day, at a better time. Then he realizes that if it was a different day it never would have happened, realizes that maybe this is the perfect moment; a moment where they can't hold back their emotions and don't really want to anyway. "I didn't... shit, I can't..."

Gabriel silences him with his eyes now; they are so beautiful and deep and Dean can see the entire world in them. He can see what Gabriel wants, like he never has before. He can see what Gabriel wants more than anything, the reason why he came back against all odds. Suddenly, Dean wants everything, wants every single part of him until he suffocates and only begs for more. He never thought being in this place would make him realize it, but he wants to love Gabriel and he wants to be loved by Gabriel so fucking badly the pressure of it burns inside of him, unrelenting, unavoidable.

"Just think about it, Dean. Of the life we'll have together."

He doesn't have enough time to think about that sentence. Gabriel is the very last thing he remembers, the very last thing he feels before Dean fades, enclosed tightly in Gabriel's arms, not alone and so freaking happy about it and the fact he might be in love, that he doesn't fight the sleep that mysteriously feels like death. He doesn't break away from Gabriel, he maintains the contact and before he knows it... he leaves.

...

A/N: Okay, so I was originally going to end with another chapter, an epilogue, but I wrote it and I just couldn't get it the way I wanted. Then I remembered how I originally intended for this to be a sort-of tragedy, and I decided I genuinely liked the two chapters just the way they were and would end it here. I just feel like Gabriel coming back for Dean, pretty much knowing he wouldn't be able to get back, had the powerful finality I wanted instead of adding another chapter. Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and if you ever have any questions, feel free to ask me.