Like most mornings, the first thing Sam did when he awoke was looking over to his brother. Dean was lying motionless, spread lazily in his bed. Gabriel was stood over him, a feather in his hand. Sam noticed the angel's hair was cut into what might have been an attempt at a hairstyle similar to Dean's. Gabriel smirked at him and began to softly tickle Dean's cheek with the feather. Dean grunted and mumbled a few times before sharply reaching to brush the mysterious object away only to have a particularly gooey piece of pie slap him in the face. Gabriel roared with laughter and quickly moved as Dean blindly reached out towards him. Sam couldn't help but laugh too.
"I'll kill you!" Dean wiped the pie from his face and lunged towards him again.
"Why? It's your favourite!" Gabriel replied, running to hide behind Sam as he bent over laughter. Dean stopped in the middle of the room, staring at the man who had suddenly appeared in front of him. Castiel tilted his head curiously at Dean.
"You have pie on your face. Were you attempting to eat it?" He said flatly, prompting a very loud snort from Gabriel. Castiel disregarded it and continued talking, still facing Dean. "It is good you are awake. I have news concerning the events in this town. I believe-"
"It's a trickster?" Sam interrupted.
"The Trickster, Gabriel. I don't know how but I think he has returned somehow."
"You don't say..." Dean said while glancing at Gabriel, who had chosen to keep himself hidden behind Sam. Sam nodded and stepped to the side. Gabriel stood sharply, giving Dean a glare.
"Who is this?" Castiel asked, looking curiously at the young girl in front of him.
"Her name is irrelevant and unimportant but I assume you aren't talking about the suit." Castiel froze, staring at the girl with both horror and confusion.
"Gabriel?"
"The one and only."
"But you perished."
"Clearly didn't" Gabriel gestured to himself. Castiel took a step towards him, attempting to say something.
"Hate to spoil the reunion, but shouldn't Gabriel be poppin' off back to heaven?" Dean said, still wiping the pie from his face.
"Yes."
"No."
Gabriel and Castiel stared at each other.
"Why won't you come home?" Castiel asked.
"I... can't." Gabriel replied. It was only then that Sam noticed the bags under Gabriel's eyes and how the clothes hung off him. And that the split lip and shiner from yesterday were still there.
"You're not an angel anymore?" Dean asked.
"Apparently not. The moment I entered this vessel…it was all gone. She's from a perfectly good lineage, I should work but….nothing."
"Have you been sleeping? Eating?" Sam asked, his concern for the body growing. Gabriel made a face like the thought had only just occurred to him.
"I guess not."
"But you've been in that body for...how hasn't it failed?"
"Even an angel that has fallen can keep a body running." Castiel chimed in. "Gabriel must have some power left, enough to keep it alive."
"Some juice is better than none I guess." Gabriel shrugged. He sat down on the edge of Sam's bed.
"Haven't you felt tired?"
"Is that was this is? I just thought that's how female vessels felt…" Gabriel laughed. From what Sam said he assumed the stabbing feeling in his gut wasn't normal either. Or the dull throb in his face. Castiel took a step towards him and placed his hand on Gabriel's shoulder.
"You are not well, brother." Gabriel smacked his hand away but clearly didn't have the strength to. Sam wondered for how long he had been pretending to be fine.
"Go away Castiel. I'm older than you, I have this under control." Castiel stepped back.
"Well that's a load of bullcrap." Dean snorted. Gabriel glared at him.
"He has a point." Sam said. "You're practically human Gabriel, you need to address that. You can start by eating." He turned to the kitchen area and began rifling through the cupboards. He pulled out a box and a bowl.
"Dude." Dean said in protest as Sam poured the lucky charms into the bowl. "Dude!" he repeated when Sam added the milk. And again a third time when he handed the bowl to Gabriel. Gabriel stared at the bowl for a few moments.
"You know how to eat right?" Sam said, pointing at the spoon. Gabriel nodded and began to eat. The pain in his stomach got worse for a second but then faded away. He continued eating while the others talked.
"We are not babysitting a powered-down archangel." Dean said. He still had a bit of pie in his right eyebrow.
"He needs us, he has no idea how to look after himself, and it's not like there's a queue of angels waiting to take care of him."
"It's true. Not many of my brothers get along with Gabriel and we are not the kind to line up for things." Dean and Sam looked at Cas for a moment.
"They should at least know he's alive." Dean said.
"No!" Gabriel cut in, coughing as he'd swallowed far too quickly. "I don't want them to know. Just let me stay with you two until I'm at least half back?"
"Yes." Sam said, cutting off whatever Dean was going to say.
"I will not tell anyone." Castiel added.
"Thank you." Gabriel smiled. Sam felt an odd happiness seeing Gabriel look at Castiel like that. There was a flutter of wings and Cas was gone. Dean glanced to Sam and shook his head before marching off to the bathroom.
