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["You will eliminate this... boy, Daniel Fenton."]

His blade is unfamiliar in his hand, hot to the touch, and inches from the adolescent's drowsy blue eyes. Fear, and pain flicker in their depths, and Castiel's mind is torn asunder as they sharpen in awareness. The boy isn't completely human, he knows that, but he is... different.

And... this... this isn't the same. Samandriel had been compromised—but he knows better, and it will haunt him—but this human, this human child had done no wrong. If anything, he had done the mortal world good, time and time again, much like the Winchesters... so much like them, it's all Castiel can do not to see their faces in the boy.

There's a flicker of black light, and it glints off of the angel's knife.

His arm trembles as he pushes and pushes for his limb to stall; the angel clenches his eyes shut in pain, and flares his wings in anger, his knuckles no doubt turning white in the strain. He has learned to hate so much, and this would be just another thing to hate himself f

The boy suddenly stiffens under the angel's hand, neck muscles tightening and pulse throbbing, and Castiel's eyes snap open; the boy's eyes are fixed behind him, past his clean-shaven face, and wide in disbelief.

"Y-You're... an a-angel?" whispers the boy, Daniel, and his clear water eyes take on such a stricken and horrified look it causes a physical pain to erupt in the Thursday guardian's chest.

Of course... he'd be able to tell.

The angel leans harder against the boy's chest as his control slips, and rears his other arm back, the limb visibly straining.

A sob chokes itself in the adolescent's throat.

["This is for the greater good Castiel."]

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