Dean sat in the kitchen with the hyper kid and Cas, who was happily (or as happily as anyone could) spooning the leftover take out into plastic tuperwear. He'd not even asked Cas to go get something to eat, although Sam still gave him that constipated look when the Angel showed up with his arms full of plastic bags and a thoughtful expression.
"What you get?" Dean had asked, ignoring Sam.
"I had planned on trying Mongolian dishes, but Sam complained about mutton." He replied, and Dean couldn't help throwing Sam a pissed look. If the Angel wanted to eat something, you didn't get picky about what it was, you just smiled and ate it. "I have decided to explore Vegan foods." At that, Sam winced. Dean was going to kill his brother.
All in all, Dean thought, as he watched the pale kid 'help' Cas, it wasn't all that bad. "Would have been better with a little meat." He said, "But that wasn't too bad, Cas." He paused. "Sam was just being a bitch about the mutton though, if you want to try it, you get it next time."
"So, where did you get this?" Stiles asked him, waving a hand over the dishes. "I've never seen my dad eat so many vegetables in his life without complaining. He's got a bad heart, you know? I try to keep him eating good stuff, but he complains." He didn't seem to pause for breath as he talked. "There isn't anywhere in town that sells vegan food, and I'd know, because I know every place that sells food here. I could pretty much eat-" His voice carried on, talking to Cas without stopping. He'd been watching the Angel all night, ever since they'd gotten him to carry the boy – Danny – up to his room where he could try to get over the fact he'd been worn like a prom dress by a Duke of Hell.
Cas was listening intently to the kid, like he listened to everything – like it was the most important thing in the world. Leaning back in the chair, he let the sounds of the house wash over him, forgetting for a moment that they were here for a job.
"I found a small restaurant in Rome tha-"
"You went to Rome for our dinner?" The kid burst out, shattering Deans calm like a glass. "Rome?" He repeated, ignoring Deans glare. "What kind of person goes to Rome for take-out?"
"Quit pestering him." Dean said, giving Cas a shrug. "If you want to go to Rome to get food, go to Rome."
"Thank you, Dean." Cas replied, and Dean had the distinct impression that his tone was trying to convey that he didn't need his permission to go anywhere. "I will keep that in mind."
Sam was sitting on the edge of the bed, patting down his pockets and coming up with nothing. He had developed a sweet tooth and was coming down off a sugar high – it seemed like he was always going to be addicted to something – and his pockets remained candy-less. The teenage boy was sleeping, so far he'd not woken up since they'd pulled Marbas out of him, and Sam wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He probably needed to rest.
He patted down his pockets absentmindedly again, frowning when he found nothing.
"Whatcha lookin' for, Sammich?" A dry voice said from directly behind him. Sam turned on his hip to see Gabriel standing there wearing…
"What the hell are you wearing?" Sam asked. "Are those my jeans?" The Angel was wearing the same clothes that Sam had been shot in, clean and well pressed, but far too large for the Trickster, who looked like he was playing dress-up in his dad's clothes. The jeans were trailing on the ground and the shirt sleeves were covering his hands completely.
"Yup." He smirked, pulling out a packet of taffy from somewhere and handing it to Sam. "I'm going to a party dressed like my boyfriend. It's soooo romantic."
Sam snorted as he took the offered bag, popping a piece into his mouth. "M'not your boyfriend." He said – or tried to say, his teeth effectively glued together with the candy – and watched with a smile as Gabriel clutched at his heart with a hurt expression.
"You wound me." He gasped. "After I went and died for you and everything. You have no heart, BFG."
"I don't know if I should be insulted or flattered by that comparison." He admitted, after managing to work his teeth apart. "The BFG was kinda cool."
"Who is the boy in your bed?" Gabriel asked, looking over at Danny. "I should warn you, I'm a jealous lover."
"His name is Danny, and he's in High School." Sam frowned. "And we," He pointed to Gabriel and himself, "Are not together."
"Oh, you like em younger?" Gabriel sulked, ignoring the parts of the conversation he didn't want to hear. "I'm hurt. And slightly amused."
"He's not my boyfriend either." Sam rolled his eyes. "He's just had a demon pulled out of him and he's resting."
"Did I miss you being heroic?" Gabriel gasped. "Say it aint so, Sammy!"
"You missed Dean being heroic." He grinned. "Kind of. He got thrown about a little before Cas showed up."
"Why is it always the baby brother who gets the glory? I could smite a few things for you, Sammich-baby, if you'd just let me."
"I'm a little worried what it would cost me." He grinned, looking back at the kid on the bed. Under his tan, he looked pale – Sam thought when he was awake he probably looked like a poster boy for good health and clean living.
"Oh, you know." Gabriel said, leaning forward and pulling on his hair. "The usual. Sex, devotion, foot rubs."
"I'm going nowhere near your feet." Sam grimaced.
"But the rest is a go?" Gabriel shot back. "I'll hold you to that." Sam snapped his head around, but the Angel was already gone.
"I'm not sleeping with you either." He told the space where Gabriel had been standing.
"I do not like kale."
"No one likes kale, Cas." Dean sighed. "It's not even a real food."
"It is a cabbage."
"Which is also not real food." He said in way of a reply. After a few moments, he shrugged. "The kid seems to like you."
"He is waiting to ask me about heaven." Cas responded. "His mother died when he was younger and he wishes to know if she is happy."
"Is she?"
"Yes." Cas said simply. "It is heaven. People are happy there."
"Do you miss it?" Dean asked, walking without looking at the Angel by his side. He hated that he'd even asked, because he didn't want to remind him about all the things he was missing, heaven was his home.
"I return often." Cas said after a long while. "When you sleep sometimes, when you shower – but it is no longer where I belong."
"What are you talking about? You're an Angel, it's your home."
"My brothers and sisters distrust me. They fear that I am… too human. I had fallen, and I was restored." He looked at Dean. "They believe that my restoration was not God's work, but Lucifer's."
"Well, that is utter bullshit." Dean snapped. "Lucifer hated you just as much as he hated anyone."
"Only an Archangel could have restored me, or God. Michael would not, and I have made many enemies amongst that rank." He paused. "It does not help the fear my siblings have of me."
Dean looked at Cas and felt guilt wash over him in a wave. It was his fault, really. Oh, he could blame Sam for starting the end of the world, but he knew Cas was falling before then – when he was showing them how to stop the seals from opening. The length of time he would spend with them wasn't necessary. Showing up in Dean's dreams sure as hell wasn't required – and lately he hoped to hell the Angel was staying far away from his head as he was sleeping, because he'd rather burn in hell for the rest of eternity than have the Angel see what his subconscious was dreaming up about him.
"I'm sorry your family are dicks." He replied, hoping that the Angel would see the apology for what it was. Dean sucked at chick stuff. He sucked at a lot of things, and one of them was apologising to his Angel.
Stiles found Derek in the basement, cleaning. It seemed… strange to see him doing something so normal, but then he saw the blood on the floor, spray up the walls.
"Is this Danny's blood?" He whispered, not even wanting to say the words aloud. Derek looked up and shook his head.
"No, the short one." He shrugged.
"That's a lot of blood." Stiles commented, picking up the bottle of bleach spray and starting on the nearest wall. "Too much for him to be out on patrol."
"He's fine." Derek shrugged, scrubbing at the floor.
About half an hour later, the place looked slightly cleaner – as clean as a basement was going to look at least – and Derek finally spoke again.
"I don't trust them."
Stiles expected as much. Trust was a huge thing for Derek, and he'd not only had to welcome (although not very welcomingly) the Argent's into his house, he'd also had to bring in two new hunters. Who were – as far as Stiles could see – a much scarier pair of people than Chris (or even Gerard) could be.
"I don't trust them either." Stiles admitted. "But they did get that demon out of Danny."
"We don't know that though!" Derek snapped. "He's not woken up yet. He's still out of it." Angry Derek was something that Stiles had a lot of experience with. This was frustrated Derek, and it wasn't the same thing. He had no idea what to say. "I don't like the way that he looks at you."
"Who?" Stiles asked, not sure where that sentence came from.
"The short one. He looks at you like he wants to hit you."
"I think he looks at everyone without a trench coat like that, Derek." Stiles shrugged.
"And that 'Angel' seems… odd."
Stiles had noticed that too. He ate like he was performing a great task – it was hard to watch him chew, Stiles was sure he was counting each bite to ensure that he was doing it 'properly'. The two hunters hadn't noticed, and he wondered if that was just habit. Every now and then though, Dean – the one Derek didn't like – would learn forward and either side more food over to him, or steal something off his plate.
"I probably wouldn't mention that to Dean." Stiles hedged. "I think he's got a temper, and if you piss off the Angel I'm not sure what he'd do."
"I could take him in a fight." Derek said, looking down his nose at Stiles, who snorted in response.
"Yes, you are the big bad alpha, and I fear you. But I'm pretty sure if you hurt Dean, his Angel boyfriend would kick your ass from one side of the planet to the other without breaking a sweat. Dude – he went to Rome to get take-out. Rome!"
"You like the tall one."
"Sam? Sam is awesome, Derek. He's cool and smart and-" He gave a fake dramatic swoon. "Built like a barn. He's got nicer hair than Lydia." He added as an afterthought. Derek glared.
"When did you decide that Lydia wasn't the sun and stars?"
"Since she basically told me that her gay-dar cried every time I tried to hit on her." He shrugged. "It was kind of depressing to be told you liked boys before you'd actually figured it out yourself, you know?" He laughed. "And I'm not Danny's type, so… You think I have a chance with Tall, Buff and Broad?"
"He's in his thirties at least." Derek snapped. "You're 17. I don't think he's into children."
Stiles tried to hide the fact that he felt like he'd just been slapped in the face. He knew that Derek didn't really think of him in that way, in the take-me-against-the-wall-my-body-is-ready kind of way, but to be told that he ranked on a level of 'child' in his eyes was hurtful. He'd just basically come out to a guy that he'd been pretending not to crush on for the better part of a year, and… he thought he was a child. How was this his life?
"Well, you know… I'm not." He grinned brightly. "A child."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know what you meant." Stiles said, turning towards the stairs. "You're going out with Dad and one of the Argent guys in an hour." He added. "You might want to get ready, take a shower or something."
"Stiles," Derek said, but Stiles didn't give him any room to make it worse.
"Derek, you have an hour. It's probably a good idea to get ready."
Stiles wasn't sure what to do with the bedrooms. Danny was still sleeping in Derek's room on the bed that his dad had been using, and Mr and Mrs Martin refused to share the small room down the hall with anyone but Lydia, so that was out. The Argents were in Isaac's room and none of the wolves were going to sleep there – and Dean hadn't really hit it off with the hunters like Stiles had expected.
He stood in the hallway and looked blankly ahead as his mind was filled with a million different things. Did Angels sleep? Were they hoping to get a room on their own? How tall was Sam? Would a sleeping bag fit him? Where would his dad sleep now that Danny was in his bed?
"You okay kid?" a voice he didn't recognise asked him. Spinning around, Stile came face to face with a guy he'd never met in his life. He couldn't help the full body flail that happened as he stepped back too quickly, pulling back with a stuttered 'woah!' as he tried to regain his balance. The guy quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Loki." Was the reply he got, and Stiles found his lips moving of their own accord.
"Yeah, you look just like him too. No hat? Capeless? Didst thou mother finally find out thou warest her drapes? You look nothing like Loki. He got a horse pregnant you know." He heard himself say, before finally being able to shut his mouth.
"I like your style." The guy smirked – holding out an open bag of skittles. "Taste the Asguardian rainbow."
Stiles grabbed a handful and stuffed them all into his mouth.
"Really Loki?" He asked, trying not to drool coloured spit everywhere.
"Nah. Gabriel. Call me Gabe, no one does." He poured the contents of the bag into his mouth. Stiles respected a man who could do that with a share size. Showed great character.
"Why you here?" He said, around his own candy filled mouth. He remembered dimly that he should be screaming for help.
"Keeping an eye on my Sammquatch. We're in love." The other guy mumbled with his mouth full. "He doesn't know it yet."
"Sam Winchester?"
"Yup."
"Disappointed."
"I know. Abs of steal. You could bounce a quarter off that ass. I plan on finding out if that is actually true." Gabe smirked. "If he can get past the whole 'you killed my brother a hundred and fourteen times' thing."
"S'a lot of times." Stiles said, grinning when Gabe threw another bag of Skittles at his face. "Thanks."
"I like a guy that can be bribed with candy."
"I like a guy that bribes with candy." Stiles shot back.
"Was there a reason you were standing in the hallway looking like you wanted to either burst into song or cry?" His new best friend in the world asked as Stiles ripped open the bag, pouring half into his hand and offering the rest to Gabe.
"Trying to work out where everyone is going to sleep." Stiles shrugged. "I'm worried Derek won't sleep in the same room as Dean, and I don't know if Dean expects to share with his boyfriend, and Sam looks like he's too tall for every bed and sleeping bag in the-"
"Woah, kid!" Gabe grinned, teeth brightly coloured. "Leave this to me. Now, did you say Deans boyfriend?"
"Yeah." Stiles nodded. "The Angel guy?"
"Stiles, you are my new favourite person." Gabe smirked. "I might even like you more than daytime TV."
Because I was actually pretty rushed off my feet today, I'm kind of pushing a shorter chapter out. I hope no one minds, but I try to write about 3k a day so you've got something to read!
I really enjoyed writing today, nothing like the stress of yesterday. I think keeping people quite slip up and limiting group dynamics is the easiest way of keeping track of each situation, because if you have Dean, Derek, Stiles, Sam, Gabriel and Cas in the same room as Chris, Isaac, Peter, Lydia, Boyd and the Sheriff... you're going to have a bad time writing it.
Thanks for all the great feedback, I really appreciate it! I know that crossovers aren't as popular as regular fanfics, but I feel like a wee superstar when I get comments!
Back up, bitch, I'm famous.