They were totally screwed. Dean looked on helplessly at Castiel, who was looking worse for wear inside the circle of holy fire that Crowley had trapped him in. He didn't know how Crowley knew to place the circle, but lucky guess or devious spell it had burst into flame the minute the angel had appeared. Dean kicked his legs uselessly, only managing to jerk his arms uncomfortably in the chains that held him above the floor of Crowley's 'interrogation room'.
"You should save your energy Dean," Cas chided him, "You will need it for our escape."
"Any bright ideas Cas?" Dean asked sarcastically, though he did let his body still.
"No," the angel admitted, "But it would seem wise to assume that help is on the way, given our track record." Fair enough. Sam was probably on his way to save their asses, provided Crowley didn't stroll in and kill them both on the spot. Then again, he'd let them both live this long, so there was probably some ulterior motive waiting to play out. Dean worked instead on the chains around his wrists, looking for weaknesses, finding none. Two pairs of cuffs in as many days. Jesus. As uncomfortable as he was, Dean was more worried about Cas. He was pale, and there was a line of sweat on his brow that implied something besides the claustrophobia that comes with being trapped in a small circle.
"You hangin' in there, angel?" Dean asked, as Cas wiped at his forehead with his sleeve.
"I'll be fine," Castiel said without much conviction, "I think Crowley supplemented this circle to weaken me as well as confine. The sensation is…unpleasant." The angel chucked humorlessly. "Crowley probably thinks of it as just desserts for my treachery last year."
Dean silently cursed the demon with every unflattering name he could think of. The sight of Cas so obviously in pain made him see red. Though, in retrospect, Crowley wasn't the only one to have hurt Cas in the last few hours. Hanging limply in his cuffs, Dean drew a deep breath before speaking.
"Cas," he began, "Look man, in case things don't work out, I'm sorry."
"It's alright Dean." The angel's eyes were feverish.
"No, it's not," Dean continued, "I just-whatever's going on with us right now, I need you to know that it's on me. None of this is your fault. I-"
"Dean," Cas cut him off, blue eyes seeing through him, "I pulled you out of Hell, and I followed you in Purgatory. How many dimensions must I accompany you to before you realize that I won't be pushed away?" Dean's answer was cut off by the arrival of the King of Hell himself.
"Sorry, am I interrupting?" Crowley asked as he burst through the rusted metal doors.
"I'm gonna interrupt you, you son of a bitch!" Dean thrashed uselessly against his bonds once more.
"Eloquent as always Mr. Winchester," Crowley sighed, "How is that holy fire treating you Castiel? Comfortable?"
"What do you want with us Crowley?" Cas demanded, voice strong despite his weakened Grace.
"Mostly? Revenge," the demon admitted, "I won't lie to you boys, this has all been a series of fortunate coincidences for me. I had people scouring the local eateries for you obviously, but to catch Dean Winchester unawares in a bar at ten o'clock in the morning? Wasn't exactly on my list of scenarios."
"Your little minions just got lucky," Dean spat.
"Oh I know," Crowley assured him, "But luck or no, I've got a Winchester and his angel boyfriend under lock and key. Now what might dear Sam be willing to trade to guarantee your safety? Say…a prophet? Maybe a certain tablet?"
"Sam's not dumb," Dean drawled, "He knows better than to deal with demons." Well, he knows better now, Dean added as an afterthought. Crowley shrugged.
"I'm willing to risk it," Crowley said, "It's not like there's anyone else coming for you." As if on cue, an unexpected but familiar voice suddenly sounded through the chamber.
"Lucy! I'm ho-ome!" It couldn't be…but it totally was. If he hadn't been dangling by his wrists from the ceiling Dean would have rubbed his eyes to check if he was seeing correctly. On the other end of Crowley's torture chamber stood one very alive archangel, complete with his sword and a snarky grin. Castiel's face was a mask of shock as he took in the sight of his long lost brother. The archangel ignored them for the moment, choosing to focus his attention on the King of Hell.
"You must be Crowley," Gabriel said with a dangerous glint in his eye, "I don't believe we've had the pleasure. Gabriel, archangel of the Lord."
Crowley paled before the angel, who despite the height of his vessel was currently the most intimidating person in the room. By far.
"You're supposed to be dead," the demon stammered.
"So they keep telling me," Gabriel agreed. He cast an eye over to where Castiel and Dean were held captive, a sly wink indicating that he was indeed their rescue squad. Sam must have really pulled out the stops on this one, Dean thought to himself as Gabriel continued his speech.
"They also tell me that you've taken over my brother's throne since he's been…hm…indisposed," the archangel said conversationally, "So I'm certain that if anyone can appreciate a good plan, it's you, Mr. Crowley."
"You could say that," Crowley ventured cautiously. Gabriel nodded, twirling one of the demon's archaic torture devices in his hand like a child's toy.
"Based on your lengthy interactions with the Winchesters," Gabriel continued, "I'm even more certain that you know how frustrating it is when a good plan is ruined because some moron interfered at the last minute." Suddenly the knife that Gabriel had been fiddling with was lodged in the wall beside Crowley's head, the metal cutting through the steel girder like butter with the force of the angel's throw. Crowley, who Dean had never seen phased, stood stock still, his eyes like dinner plates.
"I've got all the powers of Hell at my disposal," Crowley huffed, "You can't threaten me."
"That's where you're wrong," Gabriel chirped, "Because I see you're demon army, and I raise you one Judeo-Christian Deity."
"You can't mean-"
"I do mean," the archangel continued, "You, my idiotic friend, are interfering with an active intention of the Divine Will."
"Since when does God give two shakes about this flannel clad Neanderthal and his trench coat wearing pet?" Crowley had recovered himself, and was returned to his more comfortable expression of purple faced-rage. Gabriel shrugged, the casual gesture deceptive below the power that he was currently wearing like his favorite leather jacket.
"His eye is on the sparrow," Gabriel quipped, before snapping his fingers. The chains holding Dean in the air promptly vanished, as did the ring of fire holding Castiel. Dean scrambled off the ground to where Castiel stood swaying, pale and drawn. Without thinking, his arm snaked around the angel's waist, taking some of his weight as Castiel rested his forehead against the crook of Dean's neck.
"You ok Cas?" Dean asked uncertainly, running a hand along the angel's damp cheek. Castiel looked like he was watching a tennis match, his glassy eyes bouncing back and forth between Dean and his brother.
"Dean," he breathed, "Gabriel…how?"
"I dunno Cas," Dean said, "But we might not wanna miss this next part." Dean nodded at Gabriel to continue, after verifying that Cas was indeed ok, just a little drained. They watched silently as Gabriel continued to address Crowley, Dean's arm still firm around Castiel's middle, the angel's breath shallow against his neck. Cas didn't move away and Dean wasn't going to ask him to.
"I like you Crowley," Gabriel continued, "So I'm gonna give you two options. One: You make your exit, right now. I take Dean-o and Cassie back to his moose of a brother, and we all part as unlikely friends."
Crowley's eyes narrowed. "And what is the second option?"
"Door number two," Gabriel drawled, his smirk anything but comedic, "I vaporize you, this warehouse, and every demon on the Eastern Seaboard."
"Even you don't have that kind of power," Crowley sneered. Gabriel just laughed.
"I keep forgetting how slow demons can be," he chuckled, "I'm the last of the archangels! Lucifer, Michael, Raphael? All that power, its vested in me now. But fine!" Gabriel raised his hands in mock surrender. "You wanna call my bluff? Let's see who's emerges from the rubble." As he raised his hand to snap his fingers once again, Dean could feel the foundations of the building start to shake. Crowley's henchman were collapsing like dominoes, and the King of Hell himself looked like was starting to sweat. Gabriel was gathering a strange kind of light around his edges, and not for the first time Dean was reminded just how scary the funnyman could be. He held Cas a little tighter, waiting for the tell-tale snap, when Crowley let out a frustrated growl.
"Fine!" he shouted, "Option 1! I choose option 1. Call off the doomsday routine." Suddenly the building went still, and Gabriel looked ordinary again. Crowley gave the archangel a glare that could have cut through steel.
"I'll get you," he growled, casting a glance at Dean and Castiel, "All of you. Just you wait." And with that he promptly vanished. Gabriel shook his head, clicking his tongue.
"Demons, am I right?" he joked, addressing Dean and Cas directly for the first time. They both just gaped at him for a minute.
"Gabriel," Cas finally managed, "You're alive."
"That's right little bro," Gabriel said, "Looks like you're not Dad's only favorite anymore."
His tone was a joking one, but something wasn't sitting right with Dean.
"You told Crowley he was interfering with the Divine Will," Dean said, "What's going on Gabriel?" Gabriel raised his hands in another pacifying gesture.
"I'm gonna let Sam explain that one," Gabriel dodged, "But let's just say God has finally taken a positive interest in his kids. At least one of them anyway." He looked at Castiel fondly at that, and for a minute Dean could really believe they were brothers. Cas seemed a little lighter on his feet, maybe just happy to see another angel who wasn't trying to kill them.
"Thank you Gabriel," Castiel said, "For your help today."
"Don't mention it Cassie," Gabriel shrugged, blushing a little, "I'm here on Dad's orders after all."
"So are you back on the gameboard?" Dean had to ask, "Angels, demons, the whole shebang?"
Gabriel mulled it over before shrugging again.
"We'll see," he answered after a minute, "Sometimes you gotta wait for the right cause before you jump in headfirst, know what I mean?" Dean eyed the angel at his side, face growing warm.
"I think I do," Dean answered, which got him a knowing wink and an eyebrow waggle from Gabriel.
"Well, uh, thanks Gabe," he offered, extending a hand. Gabriel took it with a grip that made the bones in Dean's hand creak.
"You and my brother better take care of eachother," Gabriel warned him before stepping back, "Or I'll know." Dean grinned weakly as Castiel looked between the two of them suspiciously.
"Until next time," the archangel said, with a quick salute, "You kids have fun now." And with that he snapped his fingers, and a light like the flash of a camera blinded them both. When the spots cleared from their eyes, Dean saw that they had been returned to his bedroom in the Batcave. Their clothes had been scrubbed of any demon grime, and Dean could tell the raw skin left by the shackles on his wrists was healed. Cas was looking better too, his pallor replaced by a healthy glow that sent Dean's heart racing in his chest. Archangels, man. They were good for something after all.
"I believe that Gabriel is under the impression that we are romantically involved," Castiel observed, looking to Dean for guidance in this strange development. Dean, arms still wrapped around Cas, cast his eyes around the room he had come to consider his own. There were his records, his guns, his books. There was the staff he had carried through Purgatory looking for Cas, and the bed where just last night he had spent one of the most peaceful nights of his life curled around the very same angel. Last he looked at the remaining empty wall, with its solitary lamp and empty dresser, waiting to be filled.
"I think," Dean admitted, to himself as much as to the angel at his side, "Gabriel might be on to something."
Castiel smiled. It was the half-smile that Cas rarely showed; the smile that followed "It's funnier in Enochian" or accompanied "I'm gonna become a hunter". Now it would be the smile that reminded Dean of Castiel pulling his face down the extra inch between them to press their lips together, dry and a little awkward, and so full of promise.
Dean was so occupied with Castiel's mouth that he almost didn't notice the pop of confetti and the colorful streamers that rained down on them out of nowhere. Castiel did however, and the look of terror that crossed the angel's face was hilarious once Dean determined that they were not in fact being attacked by demons. He laughed as he brushed the brightly colored paper off of Cas' shoulders, letting his hands linger for seconds longer than necessary as the angel scowled.
"Looks like Gabe just gave us his blessing," Dean chuckled. Castiel still looked uncertain, but his expression lightened as he reached up to pluck a streamer from Dean's hair, his fingers tracing the curve of his jaw on the way back down.
"I suppose," he sighed, "It would have been too much to ask for a simple locked door to be able to keep out both our brothers."
"That reminds me," Dean said, striding to the door and closing it firmly, scrambling with the lock until he heard a satisfying click. He trusted if Gabriel had bothered with the little confetti display he would have filled Sam in as well. No need for any unnecessary interruptions. Dean turned back around to find himself crowded up against the door as Castiel inserted himself quite assertively into Dean's personal space. Cas made no move to touch him, but just stared, that same half smile ghosting across the angel's lips.
"Dean," he began, and if Dean didn't know better, he would say Castiel was nervous, "The room that you and Sam assigned me. It doesn't seem to be quite the right fit for my needs."
"No?" Dean asked, unable to resist reaching out, letting his hands settle on Cas' biceps, pulling him even closer, "We'll have to fix that. Can you think of somewhere you might be more comfortable?"
"Hm," Castiel mused as their faces brushed, the tip of Dean's nose just tracing the edge of Castiel's cheek, "I remember being very comfortable last night. In here."
Dean hummed deep in his chest as he let his gaze flicker to the bed that he and Castiel had recently shared. It was a simple frame, with an unremarkable bedspread. Dean thought that it would look a lot better with Castiel's clothing hanging off the headboard.
"You sure?" Dean asked his angel, green eyes boring into blue, "Sometimes the mattress creaks."
Castiel's eyes were serious as he surveyed the bed dubiously. "We will have to test it," he said, pulling Dean across the room, "Thoroughly."
Dean laughed, letting himself be guided down onto the mattress, soon finding himself flat on his back and covered in angel. "Dean," Castiel informed him, still fully clothed, "There is one activity in particular that I think would be effective in ensuring the integrity of our mattress. It will be quite intimate. Are you ready?"
Dean knew he was sporting a shit-eating grin as he pressed his mouth to Cas' once, twice, before meeting the angel's eye once more.
"Cas," Dean said, hands slipping beneath the folds of Castiel's ample trench coat, "You have no idea."
Sam was pacing in the library when a small note card appeared in a burst of confetti.
Hey Sammy,
Dean and baby bro are safe and sound, though I wouldn't knock on their door for a few hours, if you catch my drift. Also, I may have pissed off the current King of Hell, so keep an eye out. I'm off for a long overdue chat with the Big Man. I'll put in a good word for you, Dad knows you need it.
Stay fresh,
Gabriel
And lo, I beheld Destiel, and it was awesome. Nice job, Gabe.
The Word of the Lord.