AN: Thank you, everyone, that's said such nice things! This and scene has been planned since the beginning, and now it's a matter of connecting to all the other little dots wanna reach.
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Cufflinks
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When Dean and Castiel walked through the kitchen door, a box of light bulbs was thrust into Castiel's arms. He looked from the box to Bobby.
'You broke it, you fix it,' Bobby explained.
Castiel nodded. He looked at the light fixture next to him then back at the box.
'Problem?' Bobby asked.
Castiel mumbled.
'Say again?'
Castiel blushed brightly. 'I—I don't know how…'
Dean laughed, and Bobby stared at Castiel, open-mouthed. 'How—?' Bobby shook his head and lead Castiel to a nearby lamp, grabbing a rag on the way. He unplugged the lamp and pulled the lamp shade off. 'Make sure the power's off first,' he said, showing the plug to Castiel. He took the rag and grabbed hold of what was left of the bulb. 'Or a potato'll work, too.'
'Potato?'
'To get what's left of the light bulb without hurtin' yerself on broken glass,' Bobby replied as he twisted the remnants of the bulb out of the socket. He tossed the bulb into the trash and took one of the new bulbs out of the box Castiel carried. He screwed it in, replaced the shade, and plugged in the lamp.
'Y'got it?'
Castiel nodded. 'Yes… Um…what about the windows?'
'Gabriel already got those. Took a couple tries, but he finally managed plain glass,' Bobby replied before leaving Castiel alone.
'Do you want help?' Dean asked.
Castiel shook his head and smiled at Dean. 'I'm all right. I can manage this. You should continue your search.'
Dean smiled gratefully at Castiel before heading for the computer.
.-.-.-.-.
After three days, Dean was going insane. He couldn't find anything. When he had finally managed to track down his original research, it turned out to be a dead end. He was growing frustrated, and snapped at everyone over everything.
When Dean was forced to leave for a bathroom break, Castiel slipped in and poked around the computer. He wondered just what Anna had done. He stared at the screen helplessly. He couldn't change it back. He didn't know how. There had been angelic tampering. He could feel it. For the past three days, he took every chance he had to study the computer and figure out how to reverse Anna's work. Even if it would be better if Dean never fixed the cuff, it wasn't fair. Dean deserved a chance. He sighed as he heard Dean returning.
'Cas? What are you doing?' Dean asked harshly.
Castiel looked up at Dean and vacated the chair. 'I was reading what you had found,' he replied. 'I didn't touch anything.'
Dean slumped into the chair and checked over the screen. It was just as he'd left it.
'Would you…like me to get you something?' Castiel offered.
Dean shook his head, staring at the screen as he clicked on another link that lead to nothing useful. He sighed and leaned back. 'Pie. Pie would be nice.'
Dean watched as Castiel quickly left the room. The angel's wings were just so black. Much of his research overlapped, and none of it mentioned angels having black wings. He yawned as he looked back at the screen. Freaky black wings. In his exhaustion, Dean's mind made connections it had never made before.
'No fucking way…'
When Castiel returned with a slice of pie, Dean grabbed his wrist and pulled off the cuff.
'D-dean?!'
Dean left for his bedroom, not saying a word. Castiel set the plate down and pulled his sleeve over his bare wrist. He followed Dean, but the door was shut in his face. He huffed and looked up and down the hallway. Keeping his wrist covered, he made his way to Sam's room and hid.
Dean emerged about an hour later. He shoved the cuff into his pocket and set about looking for Castiel. He decided to start with Gabriel. He found the shorter angel sitting in the study on the couch with Sam. 'Where's Cas?'
Gabriel looked up from his Playboy magazine at Dean. 'In the closet,' he replied with a slight grin.
'Cute.' Dean eyed the magazine. The cover model looked very familiar.
'No, really,' Gabriel insisted. 'He's in Sam's closet.'
'Why?' Dean squinted at the cover. Why was the cover model male?
Gabriel shrugged. 'I don't know why my brother does half the shit he does. He just does it.'
'Thank—The fuck?! That's Sam!' he shouted, finally recognizing the model.
Sam straightened and jerked his head in Gabriel's direction. 'What?!'
Gabriel smiled sheepishly at Sam and showed him the centerfold. 'It's all in good fun, sugar! I can make you one of me.'
Sam ripped the magazine from Gabriel's hold and flipped through it, blushing brighter and brighter. It looked just like him. It was him. 'How…?'
'I know your body…intimately,' Gabriel replied as he crawled into Sam's lap.
Dean backed up. 'I'll leave you two to it…,' he said before darting away.
He found Castiel just where Gabriel said he'd be. He pushed Sam's shirts out of the way and crouched in front of Castiel. 'Why are you hiding in here?' he asked.
Castiel showed Dean his bare wrist. 'I didn't want anyone to see…'
Dean stared at the naked wrist. He took Castiel's right hand and pulled out the binding cuff. 'How's about round two?' he said before slapping the cuff onto Castiel's wrist.
Both Hunter and angel gasped at the sensation that fell over them. It was much stronger than the easy warmth they had felt before.
Castiel held his wrist in front of his face and stared at the cuff. He turned his wrist over, examining every angle. It looked exactly the same. He looked up at Dean's smiling face.
'Time for a test run…' Dean stood and helped Castiel up. 'Do you want to stay here, with me?' Dean asked.
Castiel stared at Dean, sadly. 'Dean…y-yes.' He clapped his hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that. He felt Dean's relief and triumph flood over him. He stared at the cuff in astonishment. 'How…how did you…?'
Dean grinned. 'I figured it out,' he said smugly. 'Now, come here and hug me!'
Castiel felt the order settle over him, prompting his feet forward. It felt surreal. He wasn't against the order, but… He tried to fight against it. He stumbled and fell into Dean. His wings spread out, trying to gain some balance. He could feel the spell urging him on, rewarding him for being halfway there. He felt a little giddy just touching Dean. He let the spell guide his arms around Dean and embrace the young Hunter. He sighed happily as a blissful warmth shot through his body. Was this what his brother felt with Sam? What Karen felt with Bobby? No wonder they were so close to their Hunters. He could feel everything coming from Dean. The warmth, the kindness, the love. He squeezed harder and he began to cry.
.-.-.-.-.
For two hours, Dean had Castiel perform simple, stupid tasks. They ended up sitting on the floor of Sam's bedroom. 'Touch your nose! Touch my nose!' He asked the angel pointless questions. 'What part of me's your favorite…physically?' He giggled as Castiel blushed, claiming it was a tie between his eyes and his hands. Dean was ecstatic. The solution had been so simple.
'So, you like my hands, huh?' he asked after a moment of silence.
Castiel nodded.
'Would you like them to be anywhere in particular?' Dean asked, smirking.
Castiel blushed and buried his face in his hands, nodding. His wings flicked out and bristled in anticipation.
Dean watched Castiel's reaction and felt butterflies that he knew weren't his own. 'Where?'
Castiel mumbled into his hands, and his wings spread out, stretching to their full wingspan.
'I can't hear you, Castiel,' Dean said teasingly. 'Where do you want my hands?'
'On my wings,' Castiel whined. He peeked up at Dean. He was suddenly reminded of his dream. The thought went straight to his groin.
'Do you want me to touch your wings right now?' Dean asked.
Castiel nodded. He gasped and moaned softly when he felt Dean's fingers sifting through his feathers. Everything was amazing. Everything felt wonderful. Everything was ripped away as he was pulled up by his collar.
'No! Bad!' Gabriel pulled his brother away from Dean.
Dean glared up Gabriel. 'You're one to talk.'
Gabriel glared back and pushed Castiel behind him.
Castiel huffed in irritation. 'Gabriel, I'm fine. I…I want this,' he said.
Gabriel looked over his shoulder at Castiel, he caught sight of Sam lingering in the doorway. 'He shouldn't be allowed to coerce my baby brother.'
'I didn't—Cas! Tell him what happened!' Dean said as he stood.
Castiel fidgeted with the cuff. He looked off to the side as Gabriel stared at him. 'We…we were testing the connection,' he replied. 'And…I… He asked if I wanted him to touch my wings.' He looked at Gabriel and took a step back at the shocked expression he received.
'But… I thought… I thought it wasn't working right?!' Gabriel looked between Dean and Castiel.
'What's not working right?' Sam asked as he entered the room.
Gabriel growled in frustration. 'Their link!' he bit out.
'What do you mean?'
'It's none of your business, Sammy!' Dean said.
'Cas doesn't have to obey Dean,' Gabriel miserably replied. He sent Castiel a silent apology.
Castiel nodded and turned to Sam. 'It's true,' he said as he looked up to calmly meet Sam's eyes. 'But it is no longer an issue. Dean has fixed the cuff's spellwork.'
Sam looked at Castiel in confusion then at Dean. 'What? Why…why didn't you say anything?' he asked, hurt by his brother's mistrust.
Dean shrugged. 'It doesn't matter anymore.'
'Dean—'
Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. 'What would you have done? Would have argued about how much of a threat he is, or would you have helped me fix the problem?'
Sam looked away. 'I'm not sure… Both,' he admitted.
Dean nodded. 'So, can you blame me?'
Sam stared at the floor and eventually met Dean's eyes. 'I still wish you had told me.'
Dean sighed and looked at Castiel. 'It doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done. Let's just… Can we not say anything about it?'
Sam frowned at Dean. 'Bobby and Karen deserve to know,' he said as he crossed his arms.
Dean nodded and rubbed his neck. 'Then…can we hold off telling them until after Balthazar and Anna are gone?'
'I agree with Dean,' Gabriel said. 'I don't…I don't want them having any sort of excuse to take Cas away.'
Sam nodded in agreement. 'Alright…'
'Thanks, Sammy,' Dean said, looking gratefully at Sam.
.-.-.-.-.
Castiel didn't have to be coaxed into Dean's bed that night, and Dean didn't have to be reminded that sleep was required for him to function properly. Dean spooned against Castiel, having to loop and arm under a wing to get comfortable.
After a few hours of sleep, Castiel woke up. He was about to go back to sleep, when he could have sworn he heard a noise. He edged out of Dean's hold and quietly headed to the door. He used a little power to prevent the floorboards from creaking as he walked down the hallway to the stairs. He could hear Balthazar speaking softly.
Castiel crouched at the top of the steps and strained to hear.
'Uh-huh. Everything's all clear on this end,' Balthazar said. 'Right…see you soon.'
Castiel breathed in sharply. His legs shook as he stood. He quickly and quietly made his way back to Dean. He crawled into bed and clung on to Dean.
Dean opened his eyes and groggily stared at the messy brown hair pressing into his chest. 'You okay there, Cas?'
Castiel shrugged. 'I…I don't know.'
Dean hugged Castiel and softly stroked his wings. 'It's okay,' he said soothingly. 'Everything's fixed now.'
Castiel relaxed a little, feeling reassured.
When Dean next awoke, it was to an empty bed. He shot up when he heard Gabriel shout Sam's name.
.-.-.-.-.
Gabriel fell back against the pillows of the lavish king-sized bed he had summoned. 'Fuck…'
Sam smiled at Gabriel as he lay next to him. 'So you liked that?' he asked as he trailed his fingers over Gabriel's wings. He dug deeper, feeling around where each wing connected to Gabriel's back.
Gabriel nodded enthusiastically. He moaned and turned on his side, giving Sam better access.
Sam laughed and scooted closer to Gabriel. He bent forward and kissed the back of Gabriel's neck. He kissed his way down between the three pairs of golden wings, rubbing his hand along Gabriel's sides, and lightly teasing his ass.
'Sa-am…,' Gabriel whined. 'Gimme a few minutes, at least!' he begged.
'But I like watching you squirm,' Sam said as he turned Gabriel to face him. 'You do it to me. Why can't I do it to you?'
Gabriel licked his lips and giggled. 'I'm not exactly stopping you…'
Sam pressed forward and nipped at Gabriel's lips. He caught Gabriel's tongue in his mouth and sucked before licking at the angel's lips.
'Sammy…'
Sam grinned and positioned himself over Gabriel. He kissed and sucked at Gabriel's neck.
'You're gonna give me a hickey…,' Gabriel groaned.
'I think that's the idea,' Sam replied.
Gabriel giggled and lightly stroked Sam's sides with his wings. 'Mmm…'
.-.-.-.-.
Dean found Castiel sitting at the kitchen table, frowning at his eggs.
'They're just eggs, Cas. No need to be mad at them,' he said lightly as he sat next to Castiel.
Castiel looked up at Dean. 'I'm sorry. I'm just upset right now,' he replied. 'Please…please don't ask why…'
Dean nodded. 'Okay… Will you at least tell me later?'
'Yes.'
'Then we'll worry about it later,' Dean said, clapping Castiel on the back. 'Until then, you shouldn't frown at happy eggs.'
Castiel sighed. He didn't understand Karen's fascination with feeding him food in the shape of happy faces. This time, his plate had eyes made of eggs, bacon for a mouth, and seasoned potatoes for hair. He looked up at the sound of Balthazar and Anna entering the kitchen.
'Mm! Something smells absolutely wonderful!' Balthazar exclaimed.
Karen smiled at him and handed him a plate. 'Thank you!'
As Balthazar took a seat, Castiel stood. 'I've lost my appetite,' he said quietly, pushing his plate to Dean and leaving the kitchen.
Anna made to follow, but Karen stood in her way. Karen gave Anna an even stare and handed her a plate of food.
'Have a seat, dear,' Karen said sweetly. 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.'
Anna huffed in irritation. 'You didn't make Castiel stay,' she argued.
'That poor boy is under so much stress right now,' Karen replied as she took Anna by the elbow and lead her to the table. 'I think we can permit him to miss a meal or two.' She pulled out a chair and crossed her arms, staring expectantly at Anna.
Anna sat and began eating.
Karen nodded happily and set about cleaning up.
.-.-.-.-.
For the rest of the day, Castiel was extremely nervous. He jumped at everything. Even Gabriel was beginning to worry. Castiel had shut Gabriel out of his thoughts, and it was making Gabriel worried and nervous.
He tried asking Castiel what was going on, but Castiel would just look away and shake his head. The only other time Castiel had acted so secretively was when he was contemplating running away…
Gabriel resorted to tracking down Dean for answers. He found Dean bent over the engine of the Impala. 'De-ean!' he whined as approached.
Dean sagged and took a calming breath before facing Gabriel. 'What do you want?'
'Why's Cas bein' weird?' Gabriel asked in the same whiney tone.
'I didn't ask,' Dean said as he went back to fixing the engine.
Gabriel groaned in frustration. He stared at the engine and frowned. He could feel traces of Balthazar's energy lingering. 'What's wrong with your car?'
Dean growled as he slammed his fists down. 'I don't know!' he yelled. 'Everything? Nothing? I went to start it this morning, and it's not working! It's not the battery, nothin's wrong with the engine, all the wires are connected…' He scratched at his head. 'I have replaced every damn part, and nothing's working!'
Gabriel backed away. He had a feeling none of the other cars would work. They were stuck. Cas had to have had a clue as to what was going on. And Gabriel could guess what Castiel was up to. When he found his brother, he hugged him.
'Uh, Gabriel?' Castiel asked, patting Gabriel's back.
'It was nice knowin' ya,' bro,' Gabriel said as he held Castiel at arms' length. 'I regret to inform you that I won't be able to make it to your funeral.'
Castiel grimaced. 'So, you know?'
Gabriel nodded. 'Yeah. You are so dead.'
Castiel pulled at his sleeves and looked away. 'Please don't say anything…'
Gabriel grinned and made a zipping motion across his lips. 'Don't worry. I like watchin' Dad blow up at you. Fun times. And this time, I can't get caught in the crossfire!' he said giddily. 'Wonder what he'll do to Anna and Balthy? This is gonna be great! When's he gonna get here?'
Castiel smiled with his brother. 'I don't know…soon.'
.-.-.-.-.
The next day, everyone was gathered at the table for breakfast. Anna and Balthazar were keeping a close eye on Castiel, and Gabriel desperately wanted to see everyone's reactions.
Castiel tensed up, and he worriedly stared at his brother. Gabriel caught the look and sucked in a breath. The doorbell rang, and Castiel ducked his head. Gabriel had to bite his lip from grinning, and took to shoving more food in his mouth.
Karen began to stand when Anna held up a hand. 'I've got it,' she said as she stood and headed towards the front door.
Karen frowned in confusion then looked to Castiel and Gabriel. 'Is everything alright?' she asked upon seeing Castiel looking more miserable than ever.
Castiel nodded as faint voices drifted into the kitchen.
'Cas is gonna get in trouble,' Gabriel sang.
Balthazar dropped his fork and stared in horror at Castiel. 'What did you do?!' he hissed.
'Castiel!'
Castiel cringed and slowly stood. 'What had to be done,' Castiel replied. 'He won't listen otherwise.'
Dean watched the exchange in confusion. 'Cas, what's goin' on?' he asked as he stood and followed Castiel out of the kitchen.
'My father is here,' Castiel replied.
Dean paused and quickly caught up. 'Your dad?! But…how did he…?'
Dean stopped just behind Castiel and stared at the small entourage in the entryway. Anna stared back, wide-eyed and pressed against the wall, trying to be as far away without actually leaving. A shorter, well-dressed, middle-aged man stood in the center of the entry with his arms crossed and glaring at Castiel. The only one that actually seemed comfortable with the situation was a young, dark-haired woman, leaning against the front door.
'Hello, Father,' Castiel greeted.
'Heya, Daddy-o!' Gabriel added, poking his head out from behind Dean. 'For the record, I had nothing to do with this! For once.'
Sam came up next to Dean and frowned. 'But…you're not an angel,' he said.
The man's eyes flashed red and he grinned at Sam. 'So observant,' he said, his voice dripping in sarcasm.
