*Lyrics from When The Stars Go Blue by...um, a lot of people have covered it, but the only version I'm familiar with is the one by Bethany Joy Lenz

"Where do you go when you're lonely?

Where do you go when you're blue?

Where do you go when you're lonely, I'll follow you

When the stars go blue."

I located Castiel's grace and appeared next to him.

He was back in Brevard, standing outside the now closed library, staring at nothing in particular. It didn't surprise me he was here; he'd taken a liking to the small town. I stood next to him silently. Big brothers knew when their siblings didn't need words, only someone to just be there for them. It was a long time before he finally spoke.

"If we are right in thinking the Winchesters are our soulmates…perhaps we should not return to them."

I smiled slightly. "Castiel, if they are our soul mates, then we don't have a choice. We'll end up going back to them no matter what."

"I don't want them to be hurt."

"Well neither do I, but I think we're stuck with those idiots."

"Why don't these emotions scare you?"

"Because once you accept them…they're actually not so bad."

He glanced over at me. "Accept them?"

"There's no fighting what you feel, little bro. Once you accept that you care about someone it makes it a lot easier. I've learned my lesson about running away from my problems."

"You took me from Heaven to protect me, Gabriel. I will always be indebted to you for that."

"For what, making your life a living Hell? You've been hunted since you were a kid, Castiel. I never wanted that for you."

"Without you, I would be dead by now. I would have been killed during the war."

I sighed quietly. "I know, I just wish there could have been an easier way…"

Our conversation faded into a peaceful silence, leaving us to take solace in each other's presence. A soft breeze lifted my hair and blew a few long blond strands into my eyes. I glanced over at Castiel, who was absently watching one of the town's many white squirrels idly munch away at an acorn. His blue eyes were more distant than I'd ever seen them.

In hopes to cheer him up, I nudged him and said, "How about we track down the Winchester bros, find us another hunt, and you make me breakfast in bed?"

"My cooking isn't even edible, Gabriel."

"Well I want you to cook for me anyways, so suck it up."

Amusement danced in the sapphire depths of his irises, telling me that I had managed to lift his spirits. We simultaneously sought out Sam and Dean (we were oddly attuned to them, probably another sign of being soulmates) and arrived in the back of the Impala. They didn't even know we were here until Sam looked back and yelped in startle. Dean almost swerved off the road. I also didn't miss the brief gleam of relief in his eyes when he saw Castiel.

"Next time the two of you disappear, how about a little bit of warning, yeah?" Sam said.

I smiled. "Sorry, kiddo."

He smiled back, and our gaze held a little longer than strictly necessary. We both looked away to find our brothers staring at us curiously. Dean and Castiel wore matching expressions of "We are so talking about this the minute I get you alone." It was a facial expression used by brothers all over the world.

They'd already found our next hunt, so we slept in the backseat while they remained up front. I woke once with Cas' head in my lap, and again to find my head on his shoulder. We ended up in an array of odd but surprisingly comfortable positions. At one point he got cold (yes, angels can get cold) and removed his trench coat, burying himself under it. He looked adorable.

It was almost twenty hours before we reached our next destination. All of the rooms in the cheapest motel we could find except for one were booked solid, and the only available room had one queen sized bed. Even though Castiel and I had slept on the way, we were still too exhausted to protest. Dean, on the other hand, bitched, complained and even opted to sleep on the floor for half an hour straight until Sam shot him a glare so fierce that it might stop a demon right in its tracks.

Too tired to change out of our usual clothes, we collapsed onto the mattress, staying closer to our individual siblings. It didn't do much good. We woke up the following morning in a messy tangle of limbs. Sam was on the far right side, sprawled out in all directions, I was draped across the foot of the bed with my head resting on his leg, and Castiel was curled up against Dean's side, the former's leg draped over my waist.

"It looks like someone had a clothed gay orgy in here," Dean mumbled.

He looked down to see Castiel pressed into his side, sleeping soundly. I fixed him with a look that clearly implied I would turn him into a pile of dust if he woke my little brother up from that good of a sleep. Sam snickered quietly at my almost fatherly glare, and I smacked his ankle hard enough to make him wince. What? I'm not a morning person, okay?

"Uh, Gabriel, your little brother's kinda in my personal space," Dean said as Castiel snuggled even closer and buried his face in the hunter's neck.

"You'll get used to it. I did."

He sighed and looked down at the sleeping angel. "Awesome." A note of sarcasm laid under his words.

"Gabriel, get off of my leg, I need to go take a shower," Sam bitched.

I grumbled discontentedly and moved so I was against Castiel's other side, the one unoccupied by Dean, and draped an arm over his waist. Several people had thought we had an incestuous relationship over the years, but we were just close. Extremely close. I figured Sam and Dean had probably been thought to be gay several times since they traveled so much together.

Dean left to go get breakfast and Sam was still in the shower, leaving Castiel and me alone. He stirred when Dean left, frowning slightly. Shifting, he leaned back against me, blinking sleepily. I lightly stroked his hair like I used to do when he was a child. I could tell something was wrong, so I asked what was on his mind.

"You are correct to say that these feelings cannot be controlled. How do I make Dean understand our bond?"

A mischievous grin crept up onto my lips. The shower cut off, and Sam stepped out shortly after, wrapped in nothing but a towel. I turned to Castiel with a smile that had always meant I was up to no good.

"Watch and learn, kiddo."

"Dancin' out on seventh street

Dancin' through the underground

Dancin' little marionette, are you happy now?"