Author's Note:
I get so many great comments on this fic, and I've met some great people from writing here. If you ever want to say hi or follow each other on Tumblr (SupernaturallyImagined) then feel free! I love meeting you guys! That being said, I want to thank r2metoo, shidoni16, bespectacledfanwarrior, WritingGhost, Perry123, theconsultingtardisbananaangel, DanielleMJSH, .rain, DeansMuse, and one guest for their reviews on chapter 11!
Chapter 12 - Making Plans
After dinner, Dean called Sam to let him know that Castiel was taking him to Bobby's, and asked if Gabriel would take Sam and meet them in South Dakota. After figuring out that Dean wasn't going to tell him why, Sam agreed and hung up the phone.
Dean had been absentmindedly touching his shoulder frequently since Castiel had explained the bond to him, in much the same way a married or engaged person might play with their ring. It was as if he couldn't stop playing with it, although really all he did was tap at it absently.
Castiel, who was privy to even the smallest movements when it came to his hunter, found the newly developed habit endearing, and the reason for it made him exceptionally pleased. He was also amused that Dean seemed largely unconscious of the habit, which resulted in numerous times that the hunter caught the angel staring at him for no apparent reason.
"Are you ready to leave?" Castiel asked Dean, smiling softly at him from across the table.
"Yeah, sure," Dean agreed, pushing his dessert plate back. "Time to tell the folks."
"It will go well, Dean," Castiel assured him, standing and moving to Dean's side.
"No, I know. It's just important, and I don't want to mess it up." Dean stood as well, and indicated to Castiel that he was ready. "C'mon, let's go."
With a touch, Dean suddenly found himself having to adjust to Bobby's scrapyard. He was about to speak when Sam interrupted him.
"There you guys are! Come on, we're all waiting!" Sam shouted at them from the backdoor, looking equally curious and impatient.
Dean chuckled and made for the door, Castiel following him swiftly.
Bobby, Gabriel, and Sam were all seated around the kitchen table, looking relatively serious.
"Dean," Bobby greeted him as the elder Winchester entered the room. "I swear, you boys have more major life events in a month than most people do in their whole lifetime. I just saw you a few weeks ago, and now you're both dating angels?" He looked highly skeptical, even though he had clearly been witness to the not particularly subtle duo of Sam and Gabriel for the last little bit.
"Sorry, Bobby. It wasn't that we weren't telling you, we just hadn't had a chance yet," Sam apologized. Based on the look on Bobby's face, Sam had probably already apologized, and Bobby was just being gruff with them out of habit.
"Yeah, well, I can't say that I'm all that surprised about you two," Bobby admitted, gesturing to Dean and Castiel. "Took you boys long enough to figure it out."
Dean's eyebrows skyrocketed, but he left that comment alone.
"Now you two on the other hand," Bobby continued, looking at Sam and Gabriel now, "I would have never guessed. I mean, I can't say I don't see it, with you sitting there being coupley and all, but it's still weird."
Gabriel laughed out loud at that. "We definitely had less angsty eye sex than Dean and Cas, that's for sure. Speaking of the happy couple, why are we here?" He turned to look at Dean and Castiel with a raised eyebrow.
"We have an announcement," Castiel said simply, looking to Dean to actually say the statement.
"Right," Dean confirmed, taking a deep breath. "So, Cas and I have decided to compete our angelic bond thingy." His eloquent description was met with a grin from Sam, a twitch of amusement from Castiel, a pleased "I knew it" expression from Gabriel, and a small smile from Bobby.
"So you two are getting angel hitched?" Bobby asked, his smile becoming more pronounced.
"Essentially," Castiel confirmed. He was cut off from saying anything else by Bobby pulling the pair of them into a bear hug.
Sam waited for Bobby to finish before asking, "When?"
"September 18th," Castiel replied. "While the ceremony itself is largely private, Dean and I decided to take the oath before witnesses." He glanced between Bobby, Sam, and Gabriel so it was clear he specifically meant the three of them.
"That's in two weeks!" Sam pointed out with surprise.
"Too fast or two slow?" Dean asked him, not sure what Sam was surprised by.
Sam shrugged. "Neither, I guess. Any particular reason for that day?"
"It's the day he scared the crap out of your brother and I," Bobby answered wryly. He had a head for dates.
Sam made a noise of comprehension. "So it's like your anniversary," he teased, grinning again.
Dean shot him a look, but Castiel smiled and nodded. "Exactly." At the warm tone in Castiel's voice, Dean turned his gaze away from Sam to meet his angel's unwavering stare.
"No eye sex around your brothers!" Gabriel proclaimed loudly, causing Sam and Bobby to wince and Dean and Castiel to roll their eyes at him in unison. Ignoring that, Gabriel turned his attention to Castiel. "Cas, can you and I talk? I need to ask you something. Sam, I'll be right back. Play with Dean and Bobby."
Sam turned to make a face at him, but he and Castiel had already vanished.
"So," Bobby said, looking at Dean. "Tux or wedding dress?" He howled with laughter as Dean chucked a heavy book at his head.
The angels hadn't gone far. They were only outside in the yard. Gabriel lounged against a rust bucket that might have once been an actual car and gazed fondly at his little brother. "I'm proud of you, Cas."
"Why?" Castiel inquired, tilting his head slightly at Gabriel.
"For getting out there and making a move. Bonding is a big deal, probably bigger than Dean even realizes yet. I'm proud of you for putting yourself out there." Gabriel smiled broadly and moved over so he was closer to his brother. "I wanted to talk to you about an idea I had."
"What idea?" Castiel encouraged, curious as to what Gabriel wanted to talk alone about.
Gabriel paused slightly to find the words before diving into his explanation. "Okay, so the main sign of a bond between grace and soul is a mark on the human. Obviously you've already marked Dean, and eventually I'll mark Sam, so that part's essentially a done deal."
Castiel interrupted him with a surprised question. "You intend to bond with Sam?"
"Of course," Gabriel replied immediately. "I already have an awesome proposal to give and everything. I've been kind of waiting for the right moment, but both of us are ready now. Anyway, this is about the ceremony."
"Alright, continue," Castiel told him, pleased that his brother was going to bond as well.
"Well, human custom for weddings is the exchange of rings. I know we don't do that, but I thought of a way we could, but make it extra special." Gabriel was getting excited now, his expression animated.
"What is it?" Castiel demanded, equally eager.
"We each make a ring for our human out of one of our own feathers," Gabriel revealed, looking pleased with himself.
Castiel's eyes lit up at the idea. Angel wings were complicated. In their natural state, they were glorious feathered limbs. However, if necessary, they could become weapons for battle. In this case, the feathers would shift into a dangerous metal state that allowed even the gentlest angel to look like a fearsome warrior. The metal typically imitated the true color of the angel's wings. Castiel's battle wings were a glorious ebony, and he knew that Gabriel's were a vibrant gold. "That is an incredible idea, Gabriel," Castiel breathed in awe.
"I know!" Gabriel enthused, still grinning. "Here's the next part. I go to Dean and get something metal of his that's important, and you got to Sam and do the same, then give them back rings to give to us, but we'll keep the feather rings a secret until our ceremonies."
Castiel looked thrilled with the idea of wearing a ring from Dean. "You are a genius, brother," he informed Gabriel solemnly.
The archangel just smirked at him and winked. "I'm glad you like the idea," he told Castiel seriously, though his expression remained playful.
"It is a joyous thing to be filled with hope and desire at the prospect of bonding with one's soulmate," Castiel mused.
"Indeed," Gabriel agreed. A moment later he broke the quiet by suddenly declaring, "I'm going to go abduct my soulmate and propose, since that seems to be going around. You go stare at yours, or whatever it is you guys do." With that, he vanished, leaving a bemused Castiel to head back to the house and Dean.
