A/N Most if not all things said about wings in this chapter, and this fic in general, are headcanon from myself, and the fandom. This oneshot's a bit shorter than I'd like it to be. But it's an idea I thought I'd write anyway. Besides I have a much longer one in the works. BTW this one's more Gabriel centric, although Crowley is mentioned.

It turns out that Dean's comment about Gabriel and Crowley living at the bunker held more truth than he'd like to admit. While they didn't live there in the traditional sense, they stayed there all day, everyday. Even sleeping there. Only occasionally leaving to either heaven or hell for their original responsibilities. Castiel seemed to be doing the same. Despite the bunker being warded against virtually everything in existence, their presence made anything that could get through the warding, harmless.

Kevin hadn't been too keen on their presence. It had taken him long enough to get used to Castiel. Now add in an archangel, and a demonic monarch, and Kevin barely leaves the library. You lost count of the amount of times that you or the Winchesters dragged him to his bedroom after finding him asleep against a bookshelf. It seems that even though he's a prophet/honorary hunter who lives in a supernatural proofed bunker with two angels and a demon, he still wanted to keep as much normalcy as possible.

A true example of wishful thinking at its finest. You honestly felt bad for him.

Truth be told you just simply couldn't be surprised anymore, so you took it in stride. And after a few weeks, you found that you actually enjoyed their company. It was odd company to be sure. But it was nice company nonetheless. But there was one thing that you always found confusing, and that was Gabriel and Crowley's apparent protectiveness over you. And it all started the night they stayed in your room after the mock ghost hunt. They ended up doing it every night afterwards.

Each night after that when you got settled in bed. Gabriel would come into your room, and resume his post. Propped up on the headboard with his legs crossed. Not long after, Crowley would go to his own post on your desk chair. Sometimes they were completely silent. But most of the time you'd pick up on quiet chatting in the middle of the night.

For the first few nights, it was extremely uncomfortable. But for whatever inexplicable reason, it made you feel safe. Their presence alone became comforting. So you never mentioned it in fear that they would stop. You would always wake up with your head resting against Gabriel's side. At first you thought that you had merely earned yourself a lifetime of merciless teasing when you first did it. But he never mentioned it, and neither did you. If you had particularly bad nightmares, you would wake up with his hand resting on your head. Whether this was meant to comfort you, or ward off dreams you didn't know.

Unknown (but really not all that surprising) to you, Dean had been a little less accepting of the unusual behavior, and was put on edge by it.

"I've seen a lot of weird Sammy, but this is crossing the line!" Dean whisper-yelled at Sam after seeing one of your self appointed protectors in their usual spot. He was leading his brother to the kitchen to rant about it over a midnight snack. Sam chuckled slightly before speaking, finding the whole situation more amusing than anything else.

"I dunno man it's actually kind of cute." Dean stopped dead in his tracks to give Sam a "how are we even related" glare before continuing.

"I can only see Gabriel doing it if Cas threatened him, and even that's stretching it. But Crowley?! No. Something's going on, and I don't like it one bit." They got to the kitchen and Dean made a beeline for the fridge.

"I don't believe it's what you're thinking. They really do just look like they want to protect her." Dean shot him another disbelieving look as he tore into a leftover burger. Sitting down of the table with a beer in hand. Sam stared at him.

"Dude, it's three in the morning." Dean responded by loudly opening it and taking a swig. Sam scoffed as Castiel suddenly appeared in one of the chairs causing Dean to choke.

"Hello Dean." His voice held the slightest bit of amusement.

"Give a man a warning!" Dean yelled while Sam laughed in the background. Castiel stayed completely silent. Patiently waiting for them to calm down.

"This is serious Dean." The brothers looked at him in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"I have something to show you." Before either of them could react Cas touched both their heads and flew them to your bedroom door. Dean swayed at the sudden flight. Sam steadied him before he fell.

"What the hell was that!" Castiel looked uncomfortable for a few seconds before explaining. "I believe you will find this interesting. What do you know about an angel's wings?" The question caught them both off guard. Why would they know anything about that!?

"In the books we've gone through in the bunker, there's been a few brief mentions of angels, but not much else...is it something we should know about?" Sam answered while Dean looked on in curiosity. Sam's nerd instincts taking over as he waited for a reply.

"Wings are the most vulnerable part of an angel. They are the heart of our grace. If they are damaged severely enough, it could kill us. We can never allow another angel to touch them without complete, absolute trust. Gabriel and I do have the ability to make ours physical, But we don't because of their destructibility…" He hesitated for a moment. Sam eagerly taking in every bit of information he could. He continued. "In a battle scenario, or in the case of another being threatened, an angel can drape their wings over someone else in defence. This is a way of saying that they'd protect them with their lives." The two brothers stared at him once again in confusion as he finished.

"And this has exactly what to do with whatever you wanted to show us?" Dean broke the silence. Castiel responded by opening the door. You and Gabriel sat sleeping in your usual places. Crowley had been absent for the night. Castiel positioned the brothers in front of him, and placed his hands on either of their shoulders.

"Close your eyes, and don't open them until I tell you." The two felt a tingling sensation in the back of their eyes. Sam managed to stay still, but Dean started to shift. Castiel spoke again.

"I am temporarily heightening your senses. When you open your eyes, you will be able to perceive angel wings." Neither of them knew what to say to that. Dean could practically feel the excitement coming off of Sam. He was just as curious as the other guy. But his nerves told him that he shouldn't be seeing this. He was about to look at an angel's wings for god's sakes!

"You can open your eyes now." Sam's eyes shot open. His new vision leaving him speechless. Dean was less enthusiastic, and had taken his time opening them out of caution. Unsure of the whole thing. His initial reaction mirrored his brother's. Six massive wings were crowded around the snoring angel. Three hung off the bed, their primary feathers lazily resting on the floor. But the other three had sprawled out over you like a blanket. A smirk found its way onto Sam's face.

"I told you Dean." It took a few seconds for Dean to respond.

"Okay fine, Gabriel has a weird angel crush on Y/N. But how do you explain Crowley?"

"I do not know the customs among demons for affection-if they even have any… But when Gabriel is absent, Crowley does the same." Dean's face just screamed, "Where did I go wrong?" as Sam couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Hold on, Crowley has wings?" He asked like a kid on Christmas morning. Seemingly unfazed by Crowley's odd, apparent devotion.

"Yes." Came Castiel's short, non descriptive answer. Although hardly satisfied with it. Sam took it anyway. Before anything else could be said, Castiel let go of their shoulders. Dean squirmed as the pin and needles once again stabbed at the back of his eyes. The wings quickly flickered out of existence. Gabriel began to stir, causing Cas to fly them back to the kitchen.

"Just when you think things couldn't get weirder…" Dean said before taking another (choke free might I add) swig from the forlorn bottle. Castiel looked uncomfortable, his face was one of deep thought.

"I have never seen my brother so fond of someone before." The brothers were caught off guard for the third time that night. Sam's inner nerd peered through again as the thought of new information made him look up.

"What?" Sam encouraged.

"I showed you two this for a reason...Dean especially." Dean set his beer back on the table and listened more intently at the mention of his name. "I have no doubt that you both are suspicious. Although I don't know about Crowley, I can assure you that Gabriel means no harm to Y/N, or either of you. I only ask that you leave him to continue his guarding. If she asks him to stop it, he will. But even if Crowley has an ulterior motive, he would stand no chance against an archangel should he attempt to harm her." Dean stepped in just as his plea ended.

"So you expect us to just let him do whatever he wants!?" He argued with a look of disbelief on his face. Cas continued.

"It is rare to find an angel willing to go to such lengths as a sign of protection." Dean was about to point out how that didn't come close to answering his question when Sam stepped in to steer the conversation from a full blown argument.

"What do you mean by rare?" Dean let out a sigh of annoyance but let his brother continue nonetheless.

"Gabriel and I are two of only a hand full of angels willing to give their lives to protect something else." He hesitated for a second before going on. "My wings are always wrapped around you two in some way. Y/N included until Gabriel took over." The brothers stared in shock. What were you supposed to say to that?

Shrinking under the stares, Castiel changed the subject, regretting his sudden confession. "You should go to sleep. It is already four am. Y/N is safe, and you're both exhausted." For the final time that night, Cas reached over and flew further in the bunker. Dropping them off right outside their bedroom doors. They went inside their respective rooms while Castiel took to his usual post. Confident that he was able to at least lower their suspicions.