Author's Note:
Hello there! Sorry it's taken me such a while to update - I've been without a laptop for a long while, and also I have major exams coming up so I SHOULD be revising for those...but I'm writing...which is bad for me, but good for you, I guess xD And c'mon with the reviews, guys! I know there's more than six of you reading this!
When I don't get reviews baby Castiel cries. Do you want that on your shoulders? DO YOU?
No, you don't. So PLEASE review. It means a lot to me (and Cas).
For angels, their wings develop as they grow. But it is not through physical growth, it is through their emotional growth; interacting with their siblings and exploring different ways in which to feel and act. If they utilise these emotions, and act upon them, their feathers stretch out and unfurl, slowly becoming larger. For Castiel, he always kept his feelings locked away inside of himself, in almost impossible place to penetrate deep, deep under the surface. He never acted upon them, he just…existed. Passing through life, watching it go by. Castiel had forever been a quiet individual, not allowing himself to open up to anyone, remaining very much to himself. And everyone knew that.
That was most definitely the reason for his stunted wing growth.
It is now the speculation that because Castiel was finally building himself up to fight back for the first time in his life, the emotional state he was in was so completely intense that it consumed him wholly, and the power of the emotion behind it made his wings burst out and develop to the largest they could possibly be for his age.
His newly grown wings are now folded up behind his back, the lights from the office ceiling reflecting on the plumage very similarly to Sophia's –picking up the new-fangled blues and greens and the odd specks of purple. He sits on an old mahogany chair opposite Gabriel's desk in silence, occasionally lifting his eyes to look over to his right at Balthazar, whose head is hanging similarly shamefully. Sophia is leaning against the bookcase, her arms folded and her face pitiless. Her dark, perfectly sculpted eyebrows are furrowed, and her eyes do not move from the two angels in the chairs. With a low creak, the door opens behind them, but they do not turn to see Gabriel walk in. When it closes heavily, Castiel winces.
"Boys. Boys, boys, boys."
The sigh and the tone of utter disappointment causes both to feel crestfallen. Neither meets his stare, nor makes any noise whatsoever. Sophia clucks her tongue and steps away from the book case. Her heels click arrogantly across the wooden floor.
"Not caring to explain yourselves? Fine. Castiel, let's begin with you." The mention of his name sends shivers down his spine. Her voice is malicious, and it cuts into him like a knife. "I must start by saying that I am impressed by your wings – congratulations on their belated arrival." Castiel would feel happy with this compliment if her tone hadn't been so spiteful. And the sarcasm behind the latter of her sentence was clear as crystal. Castiel hates older angels. They're all mean, and filled with so much bitterness. All except Gabriel, who seems to be able to actually understand that children have got feelings. Sophia clears her throat further.
"Castiel, aside from your growth spurt, and your shocking - and I stress 'shocking' - ability to fly so soon, the fact still remains that you physically attacked your brother Leo." Sophia stalks forward and kneels in front of Castiel. Her voice pours out of her mouth like a sickly sweet ooze which makes Castiel feel ill when he hears it. "Do you understand what you've done, boy? We do not, and I repeat do not tolerate violence in this House."
"Sophia, calm down," Gabriel interjects softly as her voice quivers with rage.
"Gabriel, this happened under my watch. Not yours. This is my punishment to deal out."
He goes to talk back, but knowing she is right, he bites his lip, and Castiel is sure he sees a flash of apology cross his eyes for a second. A flash of apology aimed at Castiel.
"Castiel, you are hereby stripped of all privileges. You will sleep in the isolation dormitory, and you will have your meals brought there. You will be allowed out for flying classes and such, but when they are finished you return straight to your dormitory. This stands for one week. If you even try to argue, this time will be extended."
Castiel thinks. A week...alone? Isn't that just his life anyway? And...doesn't that mean he won't be faced with the bullying as much...?
He has to chew back his smile. Sophia glares at him, staring hard at his quirking lips.
"But that's not fair! He was provoked!"
Sophia snaps around and looms over Balthazar, who - though older - still looks tiny on the huge chair. But he juts out his chin courageously, his eyes like steel. They act like a shield over his true emotions, since Castiel watches his hand shaking on the arm of the chair.
"Ah, Balthazar. Now we come to you."
"No! Wait." Gabriel is standing now, and he crosses the room to kneel beside him. "What did you mean Castiel was provoked?"
The angel boy looks over at Castiel, his eyes begging for permission to tell. But Castiel doesn't respond; he just stares. Balthazar gulps thickly, and he feels his mouth getting drier. He looks back at Gabriel.
"Gabriel...all the other angels, they've always bullied Castiel. Awfully so."
Does Castiel want Gabriel knowing this? He's always kept it to himself, and not wanted to bother Gabriel with his issues. But having Balthazar stand up for him again...this time it's different. This isn't against Zazriel. This is against Sophia and Gabriel, whose very presences are consuming and powerful, and they could seriously bring down some punishment if they want to. Balthazar...maybe...maybe he really did care. A strange pang clutches in Castiel's chest. He's never felt it before. It's warm, and filled with hope. It's better than the happiness he felt when he managed to fly. Better than anything. Balthazar is his friend. His friend. His first, most special, perfect, only friend. He always has been. Castiel just never let himself see it.
"Castiel, is this true?" Gabriel's gentle voice stirs him from his thoughts, and he sees the archangel sitting on his knees in front of him. "Have you always had a tough time here?"
Castiel blinks furiously, trying to keep the tears back. But they catch onto his lashes and is unable to stop them falling. He nods. Gabriel sighs deeply, and places a caring hand on Castiel's quaking shoulder.
"Why did you not tell me?" Castiel just shrugs. "Was Leo saying horrible things in the class today?"
"Terrible things," he whispers in reply. He proceeds to tell Gabriel and Sophia what had happened. Whilst Gabriel listens intently, Sophia rolls her eyes.
"I think we need to have a conversation with the children," Gabriel says decidedly, standing.
"Whatever. We deal with Balthazar first," Sophia cuts in. "He flew when it is strictly-"
"Sophia," Gabriel begins in a sudden dark tone, descending upon her. "You are in my House now. These are my children. I accepted that Castiel needed to be punished by you until I heard his side of the story. Now it is under contemplation. But you dare condescend my decisions when I am far above your level, angel, then you will face the consequence."
Castiel and Balthazar have to force themselves not to laugh at her. Sophia has withdrawn against the book case, with her eyes bulging and her chest rising and falling quickly. Then, she regains her composure and drags her hair out of her face. She is clearly completely shot down, but tries hard to look like it isn't bothering her.
"You may be an archangel, but you can't threaten me. You can't go against me without facing consequences yourself, Gabriel." She spits his name with ferocity, leaning right up into his face. He doesn't flinch.
"Get out of my office." Castiel has never heard Gabriel sound so enraged. It's frightening. He points towards the door. Sophia growls under her breath, but storms past them all and throws open the door with a flick of her hand.
"Your brothers will hear about this, Gabriel. Your ability to discipline is appalling, and it's getting worse. This may not be dealt with by me, but mark my words when I say that if you don't do your job right, I'm sure one of the other angels will be assigned to your position."
The wall shakes as the door slams. Gabriel grumbles under his breath as he turns to his desk and leans on it for support.
He cranes his neck to look at the ceiling. "Father, give me strength." Then, he faces them once more and sits on his desk. "I'm so sorry you boys had to witness that. There are times when even the best of angels have issues with things."
"I wouldn't call her one of the best angels," Balthazar grumbles.
"Balthazar, don't talk about your peers like that." Gabriel hisses. "But this matter will be dealt with."
"Will you really be leaving us? If Sophia gets her way?" Castiel's lower lip shakes. Gabriel chuckles slightly.
"I assure you Castiel - it will take a lot more than this to get me out of this place."
Later that day, an assembly is called in the auditorium. The young residents of Wayward House file into their seats, all wondering what this is all about. Rumours travel that it is about the food fight they had in the mess hall two nights ago. But they had cleaned up before Gabriel had come back from his meeting with the angels...Still. Gabriel always seems to find out everything in the end. Others pass along the notion that it's something to do with what happened to Leo during the flying lesson. Leo himself sits in his seat, his wing fixed by a mere hand gesture from Sophia barely seconds after he had fallen. But that hadn't meant it hadn't hurt when it had broken. So Castiel isn't going to get away with it. Oh, Leo will make sure of that. The congregation of angel children cascades into silence when Gabriel walks onto the stage and to the podium. Hundreds of pairs of curious eyes follow his movements. He stares back at them with a hard glare.
"Brothers and sisters. You're probably wondering why I called you all here today."
Small voices babble across the crowd. Gabriel hushes them.
"It has come to my attention that there are brothers of ours who are not being treated kindly. Not at all. Let me ask you this." Gabriel begins to pace the stage, hands clasped behind his back. "If you had something which made you feel vulnerable, or self-conscious, how would you feel if it was constantly used against you? How sad would you be? When I discovered that some of you have been cruel enough to do this to your own flesh and blood, I can't express the level of disappointment I felt. And will still feel if this does not stop.
I raise you hoping that you'll understand that you should love each other. Not that you'll fight and attack with cruel remarks. One day you will leave this place to train to fight for your faith, and to be the strongest you can be is to know that you have people behind you who care and are there for you. Imagine going through life here with no one but yourself. I must demand that if you ever have an issue with anything or anyone, you come and talk to me. I promise not to judge or mock, or to talk you down. I will listen and we will deal with the situation accordingly. You have a brother in me too, remember. And that's something you should never forget. Not only for me, but the children around you. They are your sisters and brothers, and you should strive to protect them and love them unconditionally, not hate them and drive them into the dirt."
The silence that follows is almost deafening as Gabriel's emotional words sink into their skin. Never before has he given such a speech. None have ever been spoken to in such a way. Castiel watches the archangel from the fourth row up in the middle with huge, glassy, thankful eyes. Gabriel's own eyes meet his for a brief second and he nods.
"I experienced something rather amazing today. An angel stood up for their friend against their own peers. Tell me. How many of you would truthfully do that for someone? Honestly? It takes a great deal of courage to stand up for someone like they did. I think many of you need to truly consider who your real friends are. Please bear in mind that if I ever hear another report of bullying in this House, I will not tolerate it whatsoever. This is not a place for cruelty. Love each other, for goodness sake! I really cannot stress it enough."
Gabriel announces that they may return to their activities, but to keep his message clear in their minds. The children swarm out through the sets of double doors, and soon the auditorium is empty. Well. Mostly. Gabriel feels a tug at his jacket and glances down to see Castiel's shining eyes blinking up at him.
"Thank you," the tiny boy chokes out, before throwing his arms around Gabriel's torso and squeezing hard. Gabriel smiles, and kneels down.
"Not a problem," he replies, and he tucks a finger under Castiel's chin. "Keep your head up high. Anymore issues, you come straight to me."
"Do I still have to sleep in the isolation dormitory?" The voice is so small and sad that Gabriel sighs, his smile dipping downwards for a moment.
"Not this time. Just try to stay out of trouble, okay?"
Castiel nods quickly, making Gabriel laugh and ruffle his hair.
"Good boy. Now run along. And remember what I said."
Castiel nods again, then shuffles off to the doors. Gabriel catches a glimpse of Balthazar hovering outside them, clearly waiting for his friend. Gabriel's smile widens.
That night, Gabriel sits alone in his office. The flickering of the lamp on his desk slithers over his drawn face, and after a long while of gazing into it absentmindedly, he spins his chair to stare out of the large window behind him. His eyes fix on the beacon of light way off in the distance which pinpoints the entrance to Wayward House's grounds. With a twist of his wrist, the light grows in size until almost all of the garden is illuminated. But only for him. If anyone else were to glance out of a window at the light, they would still see the small beacon in the distance. Slowly, Gabriel's mind wanders back to the day's events. Castiel and Balthazar appear in his thoughts, their round faces blinking at him sadly. His thoughts linger on Balthazar for a moment. Suddenly, he warps back to the night when Balthazar was caught in the nursery, cooing over the new-born Castiel. The night when Balthazar had mentioned how Gabriel seemed so undeniably and wonderfully capable of love. Gabriel hasn't thought about this in a long, long time. But...surely today's events just highlighted it further? Sophia had been completely against giving the boys any sort of lease, even when she'd heard their sides of the story. Whereas Gabriel had pitied them wholeheartedly. He hadn't understood why Sophia was so cruel.
Why is he so different? Is there a purpose?
Yes, he has to look after the children so of course being able to understand their feelings by having his own is important, but he wasn't given the ability to care just for them. Before Lucifer rebelled, before Wayward House was even an idea...Gabriel had been able to care. He always had been. And he had been the only one. As far as he knew, anyway. What is the reason? he asks himself.
He sees himself in Balthazar. Although all the children have the same emotional stretch as a human child, Balthazar has a deeply rooted sense of what is right and wrong. And he loves Castiel with all his might. The amount of willingness to protect his brother is so powerful it can almost be seen as a glow around him. Gabriel can see it in his eyes and the way he stood up for Castiel against Sophia. Strange, Gabriel thinks. He hasn't seen the two boys interacting before now. He wonders what binds them so closely, yet at such a distance.
The beacon of light dims back to its original state, and Gabriel stands to pull the drapes to a close. The children are fast asleep in their dormitories. He stretches before leaving his office to do a check on them. Aside from the footsteps of the questioning archangel, all is silent in Wayward House.
Reviews makes baby Castiel smile. A big, wide, toothy grin.