Chapter Thirteen

They didn't bother to get into a town as the weather was good and they could use some time on their own without watching out for curious human ears. Dean was no romantic and certainly not someone to splurge but when Gabriel coaxed him down to the ground and took him under the starlit nightsky for all of Earth and Heaven to see them it clenched his heart with the most delicious pain he has ever felt. He felt wanted, every caress of his fingers, every sound escaping his lips – especially the way he said Dean's name – every kind or heated look in those dark-golden eyes touched him somewhere deep inside in his very being. He was stunned, rendered speechless and almost in awe how Gabriel could make him feel so much so very suddenly. It was almost frightening how he felt stripped down and opened up to his very core everything laid bare for the angel to see. There was no golden mean for him, it was either yes or no, and Dean whispered yes hundred times over.

They lay on the soft blanket the angel whisked into existence staring at the sky for a very long time, it was always Dean explaining things in the past but now he was content listening to what else was out in the world where the god has never been before and to all the things that were beyond his world. How stars were born from a spark of life or how some died a long time ago despite their light still gracing the sky, how Gabriel saw empires rise and fall even back in the dawn of humanity. Dean never felt younger in his life as he listened to his voice and he just stared at the angel who somehow thought him to be a worthy companion in his new life, he couldn't understand it, he didn't even try.

Then Gabriel told him suddenly that he remembered something and that he will be right back then he disappeared in a flutter of his wings, Dean had to remind him to learn to silence the sound of his wings when he took flight. The god stared at the sky then closed his eyes enjoying the night breeze on his skin, that until a small noise caught his ear. He sat up an looked around, his green eyes landed on a fox getting closer to him and he knew instinctively that it was no real animal.

'What do you want?' he asked, his tone authoritative and with an edge of a threat in it.

'Relax bucko, it's me.'

'Puck? What the bloody trollswamp are you doing here?' he asked in surprise. They were at least two days away from the valley if someone flew, a lot more on foot.

'Just came to check how you're moving along, and oh my dear boy you are doing more than fine' Puck didn't change back just sat down to the other side of the campfire Dean lit up a few hours ago. 'Now you can just look at him with your big green eyes and we're-'

'It's not like that!' Dean interrupted angrily. 'I... care about him.' Puck looked at him and Dean could imagine how his expression would've looked like if he wore his usual face.

'Cute, my heart bleeds for you and your true love' he said. 'But I really hope you don't start to have any illusions all of a sudden.'

'He will stay with us' Dean told him. 'He said he had no one else to belong to, so he will be mine.'

'Really?' Puck snorted. 'It's not like you to be so naïve Deandalon. So he has no one to belong to... yet. Someone as powerful as him? Most goddesses will be all over him in a heartbeat as soon as he shows up among them, maybe even some of the gods.'

'He won't care, he wants me' Dean insisted.

'Right' Puck drawled. 'No offense kiddo, but goddesses like Ceres, Izanami, Sigyn, Kali or Bast are like beauty and power incarnate... and all available for that matter, regal forces to be reckoned with, queens of their own lands... you like running and wrestling with animal spirits.'

'But he...'

'Doesn't know any better yet, luckily.'

'He won't-'

'Get your head out of the gutter, I didn't raise a fool, now did I?' Puck interrupted sternly. 'Clear this nonsense out of your head. And since he seems smitten enough with you for now why don't you just... pout your lips, bathe your eyelashes or whatever else you can think of and get him to do what we need before he's up and gone along with our chances.'

'I don't want to-'

'Suck... it... up. I am following your plan, so why don't you do the same?' he turned around and swiftly disappeared among the shadows and Dean groaned and pressed the heel of his hand into his eyes trying to clear out the sudden chaos inside his head with large breaths. His chest felt too tight and his skin too cold. He loathed the little voice in the back of his mind reminding him that Puck was usually right about everything.

He snapped his head up the second he felt and heard that Gabriel arrived back and he put on a smile.

'Hey' he greeted.

'So I remembered...' Gabriel started as he sat back down, his cape still just lying on the ground so he only wore his brown pants and red shirt. 'Something I definitely failed to appreciate the last time I was here' he said, there was a small smile tugging on his lips. 'Here, try this.' He held a little brown cubicle in his hand and Dean frowned at him before he closed his lips around it. It melted into smooth sweetness immediately.

'What is this?' he asked.

'It doesn't have a name in your tongue, it's made out of cocoa beans, which you probably also never heard of' he smiled again. 'It's from a land far away from here, humans and gods enjoy it immensely there.'

He also took one into his mouth and he closed his eyes as he tasted it, a small pleased sound escaping his lips. Then he opened his eyes and looked at Dean.

'Do you like it?' he asked warmly, open hope written all over his face and Dean just stared at him for long moments.

'Yes, I do' he managed to squeeze out after a while, but the words almost choked him.

'Dean, what's wrong?' Gabriel asked, he raised his hand to cup Dean's cheek, the demigod looked back at him, Puck's words ringing in his ear.

'It's...' it was there on the tip of his tongue, the smooth silver lie the archangel would probably believe, but his throat closed down and his mouth was dry like sand. Gabriel looked at him with worry hardening his features and darkening his golden eyes. 'It's nothing' he finished and he smiled.

'Dean.' The god leaned forward and pressed his lips to the angel's gently, but also firmly keeping them close for long moments while he could savor the feel and the taste and the smell of Gabriel. 'Dean I know there is something wrong, your soul is practically screaming for me' the angel said as they parted.

'My what?' Dean asked.

'Your soul' Gabriel repeated.

'Like what humans have?' he asked.

'Yes' the angel confirmed. Dean frowned deeply then huffed out a breath.

'Great, so I'm even more human than I though I was' he said resignedly.

'A soul is not something to be ashamed of Dean, trust me when I say that it is your most precious possession.'

Dean turned to look at him skeptically, well he knew demons and some gods were willing to give a lot in exchange for one so it was probably not completely useless, but his most precious possession? Not likely.

Gabriel must've read his thoughts clearly on his face as he slid closer putting one hand on Dean's chest.

'Do not take its worth lightly' he said. 'Your soul is more beautiful and more powerful than any of the gods on Earth could every dream of being and it is more valuable than you could imagine, believe me.'

Dean just blinked at him with wide eyes at those words then nodded.

'Now tell me what is bothering you' Gabriel said.

What do you think of the spirits?' Dean asked, the angel frowned at him saw the change of topic for what it was clearly.

'They're the ones guarding the beauty of this world my Father created' he answered then.

'That's good' Dean nodded. 'There's a lot of them in the valley, it would've been a problem if you couldn't stand them.'

'Yes I noticed them, also how every day new spirits arrived' the angel said.

'That's common, they disappear after a few days though' he shrugged. 'They were all so curious about you, but they were scared too. When we get back we should definitely show them that you don't mean harm. I mean they're just nature and animal spirits, but they're good company, we never do anything glamorous but... maybe you will have fun too.'

Gabriel looked at him searchingly and Dean hoped he would let it be for now, because he didn't know how to explain properly yet.

'I'm sure I will' the angel answered and the look in his eyes showed clearly that they were not done yet, but Dean breathed out in relief.

x~x~x

Their next day was tense, Gabriel was angry with him for his silence. The angel looked distant and colder, his words short and clipped, he almost radiated frustration, dear stars Dean could practically taste electricity close to him like the tension in the air before a storm. And maybe it was just Dean but it was uncharacteristically cloudy and windy all day, the smell of rain in the air, he wanted to believe that it was only a coincidence and had nothing to do with the angel's anger. Dean didn't want to imagine how the archangel would be like if he got truly furious, the thought alone sent a shiver down his spine.

'Gabriel... I've done nothing for you to be angry about' he said after hours of silence between them. The angel stopped.

'You are keeping something from me Deandalon, and I do not like that' and somehow Dean felt uneasy about the way his full name rolled off the angel's tongue.

'Well tricksters ain't famous for speaking out all straightforward all the time so you should get used to that one maybe' Dean shot back, Gabriel turned back towards him his eyes too bright, too much like gold.

'Oh you have to be cornered and forced to talk honestly at all' the angel stated. 'That I am used to, but the lack of trust you have in me? That's what I find infuriating.'

'Please, like you have any more trust in me' Dean told him. Gabriel's eyes narrowed.

'I think allowing you to shape the fate of the rest of my existence ought to imply that I do' he answered simply then he turned on his heel to keep walking, but Dean grabbed his arm as soon as his brain caught up with him.

'All right, fine... you're right. I should've told you sooner anyway' he said and his heart was already beating heavily in his throat.

'I'm listening' Gabriel prompted when the god fell silent, Dean let out a shaky nervous laugh at his impatience.

'I might have-'

'Deandalon!' both of them turned swiftly towards the voice and Dean recognized one of the wolfspirits of the valley dashing towards them. His frame incorporeal as always when wolfs were in a hurry and they ran like the stormy wind. 'Thank the skies I found you at last' he said as he landed next to them his body immediately taking up real shape as he stopped, no longer ethereal.

'What's wrong?' Dean asked.

'Creide's gone' he answered.

'What?'

'She is gone, Patrick's loosing his darn mind and Puck is bloody nowhere! You have to come, we searched the valley and as far as we dared to move out but...'

Dean didn't have time to get another word out as Gabriel grabbed his arm and he reached out to put a hand on the wolf's head and the world shifted around them. Light, sound, smell, all colors and shapes were stretched and were gone so suddenly around them that Dean's senses couldn't keep up with it. He heard the sound of Gabriel's wings, but the world bent around them and they were suddenly standing in the clearing in front of Creide's house.

'Oh bloody stars... don't you do that to me again' cursed the wolf as he shook himself. Dean felt a bit disoriented himself by the sudden shift but he got over it quickly.

'Patrick!' he called as he moved towards the hut, he didn't even reach the door when it slammed open and the young man burst out.

'At last, Dean! Ma's gone, I have no idea where, I didn't know what to do... I tried to call Puck but he's not here and ye were gone and the spirits didn't know what to do and I-'

'Calm down!' Dean hushed, the lad looked paler than ever and he was almost shaking like a leaf. 'We'll find her in no time, I promise.'

'That maybe won't be that easy' Gabriel spoke. Both Dean and Patrick turned towards him.

'What? Why?' Patrick asked, all calm Dean's presence gave him swiftly disappearing again.

'Because I can't find her, I already tried, but I sense no trace of her presence' his eyes were a little distant then he focused on Dean and Patrick. 'And trust me there is not much in this world capable of hiding someone from an archangel.'

TBC