To Have And To Hold 1/3
God had been watching his children for a long time, as they fought amongst themselves and nearly brought his greatest creation to destruction. He grieved for his son imprisoned in Hell, for his son wandering the earth bitter and alone, for his son growing cold and aloof in Heaven. It was all too much, and he wondered what he could do to save them all.
Then, one of the lowly foot soldiers, walked into Hell and retrieved the Righteous Man. In that instant, God saw how it might fold out - how if left to their own devices, these two could condemn the world.
Or, if he planted a little idea in the mind of his third son, how these two could contribute to saving the world.
With a self-satisfied smile, God sat back and waited for his chance. He knew that the third son already had feelings for the Righteous Man, and that the second would rapidly develop feelings for the foot soldier. If they fell into line, then the eldest would welcome them back to their rightful places amongst the Host. He just had to wait for the right time to give them a little nudge, and then ensure that they knew he approved.
No trouble at all for an all-powerful, all-knowing being.
~*~
As with most of Gabriel's ideas, The Plan came to him after his tenth smoothie of the morning. It was the perfect way out of his current predicament. Having Lucifer and Michael roaming Earth was cutting into his lifestyle, not to mention he'd gotten chewed out by Dean Winchester of all people. Gabriel had been trying to gently woo Dean for years with little success. Granted, his method of flirting was quite different to normal human courtships, but no matter what grand plans Gabriel came up with, when confronted with the reality of Dean he always reverted to his default setting of teasing the one he most wanted to be with. While on the upside Dean no longer seemed intent on killing him, it probably had more to do with the fact that he had much bigger things to worry about these days - such as the Apocalypse - so Gabriel wasn't quite willing to mark it as a win yet.
He figured that it shouldn't be too hard to put The Plan into motion. Lucifer had been wrapped around Gabriel's little finger for a millennia or so before the Fall, and Michael had never been able to deny the pair of them when they joined forces.
“I do not think this is a good idea.”
“Shut up, Castiel, this is a great idea!”
Castiel shot him a decidedly unimpressed look, but continued to do as Gabriel had asked him. It was handy having another angel on Earth who was more interested in keeping humanity alive than participating in their older brothers' overblown pissing contest.
“Okay, you stay here and finish setting up. I'll go track down the wayward guests. Shouldn't take long!”
“Be careful brother. This is a dangerous act.”
“Yeah, but it'll be fun!” Gabriel ignored the muttered insult that followed and instead spread his wings, letting his grace bleed through the many bindings he usually kept intact to remain hidden. Within seconds, he felt Lucifer's tainted Grace calling to him, and flew towards his big brother, leaving Castiel glaring at the empty space he'd just occupied.
They met in mid-air, hovering above a town somewhere in the mid-west, and Gabriel immediately threw himself into Lucifer's arms. He'd missed his family for a long time.
“Gabriel,” Lucifer held him and spoke softly, voice choked up. “I'd heard you were dead.”
“Not dead, just hiding,” Gabriel admitted. “I couldn't stand being in Heaven any more, it just wasn't home without you and Mikey to torment.” He pulled back and looked up at Lucifer mournfully, exaggerating the puppy-dog eyes as much as he possibly could. Though maybe he should have gotten Cas for that part - the young angel had some truly epic wounded-puppy looks. “Earth is my home now... I don't wanna see it destroyed. It's fun, and you should see the kinky shit these humans get up to. I don't want to fight you to defend it, and I can't stand the thought of you and Mikey killing each other.”
“We don't have a choice,” Lucifer sounded reluctant. Gabriel knew he was in. “If I could spare you the pain, little brother, I would. You always were my favorite.”
“I know,” Gabriel nodded. “That's why I came up with a new plan. A fight without fighting. A battle between the three of us - winner takes Earth.”
“Really?” Lucifer's eyebrow raised in disbelief. Gabriel was a little taken aback at how easily the angel most famed for his hatred of humanity had assimilated a human gesture. “You think that you could beat me in a fair fight?”
“Nope, you'd flatten me,” Gabriel shrugged easily. “You'd feel bad about it, but if it came down to a fight between us you'd win. I don't want any of us to fight, 'cause it'll just end up ruining Earth. So please? Come with me and join in my little competition? If we can convince Mikey to go along with it, we don't have to tear each other apart. And maybe we can be a family again after.”
There was a moment when they looked at each other, and Gabriel saw the longing in Lucifer's eyes. He clearly wanted his family back too, which gave Gabriel hope.
"C'mon," Gabriel wheedled, pressing the advantage. "It'll be just like it used to be. You and me, annoying the feathers off of Mikey... you always were the best at thinking up new pranks to pull on him, bring him down a peg."
"I don't know about that," there was a small smile tugging at Lucifer's mouth. "I wasn't the one who thought up the incident with the dinosaur eggs and Michael's nest."
Gabriel felt himself flush. That particular prank when he was only a few centuries old had nearly resulted in Michael rampaging Earth to kill the dinosaurs before their time.
“Yeah, well... he deserved that,” he defended himself weakly. “And anyway, you're the one who hid me afterwards!”
Lucifer let out a laugh, and Gabriel couldn't help closing his eyes and smiling as he remembered a time when that laugh was heard a lot more often. It was true that Lucifer had once been God's favourite, and all the other angels had been in awe of the brightest light. Nothing had made them happier than to see Lucifer and his closest brothers laughing together. Gabriel missed those days terribly.
“Very well, Gabriel,” Lucifer smiled as he reached out. Gabriel gladly embraced his brother, letting his Grace shine even brighter. “I shall enter whatever competition it is that you've designed. Though you've probably rigged it so that you'll win, haven't you?”
“Of course not!” Gabriel pretended to be offended. They both knew it was an act. “I'd never do something like that!”
Lucifer just smiled at him, an echo of several occasions thousands of years ago when the four Archangels were inseparable and enjoyed each other's company. Gabriel took Lucifer's hand and tugged him in the direction he could feel Michael's Grace drawing closer from. He'd always had the gift of being able to call any angel to him, and of being able to find any living being. All part of being God's Messenger, he figured.
~*~
To Gabriel's delight, Michael caved even faster than Lucifer had. It seemed that he didn't really want to fight his brothers either.
“Now we just need Raph to make it a real party!” Gabriel flew around his brothers like an excitable fledgling, earning amused looks from the older Archangels.
“Is his presence necessary?” Michael enquired. He was much more formal than Lucifer, though that had always been the case. He didn't wear his vessel with the same ease, which was odd all things considered.
“Oh please no,” Lucifer mock-shuddered. “He may be the youngest, but he's even stuffier than you are, Michael.”
Before the brothers could argue that point, Gabriel stepped in again - still smirking over Lucifer's regained attitude.
“He's not really needed as such,” Gabriel shrugged. “Though he could probably help Cassie keep things under control.”
“Cassie? Castiel?” Michael sighed. “I will never understand your desire to burden us all with pet names.”
“He does it to be annoying,” Lucifer guessed, grabbing hold of Gabriel as he flew past and forcing him between the feuding brothers.
“Yeah, that's about it,” Gabriel admitted cheerfully.
“I see.”
They landed outside of the building warehouse Gabriel had commandeered and altered for the evening, and he led the way in. He noticed that while Castiel didn't flee from the combined Archangels, he also didn't try to draw any attention to himself. Apparently he was a lot smarter than Gabriel gave him credit for - not that that would be difficult.
“So,” Gabriel spun and faced his brothers, walking backwards into the large room, “I'm guessing you're wondering what sort of non-lethal combat we'll be engaging in. What could actually settle the question of who gets Earth without destroying vast amounts of the planet?”
“Get on with it,” Lucifer drawled as he sat easily at the table. Michael took one of the other seats, and Gabriel huffed as he dropped into the last one.
“Fine. I propose a drinking contest. Last one standing claims Earth, other two just have to deal with it.”
His brothers looked at him as though he'd grown another head. While he could do that, Gabriel was fairly sure that he hadn't messed around with his anatomy recently, so could only assume that they were shocked at his brilliance.
“You want the three of us to get drunk,” Lucifer spoke slowly, as though trying to make the idea fit inside his head.
“Yep.”
“And you think that this will prevent planet-wide destruction?”
“Well...” Gabriel paused, then grinned again. “If you're unconscious you can't destroy things!”
“You didn't think this through, did you?” Michael spoke up, sounding resigned. “Gabriel, a drinking contest is not a suitable way to settle this. Anyway, we are angels - human alcohol has little effect on us.”
“True,” Gabriel admitted. “Which is why I got all of my mystical associates to band together and get me as much non-human alcohol as possible. We have ale from Asgard and the giants, fruity stuff from the Fae, a few barrels of wine from the Greek pantheon... enough of everything to get Dad pissed. Should be enough for the three of us to have a decent competition.”
“Who's the judge?” Lucifer stepped in before Michael could raise further objections.
“Cassie,” Gabriel shrugged, and Castiel stepped forward with a mug of ale and two shot-glasses for each Archangel. He showed no emotion, but Gabriel could see his Grace flickering in unease. “C'mon guys, what do you say? The Apocalypse isn't meant to happen for another few thousand years anyway - I should know. I'm the one who's meant to announce it. So for now, let's drink and settle this without whipping out our swords for once.”
Lucifer sniggered at the innuendo, though Michael seemed oblivious. Both nodded in agreement when Gabriel kicked their shins lightly, and the three raised their drinks together.
“Cheers, boys,” they clinked the glasses and downed the first drink.
~*~
“Dean, I need your help.”
“What's up, Cas?” Dean grabbed his gun and tucked it into his jeans, nodding to Sam at the same time. He knew that Castiel was working on something within the city limits, so it shouldn't take long to get to him.
“Gabriel's summoned thirteen strippers, Michael appears to be terrified of breasts and is hiding under the table, and Lucifer keeps trying to make me sit on his lap.”
“...Wait, what?” Dean blinked. He was already confused, and didn't think that knowing the back story would help much.
“They're drunk. Gabriel started it and insisted that I be present, but I can't handle three drunk Archangels!” At the almost panic in Castiel's voice, Dean quickly ushered Sam out of the door and towards the Impala. “Dean, I need help before they decide to do something even worse.”
“Such as?” Dean couldn't help enquire as he slid behind the wheel. He put the phone onto speaker so that he could drive while talking to Cas.
“Lucifer just suggested a pub-crawl. I don't know what that is but I don't like the sound of it.”
“It's okay Cas,” Sam tried to reassure him. “It just means going to lots of different bars and drinking. We'll be there soon... ah, where are you exactly?”
Castiel relayed the address, sounding distracted. There was a slight scuffle, and then another voice came over the line.
“SAMMY!” Both Winchesters flinched at the shout. “It's GABRIEL! Hi! You're coming over? Bring your brother, we'll have FUN!”
“Uh, yeah,” Sam shifted in his seat, already uncomfortable with the drunk Archangel. “We'll be there in a few minutes.”
“Okay! You wanna talk to Luci? ...Luci, put him down! He's Dean's boy-toy, not yours!”
“Will you both shut up?” They heard Castiel growl, clearly nearing his limit.
“Leave Cas alone,” Dean shot a glare at the phone. “Cas, just hold on. Don't stab anyone. We're just a couple streets away.”
“Thank you,” Castiel had apparently regained the phone. “I am very close to committing fratricide.”
“Genocide's more fun!”
“Be quiet, Lucifer.”
~*~
It wasn't hard to find the right building. There were flashing lights and raunchy music coming from inside, and the place looked like the set of a porn film. Scantily clad women were all over the place, with one either side of Gabriel, and empty glasses scattered around as well. Lucifer was sitting at the table, holding Castiel on his lap and nuzzling into his neck. Castiel didn't look pleased with this turn of events, and was glaring at Gabriel. A man they assumed to be Michael was indeed hiding under the table, drinking steadily from a large glass mug.
“You're here!” Gabriel greeted the boys cheerfully, ditching the girls and bounding over to the Winchesters. “Thank Dad, things were getting boring!” He latched onto Dean and dragged him towards the table, shoving a drink into his hand along the way. “C'mon, join us! We're sorting out world peace by drinking.”
Dean looked around and shared a 'what the hell' look with Sam.
“Fuck it. I'm gonna need this.” Downing his drink in one gulp, Dean realised too late that there was no way the Archangels were drinking human drinks. He stumbled a little almost immediately, and Gabriel pushed him down into a seat before snapping up another for Sam.
“Okay boys, drink up!” Gabriel announced before downing the rest of his drink. Lucifer did the same, and they could hear slurping from below the table. “Luci, let Cas go so he can get more drinks, yeah?”
“Don't wanna,” Lucifer glared at him. The scary effect was slightly ruined by how much he was cuddling into Castiel. “Mine.”
“Really?” Gabriel looked highly amused. “'Cause I think he'd kick your ass if he wasn't so worried about the backlash from the rest of us. Cassie's rocking the free will thing!”
Lucifer let out a growl, and with his concentration momentarily shaken Castiel managed to slip away from him and hurried over to the makeshift bar. Sam got up and followed, concerned.
“Cas, what's going on?”
“Gabriel managed to find a way to fix the Apocalypse,” Castiel sighed, a mixture of exasperation and reluctant admiration. “He challenged Michael and Lucifer to a drinking contest. It appears that Gabriel has managed to build up quite a resistance to alcohol in his time on earth, and is winning the competition.”
“Okay...” Sam said slowly. It certainly sounded like one of Gabriel's harebrained schemes. “And he decided you should be here because...?”
“I have gained free will,” Castiel shrugged. “Therefore I do not have to be subservient to any of them. I have no particular fondness for any of the Archangels, and can be an impartial judge.”
“Huh. So he actually put a bit of thought into it.” Sam glanced back to where Gabriel was telling some sort of story. Lucifer seemed puzzled about where Castiel had gone, and there was a rather voluptuous stripper sitting on Dean's lap. He could barely see Michael from this angle, just a pair of feet sticking out from under the table. “And, uh... Michael's really...”
“Another drink should knock him out,” Castiel nodded. “Then we just need to keep going until Lucifer succumbs. Which I hope is soon.”
“Any idea why he's fixated on you?”
“I do not know. Possibly because I am all but Fallen as well.” Castiel turned, carrying a tray filled with small shot-glasses. “Here. Three for each of them. I shall find normal beer for you and Dean.”
“Thanks,” Sam smiled at him. “And don't worry, we'll stick with you.”
“Thank you Sam,” Castiel nodded, a hint of relief in his eyes.
~*~
As it turned out, Michael was unconscious after two more shots, and Lucifer was almost comatose after finishing the shots and a tall glass of Firewhisky. Unfortunately, he'd managed to latch onto Castiel again and wasn't letting go.
“C'mon Lucifer,” Sam coaxed, trying to undo the death-grip around Castiel's midsection. “Just... just let go for a bit and you can get some sleep. We'll still be here when you wake up.”
“Nooooo,” Lucifer slurred. He managed to move his head and started licking Castiel's neck. Cas shot Sam a look of pure terror, and Sam had to bite the inside of his cheek not to laugh. Instead he quickly moved over to the bar, figuring that one more large drink should tip Lucifer over the edge. As he was pouring, he heard Cas make a strangled sound and hurried.
Back at the table, he saw what was making Castiel flush and squirm - Lucifer had unwound one arm from his waist and was quite clearly groping him as he kissed Cas' neck. Knowing that things were about to go way too far to be funny, Sam pressed the glass against the side of Lucifer's mouth.
“Here you go,” Sam coaxed him away gently. “One more drink. You can do it.”
Lucifer followed the sweet taste of alcohol and slurped at the drink while Sam tipped it, making sure that he didn't go too fast. After about half of the glass, Lucifer's eyes fell shut and he slumped over, finally falling unconscious.
“That was close,” Sam muttered, helping Castiel up. Lucifer was still clinging, but sleep sapped his strength, making it possible for Castiel to slide out of his grasp. Cas quickly moved to the other side of Sam, clearly flustered. Sam was about to try and talk to him, when Castiel frowned.
“Where are Gabriel and Dean?”
Sam looked over then, and felt a sinking feeling. There were empty glasses on the table, but there was no sign of his brother or the Archangel, and the strippers were all gone too.
“Damn,” Sam muttered. “Should we... try to follow them? Or stay and keep these two from destroying anything when they wake up?”
Castiel looked torn, and Sam knew that he didn't want to stick around Lucifer, then the angel slumped into a chair and sighed. In that moment his age shone through, making Sam really feel sorry for him.
“We cannot trace them,” Castiel admitted. “Dean has the sigils, and Gabriel does not wish to be followed. All we can do is stay and watch over Michael and Lucifer.”
“Great,” Sam muttered. He then thought of something. “Think we should confiscate their swords?”
Castiel paused, then nodded. He seemed to be rallying much better than Sam had thought he would.
“Yes. We can take steps to ensure that they do not back out of the deal. After all, Gabriel was still lucid enough able to use his powers and hide himself again. He has clearly won the contest for Earth.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sam smiled. The pair set about laying Lucifer and Michael out on the ground before confiscating their swords. “I just really hope that him and Dean aren't doing something stupid.”
Castiel just gave Sam a look that clearly said 'I can't believe how naïve you are'.
~*~
While Sam and Cas were busy with Lucifer, Gabriel was telling Dean about his latest most awesome prank. Dean was almost in tears with laughter, and had long since abandoned the girls.
“You're insane,” Dean gasped out. “I like it!”
“Of course you do,” Gabriel preened. “You've got a great sense of humor. Better than my stuffy brothers.” He glanced under the table to where Michael was unconscious, cuddling an empty ale mug. “Look at him! Can't hold his liquor. Poor guy.”
“We should draw a moustache on him,” Dean nodded. Gabriel sniggered, then shook his head.
“Nah, he'd find and kill me. Somehow. Dunno how he'd do it, but he'd manage.” Gabriel glanced over at Dean again and smiled. The light behind him was giving Dean a reddish halo, and it looked so lovely. “You're pretty... so pretty.”
“'M not,” Dean pouted. “Not pretty. Girls are pretty.”
“Okay,” Gabriel nodded. “Is gorgeous okay? Men are gorgeous.”
“Yeah, that's good,” Dean agreed. “I'm gorgeous.”
“Yes.” Gabriel finished the rest of his drink, then looked around. “Y'know, they're gonna put Luci to sleep soon. I've won. You wanna go find something fun to do?”
“Yeah,” Dean put his empty glass on the table and turned unsteadily to face Gabriel. “I've got this idea. You could help. It'd be awesome.”
“I'm listening.”
~*~
Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice was telling Dean that this was a very bad idea. The voice sounded a bit like Sam, so he happily ignored it, and instead continued with the epic prank Gabriel was helping him to pull. Well, not so much 'prank' as 'public service disguised as vandalism'. A few feet away, Gabriel was practically swaying with inebriation, but as long as the design wasn't affected Dean didn't mind.
“Why did I never think of this?” Gabriel asked, laughter in his voice. “It's a great idea!”
“'Cause you never had me around,” Dean grinned drunkenly back.
“True. Wanna keep you around now,” Gabriel finished painting with a flourish and made his way over to Dean. “I'll stick with you forever, okay?”
“Okay,” Dean nodded. He finished his part and stepped back. “There. It's a work of art, right?”
“Of course it is,” Gabriel wrapped his arm around Dean's waist. Dean didn't think it was important enough to object. “Where to next?” The Archangel asked, raising his free arm in readiness of clicking his fingers.
“'M hungry,” Dean realised. “Food.”
“Okay. Wanna hot dog? Oooh, no, I know this place that does great pizza!”
“What's it called?”
“Italy. Hold on!”
~*~
They reappeared outside somewhere, in broad daylight. Dean blinked a bit in the sudden light - he was sure that it had been night a second ago - then let Gabriel drag him into a small restaurant that smelled delicious.
“Hey Mario, need pizza! An' more beer!” Gabriel called out. Dean didn't bother protesting, and instead drank the beer that was put in front of him. He was aware of Gabriel chattering away to the man making the pizza - with plenty of meat, he was pleased to see - but it was in some other language and he couldn't quite recognise it. Once he'd drained his beer and looked around properly, a few things belatedly clicked into place.
“Gabe?”
“Yeah Dean-o?” Gabriel seemed extremely happy at the use of a nick name, and his smile temporarily distracted Dean from his question.
“Uh... are we... in Italy?”
“Yep,” Gabriel nodded and started in on the pizza that had arrived. “Didn't I say that they made great pizza? Seriously, try it.”
“Yeah, but...” Dean tried to figure out how to voice his objection to being transported to the other side of the world. He gave up when Gabriel held out a slice of the delicious-smelling pizza. “You're paying,” he said instead as he took a bite. Gabriel still looked far too pleased, and it warmed something inside Dean to know he could make someone so happy.
“Is good?” Gabriel asked, and Dean nodded.
“Is very good,” he spoke with his mouth full, surprised. It was much better than most of the pizzas he'd had before. “Want this every week. Can we kidnap... what's his face?”
“Mario,” Gabriel grabbed another slice for himself. “He's awesome. Not as awesome as you, but still pretty awesome.”
“Yeah. Pizza's always good. Pizza's the best. Sammy doesn't know what he's talking about. Stupid salads.”
“Salad Sammy!” Gabriel giggled. Dean descended into chuckles as well, though only partly at the name. It was so cute watching Gabriel giggling, and he totally did not just think that the Archangel was cute. Nope. Just the beer talking.
“More beer,” he decided forcefully. “Even if it does make me think you're cute.”
“More beer!” Gabriel called out, looking happy. “Beer is awesome!”
“Beer's good,” Dean agreed. He kept eating and drinking, following Gabriel's lead, and for once in his life it didn't feel awkward to be spending time with a guy who wasn't part of his family. He decided not to think about why that was - they'd had too much beer for deep and meaningful thoughts. Time to just enjoy himself instead. He didn't get much time for that.
“So, about Cas,” Gabriel started. Dean tried to level a glare at him, though he had a feeling it wasn't very scary.
“What about Cas?”
“Are you and he... y'know?”
“Are we what?” Dean stalled, not wanting to answer.
“Going at it like a pair of horny bunnies?”
Dean choked on his drink, suddenly overcome by the mental image.
“No...” he groaned. “Get out of my head! Bunny in a trench coat!”
“What... that's awesome!” Gabriel exclaimed. “I want one! Where's a bunny... hey, we should go catch a bunny!” He then paused and looked at his fingers. “Oh yeah.”
With a snap of fingers, there was suddenly a grey and white rabbit with long ears sitting in the middle of the table. The rabbit was wearing a miniature trench coat and blue tie, and Dean nearly fell off of his chair laughing.
“Cas-bunny!” He exclaimed. “Bunny will smite the evildoers!”
“My Cas-bunny,” Gabriel picked up the fluffy creature and cuddled it close to his chest. Dean felt a momentary flash of jealousy, then had to pause to wonder why he was jealous of a rabbit in a trench coat.
The pair of them spent some time patting and trying to feed pizza to the rabbit, before Gabriel remembered what he'd been trying to ask Dean before.
“So, are you and Cas screwing?” Gabriel asked.
“No!” Dean insisted. “Sammy thinks I like him, but we're just friends! And Cas doesn't know what personal space means. And he's kinda weird. But he pulled me outta Hell... and keeps getting hurt for me... how do you get past that?” He asked, a little mournfully. “Can't fall for someone who's done that much... you'd always feel like you owe them or something.”
“Yeah,” Gabriel said thoughtfully. “He's done lots for you.”
“Cas is awesome,” Dean nodded. “So is Cas-Bunny. Lots of things are awesome, really.”
“Yup,” Gabriel agreed. “Lots of things are really awesome. Dad did well when he made Earth.”
“Yeah.” They fell into silence for a while, and Cas-bunny hopped around the store for a while.
“Hey Gabe?”
“Yeah?”
“You know what would be really awesome now that we're fed and can still blame being drunk?”
“What?”
“Karaoke.”
“...You're on.”
~*~
Michael was the first to regain consciousness, though he didn't look like it. He curled up on his side, clutching at his head, and glared at Sam and Cas when they tried to approach. Castiel shrugged it off and seemed quite happy to ignore the oldest Archangel. Sam was a little more put out at the venom in the glare, but then again he still felt some level of awe, having not been tortured at the guy's command.
Not long after, Lucifer opened his eyes. In direct contrast to Michael, the devil merely shook his head before rising gracefully to his feet. Sam noticed Castiel's eyes tracking the movement, then glanced again. It looked as though... no, it couldn't be. Cas was probably just being cautious and not wanting to get too close.
It was just that, for a moment, it had seemed as though Cas was checking Lucifer out.
“I take it Gabriel won?” Lucifer asked, glancing around the room. Sam nodded.
“Yeah. Problem is... he's taken off somewhere. With Dean.”
Lucifer shrugged, clearly not caring about the 'with Dean' part. His gaze fell on Michael, and he smirked before striding over.
“Wakey wakey Mikey,” he said in a sing-song voice. For the first time, Sam could really see the similarity between himself and Lucifer - after all, he tended to bug Dean whenever his big brother was hung over too.
“Leave me alone,” Michael groaned. “Why does my head feel like this?”
“Because you're a lightweight,” Lucifer declared. Sam noticed that he was standing just out of Michael's reach, and tried not to smile.
“I feel as though I'm going to die. Was that Gabriel's plan?”
“Stop being such a pussy, it's just a hangover.”
Sam and Cas exchanged a glance. Sure, they were meant to be keeping the Archangels from fighting, but this wasn't really fighting, was it? More like fraternal bickering. It also made it hard to remember that these were two of the most powerful beings in all existence, when they were acting like a pair of toddlers.
“C'mon Mikey, up you get!”
“Why are you calling me that?” Michael glared at his brother as he sat up reluctantly. “I was under the impression that only Gabriel insisted on shortening our names in that ridiculous manner.”
“Because our glorious little brother has taken his mate to go and celebrate his victory. Someone has to annoy you, and it might as well be me.”
“Wait a second,” Sam spoke up, suddenly very worried. “Mate? Gabriel's mate?”
“Yes,” Castiel answered as the Archangels gave Sam almost identical 'well, duh!' looks. “I thought you were aware that Gabriel is in love with your brother?”
“What!" Sam yelped. "How would I know that? Why would I think that Gabriel likes Dean at all? He killed Dean over two hundred times! He's tried to kill us both plenty more times! When has he ever shown any sort of positive interest in Dean?”
“He kept bringing him back, didn't he?” Lucifer shrugged. “If Gabriel really didn't like you two, he would have found a way to kill you permanently when you were younger and knew less about angelic weaknesses.”
“Then why...” Sam hesitated and swallowed hard. “Why was he telling us to say 'yes' to you two?”
“He was?” Michael asked, surprised. “That's odd.”
“Since when has Dean taken orders from anyone outside of your family?” Castiel asked, sounding exasperated. “I pulled him out of Hell, was tortured by Heaven and died once for him, and he still only sometimes does as I ask, as long as it was something that he'd do anyway. By pushing you both towards becoming vessels, he was making Dean all the more determined to say no.”
They all turned to look at Castiel, who shrugged and looked a little uncomfortable at the sudden attention. On reflection, Sam realised that what Cas had said was true. It was just that he rarely heard Cas say more than a few words at a time, usually the longer explanations had to be dragged out of him with patience, questioning, and the occasional threat from Dean.
“I... I guess so,” Sam spoke slowly. It was still hard for him to grasp that someone wanted to effectively marry Dean, and that someone wasn't Cas. “I just hope they don't kill each other first.”
~*~
“At the Copa!”
“No.”
“Copa Cabana!”
“Shut up, Gabriel.”
“Aw c'mon Dean,” Gabriel pouted.
“Look,” Dean spoke firmly, despite the slight slur to his words. “I'm fine with the karaoke part. Even if you did bring me to Japan for it.” He tried to glare, but not for too long, since Gabriel was still pouting at him. “Hate flying. Hate Angel Express. But I will not sing anything girly! Don't they have any decent songs?”
“My Heart Will Go On?”
“Fuck you, Gabe.”
“Later. Oh, how about Bon Jovi? Shot Through The Heart?”
“Yeah, okay,” Dean relented at the look Gabriel was giving him. After all, it had been Dean's suggestion that they go to Karaoke - not that he'd ever let Sam find out, mind - so Gabriel was just trying to be friends. And anyway, Bon Jovi wasn't exactly a bad choice.
Sitting together at the table, Dean continued to drink. This time they were having sake and beer, a combination that seemed both odd and fitting. He looked up to see a couple of girls pointing at them and talking in rapid Japanese, and turned to Gabriel.
“What are they saying?”
“That we're a cute couple,” Gabriel slurred at him. “You want me to correct them?”
“Too much effort,” Dean waved his hand. “People always think me and Sammy are lovers... dunno why. Sammy says it's cause I'm too butch. Like I'm overcompensating. I'm not overcompensating, am I Gabe?”
“'Course not,” Gabriel looked almost affronted. “You're awesome. We estab... 'stable... said that earlier!”
“Yeah! Hey, our turn now?”
“Shit, yeah,” Gabriel downed the rest of his sake and grabbed Dean's hand. “C'mon. Fun singy time!”
It turned out that singing with Gabriel was a lot of fun. He was animated and enthusiastic, and encouraged Dean to dance around the stage with him. He was also, naturally, an amazing singer. Probably part of the whole Archangel deal.
In fact, Dean was having so much fun, and had drunk just enough sake, that he didn't even mind that at the end of the song, Gabriel dragged him down by the back of the neck and kissed him.
Instead of panicking or trying to shoot Gabriel, Dean kissed back, hands going to Gabriel's waist. He barely even noticed the voice in the back of his head trying to freak out, or the fact that Gabriel had snapped his fingers yet again.
~*~
“Dean's done what?”
“I know,” Sam sighed as he updated Bobby on the situation. “Gabriel seems to have latched on to Dean and wants to claim him as a mate. You know anything about...”
“Angelic mating rituals?” Bobby sounded highly skeptical. “Yeah, sure, I have plenty of books about how supernatural creatures make little baby creatures.”
“Come on Bobby,” Sam pleaded. “We need some help here. You know what Dean's like, he'll try to have sex with anything with a pulse.”
“I'll see what I can come up with. You gonna be okay there?”
“Sure. Cas is here too, and at least Michael seems like he's going to keep his word. Lucifer seems more interested in bugging Michael than actually taking over the world. So we should be fine - we just need to make sure that Dean's not doing something more stupid than normal.”
“Okay. I'll call you if I find anything. Try not to let the angels destroy the world while we're waiting.”
~*~
This time, they landed in Las Vegas. Dean only noticed because there were suddenly a lot more people around them. He pulled back reluctantly and looked around, eyebrow rising. At a guess, Dean would say they were back in America. It was certainly night time, though they were surrounded by bright lights. He glanced over at the hotel across from them, and nearly did a double-take at the sight of several French landmarks.
“Uh, Gabe? Are we in...”
“Vegas? Yeah,” Gabriel shrugged. “Figured we could end the night with some gambling!”
“Okay,” Dean was a little confused. He'd been under the impression that the night was going to end a different way, but he could adapt. He followed Gabriel into the nearest casino, where Gabriel snapped up a credit card for them to use.
“Did you know,” Gabriel explained to Dean after they'd purchased some chips, “that if you don't need to eat, a small investment can grow quite large over the course of a few hundred years?”
“I guess so,” Dean responded, a little perplexed. “And this means that...”
“It means that technically I'm the wealthiest person on the planet,” Gabriel grinned at him. “And it's legit, too. Every now and then I'll buy a house or something, but mostly my money keeps earning interest and expanding. Useful for when I want to stay under the paranormal radar.”
“Cool,” Dean was suitably impressed.
“It also means that I can spoil the people I like.” With that, Dean felt Gabriel slip something into the back pocket of Dean's pants. “Here's a back-up. Ten grand daily limit.”
“What? I can't take that,” Dean protested, trying to grab the card to give it back. Gabriel just leveled a look at him and shoved his hand into Dean's pocket, covering the card - and possibly copping a feel at the same time. Dean was a little confused about that part still.
“Yes you can. Now c'mon, let's gamble!”
Dean tried to form another protest, then shook his head and allowed Gabriel to lead him to the poker tables. It wasn't worth arguing this with a partly drunk, potentially volatile, nearly all-powerful being. Instead, as soon as they sat at the table, Dean ordered more alcohol. He had a feeling he was going to need it.
~*~
“I have been thinking,” Michael spoke. Sam jumped a little, not having expected the Archangel to talk to him, and pocketed his phone. “If you were unaware of Gabriel's feelings, perhaps your brother is similarly oblivious?”
“Probably,” Sam nodded. “I... he's never been very good at expressing emotions, or picking up on what other people feel. And well, I think... thought... he had eyes for Cas.”
“Dean has feelings for Castiel?” Michael frowned, and Sam shrugged. “Are those feelings returned?”
“I don't know. I thought so, but Cas doesn't seem to mind that Gabriel wants Dean. Maybe I was wrong about what sort of bond they share.”
“I see. But you think that Dean is unknowing of Gabriel's intentions?”
“There's a good chance. Besides, Dean's never been the sort to settle down. I'm not sure he's got it in him to be in a monogamous relationship, at least not for a long period of time.”
“That is troubling,” Michael frowned. “Angelic matings are difficult to undo. If Gabriel is going ahead with it, he may not realise that his affection is not returned. I do not wish for him to feel the pain of being refused after the mating is complete. We should find them.”
“Any idea how?” Sam asked, not entirely hopeful. “Cas put anti-detection wards on Dean and I, and Gabriel's almost impossible to track if he doesn't want to be found.”
“If Lucifer and I... work together...” Michael looked distinctly unimpressed by the idea, but continued anyway, “we should be able to find Gabriel. We can amass much more power together than he can by himself.”
“Will Lucifer agree to it?”
“I believe so,” Michael nodded. His eyes seemed to be looking at something not in the room, and Sam realised the Archangel had a small smile on his face. It was a little disconcerting to see. “Gabriel and Lucifer always were particularly close. He will not wish to see Gabriel suffer either.”
“Okay,” Sam glanced around. “I'll ask... first I'll find Lucifer, then I'll ask him. Any idea where he went?”
Michael shrugged and, concerns voiced, sat back at the table to ignore him. Sam huffed out a breath, then wandered off to search. Given the building had reverted to a warehouse with Gabriel's departure, it took a bit of weaving through piles of crates and boxes before Sam heard it - a low, gutteral groan. His first thought was that Lucifer was torturing Cas and he hurried around the corner - only to freeze at the sight.
Castiel was indeed groaning, but certainly not in pain. In fact, he seemed to be quite enjoying himself as he bent forward over a crate, Lucifer gripping his hips and moving in a familiar rhythm behind him. Any doubts about Castiel's willingness were erased when the angel twisted, reached back, and dragged Lucifer close for a filthy, hot, over the shoulder kiss, and Sam quickly hurried away.
By the time he made it back to the main area, he thought he had his blush under control. Until, of course, Michael looked up and raised an eyebrow.
“Well? Where are they?”
“Busy, ” Sam muttered and dropped into a seat.
Michael let out a laugh, and Sam turned to glare at him.
“You suck,” Sam muttered under his breath. “Now I see the family resemblance.”
~*~
“Lucifer,” Castiel gasped, releasing the Archangel's mouth, “more!”
“Coming right up,” Lucifer smirked down at him as he increased the pace of his hips. He still wasn't sure why, but something about Castiel absolutely intrigued him. Perhaps it was the young angel's eager grasp of free will whilst also being loyal to God and humanity. Perhaps it was the way he refused to bow down for anyone, but willingly followed Dean Winchester around. Perhaps it was the glorious smell that Lucifer recognised as an angel who was falling, but not yet damned.
Perhaps it was simply the way Castiel's Grace called out to his, singling him out as a potential mate.
Lucifer tried not to think about that last option, even as he fisted Castiel's cock and thrust almost brutally into him. This was just sex, just a once-off thing to introduce the youngling to what physical pleasure was. It was ridiculous that such a powerful, beautifully-winged angel should still be a virgin.
As he followed Castiel over the edge and climaxed in him, Lucifer steadfastly bit down on his tongue to avoid saying anything stupid, anything he'd regret later.
He certainly wasn't going to say 'I love you', or anything like that. It was just the adrenaline, the power, the smell. He was the devil, he didn't do tender.
~*~
Dean looked across at Gabriel, who was still winning. Dean had stopped even trying to gamble when the numbers were too blurry to read and mostly just watched Gabriel. Sometimes he'd strike up conversations with people around them or with Gabriel himself, but mostly he was watching and drunkenly pondering. Now that he wasn't trying to help start the Apocalypse, Gabriel was actually pretty fun. He had a wicked sense of humor, and actually understood most of the references that Dean made. If he was really honest with himself, Dean actually kind of liked him. The kiss earlier had been odd, sure, but it had also been... nice.
Despite his reputation and whatever Sam might think, Dean had always considered himself straight. Yes, Castiel had kinda messed with that perception for a while, but once Dean had realised it was merely gratitude that he felt for the angel, they'd settled into a close friendship. A decidedly odd friendship, true, but the Winchesters didn't usually go in for friends, so a bit of weirdness was only to be expected.
So it was strange, but for some reason Dean didn't really mind the fact that Gabriel had kissed him. In fact, he wanted to find out just where that whole kissing thing could lead, and where Dean would draw the line at 'too gay'.
He waited until the hand was over, then stopped Gabriel from starting another.
“We'll be going now,” Dean informed the dealer. He noticed that his words were slurred a little, and frowned before remembering what he was trying to do. It was probably actually a good thing that he was halfway drunk, at least he'd have an excuse in the morning. “C'mon babe. Gabe.”
He would have sworn that the first part wasn't meant to actually be said, but with the heated look Gabriel sent him, the Archangel didn't seem to mind.
They made it outside of the casino before Dean had Gabriel pinned against the wall in a familiar way, only this time Dean quickly lowered his head to press their lips together. Gabriel made a decidedly happy sound in the back of his throat and allowed himself to be manhandled and publicly groped. Dean was under no illusions - he knew that Gabriel could easily throw him off if he so wanted. Instead, they let their bodies press close together, and Dean decided that he really didn't mind the lack of boobs, especially since Gabriel was very talented with his tongue.
He ran his hands over Gabriel's body, groping him through his clothes, coaxing all sorts of wonderful sounds from that talented mouth. There were still people moving around them, and he heard a few wolf-whistles and cat-calls, but Dean felt free to ignore them. They were just jealous that Gabriel was his, and would be going home with him tonight.
The thought that Gabriel wouldn't be going home with him every night was just a little more painful than he wanted to admit, so he did his best to lose himself in the kiss again. It wasn't difficult, especially with Gabriel pressing against him in a way that left no doubt as to where Gabriel wanted the night to go.
After several minutes, Dean pulled back with a goofy smile on his face. The fact that he hadn't been smited was a good sign. He then spotted a series of buildings further down the street, and his smile grew as an idea hit him. He knew that he'd probably regret it in the morning, but hey - that's what morning afters were for, right?
“Hey Gabriel...”
“Yeah?” Gabriel didn't seem that interested in listening to what Dean was saying, instead he was licking and kissing any section of Dean's skin that he could see. It distracted Dean for a few minutes, and he slid his hands underneath Gabriel's jacket and shirt to stroke along his skin. Gabriel purred in contentment, and Dean smiled fondly at him before remembering his goal.
“Wanna get married?”
“...What?”
~*~
Masterpost | Art post | Part Two: The Wedding
Then, one of the lowly foot soldiers, walked into Hell and retrieved the Righteous Man. In that instant, God saw how it might fold out - how if left to their own devices, these two could condemn the world.
Or, if he planted a little idea in the mind of his third son, how these two could contribute to saving the world.
With a self-satisfied smile, God sat back and waited for his chance. He knew that the third son already had feelings for the Righteous Man, and that the second would rapidly develop feelings for the foot soldier. If they fell into line, then the eldest would welcome them back to their rightful places amongst the Host. He just had to wait for the right time to give them a little nudge, and then ensure that they knew he approved.
No trouble at all for an all-powerful, all-knowing being.
~*~
As with most of Gabriel's ideas, The Plan came to him after his tenth smoothie of the morning. It was the perfect way out of his current predicament. Having Lucifer and Michael roaming Earth was cutting into his lifestyle, not to mention he'd gotten chewed out by Dean Winchester of all people. Gabriel had been trying to gently woo Dean for years with little success. Granted, his method of flirting was quite different to normal human courtships, but no matter what grand plans Gabriel came up with, when confronted with the reality of Dean he always reverted to his default setting of teasing the one he most wanted to be with. While on the upside Dean no longer seemed intent on killing him, it probably had more to do with the fact that he had much bigger things to worry about these days - such as the Apocalypse - so Gabriel wasn't quite willing to mark it as a win yet.
He figured that it shouldn't be too hard to put The Plan into motion. Lucifer had been wrapped around Gabriel's little finger for a millennia or so before the Fall, and Michael had never been able to deny the pair of them when they joined forces.
“I do not think this is a good idea.”
“Shut up, Castiel, this is a great idea!”
Castiel shot him a decidedly unimpressed look, but continued to do as Gabriel had asked him. It was handy having another angel on Earth who was more interested in keeping humanity alive than participating in their older brothers' overblown pissing contest.
“Okay, you stay here and finish setting up. I'll go track down the wayward guests. Shouldn't take long!”
“Be careful brother. This is a dangerous act.”
“Yeah, but it'll be fun!” Gabriel ignored the muttered insult that followed and instead spread his wings, letting his grace bleed through the many bindings he usually kept intact to remain hidden. Within seconds, he felt Lucifer's tainted Grace calling to him, and flew towards his big brother, leaving Castiel glaring at the empty space he'd just occupied.
They met in mid-air, hovering above a town somewhere in the mid-west, and Gabriel immediately threw himself into Lucifer's arms. He'd missed his family for a long time.
“Gabriel,” Lucifer held him and spoke softly, voice choked up. “I'd heard you were dead.”
“Not dead, just hiding,” Gabriel admitted. “I couldn't stand being in Heaven any more, it just wasn't home without you and Mikey to torment.” He pulled back and looked up at Lucifer mournfully, exaggerating the puppy-dog eyes as much as he possibly could. Though maybe he should have gotten Cas for that part - the young angel had some truly epic wounded-puppy looks. “Earth is my home now... I don't wanna see it destroyed. It's fun, and you should see the kinky shit these humans get up to. I don't want to fight you to defend it, and I can't stand the thought of you and Mikey killing each other.”
“We don't have a choice,” Lucifer sounded reluctant. Gabriel knew he was in. “If I could spare you the pain, little brother, I would. You always were my favorite.”
“I know,” Gabriel nodded. “That's why I came up with a new plan. A fight without fighting. A battle between the three of us - winner takes Earth.”
“Really?” Lucifer's eyebrow raised in disbelief. Gabriel was a little taken aback at how easily the angel most famed for his hatred of humanity had assimilated a human gesture. “You think that you could beat me in a fair fight?”
“Nope, you'd flatten me,” Gabriel shrugged easily. “You'd feel bad about it, but if it came down to a fight between us you'd win. I don't want any of us to fight, 'cause it'll just end up ruining Earth. So please? Come with me and join in my little competition? If we can convince Mikey to go along with it, we don't have to tear each other apart. And maybe we can be a family again after.”
There was a moment when they looked at each other, and Gabriel saw the longing in Lucifer's eyes. He clearly wanted his family back too, which gave Gabriel hope.
"C'mon," Gabriel wheedled, pressing the advantage. "It'll be just like it used to be. You and me, annoying the feathers off of Mikey... you always were the best at thinking up new pranks to pull on him, bring him down a peg."
"I don't know about that," there was a small smile tugging at Lucifer's mouth. "I wasn't the one who thought up the incident with the dinosaur eggs and Michael's nest."
Gabriel felt himself flush. That particular prank when he was only a few centuries old had nearly resulted in Michael rampaging Earth to kill the dinosaurs before their time.
“Yeah, well... he deserved that,” he defended himself weakly. “And anyway, you're the one who hid me afterwards!”
Lucifer let out a laugh, and Gabriel couldn't help closing his eyes and smiling as he remembered a time when that laugh was heard a lot more often. It was true that Lucifer had once been God's favourite, and all the other angels had been in awe of the brightest light. Nothing had made them happier than to see Lucifer and his closest brothers laughing together. Gabriel missed those days terribly.
“Very well, Gabriel,” Lucifer smiled as he reached out. Gabriel gladly embraced his brother, letting his Grace shine even brighter. “I shall enter whatever competition it is that you've designed. Though you've probably rigged it so that you'll win, haven't you?”
“Of course not!” Gabriel pretended to be offended. They both knew it was an act. “I'd never do something like that!”
Lucifer just smiled at him, an echo of several occasions thousands of years ago when the four Archangels were inseparable and enjoyed each other's company. Gabriel took Lucifer's hand and tugged him in the direction he could feel Michael's Grace drawing closer from. He'd always had the gift of being able to call any angel to him, and of being able to find any living being. All part of being God's Messenger, he figured.
~*~
To Gabriel's delight, Michael caved even faster than Lucifer had. It seemed that he didn't really want to fight his brothers either.
“Now we just need Raph to make it a real party!” Gabriel flew around his brothers like an excitable fledgling, earning amused looks from the older Archangels.
“Is his presence necessary?” Michael enquired. He was much more formal than Lucifer, though that had always been the case. He didn't wear his vessel with the same ease, which was odd all things considered.
“Oh please no,” Lucifer mock-shuddered. “He may be the youngest, but he's even stuffier than you are, Michael.”
Before the brothers could argue that point, Gabriel stepped in again - still smirking over Lucifer's regained attitude.
“He's not really needed as such,” Gabriel shrugged. “Though he could probably help Cassie keep things under control.”
“Cassie? Castiel?” Michael sighed. “I will never understand your desire to burden us all with pet names.”
“He does it to be annoying,” Lucifer guessed, grabbing hold of Gabriel as he flew past and forcing him between the feuding brothers.
“Yeah, that's about it,” Gabriel admitted cheerfully.
“I see.”
They landed outside of the building warehouse Gabriel had commandeered and altered for the evening, and he led the way in. He noticed that while Castiel didn't flee from the combined Archangels, he also didn't try to draw any attention to himself. Apparently he was a lot smarter than Gabriel gave him credit for - not that that would be difficult.
“So,” Gabriel spun and faced his brothers, walking backwards into the large room, “I'm guessing you're wondering what sort of non-lethal combat we'll be engaging in. What could actually settle the question of who gets Earth without destroying vast amounts of the planet?”
“Get on with it,” Lucifer drawled as he sat easily at the table. Michael took one of the other seats, and Gabriel huffed as he dropped into the last one.
“Fine. I propose a drinking contest. Last one standing claims Earth, other two just have to deal with it.”
His brothers looked at him as though he'd grown another head. While he could do that, Gabriel was fairly sure that he hadn't messed around with his anatomy recently, so could only assume that they were shocked at his brilliance.
“You want the three of us to get drunk,” Lucifer spoke slowly, as though trying to make the idea fit inside his head.
“Yep.”
“And you think that this will prevent planet-wide destruction?”
“Well...” Gabriel paused, then grinned again. “If you're unconscious you can't destroy things!”
“You didn't think this through, did you?” Michael spoke up, sounding resigned. “Gabriel, a drinking contest is not a suitable way to settle this. Anyway, we are angels - human alcohol has little effect on us.”
“True,” Gabriel admitted. “Which is why I got all of my mystical associates to band together and get me as much non-human alcohol as possible. We have ale from Asgard and the giants, fruity stuff from the Fae, a few barrels of wine from the Greek pantheon... enough of everything to get Dad pissed. Should be enough for the three of us to have a decent competition.”
“Who's the judge?” Lucifer stepped in before Michael could raise further objections.
“Cassie,” Gabriel shrugged, and Castiel stepped forward with a mug of ale and two shot-glasses for each Archangel. He showed no emotion, but Gabriel could see his Grace flickering in unease. “C'mon guys, what do you say? The Apocalypse isn't meant to happen for another few thousand years anyway - I should know. I'm the one who's meant to announce it. So for now, let's drink and settle this without whipping out our swords for once.”
Lucifer sniggered at the innuendo, though Michael seemed oblivious. Both nodded in agreement when Gabriel kicked their shins lightly, and the three raised their drinks together.
“Cheers, boys,” they clinked the glasses and downed the first drink.
~*~
“Dean, I need your help.”
“What's up, Cas?” Dean grabbed his gun and tucked it into his jeans, nodding to Sam at the same time. He knew that Castiel was working on something within the city limits, so it shouldn't take long to get to him.
“Gabriel's summoned thirteen strippers, Michael appears to be terrified of breasts and is hiding under the table, and Lucifer keeps trying to make me sit on his lap.”
“...Wait, what?” Dean blinked. He was already confused, and didn't think that knowing the back story would help much.
“They're drunk. Gabriel started it and insisted that I be present, but I can't handle three drunk Archangels!” At the almost panic in Castiel's voice, Dean quickly ushered Sam out of the door and towards the Impala. “Dean, I need help before they decide to do something even worse.”
“Such as?” Dean couldn't help enquire as he slid behind the wheel. He put the phone onto speaker so that he could drive while talking to Cas.
“Lucifer just suggested a pub-crawl. I don't know what that is but I don't like the sound of it.”
“It's okay Cas,” Sam tried to reassure him. “It just means going to lots of different bars and drinking. We'll be there soon... ah, where are you exactly?”
Castiel relayed the address, sounding distracted. There was a slight scuffle, and then another voice came over the line.
“SAMMY!” Both Winchesters flinched at the shout. “It's GABRIEL! Hi! You're coming over? Bring your brother, we'll have FUN!”
“Uh, yeah,” Sam shifted in his seat, already uncomfortable with the drunk Archangel. “We'll be there in a few minutes.”
“Okay! You wanna talk to Luci? ...Luci, put him down! He's Dean's boy-toy, not yours!”
“Will you both shut up?” They heard Castiel growl, clearly nearing his limit.
“Leave Cas alone,” Dean shot a glare at the phone. “Cas, just hold on. Don't stab anyone. We're just a couple streets away.”
“Thank you,” Castiel had apparently regained the phone. “I am very close to committing fratricide.”
“Genocide's more fun!”
“Be quiet, Lucifer.”
~*~
It wasn't hard to find the right building. There were flashing lights and raunchy music coming from inside, and the place looked like the set of a porn film. Scantily clad women were all over the place, with one either side of Gabriel, and empty glasses scattered around as well. Lucifer was sitting at the table, holding Castiel on his lap and nuzzling into his neck. Castiel didn't look pleased with this turn of events, and was glaring at Gabriel. A man they assumed to be Michael was indeed hiding under the table, drinking steadily from a large glass mug.
“You're here!” Gabriel greeted the boys cheerfully, ditching the girls and bounding over to the Winchesters. “Thank Dad, things were getting boring!” He latched onto Dean and dragged him towards the table, shoving a drink into his hand along the way. “C'mon, join us! We're sorting out world peace by drinking.”
Dean looked around and shared a 'what the hell' look with Sam.
“Fuck it. I'm gonna need this.” Downing his drink in one gulp, Dean realised too late that there was no way the Archangels were drinking human drinks. He stumbled a little almost immediately, and Gabriel pushed him down into a seat before snapping up another for Sam.
“Okay boys, drink up!” Gabriel announced before downing the rest of his drink. Lucifer did the same, and they could hear slurping from below the table. “Luci, let Cas go so he can get more drinks, yeah?”
“Don't wanna,” Lucifer glared at him. The scary effect was slightly ruined by how much he was cuddling into Castiel. “Mine.”
“Really?” Gabriel looked highly amused. “'Cause I think he'd kick your ass if he wasn't so worried about the backlash from the rest of us. Cassie's rocking the free will thing!”
Lucifer let out a growl, and with his concentration momentarily shaken Castiel managed to slip away from him and hurried over to the makeshift bar. Sam got up and followed, concerned.
“Cas, what's going on?”
“Gabriel managed to find a way to fix the Apocalypse,” Castiel sighed, a mixture of exasperation and reluctant admiration. “He challenged Michael and Lucifer to a drinking contest. It appears that Gabriel has managed to build up quite a resistance to alcohol in his time on earth, and is winning the competition.”
“Okay...” Sam said slowly. It certainly sounded like one of Gabriel's harebrained schemes. “And he decided you should be here because...?”
“I have gained free will,” Castiel shrugged. “Therefore I do not have to be subservient to any of them. I have no particular fondness for any of the Archangels, and can be an impartial judge.”
“Huh. So he actually put a bit of thought into it.” Sam glanced back to where Gabriel was telling some sort of story. Lucifer seemed puzzled about where Castiel had gone, and there was a rather voluptuous stripper sitting on Dean's lap. He could barely see Michael from this angle, just a pair of feet sticking out from under the table. “And, uh... Michael's really...”
“Another drink should knock him out,” Castiel nodded. “Then we just need to keep going until Lucifer succumbs. Which I hope is soon.”
“Any idea why he's fixated on you?”
“I do not know. Possibly because I am all but Fallen as well.” Castiel turned, carrying a tray filled with small shot-glasses. “Here. Three for each of them. I shall find normal beer for you and Dean.”
“Thanks,” Sam smiled at him. “And don't worry, we'll stick with you.”
“Thank you Sam,” Castiel nodded, a hint of relief in his eyes.
~*~
As it turned out, Michael was unconscious after two more shots, and Lucifer was almost comatose after finishing the shots and a tall glass of Firewhisky. Unfortunately, he'd managed to latch onto Castiel again and wasn't letting go.
“C'mon Lucifer,” Sam coaxed, trying to undo the death-grip around Castiel's midsection. “Just... just let go for a bit and you can get some sleep. We'll still be here when you wake up.”
“Nooooo,” Lucifer slurred. He managed to move his head and started licking Castiel's neck. Cas shot Sam a look of pure terror, and Sam had to bite the inside of his cheek not to laugh. Instead he quickly moved over to the bar, figuring that one more large drink should tip Lucifer over the edge. As he was pouring, he heard Cas make a strangled sound and hurried.
Back at the table, he saw what was making Castiel flush and squirm - Lucifer had unwound one arm from his waist and was quite clearly groping him as he kissed Cas' neck. Knowing that things were about to go way too far to be funny, Sam pressed the glass against the side of Lucifer's mouth.
“Here you go,” Sam coaxed him away gently. “One more drink. You can do it.”
Lucifer followed the sweet taste of alcohol and slurped at the drink while Sam tipped it, making sure that he didn't go too fast. After about half of the glass, Lucifer's eyes fell shut and he slumped over, finally falling unconscious.
“That was close,” Sam muttered, helping Castiel up. Lucifer was still clinging, but sleep sapped his strength, making it possible for Castiel to slide out of his grasp. Cas quickly moved to the other side of Sam, clearly flustered. Sam was about to try and talk to him, when Castiel frowned.
“Where are Gabriel and Dean?”
Sam looked over then, and felt a sinking feeling. There were empty glasses on the table, but there was no sign of his brother or the Archangel, and the strippers were all gone too.
“Damn,” Sam muttered. “Should we... try to follow them? Or stay and keep these two from destroying anything when they wake up?”
Castiel looked torn, and Sam knew that he didn't want to stick around Lucifer, then the angel slumped into a chair and sighed. In that moment his age shone through, making Sam really feel sorry for him.
“We cannot trace them,” Castiel admitted. “Dean has the sigils, and Gabriel does not wish to be followed. All we can do is stay and watch over Michael and Lucifer.”
“Great,” Sam muttered. He then thought of something. “Think we should confiscate their swords?”
Castiel paused, then nodded. He seemed to be rallying much better than Sam had thought he would.
“Yes. We can take steps to ensure that they do not back out of the deal. After all, Gabriel was still lucid enough able to use his powers and hide himself again. He has clearly won the contest for Earth.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sam smiled. The pair set about laying Lucifer and Michael out on the ground before confiscating their swords. “I just really hope that him and Dean aren't doing something stupid.”
Castiel just gave Sam a look that clearly said 'I can't believe how naïve you are'.
~*~
While Sam and Cas were busy with Lucifer, Gabriel was telling Dean about his latest most awesome prank. Dean was almost in tears with laughter, and had long since abandoned the girls.
“You're insane,” Dean gasped out. “I like it!”
“Of course you do,” Gabriel preened. “You've got a great sense of humor. Better than my stuffy brothers.” He glanced under the table to where Michael was unconscious, cuddling an empty ale mug. “Look at him! Can't hold his liquor. Poor guy.”
“We should draw a moustache on him,” Dean nodded. Gabriel sniggered, then shook his head.
“Nah, he'd find and kill me. Somehow. Dunno how he'd do it, but he'd manage.” Gabriel glanced over at Dean again and smiled. The light behind him was giving Dean a reddish halo, and it looked so lovely. “You're pretty... so pretty.”
“'M not,” Dean pouted. “Not pretty. Girls are pretty.”
“Okay,” Gabriel nodded. “Is gorgeous okay? Men are gorgeous.”
“Yeah, that's good,” Dean agreed. “I'm gorgeous.”
“Yes.” Gabriel finished the rest of his drink, then looked around. “Y'know, they're gonna put Luci to sleep soon. I've won. You wanna go find something fun to do?”
“Yeah,” Dean put his empty glass on the table and turned unsteadily to face Gabriel. “I've got this idea. You could help. It'd be awesome.”
“I'm listening.”
~*~
Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice was telling Dean that this was a very bad idea. The voice sounded a bit like Sam, so he happily ignored it, and instead continued with the epic prank Gabriel was helping him to pull. Well, not so much 'prank' as 'public service disguised as vandalism'. A few feet away, Gabriel was practically swaying with inebriation, but as long as the design wasn't affected Dean didn't mind.
“Why did I never think of this?” Gabriel asked, laughter in his voice. “It's a great idea!”
“'Cause you never had me around,” Dean grinned drunkenly back.
“True. Wanna keep you around now,” Gabriel finished painting with a flourish and made his way over to Dean. “I'll stick with you forever, okay?”
“Okay,” Dean nodded. He finished his part and stepped back. “There. It's a work of art, right?”
“Of course it is,” Gabriel wrapped his arm around Dean's waist. Dean didn't think it was important enough to object. “Where to next?” The Archangel asked, raising his free arm in readiness of clicking his fingers.
“'M hungry,” Dean realised. “Food.”
“Okay. Wanna hot dog? Oooh, no, I know this place that does great pizza!”
“What's it called?”
“Italy. Hold on!”
~*~
They reappeared outside somewhere, in broad daylight. Dean blinked a bit in the sudden light - he was sure that it had been night a second ago - then let Gabriel drag him into a small restaurant that smelled delicious.
“Hey Mario, need pizza! An' more beer!” Gabriel called out. Dean didn't bother protesting, and instead drank the beer that was put in front of him. He was aware of Gabriel chattering away to the man making the pizza - with plenty of meat, he was pleased to see - but it was in some other language and he couldn't quite recognise it. Once he'd drained his beer and looked around properly, a few things belatedly clicked into place.
“Gabe?”
“Yeah Dean-o?” Gabriel seemed extremely happy at the use of a nick name, and his smile temporarily distracted Dean from his question.
“Uh... are we... in Italy?”
“Yep,” Gabriel nodded and started in on the pizza that had arrived. “Didn't I say that they made great pizza? Seriously, try it.”
“Yeah, but...” Dean tried to figure out how to voice his objection to being transported to the other side of the world. He gave up when Gabriel held out a slice of the delicious-smelling pizza. “You're paying,” he said instead as he took a bite. Gabriel still looked far too pleased, and it warmed something inside Dean to know he could make someone so happy.
“Is good?” Gabriel asked, and Dean nodded.
“Is very good,” he spoke with his mouth full, surprised. It was much better than most of the pizzas he'd had before. “Want this every week. Can we kidnap... what's his face?”
“Mario,” Gabriel grabbed another slice for himself. “He's awesome. Not as awesome as you, but still pretty awesome.”
“Yeah. Pizza's always good. Pizza's the best. Sammy doesn't know what he's talking about. Stupid salads.”
“Salad Sammy!” Gabriel giggled. Dean descended into chuckles as well, though only partly at the name. It was so cute watching Gabriel giggling, and he totally did not just think that the Archangel was cute. Nope. Just the beer talking.
“More beer,” he decided forcefully. “Even if it does make me think you're cute.”
“More beer!” Gabriel called out, looking happy. “Beer is awesome!”
“Beer's good,” Dean agreed. He kept eating and drinking, following Gabriel's lead, and for once in his life it didn't feel awkward to be spending time with a guy who wasn't part of his family. He decided not to think about why that was - they'd had too much beer for deep and meaningful thoughts. Time to just enjoy himself instead. He didn't get much time for that.
“So, about Cas,” Gabriel started. Dean tried to level a glare at him, though he had a feeling it wasn't very scary.
“What about Cas?”
“Are you and he... y'know?”
“Are we what?” Dean stalled, not wanting to answer.
“Going at it like a pair of horny bunnies?”
Dean choked on his drink, suddenly overcome by the mental image.
“No...” he groaned. “Get out of my head! Bunny in a trench coat!”
“What... that's awesome!” Gabriel exclaimed. “I want one! Where's a bunny... hey, we should go catch a bunny!” He then paused and looked at his fingers. “Oh yeah.”
With a snap of fingers, there was suddenly a grey and white rabbit with long ears sitting in the middle of the table. The rabbit was wearing a miniature trench coat and blue tie, and Dean nearly fell off of his chair laughing.
“Cas-bunny!” He exclaimed. “Bunny will smite the evildoers!”
“My Cas-bunny,” Gabriel picked up the fluffy creature and cuddled it close to his chest. Dean felt a momentary flash of jealousy, then had to pause to wonder why he was jealous of a rabbit in a trench coat.
The pair of them spent some time patting and trying to feed pizza to the rabbit, before Gabriel remembered what he'd been trying to ask Dean before.
“So, are you and Cas screwing?” Gabriel asked.
“No!” Dean insisted. “Sammy thinks I like him, but we're just friends! And Cas doesn't know what personal space means. And he's kinda weird. But he pulled me outta Hell... and keeps getting hurt for me... how do you get past that?” He asked, a little mournfully. “Can't fall for someone who's done that much... you'd always feel like you owe them or something.”
“Yeah,” Gabriel said thoughtfully. “He's done lots for you.”
“Cas is awesome,” Dean nodded. “So is Cas-Bunny. Lots of things are awesome, really.”
“Yup,” Gabriel agreed. “Lots of things are really awesome. Dad did well when he made Earth.”
“Yeah.” They fell into silence for a while, and Cas-bunny hopped around the store for a while.
“Hey Gabe?”
“Yeah?”
“You know what would be really awesome now that we're fed and can still blame being drunk?”
“What?”
“Karaoke.”
“...You're on.”
~*~
Michael was the first to regain consciousness, though he didn't look like it. He curled up on his side, clutching at his head, and glared at Sam and Cas when they tried to approach. Castiel shrugged it off and seemed quite happy to ignore the oldest Archangel. Sam was a little more put out at the venom in the glare, but then again he still felt some level of awe, having not been tortured at the guy's command.
Not long after, Lucifer opened his eyes. In direct contrast to Michael, the devil merely shook his head before rising gracefully to his feet. Sam noticed Castiel's eyes tracking the movement, then glanced again. It looked as though... no, it couldn't be. Cas was probably just being cautious and not wanting to get too close.
It was just that, for a moment, it had seemed as though Cas was checking Lucifer out.
“I take it Gabriel won?” Lucifer asked, glancing around the room. Sam nodded.
“Yeah. Problem is... he's taken off somewhere. With Dean.”
Lucifer shrugged, clearly not caring about the 'with Dean' part. His gaze fell on Michael, and he smirked before striding over.
“Wakey wakey Mikey,” he said in a sing-song voice. For the first time, Sam could really see the similarity between himself and Lucifer - after all, he tended to bug Dean whenever his big brother was hung over too.
“Leave me alone,” Michael groaned. “Why does my head feel like this?”
“Because you're a lightweight,” Lucifer declared. Sam noticed that he was standing just out of Michael's reach, and tried not to smile.
“I feel as though I'm going to die. Was that Gabriel's plan?”
“Stop being such a pussy, it's just a hangover.”
Sam and Cas exchanged a glance. Sure, they were meant to be keeping the Archangels from fighting, but this wasn't really fighting, was it? More like fraternal bickering. It also made it hard to remember that these were two of the most powerful beings in all existence, when they were acting like a pair of toddlers.
“C'mon Mikey, up you get!”
“Why are you calling me that?” Michael glared at his brother as he sat up reluctantly. “I was under the impression that only Gabriel insisted on shortening our names in that ridiculous manner.”
“Because our glorious little brother has taken his mate to go and celebrate his victory. Someone has to annoy you, and it might as well be me.”
“Wait a second,” Sam spoke up, suddenly very worried. “Mate? Gabriel's mate?”
“Yes,” Castiel answered as the Archangels gave Sam almost identical 'well, duh!' looks. “I thought you were aware that Gabriel is in love with your brother?”
“What!" Sam yelped. "How would I know that? Why would I think that Gabriel likes Dean at all? He killed Dean over two hundred times! He's tried to kill us both plenty more times! When has he ever shown any sort of positive interest in Dean?”
“He kept bringing him back, didn't he?” Lucifer shrugged. “If Gabriel really didn't like you two, he would have found a way to kill you permanently when you were younger and knew less about angelic weaknesses.”
“Then why...” Sam hesitated and swallowed hard. “Why was he telling us to say 'yes' to you two?”
“He was?” Michael asked, surprised. “That's odd.”
“Since when has Dean taken orders from anyone outside of your family?” Castiel asked, sounding exasperated. “I pulled him out of Hell, was tortured by Heaven and died once for him, and he still only sometimes does as I ask, as long as it was something that he'd do anyway. By pushing you both towards becoming vessels, he was making Dean all the more determined to say no.”
They all turned to look at Castiel, who shrugged and looked a little uncomfortable at the sudden attention. On reflection, Sam realised that what Cas had said was true. It was just that he rarely heard Cas say more than a few words at a time, usually the longer explanations had to be dragged out of him with patience, questioning, and the occasional threat from Dean.
“I... I guess so,” Sam spoke slowly. It was still hard for him to grasp that someone wanted to effectively marry Dean, and that someone wasn't Cas. “I just hope they don't kill each other first.”
~*~
“At the Copa!”
“No.”
“Copa Cabana!”
“Shut up, Gabriel.”
“Aw c'mon Dean,” Gabriel pouted.
“Look,” Dean spoke firmly, despite the slight slur to his words. “I'm fine with the karaoke part. Even if you did bring me to Japan for it.” He tried to glare, but not for too long, since Gabriel was still pouting at him. “Hate flying. Hate Angel Express. But I will not sing anything girly! Don't they have any decent songs?”
“My Heart Will Go On?”
“Fuck you, Gabe.”
“Later. Oh, how about Bon Jovi? Shot Through The Heart?”
“Yeah, okay,” Dean relented at the look Gabriel was giving him. After all, it had been Dean's suggestion that they go to Karaoke - not that he'd ever let Sam find out, mind - so Gabriel was just trying to be friends. And anyway, Bon Jovi wasn't exactly a bad choice.
Sitting together at the table, Dean continued to drink. This time they were having sake and beer, a combination that seemed both odd and fitting. He looked up to see a couple of girls pointing at them and talking in rapid Japanese, and turned to Gabriel.
“What are they saying?”
“That we're a cute couple,” Gabriel slurred at him. “You want me to correct them?”
“Too much effort,” Dean waved his hand. “People always think me and Sammy are lovers... dunno why. Sammy says it's cause I'm too butch. Like I'm overcompensating. I'm not overcompensating, am I Gabe?”
“'Course not,” Gabriel looked almost affronted. “You're awesome. We estab... 'stable... said that earlier!”
“Yeah! Hey, our turn now?”
“Shit, yeah,” Gabriel downed the rest of his sake and grabbed Dean's hand. “C'mon. Fun singy time!”
It turned out that singing with Gabriel was a lot of fun. He was animated and enthusiastic, and encouraged Dean to dance around the stage with him. He was also, naturally, an amazing singer. Probably part of the whole Archangel deal.
In fact, Dean was having so much fun, and had drunk just enough sake, that he didn't even mind that at the end of the song, Gabriel dragged him down by the back of the neck and kissed him.
Instead of panicking or trying to shoot Gabriel, Dean kissed back, hands going to Gabriel's waist. He barely even noticed the voice in the back of his head trying to freak out, or the fact that Gabriel had snapped his fingers yet again.
~*~
“Dean's done what?”
“I know,” Sam sighed as he updated Bobby on the situation. “Gabriel seems to have latched on to Dean and wants to claim him as a mate. You know anything about...”
“Angelic mating rituals?” Bobby sounded highly skeptical. “Yeah, sure, I have plenty of books about how supernatural creatures make little baby creatures.”
“Come on Bobby,” Sam pleaded. “We need some help here. You know what Dean's like, he'll try to have sex with anything with a pulse.”
“I'll see what I can come up with. You gonna be okay there?”
“Sure. Cas is here too, and at least Michael seems like he's going to keep his word. Lucifer seems more interested in bugging Michael than actually taking over the world. So we should be fine - we just need to make sure that Dean's not doing something more stupid than normal.”
“Okay. I'll call you if I find anything. Try not to let the angels destroy the world while we're waiting.”
~*~
This time, they landed in Las Vegas. Dean only noticed because there were suddenly a lot more people around them. He pulled back reluctantly and looked around, eyebrow rising. At a guess, Dean would say they were back in America. It was certainly night time, though they were surrounded by bright lights. He glanced over at the hotel across from them, and nearly did a double-take at the sight of several French landmarks.
“Uh, Gabe? Are we in...”
“Vegas? Yeah,” Gabriel shrugged. “Figured we could end the night with some gambling!”
“Okay,” Dean was a little confused. He'd been under the impression that the night was going to end a different way, but he could adapt. He followed Gabriel into the nearest casino, where Gabriel snapped up a credit card for them to use.
“Did you know,” Gabriel explained to Dean after they'd purchased some chips, “that if you don't need to eat, a small investment can grow quite large over the course of a few hundred years?”
“I guess so,” Dean responded, a little perplexed. “And this means that...”
“It means that technically I'm the wealthiest person on the planet,” Gabriel grinned at him. “And it's legit, too. Every now and then I'll buy a house or something, but mostly my money keeps earning interest and expanding. Useful for when I want to stay under the paranormal radar.”
“Cool,” Dean was suitably impressed.
“It also means that I can spoil the people I like.” With that, Dean felt Gabriel slip something into the back pocket of Dean's pants. “Here's a back-up. Ten grand daily limit.”
“What? I can't take that,” Dean protested, trying to grab the card to give it back. Gabriel just leveled a look at him and shoved his hand into Dean's pocket, covering the card - and possibly copping a feel at the same time. Dean was a little confused about that part still.
“Yes you can. Now c'mon, let's gamble!”
Dean tried to form another protest, then shook his head and allowed Gabriel to lead him to the poker tables. It wasn't worth arguing this with a partly drunk, potentially volatile, nearly all-powerful being. Instead, as soon as they sat at the table, Dean ordered more alcohol. He had a feeling he was going to need it.
~*~
“I have been thinking,” Michael spoke. Sam jumped a little, not having expected the Archangel to talk to him, and pocketed his phone. “If you were unaware of Gabriel's feelings, perhaps your brother is similarly oblivious?”
“Probably,” Sam nodded. “I... he's never been very good at expressing emotions, or picking up on what other people feel. And well, I think... thought... he had eyes for Cas.”
“Dean has feelings for Castiel?” Michael frowned, and Sam shrugged. “Are those feelings returned?”
“I don't know. I thought so, but Cas doesn't seem to mind that Gabriel wants Dean. Maybe I was wrong about what sort of bond they share.”
“I see. But you think that Dean is unknowing of Gabriel's intentions?”
“There's a good chance. Besides, Dean's never been the sort to settle down. I'm not sure he's got it in him to be in a monogamous relationship, at least not for a long period of time.”
“That is troubling,” Michael frowned. “Angelic matings are difficult to undo. If Gabriel is going ahead with it, he may not realise that his affection is not returned. I do not wish for him to feel the pain of being refused after the mating is complete. We should find them.”
“Any idea how?” Sam asked, not entirely hopeful. “Cas put anti-detection wards on Dean and I, and Gabriel's almost impossible to track if he doesn't want to be found.”
“If Lucifer and I... work together...” Michael looked distinctly unimpressed by the idea, but continued anyway, “we should be able to find Gabriel. We can amass much more power together than he can by himself.”
“Will Lucifer agree to it?”
“I believe so,” Michael nodded. His eyes seemed to be looking at something not in the room, and Sam realised the Archangel had a small smile on his face. It was a little disconcerting to see. “Gabriel and Lucifer always were particularly close. He will not wish to see Gabriel suffer either.”
“Okay,” Sam glanced around. “I'll ask... first I'll find Lucifer, then I'll ask him. Any idea where he went?”
Michael shrugged and, concerns voiced, sat back at the table to ignore him. Sam huffed out a breath, then wandered off to search. Given the building had reverted to a warehouse with Gabriel's departure, it took a bit of weaving through piles of crates and boxes before Sam heard it - a low, gutteral groan. His first thought was that Lucifer was torturing Cas and he hurried around the corner - only to freeze at the sight.
Castiel was indeed groaning, but certainly not in pain. In fact, he seemed to be quite enjoying himself as he bent forward over a crate, Lucifer gripping his hips and moving in a familiar rhythm behind him. Any doubts about Castiel's willingness were erased when the angel twisted, reached back, and dragged Lucifer close for a filthy, hot, over the shoulder kiss, and Sam quickly hurried away.
By the time he made it back to the main area, he thought he had his blush under control. Until, of course, Michael looked up and raised an eyebrow.
“Well? Where are they?”
“Busy, ” Sam muttered and dropped into a seat.
Michael let out a laugh, and Sam turned to glare at him.
“You suck,” Sam muttered under his breath. “Now I see the family resemblance.”
~*~
“Lucifer,” Castiel gasped, releasing the Archangel's mouth, “more!”
“Coming right up,” Lucifer smirked down at him as he increased the pace of his hips. He still wasn't sure why, but something about Castiel absolutely intrigued him. Perhaps it was the young angel's eager grasp of free will whilst also being loyal to God and humanity. Perhaps it was the way he refused to bow down for anyone, but willingly followed Dean Winchester around. Perhaps it was the glorious smell that Lucifer recognised as an angel who was falling, but not yet damned.
Perhaps it was simply the way Castiel's Grace called out to his, singling him out as a potential mate.
Lucifer tried not to think about that last option, even as he fisted Castiel's cock and thrust almost brutally into him. This was just sex, just a once-off thing to introduce the youngling to what physical pleasure was. It was ridiculous that such a powerful, beautifully-winged angel should still be a virgin.
As he followed Castiel over the edge and climaxed in him, Lucifer steadfastly bit down on his tongue to avoid saying anything stupid, anything he'd regret later.
He certainly wasn't going to say 'I love you', or anything like that. It was just the adrenaline, the power, the smell. He was the devil, he didn't do tender.
~*~
Dean looked across at Gabriel, who was still winning. Dean had stopped even trying to gamble when the numbers were too blurry to read and mostly just watched Gabriel. Sometimes he'd strike up conversations with people around them or with Gabriel himself, but mostly he was watching and drunkenly pondering. Now that he wasn't trying to help start the Apocalypse, Gabriel was actually pretty fun. He had a wicked sense of humor, and actually understood most of the references that Dean made. If he was really honest with himself, Dean actually kind of liked him. The kiss earlier had been odd, sure, but it had also been... nice.
Despite his reputation and whatever Sam might think, Dean had always considered himself straight. Yes, Castiel had kinda messed with that perception for a while, but once Dean had realised it was merely gratitude that he felt for the angel, they'd settled into a close friendship. A decidedly odd friendship, true, but the Winchesters didn't usually go in for friends, so a bit of weirdness was only to be expected.
So it was strange, but for some reason Dean didn't really mind the fact that Gabriel had kissed him. In fact, he wanted to find out just where that whole kissing thing could lead, and where Dean would draw the line at 'too gay'.
He waited until the hand was over, then stopped Gabriel from starting another.
“We'll be going now,” Dean informed the dealer. He noticed that his words were slurred a little, and frowned before remembering what he was trying to do. It was probably actually a good thing that he was halfway drunk, at least he'd have an excuse in the morning. “C'mon babe. Gabe.”
He would have sworn that the first part wasn't meant to actually be said, but with the heated look Gabriel sent him, the Archangel didn't seem to mind.
They made it outside of the casino before Dean had Gabriel pinned against the wall in a familiar way, only this time Dean quickly lowered his head to press their lips together. Gabriel made a decidedly happy sound in the back of his throat and allowed himself to be manhandled and publicly groped. Dean was under no illusions - he knew that Gabriel could easily throw him off if he so wanted. Instead, they let their bodies press close together, and Dean decided that he really didn't mind the lack of boobs, especially since Gabriel was very talented with his tongue.
He ran his hands over Gabriel's body, groping him through his clothes, coaxing all sorts of wonderful sounds from that talented mouth. There were still people moving around them, and he heard a few wolf-whistles and cat-calls, but Dean felt free to ignore them. They were just jealous that Gabriel was his, and would be going home with him tonight.
The thought that Gabriel wouldn't be going home with him every night was just a little more painful than he wanted to admit, so he did his best to lose himself in the kiss again. It wasn't difficult, especially with Gabriel pressing against him in a way that left no doubt as to where Gabriel wanted the night to go.
After several minutes, Dean pulled back with a goofy smile on his face. The fact that he hadn't been smited was a good sign. He then spotted a series of buildings further down the street, and his smile grew as an idea hit him. He knew that he'd probably regret it in the morning, but hey - that's what morning afters were for, right?
“Hey Gabriel...”
“Yeah?” Gabriel didn't seem that interested in listening to what Dean was saying, instead he was licking and kissing any section of Dean's skin that he could see. It distracted Dean for a few minutes, and he slid his hands underneath Gabriel's jacket and shirt to stroke along his skin. Gabriel purred in contentment, and Dean smiled fondly at him before remembering his goal.
“Wanna get married?”
“...What?”
~*~
Masterpost | Art post | Part Two: The Wedding