Fic: Put Aside these Childish Things
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He wasn't sure what exactly about the human bothered him. It wasn't like him even the previous him that was only an archangel, to be annoyed by people. But Dean Winchester got under his skin bad.
Perhaps it was the way they treated Castiel? But when he thought about he, that wasn't it either. Even he could see that Dean was pushing the other away because he was terrified he'd leave him alone and he’d be friendless once more.
Maybe it was the fact that even though the human claimed he had great taste, he couldn't stand him? The hunter snarked at him, refused to even look at him, all things that would be normal if he couldn't read the other's thoughts. Even Sam seemed to think his brother was over doing it.
He knew the elder Winchester has some issues, but he admittedly hadn't watched them enough to fully know what was going on. That's why he sat on a bed, watching them both argue in their hotel room, invisible of course, currently.
Gabriel grinned, amused, when they began bickering over the last candy bar. Dean won and held it up triumphantly. However, what happened next shocked the archangel a bit.
"Damn Dean, you were never this stingy as a kid. You've had two already.”
Gabriel watched as Dean’s face fell, before he pasted on a smile, shoving the candy bar back at his brother. He followed as the elder Winchester got to his feet and flopped on the other bed and he heard the barely focused thoughts.
/I never got any when I was a kid/
It made him pause…. Surely he hadn’t heard that right? He quickly and gently dove into the other’s thoughts deeper and he frowned at what he found. Dean had often one hungry as a child for food to feed his brother. Forget candy. That was so rare that it almost never happened. Something in Gabriel gave a jolt. Why didn’t the hunter just stand up to his brother?!
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Over the next few days, Gabriel found himself discovering things about Dean Winchester that really pissed him off. The hunter truly believed he existed only to take care of his brother and to be Michael’s vessel. He didn’t think he held any other value besides that.
As a child he’d been through horrific things, just so his brother didn’t have to. At 6 he’d dealt with the knowledge that if he slipped up CPS could show up at their door and he’d be alone. He’d been constantly told he wasn’t smart enough, fast enough, brave enough.
Why had no one stood up for him, why was his brother still treating him like he wasn’t good enough? If he had to watch Samuel berate his brother for wanting something for himself once more he was going to smite someone.
He watched as Sam went to get dinner and Dean flopped on the bed. He approached slowly, he couldn’t help himself, his grace was screaming at him to protect this little one. He’d rarely felt this way, it was the way usually only guardian’s felt about their charges.
He wasn’t one to listen to his archangel side much anymore, but in this case he couldn’t help it. That bright little soul had been so hurt and he just wanted to wrap it in his wings and comfort it. Something he’d never done to a human soul.
“You can come out Gabe,” Dean muttered into his pillow. The archangel jerked in shock and made himself visible and stared down at the hunter.
“How did you know I was there Dean-o?” He sat on the edge of the bed.
“Dunno, you’ve been stalkin us for days now though, what ya want?” Dean’s voice was muffled, his face in the pillow. He nuzzled into the pillow a bit and jerked in shock when a hand fell on his shoulder.
“Why do you allow your brother to treat you this way Hunter?” Gabriel finally gave into all his instincts screaming out and began stroking down Dean’s back gently. When the green eyes peered up at him curiously he elaborated.
“You are allowed to take comfort in little things Dean. You are allowed to want things for yourself. Whether that’s a candy bar, something you rarely indulged in as a child. Or a long shower. It’s allowed. You are allowed these things.”
He saw the raw naked hope in those green eyes but also felt the denial rise up in the other. He gently touched his grace to the bright soul, trying to send comfort to the human he was trying to protect.
“Listen to me; you are so scared of taking a break, of letting someone else deal with the bad things in this world that you are killing yourself. You’ve been killing yourself for years Dean. You need to take a break; you need to allow yourself to take the little pleasures in life. Whether it’s through food, or sex, or whatever you have to let yourself take a little enjoyment in life.” He didn’t give the other a chance to get worked up before he continued, “Dean, I am an angel. God does want his humans to enjoy life too! I know this. You, Dean Winchester, are allowed to be selfish.”
Dean stared up at the Archangel in denial but he wanted to believe he was allowed to want these little things, but everyone got onto him about being a glutton. About being……immature. He really did want. Rolling over he gently tugged Gabriel down on top of himself.
Gabriel couldn’t help the wolfish smile that crossed his face, well that wasn’t entirely what he’d had in mind, but there was no way in hell he’d deny Dean Winchester of this. Leaning down he pressed his lips to the other’s, first gently, and then with increasing passion.
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Sam stared across the table in horror. Gabriel had joined them for breakfast, something almost unheard of. He glanced at Cass but the other angel seemed just as confused. He watched in disgust as his brother drowned pancakes in syrup after coating them in peanut butter. Meanwhile the archangel turned trickster was covering his waffles with chocolate syrup and sprinkles.
“Seriously?! Dean that is-“ Sammy was cut off with a snap, and his mouth literally vanishing. His eyes flew to Gabriel who was glowering at him darkly. He watched with wide eyes as Dean elbowed the angel in the stomach and then gasped as his mouth was back in place.
A fork was leveled in front of his face.
“Listen here stretch; this is how it’s going to go from now on.” Gabriel’s voice was low but it had a deep threatening tone to it, Sam wondered if perhaps it was his archangel voice coming through.
“Dean-o here is now under my watch. He’s mine!” Sam noticed Castiel stiffening out of the corner of his eye as Gabriel continued, “So your shitty spoiled baby brother comments are going to stop. He raised you, he went hungry so you could eat, he had no friends so he could watch you, and he went to hell for you. It’s time for you to grow up and face the music, you had a pretty good childhood thanks to your brother here and it’s time you stop treating him like shit!”
Sam stared at the archangel in shock and turned wounded eyes to his brother, waiting for him to jump to his defense. He was hurt when Dean kept his eyes averted a small but noticeable blush across his cheeks.
“I don’t treat Dean like shit!!” He exclaimed, “Dean tell h-“
Once more he was silenced, although he actually got to keep his mouth just no sound was coming from it.
“Don’t you dare lie to me Samuel Winchester! I watched you for days! All you did was put him down for wanting something for himself. You called him a glutton!”
Gabriel’s rant was stopped when Dean gently touched his shoulder. Sammy watched in dawning horror and shock as the archangel gently nuzzled his nose into Dean’s and then pressed a light kiss to his lips.
He had a lot to think about, Gabriel had shoved his own bad habit down his throat. He wasn’t sure when teasing Dean had become real, when he had truly started to believe those horrible things about his brother. Glancing up, he was surprised to find Castiel smiling a bit.
“What Cass?” He asked softly, watching as Dean and Gabriel went back to their breakfast.
“I am happy that Dean has someone who will take care of him.” The angels answer was so simple, but really struck a chord in Sam; he turned and watched his brother laughing.
Yeah…. So was he.