#casbriel

“Jack is right Gabriel, he has to live as a human if he wants to understand how they work and how to help them best. The life of a hunter is a kind of way to live as a human but it’s not the norm. Millions of people walk around the earth never encountering themselves with an ounce of weird.”

Gabriel was stunned, he motioned to answer back but whatever it was he wanted to convey against the idea he realized that neither Castiel or Jack were going to be convinced by his points. He finally groaned and threw his hands.

“Whatever, do what you want. If your dad says you can then who am I to stop it.”

Jack looked at him for a second and turned serious.

“Uncle Gabriel, you are part of my family, of course I care about what you think.”

Gabriel looked at Jack stunned before flushing and looking aside.

“W...well I think it’s stupid but if you really want to I guess it’s ok…”

Gabriel approached Jack and placed his hands over his shoulders, he sighed a bit sad.

“And I know that your father would have been proud.”

Jack’s eyes trembled for a second before he smiled widely.

“But I’ll only be completely okay with it as long as you apply to Stanford.”

Castiel sniffed a bit. When he felt like he couldn’t love Gabriel more, he proved him that there was always something else that made him the best in the world. They bid Jack goodbye and asked him to contact them in case he needed anything. Gabriel had proposed to just snap his fingers to provide Jack with his papers and a bank account but he had said he could do it. Still Gabriel kept counting the days until the nephil gave in and called them for something. There was so much to deal with when it came to setting his existence as a normal human being in order. Birth records, school documents, bank histories. Gabriel’s head was hurting just by thinking of all of that but to his surprise the only moment they received a call was when Jack had received the date of his entrance exam. Maybe he was still seeing Jack as a child.

The next day, Jack appeared at the throne room with two boxes literally filled with books. The highschool papers he had were forged so he had not had to study up until that point. It was quite a funny sight to look at Gabriel and Castiel sitting on the floor writing down notes on some heavenly issues while their son hoarded the desk. Right now he was being schooled on History by Zepheruel.

“Okay but why I cannot write down what really happened to Cleopatra then?”

“You have to understand Jack, that we know what really happened because we were there to watch. That has always been our job. But humans do not have this insight. They have to look at the vestiges of the past and make conjectures on what really happened. Which is why you have to remember what’s on the book and work with that, otherwise you’ll get bad grades because you did not adhere to the knowledge they hold.”

“Even when that knowledge is wrong?”

“In History, there’s nothing much you can do unless you’re able to bring evidence of an event unfurling in a different way.”

“Very much like a trial.” Chimed in Gabriel, who was leaning against the couch, legs sprawled in front of him and a couple of notes scattered around him.

Poor Jack was having the worst of headaches with that. Fortunately for him, Math had been completely straightforward and he had loved that. You simply had to follow the formula to get the right answer. Castiel helped him when he got stuck at Literature and, to everyone’s shock, Gabriel pretty much gave him a master class on Physics and Chemistry.

“How are you able to demonstrate how each law works so well?” Asked Castiel awed at his partner. For him, and probably for all the other angels, the laws of movement were an inherent knowledge. They worked with them on instinct so it was extremely hard to explain them to anyone. 

The rest of the angels were just as awed as Castiel, Gabriel had started his lecture only with Jack and Castiel as attendants but eventually more angels arrived with other errands in mind but ultimately stayed due to the simple fact that they were witnessing an archangel imparting the understandings of god’s laws.

Gabriel snickered at Castiel. “Probably one of the few perks of arriving early to the party.” He winked playfully at him.

“Neither Michael or Raphael ever bothered to explain us any of that...” Said Haruel still impressed by all that had been taught.

“Yeah, that might not have been really high on their priorities.” Gabriel sighed and then looked at everyone. “Alright people, that’s it for today! Jack needs to rest to absorb everything he has learned so far. If you need anything with me I’ll be back in six hours.” 

With the makeshift class dispersed, Gabriel and Castiel helped Jack order his notes and sent him to his room. Once he was settled there Castiel sighed and walked towards their room, knowing perfectly well that those six hours Gabriel had imparted were meant to be shared only with each other.

“I really can’t believe that Jack is going to Stanford.”

“As long as he passes the exam that is.” Smirked Gabriel, following lightly Castiel’s path. 

A month passed and Jack presented his exam. He was extremely nervous. That day they all sat at a diner near the University when it all finished. Poor Jack looking just as spent as the day he had gone reckless and decided to create twenty angels at the same time.

He rambled on about the questions and the time he had been given for each of them and how he had totally forgotten everything about over half of the American presidents because he never really thought that it would be important to know about them even when they were on American land. Gabriel laughed heartily at this “Yeah, they get conceited like that.” was all he said about it.

Later on that day, they left Jack at the bunker after reassuring him he had done great and that he was bound to pass the exam. He deserved to lay on the bed and either fall asleep or binge watch the fairly new Dune series he hadn’t been able to catch up on while Castiel and Gabriel went back to Heaven. He had promised to call them once he received an answer.

Once both angels were back in Heaven, Castiel moved purposefully to their room. He wanted to relish the time they had spent together and going back to heavenly chores was not the best way to make that happen. When he opened the door, he couldn't help but smile joyfully surprised. Up until yesterday their room had been a very minimalistic concrete and burnished metal design that Castiel loved that opened up to a Japanese interior garden. Now, the door gave on to a bed of tropical foliage opening to a calm beach with soft pale white sand surrounded by hard rocks. Their bed falling close to the shore framed with a palm roof and light curtains flowing lightly with the wind. Castiel smiled widely.

“Tulum?”

“I know you liked it.” Whispered Gabriel fondly on his ear placing his hand over his waist and brushing a soft peck on his neck. “Go on, take off your shoes.”

Castiel didn’t need more prodding to comply, he kneeled to unlace his shoes while Gabriel did the same with his boots. Once shoe free, they took off all their layers until only a shirt and jeans were on. Gabriel was proud of the fact that he had managed to place Castiel into dark denim and sexy tight henleys after so many years, even the old beige overcoat had eventually been replaced by a soft and sexy leather jacket. The rest of their stuff was abandoned over a rock near the entrance. It wasn’t like there would be anyone near to steal them.

The sand was cold where shadows hit and really hot where sun landed but the way each grain of sand glided through the fingers of his feet was more than welcome after five months of constant work. 

“Tell you what, once Jack passes his exam we should take him out on a trip. Do you know of any place where he wants to go?”

“I haven’t asked him lately but I’ll do. I’d rather take him somewhere we both like though...”

They reached the tropical canopy bed and threw themselves over the plush pillows. Gabriel leaned close to Castiel to hug him while Castiel placed an arm behind his head and surrounded him with the other. Both angels sighed. They stayed caressing each other, each of them musing their own thoughts.

“You know Cas… Things have been going pretty smooth up here for a while.”

“That is because you are extremely good at managing Heaven despite complaining all the time and Jack’s aid in providing new angels has been invaluable.”

Gabriel huffed, Castiel knew he hated it when he was acknowledged as leader. Even after all these years some of the older angels still slipped off the “Yes, Sir!” his brother Michael forged in them for centuries when he was being particularly serious about something and it irked him a lot.

“Yeah whatever, that’s not the point.”

Castiel turned to look at him. Gabriel took in some air.

“The point is… Maybe we could let the rest of the guys deal with the daily ropes and just catch up if there was something really odd needing attention while we do our own stuff.”

“Meaning?”

“Well, you know… Get back downstairs, live a little… maybe put up a store of some sort.”

“A store?”

“I was thinking a bakery. Or probably a café. A café with freshly baked goods. Someplace where you could go at any hour and feel revived.”

“That would require the best coffee and the best pastries... maybe some pie.”

“Yes! The best pecan pie.”

Castiel held Gabriel closer while kissing his forehead.

“And where would we put that store?”

“Oh I dunno, somewhere crowded with lots of people.”

Castiel suddenly realized what Gabriel was truly trying to say.

“Crowded like a University?”

“Exactly! A University. With lots of students.”

“Someplace like Stanford.”

“Yeah, I mean we’d have to look around but Stanford could be good.”

Castiel smiled widely now while Gabriel shrugged like he had not been thinking about that for the longest time.

“I think I would like that.”

Gabriel turned to look at him beaming.

“What would we call the place?”

“Not something trite.”

He was adamant on showing Castiel every single detail of that which had been unavailable for him before: the culinary world. And along the food, came the places. Italy and pasta, the French mediterranean and bouillabaisse, Mexico and mole, Japan and sushi. Of course it wasn’t as simple as that. A visit to each of these places implied a thorough insight on their spices and preparations and everything Gabriel could think about teaching Castiel.

And Castiel began to heal, and Gabriel with him. Because being able to teach his brother everything he knew and loved made it a rediscovery for him as well.

They were on a bridge in Venice looking at the gondolas gently pass by, Gabriel leaning his weight over his elbows on the rail, Castiel standing straight, just touching it with his fingers when Castiel suddenly realized he hadn’t visited the Winchesters in all that time. A tinge of guilt went through him but he realized it was a good thing that he no longer had the need to look back all the time.

“Thank you, Gabriel”

“Not at all Magpie, next time we go for white wine clericot just for the sake of comparing both. And when I say next time I mean at dinner, in a couple of hours.”

Castiel huffed smiling.

“No, not for the meal. I mean, I do thank you for the meal but I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me these past years. I really was lost after Sam and Dean passed away.”

Looking upwards to him, Gabriel had been slowly getting lost in Castiel’s piercing blue gaze. How was it possible that anyone could keep a respectable manner in front of them? They held so much raw power that he understood how even his fellow kin felt attracted to him. In the end, Gabriel had thought he had been doing something for his brother but he realized now that Castiel meant more to him than just that. He meant important times that would otherwise be forgotten by everyone but him. He meant solid ground in the ever flowing waves of time. He meant what Loki and Kali had been for the longest of times, someone to go back to, someone to help him stay in touch with reality and humankind.

“I’m the one indebted to you Cas, I’d be lost without you by now.”

Castiel just smiled and looked down, it was obvious he felt the acknowledgement was too much for him. Gabriel straightened himself and got close to him.

“I mean it. You just don’t know how much you’ve helped me stay sane… It’s funny how it took literal ages for me to find you, considering our closeness as kith of heaven.”

“It was all thanks to them.”

“...yeah, it was all thanks to them”

With the dimming of the sunlight, the windows of the houses around began to light from inside.

“Do you… do you wanna see them?”

Castiel stood pensieve once more. “No. I.. I do want to go see them but I don’t think it would be good for me right now.”

Gabriel nodded softly and made to recline on the rail once more, the cool breeze of september going through his features.

“You still miss Dean”

Gabriel turned to look at Castiel with wide eyes. He wasn’t asking, he was stating it clearly. Gabriel couldn’t do more than laugh.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Maybe not for anyone else but I can tell.”

“...You say it like you’re not sighing for Samsquatch every night” The words were harsh but the tone Gabriel had used was filled with tenderness.

Castiel smiled sadly. He looked afar where the yachts circled on the edges of the port.

“...Is it wrong of me to long for that feeling once more?”

“I’d say it’s very... human to want to feel that happiness again.” His words tasted bitter in his mouth, Gabriel felt what Castiel was stating very close to his own heart. He missed Dean but he couldn’t bring himself to be arrogant and selfish enough to bring him back to life. It was so easy to fall to temptation being so close to divinity. He could feel his eyes tearing up.

“...Is it wrong for me to want to feel it with you?”

It took Gabriel a long time to weight in Castiel’s words properly. Especially when those two sapphires pressed him like that taking his breath away in the middle of his convoluted thoughts. Castiel turned to look away once more.

“Of course, you don’t have to answer right now. It would be imprudent of me to demand a proper answer so suddenly.”

Gabriel felt his throat close, drowning a sob that had been welling up for years now since Dean had passed away. Unable to hold it more, he faced downwards and allowed his tears to flow freely.

He used to visit them from time to time on their heaven but more often than not he just stayed as a spectator, never actually interacting with them. He didn’t really understand why, probably it was a part of his angel programming that told him it was best to let them enjoy eternal happiness after all their trials and tribulations. Those times he just stayed in heaven trying to help with anything and everything, just to get his mind on something and eventually left again to roam around the bunker, trying to help a new generation of hunters if the void inside was not that strong.

These days however, he couldn’t even bring himself to do that and just wandered around nature, letting time pass peacefully, mournfully.

Gabriel sat with grace by his side on the rocky cliff, the salty breeze of the breaking waves filling his nostrils. Unlike his brother, Gabriel was able to taste the air around him like a fine wine. He never wondered why but it probably was one of the perks of being an archangel. He was able to fully enjoy the human experience.

Which was why he had been developing a spell of his own. Something that could only work with angels, something that only angels needed to be worked on. He had witnessed firsthand Castiel’s dimming light. It was obvious he missed the brothers more than anyone in the world and was slowly dying without them.

And sure, he missed them too. The constant bickering, the sassy retorts. He still remembered fondly his existential chats with Sam over the kitchen table and his escapades with Dean to the Mardi Gras. After much consideration, he visited them once on their heaven along Castiel. He had to leave before his heart welled when he briefly noticed Dean’s part of heaven brimming with color and noise and cheap beaded necklaces all around.

That wasn’t real anymore.

But Castiel was very real, and very humanly sad.

They said nothing while the evening passed. A mere mortal would have complained about a sore ass after a couple of minutes perched on the uneven surface but they didn’t have that problem. After the sunset went, Gabriel sighed deeply and made a go to hug his brother.

Ever since Sam passed away Castiel hadn’t felt physical closeness once more, he even came to think he would push anyone away if that ever happened again but there was something in Gabriel so warm, so… human, that he leaned towards him for the embrace.

“I cannot let you leave like this Cas, I’ve got to do something for you.”

Castiel didn’t understand Gabriel’s urgency behind his words, he wasn’t planning on leaving his seat at all.

“I’m not sure if this will help but I just need to give it a try.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Would you trust me with this?”

“Of course”

Gabriel moved his hands to hold Castiel’s neck firmly and moved forward to press their foreheads together. He began a slow, paced chant in the most complicated enochian spell Cas had ever heard before. Suddenly, he began to feel it, a primordial change so gradual he didn’t realize it had been happening ever since Gabriel had started the incantation.  

And then it hit him, like the cold change that hits a newborn after being torn out of the womb. The saltiness of the breeze, the powerful scent of the ocean, pecks of mineral spicing things up. It was like he had been numb and blind before and suddenly the entire world was filled up with a whole new vast level of depth. And still the feeling was so strongly nostalgic that it took him more than a second to realize it was the sense of taste he had lost ages ago when he had forgoed of his mortality.

He looked at Gabriel with an expression that crossed the full spectrum between shock, longing and love, tears impossibly building up in his vessel. It was all Gabriel needed to see that his spell had worked and all the reward he ever expected to receive. He smiled knowingly at Cas, in a way that reminded the seraph of all of the archangel’s appearances on earth in front of humans. Magnificent, ardent, divine. It was like Gabriel was suddenly above him in a very substantial way and yet he had done this spell to bring Castiel up at his level.

Overwhelmed, Castiel hid between Gabriel’s arms. He hadn’t realized how lost he had been feeling without the brothers steering him around and now it was like the world was brand new and living and ready to be discovered once more.

“Thank you”

The words had come out throbbing, holding up a sob and a sense of hope and purpose at the same time. Just being there, at that moment, alive. Still alive.

“Thank you”