Chapter 3

Later that night, Dean takes Castiel's hand and not-so-discreetly drags him away. Castiel allows him to take him to his room, kicking the door closed behind him. Dean presses their lips together, and Castiel doesn't hesitate to kiss him back. This is what he has always wanted, ever since he pulled the boy out of hell. The feeling of Dean's body pressed against his is more amazing than he would have guessed.

Dean's hands run through the angel's hair, sliding down his back and to his ass. Castiel lets his hands explore Dean's body, something he's only dreamed of doing. Dean slowly slides his fingers up to Castiel's trench coat, pushing it off of. Castiel has to fight to hide his surprise, pretending as if this is a normal occurrence, and not just a fantasy. They work his suit jacket off together, and Dean throws it on the floor.

Castiel grips Dean's flannel, pulling that off him as well. His hands glide under Dean's shirt, running over his abs. He slides the shirt over Dean's head, then pulls away for a moment.

"You're so beautiful," Castiel whispers.

"Not as much as you," Dean purrs.

His hands slide under Castiel's shirt, gliding along the angel's sides before pulling the shirt off. He runs his hands over Castiel's now bare upper body, crawling under the waistband of his pants. Castiel bites back a moan at Dean's teasing.

Dean slides off the angel's pants and

Oh, fuck it. They have sex. Castiel loves it. Moving on...

~~

Castiel lies in bed with Dean all night, their unclothed bodies pressed against each other. He feels the hunter breathe as much as he hears it; slow, steady breaths. For some reason, such a small thing brings him so much joy. Maybe it's because it's a big change, seeing him so peaceful. Maybe it's just because he wants to be here with him, and this is a dream come true.

Eventually, Dean wakes up. Castiel can hear the change in his breathing before the boy opens his eyes and looks up at Castiel with a slight smile.

"'Morning, sunshine," Dean greets him.

"Good morning," Castiel replies.

Dean sits up, and Castiel can see his muscles tense as he uses them. It hypnotizes the angel. He always has. Dean presses his lips to Castiel's, only for a moment before rolling out of bed.

"Come on," Dean says softly, careful not to wake anyone else up. "Let's go see if we've got anything on the Darkness."

Castiel reluctantly obliges, and they both put their clothes back on before returning to the war room. There are three people in there — though only one is technically a person. Balthazar is sitting at the table, flipping through an old book. That's normal enough, even for Castiel, who isn't used to the idea of his brother being alive. In comparison to what else is going on, it seems like nothing.

Sitting on the floor is Gabriel and Sam kissing.

"Holy fucking shit," Dean breathes, his eyes wide.

Instantly, Sam pulls away, his face flushed with embarrassment. Gabriel just looks annoyed at the interruption. Balthazar glances up, an amused smile on his face not due to the make out session but Dean's reaction to it.

"Okay, what the hell just happened?" Dean asks.

"I have a moose," Gabriel replies. "He's a nice moose, really. He doesn't bite. Well, not usually."

Sam elbows him in the ribs, hard. Gabriel just rolls his eyes, but Sam grabs his elbow, clearly just now remembering that you don't hit an angel.

"Seriously, Sam? That's low, even for you," Dean says.

"No, it's not — It's not like that. He said that he'd tell us something about the Darkness if I kissed him, and, well, we're kind of running out of options, so I did, but that's it."

Dean raises an eyebrow and looks at Gabriel expectantly. "Well? What did you bribe him for?"

Gabriel shrugs. "No clue. I lied. I've got nothing. I just wanted to kiss Sam."

"What?!" Sam practically yells. "You just — you — Gabriel! You can't just — ugh, I can't believe you."

Gabriel scoffs. "Seriously? Does the name 'Trickster' ring any bells? I'm just doing what I do. And, unfortunately, that doesn't seem include you, but we've still got a couple days 'til the world ends, at least, and a lot can happen in a couple days." He gives Sam a suggestive wink, who just rolls his eyes. "Okay, but I promised I'd have an idea, and I plan to make good on that. We're all screwed. That's just a fact at this point. So why not try things? Bring out the rest of the archangels."

Sam scoffs. "Why would we ever let Lucifer out of the cage? Didn't you pretty much tell us that won't work?"

"Yeah, but come on, Samwich. It's the end of the world. We might as well try. I mean, Raph may be dust in the wind, but with us three archangels, maybe —"

"Michael's insane," Sam interrupts. "Literally insane. He won't be able to help."

Gabriel frowns. "Oh. That's an issue. Still, I mean, maybe with Lucifer's help..."

"Is this just because you miss your brother or something?" Dean asks. "Because I'm all for family, but not if it means getting people killed."

"We're all gonna die anyway. He's our best hope."

"And if he doesn't play ball?" Dean prompts. "Then what? Just let him kill a bunch of people?"

Gabriel shrugs. "I mean, it's either him or Amara. There's really no big risk letting him out, and he could save the world. He may destroy it after, but at least he'll be easier to take down than the Darkness."

The brothers exchange a look, and Sam gives a small, barely perceptible shrug. Dean glances at Castiel, who does the same. He sighs and returns his gaze to the archangel.

"Fine, if  he doesn't use Sam as a vessel."

Gabriel claps his hands once. "Great. Let's go visit my big bro."