Archive of Our Own

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?”

~*~

Gabriel felt as though he was in shock. He'd had feelings for Dean, yes, and stealing him away tonight had been part of the plan to see if those feelings were returned, but this was beyond anything he'd dared hope for. Dean was leading them through the steps of a strong angelic mating ritual. Gabriel hadn't even realised that Dean knew about this sort of thing, but maybe Castiel had told him.

So while he knew that they should probably wait until they were both sober and discuss this, Gabriel allowed his heart to take over, and let Dean drag him towards a small chapel. The priest was clearly overworked and didn't like the fact that they were both men, but he was ordained and it would still be official.

Dean paused in the middle of relating the pertinent information to the official and turned to Gabriel, frowning.

“You're... just Gabriel. What surname to we put down?”

“Nothing,” Gabriel shrugged. “Don't have one. I'll take the Winchester name.” Never mind that he didn't really need it, Gabriel liked the idea of a name binding them together. From the smile nearly splitting Dean's face, he liked it too.

~*~

“I, Gabriel, take you Dean Winchester to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. Well, second true love – but I like you better than Sigyn. Promise. She had a problem with my other kids. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever, and I know what I'm talking about with that last one. I will trust you and honour you, I will laugh at you – with you! I meant with you, and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there, because you've had no luck getting rid of me so far, and now I have even more reason to stick around. As I have given you my hand to hold so I give you my life to keep.” Gabriel was able to make it through the vows without slurring too much or bursting into laughter, which he counted as an achievement. He wasn't sure that Dean would manage it though.

“I, Dean Winchester, take you Gabriel the Archangel,” Dean started laughing, as did Gabriel. They quickly regained control and Dean continued. “Take you Gabriel to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you, except when you're trying to kill me, and honour you when I have to. I will laugh with you and cry with you, though probably mostly laugh, because you're insane. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy, 'cause you know that my life's all about the difficult. What may come I will always be there, 'cause you'll give me Hell if I'm not. As I have given you my hand to hold so I give you my life to keep. Please don't end it again.”

They both started laughing again, especially given the looks that the priest was giving them. But, Gabriel figured, it was a very fitting speech for Dean. Gabriel could pretend to be serious if he absolutely had to, Dean couldn't. After a minute, they managed to regain their composure and turned to the priest, awaiting his final benediction.

“Dean and Gabriel Winchester, I now pronounce you legally married in the eyes of God and man. You may kiss.”

Gabriel leaned up and pressed his lips to Dean's in a chaste, but intense, kiss. This was happening. It was really happening. They were married, and would soon be mated. Gabriel had waited so long to claim a mate that he'd wondered if he would ever find the right one.

“Come on, husband of mine,” Gabriel smiled and tugged on Dean's hand. “Let's get out of here and celebrate.”

“Good idea,” Dean wrapped his arms around Gabriel's waist, apparently not inclined to let him go. “Where to?”

“How about home?” Gabriel asked.

“Home?” Dean asked, and Gabriel could hear the whistful tone of his voice. Gabriel quickly leaned up to kiss the sadness away.

“Home. You have a home now, I promise.”

“That sounds awesome,” Dean smiled back. “Always wanted a home.”

Gabriel smiled and clicked his fingers, not caring that the priest was still there. They disappeared from the chapel and once again flew through the air, landing on a large, comfortable bed in one of Gabriel's homes – this one in Los Angeles. Dean was flat on his back, arms still around Gabriel, who was straddling his human's hips.

“You have awesome ideas,” Dean grinned dopily up at him. Gabriel leaned forward and licked the tip of Dean's nose, making him giggle drunkenly.

“Mine,” Gabriel whispered before softly kissing Dean. The kiss was returned easily, and soon the two were gently rolling their hips together, the desire to claim his mate slowly building within Gabriel. He pulled back and shed his jacket, holding Dean's gaze as he did so. It was quite reassuring to see the hunter, usually so quick to vocalise his opinions, have his words stolen by arousal.

“Yeah,” Dean muttered, raising up onto his elbows to watch as Gabriel slowly stripped. Gabriel found it more than a little amusing that Dean didn't seem to have realised that he was meant to undress too.

“You know,” Gabriel commented as he slowly started unbuttoning his shirt, “this would be a lot more fun if you decided to join the party.”

Dean blinked, then started scrambling out of his own clothes. Gabriel smirked and did his best not to laugh, figuring that would probably kill the mood just a little. He couldn't help nearly drooling though, as Dean revealed more and more skin.

“You really are gorgeous,” he muttered as he shrugged out of his shirt, leaning forward to trail kisses along Dean's shoulder and upper arm. “I need to thank Cas for bringing you back so well.”

“Yeah, he did good,” Dean easily admitted. He would always be grateful to Castiel for all he'd done. “Is now really the time though? 'Cause I'd rather we got on with the screwing.”

“So unromantic,” Gabriel sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically. “But... yeah. Screw now, mess with Cassie later.”

Dean grinned and practically pounced on Gabriel as soon as they were both naked, the pair rolling a couple of times before Dean fell on his back, Gabriel straddling him once more. A look of unease crossed Dean's face, and Gabriel leaned down to kiss his forehead.

“What's wrong, gorgeous?”

“Well, uh...” Dean was thankful once again that he was still pretty tipsy. He'd never be able to say this out loud if he wasn't. “Are you gonna fuck me?”

“Yeah,” Gabriel nodded. “That's okay, right?”

“Um... yeah...” Dean couldn't meet Gabriel's eyes. “I want you to. I... yeah.”

“Don't worry,” Gabriel leaned down to nuzzle behind Dean's ear, making his mate arch up into his touch. “I'll make it real good. Promise. It won't hurt at all.”

“Okay,” Dean's arms came up so that he was clutching at Gabriel's back. “Okay, just... just do it.”

“Oh baby,” Gabriel shook his head. “I can do better than that.” He briefly licked at Dean's skin, making him jump a little. “By the time we get to the main event, you're gonna be begging me. Gonna make you love it.”

“I highly doubt... oh, fuck, there!” Dean arched his back again as Gabriel sucked a hickey into his neck at the same time as his hand trailed along Dean's flank, brief touches that seemed to be driving Dean into a frenzy.

Gabriel grinned wolfishly down at his mate, running his fingers across the expanse of skin in random patterns that seemed to make Dean squirm in a most delightful manner. The noises his human made were like music, the best he'd heard in years.

“Gabe, c'mon,” Dean demanded. Gabriel noted that he wasn't at the begging stage just yet, but could probably get there with a little more teasing.

“Okay,” Gabriel decided to give him at least a little reward. After all, Dean was hard and leaking beneath him, legs splayed in a clear invitation, and Gabriel wasn't very good at the whole resisting temptation thing.

He bent forwards and grasped Dean's erection firmly before swirling his tongue around the head. Dean let out a satisfied sigh, and Gabriel moved to properly suck the hard dick into his mouth.

“Fuck yeah,” Dean groaned, hips thrusting lazily into Gabriel's mouth. Gabriel let him, not minding the taste of a male in the least. He ran his tongue over Dean's flesh, tracing letters and sigils, sucking lightly as he bobbed his head in time with Dean's thrusts. His hand alternated between squeezing and stroking while his other slid underneath to fondle Dean's balls.

“Gabe! Gabe, yeah, that's it.” Apparently Dean was rather vocal in bed. Gabriel would have grinned if his mouth wasn't otherwise occupied, instead he sucked a little harder as his hand crept from Dean's balls to just behind, stroking along his perineum. Dean didn't seem to mind this; if anything his thrusts sped up, clearly enjoying the attention.

Once he was sure that Dean wasn't going to panic, Gabriel willed some lube onto his fingers and started to gently rub at Dean's entrance. Dean tensed for a moment, but quickly relaxed, as though forcing himself to open for his lover. Gabriel was fine with that – in time Dean wouldn't need to remind himself to relax, he'd eagerly welcome Gabriel's touch.

Pressing the first finger in, Gabriel was pleased to find that Dean didn't try to squirm away. Instead the human thrust back onto the finger, making it easy for Gabriel to start thrusting as well.

“C'mon Gabe, not gonna break,” Dean bit out breathlessly. Gabriel glanced up, and saw that Dean's hands were both clutching the pillow behind his head, trying to keep himself under control. He didn't want that though – he wanted Dean to lose his carefully maintained mask, wanted him to fall apart and be put back together by Gabriel's ministrations. So he made sure that Dean was ready, and pressed a second finger into him.

“Fuck,” Dean ground out. “That... that burns...”

Gabriel gave an apologetic suck to Dean's dick, then wriggled his fingers a little. From then on, Dean shouldn't feel any pain from Gabriel's movements as long as he was careful.

“Holy shit!” Dean squirmed beneath him, and Gabriel bobbed his head faster. “Gabe, that... magic's awesome!”

Gabriel certainly wasn't going to argue with that – he enjoyed magic as much as the next pagan demi-god – and instead thrust his fingers into Dean gently but firmly. He kept changing the angle slightly, until Dean let out a loud moan.

“Oh yeah, that's it,” Dean's eyes closed in bliss as he rocked between the mouth on his cock and the fingers rubbing his prostate. “Yeah, Gabe, yeah...”

Gabriel pulled off with a final suck and smirked up at Dean.

“So... gonna beg for it yet?”

Almost before he'd finished speaking, Dean was babbling the affirmative.

“Please Gabe, please, get your cock in me!”

“Okay, okay. Since you asked so nicely.” Gabriel withdrew his fingers and ran his lube-slicked hand over his own neglected erection, readying himself for the final step of the mating. “Love you... so much,” he whispered as he pressed the head of his cock against Dean's opening.

“C'mon Gabe, please, fuck me!”

“We're getting there gorgeous,” Gabriel smiled down at his beloved. “Trust me.” He pressed forward slowly, short thrusts in and out that gradually went deeper each time. It was the first time Dean had taken something in his ass, and Gabriel didn't want to put him off the idea.

That seemed impossible though, as Dean managed to lift his legs to wrap around Gabriel, hands releasing their death-grip on the pillow and instead going to Gabriel's shoulders.

“Want it,” Dean ground out. “Want you.”

“I know, I know,” Gabriel gave up and, with a hard thrust, buried himself to the hilt.

“Fuck!” Dean's head flew back as his body tensed briefly. Gabriel stilled, letting Dean adjust as much as he could, though his dick was sending urgent 'move, damnit!' messages to the rest of his body.

“You okay?” Gabriel asked, feeling a little stupid for asking.

“Yeah,” Dean nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine. Hurry up and move, make it good again.”

“As you wish.” Gabriel gently withdrew and thrust in again, this time sliding much easier. It didn't take long for his thrusts to be smooth and steady, and Dean was once again moaning beneath him in delight.

“Fuck, yeah, fuck me,” Dean was rambling, which Gabriel considered a great success.

“That's it,” Gabriel sped up, not being rough but making his claim clear. “Mine. My husband, my mate, mine.”

“Yours,” Dean nodded. “Yeah, good...” He moved a little, eyes flying open as the angle changed again to the right one. “Fuck yeah! Gabe, that's it, right there!”

“Got it,” Gabriel grinned, making sure to hit Dean's prostate on every thrust. “You come for me whenever you want gorgeous, wanna see you lose it for me.”

“Gabriel, my Gabriel,” Dean moaned, causing Gabriel's hips to stutter. He hadn't realised just how much hearing his name said like that would affect him. “Please, need...”

“Okay,” Gabriel nodded. He slid one hand over Dean's skin, caressing his chest before trailing down to grasp his cock again and start stroking. “Want it to be so good for you. Wanna do this again and again... you'll let me, won't you?”

“Let you?” Dean managed to grind out. “I'll be fucking demanding it! Hurry up, please, so close!”

Instead of answering, Gabriel squeezed a little tighter and sped up his thrusts. Dean's muscles were clenching down around him, and the sight of his mate taking such pleasure from their coupling was drawing Gabriel closer and closer to the edge. His only goal was to make Dean reach it before he did.

“Gabe!” Dean shouted as his body tensed, and Gabriel's wish was granted as his human's hips thrust erratically in release. Gabriel didn't bother trying to hold out any longer, and slammed into Dean twice more before he felt his own orgasm overtake him, painting Dean's insides with his seed. Something niggled in the back of his brain, but he ignored it and groaned out Dean's name instead, hips slowly pulsing as he emptied himself into his mate.

His energy sapped, it was all Gabriel could do not to collapse down on top of Dean. He managed to curl up with his lover, the pair twinning their limbs and trading lazy kisses until Dean fell asleep. Gabriel drifted off soon after. He may not have needed sleep, but it was enjoyable when he was curled up safe and sound with his mate.

~*~

Dean woke to a splitting headache, though he was in a very comfortable bed. He fought his way out of the heavy, soft blankets and looked around, eventually finding his clothes. It was a little awkward to walk, and by the time he was dressed Dean remembered the main points of the previous night.

“Oh, fuck,” he muttered as he realised that he and Gabriel had gotten married. Sighing, he headed out of the room to try and find the Archangel. While he still felt at least some level of affection for the eccentric trickster, he didn't think that getting married was exactly a great idea. Not yet, anyway. He couldn't quite forget how Gabriel had indulged his every whim, and had held him all night. The memory of tender kisses and reassurances that he had a home now hit particularly hard, and Dean decided that he might want to maybe try a relationship with Gabriel.

Once outside however, he could hear a lot of shouting, and decided to go investigate. He found Gabriel, Michael, Lucifer, Castiel and Sam all in what looked like a very comfortable living room, apparently arguing. Gabriel looked highly uncomfortable, which immediately set off Dean's protective instincts – though he did his best to ignore that feeling.

“Hey!” He shouted, gaining everyone's attention – and making his head throb in a painful manner. “Ow. What's going on? Why's everyone shouting?”

“You and Gabriel did something highly inadvisable last night,” Michael informed him.

“We did plenty of inadvisable stuff last night,” Dean muttered, rubbing his head. “Gonna have to be a little more specific.” He dropped down into a chair, and instantly regretted it. Mid-wince though, Gabriel snapped his fingers, and all pain was washed out of Dean's body, leaving him feeling refreshed and no longer hung-over. “Huh. Healy powers are awesome. Thanks Gabe.”

“I hear that Gabriel is now a Winchester,” Castiel spoke up. Dean paused, then nodded.

“Yeah. Apparently we got married. We should probably talk about that.”

“Well,” Gabriel started, now looking downright miserable, “we didn't just get married. There's a bit more to it. Uh... we mated. Sorta like an angelic marriage. It's really hard to undo.

“And you don't feel that way about him,” Sam pointed out, sporting a truly epic bitch-face. “He took complete advantage of you!”

“I wouldn't go that far,” Dean frowned. “We were both pretty... wait, mated?”

“Yes,” Castiel stepped forward, and Dean focused on him. Cas would make sense. Probably. Well, he sometimes did. “It is the angelic version of marriage, and nearly impossible to break. A series of steps must be completed for it to hold, and apparently you completed them all last night.”

“He should have known better,” Sam was glaring at Gabriel.

“I didn't start it!” Gabriel exclaimed. Lucifer was standing next to him, and wrapped an arm around Gabriel's shoulders, apparently lending comfort. “Dean was the one who suggested everything, I thought he knew what was happening!”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Dean got in before Sam could protest even more. “What exactly are the steps that we supposedly went through?”

“First there is statement of intention,” Castiel informed him. With a sinking feeling, Dean remembered the conversations that they'd had during the night.

 

“I'll stick with you forever, okay?”

“Okay.”

 

“Then sharing of sustenance.”

 

“Where to next?”

“'M hungry. Food.”

 

“Singing together.”

 

“I'm fine with the karaoke part. Even if you did bring me to Japan for it.”

 

“An official declaration of devotion.”

 

“Wanna get married?”

“...What?”

 

“And finally, the sharing of essence.”

 

“C'mon Gabe, please, fuck me!”

“We're getting there gorgeous. Trust me.”

 

“...Oh,” Dean realised. It was true – he'd led Gabriel through a mating ritual without realising it. Though it seemed that Gabriel had wanted it.

“He didn't know what he was doing!” Sam was arguing with the Archangels again, while Dean tried to digest it. “You got him drunk and tricked him into this somehow!”

“I didn't!” Gabriel protested, looking close to tears. “I thought he knew what we were doing!”

They all quickly devolved into arguing, while Dean stayed silent, watching Gabriel's face. The distraught Archangel really seemed to want Dean for a mate, which was something that he was having trouble understanding. But last night, Dean had wanted to marry Gabriel, had wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, and that was like being mated, wasn't it? Dean remembered how he'd had fun with Gabriel, how they'd gotten along so well, how Gabriel had come up with a way to avert the Apocalypse. And of course the sex. If being mated to Gabriel meant regular sex like that, then Dean wasn't complaining one bit.

In the middle of everyone arguing, Dean strode over to Gabriel, grabbed him, and kissed him hard. He ignored the sudden silence from the rest of the room, only caring about the way that Gabriel immediately opened up and kissed back, their arms winding around each other. When his lungs started protesting, Dean pulled back just a little.

“I don't want out,” he whispered. The smile on Gabriel's face was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds, and Dean couldn't keep from pressing more kisses to his husband's face. “We got married too, not just mated. I'm staying.”

Given the enthusiasm with which Gabriel was returning his affections, Dean knew that he'd said the right thing. One day he might even be able to tell Gabriel that he loved him, but for now he'd stick with actions.

“Glad that's settled,” Lucifer chose that moment to speak up. “Congratulations to you both. Dean, I'm glad you haven't broken my brother's heart. I'm sure you can imagine what I'll do to you if you happen to do so in the future.”

Dean suppressed a shudder as he half-turned in Gabriel's grasp and nodded.

“Yeah. Got that message loud and clear. So, we're... ah... why are you staring at me like that?” Dean glanced from Lucifer to Michael and back again. Both of the Archangels were looking at him a little perplexed, as though he'd done something particularly strange.

“Hope you like kids,” Lucifer's expression morphed into a shark-like grin, giving Dean a glimpse of forked tongue that was just as disturbing as the grin itself.

“Gabriel, you didn't...” Michael sounded resigned and a little exasperated.

“Kids? What?” Dean glanced over at Cas, who stepped forward and briefly brushed his fingers along Dean's stomach. Only briefly, because Gabriel quickly grabbed Dean and stepped in front of him.

“It seems that you're pregnant,” Castiel informed Dean. Everyone glanced at Dean's stomach, then at Gabriel.

“Um...” Gabriel looked rather sheepish. “Whoops?”

~*~

“So...” Dean sat at the table, watching Sam flicking through books without actually reading them. “You gonna tell me what's going on in that enormous brain of yours?”

“I just...” Sam started, then paused. He finally looked up, meeting Dean's eyes. “You're really okay with this? He didn't take advantage or anything like that?”

“Nope,” Dean shook his head. “I mean, sure we were drunk, but... he's fun to spend time with. He gets where we're coming from. And, let's face it, he found an awesome way to avert the Apocalypse.”

“Yeah,” Sam smiled. “That he did.” He seemed to think for a moment, before a lot of the tension left his frame. “We're gonna be okay now, aren't we? No more big bad trying to kill us or use us to destroy the world, we can relax for a bit before we figure out where to go from here. We can have lives again.”

“That's the spirit,” Dean grinned back. Truthfully he'd been a little worried about Sam's reaction, especially given the tirade that morning against Gabriel's actions. To know that Sam was on board meant a lot to him.

Not that he'd ever tell the guy, of course. Dean still had standards.

“I'm glad for you,” Sam smiled warmly, and Dean shifted a little uncomfortably. Sam still loved his chick-flick moments. “You were always both parents to me. I can't wait to see you with a proper kid of your own. You're gonna spoil 'em rotten, aren't you?”

“Yeah, probably,” Dean shrugged. “Never really thought about it, but... I kinda want a kid. I want to be a father. I'm just kinda nervous about it too.”

“You'll be good at it,” Sam assured him. “You were great with me, and I was just your bratty kid brother. I know you keep saying you don't want to hear it, but I'm thankful that I had you. I really am.”

“Okay,” Dean shifted again, looking anywhere but at Sam. It was just too awkward for him. Raising Sam mostly by himself meant that he still couldn't show weakness in front of his little brother.

“Anyway,” Sam shook his head and grabbed the newspaper, before pushing it in Dean's direction. Dean was grateful for the subject change – until he realised what Sam was pointing at. “That seem familiar?”

“Um...” Dean tried to stall. Across the front page was a picture of the top of the White House with a symbol painted on it. To be precise, an anti-possession symbol. “It... seemed like a good idea at the time?” Sam gave him a flat stare. “What? We were drunk! It was our first date! Cut me some slack here!”

“Why am I not surprised that Gabriel was involved?” Sam asked, sighing in defeat.

“Because I'm awesome?” Gabriel spoke up from behind Dean. Both brothers glanced up, and Gabriel wandered over. “Anyway, what was I involved in?”

“The political anti-possession thing,” Dean explained.

“Ah yes,” Gabriel nodded. “Though it wasn't my idea. It was all you.”

“Oh yeah, it was, wasn't it?” Dean nodded in remembrance. Sam shook his head with a laugh, and Dean smiled fondly at him. Sam was right – things were going to be okay now. They were going to be okay.

And it was all thanks to Dean's husband. Dean turned and tugged at Gabriel's wrist, bringing him down low enough for Dean to kiss him, thorough and tender, putting the emotions he couldn't say aloud into the kiss.

“You're awesome,” he muttered as he pulled away. It wasn't quite 'I love you', but Gabriel's eyes were alight with joy anyway. He figured that by now, Gabriel was probably pretty fluent in Dean-ese anyway.

~*~

Castiel let out a small groan as he stretched out his wings. They ached from lack of care, and though he was now reconnected to Heaven and the Host, the large appendages were clearly still suffering. He sat down outside of Gabriel's home and slowly started the tedious task of grooming them himself. There were now many angels that Castiel could go to if he was willing to allow another to touch his wings, but the sting of rejection was still sharp, and he was hesitant about rejoining his siblings.

A presence behind him made Castiel look up, only to see Gabriel standing there with an odd expression.

"Hey little bro," Gabriel spoke, seemingly trying to appear nonchalant. Castiel could hear the tremor though, something was off. "Need some help with those things?"

"Please," Castiel nodded his head and turned again, spreading his wings wide to allow Gabriel access to them. He closed his eyes and sighed at the calming feeling of fingers running through his feathers, fingers that knew just where to press and how to move.

"Jeeze, how long's it been since you took care of these?" Gabriel muttered. "They're a mess."

"It's been far too long."

Gabriel started to hum as he worked, and Castiel relaxed further, nearly falling into a trance. This felt so much like home that he felt almost complete.

Then Gabriel made an angry sound and yanked a feather out. Castiel let out a pained whimper and tried to move away, only to find himself enclosed in Gabriel's enormous wings.

"You idiotic little shit!" Gabriel sounded furious. "There's still sulfur on some of these! You haven't been groomed since you went to Hell!?"

"There was no time," Castiel shifted uneasily. "Uriel did it quickly a few times, but-"

"But you're an idiot who didn't take the time to care for himself properly!" The anger in Gabriel's voice took Castiel by surprise, and also scared him a little. Gabriel was so rarely angry, even before he'd left he had a reputation for mediation rather than confrontation. After a moment though, the anger seemed to dissipate and Gabriel instead wrapped himself around Castiel in a manner reminiscent of an octopus.

"...Gabriel?"

"Stupid little angel," Gabriel mumbled, though there was fondness in his tone. "Promise me you won't let it get this bad again? You can come to me, or Lucifer. He seems to have taken quite an interest in you."

"I promise," Castiel nodded. It was only then that Gabriel loosened his hold enough for Castiel to move and look at him properly. "Believe me, I did not intend to go this long without caring for them."

"Good," Gabriel looked suddenly embarrassed, much as Dean did if caught fussing over Sam's wellbeing, so Castiel decided to leave the subject alone. There was silence again as Gabriel resumed grooming Castiel's wings. It was pleasant, Castiel decided.

"So," Gabriel spoke up again, voice soft, "what made you decide to start sleeping with Lucifer? From what I hear, that wasn't exactly in line with your normal way of doing things."

Castiel fought the urge to squirm. The truth was, he'd been asking himself the same question ever since that night. Why had he given in to Lucifer's suggestive looks and brief touches?

"I believe I was jealous," he admitted. He felt Gabriel's fingers still in his feathers, and knew he had to elaborate. "I was Dean's angel, but he was often seeking pleasure in others and ignoring my advice. I did not recognise the feeling for what it was until I saw the way you looked at him. When you took him away to claim him, it felt as though I was being left behind again. Lucifer had been touching me all evening, and when he was sober again... he still seemed to want me. Dean has always made a big deal out of physical pleasure, and has tried to encourage me to..." he paused, recalling how Dean had put it. "…'do some cloud-seeding', I believe it was. Lucifer knew what to do, and made me feel good. He wanted me just as I was."

"He didn't hurt you at all?" Gabriel asked, fingers resuming their strokes, and Castiel shook his head.

"Not permanently. There was some pain, but it was quite enjoyable." He looked down, smiling a little. "He wants me. He makes me feel special."

"You are special," Gabriel was once again hugging him, and Castiel felt the Archangel press a kiss to the top of his head, feeling like a benediction. "You're an idiotic little shit at times, but you're definitely special."

~*~

 

“Mmmm, that's good,” Dean relaxed as Gabriel rubbed his feet. It may have been girly and at any other time Dean would have been protesting, but he was currently five months pregnant. He figured that allowed him to act like a girl sometimes.

“Glad you think so,” Gabriel grinned. “I do enjoy spoiling you.”

“Yeah. Such a hard life,” Dean grinned back as he picked up the fruit smoothie Gabriel had made for him earlier. Giving up alcohol while pregnant had at first been a low blow, but he was quickly growing addicted to the smoothies Gabriel enjoyed making.

“You are looking well,” Castiel nodded as he entered the room. Ever since Gabriel had won the Apocalypse and married Dean, Cas had pretty much settled in to live with them in Gabriel's home. It had also become Sam's home base, though he frequently left for hunts. Michael had returned to Heaven to ensure that the angels didn't try starting the Apocalypse again. Lucifer seemed to split his time between putting the demons back in their place, and roaming the earth to find out what he'd missed during his imprisonment. He was a frequent visitor, and Dean was reluctantly starting to like the guy, which was disturbing.

“Have there been any problems with the infant?” Cas asked, sitting a little gingerly. Dean smirked, knowing that Lucifer had visited the night before.

“Nah, now that the morning sickness is over... thank fuck,” Dean took another sip of the smoothie. “Little tyke's behaving. Kicking a bit, not too much.”

“That's good,” Castiel nodded. “You will make a good father.”

“What about me?” Gabriel asked. Castiel looked over at him for a moment, before turning back to Dean.

“If you are ever in need of assistance, you may call on me.”

Dean let out a laugh at Castiel's obvious uncertainty about Gabriel as a parent. Gabriel himself looked mildly put out, but only until Sam entered the room, followed by Lucifer.

“Hey Dean,” Sam held out a newspaper with an article circled. “What do you think? Worth checking out?”

“Hmm.” Dean hummed as he took the paper and started reading. He didn't pay much attention to the angels in the room – until he heard Lucifer ask Castiel to accompany him to some sort of convention in Australia, of all places.

“I was told that it can be quite instructional.” The devil looked almost hopeful, and Cas looked curious – until, of course, Gabriel opened his mouth.

“Luci, are you... trying to court Cas?”

“What?” Castiel looked surprised, and turned to look at Lucifer – who promptly disappeared, cheeks tinted red.

“Huh,” Gabriel let out a surprised sound. “He was trying to court you.”

“But he never...” Cas seemed thoroughly confused. “He never suggested being anything other than... Dean?”

“Fuck-buddies, Cas,” Dean filled in for him.

“Yes. That.” The angel looked down, pondering for a moment.

“Luci's always been shy about his feelings,” Gabriel shrugged. “I guess he didn't want to face getting rejected. But I'm pretty sure he wants you as more than just a fuck-buddy.”

“Oh.”

There was silence for a few minutes as Castiel seemed to consider his options. Dean let him think it over, then smiled at him.

“So Cas,” he asked gently. “What are you going to do?”

Castiel stood up and brushed off his coat, nodding at his friend.

“I'm going to track down my mate and convince him to stop being an idiot.”

“Good plan,” Dean nodded. Gabriel was smiling too, and even Sam was chuckling at the wording. With a flutter of his wings, Castiel was gone. Sam took one glance at the look Dean and Gabriel were shooting each other and made himself scarce as well.

“So now we're done playing matchmakers for my brothers,” Gabriel spoke as he continued the interrupted foot-rub. “Any other plans for today?”

“None at all,” Dean leaned back and rubbed a hand over his swollen stomach. “Any pranks you need to set up?”

“Nope.”

“Good. Sex now.”

“As you wish.”

Being pregnant had ramped up Dean's sex drive even further – even though Sam had insisted that wasn't possible – though they were always very careful. Dean wasn't willing to risk his baby's safety in any way, and Gabriel was just as protective of them both. So now, Dean lay back as Gabriel trailed a finger down his front, clothes vanishing as he did so.

“Show off,” Dean muttered, shifting as he felt himself growing hard.

“Just don't want you to exert yourself,” Gabriel insisted as he settled between Dean's legs, which spread easily for him. “Love you.”

“Yeah,” Dean sighed, hooking one leg around Gabriel's body. “Get naked already.”

“You love me, I know you do,” Gabriel grinned. He shed his own clothing quickly – and normally – before leaning down to gently rub their groins together. “Fuck, so sexy still... my gorgeous mate... always gonna be the sexiest man alive.”

“Shut up,” Dean hit Gabriel's shoulder, though not very hard. “Hurry up and get to the good part.”

“This is the good part. Telling you how much I love you, what I love about you... and, of course, doing this,” Gabriel admitted as he wrapped his hand around both erect dicks. “Gonna make you feel so good, gorgeous.”

“You always do,” Dean admitted.

Gabriel smiled fondly down at him as he started to move his hand. Dean's drifted down to join Gabriel in stroking them, and soon he was doing his best not to writhe and call out his mate's name.

“Come on Dean-o,” Gabriel coaxed him gently. “Let go. Let me know how much you enjoy my touch.”

“Gabe,” Dean let out a choked cry. “My Gabe, my mate...”

“That's it gorgeous,” Gabriel sped up a little, moving in time with Dean. “Love you so much. Always gonna be mine, right? Carrying my little fledgeling, gonna have more too... big family, and we'll have so much fun making more kids, won't we?”

“Yeah,” Dean panted. He was sure that it wasn't fair of Gabriel to be able to stay so coherent during sex. “Always yours...”

Gabriel smiled down at him, looking so peaceful and happy, and Dean couldn't find it in him to be put out for long. Especially when Gabriel sucked on his fingers for a moment, then slid them into Dean's arse to rub at his prostate.

When Gabriel was determined to give him such awesome orgasms, Dean figured he could put up with a bit of girly talk. Just a bit of it.

~*~

Castiel landed in the courtyard of the home Lucifer had claimed in San Fransisco. A glare and a “Fuck off”, both learned from Dean, had the few demons Lucifer kept as guards scrambling away to warn their prince of the incoming guest.

Lucifer was in his study, Crowley and Meg sitting opposite him, apparently trying different methods of comforting him. Cas ignored them both, straddled Lucifer's lap, and kissed him.

“Castiel?” Lucifer asked softly when he finally pulled back. Castiel glared at him for a moment.

“You're an idiot if you think I'm about to let you go,” Cas warned. “Why didn't you just ask me to be your mate?”

“Because,” Lucifer glanced away, but Castiel's growl of warning dragged his gaze back. “Because I hurt your humans. I hurt you. I still don't know why you allow me to touch you, I couldn't... I couldn't ask for more.”

Instead of answering, Castiel leaned in and kissed him again, pressing as close as he could get as his wings – invisible to the demons but felt by Lucifer – flared out then around to encircle the chair. Lucifer's wrapped around them as well, cocooning them both in an invisible wall of feathers.

“I love you, you idiot,” Castiel whispered into Lucifer's ear. “Now take me upstairs and mate me.”

Lucifer huffed out a laugh, but stood easily. Cas wrapped his legs around Lucifer's waist and arms around his neck, knowing that the Archangel could easily lift him. He ignored the sound of demons protesting - or possibly cat-calling in Crowley's case - and instead lost himself in the feel of Lucifer's mouth on his skin. Since that first time that he'd allowed Lucifer inside of him, Castiel had found himself falling further and further in love with the Prince of Hell, and couldn't find it in him to mind.

“Please,” he whispered as he felt Lucifer take them directly to the usually empty master bedroom. The only time it had any occupancy was when Castiel visited – and he was about to ensure that it got a lot more use.

“Why do you want me?” Lucifer asked, looking almost lost even as he trailed fingers over Castiel's face reverently.

“Because I do,” Cas shrugged. “Love doesn't always have a reason.” He paused and leaned in to nip at Lucifer's jaw before continuing. “The fact that you've stopped trying to destroy everything I hold dear has helped, I will admit.”

“I'll do anything you ask,” Lucifer assured him as he settled them both onto the bed, vanishing their clothes with a thought. “I promise. Stay with me and I'll give you anything.”

“Just want you,” Cas assured him, laying back and spreading his legs easily. “Now stop being such a girl and fuck me.”

Lucifer huffed out a laugh and bent down, resting his head against Castiel's chest.

“You spend too much time around Dean.”

“You weren't complaining when he told me what a hummer was,” Cas pointed out, though his hand drifted up to run through Lucifer's hair. The truth was, he didn't know how to respond to Lucifer being gentle and affectionate. While the devil had never forced him, their coupling had usually been fast and quite rough, given that it was quite difficult to harm each other, always centred on the physical pleasure.

“No, I wasn't complaining,” Lucifer agreed and started pressing kisses across Castiel's torso. “But I don't want to fuck you. Cas... be my beloved. Mate with me.”

Castiel nodded, expression softening. He reached back and plucked out one of his feathers, and Lucifer did the same, both rising to their knees. This was a different mating to what Gabriel and Dean had done, one that could only be done between angels. Castiel started, trailing his feather along Lucifer's chest in an ancient Enochian symbol, leaving a trail of light in its wake.

“I take thee to be my mate, secure in the knowledge that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner, my protector and protected, and my one true love. I give to you in the presence of God and our brethren my pledge to stay by your side as you will be by mine, through good and bad times, no matter the wars that come. I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and essence. I shall always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.” He ended by pressing his lips to the symbol, sealing it, claiming Lucifer as his mate.

Taking a deep breath, Lucifer briefly cupped Castiel's cheek before he started to draw his own symbol on Castiel's chest. His own vows flowed into his mind, and as the lines of the symbol glowed in the wake of the feather, he knew that this was right.

“I take thee to be my mate, secure in the knowledge that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner, my protector and protected, and my one true love. I give to you in the presence of God and our brethren my pledge to stay by your side as you will be by mine, through good and bad times, no matter the wars that come. I promise to love you without reservation, honour and respect you and your choices, provide for your needs as best I can, and comfort you in times of distress. I shall grow under your guidance in mind and essence, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you as my beloved for as long as we both shall live.”

He pressed a kiss to the symbol, then moved to claim Castiel's mouth in a kiss that left them both panting for unneeded breath. They felt it as their Grace twinned together, binding them as mates forever after, and Lucifer gasped as he felt a raw, beautiful power flow into him, repairing the tattered holes in his Grace. He fell forward, letting Castiel catch and hold him as their Father's love finally reached out and connected with Lucifer once more.

“Father,” Lucifer whispered as Castiel gently ran a hand over his back. “Father. Thank you.”

They both felt a pulse of approval, which faded to leave them alone again. They shared a glance and knew – God had given them his blessing. Lucifer was finally redeeming himself in his Father's eyes.

Lucifer opened his mouth to say something, but Castiel had had enough. He quickly leaned in and kissed his mate, making his intentions quite clear.

Never one to be accused of being stupid, Lucifer kissed back with enthusiasm, hands reaching out to roam over Castiel's flesh.

“Need you now,” Castiel ground out when he released Lucifer's mouth. “We're mated, hurry up and claim me!”

“Pushy pushy,” Lucifer smiled. He grasped Cas around the waist and pulled him so that he was sitting in Lucifer's lap again. One hand quickly trailed down to start circling around Castiel's anus.

“That's it,” Castiel sighed in happiness. They were both half hard simply from the intensity of the mating vows, so Cas took both cocks in hand and started gently stroking, ensuring that they were definitely both in the mood.

With a thought, Lucifer's fingers were covered in lube. He pushed two fingers into Castiel easily, given the last time they'd had sex was only a few hours ago. It didn't take long for his fingers to be sliding easily in and out of Castiel, scissoring and stretching, the younger angel squirming and writhing as his prostate was rubbed with every stroke.

“Lu, please,” Castiel begged, hips moving. “Need more. I can take it, please!”

“I know you can,” Lucifer assured him as he pressed a kiss to Castiel's temple. “Just making sure I don't hurt you.”

“You won't,” Cas was certain. “Come on.”

“Okay,” Lucifer briefly pressed a third finger in, making sure that Castiel stretched easily around it, before removing his fingers altogether. He grasped Castiel by the waist and lifted him, bringing him forward. Cas quickly got the hint and held Lucifer's cock in his hand, lining him up so that when he was lowered, Castiel was slowly penetrated.

“Oh fuck,” Cas tipped his head back, wrapping his free arm around Lucifer's neck. “That's it, that's perfect, Lu...”

“My perfect little mate,” Lucifer whispered as he struggled to keep his hips still. He didn't want to start thrusting yet, he wanted to make their first coupling as a mated pair special. So he helped Castiel to lower himself slowly, raising now and then to slide further on the next downward thrust.

Within minutes Castiel was fully seated on Lucifer's lap, hips rotating slowly as they clung to each other, kissing messily as they both grew used to the sensation. It did feel different this time, much more intimate than their previous rough and tumble fucks.

Soon it was no longer enough, and Cas started moving properly. Lucifer thrust up into him, the two moving in a well-rehearsed rhythm that brought them both pleasure. Castiel's body was always so tight and hot around Lucifer that he knew he wouldn't last long – but since he always managed to get Castiel off first, he didn't mind. With just a little shift, Castiel threw his head back, gasping as Lucifer now thrust directly against his prostate.

Lucifer leaned forward a little and gently bit down on Castiel's Adam's apple as he wrapped a hand around the cock leaking on his stomach. Breathing in Castiel's scent, Lucifer closed his eyes and thrust a little harder, pressing kisses to any skin he could reach.

“Love you,” he admitted, feeling Castiel starting to come undone.

“Lu...” Cas wrapped both arms around Lucifer's neck, holding on and clenching down with his muscles. “Always. Love, always...” he moaned as his body seized up, spilling his seed over Lucifer's hand.

“Cas, my Cas,” Lucifer followed his mate over the edge within a few thrusts, the pair clinging to each other as they came down from the high.

Gently, Lucifer withdrew from Castiel's body and eased them both back to lie on the bed to recover. Castiel was humming happily under his breath, and Lucifer smiled fondly at him as he ran his fingers over the mating sigils they both wore.

A few moments later, however, Castiel suddenly sat up, hands going to his midsection, and he leveled a rather frightening glare at Lucifer.

“What? What did I do?” Lucifer asked, caught off guard.

“Apparently,” Castiel ground out through gritted teeth, “our Father is enjoying playing silly buggers.”

“What are you...” Lucifer trailed off as he noticed it – a spark of Grace within Castiel that didn't belong to his mate. “Oh no. No. Why...”

“I don't know,” Castiel sighed and lay down again, curling into Lucifer. “Looks like Dean and Gabriel's child won't be growing up alone though.”

~*~

God watched over the births, and was pleased with what he saw. The parents were all doing well, and far more concerned with raising their children than with restarting the Apocalypse. Lucifer was even learning to appreciate humans and their ingenuity – mostly when it came to his sex life with Castiel, it was true, but at least it was a start.

Humming happily to himself, God left again. Time to check up on that planet a few light-years from Earth. It was showing great promise for another shot at aliens.

~*~

Gabriel watched as his eldest daughter danced happily with Lucfer and Castiel's only girl, the pair as close as sisters. His Joanna was sixteen, as beautiful as both her parents, with long blonde hair and piercing green eyes. She was slender and easy going, and already her fathers were fending off suitors left and right.

Avariel, on the other hand, had inherited Castiel's colouring, with almost black hair and bright blue eyes. She was a little shyer than Joanna, but excelled at the fighting lessons her fathers and uncles had insisted she take.

Today was the birthday of Gabriel and Dean's second daughter – Helena was turning thirteen, and was already promising to be just as much a looker as her older sister, though her hair was a darker blonde, and her eyes were close to Gabriel's amber.

“Papa!” His youngest, a boy named John, ran over to Gabriel then. “Papa, Uncle Sammy's here!”

“Excellent,” Gabriel smiled and hefted his only son into his arms. John was the youngest of all the children, at five years old. Sam's daughter Marie rounded the corner then, quickly followed by the dogs Sam had bought around the time he'd rescued and adopted the girl.

Gabriel handed John over to his favourite uncle and then went to find Dean. He stopped outside Helena's door, watching as Dean brushed their daughter's hair.

“What if he doesn't like me?” She was asking, and Gabriel had to stifle a smile. Helena had a crush on Castiel's son Jimmy, who the adults all knew was head over heels in puppy-love with her. It was only a matter of time before the two realised it as well.

“Well, you'll just have to take the chance,” Dean smiled fondly down at his daughter as he started braiding her hair. “If you don't try, you'll spend the rest of your life wondering.”

“Hmm,” Helena paused for a moment, while Dean finished one braid and started another. “Dad, aren't you meant to be telling me not to date any boys? You always try and scare off the boys Joanna brings home.”

“That's because they're not good enough,” Dean shrugged easily. “We know and like Jimmy though. He won't hurt you. And he already knows what's gonna happen to him if he does.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel stepped in, alerting them to his presence. “Your papa's not known as Loki for nothing!”

Helena just laughed at him as he wound an arm around Dean's middle and watched her in the mirror. His babies were growing up so quickly, it seemed. He caught Dean's eye, and knew that he was feeling the same thing.

“Dads, are you gonna be gross?” Helena piped up, pulling a face. Gabriel smirked at her.

“Of course we are. That's our job.” With that, he pulled Dean down for a brief kiss.

“Ew,” Helena closed her eyes tight. “Parents are disgusting!”

Dean smiled fondly at Gabriel as they parted, and Gabriel turned to rejoin the party. This wasn't how he'd thought his future would turn out when he left Heaven behind, and he was thankful.

This was even better.