Chapter Text
Then:
There was a feather twisted out of shape in Castiel's right wing, and it hurt. He turned his head a little to try to see the errant feather, but quickly realized that his upper torso wouldn't bend that far. Worse yet, when he tried to stretch his arm over his head, his arms proved to be too short to reach. His fingers were brushing against the plume, but not to the point where he could get a decent enough grip to pull it out without it hurting even more.
He huffed with frustration, his tiny wings twitching in agitation, and then went still when even that small movement was enough to make the dull ache turn sharper. He slumped against the floor, pressing his wing against the ground in the hopes of using pressure to soothe the pain. It didn't work. The pain deepened into a similar throb that was exactly like the time Uriel had roughly pulled one of his feathers out and then laughed at him when he cried from the pain.
Had Anael or Balthazar been around, he might have gone to them for help. But he knew that the two older angels were otherwise occupied with garrison business, and any other angel would be just as likely to make the pain worse. No, no matter how much it hurt he was better off staying where he was until someone who wasn't intent on causing him pain came to find him. He opened glossy eyes to look up at the heavens, trying to distract himself by listening to the sounds of the chorus. It worked until he shifted his right wing just a smidge and the feather bent further. He whimpered then, soft and high, and heard footsteps outside the nest.
"Oh Castiel, what have you done to yourself?" Gentle, familiar hands scooped him up off the floor, guiding him up onto a warm shoulder. Castiel whined wordlessly, nuzzling his way into his older brother's throat. Gabriel smelled like fresh air and smoke; he must have been flying on Earth again. It was just enough of a distraction that he barely noticed when Gabriel gently located the feather that was causing him so much distress and twisted it back into place.
"I fell," Castiel mumbled, mouthing at Gabriel's wings. They were so much larger than his, sleek and lovely, a shining shade of gold that would've made any human fall to their knees in wonder. A far cry from Castiel's own, dull black wings. Sometimes, if Gabriel was feeling particularly patient or kind, he would allow Castiel to suckle at the tip of a feather. The taste was not one that Castiel could put into words, but it had an underlying hint of sweetness and never ceased to make him feel like he was safe and floating.
"You fell," Gabriel repeated wryly, one large hand palming Castiel's back to better keep him in place. "And just who helped you fall?"
Castiel hesitated, not wanting to tell on his fellow brother. But Gabriel would get the truth out of him eventually, and sometimes it was easier to just confess. "Uriel."
"I knew it. That little bastard," Gabriel muttered, bouncing him gently.
"Don't punish him," Castiel whispered, seizing his opportunity to latch onto a feather. He suckled gently, sighing as the last bits of pain finally faded away, soothed by both the taste and Gabriel's grace. It was only a minute or two before he began to purr, and Gabriel chuckled.
"Technically I'm not supposed to be letting you do that, you know. If Michael ever saw that, he'd throw a fit."
But he didn't sound very worried, and Castiel knew why. It hadn't been so long since the last fight, and Michael was far too distracted over Lucifer and what might happen next to worry about what the rest of the angels might have been doing. Gabriel probably could've abandoned him entirely and Michael wouldn't have cared, even though he'd been the one to insist that Gabriel be given a nestling in the first place (according to Gabriel, it was done in the hopes of making him act a little more mature. It hadn't worked).
At the thought that Gabriel might leave him because there was no one to make him look after Castiel, he stopped sucking and grew tense. His purring stopped as Castiel made a quiet sound of distress, muffled by the tip of the golden feather in his mouth.
"Shhh. I won't say anything to Uriel. There's no point. No matter how many times I try to do something... nothing ever changes." Gabriel didn't sound angry, merely resigned, and even though that wasn't what was bothering Castiel it was still comforting to hear. He wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and resumed suckling.
Gabriel chuckled again and carried Castiel over to the back of the nest, where there was an arrangement of soft tawny feathers, shed by Gabriel during his last molting, for them both to lay on. But Gabriel didn't lay down. He sank down onto the feathers and held Castiel in his lap as he whispered, "I'm done with it, Castiel. I can't handle this place anymore. Michael and Lucifer aren't willing to listen to reason. They're going to tear each other apart. And I don't want to watch that happen."
His voice cracked and he paused. Castiel tried to move, wanting to see the expression on his brother's face, but Gabriel easily kept him in place. Softly, he added, "I... I wish that Father would come back to settle things between them. I think that He is the only one who could. Michael is so stubborn, and Lucifer is so convinced that he's right. Maybe it's cowardly, but I'm sick of being stuck between them. Is that so wrong, to not want to have to watch them kill each other?"
It didn't sound bad, but Castiel was still very young and he'd been told multiple times that there was a lot he didn't understand yet. So he offered the only comfort he could, freeing one hand from around Gabriel's neck to stroke the tip of Gabriel's wing. The archangel shifted under the light touch and then purred deep in his throat, nuzzling the top of Castiel's head in thanks. They sat there like that for a long time, even after Castiel grew tired and laid his head on Gabriel's shoulder.
"You'd like Earth, honeybee," Gabriel whispered finally. "Wouldn't you?"
Castiel yawned. "You said I wasn't allowed on Earth."
"I changed my mind. Archangels do that. Sometimes I think it would be better to just leave you here, but..." Gabriel didn't finish his sentence, trailing off. But the way he folded both wings around Castiel spoke volumes. It was the sort of intimate act that was only done between the closest of angels, and then only rarely - but it was like nothing else. Gabriel's wings were so big and strong and warm that Castiel went lax all over, his eyes sliding shut in ecstasy.
"Michael gave you to me. That means you're mine." Gabriel stood up, still clutching him close, and moved to the entrance of their nest. "Keep your eyes closed, Castiel. Don't look no matter what happens."
"Okay," Castiel whispered, obediently turning his face into Gabriel's throat again so that he wouldn't be tempted to look. The wings around him slipped away, much to his private regret, and he felt Gabriel moving, the subtle shifting of Gabriel's shoulders and the feel of the air against his wings telling Castiel that they were flying.
He clung to Gabriel and wondered what it would be like on Earth, where the other angels wouldn't be around to tease him. He would miss Balthazar and Anael; Balthazar liked to take him flying, and Anael always had a kind word for him whenever Castiel saw her. But he wouldn't miss the rest of his brothers and sisters - and maybe, without having to watch Michael and Lucifer fight all the time, Gabriel would be a little happier.
The air pressure against Castiel's body increased and he flinched, huddling tighter against Gabriel, as a familiar grace radiated against his back. It was one he had only previously felt from a distance, but all of heaven would have recognized the presence of the Morningstar. Gabriel's arms tightened around him at the same time.
"What do you want, Lucifer?"
"Such a tone you're taking, Gabriel," said Lucifer, his voice sliding around the consonants of the Enochian in an unpleasant way.
Gabriel seemed unaffected, barking out, "You're in my way."
"I only wish to know where you're planning on taking that little fledgling. He looks awfully young to be leaving Heaven."
"That's none of your concern. He's mine."
"Ah yes, I had heard that Michael assigned you a fledgling for once." There was amusement in Lucifer's voice now, and Gabriel tensed. "He must like you a lot. He holds onto you very tightly. Perhaps you should introduce me to him."
"That's not going to happen. Let us pass, brother."
Castiel couldn't see what was happening even if he wanted to because Gabriel was holding him so tightly that it was beginning to hurt. But Lucifer must have stepped aside, because Gabriel began to move forward. They hadn't gone far before Gabriel jerked sharply to a stop, one of his arms falling away from Castiel. It was so tempting for Castiel to look, but Gabriel's warning rang in his ears. He kept his face hidden.
"I know what you are doing, brother," Lucifer spat, the false kindness gone. "You think it will be so easy to shed your duties and run away? What would Father say?"
"He would say that you and Michael have lost it," Gabriel snapped. "This isn't what Father wanted, Lucifer. I am His Messenger. I should know."
"A fine messenger, running away."
Gabriel tensed again and then Lucifer made a choked sound. The wind started to rush around them really fast, buffeting Castiel so strongly that he was nearly torn out of Gabriel's arms. He whimpered in fear, tears sliding down his face, until all of a sudden it stopped.
"Lift your head, honeybee, it's okay."
Slowly, Castiel obeyed. His eyes widened as he looked around, taking in Earth for the first time. It was so different from Heaven. They were standing on a beach, the ocean waves regularly rolling over Gabriel's feet. Not ten feet away, two animals Castiel had never seen before frolicked in the water. He turned back to Gabriel, still shocked, and Gabriel smiled wearily at him and rubbed a thumb under his eyes, smearing the wetness.
"I'm sorry about that. I didn't expect Lucifer would notice us."
"Did he hurt you?" Castiel asked.
"I'm fine, Cassie," Gabriel replied, his smile widening in satisfaction. "And we made it. For now, I'm going to hide us from Heaven, okay? I'll show you how to mask your grace when you're older."
"Okay," Castiel said. "Gabriel?"
"Yes?"
"Does this mean we're not going back?"
Gabriel hesitated, a look of guilt crossing his face. "Not for a long, long time, honeybee. Not until the Apocalypse comes."
Castiel nodded slowly. "Okay."
That was all Gabriel would ever say to him when Castiel asked about Heaven, no matter how old he grew. Eventually, not long after Lucifer was cast down, Gabriel found he enjoyed the company of the pagan gods and began pretending to be Loki, effectively concealing his archangel status. Bowing to the inevitable pressure, Castiel took a female vessel and with it, the guise of Mellona: the goddess of bees and beekeeping. The bees he cared for produced the sweetest of honey - though he never fell into it as completely as Gabriel did, who threw himself into Loki with everything he had.
The years passed very slowly sometimes, but Castiel enjoyed living on Earth a lot more than he did in Heaven. He frequently left Gabriel's side to pursue other interests, though he always found himself returning to his brother. It wasn't until 1983 that something changed. In early November, all of Heaven shook so hard that even Castiel, who hadn't used his grace for centuries, felt it. In a panic, he sought out Gabriel for an answer.
"What's going on?" he demanded.
"It's nothing, Cassie."
"You can't pretend you didn't feel that, Gabriel. What did it mean?"
Gabriel sighed and crossed his arms. For a moment, he looked like he would rather run away than give Castiel an answer. Then he did something he hadn't done for years: he unfolded a gold wing and wrapped it around Castiel's shoulders, pulling him close. Into Castiel's ear, he whispered six words that were tinged with both regret and anticipation.
"It's the beginning of the end."