Chapter Text
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
Gabriel pulled the muffins out of the oven, using a fork to pop them half out. “So,” Gabe started. “What have you been up to?”
Castiel sipped lightly on his tea. “I've managed to single-handedly demolish the social structure in Heaven. Half of my army has remained loyal to me, and we are holding a court with Michael to determine the fate of Heaven, since it cannot continue as it is.”
Gabe snorted, absently fanning the muffins. “That all?”
“I believe that watching everything crumble around him has made Michael willing to compromise. That, or the fact that he is now in mortal danger.”
Gabriel nodded, lips pursed. “Hm. I heard that, last night, a woman reported that 'a James Dean man’ tapped her son's forehead and somehow not only stopped the life-threatening seizure he was having, but, miraculously, his brain tumor had disappeared.”
“I… have no idea what you're talking about.”
Gabriel watched Cas's eyes shift to the side and laughed. “Sure you don't. Muffin?”
“Yes, thank you.”
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
Babs handed Bobby a cup of tea and curled in beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder and sighing softly. Swing played on into the night.
“I been thinking,” Bobby started, arm around her.
“About what?”
“You asked what we were, and we never really came up with a good word.”
Babs smiled, eyes closed. “Yes, I remember. Boyfriend sounded too young, partner too work-related, and significant other was simply a mouthful. Did you think about using a Japanese word like I suggested?”
Bobby shrugged. “Thought about it,” he said gruffly. “But then I thought about it more.”
“Yeah? What did you decide?”
“I decided that maybe tsuma would work best.”
Babs stilled. “I-... My Japanese is a bit rusty.” She looked up at him, eyes wide. “Does that mean-...?”
“Wife, if you'd have me.”
Babs smiled wide at him and kissed his cheek. “Of course, Bobby. You're my best friend. I'd love nothing more.”
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Jessica was holding the camcorder as Dean squealed and Sam laid down, arms outstretched. Billy tottered over to them before falling into Sam's arms, sneezing as he went down. Sam immediately lifted him into the air and everyone cheered like he had just scored the winning touchdown. Dean made Jess pop the VHS into the player and they watched it on repeat for a while, grinning wide the whole time, narrating it like a play-by-play.
Dean dialed up Gabriel and had him come over, spending the next two hours trying to make Billy walk again. Jess popped in the VHS of when Dean was on the dance team, and it was while Dean was blushing and Gabe was laughing that Billy tottered into Gabe's legs.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Antiochus propped his legs on Ernest's lap, wooden, hand-sculpted ring resting on his finger. Ernest resettled his book.
“I was thinking,” Antio started in Greek, hand toying gently with Ernest's hair.
Ernest closed his eyes and smiled. “Yeah? About what?”
“You and me.”
“Mmm. About us being practically married now?”
“I was thinking… maybe… we would be good fathers, no?”
Ernest opened his eyes to look at Antio, whose eyes were slightly afraid. “What are you saying?”
“There are some… cousins of mine. Nymphs. They have a girl whose mother was killed tragically. And… I was wondering…”
Ernest closed his book and turned to face Antio fully. “If we could adopt her?”
Antio nodded. “Yes. Take her in.”
Ernest looked around their big library and, for the first time, wondered what tiny troubles that tiny feet would get into. He smiled at the thought. “Yes.”
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
Dean wrote on the chalkboard, explaining grammatical context to his class. The soft scratch of a room taking notes reached his ears, and he looked back to see one girl sitting all alone, head down.
He called on her next and smiled at her answer, nodding encouragingly. He called on her as often as he felt she knew the answer, until she finally sat beside someone one day.
She met Dean's eyes and looked terrified, and he gave her a comforting smile.
He was packing up his papers when a book was placed on his desk.
He glanced up to see the quiet girl fidgeting. She bowed her head and walked quickly away, and Dean lifted the sticky note that was stuck to the Shel Silverstein compendium.
'Thank you for believing in me.’
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
Dean stretched his arms over his head, waking up slowly. He opened his eyes to see Gabriel already awake, watching his face curiously and openly.
“Good morning,” Dean said, sleep in his voice.
“I love you,” Gabriel responded, staring at Dean in awe.
Dean's eyes widened in surprise, and they stared at each other for a moment before Dean slowly smiled. “I love you, too,” he whispered.
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Dean swooped down to scoop up Billy, who laughed loudly, yelling out, “Uncle Bean! Uncle Bean!”
Sam grinned. “I didn't teach him that.”
Dean carried Billy like a sack of potatoes while Billy squealed with laughter. “Sure you didn't. I've got a bit of news.”
“Yeah?”
“I've been promoted to Dean. Johnson retired.”
Sam slowly grinned and Dean sighed.
“Sammy, don't-”
“Dean Dean.”
Dean sighed again, a smile playing around his lips. “Just be happy for me, bitch.”
Sam took Billy and sat him down before wrapping Dean up in a hug. “I am so happy for you, jerk.” He paused. “So would you rather I call you Double D?”
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
Their entire family sat in front of the TV, Dean and Gabriel cross-legged in the front, hands clasped tightly, waiting.
Even Billy was quiet for once, sitting on the couch with Barbara and watching the TV worriedly. Even at only ten, he understood this moment.
The announcer held a finger to their ear, took a deep breath, and announced, “The United States has legalized same-sex marriage.”
There was a beat where no one in the room breathed. The TV cut to people screaming and cheering, kissing the people they would finally get to marry now, and Dean glanced over at Gabriel through watery eyes to see tears falling down his face, too.
“We won,” Dean whispered. He glanced back at Babs, whose tears were waterfalls. “Love won.”
His lips curved into a grin, and he laughed and launched himself at Gabriel, kissing the life out of him. Gabriel threw his hands up, broke the kiss, and let out some old, foreign victory cry. Dean glanced back at Sam, who was smiling with watery eyes. Sam barely had time to tell Dean “Wait!” before Dean had him wrapped up in his arms. Sam was laughing hard as Dean grabbed his face and kissed him, and then both were laughing and crying.
A hand carded through Dean's hair and he met Jessica's teary face, and she pointed behind him. Dean turned to see Gabriel, tears falling, unable to form words as he knelt with a ring in his fingers.
“I-... I was hoping for this outcome,” Gabriel choked out.
Dean couldn't speak either; he just nodded, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks.
There was a beat, then the whole room went crazy, clapping and cheering as Dean accepted the ring, kissing Gabriel senseless.
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
Dean and Gabriel laid in bed at their house, and Dean smiled to himself.
“Our nephew graduated today,” Gabriel whispered to him across the darkness, chin propped on Dean's chest.
“I know,” Dean said, grinning. “Man, we're getting old.”
Gabriel laughed. “I'm getting old. You're still so young.”
“I'm forty-four. That's pretty old.”
“Yeah, well. I still love you. Even with all these wrinkles.”
Dean pouted. “Hey. I look distinguished.”
Gabe grinned at him for a moment before it slipped away. “Hey, Dean? I was thinking.”
“You do that?”
“Shut up. I was thinking about how… lonely… immortality is.”
Dean was still against him a moment before running his hand through Gabe's hair. “Is that why I haven't seen you mojo anything up for a long time?”
“I… yeah. It is. I've been on Earth for millennia, babe. I… think I'm almost ready to go home.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“I've been talking with Cas, and he said I could trade my grace for a soul, if I wanted.”
“Prime Minister of Heaven Cas?”
“There is literally no other Cas.”
Dean smiled against Gabriel's hair. “It's your life, love. I will always support you and your decisions.”
Gabe pulled back and looked deep into Dean's eyes. “I want to grow old with you,” Gabriel whispered.
Dean leaned up and captured his lips in a kiss, as wonderful as it was familiar. “Then grow old with me, Gabe Lincoln,” Dean whispered back, grinning.
The place where the sidewalk ends.
Hello, babies.
Welcome to Earth.
It's hot in the summer
And cold in the winter.
It's round and wet and crowded.
At the outside, babies,
You've got about a hundred years here.
There's only one rule that I know of, babies --
Goddammit, you've got to be kind.