AN: Well, I started another horrible fic. This spawned from a crappy little drawing and idea of 'If I made an anime Supernatural, this is what'd happen.' This was meant to be more on the cracky side, but that didn't really happen. As always, links to drawings are somewhere in my profile.

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Cufflinks
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Humans have always struggled for survival against the nightmares lurking in the dark. For centuries, their numbers were slowly falling. In one last stand, a powerful witch changed the people of her village, giving them the power to fend off the monsters.

It had worked. Humanity was saved. The people of the village traveled to other villages, helping their fellow humans fight. They settled down soon after and formed families.

It was when the children of these villagers were born that the beings known as angels and demons came into the world. Each special villager's first born was a set of twins. One angel and one demon. Any other children they had after were normal humans.

Angels looked human except for the wings protruding from their back. Their wings were beautiful, ranging in color from white to soft hues. They were given names, ranking them based on the number of wings they had. Archangels had six wings, High Angels had four, and Low Angels had only two.

Demons, on the other hand, had no wings. They were able to sift through the air as a thick, black cloud of smoke, and their eyes were fully colored. White, black, red, or gold.

At first, everything was fine. But, the young demons began displaying some distressing habits. It started small; items would go missing, only to turn up later in the demon's room. Worry truly set in when animals went missing, their mangled corpses littering the outside edges of the villages. And then, neighbors turned on one another. When one such fight ended in death, black smoke was seen escaping from the deceased's mouth.

Word quickly spread from village to village, and the demons were run out, forced into the wilderness to fend for themselves.

Out of fear, the humans sought a way to control the angels. They created a spell and inscribed it to a metal cuff. The spell would bind an angel to the human that placed the cuff on the angel's right wrist.

Anything the human commanded, the angel would feel compelled to comply. It did not take long for the angels to catch on to what was happening and flee. Some chose to stay, volunteering to be bound to a member of their family, wanting to protect them.

When it was seen how an angel could fight a monster, every family wanted one. Some humans went off in search of an angel to claim as their own. Few succeeded. Those who did, began offering their services for a small fee. A hunter who once made his living hunting big game, now made his way in hunting monsters.

This was how the Hunter came into being. Brave, young men and women would travel the country, hunting monsters and ghosts. All the while, looking to catch an angel in between hunts.

If a Hunter was in town on a job, he or she would normally be offered free room and board. It became a tradition. Payment for a job well done, or a Hunter's last meal.

It was true that a Hunter with a bound angel stood a much better chance, but that did not stop young hopefuls looking for excitement and adventure.

Sam and Dean Winchester were brought into the Hunter lifestyle at a young age. Their mother had come from a long and prestigious line of Hunters. But this fame painted a target on the Campbell family. Family members were being picked off one by one until only Mary remained. She ran, changed her name, and released the angel her father had caught. She ended up in Lawrence, Kansas. There, she met John Winchester. Just a normal man with no interest in the supernatural. Together, they had two children and life was good. Until the demons managed to track her down.

With Mary's death, John took up the title of Hunter. He needed to find the demon that killed Mary and avenge her death. His two sons were living the life that every young boy wanted. Traveling, seeing the world, and hunting monsters. John quickly earned a name for himself. He was an excellent Hunter. And he did it all without the aid of an angel. At least, that was what the outside world saw. What Sam and Dean saw was another story. Their father was desperate to find an angel. An angel would be able to help him track down the demon that killed his wife.

As the boys grew older, Sam yearned for a normal life. He wanted a regular job. Get married and have kids. So when he was accepted into college, he left. Little did he know, the demons were waiting for something like this to happen. A pair of demons showed up in his dorm room one night. His girlfriend, Jess, was caught in the crossfire.

Sam left the college life and his dream behind. He joined back up with his father and brother. Just as things were getting back to normal, the demons struck again.

A vicious car wreck left Dean in a coma for a week, while Sam and John faced less threatening injuries. Hospitals were protected from all manner of monsters, but not well-bribed men. John died from a bullet to the head before Sam tackled the intruder.

A couple years passed and Sam and Dean slowly found themselves being pulled into another family. Bobby Singer was a good Hunter. Knew what he was doing. And he had a High Angel. Karen was the sweetest woman Sam and Dean had ever met. Her wings were the purest of white. And she made the best pies. Every time Sam and Dean felt that they were about to outstay their welcome, she would come out of the kitchen, a steaming pie in each hand. It wasn't until much later that they realized she was trying to keep them there. Letting them know they were a part of the family and would never be unwelcome.

One night, a call came in, reporting a strange series of deaths happening in a small college town. When Bobby described to the boys just how people were dying, Karen piped up, declaring that it sounded like the work of a Trickster.

And with that, Sam and Dean were off. Once they reached the town and began asking questions, rumors of an angel being in the area surfaced. Dean was ecstatic. This was going to be his chance.

Thanks to John's obsession with catching an angel, Sam and Dean carried a binding cuff with them at all times. Neither really thought they would ever need it, but it was part of their morning ritual. Hair, teeth, clothes, wallet, cuff.

Sam felt happy for his brother. It had been a while since he'd seen Dean so excited. The last time being when they first met Karen and found out she made amazing pies.

As Dean went off to follow up on a lead, Sam stopped at a drugstore and picked up a pack of gummy worms. He found a quiet spot at a nearby park and waited for Dean to call him. He wasn't aware of the presence that had followed him.

Sam opened the bag of gummies and popped one in this mouth.

'Hey, there!' said a voice to his right.

Sam jumped and turned his head, his nose brushing against the nose of the speaker. 'Uh...hello,' he replied uncertainly. He could feel his cheeks burning. His vision was filled with the face of a young man with golden hair and eyes.

The young man grinned. 'Gimme some sugar, baby,' he said gruffly.

Sam stared at the young man before leaning back. Then he saw them. Three pairs of bright, gold wings. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

'Oh, that's fine. I can help myself,' said the angel as he reached for the bag in Sam's hand.

Sam watched as the angel's right hand rummaged through the bag. He snapped out of his trance, quickly reached into his pocket, and slapped the binding cuff on the angel's wrist.

Neither human nor angel were expecting the warm sensation that flooded through them.

The angel lifted his hand to his face and examined his wrist. 'Is this what I think it is?' he questioned softly.

Sam swallowed and nodded. 'Y-yeah. Sorry,' he apologized. 'It's just...well...y'know...'

The angel sighed before sticking his hand out in greeting with a big smile plastered across his face. 'Name's Gabriel.'

'S-Sam. Sam Winchester,' Sam replied, shaking Gabriel's hand.

Gabriel cocked his head slightly. 'Winchester… Sounds familiar. Well, Sam, how about them worms?'

Sam wordlessly handed the bag of gummy worms to Gabriel. Dean was going to kill him.

.-.-.-.-.

Sam paced back and forth across the motel room. Gabriel lay spread across the bed, watching.

'You're gonna make me sprain an ankle, Sammy!' he whined, flitting his wings.

Sam gave him a brief glance. He caught an angel. He caught an Archangel! He caught what Dean was hoping to catch.

The door opened and Dean entered the room with a heavy sigh.

'Dean! I'm sorry!' The words were out before Sam could stop them.

Dean looked at Sam in surprise. 'Uh...okay. What for?'

Sam looked to the bed, and Dean followed his gaze. Gabriel sat up and waved happily.

'Is that...?'

'Yeah...'

'You...?'

'Guess so.'

Dean looked from Gabriel to Sam. 'Um... Congratulations!' He said as he clapped Sam on the back. He forced a smile, a practiced gesture on his part. He was proud of his little brother. How could he not be proud? But...

Sam gave an unsure smile. 'So...you're not mad?'

'Why would I be mad?' He wasn't mad, per se, just... Well, maybe annoyed. Irritated. If he was mad, he was mad at himself. Wrong place, wrong time. His lead on the Trickster had led him nowhere, and here was Sam, lounging about their motel room with an Archangel.

'Well, you were hoping to catch him,' Sam replied, gesturing to Gabriel. He knew his brother through and through, and he knew that despite taking it well on the surface, Dean's inner monologue must be throwing a hissy fit.

Dean frowned. 'Hey, I admit I'm jealous as hell,' and he was, 'but I'm not mad at you, Sammy. I'm proud of my baby brother!' He ruffled Sam's hair and grinned at the undignified expression Sam gave him.

Sam sighed in relief.

'Besides,' Dean continued, looking to Gabriel, 'he can help us find this Trickster.'

Gabriel let out a self-conscious cough. 'Ah...'

'Do you know where the Trickster is?' Sam asked. 'Where is it?'

Gabriel gave a nervous grin. 'Who pretends to be a Trickster and has two thumbs?' He brought up his hand and pointed his thumbs at himself. 'This guy!'

'I cannot believe you just did that,' Dean said, completely unamused. 'No one does that.'

'Wait. You're the Trickster?!' Sam exclaimed.

Gabriel nodded proudly.

'Great. We've got a homicidal angel on our hands,' Dean said as he crossed his arms. He looked up at Sam. 'So, what do we do about him?'

'Let me go,' Gabriel suggested, but went ignored.

'Well, not everyone died...,' Sam replied. He didn't want to defend Gabriel, not exactly, but he didn't think Gabriel deserved to die. Gabriel hadn't killed any innocents. 'I mean, the ones that did die, they weren't exactly the nicest guys.'

Dean frowned at Sam. 'But he's still killing humans, Sam.'

'Yeah, and so do humans. Are we gonna start hunting murderers now, too?'

'What? Wait, are you defending him?'

Sam shifted uncomfortably. 'Well, he must have had his reasons...,' Sam trailed off, looking to Gabriel for answers.

Gabriel quickly looked away.

'Gabriel? Why did you kill those people?' Sam asked.

Gabriel bit his tongue as he felt a clenching around his chest. 'I...I did it to protect someone. One supernatural death, and humans look at it more closely, but if there's more, you don't. You just kill off the creature,' he bit out.

'Who were you protecting?'

Gabriel pulled his wings in tight and stared at his hands in his lap with wide eyes. 'S-someone,' he managed to grind out through the building pain. He concentrated on the drops of blood splattering on his hands.

Dean looked away from the scene before him. He'd heard of it, but he'd never actually seen an angel fight against orders or questions.

Sam took pity on the angel. 'It's all right. You don't have to answer right now.'

Gabriel sagged in relief and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

'So, now what?' Sam asked.

Gabriel looked up at Sam. 'Take credit for killing the Trickster and leave town?'

'You'll have to come with us, you know,' Dean said quietly. They couldn't just leave the angel there. Who knew what sort of the trouble he would get up to if released. He might lash out, and Dean couldn't let that happen. And if Dean was right, he would have done the same as Gabriel to protect Sam. The angel had to be protecting family.

Gabriel nodded. He hoped his brother would be able to take care of himself.

.-.-.-.-.

Gabriel slowly followed the brothers from the Impala to the house he was going to be subjected to living in. Sam had ordered him to stay close, and he would stop every few steps, trying to test how far he could be from Sam before the clenching turned to pain. They reached the house before he could get any real answer. It didn't help that Sam kept urging him on every time he stopped. Sam and Dean waited patiently for him before opening the door and entering.

Karen poked her head out of the living room. 'Welcome home, boys! Bobby will be back soon,' she said warmly. Her eyes fell on Gabriel, and she stared.

Gabriel sullenly stared back.

Karen came fully into the entryway and went straight up to Gabriel. Before he could react, she engulfed him in a tight hug. 'Oh, you poor thing!' She stopped hugging and held him at arm's length, getting a good look at him. 'Just look at you! Skin and bones. Let's get you fed,' she said as she ushered him into the kitchen and forced him to sit at the kitchen table.

She set a whole pie and a fork in front of him and stared expectantly.

Gabriel cautiously picked up the fork. He looked from the smiling angel to the pie. He was hungry. And the pie did smell delicious. He dug into the pie and was already half done when Sam and Dean entered the kitchen.

'Hey! Why's he get pie? Where's my pie?' whined Dean.

'Next to the sink, dear,' Karen sweetly replied, not taking her eyes off of Gabriel. Karen eventually shifted her gaze to Sam. 'You take good care of him,' she said in a warning tone.

Sam nodded. Karen's tone had surprised him. He had never heard her speak without her voice dripping in sugary sweetness.

Gabriel huffed, his wings puffing out. 'I can take of myself, you know! It's been me an' C—I was doing just fine on my own.'

Dean's head shot up and around a mouthful of pie asked 'You and who?'

Gabriel raised his chin defiantly at Dean and kept silent.

Sam was about to ask who Gabriel was going to mention when he felt a small hand on his shoulder. He looked down at Karen's pleading face. She shook her head, and Sam sighed.

When Bobby returned home, he automatically assumed it was Dean who had caught the angel. He tried not to laugh at Sam's dumb luck and the irritated face Dean was making when the situation was explained to him.

As the week wore on, Dean was getting more and more irritated with Gabriel. The Archangel would show up in the oddest places. Dean opened the fridge once in search of beer, but instead found Gabriel, drowning in one of Sam's coats. On several occasions, he was found sleeping in the bathtub on a pile of Sam's clothing.

Then Sam noticed small things going missing, turning up in strange places. He found his wallet in the back of the freezer multiple times. His clothes were being found in the glove compartments of the junkers littering Bobby's property. He had no idea where his soap ended up.

When Dean asked Karen if Gabriel's behavior was 'some sort of angel-thing,' Karen banned him from the kitchen. So he tried asking Bobby if Karen had been like Gabriel. Bobby considered the question before answering.

'Son, when you catch yerself an angel, you'll find out,' Bobby said with a small smirk.

'But what if I never catch one?' Dean asked. 'Not that it matters. I don't know if I even want one anymore.'

Bobby sighed. He felt for the kid. Three Hunters under the same roof, and only one without an angel. 'How do you mean?'

Dean collapsed into a nearby chair and slumped down. 'Sammy caught an Archangel. An Archangel, Bobby. Ain't too many of them running around. He doesn't even care. And Gabriel's...well, Gabriel. I know Sam's going through hell right now dealing with that guy.'

'Look, Sam will be fine, and you'll catch yerself an angel.'

Dean rolled his eyes and slouched even further in the chair.

'How about a job? Got a nice, easy ghost hunt for you boys to take Gabriel on,' Bobby offered.

Dean nodded listlessly. 'Sure.' He didn't want to admit it, but the whole situation was making him depressed. Bobby had Karen, a High Angel, and now Sam had an Archangel. It would be fitting for him to end up with a crummy Low Angel. Maybe it would be better if he never caught one.