The Chase

"They really expect us to go to this little shit show of theirs." Gabriel's contemptuously huffed out words were enough to make Castiel look up from his reading at his older sibling and sharer of living space for unbound omegas were nested together.

"It is our duty and as always, a great honor." Castiel murmured, his tone soft but bone dry. A casual observer would have missed the thinly veiled loathing of the comment entirely, but Gabriel reveled in it, grinning back. The 'honor' the two spoke of was, of course, the Chase, a time when all the omega angels took flight out in the open to lure some lucky or tenacious enough alpha angel into a permanent bond. The two angel would find each other through compatible scents and Grace, but also skill, cunning, and a flair of feather.

A lazy alpha would not be able catch an omega who truly didn't feel like being theirs, and a lack luster omega who put no effort into the game could be easily ignored by alphas. Most couplings happened early for angels, but the sarcastic ire from Castiel and Gabriel came from what they were and had been for quite some time now, a pair of omegas pushing the millennia mark. Unless killed in battle or in some line of duty from Heaven's will, angels were immortal so there was no limitation or time period for finding a mate but most found their significant other by the time they were about five hundred years old. As it was, Castiel and Gabriel were rapidly becoming 'old hens'.

"I wish they'd let us skip out just once." Gabriel sighed, his shoulders slumping at the thought with his wings following the sentiment, making it look like delicate rose gold filaments cloaked him, metallic feathers richly dripping off of his outline like a spilled sunset. Castiel nodded agreement but returned his focus to the book in his lap. It was an old complaint, one he already knew the outcome of. As head of the family, their oldest brother Michael would make them go, and once again, Castiel and Gabriel would be passed over, just like every year, just like every Chase. It got a little old and more than a little tiring this late in the game.

In all fairness, it really wasn't either of their fault. Both were omegas, yes, but also male as well. While they could go into heats with all that came with that, neither would be able to produce any offspring. They would always be destined to be a secondary mate, one used solely to strengthen ties to other families of angels or for political gain through marriage. The problem with that though was with their own house being in such extremely high standing, they were at the pinnacle of the angel hierarchy. There was nowhere to marry up. A secondary marriage for either of them would be marrying or mating down. That or a political nightmare, so much so that no other angel wanted to even think being engaged to them. If Michael's overbearing personality didn't detour them in that delicate matter, Lucifer's icy foreboding demeanor certainly would.

It didn't help matters either that Gabriel was an archangel which meant greater flight ability from multiple pairs of wings, more speed, and an abundance of Grace given power. An archangel but also an omega, no one could catch him or his interest, at least not for very long. Gabriel was fast enough and wily enough to ensure this. He was famed among the other angels for being quite the trickster, and that alone was enough to divert most suitors who did not wish to be made a fool of.

And then there was Castiel who was a different case entirely. Unlike most angels, he had been born with black wings. While dark plumage was not unusual or uncommon, it was usually broken up by another color or pattern. Castiel's wings was pure though, without a single speck of white or other color in them, a saturated shade of black that seemed to absorb light. It was seen as ominous at best and a genetic defect at worst by the other angels who shunned Castiel for it, the seraph often alone and given wide berth with only Gabriel as his only form of company most of the time. All he had to do at the Chase was show off his wings and he would send the alphas fleeing from him.