Lost Hope Isn't What I'm Worried About

Gone

Sam was growing worried for Gabriel. The archangel was becoming quiet, constantly looking over his shoulder when they were together. He looked pale, despite his inability to get sick, and Sam often caught Gabriel wiping away tears out of the corner of his eyes.

Sam wasn't the only one who was worried. Castiel had found the younger Winchester after his class for the day, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the way of other students, dark rings under the ex-angel's eyes as he frowned at Sam.

"What's going on with Gabriel?" Castiel asked, and Sam let out a defeated sigh, letting his body fall back and lean against the wall with a thump. He rubbed at his eyes, feeling frustration cross into his chest. He only wished he knew.

"He won't tell me anything, Cas. I'm really worried," Sam said, meeting the worried eyes of Castiel. The man looked exhausted, but at the same time, he still retained that angel dignity with his straight and powerful shoulders. 

Castiel was silent for several moments before he finally sighed, looking down at the ground and shaking his head, "We'll just have to trust he knows what he's doing. I pray to father that everything will be okay," The ex-angel mumbled, chewing on his lower lip.

Sam nodded before looking at Castiel, his brows furrowing in concern, "How are you doing?" He asked, forcing Gabriel to the back of his mind for the moment. The longer he stared, the more he realized that Castiel was looking almost green in the face.

Castiel let out a soft cough, frowning as his lips twitched with guilt, "My vessel has seem to fallen ill. Usually, I would just heal myself, but..." He trailed off, looking down at his body with an ever deepening frown, "Dean has taken me to bed rest during the day. I only snuck out while he was in class to find you."

Sam let out a soft chuckle, relieved that Dean was taking care of Castiel at least, "He can be a real mother hen. He gets it from our adopted father," Sam said warmly before shaking his head, patting Castiel gently on the shoulder, "That being said, you might want to get back before he notices your gone. He'll flip shit."

Castiel smiled back, the small glow in his eyes at the thought of Dean warming Sam's heart. They were truly in love, "Thank you, Sam. I'll take your advice," The ex-angel said, dipping his head politely to the younger Winchester, "I don't want him to...flip shit after all."

Sam waited until Castiel was out of hearing range to crack a chuckle, shaking his head at the weird way the ex-angel spoke. He could make any expression sound weird as hell, that's for sure.

Speaking of angels, he noticed Gabriel making his way over, and his smile faded as he saw the almost panic in Gabriel's face as the archangel shot a look over his shoulder. His body was rigged, almost like he could see something, but when Sam looked, he only saw a crowd of students.

"Gabe!" Sam called out, catching the attention of the angel. Gabriel's face lit up in relief, and he hurried over, a mask falling over his face that was almost completely believable if Sam hadn't seen the fear before. Still, Sam pulled him into a warm hug, looking over Gabriel's shoulder and seeing if he could find what the angel had been looking at for so long.

He saw a flash of white, but he chalked that up to lightning in the storm clouds beginning to form across the afternoon sky.

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The rain pounded against his dorm window, but neither Gabriel or Sam minded as they stretched out on Sam's bed, pressed against each other so they would be comfortable. Sam had asked his roommate to let them have their date night here, which he was completely fine with. It made Sam wonder if the kid was a little bit intimidated by his size.

"Do you think my roommate is scared of me?" Sam asked, voicing his thoughts out loud. Gabriel let out a snort, seeming much more at ease now that they were alone.

"Of course he is. He radiates fear every time you so much as breathe. It's your ridiculous height," Gabriel said matter-of-factly, and although Sam felt a bit guilty about it, he found himself snickering at the thought, leaning down and letting his nose brush against Gabriel's hair.

"And yet, you're the hot-head," Sam teased, and Gabriel rolled over in his arms, glaring up at him playfully.

"Watch it. I might just burn you," Gabriel replied with a grin before he leaned up, kissing Sam gently before pulling away and looking upside down at the TV playing for background noise.

"Everything is so much weirder upside down," Gabriel commented, and Sam took the opportunity to sneak a little kiss onto Gabriel's neck, grinning when the angel huffed, looking at him with an arched eyebrow.

"I'm sitting here experimenting and all you can think about is getting in my pants," Gabriel scolded teasingly, letting out little mocking 'tsks' before he kissed Sam's nose, letting out a yawn and burying his nose into Sam's neck.

A screech rang out across the sky, cutting through the sound of the storm. High-pitched and accompanied by an almost gargling noise, Sam and Gabriel barely had time to jerk into a sitting position before a flash of light flared in their visions, blinding them.

Something rough threw Sam across the room, and the ringing in his ears left him winded as he laid on the floor, the screeching growing louder and louder until he could have sworn his ears were beginning to bleed. Yet, despite that, he could hear the cry of Gabriel, and through the light saw a flurry of shadows before the light faded, and there was nothing left but darkness, the window broken in and the rain falling onto the broken panes with a twinkling sound that left a heavy feeling in his heart as he saw the blood that was being mixed in with it.

He tried raising his head, but dizziness overtook him and he slumped back to the ground, his head spinning and his vision tunneling before he passed out.