gabrielbigbang | Misselthwaite (Reply)

Title: Misselthwaite
Author and artist:

whit_merule (AO3, tumblr)
Beta: platonic rabbit
Pairing: They’re all kids, so none romantic, but I do give a fair amount attention to the relationships between all four of Gabriel, Castiel, Sam, and Dean. How these may develop in the future is open to interpretation.
Rating: G
Word count: 58k
Warnings/Tags: Child neglect, historical/literary au, trans!Castiel, mute!Sam, so much gardening and tiny cute animals.
Summary: "When Gabriel Milton was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with his uncle, everybody said he was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It was true, too…“And so we begin. But of course, in Yorkshire this poor, neglected, highly spoiled child from British India learns a new interest in the world, in the company of three other boys he meets there.

“Listen to th’ wind wutherin’ round the house,” Mary said. “You could bare stand up on the moor if you was out on it tonight.”

Gabriel did not know what “wutherin’” meant until he listened, and then he understood. It must mean that hollow shuddering sort of roar which rushed round and round the house as if the giant no one could see were buffeting it and beating at the walls and windows to try to break in. But one knew he could not get in, and somehow it made one feel very safe and warm inside a room with a red coal fire.

“I met Dean and Sam today,” he told her.

“There,” said she, “I’d thought tha’ might. They come by th’ servants’ hall at dinner o’ purpose to see me. I was right glad o’ it, for it’s not my night off ‘til Thursday. How does tha’ like ‘em?”

“I think—I think they’re perfect!” said Gabriel in a determined voice.

Mary looked rather taken aback but she looked pleased, too.

“Well,” she said, “us always thought they’s the best lads as ever was born, but most folks finds ‘em a mite queer until they gets to know ‘em.”

“I like their queerness,” said Gabriel firmly, and then he laughed. “I like the way they talk. It makes it easy to say all sorts of things you never thought about before.”

Martha beamed with satisfaction.

“I’m glad tha’ likes ‘em. I shouldn’t be surprised but they’ll be about a good deal more now th’ weather’s began to turn.”

Gabriel sat and pondered for a moment, then he thought he might ask her a question.

“Mary,” he said, in his earnest little way, “why is it that Sam had bacon in his dinner and not Dean, though Dean is bigger than Sam?”

“That’s just the way it is, between th’ two of ‘em,” she answered. “If there’s not much to be had, Dean always takes care that Sam has most of it.”

This made Gabriel very thoughtful, and he did not ask any more questions. He looked at the red fire and listened to the wind wuthering. It seemed to be wuthering louder than ever.