Big Ugly Wings
Title: Big Ugly Wings
Author: bballgirl3022
Artist: lynndyre
Genre: Romance, wing fic with some fluff, schmoop and a little angst
Pairing: Sam/Gabriel and Dean/Castiel
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: brief mention of self-mutilation,
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the recognizable characters or names in this piece of fiction. And I am most certainly not making a profit from this.
Tier/Word Count: First Tier, 8,712
Summary: Gabriel has been teased for his wings his whole life. His adult life isn’t any better. His job is lackluster. He can’t find anyone who he’d even consider mating, but all that changes the day he sets eyes on Sam Winchester.
Link to art: Here
Link to fic: Here
Author Notes: Thanks to moonofblindness for the beta work she did on this and for putting up with my tendency to switch tenses at the drop of a hat. Also thanks to lynndyre who made beautifully, wonderful art and for being patient with my lack of challenge knowledge. You both are really too awesome for words.
Big Ugly Wings
Gabriel had known from a young age that he was… different. His mother always told him that he was special. He didn’t feel special though. Not when kids were laughing while he stumbled over his wings that were always just a little too long for him. Or calling him names and asking when the paint was going to wash out of his feathers. He spent a majority of his teen years in tears. Nothing his family said made it any better. His much younger brother sticking up for him did not gain him any points on the popularity scale.
Once when he was sixteen, and mortified after being rejected by Anna Milton to be his Spring Fling date, Gabriel tried to pluck all the feathers out of his wings. His face was blotchy and streaked with tears when Castiel found him a few minutes later. Gabriel hadn’t managed to get that many feathers out, but it was enough that there was a red, raw patch in the middle of his left wing. It took a few months for the feathers to grow back; even then the feathers were small, downy and quite noticeable.
He gave up on trying to look normal after that. The rest of his high school and all of his college years were spent hiding in the shadows and trying to go unnoticed.
*****
He was staring in the mirror at some ungodly hour in the morning appraising his appearance. He couldn’t help but notice his wings were ugly. Hideous actually. And no he didn’t just say that to fish for compliments. Pity wasn’t his style. His wings were at least a foot too long for his small frame and a horrible traffic cone orange color that was easily noticed no matter where he went or what he was doing.
Gabriel hated the constant stares and whispered comments that followed him everywhere he went. And no amount of wing-dye dulled the color. The money he had spent on wing-products could probably fund a small underdeveloped country. It was all a waste of course and eventually he gave up on trying to hide the vibrant hue and found better ways to spend his money, for instance on chocolate and ice cream. They helped more than any therapy session he had ever attended.
Gabriel wasn’t an ugly man by any means. It was just that everyone he had ever met had a problem looking past his unattractive appendages. If anyone ever could they might notice that Gabriel was extremely fit. Since he had little success in the dating world he had much time to spend at the gym or out in the neighborhood park jogging. His facial features were strong and masculine; he could totally pull off a beard if he ever had any desire to grow one, and his eyes were a very peculiar color of honey smeared over wheat toast. They were his favorite feature and not many people bothered to note.
Because of rude and gossipy people Gabriel was quite the loner. The only person he associated with was his brother Castiel. He often didn’t have much choice on that matter because Castiel was awkward and made people extremely uncomfortable with his steady gaze and mouth that seemed to have no filter (Gabriel’s didn’t either, so it must have been a family trait). Castiel also shared the apartment that Gabriel lived in. It was much easier for the two of them to split rent because Gabriel made no money with his nearly worthless degree in theater and Castiel made much more with his degree in molecular biology. If his kid brother wasn’t a certified genius then Gabriel might have been jealous.
Gabriel’s current job had nothing to do with what he spent all that scholarship money on to study in college. He was a crossing guard at for the local elementary school. The job was satisfying enough; he helped keep small children safe as they crossed the busy streets to fill their tiny noggins with knowledge. Gabriel often wished for a different job. One he was more qualified for, but without a doubt Gabriel’s obnoxious wings were quite suited for his current occupation.
The kid’s reactions varied when it came to Gabriel’s wings. Human children thought they were awesome and always asked to touch them and if he would fly them around the schoolyard sometime. Those from angelic descent looked at him often times with as much disdain as their parental counterparts. It was tragic really. Parents teaching their children prejudice at such an early age. Making it OK for their offspring to look down on others because their appearance wasn’t quite the norm. Gabriel didn’t cry on days after his shift ended when he heard these offhanded comments. He ran out of tears for that many years ago.
*****
It was almost impossible to get a date with wings like Gabriel’s. Angels found him unappealing for the obvious reasons; and he couldn’t just walk up to some human and ask him out for fear of getting laughed at.
He tried many online dating sites, but was met with little success. All the angels he met took one look at him and either laughed in his face or glanced around to see if there was some sort of mistake. Gabriel did happen to meet one nice man though. His name was Balthazar. They met on TypicalDramaDorks.net. Gabriel couldn’t have been more excited if you told him Shakespeare came back from the grave. Balthazar was nice. He maintained good eye contact (which was a huge plus in Gabriel’s book) and was knowledgeable in other things besides theater. For example he could easily debate whether the 2009 Star Trek movie was better or worse than the original television series and how Harry Potter was much more than just children’s literature. Gabriel really enjoyed Balthazar’s company. He wasn’t bad looking either. So there was a catch obviously.
It turned out Balthazar was still in love with his ex, Crowley. He was trying to get over the guy, but he wasn’t making very much progress and although Balthazar did like Gabriel, he clearly wasn’t ready for another serious relationship so soon after the termination of his previous one. It disheartened Gabriel, but they decided to remain friends. He was a much better theater companion than Castiel was anyway.
Gabriel’s love life took a downward spiral after that. There was Michael who, while nice, was a little too obsessed with his father’s company than Gabriel thought was necessary. Shortly after that was Raphael. He was trying to follow in his older brother’s footsteps and become a world-renown author. From what little time they spent together, it was clear Raphael had neither the creativity nor way with words that made his brother famous. Chuck was neurotic and self-medicated his insomnia by drinking whiskey until he conked out for the night; and while Gabriel enjoyed the occasional nightcap he felt Chuck had more emotional problems than Gabriel was equipped to handle. Gabriel was pretty sure Urial had some bet going on with his friends about how long he could date an angel who was clearly beneath him (Gabriel dumped him real quick after he heard that phone conversation). After a date with Alistair, in which he mentioned he owned over 30 knives (none of which he used to eat), Gabriel gave up on men.
*****
It happened, as it often does, that not three weeks after giving up on men Gabriel found someone he could not stop thinking about.
The school year had started last week and brought with it a new batch of children intermixed with those Gabriel had seen previous years. This man Gabriel hadn’t laid eyes on before (he would have certainly remembered if he had). He was tall, his gate much slower than looked comfortable for his long legs. Clutching his hand was a small blond headed boy. Gabriel had noticed the boy last week, but he was walked to school by another man. One Gabriel could only assume was either this man’s relative or his partner.
Gabriel held his tongue to keep from saying something horribly embarrassing as the two passed by on the edge of a small group currently crossing the street. The guy smiled brightly as he passed Gabriel, his dimples flashing and making him seem years younger. Gabriel’s heart stuttered; he attempted to return the smile, but failed spectacularly. A blush spread across Gabriel’s cheeks and Dimples winked as though the two shared an inside joke. And then he was gone, striding through the gates surrounding the school and blending into the crowd.
Once his duty was over, Gabriel was able to think freely about the day’s occurrences. Dimples seemed a very nice man, but Gabriel had been deceived by beautiful people who turned out to be ugly on the inside. These thoughts rolled around in his head for hours; and once they settled, finally allowing him to fall asleep, Gabriel had decided something. He both hoped to see this man as often as possible and wished to never set eyes on him again.
*****
The child’s name was Mark. Gabriel found this out when the kid worked up the courage to ask him about his ‘awesome’ wings while waiting for the light to change. Mark was six and had a pet cat named Bones. Over the next few weeks Gabriel learned Mark had an extensive knowledge of classic cars and classic rock. He spoke with the same rapid pace that Gabriel remembered his own brother using as a child. Dimples smiled often and Gabriel’s cheeks continually heated up. He needed to stop acting like a school-girl with a crush, man up and find a boyfriend, and stop dreaming about men he will never be able to get.
The only problem was that Gabriel can’t stop thinking about Dimples. He can’t just ask out Mark’s second dad or uncle (Gabriel still wasn’t one hundred percent on his relation to Mark). Sometimes the bubbly blonde kid trudged along beside a guy that can’t be anyone else than Mark’s father, because the boy is a spitting image of him. Other days Mark traveled beside tall, floppy-haired Dimples who made Gabriel’s heart pound and his wings flutter.
One day Gabriel saw Mark’s dad and the unidentified relative/partner taking Mark to school together. They stand too close and the dad made Dimples laugh; head thrown back, eyes closed, deep laugh. It made Gabriel’s chest tighten uncomfortably. He wanted to make Dimples laugh like that. Wanted Dimples to look at Gabriel like he’s important and walk with Gabriel and touch him and a whole number of things Gabriel’s never had before.
White-hot jealousy flared through Gabriel like he had never felt before. It was intense, but he won’t let it get in the way of his job.
He spread his wings out to usher a group of children and their parents across the street. Gabriel’s job required him to have a stop sign, a whistle, and a bright yellow vest. He looked like a complete dork; no wonder the man had no interest in him. Mark’s dad was gorgeous and Gabriel was severely lacking in comparison.
Gabriel’s wings drooped for days after seeing those two together. Not even polite smiles on school days from Dimples could perk him up anymore.
His brother allowed him to pout for two weeks before Castiel dragged his ass out of the house.
They ended up at a tiny coffee shop. It was attached to a second-hand book store. Gabriel rolled his eyes at his brother’s obvious nerdiness. He opened his mouth to tell his brother this, but snapped it shut when he saw Mark’s father manning the register.
One glance at his brother’s pink cheeks told Gabriel that he was not the only one with a crush on Mark’s relatives.
Castiel was bold though. He stalked up to the counter, ordered their drinks, and stared like only Castiel was able to do. The short conversation Castiel had with Mark’s dad told Gabriel that this wasn’t Castiel’s first trip to this particular shop. Gabriel was so proud of him. That was until he saw Dimples wearing a similar smock to the man in charge of the register. Then he just wanted to throttle Castiel.
“Cas,” Gabriel hissed when his brother was seated. “Why did you bring me here?” Castiel only frowned in response to the question. “That,” he said pointing to the taller man, “is the guy I told you about. And that is his partner. They have a kid.”
“Dean has a kid, yes,” his brother replied calmly. “But he is divorced. And that is his brother,” Castiel drew out the word, “Sam.”
Gabriel’s mouth dropped into a shocked ‘o.’ Sam was Dean’s brother, not partner. This new information caused his heart to leap.
They stayed for the duration it took them to drink their coffee and Castiel left with Dean’s number. It wasn't surprising. Castiel was very attractive with his big, bright, blue eyes and chocolate brown wings.
After that, the two returned at least once a week. Castiel said it was just because he ‘liked the coffee,’ but really his brother just wanted to ogle his new boyfriend. Gabriel came along because Dean gave them free scones. Plus it gave him the opportunity to watch Sam in action.
Gabriel hadn’t actually talked to Sam. Sam had talk to Gabriel, but Gabriel mostly blushed while his wings moved restlessly against his back. He had never been the focus of a beautiful man’s attention and it made him quite nervous.
*****
Apparently Sam wasn’t easily deterred. He continued approaching Gabriel with his huge dimpled smiles and polite conversation. Eventually Gabriel was able to respond without his voice raising an octave or two.
It continued much the same for weeks. Then one day Sam plopped down in the chair across from Gabriel. Castiel long ago vacated the seat to busy himself with flirting over by the sugar and straws.
“Are you ever going to ask me out?” the larger man questioned. Gabriel nearly spit his lukewarm coffee over Sam’s smock. Instead it dribbled unappealingly down his chin and stained the front of his shirt.
“What?” he questioned while mopping up his mess with the napkins Sam handed him. Gabriel would blush but his cheeks seemed to be permanently stained with color around the man.
“Don’t play coy with me. I see the way you stare and how out of control your wings get. I did some research. I know the ceaseless twitching means you’re nervous.” Sam smiled brightly, “I make you nervous don’t I?” His eyebrows waggled in an obscene way informing Gabriel that Sam already knew the answer. Surely a man as gorgeous as Sam has dealt his fair share of bashful maidens.
“You could ask me out you know,” Sam said, his words poking at Gabriel’s well placed exterior. “I might even say yes.”
Gabriel frowned. Why did Sam have to make things difficult? “Fine,” he said trying to sound as put out as possible. “Sam Winchester, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?”
“Sometime isn’t specific enough for me,” he responded.
“This Thursday at six?”
“Sounds great. See you then,” Sam replied before bouncing off to help a customer.
Gabriel just smiled shyly and nodded dumbly as his wings vibrated with excitement. He couldn’t help but wonder how much research Sam exactly did on angels before asking him on a date.
*****
It had only been five days since Sam agreed to go out to dinner with Gabriel. A long five days if you asked Castiel who had to deal with Gabriel’s constant attempts to find the perfect outfit that wouldn’t clash too harshly with his bright orange wings. Gabriel struggled for days on end until he finally settled on something decent that would bring out his eyes only minutes before he was rushing out of his apartment.
Gabriel arrived at the restaurant a little late. His wings were twitching with the restless, pent up nervous energy. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself before entering and searching for Sam’s tall frame.
He was toward the back of the classic Italian restaurant. The table looked child-size next to Sam who was twisting a set of silverware between long, nimble fingers. He appeared different in this new setting. Gabriel couldn’t quite place why he got the feeling, but it was there none the less. It could have been the fact Sam was wearing a form-flattering button down as opposed to his usual assorted flannel wardrobe. It was probably the furrows in Sam’s brow. Every time Gabriel had seen Sam, he seemed so carefree. Happy. This Sam didn’t fit those descriptions.
Then Sam’s gaze fell on Gabriel and his horribly flashy wings. The man’s face completely changed as their eyes locked. Eyes brightened, smile flashed, and he transformed back into the Sam Gabriel recognized.
Sam stood as the angel approached the table, and came around to pull out Gabriel’s chair before returning to his own. Gabriel’s wings gave a full-length flutter at the treatment (despite how girly that may have made him). Clearly Sam wasn’t lying when he mentioned researching angelic mating rituals.
Angels are a little old fashioned. No one took the time to update the ‘Angelic Dating Manual’ or whatever it was actually called. Ancient ideas such as asking the family’s permission before courting a possible mate or no kissing before the sixth date (which was the appropriate number apparently), because really Sam was gorgeous and there was no way Gabriel would be able to wait that long to learn what Sam tasted like or how all those muscles felt pressed against his body. He'd have to inform Sam of the amendments he thought were necessary to the silly ancient guidelines. No one followed those rules anymore, not even his tight-laced, awkward brother, because Gabriel knew Castiel came home with kiss swollen lips after date three, which meant he held out two dates longer than Gabriel bet he would.
Sam though seemed more than happy to follow the guidelines to a T. He stuck to topics Gabriel knew for sure his date took straight from the book because Sam was asking questions like ‘what do you expect of your future mate?’ and ‘how do you would a mate figure into your future life?’ The questions were something he was certain his father asked his mother on their first arranged date- their parents had told that dating story more times than Gabriel could count. Sam got bashful when Gabriel started asking about how much of that book Sam really read- the flush of red staining his cheeks told Gabriel Sam read- and probably memorized- the whole thing.
“I even asked your brother for permission to take you out,” Sam confessed.
Gabriel’s mouth dropped. “You did not?”
Sam’s head was tossed back as he laughed loudly. He looked more beautiful than Gabriel had ever seen.
As expected, Sam walked Gabriel home. A kiss on the cheek was as much as Gabriel got before Sam started down the street with the promise that he would call. It wasn’t how Gabriel imagined the night ending, but he didn’t spend one minute in Sam’s presence worrying about who was staring at his wings, so he counted that as a win.
*****
Gabriel spent the next ten days waiting impatiently by the phone. The only people to call were the telemarketer asking if he wanted to enter a sweepstakes and win an all-expenses paid cruise and his brother wondering if he wanted to see a movie. He said yes to the movie, even though he spent the entire film wondering what he did wrong and why Sam hadn’t called him yet.
Four days later the phone call he had been waiting for arrived.
“Hello?”
“Gabe? I am so sorry,” Sam said. He sounded contrite and maybe a little breathless. Gabriel took a deep breath and tried not to forgive Sam so easily. Gabriel was angry and hurt. He really liked Sam and Sam never called. That couldn’t be easily forgiven. “It’s been a long few weeks. Mark got chickenpox which left only one of us running the shop until he could go back to school. And then a pipe broke or something and flooded the shop overnight, which ruined the carpet and… I’m sorry. I was babbling. And I really am sorry that I didn’t call. I wanted to though. Maybe you’ll accept my apology and see a movie with me on Saturday.”
And now Gabriel felt very much like an idiot for assuming Sam was avoiding him or that the man moved to another state or something. He heaved a sigh before questioning, “Which movie?” All the while his heart soared a little and a tiny smile graced his face.
*****
Gabriel wandered through the next two weeks in almost a daze. There was a happy little bubble that lived inside his chest and flooded his whole body with little waves of joy. It was a wonderful feeling and this was the happiest Gabriel had ever been in his entire life.
His job didn’t seem so horrible anymore. He was able to show up to work with a smile on his face and a song in his heart and a whole bunch of jolly nonsense phrases that applied to people fit to burst with cheerfulness. Not even the stares from disapproving angels could get Gabriel down because today was Sam and Gabriel’s sixth date. The date Gabriel had been most excited for. He was finally going to kiss Sam Winchester.
Their previous five dates went exceedingly well. Sam was perfect, if a little stubborn- he still wouldn’t put one toe out of line if the guidelines didn’t allow it, which was a little annoying. But he was just being chivalrous- or something- and it was possible that Sam knew a little more about successful dating than Gabriel did. And there was something to be said about taking things slow, because honestly Gabriel was really, really looking forward to that kiss.
Sam took him bowling. Gabriel hadn’t been to a bowling alley since Andy’s 12th birthday party when Gabriel tripped over his own wings and broke his nose. It was just one instance in a long line of embarrassing moments that made up Gabriel’s adolescence.
The shoes didn’t smell as bad as Gabriel remembered and the balls were brightly colored, which just made everything seem better. Gabriel picked a pink one while Sam went for the classic black.
It turned out Gabriel’s bowling skills hadn’t improved during his long absence from the bowling alley. He threw seven straight gutter balls while Sam silently chuckled.
The heat crept up Gabriel’s neck felt the same as it did all those years ago when his schoolmates laughed while tears leaked out of Gabriel’s eyes. It seemed to take forever for his mother to pick him up and rush him over to get his nose checked out by a doctor.
Sam’s laughter wasn’t cruel like that of his memories, it was warm and pleasant, something one might hear from a friend or family member, one born of good-natured teasing; not mockery. He shook himself in an attempt to return to the present.
“You weren’t lying, you are incredibly terrible at this,” Sam teased. “I think you just need a little hands on instruction.”
Sam stood and made his way over to where Gabriel was waiting near the ball return. His neon pink ball popped out a few seconds later. “Here, put these three fingers in the holes like this,” he instructed curling his long fingers around Gabriel’s shorter ones and putting them in the aforementioned holes. Sam’s hands were warm and not sweating profusely like Gabriel’s currently were. “Ok, now you just need a little adjustment on your release.” Sam’s muscular frame pressed up against Gabriel’s back. It felt nice, and really they could just end this date now and proceed to do other activities that included Sam pressing Gabriel into things in a more private location. “You need to have some spin on the ball if you want to avoid the gutter. Just twist your wrist like so,” he demonstrated by moving Gabriel’s arm into the position Sam described. “See it’s all about getting the right amount of angular velocity to hit the pins at the right angle to knock over the maximum amount of pins. Got it?”
“Huh?” It was not the most eloquent thing that had ever come out of Gabriel’s mouth, but honestly Gabriel couldn’t be blamed for his lack of brain function with having Sam so close and listening to him say completely innocent words about balls and holes and twisting things. Plus it was just so darn cute when Sam went off on a geek tangent about one topic or another.
Gabriel’s game didn’t improve all that much. He did manage to get a score of 62, which looked pathetic next to Sam’s 190. He resigned to the fact that he was never going to become a professional bowler, but he had fun and Sam made him laugh enough that Gabriel was able to forget about being self-conscious.
Sam was currently laughing at a story about Castiel, a bike and their elderly neighbor’s dog. He looked best like this, with his eyes sparkling brightly, dimples flashing around a wide smile, hair flopping in an almost boyish way. He seemed much younger than his twenty-six years. Gabriel couldn’t help but smile shyly and blush furiously; he had never been the focus of a gaze so passionate and full of intent. It felt wonderful to finally have someone look at Gabriel like he hung the moon and was the greatest thing since instant coffee.
When Sam finally leaned in and pressed his still smiling lips to Gabriel, it seemed as though the whole world shifted, tilted off its axis and was spinning out of control. It was possible that it only seemed that way because Gabriel was finding it complicated to stand on his own, but really it was just better excuse to press into Sam and let those big hands hold him in place as they spanned most of his back and ignited fire along his nerves. Sam’s hair felt as soft as Gabriel assumed it would when his fingers tangled in it and tugged Sam closer and closer until no one would be able to tell where one ended and the other began.
Gabriel was aware that his wings were twitching and beating restlessly in time with his pounding heart. If Sam would just move his hand a little to the right, this kiss would be taken to a whole new level. One Gabriel wasn’t sure he was ready for, but boy would it feel so nice to have someone who wasn’t Castiel brushing his feathers and getting them clean after messing them up a bit.
But wing grooming came with stipulations that Sam without a doubt knew and wouldn’t attempt before instructed by his trusted guide. So Gabriel would stick with the whole kissing thing because really it was quite amazing and Gabriel’s insides might be complete mush and he couldn’t care less as long as Sam kept doing that wonderful thing with his tongue.
“Woah,” Gabriel said when Sam let him take a breath. Sam chuckled at his lack of coherence. Gabriel couldn’t be blamed though because that was way better than the pity kiss he got in eighth grade, or any of those drunken grope-y smooches given to him in sleazy bars.
“That’s a pretty good description for it,” Sam said smiling, if possible more brightly than before. “I should be going, but I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll plan something for this weekend.” Gabriel nodded still a bit stupid from Sam’s kisses and turned to go inside.
*****
Their Friday night plans changed. Sam’s new plan was to cook for him and then sit around watching guilty pleasure movies. He also promised milk and cookies, so really how was Gabriel going to say no.
In all honesty, Gabriel had spent most of the week imagining steamy make-out sessions with Sam’s hands in his wings and a lot less clothing than had been worn on their previous dates. But now that wasn’t likely to happen.
Sam sounded quite contrite when he had called to inform Gabriel that their plans would now need to include Sam’s young nephew. Gabriel couldn’t complain though. Family was important in angelic society and being included in family functions was the equivalent of teenagers going steady in high school, which meant Sam wanted to keep him around. Which meant Gabriel wasn’t spectacularly screwing up this relationship and that Sam didn’t mind all the stares they’d been getting when they went out together.
It was possible that Sam hadn’t noticed the stares. Though that was highly unlikely due to the sheer number of curious glances they received at restaurants, in line at the movies, and parents glaring from the schoolyard as Sam gave him a quick peck on the lips before heading off to work. Gabriel noticed though. The looks made his stomach hot with shame even though they had only done things regular couples would do in public. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment and he hated that Sam might think that Gabriel was embarrassed of him, because Gabriel wasn’t. Sam was the best thing in his ramshackle of a life.
The person who answered the door after Gabriel knocked was decidedly shorter than the man Gabriel expected to see.
“Hi,” Mark exclaimed excitedly. “My dad is on a date, so you and my uncle Sammy are going to babysit me.”
The kid grabbed Gabriel’s hand and dragged him toward what Gabriel assumed was the kitchen before explaining, “We’re having mac ‘n cheese for dinner. Uncle Sam makes good mac ’n cheese.”
Gabriel watched Sam as Mark went to inform Sam his friend had arrived. He was wearing a too small, frilly apron. It was probably intended for someone a foot shorter and female, most likely a gag gift from Dean if Sam’s mentions of Dean’s constant jokes about Sam being a girl were anything to go by. But Gabriel had heard some stories from Castiel about some of Dean’s romantic side, which could be used as blackmail should Gabriel feel the need to divulge such things.
Mark tugged on the threadbare shirt Sam was wearing while pointing in Gabriel’s direction. Sam stopped staring at the pot of noodles as though it would somehow spill the secrets of the universe to smile at Gabriel before swooping in to plant a chaste kiss on his cheek.
“You’re here! Sorry our plans had to change, but Dean needed a night out. Dinner is almost ready and Mark has to be in bed before nine because he has a birthday party to attend in the morning. It’s dinosaur themed.” He heard the aforementioned child ‘rawwwr’ while gnashing his teeth and scratching at invisible predators.
‘We’ll have some alone time after he’s asleep,’ Sam mouthed over his nephew’s head as the kid tested out his hunting skills on larger more realistic prey. “Hey little buddy,” Sam grunted as his nephew pounced and proceeded to attack him, “why don’t you set the table for me.”
Mark was set down and as the kid raced off to complete his task, Sam gave Gabriel a more enthusiastic greeting.
As it turned out, Sam did make excellent mac ‘n cheese. Mark dominated the dinner conversation by telling Gabriel everything important in his life that had happened ever. It was nice really. The kid told excellent stories for his age. It made Gabriel feel as though if he and Sam ever mated that it might not be so hard to incorporate himself into Sam’s tiny family unit. It didn’t hurt that Mark thinks Gabriel is ‘super cool’ with his huge, bright wings. Not to mention Gabriel kicked Sam’s ass in Candyland, and Mark said Sam never lost, even to Dean who had been known to cheat on multiple occasions.
“Do you like being a crossing guard Mr. Gabriel? Uncle Cas said your extra qualified for it.” Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the fact that Mark referred to Castiel as ‘Uncle Cas,’ but Sam just shrugged.
“It’s over-qualified, buddy. And I think it’s somebody’s bedtime. You don’t want to be too tired to play dinosaurs tomorrow, do you?” Sam questioned to which Mark responded with a vigorous head shake before darting off to don his pajamas.
While Sam was gone, Gabriel busied himself with trying to find a movie that would guarantee him maximum make out time. Should he go with something romantic like The Princess Bride? Or something classic like Lord of the Rings? But Sam swooped in not five minutes later and vetoed both options by throwing in something entirely different and plopping on the couch leaving no room for discussion.
The movie started and Gabriel didn’t even get a chance to see the title before Sam was dragging the angel into his lap and ravishing his mouth like he was starving for it. Through experimentation they’d found this position was best for kissing on the couch, mostly because there was no way Sam would crush Gabriel’s wings which made for uncomfortable past experiences.
“Cas was. Right. You Know,” Sam stated in between kisses. Gabriel knew the sentence made sense in theory, but his brain couldn’t connect Castiel with his current situation.
He ‘hmm’s in what could've been taken as ‘sure I agree with you Sam’ or more accurately ‘stop talking and get back to the kissing’.
Sam wasn’t astute enough to figure out which was which though. “About your job. You really are over-qualified for that type of work.”
Gabriel growled and nipped Sam’s neck in irritation. “We’re in an economic crisis Sam. Any job is better than no job.”
“There’s a job open at the theatre department at the community college a few blocks over. I think you should apply.”
“If I agree to apply for this job can we get back to the good part?” Sam nodded. “Fine I’ll apply,” he said gruffly before mashing his mouth to Sam’s and silencing any attempts the larger man might have made about terms and conditions to Gabriel’s agreement.
*****
It was entirely Castiel’s fault that Gabriel was at this bar. When his brother suggested they double date, Gabriel had assumed that they’d go somewhere quiet or see a movie, or something to that nature. Never did Gabriel expect to be at a bar where his boyfriend was on a first name basis with the bartender. The pretty blonde thing and Sam shared a history. One Sam had neglected to mention prior to this excursion. It made Gabriel feel irritated and extremely jealous.
Sam had calmed his irrational fears by explaining he and Jo had been childhood friends, and nothing more than that. The whole explanation made Gabriel feel like an ass for assuming things and for not trusting Sam’s inexplicably honest nature.
Dean ordered the first round and Gabriel was immediately wary because clearly Sam and Castiel were on edge. Sam had that adorably worried look on his face and Castiel’s wings twitched the tiniest bit like he wanted to stop Dean. The action would hardly be noticeable to anyone who didn’t have intimate knowledge of their mannerisms. The obvious hesitance spoke volumes for how much the two wished for Gabriel to like Dean. He was an important figure in both Castiel and Sam’s lives and Gabriel’s not sure what would happen if he and Dean couldn’t get along. Sam, for his part, started chattering about the new releases the store got in and Castiel picked up the line of conversation which gave Gabriel time to decide what his current impression was of Dean.
It’s not like the two hadn’t been introduced before, because Gabriel had seen Dean around the store doing the same things Sam did and he has stopped by Gabriel’s table enough times to refill his coffee or bring over a free pastry that Gabriel knew the bare minimum there was to know about Dean. This situation was different. Dean wasn’t going to get whisked away by some customer mid-conversation. They’d have time to talk and think and formulate a scheme as to how much time they really cared to spend with the other. And if it wasn't a lot then without a doubt it was going to put a strain on their romantic relationships.
The lack of conversation alerted Gabriel that Dean was in fact returning with drinks. Purple-ish colored ones that came in shot glasses and took Gabriel back to when he frequented bars looking for someone to take an interest in him even if it was solely because they were stupid drunk. It wasn’t exactly the greatest way to go about getting noticed, but at that time Gabriel was starved for attention and he was taking anything he could get.
“Oh God, Dean. What the hell is that?” Sam questioned his face showing his obvious distaste for Dean’s drink of choice. Castiel just rolled his eyes before downing his drink while Dean smiled affectionately at his mate. It was interesting to Gabriel just how much sappy emotion showed on Dean’s face when he thought people weren’t looking.
“Purple nurple,” Gabriel replied before following his brother’s actions. It wasn't a drink he preferred and there had better be a lot more beer involved tonight to cancel out the estrogen laden drink that just breached his lips.
“A man of discerning taste, I see,” Dean said before knocking back Sam’s disregarded shot after he left in favor of getting a round of beers.
“Your use of the word discerning is quite possibly questionable.” Dean laughed and Castiel took his turn to look on fondly at his choose mate. The situation made Gabriel feel left out. He wanted that sappy, dopey, stupid in love look that graced his brother’s face every time someone mentioned Dean’s name in conversation, or while the two talked on the phone, or anytime really. Gabriel just wanted that. But watching Sam’s toothy grin as Gabriel laughed and joked with his brother was enough to make Gabriel question if he didn’t already have the same thing and just hadn’t noticed.
Sure he noticed that Sam’s good looking, smart, nice and manipulative as hell with those puppy dog eyes and dimples, but maybe he actually missed the one moment where he realized that he loved Sam. That he wanted Sam for a mate not just because he figured he’d die a lonely old angel without him, but because Sam completed him, or some gooey nonsense like that. Sam didn’t make Gabriel feel self-conscious or taken advantage of or any of those horrible unwanted feelings Gabriel used to have before he met Sam. He didn’t notice the looks people gave him anymore. And it was much easier to ignore the whispers when you’ve got six feet plus of pure Sam Winchester filling up your vision.
So maybe this was the moment Castiel told him about; the one where Castiel knew without a doubt that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Dean. Despite the fact that Dean had a kid by someone else, couldn't cook worth a damn, and was much too obsessed with his car.
Yes, Gabriel Novak was going to mate Sam Winchester. Tonight hopefully.
The five beers and two rounds of pool seemed to last an eternity after Gabriel’s decision to mate with Sam. The minutes dragged on and on and Gabriel had never wanted to leave a place so much as he wanted to leave that bar.
They parted ways with Castiel and Dean a few blocks over from the bar. Dean and Castiel heading in one direction with Dean swaying precariously and giggling like a school girl with a crush. Castiel handled his mate's wandering hands with more grace and efficiency than Gabriel would think possible because he was almost sure Castiel had the same amount to drink as Dean. Then again Castiel could drink alcohol like it was water. Gabriel couldn’t remember more than two times where Castiel was actually drunk.
Gabriel was not drunk. He had a warmth flowing through him that he wanted to carry over into the rest of the evening that he had planned. Sam had graciously agreed to walk Gabriel home, so at least he wouldn’t have to beg Sam to spend the night in front of the others. It’d be very silly for him to walk all the way in another direction when there was a perfectly good bed at Gabriel’s apartment that they could share. Maybe Gabriel would get to say something completely cliché like ‘would you like to come inside and have some coffee.' That almost always worked in the movies and Sam was a warm blooded male, how could he say no?
He needn’t have worried so much, because Sam pushed Gabriel up against his door before Gabriel even had enough time to think of some inane reason to ask Sam to stay.
“Say you want this too,” Sam commanded in between kisses. There was no need for Gabriel to ask what ‘this’ Sam was referring to if the hard length pressed against his stomach was anything to go by.
“Yes. Oh, yes please,” was Gabriel's breathy reply as he turned to unlock his door all while Sam sucked bruises into the back of his neck. It was very distracting, but he did manage, although not very gracefully.
He stumbled a bit and Sam either didn’t seem to notice or mind as he corralled Gabriel down the short hallway towards the angel’s bedroom. They traded sloppy kisses all the while trying to yank each other’s clothes off and not trip over anything they’d discarded or each other. Eventually, but not soon enough in Gabriel’s opinion, they made it onto Gabriel’s bed, Sam on top pinning the angel with all that delicious skin Gabriel’s been craving to get his eyes and hands on since before he knew Sam’s name.
Something was missing though. Some part of Gabriel that was keeping him from experiencing the wondrous pleasure Sam’s body was doling out. Gabriel couldn’t figure out what it was. It was something important his brain kept telling him on a repetitious cycle that was more annoying than helpful.
“Can I touch them? Been dreaming about it since I first met you. You wouldn’t believe how awkward it was to get aroused at every construction sign or traffic cone you see. That was very hard to explain to people, you know?”
No, Gabriel didn’t know; his pleasure addled brain was only capable of focusing on so much outer stimuli at once, and did Sam just say he got turned on by traffic cones? But the first brush of Sam’s big hands through his feathers helped connect the two. Sam was getting turned on by traffic cones because of him. Because Gabriel’s got huge, ugly colored wings that no one else would give a second glance to except to gawk and point out to their friends. It was comical really.
Gabriel was about to point that out when Sam gave an experimental tug to his wing, not enough to make the feathers come out, but enough to shut down the speech center in Gabriel’s brain. He was reduced to a few key words.
‘More’, ‘please’ and ‘Sam’ played on random shuffle in Gabriel’s mind and possibly came spilling out of his mouth. It wasn't until Sam’s got him worked open that Gabriel realized the enormity of the situation.
He and Sam were going to mate. Gabriel wouldn’t have to worry about being alone anymore because Sam was always going to be there for him and Gabriel would have someone to protect, cherish and love for the rest of his days. He tested out the word on his tongue.
“Mate,” he muttered into the sweat slicked skin of Sam’s shoulder. Sam gave a moan of his own in return. So maybe Sam liked the term as well. “My mate,” he tried, only this time directly into Sam’s ear. His human made a chocked off cry before rushing head first into his own pleasure.
At some point Sam growled out ‘mine’ while tugging ceaselessly on Gabriel's sensitive downy feathers. It felt fantastic and all the while Gabriel’s own release took him by surprise.
“You’re going to have to groom me later,” the angel said deadly serious. His wings looked a mess and he definitely couldn’t be seen out in public with the feathers of a recently ravished angel, even if he was quite proud of that fact.
“Looking forward to it,” Sam replied cheekily before pulling the blankets over them and falling asleep not three minutes later.
*****
“Mr. Novak? Mr. Adler will see you now,” said that too perky assistant to the man that held the fate of Gabriel’s employment in his hands. She was probably sending vibes to her boss to not hire Gabriel. And if she was she could at least have the decency to look contrite about it.
She didn’t though, so maybe she wasn’t thinking all those horrible things Gabriel’s peers used to taunt him with when he was younger. Maybe she saw him as the motivated, hardworking, mated angel that he was. It would be nice to be respected for who he was for a change instead of mocked for something he wouldn’t ever be able to become.
This could all be from the post-mating glow that Gabriel was seeing the world through. It made everything seem brighter and his whole life seemed less abysmal now that he was mated to someone as spectacular as Sam.
The pre-interview wing grooming might have had something to do with that as well, but Gabriel wasn't looking too deep at that. His wings were shinier now that he had a built in groomer and didn’t have to call Castiel every time he thought his feathers were looking dull. Not that Sam’s grooming was better than Castiel’s, because Sam still had a lot to learn in that department, but Sam’s grooming came with the benefits of a sexual nature. One that Gabriel would never complain about no matter how rumpled his wings look after the fact.
“Mr. Adler? I’m Gabriel Novak. I’m here for the opening in the theatre department.” He tried to make his voice sound steady, but Gabriel hadn’t had an interview since he got out of college and accepted the crossing guard job.
Zachariah Adler was an imposing man. He seemed to take his work very seriously and leveled Gabriel with a gaze that would surely make a lesser man quake with fear, but not Gabriel. Today’s Gabriel was much too self-assured to be done in by the likes of Mr. Adler. “Oh. Your wings are very… orange.” It wasn't original. Gabriel was almost sure that Mr. Adler was more surprised than anything and he didn’t seem to be looking at Gabriel as though he was the spawn of Godzilla and Godzilla’s horrendously colored mate.
“Yes, sir. Is that going to be a problem?”
“What? No, of course not,” he shook himself a little before rambling on about the theatre program and what classes Gabriel would be expected to teach, when syllabi were due, pretty much everything Gabriel researched about the college before coming to the interview to be perfectly prepared for any possible situation. Mr. Adler seemed impressed by Gabriel’s answers and said he’d offer Gabriel the job right now, but they needed his background check and that they should be in touch in a couple of weeks.
The first thing Gabriel did after the interview, well technically the second after that ridiculous victory dance, was call Sam.
“Hello Professor Novak. Are you calling about my low test grade? Because I’m totally willing to do whatever possible for extra credit,” was how his cheeky mate answered the phone.
“I like how that sounds. But I’m technically not a professor yet. I gotta pass the background check.”
“Well if you aren’t busy the rest of the afternoon how about you meet me. I have a surprise for you.”
“A sexy surprise?” Gabriel wondered out loud, because the sight of Sam in nothing but a bow had the potential to be very appealing.
Sam only laughed and said ‘maybe later’ before giving Gabriel an address and hanging up.
It turned out to be an apartment building, which was both beautiful and confusing. Gabriel could never afford something that nice on his previous salary and he’d never be able to pay for it on his own. “Why are we here?”
“To see an apartment,” Sam responded and the ‘duh’ at the end of the sentence was implied. Gabriel followed his mate up to the fourth floor and into 4C. It was spacious and Gabriel could easily stretch his wings to their full length and have room to spare. The feeling was nice and the view out the window was of a nice park instead of the trashy alley way outside of Gabriel’s current place.
“So, what do you think?”
“It’s great. Wonderfully really.”
“You like it?
“Yes?”
“Good because I’m thinking we should move here.” Sam’s huge smile left Gabriel little room to argue against the plan, because the two of them could easily afford their own apartment. One they could share. Just the two of them.
“So we’re moving in together?” Sam nodded. He looked as nervous as he did the first time Sam sctually groomed him. “This was a good surprise.”
*****
Epilogue
“How did you fit this much stuff into that tiny apartment of yours?” Sam questioned. And really there wasn’t that much. Sam was over exaggerating. Gabriel just happened to have a few more books now that he quit his job as a crossing guard and got hired to teach Introduction to Theatre at the local community college.
“Stop your whining Giagantor,” Dean chided lightly. “Cas and I have done most of the work. We had to carry up all the heavy stuff.” He sounded really put out about the whole experience, but Gabriel knew that Castiel was going to reward him after Mark had gone to bed. Possibly allowing Dean to groom his wings.
“Does that mean the new bed has arrived?” Gabriel questioned as close to Sam’s ear as he could get with his short stature. A shiver passed through the larger man right before he nodded in answer. “I guess I know what we’re doing later.” Gabriel said loud enough for the whole room to hear.
Dean looked petrified, as though his brother having sex was some sort of scandalous act. Castiel only pinched his face together in that disapproving look Gabriel had become intimately acquainted with over the years. “Gabriel, please. There are small children present.” Everyone looked over to where Mark was playing with his new train set given to him for his birthday. He didn’t even notice the adults had stopped talking to stare in his direction, so the likelihood he heard the comment was slim to none.
It took a few more hours to unload Gabriel and Sam’s things into their new apartment, and even longer for Dean and Castiel to take the hint and ‘Go Home Already’- Gabriel blamed his outburst on low-blood sugar, but really he just wanted to be alone with Sam in their new apartment. And maybe get his own wings groomed.
“This is nice,” Sam said while rubbing the wing grooming product between his hands in the pretense of warming it. “Being on our own like this.” Gabriel ‘hmm’d in response due to the fact Sam’s hands had found their way into his feathers, which didn’t make having conversations very easy. “I love you. It’s nice to say that and know we won’t be interrupted anytime soon.”
They wouldn’t be now that they had their own place. No brothers. No Mark. It made Gabriel’s decision to pounce on Sam an easy one, the mess of limbs they found themselves in turned into a laughing fit with the two trading kisses. “I love you too, Sam Winchester. I always will.
