Fic: Boring Dinner Parties
Title: Boring Dinner Parties
Author: bellacatbee
Rating: PG-13
Genre and/or Pairing: Dean/Castiel, Sam/Gabriel (with Sam/Castiel and Dean/Gabriel at the start)
Warnings: Infidelity, Partner Betrayal
Word Count: 3600 approx
Summary: Sam isn't even sure why he and Castiel host these dinner parties any more. The only people who ever come are Dean and Gabriel. They're so volatile, they shouldn't even be together. Not like him and Castiel. Their relationship is rock solid.
A/N: Although this story starts out with Sam/Castiel and Dean/Gabriel but the end pairs are Destiel and Sabriel. Thank you so much to cynassa for beta-reading.
Sam still wasn’t sure why they hosted this monthly dinner party. At first it had been a way to meet up with their friends, other young couples like themselves, to catch up and chat and then everyone had started breaking up. It was to be expected after all, not every couple could be as stable as he and Castiel were. They were reliable, dependable. Sam knew when he came home that Castiel would be in bed, reading and waiting up for him. He’d never had to worry that he’d show up one day and find all his things out on the sidewalk or discover that Castiel had run away to Rio. They were balanced and normal. Still, once their friends started drifting away and embracing the single life or new partners they should have finished these dinner parties because the only people who still came were Gabriel and Dean and they did not have a relationship that could in any way be described as stable.
Sam didn’t know why they were still together. If he’d had to put money on a couple breaking up then Dean and Gabriel would always have been his first choice. He and Castiel had set them up together, not really expecting it to go anywhere but Gabriel was Castiel’s favourite brother and Dean had practically raised Sam and at the time it had seemed a good idea that if they were happy then their brothers should also be happy, hopefully together. Dean and Gabriel didn’t make each other happy. They made each other miserable and they made everyone else around them miserable as well. Sharing an evening with them was like sitting through slow torture where you had to dodge around the possible landmine that was being laid. Dean would start with a supposedly safe topic like fixing a car and before you knew it Gabriel would be smashing plates and accusing Dean of screwing someone from work in the backseat of said car.
The worst part of it was Sam knew they did cheat on each other. He’d caught Dean when his brother hadn’t realised he was listening, talking filthy to someone who certainly wasn’t Gabriel and his brother had hung up, looking all guilty when Sam asked about it. He’d asked Dean then why they stayed together and Dean had just shrugged and told him the sex was good. It couldn’t be that good, Sam thought, if Dean was still looking elsewhere for it. At least with Castiel Sam was confident that he would never be cheated on. Castiel wasn’t that sort of person. He was too meek. Sometimes it bored Sam a little, the fact that Castiel didn’t seem to have his own opinion but simply copied Sam but then he’d think about Gabriel who had an opinion on everything and stated it, loudly and obnoxiously, for everyone to hear. It was much nicer having Castiel who agreed with him. Everything wasn’t a fight with Castiel.
Castiel was in the kitchen currently, putting the finishing touches to dessert while Sam finished setting the table. It was good how they could do things in complete silence and still feel in-sync with each other. They didn’t need to talk. Often not talking was good. Sam liked the peacefulness. In a little while there’d be noise and destruction and pandemonium so the quiet before the storm was something to savour. He and Castiel lived a very quiet life.
There was a knock on the door and Sam set down the final fork. In the kitchen he knew Castiel would be completely completing the little buds of squirty cream that topped the individual jello deserts he’d made for everyone. It amazed Sam sometimes how Castiel could take such pleasure in long, drawn out tasks. Sam liked to really get stuck into things but that meant casework and files from the office, not making sure that the little blobs of cream looked like roses. Maybe Castiel just had too much time on his hands. Although he worked part time he was always around the house, always there when Sam got home, always working on some craft or hobby. Sam didn’t even have the time for that much relaxation. He didn’t envy Castiel. He just worried he didn’t have enough to do.
There was another knock and Sam realised that he must have just been standing there, thinking about Castiel. It happened a lot recently. He was thinking about relationships, measuring his against other people’s. It was easy to see the cracks in other people’s foundations but he and Castiel were solid. They were the same sort of people; they wanted the same sort of things. They were exactly the type who stayed together. The complete opposite, in fact, of Dean and Gabriel. With that thought in mind he went out into the hall and opened the door.
“It’s about time!” Gabriel said, shoving past him and Sam could already tell they’d probably had a fight in the car before they’d got there. Dean was standing at the end of the drive way and Sam waited for his brother to slowly make the walk to the front door. He could hear Gabriel chattering in the background, hanging up his coat, making small talk with Castiel in the kitchen. Dean reached the door and thrust a bottle into Sam’s hands. It was whiskey. Sam raised an eyebrow.
“It’s for Castiel.” Dean said gruffly. “He likes the stuff.”
He shrugged off his jacket and hung it up on the peg beside the door before heading into the dining room and Sam looked at the bottle in his hands. He knew Castiel enjoyed the occasional drink but he’d never known he had a favourite brand or even a favourite type of alcohol. If anything Sam would have said this was Dean’s favourite but maybe his brother had just been lazy and had swiped something from the back of his liquor cabinet and was now trying to hide that with good, old-fashioned lying.
He went into the kitchen, passing Dean and Gabriel who were stubbornly staring at anywhere but each other and wrapped his arms around Castiel from behind. His boyfriend jumped and Sam thought he saw a guilty look pass over his face before it was gone, replaced with Castiel’s normal placid look.
“Look, Dean got you this.” Sam said, holding out the bottle and Castiel took it as if it was something precious.
“He remembered.” He said softly and Sam knew he was lost now. He had no idea what Castiel was talking about.
“Remembered what?” He asked and Castiel blushed, setting the whiskey bottle down on the countertop.
“Dean’s summer BBQ last year. He and I shared some of it.” He said, turning back to the stove and Sam sighed. He didn’t remember much of that BBQ. He’d stayed outside with Gabriel, talking about nothing, arguing mostly because Gabriel could believe the world was flat if it meant getting Sam riled up and Dean and Castiel had drifted off into the house at some point. Sam was glad they were getting on. He’d thought for a long time they didn’t like each other but apparently they were friends really. Important enough friends to have special memories and gifts only the other would understand. Still, that was good in Sam’s book. He and Castiel were in it for the long haul. Dean and his boyfriend being good friends would make everything easier.
“I’m nearly ready to bring out the starter.” Castiel said, still not looking at him but Sam didn’t mind that so much. At least he understood the significance of the whiskey now. “Maybe you should ask Dean and Gabriel if they want something to drink?”
“Do you think we should add alcohol to the situation?” Sam laughed but he was heading out of the kitchen door and back into the dining room. Gabriel was poking at his placemat with his fork, bored and Sam swallowed down any biting remarks and reminded himself that Gabriel was Castiel’s favourite brother. The fact that he was also an infuriating pest was just a problem Sam would have to deal with. Sometimes he wondered how Castiel could even stand him. He’d met Castiel’s other brothers. They were poised and thoughtful and maybe a little over zealous in their particular passions but none of them were like Gabriel. Sam could only give thanks that Castiel had never been the sort of child who wanted to grow up to be just like their favourite sibling. Sam could just about stand one of Gabriel.
“So,” He said, capturing their attention. “Drinks?”
**
Castiel collected the plates and Sam shot his brother a look, waiting for Dean to say something complimentary. Dean leant back in his chair, flicking at a stray lock of hair on the back of Gabriel’s neck, making the smaller man shiver.
“Nice dinner, Cas.” He said and Castiel’s expression, which had been icy, melted a little. Sam got the feeling that something was wrong between them but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He was starting to suspect the whiskey had been a peace-offering and an apology that Dean couldn’t voice.
Dean swung his arm around Gabriel’s shoulder, leaning in to nuzzle against his ear, making Gabriel gasp and Castiel ducked into the kitchen. A second later Sam heard him throw the plates into the sink and he winced. He didn’t blame Castiel for not wanting to be around Dean and Gabriel when they got handsy. Gabriel had slipped down in his chair, a pleased smile on his face and Sam jumped as he felt Gabriel’s foot stroke against his calf. At some point Gabriel had kicked off his shoes and Sam sat frozen as Gabriel stroked up and down his leg while Dean murmured something filthy in his ear.
This was really going too far. Sam knew that his brother had an unorthodox sex life but he didn’t think Dean had ever been interested in sharing his bed partners with him. That meant this was probably all Gabriel’s idea and it made Sam see red. Castiel was in the kitchen - Sam’s lover, Gabriel’s little brother - and Gabriel was out here doing indecent things to Sam’s inseam.
“Dean,” He gasped out, grabbing his drink and draining the last of it. His throat was suddenly dry but he needed to talk to Gabriel and talk to him alone. “Go and help Cas with the dessert.”
Dean raised an eyebrow but he pushed his chair back, leaving Sam and Gabriel on their own. Gabriel continued to smirk at him and Sam found himself clenching his fists. “Just what did you think you’re doing?” He hissed.
Gabriel’s eyes widened, all false innocence and Sam kicked him. Gabriel squeaked, curling back on himself.
“Come on, Sammy. I was just trying to have some fun!” He protested and Sam ground his teeth together.
“I’m dating your brother. You are dating my brother. That should be enough to stop this train of thought.” Sam hissed. Gabriel pouted, wiggling around in his chair.
“Yes, but you’re not very happy with Castiel, are you?” He said, glancing towards the kitchen door and Sam felt his cheeks flush red.
“What? I love Castiel!” He said hotly and Gabriel laughed. It was a harsh sound, mocking more than anything and Sam wondered how much trouble he’d be in with Dean and Castiel if he punched Gabriel. “Why are you laughing?” He asked, reminding himself that he wasn’t normally angry like this, that he was always calm. Dean was the hot-head. It was just that Gabriel got under his skin. He was always able to find just the right buttons to press to get to Sam. It was some ridiculous talent he had and Sam wished he’d stop.
“You don’t love Castiel. You haven’t loved him for a very long time. You’re used to him but that’s all.” Gabriel said. He looked oddly sad and somehow that was worse for Sam than if he’d been enjoying it.
“You’re wrong.” He bit out.
“Am I? You’re bored of him but you don’t want to break it off. You hardly notice him anymore, you never touch. You’re so disinterested in him you haven’t even realised he’s been having an affair for the last year!”
The words were like a slap in the face and Sam reeled back from them.
“You’re lying.” He said, feeling the ground begin to slip away, all of his security, everything he’d thought he’d known for certain disappearing in the blink of an eye. He thought back over the last year, about how distant Castiel had become, how they hadn’t even had sex for months. Sam would have cared but sex hadn’t been on his mind either. Now he realised why Castiel didn’t want his touch.
He swallowed hard, looking at Gabriel again. Gabriel looked terribly miserable, as if he wasn’t really happy to be telling Sam the news that the whole last year of his life had been built on a lie.
“Who is it?” Sam asked and Gabriel flinched. It was almost indistinguishable but it was there.
“I thought you could have guessed that, Sam.” He said and understanding bloomed in Sam’s mind. It all made sense now. Why the dinner parties continued, the bottle of whiskey that commemorated something special to Dean and Castiel from last Summer, even the fact that Castiel had been jumpy and unhappy with Dean all evening. Sam wondered how he could have missed it before. All the signs had been there and he’d never even realised.
He got to his feet slowly, his tread as light as he could make it and he pushed open the kitchen door.
Castiel was pressed back against the sink, Dean’s arms around him. His eyes were closed and Sam could see he’d been crying. Dean was talking to him softly and Sam strained to hear what he was saying.
“I can’t do it to Sam, I can’t take you from him.” Dean whispered and Sam wondered how many times he’d told Castiel that, if this was what their fight had been about. Castiel wanted to leave, was ready to jump and Dean was the one stopping him. He was worried about breaking his little brother’s heart. Sam would have found it touching if he didn’t guess Dean had been happy enough to sleep with Castiel on the side. It was just the thought of making it public, of having to make Sam aware of the betrayal that was stopping him.
Sam let the door slip closed and tip-toed back to his seat. Gabriel was looking at him sadly.
“What?” Sam snapped, expecting some sort of pity which he didn’t want but Gabriel’s lips curled up at the sides.
“Why don’t you just dump him? You’ll be doing them both a favour. Dean will never let you get hurt and Castiel will just do what he says. You’re making them both miserable!”
Sam gaped at him. “But you’re dating Dean! Don’t you care?”
Gabriel shrugged. “The sex is good. I know it’s going to end sooner or later but I’m still Castiel’s brother. I’m almost good enough for the moment.” He flashed Sam an unhappy smile and Sam wondered if that was what he was for Castiel - almost good enough but nothing like what he really wanted. He wondered if Castiel could close his eyes and imagine it was Dean holding him or if he just wished Sam wouldn’t touch him.
He buried his head in his hands. “Gabriel,” Sam murmured. “I need to break up with him, don’t I?”
“Probably.” Gabriel said. Sam heard his chair scrapping back on the floor and a second later Gabriel’s arms were around him and Gabriel’s fingers were stroking through his hair. “He’s fucking your brother. It’s not a healthy relationship.”
Sam laughed. It felt like the first time he’d laughed in years. He tested out the idea of being single again, of Castiel not being there when he got home and realised what a weight it would be off his shoulders. He turned in his chair, wrapping his arms around Gabriel and enjoyed the physical contact. He’d been living with Castiel but they hadn’t been together for a long time, not in the ways that mattered. The kitchen door opened and Sam felt Gabriel pull away from him as if scolded. He cast Gabriel a confused look but Castiel was standing in the doorway, his clothes askew, the beginnings of a bruise on his neck.
“Sam, your brother has something to tell you.” He said and Sam could see, through the open door, Dean leaning against the countertop, looking like thunder.
“I’ve got something to tell you too, Castiel.” He said, grinning cheerfully. “You’re dumped.”
**
Four months later
“Are you sure you’ve hosted a dinner party before?” Sam asked, eyeing the large assortment of cups and glasses and bottles of strangely coloured alcohol that Gabriel had covered the dining room table in.
“Bah! My cocktail parties are legendary.” Gabriel said, grabbing a particularly noxious looking lime green bottle and pouring a shot of it into a cocktail shaker.
“Dinner party, Gabriel. People are expecting to eat.” Sam murmured, smiling. He caught Gabriel around the waist and kissed him. He tasted like melon and alcohol. It was an odd mixture.
The last four months had been a strange mixture of the worst weeks of his life and the best. Having to help Castiel box up their life together, seeing him move his things out and into the back of Dean’s car, it had been harder than Sam wanted to admit. He and Castiel weren’t in love any more but that didn’t mean that Castiel wasn’t still important to him. Dean was guilty as hell, blaming himself and a few times he’d phoned Sam and asked him if he wanted Dean to break up with Castiel. The worst part of that for Sam had been that he’d known if he said yes then Dean would have done it in a heartbeat. He’d have been miserable, he would have destroyed Castiel’s life but he would have done it if he thought it would make Sam happy.
Sam had talked him down, convinced him to stop panicking and eventually the phone calls had stopped.
Then Gabriel had started coming round, mixing his horrid cocktails and telling Sam he could cry on his shoulder if he wanted. Then he’d kick off his shoes, throw himself down into Sam’s lap and pass out in the early hours of the morning. Sam liked to think he was growing a little more observant. It only took him a few weeks to work out that Gabriel fancied him. It just took him a little longer to realise that he found Gabriel a lot less annoying when he was kissing him and Gabriel couldn’t talk back.
Gabriel had turned up with all his things the morning after their first time together while Sam was at work and picked the lock to let himself in. Sam could never say that Gabriel was reliable. Sometimes Gabriel wasn’t there when he got home, sometimes he didn’t roll in until 2am, singing raucously. Sam never knew how he got money and he wasn’t all that certain he wanted to find out. After sensible, orderly Castiel, Gabriel was a breath of fresh air. Sam never knew what he’d be doing and he found he liked the instability. He liked the danger Gabriel bought into his life. He centred Gabriel and Gabriel gave him excitement. He was everything that Sam had been missing but hadn’t been aware of needing.
Dean however seemed to blossom under Castiel’s careful attention. He was drinking less, eating better, going to bed at normal times and turning up for work. He was still Dean. He still played his music too loud as he drove down the street and he still reached for a bottle when something was going wrong in his life but now he was a Dean who was happy. Sam was just glad it had worked out so well for both of them.
There was a knock on the door and he let Gabriel go, laughing when Gabriel tried to pull him back in for another kiss. He opened the front door, dragging first Dean and then a hesitant Castiel into a hug.
“Come in, Gabriel’s mixing cocktails.” He said, noticing the green tinge that passed over Dean’s face at the idea of it.
“I brought sandwiches.” Castiel said, holding up a Tupperware box. Sam glanced at Dean who held up a DVD.
“And I brought Die Hard.” He said.
Sam thought back to stuffy dinner parties, enforced rigidity and the painful truth hiding beneath the surface that no one wanted to explore too closely in case the facade of a nice life fell apart. Now he was glad that Gabriel had bought it to his attention. Everyone was right where they should have been all along.
“Great.” He said, opening the door wider and ushering them inside. He turned just in time to see Dean taking Castiel’s coat, his fingers brushing over Castiel’s back and to catch the smile on Castiel’s face. It wasn’t a smile Sam had seen in all the time they were together and he wondered where Castiel had been hiding it. A second later Gabriel slipped his hand into Sam’s and forced a cocktail in a pink glass with an umbrella and sparkler into his hand and Sam forgot to care. He had much better things to worry about now. Like if Gabriel was about to give him alcohol poisoning in pursuit of the perfect before-dinner drink.
Sam took a sip and grimaced. This certainly was not the perfect before-dinner drink but everything else in his life was pretty good
.
Author: bellacatbee
Rating: PG-13
Genre and/or Pairing: Dean/Castiel, Sam/Gabriel (with Sam/Castiel and Dean/Gabriel at the start)
Warnings: Infidelity, Partner Betrayal
Word Count: 3600 approx
Summary: Sam isn't even sure why he and Castiel host these dinner parties any more. The only people who ever come are Dean and Gabriel. They're so volatile, they shouldn't even be together. Not like him and Castiel. Their relationship is rock solid.
A/N: Although this story starts out with Sam/Castiel and Dean/Gabriel but the end pairs are Destiel and Sabriel. Thank you so much to cynassa for beta-reading.
Sam still wasn’t sure why they hosted this monthly dinner party. At first it had been a way to meet up with their friends, other young couples like themselves, to catch up and chat and then everyone had started breaking up. It was to be expected after all, not every couple could be as stable as he and Castiel were. They were reliable, dependable. Sam knew when he came home that Castiel would be in bed, reading and waiting up for him. He’d never had to worry that he’d show up one day and find all his things out on the sidewalk or discover that Castiel had run away to Rio. They were balanced and normal. Still, once their friends started drifting away and embracing the single life or new partners they should have finished these dinner parties because the only people who still came were Gabriel and Dean and they did not have a relationship that could in any way be described as stable.
Sam didn’t know why they were still together. If he’d had to put money on a couple breaking up then Dean and Gabriel would always have been his first choice. He and Castiel had set them up together, not really expecting it to go anywhere but Gabriel was Castiel’s favourite brother and Dean had practically raised Sam and at the time it had seemed a good idea that if they were happy then their brothers should also be happy, hopefully together. Dean and Gabriel didn’t make each other happy. They made each other miserable and they made everyone else around them miserable as well. Sharing an evening with them was like sitting through slow torture where you had to dodge around the possible landmine that was being laid. Dean would start with a supposedly safe topic like fixing a car and before you knew it Gabriel would be smashing plates and accusing Dean of screwing someone from work in the backseat of said car.
The worst part of it was Sam knew they did cheat on each other. He’d caught Dean when his brother hadn’t realised he was listening, talking filthy to someone who certainly wasn’t Gabriel and his brother had hung up, looking all guilty when Sam asked about it. He’d asked Dean then why they stayed together and Dean had just shrugged and told him the sex was good. It couldn’t be that good, Sam thought, if Dean was still looking elsewhere for it. At least with Castiel Sam was confident that he would never be cheated on. Castiel wasn’t that sort of person. He was too meek. Sometimes it bored Sam a little, the fact that Castiel didn’t seem to have his own opinion but simply copied Sam but then he’d think about Gabriel who had an opinion on everything and stated it, loudly and obnoxiously, for everyone to hear. It was much nicer having Castiel who agreed with him. Everything wasn’t a fight with Castiel.
Castiel was in the kitchen currently, putting the finishing touches to dessert while Sam finished setting the table. It was good how they could do things in complete silence and still feel in-sync with each other. They didn’t need to talk. Often not talking was good. Sam liked the peacefulness. In a little while there’d be noise and destruction and pandemonium so the quiet before the storm was something to savour. He and Castiel lived a very quiet life.
There was a knock on the door and Sam set down the final fork. In the kitchen he knew Castiel would be completely completing the little buds of squirty cream that topped the individual jello deserts he’d made for everyone. It amazed Sam sometimes how Castiel could take such pleasure in long, drawn out tasks. Sam liked to really get stuck into things but that meant casework and files from the office, not making sure that the little blobs of cream looked like roses. Maybe Castiel just had too much time on his hands. Although he worked part time he was always around the house, always there when Sam got home, always working on some craft or hobby. Sam didn’t even have the time for that much relaxation. He didn’t envy Castiel. He just worried he didn’t have enough to do.
There was another knock and Sam realised that he must have just been standing there, thinking about Castiel. It happened a lot recently. He was thinking about relationships, measuring his against other people’s. It was easy to see the cracks in other people’s foundations but he and Castiel were solid. They were the same sort of people; they wanted the same sort of things. They were exactly the type who stayed together. The complete opposite, in fact, of Dean and Gabriel. With that thought in mind he went out into the hall and opened the door.
“It’s about time!” Gabriel said, shoving past him and Sam could already tell they’d probably had a fight in the car before they’d got there. Dean was standing at the end of the drive way and Sam waited for his brother to slowly make the walk to the front door. He could hear Gabriel chattering in the background, hanging up his coat, making small talk with Castiel in the kitchen. Dean reached the door and thrust a bottle into Sam’s hands. It was whiskey. Sam raised an eyebrow.
“It’s for Castiel.” Dean said gruffly. “He likes the stuff.”
He shrugged off his jacket and hung it up on the peg beside the door before heading into the dining room and Sam looked at the bottle in his hands. He knew Castiel enjoyed the occasional drink but he’d never known he had a favourite brand or even a favourite type of alcohol. If anything Sam would have said this was Dean’s favourite but maybe his brother had just been lazy and had swiped something from the back of his liquor cabinet and was now trying to hide that with good, old-fashioned lying.
He went into the kitchen, passing Dean and Gabriel who were stubbornly staring at anywhere but each other and wrapped his arms around Castiel from behind. His boyfriend jumped and Sam thought he saw a guilty look pass over his face before it was gone, replaced with Castiel’s normal placid look.
“Look, Dean got you this.” Sam said, holding out the bottle and Castiel took it as if it was something precious.
“He remembered.” He said softly and Sam knew he was lost now. He had no idea what Castiel was talking about.
“Remembered what?” He asked and Castiel blushed, setting the whiskey bottle down on the countertop.
“Dean’s summer BBQ last year. He and I shared some of it.” He said, turning back to the stove and Sam sighed. He didn’t remember much of that BBQ. He’d stayed outside with Gabriel, talking about nothing, arguing mostly because Gabriel could believe the world was flat if it meant getting Sam riled up and Dean and Castiel had drifted off into the house at some point. Sam was glad they were getting on. He’d thought for a long time they didn’t like each other but apparently they were friends really. Important enough friends to have special memories and gifts only the other would understand. Still, that was good in Sam’s book. He and Castiel were in it for the long haul. Dean and his boyfriend being good friends would make everything easier.
“I’m nearly ready to bring out the starter.” Castiel said, still not looking at him but Sam didn’t mind that so much. At least he understood the significance of the whiskey now. “Maybe you should ask Dean and Gabriel if they want something to drink?”
“Do you think we should add alcohol to the situation?” Sam laughed but he was heading out of the kitchen door and back into the dining room. Gabriel was poking at his placemat with his fork, bored and Sam swallowed down any biting remarks and reminded himself that Gabriel was Castiel’s favourite brother. The fact that he was also an infuriating pest was just a problem Sam would have to deal with. Sometimes he wondered how Castiel could even stand him. He’d met Castiel’s other brothers. They were poised and thoughtful and maybe a little over zealous in their particular passions but none of them were like Gabriel. Sam could only give thanks that Castiel had never been the sort of child who wanted to grow up to be just like their favourite sibling. Sam could just about stand one of Gabriel.
“So,” He said, capturing their attention. “Drinks?”
**
Castiel collected the plates and Sam shot his brother a look, waiting for Dean to say something complimentary. Dean leant back in his chair, flicking at a stray lock of hair on the back of Gabriel’s neck, making the smaller man shiver.
“Nice dinner, Cas.” He said and Castiel’s expression, which had been icy, melted a little. Sam got the feeling that something was wrong between them but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He was starting to suspect the whiskey had been a peace-offering and an apology that Dean couldn’t voice.
Dean swung his arm around Gabriel’s shoulder, leaning in to nuzzle against his ear, making Gabriel gasp and Castiel ducked into the kitchen. A second later Sam heard him throw the plates into the sink and he winced. He didn’t blame Castiel for not wanting to be around Dean and Gabriel when they got handsy. Gabriel had slipped down in his chair, a pleased smile on his face and Sam jumped as he felt Gabriel’s foot stroke against his calf. At some point Gabriel had kicked off his shoes and Sam sat frozen as Gabriel stroked up and down his leg while Dean murmured something filthy in his ear.
This was really going too far. Sam knew that his brother had an unorthodox sex life but he didn’t think Dean had ever been interested in sharing his bed partners with him. That meant this was probably all Gabriel’s idea and it made Sam see red. Castiel was in the kitchen - Sam’s lover, Gabriel’s little brother - and Gabriel was out here doing indecent things to Sam’s inseam.
“Dean,” He gasped out, grabbing his drink and draining the last of it. His throat was suddenly dry but he needed to talk to Gabriel and talk to him alone. “Go and help Cas with the dessert.”
Dean raised an eyebrow but he pushed his chair back, leaving Sam and Gabriel on their own. Gabriel continued to smirk at him and Sam found himself clenching his fists. “Just what did you think you’re doing?” He hissed.
Gabriel’s eyes widened, all false innocence and Sam kicked him. Gabriel squeaked, curling back on himself.
“Come on, Sammy. I was just trying to have some fun!” He protested and Sam ground his teeth together.
“I’m dating your brother. You are dating my brother. That should be enough to stop this train of thought.” Sam hissed. Gabriel pouted, wiggling around in his chair.
“Yes, but you’re not very happy with Castiel, are you?” He said, glancing towards the kitchen door and Sam felt his cheeks flush red.
“What? I love Castiel!” He said hotly and Gabriel laughed. It was a harsh sound, mocking more than anything and Sam wondered how much trouble he’d be in with Dean and Castiel if he punched Gabriel. “Why are you laughing?” He asked, reminding himself that he wasn’t normally angry like this, that he was always calm. Dean was the hot-head. It was just that Gabriel got under his skin. He was always able to find just the right buttons to press to get to Sam. It was some ridiculous talent he had and Sam wished he’d stop.
“You don’t love Castiel. You haven’t loved him for a very long time. You’re used to him but that’s all.” Gabriel said. He looked oddly sad and somehow that was worse for Sam than if he’d been enjoying it.
“You’re wrong.” He bit out.
“Am I? You’re bored of him but you don’t want to break it off. You hardly notice him anymore, you never touch. You’re so disinterested in him you haven’t even realised he’s been having an affair for the last year!”
The words were like a slap in the face and Sam reeled back from them.
“You’re lying.” He said, feeling the ground begin to slip away, all of his security, everything he’d thought he’d known for certain disappearing in the blink of an eye. He thought back over the last year, about how distant Castiel had become, how they hadn’t even had sex for months. Sam would have cared but sex hadn’t been on his mind either. Now he realised why Castiel didn’t want his touch.
He swallowed hard, looking at Gabriel again. Gabriel looked terribly miserable, as if he wasn’t really happy to be telling Sam the news that the whole last year of his life had been built on a lie.
“Who is it?” Sam asked and Gabriel flinched. It was almost indistinguishable but it was there.
“I thought you could have guessed that, Sam.” He said and understanding bloomed in Sam’s mind. It all made sense now. Why the dinner parties continued, the bottle of whiskey that commemorated something special to Dean and Castiel from last Summer, even the fact that Castiel had been jumpy and unhappy with Dean all evening. Sam wondered how he could have missed it before. All the signs had been there and he’d never even realised.
He got to his feet slowly, his tread as light as he could make it and he pushed open the kitchen door.
Castiel was pressed back against the sink, Dean’s arms around him. His eyes were closed and Sam could see he’d been crying. Dean was talking to him softly and Sam strained to hear what he was saying.
“I can’t do it to Sam, I can’t take you from him.” Dean whispered and Sam wondered how many times he’d told Castiel that, if this was what their fight had been about. Castiel wanted to leave, was ready to jump and Dean was the one stopping him. He was worried about breaking his little brother’s heart. Sam would have found it touching if he didn’t guess Dean had been happy enough to sleep with Castiel on the side. It was just the thought of making it public, of having to make Sam aware of the betrayal that was stopping him.
Sam let the door slip closed and tip-toed back to his seat. Gabriel was looking at him sadly.
“What?” Sam snapped, expecting some sort of pity which he didn’t want but Gabriel’s lips curled up at the sides.
“Why don’t you just dump him? You’ll be doing them both a favour. Dean will never let you get hurt and Castiel will just do what he says. You’re making them both miserable!”
Sam gaped at him. “But you’re dating Dean! Don’t you care?”
Gabriel shrugged. “The sex is good. I know it’s going to end sooner or later but I’m still Castiel’s brother. I’m almost good enough for the moment.” He flashed Sam an unhappy smile and Sam wondered if that was what he was for Castiel - almost good enough but nothing like what he really wanted. He wondered if Castiel could close his eyes and imagine it was Dean holding him or if he just wished Sam wouldn’t touch him.
He buried his head in his hands. “Gabriel,” Sam murmured. “I need to break up with him, don’t I?”
“Probably.” Gabriel said. Sam heard his chair scrapping back on the floor and a second later Gabriel’s arms were around him and Gabriel’s fingers were stroking through his hair. “He’s fucking your brother. It’s not a healthy relationship.”
Sam laughed. It felt like the first time he’d laughed in years. He tested out the idea of being single again, of Castiel not being there when he got home and realised what a weight it would be off his shoulders. He turned in his chair, wrapping his arms around Gabriel and enjoyed the physical contact. He’d been living with Castiel but they hadn’t been together for a long time, not in the ways that mattered. The kitchen door opened and Sam felt Gabriel pull away from him as if scolded. He cast Gabriel a confused look but Castiel was standing in the doorway, his clothes askew, the beginnings of a bruise on his neck.
“Sam, your brother has something to tell you.” He said and Sam could see, through the open door, Dean leaning against the countertop, looking like thunder.
“I’ve got something to tell you too, Castiel.” He said, grinning cheerfully. “You’re dumped.”
**
Four months later
“Are you sure you’ve hosted a dinner party before?” Sam asked, eyeing the large assortment of cups and glasses and bottles of strangely coloured alcohol that Gabriel had covered the dining room table in.
“Bah! My cocktail parties are legendary.” Gabriel said, grabbing a particularly noxious looking lime green bottle and pouring a shot of it into a cocktail shaker.
“Dinner party, Gabriel. People are expecting to eat.” Sam murmured, smiling. He caught Gabriel around the waist and kissed him. He tasted like melon and alcohol. It was an odd mixture.
The last four months had been a strange mixture of the worst weeks of his life and the best. Having to help Castiel box up their life together, seeing him move his things out and into the back of Dean’s car, it had been harder than Sam wanted to admit. He and Castiel weren’t in love any more but that didn’t mean that Castiel wasn’t still important to him. Dean was guilty as hell, blaming himself and a few times he’d phoned Sam and asked him if he wanted Dean to break up with Castiel. The worst part of that for Sam had been that he’d known if he said yes then Dean would have done it in a heartbeat. He’d have been miserable, he would have destroyed Castiel’s life but he would have done it if he thought it would make Sam happy.
Sam had talked him down, convinced him to stop panicking and eventually the phone calls had stopped.
Then Gabriel had started coming round, mixing his horrid cocktails and telling Sam he could cry on his shoulder if he wanted. Then he’d kick off his shoes, throw himself down into Sam’s lap and pass out in the early hours of the morning. Sam liked to think he was growing a little more observant. It only took him a few weeks to work out that Gabriel fancied him. It just took him a little longer to realise that he found Gabriel a lot less annoying when he was kissing him and Gabriel couldn’t talk back.
Gabriel had turned up with all his things the morning after their first time together while Sam was at work and picked the lock to let himself in. Sam could never say that Gabriel was reliable. Sometimes Gabriel wasn’t there when he got home, sometimes he didn’t roll in until 2am, singing raucously. Sam never knew how he got money and he wasn’t all that certain he wanted to find out. After sensible, orderly Castiel, Gabriel was a breath of fresh air. Sam never knew what he’d be doing and he found he liked the instability. He liked the danger Gabriel bought into his life. He centred Gabriel and Gabriel gave him excitement. He was everything that Sam had been missing but hadn’t been aware of needing.
Dean however seemed to blossom under Castiel’s careful attention. He was drinking less, eating better, going to bed at normal times and turning up for work. He was still Dean. He still played his music too loud as he drove down the street and he still reached for a bottle when something was going wrong in his life but now he was a Dean who was happy. Sam was just glad it had worked out so well for both of them.
There was a knock on the door and he let Gabriel go, laughing when Gabriel tried to pull him back in for another kiss. He opened the front door, dragging first Dean and then a hesitant Castiel into a hug.
“Come in, Gabriel’s mixing cocktails.” He said, noticing the green tinge that passed over Dean’s face at the idea of it.
“I brought sandwiches.” Castiel said, holding up a Tupperware box. Sam glanced at Dean who held up a DVD.
“And I brought Die Hard.” He said.
Sam thought back to stuffy dinner parties, enforced rigidity and the painful truth hiding beneath the surface that no one wanted to explore too closely in case the facade of a nice life fell apart. Now he was glad that Gabriel had bought it to his attention. Everyone was right where they should have been all along.
“Great.” He said, opening the door wider and ushering them inside. He turned just in time to see Dean taking Castiel’s coat, his fingers brushing over Castiel’s back and to catch the smile on Castiel’s face. It wasn’t a smile Sam had seen in all the time they were together and he wondered where Castiel had been hiding it. A second later Gabriel slipped his hand into Sam’s and forced a cocktail in a pink glass with an umbrella and sparkler into his hand and Sam forgot to care. He had much better things to worry about now. Like if Gabriel was about to give him alcohol poisoning in pursuit of the perfect before-dinner drink.
Sam took a sip and grimaced. This certainly was not the perfect before-dinner drink but everything else in his life was pretty good
.