Ridiculous (2/5)
Title: Ridiculous
Author: ms_barcode
Artist: gblvr
Genre: Romantic comedy
Pairing (if applicable): Sam/Gabriel (eventual); Dean/Castiel (established); mentions of various past relationships for both Sam and Gabriel, as well as Dean; Balthazar/Everyone+Everything
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Sex, masturbation, mentions of euthanasia
Word Count: 37 373
Summary: Sam Winchester and Gabriel Novak have known each other for years, since Sam was in high school and Gabriel was in his junior year of University. Thirteen years later, Gabriel is a pediatrician at York General, the same hospital where Sam works as the legal counsel. Neither knows that the other has carried a torch for them for the better portion of those thirteen years, but just about everyone else and their dog is no stranger to the fact. Having had enough, Sam's older brother Dean, and Gabriel's younger brother, Castiel, concoct a plan to force the two to admit their feelings for each other - or move on with moving on - and are joined in their mission by a wide array of characters from across the series. If this sounds like your standard rom-com, that’s because it is! Laughs and good times are a promise!
Masterpost | Art Post
Part One
If either Sam or Gabriel had thought the first day of their time together after Dean and Cas had performed their respective interventions was awkward, neither of them had any idea what the rest of the week would bring them. Nothing short of high school freshman brand awkward; untimely laughter when the other was speaking and what they were saying wasn't particularly funny, lingering touches that lingered in the most unflattering way, interrupting each other constantly after silences that felt as though they were dragging on forever but in all honestly had only lasted five seconds or less - in short it was really a hot mess. And Gabriel was beginning to unravel. Sam had already had a short breakdown in the apartment on Thursday night at Dean, ranting, gestulating, voice rising octaves in his stress. The product of Dean and Castiel's genius plan to get them together was starting to turn into the crashing together of two immovable forces, both intent on finding out the other's intentions and really only succeeding in making the other hide their intentions all the more.
"I have a few concerns about how Saturday will go," Castiel said, handing Dean his coffee - black - as they walked to a small corner table in the coffee shop nearby the garage Dean worked at. "I trust you have a sharp enough knife to cut the sexual tension that is going to be clogging up that room when we all crowd in together? And I don't mean from us, so don't even try to spin this into some sort of ploy to charm me, Dean."
Dean looked a little trodden on for a moment has he pulled back his chair and dropped into it. "Well, I think I have a welding torch somewhere in the apartment. But I know what you mean. I haven't seen Sam this worked up in a long time. He's all concerned that the way Gabriel is acting is because he is coming on too strong and he's weirding him out, but he says now that he's started he can't stop - and then he started to over share about how he wants to take Gabriel into his office and just," Dean made a show of shuddering dramatically. "I know he's your brother and all, Cas, but I really could do without thinking about Sam bending him over his desk and - Ack, there it goes again." He pressed a hand over his eyes as though attempting to will away the mental image with pressure to his eyelids.
Castiel blinked slowly, taking his seat. "I guess I'm the lucky one in this situation. I haven't spent enough time speaking with Gabriel for him to share any fantasies. Recently, anyway. But he actually seems genuinely concerned that Sam is going to assume that he is, what was the term... Swimfanning him?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah, swimfanning. It's this movie about his swimmer who gets stalked by some crazy chick."
Castiel frowned. "I see. Well, Gabriel isn't stalking Sam, so I am not sure why exactly he is making this comparison, but either way," he took a sip of his coffee, looking out the front window of the shop, lost in thought. "I am beginning to wonder if maybe we shouldn't just tell them that we know they are each in love with the other."
Dean lowered his coffee, raising both eyebrows at Cas across the table. "But weren't you the one who said it was better to let them get it through their thick skulls themselves? So that they wouldn't be all bitter towards us for meddling?"
A nod, and Cas turned his blue eyes back to Dean's face, smiling grimly. "Yes, but the longer this goes on, the more concerned I become that they will alienate each other, and I just can't deal with the moping that they would both do, Dean. Gabriel becomes snappish and easily annoyed when he is displeased with himself, and I would rather not have my head bitten off."
That was a point that Dean could concede. Sam tended to mope in the most stellar of fashions; emo rock and long silent periods and Dean wouldn't put it past the kid to lie awake in bed at night staring at the ceiling and blaming himself for whatever had happened to cause him to mope in the first place. "So, we just put the plan to rest and straight tell them to get their shit together on Saturday?"
"Oh, oh, is this about Sam and Gabriel?"
Suddenly a third chair was spun to join theirs at the small table, and a lanky woman wearing a black cropped AC/DC shirt and tight navy jeans dropped into it, backwards, one hand pushing her sunglasses up into her short wavy black hair before both arms crossed over the back of the chair. Sam's ex, Pamela Barnes.
"How's it going, you two? Sam hasn't been answering my texts, give me all the juicy gossip, come on now."
Of all of Sam's exes, Pam had to be one of Dean's favourites. It was basically her and Jess, and Andy a close second, who Dean considered his own friends. Pamela was just his kind of chick. Admittedly, they had fooled around a bit themselves, but what was some swapped spit between friends, right? Besides, Pam had been one of the most vocal about the advent of Dean and Castiel's relationship. She didn't have the best history with Cas, but she'd warmed to him over time, possibly for Dean's sake.
The fact that Pam was asking after Sam and Gabriel's on-going soap opera meant two things. One, Sam must have vented to her at one point in the past week. Two, it was a nice coincidence that Pam had dropped in tableside now, because her input would be great in the long run.
Pam had been the only one of Sam's girlfriends to catch on to the torch he was carrying for Gabriel. And she had not once held it against him, only pushed him towards admitting it already, because it couldn't hurt anything. In the years since she and Sam had broken things off she had regularly made check-ins on Sam's Pine-Fest, asking him why he wasn't 'rigorously tapping that ass' already every time that she got a check-up. If anyone should be pulled in on Dean and Cas' little scheme before they pulled the plug and declared their attempts fruitless, it was Pamela Barnes.
"We're well, if you don't count residual stress from Sam and Gabriel fumbling their potential relationship," Castiel answered. "It's good to see you, Pamela."
"Cas, baby," Pam reached over, dancing her fingers through Castiel's unruly dark hair. "I always tell you to call me Pam, don't I?" she glanced between the two of them. "I'm glad to hear that you two are well. Sam texted me a few days ago, said he was finally going to make his move with Gabriel," she raised a dark eyebrow, smirking a bit. "I take it that, in true Sam fashion, he is bumbling his way through this?"
"Oh yeah," Dean said, nodding broadly, lifting his coffee to take a sip. "You know how he is."
"Oh, don't I ever," Pam answered, laughter in her tones. "What I don't understand," she continued, looking to Cas. "Is why Gabriel hasn't caught on and jumped Sam on the examining table yet."
"Gross," Dean put in cheerily.
"Well, that's the real issue, isn't it?" Cas said, tapping his fingers on the table top while he put the pieces together. "Normally Gabriel would be all over this opportunity. But I think the fact that Sam is, for once, being rather forward about things, has thrown him for a loop, and he isn't sure how to proceed. We were planning to get together all four tomorrow evening and Dean and I both hoped that they would have gotten themselves together by this point so we could celebrate the end to the sexual tension. But as you've probably gathered, unless they both come home punch drunk on love tonight..."
Pam nodded sagely. “I can see your predicament, gentlemen, and I propose you invite me over tomorrow too.”
Dean and Cas both looked up at that, raising eyebrows at Pam, whose expression said nothing of this suggestion being a joke.
"You should maybe invite Andy too. And maybe, ah Rachel and Balthazar? If there's anyone from your side of the family who can knock some sense into Gabriel, Cas, it's Balthazar. And Rachel's pushy enough to lecture him about it. Andy and I will be there for Sam's moral support. And maybe Andy will get stupid enough to just blurt out enough to have Sam running to get Gabriel alone and admit it himself before he hears it in stoner-ese."
Castiel had to admit, it was a sound plan. And the more people there, the less chance there was that he and Dean would be crushed under the tension of the other two. And there was a better chance, with a few drinks in them, and their respective cheering sections, that they would finally get on with it and put an end to this ridiculous back and forth game they were playing.
It was crazy.
But was it just crazy enough to work?
Glancing across the table at Dean confirmed that the older Winchester was seriously considering what Pam had said. For her part, Pam was smirking broadly, swirling her latte in a slow circle in one hand. "Go ahead, gents. Tell me I'm a genius."
Dean cracked a grin, eyes focusing again, flicking from Pam to Cas. Cas gave a small nod, and Dean turned back to Pam. "You're crazy, is what you are, Pam."
"Crazy like a fox," Pam replied, drawing up out of her chair. "So. See you both and the unattached-for-now lovebirds tomorrow evening, then?"
Cas nodded. "6pm, Sam and Dean's. Don't forget Andy."
"Or beer, I'm not providing for all you freeloaders," Dean cut in.
Pam laughed as she walked towards the shop door, waggling her fingers over her shoulder at them as she went.
"It appears we have a Plan B," pulling out his phone to text his cousin Balthazar, Castiel barely restrained himself from sighing in relief. This solved their problem of how to tell both Sam and Gabriel that they were both sweet on each other. To be honest, the idea of announcing to the full room tomorrow afternoon, that they were both pining after the other and should just drop the charade and make merry already hadn't been overly appealing to Castiel. He had a... thing about emotions, these lovey-dovey emotions, when it wasn't regarding Dean. He cared for them, but he didn't have much of a desire or yearning to revel in those of others, not when they were being admitted abrupt. The awkward few moments when Sam and Gabriel tried to feel the other out before just accepting that neither Dean nor Castiel was lying about their mutual attraction would have been a bit much for Castiel to process with much care. That it would happen was fantastic to him, Gabriel deserved Sam, Sam deserved Gabriel. He just didn't rightly feel like he wanted to witness the act.
But if Pam and Andy were needling Sam, and Balthazar was prodding Gabriel, challenging him to 'sack up', while Rachel berated him for being childish and pathetic about the entire affair, there was a much greater chance that, with the added lubricant of beer, Gabriel and Sam would have their awkward 'do you, do you really?' moment in private, or relative private.
"So it seems," Dean grinned, reaching over and covering the display of Cas' phone with one hand. "But, now that we have a plan B, do you think we could maybe move on to ordering food? Trust me, I'd like to stay here with you all day and plot and plan until the cows come home, but, uh, Bobby'll have my head if I'm late getting back from break today. We've been stupid busy."
The response he got was a soft smile and a nod. "I forgot, with everything, about eating." He held up his half empty coffee. "Coffee and..." glancing out the shop window, he spotted the fast food joint he was looking for. "White Castle?"
Dean barely suppressed a groan, but it didn't wipe the grin from Castiel's face. "I know it isn't your favourite, but, for me?"
"For you," Dean conceded. "I will eat White Castle's burgers."
They stood, Cas reaching over to thread his fingers through Dean's, a text quietly chiming its way into Castiel's inbox.
Cassy,
An invitation to meddle with Gabey finally getting that moose to lay him? Consider both Rachel and I there with bells on, darling
-B
___
"Wait, hold on," Sam raised a hand, willing Dean to slow down. "I thought you said it was just Gabe and Cas tonight?"
Dean grinned sheepishly, shrugging one shoulder. "I did, yes, but we ran into Pam the other day and haven't seen her for a while so I figured what the hell, and then of course she figured you might wanna see Andy so she asked to bring him, and that was fine by Cas and I and I figured you'd be down. And Cas said they haven't seen Balthazar and Rach for a while, so we just sort of..." he shrugged his shoulder again, a little more relaxed now after blurting that out. "Figure it could be a little reunion, right?"
Sam's eyes narrowed, lips pursing as he looked at Dean, as though he was trying to see into his brother's head, see if his brother was planning anything. After a moment he loosened up, sighing softly. "Nah, you're right. It will be good. And at least with other people here I might not make a total ass of myself with Gabe."
Dean pressed his own lips together, going back to the pizza order screen on Sam's laptop, choosing not to comment on that. "If I have to get a veggie pizza, I'm getting a meat lovers too." Sam seemed to take that with little surprise, going back to undoing the buttons on his dress shirt. It was just a bit past 4:30, and there was roughly an hour left for him to clean up from work. This particular Saturday he had worked a shift from 10am to 4pm, and Dean had offered to come pick him up instead of leaving him to ride the subway, under the pretense of needing him to help finish setting up to have others over. It wasn't purely to give Sam time to clean himself up and unwind before people showed up and he and Cas put Plan B into operation. At least, if Sam had guessed it, that was what Dean would have said.
From what Cas had said, Gabriel was off today, but he worked a noon to 6pm shift the next day. Which meant that Cas had been planning to drag his older brother over for some family time with Balthazar and Rachel before they went around to the Winchesters'. Last Dean had heard from Cas, they had succeeded in getting Balthazar into Gabriel's apartment, and their over-friendly cousin was lavaciously attempting to get Gabriel out of bed. Rachel had texted him not all that long ago - two hours or so - stating that after a lot of grumbling about having his only day to sleep in interrupted, Gabriel had gotten his ass up at threats of Balthazar setting Sam up with Lucifer Novak - the second oldest of Castiel and Gabriel's brothers, and the last possible person on the planet any of them would actually like to see Sam get together with; most of all Sam himself.
The food was all ready to be set out. Meaning that the bags of chips that they had picked up were sitting next to large plastic bowls, waiting to be opened and dumped in and carried to the living room. There was a bag of popcorn waiting to be popped by the microwave, and another plastic bowl beside that. The fridge was stocked with both sodas and beer. The only thing that they were really missing was the pizza, and that was a button click away from being ordered. The apartment was clean - the benefit of the two of them basically working sun up to sun down every day of the week - which meant they were the only things in the apartment not ready. And normally Dean wouldn't care, but this was Plan B, this was the launching of the good ship Sam&Gabriel, and he wanted everything to be flawless so that absolutely nothing would go wrong. The sooner those two got their act together, the better for everyone.
"Sammy!" he barked, grinning a little maniacally at his younger brother who had succeeded in getting as far as undoing his dress shirt and pulling it loose of his waistband before he'd gotten distracted reading the front page of the newspaper. Sam raised an eyebrow, slowly lowering the paper to the kitchen table again. "Shouldn't you go get in the shower? You stink of hospital."
Sam's nose crinkled up as he sniffed his shoulder, brows knitting together. "I do?"
"Oh yeah," Dean answered, nodding. "You're probably just used to it from being there all the time."
Shrugging one shoulder, Sam turned, heading down the hall towards their bathroom to shower and get dressed to entertain company. Dean waited long enough to hear the water turn on in the bathroom, and then flipped open his phone, hitting the speed dial for Cas and putting it to his ear.
___
"Excuse me for just a minute."
Castiel stood up from the table he, his brother and two cousins were sitting at in Starbucks, slipping to stand just outside the store's door, pressing the button to accept Dean's call and raising it to his ear. "Hello, Dean."
"Hey, Cas."
The warmth that bloomed in his chest when Dean's voice rumbled down the line was a little embarrassing, just a little, Cas would admit. It was all those wibbly, kitten-soft emotions that he'd read about in the great literature for years, and yet never felt himself, so written off as a bunch of psycho romantic dribble. Until he found it himself in a gruff freckled mechanic. And he found himself caring less and less as the years went by. It still made the hint of a flush cling to the tips of his ears, but there was no shame in being in love, and certainly not with Dean Winchester, and so he would smile and bear it.
"How are things going for you?"
"Pretty decent," Dean answered. "Picked Sam up and ordered him into the shower, food's ready, pizza's ready to be ordered - yes, I got the veggie for Pam and Sammy said he'd eat it too - so everything on our end is good to go. How about you?"
Cas turned, looking into the Starbucks through the window emblazoned with ads for their newest drink, peering at the table where Gabriel, Balthazar and Rachel were sitting. Rachel was seemingly deep into an explanation of something, and Balthazar was drinking his coffee, nodding and gesturing helpfully every few minutes as Rachel spoke. For his part, Gabriel had the good sense to look at least a little interested. Cas didn't even have to be in the shop to know that Rachel was probably giving him the same lecture she'd already tried out three different ways that day: the emotional pros and cons of just throwing himself into Sam Winchester's flight path, and berating Gabriel for leading him along if he didn't intend to do anything about it. Gabriel should really have tuned her out by this point and probably had.
"Well, Balthazar and Rachel are managing to patently charm Gabriel into sweeping Sam off his feet tonight," he allowed, corner of his mouth twitching upward in a smile. Dean groaned on the other end of the line.
"Just make sure they don't have him spooked right the hell out," he asked. "Remember that time Rachel gave me a lecture? I was afraid that every time I went near you for a week she might jump out and started psychoanalyzing me again." There was a drumming sound, like Dean's fingers on the counter top. "Do you think this is going to work?"
Castiel looked back at Gabriel, sizing him up. It was true that the last week seemed to have worn on him in ways Gabriel simply didn't let things wear on him. Cas would like to think this meant Gabriel was near to his breaking point, and with any luck his breaking point would manifest itself in kissing the daylights out of Sam, or something equally cliché and dramatic. In the very least, he could hope for that. At least something happening that was enough for the plan to work would be good for him. Balthazar and Rachel were, maybe, helping a bit. Balthazar and Gabriel were a lot alike, though their sandy haired cousin was a bit more of a sexual creature than, well, anyone in the family. Outwardly. But because he was so much like Gabriel, he knew how to talk to him to get through to him. A lot of it had been good natured joking about Gabriel actually being in love, and if it had happened he'd be a moron not to pursue it. There had also been ribbing about Gabriel settling down, but at least settling down with 'dick that you could never get sick of', which had been the point when Rachel had emphatically shoved Balthazar out of the way and fixed Gabriel with a look that said she agreed, but wouldn't be so vocal about it.
"I don't think it will make things worse in any case," Castiel began honestly. "But I am still not sure how successful this plan is going to be, Dean. They are both predictable and unpredictable. It may do nothing at all."
"That's what I was thinking too," Dean said, and Cas could almost see him rubbing a hand over his eyes in mild annoyance. "Well, the least we can do is try and hope that it amounts to something, right? In the very least, it'll be nice to have people together for a little while."
"Mm," Castiel intoned, nodding, turning back to look out at the street. "Well, we'll be by within the next hour and a bit, so I will see you then?"
"You bet," Dean answered, tone a touch brightened since he'd last spoken. "Love ya."
"I love you, too," Cas answered, ending the call with a smile.
When he got back to the table he wasn't exactly surprised to see that Rachel had finally changed tactics. Rachel was the youngest of the extended family, after him, but she was a spitfire, which maybe one could guess from looking at her, but perhaps not. Rachel was tall, almost Castiel's height (just shy of Dean's six feet and change), with long straight honey blonde hair that she always wore brushed back from her face in some way, and eyes that were the same mossy green as Dean's. Suffice to say that she was quite a looker. But she had a strong personality behind the looks, and it was probably that more than anything that Cas thought as her best quality. She didn't allow others to walk all over her, but likewise she stuck up for others so that they wouldn't receive that sort of treatment. At times it was unneeded or unappreciated, but for the majority of the time, she was a good friend to have. And she was family, so that counted for something.
But Rachel's input on the whole Gabriel and Sam issue was maybe invaluable. She was persistent, like a bulldog, and though her first tactic had been to berate Gabriel for letting things go on for years and years, by the time Castiel took his seat again, she'd moved on to actual conversation with Gabriel where he didn't look like he'd rather stab himself in the hand than continue to sit there and listen to her talk.
"You aren't getting any younger, Gabriel, is all I am saying, you know? And neither is Sam. But I know that you've had a thing for him for years," she was saying as she took the lid from her coffee cup to put the paper bag from the cookie she'd bought inside it, effectively compacting her trash.
"Years." Balthazar cut in. "Years in which you have done nothing but vaguely flirt with him," he reached over, gripping Gabriel's shoulder. "My friend, do you wonder if perhaps the reason you haven't been able to hold down a girlfriend is because you are destined to make Sam Winchester your blushing bride?"
Gabriel cracked a grin at that. "Sam, a blushing bride? Are we thinking lace trim and a bodice, and, oh! A really high garter and champagne that never ends?" The two of them grinned at Rachel, who was unsuccessfully trying to hide her smile, shaking her head at the table. "I've always wanted one of those high-class but borderline raunchy weddings."
"You've always wanted a wedding?" Castiel interjected, "This is news to me."
Gabriel took the mature route of making a face at his younger brother across the table. "Listen, you guys - I appreciate all the input today, I really do. We'll see what comes of tonight, I guess, but I think you all have points," he tossed a cheeky grin Rachel's way. "Even you, Rach, except I think I fell asleep a few times during your speeches, so do you think you could-"
He broke off with a laugh, raising an arm to fend off Rachel's pinching fingers. Castiel caught Balthazar's eye and they exchanged a secret smile of their own. Gabriel had said 'We'll see what comes of tonight', and sure, it wasn't exactly confirmation that he was going to finally take off his collar and step up to Sam like he should have done long before, but it was something. Gabriel wasn't saying he intended to hang back any longer. Or hadn't said it.
And that was a sign of changing things, wasn't it?
___
Sam was buzzed. Just a little bit. Enough to know that he was buzzed, but not enough to lose that sense of awareness. Which was a good thing, because the way Pam was eying him, he wasn't sure he wanted to be any more inebriated. He knew that look. That look said that she was waiting for him to get to the point where she could easily convince him into anything. And considering who else was in the apartment, and what Pam knew, Sam wasn't sure he wanted her to be able to convince him into anything. Like doing his Wahlberg impression to seduce Gabriel. Something told him it may have the exact reverse effect.
"Sam, man," Andy Gallagher dropped onto the couch next to Sam, clearly tipsy himself, resting his chin on Sam's shoulder. "You look tense, dude." He shoved the beer bottle in his hand into Sam's, smiling broadly. "You need more. We didn't go and wake Ash up in the middle of his mid-shift nap to get this beer just for it to go to waste. Come on," he straightened, slapping a hand down on Sam's knee. "Tell me all about your man problems, I can--"
"Andy Gallagher will you please keep your voice down?"
Sam looked up to see Cas and Gabriel's cousin Rachel standing over them, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"Oh, right, right!" Andy said, nodding. "This is a delicate operation," he turned back to Sam, quirking an eyebrow. "Man, I don't know why you are being so shy about it, dude clearly wants in your pants."
"Is there anyone in the apartment right now who isn't conspiring to set Gabriel up with me?" Sam asked, a bit deadpan. Pam and Andy, of course, were in on it, he'd been able to tell that from the second they had walked in, winked at him, and Pam had announced 'Grumpy's getting laid tonight'. Dean and Cas, of course, were the instigators in this little operation. Rachel's reaction just now had tossed any hope for him that she wasn't in on it out the window. And one glance at Balthazar, while not enough to make him sure, wasn't even needed. If everyone else was in on it, Balthazar was in there like a dirty shirt. So really, the only person who wasn't aware of the little operation was Gabriel.
Gabriel was in the kitchen with Dean, Cas and Balthazar right now, listening while Balthazar regaled them with a tale about a night of 'mindlessness and madness' that he'd been involved in recently. From what Sam could see through the living room to kitchen doorway, Cas was shaking his head, Dean looked a bit dumbstruck, and Gabriel was laughing, clapping his cousin on the shoulder, probably congratulating him. Balthazar would always be that way, the loveable hedonist. And his loveable hedonist exploit retellings were keeping Gabriel from overhearing anything that was going on in the living room.
Which was definitely a good thing, because it was then that Rachel dropped into the seat on Sam's other side, putting her soda can down on the coffee table, and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You need another beer, or you need--"
"--To unclench," Pam jumped in, moving around to perch on the edge of the coffee table in front of Sam, grinning wide. "Or maybe..." she glanced into the kitchen, the corners of her mouth pulling up in a smirk. When she turned back around, she caught Rachel's eyes, and Sam's heart jumped into his throat. Rachel was normally fairly reserved, well-behaved; she didn't meddle unless she absolutely needed to. He was sure she was here now more to feel out if she did need to meddle than to actually meddle, but Pam had a certain effect on people. A certain effect where, as Andy let out a short bark of laughter, catching on, Rachel got to her feet, walking into the kitchen and clearing her throat.
"If you guys are done discussing the varied ways in which Balthazar narrowly escaped getting syphilis this month, Pam and I were thinking maybe we could all..."
Aha! Aha. She hadn't thought far enough to get together an excuse before she had gone in there. Now she was stuck and she would have to back down and whatever it was that Pam had been attempting to get across would fail.
"We could all chill out in here, maybe throw on some crap movie before we head out - Gabriel, you gotta work tomorrow, dontcha? Let's all spend some time together before Sam gets ornery and kicks us out for being drunken louts."
Dammit Andy.
If there was one thing Sam didn't want, it was an audience to his inability to not flirt with Gabriel the way he was now. If Gabriel was in the other room, Sam was fine to sit his buzzed ass on the couch and talk to Pam and Andy and Rachel and not worry about the fact that Gabriel looked really good right now, and everyone was expecting him to do something.
"Yeah, actually, that sounds good," Dean agreed, heading into the living room. Cas looked suitably relieved, until he caught Sam's eyes. Then he was mouthing 'For your own good', and settling down on the other couch next to Dean.
"Oh, hey, Gabe man, you sit," Andy said, standing a dropping into one of the chairs instead, leaving his seat next to Sam open and free for Gabriel to take. "I've been on my ass all night, you relax, dude, kick back." For her part, Rachel scooted into the other chair next to Andy's, legs curling up underneath her, and Pam took her spot on Sam's other side, a safe distance away, but an imposing, forceful presence nonetheless. Gabriel didn't seem to think twice about it, taking the seat beside Sam and thanking Andy.
"Hey, kiddo," he grinned brightly up at Sam. "I haven't gotten much of a chance to talk to you tonight, sorry about that." he bumped his leg against Sam's, taking a sip from his beer. "So, how was work today? Anything new to--"
"--No work talk!"
The entire room went quiet, everyone looking over to Dean and Cas, who were both staring intently at Sam and Gabriel, though Cas at least had the presence of mind to look away and flush a touch around the ears. Dean, not so much. He lost some of the intensity of his stare, but he didn't stop staring.
"No work talk," he repeated gruffly.
"Uh..." Gabriel said, looking up at Sam, his eyes clearly saying 'They've lost it. Our brothers have finally gone up the creek without their paddles, look at them doing that scary talking in unison couple thing.'
"Yeah," Rachel cut in helpfully. She waved a hand at Sam and Gabriel. "We're all here to unwind, don't you to start talking about work," she jerked her thumb at Cas. "Or this one will start trying to recruit all of us for the library's summer reading camps."
"Hey!" Cas piped up. "Rachel, those programs are extremely beneficial for children."
"Do you want, say, Balthazar, anywhere near those children?"
For his part Balthazar shot Cas a sleazy grin, perfectly acting the part of the exact guy parents didn't want teaching their kids to read.
"...Point taken." Cas allowed, settling back in his seat. "Moving on, what’s on tonight, anyway?"
The conversation in the room picked up again, everyone putting in their input on what exactly they should be watching as they skimmed through the television's guide. Unfortunately for everyone else in the room, one of the stations was playing Porky's 2, the one film in the world that Sam knew, if he could, Dean would turn into real life. Dean played the 'house rules' card, saying it was his TV and if they didn't like it they were free to take their beers out on the balcony and listen to the sultry sounds of their neighbours' choices in programming - probably CSI reruns.
Sam almost made it all the way to the end. He tried, he really did, but he'd seen that damn movie way too many times. "If anyone needs me, I'll be on the balcony listening to David Caruso and his amazingly bad acting." He heaved himself up and off the couch, leaning down to gather up the beer bottles off the coffee table.
"I think I'll join you, champ," Gabriel said, getting up and holding out his hand to take some of the bottles from Sam.
Without making it too obvious Sam glanced at Dean, who had a bit of a smug smirk on his face. Right. This was basically the only chance he had, right? May as well take it. If anything it was time alone with Gabriel and away from his three hundredth viewing of Porky's 2, so that was a blessing. Passing off some of the bottles to Gabriel, he crossed the living room and kitchen, opening the sliding door carefully with the bottles cradled in one arm, stepping off onto the balcony.
___
So maybe it was a bit of an obvious move, but dammit. Sam hadn't played fair, without even knowing that he was playing at all. When Sam had bent over to gather up the empties off the coffee table, Gabriel couldn't help but notice that particularly fabulous ass of Sam's. Maybe he was a little drunk too, but really. It was a really nice ass. And Sam was going to be out on the balcony all alone and, hey, he'd missed just talking with him, maybe this was his chance of a lifetime. That ass was trying to tell him something. So he'd blurted out about joining Sam on the balcony, helped carry the bottles to the cold concrete overhang, and now was biting his tongue, trying not to make comments again while Sam bent over, carefully putting the empties into the old beer box next to the shabby looking balcony table. Dropping comments about his ass would probably have Sam raising eyebrows pretty fast, and while the stunned look on his face would be a prize, Gabriel slightly doubted he could count on rational or heartfelt conversation and confessionals after an opener like 'Nice ass, why isn't it in my bed?'
"Hey, Gabe, pass those over here," Sam said, glancing back over his shoulder, holding out a hand for the bottles Gabe was holding. He passed them off wordlessly, suddenly glad to have his hands free, shoving them into his pockets. Why the hell was he acting like a horny teenager? Aside from the fact that he could be one, that was. This week had played games with his head. He was waking up nightly, more than a little aroused, cursing his brain for its timing, just when his dreams had been getting good. It wasn't like he hadn't had sex dreams about Sam before. You'd have to be dead not to have had a sex dream about Sam Winchester in his honest opinion. The thing was that these dreams, and Castiel's constant badgering, had him a little on edge, a little wondering of when, exactly, it would be best to stop holding off, push Sam into a janitor's closet, and find out if the anatomy in his dreams was anything like the real thing.
He stepped over to the balcony railing, crossing his arms and looking down at the lit street below. A minute later Sam joined him, nudging his elbow with his own. Gabriel took a breath, and then looked up, trademark grin in place. "Hiya, kiddo. All done playing maid?"
"Very funny," Sam grumbled, but his own smile didn't fall. Something had changed from the rest of this week. It felt like at least some of the tension had seeped out from between them. Things were comfortable again. And that, for Gabriel, was like a breath of fresh air. "Anyway. You asked earlier about work. Don't tell mom and dad in there, but nah, nothing new to report. Not gonna lie, it's boring when you aren’t around to talk to. It basically leaves Tessa and she's nice enough but... The entire morgue staff is sort of weird."
"Amen to that," Gabriel laughed, ignoring the happy heat blooming in his stomach.
"That'll be my gig tomorrow, Sammy. 12 to 6 with no one to chat up but toddlers. Oh, and Zach. There's the promise of thrilling conversation for you."
Sam laughed, his nice, full laugh, the one that made his dimples show, and his eyes light up. If there was something Gabriel loved, something that he would never admit made him weak in the knees, it was that laugh, it was that smile. "You, uh, you chat up toddlers, do you? I'm pretty sure that goes against some part of that oath you took when you became a doctor, Gabe."
Gabriel snorted, knocking his leg against Sam's, staring out over the part of the city they could see from the balcony. They stood like that for a few minutes, just enjoying the nice, quiet, comfort of the silence between them. Things really did feel back to normal. Maybe this little party idea had been a good thing. They had both been able to blow off steam in a nice, healthy, socially acceptable way, and things were fine. They would go back to how they had been, and none of that painful awkward feeling would linger.
But... Somehow, with it so close, with the alcohol still fuelling his system to a certain point, and with the knowledge that this was his chance, created by Fate - or Dean and Castiel, Gabriel was starting to think he wasn't okay with things going back to being the way they had been. Not by a long shot. He opened his mouth for the first time in about five minutes, sliding his arm across the railing on the balcony to rest against Sam's. "Nah, Sammy. You're the only one I chat up," he tilted his head, "Well, the only one I try to chat up."
Sam was silent for a second before he turned, looking Gabriel in the eyes, his mouth quirked in a bit of a hesitant smile on one side. "Really?"
"Oh yeah," Gabriel said. "But you're just immune to my charms."
"Huh," Sam nodded once, a bit of a delirious smile creeping onto his face. "I don't know that I'm all that immune, really, Gabriel. Maybe you're just crap at chatting people up," he was still smiling, and his eyes, his damn eyes. Gabriel wouldn't have been able to keep standing if he weren't holding on to the balcony, with the full force of that grin and those eyes, sparking with hope and amusement and who knew what else turned on him. It was a little insulting really, that he was feeling a little airy, a little weak-kneed.
"No, I’m pretty sure I'm great at it, you're just a bit dense. You're your brother's brother, Sam Winchester. You are your brother's brother."
Sam laughed again, impossibly beautiful, and he seemed closer, even though Gabriel was sure that neither of them had moved in the slightest. The younger Winchester turned his head for a second, not speaking or really seeming to be looking at anything, just taking a few breaths before he spoke again. "Maybe I am a bit dense. But I'm going to need a bit more to go on before I believe your case, here, doc Gabe."
Gabriel thought about it for about half a second, then shrugged one shoulder. "All right, look at me, kiddo," he waited until Sam turned to him before turning his own head. Sam really looked lit up from the inside. His hazel eyes were alive with light, crinkled around the edges from the force of his smile. It was hesitant, a little shaky, but it was there, teeth pressed softly to his lower lip. Gabriel took a breath to steady himself out, head feeling amazing clear from where it had felt fuzzy only moments ago, and reached up, fingers curling in the lapel of the open plaid shirt Sam was wearing over his black v-neck...
And then there was an unholy crash from inside the apartment and they broke apart, blinking at each other for a second in shock before Sam was moving to the sliding door in one big step, muttering swears under his breath as he pulled it open and jogged through the kitchen towards the living room, Gabriel hot on his tail.
Andy was sitting on the living room among the wreckage of the soda cans, chip bowls and pizza plates that had been left on the coffee table, smiling sheepishly at the room's occupants.
"Holy crap, Andy, you okay?" Sam asked, moving in to offer Andy a hand while Dean and Balthazar carefully righted the coffee table back on its four legs, and off of Andy's.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Tripped over my own two damn feet, crashed into the table, you know," he laughed a bit, sheepish to compliment his smile. "Typical clumsiness."
Gabriel finally smiled, shaking his head. "Happens to the best of us, man. I'll go grab the broom." He turned to walk back into the kitchen.
"Gabe?"
Glancing over his shoulder Gabriel caught Sam looking at him, eyes showing both his focus for the current problem, but also confusion, almost like he was lost, unsure exactly how they had gotten from the balcony to in the trashed living room. Gabriel was wondering that himself, wondering if they had really, actually been there, on the brink, finally about to end this long drawn out dance.
"Broom's in the standing closet beside the fridge."
Gabriel smiled, nodding. "Ay ay, captain!" He turned back around, trotting into the kitchen to go and find the aforementioned broom.
When he did, he could have sworn he heard Dean say 'Sammy?', a beat and then Balthazar, in a low growl, 'Of all the times to forget how to operate your damn motor functions, Andy.'
Then again, all of that was lost in the din of the others giving each other instructions and directions on where to find towels for the soda and beer on the (thankfully wood) floor. He'd probably imagined it.
One thing was for sure, though. Regardless of if he imagined it, he wouldn't be sleeping a peaceful sleep tonight.
Part Three
Author: ms_barcode
Artist: gblvr
Genre: Romantic comedy
Pairing (if applicable): Sam/Gabriel (eventual); Dean/Castiel (established); mentions of various past relationships for both Sam and Gabriel, as well as Dean; Balthazar/Everyone+Everything
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Sex, masturbation, mentions of euthanasia
Word Count: 37 373
Summary: Sam Winchester and Gabriel Novak have known each other for years, since Sam was in high school and Gabriel was in his junior year of University. Thirteen years later, Gabriel is a pediatrician at York General, the same hospital where Sam works as the legal counsel. Neither knows that the other has carried a torch for them for the better portion of those thirteen years, but just about everyone else and their dog is no stranger to the fact. Having had enough, Sam's older brother Dean, and Gabriel's younger brother, Castiel, concoct a plan to force the two to admit their feelings for each other - or move on with moving on - and are joined in their mission by a wide array of characters from across the series. If this sounds like your standard rom-com, that’s because it is! Laughs and good times are a promise!
Masterpost | Art Post
Part One
If either Sam or Gabriel had thought the first day of their time together after Dean and Cas had performed their respective interventions was awkward, neither of them had any idea what the rest of the week would bring them. Nothing short of high school freshman brand awkward; untimely laughter when the other was speaking and what they were saying wasn't particularly funny, lingering touches that lingered in the most unflattering way, interrupting each other constantly after silences that felt as though they were dragging on forever but in all honestly had only lasted five seconds or less - in short it was really a hot mess. And Gabriel was beginning to unravel. Sam had already had a short breakdown in the apartment on Thursday night at Dean, ranting, gestulating, voice rising octaves in his stress. The product of Dean and Castiel's genius plan to get them together was starting to turn into the crashing together of two immovable forces, both intent on finding out the other's intentions and really only succeeding in making the other hide their intentions all the more.
"I have a few concerns about how Saturday will go," Castiel said, handing Dean his coffee - black - as they walked to a small corner table in the coffee shop nearby the garage Dean worked at. "I trust you have a sharp enough knife to cut the sexual tension that is going to be clogging up that room when we all crowd in together? And I don't mean from us, so don't even try to spin this into some sort of ploy to charm me, Dean."
Dean looked a little trodden on for a moment has he pulled back his chair and dropped into it. "Well, I think I have a welding torch somewhere in the apartment. But I know what you mean. I haven't seen Sam this worked up in a long time. He's all concerned that the way Gabriel is acting is because he is coming on too strong and he's weirding him out, but he says now that he's started he can't stop - and then he started to over share about how he wants to take Gabriel into his office and just," Dean made a show of shuddering dramatically. "I know he's your brother and all, Cas, but I really could do without thinking about Sam bending him over his desk and - Ack, there it goes again." He pressed a hand over his eyes as though attempting to will away the mental image with pressure to his eyelids.
Castiel blinked slowly, taking his seat. "I guess I'm the lucky one in this situation. I haven't spent enough time speaking with Gabriel for him to share any fantasies. Recently, anyway. But he actually seems genuinely concerned that Sam is going to assume that he is, what was the term... Swimfanning him?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah, swimfanning. It's this movie about his swimmer who gets stalked by some crazy chick."
Castiel frowned. "I see. Well, Gabriel isn't stalking Sam, so I am not sure why exactly he is making this comparison, but either way," he took a sip of his coffee, looking out the front window of the shop, lost in thought. "I am beginning to wonder if maybe we shouldn't just tell them that we know they are each in love with the other."
Dean lowered his coffee, raising both eyebrows at Cas across the table. "But weren't you the one who said it was better to let them get it through their thick skulls themselves? So that they wouldn't be all bitter towards us for meddling?"
A nod, and Cas turned his blue eyes back to Dean's face, smiling grimly. "Yes, but the longer this goes on, the more concerned I become that they will alienate each other, and I just can't deal with the moping that they would both do, Dean. Gabriel becomes snappish and easily annoyed when he is displeased with himself, and I would rather not have my head bitten off."
That was a point that Dean could concede. Sam tended to mope in the most stellar of fashions; emo rock and long silent periods and Dean wouldn't put it past the kid to lie awake in bed at night staring at the ceiling and blaming himself for whatever had happened to cause him to mope in the first place. "So, we just put the plan to rest and straight tell them to get their shit together on Saturday?"
"Oh, oh, is this about Sam and Gabriel?"
Suddenly a third chair was spun to join theirs at the small table, and a lanky woman wearing a black cropped AC/DC shirt and tight navy jeans dropped into it, backwards, one hand pushing her sunglasses up into her short wavy black hair before both arms crossed over the back of the chair. Sam's ex, Pamela Barnes.
"How's it going, you two? Sam hasn't been answering my texts, give me all the juicy gossip, come on now."
Of all of Sam's exes, Pam had to be one of Dean's favourites. It was basically her and Jess, and Andy a close second, who Dean considered his own friends. Pamela was just his kind of chick. Admittedly, they had fooled around a bit themselves, but what was some swapped spit between friends, right? Besides, Pam had been one of the most vocal about the advent of Dean and Castiel's relationship. She didn't have the best history with Cas, but she'd warmed to him over time, possibly for Dean's sake.
The fact that Pam was asking after Sam and Gabriel's on-going soap opera meant two things. One, Sam must have vented to her at one point in the past week. Two, it was a nice coincidence that Pam had dropped in tableside now, because her input would be great in the long run.
Pam had been the only one of Sam's girlfriends to catch on to the torch he was carrying for Gabriel. And she had not once held it against him, only pushed him towards admitting it already, because it couldn't hurt anything. In the years since she and Sam had broken things off she had regularly made check-ins on Sam's Pine-Fest, asking him why he wasn't 'rigorously tapping that ass' already every time that she got a check-up. If anyone should be pulled in on Dean and Cas' little scheme before they pulled the plug and declared their attempts fruitless, it was Pamela Barnes.
"We're well, if you don't count residual stress from Sam and Gabriel fumbling their potential relationship," Castiel answered. "It's good to see you, Pamela."
"Cas, baby," Pam reached over, dancing her fingers through Castiel's unruly dark hair. "I always tell you to call me Pam, don't I?" she glanced between the two of them. "I'm glad to hear that you two are well. Sam texted me a few days ago, said he was finally going to make his move with Gabriel," she raised a dark eyebrow, smirking a bit. "I take it that, in true Sam fashion, he is bumbling his way through this?"
"Oh yeah," Dean said, nodding broadly, lifting his coffee to take a sip. "You know how he is."
"Oh, don't I ever," Pam answered, laughter in her tones. "What I don't understand," she continued, looking to Cas. "Is why Gabriel hasn't caught on and jumped Sam on the examining table yet."
"Gross," Dean put in cheerily.
"Well, that's the real issue, isn't it?" Cas said, tapping his fingers on the table top while he put the pieces together. "Normally Gabriel would be all over this opportunity. But I think the fact that Sam is, for once, being rather forward about things, has thrown him for a loop, and he isn't sure how to proceed. We were planning to get together all four tomorrow evening and Dean and I both hoped that they would have gotten themselves together by this point so we could celebrate the end to the sexual tension. But as you've probably gathered, unless they both come home punch drunk on love tonight..."
Pam nodded sagely. “I can see your predicament, gentlemen, and I propose you invite me over tomorrow too.”
Dean and Cas both looked up at that, raising eyebrows at Pam, whose expression said nothing of this suggestion being a joke.
"You should maybe invite Andy too. And maybe, ah Rachel and Balthazar? If there's anyone from your side of the family who can knock some sense into Gabriel, Cas, it's Balthazar. And Rachel's pushy enough to lecture him about it. Andy and I will be there for Sam's moral support. And maybe Andy will get stupid enough to just blurt out enough to have Sam running to get Gabriel alone and admit it himself before he hears it in stoner-ese."
Castiel had to admit, it was a sound plan. And the more people there, the less chance there was that he and Dean would be crushed under the tension of the other two. And there was a better chance, with a few drinks in them, and their respective cheering sections, that they would finally get on with it and put an end to this ridiculous back and forth game they were playing.
It was crazy.
But was it just crazy enough to work?
Glancing across the table at Dean confirmed that the older Winchester was seriously considering what Pam had said. For her part, Pam was smirking broadly, swirling her latte in a slow circle in one hand. "Go ahead, gents. Tell me I'm a genius."
Dean cracked a grin, eyes focusing again, flicking from Pam to Cas. Cas gave a small nod, and Dean turned back to Pam. "You're crazy, is what you are, Pam."
"Crazy like a fox," Pam replied, drawing up out of her chair. "So. See you both and the unattached-for-now lovebirds tomorrow evening, then?"
Cas nodded. "6pm, Sam and Dean's. Don't forget Andy."
"Or beer, I'm not providing for all you freeloaders," Dean cut in.
Pam laughed as she walked towards the shop door, waggling her fingers over her shoulder at them as she went.
"It appears we have a Plan B," pulling out his phone to text his cousin Balthazar, Castiel barely restrained himself from sighing in relief. This solved their problem of how to tell both Sam and Gabriel that they were both sweet on each other. To be honest, the idea of announcing to the full room tomorrow afternoon, that they were both pining after the other and should just drop the charade and make merry already hadn't been overly appealing to Castiel. He had a... thing about emotions, these lovey-dovey emotions, when it wasn't regarding Dean. He cared for them, but he didn't have much of a desire or yearning to revel in those of others, not when they were being admitted abrupt. The awkward few moments when Sam and Gabriel tried to feel the other out before just accepting that neither Dean nor Castiel was lying about their mutual attraction would have been a bit much for Castiel to process with much care. That it would happen was fantastic to him, Gabriel deserved Sam, Sam deserved Gabriel. He just didn't rightly feel like he wanted to witness the act.
But if Pam and Andy were needling Sam, and Balthazar was prodding Gabriel, challenging him to 'sack up', while Rachel berated him for being childish and pathetic about the entire affair, there was a much greater chance that, with the added lubricant of beer, Gabriel and Sam would have their awkward 'do you, do you really?' moment in private, or relative private.
"So it seems," Dean grinned, reaching over and covering the display of Cas' phone with one hand. "But, now that we have a plan B, do you think we could maybe move on to ordering food? Trust me, I'd like to stay here with you all day and plot and plan until the cows come home, but, uh, Bobby'll have my head if I'm late getting back from break today. We've been stupid busy."
The response he got was a soft smile and a nod. "I forgot, with everything, about eating." He held up his half empty coffee. "Coffee and..." glancing out the shop window, he spotted the fast food joint he was looking for. "White Castle?"
Dean barely suppressed a groan, but it didn't wipe the grin from Castiel's face. "I know it isn't your favourite, but, for me?"
"For you," Dean conceded. "I will eat White Castle's burgers."
They stood, Cas reaching over to thread his fingers through Dean's, a text quietly chiming its way into Castiel's inbox.
Cassy,
An invitation to meddle with Gabey finally getting that moose to lay him? Consider both Rachel and I there with bells on, darling
-B
___
"Wait, hold on," Sam raised a hand, willing Dean to slow down. "I thought you said it was just Gabe and Cas tonight?"
Dean grinned sheepishly, shrugging one shoulder. "I did, yes, but we ran into Pam the other day and haven't seen her for a while so I figured what the hell, and then of course she figured you might wanna see Andy so she asked to bring him, and that was fine by Cas and I and I figured you'd be down. And Cas said they haven't seen Balthazar and Rach for a while, so we just sort of..." he shrugged his shoulder again, a little more relaxed now after blurting that out. "Figure it could be a little reunion, right?"
Sam's eyes narrowed, lips pursing as he looked at Dean, as though he was trying to see into his brother's head, see if his brother was planning anything. After a moment he loosened up, sighing softly. "Nah, you're right. It will be good. And at least with other people here I might not make a total ass of myself with Gabe."
Dean pressed his own lips together, going back to the pizza order screen on Sam's laptop, choosing not to comment on that. "If I have to get a veggie pizza, I'm getting a meat lovers too." Sam seemed to take that with little surprise, going back to undoing the buttons on his dress shirt. It was just a bit past 4:30, and there was roughly an hour left for him to clean up from work. This particular Saturday he had worked a shift from 10am to 4pm, and Dean had offered to come pick him up instead of leaving him to ride the subway, under the pretense of needing him to help finish setting up to have others over. It wasn't purely to give Sam time to clean himself up and unwind before people showed up and he and Cas put Plan B into operation. At least, if Sam had guessed it, that was what Dean would have said.
From what Cas had said, Gabriel was off today, but he worked a noon to 6pm shift the next day. Which meant that Cas had been planning to drag his older brother over for some family time with Balthazar and Rachel before they went around to the Winchesters'. Last Dean had heard from Cas, they had succeeded in getting Balthazar into Gabriel's apartment, and their over-friendly cousin was lavaciously attempting to get Gabriel out of bed. Rachel had texted him not all that long ago - two hours or so - stating that after a lot of grumbling about having his only day to sleep in interrupted, Gabriel had gotten his ass up at threats of Balthazar setting Sam up with Lucifer Novak - the second oldest of Castiel and Gabriel's brothers, and the last possible person on the planet any of them would actually like to see Sam get together with; most of all Sam himself.
The food was all ready to be set out. Meaning that the bags of chips that they had picked up were sitting next to large plastic bowls, waiting to be opened and dumped in and carried to the living room. There was a bag of popcorn waiting to be popped by the microwave, and another plastic bowl beside that. The fridge was stocked with both sodas and beer. The only thing that they were really missing was the pizza, and that was a button click away from being ordered. The apartment was clean - the benefit of the two of them basically working sun up to sun down every day of the week - which meant they were the only things in the apartment not ready. And normally Dean wouldn't care, but this was Plan B, this was the launching of the good ship Sam&Gabriel, and he wanted everything to be flawless so that absolutely nothing would go wrong. The sooner those two got their act together, the better for everyone.
"Sammy!" he barked, grinning a little maniacally at his younger brother who had succeeded in getting as far as undoing his dress shirt and pulling it loose of his waistband before he'd gotten distracted reading the front page of the newspaper. Sam raised an eyebrow, slowly lowering the paper to the kitchen table again. "Shouldn't you go get in the shower? You stink of hospital."
Sam's nose crinkled up as he sniffed his shoulder, brows knitting together. "I do?"
"Oh yeah," Dean answered, nodding. "You're probably just used to it from being there all the time."
Shrugging one shoulder, Sam turned, heading down the hall towards their bathroom to shower and get dressed to entertain company. Dean waited long enough to hear the water turn on in the bathroom, and then flipped open his phone, hitting the speed dial for Cas and putting it to his ear.
___
"Excuse me for just a minute."
Castiel stood up from the table he, his brother and two cousins were sitting at in Starbucks, slipping to stand just outside the store's door, pressing the button to accept Dean's call and raising it to his ear. "Hello, Dean."
"Hey, Cas."
The warmth that bloomed in his chest when Dean's voice rumbled down the line was a little embarrassing, just a little, Cas would admit. It was all those wibbly, kitten-soft emotions that he'd read about in the great literature for years, and yet never felt himself, so written off as a bunch of psycho romantic dribble. Until he found it himself in a gruff freckled mechanic. And he found himself caring less and less as the years went by. It still made the hint of a flush cling to the tips of his ears, but there was no shame in being in love, and certainly not with Dean Winchester, and so he would smile and bear it.
"How are things going for you?"
"Pretty decent," Dean answered. "Picked Sam up and ordered him into the shower, food's ready, pizza's ready to be ordered - yes, I got the veggie for Pam and Sammy said he'd eat it too - so everything on our end is good to go. How about you?"
Cas turned, looking into the Starbucks through the window emblazoned with ads for their newest drink, peering at the table where Gabriel, Balthazar and Rachel were sitting. Rachel was seemingly deep into an explanation of something, and Balthazar was drinking his coffee, nodding and gesturing helpfully every few minutes as Rachel spoke. For his part, Gabriel had the good sense to look at least a little interested. Cas didn't even have to be in the shop to know that Rachel was probably giving him the same lecture she'd already tried out three different ways that day: the emotional pros and cons of just throwing himself into Sam Winchester's flight path, and berating Gabriel for leading him along if he didn't intend to do anything about it. Gabriel should really have tuned her out by this point and probably had.
"Well, Balthazar and Rachel are managing to patently charm Gabriel into sweeping Sam off his feet tonight," he allowed, corner of his mouth twitching upward in a smile. Dean groaned on the other end of the line.
"Just make sure they don't have him spooked right the hell out," he asked. "Remember that time Rachel gave me a lecture? I was afraid that every time I went near you for a week she might jump out and started psychoanalyzing me again." There was a drumming sound, like Dean's fingers on the counter top. "Do you think this is going to work?"
Castiel looked back at Gabriel, sizing him up. It was true that the last week seemed to have worn on him in ways Gabriel simply didn't let things wear on him. Cas would like to think this meant Gabriel was near to his breaking point, and with any luck his breaking point would manifest itself in kissing the daylights out of Sam, or something equally cliché and dramatic. In the very least, he could hope for that. At least something happening that was enough for the plan to work would be good for him. Balthazar and Rachel were, maybe, helping a bit. Balthazar and Gabriel were a lot alike, though their sandy haired cousin was a bit more of a sexual creature than, well, anyone in the family. Outwardly. But because he was so much like Gabriel, he knew how to talk to him to get through to him. A lot of it had been good natured joking about Gabriel actually being in love, and if it had happened he'd be a moron not to pursue it. There had also been ribbing about Gabriel settling down, but at least settling down with 'dick that you could never get sick of', which had been the point when Rachel had emphatically shoved Balthazar out of the way and fixed Gabriel with a look that said she agreed, but wouldn't be so vocal about it.
"I don't think it will make things worse in any case," Castiel began honestly. "But I am still not sure how successful this plan is going to be, Dean. They are both predictable and unpredictable. It may do nothing at all."
"That's what I was thinking too," Dean said, and Cas could almost see him rubbing a hand over his eyes in mild annoyance. "Well, the least we can do is try and hope that it amounts to something, right? In the very least, it'll be nice to have people together for a little while."
"Mm," Castiel intoned, nodding, turning back to look out at the street. "Well, we'll be by within the next hour and a bit, so I will see you then?"
"You bet," Dean answered, tone a touch brightened since he'd last spoken. "Love ya."
"I love you, too," Cas answered, ending the call with a smile.
When he got back to the table he wasn't exactly surprised to see that Rachel had finally changed tactics. Rachel was the youngest of the extended family, after him, but she was a spitfire, which maybe one could guess from looking at her, but perhaps not. Rachel was tall, almost Castiel's height (just shy of Dean's six feet and change), with long straight honey blonde hair that she always wore brushed back from her face in some way, and eyes that were the same mossy green as Dean's. Suffice to say that she was quite a looker. But she had a strong personality behind the looks, and it was probably that more than anything that Cas thought as her best quality. She didn't allow others to walk all over her, but likewise she stuck up for others so that they wouldn't receive that sort of treatment. At times it was unneeded or unappreciated, but for the majority of the time, she was a good friend to have. And she was family, so that counted for something.
But Rachel's input on the whole Gabriel and Sam issue was maybe invaluable. She was persistent, like a bulldog, and though her first tactic had been to berate Gabriel for letting things go on for years and years, by the time Castiel took his seat again, she'd moved on to actual conversation with Gabriel where he didn't look like he'd rather stab himself in the hand than continue to sit there and listen to her talk.
"You aren't getting any younger, Gabriel, is all I am saying, you know? And neither is Sam. But I know that you've had a thing for him for years," she was saying as she took the lid from her coffee cup to put the paper bag from the cookie she'd bought inside it, effectively compacting her trash.
"Years." Balthazar cut in. "Years in which you have done nothing but vaguely flirt with him," he reached over, gripping Gabriel's shoulder. "My friend, do you wonder if perhaps the reason you haven't been able to hold down a girlfriend is because you are destined to make Sam Winchester your blushing bride?"
Gabriel cracked a grin at that. "Sam, a blushing bride? Are we thinking lace trim and a bodice, and, oh! A really high garter and champagne that never ends?" The two of them grinned at Rachel, who was unsuccessfully trying to hide her smile, shaking her head at the table. "I've always wanted one of those high-class but borderline raunchy weddings."
"You've always wanted a wedding?" Castiel interjected, "This is news to me."
Gabriel took the mature route of making a face at his younger brother across the table. "Listen, you guys - I appreciate all the input today, I really do. We'll see what comes of tonight, I guess, but I think you all have points," he tossed a cheeky grin Rachel's way. "Even you, Rach, except I think I fell asleep a few times during your speeches, so do you think you could-"
He broke off with a laugh, raising an arm to fend off Rachel's pinching fingers. Castiel caught Balthazar's eye and they exchanged a secret smile of their own. Gabriel had said 'We'll see what comes of tonight', and sure, it wasn't exactly confirmation that he was going to finally take off his collar and step up to Sam like he should have done long before, but it was something. Gabriel wasn't saying he intended to hang back any longer. Or hadn't said it.
And that was a sign of changing things, wasn't it?
___
Sam was buzzed. Just a little bit. Enough to know that he was buzzed, but not enough to lose that sense of awareness. Which was a good thing, because the way Pam was eying him, he wasn't sure he wanted to be any more inebriated. He knew that look. That look said that she was waiting for him to get to the point where she could easily convince him into anything. And considering who else was in the apartment, and what Pam knew, Sam wasn't sure he wanted her to be able to convince him into anything. Like doing his Wahlberg impression to seduce Gabriel. Something told him it may have the exact reverse effect.
"Sam, man," Andy Gallagher dropped onto the couch next to Sam, clearly tipsy himself, resting his chin on Sam's shoulder. "You look tense, dude." He shoved the beer bottle in his hand into Sam's, smiling broadly. "You need more. We didn't go and wake Ash up in the middle of his mid-shift nap to get this beer just for it to go to waste. Come on," he straightened, slapping a hand down on Sam's knee. "Tell me all about your man problems, I can--"
"Andy Gallagher will you please keep your voice down?"
Sam looked up to see Cas and Gabriel's cousin Rachel standing over them, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"Oh, right, right!" Andy said, nodding. "This is a delicate operation," he turned back to Sam, quirking an eyebrow. "Man, I don't know why you are being so shy about it, dude clearly wants in your pants."
"Is there anyone in the apartment right now who isn't conspiring to set Gabriel up with me?" Sam asked, a bit deadpan. Pam and Andy, of course, were in on it, he'd been able to tell that from the second they had walked in, winked at him, and Pam had announced 'Grumpy's getting laid tonight'. Dean and Cas, of course, were the instigators in this little operation. Rachel's reaction just now had tossed any hope for him that she wasn't in on it out the window. And one glance at Balthazar, while not enough to make him sure, wasn't even needed. If everyone else was in on it, Balthazar was in there like a dirty shirt. So really, the only person who wasn't aware of the little operation was Gabriel.
Gabriel was in the kitchen with Dean, Cas and Balthazar right now, listening while Balthazar regaled them with a tale about a night of 'mindlessness and madness' that he'd been involved in recently. From what Sam could see through the living room to kitchen doorway, Cas was shaking his head, Dean looked a bit dumbstruck, and Gabriel was laughing, clapping his cousin on the shoulder, probably congratulating him. Balthazar would always be that way, the loveable hedonist. And his loveable hedonist exploit retellings were keeping Gabriel from overhearing anything that was going on in the living room.
Which was definitely a good thing, because it was then that Rachel dropped into the seat on Sam's other side, putting her soda can down on the coffee table, and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You need another beer, or you need--"
"--To unclench," Pam jumped in, moving around to perch on the edge of the coffee table in front of Sam, grinning wide. "Or maybe..." she glanced into the kitchen, the corners of her mouth pulling up in a smirk. When she turned back around, she caught Rachel's eyes, and Sam's heart jumped into his throat. Rachel was normally fairly reserved, well-behaved; she didn't meddle unless she absolutely needed to. He was sure she was here now more to feel out if she did need to meddle than to actually meddle, but Pam had a certain effect on people. A certain effect where, as Andy let out a short bark of laughter, catching on, Rachel got to her feet, walking into the kitchen and clearing her throat.
"If you guys are done discussing the varied ways in which Balthazar narrowly escaped getting syphilis this month, Pam and I were thinking maybe we could all..."
Aha! Aha. She hadn't thought far enough to get together an excuse before she had gone in there. Now she was stuck and she would have to back down and whatever it was that Pam had been attempting to get across would fail.
"We could all chill out in here, maybe throw on some crap movie before we head out - Gabriel, you gotta work tomorrow, dontcha? Let's all spend some time together before Sam gets ornery and kicks us out for being drunken louts."
Dammit Andy.
If there was one thing Sam didn't want, it was an audience to his inability to not flirt with Gabriel the way he was now. If Gabriel was in the other room, Sam was fine to sit his buzzed ass on the couch and talk to Pam and Andy and Rachel and not worry about the fact that Gabriel looked really good right now, and everyone was expecting him to do something.
"Yeah, actually, that sounds good," Dean agreed, heading into the living room. Cas looked suitably relieved, until he caught Sam's eyes. Then he was mouthing 'For your own good', and settling down on the other couch next to Dean.
"Oh, hey, Gabe man, you sit," Andy said, standing a dropping into one of the chairs instead, leaving his seat next to Sam open and free for Gabriel to take. "I've been on my ass all night, you relax, dude, kick back." For her part, Rachel scooted into the other chair next to Andy's, legs curling up underneath her, and Pam took her spot on Sam's other side, a safe distance away, but an imposing, forceful presence nonetheless. Gabriel didn't seem to think twice about it, taking the seat beside Sam and thanking Andy.
"Hey, kiddo," he grinned brightly up at Sam. "I haven't gotten much of a chance to talk to you tonight, sorry about that." he bumped his leg against Sam's, taking a sip from his beer. "So, how was work today? Anything new to--"
"--No work talk!"
The entire room went quiet, everyone looking over to Dean and Cas, who were both staring intently at Sam and Gabriel, though Cas at least had the presence of mind to look away and flush a touch around the ears. Dean, not so much. He lost some of the intensity of his stare, but he didn't stop staring.
"No work talk," he repeated gruffly.
"Uh..." Gabriel said, looking up at Sam, his eyes clearly saying 'They've lost it. Our brothers have finally gone up the creek without their paddles, look at them doing that scary talking in unison couple thing.'
"Yeah," Rachel cut in helpfully. She waved a hand at Sam and Gabriel. "We're all here to unwind, don't you to start talking about work," she jerked her thumb at Cas. "Or this one will start trying to recruit all of us for the library's summer reading camps."
"Hey!" Cas piped up. "Rachel, those programs are extremely beneficial for children."
"Do you want, say, Balthazar, anywhere near those children?"
For his part Balthazar shot Cas a sleazy grin, perfectly acting the part of the exact guy parents didn't want teaching their kids to read.
"...Point taken." Cas allowed, settling back in his seat. "Moving on, what’s on tonight, anyway?"
The conversation in the room picked up again, everyone putting in their input on what exactly they should be watching as they skimmed through the television's guide. Unfortunately for everyone else in the room, one of the stations was playing Porky's 2, the one film in the world that Sam knew, if he could, Dean would turn into real life. Dean played the 'house rules' card, saying it was his TV and if they didn't like it they were free to take their beers out on the balcony and listen to the sultry sounds of their neighbours' choices in programming - probably CSI reruns.
Sam almost made it all the way to the end. He tried, he really did, but he'd seen that damn movie way too many times. "If anyone needs me, I'll be on the balcony listening to David Caruso and his amazingly bad acting." He heaved himself up and off the couch, leaning down to gather up the beer bottles off the coffee table.
"I think I'll join you, champ," Gabriel said, getting up and holding out his hand to take some of the bottles from Sam.
Without making it too obvious Sam glanced at Dean, who had a bit of a smug smirk on his face. Right. This was basically the only chance he had, right? May as well take it. If anything it was time alone with Gabriel and away from his three hundredth viewing of Porky's 2, so that was a blessing. Passing off some of the bottles to Gabriel, he crossed the living room and kitchen, opening the sliding door carefully with the bottles cradled in one arm, stepping off onto the balcony.
___
So maybe it was a bit of an obvious move, but dammit. Sam hadn't played fair, without even knowing that he was playing at all. When Sam had bent over to gather up the empties off the coffee table, Gabriel couldn't help but notice that particularly fabulous ass of Sam's. Maybe he was a little drunk too, but really. It was a really nice ass. And Sam was going to be out on the balcony all alone and, hey, he'd missed just talking with him, maybe this was his chance of a lifetime. That ass was trying to tell him something. So he'd blurted out about joining Sam on the balcony, helped carry the bottles to the cold concrete overhang, and now was biting his tongue, trying not to make comments again while Sam bent over, carefully putting the empties into the old beer box next to the shabby looking balcony table. Dropping comments about his ass would probably have Sam raising eyebrows pretty fast, and while the stunned look on his face would be a prize, Gabriel slightly doubted he could count on rational or heartfelt conversation and confessionals after an opener like 'Nice ass, why isn't it in my bed?'
"Hey, Gabe, pass those over here," Sam said, glancing back over his shoulder, holding out a hand for the bottles Gabe was holding. He passed them off wordlessly, suddenly glad to have his hands free, shoving them into his pockets. Why the hell was he acting like a horny teenager? Aside from the fact that he could be one, that was. This week had played games with his head. He was waking up nightly, more than a little aroused, cursing his brain for its timing, just when his dreams had been getting good. It wasn't like he hadn't had sex dreams about Sam before. You'd have to be dead not to have had a sex dream about Sam Winchester in his honest opinion. The thing was that these dreams, and Castiel's constant badgering, had him a little on edge, a little wondering of when, exactly, it would be best to stop holding off, push Sam into a janitor's closet, and find out if the anatomy in his dreams was anything like the real thing.
He stepped over to the balcony railing, crossing his arms and looking down at the lit street below. A minute later Sam joined him, nudging his elbow with his own. Gabriel took a breath, and then looked up, trademark grin in place. "Hiya, kiddo. All done playing maid?"
"Very funny," Sam grumbled, but his own smile didn't fall. Something had changed from the rest of this week. It felt like at least some of the tension had seeped out from between them. Things were comfortable again. And that, for Gabriel, was like a breath of fresh air. "Anyway. You asked earlier about work. Don't tell mom and dad in there, but nah, nothing new to report. Not gonna lie, it's boring when you aren’t around to talk to. It basically leaves Tessa and she's nice enough but... The entire morgue staff is sort of weird."
"Amen to that," Gabriel laughed, ignoring the happy heat blooming in his stomach.
"That'll be my gig tomorrow, Sammy. 12 to 6 with no one to chat up but toddlers. Oh, and Zach. There's the promise of thrilling conversation for you."
Sam laughed, his nice, full laugh, the one that made his dimples show, and his eyes light up. If there was something Gabriel loved, something that he would never admit made him weak in the knees, it was that laugh, it was that smile. "You, uh, you chat up toddlers, do you? I'm pretty sure that goes against some part of that oath you took when you became a doctor, Gabe."
Gabriel snorted, knocking his leg against Sam's, staring out over the part of the city they could see from the balcony. They stood like that for a few minutes, just enjoying the nice, quiet, comfort of the silence between them. Things really did feel back to normal. Maybe this little party idea had been a good thing. They had both been able to blow off steam in a nice, healthy, socially acceptable way, and things were fine. They would go back to how they had been, and none of that painful awkward feeling would linger.
But... Somehow, with it so close, with the alcohol still fuelling his system to a certain point, and with the knowledge that this was his chance, created by Fate - or Dean and Castiel, Gabriel was starting to think he wasn't okay with things going back to being the way they had been. Not by a long shot. He opened his mouth for the first time in about five minutes, sliding his arm across the railing on the balcony to rest against Sam's. "Nah, Sammy. You're the only one I chat up," he tilted his head, "Well, the only one I try to chat up."
Sam was silent for a second before he turned, looking Gabriel in the eyes, his mouth quirked in a bit of a hesitant smile on one side. "Really?"
"Oh yeah," Gabriel said. "But you're just immune to my charms."
"Huh," Sam nodded once, a bit of a delirious smile creeping onto his face. "I don't know that I'm all that immune, really, Gabriel. Maybe you're just crap at chatting people up," he was still smiling, and his eyes, his damn eyes. Gabriel wouldn't have been able to keep standing if he weren't holding on to the balcony, with the full force of that grin and those eyes, sparking with hope and amusement and who knew what else turned on him. It was a little insulting really, that he was feeling a little airy, a little weak-kneed.
"No, I’m pretty sure I'm great at it, you're just a bit dense. You're your brother's brother, Sam Winchester. You are your brother's brother."
Sam laughed again, impossibly beautiful, and he seemed closer, even though Gabriel was sure that neither of them had moved in the slightest. The younger Winchester turned his head for a second, not speaking or really seeming to be looking at anything, just taking a few breaths before he spoke again. "Maybe I am a bit dense. But I'm going to need a bit more to go on before I believe your case, here, doc Gabe."
Gabriel thought about it for about half a second, then shrugged one shoulder. "All right, look at me, kiddo," he waited until Sam turned to him before turning his own head. Sam really looked lit up from the inside. His hazel eyes were alive with light, crinkled around the edges from the force of his smile. It was hesitant, a little shaky, but it was there, teeth pressed softly to his lower lip. Gabriel took a breath to steady himself out, head feeling amazing clear from where it had felt fuzzy only moments ago, and reached up, fingers curling in the lapel of the open plaid shirt Sam was wearing over his black v-neck...
And then there was an unholy crash from inside the apartment and they broke apart, blinking at each other for a second in shock before Sam was moving to the sliding door in one big step, muttering swears under his breath as he pulled it open and jogged through the kitchen towards the living room, Gabriel hot on his tail.
Andy was sitting on the living room among the wreckage of the soda cans, chip bowls and pizza plates that had been left on the coffee table, smiling sheepishly at the room's occupants.
"Holy crap, Andy, you okay?" Sam asked, moving in to offer Andy a hand while Dean and Balthazar carefully righted the coffee table back on its four legs, and off of Andy's.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Tripped over my own two damn feet, crashed into the table, you know," he laughed a bit, sheepish to compliment his smile. "Typical clumsiness."
Gabriel finally smiled, shaking his head. "Happens to the best of us, man. I'll go grab the broom." He turned to walk back into the kitchen.
"Gabe?"
Glancing over his shoulder Gabriel caught Sam looking at him, eyes showing both his focus for the current problem, but also confusion, almost like he was lost, unsure exactly how they had gotten from the balcony to in the trashed living room. Gabriel was wondering that himself, wondering if they had really, actually been there, on the brink, finally about to end this long drawn out dance.
"Broom's in the standing closet beside the fridge."
Gabriel smiled, nodding. "Ay ay, captain!" He turned back around, trotting into the kitchen to go and find the aforementioned broom.
When he did, he could have sworn he heard Dean say 'Sammy?', a beat and then Balthazar, in a low growl, 'Of all the times to forget how to operate your damn motor functions, Andy.'
Then again, all of that was lost in the din of the others giving each other instructions and directions on where to find towels for the soda and beer on the (thankfully wood) floor. He'd probably imagined it.
One thing was for sure, though. Regardless of if he imagined it, he wouldn't be sleeping a peaceful sleep tonight.
Part Three