SPN: Taste Test {Sam/Castiel PG-15}
Title: Taste Test
Author: aerithqoc
Rating: PG-15
Pairings: Sam/Castiel and some Sam/Gabriel.
Warnings: m/m, mild language, lots of drinking, major inappropriateness by both angels.
Word Count: 4850
Summary: If he were a nice brother, he would’ve helped his little brother get the man of his dreams. As it happens, Gabriel is not a nice brother. And what Castiel wants, Gabriel will get. Or at least he’ll try to get. Doesn’t help that the man of Castiel’s dreams is completely unaware of what’s happening.
A/N: For hrtslkths for the Sassy Fanworks exchange. Prompt was; "Epic battle of wits between Castiel and Gabriel for Sam's affections. Sam, of course, has no idea what's going on." This took so long to write and I’m still unsure about it but still, I hope you like it hun :D
~ * ~ * ~
If ever there was a time that would afford many surprises, both great and small, then it surely must be the Apocalypse. One of the greater surprises of the Apocalypse being that Gabriel, the once rascally Trickster, had decided to offer occasional help to their cause.
It was, of course, a great help to have an archangel on their side. However it was, of course, only helpful when Gabriel decided a situation was actually worth his time.
That was probably part of the reason Dean was having a hard enough time trusting the son of a bitch. Well, that and the whole college campus thing and the Groundhog Day incident and the locking up in TV Land but all that was a given.
Sam was also slightly ill at ease, despite it being his idea to team up with him; he still knew the former Mr. Trickster could be wily and sly to the point of absolute torture and insanity.
And Castiel was definitely not finding it any easier to adjust to the situation (for more reasons than he’d care to disclose in front of either Winchester), the presence of a fellow angel obviously wasn’t as comforting to him as his human companions had initially assumed.
None had reason to trust him, but desperate times and all that.
So, as such, the archangel Gabriel was uneasily accepted into their little band of merry men.
Super.
~ * ~ * ~
“He’s gonna burst into flames if you keep that up.”
Castiel turned his head to the side, looking away from the window at his older brother who leaned against the wall, twirling a lollipop in his mouth.
Gabriel’s eyes tricked to the side, gazing merrily out the second story window at the brothers Winchester, who stood side-by-side in the middle of the allotment, lost in their own private little world.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re burning holes in the back of his head with that stare, Castiel. Intense. Hmm? I knew you and Dean were close but...”
Gabriel trailed off, eyes flickering back towards the one in the trench coat and seeing that flinch and that squirm that meant he had hit off target just a little.
“Or maybe it’s not big brother! Maybe you’re in the mood for something a little... younger?”
Castiel’s eyes snapped wider and the archangel laughed heartily.
“Oh! Jackpot!” Gabriel pulled the lollipop from his mouth with an obscene pop, his lips wet and sticky. “So, baby bro has got a little action going on! And with our very own baby Winchester?”
“No. No I do not.” Castiel stated evenly, calmly. Gabriel leaned up, tilting his head as he stared into Castiel’s eyes.
“No... but you want to!”
It had to be the growing humanity within him trying to burst out because that accusation had him stuttering a thoroughly unconvincing no.
Gabriel’s head flung backwards with a roar of laughter. “HA! So you’re crushing on not-so-little Sammy, eh? Well, that’s a surprise. How did this happen? Did you wake up one morning and decide that instead of pancakes and bacon, you wanted Sam over easy?”
Castiel frowned at him. If he was just a tad more human, feet shuffling and finger fumbling would’ve been on the cards at that moment, instead he rolled his eyes downwards in hope that the shorter angel wouldn’t realise how embarrassed he truly was.
“I wouldn’t blame you though.” Gabriel murmured, staring out the window at Sam as he leaned against the Impala in deep discussion with Dean. The hot, humid day meant a t-shirt that rolled up and jeans that hung low which, when combined, showed just enough of his hips and built abs. “Mmm... Wouldn’t mind sinking that shake myself, if you know what I mean?”
“I don’t.”
“Innuendo, Castiel. Look it up in the dictionary.” Castiel’s emotionless response almost made Gabriel slap his forehead. “But you know, it might be fun. I wouldn’t mind a little Sammy action between the sheets, I’ll bet he’s a screamer. Oooh! I love me a screamer!”
“You... desire Sam Winchester?” Castiel did not like the throb of his heart and the turn of his stomach at the implications of Gabriel and Sam together like that. Not one little bit.
“Why not! You’ve got competition, buddy.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means, Castiel -” Gabriel dropped the lollypop back into his wide grin. “- Game on!”
Castiel’s gaze returned to the window to see Gabriel now standing outside, standing far too close to Sam for his liking.
It was then the meaning finally sank in.
~ * ~ * ~
Castiel landed by their side quick enough to startle Dean a number of steps away from his brother and the two angels.
“Sheesh Cas, wear a bell or something!”
“Why would I want to wear a bell?” Castiel furrowed his brow.
“My impending heart attack would be reason number one. Sam’s heart attack is reason number two.”
The brunet glared at Dean. “Thanks for that.”
“Ah, he’s only teasing! You know he does actually care about ya.” Dean nearly choked on the bottle of whiskey he was chugging like Gatorade.
“Um... y-yeah. Yeah I do.” Sam whispered uncomfortably, quietly avoiding Dean’s eye at that.
“Good! Cos, you know, he’s not the only one who does...” Gabriel slipped a little closer to his side, swirling the lollypop in his mouth carefully and giving an elongated moan.
The looks on Sam and Dean’s face could only be described as pure and utter bewilderment. Meanwhile, the look on Castiel’s face could only be described as murderous.
Regarding the look on Cas’ face with a grin, he plucked the lolly out of his mouth and held it out in front of the youngest Winchester. “Would you like some, Sammy?”
“... I really, really would not.” Sam then rolled his eyes. “And it’s not Sammy, it’s Sa-UMPH!” His obligatory correction was interrupted when Gabriel shoved the lolly into Sam’s mouth regardless, using the stick to swirl it a little across Sam’s tongue.
He grinned, pulled it out of his mouth and shoved it back into his own again. His moan this time was even louder, even longer, than before.
“Gabriel!” Castiel snarled out after a moment, pure wrath seeping through the edges of his tone.
“What?” Gabriel shrugged innocently, though his grin was wicked. “Did you want some too, baby bro? Too bad...”
He bit through the hard candy in one swipe and swallowed all the pieces. “None left for you.”
And then Gabriel was gone again; leaving nothing but a pissed off angel and two still completely frozen Winchesters behind.
A muted Sam moved first, moving his hands in the direction of Bobby’s house with a number of squeaky breaths before power-walking inside.
“Uh... Cas? What... Just what the hell was that about?”
Castiel did not answer the older Winchester, sending a furiously cold glare towards him instead before vanishing.
And then there was one.
Dean blinked and scratched his head. “What was all that about?”
~ * ~ * ~
“Do you know what winks and screws like a tiger?”
No response.
“No? Well...” And he promptly winked and clicked his tongue.
Sam gaped, eyebrows disappearing into his impressively high hairline. “W-What? What are you up to, Gabriel? You’re acting even weirder than usual.”
“Oh Sammy! You say the sweetest things!” He muttered, dumping himself onto the sofa beside Sam and leaning in close with a grin. “You do know... that sweetness is my weakness.”
Gabriel’s lines came out like spun silk, his voice as sweet as chocolate. It sickened Castiel.
Though not as much as seeing the youngest Winchester making no further objections to the advances on him as Gabriel gently lifted his hand just below his mouth, whispering and caressing his knuckles.
Castiel narrowed his eyes, trying to concentrate on what Bobby was saying to himself and Dean from within the study but finding his attention drawn elsewhere, not that either of them noticed.
‘Human courting rituals’ baffled Castiel insanely. He had seen small glimpses of these customs during his time on earth, mainly from his time with the eldest Winchester.
Thinking of Dean’s encounters, his mind considered that perhaps these ‘pickup lines’ could be more effective than he had first considered. It seemed to be working fine for Gabriel, and it always seemed to do the trick with Dean.
He pondered for a moment before he felt the disappearance of Gabriel’s presence. Bingo.
The angel slid so quickly and fluidly into the room after Gabriel’s departure that Sam jumped a little before he realised what he had done and chuckled.
“Sorry about that, Cas. You shocked me.”
“I saw you speaking with Gabriel.” It was more of an enquiry than a statement, wanting to gauge Sam’s reaction to Gabriel’s advances. He was more than a little pleased when Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“Yeah. And I gotta say, your brother is making even less sense than usual today.” Sam said to Castiel, shaking his head as he took to his feet and stretched his body leisurely in the air like a cat.
Castiel couldn’t help the way his eyes were completely drawn to the movement, the stretch showing off the firm muscles of his arms beautifully.
“I... would take no notice of him. Really.”
“I usually don’t.” The young Winchester smiled, not noticing the faraway look on Cas’ face as his body loosened up.
It took eight seconds for Castiel to finally recover.
“Sam?” he called out.
“Yeah?”
“What... what do you say we...” Castiel began, suddenly unsure.
“‘We’ what? What is it, Cas?”
“What do you say we... crank it up to eleven?”
Sam gave a stone face - One to match Cas’ perfectly.
“Crank... what up?”
“... I am uncertain. It was something Dean once said so I assumed you would understand.”
Sam’s blank expression suddenly melted with a chuckle and he rubbed his eyes. “Oh... I see! Um, yeah. It’s just- uh... it’s one of Dean’s... um...”
The younger Winchester coughed at Castiel’s confused head tilt, silently vowing to kill his brother when he got the chance for putting strange thoughts into the impressionable angel’s head.
“I don’t think you quite get the meaning.” He exploded out an embarrassed sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. “Dean uses it to pick up girls.”
“I understand that.”
“And you’re looking to pick up a girl?”
“No.”
“Thought as much.” Sam chuckled again and gave Cas a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it Cas, we’ll forget it even happened. Okay?”
Castiel couldn’t help but nod, his face falling into a frown as Sam left the room.
He sighed deeply.
How did Dean make it look so easy?
~ * ~ * ~
Research. Research. Research.
That was how their days went, intermittent with bouts of sleeping, eating and drinking.
A lot of drinking.
A lot, a lot of drinking.
This was why Castiel, when further considering the workings of courtship rituals (or more accurately the ‘gift giving portion’ of courtship rituals), had decided a bottle of alcohol to be an appropriate gift at this time.
Castiel truly hoped his attempt worked this time, especially after the pickup line fiasco.
A bottle of Jack Daniels, huge and heavy, was placed quickly before Sam who blinked quickly at it before quirking a brow.
“What’s this for?”
“It is your preferred brand, is it not?”
“Well, yeah but why did you get me it?”
“I thought you would like it more than... that.”
Castiel gestured towards the other bottle on the table, silently cursing Gabriel for having the same thought in mind for a gift. But luckily for the blue eyed angel, Gabriel’s choice was inspired by a poor recommendation.
“I guess so. Contrary to Dean’s belief, I’m really not into that... froufrou stuff.” Sam muttered, poking the bottle of pink champagne warily as if it would take a bite out of him for that comment.
“I know.” Castiel replied, just a little smugly, leaning just a bit closer to the brunet.
“You know, you’re being really weird lately too.” It was said with far too much good humour and far too wide a smile to be any way insulting. “Thanks.”
He patted Castiel’s back powerfully, the lingering tingle of the touch sending pleasant shockwaves throughout his body.
They stood staring at each other in silence for a few intense minutes. The awkwardness of the moment finally settled in when they heard a cough from the hallway and saw Gabriel leaning leisurely against the doorframe.
Sam spluttered, shuffling away from Castiel with a self-conscious mutter and reaching for the enormous stack of books on the table.
“Allow me to help you with that, my dear Samuel!” Gabriel smiled far too nicely and wrapped his hands underneath the stack of books, and if his hands happened to brush against Sam’s oh so slightly? Well, that was just a coincidence, of course!
Gabriel winked discreetly at his brother as he carried the books to the next room and Castiel scowled at that.
Sam on the other hand simply shrugged, shaking his head as he followed the archangel.
Though he doubled back, hand stretching past the champagne to grab the Jack Daniels as he gave a conspiratory grin. “I’m probably gonna need this with those three in there!”
Castiel really couldn’t have helped that little hopeful flutter in his chest at Sam’s choice, almost feeling that tingle in his body again that had ignited from Sam’s touch. He prayed that Gabriel didn’t just feel that same spark when their hands had brushed, because as far as Castiel was concerned that wonderful spark was only for Sam and himself, not for Gabriel.
He stepped towards the table and stared at the champagne bottle, wondering how Gabriel could ever think Sam would have liked that. Clearly, Gabriel didn’t know Sam as well as he did.
Feeling bold and a little more self-assured, Castiel touched the top of the bottle, giving it the tiniest of taps and letting it topple onto the floor, smashing into a thousand pieces.
Castiel’s deadpan expression reached up to his fuming brother in the doorway.
“Oops.”
~ * ~ * ~
It was a regular kind of case for them post-Lucifer’s freedom; A high powered demon with a little army of followers trying to capture Sam Winchester to give to their master.
Gabriel had shown up, obviously. Sam and Dean’s eyed him suspiciously in between trying to gank as many demons with knife and bullet alike but Castiel was the one damn near growling like an angry hound at his brother’s appearance.
“Who said you could start the party without me?” Gabriel jovially shouted, arms splayed wide until a demon crept too close. It was easily taken down with an archangel poke to the forehead.
So they fought and fought the low class demons as the head honcho watched over proceedings and Castiel pretended he hadn’t noticed how Gabriel crept close to his- his ‘friend’.
It was in the midst of the action when the leader shot from her perch and flung Sam away from the brawl, her super powered body pinning down his as three shouts of Sam’s name erupted from the fight.
“You gonna come quietly? You really shouldn’t make him wait for you...”
“Go back to Hell! Both you and your Dad-” Sam’s head flung to the side as he was smacked by the girl.
“Arrogant little maggot!” The head demon hooked her hands around Sam’s throat, a sneer on her breath. “You belong to my Father! You are his to use as he sees fit you insignificant, pathetic, worthless little-”
Sam blinked his eyes opened as the woman suddenly gasped for breath and the hands around his throat were torn away.
The younger Winchester’s eyes widened when he saw Castiel there before him; standing perfectly straight bar the hand which was latched tightly around the demon woman’s throat. She hissed and cursed at him, eyes flickering into a violent black as her feet dangled from the ground.
“You’re wrong.” The demon squawked angrily at him at Castiel’s words.
“He is not insignificant. Or pathetic. Or worthless.” His hold on the demon’s neck tightened. “And he is certainly not little.”
His Grace spiked through his fingertips and through her neck and the demon screeched as it was disintegrated from the inside out. He lowered the vessel to the ground gently and she rolled on the ground.
Sam breathed heavily, staring up at Castiel.
“C-Cas?”
The angel’s gaze finally dropped down to his and Sam’s heart almost stopped as those gloriously bright blue eyes pinned him down.
Castiel’s hand reached out and Sam took it wordlessly, the powerhouse of an angel easily pulling him to his feet and holding him close to his form.
His hand squeezed Sam’s gently as his other hand moved to Sam’s throat and the red marks formed around it.
“Does it hurt?”
Sam blinked in shock as the angel’s fingers caressed his aching neck. “N-No. It’s fine. I’m fine.”
“Then... I’m glad.” There was a tiny smile on his face and he pulled away and Sam was left staring at his retreating form with the most unreadable of expressions.
Dean stood by Gabriel’s side, eyes almost as wide as his brother’s. “What-What-...What the hell is going on around here?!”
“Time to step up the game, that’s what.” Gabriel huffed before turning and walking away.
Dean grabbed his forehead. “Oh come on! How the hell does that answer anything?!”
~ * ~ * ~
At that moment forward, Gabriel’s attempts became far less... ‘subtle’, though it did no good.
Gabriel frowned thoughtfully. He had used all his sneakiest moves on him but Sam’s reaction to his advances had become more tired whilst his reactions to Castiel, to the tiny little touches and secret smiles, made him flush and gave him an extra little bounce in his step.
“Hey Sam, would you care to accompany me tonight for dinner?” Gabriel had asked, no longer choosing to beat around the bush since Sam clearly wasn’t catching on.
“Um... that’s okay, Gabriel. There’s a lot to do around here and I’m not really that hungry anyway so...” He trailed off, shuffling the papers in his hand.
The archangel’s mouth had only just opened to argue when he found himself completely and thoroughly... cockblocked by his brother.
“Sam, would you care to help me with this passage?” The younger angel asked, tilting his head with a soft look on his face. Sam shrugged at that.
“Sure thing, Cas.” He added a ‘sorry’ to Gabriel as an afterthought before he marched away, taking the seat by Castiel’s spot at the desk and allowing the angel to look over his shoulder.
But there was so much more there that Sam didn’t see. The casual lean into his body, the brush of breath across the back of his neck, and then- Castiel was looking up at him and... was that a smirk? No no no - must’ve been a trick of the light or something but that glint in his eye? Oh that taunted him too much.
Gabriel blinked. When the hell had Castiel gotten so brazen and at what point did this game become a one horse race?
And then Castiel’s hand moved onto Sam’s shoulder and squeezed gently and Sam looked up, confused and then... he smiled and stared back at the passage with a- yes, that was a blush faintly colouring Sam’s cheeks.
Gabriel growled as he marched away from the scene.
“Screw subtly.”
~ * ~ * ~
“You know Sam, you can be a right idiot sometimes. And you’re supposed to be the smart Winchester!”
“Is there a reason why you’ve suddenly popped into my room to insult me - And my brother for that matter?”
Gabriel tilted his head a little, the grin that settled there unnerving Sam a little. “Actually. There is.”
Just like that, Sam found himself thrown across the room and pinned onto the bed.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
“With the whole world crumbling, we pick this time to fall in love.” Gabriel muttered with wistful amusement as he trailed a finger along the bed frame. Seeing Sam’s completely bemused expression, the archangel blanched. “Casablanca? No? Fine, let’s cut to the chase. I want you.”
“W-what?!”
“I. Want. You. Sam.” Gabriel rolled his eyes again when Sam nearly choked on his own stunned screech. “Oh come on, all the little hints I’ve been giving you all week- and you couldn’t tell? Not exactly the romantic, are you?”
“I thought you were just... being you. And I wouldn’t exactly call all... all that romantic, Gabriel.” Sam said very slowly and very carefully, as if his life depended on it.
“Well, I must admit they weren’t exactly my best moves but with you- I thought a different approach may be necessary. I mean, would you have really went for the roses and chocolates approach?”
“No but I don’t go for pink champagne either! And all that groping and stuff? The lollipop thing? Using your angel mojo to pin me to the bed? Yeah- THAT DOESN’T HELP EITHER!”
The shorter male took a mental note to kick Dean’s ass for misleading him about the champagne before his coy smirk returned. “Oh come on Sammy, don’t say you don’t like it a little rough.”
“Gabriel, seriously-”
“Seriously? Seriously what?” Gabriel leaned forward, hovering dangerously close to Sam’s form. Breaths mingled, eyes met and when he leaned down to brush his lips against the human’s, he suddenly found himself flung across the room.
Sam thought he was shocked before until he turned his head and noticed just who it was that had managed to get Gabriel the second his guard went down.
Castiel was now beside him, hand resting upon Sam’s still pinned arm and face twisted into a vicious snarl at his brother.
“Castiel, what gives you the righ-”
“Stay away from him, Gabriel.”
“Or what? What are you gonna do?” The laugh from him was bitter, angry, and Sam could practically feel the crackle of energy as the two angels squared up.
They all knew Castiel, disconnected from Heaven and rapidly losing his powers, would be no match for a souped up archangel but that didn’t seem to stop Cas from trying, and doing a damn good job at being intimidating.
“He doesn’t want you in this way. Do you, Sam?”
Angry blue eyes settled easily upon Sam, still completely stunned as he shook his head. “No -No I don’t.”
“Is that enough of an answer for you, Gabriel. Leave him alone!”
Gabriel’s head turned towards Sam, there was a certain little twinkle in Sam’s eye that had been growing before, but now shone brightly.
He shook his head with a disappointed chuckle.
“Game set and match, bro.” He snapped his fingers and Sam’s body turned limp, by the time he shot up into a sitting position, Gabriel was already gone.
Still panting for breath, Sam let out a shaky laugh. “I guess that’s... two times I owe you for now.”
Castiel’s expression softened and he gently reached down to caress the skin where his wrists had been held down. The touch was delicate and soft, just right.
“You don’t owe me for anything, Sam. If anything, this is my fault.”
“It’s your fault that your brother’s a psychopath?”
“No... not that...” There was something a little dejected in Cas’ expression at that before he leaned down and pressed his lips against Sam’s softly. It was just a chaste pressing of lips together; so small but so important.
Castiel had vanished out of there long before Sam reopened his eyes.
“Oh.”
~ * ~ * ~
It had been days since the incident with Gabriel, days since they had last seen the archangel, days since the two of them had spoken or even held eye contact for longer than a moment.
Sitting in Bobby’s study, Dean gave an uncomfortable cough as he looked between his brother and the angel in the trench coat. There was an unbearable tension between the two that even Dean, all wrapped up in apocalyptic loopholes and his fifth shot of Sam’s Jack Daniels, couldn’t help but feel.
The little looks Sam gave Castiel couldn’t be ignored, the little twinge of confusion, sadness and a hint of... maybe longing? Dean couldn’t exactly make sense of it without at least another shot or two to keep him going.
Castiel was refusing to look at Sam, staring at everything and anything around him instead but the undeniable shame and uncertainty on his face added even more to the mystery.
And if Dean had anything to say on the matter, he kept it to himself. Well, at least, he decided to once Bobby rolled into the room with a list of papers.
The retired hunter was enlightening them with more information about Lucifer and Revelation Omens and such.
His words became white noise the moment Castiel’s head finally rose to stare into Sam’s face. Sam, feeling the eyes on him, tilted his head slightly to pierce him with those bright, shiny eyes Castiel oh so often found himself falling into.
They stared hard at each other; blue speaking with hazel and a silent agreement came over them as they stepped outside the door, heading outside of Bobby’s home.
Bobby’s speech trailed off abruptly when they slipped out. He gave a little “hmph” at the angel hovering close to the partly demonic boy as they made their way outside.
The man in the battered baseball cap followed their retreating forms and chuckled deeply, earning a raised eyebrow from Dean.
“Those two, are adorable.” Bobby muttered dryly, sinking the scotch in his hand with a sharp sigh before rolling to the table to pour himself another one.
“Excuse me?”
“You must be so happy.”
“Happy? About what?”
“The pair of them, obviously.” Bobby shook his head. “Eyeballing each other like that. Surprised me at first but... whatever works for them I guess.”
“Seriously Bobby; what are you talking about?”
“...You telling me you haven’t noticed what’s been going on between those two?”
“Just that they’re both down in the dumps. Nobody tells me anything around here!”
Bobby paused a second and upon seeing that Dean actually was serious, his eyes widened incredulously. “I dunno how the hell you could miss it! Either of you! I know the apocalypse is happening but that’s no excuse for being damn fools.”
“What?”
“See for yourself. Picture’s worth a thousand words.”
~ * ~ * ~
It was quiet outside, the distant noise of dogs barking and wind blowing not even taking away from the nervousness they both felt at that.
“Sam, I’m... I’m sorry.” The word sorry just didn’t seem to be enough at that moment but it was all he could manage.
“For what?” Sam said.
Hmm... that’s right. For what exactly was he apologising for again?
For letting his brother scare Sam?
For confusing Sam with his recent behaviour?
For telling Sam he loved him in not so many words?
Well, maybe he wasn’t sorry about the last one but it was still all he could think of and he found himself dropping his head to stare at the ground.
“I’m uncertain why...just that I am sorry.”
He hadn’t realised how long he’d been caught up in his own thoughts until Sam’s shoes came into his line of vision. Castiel looked up and there Sam was, standing right in front of him, barely a hair’s breath away.
“Don’t be.”
It was Sam’s hand that shot forward, gripping the lapel of Castiel’s coat and snatching him into his firm body for a deep kiss.
Now, it was Castiel’s turn to be surprised... And then elated as he sank into that kiss.
Their lips moved eagerly against each others, tongues twisting and caressing easily together and Castiel found his hands falling onto Sam’s waist. It was a tentative touch at first and then he was gripping hard and driving their hips together and forcing the human to tear himself away with a groan.
Breathless, Sam rested his forehead against Castiel’s and huffed out a laugh when he noticed the unashamed evenness of the other male’s breath.
“Wanted to do that for a while now...”
He tilted his head at that.
“I’m sorry. I dunno if you’ve noticed but I... I really like you, Cas.” His voice was shaky, nervous, almost worried that the angel had since changed his mind. One of Castiel’s hands reached upwards and cupped the side of Sam’s face.
The moment was still and silent before Castiel’s rough voice, noticeably tinted with the sincere amount of affection he felt, sailed out.
“Good.”
And through twin smiles and a pair of matching dimples, their lips joined once more.
~ * ~ * ~
Dean rubbed his eyes as he finished watching the scene. “When... when did this happen?!”
Bobby’s face never changed. He swerved around and then sank the rest of his scotch.
“Surrounded by damn idjits...”
~ * ~ * ~
Author: aerithqoc
Rating: PG-15
Pairings: Sam/Castiel and some Sam/Gabriel.
Warnings: m/m, mild language, lots of drinking, major inappropriateness by both angels.
Word Count: 4850
Summary: If he were a nice brother, he would’ve helped his little brother get the man of his dreams. As it happens, Gabriel is not a nice brother. And what Castiel wants, Gabriel will get. Or at least he’ll try to get. Doesn’t help that the man of Castiel’s dreams is completely unaware of what’s happening.
A/N: For hrtslkths for the Sassy Fanworks exchange. Prompt was; "Epic battle of wits between Castiel and Gabriel for Sam's affections. Sam, of course, has no idea what's going on." This took so long to write and I’m still unsure about it but still, I hope you like it hun :D
~ * ~ * ~
If ever there was a time that would afford many surprises, both great and small, then it surely must be the Apocalypse. One of the greater surprises of the Apocalypse being that Gabriel, the once rascally Trickster, had decided to offer occasional help to their cause.
It was, of course, a great help to have an archangel on their side. However it was, of course, only helpful when Gabriel decided a situation was actually worth his time.
That was probably part of the reason Dean was having a hard enough time trusting the son of a bitch. Well, that and the whole college campus thing and the Groundhog Day incident and the locking up in TV Land but all that was a given.
Sam was also slightly ill at ease, despite it being his idea to team up with him; he still knew the former Mr. Trickster could be wily and sly to the point of absolute torture and insanity.
And Castiel was definitely not finding it any easier to adjust to the situation (for more reasons than he’d care to disclose in front of either Winchester), the presence of a fellow angel obviously wasn’t as comforting to him as his human companions had initially assumed.
None had reason to trust him, but desperate times and all that.
So, as such, the archangel Gabriel was uneasily accepted into their little band of merry men.
Super.
~ * ~ * ~
“He’s gonna burst into flames if you keep that up.”
Castiel turned his head to the side, looking away from the window at his older brother who leaned against the wall, twirling a lollipop in his mouth.
Gabriel’s eyes tricked to the side, gazing merrily out the second story window at the brothers Winchester, who stood side-by-side in the middle of the allotment, lost in their own private little world.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re burning holes in the back of his head with that stare, Castiel. Intense. Hmm? I knew you and Dean were close but...”
Gabriel trailed off, eyes flickering back towards the one in the trench coat and seeing that flinch and that squirm that meant he had hit off target just a little.
“Or maybe it’s not big brother! Maybe you’re in the mood for something a little... younger?”
Castiel’s eyes snapped wider and the archangel laughed heartily.
“Oh! Jackpot!” Gabriel pulled the lollipop from his mouth with an obscene pop, his lips wet and sticky. “So, baby bro has got a little action going on! And with our very own baby Winchester?”
“No. No I do not.” Castiel stated evenly, calmly. Gabriel leaned up, tilting his head as he stared into Castiel’s eyes.
“No... but you want to!”
It had to be the growing humanity within him trying to burst out because that accusation had him stuttering a thoroughly unconvincing no.
Gabriel’s head flung backwards with a roar of laughter. “HA! So you’re crushing on not-so-little Sammy, eh? Well, that’s a surprise. How did this happen? Did you wake up one morning and decide that instead of pancakes and bacon, you wanted Sam over easy?”
Castiel frowned at him. If he was just a tad more human, feet shuffling and finger fumbling would’ve been on the cards at that moment, instead he rolled his eyes downwards in hope that the shorter angel wouldn’t realise how embarrassed he truly was.
“I wouldn’t blame you though.” Gabriel murmured, staring out the window at Sam as he leaned against the Impala in deep discussion with Dean. The hot, humid day meant a t-shirt that rolled up and jeans that hung low which, when combined, showed just enough of his hips and built abs. “Mmm... Wouldn’t mind sinking that shake myself, if you know what I mean?”
“I don’t.”
“Innuendo, Castiel. Look it up in the dictionary.” Castiel’s emotionless response almost made Gabriel slap his forehead. “But you know, it might be fun. I wouldn’t mind a little Sammy action between the sheets, I’ll bet he’s a screamer. Oooh! I love me a screamer!”
“You... desire Sam Winchester?” Castiel did not like the throb of his heart and the turn of his stomach at the implications of Gabriel and Sam together like that. Not one little bit.
“Why not! You’ve got competition, buddy.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means, Castiel -” Gabriel dropped the lollypop back into his wide grin. “- Game on!”
Castiel’s gaze returned to the window to see Gabriel now standing outside, standing far too close to Sam for his liking.
It was then the meaning finally sank in.
~ * ~ * ~
Castiel landed by their side quick enough to startle Dean a number of steps away from his brother and the two angels.
“Sheesh Cas, wear a bell or something!”
“Why would I want to wear a bell?” Castiel furrowed his brow.
“My impending heart attack would be reason number one. Sam’s heart attack is reason number two.”
The brunet glared at Dean. “Thanks for that.”
“Ah, he’s only teasing! You know he does actually care about ya.” Dean nearly choked on the bottle of whiskey he was chugging like Gatorade.
“Um... y-yeah. Yeah I do.” Sam whispered uncomfortably, quietly avoiding Dean’s eye at that.
“Good! Cos, you know, he’s not the only one who does...” Gabriel slipped a little closer to his side, swirling the lollypop in his mouth carefully and giving an elongated moan.
The looks on Sam and Dean’s face could only be described as pure and utter bewilderment. Meanwhile, the look on Castiel’s face could only be described as murderous.
Regarding the look on Cas’ face with a grin, he plucked the lolly out of his mouth and held it out in front of the youngest Winchester. “Would you like some, Sammy?”
“... I really, really would not.” Sam then rolled his eyes. “And it’s not Sammy, it’s Sa-UMPH!” His obligatory correction was interrupted when Gabriel shoved the lolly into Sam’s mouth regardless, using the stick to swirl it a little across Sam’s tongue.
He grinned, pulled it out of his mouth and shoved it back into his own again. His moan this time was even louder, even longer, than before.
“Gabriel!” Castiel snarled out after a moment, pure wrath seeping through the edges of his tone.
“What?” Gabriel shrugged innocently, though his grin was wicked. “Did you want some too, baby bro? Too bad...”
He bit through the hard candy in one swipe and swallowed all the pieces. “None left for you.”
And then Gabriel was gone again; leaving nothing but a pissed off angel and two still completely frozen Winchesters behind.
A muted Sam moved first, moving his hands in the direction of Bobby’s house with a number of squeaky breaths before power-walking inside.
“Uh... Cas? What... Just what the hell was that about?”
Castiel did not answer the older Winchester, sending a furiously cold glare towards him instead before vanishing.
And then there was one.
Dean blinked and scratched his head. “What was all that about?”
~ * ~ * ~
“Do you know what winks and screws like a tiger?”
No response.
“No? Well...” And he promptly winked and clicked his tongue.
Sam gaped, eyebrows disappearing into his impressively high hairline. “W-What? What are you up to, Gabriel? You’re acting even weirder than usual.”
“Oh Sammy! You say the sweetest things!” He muttered, dumping himself onto the sofa beside Sam and leaning in close with a grin. “You do know... that sweetness is my weakness.”
Gabriel’s lines came out like spun silk, his voice as sweet as chocolate. It sickened Castiel.
Though not as much as seeing the youngest Winchester making no further objections to the advances on him as Gabriel gently lifted his hand just below his mouth, whispering and caressing his knuckles.
Castiel narrowed his eyes, trying to concentrate on what Bobby was saying to himself and Dean from within the study but finding his attention drawn elsewhere, not that either of them noticed.
‘Human courting rituals’ baffled Castiel insanely. He had seen small glimpses of these customs during his time on earth, mainly from his time with the eldest Winchester.
Thinking of Dean’s encounters, his mind considered that perhaps these ‘pickup lines’ could be more effective than he had first considered. It seemed to be working fine for Gabriel, and it always seemed to do the trick with Dean.
He pondered for a moment before he felt the disappearance of Gabriel’s presence. Bingo.
The angel slid so quickly and fluidly into the room after Gabriel’s departure that Sam jumped a little before he realised what he had done and chuckled.
“Sorry about that, Cas. You shocked me.”
“I saw you speaking with Gabriel.” It was more of an enquiry than a statement, wanting to gauge Sam’s reaction to Gabriel’s advances. He was more than a little pleased when Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“Yeah. And I gotta say, your brother is making even less sense than usual today.” Sam said to Castiel, shaking his head as he took to his feet and stretched his body leisurely in the air like a cat.
Castiel couldn’t help the way his eyes were completely drawn to the movement, the stretch showing off the firm muscles of his arms beautifully.
“I... would take no notice of him. Really.”
“I usually don’t.” The young Winchester smiled, not noticing the faraway look on Cas’ face as his body loosened up.
It took eight seconds for Castiel to finally recover.
“Sam?” he called out.
“Yeah?”
“What... what do you say we...” Castiel began, suddenly unsure.
“‘We’ what? What is it, Cas?”
“What do you say we... crank it up to eleven?”
Sam gave a stone face - One to match Cas’ perfectly.
“Crank... what up?”
“... I am uncertain. It was something Dean once said so I assumed you would understand.”
Sam’s blank expression suddenly melted with a chuckle and he rubbed his eyes. “Oh... I see! Um, yeah. It’s just- uh... it’s one of Dean’s... um...”
The younger Winchester coughed at Castiel’s confused head tilt, silently vowing to kill his brother when he got the chance for putting strange thoughts into the impressionable angel’s head.
“I don’t think you quite get the meaning.” He exploded out an embarrassed sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. “Dean uses it to pick up girls.”
“I understand that.”
“And you’re looking to pick up a girl?”
“No.”
“Thought as much.” Sam chuckled again and gave Cas a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it Cas, we’ll forget it even happened. Okay?”
Castiel couldn’t help but nod, his face falling into a frown as Sam left the room.
He sighed deeply.
How did Dean make it look so easy?
~ * ~ * ~
Research. Research. Research.
That was how their days went, intermittent with bouts of sleeping, eating and drinking.
A lot of drinking.
A lot, a lot of drinking.
This was why Castiel, when further considering the workings of courtship rituals (or more accurately the ‘gift giving portion’ of courtship rituals), had decided a bottle of alcohol to be an appropriate gift at this time.
Castiel truly hoped his attempt worked this time, especially after the pickup line fiasco.
A bottle of Jack Daniels, huge and heavy, was placed quickly before Sam who blinked quickly at it before quirking a brow.
“What’s this for?”
“It is your preferred brand, is it not?”
“Well, yeah but why did you get me it?”
“I thought you would like it more than... that.”
Castiel gestured towards the other bottle on the table, silently cursing Gabriel for having the same thought in mind for a gift. But luckily for the blue eyed angel, Gabriel’s choice was inspired by a poor recommendation.
“I guess so. Contrary to Dean’s belief, I’m really not into that... froufrou stuff.” Sam muttered, poking the bottle of pink champagne warily as if it would take a bite out of him for that comment.
“I know.” Castiel replied, just a little smugly, leaning just a bit closer to the brunet.
“You know, you’re being really weird lately too.” It was said with far too much good humour and far too wide a smile to be any way insulting. “Thanks.”
He patted Castiel’s back powerfully, the lingering tingle of the touch sending pleasant shockwaves throughout his body.
They stood staring at each other in silence for a few intense minutes. The awkwardness of the moment finally settled in when they heard a cough from the hallway and saw Gabriel leaning leisurely against the doorframe.
Sam spluttered, shuffling away from Castiel with a self-conscious mutter and reaching for the enormous stack of books on the table.
“Allow me to help you with that, my dear Samuel!” Gabriel smiled far too nicely and wrapped his hands underneath the stack of books, and if his hands happened to brush against Sam’s oh so slightly? Well, that was just a coincidence, of course!
Gabriel winked discreetly at his brother as he carried the books to the next room and Castiel scowled at that.
Sam on the other hand simply shrugged, shaking his head as he followed the archangel.
Though he doubled back, hand stretching past the champagne to grab the Jack Daniels as he gave a conspiratory grin. “I’m probably gonna need this with those three in there!”
Castiel really couldn’t have helped that little hopeful flutter in his chest at Sam’s choice, almost feeling that tingle in his body again that had ignited from Sam’s touch. He prayed that Gabriel didn’t just feel that same spark when their hands had brushed, because as far as Castiel was concerned that wonderful spark was only for Sam and himself, not for Gabriel.
He stepped towards the table and stared at the champagne bottle, wondering how Gabriel could ever think Sam would have liked that. Clearly, Gabriel didn’t know Sam as well as he did.
Feeling bold and a little more self-assured, Castiel touched the top of the bottle, giving it the tiniest of taps and letting it topple onto the floor, smashing into a thousand pieces.
Castiel’s deadpan expression reached up to his fuming brother in the doorway.
“Oops.”
~ * ~ * ~
It was a regular kind of case for them post-Lucifer’s freedom; A high powered demon with a little army of followers trying to capture Sam Winchester to give to their master.
Gabriel had shown up, obviously. Sam and Dean’s eyed him suspiciously in between trying to gank as many demons with knife and bullet alike but Castiel was the one damn near growling like an angry hound at his brother’s appearance.
“Who said you could start the party without me?” Gabriel jovially shouted, arms splayed wide until a demon crept too close. It was easily taken down with an archangel poke to the forehead.
So they fought and fought the low class demons as the head honcho watched over proceedings and Castiel pretended he hadn’t noticed how Gabriel crept close to his- his ‘friend’.
It was in the midst of the action when the leader shot from her perch and flung Sam away from the brawl, her super powered body pinning down his as three shouts of Sam’s name erupted from the fight.
“You gonna come quietly? You really shouldn’t make him wait for you...”
“Go back to Hell! Both you and your Dad-” Sam’s head flung to the side as he was smacked by the girl.
“Arrogant little maggot!” The head demon hooked her hands around Sam’s throat, a sneer on her breath. “You belong to my Father! You are his to use as he sees fit you insignificant, pathetic, worthless little-”
Sam blinked his eyes opened as the woman suddenly gasped for breath and the hands around his throat were torn away.
The younger Winchester’s eyes widened when he saw Castiel there before him; standing perfectly straight bar the hand which was latched tightly around the demon woman’s throat. She hissed and cursed at him, eyes flickering into a violent black as her feet dangled from the ground.
“You’re wrong.” The demon squawked angrily at him at Castiel’s words.
“He is not insignificant. Or pathetic. Or worthless.” His hold on the demon’s neck tightened. “And he is certainly not little.”
His Grace spiked through his fingertips and through her neck and the demon screeched as it was disintegrated from the inside out. He lowered the vessel to the ground gently and she rolled on the ground.
Sam breathed heavily, staring up at Castiel.
“C-Cas?”
The angel’s gaze finally dropped down to his and Sam’s heart almost stopped as those gloriously bright blue eyes pinned him down.
Castiel’s hand reached out and Sam took it wordlessly, the powerhouse of an angel easily pulling him to his feet and holding him close to his form.
His hand squeezed Sam’s gently as his other hand moved to Sam’s throat and the red marks formed around it.
“Does it hurt?”
Sam blinked in shock as the angel’s fingers caressed his aching neck. “N-No. It’s fine. I’m fine.”
“Then... I’m glad.” There was a tiny smile on his face and he pulled away and Sam was left staring at his retreating form with the most unreadable of expressions.
Dean stood by Gabriel’s side, eyes almost as wide as his brother’s. “What-What-...What the hell is going on around here?!”
“Time to step up the game, that’s what.” Gabriel huffed before turning and walking away.
Dean grabbed his forehead. “Oh come on! How the hell does that answer anything?!”
~ * ~ * ~
At that moment forward, Gabriel’s attempts became far less... ‘subtle’, though it did no good.
Gabriel frowned thoughtfully. He had used all his sneakiest moves on him but Sam’s reaction to his advances had become more tired whilst his reactions to Castiel, to the tiny little touches and secret smiles, made him flush and gave him an extra little bounce in his step.
“Hey Sam, would you care to accompany me tonight for dinner?” Gabriel had asked, no longer choosing to beat around the bush since Sam clearly wasn’t catching on.
“Um... that’s okay, Gabriel. There’s a lot to do around here and I’m not really that hungry anyway so...” He trailed off, shuffling the papers in his hand.
The archangel’s mouth had only just opened to argue when he found himself completely and thoroughly... cockblocked by his brother.
“Sam, would you care to help me with this passage?” The younger angel asked, tilting his head with a soft look on his face. Sam shrugged at that.
“Sure thing, Cas.” He added a ‘sorry’ to Gabriel as an afterthought before he marched away, taking the seat by Castiel’s spot at the desk and allowing the angel to look over his shoulder.
But there was so much more there that Sam didn’t see. The casual lean into his body, the brush of breath across the back of his neck, and then- Castiel was looking up at him and... was that a smirk? No no no - must’ve been a trick of the light or something but that glint in his eye? Oh that taunted him too much.
Gabriel blinked. When the hell had Castiel gotten so brazen and at what point did this game become a one horse race?
And then Castiel’s hand moved onto Sam’s shoulder and squeezed gently and Sam looked up, confused and then... he smiled and stared back at the passage with a- yes, that was a blush faintly colouring Sam’s cheeks.
Gabriel growled as he marched away from the scene.
“Screw subtly.”
~ * ~ * ~
“You know Sam, you can be a right idiot sometimes. And you’re supposed to be the smart Winchester!”
“Is there a reason why you’ve suddenly popped into my room to insult me - And my brother for that matter?”
Gabriel tilted his head a little, the grin that settled there unnerving Sam a little. “Actually. There is.”
Just like that, Sam found himself thrown across the room and pinned onto the bed.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
“With the whole world crumbling, we pick this time to fall in love.” Gabriel muttered with wistful amusement as he trailed a finger along the bed frame. Seeing Sam’s completely bemused expression, the archangel blanched. “Casablanca? No? Fine, let’s cut to the chase. I want you.”
“W-what?!”
“I. Want. You. Sam.” Gabriel rolled his eyes again when Sam nearly choked on his own stunned screech. “Oh come on, all the little hints I’ve been giving you all week- and you couldn’t tell? Not exactly the romantic, are you?”
“I thought you were just... being you. And I wouldn’t exactly call all... all that romantic, Gabriel.” Sam said very slowly and very carefully, as if his life depended on it.
“Well, I must admit they weren’t exactly my best moves but with you- I thought a different approach may be necessary. I mean, would you have really went for the roses and chocolates approach?”
“No but I don’t go for pink champagne either! And all that groping and stuff? The lollipop thing? Using your angel mojo to pin me to the bed? Yeah- THAT DOESN’T HELP EITHER!”
The shorter male took a mental note to kick Dean’s ass for misleading him about the champagne before his coy smirk returned. “Oh come on Sammy, don’t say you don’t like it a little rough.”
“Gabriel, seriously-”
“Seriously? Seriously what?” Gabriel leaned forward, hovering dangerously close to Sam’s form. Breaths mingled, eyes met and when he leaned down to brush his lips against the human’s, he suddenly found himself flung across the room.
Sam thought he was shocked before until he turned his head and noticed just who it was that had managed to get Gabriel the second his guard went down.
Castiel was now beside him, hand resting upon Sam’s still pinned arm and face twisted into a vicious snarl at his brother.
“Castiel, what gives you the righ-”
“Stay away from him, Gabriel.”
“Or what? What are you gonna do?” The laugh from him was bitter, angry, and Sam could practically feel the crackle of energy as the two angels squared up.
They all knew Castiel, disconnected from Heaven and rapidly losing his powers, would be no match for a souped up archangel but that didn’t seem to stop Cas from trying, and doing a damn good job at being intimidating.
“He doesn’t want you in this way. Do you, Sam?”
Angry blue eyes settled easily upon Sam, still completely stunned as he shook his head. “No -No I don’t.”
“Is that enough of an answer for you, Gabriel. Leave him alone!”
Gabriel’s head turned towards Sam, there was a certain little twinkle in Sam’s eye that had been growing before, but now shone brightly.
He shook his head with a disappointed chuckle.
“Game set and match, bro.” He snapped his fingers and Sam’s body turned limp, by the time he shot up into a sitting position, Gabriel was already gone.
Still panting for breath, Sam let out a shaky laugh. “I guess that’s... two times I owe you for now.”
Castiel’s expression softened and he gently reached down to caress the skin where his wrists had been held down. The touch was delicate and soft, just right.
“You don’t owe me for anything, Sam. If anything, this is my fault.”
“It’s your fault that your brother’s a psychopath?”
“No... not that...” There was something a little dejected in Cas’ expression at that before he leaned down and pressed his lips against Sam’s softly. It was just a chaste pressing of lips together; so small but so important.
Castiel had vanished out of there long before Sam reopened his eyes.
“Oh.”
~ * ~ * ~
It had been days since the incident with Gabriel, days since they had last seen the archangel, days since the two of them had spoken or even held eye contact for longer than a moment.
Sitting in Bobby’s study, Dean gave an uncomfortable cough as he looked between his brother and the angel in the trench coat. There was an unbearable tension between the two that even Dean, all wrapped up in apocalyptic loopholes and his fifth shot of Sam’s Jack Daniels, couldn’t help but feel.
The little looks Sam gave Castiel couldn’t be ignored, the little twinge of confusion, sadness and a hint of... maybe longing? Dean couldn’t exactly make sense of it without at least another shot or two to keep him going.
Castiel was refusing to look at Sam, staring at everything and anything around him instead but the undeniable shame and uncertainty on his face added even more to the mystery.
And if Dean had anything to say on the matter, he kept it to himself. Well, at least, he decided to once Bobby rolled into the room with a list of papers.
The retired hunter was enlightening them with more information about Lucifer and Revelation Omens and such.
His words became white noise the moment Castiel’s head finally rose to stare into Sam’s face. Sam, feeling the eyes on him, tilted his head slightly to pierce him with those bright, shiny eyes Castiel oh so often found himself falling into.
They stared hard at each other; blue speaking with hazel and a silent agreement came over them as they stepped outside the door, heading outside of Bobby’s home.
Bobby’s speech trailed off abruptly when they slipped out. He gave a little “hmph” at the angel hovering close to the partly demonic boy as they made their way outside.
The man in the battered baseball cap followed their retreating forms and chuckled deeply, earning a raised eyebrow from Dean.
“Those two, are adorable.” Bobby muttered dryly, sinking the scotch in his hand with a sharp sigh before rolling to the table to pour himself another one.
“Excuse me?”
“You must be so happy.”
“Happy? About what?”
“The pair of them, obviously.” Bobby shook his head. “Eyeballing each other like that. Surprised me at first but... whatever works for them I guess.”
“Seriously Bobby; what are you talking about?”
“...You telling me you haven’t noticed what’s been going on between those two?”
“Just that they’re both down in the dumps. Nobody tells me anything around here!”
Bobby paused a second and upon seeing that Dean actually was serious, his eyes widened incredulously. “I dunno how the hell you could miss it! Either of you! I know the apocalypse is happening but that’s no excuse for being damn fools.”
“What?”
“See for yourself. Picture’s worth a thousand words.”
~ * ~ * ~
It was quiet outside, the distant noise of dogs barking and wind blowing not even taking away from the nervousness they both felt at that.
“Sam, I’m... I’m sorry.” The word sorry just didn’t seem to be enough at that moment but it was all he could manage.
“For what?” Sam said.
Hmm... that’s right. For what exactly was he apologising for again?
For letting his brother scare Sam?
For confusing Sam with his recent behaviour?
For telling Sam he loved him in not so many words?
Well, maybe he wasn’t sorry about the last one but it was still all he could think of and he found himself dropping his head to stare at the ground.
“I’m uncertain why...just that I am sorry.”
He hadn’t realised how long he’d been caught up in his own thoughts until Sam’s shoes came into his line of vision. Castiel looked up and there Sam was, standing right in front of him, barely a hair’s breath away.
“Don’t be.”
It was Sam’s hand that shot forward, gripping the lapel of Castiel’s coat and snatching him into his firm body for a deep kiss.
Now, it was Castiel’s turn to be surprised... And then elated as he sank into that kiss.
Their lips moved eagerly against each others, tongues twisting and caressing easily together and Castiel found his hands falling onto Sam’s waist. It was a tentative touch at first and then he was gripping hard and driving their hips together and forcing the human to tear himself away with a groan.
Breathless, Sam rested his forehead against Castiel’s and huffed out a laugh when he noticed the unashamed evenness of the other male’s breath.
“Wanted to do that for a while now...”
He tilted his head at that.
“I’m sorry. I dunno if you’ve noticed but I... I really like you, Cas.” His voice was shaky, nervous, almost worried that the angel had since changed his mind. One of Castiel’s hands reached upwards and cupped the side of Sam’s face.
The moment was still and silent before Castiel’s rough voice, noticeably tinted with the sincere amount of affection he felt, sailed out.
“Good.”
And through twin smiles and a pair of matching dimples, their lips joined once more.
~ * ~ * ~
Dean rubbed his eyes as he finished watching the scene. “When... when did this happen?!”
Bobby’s face never changed. He swerved around and then sank the rest of his scotch.
“Surrounded by damn idjits...”
~ * ~ * ~