Starting From Zero, Got Nothing To Lose (4/?)
Title: Starting From Zero, Got Nothing To Lose (4/?)
Author: softshinythings
Rating: PG13 (will probably go up because that’s just how I roll)
Genre/Pairing(s): AU!high school/college, eventual Sam/Gabriel, Dean/Castiel
Wordcount: ~4100 (this part, ~17600 total) Warnings: Alcohol abuse (parent), general angst
Disclaimer: Oh, but I can dream of what I would do with these characters if they actually belonged to me. Sadly, they’re just dreams, the Kripster gets the credit.
Summary: Part 4 of the Fast Car ‘Verse. When John insisted that Dean was to attend college, Dean drove halfway across the country with his best friend Cas in tow. But when Sam finds that he can’t handle the way John is without his eldest around, he finds solace in Cas’ brother, who doesn’t ask questions but always offers an escape route.
A/N: Holy blonde cheerleader, batman. I’m so glad that you guys seem to be enjoying this. A huge thanks to lsr, because yeah, I really had no idea what I was writing when I put down the way that Cas got into UCLA, guess the good ol’ US of A is more efficient with its post-secondary than up here in the Great White North ;) I know I’m skipping ahead a lot with the timeline, but really, it’s just how the plot’s gotta be, otherwise it would be a mass of filler chapters. So I hope you like this one!
~ +
You got a fast car,
I want a ticket to anywhere.
“This was a great idea.”
Dean threw the Impala into ‘park’ and hopped out. He heard a muffled curse and the sound of a brief scuffle behind him, but couldn’t be bothered to look back. Right now, all he was interested in was the shimmering blue lake and the bright, clear sky above it.
Back when the boys were still in elementary school, the Novaks had invested in a summer cottage. It was a decent size, and it was right on the lake, with it’s own dock and everything. They’d made a point to go up there at least once a year since they had bought it, but this year, the boys were given free reign of the place for an entire week. It was mid-August, the nights were still sticky and humid, the days long and warm, and what with Dean and Cas headed off in a couple of weeks Tessa and Michael had put their faith in them, helped them load the Impala, and pointed them in the right direction. Half a day later, there they were.
From the sounds of it, Gabriel had lost the feeling in his legs from sitting in one spot for too long about half a day ago. And he was intent on letting anyone who would listen know.
“Gabriel. Stop talking. We’re here.” Cas closed the passenger door and pulled his bag from the trunk. Dean just closed his eyes and made a show of laying down on the ground, face to the sky.
“I don’t care you much you bitch, Gabe. Nothing you say can bring me down.” He gave a great breath and opened his eyes. Then nearly jumped out of his skin, as Cas was leaning over his, looking puzzled.
“We’re about ten feet from the door. Couldn’t you have waited to lay down until then?”
“Cas, my friend, you don’t understand the true beauty of relaxation.” Dean pushed himself up, retrieved his own bag from the back of the Impala, and swung Sam’s in the general direction of his head. “This is our abode, nay, our castle, for the next week. The fridge is stocked. There’s clean sheets on the beds. The weather is beautiful. Sam didn’t throw up on the way over here (“Hey!”). Life is ... grand.”
“Yeah, well, it will be once we dump our stuff and get something to eat,” Gabriel griped, brushing past him and throwing the lock on the door open. Casting one last look at the lake, Dean filed in behind him.
The interior was pretty much exactly as it had been when they’d first bought the place. The walls were composed of highly-polished wooden panels, leading all the way from the spacious living room to the kitchen that, in the morning, was filled with light from the rising sun. Everything was on one level, with the bedrooms lining the back corridor and a large bathroom at the end of the hall.
“Dibs. Dibs!” Gabriel shot past him and flung his bag onto the bed of the nearest bedroom, throwing himself after in gracelessly.
“Dude, what are you, twelve? You’re supposed to be responsible one, looking after us younger ...” He took one look at Gabe on the bed, rolling from one end to the other, then let his sentence trail off. “You know what? Never mind. Cas can be the responsible one for the week.”
“I broke the sink.”
“Are you actually kidding me?!” Dean dropped his bag on the ground and stomped back to the kitchen, where Cas was bemusedly holding the entire faucet. Sam just completed the picture, crouched on the ground laughing as though he was going to burst into tears from it at any moment. “Not even a minute, man. We haven’t been here for a full minute, and you broke the cottage.”
“I was simply trying to refill the water filter,” Cas said, staring from the silver spout in his hand to the gaping, leaking hole on the edge of the sink behind him. Dean sighed, turning to Sam.
“Throw my bag in any room, I don’t care which one, unlike some people,” he said, raising his voice pointedly. He then took the faucet from Cas and gently guided him out of the kitchen. “Go settle in, make sure Gabe hasn’t drooled all over the place or marked his territory or anything. I’ll fix this.”
“Thank you, Dean. I think I would just make it worse if I tried to fix it myself.” Cas sent one more mournful look at the faucet in Dean’s hand, then grabbed his bag and wandered off to bedrooms. Dean could hear Gabriel spouting off about something, too far away to really make out the words, but he just tuned him out. The broken tap, the long drive, none of it could take away from the fact that he was facing an entire week with his three favourite people in the world, along with having the run of an entire cottage on the edge of a beautiful lake. Life seemed pretty awesome.
“Dean?” Sam stuck his head around the corner, breaking his brother out of his reverie. “Cas managed to pull the handle on the toilet completely free of the tank.”
Lifting his face briefly to the ceiling, silently asking for patience, turned to the sink. “Take the handle, lock Cas in his room, and keep Gabriel out of there, God knows what he could do to a broken toilet. I’ll be there in a sec.”
Hearing Sam pad quickly back down the hall, he smiled softly to himself. If the first few minutes were any indication, he’d have one hell of a collection of stories by the time the week was up.
~ +
“Alright. The sink’s back in one piece, the toilet’s fixed, the broken glass is swept up, and I managed to get that sparrow back outside.” Dean paused, folding his arms. “Is there anything else you’d like to touch? I appear to be on a roll.”
Cas just looked at him balefully, the resemblance between him and a kicked puppy so striking that Dean almost felt guilty. “I’m sorry, Dean. Your vacation’s not off to a very good start.”
At that, Dean broke down. A huge grin broke across his face, and he plunked himself down next to Cas on the bed, stretching out. “Are you kidding me? This is the best vacation of my life. All I need to do is make sure you don’t wander into the lake by yourself and we’ll be golden.”
“Has everyone unpacked their things?” Cas took his now-empty backpack from the bed and tossed it towards the closet, barely missing the lamp on the nightstand, making Dean cringe in anticipation.
“Uh, yeah. I’m pretty sure. I’m across the hall, and Sam’s next to me. If I’m totally honest, I did it on purpose. If Gabriel does any more of that freaky night-wandering thing he used to do when we were kids, I’d rather my door wasn’t the first one he gets to.”
“I believe he has grown out of his sleepwalking phase,” Cas said. “Although I don’t think that tying his foot to the bedpost was the most effective of solutions.”
“Hey, you try waking up at ass-o’clock in the morning with an unconscious Gabriel climbing into bed with you, then talk to me about ‘drastic measures’.” He pushed himself off the bed. “C’mon, let’s get something to eat, I’m starving.”
Unsurprisingly, Gabriel had already cracked the fridge open, and had put together an array of sandwiches fanned out on the countertop. Sam was munching on what looked like a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich with the crusts cut off, and judging by the amount of crusts littering Gabe’s plate, he was on his third ham and swiss.
“Dig in, fellas. I have no idea what Mrs. Wilkinson was thinking when she stocked the fridge, but even I could live off of what we’ve got here for a couple of weeks. I think we’re gonna be fine, grocery-wise.” He pushed the platter towards Cas, who gingerly took the first one he came to, peering inside. “Roast chicken and goat cheese, Cas, I swear to god that’s what it is. I’m not gonna give you another ‘mystery sandwich’ as long as I live, I was finding bits of vomit in various corners of the house for days after that corned beef I gave you last summer.”
“I appreciate that,” Cas said solemnly, taking a contemplative bite. “So what are the plans so far? We’ve unpacked, we’re eating, and we’ve still got half the day ahead of us.”
“Dude. We’re on vacation.” Sam looked at Cas as if he were talking about catching a unicorn in the lake that night. “Our ‘plans’ are to let our brains melt into brain-pools for a week before we have to go back to the real world.”
“Sammy’s right. We have no plans. We will make plans as we go along.” Dean took a vigorous bite of his sandwich, punctuating his statement. “And goddamnit, Gabriel, I don’t know what you put in this sandwich, but it’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted.”
“Well, I don’t know about you gentlemen, but I want to go swimming.” Gabriel put his plate in the sink, taking one final swig of his glass of milk.
“Uh ... Gabe, you just ate, like, ten seconds ago. You’re gonna get a major cramp.” Sam frowned at him, moving to put his own plate in the sink. Gabriel just beamed at him.
“Well, I guess you guys are just gonna have to keep an extra-special eye out for me, then, huh?” He tapped Sam’s nose twice before breezing past them, headed towards his room. “And might I remind you all that if I waited an hour after eating to go swimming, I’d be on dry land for the entirety of my life.”
That was how, ten minutes later, Dean, Cas, and Sam found themselves perched on the dock, the platter of sandwiches in front of them, warily watching as Gabriel did a running flip into the lake. He resurfaced a moment later, spouting a fountain of water from his mouth.
“Oh, gross! You know there’s dead fish in that lake, right?” Dean pulled a face and tossed his crusts into the water, watching as a fish bobbed quickly to the surface and pulled the bread under.
“Guys, the water’s great, you’re missing out,” Gabriel said, floating on his back and closing his eyes.
“I’d rather not drown, thanks,” Dean retorted, leaning back on his arms. Cas shifted beside him, squinting into the sun.
“I was hoping that tonight we could have a campfire and roast marshmallows.”
Sam and Dean turned to Cas, confusion on both their faces. “Didn’t you swear off of roasted marshmallows when we were eleven?” Dean asked, popping another half of a sandwich into his mouth.
“Yes, but that was with my father attempting to roast them himself.” Cas looked out at his brother, who was currently swimming in circles via the backstroke. “I have the feeling that without him trying to set us all on fire, it will be a much more enjoyable experience.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sam said, looking at the lake. He sighed. “You know, it really does look nice out there ...”
“Sammy, I swear to god, if you go under, I’m not going in to save you.” Dean frowned up at his brother, who was pulling his shirt off and kicking off his sandals. Gabriel gave a hearty whoop as Sam dove headfirst off the dock, surfacing quickly to splash Gabe full-on in the face. An epic chase ensued, one that neither Dean nor Cas could bring themselves to watch.
‘Hey, are you ... I dunno. Okay?” Dean shifted slightly, finding a more comfortable position. “You’re a lot more ‘breaky-smashy’ than you are back home. Not to say you’re as graceful as a gazelle most of the time, but I think you dropped that glass out of spite rather than accident.”
Cas didn’t respond at first, listlessly watching as Gabriel brandished what looked like a dead trout at Sam, who gave an unmanly shriek and swam out of the way. “I am ... anxious.”
“Pulling out the five-dollar words, I see.” Dean swung his legs around slowly and faced Cas. “What exactly are you ‘anxious’ about?”
“What do you think, Dean? In a couple of weeks, we won’t be able to do this anymore.” He looked down at the dock, fiddling with a loose piece of wood. “Things are going to change. We won’t see Sam or Gabriel every day like we do now. I’m not even sure if I will adapt to college life successfully.” He broke a splinter off, breaking it in half. “I have been told that when I’m nervous, I break things.”
“No kidding.” Dean took the splinter from Cas before he could impale his finger on it. “Listen, I’m just as freaked as you are, and you’ve had, like, an extra half a year to think it over. I mean, let’s face it, I haven’t exactly been expecting college to work into the equation, y’know? This is all new to me too.” He glanced at Cas, who was watching him carefully. “Upside: at least we’re gonna be together over there. I’ll just remember to duck if you ever feel the urge to punch a wall or something in frustration, because seriously? Your aim sucks.” He grinned and flicked the splinters into the water.
“I suppose you’re right,” Cas said. He didn’t get the chance to say anything else, however, as Gabriel chose that exact moment to send a wave onto the dock, soaking both boys and the remains of their lunch.
“Aw. What a shame. Looks like food time’s over, and lake time’s just beginning.” He grinned wildly and barely had time to duck as Dean lopped a soggy pb&j at his head.
~ +
The week passed by at a blissfully relaxed pace. They took each day as it came, not making any concrete plans until they were halfway there anyway. The second day had found Sam wandering into town to pick up some more potato chips, and somehow returning with a stray cat, which, thankfully, wandered away under its own steam after a couple of hours of attention from Cas. The third day was memorable for when Dean and Gabriel decided to go out on the lake in the canoe, only to find themselves in the middle of the lake when a thunderstorm struck. They’d frantically paddled through the storm, not even sure if they were going in the right direction, only to tip the canoe over when they finally reached their dock. Sam had taken it upon himself to snap a picture with his camera just as they walked in the front door, sodden to the bone and looking as if they would gladly kill if anyone said anything about it. On the fourth day, they finally got around to roasting those marshmallows, reveling in Cas’ delight when he pulled the perfect one from the fire. It somehow took them four rounds of marshmallows to realize that they had the goods for s’mores, causing Cas to step on the coals and for Sam to dub the ensuing painful hop ‘the Hotfoot maneuver’. The fifth day was the day they found the hornet’s nest under the eaves, which was exciting in many numerous ways to everyone except Dean, who only found it when he opened his window a little too enthusiastically in the morning and knocked it open.
By the time the final night rolled around, the boys were too blissed-out on relaxation that it was all they could do to drag their deck chairs onto the dock and gaze up at the stars. The sky was cloudless, and being so far from the city meant that it was almost as if an illuminated blanket had fallen over top of them. Cas and Sam lazily pointed out constellations, recounting the myths and legends behind each one in turn. Gabriel had unearthed a bag of gumdrops from a cupboard in the kitchen and was popping them silently into his mouth, staying relatively still for the first time since they’d arrived at the cottage. Dean was just staring straight up, wondering whether he’d still be able to see the stars in California, or whether they’d be choked out by the light and air pollution. They’d been out there for a good long while before a thought occurred to him.
“Gabe, are you still gonna stick around this year?”
Gabriel looked up at Dean in surprise, missing his mouth completely and letting a gumdrop bounce off his forehead and into the lake. “What d’you mean, ‘stick around’?”
“I mean, are you going to stay at home? It’s been a two years now, aren’t you a little tired of hanging around Hanover High day in and day out?”
Looking as though he’d never really thought about the question, Gabriel frowned. “Well, where else am I gonna go? I’ve got a house, there’s enough food there to keep me sedated, and I hear that Zachariah flunked half his classes, so he’s sticking around for another year. Can’t let him stay without the occasional harassment charge, now, can I?”
By this time, Cas and Sam had fallen silent, their catalogue of constellations forgotten for the time being. Gabriel’s decision to stay in Hanover was a topic they rarely brought up, mostly because they never got a straight answer out of him. He’d always cited food or the ease of having his mother do his laundry for him as the reason, but in actual fact, not even his parents knew why he hadn’t put Hanover in the Mustang’s rear view mirror the day he’d graduated. He general population attributed it to laziness, but those close to him knew better. He always had an ulterior motive, and this was no exception.
“Whatever, dude. Long as you don’t mind packing the Impala up with us, I’ve got no qualms about it.” Dean stretched languidly, feeling him joints pop and crack back into place. “Well, I don’t know about you boys, but I’m ready to call it a night. We’ve got a nice long drive ahead of us tomorrow, and I think we’d all prefer it if I didn’t fall asleep at the wheel.” He grabbed his chair and dragged it noisily back to the deck around the back of the cottage. Cas followed him, taking one last, longing look at the heavens before turning away. Sam hesitated, idly picking at a bit of skin on his thumb.
“You not tired, Samuel?” Gabe crumpled the now-empty candy bag in his hand and lifted himself to his feet. “Well, I’m calling it a night. If you get eaten by wolves or something, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He turned, carrying his chair along with him. A quick glance behind him at the door told him that Sam hadn’t moved from his spot.
~ +
Gabriel had just started to turn his lights off for bed when there was a gentle knock at his door. It creaked open, revealing a reluctant-looking Sam peaking his head around the corner.
“Sam? It’s nearly midnight, figured you’d be sawing them logs by now.” He frowned, squinting through the darkness to see Sam’s face. “What’s eating you, kiddo?”
“D’you mind if I come in for a minute?” Sam’s voice was quiet, and Gabriel wasn’t sure if he was nervous or afraid of waking the others.
“Yeah, come on in.” He propped himself up against his headboard, pillows spread out behind him. If there was one constant in Gabriel’s life, other than candy, it was his love of pillows. No fewer than four, no matter what bed he was in. Sam shut the door behind him and padded over, bare feet making no sound on the wooden floor. “Take a seat. Might as well be comfortable. Lemme guess.” He feigned a look of trepidation. “You’re pregnant.”
“Why are you really staying in Hanover?” Sam blurted the question out with no preamble, and looked ashamed for it, but never broke eye contact with Gabe, who shifted under the attention. “And don’t say anything about getting your meals made for you, because we both know that you can sniff out a Burger King half a mile away.”
Gabriel picked at a loose thread on his flannel pants. He’d been hoping to make it through the vacation without having to answer the question, but here Sam was, cornering him, and he just couldn’t bring himself to avoid it any longer.
“Did you really think I could just ... leave you guys behind?” He didn’t look at Sam, though he could feel his eyes on him. “Cas and Dean’s senior year of high school, your first year ... pretty important milestones, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yeah, but ... I dunno, aren’t you bored?” Sam lifted his legs onto the bed so he could face Gabriel fully. “Don’t you want to go anywhere? Do anything?”
“Course I do, Sammy, you know that.” Gabriel looped the thread between his fingers. “Just ... none of it is so urgent that it needs to be done .... right away.”
“But Gabriel, if you want to do something, why not just do it? You’ve got the chance now.”
“Because we’re a family, alright, Sam?” He looked up at Sam, trying to keep his voice even. He took a breath and started again. “You guys ... you and Dean, you’re just as much my brothers as Castiel is. Always have been. I really don’t think ...” He trailed off, tossing the thread off the bed onto the floor. “I just don’t think it would be right to hightail it out of town the first chance I get. Even if Dean would have stuck around this year ...”
Silence fell in the room, dragging on for a full minute.
“Are you staying in town this year so I won’t be alone?”
Gabriel finally looked up, seeing Sam’s eyes wide and full of questions. “Is it really such a bad thing if I am?”
He kicked his slippers off his feet, not caring where they landed. He heard, rather than saw, Sam take a deep breath, and when he spoke, his voice was unsteady.
“Mind if I stay in here tonight?”
Gabriel looked at him for a long moment, then moved aside. “No problemo. Long as you don’t steal the covers.”
Sam smirked as he climbed in next to Gabe, arranging the pillows under his head until he was comfortable. Gabriel did the same, lying on his back and dragging the bedspread up to his chin. He felt Sam settle and relax next to him, and in return, he draped one arm over to the other side of the bed and rested it above Sam’s head on the pillow. “Sleep tight, kiddo.”
~ +
A/N: This part was sponsored by my best friend Matty’s giant bear hug, and all the ribs he cracked in the process, after my last update. Consider this update one out of fear ♡
Author: softshinythings
Rating: PG13 (will probably go up because that’s just how I roll)
Genre/Pairing(s): AU!high school/college, eventual Sam/Gabriel, Dean/Castiel
Wordcount: ~4100 (this part, ~17600 total) Warnings: Alcohol abuse (parent), general angst
Disclaimer: Oh, but I can dream of what I would do with these characters if they actually belonged to me. Sadly, they’re just dreams, the Kripster gets the credit.
Summary: Part 4 of the Fast Car ‘Verse. When John insisted that Dean was to attend college, Dean drove halfway across the country with his best friend Cas in tow. But when Sam finds that he can’t handle the way John is without his eldest around, he finds solace in Cas’ brother, who doesn’t ask questions but always offers an escape route.
A/N: Holy blonde cheerleader, batman. I’m so glad that you guys seem to be enjoying this. A huge thanks to lsr, because yeah, I really had no idea what I was writing when I put down the way that Cas got into UCLA, guess the good ol’ US of A is more efficient with its post-secondary than up here in the Great White North ;) I know I’m skipping ahead a lot with the timeline, but really, it’s just how the plot’s gotta be, otherwise it would be a mass of filler chapters. So I hope you like this one!
~ +
You got a fast car,
I want a ticket to anywhere.
“This was a great idea.”
Dean threw the Impala into ‘park’ and hopped out. He heard a muffled curse and the sound of a brief scuffle behind him, but couldn’t be bothered to look back. Right now, all he was interested in was the shimmering blue lake and the bright, clear sky above it.
Back when the boys were still in elementary school, the Novaks had invested in a summer cottage. It was a decent size, and it was right on the lake, with it’s own dock and everything. They’d made a point to go up there at least once a year since they had bought it, but this year, the boys were given free reign of the place for an entire week. It was mid-August, the nights were still sticky and humid, the days long and warm, and what with Dean and Cas headed off in a couple of weeks Tessa and Michael had put their faith in them, helped them load the Impala, and pointed them in the right direction. Half a day later, there they were.
From the sounds of it, Gabriel had lost the feeling in his legs from sitting in one spot for too long about half a day ago. And he was intent on letting anyone who would listen know.
“Gabriel. Stop talking. We’re here.” Cas closed the passenger door and pulled his bag from the trunk. Dean just closed his eyes and made a show of laying down on the ground, face to the sky.
“I don’t care you much you bitch, Gabe. Nothing you say can bring me down.” He gave a great breath and opened his eyes. Then nearly jumped out of his skin, as Cas was leaning over his, looking puzzled.
“We’re about ten feet from the door. Couldn’t you have waited to lay down until then?”
“Cas, my friend, you don’t understand the true beauty of relaxation.” Dean pushed himself up, retrieved his own bag from the back of the Impala, and swung Sam’s in the general direction of his head. “This is our abode, nay, our castle, for the next week. The fridge is stocked. There’s clean sheets on the beds. The weather is beautiful. Sam didn’t throw up on the way over here (“Hey!”). Life is ... grand.”
“Yeah, well, it will be once we dump our stuff and get something to eat,” Gabriel griped, brushing past him and throwing the lock on the door open. Casting one last look at the lake, Dean filed in behind him.
The interior was pretty much exactly as it had been when they’d first bought the place. The walls were composed of highly-polished wooden panels, leading all the way from the spacious living room to the kitchen that, in the morning, was filled with light from the rising sun. Everything was on one level, with the bedrooms lining the back corridor and a large bathroom at the end of the hall.
“Dibs. Dibs!” Gabriel shot past him and flung his bag onto the bed of the nearest bedroom, throwing himself after in gracelessly.
“Dude, what are you, twelve? You’re supposed to be responsible one, looking after us younger ...” He took one look at Gabe on the bed, rolling from one end to the other, then let his sentence trail off. “You know what? Never mind. Cas can be the responsible one for the week.”
“I broke the sink.”
“Are you actually kidding me?!” Dean dropped his bag on the ground and stomped back to the kitchen, where Cas was bemusedly holding the entire faucet. Sam just completed the picture, crouched on the ground laughing as though he was going to burst into tears from it at any moment. “Not even a minute, man. We haven’t been here for a full minute, and you broke the cottage.”
“I was simply trying to refill the water filter,” Cas said, staring from the silver spout in his hand to the gaping, leaking hole on the edge of the sink behind him. Dean sighed, turning to Sam.
“Throw my bag in any room, I don’t care which one, unlike some people,” he said, raising his voice pointedly. He then took the faucet from Cas and gently guided him out of the kitchen. “Go settle in, make sure Gabe hasn’t drooled all over the place or marked his territory or anything. I’ll fix this.”
“Thank you, Dean. I think I would just make it worse if I tried to fix it myself.” Cas sent one more mournful look at the faucet in Dean’s hand, then grabbed his bag and wandered off to bedrooms. Dean could hear Gabriel spouting off about something, too far away to really make out the words, but he just tuned him out. The broken tap, the long drive, none of it could take away from the fact that he was facing an entire week with his three favourite people in the world, along with having the run of an entire cottage on the edge of a beautiful lake. Life seemed pretty awesome.
“Dean?” Sam stuck his head around the corner, breaking his brother out of his reverie. “Cas managed to pull the handle on the toilet completely free of the tank.”
Lifting his face briefly to the ceiling, silently asking for patience, turned to the sink. “Take the handle, lock Cas in his room, and keep Gabriel out of there, God knows what he could do to a broken toilet. I’ll be there in a sec.”
Hearing Sam pad quickly back down the hall, he smiled softly to himself. If the first few minutes were any indication, he’d have one hell of a collection of stories by the time the week was up.
~ +
“Alright. The sink’s back in one piece, the toilet’s fixed, the broken glass is swept up, and I managed to get that sparrow back outside.” Dean paused, folding his arms. “Is there anything else you’d like to touch? I appear to be on a roll.”
Cas just looked at him balefully, the resemblance between him and a kicked puppy so striking that Dean almost felt guilty. “I’m sorry, Dean. Your vacation’s not off to a very good start.”
At that, Dean broke down. A huge grin broke across his face, and he plunked himself down next to Cas on the bed, stretching out. “Are you kidding me? This is the best vacation of my life. All I need to do is make sure you don’t wander into the lake by yourself and we’ll be golden.”
“Has everyone unpacked their things?” Cas took his now-empty backpack from the bed and tossed it towards the closet, barely missing the lamp on the nightstand, making Dean cringe in anticipation.
“Uh, yeah. I’m pretty sure. I’m across the hall, and Sam’s next to me. If I’m totally honest, I did it on purpose. If Gabriel does any more of that freaky night-wandering thing he used to do when we were kids, I’d rather my door wasn’t the first one he gets to.”
“I believe he has grown out of his sleepwalking phase,” Cas said. “Although I don’t think that tying his foot to the bedpost was the most effective of solutions.”
“Hey, you try waking up at ass-o’clock in the morning with an unconscious Gabriel climbing into bed with you, then talk to me about ‘drastic measures’.” He pushed himself off the bed. “C’mon, let’s get something to eat, I’m starving.”
Unsurprisingly, Gabriel had already cracked the fridge open, and had put together an array of sandwiches fanned out on the countertop. Sam was munching on what looked like a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich with the crusts cut off, and judging by the amount of crusts littering Gabe’s plate, he was on his third ham and swiss.
“Dig in, fellas. I have no idea what Mrs. Wilkinson was thinking when she stocked the fridge, but even I could live off of what we’ve got here for a couple of weeks. I think we’re gonna be fine, grocery-wise.” He pushed the platter towards Cas, who gingerly took the first one he came to, peering inside. “Roast chicken and goat cheese, Cas, I swear to god that’s what it is. I’m not gonna give you another ‘mystery sandwich’ as long as I live, I was finding bits of vomit in various corners of the house for days after that corned beef I gave you last summer.”
“I appreciate that,” Cas said solemnly, taking a contemplative bite. “So what are the plans so far? We’ve unpacked, we’re eating, and we’ve still got half the day ahead of us.”
“Dude. We’re on vacation.” Sam looked at Cas as if he were talking about catching a unicorn in the lake that night. “Our ‘plans’ are to let our brains melt into brain-pools for a week before we have to go back to the real world.”
“Sammy’s right. We have no plans. We will make plans as we go along.” Dean took a vigorous bite of his sandwich, punctuating his statement. “And goddamnit, Gabriel, I don’t know what you put in this sandwich, but it’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted.”
“Well, I don’t know about you gentlemen, but I want to go swimming.” Gabriel put his plate in the sink, taking one final swig of his glass of milk.
“Uh ... Gabe, you just ate, like, ten seconds ago. You’re gonna get a major cramp.” Sam frowned at him, moving to put his own plate in the sink. Gabriel just beamed at him.
“Well, I guess you guys are just gonna have to keep an extra-special eye out for me, then, huh?” He tapped Sam’s nose twice before breezing past them, headed towards his room. “And might I remind you all that if I waited an hour after eating to go swimming, I’d be on dry land for the entirety of my life.”
That was how, ten minutes later, Dean, Cas, and Sam found themselves perched on the dock, the platter of sandwiches in front of them, warily watching as Gabriel did a running flip into the lake. He resurfaced a moment later, spouting a fountain of water from his mouth.
“Oh, gross! You know there’s dead fish in that lake, right?” Dean pulled a face and tossed his crusts into the water, watching as a fish bobbed quickly to the surface and pulled the bread under.
“Guys, the water’s great, you’re missing out,” Gabriel said, floating on his back and closing his eyes.
“I’d rather not drown, thanks,” Dean retorted, leaning back on his arms. Cas shifted beside him, squinting into the sun.
“I was hoping that tonight we could have a campfire and roast marshmallows.”
Sam and Dean turned to Cas, confusion on both their faces. “Didn’t you swear off of roasted marshmallows when we were eleven?” Dean asked, popping another half of a sandwich into his mouth.
“Yes, but that was with my father attempting to roast them himself.” Cas looked out at his brother, who was currently swimming in circles via the backstroke. “I have the feeling that without him trying to set us all on fire, it will be a much more enjoyable experience.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sam said, looking at the lake. He sighed. “You know, it really does look nice out there ...”
“Sammy, I swear to god, if you go under, I’m not going in to save you.” Dean frowned up at his brother, who was pulling his shirt off and kicking off his sandals. Gabriel gave a hearty whoop as Sam dove headfirst off the dock, surfacing quickly to splash Gabe full-on in the face. An epic chase ensued, one that neither Dean nor Cas could bring themselves to watch.
‘Hey, are you ... I dunno. Okay?” Dean shifted slightly, finding a more comfortable position. “You’re a lot more ‘breaky-smashy’ than you are back home. Not to say you’re as graceful as a gazelle most of the time, but I think you dropped that glass out of spite rather than accident.”
Cas didn’t respond at first, listlessly watching as Gabriel brandished what looked like a dead trout at Sam, who gave an unmanly shriek and swam out of the way. “I am ... anxious.”
“Pulling out the five-dollar words, I see.” Dean swung his legs around slowly and faced Cas. “What exactly are you ‘anxious’ about?”
“What do you think, Dean? In a couple of weeks, we won’t be able to do this anymore.” He looked down at the dock, fiddling with a loose piece of wood. “Things are going to change. We won’t see Sam or Gabriel every day like we do now. I’m not even sure if I will adapt to college life successfully.” He broke a splinter off, breaking it in half. “I have been told that when I’m nervous, I break things.”
“No kidding.” Dean took the splinter from Cas before he could impale his finger on it. “Listen, I’m just as freaked as you are, and you’ve had, like, an extra half a year to think it over. I mean, let’s face it, I haven’t exactly been expecting college to work into the equation, y’know? This is all new to me too.” He glanced at Cas, who was watching him carefully. “Upside: at least we’re gonna be together over there. I’ll just remember to duck if you ever feel the urge to punch a wall or something in frustration, because seriously? Your aim sucks.” He grinned and flicked the splinters into the water.
“I suppose you’re right,” Cas said. He didn’t get the chance to say anything else, however, as Gabriel chose that exact moment to send a wave onto the dock, soaking both boys and the remains of their lunch.
“Aw. What a shame. Looks like food time’s over, and lake time’s just beginning.” He grinned wildly and barely had time to duck as Dean lopped a soggy pb&j at his head.
~ +
The week passed by at a blissfully relaxed pace. They took each day as it came, not making any concrete plans until they were halfway there anyway. The second day had found Sam wandering into town to pick up some more potato chips, and somehow returning with a stray cat, which, thankfully, wandered away under its own steam after a couple of hours of attention from Cas. The third day was memorable for when Dean and Gabriel decided to go out on the lake in the canoe, only to find themselves in the middle of the lake when a thunderstorm struck. They’d frantically paddled through the storm, not even sure if they were going in the right direction, only to tip the canoe over when they finally reached their dock. Sam had taken it upon himself to snap a picture with his camera just as they walked in the front door, sodden to the bone and looking as if they would gladly kill if anyone said anything about it. On the fourth day, they finally got around to roasting those marshmallows, reveling in Cas’ delight when he pulled the perfect one from the fire. It somehow took them four rounds of marshmallows to realize that they had the goods for s’mores, causing Cas to step on the coals and for Sam to dub the ensuing painful hop ‘the Hotfoot maneuver’. The fifth day was the day they found the hornet’s nest under the eaves, which was exciting in many numerous ways to everyone except Dean, who only found it when he opened his window a little too enthusiastically in the morning and knocked it open.
By the time the final night rolled around, the boys were too blissed-out on relaxation that it was all they could do to drag their deck chairs onto the dock and gaze up at the stars. The sky was cloudless, and being so far from the city meant that it was almost as if an illuminated blanket had fallen over top of them. Cas and Sam lazily pointed out constellations, recounting the myths and legends behind each one in turn. Gabriel had unearthed a bag of gumdrops from a cupboard in the kitchen and was popping them silently into his mouth, staying relatively still for the first time since they’d arrived at the cottage. Dean was just staring straight up, wondering whether he’d still be able to see the stars in California, or whether they’d be choked out by the light and air pollution. They’d been out there for a good long while before a thought occurred to him.
“Gabe, are you still gonna stick around this year?”
Gabriel looked up at Dean in surprise, missing his mouth completely and letting a gumdrop bounce off his forehead and into the lake. “What d’you mean, ‘stick around’?”
“I mean, are you going to stay at home? It’s been a two years now, aren’t you a little tired of hanging around Hanover High day in and day out?”
Looking as though he’d never really thought about the question, Gabriel frowned. “Well, where else am I gonna go? I’ve got a house, there’s enough food there to keep me sedated, and I hear that Zachariah flunked half his classes, so he’s sticking around for another year. Can’t let him stay without the occasional harassment charge, now, can I?”
By this time, Cas and Sam had fallen silent, their catalogue of constellations forgotten for the time being. Gabriel’s decision to stay in Hanover was a topic they rarely brought up, mostly because they never got a straight answer out of him. He’d always cited food or the ease of having his mother do his laundry for him as the reason, but in actual fact, not even his parents knew why he hadn’t put Hanover in the Mustang’s rear view mirror the day he’d graduated. He general population attributed it to laziness, but those close to him knew better. He always had an ulterior motive, and this was no exception.
“Whatever, dude. Long as you don’t mind packing the Impala up with us, I’ve got no qualms about it.” Dean stretched languidly, feeling him joints pop and crack back into place. “Well, I don’t know about you boys, but I’m ready to call it a night. We’ve got a nice long drive ahead of us tomorrow, and I think we’d all prefer it if I didn’t fall asleep at the wheel.” He grabbed his chair and dragged it noisily back to the deck around the back of the cottage. Cas followed him, taking one last, longing look at the heavens before turning away. Sam hesitated, idly picking at a bit of skin on his thumb.
“You not tired, Samuel?” Gabe crumpled the now-empty candy bag in his hand and lifted himself to his feet. “Well, I’m calling it a night. If you get eaten by wolves or something, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He turned, carrying his chair along with him. A quick glance behind him at the door told him that Sam hadn’t moved from his spot.
~ +
Gabriel had just started to turn his lights off for bed when there was a gentle knock at his door. It creaked open, revealing a reluctant-looking Sam peaking his head around the corner.
“Sam? It’s nearly midnight, figured you’d be sawing them logs by now.” He frowned, squinting through the darkness to see Sam’s face. “What’s eating you, kiddo?”
“D’you mind if I come in for a minute?” Sam’s voice was quiet, and Gabriel wasn’t sure if he was nervous or afraid of waking the others.
“Yeah, come on in.” He propped himself up against his headboard, pillows spread out behind him. If there was one constant in Gabriel’s life, other than candy, it was his love of pillows. No fewer than four, no matter what bed he was in. Sam shut the door behind him and padded over, bare feet making no sound on the wooden floor. “Take a seat. Might as well be comfortable. Lemme guess.” He feigned a look of trepidation. “You’re pregnant.”
“Why are you really staying in Hanover?” Sam blurted the question out with no preamble, and looked ashamed for it, but never broke eye contact with Gabe, who shifted under the attention. “And don’t say anything about getting your meals made for you, because we both know that you can sniff out a Burger King half a mile away.”
Gabriel picked at a loose thread on his flannel pants. He’d been hoping to make it through the vacation without having to answer the question, but here Sam was, cornering him, and he just couldn’t bring himself to avoid it any longer.
“Did you really think I could just ... leave you guys behind?” He didn’t look at Sam, though he could feel his eyes on him. “Cas and Dean’s senior year of high school, your first year ... pretty important milestones, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yeah, but ... I dunno, aren’t you bored?” Sam lifted his legs onto the bed so he could face Gabriel fully. “Don’t you want to go anywhere? Do anything?”
“Course I do, Sammy, you know that.” Gabriel looped the thread between his fingers. “Just ... none of it is so urgent that it needs to be done .... right away.”
“But Gabriel, if you want to do something, why not just do it? You’ve got the chance now.”
“Because we’re a family, alright, Sam?” He looked up at Sam, trying to keep his voice even. He took a breath and started again. “You guys ... you and Dean, you’re just as much my brothers as Castiel is. Always have been. I really don’t think ...” He trailed off, tossing the thread off the bed onto the floor. “I just don’t think it would be right to hightail it out of town the first chance I get. Even if Dean would have stuck around this year ...”
Silence fell in the room, dragging on for a full minute.
“Are you staying in town this year so I won’t be alone?”
Gabriel finally looked up, seeing Sam’s eyes wide and full of questions. “Is it really such a bad thing if I am?”
He kicked his slippers off his feet, not caring where they landed. He heard, rather than saw, Sam take a deep breath, and when he spoke, his voice was unsteady.
“Mind if I stay in here tonight?”
Gabriel looked at him for a long moment, then moved aside. “No problemo. Long as you don’t steal the covers.”
Sam smirked as he climbed in next to Gabe, arranging the pillows under his head until he was comfortable. Gabriel did the same, lying on his back and dragging the bedspread up to his chin. He felt Sam settle and relax next to him, and in return, he draped one arm over to the other side of the bed and rested it above Sam’s head on the pillow. “Sleep tight, kiddo.”
~ +
A/N: This part was sponsored by my best friend Matty’s giant bear hug, and all the ribs he cracked in the process, after my last update. Consider this update one out of fear ♡