Snow Never Falls Alone | Sabriel Highschool AU

Enjoyable Blackmail

Gabriel looked away from Castiel's stern stare, sitting at the kitchen table with his hands in his laps as if he were a four-year-old being scolded for something they had done. Castiel sat across from him, finally letting out a sigh and rubbing at his temple, breaking out of the thought he seemed to be lost in before speaking.

"I'm not mad because you and Sam kissed," Castiel stated, catching Gabriel's attention and making him look at the older man with hope in his eyes, "I'm just...Gabe...we don't know how long you'll stay here, and..." Castiel trailed off, unable to find the right words to say.

"Sam knows it too, and we don't want either of you to be hurt," Dean said, catching their attention from where he stood at the doorway, slowly crossing over to sit beside Castiel, giving Gabriel an almost knowing look as Gabriel looked up, surprise flickering across his face before it fell into an expression of sadness.

He looked down, fiddling with his fingers so he didn't have to look at either of them, "Oh...I forgot," He mumbled, feeling tears beginning to prick the back of his eyes and fighting back a sniffle that threatened to approach, "It's just...easy to be happy here, I guess."

Dean and Castiel were silent for a moment, and when Gabriel looked up, he saw that Castiel was just as upset as he was, though it remained carefully veiled everywhere but his eyes, "I'm sorry...I would let you stay here if I could, but I know I'm not the first person you stayed with during all this mess, and..." Castiel stopped talking, but Gabriel didn't have to hear the rest to know what he was saying. Given his luck, he was aware that Castiel's house was probably not the last home he'd be stuck in before it was all over.

"I know," Gabriel finally answered, not bothering to hide that he was beginning to cry, pushing his seat back and standing up. He wiped his eyes, padding out of the kitchen towards his room, where he curled on the bed and wallowed in self-misery. The apple scent that he learned was Sam's smell made his stomach twist with guilt, knowing that he would do nothing but hurt the boy if he continued with what he was doing.

He heard the door open and curled closer into himself on the bed, wishing whoever it was would just go away. The bed dipped slightly as the person sat down, and he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, squeezing in comfort.

"Look," He heard Dean say, his body tensing slightly, "I know we don't ever really talk beyond insulting each other, but I want to be honest here. You've gotten my brother out of his grumpy teenager funk. He's happier after he's been around you, and I'll kill you if you ever mention this to anyone else, but I like seeing him smile."

Gabriel sniffed, his fingers clutching tightly to the sheet beneath his chin as he slowly glanced up, seeing Dean looking at him with an expression he couldn't ever hope to understand, "What are you saying?" Gabriel asked, unable to stop the hope that crept into his voice.

"I know Cas doesn't want either of you to get hurt, but I'd rather the both of you be happy while you can. It's seriously too late now to just be 'friends,'" Dean replied, giving him a slight smirk that had Gabriel narrowing his eyes at the man. Still, it didn't stop the quirk of his lips forming into a smile.

"Thanks, Dean," Gabriel stated honestly, his mind formulating a plan for next week, "You know, I always thought Cas was the girl of the relationship, but you'd make a much better girl than he would."