Snow Never Falls Alone | Sabriel Highschool AU

Family

When Gabriel woke, he knew that something was wrong when he rolled over, seeing the light streaming through his curtains, much brighter than it ever was when he woke up for school. With a slight jerk, he scrambled over to his phone, hitting the button and staring in alarm as he looked at the time: 9:14.

He was so late.

"Cas!" Gabriel shouted, falling out of his bed in a hurry to get to his clothes. When Castiel came in, he found Gabriel trapped in his blanket, his legs tangled as he struggled to get free. Castiel leaned against the doorframe, watching the poor boy attempting to get free before finally smiling.

"School got canceled today for snow, Gabriel. I'd thought I'd let you sleep in," Castiel commented, watching as Gabriel frowned, lifting his head in confusion.

"I thought the North didn't get snow days," Gabriel said, wrinkling his nose before he shot up, yanking the blanket off before running towards the window, his mouth falling open in surprise when he saw the snow that covered the ground in a thick blanket, at least up to where his knees would be.

"We do if it's like this," Castiel replied, watching in amusement as Gabriel hurried over to his closet, pulling on two layers of long shirts before tugging on a jacket, and working a pair of sweat pants over his legs and tennis shoes, "Where do you plan on going?"

"To Sam's! I want to play in the snow!" Gabriel chirped, only taking a moment to brush his hair back to his face, then in another second of thought, to the bathroom to brush his teeth. In only three minutes, he was out the door, struggling through the massive drifts to get to Sam's front door. His teeth were chattering by the time he knocked on the door, the porch giving him a little sanction from the knee-high drifts with the overhang, his lips already beginning to dust with blue by the time Sam opened the door, wearing a sweater and sweatpants to keep from the cold.

"Gabriel? What are you doing here?" Sam asked, his cheeks flushed from how warm it was in the house, washing over Gabriel's front and warming his nose a little.

"I want to go play in the snow! I've never gotten to play in it before!" Gabriel chirped, his voice cutting over the cold. Sam looked at him with a furrowed brow, confusion littering his gaze.

"But it snows all the time," Sam countered, and, after a second of looking around at all the snow piling around his house, pulled Gabriel into the comforting warmth of his home. Gabriel snuffled a little, pulling his arms tighter around himself as Sam led him to his room, his hand like a furnace against the underside of his arm.

"Unlike you, I'm from the South! All we ever get is hurricanes and jazz music!" Gabriel replied, watching as Sam cast him another glance before opening the closet door and digging through the clothes hanging there.

"Fine, but you're underdressed," Sam finally answered, pulling out a thick coat from the closet, walking over and wrapping it around Gabriel's shoulders. It was too big on the smaller teen, but it smelled like Sam, and he couldn't imagine anything better than that apple scent.

Gabriel leaned forward, letting his forehead rest against Sam's chest, his fingers holding to the edge of the coat, so it didn't slip off his shoulders. He felt Sam tense a little underneath him, but it took only a moment before his arms wrapped around him gently, a slight sigh leaving his lips as he relaxed against Gabriel, holding him close.

Gabriel's lips twitched into a smile, rubbing his nose against Sam's shirt before looking up, his head tipping at a slight angle when he saw the red face of Sam, "That was a nice hug," Gabriel commented, a slight teasing tone in his voice, despite the way his heart was beating against his ribs in a staccato rhythm.

"Don't expect them all the time," Sam replied smoothly, pulling away from Gabriel and going back to his closet, digging out his own coat and a pair of thick socks and shoes.