Fall Back {A Sabriel Fanfic}

Chapter 36

Gabriel flips one of the last metal chairs from the floor and places it on the table top. He exhales deeply, tired from the long day at work, unsatisfied with his accepting to close by himself tonight. He mops the floors and hops onto the counter top, waiting for the water to dry so he can sweep as his final step before being allowed to leave. Finally, the water dries and he heads to the back. He hears the bell ring and roles his eyes, "We're closed," he calls. "Okay," he mumbles to himself when no one responds, walking back to the front and scanning the lobby. No one. Gabe shrugs to himself and continues to his task.

As soon as he gets around the counter, his gaze narrows on a body, his heart skipping and he automatically panics. "Sam?!" Gabe yells, the broom clattering down. He skids to a stop, rolling Sam over. He gasps at the beaten and bloodied face, "Oh god, Sam. Sam!"

"Hey," Sam smiles faintly, his voice rough and expression apologetic. Gabriel breaths shakily, moving to prop Sam's head in his lap, sniffling while running a hand through his hair soothingly. "Who did this to you?" Gabe finally asks after a silence, his question soft. But the college student fears that he already knows the answer—but the texts were just lies..they always have been.

"I don't know," he breaths back, "There were a lot of them, Gabe. Maybe seven."

"God," he presses his lips in a straight line, tears welling in his eyes, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Please don't blame yourself," Sam attempts to move from his spot, to comfort his boyfriend. Gabes hand gently pushes his back down, "Lay still, okay? Just–don't move." The Winchesters vision is blurry, especially out of his left eye.

"Come on," Gabriel whispers after it's quiet again for a while, "We should probably get you cleaned up." Sam winces, gripping his side. Gabe gulps, avoiding his ribs and getting to a chair that he removes from a tabletop. "Sit here, I'll be right back."

He emerges from the back with a few things, one of them being a damp cloth. Gabe sits on the table, leaning over to carefully wipe the dried blood from the teens swollen face. He fills with anger looking at Sam like this, his mind plotting revenge. Sam senses this and attempts to lighten the mood. "You think I can play the guilty card and get a few girls numbers?" Gabe chuckles inaudibly, shaking his head, "You're an idiot."

"You're right," Sam smiles, "I'll probably have better luck with guys."

Eventually Gabe pulls the car around and helps Sam in, taking him back to the apartment.

"Get some rest, okay?" He leans over and kisses Sam's forehead softly. "Where are you going?" Sam asks quickly, catching Gabriel's hand before he can get away. He strains in the dark room to see the short male, his black eye not helping any. "I'll be right back, Sammich, I promise."

Sam waits patiently, dozing off every few second but refusing to sleep until Gabe is next to him.

"Hey," Gabe whispers, crawling under the covers and moving closer to Sam. Sam aches for more contact, fearing the same might happen to him. He curls into Gabes touch and rest his head on Gabes shoulder.

Sam is sound asleep but Gabriel sits up, just about, all night, never moving from his spot. Frozen.

"I'm sorry."