Some Nights

Winging It

caution: contains the spanking of a once trickster angel turned human.

*******

It was raining by the time they pulled up to the hotel. The car was quiet, filled with tension, and the sound of Cas's teeth chattering. Dean had placed a blanket around him, but it didn't seem to be doing much good.

"Is he okay?" Sam asked, putting the Impala in park. It was a true sign of how worried Dean was if he was letting Sam drive when they both were angry.

Dean merely grunted, confirming Sam's theory. He opened the door, and gently pulled Cas out to join him. Sam watched as the two headed for their room, Cas huddled against Dean, the blanket already soaked through with rain. Sam turned off the ignition, and for the first time, looked directly at his lover in the passenger seat next to him.

Gabriel was sitting, his hands braced against his legs, staring out the window. He hadn't said a word the whole drive, and despite being angry, Sam was starting to get worried. Reaching out a hesitant hand, he brushed Gabriel's shoulder lightly. Gabriel turned his head, giving Sam an accessing look.

"Are you okay?" Sam finally asked.

Gabriel shook his head.

"I didn't think so, " Sam sighed. "Want to talk about it?"

Gabriel unsnapped his seatbelt, and shrugged miserably. "What's the point?"

"The point would be that maybe I could see where you were coming from, and understand why you would make that kind of choice without really thinking it through." Sam said gently.

Gabriel shrugged again. "It's too late now though, right? Dean's pissed, Cas is wet, and you..." He trailed off, swallowing hard. "You haven't even acknowledged me until now." His voice trembled slightly.

Sam closed his eyes, trying to breathe. He hadn't thought about how that would feel towards Gabriel. He had been trying to calm down the whole ride, and it didn't help he could practically taste Dean's tension in the back of the car. Sam knew that he wasn't in any sort of trouble with his brother, but still that level of angry was alarming for him, having been on the receiving end multiple times.

"Gabriel, I honestly don't know what to say." Sam felt his anger flare. "Other than...how could you? What was even going through your head?"

"It made sense to me." Gabriel mumbled.

Sam sighed. "Do you forget that I know you, Gabe? The fact that you aren't arguing with me means that that you feel guilty. And for you to feel guilty, really and actually guilty, it means that something happened that wasn't planned, and now you are trying to deal with those emotions."

Gabriel looked down at his hands on his legs. It was really no use in trying to debate that. Sam knew Gabriel inside and out, even when he was an angel there had been no secret between them. Why start now? He took a breathe, facing his lover who looked absolutely wrecked. "I wanted it to look like I knew what I was doing. I was trying to show off for you. To show I wasn't completely useless in a fight."

Sam's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "You are human now. Simple things like hyperthermia can kill you and Cas."

"I know." Gabriel pleaded. "That was an accident."

"I certainly hope so." Sam's voice hardened slightly. "Shoving your brother in a freezing lake in the middle of the night doesn't seem like a great idea."

"He fell." Gabriel swallowed. "I pulled him out as fast as I could."

"I know." Sam's hand moved to Gabriel's cheek now, stroking it gently. "But, you guys shouldn't have even been that close. If you had waited for Dean and I like you said you were going to-"