Supernatural 1. I Want To Go Back

Sam stared out of the car window glumly as trees continued to flash by, wishing that even just one car would drive past the other way. He had been stuck in the car for hours, and it seemed like forever since he had caught sight of anyone other than the people he was trapped in the car with. They truly were driving to the middle of nowhere. Why his dad had ever thought this move was a good idea, Sam would never know.

He had been happy. He had had a great group of friends, lived in a nice neighbourhood, and generally liked everyone around him. He had finished middle school with excellent prospects of a high GPA at high school, and everyone had been proud of him. Well, everyone apart from his family, that was.

Then everything had gone wrong.

One day, quite out of the blue, Sam's dad had announced they were leaving. He had got a new job, or so he said, so they were moving away. Sam had asked if he could stay. Pleaded with his dad to allow him to board at the private school – he was clever enough to get a scholarship so the fees would be minimal, if there were any at all. His friends had supported him, and even his teachers had said it would be a good idea for him to stay in an atmosphere where he thrived. But Sam's had been absolute. Sam was coming with him, he said. He didn't trust his son to stay here on his own. Forget the fact that Sam had been a model student for all 14 years of his life while his brother, Dean, had been sneaking off to party and smoke with the rebellious kids. Sam was still apparently the troublesome one.

So now Sam was being carted off to some backwater town with nothing around it but open space so his dad could pursue some job which was actually lower paid than his previous one. (Sam had checked). It was, in fact, a demotion. But John Winchester never gave in to his arguments with Sam, so eventually, Sam had just kept quiet and sulked in the confines of his own head.

Closing his eyes, Sam couldn't help but wonder why Dean hadn't fought about this. True, Dean didn't care about his education, or even really his friends. He was a year older than Sam, yet Sam was always the one looking after him, doing his homework for him and sneaking him home after he got too drunk or high at a party. But still, Sam had expected some kind of fight. There was next to no chance of a decent nightlife for Dean in a town like this, in the same way that there would be no decent sports facilities or libraries for Sam. Yet Dean had taken it in the way he always did – shrugged as though he didn't care and gone outside to hide behind the bins and smoke. It was ridiculous. If he wasn't careful, Dean was going to throw his entire life away – and Sam wouldn't be there to help him out forever.

Finally, the car turned off the silent highway onto a tiny road with a single sign proclaiming 'Heaven – 5 kilometres'. That was another thing. Sam wasn't hugely religious, although he did attend mass most Sundays. But 'Heaven'? That had to be one of the most pretentious and blasphemous town names in the history of America.

The car swerved, and Sam took in the sight of another car – a large 4x4 – screeching past them the other way. His eyes drank in the sight. Other people! Sam kept his eyes glued to the car as it turned onto the highway and vanished the way that they had come.

A short, derisive laugh made Sam glance up, and he noticed his brother shaking his head at him.

"What?" He asked Dean, his eyes accusing.

Dean shook his head. "Nothin', dude, chill. Just need to stretch my legs."

Need to have a smoke, Sam mentally corrected. He had seen Dean's hands twitching from nicotine withdrawal half an hour ago. They had left so absurdly early this morning he doubted Dean had had a chance for a cigarette then, and they hadn't taken a single break on the drive down here. Dean was probably desperate.

'Serves him right', his brain spat, 'for getting addicted in the first place.' No. That wasn't Dean's fault. Sam might not approve of his brother's life choices, but he still loved him, and he knew the mess of Dean's life was due to a number of other factors. Mainly their dad, but also the local gang for picking up a potentially weak target and converting him to one of their own.

Except, of course, that wasn't the local gang any more. That was just Nathan's gang. Because they didn't live at home now – they lived in some cramped, strange house on the outskirts of Heaven, Who-Knows-Where.

"We're here," John grunted out, and Sam turned to look. The car had pulled in next to an ordinary looking house, off-white paint on the walls and a few boxes still sat outside.

'Home sweet home' Sam thought sarcastically. Give him their old apartment any day. Living in a house without the bustle of a city just felt wrong.

Sighing, Sam got out of the car ad glanced around.

"I'm goin' for a walk." Dean called, already trudging around the corner towards a clump of trees. Sam rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wished he didn't know his brother so well. He turned back to his dad, but John wasn't paying attention – he was examining the boxes in front of the house and frowning.

"Everything should have been set up for us." He complained. Great. So John was already angry, and they hadn't even gone inside yet.

"I'll carry them in dad." Sam offered, picking up the first box. It was surprisingly heavy – Sam thanked all those days at the gym with Jordan for being able to lift it.

John grunted, so Sam took that as affirmation and pushed the door open with his foot, carrying the box inside.

He found himself in a hallway, a table and coat rack already set out by the door. A box was sat on the stairs nearby, but Sam ignored it, instead carrying the box all the way through to where he assumed the kitchen would be.

Except it wasn't a kitchen. The room contained a small desk and a load more boxes – presumably this would be his dad's office.

"Great." Sam commented. "Not just a house, but a stupidly laid out house. Now where the hell is the kitchen?"

He found it on his third attempt, tucked off to one side next to the sitting room. Arms aching, Sam set the box on the kitchen table and wondered whether he should unpack it. Deciding he could do that later, he flexed his arms to try and ease the muscles before heading back outside to grab another box.

Instead, he found his dad talking to a smarmy looking man with grey hair. Sam didn't want to make judgements based on first appearance, but something about the guy just made him want to dislike him.

"This must be one of your sons!" The man exclaimed, noticing Sam. He didn't sound happy about this fact – more smug at recognising him. "I'm Zachariah, head of the removals company here. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Sam shook Zachariah's hand and plastered a friendly smile on his face. "I'm Sam. Do you need any help carrying stuff in?"

Zachariah glanced over Sam's wiry frame and gave what was presumably supposed to be a kind smile. "I'm sure we can manage. Why don't you try and make some new friends? There's a park just over the hill, I expect most of the other kids will be down there." Dismissing Sam, Zachariah turned back to John and resumed their previous conversation.

Sam reasoned that making friends now, before school started again, was probably a good idea. He was a sociable person, and it was never fun being the new kid who knew no-one else. Grabbing his jacket from the car, he turned back to his dad before deciding that John probably wouldn't notice or care if he just left.

Turning his phone on just in case, Sam stuck his hands in his pockets and headed down the hill in the direction of the park.

It wasn't hard to find. Once he got close enough, the noise of chattering, excited kids filled his ears and Sam just followed the sound until he noticed a high fence with a gate up ahead. Slipping through the gate, Sam was almost run over by a gaggle of young children running past.

"Sorry!" A woman exclaimed, and Sam turned to see a happy looking blonde woman standing by the gate. "I think they had a bit too much sugar at lunch. I'm Becky – you must be one of the Winchester boys."

"Sam," Sam introduced himself, smiling awkwardly. "How do you know who I am?"

The woman laughed. "Oh, in a small town like this, everyone knows everyone. Besides, Zachariah is my brother-in-law."

That made sense. It was likely that most people here were interrelated. Sam sighed. That would make it more difficult to make friends.

Becky seemed to notice his discomfort. "I expect most of the kids your age are down by the river. In fact, I could get Gabriel to introduce you. GABRIEL!"

Sam was almost deafened by her final shout.

A small, slightly pudgy teenager who Sam hadn't noticed before jogged over, looking a little reluctant to be summoned. Sam knew the feeling.

"Yes, Aunty Becky? Oh!" He caught sight of Sam and his golden eyes lit up. Sam found his breath catching at the sight of those eyes. "New fish!"

Sam smiled down at the boy. "I'm-"

"Sam Winchester. I've already met your brother. Not that you look anything alike." Gabriel's eyes raked up and down and Sam couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

"Why don't you introduce Sam to everyone else?" Becky suggested, her eyes flickering anxiously after the disappearing pack of six year olds Sam had almost bumped in to earlier. "I need to go after Samandriel."

Gabriel shrugged easily. "Sure. Come on, Sasquatch!"

Gabriel took off running, surprising Sam – he had a lot of energy for someone with such a pudgy build.

"So, you're a city boy, right?" Gabriel asked, grinning up at Sam.

"Yeah." Sam replied. "It's absolutely nothing like here."

Gabriel laughed. "It won't be. So just a few hints. Rule one, be nice to everybody. I mean everybody. My family makes up about half the people here and our friends are everyone else. You annoy one person, you annoy everyone. Capiche?"

Sam nodded, already wondering just how small this town really was.

"Rule two, work hard in school. You look like the type of person to do that anyway, but I'm a bit worried about your brother. The high school is run by Raphael, my uncle, and he's a tyrant. So just be careful." Gabriel slowed to a walk. "Ugh! I need candy."

Blinking in surprise, Sam fished into his pocket and pulled out a Hershey's bar. "Here. You can have this if you want."

Gabe looked at Sam like he was the most precious thing in the universe, before grabbing the Hershey's bar and tearing it open. "Mm, Samalam, you are a gift from the gods."

Sam smiled, amused by the boy's appreciation for the candy. "What year are you in?" He asked inquisitively.

"Going into Junior year. Dean said you'd be a freshman, so I'm a couple of years older than you. But the high school's pretty small, so we'll have things like Sport together anyway. Well, we would if you didn't look quite so physically fit."

Sam blushed at the compliment, ducking his head aside. "There're really that few people? There would have been several thousand if I went to the school I was supposed to."

Gabe whistled. "Several thousand? Jeez. Well, at Heaven High, there're a couple of hundred of us. Most people take the same classes, have the same teachers, and Advanced Placement is all that actually exists for some subjects because most kids are stupidly intelligent. But it's not all that bad. Ignore Raphael and try not to piss off Uriel and you're all set."

They had almost reached the river, and Sam noticed a group of twenty odd other teenagers all sat on the banks. His eyes focused in on Dean, sat beside a kid with messy black hair and an enormous tan trenchcoat. The two were both holding cigarettes.

"Who's that with Dean?" Sam asked, pointing him out to Gabriel.

Gabriel laughed. "That's Castiel. Weird kid. One of my cousins, although we don't mix together that much. Figures him and your brother would get on."

Before Sam could investigate further, a group of teenagers detached themselves from the others and wandered over to himself and Gabe.

"This is the other Winchester then? I'm Balthazar, and this is Madison, Lisa, Crowley, Benny and Ruby." The buy speaking was blond, and to Sam's surprise, had a European accent.

"I'm Sam." He replied, although he had a feeling everyone knew his name anyway.

Balthazar nodded, turning to Gabriel. Sam considered joining in, but Madison started speaking before he could.

"Fancy joining us for lunch? We're just going to grab some chips from the diner or something."

"I think you're brother's coming to – that is, if he can detach himself from Castiel." Ruby added.

"Detach himself?" Sam asked, confused.

The group laughed. "I'm fairly certain," Crowley interjected – like Balthazar, he had a foreign accent, "That your brother has a little crush on our Castiel. And Castiel reciprocates. It's about time that boy found some action."

Everyone else seemed to agree.

Sam hadn't had any inkling that his brother was gay – if he girls he often stumbled upon Dean with were any indication – but he supposed he could be bisexual. It was certainly true that him and Castiel already looked strangely close.

"Sure, I'll come." Sam decided, before feeling in his pockets. "I might need to ask Dean for some money though."

Ruby waved him off. "Don't bother. I'll pay, I just had my allowance. Just buy me lunch in the cafeteria on Monday or something in return."

Sam nodded gratefully. "I can do that."

Ruby smiled, before nudging Benny in the ribs. "You go and get the loverboys, I'll round up Meg and Alastair. I don't suppose anyone knows where Michael and Lucy are?"

"Michael's working." Crowley commented. "Lucy's probably off her face in a ditch somewhere. I should probably go and look for her, actually, or Michael will kill me."

As the group dissipated, Sam turned to Gabriel and Balthazar to find they were already looking at him.

"So," Balthazar smiled, "Welcome to Heaven."

Sam found himself smiling back. Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad here after all.


	2. Get With You

Sam looked up at the sign proclaiming 'Heaven High School' and shook his head.

This could not be the school. High schools were crowded, bustling places comprising of a dozen odd concrete buildings with massive sports facilities out the back. There might be benches out front to sit on or a tarmac playground, but the general layout was the same everywhere. Or so he had thought.

Heaven High seemed to consist of two large, brick buildings with a steel walkway joining them. It was surrounded by the same hilly fields and clumps of trees that encased the entire town, and from what Sam could see, there was a single athletics track and a football pitch and that was about it. He couldn't even see an area for baseball or a hall for basketball. Shaking his head, he turned to Dean to complain.

"What even is this place?" He asked.

Dean just grunted in response. "It's a hellhole, Sammy, just like any other school. Now, I said I was gonna meet Cas, so will you be OK from here?"

Sam wanted to say no. He didn't like it here – it didn't feel comfortable, it was too small and quite and generally unsettling. He also had no idea where he was going. But he was a freshman now, he didn't need his brother babying him all the time. So he nodded, and Dean smiled gratefully before slouching off out of sight.

Sighing, Sam shouldered his bag before setting off towards the school. He barely got two paces before someone tapped him on one shoulder.

Spinning around, he noticed a petite blonde girl stood behind him, a beaming smile on her face. Sam took an instant liking to her.

"Lost?" She asked kindly.

Sam gave a friendly grimace. "That obvious?"

She laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Sam couldn't help but admire the way it glinted in the sun. "Don't worry, it always feels weird when you first get to this town. I arrived two years ago, and I still can't believe the size of this place. The middle school was like a nursery. But it's fine, everyone's lovely so you'll settle in soon enough. I'll take you to reception."

Sam fell into step beside the girl and listened as she babbled on about life.

By the time he reached the reception block, tucked away behind yet another clump of trees, he had learnt the girl's entire life story. Or rather, that was what it felt like. Her name was Jess, she was a freshman just like him but she knew her way around because she had been taking cello lessons here for a year. She had moved to Heaven two years ago because her dad got a job at the local bank, but she used to live in California. Her aim was to return to California and go to Stanford for university – an ambition which Sam shared. This revelation made Jess proclaim him 'the coolest guy ever' and announce that he had to sit with her and her friends and lunch.

Sam couldn't help but feel enamoured with the spritely little blonde, and from the covert glances she kept shooting him, he wondered if she felt the same way.

Not that he felt prepared to act on it yet.

The reception building was as quiet as the rest of the school, but the stern looking receptionist fished out two schedules with minimal prompting and didn't even make Sam fill out any pesky forms. He couldn't help but smile when he compared his schedule with Jess's.

"Hey, we have almost identical classes!"

Jess grinned. "I think there're only two sets of freshman classes, so that was fairly likely to happen. We just have opposite Physical Education and Creative English periods."

Sam was glad for that stroke of good luck. True, he had made a few friends yesterday, but most of them were a bit older than him, so it was nice to know that he had at least one person he could work with in lessons.

A bell rang, and Jess slipped her hand into Sam's. Startled, it took him a few seconds to realise that she was speaking to him.

"We have to get to class now. We have AP Algebra I first, that's just down the hall from here."

Jess practically dragged Sam down the corridor, despite her slight build. Her excitement was contagious, and by the time they sat down for their first class (next to each other, Sam was pleased to note) he was feeling much happier about the day ahead.

It was good that he had her to support him, because their algebra teacher was none other than Gadriel.

His name was Mr. Novak, but there were so many Novak's in this school (they really did practically run the town) that teachers were known by their first names. He was a slave driver. He took an instant interest in Sam for some unknown reason and spent the entire period leering at him and asking him to demonstrate increasingly complex equations. Sam was bright, and most of it he could either remember from his last school or work out, but on the few occasions he slipped up Gadriel blew up like a miniature volcano.

Sam didn't think he had ever escaped from a lesson faster than he ran out of there when the bell went.

"Blimey, I've never seen a teacher that angry before!" Jess exclaimed, bouncing down the corridor beside him.

"He really has got it in for you." A quite boy interjected. Sam smiled down at the boy.

"I'm Sam, Sam Winchester. And you are?"

"Kevin Tran. And this is Garth." He gestured to the boy beside him, who seemed to have got dressed with his eyes closed – either that, or he had the worst fashion taste Sam had ever seen. He also seemed to have a sock on one hand.

"He's a bit nuts," Jess whispered in his ear, "But he's a sweetheart. We all love Garth."

All of them except Garth had AP U.S. History next, so they all sat together at the front of the classroom. The other seat in the row was taken by a boy Sam knew instantly was a Novak.

It was easy to tell the Novak kids, who had lived here all their lives, from the assorted others. The Novaks wore smart, tailored clothes, sturdy yet polished boots, and carried matching leather satchels instead of rucksacks. They could all look very different, yet they all got the same confused, vacant expression on their faces when they were thinking.

Sam hadn't spoken to any of the Novaks in his last class, but now he decided he might as well make another new friend.

"Hey, I'm Sam. What's your name?"

The boy looked at him for a moment, almost judgingly, before holding out a hand. "Ezekiel. Gabriel mentioned you yesterday."

Sam blinked in surprise. "He did?"

Ezekiel shrugged. "It's not every day you get new kids here, especially not city kids like you. How do you like Heaven so far?"

Sam didn't want to offend Ezekiel, so he went for the diplomatic approach. "It's alright. I expect it'll take some getting used to."

Ezekiel nodded, before turning to face the teacher as she walked into the room.

The rest of the lessons passed in a blur before finally, it was lunch time, and Sam was waiting for Jess in the corridor by the changing rooms.

He was just glancing over his notes from Creative English when he felt a sharp jab in his size.

"For the love of – oh, Gabriel! Hi!"

Sam was surprised that Gabriel had come up to him in school. He nursed his injured side while Gabriel cackled and high-fived the guy next to him – Balthazar.

"So, Sasquatch, how are you finding high school?" Gabriel asked.

"Small." Sam shot back. "And Gadriel already hates me."

Gabriel sucked in a breath at the mention of Gadriel. "You have Gadriel for Algebra I? Ooh, good luck to you, kid. If he decides he hates you, you're done for."

Sam could feel his hopes of a good GPA crumbling.

Gabriel then shrugged. "On the plus side, he's such a slave driver no-one ever comes out of his class with a bad grade. Ever. Even the worst slackers get their act together under him – and you don't seem like a slacker, kid." He glanced at Sam's scribbled English notes.

At that point, Balthazar jumped in. "Gabriel, if we don't get to lunch now, all the chips will be gone."

Gabriel gave a scandalised look. "No chips? Alright, Samalam, I'll see you around." He paused. "I don't suppose you want to eat with us?"

Sam felt elated by the invitation – sitting with a Junior was quite the honor – but at that moment, Jess emerged from the changing rooms and made a beeline for him.

"It's alright, Jess said I could sit with her."

At the mention of her name, Jess looked between Sam and Gabriel with surprise.

"You guys know each other?"

Sam didn't know what she meant by that, but Gabriel was already shooting him a wink and grabbing Balthazar's shoulder.

"Met the Sasquatch yesterday. But it's fine, I know when I'm not wanted. Have fun, you two! Use protection!" With that crass comment, him and Balthazar disappeared around the corner.

Sam could feel himself blushing. Was his little crush on Jess already that obvious?

To his surprise, he found that Jess was blushing a little too. "Shall we go then? I've heard this place does the best bean salad."

Sam nodded, before following Jess down the corridor again. On an impulse, he slipped his hand into his, and felt his heart swell when she smiled up at him and started to lead him back towards the cafeteria.

The end of the day arrived with a fresh burst on sunshine, beating down on Sam's back as he trudged in from PE. Despite his protests, the teacher had taken one look at his height and build and announced he was on their basketball team. It didn't matter that Sam preferred track and knew from experience basketball wasn't his thing – there were so few tall people at this school that anyone above six feet could consider themselves a basketball player.

His six feet one inch and growing had never been a worse thing.

Chucking his usual jeans and shirt combination back on, Sam stuffed his sweaty sports kit into his bag before jogging out to meet Dean so they could walk home.

Instead, he found himself faced with a sight he never wanted to see again – his brother with his tongue down Castiel's throat.

Ew.

Turning away from the grotesque image, Sam spotted Jess standing across the courtyard and headed over to distract himself. She smiled and waved when she spotted him approaching.

"You alright? You look mentally scarred." She commented.

Sam shuddered. "I may have just found my brother sticking his tongue down Castiel Novak's throat. They day after they met. He moves fast, I'll give him that, but they could at least try to keep PDA to a minimum."

Jess looked shocked. "Really? Castiel Novak? I almost thought that kid was asexual."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Well, obviously not."

Jess placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Well, at least now you have something to tease him about. Do you know your way home? If you want, I can walk back with you, I doubt we live that far away from each other."

"Do you mind?" Sam had a feeling he sounded pathetically grateful but he didn't really care. Besides, this was another chance to get to know the gorgeous Jess. The more they spoke to each other, the more he realised that he wanted more than just friendship with her.

Jess shook her head. "Of course I don't! I normally walk with Kevin, but he's staying behind for some library project so I don't have anyone to walk with anyway. I can't exactly leave you to walk alone when you've only lived here for a day. You might turn at the wrong clump of trees and find yourself in the river."

Sam laughed, dropping a quick text to Dean just in case he surfaced for long enough to worry (he probably wouldn't) before falling into step beside Jess to walk home.

He didn't notice Gabriel Novak staring after him with a slightly wistful look on his face.

As it turned out, him and Jess lived on neighbouring streets barely two minutes walk from each other. Deciding to bite the bullet, he invited Jess to spend some time at his house before heading home.

"It's not like you live far away," He argued, "And judging by Dean's display, he won't be home any time soon. My dad's unlikely to appear before the pub closes."

Jess agreed with a smile and a twirl of her hair, and five minutes later found them both sat on the sofa watching a documentary about birds.

"You know, you wouldn't believe that you only moved in yesterday." Jess commented, glancing around the house. "I've lived here for two years ago and this place has more personal touches."

Sam shrugged, glancing at the photos adorning the walls. "I think my dad's trying to make up for dragging us so suddenly away from our old life. Making it as close to the old apartment as possible. You can't recreate the noise and feel of a city though."

"Tell me about it." Jess replied, moving so her feet were laying across Sam's lap.

They stayed that way for a while, watching the documentary in silence. When it ended, switching to a comedy show neither of them had ever heard of, Sam switched the TV off.

"I should probably get back." Sam really hoped he wasn't imagining the regret in Jess's voice.

"Oh." He replied. "Well, this was fun. We should do it again some time."

Jess grinned. "How about Saturday? My parents are going out for the day, we could watch a couple of movies or something."

Sam grinned back. "That sounds awesome. I'll check with my dad, but I doubt he'll care."

"It's a date." Jess brushed her hands almost expectantly over her skirt and smiled up at Sam.

Unable to resist, Sam leant down and gently captured Jess's lips with his own. She tasted sweet and innocent, and he thought he could drown in the amazing sensations she created.

They moved apart slowly, happiness surging out of Jess's eyes.

"I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow then?" She asked, picking up her bags and jacket.

"I can walk with you to school, if you want. Which number is your house?" Sam hoped he wasn't being too forward, but it would be much better walking to school with Jess than dealing with a grumpy, lovestruck Dean.

"Eleven. The one with the red door. Seven thirty?"

"I'll be there."

Jess grinned up at him one last time, stole a quick kiss, then let herself out of the house.

When Dean came back half an hour later, his clothes skewiff and a sappy expression on his face, Sam couldn't even find it in him to complain.


	3. You Are My Heaven

**Thanks so much for all the support I've had so far. Enjoy this chapter – I'm hoping to have one from Dean's POV next.**

Saturday rolled around faster than Sam was expecting, and he found himself internally panicking as he prepared to go on his first date with Jess.

After some discussion, they had decided just to lounge around Jess's house and watch a few Marvel movies because they shared an obsession. However, Sam didn't want to turn up in the ordinary clothes he wore to school every day. He wanted to impress her. He really thought that this relationship with Jess could work long term – and he knew he wanted it to. But how exactly did you go about dressing nicely for a movie date without looking like you had tried too hard?

A few years ago, Sam might have gone to Dean for help. Dean was notorious for sleeping with anything that moved, and the fact that he always seemed to be able to pull made him an obvious choice for advice. But Dean had spent the last few days attached to Castiel, and he still wasn't home after going to Castiel's house last night.

Sam really didn't want to think about what they had been doing there.

Realising he was running out of time, Sam grabbed his nicest pair of jeans and a black shirt which hugged his chest before quickly dressing and running downstairs. He passed his dad, who was asleep on the sofa for some reason, and quickly scribbled a note explaining that he was going out so his dad didn't panic when we woke.

Not that John would panic to find either of his sons missing. Back in the city, they had both spent most weekends and many schooldays out with various friends (or in Dean's case, dealers). But still, this wasn't the city, and Sam didn't think either him or Dean had mentioned any of their friends to John yet.

Finally ready, Sam checked his pockets to ensure he had his keys, wallet and phone before heading out of the house.

It was late morning, but there was a chill in the air and Sam found himself wishing that he had grabbed his jacket. Fortunately, it was only a couple of minutes to Jess's house and Sam already knew the shortcuts having walked with Jess to school for the past few days.

Sam shivered as he tapped the knocker against Jess's door. Glancing around, he was surprised how quiet it was – Heaven never had the hustle and bustle of a city, but there always seemed to be people walking their dogs or just wandering around for seemingly no reason. Today, however, the entire town seemed to be asleep. Sam couldn't help but wonder if there was something happening that he didn't know about.

The door swung open, and Sam grinned as Jess flung her arms around his neck (he bent down so she could reach) and gave him a quick kiss.

"You look cold," She commented as she led him inside, into a room with an almost identical layout to Sam's own sitting room. "Do you want a jacket? I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind if you borrowed one of his."

Sam shook his head, sitting down on a cream leather couch and glancing around. "I'll be fine. It's just cold outside, that's all."

Jess smiled, walking back over with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. "This should warm you up."

Sam accepted the cup gratefully, pecking her on the cheek in thanks. "You're amazing."

"I know." She replied jokily, sitting down and resting her head against his chest. Sam curled one arm around her body protectively, relishing in her warmth.

"My parents are out until about eleven," Jess commented, "So we have the entire day to ourselves."

Sam grinned. "Do we now?" He asked, trying to sound seductive. "And how exactly do you propose we fill all of that time?"

Jess swatted him playfully, sitting up and grabbing the TV remote next to her. "Stop it, you. Honestly, boys really do have a one-track mind."

That hadn't been what Sam was suggesting, but now Jess had put the thought in his head it wouldn't go away. Sam willed his rising erection to go away before Jess noticed. Now was not the time for that – they were fourteen and had only been dating for a few days. Unlike his brother, Sam did have some restraint.

Having put the first DVD – Iron Man – into the DVD player, Jess resumed her position against Sam's chest. It was surprisingly comfortable, lying against the sofa with her weight against him, and Sam hoped that he didn't fall asleep.

However, his comfort was disturbed when Jess started a running commentary on the attractiveness of Robert Downey Jr. Sam had to admit, he could see the appeal, but it still caused a surge of jealousy that his new girlfriend was showing interest in another man – celebrity or not.

"He's a little old for you." He whispered into her ear, watching as her face contorted slightly from irritation.

"Meh, age. It's such an annoying thing." She twisted to face Sam. "I guess I'll just have to make do with you." She mock sighed, and Sam pounced.

Surging forward, he captured her lips and moved his hands to carefully support her back. As their tongues danced, he lowered her down until he was hovering above her, his body inches from her own. Her hands moved up and down his arms and he shivered, moving to press light kisses along her jawline and down her neck.

They had kissed multiple times since their first kiss the day they met, but never having been alone, they had limited themselves to short, chaste things. This was different. Sam could feel his arousal increasing, and judging from the noises Jess was making beneath him, she was in a similar state.

Reluctantly, he pulled back before he ended up going too far. Jess made a small noise of disapproval before seeming to come to her senses and lightly push Sam away. He sat up, watching a little nervously as she smoothed down her hair and straightened her rumpled lace top.

Seeing his wary expression, she smiled reassuringly. "I take it back." She stated, her voice a little higher than usual, and Sam felt a surge of happiness and possessiveness and she settled back against him to resume watching the movie.

When it finished, Sam offered to take Jess to the local diner for lunch.

"As long as I can pay." Jess replied, slipping a cropped red jacket on. "You're borrowing a jacket too, or you'll freeze."

Sam tried to protest, but Jess was insistent and five minutes later he found himself wandering towards the diner with a slightly-too-small navy jacket stretched over his shoulders.

The town seemed to have woken up in their absence, and the diner was nearly full when the pair sat down at a table in the corner. Sam recognised a few people from school sat around chatting, and he gave a friendly wave to Ezekiel from his history class. Jess, meanwhile, squealed excitedly at the sight of another girl and waved her over with much more enthusiasm than was necessary.

"Sam, this is Charlie Bradbury. She was ill last week so I couldn't introduce you at school. Charlie, this is my boyfriend, Sam Winchester."

Sam grinned when Jess referred to him as her boyfriend, holding out a hand for Charlie to shake.

Instead, Charlie gave him a swift hug before turning back to Jess.

"So, I was marathoning Buffy while I was ill, and guess what? I've lost the second disk of season six. My life is over! I can't even find a replacement at the local store."

Sam almost laughed at Charlie's distraught expression – although he had to admit, he would feel the same way if he ever lost one of his books.

Jess gave a comforting smile. "There has to be one on Amazon. It'll be fine."

"It isn't fine! Amazon takes ages to deliver, and anyway, this is like the original collector's edition. The DVD might not have matching artwork if I get it off the internet!" Charlie's eyes widened at this seemingly horrific prospect.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Look, just ask the dude in the store then, and he'll order it in for you. I bet he can get matching artwork. In the meantime, just watch the episodes on the internet or something."

Charlie pursed her lips in thought.

Jess turned back to Sam, who was still trying to conceal his amusement. "She gets a little obsessive over her books and TV shows. She even goes LARPing and stuff. But we've been best friends since I arrived here, so I can forgive her for that."

At that point, they were distracted by the arrival of the waitress, and Charlie whispered something to Jess before leaving. Quickly ordering himself a salad and a glass of fresh orange juice, Sam tried to make sense of Jess's comments about Charlie.

"What's LARPing?" He asked finally.

Jess laughed. "Be glad she wasn't here when you said that. She almost murdered me when I asked the first time. Live action role-playing, it's basically adults dressing up as fictional characters then acting out scenes and stuff. It's pretty cool, she's taken me along a few times. But Charlie gets way more into it than I ever could."

Sam nodded, secretly resolving to never get involved.

The food arrived quickly, and conversation flowed as the two picked at their salads. The diner around them seemed to disappear until Sam was brought back into the real world by a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey, kiddo!" An enthusiastic voice greeted, and Sam rolled his eyes when he noticed it was Gabriel.

"It's official. You stalk me." He commented, noticing Jess's surprise. For the past few days, Sam had bumped into Gabriel at least once every day, despite the fact that they had no classes together (Gabriel being two years older) and Gabriel living on the other side of town.

Gabriel laughed. "Or it could be you stalking me, Sasquatch. I've been here for an hour already, you were just too busy making goo-eyes at your girlfriend to notice."

Sam blushed, and Jess glanced back and forward between the two of them with confusion.

"Jealous much." She stated, causing Sam to frown and Gabriel to laugh once again.

"Not in the slightest, Jessy girl, don't worry your pretty little head. Sammy here is just fun to tease." Gabriel's voice didn't sound as upbeat as it should have, but Sam ignored it, pushing his empty plate away.

"Well, Gabriel, it was lovely seeing you, but I should take Jess home now." Sam decided not to mention that they were spending the entire day together – he had a strange feeling that Gabriel wouldn't like it.

Gabriel nodded. "Like a true gentleman. I suppose I might see you at the meet tomorrow?"

"The meet?"

"A load of us go down to the river every Sunday to chill out. You saw us last week. You should come along again, it'll be fun. Lucy said she'd bring some stuff so we could play baseball."

It did sound tempting. Sam looked at Jess. "Are you going?"

She shook her head. "I go to church on Sundays with my family. But you should go if you want to, make some friends and all that."

Sam nodded. "OK. I might pop down at some point."

Gabriel grinned. "Great! Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Sammywammy."

After Gabriel had left, Jess slipped her hand into Sam's and raised her eyebrows. "I swear he has a crush on you."

Sam shrugged. "I doubt it, but it doesn't matter in any case. I'm with you." When Jess still looked a bit put out, Sam leant down to press a quick kiss to her lips. "Come on, let's get back to yours so you can drool over Robert Downey Jr again."

Jess pouted. "I don't drool." She protested, and Sam just laughed, throwing down some money before ushering her out of the diner.

They were halfway down the street before she realised that Sam had paid for her food as well as his own.

"I can't let you pay for it!" She complained. "How much do I owe you?"

"Just let me pay. My treat. If it bothers you that much, you can pay next time."

Jess reluctantly agreed, and soon enough the two were snuggled on the coach again as she start of Iron Man II rolled across the screen.

"You know what's missing?" Jess peered up at Sam and he reluctantly turned away from the screen.

"What?" He asked.

"Popcorn." She replied simply.

Sam smiled. "Is that a request?"

Jess just batted her eyelashes at him.

Sighing, Sam stood up and made his way into Jess's kitchen. He had never been here before, but the layout was similar to the kitchen of his new house and it was easy enough to find a microwaveable box of popcorn in the cupboard.

Once the popcorn was made, Sam crept up behind where Jess was on the sofa and placed his hands over her eyes.

She squealed in irritation, pulling his hands away and glaring up at him. "What was that for?"

Sam dropped down on the sofa and set the bowl of popcorn on the table. "Forcing me to fetch popcorn for you." He joked.

Rolling her eyes, Jess grabbed a couple of pieces of popcorn and flicked one at him, popping the other into her mouth. Sam dodged out of the way, throwing a piece back. It stuck in Jess's hair, and she yanked it out before throwing it back.

"This is war," Sam declared, before chaos ensued.

Popcorn went flying everywhere, all over the previously spotless room, and the bowl ended up somewhere behind one of the couches. At some point Jess declared a pillow fight as well, and ended up pinned under Sam who was holding her wrists in one hand and a pillow in the other.

"Surrender," Sam growled, waving the pillow over her head.

Jess stuck her tongue out at him. "Never," She replied, before surprisingly athletically twisting her body to reverse their positions.

"I am supreme." She declared.

Letting go of Jess's wrists, Sam leant up to kiss her, feeling her relax into him as she did. Once she was sufficiently distracted he sat up, pulling her with him until her back was against the arm of the sofa.

"Not quite." He replied, before resuming the kiss.

Jess opened her mouth as if to protest, but Sam slipped his tongue in and she reciprocated without any hesitation.

When they finally emerged for breath, their faces were flushed and one of Jess's hands had moved to the hem of Sam's shirt.

"We really ought to clean up before my parents get back." Jess sighed reluctantly, her fingers playing with a loose thread.

"We have ages." Sam reminded her, running his fingers down her arm.

She shivered. "True." She replied. "But I want my parents to like you, and it's going to take ages to clear up all that popcorn."

Knowing that she was right, Sam leant in for one more quick kiss before pulling back and standing up.

"Where do you keep the vacuum cleaner?"


	4. Let's Play A Lust Game

**This chapter is from Dean's POV – prepare for Destiel action!**

When his family had randomly decided to relocate to Heaven, Dean had actually felt relieved.

The city was stifling, full of idiots who always picked fights with him and judgemental pricks who couldn't handle his attitude or bisexuality. He had never cared about his education, mainly because he already had a job at Bobby's scrap yard lined up after graduation (and graduation wasn't even required). Consequently, Dean had found himself lumped in with the addicts and the delinquents, the kids who would never pass school and didn't particularly care anyway. For a while, he had tried to stay separate from them – but having no friends was lonely, and if you can't beat them, join them.

John didn't really care what Dean did – he favoured Sam, the son with great prospects and the 'right' group of friends. True, the two argued like cats and dogs, but John had this respect for Sam that Dean wasn't privy to. So when Dean had given in and slid off the rails, John wasn't there to pull Dean back on again.

Dean saw this move as his chance to crawl back out of the hole he had dug himself into. Not all the way – he would die before giving up his cigarettes or actually trying at school – but at least he should be able to get out of dealing in a new town where no-one knew he carried drugs.

Sam had shouted at Dean when he had shrugged off their move like he didn't care, claiming that he was throwing his life away. Dean had struggled not to admit everything to Sam then – that he owed money to the wrong people, that he sold drugs to pay debts and that last month he hadn't been at a long sleepover with a mate, he had been chucked in jail after being found stupidly drunk collapsed on the streets. He had considered himself lucky to get off with just a warning and a request to attend classes for alcoholics (although no way in hell was that happening).

Even so, there was a difference between being relieved at escaping somewhere and actually wanting to go to the new place.

When Dean had arrived in Heaven, tired and absolutely dying for a smoke, he had instantly labelled the place as a dump. It was quiet, calm, and utterly boring. This was the sort of town filled with religious assholes who would get at him for his lifestyle more than the guys back home.

It hadn't helped that his mood was black because he couldn't find his lighter – and he would be damned if he went back and had to beg one off John. Irritated, Dean had stormed down the hill to try and find a store that might believe he was a bit older than he was so he could buy a new one – and instead he had found something that changed his opinion of the town forever.

Castiel.

Down in the valley beyond the town there was a small park – nothing special, and too full of screaming little kids for Dean's liking. But there had also been a crowd of teenagers, and one of them had caught Dean's attention straight away.

He had messy black sex-hair sticking up at all angles, and been dressed in a long beige trench-coat that would have screamed 'paedophile' had the guy looked more than sixteen. He was looking away, but he had an aura of toughness that Dean hadn't expected – and best of all, the stream of smoke suggested that he was smoking a cigarette.

His need for a smoke overriding any hesitation about approaching the guy, Dean had plonked himself down beside him and pulled out a joint of his own.

"Got a lighter?" He asked, holding it out.

The guy turned, expressive blue eyes focusing intently on Dean. Dean felt himself gasp – he had never seen eyes so blue, and he thought he could drown in their gaze.

Holy crap. He was turning into a tween girl.

Finally, the guy's eyes flickered to the joint in Dean's hand and his lips twitched.

"Is that cannabis?"

Dean frowned. "Is that a problem?" He asked, an edge to his voice.

The guy's mouth curved into a smile. "Not if you share." He held a lighter up to the joint and lit it, before stuffing it into one of the coat's numerous pockets. "I'm Castiel."

Dean took a drag, the heady mixture instantly soothing his nerves. "Dean Winchester. Moved here today."

Castiel's eyes lit up in interest. "You're Dean Winchester? I'm impressed. I was expecting someone... more hipster."

Dean was surprised. "You heard about me? The hell did you hear about me?"

Castiel laughed, taking a final drag from his cigarette before tossing it away. "I'm a Novak. My family makes up about half the population of this place, so we hear everything. One of my uncles is in charge of the removals company and my second cousin runs the real estate. They mentioned your family at some family dinner, but you sounded like a stuck up city kid. No offence."

Dean another drag from his joint before offering it to Castiel, who accepted it with a smile. "Nah. I couldn't hang out with those kids, their taste in music is crap. Not to mention their dress sense – who the hell wears ankle swingers deliberately, for fucks sake."

Castiel grinned. "I like you, Dean Winchester."

"Must be my incredible good looks." Dean quipped, pulling out a proper cigarette this time and gesturing to Castiel to pass the lighter.

Castiel took a drag from Dean's joint, his eyes raking Dean's body up and down. "Well, they're certainly a bonus." He replied, winking before chucking the lighter over.

Dean felt his heart rate increase. Was Castiel interested? Back in the city, it was practically impossible to find someone willing to admit in an interest in members of the same sex – but Castiel certainly seemed like he was checking Dean out.

"You gay?" Dean asked, not one to worry about asking these things.

Castiel shrugged. "Bisexual, but I'm quite... selective. I don't just go around dating anyone who looks at me a certain way."

Dean lit his cigarette and turned away. It didn't bother him to be rejected – he was quite used to it. He barely knew Castiel anyway.

But Castiel wasn't finished. "For you, though, I might make an exception."

Dean turned back to Castiel, surprised. "Oh yeah?"

"Mmm." Castiel licked his lips.

A slow, seductive smirk made its way across Dean's face. "Well, baby, you're going to have to try harder than that. Dean Winchester doesn't just fall for anyone."

Castiel's eyes narrowed. "Is that a challenge, Winchester?"

Dean leant in, his face just inches from Castiel's.

"Well, if you don't think you can handle me..."

With a growl, Castiel grabbed Dean's face with one hand and gave him a fierce kiss, the passion so strong it took all Dean's willpower not to just surrender to it.

Castiel pulled back and looked at Dean's swollen lips and enlarged pupils.

"Why, Dean Winchester, I believe it would be you who can't handle me."

That was it. The game was on.

Dean didn't see Castiel again until the next day at school. He had considered not bothering to go – the first day back was always awful, and at a new school as a sophomore it was likely to be even worse. But Sam was walking to school with him, so he figured he could go today – he just might not bother going for the rest of the week.

He was glad he chose to go when he found himself ambushed and pinned against the wall behind a clump of trees by a seductive looking Castiel.

"You're early." Castiel purred, and Dean could feel his eyes threatening to close. That voice. It sounded like Castiel had eaten gravel for breakfast, and Dean's dick was apparently very fond of the deep pitch. "I didn't expect you to arrive early."

Dean struggled to keep his voice level, trying to flash a seductive smile back. "My geek little brother insisted – and of course, it's worth it to tease you again."

"Tease me?" Castiel's voice seemed to sink even lower, and Dean fought to stop his knees trembling. "I think you'll find that it's my job to tease you."

With a surge of strength, Dean flipped around so that Castiel was pinned against the wall instead of him. He pressed in, laying quick kisses along Castiel's jawline until he reached one ear.

"You'll have to try harder than that." He whispered, running one hand down Castiel's chest and stopping just above his crotch.

Castiel growled, his eyes flashing, and Dean winked at him before slipping around the corner and joining the throng of people heading to class. Apparently, the bell had gone off while they were outside and he had been too preoccupied to notice.

The day passed smoothly, although Castiel kept appearing at random moments and whispering inappropriate things in Dean's ears. By the end of the day, he had taken to carrying a book in front at him at all times so his half-hard dick didn't catch anyone's attention.

When the final bell rang, Dean almost raced out of class and slipped into the hiding place he had discovered at lunch – in the grove around the bins – and waited for Castiel.

Sure enough, a couple of minutes later Castiel appeared, a glint in his eyes and his hair even messier than it had been earlier.

"I know you're here, Dean." He called, his voice rough. "I'm disappointed you're giving up already."

Quick as a flash, Dean pinned Castiel against one of the trees, his eyes wild. "Oh, I'm not giving up." He purred. "I'm just getting started."

Castiel relaxed, a smirk appearing on his face. "Get on with it then. I haven't got all day."

Dean glared at Castiel, before surging in and claiming his lips in a kiss.

Really, calling it a kiss wasn't doing it justice. It was a clash of teeth and tongue, a dirty battle of passion which neither boy was going to lose. Dean's hands quickly moved to the front of Cas's trenchcoat, undoing all the buttons to allow access to the clothes underneath. In return, Castiel's hands slipped beneath Dean's leather jacket, nails raking down the back of his plaid shirt.

When the two needed to breath, Dean refused to stop kissing, instead moving to lightly brush his lips down Castiel's neck, pausing just above his collarbone to leave a hickey. Cas hissed, and Dean allowed himself to grin triumphantly before he was pulled up to meet Castiel's lips once more.

"Do you want to take this somewhere else?" He asked in between kisses, his voice coming out wrecked.

"Thought you would never ask." Castiel replied, practically pulling Dean away from the school and down the road.

"Where are we going?" Dean asked, not recognising the area of town they were going down.

"I know an empty house. My father owns it, he uses it as a retreat sometimes, but he's at home now and no-one else ever goes there. I thought we could use some alone time."

Dean felt a groan rising up in his throat. "You have the best ideas, Cas."

"Cas?" Castiel asked confused, slowing to a walk as the pair turned into a side street.

"You don't like it?" Dean asked, concerned he'd overstepped the mark.

Cas stopped, before turning to Dean and giving him an absolutely filthy kiss. "I love it." He murmured, before setting off at a run again.

It wasn't much longer before they reached a small, yellow-walled house, and Cas pulled out a key before quickly unlocking the door and pulling Dean inside.

"Finally," He murmured, pushing Dean back against the door and resuming their earlier kiss.

Castiel's trenchcoat was quickly discarded, along with Dean's jacket, and Castiel groaned as he undid Dean's shirt to find a t-shirt underneath.

"Layers, dude. So many layers." Cas complained.

Dean laughed. "At least I'm not the with a fucking suit on." He replied, pushing Castiel's suit jacket off his shoulders. "You're wearing a tie and everything."

"Too much talking." Castiel growled in reply, finally working Dean's shirt off and ripping the t-shirt off too.

Castiel quickly moved to layer kisses down Dean's body, and Dean moaned, momentarily distracted from his task of removing Cas's shirt.

"Fuck, for someone who said he didn't do this much, you're fucking good at this." Dean ground out, his head falling back against the door.

Castiel chuckled. "Wish I could say the same for you." He replied cheekily.

Dean lost it.

With a growl, he shoved Castiel back until his back met the sofa, before pushing him down onto it and moving to crouch over him. Cas's shirt was discarded and Dean moved down his chest, leaving hickeys in his wake, until he reached the belt off Castiel's trousers.

"Off." He hissed, and Castiel obeyed, his long fingers undoing the buckle on his belt and shoving the trousers down to his knees. Dean quickly started to mouth at Cas through his boxers, pleased to note that he was already hard.

"Fuck, Dean, take them off... take them off goddamnit!" Castiel yelled, and Dean smirked, refusing to give in to Cas's demands.

"Dean, if you don't finish undressing me right now, I won't reciprocate, and I'll padlock your hands so you can't jack off either."

Dean paused. "You have handcuffs?" He asked inquisitively.

Castiel used the reprieve to pull his own boxers down, revealing his impressive, already leaking dick.

"Shut the fuck up and blow me." He demanded.

Dean couldn't exactly deny that request.

Moving quickly, he wrapped one hand around Castiel's length before lowering his mouth to the tip. He started giving kitten licks, teasing Castiel and enjoying the frustrated moans he gave out, before finally moving the tip into his mouth and sucking.

Castiel moaned, only avoiding bucking up with some serious restraint.

Dean moved his other hand to Castiel's hip to pin him there, before starting to bob his head up and down, alternating the suction to figure out what Cas liked best. Below him, Cas writhed, desperately trying to get Dean to take him down further. Obliging, Dean relaxed his throat and carefully took down another inch, enjoying the resultant moan that Cas gave out.

Dean only had a slight warning – a shout of "Dean!" – before Castiel was coming down his throat, the bitter, salty taste making him cough slightly as Castiel slid out of his mouth. He worked to swallow everything, making a face as he licked the stickiness from around his mouth.

Cas had gone boneless, lying back against the sofa with a blessed-out look on his face. Dean sighed as he felt his own hardness demand to be released.

Cas suddenly seemed to remember where he was, and with a strength that Dean wasn't expecting he flipped them over so that he was on top.

"My turn." He commented, his voice shaky, before he dropped down and yanked Dean's jeans and boxers off in one motion.

Cas's hands were slightly uncertain as they gripped Dean, and he wondered if Cas had ever done this before – until his thoughts turned to mush as Castiel took him halfway down in one motion.

"Holy- "

Dean's words turned into a jumbled mess as Castiel started moving, stroking Dean's balls as his mouth slid up and down Dean's length.

It was an embarrassingly short time before Dean was coming, surging up off the sofa with a yell as Castiel pulled back, leaving sticky white come all over his face.

Had he been in any kind of coherent state, Dean would have found the sight incredibly hot. As it was, he could only lie there as Cas went to fetch some paper towels to clear up the mess.

"We should do this again some time." Were Dean's first words when he regained the power of speech.

Castiel just smiled, curling up into Dean's side. And if the pair returned to that house every day for the next week, that was no-one's business but theirs.


	5. Even Heaven Has Secrets

Sam felt a little out of place as he strolled down to the group of people playing baseball.

He had considered not coming, ignoring Gabriel's request and just hanging out at home all day. But he got bored easily, and there were only so many times you could reread a meagre collection of books (thank God for libraries) before you needed to do something else. So Sam had slipped on his sneakers and decided to see what Gabriel had meant by 'playing baseball'. Apparently, when teenagers in Heaven decided to play games, they took them seriously.

Most of the people there were Juniors or Seniors, and Sam felt very young. But not only that – they were split into colour coded teams, one group with red shirts and the other with green, and rather than being spread around randomly they were placed in proper positions. It was intimidating. Fortunately, Sam was only left to watch awkwardly from the riverside for a couple of minutes before one of the Rubys spotted him and ran over.

"Sam! Gabriel said you might be joining us." She tucked a strand of brown hair behind one ear and smiled up at Sam.

Hiding his awkwardness, Sam grinned back. "Hi, Ruby. Which team am I on then? Sorry, I didn't realise there was a colour scheme."

She laughed, taking in his yellow check shirt and worn jacket. "I'm sure someone has a spare. You can join my team, I think we're losing because Lucy's a cheating little bitch."

"I heard that!" A voice yelled, and Sam noticed a girl with short, spiky hair and a lip piercing sticking her middle finger up at Ruby.

Ruby poked her tongue out before guiding Sam into the group, who had momentarily paused their game to greet the new arrival.

"Sammykins! You made it! I take it Ruby's already persuaded you to join the dark side." Gabriel, wearing a red shirt to contrast Ruby's green, beamed like an overexcited six year old.

"Yeah, because we're really the dark side when you have freaking Lucifer on your team." A girl who Sam seemed to remember was called Lisa piped up.

Almost instantly, Lucy held up the baseball bat. "Call me Lucifer again and not even your mother will recognise your face."

Lisa laughed, but held her hands up in surrender.

"Do you need to borrow a shirt?" Balthazar, dressed almost identically to Gabriel, asked. "I have a green one in my bag, although it might be a bit tight on you."

Sam shrugged. "Better than nothing. If you don't mind?"

"Darling, you're giving me an excuse to watch you strip off. Of course I don't mind."

Sam fought the blush that tried to rise to his cheeks, following Balthazar to a pile of bags by the river. Everyone here was much more openly flirty than back in the city, and it took some getting used to.

Balthazar pulled out a dark green shirt with black patterning and chucked it at Sam. "There. You can leave your jacket and stuff with our bags, no-one will try to steal them."

Sam smiled gratefully, before pulling off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt. He didn't feel entirely confident – he was fourteen, and while he was pretty tall, he hadn't fully filled out yet – but as Sam slipped on Balthazar's shirt and noticed his eyes lingering appreciatively around his stomach, he felt a little better.

"We're batting now." Ruby Cortese announced when Sam and Balthazar returned. "I hope you're a fast runner."

Sam grinned. Running was one thing he could do. "I'm not bad." He replied simply.

"From what I've seen in PE, you're pretty damn good. You'd better be. If Lucy beats us again she'll be unbearable." Ruby Cassidy stated, her blonde hair curling over one shoulder. Sam blinked in surprise when she mentioned PE.

"You're in my PE class? But you're a Senior."

Ruby shrugged. "I got kicked out of my own PE class for misconduct and stuck in a Freshman class. I don't care that much. Makes it easier for me to kick everyone's ass."

Lisa seemed to materialise from nowhere with a bat. "Are we setting a batting order?" She asked.

Ruby Cortese, who seemed to be in charge, shook her head. "I don't care. As long as Michael goes

last and Jo doesn't go first, anything's good."

"Why can't I bat first? Asshole." Jo, a fiery girl whose mum owned the local bar, crossed her arms in defiance.

"Jo, when you go first you have a tendency to hit the ball the wrong way." Crowley drawled, plucking the bat from Lisa's hands. "I'll bat first. Don't give yourself an aneurysm over it."

The game started, and Sam was once again taken aback by just how good everyone was.

Crowley was no runner, but he hit the ball so hard it almost went in the river, and Anna took ages fetching it because she was trying not to fall in herself. However, once she did get it she threw it so powerfully that Sam was amazed Lucy managed to catch it. The next batter, Lisa, didn't hit far but she aimed so that Balthazar just missed catching it and was fast enough to avoid being tagged out.

Sam was a little worried that he wouldn't be able to keep up, but Lucy gave him an easy enough pitch that he hit the ball into a nearby patch of trees without much trouble, easily leaving him enough time to score a run.

The game eventually finished with Lucy's team just slightly ahead, and to celebrate, Lucy insisted that they all went for a swim.

"A swim?" Sam asked in confusion.

"Our dad has a pool." Gabriel revealed. "We don't normally use it when it's this cold, but fuck it. Why not. Who's joining us?"

A few people made excuses, but Balthazar, Sam, Ruby Cortese and Anna all agreed to join Michael, Gabriel and Lucy for a swim.

"I'll need to grab my stuff." Sam commented, and Gabriel grinned.

"I'll come with you. I need to restock my candy collection, we can stop at the shop on our way."

Sam agreed, and soon he found himself wandering back home with a bouncing Gabriel beside him.

"So, Sammykins, what do you think of Heaven so far?"

Sam raised an eyebrow at the nickname. "It's nicer than I expected it to be, to be honest. Everyone here is lovely. None of the Juniors would ever hang around with a Freshman at home – they barely even speak to the Seniors."

Gabriel smiled. "To be honest, we don't hang out with you kiddies much either. But I like you, and most of that lot do too, so you're allowed to be an exception."

Sam was surprised. "Why? I'm not exactly that special."

"Oh, Sammy Sammy Sammy. Do you really not see it?"

Sam was confused, but Gabriel wouldn't elaborate further, so instead he walked in thoughtful silence until they reached his road.

At that point, Sam realised that he was still wearing Balthazar's shirt, and had left all his stuff down by the river.

"Shit!" He exclaimed.

"What?" Gabriel asked, obviously concerned.

"I left all my things down with the others. I'm not even wearing my own shirt."

"Neither am I." Gabriel replied simply. "Balthazar's like the town wardrobe advisor, everyone ends up wearing his crap. He won't care. As to your stuff, Lucy might mess it up a little, but no-one'll leave it there. I expect it'll be waiting at home when we arrive. Chill."

Sam eyed the shirt that Gabriel was wearing suspiciously. "That shirt is not Balthazar's size."

"You checking me out Samalam?" Gabriel winked at him, teasing the top shirt button.

Sam bit his lip to try and stop himself from going red.

Gabriel laughed. "It's probably an old shirt that's too small for him. I have had it for like four months... I have a terrible memory for giving people stuff back. I have a massive pencil collection at home that I've borrowed off people in school, but I can't remember which pencil is whose, so I can't give them back."

Sam felt a grin break out on his face, and he shook his head. "Dean's like that. He always forgets to bring his own stuff, so he snags someone else's, and that's the last you've seen of it because ten times out of ten he forgets who he borrowed it off and just keeps it until he loses it."

Gabriel put a hand on his chest. "You know, if your brother wasn't fucking Castiel, I'd empathise with him."

Sam choked.

"What, you must know? They're plastered together twenty four-seven, it's sickening. I know for a fact that Castiel borrowed his dad's getaway cottage last week to use as his and Dean's fuckden."

Sam tried desperately to get the images out of his head, turning into his driveway and patting his pockets for his keys. "I really don't want to know what Dean is or isn't doing with his new boyfriend. Really." He swore under his breath. "My keys were in my jacket pocket."

"You haven't got keys?" Gabriel seemed unperturbed.

"Sorry." Sam shuffled awkwardly.

Gabriel smiled. "No problemo. Watch the master at work."

Confused, Sam watched as Gabriel took a paperclip out of his pocket, fiddled around with it, and bent over the lock. A few seconds later, there was a click and the door swung open.

Sam stared at Gabriel, his eyes wide. "You can pick locks."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "It's not like you think. I get bored easily, and I found some tuition videos on YouTube. Hey presto, I can pick locks! I know a lot of useless crap from just being bored with an internet connection."

Impressed, Sam stepped in and gestured for Gabriel to follow him. "That's quite awesome. Just wait here a minute and I'll grab my swimming trunks. Do I need anything else?"

"Lube?" Gabriel asked with a wink. "I'm sure your brother has some."

Sam pressed his hands over his ears. "I don't want to hear it..." He chanted, walking up the stairs. He almost collided with Dean going the other way.

"Watch it, bitch!"

"Jerk." Sam replied reflexively. He paused. "I thought you were out."

"I was." Dean replied simply. "Who were you talking to? Didn't sound like Jess."

Sam was amazed that Dean knew his girlfriend's name. "Nah, she's at church. That's Gabriel. I'm going to his house to go swimming, they have a pool."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Rich buggers. Try and keep it down, I have a headache."

Dean sloped off, and Sam quickly grabbed his swimming trunks, before making a spur of the moment decision and grabbing a packet of Hershey's bars as well. Tucking them under his arm, he jogged down the stairs again, noticing Gabriel examining the DVD shelf with extreme concentration.

"Your family has the most eclectic taste in movies I have ever seen." Gabriel murmured.

"Well, if you want to elope with the DVD shelf, be my guest. I'll just have these candy bars to myself."

In an instant, Gabriel was right in front of his face – or rather, his chest, despite being on tippy toe.

"Gimme gimme!" He squealed.

Sam laughed, before dropping the packet of candy bars into his hands. "There. Now you don't need to go to the shops."

Gabriel grinned, tearing open the first bar and taking a bite. "Sasquatch, marry me. You're perfect."

A tingle of happiness went through Sam at the comment, and he found himself a bit confused. Sure, it was normal to be happy when you did something for a friend. But that had been more than just happiness – it had almost been like... No. It couldn't be. He was blissfully happy with Jess, and they were already nearly inseperable. That had just been a fluke.

Brushing it off, Sam followed Gabriel to a large brick house on the other side of town, listening to him babble and much candy and throwing in the odd comment when necessary.

The others were already in the pool when he arrived, and sure enough, his stuff was on the ground beside it. Ducking into the bathroom to change, Sam pulled on his swimming trunks before leaping into the pool, succeeding in splashing absolutely everyone.

It was freezing, but before he could do anything about that Ruby was on him, shrieking about how he had ruined her eyeliner. Laughing, he yanked her under with him, watching as she flailed about and tried to stop her makeup running. It didn't work, and the rest of them all giggled about the black panda eyes which were now prominent on her face.

In retaliation, Ruby teamed up with Anna and yanked Sam and Balthazar's legs from under them, forcing them underwater again. Lucy quickly caught on, doing the same to Michael and Gabriel at the same time, which backfired when Gabriel accidentally kicked her in the stomach.

"Bastard!" She yelled, before a full-on splash war ensued, ending with them all tired and freezing cold, but still sporting huge grins.

"We are such five year olds." Ruby commented, leaning back against the edge of the pool.

Anna shook her red hair and examined a bruise on her wrist. "Violent five year olds apparently."

"Sorry about that." Michael apologised. "I was aiming for my sister."

Lucy twirled her lip ring, her eyes twinkling. "You should have known better. You couldn't catch me on a good day, and you were puffed out after baseball."

Michael's eyes narrowed, but he couldn't dispute the accuracy of her statement.

Lucy sighed. "I need a smoke. Am I on my own here?"

Anna shrugged. "I don't often, but I'll join you. I don't think anyone else here does."

Ruby raised a contemplative eyebrow, but said nothing, and the other two girls stepped out and grabbed towels before disappearing behind the house.

"I really ought to stop Lucy from that habit." Michael commented wryly. "I don't know where she gets the money for that habit from."

"She's my sister too." Gabriel pointed out. "It's not like she's just your responsibility. Leave her be. She works, just like you do, and what she chooses to spend that money on is her business."

Michael shrugged. "I'm more worried about the crack than the cigarettes, but point taken."

Sam considered asking about Lucy's crack habit, but decided against it. He was new in town and it wasn't his place to pry.

Gabriel, however, seemed to be psychic.

"Yes, Sam , Lucy does crack. She's done everything under the sun at some point. She's not the only one, I know Anna dabbles along with a few others, but Lucy's the only one we've found in a ditch at three in the morning and had to sneak to A and E without any adults finding out."

"What happened? Was she OK?"

"Fine." Michael took over. "Just drunk, high and exhausted. She slept it off. But I worry about what would have happened if we hadn't found her. We weren't even looking, just walking home from a party and she happened to be in the right place."

Sam hadn't thought that this was as much of a problem in Heaven, but he guessed that you found these problems everywhere. He was surprised everyone as so open about it though.

Ruby placed a hand on his arm. "Are you OK? Does it all bother you?"

Sam shrugged her off, although he was thankful for the offer of support. "I'm fine. I'm used to it, I mean, you've met my brother. He was in with the dealer crowd back in the city when he was like twelve. It just seemed like more of an escape here. That's all."

Balthazar let out a dry chuckle. "It is. There's no pressure to do anything. But it happens anyway, and that's that."

There was a pause.

"OK, this is far too dark. Lighten up a bit." Ruby flicked some water at Gabriel, and the splash war began again.

Sam almost forgot the conversation amongst the fun and laughter. But a niggling reminder stayed at the back of his mind – as lovely as this place was, it had secrets, and by hanging out with the older kids he would be involved with all of them.


	6. Issues

**Thanks so much for all the support I have received so far! I hope you like this chapter.**

Sam knew that something was wrong as soon as he saw Jess on Monday morning.

She stepped out of her house with her customary smile, kissing him on the cheek and happily taking his hand, but her eyes were downcast, and Sam was instantly worried. He had only known Jess for a week, and she didn't seem like the sort of person to be easily upset. She was one of those girls who just took everything in her stride and let insults roll off her like water.

Deciding it wasn't his place to pry, Sam listened to Jess ramble on about the US History test they were having that day and acted like he didn't suspect anything. She would tell him in her own time. Perhaps he could ask Charlie or Kevin if they knew anything that might have happened to change Jess's permanently happy attitude.

When they reached school, Jess mumbled some excuse about an English project and scurried off with a wave goodbye. Sam frowned. There was definitely something off, and he really didn't like it.

Noticing his brother and Castiel standing far too close to each other nearby, Sam decided to find somewhere to go before he was forced to witness something embarrassing. Considering his options, he decided that it was about time he acquainted himself with the school library.

He quickly found it, tucked down the end of the Technology corridor, and realised why very few pupils spent much time there. It was small, but not small in the cosy way, small in the claustrophobic way that made you feel extremely uncomfortable. There were a few people huddled over computers typing out last-minute essays, but very few people were sat at tables or reading books. The librarian was concentrating very hard on a film they were watching on their computer, headphones over their ears and a frown on their face. Sam felt a pang of longing for the library he had used to visit in the city.

At that moment, he recognised Charlie reading a magazine in one corner, and decided now was as good a time as any to speak to her.

"Hi, Charlie," He greeted warmly as he sat down next to her.

She looked up, confused, before noticing Sam and a look of excitement appearing in her eyes.

"Sam! Look, help me decide something. Do I buy this Star Trek T-shirt," She indicated a t-shirt in the magazine, "Or this Buffy one? I don't know which to choose! I can't afford to buy both of them, but I need to get one of them or I won't have enough to wear at comic-con."

Sam glanced between the two t-shirts, feeling completely out of his depth. Sure, he was a bit of a nerd and had seen the new Star Trek films. But he was nowhere near as into all this as Charlie was. Plus, he knew nothing about fashion.

"I like the Star Trek one." He said finally.

Charlie nodded seriously. "Yes? Hmm. I might get that one then. I need to ask Jess. Have you seen her? How come you're not with her?"

Sam seized the opportunity to change the conversation. "I was with her earlier, but she seemed a bit... subdued. She left to talk to a teacher or something, she wasn't clear."

A look of worry came onto Charlie's face. "Subdued? On a Monday? Oh dear. It must have been one of _those _church sessions."

Sam tilted his head to one side. "What do you mean?"

Charlie seemed to consider something, before shrugging her shoulders. "Promise not to tell anyone? She made me swear, but you're her boyfriend, so you'll find out anyway. Just don't tell her you found out from me."

Sam nodded earnestly. "I won't tell anyone."

Charlie sighed. "There are two churches around here – the normal one, with Vicar Novak, and one on the outskirts which is a bit... stricter. Her parents are very religious, you know, and they've gone to that church ever since they moved here. Before now, Jess always went to a Catholic school."

"Does she not like that?" Sam asked.

"I don't think she ever minded. She is a Christian, but she's not exactly a fanatic about it. The problem is, some Sundays she has to do confessions, and she's always a bit withdrawn afterwards if she had something to say. I wouldn't worry too much about it. She'll move on, and I can talk to her for you – she always talks to me."

Sam smiled in thanks. He liked Charlie – she was exceptionally passionate about fictional TV shows, that was true, but she had a good heart, and Sam couldn't exactly dislike someone for being nerdy anyway.

The bell rang, and Charlie gave him a swift hug before hurrying in the opposite direction for class. Sam glanced after her for a moment, before making his way to Algebra and wondering what to say to Jess when he got there.

The morning passed without incident, Jess seeming more like her normal self as she passed him notes during classes. But every now and again a faraway look would come into her eyes, and Sam would know that she was still thinking about whatever had happened yesterday.

As he waited for her to emerge from the changing rooms before lunch, he once again found himself running into Gabriel. Unbidden, a smile spread over his face.

"Sasquatch! I've been meaning to find you. Listen, Madison's having a party at her place on Friday, and she asked me to invite you. It's the usual crowd, so you'll know everyone there."

Sam was surprised. They were inviting him to a Junior party?

"You won't be the only Freshman there." Gabriel was definitely psychic. "Ezekiel's coming, Meg insisted for some unknown reason. Your brother'll be there too, because Cas is going and those two seem to be inseparable now."

While Sam didn't really want to be near his brother and Cas while they were drunk, he had to admit having brotherly supervision reassured him.

"You're sure you want me there?" Sam asked.

A lollipop appeared in Gabriel's hand and he stuck it in his mouth. "Don't be silly, Samalam." He reprimanded around the sugary treat. "Everyone wants you there. We all think you're adorable."

Sam fought the blush that threatened to appear on his cheeks. Perhaps he was just their cute little Freshman pet, but the attention was still flattering.

"Sure." He decided. "Why not. Do I need to bring anything?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Nahh. You're too young to buy alcohol even with a fake ID, and anyway, I think you're brother's dealing with that. Just made sure you've either got a lift home or have told Madison you're staying the night."

Sam nodded, wondering just what he was letting himself in for. He had never been to a real party with alcohol before, so this would be a new experience.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Can I bring Jess?" He asked.

A look that Sam didn't understand crossed Gabriel's face. "I don't know. I don't know if she'd want to come anyway. Ask Madison, it's her gig. I was just asked to tell you."

Sam nodded, wondering why Gabriel had become so serious.

Gabriel's smile reappeared. "But anyway, I have to get to lunch or Balthazar will skin me. See you Friday, Sammy boy."

Gabriel waltzed away, and Sam absent mindedly stared at his ass for a few seconds before realising what he was doing and awkwardly turning away. No. He couldn't stare at Gabriel's ass. That was wrong. Leaning against the wall and closing his eyes, Sam tried to block the thoughts that threatened to make themselves known until a tap on his shoulder roused him.

"Are you OK?" Jess asked, worry crossing her face.

Sam smiled, leaning down to briefly kiss her on the lips. He didn't even realise that she didn't kiss back.

"I'm fine. Just tired. You want to get some lunch?"

The pair of them took their usual table in the cafeteria, quickly joined by Garth, Kevin and Charlie, who seemed to be having an argument about Star Wars versus Star Trek.

"Star Wars all the way man. Come on, you've seen Princess Leia." Kevin commented.

Charlie gave a hmm of agreement. "Princess Leia, ahh. The ultimate fantasy." Her eyes glazed over.

"But Star Trek, guys! Come on Charlie, you have to admit the awesomeness of Star Trek." Garth seemed very insistent.

"Alright, cut the nerd talk." Presumably Jess meant to sound amused, but the comment came out strained, and Charlie gave her a look before stopping whatever she had been about to say.

"I need to talk to you." She said instead, giving a meaningful look before diving in to her plate of pasta.

Jess bit her lip, and Sam gave her hand a reassuring squeeze under the table.

Jess looked down at their joined hands, her eyes still concerned, before dropping her fork and standing up.

"I need the bathroom." She stated, before practically running out of the cafeteria.

Sam made to go and follow, but Charlie put a hand on his shoulder.

"You can't go into the girl's toilets, can you? I'll take care of it. It's going to be fine."

Charlie rushed off, and Sam was left awkwardly sitting with Garth and Kevin.

The two of them quickly took up a conversation about Greys Anatomy, and Sam glanced around the room, temporarily locking gazes with Gabriel. Gabriel's face was calculating, and he gave Sam a small smile before turning back to his friends.

Sam sighed. This was only his second week, and already things were getting complicated.

Charlie and Jess didn't return, and when the bell rang, Sam found himself picking up Jess's bags and walking to homeroom, hoping that she would be there.

She was, sat in her normal seat with a pale face and red rimmed eyes. Sam didn't mention what had happened earlier, instead just handing her her things and giving her shoulder a squeeze. She didn't react, so he sat down next to her and quietly listened to the teacher drone on.

It wasn't until the end of the day, coming out of the changing rooms and heading out of the school, that Jess spoke to Sam again.

"I'm sorry about earlier." She apologised, looking nervously up at him. "There's just some stuff going on. I don't really want to talk about it."

Sam assured her it was fine, and Jess gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, but the walk back to her house was mostly in silence.

"I would invite you in." Jess explained when they reached her front door. "But my parents are having guests over and I don't want to make things difficult for them."

Sam shrugged. "I understand. Do you want to come back to mine? We could hang out, watch a DVD or something. Or I could help you with the history homework."

Jess shook her head. "I can't, my parents want me to meet their guests. Apparently they're childhood friends of mum's or something."

Sam nodded, and they stood there awkwardly for a moment before Sam leant down for a kiss. This time, he noticed when Jess just stood there rigidly. Not pushing him away but not reciprocating either.

He pulled away quickly, sensing that the mood was wrong, and hurried back to his house. To his surprise, Dean was sat on the couch, his schoolbag abandoned in the corner.

"Not with Cas?" Sam asked.

"In the bathroom." Dean pointed, and Sam smiled.

"Things going well between you two then?"

Dean seemed surprised that Sam was interested. "Yes. Not that it's any of your business."

Sam held up his hands in mock surrender.

"You going to Madison's party on Friday? Cas said you were invited." Dean was still staring at the TV as he spoke.

"Yes. I know you are." Sam wandered into the kitchen to grab a soda, wondering how quickly he could escape from the stilted conversation with his brother.

"Maybe you'll meet a new chick there." Dean commented.

Sam looked at him in surprise. "I'm with Jess." He reminded Dean. "I already have a girlfriend."

At that, Dean turned to him, something washing over his features. "Oh. Just Jo said – never mind."

Sam frowned. "Jo? Who's Jo?"

"You know, the girl from the Roadhouse. Ellen's daughter. You've met her, you played baseball with her yesterday."

"Oh!" Sam hadn't realised that Dean had made any friends besides Cas. "What did she say?"

Dean seemed reluctant to answer.

"Come on." Sam goaded.

Dean sighed. "She said that she'd seen Jess in the restroom crying over a guy and presumed that you two had broken up."

Sam was shocked. "Crying over a guy? I knew she was upset, but I thought it was about church or something. I don't know."

"Well don't shoot the messenger. That's just what I heard."

At that moment, Cas appeared, and looked between Sam and Dean with a measuring glance.

"Am I interrupting?" He asked.

"No." Both Dean and Sam said at the same time. Sam hurriedly moved towards the stairs.

"No." He repeated. "I was just going to do homework. Try not to make too much noise, I need to concentrate."

Dean held up his middle finger, and Sam took the opportunity to scamper away.

His mind was in turmoil. Jess had been crying over a guy? That wasn't possible – him and Jess were still together, he had never indicated anything otherwise. For a moment, he wondered if there was someone else... but he dispelled the thought. Jess wasn't like that. She was so open and honest, she wouldn't hide something like that. Plus, all the people their age went to the same High School, and the only other guys Jess spent time with there were Kevin or Garth. Neither of them seemed like her type, and they knew that Jess was with Sam. Besides, when would Jess find the time to see another guy? Sam and Jess had spent most of their time together, aside from when she was at church.

'Church could be a cover.' A voice whispered in Sam's head, but he ignored it. Charlie had seemed certain that Jess was religious, and she didn't seem like the type to cover for her friend's cheating. Jo had been mistaken. That was all.

But as Sam tried to start his history essay, he couldn't get a niggling suspicion out of the back of his head. He sighed. He wouldn't be able to concentrate now.

It was even harder to concentrate when the moaning started downstairs.


	7. Heaven Without You

Sam wished that he could say that him and Jess worked it out over the days that followed. But instead, their relationship fell into a rut of awkward silence.

The pair would meet at her house in the morning, kiss on the cheek, and walk to school loosely holding hands. Once they got there, Jess would murmur an excuse and rush off to some random classroom, and Sam would wander up to the library and discuss Harry Potter with Charlie until classes began. During the day, Sam would converse with Jess about the work, but never anything particularly personal, and he often found himself looking longingly at Gabriel's laughing table of Juniors during lunchtimes. He still liked Jess, she was clearly a lovely girl, but she was hiding something, and if she didn't confide soon then their relationship was going to completely fall apart.

When Friday rolled around, Sam decided it was time to do something about it. Tonight was Madison's party. If Jess confessed what was bothering her and they 'made up', Sam would take her along and possibly ask her to stay over afterwards. Not for anything serious, just so they could both get drunk without her seemingly strict parents complaining. But if Jess was evasive or lied (which Sam really hoped didn't happen), he could use the party as a way to get over her.

He really hoped it didn't come to that.

Pulling on one of his nicer shirts, Sam double checked that he had everything he needed for school before wandering downstairs to grab his coat. Certain that he was prepared, Sam took a breath to prepare himself for the day ahead before slipping out of the house, tucking his keys in his pocket as he did so.

It was colder than it had been, and Sam found himself shivering slightly as he walked to Jess's. He put his hands in his pockets and wiggled his fingers to try and keep them warm. Once he reached the house, he knocked sharply before waiting, shifting from foot to foot in the cold.

It took longer than normal for Jess to appear, and when she did, Sam raised his eyebrows at the thin cardigan she was wearing.

"You're going to freeze!" He commented."

Jess gave him a blank look. "I'll be fine." She murmured, but Sam could see goosebumps on her arms.

Shrugging off his rucksack, Sam pulled his jacket off and tried to set it over her shoulders. The cold air blasted against his skin but he fought the urge to complain, focused on making sure that Jess was OK.

Jess gave a small, empty smile, pulling the jacket on before setting off. Sam slipped his hand into hers as they walked, trying to move closer to gain warmth from her body heat, but if she noticed, she gave no sign.

When they reached the school, Sam prepared to confront Jess about the last few days, but before he could say anything, she was talking.

"I think we need to talk." She bit out.

Sam felt a smile come onto his face. Normally, those words, would inspire fear, but in this incidence, they were completely welcome.

"Sure." He agreed quickly. "Is there somewhere private we can go?"

Jess led him to a room which appeared to be a storeroom, and Sam wondered just how many couples had been to this spot before them. Although most of those couples had probably been there for an entirely different reason.

"I know I've been a bit off with you for the past few days," Jess began, "And I need to be honest."

Sam nodded encouragingly, gesturing for her to continue.

"It's just..." Jess tailed off, looking awkwardly around,

Sam squeezed her hand. "It's OK," He soothed, "You can tell me. I won't judge you for it."

Jess looked doubtful. "Well, how much do you know about me?" She asked.

Sam thought for a moment. "Your name is Jessica Moore. You're 14, and your birthday is on January 24th, the same day as my brother Dean's. You're a Christian, like your parents, your favourite ice-cream flavour is vanilla and your favourite colour is red. You moved to Heaven two years ago because of your dad's job at the bank, but you're from California and you want to go to Stanford university like me. You play the cello and you want to learn to play the flute, and when you were younger you wanted to be a police officer."

Jess's mouth was slightly open. "You remembered all that?" She asked quietly.

Sam smiled at her. "Of course I did." He replied softly.

Jess looked like she was about to cry. "Then why do I have to break up with you?" She suddenly shouted.

Sam froze. Please say that he had misheard. He had known that things were rocky, but he had never wanted it to come to this.

"What?" He asked.

Jess started to babble. "It always happens like this. My parents said that I wasn't allowed to date anyone until I was sixteen, and even then they had to meet them first. But whenever a cute new kid like you arrives I just can't help it, and I can make excuses that I'm showing them around and deny that I'm dating them, but at confession the vicar asked me if I was disobeying my parents and I had to say yes and they were so angry and –"

Sam cute off Jess's little speech by giving her a hug, and she gratefully collapsed into him.

"Shhh." He whispered. "I understand."

He didn't understand. He couldn't understand why she had led him on if she knew that they couldn't be in a relationship for long, or why she didn't stand up to her parents and just set boundaries for what they could do together. Sam also hated that it didn't sound like this was the first time – there had been others, people before him who she had dated seriously for a week before throwing away until the next newbie arrived. He liked Jess, she was lovely, but she was confused and controlled by her parents and Sam just felt betrayed.

He had a sudden flashback to Dean on Monday thinking that him and Jess had broken up, because of something Jo had said. What a fool he must have looked like. Then there was Gabriel, and Jess's icy attitude when she heard that they were friends. Everyone else must have known. They knew Jess's relationship history, they knew what would happen to Sam. Like an idiot, he just ignored all the signs and allowed himself to get hurt.

Jess had stopped crying, so Sam stepped back as far as the storeroom they were in would allow. Jess looked up at him with red eyes, and he gave a half-attempt at a smile before asking calmly,

"Could I have my jacket back?"

Her eyes flashing momentarily with hurt, Jess handed over the jacket, and Sam pulled it on before pausing.

"I'd like to try and be friends." He said simply. "I think you're a lovely girl. You just need to work out your priorities – dating, or what your parents want. But I guess you know that already."

Jess nodded, her hands clasping and unclasping with nerves.

"Shall we go to Algebra?"

The morning passed slowly, every lesson dragging on and grating on Sam's nerves. He sat beside Jess for Algebra, conversing with her politely but not helping her with every problem like he usually did. She asked Garth instead. When it came to U.S. History, Sam asked Ezekiel if they could swap places and he smiled understandingly.

"I'm impressed that you kept her around for this long." He commented.

Sam shrugged. "She's a nice girl." He replied quietly, ensuring that Jess couldn't hear. "She just needs to sort out a few family issues."

Ezekiel nodded. "Don't we all. You're going to the party tonight aren't you?"

The conversation progressed from there, but Sam was still counting the seconds until he could escape. It was only when Creative English arrived, his only lesson without Jess, that he fully relaxed, and even then time dragged as they were doing poetry, which Sam struggled with.

Lunchtime finally arrived, and Sam almost found himself walking to the changing rooms before he realised there was no obligation for him to wait for Jess anymore. Instead, he wandered to the cafeteria and noticed Charlie at their usual table. With a smile, he collected his tray before sitting down beside her.

"I'm guessing you two broke it off." Charlie said, not one for subtlety.

He still felt hurt, but Sam could be excellent at hiding his feelings.

"It wasn't working. I wanted a relationship and she wanted a brief fling to spite her parents then felt guilty and pulled away. It's no biggie. We can try and be friends, and if she's awkward about it I'll just move on."

Charlie looked at him seriously. "If you dare think you are getting out of our talks about Divergent you are wrong."

Sam laughed. "Don't worry, I wouldn't miss those. I feel like we're the only two who don't believe all the Erudites were evil."

"I know!" Charlie threw up her hands, almost knocking Kevin's tray. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!"

Kevin sat down with a mock-frown, Garth collapsing beside him.

"No Jess?" Garth asked Sam.

"I guess she's changing." Sam didn't feel like elaborating, he was sure that both Kevin and Garth knew already.

Kevin nodded knowledgeably. "She might go and sit with the cheerleaders for a couple of days. She'll be back eventually. Just leave her be."

Sam felt a little guilty, realising that his presence was keeping Jess from sitting with her friends.

"That doesn't mean you have to leave!" Charlie insisted, clearly sensing what Sam was thinking. "You're our friend to. I'm seeing her tonight anyway, to watch season two of Angel."

Tonight. Sam had a brief flash of inspiration. He glanced over at Gabriel's table, noticing the usual crowd gossiping, presumably about Madison's party. He caught Ruby Cassidy's eye, and subtly tried to ask if he could come over and join them.

Ruby was clearly a genius, because she quickly nudged the other Ruby and Meg before they all got up and wandered over to Sam. Kevin and Charlie were clearly shocked.

"Um, why are there Juniors coming over to our table? Have we done something? The demon patrol never speaks to us." Charlie didn't seem happy.

"The demon patrol?" Sam asked, confused.

Before Charlie could reply, the three girls arrived, and Ruby Cortese smiled down at Sam.

"Sorry to interrupt, but can we borrow you to talk about tonight? Madison wants to go over house rules, the usual shit. It's basically don't trash the place, but I'm guessing this is your first proper house party, so you may as well hear it."

Sam stood up, trying to hide his gratefulness from Charlie and the others. "Sorry, I have to go. Talk to you in class?"

Charlie gave him a look that seemed to say 'you have to tell me everything!' before nodding, turning back to Kevin and beginning a whispered discussion.

Picking up his bag and tray, Sam followed Meg and the Rubys over to the loudest table in the cafeteria.

As soon as he sat down, Gabriel turned to him with an enthusiastic greeting.

"Sasquatch! Glad you could join us! All sorted for tonight? Plenty of condoms?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Sam fought valiantly not to blush.

"Leave him alone." Madison chided, rolling her eyes at Gabriel, although Sam noticed how she seemed amused. "So, is everyone bringing drinks?"

"I'm bringing all the cider that's left from the last one, seeing as I don't drink cheap crap." Crowley interjected. "Might bring some JD as well."

"I've got Malibu." Ruby Cortese grinned. "My uncle's a legend."

"Whatever beer's in the fridge, you can have." Balthazar drawled. "No guarantees it'll be decent, but to be fair, most of you guys will drink anything."

"Guilty." Sam hadn't realized that Dean was there until he spoke. "Sammy, there's whisky in our house, right?"

Sam shrugged. "I think dad's got a couple of bottles." He thought for a moment. "The vodka would be easier to smuggle out though."

"Smuggle out? Ooh, the little nerd's a rebel." Meg's wink let Sam know she was teasing. "I have beer. Plenty of it. If my cousin didn't nick it that is."

Sam had a feeling that he was going to be nursing a hangover the size of a planet tomorrow. He'd never gotten properly drunk before, and he hoped he wasn't in over his head.

"Well, Gabriel has his usual stash of sweet alco-shits, I've got the serious liquer, and Michael has Black Rat. So it sounds like we have enough. I've got ID if we need to get more." Lucy was rolling something in her hand as she spoke, and Sam realised it was a cigarette.

Madison smiled. "Great. So, seven o'clock at mine, and I think you all know where I live. Can I check who's crashing?"

"If you don't mind, darling." Crowley and Balthazar spoke at the same time, before looking at each other with raised eyebrows.

"I might have to as well. My lift bailed." Ruby Cassidy rolled a block of blonde hair around her finger.

"What are you doing, Sammy? I'm going with Cas." Dean was leaning into Cas's chest, and Sam didn't particularly want to be so aware of the sickening vibe they were exuding.

He hadn't really thought that Dean would go back with Cas – he had presumed that they could stumble back together.

"I might have to crash as well." He apologised.

Madison shrugged. "No worries, there's plenty of room."

"Touch him and I kill you." Dean warned.

Sam aimed his strongest bitchface at his brother. He didn't expect Madison to do anything – she was pretty, but she was two years older and clearly popular – and besides, with what he had been doing with Cas, that was a bit hypocritical.

Dean just turned away, and Sam sighed. Brothers.

Madison didn't seem to have reacted to Dean's threat, and Sam was glad. It was bad enough being two years younger than most people here – being known as 'Dean's baby brother' would be even worse. Sam guessed it would be an advantage that he probably knew them all better than Dean did, due to all the time Dean spent sucking face with Castiel.

"Well, I'm going for a smoke. Catch you all later." Lucy breezed out of the room without a backwards glance, and Sam noticed Gabriel and Michael's eyes constrict.

Yes. This party later was definitely going to be interesting. After all the drama with Jess, Sam really couldn't wait.


	8. Coping Strategy

Dean closed his eyes and breathed out, releasing the mouthful of smoke to form twisting patterns in the air. He tapped the cigarette once against the fence before taking another drag, savouring the rush it brought. Right now, he really needed to relax, and while smoking four cigarettes in a row might now be a great idea health-wise, he couldn't deny that it soothed his nerves.

A pair of arms wrapped around Dean's waist from behind, and he smiled, leaning back into the familiar chest.

"Hey, Cas." He whispered, holding the cigarette up in offering.

Cas moved one arm from Dean's waist and accepted it, taking a long drag before handing it back again. A moment later, Dean felt smoke whoosh past his ear and he turned to look up at his boyfriend.

"Are you alright, Dean? You've been out here for ages." Castiel's voice was low and grounding.

Dean sighed, before finishing the cigarette and chucking the end into the bin. "Sorry. I'm being a right shit, and just before a party as well."

Castiel placed a reassuring kiss on Dean's temple. "No, you're not. You're quite entitled to worry. Is this about Sam?"

Honestly, they had known each other for just under two weeks, and already Cas could read Dean like a book.

"He's still so young. I know I haven't exactly been the best example in the world, but he's always been the good kid anyway. He was actually in the chess and debate clubs, for fucks sake, and he still had a load of equally goody-two-shoes friends. But since coming here, he's had one girlfriend who used him and dumped him within a couple of weeks, and he's made friends with just about every drug-addicted teenager in town. Like, what the hell is that? I don't want him to become what I was."

By the end, Dean was just ranting, but Cas maintained soothing and calm, just listening to what he had to say.

"You know what I think you need?" Castiel asked, his voice sinking to a purr.

Instantly, Dean could feel his nerve-endings spark. "What?"

One of Castiel's hands moved down to run along the crack of Dean's ass, and he felt himself tense, brief pleasure running through him.

"A distraction."

Almost instinctively, Dean tilted his head and captured Cas's lips, enjoying their soft, chapped texture against his own. One of his hands moved to grab Cas's tie and pull him closer – at first, Dean had mocked the tie, but he had soon realised just how many excellent practical applications it had.

Moaning slightly, Castiel pushed Dean back against the fence, sliding one cold hand under all Dean's layers. "You want to do this here? Outside? Where anyone could see?"

Fuck, that voice was hot. For a few moments, what Cas had said didn't even register – Dean was too busy enjoying the sound of his voice.

When he realised he had been asked a question, he pulled back slightly, his lips red and swollen and his eyes wide.

"What did you say?" He asked, his voice wrecked.

"I asked," Cas growled, his voice seductive, "If you wanted to do this here." To punctuate his request, he moved his cold hand up to one of Dean's nipple and slowly rolled it between his fingers.

Dean hissed, his head moving back to expose his neck.

"Ughh..." Dean wasn't exactly the poster child for abstinence or normal sex, and him and Cas had done some pretty kinky experimental shit in their brief time together. But outdoor sex was still a first.

"Answer me." Castiel's voice had turned demanding, and he proceeded to lower his mouth to Dean's neck and suck, starting to add a hickey. Dean desperately tried to collect his thoughts for long enough to form a coherent answer.

"Fuck it." He finally got out, pushing Cas away before spinning him around so that Cas was the one pinned against the fence. "Shirt off. Now."

Cas's expression turned feral, and Dean knew that he had made the right decision.

Teasingly, Castiel slowly unbuttoned the jacket of his suit, peeling it off with elegant movements that Dean might have appreciated in a different situation – but right now, Cas was taking the piss.

"I said _off_." He growled, before surging forward and practically tearing the jacket from Castiel's body. The shirt and tie quickly followed, and Dean proceeded to run his hands over the exposed skin, watching as it trembled beneath him.

"Cold!" Cas gasped. "Perhaps we should have waited for warmer weather."

Dean paused, worried that Cas didn't want him to continue. "Do you..."

"Dean Winchester, if you do not take your clothes off in the next thirty seconds I am withholding sex for a week."

Quickly, Dean scrabbled to pull off his jacket and shirt, cursing when his amulet almost hit him in the eye. He yanked down his jeans and boxers in one movement, stopping only to pull out his wallet and fetch a packet of lube and a condom.

Castiel's eyes lit up at the sight, and Dean noticed that while he had been changing, Cas had also managed to remove the rest of his clothes. His half-hard dick stood out in the falling light, precome leaking out as Cas ran one hand lazily along it.

Dean moved forward again, pressing the foil packets into Castiel's hand as he cupped Cas's shaft. Cas hissed, and Dean took that as permission to run his hand along it, teasing the head with his finger before loosely pumping it once. Castiel removed his own hand, choosing to teasingly run it along Dean's own shaft instead.

"Who's topping?" Castiel asked, his voice deep and scratchy.

"You. Right now, I just need to get fucked." There had been a time when Dean would be embarrassed about saying something like that, but with Cas, that all went out the window.

"Your wish is my command."

From that moment, Dean's thoughts disintegrated into a mass of 'yes', and 'more' and 'harder'. He revelled in the burn as Castiel quickly stretched him open, and when he finally slid home, Dean cried out so loudly he was surprised the neighbours didn't come running.

His hands were freezing as they pressed against the bars of the fence, holding himself in place as Cas rammed into him with little restraint. It was perfect, exactly what Dean needed, and it only took a couple of strokes of Cas's hand before he was coming all over the railings. He relaxed, his body going limp, and Castiel only pushed in a couple more times before a moan indicated his own release.

Cas slid out, quickly removing the condom and tying it off before chucking it in the trashcan.

Dean straightened up, wincing as his back clicked before shivering. In the midst of everything, he had forgotten how cold it was, but now he felt like his balls were going to fall off.

"Let's get inside. We have to pick up Sammy and the booze in an hour."

Dean wrapped one arm around Castiel's shoulders as they walked in, carrying their clothes. A lazy smile crossed his face as Cas moved closer and snuggled into the warmth.

A while later, Dean and Cas were strolling hand in hand towards Dean's house, having an increasingly heated argument over who to ship in Star Trek.

"Spirk all the way. Come on, dude, Spock was like an unfeeling bastard until Kirk came along and thawed out his heart. Those two are made for each other."

"Dean, I don't think you understand the dynamic of friends. Spock and Kirk are excellent friends, yes, but Kirk would require more from a lover. McKirk is the only way to go."

"Fuck off, Cas, your gaydar is awful."

"It picked out you within a few seconds of meeting you."

"I'm not gay though, I'm pan. If it has a pulse, it's all good."

"Irrelevant. You are attracted to members of the same sex, and my gaydar worked that out nearly instantly. Just like it did with your brother."

Dean stopped walking. "Sammy? While I obviously have nothing against him being gay, he's the straightest kid I've ever met."

Castiel shook his head. "If your brother doesn't have some bisexual tendencies I will suck my own dick."

"The bet's on." Dean resumed walking, shaking the hand he had clasped in his own.

"And if I win, what will you give me in return?" Cas's tone was suggestive. Dean tried to think of anything to will his arousal away – honestly, they'd had sex less than an hour ago, his libido was out of control.

"I'll suck your dick."

"You do that anyway. It has to be something worthwhile."

That stung, but Dean brushed it off, shoving the hurt to the back of his mind. He was good at doing that.

"Fine. If my brother ever gets with a guy, I'll buy a pair of lacy, satin panties and let you fuck me in them."

Dean felt Cas's pulse increase as he held his hand, and the pressure against his palm increased slightly.

"Done." Dean knew that he wasn't imagining the heat in Cas's voice.

They arrived at Dean's house soon after, Sam answering the door and rolling his eyes at their clasped hands and slightly flushed expressions.

"I'm not asking why you're late, and you're not going to tell me. Dad's out, and I put all the alcohol in bags for us. Did you want to take the extra bottle of gin or not?"

"Nahh, leave it. I'm not wasting something as nice as that at a house party. You got all the stuff you need for staying over?"

Dean was not comfortable with Sam staying at Madison's overnight. He was fourteen, naive and had just suffered a breakup, so when drunk his state of mind would be hugely questionable. This was his first proper house party and most of the others staying over were two years older than him. But Dean was a handsy drunk, and he knew he would end up going home with Castiel no matter what he planned, so there weren't really any other options. It wasn't going to stop him worrying constantly though.

Sam gave Dean a bitchface of epic proportions. "Yes Dean. I'm not an idiot, and I'm not a little kid anymore. Now, do you want to go to this party or what?"

Putting aside his fears, Dean grabbed a bag of booze before heading back towards the door. Still, he was glad when Cas reassuringly squeezed his hand and placed a kiss on his temple.

The walk down to Madison's house mostly took place in silence, Sam walking a few stands in front of his brother and Castiel. A few times, Dean considered talking to him, and trying to warn him about what parties could be like. But he never did. He had done far worse things at a younger age, and he had always hated people being hypocritical and patronising. Dean wasn't about to become something he hated just to try and protect his little brother.

Sam was intelligent, physically strong and fit, and had a moral compass that was better than anyone else's Dean knew. He should be fine. At fourteen, he deserved to not have Dean attempt to mother him.

It was obvious when Madison's house neared – there were cheap, rusty cars parked all the way down the street, and the muffled sound of music and laughter could be made out the closer you got. A few people were milling around outside, and Sam quickly left to go and speak to someone who Dean thought was called Anna – she was a pretty, redheaded chick, exactly the sort he would go for if he wasn't with Cas. But he was taken, so he gave Cas a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered.

"I'm going to go and dump the booze. You want to mingle for a bit?"

For a moment, it looked like Cas was about to disagree, and Dean had a flashback to when they had met. Castiel had been sat alone, slightly apart from all the other, not talking to anyone else. He clearly had friends, but he seemed to hold himself away from everyone else – everyone, that was, except Dean. It was flattering and heartbreaking at the same time.

Finally, Cas nodded, and Dean kissed him again before pushing through the crowd and into the house, making a beeline for the drinks table.

He came across Madison halfway across the room and made a point to say hello.

"Hey, Madison."

"Dean!" From her relaxed posture and beaming smile, Dean guessed that she was already slightly tipsy. "Drinks go on the back table. So glad you could make it! Where's your little brother hiding?"

Dean was glad when she referred to Sam as his little brother – if he was seen as a younger sibling, she probably wouldn't try any funny business with him.

"He's mingling outside, I think he found a couple of kids from his own year."

Madison nodded, before being pulled over by another girl and proceeding to dance enthusiastically to the music.

Dean shook his head before dumping his drinks on the table and grabbing a couple of beers, guessing Castiel would want one to. On his way back out, he bumped into Benny and found himself engulfed in a very awkward hug.

"Dean, dude! Finally the awesome people are arriving."

Dean cursed under his breath. So apparently Benny was already drunk. He carefully disentangled himself from his friend's embrace and gave a half-hearted smile.

"Cheers, Benny. I just have to go and give this to Cas, excuse me a minute."

"Castiel? Nah, don't bother, he only drinks straight-up vodka and shit. Guy's impossible to get drunk, he's famous for it. Fucking weirdo." Benny swayed slightly, clapping one hand on Dean's shoulder.

Dean felt one corner of his mouth curl up. Impossible to get drunk? He would see about that.

"Oh I doubt it's impossible, you've never held a drinking contest with Dean Winchester."

Benny looked about to protest, but Dean slipped away while he still had the chance, ducking outside and glancing around for Cas.

There were a few couples already kissing in what they thought were good hiding places, but at first Dean couldn't see his boyfriend. It was only when he was about to give up that he noticed a figure leaning against a tree in the corner, cigarette in his hand.

Dean made his way over, standing behind him and slipping one arm around his waist.

"I got you a beer." He commented, and Cas reached one hand out to take it.

"Do you not like parties?" Dean asked.

"I find them uninteresting. Everyone gets drunk and stupid, which is hilarious the first few times, but then it's just annoying when you're more or less sober." Cas sounded frustrated.

"Y'know, I bet I could get you drunk if you tried."

Cas gave Dean a serious look. "Trust me, you can't."

"It's on." Dean grinned, taking a long swig from his beer.

This was going to be brilliant.


	9. Let It Go (And Party All Night)

**Back to Sam's POV from this chapter for what happened at the party. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks to everyone for their support – a special shout out goes to Cas is my Clarence, you've been amazing!**

Sam had no idea why he had never been to a party like this back in the city.

It had started a bit awkwardly – he had wanted to escape from his suddenly overprotective brother and Castiel as soon as possible, so he had joined the first group of people he saw and started a conversation. Unfortunately, those people turned out to be Ezekiel, Cassiel, Eremiel and Anna – and while both Ezekiel and Anna were nice, apparently they didn't get on as they were in the middle of an argument.

"Apparently Zeke hid Anna's pot stash so she couldn't get high, and she's throwing a fit because she owes some to Lucy." Cassiel hissed over the music, brushing her braided hair behind her shoulders. "I don't understand most of it, but Zeke should just give it back and stop getting involved. He means well, but it's Anna's choice and he doesn't have much leeway as a Freshman."

Deciding this was not something he wanted to be involved in, Sam turned away only to almost collide with Gabriel who was stood there with two beers and a beaming smile.

"Sammybear! Come and join the fun!"

Sam had been a little concerned, but within five minutes he was having the time of his life.

Admittedly, things had got a little hazy after his third (or fourth, of fifth, he wasn't counting) beer, but the loud music and throng of dancing people were intoxicating. Sam found himself dancing with a girl he had never met before but who introduced herself as Amelia, putting to good use the dance classes he had taken as a dare in sixth grade.

Amelia had just started inching a little too close and winding her hands around Sam's shoulders when Madison materialised from nowhere, a bright blue drink in her hand and a brightness in her eyes that was never there normally.

"Amy, Sam! You joining us for truth or dare?

Amelia excused herself with a polite shake of her head, but Sam was feeling reckless, and he'd never witnessed a Junior game of truth or dare before.

"Why not?" He grinned, stepping away from Amelia. He missed the disappointed look she gave him, but as a few minutes later she was dancing with another guy, it probably wasn't important.

Madison led Sam into an adjacent room, where a dozen odd people were sat in a circle, random cups of alcohol in their hands. Sam spotted Gabriel, both Ruby's and Lucy, as well as a couple of people he recognised but couldn't immediately think of their names. Perhaps he was drunker than he thought.

Gabriel and Ruby Cortese both tried to shift sideways to make room for Sam, but Madison grabbed his hand and he ended up squashed in next to her.

"Who wants to go first?" Lucy asked, holding up a plastic bottle. Sam wasn't surprised to see a half-drunk bottle of Malibu beside her.

"I will!" Someone leant forward, and Sam finally recognised them as Jo, her hair twisted back into a bun and a surprisingly girly dress accentuating her frame. She was pretty damn hot when she tried to show off her features, Sam had to admit.

Twisting the bottle in her fingers, Jo quickly spun and grinned as it ended up pointing at the guy on Sam's left.

"Ash, truth or dare?"

Ash shrugged, his mullet haircut bobbing up and down. "Dare. Make it a good one, I hate crappy dares."

Jo aimed a glare at Ash before glancing around the room. "Swap shirts with Ruby Cassidy."

Laughter broke out amongst the group as they all looked at Ruby, who was wearing a cropped red lacy top with some kind of demonic symbol on it.

"Stretch or damage it and I will break your face." She warned, before pulling the top off and holding it out to Ash. Sam tried to avoid licking his lips at the revealing black bra underneath. Fuck, how did all the girls here get to be so hot?

Ash pulled off his own worn shirt and chucked it over to Ruby. She sniffed it cursorily and gave a grimace.

"Jeez, dude, do you ever wash?"

Ash shrugged. "Meh, washing is overrated. I think it might have been in the wash a few days ago."

Ruby scowled, before pulling the top on and glaring at Jo. "I will get you back for this." She warned.

Jo didn't seem to care. "Go on then, Ash." She gestured to the bottle, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous Ash looked in Ruby's top.

Ash spun the bottle and it landed on Balthazar, who Sam hadn't noticed until that moment.

"Truth." Balthazar drawled. "I'm not drunk enough for one of your dares and I probably never will be."

"Wimp." Ash commented, before shrugging. "Fine. Most sexual partners you've ever had."

"Twelve." Balthazar replied easily, before a glazed look came into his eyes. Sam's eyes almost bugged out of his head. "That was a good night. And day. You have to love the French. Pass the bottle."

The bottle spun again, and Sam started to lose track of who had been, before it finally landed on him.

"I dare you to kiss one of the people next to you." Ruby Cassidy smiled. "You get an easy one as it's your first time."

Sam glanced to his left, saw Ash, and quickly turned to his right. Madison. Well, that wouldn't exactly be a hardship – she was cute, and she was giving him a little smile which pressed all the right buttons.

Moving one hand to cup her face, he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

Madison responded instantly, kissing back with a sweetness and strength which surprised him. Sam put a little more pressure in and she responded by nipping lightly at his bottom lip, causing Sam to open his mouth and allow her to slip her tongue in. Soon enough, the chaste kiss had turned into full on making out and they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"I think you've fulfilled the requirements. Mind spinning so we can get on with the game?"

Gabriel seemed bored, and Sam felt a little embarrassed as he span the bottle. It landed on Ruby Cortese, and she gave him a flirty smile.

"Dare."

Sam racked his brains. He didn't want to seem too young an innocent with what he suggested, but thinking up good dares wasn't really a strong point of his.

Spotting something in the corner, he had an idea. "Try and pole dance on that pole over there."

A few people laughed, and Ash slapped Sam on the back hard enough to bruise. "I like you." He declared, his words slightly slurred.

Not one to refuse a dare, Ruby stood up and slipped off her killer high-heels, the black dress she was wearing creasing around her thighs. She appraised the pole critically, before turning back and gesturing to Sam.

"You mind unzipping this? There's no way I can dance without ripping it."

Sam stood up, his throat a little dry. Talk about moving on from Jess – he had beautiful girls coming on to him left, right and centre. Well, perhaps they weren't actually coming onto him (they seemed to flirt with everyone), but it was good for his self-esteem to pretend that they were.

He carefully eased the zipper of Ruby's dress down her back, watching as it revealed more and more pale, smooth skin. When he reached the bottom, he noticed that Ruby had some kind of tattoo across her lower back, but he refrained from commenting as he stepped back and allowed her to slip the dress off.

The fishnet tights didn't cover very much, and Sam could see her thong underneath them. It didn't leave very much to the imagination, and he hoped to hell that he wasn't going to get hard.

"Thanks." She smiled predatorily, before turning back to the pole and allowing Sam to take his seat in the circle again.

All eyes were on Ruby as she grabbed the pole and twisted herself up, moving like a gymnast as she span around on it before landing and leaning back.

She could be a professional. She moved smoothly and gracefully, the muscles in her legs and core rippling as she danced. If Ruby had never done this before Sam would shave his hair off – he was that certain of it. The others seemed just as surprised as he was at Ruby's apparent prowess.

Finally, she stopped dancing and gave a bow, picking up her dress and starting to pull it back on.

"I guess all that yoga was good for something after all."

Balthazar helped her zip up the dress, and Sam tried to ignore the flare of jealousy. No. He was not interested in Ruby just because she had an amazing, flexible body and flirted like a pro. He cared about more than that. But damn was she tempting.

The game moved on, and Lucy had given Balthazar a hickey on his armpit (which was apparently surprisingly nice tasting) before the bottle pointed at Sam again.

Gabriel had spun it this time, and Sam found himself rather nervous about what Gabriel might do. He considered going with truth, but that would probably just end in Gabriel embarrassing him about his lack of sexual experience.

"Dare." He uttered reluctantly.

Gabriel grinned triumphantly, and Sam resigned himself to his fate.

"Alright then! I dare you to do a strip tease down to your boxers to music that I choose."

Fuck.

Sam did not want to do this.

He was an alright looking guy, in his own opinion. He had more muscle than the average fourteen year old and it wasn't like he was covered in acne or anything like that. But most of the guys here were older, past puberty and built like gods. Even Gabriel's pudgy frame was more built than you would expect. Sam felt a little awkward displaying his still lanky, growing body to this group of gorgeous older teens.

But he couldn't back out without looking like a little wimp. So, brushing off his fears, he stood up and made his way to the centre of the circle. He took off his shoes and socks as a forethought, realising that struggling to pull his jeans over his shoes would not be sexy in the slightest.

The music started, and Sam aimed a bitchface at Gabe when he recognised the song.

"I'm, too sexy for my shirt..."

A few people laughed, and Sam took a breath before running his hands over his body like he'd seen people do in porn videos.

"Too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts."

Feigning confidence, Sam slipped off his jacket and chucked it to one side, hooking one finger in the first button of his shirt.

As the song carried on, Sam found himself getting into it, making eye contact for a few people as he stripped. When his shirt finally came off, he rubbed it across his chest in the way he had seen a guy do on TV before discarding it, pleased by the catcalls that received. Undoing his belt and jeans, he hooked his fingers in his belt loops and swayed to the music to display his package before shimmying them down, hoping that his skinny legs weren't too repulsive.

When he finished, he turned to Gabriel and gave a triumphant grin. Gabriel winked back, glancing up at Sam with respect.

"Not bad, kiddo, not bad at all."

The smile stayed on Sam's face as he collected his clothes and returned to his space, pulling the jeans back on. He slipped his shirt over his shoulders but left it unbuttoned, seeing that several other guys had decided to forgo doing up their shirts too.

The game disbanded shortly after, people deciding that either it was time to leave or they weren't drunk enough yet. Sam drifted over to the drinks table and grabbed a low-percentage cider (he was probably drunk enough), before realising that Madison had followed him.

"You should come along to our parties more often." She smiled, grabbing a drink of her own. "We have one most weeks."

"I'd like that." Sam replied. "This has been good fun."

"I'm glad." Madison gave Sam a look he didn't understand, before changing the topic. "Sleeping arrangements for tonight, I'd normally put all the guy's together but Balthazar and Ruby Cassidy seem to have got off so I've given them the downstairs bedroom. Crowley's already passed out drunk in my parents room upstairs, so if you don't mind, you'll have to share with me."

Sam shrugged easily. "Whatever's convenient, it doesn't bother me. I'll sleep on the couch as long as no-one's puked on it."

"Oh I don't mind." Madison gave Sam a grin. "My bed's perfectly good enough for two."

Sam sensed a flirtatious undercurrent and ran through a few options in his head, before just deciding to go with it. Why not. Madison was hot, they were both drunk and he wanted to get over Jess anyway.

"Awesome." He replied simply, setting his cider down.

Madison set her drink down at the same time. "Want me to show you where it is?"

Sam took Madison's hand as she led him up the stairs to her room, hoping that he wasn't getting in over his head. He didn't want to lead her into thinking they were having sex or something – he wasn't ready for that – but a bit of messing around and making out would be quite welcome.

However, his inhibitions went out the window when Madison launched herself at him in the corridor, starting a very passionate kiss. Sam responded by spinning her around and pinning her against the wall, his hands slipping under her top to caress the skin underneath.

Madison moved her hands to play with the strands of hair at the base of Sam's neck and he moaned, moving his lips to leave a trail of hickeys down her neck. She gasped when he reached her collarbone and slipped her top to one side to give himself better access to her skin.

Frustrated with the fabric, Sam moved back so that he could pull Madison's top over her head and she took advantage of the opportunity to yank open her bedroom door and pull Sam inside. He had barely registered what the room look like before Madison collapsed onto her bed and pulled Sam down on top of her, sealing her lips to his. Sam had a brief thought that he hoped Madison had closed the door before rationality was gone from his mind.

Tongues clashed as Madison made quick work of Sam's shirt, her fingers mapping out the contours of his back and massaging the muscles around his shoulder blades. Sam tried to remove Madison's top without having to break the kiss, getting frustrated and finally moving his mouth away for a second to pull the damn thing over her head.

The last thing he remembered was nails raking down his back as he unhooked Madison's bra, moving down to suck on her left nipple. He tasted the delicious, salty sheen of swear on her aroused skin and moved to play with her other breast, before memory failed him and it all became black.


	10. Aftermath

Sam had expected to wake up to the sensation of someone drumming on his head. He was pleasantly surprised to feel only a dull ache and a bad taste in his throat, which felt dry and parched like it did when he went running. He appeared to be lying in a bed, a duvet covering his torso and a heavy weight draped across his bare chest.

The weight twitched, and Sam tensed, turning slowly to look at what was causing it.

He was lying in bed beside a mostly-naked Madison, her breasts pressed tantalisingly into his side.

Trying not to panic, Sam's mind flashed back to the events of last night. A group of them had played truth or dare, and he had ended up kissing Madison. He remembered that part. But when the game was over, he had gone to get another drink and then...

Fuck. Him and Madison had gone upstairs. Together. If his arms hadn't been pinned to his sides, Sam would have punched himself.

He was fourteen. Nearly fifteen, that much was true – he had an early birthday – but he was still only fourteen. That was four years below the legal age, and while he would have bet his lungs that Dean was sexually active at this age, he wasn't his brother. He was responsible – well, most of the time anyway. He didn't hook up and lose his virginity drunk at a party.

True, Sam had no proof that they had actually had sex. He was wearing boxers, and Madison seemed to have a thong on. But the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra (and the arrangement of hickeys on her neck) proved that they had been doing something.

Madison shifted again, and Sam tried to use the movement to twist out of her embrace. Instead, her face contorted into a frown before her eyes slowly peeled open.

Catching sight of Sam, instead of freaking out like he had expected, she smiled.

"Morning."

Sam blinked, trying to process this turn of events. "Um, yeah. Good morning." He hoped his voice didn't belay the panic he felt.

Madison closed her eyes again and snuggled closer into Sam's side. Confused, he moved his arm to gently hold her.

"How much do you remember?" She asked softly. "You don't seem like you have much 'morning after' experience."

She spoke so casually, and Sam couldn't believe that she wasn't bothered by any of this. Was it not strange for her, waking up in bed with a guy two years her junior wearing next to nothing?

"I remember coming up here with you." He replied. "And I vaguely remember making out, but it's all a bit fuzzy."

"That's about all that happened." Madison's voice was muffled by Sam's chest. "I didn't think you would have much experience going further and I didn't want your first time to be when you were drunk. You were very enthusiastic though, I was very tempted to just let it happen. Your tongue is very talented."

Sam blushed, feeling like a little kid. He couldn't deny that, even now, Madison intimidated him. She was confident, beautiful, and the way she spoke made it obvious that she was experienced. Yet she seemed to have enjoyed whatever had transpired last night, which could be a good or bad thing.

"Thanks?" Sam responded, unsure of what else to say. He allowed his thumb to trace over Madison's skin lightly, trying to provoke more memories of last night.

Madison was quiet for a moment, before moving away from Sam and sitting up, her hair sitting wildly around her head. Even like this, Sam was struck by her beauty.

"Is anyone likely to be looking for you? I imagine Dean's busy enough with Castiel, but your dad might be wondering where you are."

The change in tone caught Sam by surprise, but he sat up as well and watched as Madison picked her bra up off the floor and put it on.

"Dad isn't expecting me back until later, I doubt he cares anyway. And please don't give me images of my brother and his boyfriend this early in the morning."

Madison smiled wryly. "Sorry. Do you want breakfast? There's a load of cereal if the others haven't eaten it already, and I can cook eggs if you want them."

"Cereal's good." Sam finally got with the program and pulled on his trousers before glancing around for his shirt. Not catching sight of it anywhere obvious, he decided that most people here had probably seen him shirtless already so he could do without it for now.

Madison had pulled on a random t-shirt and skirt combination, and Sam gestured for her to lead the way down to the kitchen. She gave him one last smile before wandering downstairs, and Sam tried and failed to avoid staring at her bare legs. Spending the night with someone really gave you a different perspective.

Ruby and Balthazar were already sat around the small kitchen table, Ruby wearing Balthazar's shirt and Balthazar unashamedly sitting there in his boxers. He gave Sam a wink as he entered, seemingly congratulating him for spending the night with Madison.

"Anyone seen Crowley?" Madison asked, glancing around for the missing member of the party.

"He's probably still passed out somewhere. He drank practically an entire bottle of tequila on his own." Ruby took a sip of coffee and smiled at Sam, pointing at the seat next to her. "If you want coffee there's still some in the pot, and Balthazar insisted on Earl Grey."

"It's the drink of the gods, darling." Balthazar drawled. "Much better than your vulgar coffee."

"Yeah, yeah, save it for someone who cares. Are there any more fruity loops?"

The rest of the morning passed in a similar vein, with Ruby and Balthazar bickering in a friendly way and Sam just trying to roll with it. Madison disappeared to check on Crowley and eventually returned with wide eyes and refused to talk about what she had seen. Sam decided that he really didn't want to know.

Just after twelve, a knock sounded at the door and Dean appeared, dressed in the same clothes as last night but considerably more dishevelled and smelling distinctly of alcohol. He looked rough.

"Sam? We're going home." Dean's eyes were bloodshot and Sam decided against arguing, instead simply nodding and heading upstairs to find his shirt. To his surprise, Madison followed.

"I had fun last night." She declared as Sam was pulling his shirt out from under the bed.

Sam glanced back at her, hoping he wasn't blushing. "Thanks. So did I, from what I can remember."

She smiled. "Maybe we should try again some time when you're less intoxicated."

Sam blinked. "Are you asking me out?"

Sam had no idea why Madison would want to date him. She was older, beautiful and clearly very popular. He was a random Freshman who had arrived a few weeks ago and clearly had very little experience. He would never have thought that he was her type.

Madison shrugged. "Treat it how you want. I like you, I want to get to know you. If that's just as friends I'm cool with that, but if you want to go further then I'm definitely interested. It's your call."

Sam couldn't help but think that the world would be so much simpler if all girls had the same attitude as Madison.

"I like you too." Sam considered his wording carefully. "I wouldn't mind being... more than friends, but possibly not so soon after Jess. People might get the wrong idea, y'know? But we can go out as friends, if you want, and see where things go from there."

Without hesitation, Madison stepped forward and pressed her lips to Sam's in a quick kiss. Before he could respond, she moved away again and smiled.

"Great. I completely understand that. Maybe I can text you about meeting up later in the week?"

It was settled, and soon Sam found himself accompanying a severely hung over Dean for the journey home.

The walk started in silence, mainly because Dean was wincing at every loud noise, but Sam couldn't resist the urge to tease Dean for long.

"So, dude, did you discover that you couldn't hold your liquor or something?"

Dean gave Sam the stoniest glare he had ever seen. "Shut up, bitch. Cas and I had a bit of a drinking contest, not that it's any of your business. He was determined that he couldn't get drunk."

Sam laughed. "Jerk. I'm guessing that you lost?"

"Cas is a machine. He downed practically and entire bottle of vodka and remained upright. Who can even do that? If I tried I'd end up in hospital with alcohol poisoning."

Sam resisted the urge to grin at the irritation and jealousy in his brother's voice. It looked like he had finally met his match. Sam would have to congratulate Castiel next time he saw him.

"Anyway, you can't talk. You probably couldn't drink anything without feeling dizzy. I bet you're the lightweight to end all lightweights."

Sam raised an eyebrow at Dean. "Do I look that hung over to you? Apparently I can tolerate alcohol, so suck it up and try and look somewhat sober for dad."

"Dad couldn't give a shit."

Sam sighed at the truth of that statement.

"Probably not, but it would be nice if he didn't think I was turning into you."

Hurt flashed over Dean's features for a fraction of a second before being overtaken by indifference. Sam felt guilty. He had meant the comment as a joke, but apparently it has struck a nerve.

"What, you mean going out every weekend to 'do drugs and fuck bitches'?" Dean's tone was sarcastic.

"I didn't-"

"Sam, you make it painfully obvious that you're the biggest romantic geek in the history of the planet. Even dad knows that. Now quit worrying and leave me to suffer in peace."

Sam shut up. They were almost home, and he occupied the rest of the journey with thinking about Madison.

He didn't feel for her in the same way he had felt for Jess. She was a lovely girl, but Jess had allowed him to be himself. With Madison he felt like he was living up to some kind of expectation, and that was an uncomfortable sensation. However, she was intelligent, kind and beautiful, and he knew he could come to really care for her if he allowed himself to. Sam just didn't know if that was what he wanted.

In any case, he had told her he wanted to try to be friends and she had agreed – she may very well decide he wasn't worth pursuing in any other capacity. From what Sam had seen, short, passionate relationships were more the norm here than long-term commitments – his brother and Castiel being the exceptions.

Damn. Why did he keep thinking about Dean and Cas? If he didn't know any better, he would swear that someone was planting disturbing images in his mind.

Finally reaching home, Sam put aside all thoughts of relationships and the party and set about entering the calm mentality he would need for his history homework.


	11. Heavenly Deceit

**While Sam has many partners through the course of this story, the main pairings will be Sabriel and Sam/Ruby. (Probably not at the same time, but that depends on what you guys want). One of those is cemented more strongly in this chapter... *winks* Enjoy!**

Sam was a fool. He had felt like a fool after the whole incident with Jess, but he had thought that he had learnt from his mistakes – he could move on and nothing like that would happen again. It had been a one-time thing. Having gone through all of that trauma, he knew better.

Of course, it didn't work like that, and now he felt like an idiot again. He should have known that being an object of desire for someone like Madison was too good to be true.

After the party, Sam's life at school had changed. He had felt much closer with the older crowd of Junior's, and so had started to hang out with them instead of Kevin and the others in his own year. Gabriel had bribed someone into switching lockers so Sam's locker was next to Balthazar and Crowley's, and the Novak's had all used their connections to ensure that Sam was never sat with Jess in class. To be honest, he wouldn't have minded sitting beside her, but it was a nice gesture on their part. Sam had truly felt like one of the crowd.

On the Wednesday, Madison had approached Sam about going out for dinner somewhere that night. She had emphasised that it would just be as friends, although it would be just the two of them, and assured him that they could both pay for themselves if that made him more comfortable. Sam had agreed, and had felt happy and confident when she picked him up to walk to the local diner at seven o'clock.

At first, Sam had suspected nothing. Madison had chatted idly about random things – classes, the party, plans for another group baseball game – and Sam had offered a few details about his old life in the city. There had been no hint of any kind of romance and Sam had started to realise that him and Madison could be great friends. They had a surprising amount in common, both being interested in law and the areas surrounding it, as well as similar tastes in books and films. Sam had been quite crushed when everything started to go wrong.

It had started subtly – Madison's foot had brushed his own under the table. She had apologised, blaming her backpack for being in the way, and the pair of them had laughed it off. But within five minutes it had happened again, and that time, Sam didn't think it was an accident.

Of course, Sam had been further with Madison than he had with any other girl. She was very attractive, and he would be lying if he said that a repeat experience was completely off the cards. But they had agreed that this was just a trip out as friends, and it worried him that she didn't seem to be respecting those boundaries.

Then, for dessert, Madison suggested that they share a slice of pie. "Just because I'm really full and can't finish one on my own." She claimed. Sam agreed, but he started to regret that when the pie was actually brought out.

It was a pudding obviously designed for couples, with one fork so that they could feed each other pieces. Madison smiled when it arrived, helping herself to a small piece and handing the fork to Sam without preamble. He had felt a little uncomfortable with the connotations that sharing could have, but he didn't want to draw attention to the issue in case it truly was an accident. He ignored the way Madison's hand lingered every time they passed over the fork and focused on the clock to see when he could viably make an excuse about needing to head home.

However, at the end of the meal Madison fished in her purse for some money before smiling and suggesting that they took a walk in the park before heading home.

It was a romantic gesture. Sam wasn't stupid – at this time, the park was the haunt of drug-users and couples who wanted some time alone. Madison looked so innocent and hopeful, but Sam was starting to realise that this had been a bit set up.

"Is this a date?" He asked bluntly.

Madison smiled. "I know we said it wouldn't be, but I like you and I know that you like me. I didn't see the harm in one date. You've been enjoying yourself, and you can't blame a girl for being interested in someone as cute as you."

Sam felt trapped. He did like Madison, in more ways than one, but he hated being conned into things. His feelings were all warring with each other and he needed room to breathe.

At that moment, Gabriel wandered past the diner and Sam seized the chance to escape. Without any explanation, he ran outside and placed his hands on Gabriel's shoulders.

"I need to get away from Madison." He panted, staring into Gabriel's eyes with desperation.

Fortunately, Gabriel just went with it. "Righto kiddo, give me one minute to work my magic."

Sam waited outside as Gabriel wandered in and proceeded to have a conversation with Madison. She looked irritated, but Gabriel remained firm and a minute later she left by the other exit, leaving Sam to sigh in relief.

"I owe you." Sam commented when Gabriel joined him again.

"Don't worry about it Sasquatch, it's no biggie. I've been rescued from dates gone sour enough times to do it for someone else without expecting payment. But if she asks about this tomorrow, you loaned me ten dollars to download the new You Me At Six album and I forgot to pay you back. We had to go back to mine to collect the money. That's our cover."

Sam smiled. "Quick thinking. It would be even better if I had heard of You Me At Six."

Gabriel gasped. "You don't know who You Me At Six are? This is a travesty! Sammy, you are coming with me right now to be educated."

Sam tried to protest, but Gabriel grabbed his hand and started to drag him down the road like he was a toddler. For a small guy, Gabriel was surprisingly strong, and Sam decided to just give up resisting and allow Gabriel to lead him back to his house.

Considering Gabriel shared a house with Michael and Lucy, Sam was surprised how quiet it was. Gabriel explained in a whisper how their dad, Chuck, was a writer, and liked everyone to keep the noise level down so he could work. He had invested in soundproof walls for all of the kids' bedrooms a few years ago so they could play music without disturbing him.

It was only as they wandered upstairs past a large abstract painting that Sam realised he had never been in Gabriel's bedroom before. It seemed strangely personal, but then Gabriel probably wasn't the sort of person to care about that.

Wandering into Gabriel's room, the first thing Sam was struck by was just how like Gabriel it was.

It was untidy – clothes strewn everywhere and papers and sweets scattered on every available surface – but it was rather like an organised mess. Everything seemed to have a place, it just took up a lot more space than it should have been able to. The duvet, or what Sam could see of it peeking out from under Gabriel's backpack, schoolbooks and laptop, had a pattern of constellations which Sam had a feeling Gabriel had had since he was a child. The walls were covered in pictures – some of Gabriel and all his friends at various events over the years (Sam was surprised to see one of himself playing baseball that he hadn't realised was taken), and some posters of bands and movies that Sam had never heard of. The ceiling had a poster of a topless girl that made Sam a bit uncomfortable, but next to it was a similar poster of a guy in his boxers. Apparently, Gabriel was happy to openly admire both genders.

Gabriel produced a battered looking iPod classic from underneath a pile of books and proceeded to hook it up to a sound system. Sam was quite impressed by the system – it looked expensive, and while Gabriel's family obviously had money it showed a real love of music that Gabriel chose to spend his money on speakers.

"Shut the door, and prepare for this to blow your mind." Gabriel announced.

Sam pushed the door shut and sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, trying not to disturb Gabriel's schoolwork. Gabriel, however, just picked up the pile of stuff paper and dumped it in the corner before setting his laptop precariously on a pile of books on his desk.

Finally, he pressed play and Sam settled down to listen to the song.

As the first notes rumbled out, Sam was pleasantly surprised how good it sounded. Gabriel appeared to have a very good taste in music. He laughed as Gabriel started to play air guitar before enthusiastically singing along. The track was called 'Fresh Start Fever' and Sam made a mental note to download it himself when he got home.

When the song finished, Gabriel turned to Sam like an enthusiastic puppy.

"Well?" He asked.

"I like it." Sam grinned back. "It's upbeat, and the lyrics are nice. I'll have to look them up when I get home."

Gabriel fist-pumped triumphantly. "See? I have the best taste in music. Score one for Gabriel. What sort of stuff do you normally listen to then, Sasquatch?"

Sam thought for a moment. "Have you heard of OneRepublic?"

Gabriel pulled a face. "Seriously? They're OK, but I had higher hopes for you, Samalam. You really do need help discovering what real music is."

He reached over for his iPod and quickly selected another song, not offering any explanation before the sound of guitars filled the room.

This song Sam recognised – it was one that Dean liked and played in the car occasionally. He had a feeling it was by Africa – no, Asia – although he couldn't remember the name of the song. It wasn't as much to his taste, but he didn't actively dislike it like he did some songs. Not yet, anyway. Dean had a habit of playing his songs to death, and hearing any song over and over again a hundred times could drive you to hate it.

"Dude, Asia?" He asked as the chorus began.

"If you claim to dislike Asia I will have your balls on a platter, Samalam. They beat that strange pop-stuff that you like any day. Well, unless you're in a club, I suppose. There's a time and place for everything."

Gabriel switched the music off before handing the iPod to Sam.

"You want me to choose something?" Sam asked.

"I want you to take this home and find at least five bands you like. If we are going to be seen together, Sam-I-am, you are not going to be listening to music like Ke$ha – or, God forbid, Miley Cyrus. I won't have it."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You sound like my brother." He accepted the iPod anyway, not noticing how Gabe's hand lingered in the same way Madison's had.

"Dean has excellent taste. Well, aside from the fact that he won't even try listening to anything made in the last twenty years. You're not allowed to judge something if you've never even tried it." Gabriel had an opinion on everything, Sam was coming to realise, and he didn't like not having the chance to voice it.

"I didn't even know you two really spoke." It was true – Dean never appeared to be with anyone other than Castiel, so Sam had sort of assumed that Dean didn't socialise with anyone else.

"Castiel's my cousin, the two of us were good friends before Dean arrived. I speak to Dean when I try and speak to Cas. The two of them are good for each other, don't get me wrong, but it would be nice if they acknowledged that other people existed every now and again."

Sam completely understood. True, back in the city he hadn't been close to Dean – but Dean seemed to have changed. He still smoked and drank more than he should, but there had been no sign of illegal drugs since they moved here despite how easy they seemed to be to acquire. Dean seemed happier and more relaxed in Heaven than he ever had been before, and if he wasn't so wrapped up in Castiel, Sam had a feeling that the two of them could try to be brothers.

Still, Sam would never get in the way of Dean's happiness. If we wanted to spend time with his boyfriend rather than talking to his little brother, so be it. Sam had other friends. He had lived without Dean's support for years before, he could do it again.

The expression on Gabriel's face suggested an eerie knowledge of Sam's internal monologue, and he decided to change the subject before things got too uncomfortable.

"So what happens for Halloween around here? It's only a few weeks off."

Gabriel immediately launched into a long explanation of various parties, all of which seemed to involve dubious amounts of alcohol and truly disturbing costumes. Sam smiled and laughed in all of the right places, wondering why Gabriel would ever think it was a good idea to do half of the things he had done. Who decided to dress up as a donkey and forgets to allow a place to piss? Gabriel was such a good storyteller that Sam entirely lost track of time, and only became aware just how long he had been at Gabriel's when Gabriel exclaimed "Shit!"

"What?" Sam instantly replied, concerned.

"It's nearly half eleven, I need to be up by half seven to get ready for school. We really lost track of time. Sorry about that, Sammy."

Sam's eyes widened. "I have to get back, Dean'll be mad at me."

"You can't walk back alone at this time."

Sam gave Gabriel a bitchface at the patronising comment.

"I'm serious. You're staying here tonight, Sasquatch, no arguments. I have a spare toothbrush and shit and you can wear Michael's clothes, they're close enough to your size. Deano may very well be at Cas's, and if not we can explain it to him in the morning. He's done worse, he can't tell you off for it."

Gabriel's logic was solid, and Sam was pretty tired. Rather than argue and possibly get lost and fall asleep on the road somewhere, he agreed and allowed Gabriel to dig out a pair of Michael's old pyjama pants.

"You can change in the bathroom on the left, spare toothbrushes are in the right-hand cupboard with the duck on it. If you want mouthwash use the green one because the blue one is Lucy's and she might murder you."

Being murdered over mouthwash would be a pretty pathetic way to die, so Sam thanked Gabriel and tried to get ready for bed as quickly as he could.

It was only when he wandered back in to find Gabriel shirtless, like him, in pyjama pants with a tartan pattern that he realised there was only one bed.

"Um, Gabriel..."

"It's a double bed, and I'll stay on my side. I've shared with Balthazar before plenty of times completely platonically. If it really bothers you I can sleep on the couch but I'd rather not kill my back if I can help it."

Sam didn't want to be responsible for Gabriel hurting himself so he crawled into bed and pulled the duvet over himself without saying anything else. Gabriel clicked the light out and he felt the bed dip as Gabriel got in beside him.

If halfway through the night Sam woke up with Gabriel cuddled into his chest and it made him feel surprisingly good, he wasn't saying a word.

**What do you think Dean is going to say when he realises Sam spent the night with Gabriel? Feel free to review with all your feedback and ideas!**


	12. History

**I'm getting slightly bad at updating this... I'm sorry. Real life is a bitch. I'll try and get some more chapters up soon.**

**I changed the date of Sam's birthday from May 2****nd**** to October 19****th****. It just suits me better to have an older Sam. The 19****th**** October wasn't picked for any particular special reason, it just sounded like a nice date in my head. I'll use May 2****nd**** as something else instead – maybe Ezekiel's birthday.**

**This chapter is quite... varied. I hope it makes sense. I needed to shove some plot and background in and this seemed like a good place to do it. A load more about Dean and Sam's past should become clear over the next few chapters.**

Dean was woken by the scent of cigarette smoke wafting gently past his nose. With a groan, he opened his eyes to see Cas leaning out the window taking a long drag as he surveyed the world outside. He had a pair of boxers on, but otherwise he was as naked as he had been last night. Dean smiled, taking a moment to drink in the perfection that was his boyfriend. He was so lucky to have Castiel, as weird as the guy could be.

"Do you want one, or are you just going to lie there until I drag you out of bed to go to school?"

Dean blinked, not realising that Cas knew he was awake.

"You got any left?" He asked, stretching as he stood up and unabashedly wandered nude over to where Cas was standing.

Castiel shrugged, flicking the end of his cigarette away. "A couple, you can have them. Lucy owes me a pack so I can get those off her later."

Dean kissed his boyfriend on the cheek in thanks, watching as Cas made his way over to the closet to grab some clothes. He really had no idea how a pair of nearly sixteen year olds had become so domestic. He didn't live here – in fact, technically neither did Cas, this being his dad's getaway house – but the closet was full of a mixture of their clothes, and their toiletries sat together in the bathroom. An outsider would never have guessed that the pair of them were only visitors.

Lighting up a cigarette, Dean stared at the cloudy sky. It was getting colder, nearing Halloween which Dean counted as the proper start of fall. Summer was well and truly gone, and it wouldn't be long before the rain came in and the entire area turned miserable. Well, that was presuming that the weather here followed a similar pattern to what it had done in the city.

A pair of hands slid around Dean's waist and he smiled, leaning back.

"You should have left your clothes off for this." He quipped.

The only answer he got was Castiel reaching for Dean's cock, gripping it firmly and sliding one finger over the tip. Dean gasped.

"Fuck... Cas..."

"Later." Cas replied, his fingers moving teasingly along Dean's shaft. "Shut the window. The neighbours might complain about the noise."

"Someone's cocky." It came out with much less conviction than Dean would have liked, and he shut the window anyway, flicking away the remains of his cigarette. He knew quite well that Cas had earnt the right to cockiness. The things that he could do...

Dean stopped thinking a moment later, sinking into the familiar feeling of pleasure that Cas always brought. At some point he unzipped Cas's jeans to reciprocate, cursing some deity he didn't believe in that Cas was wearing underwear. Honestly, clothes made this whole lark so much more difficult. Whoever had invented clothes clearly hasn't been having very much sex.

Dean came first, his body seizing up with a groan of Cas's name, but Cas followed just a few seconds later. They both stood, panting, for a few seconds, before Castiel glanced at his watch and cursed.

"You have ten minutes to get dressed, I'll grab some toast. Why do we always end up running late?"

"Because you're a horny bastard?" Dean teased, swatting Castiel's ass.

"You were the one taunting me by refusing to put on clothes. Anyone could be swayed by the sight of your naked figure."

That was quite a compliment, and Dean smirked. "Clothes are overrated."

"While that is true, I must request that you put some on before we leave. Your body is mine to gaze upon, it is not for everyone at school."

Ooh, Cas was being possessive. Dean shivered. Possessive Castiel did things to him that weren't appropriate when they were trying to get to school.

They finally made it out of the house, Dean dressed in a tight-fitting black shirt that he had a feeling was really Cas's, with a Nerd fighter t-shirt underneath. From the appreciative glances Cas kept sending his way, Dean guessed that he liked it.

It didn't take long to walk to school, but the wind sent goose bumps over Dean's skin, and he wished that he was old enough to drive. January 24th, the date of his sixteenth, seemed so long away. Sometimes he really wished that he had an early birthday like Sam – people with October birthdays were so damn lucky.

Castiel wasn't really the 'cute hand holding' type, but Dean was tempted simply because his hands were getting cold. He needed to invest in some gloves. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he listening as Cas talked complained about Uriel and how he always picked on him because he was a Novak, and Novak's "were supposed to be clever". Castiel was clever, Dean knew that even though they only shared one class, but he didn't care that much about school. Like Dean, he had a career mapped out that didn't really require good grades. Dean wanted to be a mechanic, and Cas was a warrior – he expected to end up in the army after graduation.

Dean snapped out of his reverie when he noticed Michael Novak drive up in a rather nice looking old Ford. Normally, that wouldn't have been a cause for concern – but his brother Sam being helped out by Gabriel, still dressed in yesterday's clothes, really was.

"What the hell?" He called out, ignoring Castiel and marching over to where Michael, Lucy, Sam and Gabriel were all standing in various degrees of confusion.

"Hey, Dean." Sam greeted, somewhat sheepishly. "Cas."

"Sam, why are you coming in with this lot? Did you not go home last night? What happened, you snuck around to theirs to fuck your boyfriend instead?"

The reaction was instantaneous – Sam turned thunderous and tried to step towards his brother, only to be restrained by Gabriel. The sight was almost funny, the small and slightly pudgy kid holding back the much more muscular Sam, but Sam clearly liked Gabriel because he held out his hands and allowed Gabriel to pull him back.

"You're one to talk." Lucy commented, her eyes flicking between Dean and Castiel. Dean just glared at her.

"This is different. Sam's not even legal!"

"Neither are you." Sam pointed out. "In any case, it wasn't like that. Gabriel and I aren't together."

A vague memory appeared in Dean's mind. "Wait, weren't you supposed to be going on a date with that Madison chick?" He frowned. "The hell happened?"

"Perhaps you should let your brother explain before firing off wild accusations, Deano." Gabriel stepped back. "Sorry to ditch you, Sasquatch, but I have an essay to write. I'll text you." He slipped off before Dean could complain about it.

"I'm not involved in this. I need a joint – you wanna come, Cas?" Lucy kicked her scruffy Doc Martens against the ground, clearly bored with the whole thing.

Cas moved in front of Dean and leant in for a kiss, which Dean didn't hesitate to deepen. It took a series of long coughs from Sam to break them apart, and Dean felt like something was missing as Cas joined Lucy to wander away from the school. He really wished he could go with them like he normally did.

Michael nodded to the two brothers before making his leave, heading towards the library. Dean tried not to look at Sam and failed, sighing at the realisation they were really going to talk this out. For fucks sake. What had he done to deserve awkward family therapy time?

"So..." He began, "What actually happened last night?"

Sam shrugged, a lot more at ease than Dean was. "Madison and I went out as friends – or at least, I thought it was as friends. She tried to make it more, I wasn't interested, she pushed, Gabe stepped in to get me out of the situation. I went back to his and as it was late I stayed over. Nothing happened."

Jesus, his brother was naive. Dean knew that something had happened between Sam and Madison at the party. He hadn't got the details, but Balthazar had suggested that they went upstairs together drunk. Sam was an awkward virgin, they wouldn't have done much, but still, going out with a girl after something like that was never as friends. Dean knew that. He would have thought that Sam would have been able to work that out.

Still, the story didn't quite add up. "Madison can't have had you out that late."

A small blush came over Sam's face. "She didn't, but I let slip to Gabriel that I didn't know who You Me At Six were and he decided it was his job to educate me about decent music. We lost track of time."

Of course, because late in the evening was just the time to invite someone back to your house to listen to music. Apparently Madison wasn't the only person who wanted a date with his brother. When had Sam become so desirable anyway?

"So you left a date with Madison for another date with Gabriel. You know, I said you weren't turning into me but in actual fact..." Dean left that sentence hanging.

"Neither of them were dates." Sam insisted.

"And I'm the king of China." Dean declared sarcastically. "Sam, you don't just bump into someone late at night and invite them back to your house as friends. Especially if they end up staying over. Apparently Gabriel likes you, and I don't really like that."

An icy look entered Sam's eyes. "It's not up to you to say who I can or can't spend time with." The look cleared. "In any case, Gabriel isn't you. He doesn't only bring people home who he wants to fuck or take drugs with. I'm his friend, nothing more. He's a Junior anyway, Juniors don't date Freshmen."

"I slept with a Senior girl when I was your age." Dean tossed out casually. "More than once, actually."

Sam screwed his face up. "Dude, TMI."

Dean decided that this conversation was over. "I need to find Cas. He had the right idea having a joint before class. There is no way that I am getting through Statistics if I haven't had anything."

He left Sam and wandered in the direction he had seen Cas and Lucy go, thinking things over.

It was true, really, that Dean couldn't lecture Sam about this. He had lost his virginity a lot younger and slept with countless people of various genders since. That was without even mentioning all the drugs stuff. Dean was no role model. But Sam had always been straight-laced, sensible, the stereotypical 'good kid' who supported Dean even when he was falling over drunk aged just thirteen or fourteen. Dean didn't want Sam to turn out like him. He couldn't stop Sam from hanging out with people like Madison or Gabriel, who clearly wanted to corrupt him. But he wasn't going to be happy about it.

It said something though that John hadn't even sent a text asking why both of his sons weren't at home. When Dean had first started staying out with Cas, he hadn't told his dad, and he had never been asked why he was never there. He had hoped that his father was a bit more protective over Sam, after having one fucked-up son, but apparently he cared as little for Sam as he did for Dean.

Dean found Cas and Lucy behind a large tree, and Cas held out a joint without a word upon noticing him.

"Family drama over?" Lucy asked, breathing out a stream of smoke.

Dean shrugged. "He's not as deep in shit as I was at his age, so he should be fine. I can't really lecture him about it. I kinda wish he was still the little school-loving innocent nerd he used to be though."

"He can still be a 'school-loving nerd' without being innocent." Cas sounded far too deep for Dean's liking.

"And he still is innocent, you can tell. He has that air about him. Don't worry about it Dean, he'll be fine. Trust me, with Michael I know just how irritating overprotective older siblings can be, and Michaels only like an hour older. If you meddle you'll just make him hate you."

With that, Lucy left Dean and Castiel alone, twigs snapping as she walked away.

Dean breathed in the soothing scent of cannabis and moved closer to Castiel, the wood suddenly seeming strangely quiet.

"You don't need to worry about Gabriel." Castiel commented.

Dean looked up. "He's interested in my brother."

"Yes." Cas didn't seem particularly bothered. "But he knows that Sam is young and inexperienced and isn't trying to push anything. He doesn't even know for sure if Sam swings his way yet."

"He doesn't."

"How would you know?"

It was a valid point, but Dean brushed it off. "He's only ever shown an interest in girls. I was always an equal opportunist – boys, girls, non-binaries, it didn't bother me. In fourth grade I kissed Jenny Coleman behind the school then kissed Ryan Lewis the day after. In eight grade Kirsty Stannich became Kurt, and I fucked her in the ass aged fourteen because she didn't want to be recognised as having a vagina any more. Sam's different. It would be obvious if he was anything but straight."

Cas seemed interested in the random bits of Dean's history that he had just heard, but he shook his head at the assumption. "Not necessarily. You and Sam are very different. Many people didn't know I was bisexual before you."

"They didn't know you were sexual at all. They thought you were asexual." Dean recalled. "Idiots. I can't have been your first, you were too experienced."

"No, you were my second man, third overall. But as I said to you when we met, I always chose my conquests carefully. It was out of character, my flirting with you so quickly. I decided to take a risk – a good decision, but unlike me."

Dean kissed Castiel, slipping his arms around his waist. "Who were the others?"

His voice held only curiosity.

"You don't know them. A boy named Jimmy Novak when I was fourteen who I met on holiday. I was there for a month, we were together for the last two weeks. He was older, by a year. He taught me a lot. Then a girl named Hael, over summer, before you arrived. Again, I was on holiday. She had spirit, and she was rather wonderfully bendy. I was sad to see her go."

Dean grinned. "The bendy chicks are always the best."

"How many people have you had?"

It wasn't a subject they had broached before, Dean supposed. He should have known that Cas would be curious eventually.

"I don't know." He answered honestly. "I was in a bad place, some parts I can't actually remember. It's over ten, I can say that much. And I wasn't fussy, so there were some pretty shady people. But I always used protection and I stayed clean, thank fuck."

The bell rang in the distance, and the pair of them slowly made their way back towards school. Something seemed to have changed between them – it was almost tangible.

"You're not a bad person." Castiel finally said, pressing a gentle kiss to Dean's temple before leaving.

Dean sighed as he made his way to his first class. Maybe he wasn't a bad person. But he wasn't a good person either.


	13. In Sickness And In Health

**Poor Sammy the oblivious... I like this chapter. I hope you guys do too!**

Sam was gobsmacked. His birthday was in two days, and he hadn't even realised it. True, turning fifteen wasn't really a milestone birthday, but it was still unlike him to forget something like that. He had been too distracted by other things going on in his life... namely, Gabriel Novak.

Gabriel had been the first person around his age he had met in Heaven, so it hadn't been that surprising that they had become friends. It had felt exceptionally natural, spending time with him, and Sam had never thought anything of it. True, Gabriel was two years older and a popular guy with a huge friendship group, but he was the sort of person who liked to be at least acquainted with everyone. No-one else had found it weird that Gabriel had claimed Sam as a friend, so Sam had presumed it was normal as well.

However recently, Sam had begun to wonder about his and Gabriel's friendship. Since he had split up with Jess, he had spent more and more time with Gabriel's pack, becoming an integral member and getting fairly close to everyone. He had decided to switch one of his planned electives to Theology after several interesting discussions with Michael and Ezekiel, and had joined the Debate society because Ruby Cortese and Crowley had asked him to. Gabriel had made him an unusually popular guy for someone who had only lived there for a month – and throughout all of this, he had spent more time with Sam than he spent with any of the other people except Balthazar.

Gabriel liked to chat and socialise, basking under a spotlight and craving attention, but he sought out Sam surprisingly often. He had been to Gabriel's house several times, twice on his own (aside from Michael and Lucy, but Gabriel's brother and sister didn't count). Sam had thought that this was normal, Gabriel just choosing to help the new kid – but Meg had dispelled that idea in idle conversation a few days ago. When she had moved from Lawrence, Kansas, Gabriel had barely paid her any mind at all – she had been picked up by Crowley and it had taken several months of them dating for her to get to know Gabriel. It was a Sam-thing and not a Gabriel-thing that made Gabriel spend so much time with Sam.

But Sam's suspicions had only taken concrete residence in his mind when Ruby Cassidy had flat out asked if him and Gabriel were dating.

The question had resulted in two minutes of coughing as Sam choked on his Americano, followed by two minutes of blushing beet-red and explaining that no, Gabriel was not his boyfriend, and Sam didn't normally swing that way. The issue had been dropped, but something had clicked in Sam's mind and refused to go away.

Gabriel had a crush on him.

It explained everything. It explained his inclusion in a group mainly made up of Juniors and Seniors, with a few younger kids who were all Novak siblings or romantic attachments. It explained why Gabriel sought out his company first. It explained why Gabriel had so willingly helped him to escape his 'date' with Madison and taken Sam home after, before gifting him with nearly forty dollars worth of music. Gabriel was openly bisexual and hardly lacking in confidence – it made sense that he would be open in his affections if he liked Sam.

There were smaller things too – the strip-tease at Madison's party, the way Gabriel had interrupted him and Madison kissing, the way he had almost been happy when he broke up with Jess. Sam had been blind not to see it before. It was so obvious, and everyone else had been able to see it – but Sam hadn't even realised.

The question now was what to do about it.

That issue had been bugging Sam for the past few days.

He still had no answer.

The cafeteria was buzzing with noise and activity when Sam entered, stressed from Science and still freaking out over what to do about Gabriel. He grabbed a tray and collected lunch without paying much attention to what he was getting, sitting down at the usual table next to Crowley half in his own world. It was only when someone waved a hand in front of his face that he looked up.

"Earth to Sasquatch."

It was Gabriel, of course. A smile spread onto Sam's face before he fully gave it permission to be there.

"Hey, Gabriel. Sorry, I'm just tired. Your aunt's chemistry class-"

"Say no more, I was traumatised by that enough two years ago. You free after school? Balthazar's got some movie theatre tickets and we can grab a burger beforehand – plus, we need to plan your party."

Sam's eyes widened slightly. "My party?"

"Dean told us it's your birthday on Friday." Anna chipped in. "So we're throwing a party. We do it for everyone. Samandriel's hosting, the kid from your brother's year who tags along with us sometimes. Ezekiel's older brother."

Sam felt a rush of gratitude to his brother and everyone else for planning this. "Thanks, guys."

"Darling, you're giving us an excuse to get drunk off our asses on a Friday night. No thanks are required." Crowley gave him a half smile. "Now, who has a completed Geography essay I can copy? I'll make a deal for it."

The conversation turned to laments about essays, and Sam tucked into his lunch, becoming aware that Gabriel was staring at him.

"So – movie theatre?" Gabriel prompted.

Sam had entirely forgotten the offer, distracted by the promise of a party. "Sure, sounds great. I'll have to go home first and ditch my backpack, maybe print off a graph for US History. I can meet you guys there?"

"I can drive you home." Gabriel offered. "Michael's going to his girlfriends so he left me the car – nobody trusts Lucy with it."

"You tight-asses have so sense of fun." Lucy complained, running a hand through her spiky hair. "As soon as someone goes over 100kmph you go completely nuts. It's not like I've ever crashed or anything."

Sam knew why Gabriel was offering. He didn't want to lead Gabriel on when he wasn't sure he felt the same way – Gabriel was a great friends, but dudes weren't an area Sam had explored before – but it was tempting all the same. He could always pretend he didn't know about Gabriel's feelings if Gabriel made a move.

"If you don't mind." He gave Gabriel a smile, and noticed Lucy giving him a contemplative look out of the corner of his eye.

Gabriel grinned back. "Sorted. You know the car, just wait for me beside in the parking lot. I might be a few minutes late because I've got Naomi last, and she's so bitchy with me. No sense of family privileges."

Sam finished the last of his lunch, before his cellphone buzzed and he pulled it out, confused. Most of the people who would text him were here.

It was from Lucy. 'Anna and I are going for a smoke behind S block. Get your ass out here, we need to talk to you'.

Why would Lucy text him instead of asking him in person? Just a moment ago, she had been here – he hadn't noticed either her or Anna leave. Despite his misgivings, Sam gathered up his stuff and prepared to leave the cafeteria.

"Where are you off to?" Ruby Cortese asked, glancing up from drawing some kind of sketch.

"Library." Sam lied. He didn't know why, but he felt uneasy about telling the truth.

He knew when he was approaching Anna and Lucy from the smell of smoke, and Sam wrinkled his nose. He had never really liked the smell of cigarettes. Growing up with Dean had given him a sort of tolerance, but he would rather that Anna and Lucy weren't smoking when they wanted to talk to him.

Sam tried not to show his discomfort as he approached and gave a small smile in greeting.

"So. How long have you wanted to bang my brother for?" Lucy was as blunt and crass as ever.

Sam's jaw dropped. How long had... he didn't want to bang Gabriel! He wasn't even sure that he liked dudes yet! Gabriel was into him, sure, and he thought of Gabriel as a great friend, but it didn't really go beyond that. Sam didn't have a crush on him. He certainly didn't want to – Sam stopped his thoughts before they could go there. He was two years younger than Gabriel and a virgin. It wasn't going to happen.

"I don't know what you-"

"Yes you do." Anna's voice was softer, and she blew out a mouthful of smoke as she spoke. "Gabriel likes you, that much has been obvious from the start, but it's getting to the point where we all suspect that you like him as well."

"It's a pity, really. I'd totally bang you if you weren't so hung up over him." Lucy tapped her cigarette against the wall.

Sam didn't know what to say. "Look, I've never even been interested in dudes. I've got nothing against it, but they've never been my sort of thing. That's Dean's area. Gabriel's a great friend, and I know he might have feelings for me, but I don't think I reciprocate."

"Well at least you're not denying it entirely." Lucy scuffed one boot against the floor. "Sam, I've known you for a month, and in that time you've hooked up with two chicks and broken it off with both before entering into any kind of commitment. Maybe you didn't choose that with Jess, but you didn't really pursue it either. I smelt a rat after one, after two, there was clearly someone else."

Sam felt cornered, but we wasn't really sure why. "There isn't anyone else. Jess broke it off and I was upset, I removed myself from the situation and I respected her wishes to be left alone. Madison wasn't who I thought she was and pressured me into stuff. Those were my reasons."

"Sam, realising you like someone isn't some dramatic, sudden, love-at-first-sight thing." Anna almost seemed pleading, and Sam wondered why she was so invested. "It's gradual. Sometimes you don't know but something happens and you realise you've been in love with someone for months. You like Gabriel, really like him, and it could be something more. You just need to open your eyes and see it."

Sam sighed. He didn't know what to think. He didn't like Gabriel as more than a friend. Did he?

A bell rang, and both Lucy and Anna stamped out their cigarettes before grabbing their backpacks.

"You'll thank us for this." Lucy commented as they walked past him to go inside.

Sam stayed there for a few moments before following them in. He needed to collect his thoughts. His head was spinning, and this had all been complicated enough before they had interfered.

The end of school took forever to arrive, and Sam had developed a pounding headache. He wasn't sure he was up to going out, but it would be nice to spend some time with everyone outside of school, and Gabriel had offered to drive him home. He couldn't pull out now.

Leaning against the cool metal of Michael's car, he wondered how it had come to this. In just over a month of living in Heaven, he had been reduced to a confused mess by his best friend crushing on him. His sexuality was in question and he had no idea what to think. It wasn't that he had a problem with any of this – it was that he truly didn't know how he felt about Gabriel.

His thoughts were interrupted by a chirp as Gabriel unlocked the car.

"Are you feeling alright, Samalam?" He heard Gabriel ask.

"Headache. It's nothing."

Gabriel put a reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder, and he leant into the warmth, trying to block out all of the confusion.

By the time they reached Sam's house however, the headache had escalated to a painful migraine, and Sam wasn't sure if he was about to black out or throw up. His equilibrium was awful and he almost collapsed getting out of the car.

"Woah, Sammy, steady there. Here, let me." Gabriel helped Sam into the house, taking all of his weight. Sam had no idea how Gabriel could manage with his small stature, nor how he knew where the spare key was kept – but he was grateful as he collapsed on the coach and tried to ease his churning stomach.

He heard footsteps pottering around, and blearily looked for Gabriel, when his vision was obscured by a wet washcloth being placed on his forehead.

The relief was blissful, and Sam let out a deep sigh, eternally grateful for the help.

"There we go. Do you want anything else? A drink? A blanket?"

Sam's stomach lurched and he ground out,

"A bucket?"

To his surprise, Gabriel didn't even protest, his footsteps just faded away before returning and pressing a plastic bucket from somewhere into Sam's hands.

Sam tried his hardest not to puke, but his stomach lurched again, his head shooting with a searing pain, and he found himself surging forwards and spluttering vomit into the bucket.

A gentle pressure was placed on Sam's lower back, and he flinched, his vision blurry, before relaxing into Gabriel's touch. The washcloth was replaced on his forehead and Gabriel rubbed Sam's back with his other hand. Sam sat there for nearly fifteen minutes, shuddering and trying to block out the pain, and Gabriel just stayed, whispering soothing things and making sure Sam didn't pass out or worse.

Finally, Sam felt well enough to sit up and set the bucket down. Gabriel quickly moved a couple of cushions to support Sam's back and pushed him gently so he was lying down. Like a supportive mom, he walked back to the sink and wet the washcloth again before coming back over and giving it to Sam to place on his forehead.

"You don't have to stay." Sam coughed, his throat feeling vile. "You can go out with everyone else, they'll miss you."

"I'm not leaving you here on your own, Sammy. Do you want some water to rinse your mouth out with?" Gabriel's tone was equal parts forceful and caring. The message was clear – he wasn't leaving and he was going to help Sam through this. Sam had no choice.

Sam felt his stomach flutter in the good way at Gabriel caring attitude, and he whispered a yes to the offer of water thankfully. He could never repay Gabriel for this. It should have been John or Dean's job to care for him when he got migraines, but neither of them had ever really helped. Gabriel was the first person to display this level of care.

Gabriel handed Sam a glass of water, keeping one hand there to support it as Sam drank because his hands were shaking. Sam relished the coolness on his tongue, spitting out the water halfway through to try and get rid of the taste of vomit. Gabriel had already put the bucket ready, and he didn't even flinch or look slightly disgusted at Sam's pale, ill face or the vomit in the bucket.

Sam knew he would be mostly useless for the rest of the evening, so he croaked out a request for the TV remote and smiled as Gabriel turned it on to his favourite channel.

"Is there any room on that sofa, or do you want me to sit over here?" Gabriel gestured to a space on the floor. His eyes showed it was a genuine question, and Sam couldn't believe Gabriel was willing to sit on the floor beside a bucket of vomit just to look after him.

"I'm not that ill." He smiled wanly, ignoring the dizziness in his head as he shifted to make space for Gabriel. To his surprise, Gabriel sat down beside his head before moving so Sam's head was in his lap. It was a surprisingly comfortable pillow, and Sam relaxed into it, turning to look at the TV.

He loved Gabriel so much for what he was doing.

Wait.

Sam's brain ground to a halt.

He thought about the way his stomach had fluttered with Gabriel caring for him – the same way he had felt waking up in the night with Gabriel cuddled into him, and whenever Gabriel smiled a certain way or his eyes sparkled golden in the light. He thought about how he had admired how strong Gabriel was for a small and (not as pudgy as you'd think) guy. He thought about how Gabriel's laugh sounded like an angel's and how he had been almost pleased when Gabriel checked him out at Madison's.

Shit. He had a crush on his best friend.

Sam almost let out a groan. Why in hell did he have to realise this when he had just puked his guts out and had a fucking migraine?

Plus, Anna and Lucy were going to be so smug when he told them they were right.

**Sabriel is coming! But I'm sorry to say more angst is on the way too...**


	14. The Trickster Strikes Heaven

**Pranks and cuteness. This was interesting to write. I hope it makes sense.**

Sam spent Thursday at home, recovering from his migraine and the revelation that he had a crush on Gabriel. It was a situation that he had never expected to end up in, and now he had no idea how to deal with it. How exactly did you go about telling your best friend that, despite never previously being attracted to guys, you had a crush on them and wanted to start dating?

After he had realised his feelings, Sam had spent the rest of the evening feeling like crap (due to his migraine) and trying his best not to reveal how he felt to Gabriel. He refused to explain his crush just after vomiting and collapsing on the sofa. Fortunately, Gabriel had taken Sam's silence and tense attitude to be side effects of the migraine, and had just remained with him until John got home before quickly explaining the situation and excusing himself. John had been less than sympathetic and sent Sam to his room, where he had promptly fallen asleep and woken up at ten the next morning to an empty house where he could collect his thoughts in private.

Sam had decided that, despite his feelings for Gabriel, he wasn't really gay or bisexual. He felt no attraction at all to any other males, making this a Gabriel-thing not a gender-thing. Sam felt no real need to put a label on his sexuality, but he guessed bi-curious would do for now. Or perhaps heteroflexible. Still, no matter what he was, he liked Gabriel and that was the main thing.

When Friday, the day of his birthday, rolled around, Sam woke up to Dean singing loudly and off-key right in his ear. After chasing his brother out of his room in just his boxers, he came downstairs to find a pile of presents beside the sofa. John had already left, leaving just a card for his younger son, but Dean appeared to have used John's credit card to buy Sam presents. Sam felt a swell of gratitude to his brother and broke Dean's chick-flick moments rule by forcing him into a hug.

"Dude, get off!" Dean protested, but Sam just laughed and set about tearing off the wrapping paper.

Dean had bought him a couple of computer games, the first season of The Walking Dead, some assorted books and – to his horror – a large box of novelty flavoured condoms.

"Dean, what the fuck?" Sam asked when he opened it. Dean pulled a face.

"Those are from Cas. He said to tell you that Gabriel prefers the strawberry flavour, followed by some things I'm not repeating because I refuse to think of my brother like that."

Sam blushed bright red. How the hell did Cas know that Sam liked Gabriel. Come to think of it, how did Cas know his cousin's favourite condom flavour? Actually, that was much less of a surprise. Gabriel was never embarrassed about anything, and he loved to talk, especially when drunk. It was likely that details like that were common knowledge.

Dean looked a little uncomfortable, so Sam quickly changed the subject.

"I presume you're coming to the party everyone's throwing tonight?"

"I can't exactly miss your party, can I?"

A jab about how Dean had missed every celebration held for Sam since he was seven years old was on the tip of Sam's tongue, but he restrained it. Dean was trying his best to move on. The simple fact that he had ensured Sam had presents – even if they were probably brought on dad's card without his permission – was enough to prove that. So Sam just smiled, thanking Dean before getting ready for school like it was any other morning.

The walk to school was boring, as it had been since Sam broke up with Jess. It was a pity that all his friends now lived on the other side of the town, in the richer sect almost exclusively dominated by Novak's and their business partners. Sam would bet his left hand that Gabriel would get Michael to pick him up in the car every morning if he asked, and that would be a lot more fun (and less effort) but he couldn't really abuse Gabriel's friendship like that. Even if it was tempting. Especially today – walking to school alone, in the cold, on your birthday really sucked.

However, his mood brightened as soon as he saw the random red balloon held by someone leaning against their car in the school parking lot. Gabriel had to be kidding. Why the hell would he buy Sam a balloon and bring it to school? Still, Sam felt his chest constrict and had to admit that it was things like this that made him like Gabriel so much.

"Happy birthday, Sasquatch!" Gabriel yelled as soon as Sam was in hearing distance.

Sam shook his head, a huge grin on his face at Gabriel's antics, and was so distracted he didn't notice Balthazar's approach until he felt something cold splash across his back.

Turning with a gasp, he had just about enough time to see Balthazar's grinning face before the world tilted and he was being carried across the road onto the opposite sidewalk, then through a low hedge into the parking lot.

"Guys, put me down!" Sam refused to admit that the words came out as a squeal.

Laughter surrounded him, and he found himself being unceremoniously dumped on a bench before Gabriel handed him the balloon with a smirk.

"It's traditional to ambush people on their birthday. You should be glad they didn't throw you in the river, that happened to Castiel one year."

Sam took the balloon with wide eyes. "Was he ok?"

There was more laughter, and Sam felt someone's hip nudge him and turned to see Ruby Cortese and Lisa sitting down next to him.

"Oh he was fine." Ruby shrugged. "We wouldn't hurt him. It was just funny. His hair goes all flat when it's wet, he was so fussy about it."

"He didn't mind though. He got his revenge by arranging to attack everyone who did it with water balloons later in the year." Lisa was smiling. "Happy birthday by the way, Sam. You're Dean's brother aren't you?"

Sam had never had much to do with Lisa, beyond them hanging out with the same people, but he had seen her with Dean on the few occasions when Dean wasn't attached to Castiel.

He nodded the affirmative, before using his balloon to hit Gabriel on the head.

"What am I supposed to do with this all day?"

Gabriel's grin turned wicked. "Just attach it to your backpack and let us use it for target practise! Plus, can you imagine the look on Naomi's face when you walk in with a massive red balloon?"

"You're an idiot." Sam attached the balloon to his bag anyway. Why not, it was his birthday. Plus, he felt like humouring Gabriel.

"You love it." Gabriel joked, before whispering something to Balthazar. Sam's stomach fluttered at the comment, before he realised that Gabriel and Balthazar conspiring on his birthday could not be a good thing. He would probably have to watch out for pranks all day.

He was right.

In first period Algebra, after Gadriel had finished glaring at him for walking in damp and holding a balloon, he fished in his backpack for his textbook only to find it had been replaced with a gay porn magazine. Fighting a blush, he was forced to awkwardly ask Kevin to share, vying internally to get Gabriel back for this. He had been in prank wars with Dean when they were much much younger – he could think of something creative.

By lunch time, he had been hit by two water balloons in the corridors, found his locker filled with (surprisingly tasty) candyfloss and almost had his hand glued to his water bottle. He was also having the time of his life. Frustrating as the pranks could be, he had to admire Gabriel and Balthazar's ingenuity.

Their usual table in the cafeteria had been covered in balloons, and Sam had to hide a smile when he was covered in confetti as he walked towards it.

"Gabriel, Balthazar, you're both dicks." He greeted the pair, stifling a laugh as their mouths stretched into identical, comical Os.

"A dick? Moi? Never." Gabriel declared, before winking.

"I'd like to make it known that the childish tricks were all Gabriel's. I prefer sophistication." Balthazar twirled a fry on his fork as he spoke.

"I should probably own up to the glue trick." Ezekiel interjected. "But it was Gabriel's idea." He gave Sam a smile before returning to conversation with Meg.

"Bastards." Sam joked, before beginning to plot his revenge.

Opportunity came when Gabriel went to buy a candy bar from the vending machine. Very quickly, Sam switched his backpack with Lucy's, vowing to apologise to her later. Their bags were the same colour and type, but of course, the contents were very different.

Gabriel seemed to sense that Sam was acting suspiciously, and he looked very carefully at his seat before sitting down on it.

Sam was struck with another idea, and as Gabriel turned to talk to Balthazar, Sam bent down and tied Gabriel's shoelaces to the chair. He straightened up before Gabriel noticed, but Crowley did, raising one eyebrow in definite amusement.

When the bell rang, Sam stood up casually, checking his backpack to make sure there were no more gay porn magazines in it (there weren't) before glancing at Gabriel.

"I don't suppose you could give me a lift to Samandriel's tonight?" He asked.

Gabriel smiled. "Of course, Samalam. I can-" The rest of his sentence was cut off as he went to stand up and almost fell across the table.

A few people laughed, and Gabriel looked at Sam with a cross between a death glare and a proud look.

"Untie my feet or that'll be a no."

Sam shrugged. "I'll just ask someone else."

Gabriel shook his head slowly and deliberately. "You don't know what you've let yourself in for, Sasquatch. Bring on truth or dare tonight."

"You sound like a tween girl discussing a sleepover."

"I'm not a girl, Sammy, and I'll quite happily prove it to you." He waggled his eyebrows.

The comment was crass, but Sam felt the inappropriate arousal anyway. Fuck. Don't show it, don't show it...

The cafeteria had almost emptied out, so Sam just turned to leave Gabriel alone there.

"Oh, and Samantha?"

The voice sounded closer than it should have been. Sam turned back, and almost had a heart attack at the sight of Gabriel standing right behind him.

"Tie a better knot next time." Gabriel leaned right in, standing on tiptoes to reach Sam's ear. His lips grazed Sam's earlobe and Sam shuddered, his eyes drifting closed. He had no idea what was going on, but he liked it.

The presence vanished, and Sam opened his eyes to find himself alone.

What had that been about?

The afternoon passed in a blur, Sam only half paying attention and only surfacing from his thoughts to answer the occasional question or deal with a couple of half-hearted pranks. He was confused, really confused, about Gabriel. Had Gabriel been making a move? Or just fooling around? The problem was, Gabriel's personality made it so hard to tell, and Gabriel had been really careful about respecting Sam's apparent straightness anyway. Gabriel had no way of knowing that Sam had realised his affections. Or had he? It was too much for Sam to think about, especially with a party coming up that night.

A party. His party. Where there would be alcohol and Sam's inhibitions would be lowered and things might happen between him and Gabriel. He had never felt more conflicted in his life. Did he want Gabriel to make a move tonight? Or did he want them both to be sober so he knew that Gabriel wasn't just fooling around?

The final bell caused Sam to almost leap out of his seat in shock. He exited the class quickly, only to find Lucy standing there with a glare.

"You swapped my backpack with Gabriel's." She accused, a steely glint in her eyes.

Sam couldn't deny it. "... Yeeees?"

"I opened it in Stats and a dildo fell out. I do not want to know about that part of my brother's life. Try that again and I will remove your fingers."

Sam's eyes widened and he tried to process the threat, backing away slightly.

Lucy's expression changed to a smile. "But nicely done. I can't wait to see his face when he finds the satanic ritual guide I hid inside my chem book."

Sam remained frozen for a moment as Lucy walked away. That girl was so confusing. He never knew whether they were actually friends or not.

It all became worth it when he nearly collided with Gabriel going round the corner to leave.

"Sam, you're my new partner in crime." Gabriel declared. "You managed to get me access to my sister's diary. Aside from being the most disturbing shit I have ever read, I have enough blackmail material to last for a year. Nicely done."

Lucy. Was. Going. To. Kill. Him.

"Thanks?" Sam offered weakly.

Gabriel clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. She likes you, you're safe. Mostly. Fancy grabbing a coffee before going to get ready for the party?"

"Like on a date?" Sam blurted before he could stop himself.

Gabriel tensed. "Why? ... Do you want it to be?"

Sam had never seen Gabriel nervous. He was a ball of confident energy, the sort of person who could bounce back from anything. But apparently, things like potential relationships with innocent Freshman boys were out of his comfort zone.

Sam found it rather sweet.

Still, it took him a moment to get the courage to say. "Um, well, I wouldn't mind-"

Gabriel's lips silenced him.

Gabriel kissed like someone with experience. A lot of experience. He knew exactly where to put pressure and when to be soft, how to manoeuvre his hands through Sam's hair in the way that felt just perfect, and how to slide his tongue against Sam in a way that was erotic but not too pornographic for outside a school. Sam was lost. He couldn't help but think that his abilities must pale in comparison, but Gabriel pulled back with a smile on his face.

"Fucking finally, Sasquatch."

Sam laughed, a little nervously, but happy all the same.

Gabriel gently slipped his hand into Sam's, squeezing it to check it was OK. Sam smiled. Neither of them wanted the moment to end.

"Coffee?" Gabriel finally asked.

"Coffee." Sam replied.

The pair of them walked to the car hand-in-hand, ignoring everyone else. The entire school could have been staring and they probably wouldn't have noticed. Sam felt like he was floating – a mixture of nervousness and buoyancy that was playing havoc with his pulse.

As Gabriel pulled out of the parking lot, Anna Novak smiled triumphantly to herself and fired a quick text to Lucy. It had only taken them two days. Perhaps now the unresolved sexual tension between those two would ease up a bit.

Although, knowing how innocent Sam was, it was equally likely that it wouldn't.


	15. Seven Minutes In Heaven

**Writing innocent Sam is adorable. I'll never get tired of it.**

When Sam was five or six, he had a limit of two candy bars a day so that he didn't end up eating too much sugar. He always thought that was very unfair. One day, when his dad was out, he broke into the cupboard in his house where the candy was kept and ate five bars. John came home about an hour later to find Sam with a sticky mouth from sugar bouncing up and down on the sofa, having knocked over a lamp and the vase next to it. Sam had been yelled at and banned from eating candy for a week, to Dean's amusement and Sam's disappointment. But to this day, Sam could remember the rush that that quantity of sugar had given his younger self.

It was that feeling of excitement and headiness that Sam felt now, leaning against the wall at his party.

Throughout his 'coffee date' with Gabriel, Sam had felt buoyant and happy. He hadn't stopped smiling for the entire time, and he had a feeling that Gabriel hadn't either. At around five, the pair had reluctantly parted, Gabriel giving Sam a kiss that had made every nerve in his body stand to attention. The resultant happy buzz had lasted all evening, and combined with the rum and coke Sam was drinking, it had translated into a fantastically heady sensation.

The party was fantastic. Samandriel had stocked up enough booze to run a bar for a week and stuck on a playlist of modern rock that Sam absolutely loved. The place was filled with drunken laughter and even when he was just stood on the edge watching, Sam felt included. A professional event planner couldn't arrange something that made you feel this good.

Sam took another sip of his drink, watching with amusement as Meg attempted to entice Crowley to join her in the back room. The pair were currently in the 'off' stage of their on-and-off relationship, but apparently Meg had decided to change that. Sam had no idea what was being said, but the exaggerated drunken movements and facial expressions turned it into a comedy show. It was brilliant.

"Samsickles!" Gabriel materialised from nowhere, wrapping his arms around Sam and burying his head in his chest. Sam wrapped one arm around his new boyfriend's back and smiled.

"Having fun, Gabriel?"

"Mmm." Gabriel mumbled something unintelligible and tightened his hold. Sam chuckled as he finished his drink and set the cup down, before using his now free hand to stroke Gabriel's hair.

"Aren't you two just adorable?" Sam turned his head to see Charlie looking at Gabriel like he was a newborn puppy. He had been surprised to see her here, as she wasn't really friends with many people here, but apparently Ezekiel had invited her and Kevin along for Sam.

"He's just drunk." Sam continued to pet Gabriel's hair, internally marvelling at the softness.

"Am not." Gabriel retorted, the sound somewhat muffled.

"We're doing Seven Minutes in Heaven!" Someone yelled from the other side of the room, to a chorus of whoops.

"Oh we are so doing that. Come on Sam move!" Charlie grabbed Sam's arm and tried to wrench him away.

"Charlie, that's a game for single people." Sam tried to protest.

Unfortunately, Gabriel chose that point to peel himself away and join Charlie in dragging Sam over to where everyone was crowding around a closet.

"If you think it's a game for single people Samalam, you haven't been playing it properly. Are you denying me the opportunity to make out with you in a closet?"

Sam gave in and allowed the two to pull him over, grabbing another rum and coke on the way. To be honest he had probably drunk enough, but hey, you only turned fifteen once.

Ruby Cortese appeared to be organising, and she gestured for everyone to form a semicircle around the closet.

"Everyone's playing, yeah?" She asked.

No-one disputed her statement, so she continued, picking up an empty bottle and spinning it. It whizzed around before landing on Charlie, who squealed in excitement.

"Fuch yeah, bitches!" She declared, setting down her random fruity drink and stepping forward.

Ruby span again, the bottle bouncing slightly before stopping on Ruby Cassidy.

The blonde Ruby shrugged, before following Charlie into the closet. Charlie looked a little disappointed to get someone so obviously straight, but the door was shut and Ruby Cortese started a timer on her phone, a small smile on her face.

"Five bucks on Ruby not even agreeing to kiss." She commented.

"Done. I know for a fact Ruby and Meg snogged each other during seven minutes last year because they got bored." Balthazar looked confident in his opinion.

"Piss off we did!" Meg butted in. "It was one chaste kiss, and I'm not saying that because I have a problem with lesbianism."

"Not up for a threesome then?" Crowley drawled.

Sam's eyes widened, and he turned to Gabe who was glancing up at Sam with twinkling eyes.

"Should I bribe Ruby so we can go in next?" He asked.

Sam couldn't deny the thrill of being in a confined space with Gabriel for seven minutes. He doubted they would do very much – it was too public for Sam to relax enough for anything serious – but the temptation was definitely there.

"Maybe in a minute." Sam replied, his confidence boosted by the alcohol. He pressed a kiss to Gabriel's temple.

A thump sounded from the closet, and everyone turned to stare at the closed door.

"Fucking hell, I am not staring at a closet for five more minutes. Anyone joining me for a smoke?" Lucy stepped back from the circle, quickly followed by Anna and Crowley (to Meg's obvious disappointment). Samandriel moved away as well, pressing a button on a remote as he did so to increase the volume of the music.

"Dance with me, Sasquatch." Gabriel suddenly declared, putting his arms around Sam's waist.

Knowing better than to complain, Sam allowed Gabriel to steer him into a clear patch of floor and start to dance. A few other people joined them, clearly recognising that this was a better way to pass the time. Sam was awful at dancing, and he narrowly avoided stepping on Gabriel's feet several times before confining himself to small movements and swaying.

It was nice, having Gabriel in his arms like this, even if the dancing itself was terrible. Sam had no idea how he hadn't realised his feelings for Gabriel sooner. He was starting to understand why Dean looked at Castiel like he held some kind of secret that the rest of the universe wasn't privy to.

An alarm went off, startling Sam until he realised it meant the seven minutes were up. The semicircle was reformed, and Charlie opened the closet to reveal a slightly awkward looking Ruby and a surprisingly happy Charlie.

"We're going next." Dean spoke up, gesturing to himself and Castiel, but Ruby shot them a look.

"The closet won't even be useable after you two get your freak on in there. You can wait your turn."

Dean looked annoyed, but Castiel didn't appear to care. Ruby span the bottle again, and Sam's stomach swooped when he noticed it had landed on him.

"Alright, I'm guessing you're with Gabriel?"

Sam didn't even have a chance to reply before Gabriel was enthusiastically dragging him into the closet and the door was being shut behind them. Inside, it was dark and claustrophobic, but Gabriel's arms moved around Sam and made him feel safe.

"So, Sammy," Gabriel's voice whispered in his ear, "How much are you up for?"

Instead of answering, Sam moved quickly and captured Gabriel's lips in a passionate kiss.

If the small moan was any indication, Gabriel heartily approved of this plan of action, kissing back with vigour and threading his fingers in Sam's shirt. Sam moved his own hands to rest against the closet wall on either side of Gabriel, pinning him there. Gabriel pulled away to take a breath and Sam transferred his lips to Gabriel's neck, drawing a louder moan from the smaller man. Gabriel's skin tasted slightly of soap but Sam ignored the taste in favour of sucking a hickey onto the pulse point.

Gabriel pushed Sam away before capturing his lips again, his hands moving to the buttons of Sam's shirt and pulling them open. Sam distantly remembered that getting undressed was probably a bad idea, but he allowed Gabriel to remove the annoying fabric and run his hands over Sam's chest. His hands were soft and warm, and Sam moaned quietly as Gabriel circled a nipple. His own hands scrabbled under Gabriel's shirt, running over the contours of his back as they continued to kiss.

Slowly, Gabriel moved his lips from Sam's mouth down his neck, reaching his collarbone and sucking. Sam almost hit his head against the wall as he threw it back, resisting the urge to dig his nails into Gabriel's skin in pleasure. He could feel himself hardening under the onslaught of sensations, and when Gabriel's tongue touched his nipple he cried out.

Sam was just about to pull Gabriel up so he could kiss him again when the alarm sounded, causing him to jump and smack his head against the wall. Pain shot through his skull and he staggered, and when the door opened he practically fell onto the floor, blinded by pain and sudden brightness.

As his senses returned, Sam noticed a couple of people staring at him, and realised his shirt was hanging open with a prominent hickey forming on his collarbone. He quickly moved to do his shirt up again, but a pair of hands moved over his chest and stopped him in his quest.

"Leave it, Sasquatch. Let's go upstairs."

Gabriel's voice was seductive, and Sam's knees felt a little weak as it sparked his imagination. But he was nervous, much more nervous than he had been playing Seven Minutes in Heaven. It was only a few hours ago that Sam and Gabriel had become an official pair, and while he was now fifteen, Sam was still a young and inexperienced virgin and he had a feeling Gabriel was suggesting something more. Feeling more sober than he had done all evening, Sam tried to hide his butterflies as he jerkily nodded and allowed Gabriel to lead him out and up the winding staircase of Samandriel's place.

"Are we allowed up here?" Sam asked, keeping his voice steady.

Gabriel let out a low laugh. "Sammykins, it's quite expected at parties like this that people'll pile into random rooms. The ones with socks on the door are in use or we're not allowed in. Party code."

Gabriel pushed open the first door they came to and Sam followed him into what was obviously a guest bedroom. Most of the space was taken up by a double bed with a rather ugly floral pattern. Gabriel shot Sam a confident smile, and Sam shakily returned it, before trying to hide his nerves by leaning down to press as kiss to Gabriel's lips.

As always, kissing Gabriel was both exciting and relaxing, and Sam found himself calming as he got lost in the sensation. Gabriel peeled Sam's shirt entirely off and brushed his hands over the nipples again, and Sam in return pulled at Gabriel's shirt until he moved back so Sam could just yank it over his head.

Gabriel tried to push Sam back against the bed, but Sam had never been one to relinquish control. And in instead he span Gabriel around so that he was the one being pushed down. Climbing so that he was hovering over Gabriel, Sam lowered his lips to Gabriel's neck, working his way quickly down and leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. Below him, Gabriel squirmed in pleasure, occasionally letting out a small gasp or moan when Sam came across a particularly sensitive spot. Being in control reinstated Sam's confidence, and he found himself kissing down Gabriel's stomach getting closer and closer to his hardness below.

Before he could get there, Gabriel was yanking at his hair and pulling him up for another kiss, their tongues clashing. His hands roamed freely over Sam's back, venturing down to cup his ass and apply pressure to encourage him to grind down. Sam found himself tensing again, caught between the pressing arousal that was demanding friction and the logical part of his brain that was screaming about going too fast and having no idea what to do. Fortunately, Gabriel seemed to pick up on this and pulled his mouth away, moving his hands to a safer place on Sam's upper back.

"Are you OK, Sammy? This isn't too much?"

Embarrassed, Sam moved his mouth to kiss Gabriel's neck again, but Gabriel moved away.

"Stop avoiding the subject, Sammy. We can talk about this."

Sam sighed, before rolling off Gabriel and looking at him in the dim light.

"I'm fine, Gabriel. This is just... still quite new. But it's fine. More than fine."

Gabriel didn't look convinced, but he gave Sam a weak smile anyway.

"OK. But if it gets too much, just tell me and we'll slow down. You set the pace. I can wait."

The sentiment was lovely, but it made Sam feel horribly inexperienced, and he returned to kissing Gabriel like he had something to prove.

Hands caressed flushed skin and mouths sucked bruises wherever they could reach, emitting moans whenever things got particularly heated. Sam returned to his worshipping of Gabriel's torso, kissing around Gabriel's slightly raised belly with reverence. People always put so much stock on muscles on guys, but the soft, slightly pudgy stomach Gabriel had was almost a relief to Sam. He was used to the softness of girls, and muscles on Gabriel would just be too different. The muscular guys you saw in magazines or online had never done anything for him.

Gabriel's hands moved to cup Sam's ass again, but this time he was more relaxed, enjoying the hands moving over the denim. He dipped his hips down and gave an experimental roll against Gabriel's, a loud moan tearing itself from both their throats at the sensation.

Fuck, did Sam need to do that again.

The kissing and touching descended into messy grinding, Gabriel gripping Sam's ass and moving him in a desperate bid for friction. Sam had never felt anything quite like it before, and found his head foggy with all of the pleasure coursing through him. It lasted much less time than he would like, before his vision went white and his muscles tensed as he came, coating his boxers in uncomfortable stickiness, He squirmed at the sensation, already wanting to wash it off despite the post-orgasmic haze.

However, Gabriel was a lot more experienced and wouldn't come from a few minutes of awkward grinding. Sam felt nervous at the prospect of doing anything else, but he didn't want to leave Gabriel hanging.

"It's fine, Samalam. More than fine. Go clean yourself up, I'll finish myself off."

Sam felt guilty. "I can just..." He didn't know what to offer.

Gabriel gave a reassuring smile, although Sam could tell from his eyes that he regretted having to do it.

"Don't worry about it. That was probably your first time coming with a partner. I know what it's like when you're inexperienced, I've been there."

Sam didn't want to think about his boyfriend with anyone else, but admittedly it was quite reassuring. He sighed.

"If you're sure?"

"I'm sure."

With one last guilty glance, Sam traipsed out to find a bathroom and clean the quickly drying come off. Behind him, Gabriel followed Sam's progress with a slightly wistful look before dipping his hand into his pants to finally get a release.


End file.

Supernatural, Drama, Romance