Gabriel Novak is just a Some Kid. He isn't a Smart Kid or a Popular Kid or a Bad Kid either, just a Some Kid. His little brother Castiel is a Smart Kid, his oldest brother Michael is a Popular Kid and, according to popular opinion (although not necessarily Gabriel's own), his other big brother Lucifer is a Bad Kid. But none of that changes how Gabriel is just a Some Kid.
Sam Winchester, in Gabriel's mind at least, is somehow all of the above in some way or another, apart from a Popular Kid. Sammy, as Gabriel calls the kid against said kid's will, is a Smart Kid and a Some Kid and a Hurt Kid and, in the eyes of Sam's father, a Bad Kid too. Gabriel doesn't agree with that last one though. Not when he knows for a fact that Sam has never neglected a single piece of homework or ever done anything to upset another human being.
The Hurt Kid part of Sam Winchester is intertwined with the father's seeing him as a Bad Kid. At least, that's what Gabriel Novak thinks from all of his careful observations of the kid.
Sam is in most of Castiel's classes and, given their vast array of similarities, it would have been stupid for the two of them not to be friends. Castiel spends most of his spare time reading and so does Sam (albeit Castiel's tastes are fairly different from the slew of Stephen King and H.P Lovecraft novels that Sam is in love with). Castiel always overthinks everything and so does Sam. Castiel is scared of big brother Lucifer and so is Sam, given that Lucifer gives the poor kid hell every time he comes over.
So Sam is Castiel's friend. His best friend. And that is how Gabriel met Sam Winchester. And somewhere along the line, nobody concerned knows exactly when, the two of them got together.
Dean, Sam's big brother, had been furious with Gabriel; said that the kid was too old for Sammy, which is bullshit seeing as it was only a three year age difference, with Sam being sixteen and Gabriel being nineteen. He also said that there was something about that Gabriel kid he just didn't like. This, apparently, was reason enough for Dean Winchester to have a vendetta against Gabriel Novak.
One time, before they were officially Sam and Gabriel but were definitely more than just Sam and Gabriel, Sammy had come over for dinner. This was before Lucifer took up an all-consuming hobby of drinking and thus was present at the time. Sam had been on his own for five minutes whilst Castiel was making dinner and Gabriel was choosing a DVD for them to watch. Gabriel returned to the living room to find a very distressed looking Sammy and a very smug looking Lucifer. The result of which had been a couple of thrown punches and Gabriel making out with Sam on the couch when Castiel came in to announce that dinner was, finally, ready.
So, yes. Gabriel is a Some Kid with a Smart/Some/Hurt/Bad Kid for a boyfriend. Gabriel just wishes that the Hurt Kid would piss off somewhere and leave him with a Happy Kid.
000
Gabriel's chilling out on his bed in his shared room with Castiel. Their dad is out, just like always, and the two oldest brothers stormed out of the house simultaneously two hours ago after a cataclysmic shouting match. Castiel is brooding in the kitchen over a giant pot of broth, playing Mom like always, and how most of it will be wasted now that Lucifer and Michael have gone out.
All in all, it's pretty much a normal evening in the Novak household.
Well, that's not entirely true. One thing is not right about the current situation and no matter how much Gabriel would like to hide how much it worries him under his cocky attitude and let it dissolve like a candy in his mouth, he just can't. Because the one not right thing is Sam. Or rather, Sam's lack of communication with Gabriel.
Yes, he knows that he's acting like a big stupid girl. Yes, he knows that he's totally whipped. And yes, he knows that there probably is nothing to worry about. But that doesn't stop him because this is his Sammy; his oversized but extremely lovable boyfriend.
Normally Sammy would have texted him first thing after high school was out. In the odd occasions where he didn't, he always texted Gabriel back in record-breaking time. Maybe Gabriel should text him again.
answer me cupcake
Another five minutes passes without response. Castiel shouts up something about how Gabriel better not be ruining his appetite with rainbow Twizzlers again. But Gabriel is too worried about Sam to eat, something that Sam would take as a massive compliment if he ever knew it.
seriously sambo txt me
This time only a minute passes before something actually happens. There's a rumble of an overused (or as Dean Winchester would say, over-loved) car from outside, the engine giving an upset gurgle as the brakes are applied with a little bit too much force, as though the driver is in an urgent hurry. He vaguely thinks he can hear a hurried knocking at the front door downstairs but is too busy looking at his cell to pay full attention.
"Gabriel, Sam is here!"
Only now, that Castiel's shout has broken his wall of self-absorption, can Gabriel hear the distinct sound of Dean Winchester mouthing-off downstairs.
He's never made the journey from his room to the front door so fast in all of his life. He hopes he'll never have to again.
000
Dean Winchester is driving. It's the only think he can think to do right now, aside from ponder how on earth this could actually happen.
Actually, he can kind of see how it happened, what with the ever-growing rift that seems to be developing between Sammy and their Dad. He just wishes he couldn't see because then maybe, just maybe, it would go away.
He won't ever be able to unsee what he saw earlier though. He won't ever be able to forget the heated argument between Sammy and their dad about something so insignificant that he can't even remember it now, forty minutes after it happened. He won't ever be able to forget the moment when Sammy started to cry because of something their father said. He won't ever be able to forget the moment that John Winchester punched his baby brother, once, twice, three times.
And he won't ever be able to forget how Sammy begged him, with a bloody nose and through unrestrained sobs, to take him to see Gabriel Novak.
So that's what Dean is doing now; he's driving with Sam sniffling in the passenger seat over to the Novak place. Because it doesn't matter whether he likes Gabriel or not right now, all that matters is that Sammy wants, needs to see his boyfriend and feel loved. There was a time when being with Dean would have been enough and it hurts that that time isn't now.
Dean looks over at his brother and winces at the sight of the bruises steadily forming all over the kid's blotchy face, at the blood drying around Sam's nose, at the unspoken look of fear in the boy's eyes. It makes Dean feel physically ill to see his kid brother like this but he'd rather be seeing it than leave Sammy alone right now. No matter how hard Dean tries though, he can't hate his father for what he did. John's never done it before and, judging by the horrified look etched into the man's face earlier, he won't ever be doing it again.
But that doesn't change right now, with Sammy shaking in the seat next to him. So Dean reaches out a hand and squeezes Sam's knee reassuringly.
"It's okay, Sammy. We're nearly there now."
000
Gabriel's sat on his bed, curled protectively around his boyfriend as though he expects something to be stupid enough to try and hurt the kid whilst he's around. Castiel's downstairs with Dean, trying to calm the protective big brother down with a generously sized bowl of broth.
When Sammy first arrived with Dean, the kid had looked like a zombie. All it took was for Gabriel to tug him into a great big bear hug for Sam to crumble though, and he carried on crying even as Gabriel wiped away the blood from his nose in the upstairs bathroom. He only stopped crying when Gabriel tucked him into his bed and clambered in beside him, curling around him like a protective bubble.
So now here they are, neither of them willing to move from their positions of comfort. It's comforting for Sammy because he feels safe and loved; it's comforting for Gabriel because he feels useful and loved.
But he knows something needs to be said. Something, maybe not to make it all alright, but something that will make Sam know it's alright to talk about what happened.
"Sammy?" He whispers, worried that the kid might have already fallen asleep in his arms. He finds this worrying because he thinks there is quite a high chance of his boyfriend having a concussion. "You with me, Kiddo?"
Sam nods against his chest, his eyes squeezed shut against the threat of tears. He can't remember a time when he cried like he has done today. In the back of his mind he feels mildly embarrassed about it but the forefront of his mind is too full of hurt and thoughts like Dad hates me and can I ever go home and I did deserve it, didn't I to pay too much attention to his embarrassment.
Gabriel sighs and runs a soothing hand through Sam's long, scruffy hair.
"You wanna talk about it?" He asks, playing with a tuft of aforementioned hair like he would normally play with a lollipop stick; it's kind of a nervous habit. "Because, well, I think you should."
Sam breathes in heavily and sighs in exhale. He pushes away from Gabriel and sits up, his eyes huge and doleful in a way that reminds Gabriel of an innocent, abused puppy. The bruises are fully formed now, big splodges of dark blue and greyish-black marring Sam's skin like a horrible rash. The sight makes Gabriel feel furious; how dare someone do this to his Sammy?
But Gabriel collects himself and locks eyes with his younger boyfriend. He has to get Sam to talk about it. Just like when Lucifer really lost it with Castiel and he had to do very much the same thing as he's doing to Sam now, apart from without the romance.
"C'mon, Kiddo, tell Gabe all about it." His voice is soft, coaxing, like he's speaking to a frightened animal and not to his sixteen-year-old boyfriend. "It'll help."
For encouragement, Gabriel presses a soft kiss to Sam's lips. He lets it linger, makes sure that Sam can feel it and then pulls away. It's different to how most of their kisses are (usually Gabriel is all hands and teeth and tongue) but it's not a bad thing in this case. Not when he can tell that it gives Sam some form of strength.
"He punched me, Gabe." Sam's voice is croaky with tears, his face mildly haunted. "My dad punched me in the face. I should've seen it coming, I know I should have, but it still hurts."
"I know it does, Sammy." Gabriel whispers, clasping onto Sam's hand and holding it tightly in his own. Suddenly, an idea strikes Gabriel right between the eyes. It's ridiculous but so appealing that he can't help but voice it. "We could run away."
"What?" Sam looks at Gabriel like his boyfriend has grown a pair of wings and sprouted a halo. Whilst the idea definitely has crossed Sam's mind before, he knows he could never do it; he could never do something like that to Dean. But if his father carries on like this he's afraid that he might just have to. "You're crazy, Gabriel."
"Only for you."
The line is so cheesy that the honesty behind it makes it sound funny. And they both laugh, a desperate, starved sort of laugh. But it's a laugh nonetheless and that's more than enough for Gabriel.
"Just think about it though, Sammy." There's a touch of begging in the older man's voice, like he really wants to do it and truly believes that they can. "We could run away from everything you hate, from everything you fight. It'd be just you and me and whoever we wanted to know where we are. Cas could come with us. Dean too, if you really wanted him to come." He kisses Sam, another long and lingering one, needing to stop for a moment to catch his words. "We'll run away from everything you hate to everything you want and love, Sam."
And Sam wants so much to say yes. Not just because he likes the idea but because it's Gabriel.
"Maybe one day, Gabe."
The 'but not today' is left unsaid. Then again though, so is the 'not ever'.
00000
A/N: I know I've been really inactive lately on here, but I've just started college and am having a kind of mid-life crisis despite being sixteen (so I guess that makes it a quarter-life crisis?). Anyways, I've been wanting to write this fic for weeks, ever since I got obsessed with the awesome Madina Lake song 'Stars'. I took some words from the chorus, which goes like this;
We'll run away from everything you hate,
Run away to everything you wanted.
Take my hand, let's get famous!
We'll run away from everything you've fought,
Run away to everything you love.
Take my hand, let's get famous!
Thank you very much for reading this, I hope you liked it and please let me know what you think! :3