[ Eight Months ]

Pairing: Destiel, one-sided Sabriel, Sam/Jess
Rating: R-18 (for descriptive scenes of violence, mentions of abuse, suggestive situations)
Summary: It's a fairly uneventful day in town, except there are slightly awkward meetings between each Winchester and a Novak. Introductions are out of the way, at least.
Word Count: 3321
Note: I had originally planned to write this out as a two part ficlet, but it ended up coming out so much larger in my head that I actually couldn't stop myself from writing some chapters up ahead of time. Supernatural does not belong to me. I'm sure if it did, there would be a lot more Chuck involved, because I love Chuck.

May 27, 1999 – Thursday

Castiel loves jogging. He likes the feeling of the wind pressing against his skin and the smell the flowers give off when they rustle back and forth in the breeze. All of these things were created by his Father above, his Lord and Savior. It pleases him to know that God found something beautiful on this Earth that he focused on making it prettier. It means so much to him that he can barely stand it. There was something here worth fighting for, something to rebel for and while Castiel hadn't found his reason yet, he felt as though he someday might. Maybe, he notes with a little shiver, it would be someday soon.

His brother Gabriel has decided to join him this afternoon. You see, unlike the rest of their family, they're prepared to try and go to college. Michael can't afford to send them all to go, but he knows his youngest siblings have the highest chance of actually getting somewhere in the real world. The tiny town of Sioux Falls couldn't contain their sense of adventure and it was noted carefully that while Castiel and Gabriel were brothers in arms, the older of the two was the biggest trickster in the family next to Balthazar. Cas is the innocent one out of the bunch, the most naïve, the most protected – But he knows it isn't intended to be any other way. This was his fate, and he liked it.

The path the brothers are following goes in and out of the streets. There's a park, but it's small and there are plenty of children gathered around in awe. It's a pretty picture. Cas has always loved children. They were the fruit of his Father. They would grow up and become fine young men and women and serve Him like Castiel would. He was a Novak, his oldest brothers beacons of the church, and he was well on his way to becoming a preacher. It has always been one of his hidden desires to carry on the legacy he was sure his father must have started. Everyone held the late Jimmy Novak with high regard and expected his children to go as far as he had in life. His children had done their best to keep their good reputation going. Every child who went to the Church of Christ looked up to Michael and Uriel, the babies clung to Balthazar's chest while the teenagers followed Gabriel around because he could crack jokes a mile a minute; Castiel favored hanging out with the Elders of the church. They always told the most amazing experiences in their lives. He found it fascinating.

The air is getting thick with humidity, making it hard to draw in once easy breaths. Castiel reaches out to tap his brother on the shoulder. Gabriel doesn't seem troubled that the other has to fall out and waves at him idly before continuing on his way. The youngest Novak finds a nice bench to rest and politely excuses himself as he sits down beside an older woman whose gnarly fingers tremble lightly as she holds her cane. It's quiet sitting beside her. She doesn't speak or look over at him. It's an awkward setting, but he's just trying to catch his breath as much as he can before he actually goes back on the path until he can find his brother again. After a few minutes of resting, his lungs stop burning and he's content to stay where he's placed himself on the bench, reclined slightly so his muscles have a chance to breathe. There are birds in front of them, fluttering from side to side.

She must have been feeding them.

People do so many interesting things. Feeding birds shouldn't really be all that amazing to see, but Castiel tilts his chin to the side slightly in awe. Michael took him to feed birds once when he was a child. He'd been chased around by the wild ducks around the lake and had cried for a couple of minutes, thinking the creatures had hated him when it was really because he simply hadn't released the bread from his childish fingers. Once he'd been told that was the reason, he'd stopped his hollering and tossed the crumbled pieces forward. Instantly, the ducks flocked around him and pecked at the ground, honking at him gratefully as they picked up what they'd been offered. He had sat in Michael's lap until the very last duck had finished its meal. When he'd asked if they could keep one, his other brother had laughed and denied him the right. They were God's creatures, not his. That's why the Novaks never had any pets: no dogs, no cats, and no birds. Animals didn't deserve to be kept inside.

Castiel can breathe much easier now. He stretches his tired legs out in front of him and picks himself up off the dirty bench, raising his arms until they're well above his head and he can feel his spine pop occasionally. The fabric of his gray tee feels nice against his chest. It's cool now because of the sweat. He starts his jogging again. The rhythm he sets is slow because he doesn't want to get winded again before he reaches Gabriel. This is their routine now. Once he catches up, they'll sprint all the way back to the bicycles they had ridden from their nice little home and pedal all the way back where Uriel would have cooked supper for them. Balthazar would insist that they go and wash up before eating and when Gabriel complained, Michael would step in and firmly reprimand them both. Of course Gabe would try to jest some more, but they both knew that if they didn't follow Michael's orders, they would be in a grave amount of trouble.

Has he mentioned how nice it is to run? It's one of those activities that he doesn't have to think so much. He's not worried about starting college or gathering up enough money to put himself through without stressing his other siblings about. It's hard enough as it is watching Michael and Uriel break their backs trying to work to be able to afford the bills without causing them to stress over the fact that he's going to be leaving in a few months too. He won't be starting the semester during the fall, but he'll be leaving at the conclusion of the end of it. He hopes by that time he'll be able to pay for whatever he needs. He's been working small jobs, babysitting babies from the church, teaching them simple things like writing and reading while their parents were off on mission trips to spread the Lord's word. So far he's earned enough to pay for all his text books. Now all he needs to do is gather enough to pay for the classes. Michael will be so proud of him once it's all over.

He's running, paying no attention to where he's going, when he suddenly collides with a large mass that sends him stumbling backwards. An embarrassed heat coats his features as he raises his gaze, apologizes already tumbling from his lips when he finds his gaze trapped in the strong stare of someone he's supposed to keep far away from.

Uriel has warned him that the Winchesters are bad news. They've got quite the bad reputation in Sioux Falls. People whisper that their mother was a whore, and that their father was the one who killed her in a drunken rage, and the things they whisper about Sam and Dean are unforgettable. The teenage girls who have been foolish enough to be ensnared by the finely chiseled curve of the boys' jaws have never been the same since then. Castiel remembers the one time a girl came into confession. She was pregnant, and she was apologizing to God for disobeying his commands to only proceed in sexual desire once married. He remembers how guilty she sounded. She had mentioned his name. She said she had seen the devil in his bright green eyes.

The youngest Novak is staring right into Dean Winchester's gaze, mouth hanging slightly ajar as he tries to think of something intelligible to say that won't sound as though he's going to try to completely avoid the situation.

It surprises him, because Dean speaks first.

"Ah, sorry, man – I'm running late to work and I didn't mean to run into you," the Winchester says, holding his hands up apologetically. His eyes rake down the shorter man's frame to make sure there is no damage done. For some reason, Castiel feels smaller beneath his look. "Are you okay?"

"Oh – Yes, I am well," Castiel replies. The words are lame in his tongue.

For a moment, they're left staring at each other instead of talking. Castiel doesn't know what to say around the Winchester. He's not supposed to be around the Winchester. He remembers very clearly as to why. Uriel had been very clear that they were not to interact with them because 1) they didn't go to church and 2) they weren't the most appropriate creatures to be around. Uriel talked about them like they were dogs that were meant to be left on the side of the street. He claims they were about as unholy as Lucifer's pentagram. Of course, Balthazar had stepped in with his never ending knowledge of all things Wiccan and noted that the pentagram was originally used in witchcraft. It hadn't always been associated with the devil; that had been a ploy created by the prosecutors during the medieval times so the people charged with being a witch were easier to get rid of. Uriel hadn't enjoyed that statement.

Castiel realizes that he's the one standing in the way of Dean passing by and moves away from the center of the path, innocently blue eyes gleaming with apprehension. The Winchester doesn't try to interact with him anymore, and once he's positive he hasn't given the short male any sort of blunt trauma, he goes well on his way to his work.

Castiel swallows and rushes off to find Gabriel.

dcsgdcgsdcsg

Samuel Winchester is well aware of the rumors about his family: that their father is a murderer, their deceased mother a prostitute, his brother the unknowing father of many children, but he knows that most of those aren't true. His father never laid a single hand on his mother (not that he could remember, it's just what Dean promised him) and his mother never once raised her skirt for anyone besides the man she had married. The only rumors he couldn't necessarily discard as gossip were the ones about his brother. That didn't mean he had to believe them, though.

He's carrying books in a bag over his shoulder, trekking his way back down to the apartment they share. Dean pays for most of the stuff they have their and for the rent. The only thing he makes Sam do is work so he has enough money to pay for his first semester at Stanford. It's expensive, of course, but the youngest has been saving up for years and years, ever since he'd been sixteen and first started working at Bobby's to get through school. Most of him feels really guilty for putting Dean through so much stress, but his brother never says anything about it, so he never says anything about it. The Winchesters have never been much of a touchy-feely kind of family. Their feelings were kept to themselves and they didn't really trust anyone who they hadn't known for a few years ahead of time. It wasn't as bad as it sounded, but their dad had been missing for a while and Sam wasn't all too fond of the thought of someone else coming in to take care of them.

The books in questions are thick and heavy, some dealing with law, some dealing with other important things that have to do with a good college education. Dean isn't really fond of Sam going off on his own so far from Sioux Falls, but he hasn't complained about it since Sam brought it up. In fact, he's been really cordial about the whole deal. It's relieving. Usually they go into this huge bitch fight and call each other horrible things until Dean is eventually tore down by it all and retreat back to his room to brood. Sam would just go back to researching whatever it was that he was looking at that had to do with Stanford. He wasn't going to apologize for wanting to go out and better his education. He wants to get out of Sioux Falls. There wasn't anything for him here.

It's never been really home. Sam remembers when Dean used to talk about Mom and Dad a lot, about how happy of a family they were until she died, but the youngest doesn't really have any memories of her. He was just six months when she died; it wasn't that much of a big deal to him anyway. It was Dean who's overly attached to the concrete they walk back and forth across. This was where he was born and raised until today. There are so many things emotional to him here at home that it would almost kill him to even consider leaving. Dean's the best one at making friends. Sam has always been the quieter brother.

Sam's been walking for quite some time now. He's gone back and forth between the apartment and the library several times trying to complete his summer reading list. He'd been told by his English teacher that it was imperative to complete everything on the list so that he was ahead of everyone else. With the highest GPA in the small high school, Sam was a prized student and cherished the thought of being smarter than everyone else. It gave him something to hang over Dean's head. Dean has his GED, so he's not entirely stupid, but he's not as smart as Sam is either. It's nothing to boast about, but it sometimes makes him feel better at himself since Dean has almost everything else going for him in his life; his good looks and charm being at the top of the list.

The path he's walking on is quiet for the most part. There's the occasional jogger that passes by, the woman walking her mangy looking dog, and the little old lady who always feeds the birds out, but there's nothing really special there. Sam hates it. Sioux Falls is an incredibly quiet town with nothing going for it except the Church of Christ, but he doesn't attend. He's never felt the need to. Unlike Dean, who will outright deny the existence of any god whatsoever, there's a smidge of belief instilled in Sam. There had to have been something that created the world, and he likes to believe that while something is out there, it's nothing he can really put his finger on so every religion is slightly correct. He won't let himself to fall under any category besides strictly agnostic.

But there's a new sound that has joined his ears, and it's not the quiet, occasional chirp of a bird as it flits between trees. It's the sound of groaning. Sam goes to check out where the noise is coming from and isn't all that surprised to find a jogger laying in the thick grass, an obviously swollen ankle raised in the air as the man tries to catch his breath. It's obvious that it hurts. The ground is embarrassingly uneven and hectic, so jogger's usually watch out for where they're going. It's not like driving, though, and there's no warning of there being a dip in the road before some unsuspecting fool gets his leg tangled up in the mess and lands flat on his face while trying to exercise. Sam gives a soft sigh and sets his book bag on the ground, sliding his way over to the injured man.

"Hey, is everything okay?" he asks.

He's met with the shockingly amber gaze of one of the Novak boys. Although there were twice as many bad rumors about him and his brother, there was the same amount of good gossip about the powerful Novak family. All the children were orphaned, of course, and one was even adopted. Dean never said he had to stay away from them, but the fact that they were all high and mighty and powerful made Sam wary to be around them. They were strong powers in the church, and outside of the church, they were loved by the entire community because they were just good people. While the Winchesters were hated and scorned against, the Novaks were praised. With closer inspection, Sam is lead to believe that this one in front of him is Gabriel, the second youngest.

"Oh, I'm just fine and dandy," Gabriel snorts. He doesn't sit up though, and his voice is laced with pain and discomfort. "You wouldn't happen to have a bandage in that back of yours, would you?"

Sam almost feels bad for him. "No, I don't."

Gabriel groans.

"But…I can probably make you a makeshift one really quick," Sam cuts in before the Novak has any chance to say something negative. He stands up and dusts the dirt off his jeans, looking around the area until he's found two even sticks and comes back. "I need both of your socks, though. You'll have to go sockless."

"Ugh." It's the response he receives for his suggestion.

It's disgusting, he knows, but it's the only way he can make a stint without having proper items. Gabriel grumbles as he goes about his new business, fingers scrambling to remove his shoes and socks. He presses the sweaty fabric into Sam's hands. They both grimace, but neither complains. The young Winchester presses the two sticks he found against the side of Gabriel's ankle and wraps one sweaty sock around the top of the sticks, and the other one at the base of the sticks. He waits until Gabriel has fixed his shoes back on his feet before standing up.

"Hey, thanks," Gabriel says, tentatively putting his weight onto his foot. There's a flash of chagrin in his gaze, like he's embarrassed that he had to have something do something for him that was probably so easy.

"It's not a problem. When you get home, you should probably put it on a pillow and ice it, though," Sam explains. "The ice will get it to stop throbbing, and keeping it raised above your heart will make the swelling go down. It should feel better soon."

"Dude, you're so smart," the other returns.

Sam wants to reply with a rude response, but doesn't, because he knows bragging doesn't sound good on anyone. "No problem, I'm sure anyone would have done it."

Gabriel regards him with those clever yellow eyes of his. "Yeah, I'm sure anyone would have, but you're a Winchester. Aren't you supposed to only help your brother? Aren't outsiders not allowed into the club?"

Another rumor, it seems. An older businessman by the name of Crowley likes to mention that the boys are so erotically dependant on each other that they would do anything to keep each other alive. Sam is hoping that one he leaves for college, the rumors will go away and Dean will be able to have a normal life. Something tells him his wish won't come true, though. They've got the curse of the Winchesters. They aren't allowed to be happy.

"…we have a club?" he asks stupidly instead.

It gets Gabriel off his case, at least, because the man huffs, "Yeah, y'know what, forget I said anything? I'll see you around, Moose." And with that, the Novak is off, leaving Sam questioning what the term "moose" has to do with anything.