A/N: Okay, yes, another new Supernatural story. Yes, I know I already have so many stories going at once right now, but this story idea just kept buzzing in my skull, so I needed to add it to my collection. And it helps me to cope. My ex and I are having a lot of issues right now. All I want is to prove to him that I love him and that now I'm ready to be with him forever, but so far, he isn't willing to hear me out.

Anyway, I hope you guys like this story. It's quite dramatic. And don't forget that if you review, you'll be put on the wall of fame for the next chapter. (Well, since I'm adding two chapters at once, if you guys review either the first or second chapter, your names will be put on the wall of fame for the third chapter. Sound good?)

As always, I do not share any views expressed by any characters in this story. And I own nothing in this story.

Please read, review, and enjoy.

Dean sighed, tossing his phone into the black, rolling chair a few feet from him. He turned his attention back down to the silver, electric guitar he was holding. "Focus, Dean," he mumbled to himself. Currently, he was attempting to learn the riff from "Madness" by Muse. Although the riff was short, Dean had come to love the song, so he felt a need to learn at least part of it. Ignoring his brother's text messages was breaking his focus, however, and he groaned, unplugging the guitar from the amp and putting it back in the display case he had been sitting by.

He glanced at his watch, then towards the door. Some kid had an appointment with him at 2:30, and so far he was late. Dean didn't accept lateness from other people – though he wasn't exactly punctual himself. He was almost always late with his rent, and he didn't always open the shop on time; but Dean had worked his ass off for years just so that he could open his own instrument shop, so if he wanted to slack off a bit, he would. At Shredder Identity, Dean mostly sold guitars for the past three years, but he carried all instruments under the sun – pianos, harps, electric violins, even ocarinas, if you're into that.

After owning the store for a year or so, Dean had decided he'd start teaching guitar as well. It made his job a little bit more entertaining, getting to see how excited someone got when they learned how to play their favorite song. To apply for Dean's class, all you needed was a guitar, a little cash, and to tell him your favorite song. He would have it learned before it came time for your lesson so that his teaching would be flawless. Most people chose easy songs, others came in wanting to learn Metallica, or AC/DC. The kid that was supposed to be coming in today had wanted to learn "Boom Boom" by ZZ Top. Not exactly the simplest song to start with.

Maybe the kid got cold feet, because now it was 2:43, and still he hadn't shown. Dean stood, walking behind the counter, humming the song lightly. He picked up the phone, dialing that kid's number, because maybe he forgot or he got held up at work. Just as the phone was ringing, his cellphone started buzzing in the chair behind him, begging to be answered. He glared back at the phone, as if his eyes could burn through it to tell Sam to give him some God damn space. The kid wasn't picking up yet, so Dean quickly answered his phone. "Make it snappy, I'm tryin' to call a customer."

"Why haven't you been responding to my texts?"

Dean sighed, sitting down in his chair, holding his cellphone closer to his ear and his work phone a bit farther away, which had now rang about 10 times. "Sammy, I just don't know if I'm ready for all this yet. You gotta admit, you kinda just dropped this all in my lap-"

"Hello?"

Dean murmured a curse under his breath, leaning back to the work phone. "Hey kid, uh…" he looked at the contact information in front of him, "Stuart. You plannin' on comin' in today, or what? I can't wait forever, man. Apparently I have other obligations-"

"Dean?" Sam's voice came from the other phone.

"Hang on, Stuart." Dean switched phones again. "Sam, I have another call, so I can't talk right now-"

"Please, Dean? It's really important to me that you meet him. I-I know I sprung everything on you all of the sudden, but come on. It would really mean a lot to me, please."

Dean was silent, pressing his lips into a flat line. After thinking about it a minute longer, and deciding he didn't really have a choice, he replied, "Just text me a time, and I guess I'll come later. But I swear Sam, if I feel uncomfortable at all, I'm leavin'. I won't hesitate, I'll just walk out."

With that, he hung up, apologizing to Stuart on the other line, who was patiently waiting. They talked for a few minutes, and then rescheduled Stuart's appointment for the next day, same time. Supposedly, Stuart had a little surprise visit from an ex. Dean smiled, chuckling. He remembered his wild, crazy days. Now all he had was his shop and a brother who'd just come out of the closet a few days before. Already, Dean was meeting his brother's boyfriend. They'd been dating for two weeks, and Sam didn't want to hide anything from Dean anymore. Dean had been fine not knowing the details of his little brother's romantic life.

His little brother, the sheriff of Sioux Falls, greatly admired by the community, liked penis.

Thoughts like that gave Dean the willies.

Sam had informed Dean that dinner would be at 7:30, and has asked that he not be late. Just for that, Dean was planning on showing up around 7:45. He closed shop a little after six and then walked next door to Long Live Body Art, the tattoo/piercing parlor that his good buddy Gabriel Novak owned. Gabe had been asking Dean for a long time to come over and get a tattoo of some kind, but Dean had always turned him down. The secret was, badass Dean Winchester didn't like needles.

Upon walking in, Dean was hit with a wall of why-is-the-air-so-smoky air and slow rock music with no lyrics. He smiled as he rubbed his eyes, which were struggling to adjust to the dimmed light from the somewhat-brighter sunlight outside. Why did it always have to feel like a cross between a Halloween haunted house and a strip club in there?

"Hey Deano," called out a voice from across the parlor. Dean raised his head and followed the voice to the back, where Gabriel was giving a tattoo to a rather bulbous, bald man on the back of his neck. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, wiping away some of the black ink from the outline of the flaming motorcycle helmet he was currently tracing.

Dean half smiled down at the customer who was trying to tough it out. "How you holdin' up buddy? I wish I could tell you it gets better, but I honestly have no idea." He then looked at Gabriel, who was focusing intently on his work. "I can come back tomorrow, since you're busy."

Gabriel shook his head, pulling back his needle and looking up at Dean, a brow crooked. "Do you seriously underestimate me so much that you think your talking to me could make me screw up this tattoo? I've been doing this for thirteen years. Show a little respect, music boy." He looked back down to his customer, continuing without warning, which made the man jump slightly. "Don't flinch, man, unless you want a tattoo of a squiggly line."

Laughing a little, Dean put his hands in his pockets. "Okay, okay, calm down. Don't get your feathers ruffled." He paused when Gabriel shot him a look, then half smiled. "Anyway, I came over to give you a bit of juicy news, but if you're gonna be rude, forget about it."

"Dean, don't be sucha tease. Cough it up, already." When Dean said nothing, Gabriel paused in making the tattoo to glance up at Dean, waiting patiently. "Are we going there, Dean? Is that what you're trying to tell me? Really?" Dean remained silent, just grinning and Gabriel sighed. "You know, Dean, you ruin my self-esteem with this. You are single-handedly bringing my confidence down to swim with the fishes."

"Whatever you say, Gabe," the taller man stated, crossing his arms, "but you know my policy. You're not gettin' anything outta me until you say it." Dean half smiled when Gabe just sighed, returning to his work momentarily with a new color. Gabriel was really going to flip when he found out that Sam was gay. It had been no secret that Gabe had been crushing on Sam for a really long time, though the shorter man had only just admitted it to Dean a few months ago. Gabriel had a hard time saying it, and Dean didn't exactly have an easy time with the news, but it hadn't been as difficult as when he found out about his little brother's sexuality.

Honestly, Dean couldn't see any reason now why Sam shouldn't like Gabriel back. Sure, it'd be awkward at first seeing his brother with his best friend – or at least, the closest person he had to a best friend outside of Sam – holding hands or kissing or whatever, but Dean would rather it all be with Gabe than anyone else. Gabriel wasn't completely unattractive, from a heterosexual point of view. He did have quite a few piercings, though Dean wasn't sure if that would be a turn off to Sam. Gabe had metallic, spiked snakebites, black 0g gauges, and at one point, Gabe had mentioned having piercings somewhere else that weren't visible with clothes on, but Dean didn't poke that bear. When Gabe wore sleeveless shirts, Dean could see that he had a tattoo of a rose with red petals and a black stem, which started on his left shoulder, the stem stretching down like long, black vines with sharp-looking thorns that ran down his bicep, ending at the beginning of his forearm. Gabriel also had a black tattoo of a dragonfly inside of his right wrist, but when Dean asked about it, Gabe had turned away, saying it was personal, so Dean left it alone.

The man under Gabe's needle squirmed, as if growing impatient, and Gabriel sighed, looking up at Dean again. "Okay, Dean, okay. This is what you want?" And thus, the spoils that Dean had been waiting for came forth – Gabe pouted. His eyes lit up like a whipped puppy in a commercial playing Sarah McLachlan music and the strongest men could've fallen when that bottom lip started quivering. "Please Dean? Please tell me the juicy news."

Dean laughed, and Gabe rolled his eyes, moving a bit quicker with the tattoo, earning a few mumblings from the man he was working on. "Okay, don't strain yourself," Dean said, waving a hand. "I'll tell you; you're going to go nuts." When Gabe switched colors again, Dean sighed through his nose, waiting to have his friend's full attention. "Come on, Gabe, this is super important. You're gonna lose your shit, I swear."

Gabriel paused, looking at Dean again. He searched Dean's eyes, then nodded. "Okay. Just let me finish this poor guy, and we'll talk." The customer visibly relaxed, and Dean smiled, nodding before walking away. "Sorry about that. He's a friend." Gabe could sense the bald man rolling his eyes, but he didn't care. He could only concentrate on what Dean could possibly have to say. Had he acquired a super rare guitar? Maybe he learned a new, amazing song. Or, quite possibly, Dean might be ready for a tattoo, or even a piercing.

While he waited, Dean looked over the wall of tattoo designs, glancing every now and then to another chair, where Gabe's red-headed coworker Charlie was giving a tattoo of a bird to a smoking hot blonde. Charlie was actually devoid of piercings, except for a small nose stud, but what she lacked in piercings, she made up for in tattoos. Gabe had told Dean once that the spunky redhead's first tattoo was of Princess Leia in her space slave bikini straddling a 20-sided die – from her nerdier days. They shared a good laugh over that, though they'd never let Charlie know. She had a way of making someone feel inferior with a certain look she would give.

"Stop staring," Charlie called after a few minutes. "Women are friends, not food." The blonde underneath her giggled, jiggling slightly. The redhead put a hand on her should. "Don't move, sweetie. I'd hate to scar you for life in a bad way."

Dean rolled his eyes. "As if you have anything to worry about from me." Charlie shot him her look, shutting him up immediately. Often, Dean liked to tease Charlie about the fact that she was a lesbian, though she thought it was because he'd always had a crush on her. Dean stopped to think about it, wondering when, how and why all the people surrounding him suddenly became gay.

Finally, Gabriel came jogging out to join him. "Thinking of getting one today, brother?" he asked, slapping a hand on the taller man's shoulder.

Dean cocked a brow at him. "What? You crazy? No. I have news about Sam."

"Oh, do tell." Gabe smiled, leaning on the wall of tattoos. Anytime anyone even mentioned Sam, he lit up, and suddenly didn't seem like he could kick anyone's ass. Unless, of course, they said something bad about Sam, then the ass kicking would begin.

Dean smiled. "Just as a fair warning, this is beyond anythin' you've ever heard before about anyone. Seriously, you're not gonna believe this."

Gabriel sighed. "God dammit, Dean, will you just tell me already? I hate suspense, you know I do." Dean glared, and the shorter man rolled his eyes. "Okay, so I like suspense as long as it has no effect on me. Just spit it out already!"

With a nod, Dean cleared his throat, suddenly not sure how to say what he wanted to say. He had planned on just telling Gabriel that he had a date with another guy, but then he thought about how crushed Gabe might be, so decided it would be best to leave out the part about his brother still not being available to him. "Sam is gay."

Gabriel choked, rather loudly, so much that Charlie jumped, but luckily she wasn't holding her needle to the blonde's tanned skin. "Jesus, Gabriel!" she yelled, putting the hand to her chest that wasn't holding her needle.

Dean was trying not to laugh at how Gabriel was doubled over, trying to catch his breath. "You…you can't be serious," he finally muttered. "If you're joking with me, I'm going to rip your spleen out through your ass, and you will never get it back."

"Look, if that's how you dirty talk, I might have to tell Sam to look elsewhere. I can't have you tearin' my brother a new one, no matter how romantic you're tryin' to be." Gabriel punched him in the arm. Dean could be so annoying when he was being cheeky.

"Are you seriously going to stand there and tell me, that your little brother, Sheriff Sam Winchester, is a genuine homosexual?" Gabriel asked, looking straight into Dean's eyes without blinking. Before Dean could respond, he added, "Because I swear to God, if you are kidding right now-"

"Gabe, I'm not jokin'," Dean assured him, hands up in a defensive stance from Gabriel's hostility. "God, I thought you would've been happy."

"I'm fucking ecstatic!" Gabriel shoved him – a little harder than he meant to – then ran hands through his hair, gripping on tight. Obviously, he was being overcome with emotions at the moment. "So, so wait." He turned back to Dean, grabbing at his shirt. "Why did he tell you that he was gay? Did he have a reason?"

Of course, Gabe would have to ask a question like that. Dean sighed, hoping that this situation wouldn't turn out too badly. "He…actually told me, because he wants me to have dinner with him and his…boyfriend, tonight." With that, the way Gabriel looked completely changed. It was like seeing a bird that had just learned to fly, and then cutting its wings off. "But, they've only been datin' for like a couple of weeks, so maybe they aren't serious."

Gabriel just shook his head, a small smile coming back to his face. "No, don't do that for me, Dean. Don't try to give me false hope. We both know that Sam would never want you to meet someone he was dating unless it was serious. Especially since this someone in a mister." He looked down at the floor. "It's okay… It's not like anything has changed. I never thought I had a chance with him, anyway."

Dean could only frown. There was nothing he could really say. What could he say? Finally, Sam came out of the closet, and he just had to be already spoken for. In what universe was this fair? What in God's name was he supposed to say right now? That if Gabe had said something sooner, maybe he'd be the one with Sam?

"So, what's his name?" Gabe asked, looking up at Dean again. Dean noted that his eyes were starting to turn red, which he'd never seen before.

"Umm, he had some kind of biblical name, or something. It was like…" Dean pondered, leaning a hand on the wall. "Uh…maybe Carmen? Is that a boy's name?" Gabriel shook his head, and Dean paused to think on it more. "Cast-…Castiel?"

Gabriel gasped loudly, shoving Dean so hard that he flew back and fell to the floor. "Shut the hell up! Your little brother is dating my baby bro?!"

Dean's eyes widened from where he lay on the floor, leaning up on his elbows. "You have a little brother?" Gabriel just nodded, seemingly in shock. "And…he's dating my brother?" Gabriel nodded again. "The…brother that you wanted to date."

"Just, stop talking already. Please, Dean. Just shut up."