The sky opened in a dazzling display of swirling snow as it encircled lampposts and car tires in shimmering gusts, dusting the roads in a light coat of glistening white. Icicles hung from rooftops, slush collected on boot bottoms, and the first hints of Christmas had begun to peek through window curtains as twinkle lights and painted reindeer partook in their slow transition from storage to spotlight for their brief few weeks of fame.
Sure, the temperature had dropped weeks ago, and the first plastic Santa had been erected in the Johnston's yard just the other day, but with the first snowfall of the year, it finally seemed as though winter had officially arrived.
Sam Winchester pulled into his driveway, cautious in the minute storm of flurries, smiling to himself while humming along to the Christmas song blaring from the speakers. Not even a week after Thanksgiving and the radio stations had already dusted off their arsenal of holiday tunes, and honestly, Sam couldn't be happier singing along with the cheery melodies as he hurried down the pathway to the front door in an attempt to brave the cold.
Clanging pots, padding feet, and a disgruntled voice chiding two shrill voices to stop arguing greeted Sam as he stepped foot through the threshold. Breathing in the intoxicating aroma drifting in from the kitchen; he slipped his black loafers off at the door and hung up his nice jacket which he wore only to work and weddings. Combing his hair out of his face, he couldn't suppress the smile playing across his anxious lips as they craved their perfect match, which was still scolding their two daughters, as he tip-toed his way to the kitchen.
"Girls, upstairs – now."
"Sophia's touching me!"
"No I'm not!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Papa! Make her stop!"
"Girls, please." Gabriel reproached. His normally slick fashioned hair had abandoned all order as it stuck out at odd angels, and his sharp eyes couldn't piece through his evident veil of exhaustion. "Your dad is going to be home in an hour, and I want you two washed-up and ready for dinner."
"But papa." The two whined in unparalleled unison.
"Don't 'but papa' me. What would your dad say if he came home to you two acting like this? Huh?"
"He'd say that his two little angels had better not be causing trouble for their papa. And then he'd say that he's waiting for his hug." Sam entered the green tiled kitchen to see his husband Gabriel tending to the pots and pans that were threatening to boil over if not given attention; while their daughters – Ambriel in chocolate brown braids, and Sophia sporting blonde spiral curls – dangled from his legs like the icicles outside, pettily arguing the way siblings tend to do at the worst opportune moments.
"Daddy's home!" The two chorused as they detached themselves from their papa and sprinted into the warm embrace of their father's open arms. Sam smiled as he held his girls close; savoring the feel of soft laundered dresses against his chill skin, and the proverbial scent of fruity watermelon that always lingered in their hair from their morning baths.
"Hey there angels. You two have been behaving, haven't you?"
"Daddy, Sophia was touching me."
"No I wasn't!"
"Yes you were!"
Sam shook his head as he glanced up at his husband with sympathetic eyes. "You're home a bit early today, aren't you Samsquatch?" Gabriel stood, arms folded across his chest, his features fashioned in a hybrid of mocking annoyance and quipped satisfaction. "What? No love for me?"
Sam chuckled giving each of his girls a kiss on the head before straightening and taking the three large strides to his husband. "Come on now," Wrapping Gabriel in his toned arms; he placed a chaste kiss directly on his lips. "There's always love for you. Now, how was your day?"
"Good. And if you can get your daughters to wash-up for dinner then it will have been perfect."
A light chuckle. "No problem." Another kiss. Gabriel turned so Sam's muscled arms were cloaked perfectly around his waist, his hands resting on his stomach; holding him close against his chest. "Girls, upstairs. Daddy and papa need to finish getting dinner ready. Let's go."
"But, daddy,"
"Girls." Sam warned, shooting a reprimanding glance. "Now."
Grumbling accompanied the shuffling of feet as the two ambled out of the kitchen and up the stairs. The authoritative, "Ambriel, help your sister please." was met with a knowing grumble of compliance. Once the two were upstairs and the faucet could be heard, Gabriel turned back around.
"How you get them to listen so well, I will never know." He kissed Sam, but not as chaste as Sam had kissed him.
Smirking, Sam deepened the kiss and mumbled unintelligently what Gabriel assumed to be a witty reply, but was lost in a moan as he continued to lean into the kiss. His hands naturally found their way up to Sam's honey silk hair, but instead of Sam's traveling to his waist as was the norm, they instead cupped his flushed cheeks and separated them, his eyes captivating his own with lustful warmth.
It was hard to resist Sam Winchester under normal circumstances, but in his tailored black slacks and tight-fitting suit jacket; it was damn near impossible. His hair was brushed back so it fell, perfectly framing his tanned face, accenting every flawless feature from his russet brown eyes to his well-defined jaw line. His hands were warm and rough against his cool smooth skin, and Gabriel craved for them to touch far more than just his cheeks.
"Gabe, later." Sam breathed.
He would have to wait.
"Yeah," Gabriel stepped back to compose himself before turning back to the stove. "Dinner's almost ready. I wanted it to be done before you got home, but you were early and the kids wouldn't give me a second of peace all day. Definitely got that from you."
"Ha," Sam laughed. "Well I'll have to talk to them about listening, but no promises about me." Gabriel nodded with a smirk as Sam leaned against the counter peeling the labeling sticker off an apple he plucked from the fruit bowl.
It was nice, Gabriel decided. Sam being home early, hugging his children, kissing him; a luxury he rarely ever had. Of course it wasn't Sam's fault that his boss was a stickler with time and work hour schedules, and it couldn't be helped that as a result their schedules never seemed to coincide well. But right now, this was nice.
Gabriel was stirring, lost in thought, when he chanced a glance over to Sam who was still adamantly focused on the produce in hand. "So, Sam –"
"Gabe," They started at the same time.
"You go first."
"No," Gabriel insisted. "The floor's yours."
"Okay, well…" Sam drew out.
"Hmm?" Gabriel raised his eyebrows quizzically. Sam was being hesitant. A trait he only revealed in the wake of news, either joyously good, or devastatingly bad.
"Well, Gabe…" Sam smiled. "How would you feel about being married to a Chief Operating Officer?"
Gabriel dropped the wooden spoon mirroring his jaw which had gone slack. "Sam," he gaped, incredulous. "You're not?"
The smile was back. "I'm home early because I was promoted. They gave me the rest of the week off to get some paperwork prepared. But as of Monday next week, I'll be the official COO of Masters Inc."
"Sam, that's amazing." Gabriel leaned into Sam, rewarding him with another kiss, but retreated quickly, turning off the stove lighters.
"Yeah," Sam lulled while selecting utensils out of the drawer to set the table. "It is. I mean, I'm going to have longer hours, but the raise is worth it. We'll be able to finish the house, and I want to take the four of us all on vacation; maybe next summer."
"Next summer?" Gabriel mused. "Yeah, umm…Sam."
"It's amazing, isn't it Gabe? Nothing's really happened for us in so long, and now…now things are finally looking up. I can't think of anything greater happening to us right now." Sam was beaming as Gabriel placed dinner – Sam's favorite carbonara and homemade bread – on the table along with a bowl of apple and cranberry salad.
It was true that as of late things had been a bit rough. Gabriel had been tossed about from one job to another currently stranding him unemployed, and Sam had a dictator for a boss which had caused a great deal of stress on him and tension for the family. The house needed repairs, and they all needed a weekend away from everything. It was true, and this was a sign that things were indeed looking up…but –
"So what's your news?"
"Oh," Gabriel locked his light eyes with Sam's, whose were teeming and shining with excitement, accomplishment and a glint of happiness that he hadn't witnessed there in so long. Gabriel couldn't ruin this for him. Not now.
"It's nothing." He smiled. "I'll just tell you later. It's not that important anyway." Gabriel laughed, or at least attempted. It was nowhere near his usual cachinnation, but he hoped it was good enough to fool Sam.
"If you're sure." Sam quickly sneaked Gabriel another kiss just as Ambriel and Sophia sauntered back into the room.
It worked.
"Eww, daddy!" Sophia squealed as Ambriel laughed. The two had snuck back in to play a trick on their parents before dinner; a trait they had inherited straight from the infamous Trickster himself. But their plan was forgotten as soon as they witnessed their fathers locked at the lips.
Sam smiled and kissed Gabe again to the giddy excitement of the girls.
"Daddy, stop kissing papa!"
"Eww, daddy!"
"If I can't kiss papa, then I guess I'll just have to settle for you instead." Sam turned on their daughters, kissing their cheeks a raw cherry red, sending them into a mess of giggles and pleas of surrender.
Leaning against the kitchen counter, Gabriel smiled. "Come on," he chuckled. "Dinner's ready."
~~~ Reviews are always appreciated ~~~