Eight Ways Gabriel Uses His Wings
The first time the Archangel Gabriel lets Sam Winchester see his wings is at the same time that they share their first kiss.
The angel half of Team Free Will, which Gabriel had joined soon after noticing Sam's apparent hotness, had been doing angel things and the hunter half had been doing, well, hunter things. Namely, taking out a trio of filthy bloodsucking vampires.
Dean had returned to the motel room supporting his big-little brother, half-heartedly moaning about how ridiculously heavy he was for someone who eats like a malnourished baby rabbit. It had only been a concussion inflicting pain upon the youngest Winchester but Dean wanted Sammy healed and thus turned to Castiel to do it.
But Cas had just shook his head and gestured to Gabriel with a soft, if a little omnipotent, smile on his vessel's lips.
Naturally, Gabriel had jumped at the chance to look after his latest and unsuspecting object of affection. So he'd just smirked at the brothers and snapped his fingers, landing the archangel alongside his favourite human on some deserted tropical island five miles south of Nowhere.
When Sam raised his eyebrows, concussion no longer an issue, Gabriel had just smirked and said, "You gotta look after yourself more, Kiddo."
Sam had looked like he was planning a retort, which he was to his credit, and Gabriel decided that he had to be silenced; so he pressed their lips together with all the need of a kid opening a present on Christmas morning.
And, surprisingly enough for the archangel, Sam just melted into it with a moan of bliss and contentment.
Gabriel had heard stories about when angels find their True Mate they wrap their wings around them. He had always thought that to be a soppy pile of bullshit made up by some stupid cupid somewhere. Had being the operative word.
Because there, with his hands in Sam's hair and their mouths locked firmly together, his majestic golden wings had decided to make themselves known. Namely by wrapping themselves tightly around Sam Winchester until he was sandwiched impossibly close to his very own archangel.
Gabriel uses his wings to show love.
000
Gabriel is nothing if not stubborn, even by archangel standards. He always gets what he wants and only wants what he gets.
So when he decided that he simply had to hold Sam's hand everywhere they went, he damn well got it. Sure, it took endless whining and pouting and puppy-dog-eying but, eventually, Sam relented. Castiel didn't really understand the act of hand-holding nor the significance of it and Dean had found it all really quite hilarious. But Gabriel had been adamant about it and so it had come to be.
After a short while Sam found himself enjoying being led around by the tug of a hand, knowing that someone cared enough to never want to let him go. Gabriel, for his part, freaking adored it and took pride in flaunting his muscular human to anyone with working eyes.
It all went wrong in a small town a couple of miles into Texas.
Gabriel and Sam were just walking, hands interlocked of course, talking about some exciting new kind of candy that Gabriel was fast falling in love with. Then, out of almost nowhere, a hostile voice had roared at them from across the street.
"We don't want your kind here."
Gabriel, the confident and cocky fellow that he is, was relatively unaffected by the call. Sam wasn't.
Sam had bit his lip and looked at the ground and, this was the final straw for Gabriel, let go of his boyfriend's hand.
The angel hated how empty and cold he felt without Sam's too-long fingers curled in amongst his own. He had been all set to smite the bastard who had dared to make his Sammy second guess himself but then decided against it; for some reason Sam doesn't like it when Gabriel kills people. Which is reason enough for Gabriel not to do it.
This happened a few more times in that hellhole of a town. Whilst Sam never once verbalised his distress, both Gabriel and Dean could tell it was there. Gabriel especially when he felt Sam shuddering against him when his human should have been asleep.
The final time someone dared to upset Sam in such away in Texas was when Gabriel was getting himself a mint-choc-chip ice-cream in a sugar cone.
He had left Sam sat innocently on a park bench but returned to see someone, the same man as always, up in his lover's face. He could see Sam trying to ignore the homophobic taunts but Gabriel no longer could. Not when it was making his Sammy damn near cry.
So Gabriel handled the situation in his own angelic way. He tapped the guy on the shoulder, who turned and sneered at the smaller man, glared at the bully with a wrathful shine in his eyes and then let his wings outstretch to their full, awe-inspiring size.
They weren't bothered again after that and their hand-holding resumed. Gabriel was more than happy with that result.
Gabriel uses his wings to show anger.
000
Sam had decided early on in the relationship that snuggling in bed with Gabriel is awesome. Gabriel, to this day, has never once complained about that. Especially not when Team Free Will got snowed-in at a motel in New Jersey. A crappy motel with no heating and worn-out, threadbare blankets.
Naturally, Gabriel had offered to snap them all out of there or snap radiators in. But Sam, despite Dean's whining, had refused.
His reasoning?
"Snuggling is better when it's cold."
And not even Gabriel could argue with that one. Not that the Archangel of the Lord can feel the cold or anything, but he could definitely feel Sam cuddling closer and tighter than normal. So he let their room stay freezing.
They spent an entire morning folded up in each other's arms, squished so securely together that they only took up half of their double bed. They cuddled nose-to-nose, chest-to-chest, lips-to-lips and Gabriel decided that their next stop should be Alaska or Finland or maybe even the North Pole.
Whatever Sam required was snapped straight to him via archangel, meaning that neither of them was required to leave the confines of the other's sturdy arms. All was perfect.
Sam, two hours into their snuggle-fest, had asked for another blanket. The request made Gabriel smile; he'd been making the temperature drop even further with his 'mojo' in hopes of such a question.
Gabriel didn't simply make another blanket materialise like Sam had expected. Instead he did something that he only ever does for Sam and Sam alone.
Gabriel got his wings out.
They wrapped around his lover like a ribbon around a present and he used them to pull Sam in for a heated kiss. The thick and feathery softness of his wings apparently make for perfect insulation.
Not only did the action benefit Sam though, who had all but purred in appreciation of the angelic embrace, but Gabriel too. Because Sam against his wings is the best feeling for the archangel in the entire universe.
Gabriel and Sam do this many more times. Sometimes when it is naturally cold, sometimes when Gabriel just feels like it and uses his powers to turn the air icy.
Gabriel uses his wings to keep his Sammy warm.
000
It was Dean who wound up insisting they get separate rooms in the end. He'd said seeing Gabriel groping his brother was disturbing enough without having to see them in a single bed together. And so it was that the Winchester brothers started staying in different motel rooms, but always ensured they had a key to get into both should the need arise.
Although Dean would never openly admit it, he loves seeing the look on Sammy's face whenever Gabriel pulls him to their room. Pure bliss is the best and only way to describe it.
As has been previously mentioned, Sam and Gabriel got into the snuggling habit rather early on in the relationship. Meaning that it often takes Dean pounding on their door, once even having to throw iced water over them, to get the pair out of bed.
It was this, their tendency to lie in, that led to Gabriel's next use of his wings.
They were a few miles out from Miami; a brutal summer heat wave had turned the seats of the Impala into sticky, hot ovens. Their motel hadn't been much better by any stretch of the imagination. This time though Gabriel did not offer to alter the temperature to be in the hunters' favour. He decided he liked Sam greased with a thin layer of sweat glinting off of his well-defined muscles.
He liked it even more when Sam decided it was too hot to wear any clothes to bed.
And the Archangel of the Lord liked it the most the next morning, after a glorious night of sweaty sex followed by watching his boyfriend sleep through the night without so much as a single stirring. It wasn't purely a lustful thing; Gabriel was just simply taking pleasure in survey and caressing all that was his.
But anyway, the morning was the best part. Or rather, the look on Dean's face was.
Because the older Winchester had swanned on into the motel room like he owned the joint, without knocking, to see his baby brother sprawled naked on the bed, complete with a side of naked archangel on top.
"Son of a bitch!" Had been the squealed reaction. To which Gabriel had glared in response because the noise woke Sammy. A Sammy who had looked utterly mortified.
Gabriel would have been far more than content to keep his lover without clothes for a fair few eternities but he had made the mistake of looking into Sam's big, deep puppy-dog eyes. And at that the archangel had melted, ready to bend to the will of his human.
But instead of simply snapping clothes onto Sam, he spread his wings and laid them over the man like a sheet. His wings were cool and Sam revelled in the touch of the pleasantly frosty feathers.
And Gabriel had revelled in the feeling of his very own human's bare naked body underneath the almighty extension of his own.
Needless to say, Dean was promptly shooed out of the room and the protection of the wings was hastily removed, allowing Gabriel to enjoy the sight of his lover's body once more.
Gabriel uses his wings to cover up Sam from the eyes of stupid big brothers.
000
Gabriel, being a supreme being and all, always knows when somebody is thinking of stealing what is his.
They went to this bar once in New York City. 'They' being Sam and Gabriel, or 'Sabriel' as Dean had dubbed them in a rare fit of so-called genius. But back to the point; the two lovebirds were in a bar in New York, courtesy of Gabriel's angel mojo.
The bar wasn't all that special or indulgent by New York standards, it was just a place where the pair could chill without Gabriel and Dean getting at each other's throats; Gabriel's tendency to act like a petulant, cocky child wasn't exactly making Dean fill with glee.
The bar was relatively small and dark but very busy, too many people in the too small place. It smelt like a mix of piss and beer, the air tasted of stale peanuts. But Sam, for some unfathomable reason, enjoyed the normality of it. So they had stayed.
Turned out that the only reason the place was so popular was the prices. Meaning that everyone in the hellhole was already fairly smashed or was on the road to becoming so. Watching the drunkards had made Sam bellow with laughter, so Gabriel tolerated it. He'd tolerate hell if he thought it would make Sammy smile.
The barmaid was pretty, if you like that sort of thing. Her long blonde locks fell around her shoulders like sunbeams and her tight-fitting vest top definitely made the most of her… generous assets.
Gabriel didn't like her from the moment she flashed a too-bright smile at his boyfriend.
He ignored it though, just yammered on to Sam about hunter things, angel things, Trickster things, apocalypse things. Every joke he told had made Sam chuckle, every flirtation was returned and ever wink was met with an adorable little blush. Gabriel supposed every night could be like this if only they were normal.
He had been about to voice that very thought when the barmaid decided to make the biggest mistake of her pitiful little life.
"You're hot. I like 'em tall, sweetie."
It had, of course, been directed at Sam who promptly choked on his mouthful of beer, making the girl giggle like a hyena on crack.
In response to the words Sam knotted his hand with Gabriel's and lifted them up to show her. The archangel had never before felt so smug. Now that's saying something.
She wouldn't take the hint though, just rolled her big blue eyes, pouted and puffed her chest out. Then proceeded to wink and smirk at Sam seductively who just took no notice of her.
"He's taken, dumbass." Gabriel had spat, very tempted to burn out the slut's eyes just for looking at Sammy like that.
Sam had squeezed his archangel's hand, a silent 'thank you'. Gabriel, making sure his competition was watching, had yanked Sam into a kiss that was all teeth and tongue but oh-so-heavenly.
"I can cure you, honey."
That had made Sam stop, blink and then look very much like a kicked puppy. It had taken rather a lot for Gabriel to get Sam comfortable with PDA outside of their motel rooms and the angel felt his insides burn white hot at the look that bitch had managed to put on his baby boy's face.
Deciding that words would no longer do, Gabriel got to his feet and spread his wings, making them arch up in obvious threat. He made them only visible to the barmaid, who let out a scream and promptly fainted. Check up on her now, you'll find her living in a nunnery crocheting doyleys for charity.
Gabriel uses his wings to show ownership.
000
Gabriel, for an archangel, has never been all that patient. He'd never really had need to be. That is, until he entered a relationship with Sam Winchester.
It was always obvious to Gabriel that Sam isn't just a pretty face. The kid's a genius and has the ability to speak all four legs off a donkey. When he's into something enough he can blather on about it for the best part of forever and nothing can shut him up for love nor money.
Usually, it's about a book or a film or some 'really interesting' piece of lore he's found. No matter how boring the subject matter is Gabriel always at least tries to listen.
Usually, he fails.
This one time Sam got going about the 'prevailing zeitgeist presented in the microcosm of the ranch in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men'. Yeah, it was about as riveting as it sounds. And that's one of the more interesting topics Sam has covered.
Don't get it wrong, Gabriel adores being with Sam and hearing him prattle on about whatever like the kid hasn't got a care in the world but come on. He's an archangel, not a freaking saint. He certainly doesn't possess the patience of one.
So there Sam was, stood next to their motel's mini fridge, giving an animated lecture about Steinbeck's use of stereotyping to highlight issues within American society during the Great Depression. And there Gabriel was, strewn out on their bed and waiting impatiently for Sammy to join him.
Gabriel lost what was left of his precious little sanity when his boyfriend moved on to explaining the symbolism of hands in the novella.
The archangel decided he'd have to use the one thing that always renders Sammy speechless.
Once on his feet, the action having captured Sam's attention, he fluttered open his wings. Sam stopped. Gabriel kissed his lover's agape mouth with superhuman passion.
Gabriel uses his wings to shut Sammy up.
000
Gabriel doesn't sleep. He can't.
Yeah, he can lie down and shut his eyes and rest but he can't dream. So, for the most part, he doesn't bother with sleep. Not when he can watch over Sam instead, like a literal guardian angel.
He was doing just that one late October night (or early morning, depending on your viewpoint), trailing his fingers over his lover's skin, when Sam had started stirring from whatever dream he was having.
It began with the man's head flipping violently from side to side, then Sam's entire body had shook like a shack in an earthquake and then, then, the keening had started. A noise like no other had pierced through the calm silence of the motel room like a slew of flaming arrows from Sam's mouth, making Gabriel's forehead crease with concern.
Samuel Winchester, his Sammy, was having a goddamn nightmare.
At first Gabriel had felt angry, furious even. How dare something be hurting his precious human when Sam was right there in his arms? It just wasn't any shade of right.
But then fury caved into a primal need to wake Sam up and end his torment. So Gabriel, having decided that being calm and gentle was the only way to go, pressed a soft but lingering kiss to Sam's sweat-slicked forehead.
He said things like, "wake up, Kiddo," and, "it's just a dream, you're safe," and even, "I love you, Sammy, I won't let anything hurt you."
None of it worked; Sam just kept thrashing and sobbing, one step away from screaming. The sight had made Gabriel's heart break and his inner most soul ache. The archangel had never before been so utterly helpless, not even when his brothers had been fighting up in Heaven before Lucifer's fall.
He cradled Sammy tighter, closer but that had only served to increase the hunter's very apparent panic.
Then it happened.
Acting of their own free will, just as when the lovers had shared their very first kiss, Gabriel's wings came out and wrapped themselves snuggly around Sam. Gabriel's basic instinct took over and the archangel willingly let it; anything to help Sam Winchester.
His golden feathers fanned out, making it so that every inch of Sam was covered in their soft plumes. His top set of wings, for he has several, wound around Sam's head, tickling his cheeks and threading into his hair.
And just like that, wrapped in his archangel's wings, Sam awoke. Thank God.
"Hey there, Beautiful."
Sam took a moment to look around the room, frightened, and Gabriel thumbed away the remaining tears that his feathers had missed. Upon noticing the wings Sam relaxed and even smiled, knowing that they mean love and home. Gabriel smiled back.
Gabriel uses his wings to make Sam feel safe.
000
Sam has this totally stupid habit of managing to get himself hurt. Gabriel doesn't like this habit. Not one little bit.
Why? Because he's terrified that, one day, something will happen to Sam that not even he can manage to fix.
The first time Gabriel suffered from this thought was when he and his lover were in bed, Sam nearly asleep. The thought had crept up on him, pouncing on his omnipotent mind like an angel-sword to the heart.
His response?
He had tightened his superhumanly strong grip on his Sam and clung onto him until his arm muscles ached. But it still it wasn't enough, didn't satiate his urgent hunger to feel Sam Winchester against every last piece of him. Because the man wasn't; Sam wasn't against, arguably, the most precious piece of Gabriel's being.
His wings.
Within mere seconds of the sudden epiphany, the wings were out and plastered to the human, pulling the youngest Winchester flush against Gabriel's bare chest.
"Mine." Had been the only explanation offered to a sleepy and pleasantly surprised Sam, who had then proceeded to slip into a sweet dream.
Feeling Sam's warm breath against his vessel's skin, the gentle signs of life pulsating under his wings, Gabriel had relaxed. He flexed his wings around his True Mate though, just for good measure, ensuring that Sam couldn't so much as breathe without Gabriel knowing about it. For both parties, this felt good.
Gabriel uses his wings to keep Sammy Winchester close and his.
A/N: I'm kind of nervous about posting this for two reasons. The first being that I'm crappy with tenses and the second being that I think I maybe made Sam a bit too OOC. Ah well.
Thank you very much for reading this, I hope you liked it and please let me know what you think! :D