Chapter Four

x-x-x

His phone rang and Dean groaned in displeasure. Who the hell called him this early? He didn't have to wake up for at least another hour. One and a half hour, he realized after checking the time.

'Hello?' he mumbled into the phone.

'Good Morning Mr. Winchester, this is Shria Lakshmi from Mandir Healthcare-'

'I have until next month to pay the rest of the money,' Dean interrupted, suddenly wide awake and sitting up in bed.

'That is not why I-'

'Because lady, I paid more than enough already, and I'm gonna pay the rest, but I don't need constant-'

'Mr. Winchester,' she interrupted this time. 'You don't need to pay anymore.'

There was a pause.

'What?' he asked.

'I looked over the details about your family's insurance and the medical bills after the accident and it seems like you already paid more than you had to, the insurance covered most of the costs.'

'But… that's not what I've been told… it was not enough! The hospital refused-'

'I know what you've been told Mr. Winchester, there's been a mistake. Everything is already paid for, as a matter of fact, you get a full refund of the sum you needlessly paid-in.'

Dean's mind was spinning. The things he had to do to get that money, it was not enough still, but it was a lot and he still had bills left, waiting for him to get the money together.

'How much?' he asked then. His voice was faint, his mind not really comprehending what was happening.

'We're going to transfer… let's see $ 125 720 to you today. That amount was completely overpayment.

Dean just took a moment to breathe. 125 thousand…

He had to sell his parent's house in Lawrence at a shitty price, because he was so desperate to get money fast. There were still medical bills waiting for him, … no… she said it's done.

'I don't have to pay the rest of the bill?' he asked.

'You already paid for everything you had to,' the lady answered on the other end.

'Fuck,' he breathed out, one half shock, one half pure relief. 125 thousand… only a little part of all the money he paid to the insurance company and the hospital, and had to spend on other things, but still…

He could get his Mom's bracelet and his parents' rings back from the pawnshop… he could pay his rent (3 months overdue) and he could keep the rest of his stuff – what he hadn't sold already that is – and holy fucking shit he didn't have to sell the Impala. His chest felt too tight.

125 thousand fucking dollars.

'How come you only realized this now? I mean… I had to get the money and…'

'Let's just say that I went through the small print for you,' she said in a tone that told Dean she was smiling.

'Why?' he asked before he could think about it. 'I mean, no… I mean, thank you! Thank you, honestly, but… why would you do that for me?'

'Why not?' she asked in return. 'The money is yours. I just made sure you get it. It's only right.'

'Insurance companies rarely care about what's right, in my experience,' Dean said bitterly.

'Well, this can be our little secret then,' she said, again with that gentle smiling tone.

Dean stayed silent for a moment, trying to comprehend the situation, his mind coming up mostly blank on what to say.

'Thank you,' he settled on and hoped that she could hear in his voice that he was sincere and truly grateful. 'Thank you Miss La-,'

'Lakshmi,' she said.

'Thank you, Miss Lakshmi.'

'You're welcome, Mr. Winchester.'

'Okay, umm… bye then.'

'Have a nice day, Mr. Winchester.'

'Oh I will, thank you,' he said.

'And do give my regards to Mr. Loge,' she added and hung up. It took a moment for that to register properly in his brain, and when it finally did Dean just stared at his phone for a very long moment.

x-x-x

It was not unusual at this point to find both Mr. Nansi and Gabriel in The Den by the time Dean got there. There were some mornings when the shop was empty and he had to use his own keys to get in, but usually it was not the case. This time Mr. Nansi was sitting on the tall stool behind the counter, while Gabriel was sitting on the counter itself on the other side. Groot was out and sitting in Nansi's lap, Dean noticed after a moment. They both looked at him when he walked in and both grinned. That grin was so very similar, that if it wasn't for the different skin colour, Dean would've assumed them to be brothers.

'Hey there big boy, how's it going?' Gabriel asked.

'Do you know a chick called Lakshmi?' Dean asked as he walked to the counter too.

'Sure, old friend,' Gabriel replied easily. 'You know her?' he asked next, his face looked curious and way too innocent… Dean was getting familiar with that expression.

'I do now,' Dean answered. 'She works at my insurance company.'

'Does she now?' Gabriel asked, still looking too innocent and way too openly curious.

'Yes… and she just got me a 125 grand back,' Dean continued.

Mr. Nansi whistled.

'Fo true? Well, if it ain't your lucky day, kiddo,' he said with a smirk.

'I'll say,' Gabriel added. 'I better buy her some chocolate the next time I see her.'

'How did she know we knew each other?' Dean asked.

'She's a friend,' Gabriel said simply with a bright smile.

'You got a lot of friends around town,' Dean said, rubbing the back of his head. 'Convenient friends,' he added a bit quieter. Mr. Nansi chuckled and patted Groot in his lap.

'I've been around here for a while now,' Gabriel said. The overly innocent look vanished from his face finally – it never suited him – and now he was just smiling at Dean in a pleased manner. That was his usual. Dean didn't get around figuring out what it meant, or whether he was the reason for that joyful look in Gabriel's eyes or not.

'Like Nansi,' Dean said glancing at his boss. Gabriel nodded. 'And the guy at the garage… that chef in the restaurant, my landlady's boss… Miss Lakshmi…' Dean trailed off, looking at his… he had no idea what Gabriel was… it started as a casual fuck, but now Dean wasn't so sure. Lover… friend with benefits… boyfriend? No, not that one, that sounded awful… it's not like this was a relationship… or was it? Oh God, was this a relationship? Were they like monogamous or something? It's not like there were people waiting in line to have sex with him, but he didn't think about these things yet… oh fuck, they're gonna have to have a "talk".

'What can I say? I talk about you I guess… and Winchester is an easy name to remember,' Gabriel said.

'I suppose,' Dean admitted and tried to squash down the feeling that tried to bubble up inside him at the thought of Gabriel talking about him to his friends and others. When the hell did this become a relationship? Because seriously, you don't talk about a fuck-buddy to your friends like this, not in a way that would make them help you out. How did he not realize that this was a relationship? It's been weeks… shit, he didn't even notice with everything happening. Normally he already screwed things up at this point, but Gabriel didn't look like he was about to run for the hills. Dean was still his grumpy, broody, anti-social self, so what could Gabriel possibly see in him? Gabriel, who was a constant buzz of energy, all smiles and laughter, who was bright like the sun and just as warm. What could Dean possibly offer to a man like him?

'Dean-o,' Gabriel called and Dean snapped out of it. 'You okay, big boy? You looked real solemn for a moment there.'

'Yeah… yeah, I'm fine,' Dean said and he felt like he might smile, but his lips were not curling and he cursed himself for not even being able to force himself.

'I can tell, you know,' Gabriel said.

'Tell what?' Dean asked in return.

'When you smile,' Gabriel said and Dean frowned in confusion. 'You smile with your eyes,' Gabriel said, hopping down from the counter to stand in front of him. 'Your whole face becomes a little softer, and your eyes brighten, just a little… that's how you smile. I can see it.'

Dean stared at him for a moment, just blinking, his throat closed off and his chest ached, but it was a good pain, the kind he didn't feel in a very long time. He was unable to speak and just stared into Gabriel's golden eyes for a moment. Then he was pulled down into a soft kiss and he reflexively closed his eyes to savour the feel of it. Gabriel pulled back and touched his waist, stroking his side through the t-shirt, still looking at him.

'I'll call you later, alright?'

'Okay,' Dean said quietly. Gabriel stepped back and headed towards the entrance.

'Bye Nansi!' he called back before he closed the door behind himself.

'Tell you what, kiddo,' Nansi said and Dean turned towards him. His boss was putting on his coat, obviously planning to leave too. Groot was walking up and down the counter, exploring the territory, with no care to the world around him.

'I'd be lying if I said that you were the first man to catch Loge's eyes… but I ain't lying when I say that you're the first we all like so far.'

'We?' Dean asked with a slight frown.

Mr. Nansi just smiled and left without another word, but that was his usual. Dean turned and found Groot still sitting on the counter, which meant that he had to put him back into his cage.

'Oh man,' he whined. 'If you bite me, there's gonna be hell to pay, got it mister?' he warned the spider pointing a finger at him. And it was probably just a coincidence, but Groot raised a leg, as if brushing off his threat.

'I guess I should be grateful you're not Lucy, right?' he asked. Groot walked to the edge of the counter towards him, then stopped. Waiting… to be picked up? No… he was not a dog to understand such things, he was probably just used to human presence and sought it out instinctively. Insects were not so smart after all. Dean let out a breath and held out his palm to the edge of the counter and Groot climbed over without hesitation. Dean congratulated himself for not freaking out anymore. Lucy was still creepy though, only once did he notice her coming out of her hole and she jumped on the glass with a thud, scaring the hell out of him. Not Groot thought, he was a big softy, just like Gabriel said.

'How about I give you a big fat cockroach?' Dean asked as he walked towards the terrarium. 'For being all cool and not biting me,' he added. 'And you can enjoy Lucy being all envious and not getting any,' he continued. 'Cause I ain't feeding that scary bitch,' he added with a whisper.

He put Groot back into the terrarium and began searching for the cockroach box. Then he realized that he was talking to the spider exactly the same way Gabriel always did. It was strange, but in a good way.

x-x-x

After a relatively calm day of eccentric students – hipsters, Gabriel informed him – coming and going, checking out and buying exotic instruments and vintage records, a little old lady with long silver-white hair walked into the shop with a tall black man in an elegant dark suit. Dean was getting good at recognizing Nansi's special customers who came to pick up packages and boxes. He never knew what they were supposed to pay with. Gabriel only told him that they always had to give something, nothing was paid in advance. There had to be an exchange. It was weird, but not Dean's place to ask.

He was tempted to though. His life was not squeaky clean either, but he would've liked to know what he was handing out, and whether it was somewhere in a legal grey-area. Like y'know, what to say in case the cops came looking or something. Not that Mr. Nansi came across as a criminal, but he had his shades. Nansi's special costumers were all kinda the same. Nothing utterly alarming or suspicious about them, but Dean had a vague feeling that there was more to them than it seemed. It was not so different with Gabriel, although the feeling with him was a little more specific. He always seemed to fill out the space he was in; his presence was larger than he was. Dean chalked it up to his personality and charisma. He had a casual confidence and he was charming beyond words, his eyes were always sharp and bright, his smile inviting. Dean imagined that he would draw the attention of any room he entered; people would look at him, gather around him, they would drink in his words and laugh at every joke, they would be drawn in like moths to the flame. That was the main reason Dean still didn't understand what Gabriel saw in him. Grim, miserable Dean… they would've had a lot in common before… before everything. Dean could picture it, laughing and drinking beer, watching some movie and trading fond insults and snarky remarks. Before… he would've understood, now on the other hand…

The pair walked up to him and while the man was staring at him since he entered the shop the old lady was looking around and only turned towards him when they reached the counter. She looked good for her age. She was old and there were many wrinkles on her face, but she still looked lively and confident.

'Who are you?' she asked.

'My name's Dean… I work here,' he said. The black man looked him over, then turned towards his companion.

'You know him. Sedna mentioned him, remember?'

'Ahh, Loge's boy?' she asked and looked him up and down. Dean raised an eyebrow. He was getting used to everyone knowing who Gabriel was in Nansi's circles… and many people outside of it too, but boy, really?

'Yeah Gabriel, but c'mon… I'm not his "boy", he's only a few years older than me.'

The old lady looked at him for a moment then smiled widely.

'Of course he is,' she said, which was just plain weird.

'We came for our orders,' the man said in a deep even tone. Dean expected as much.

'Okay, what's the name?' he asked.

'Samedi,' the man replied.

'That sounds familiar,' Dean said, but he couldn't remember where he heard it before.

'I am not surprised,' the man replied. Maybe Gabriel and Nansi talked about him before.

'Okay, so am I to look for the name or some sort of a picture?' Dean asked. He asked Nansi about what was that about, painting pictures on boxes instead of writing down names, but he just smiled and told him that it was more interesting that way.

'A skull, I would presume,' he said. Dean didn't comment. 'And a crane… for the other one.'

'Ah, two packages then? Got it. Be right back.' He headed to the back while he tried to remember what a crane looked like…. probably like a crane.

The skull on the box was wearing a top hat, which was amusing. When he got back there were two things on the counter, which was a relief, because some of these costumers were very reluctant to give their payment. Dean was always insistent and never budged until they handed over what they had to, but it was tiring to argue and say no a hundred times to those who insisted that they paid before. Dean was stubborn, and after a while he just crossed his arms over his chest and stared at them, stone-faced and unimpressed by their bullshit. Dean knew how to deal with the sort, he had practice, and they usually gave up rather easily. This time a medium-large box and a small satchel sat on the counter and Dean slid the two boxes, one with a skull and one with a crane, over to them while taking the other ones and putting them under the counter.

'So, Loge's boy, are we going to see you on the Ostara Feast?' the old lady asked.

Dean didn't bother to argue about the boy label this time, there was no use to argue with old ladies in his experience.

'What's that?' he asked.

'A feast,' she replied.

'A party?' Dean asked in return.

'Yes,' she answered a moment later.

'Well, it's the first time I heard about it, so probably not,' Dean said.

'Ah, that a shame truly, you ought to come. There's still many, who have yet to meet you.'

Dean felt his eyebrows rising up again.

'Meet me? Who?' he asked.

'All our other friends of course,' she said.

'I'm not that interesting, Ma'am,' Dean said, even if he was still confused about the conversation. They were probably friends with Nansi – most likely with Gabriel too – so maybe this was some kind of obligatory invitation, like inviting the new neighbour to a barbecue, just because it's expected to welcome them or something.

'I disagree,' she said. 'Tell Loge to bring you,' she said then and her tone turned a little commanding. 'I insist.' She then turned to leave.

'Good day,' the tall man nodded, then turned and followed her out.

This conversation made his weirdo-antenna tingle – more than average – so he got out his phone and sent a text to Gabriel.

Some old lady insisted you take me to some feast. You know her?

Crane? Old friend. You wanna go?

That was an expected reply. Sometimes it felt like everyone was Gabriel's "old friend".

What's up with the animal names? And I dunno. Big party? Dean typed back. He was not fond of big crowds all that much, Gabriel knew that too.

You have a gun type for a name. Lots of food&booze, it's fun, it's this weekend. You'd like it. So wanna come?

Dean thought about it for a moment, the name thing was a fair point. And maybe the old lady had some Native American roots – even if she didn't look like it – Nansi seemed to have a lot of costumers like that. Also, this weekend meant that Gabriel knew about this party for a while now, just didn't mention it. Well, it's not like he was obliged or anything. These were obviously Gabriel's friends and just because they were regularly boning each other, it didn't mean he had to drag Dean with him to places.

You don't have to invite me. Dean wrote back.

I was planning to anyway. Gabriel replied back and despite his suspicious nature, Dean was inclined to believe that. Gabriel never gave him a reason to doubt him, not like that. Sure, he had weird friends, a lot of friends in a lot of places, but whenever Dean asked something, he replied and Dean never got the feeling that he was lying or twisting the words. He was good at picking up on that, so he would've noticed. Sometimes his words were vague, hard to understand, but that was part of his personality. Hell, Mr. Nansi was just the same, more than that, he was worse, most of the time he answered with cryptic smiles and a few confusing words.

Okay, sure why not. Dean texted back.

It's not like he didn't run into Gabriel's friends constantly. Sometimes it felt like it was some sort of a mafia or something (he really hoped it was not), he met them in the most unexpected places. His phone beeped, signalling him a new message.

Great! And no worries, they're going to like you. Meet you at The Den.;)

This really better not be a freakin' mafia.

x-x-x