Author's Note: Okay so I -finally- have the outline for the Debriel Christmas fic done and the first chapter. Trying to find time to complete it but RL has been getting to me. I'll be attempting to find time in the morning (if my dog will stop waking him every two hours or so through the night) It may not be in time for Christmas, but I hope to have it all posted by the end of the month!

~This has been edited by QueenOfHearts

Chapter Seven

After Gabriel spent his first day out of the bedroom, Sam watched as the archangel seemed to recover. He no longer needed to regain his balance steadily, only needed to pause every couple of hours for a short break. He wasn't using the washroom any longer, his grace able to flush everything from his vessel, though he did still eat and sleep like a normal human. Gabriel was growing stronger; Sam had heard the archangel speak with Castiel about his power levels and how they were gaining strength a bit each day.

It should have made him happy to know that Gabriel was slowly but surely getting back to where he was before. Instead, Sam spent the time wishful that Gabriel would stick around a bit more, that he could spend his days curled around the man in bed like they did their first week. They remained sleeping in the same room, something neither man thought to mention, but it wouldn't be too long before Gabriel asked for his own space, no longer needing Sam's constant care.

"Dude, you have got to talk to him." Turning to Dean who was sitting on the other side of the kitchen table, Sam sighed. He knew it was coming, although he had tried to postpone the conversation. Eventually, Dean was going to make him show his hand. Giving the area a quick look to make sure nobody else was around, Sam ran a hand through his hair.

"I know, but there's just no good time to bring it up." It was a lousy excuse, one he would never have let Dean get away with, and by the look Dean was giving him, his older brother wasn't going to let him use it either. "He's only just started to recover enough to walk around the bunker. Don't you think it's a bit soon to shove this at him? I mean what if he wants to leave? What if it makes him too uncomfortable to stay?"

Dean groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sammy, he's a grown-ass archangel. If you having a crush on him makes him uncomfortable he'll deal with it. You're acting like a teenage girl. Man up, and tell the pixie that you want to do more than sleep when you go to bed and see what he says. People are starting to talk about you two still sharing a room, and if I've heard them, it will only be a matter of time before he does."

He was going to argue. At the very least that it was none of Dean's business if he spoke to Gabriel or not when the archangel came into the kitchen. Sam had left the blond in bed, having needed a coffee to start his day. Looking at Gabriel's sleepy expression, the way he was shuffling around trying to get a coffee, Sam couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. The archangel was adorable when half asleep, the way he squinted to look around, how his hair was messed up, constantly running his fingers through it until he got his shower.

Everything about Gabriel was exactly what Sam wanted in his life, who he wanted in his life. It was a shame the archangel could never feel the same. "You need some help, Gabe?" asked Sam, already standing to reach up and grab a mug for the blond. Gabriel yawned, stuffing a hand over his mouth while he did, and Sam wanted nothing more than to wrap around the archangel and tug him back to bed.

"If you're getting one, thanks. I've been human for nearly two weeks and I still don't like this morning thing. How do you two put up with it?" asked the archangel, taking a seat at the table. Dean rolled his eyes, holding up his mug of coffee and pointing to it while he spoke. "Coffee, lots and lots of coffee. Even Sammy here doesn't like mornings without it, the health-nut that he is."

Glaring at his brother, Sam passed Gabriel his mug of coffee, filled with far too many sugars and milk for his taste, but by the moan Gabriel let go as he took his first swallow it was well received. Hiding his grin behind his cup, Sam placed his hand on Gabriel's shoulder while he walked past to his chair, taking the one beside the archangel. Spreading his legs so that the side of his thigh lightly touched Gabriel's Sam ignored the pointed stare of his brother and enjoyed his coffee.

"So what do you boys have planned for Christmas anyway? I mean I get the decorating and the Secret Santa, but do you two have anything planned for yourselves? Jack wants to try having the family together; I think he got something for each of you and doesn't know if it's allowed or not."

Blinking, Sam turned to Dean who shrugged before both looked at Gabriel again. "We didn't plan anything. I mean if there's no case we'll probably be here, but otherwise there's nothing special planned. And it's fine if he got us something small, the Secret Santa was more for those from the Apocalypse World than anything else.

"We could try and make a day of it, opening presents Christmas morning and then having something to eat. There's a field not too far from here where we could set off some fireworks weather-permitting, or if the weather is still crappy, we might be able to do something inside, watch a movie?"

Nodding along with Dean's idea, Sam wondered how much of the question was really for Jack. Gabriel who had tensed while asking about the holiday relaxed, his smile returning to his face while he sipped at his coffee. "I think he would like that." Not two minutes later Jack was entering the kitchen, his eyes lighting up when he spotted Gabriel.

Sam didn't know what Gabriel was telling the Nephilim or what he was teaching him, but Jack was enjoying having his uncle around. Gabriel was quick to follow Jack out of the kitchen, listening as the Nephilim started to prattle on about what he discovered in the library. Sam watched with a fond smile, which vanished as soon as he faced his older brother again.

Rolling his eyes, Sam got up and made his way to the war room where he could find out if anything happened while he was asleep. From the moment he knew he would have to look after Gabriel, Sam had implemented a new automated system to watch for any hunters who didn't check in, and to narrow down searches for hunts and who was closest to the area. They were turning into a real Men of Letters bunker, one that was using all its resources efficiently.

It was late by the time Sam was done, hardly having the energy to undress he closed the bedroom door behind himself and looked to the archangel who was asleep on his bed. Tugging off his clothing, Sam crawled under the covers, pulling Gabriel against him, so his front was against the archangel's back. Turning off the lamp he tried to brush aside what Dean had said. Sadly, he wasn't wrong. It would only be a matter of time before Gabriel heard the rumors that were circling through the bunker. Sam had heard them himself.

People weren't exactly welcoming of Sam opening their home to an archangel in the first place. Now that they saw how Gabriel interacted with Jack and how he helped with research when asked they were slowly learning to embrace the archangel, but there was still speculation on why Gabriel was continuing to sleep with Sam. Nuzzling the top of Gabriel's head, Sam wrapped himself around the blond, letting the closeness of his crush calm him into sleep. He could deal with the hunters in the morning; he wasn't about to chance Gabriel being pushed away.

P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter or Instagram as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I'm reading (I always review so you know what you're getting into) I'm on Goodreads as well, the same name as always.