AN:
Finished up another chapter last night so here's the next one.
Unbeta'd, but I've read this over at least sixteen times and revised a ton of it myself so it should be good. I hope. Aghhdljlg idk how I feel about this bit but, meh, here we go anyway?
psst not to spoil anything but this is the chapter with the implied Anna/Ruby so just a heads up if you're not in to that. It's not super outrageous or anything but it was my intention when i wrote it. I guess if it makes you uncomfortable, you can just envision them as cousins or sisters or bffs or whatever the hell you want but yeah.
Ferris Bueller, You're my Hero.
monoxidegirl
Chapter 09.
Gabriel doesn't come back until the next morning.
It's a long, sleepless night for Crowley and he's not sure when he became so dependent on Gabriel being there to help him sleep. All he knows is that the bed is too empty – it feels like miles of open space next to him.
He does come back though.
It's just after nine AM when Gabriel slips in and tosses the keys onto the table by the door. He doesn't say a word, just goes for the bathroom and shuts the door.
Crowley's ready to leave when he comes back out and they just pile into the car and start driving. Oklahoma City is next and they pass through and keep going. Somewhere along the line, the desert has disappeared and the landscape is now dotted with trees and green grass and the change is kind of nice, actually – endless dust and cacti was starting to get boring.
"Pull over."
It's the first words Gabriel's spoken since coming back that morning and Crowley looks over at him oddly for a second before he looks back to the road, "What? Why?"
"Just do it."
So he does.
They're a few miles outside of Tulsa, and Crowley has absolutely no idea what's going on, but Gabriel's gotten out of the car and he's going off on foot, back the way they came, and Crowley curses under his breath before he gets out and follows. Then the bastard is darting across the road and whatever he's found has entirely captured his attention and Crowley hasn't seen something do that to him in…years, really.
It turns out it's a giant Blue Whale.
Gabriel's grinning. Crowley's mildly concerned.
"You're kidding."
"They have swimming."
"Gabriel."
He's already walking off though and Crowley wonders when that became an effective way to end a conversation. Either way, he's going off without him, down the road that brings them closer to that stupid whale. It's a whole park, upon closer inspection, and Crowley just sighs.
"Gabriel, we really don't have time for this…"
Somehow, they end up staying.
They stock up on supplies (like swim shorts and sunscreen – Gabriel tries to buy him waterwings but Crowley ends up throwing the box at him from across the aisle) at the trading post across the highway, and then spend a couple of hours soaking up the spring sunshine and swimming.
There's even a snack bar and Gabriel charms the girl there into some free sodas and chips and it's actually easier than it should be to forget that they were mad at one another just a few hours ago. Crowley even gives in and goes into the little swimming hole, and Gabriel actually does his damnedest to drown him, he's sure – he keeps jumping on him and splashing him and causing a general ruckus and then the small herd of children are joining him and he's being assaulted by six eight year olds and one overly rambunctious eighteen year old.
He eventually manages to creep away (after hiding behind that stupid whale's giant tail) and those six eight year olds manage to distract Gabriel enough that he can hide out in the shade of some trees with the mothers.
"They're a handful, aren't they?"
Crowley glances over at the woman next to him. She's pretty, with long red hair and a kind smile and Crowley just snorts and shakes his head, watching as Gabriel has a chicken fight with two other kids, balancing another precariously on his shoulders. He's always been good with children and he thinks that Castiel is behind that – having to watch after his youngest brother certainly gave him a knack for entertaining; that, and his maturity level hovered right around theirs on good days.
"You could say that."
She laughs softly and sticks out a hand.
"I'm Anna."
He shakes it, "Crowley."
She turns back to the kids and Gabriel, then tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, "I like bringing them here. It feels wholesome. You know? Like…simpler times."
Crowley can understand that. Maybe that's why he put up with the detour.
"So, Crowley. What brings you to Catoosa?"
"Oh, ah, road trip," Crowley lies, though it's not entirely untrue. It's just…mostly not true; "Me and my friend."
She nods, "Oh, that's nice. Are you enjoying yourself so far?"
Aside from the homicidal red heads out to kill them and the childish, stupid arguments, he thinks that they are. It's been the most fun he's had in a long, long time; "Yeah. It's been…interesting."
"Your friend seems nice."
"He can be."
"I know the feeling," Her eyes wander to a pretty brunette standing at the snack counter, sipping on a soda under the shade of a giant, floppy hat. She looks less than thrilled to be where she is, sort of like a cat about to get a bath, but she smiles thinly when she sees Anna and waves a little. Anna returns it and laughs; "That's Ruby. She's not a fan of road trips. Or kids, for that matter."
"But she's here?"
"She does it for me," Anna comments, looking back to her kids. One of them hollers a 'Look at me mom!' from Gabriel's shoulders and waves his arm wildly in the air. Anna waves back; "She knows I like it here and my son likes it here. And it makes me happy, to know that she's willing to do that for me."
Crowley just watches Gabriel as he drops backwards into the water with the kid, emerging a moment later soaking wet with probably the biggest grin on his face as the boy pops up beside him. They high five and then Gabriel's eyes find his and the smile he gives him is smaller, more reserved, but startlingly intimate. Crowley just waves at him, a little, but Gabriel is already distracted with the kids again as they decide to dog pile on him.
They hit the highway again just after seven.
They share a picnic and barbecue with Anna, Ruby and the herd of children, and Crowley hates to admit it, but as prickly as Ruby was, she was a hell of a good cook and her burgers were to die for.
More importantly, the trip had burned off some of Gabriel's extra energy and he seemed more complacent, slumped in the passenger seat with a new splattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose and along his arms. He's got the window open with his fingers stuck out as they drive along the empty expanse of highway north and its nice, to be quiet and calm, with just the radio to fill the silence.
"I'm not mad that you told Luke."
Gabriel glances at him. His cheeks are a little pinker than usual – probably a sunburn. The idiot didn't use the sunscreen after all; "You seemed pretty mad last night."
"I'm not…mad," He admits, shaking his head, "Just frustrated."
"With me."
"With everything," he says and he finds that he means it, "We're on the run and I don't like it. I don't like that you're missing school. That you have to be away from your family. That it's come to this because of me. And I should have told you sooner what was going on. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, you should have."
"Most people say 'I forgive you' when someone apologizes, Gabriel…"
"Yeah, well."
Crowley rolls his eyes, "You're such a brat."
Gabriel makes an annoyed noise but looks back at the open stretch of road as they go, watching the trees as they whiz by, then, without warning, Gabriel points at the nearby turn-off, "Let's go into town here. Get snacks."
"You just ate!"
"So?"
Crowley does what he wants though. They pull off into Miami and seek out the nearest corner store, though eventually Gabriel just ends up insisting on more dinner so they stop at some place called Waylan's Ku Ku Burgers for a quick meal. They both unanimously decide, three bites in, that Ruby's burgers were much better. Either way, it's a nice detour and the place is kind of homely and comfortable and they sit in the booth and share a milkshake and Gabriel plays around with the straws more than a guy his age should. This feels a lot like childhood; they'd spend Gabriel's allowance on popcorn and soda and then sneak in to a movie and they had the whole thing down to a fine science by the time they turned twelve.
When they get back on the road, they don't end up driving far; it's only a couple of miles before they come across an overpass, extending over a massive river, reaching out into the darkened landscape. He can hear it below them, powerful but serene, and Gabriel leans over the edge to peer down at it.
"It's different, isn't it?" He asks, quiet, "Even the sky. We don't have stars like this back home."
Somewhere off in the distance, a coyote howls and he can hear the faint hum of the crickets, nearly drowned out by the river beneath them. On impulse, Crowley reaches out and takes his hand and laces their fingers together. Gabriel looks at him.
"It's nice."
They sit at the side of the road on the hood of the car and watch the stars, bright and seemingly endless, and they name constellations until Gabriel falls asleep, curled into the warmth of Crowley's body, head resting on his chest so he can hear his heartbeat and Crowley keeps combing his hands through the end of his hair because, for some reason, it seems like the only thing he should be doing right now.
