GUYS. I AM SO SORRY. I just got a job and so writing has been pretty hard to get into lately. Nina and I are working hard though. Enjoy!
"Come on, Sam, please? I've never been to a real college party before-never officially been to college either, but that's beside the point!"
It was an average Thursday evening and, ever since Sam had made the mistake of mentioning the party he planned on skipping out on that night, Gabriel had been bothering him about it.
Sam crossed his arms over his chest and gave Gabriel his best Lucifer impression. "These things are absurd, and I won't have some drunk frat boy or sorority girl feeling either of us up at this thing. Besides, I don't want someone roofieing you either."
"Oh, you're worried about me?" Gabriel's child-like persistence shifted into pure sass, and he even rested his hands on his hips to compliment his tone. "First of all, I'm not the baby here; I am an adult, you are the nineteen-year-old, barely adult! Secondly, just because I haven't been to a college party doesn't mean I haven't been to party, I'm not that naive. Dammit, Sam, have a little faith in me, I'm no idiot!" He ended with a determined nod, which, incidentally, turned out to be less threatening than he had intended.
Hands held up, palms outward, Sam attempted to fight that had made its way across his face. "Okay, okay! I believe you!" he let his hands drop with a sigh, "You have to understand why I'm worried though, don't you?" He inched a little forward, "I'm not just worried about you, you know. If something happens to you out there, Lucifer will skin me alive and wear me to the prom!"
"Yeah, yeah," Gabriel waved his hand dismissively, "don't worry, nothing is gonna happen to me! I actually feel really energetic tonight, honest! Now, can we go, pleeeease?"
Sam narrowed his eyes. "Only if you promise to let me call Lucifer if something happens to you, alright?" Then came the amused grinned, "And you have to come with me to see that Disney nature movie that's coming out next week. The one with the sharks."
The smaller man groaned loudly, slumping down. "Fine, but, if it's as dumb as the last one, we're movie hopping!"
"Not part of the deal. Come on, Gabe. I've got the keys to the impala for the night." He grinned, pulling said keys from his pocket and dangling them enticingly.
Gabriel gasped and took a step back, acting as if the very weight of Sam's words had thrust him backwards. "Dean gave you his car for a whole night? Usually, he freaks out if you try to park it, much less drive it!"
"He wanted me to go to the party, for some reason," Sam shrugged, "maybe after the party, we can even go park somewhere." He raised a brow.
"Oh Samuel, you know me so well." Chuckling, Gabriel made his way out the door, heading for the car excitedly.
Sam followed, locking his apartment door behind him. He stretched his legs out and purposely ran into Gabriel, only to clumsily wrap his arms around him. "Ey," he breathed into the smaller man's ear, "Samuel is my grandfather. It's Sam." As accustomed as he had gotten to Gabriel's nicknaming, it always caught him a little off guard when the blond threw a curveball and referred to him by his full name. That being said, it wasn't as if it actually bothered him; Gabriel just messed with Sam so often, he had to try and counter when the opportunity presented itself.
Gabriel turned his head and pursed his lips at Sam, "Yeah, my bad, Samson." He leaned back against the taller man, sighing. "You gonna open the car?"
Sam rolled his eyes, but did not make a move for the car. "Maybe...or maybe I just want to stand here with you for a little while."
"Mm," the blond let his head fall back against Sam's chest, "no objections here...though, I would like to make it to the party before things wind down. Then again, it isn't much of a party if I'm not there, so what am I worried about! Heh."
"You," Sam chuckled, "are entirely too full of yourself." He slipped out from behind Gabriel, opening the passenger door and sliding around to open his own door.
"Psh, don't act like that's not a perk!" Gabriel plopped into the passenger seat, tugging the door closed.
Sam turned the key in the ignition and put the car in gear, "I never said it wasn't; self esteem is very attractive." He pulled his seatbelt on and glanced at Gabriel out of the corner of his eye, "Buckle up, you."
"Ey," Gabriel made direct eye contact with Sam, mimicking the hushed tone the younger man had used earlier, "'You' is my distant relative from the country. It's Gabriel."
"Well, I'm not taking Gabriel anywhere until Gabriel's seat belt is buckled." Sam shot back. In response, the blond stuck his tongue out and snapped his seat belt into place, "Happy?"
Sam nodded, a playful smile playing on his lips as he pulled out and got on the road.
It didn't take long for Gabriel to start getting antsy. In order to distract him-or, rather, to keep him from fiddling and accidentally breaking part of his brother's car-Sam said something rather...unexpected,
"You know, I've never gotten road head before."
His expression was all too innocent, despite the blush that dusted his cheeks.
Gabriel snorted, Sam's tone having completely thrown him off. "Don't tempt me. Knowing you, you're going to end up having to pull the car over, and make us even later. There's time for fun later on, you fiend!" He clicked his tongue against his teeth and winked.
Sam grinned at the windshield, "Is that a threat or a promise?"
"Well, I don't make idle threats, and I always keep my promises, so, either way." Gabriel beamed playfully, smoothing his hair back.
"Yeah, I believe it." Sam reached over to take Gabriel's hand. "How long do you want to stay tonight?"
"How long are we allowed to stay, Mister Chauffeur?" Gabriel cocked a brow, giving Sam's hand a squeeze.
"As long as you want," Sam assured him, "I don't want you to get uncomfortable though."
"Don't worry about it, Sam-a-rama, I will be sure to communicate with you in the event of my...dissatisfaction." Gabriel brought his right calf up to rest upon his left knee, prodding at the glove box with the tip of his shoe, just lightly enough to make noise.
"If you leave shoeprints on Baby, Dean is going to murder me, you know." Sam raised his eyebrows, but didn't bother to glance in Gabriel's direction.
"Relax, my shoes are clean." Still, he leaned down to check, dusting off the glove box in case of of any marks. "We almost there?"
"Be patient," Sam tapped the steering wheel with a forefinger, "This place is a good fifteen minutes away." He snorted, "If I hear 'Are we there yet?' out of you, I'll just drop you off on a street corner somewhere."
"Are we there yet?" Gabriel sassed, putting his foot down and sitting up, "How about now? Are we there yet? Are we, Sam, are we? Are we close? Are we there now?" His voice resembled that of a whiny five-year-old.
Sam swerved and pulled over to the side of the road. He put the car in park and turned to face Gabriel. "Alright," he laughed, "out of the car."
In response, Gabriel gave Sam the most challenging look he could manage, crossing his arms. "You're going to have to remove me yourself, if you really want me out so bad."
Sam unhooked his seatbelt and climbed out, whistling nonchalantly as he walked around the front of the Impala and opened the passenger door, "Oh?" While this definitely was not part of his normal behavior, or something he would have done had anyone else been in the car, even Dean, the nineteen-year-old had long since learned how much Gabriel enjoyed spontaneity.
Gabriel cocked a brow, watching Sam suspiciously. "I'll call Luci if you do, and he'll come pick me up from the side of the road."
Without hesitation, the brunet undid Gabriel seat belt and hauled him out of the car. "Oh really?" He pressed the smaller man up against the back door. "You sure about that?"
Gabriel did not so much as flinch, even though it was apparent to all passers-by that Sam could have easily hurt Gabriel, had he really wanted to. "Positive."
Sam hummed thoughtfully and leaned in to press his lips to Gabriel's ear, giving in. "Good thing I don't want to leave you behind then." He pulled back and raised his eyebrows.
"I know," the blond snickered and wrapped his arms around Sam's neck, "if you were going to leave me behind, you would have done it a long time ago."
"Damn straight," Sam gave Gabriel a kiss, aware of the cool metal of the car under his hands and the chilly wind whipping his hair around.
"Well, I dunno," Gabriel teased, stealing another kiss, "seems pretty damn gay to me."
Sam snorted and laughed, pressing their foreheads together as his shoulders shook. "You are a little shit."
"Yeah, but you love me just the same!" Gabriel ducked down and slid past Sam, climbing back into the car. "Can we go to the party now? I'm sure they're all wondering what's keeping me."
Sam shook his head and took his position in the driver's seat. Once they were all settled in, he started the car and resumed their drive. "I'm sure they're getting along just fine without you, you know."
"Pssh, sure they are," Gabriel tapped his fingers against the inside of the car door, "every cake tastes just fine until you add the frosting. Then, what was a mere pastry becomes out of this world, and you can never go back to a plain cake!" The blond beamed, fairly pleased with his analogy.
Sam just blinked at the road. "Wait. What? Did you just compare the party to a cake?"
"Wow, Sam, you catch on straight away!" Gabriel chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest.
Sam shook his head and sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you," he reached his right hand out and caught Gabriel's hand, "other than your stunning good looks and winning personality, that is."
"Uh huh, nice save, you suave bastard." In order to hold Sam's hand more effectively, the blond uncrossed his arms, smirking slightly.
"I live to please," Sam replied as they finally pulled into a street lined with cars. "Alright. Looks like we have a bit of walking to do." He maneuvered the car into a good spot and parked.
"Oh good, we both need the exercise...one more than the other." As he climbed out of the car, Gabriel glanced at Sam, as if to suggest that he was the one in question.
"Of course. I know I've put on a bit weight," Sam patted his stomach, "hope you like 'em fat."
Laughing, Gabriel leaned against the car. "Oh yeah, I love a man with a little meat on his bones, especially when those bones are extra lengthy."
As Sam stepped out of the car and basically towered over him, Gabriel approached the brunet and cleared his throat, "Yes, I'll have one tall drink of water, boiling hot, hold the ice. Oh, and can you super-size that order? I'm thirsty as fuck. Thank you." With a wink and a click of his tongue, Gabriel turned on his heel and started off in the direction of the blaring music.
Sam laughed and rolled his eyes, but followed just the same. "I'm going to need a hearing aid before the night's over," he snorted.
"What was that?" Gabriel called out jokingly, taking Sam's hand and pulling him forward.
Sam grabbed Gabriel from behind. "I said, I'm going to need a hearing aid. I won't be able to hear you at normal speaking volume anymore."
Gabriel slid to a halt and turned his head, shouting even louder, "What?!"
Sam snorted again, responding with, "What was that," notably louder than the other man.
"Why are you yelling? I'm right here." The blond pulled away and looked at Sam, his features mimicking seriousness so much, it almost seemed sincere; almost. Then, he tugged on the brunet's hand and started forward once again.
Sam let himself be tugged along with a bemused smile, "Are you heading for the center of the music? We might have to fight our way there."
"I just want to get there, then I expect you to use your skyscraper powers to get us to the center." As he spoke, the source of the music, a relatively large, dark-colored house, came into view, the windows alight.
"Skyscraper powers?" Sam questioned, "I'll try, but those are limited to standing still and blinding people when the sun hits me the right way."
"The sun always hits you the right way; too bad it's nighttime," Gabriel countered, "looks like it's time for you to get creative."
As they entered the house, everything amplified tenfold-the music, the lights, and, not to mention, Gabriel's level of excitement. The place was alive with color and movement, people dancing, and swaying, and drinking, and yelling for the sake of having a good time, not giving a damn whether or not they were making fools of themselves.
Sam stared out over the sea of heads and stepped around in front of Gabriel, "Alright, follow me." He stepped forward and muttered apologies to the people he pushed out of the way, until they were a few feet from the stage.
Gabriel all but latched onto Sam's arm, wading through the clusters of people with a mixture of anxiety and eagerness. "I knew you could get us up here," he commented, although, it was doubtful Sam had heard him.
Sam gave a grin and waved him up towards the stage.
Gabriel pulled Sam with him, all but pressing the both of them up against the stage. Unlike the majority of the college parties, at least those Gabriel had heard about, this one had a live band and singer instead of a stereo system, or even a DJ.
Sam leaned down to whisper in Gabriel's ear, "I haven't seen that singer before. She's pretty hot, and she actually sounds damn good."
The singer, a young Indian woman, was, in fact, extremely gorgeous. She looked about Gabriel's age, maybe a year or two younger, with a dark complexion, sharp features, and long, curled hair, which could have been brunette or black-it was near impossible to tell in the lighting provided. Gold jewelry adorned her wrists and neck, and the red dress she wore, complete with matching shawl, was the same fiery color as her lipstick, assuring that she caught the gaze of any passers-by.
Sam wasn't the only one who'd been intrigued, it would seem. The dark-haired woman eyed the nineteen-year-old with growing interest and, as the ending of one song shifted to the start of another, she prowled towards him, like a bird of prey.
She allowed her shawl to slide from her shoulders and hang off of her forearms, pulling a few cat calls from guys farther back; then, she brought the microphone up to her lips and started up again.
"Baby, can't you see, I'm callin', a guy like you, should wear a warnin'," she made eye contact with Sam, her expression almost teasing, though it could have just been for the sake of the song, "it's dangerous, I'm fallin'."
"There's no escape," a wink, "I can't wait, I need a hit, baby, give me it," she jerked her head, causing her hair to whip around, "you're dangerous, I'm lovin' it."
Sam gaped at her, his mouth falling open; he stared for a minute before he remembered where he was, and, more importantly, who he was with, and closed his mouth with such force, it would have been heard if not for the music. He then wrapped an arm around Gabriel, who, in turn, didn't so much as look up at him; the smaller man was watching the singer's every move, his body tense against Sam's side. The flashing lights made it difficult to see unless one was extremely close to his face, but Gabriel definitely appeared bitter and unamused.
At that point, the singer began to move closer to the edge of the stage-"Too high, can't come down"-her heels clicking distantly beneath the pounding of background music as she moved to the beat and enunciated every melodic phrase, "Losin' my head, spinning 'round and 'round. . .Do you feel it now?"
It was becoming exceedingly clear that she wasn't acknowledging Gabriel in the slightest-well, either that, or she couldn't see him, which, while kind of comedic and embarrassing, was not completely impossible when he was standing beside Sam. Regardless of whether or not she was aware of the blond's presence, she continued to shower his tall partner with attention, at first only with her eyes, then, with her actions as well.
"With the taste of your lips, I'm on a ride," as she started the chorus, she let her shawl slip down far enough that she could grab it, "you're toxic, I'm slipping under," and then whip it and twirl it around like a lasso, "with the taste of a poison paradise, I'm addicted to you, don't you know that you're toxic. . ."
Without warning, the woman leaned down and draped the shawl around Sam's head, using it to draw him closer, close enough that, had she wanted to, she could have kissed him. Instead, she simply ran the back of her fingers against his cheek, smirking playfully and earning more hoots from the crowd as she whisked her shawl away.
". . .And I love what you do, don't you know that you're toxic. . ."
No sooner had the words left her lips, then did Gabriel rip away from Sam and begin shoving his way through the crowd, receiving a number of startled yells and angry remarks from other attendees. But with the amount of people there, paired with the blaring bass and a thick haze brought on by alcohol, he was soon forgotten, swallowed up by an ocean of nameless faces.
If that hadn't been enough to drag Sam back to reality, nothing would have been.
The yells startled Sam out of his stunned reverie, and he pulled the shawl from his head, laying it on the stage. He wheeled around and pushed through the crowd, muttering apologies as he went; despite his height advantage, he couldn't so much as catch sight of his companion.
"Gabriel?!" Sam was yelling, but the music drowned him out, and, with every passing second, panic was gaining a tighter grip on him. "Gabriel?"
As it turned out, Gabriel's distressed and aggressive shoving had gotten him out of the house and into the front yard, and that would have to be good enough. Although he had been seriously contemplating leaving the property entirely, he had no idea where he'd go anyway-home was much too far-and, even if he knew a place, he probably wouldn't have made it there. His escape efforts had left him out of breath and light-headed, and, though he hated how little it took to cause him to throw the towel in, Gabriel was no idiot.
So, instead, he plopped down on the lawn and tucked his head between his knees, sucking in the deepest breaths he could manage.
Sam twisted around at the front door, looking for Gabriel. Upon spotting him at last, Sam heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Gabriel," he jogged over and sat next to him, "hey, what happened back there?"
In response, Gabriel grunted and peeked out, "Er, it just got a little hot and crowded in there," he tried, though he hardly sounded convincing. It definitely didn't help that he hid his face in his knees again almost immediately.
Sam wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, "C'mon. Tell me what's going on."
Gabriel was quiet for a good while, keeping his face hidden long after his breathing had become somewhat normal. When he did finally lift his head and open his mouth to speak, he stared at the grass rather than Sam, "I just think...maybe I shouldn't go to college parties. I'm not a college student anyway." His voice came out just above a whisper.
Sam's arm tightened. "I don't think that's it," he said softly, "please don't shut me out."
With a sigh, Gabriel leaned back, resting his head against Sam, "I made it out to be a bigger deal than it really was, okay?" He was still being purposefully vague, obviously on the fence about telling Sam the truth.
Sam moved and knelt in front on Gabriel, attempting to make eye contact. "Look at me and tell me that's all that was."
The taller man's shift almost caused Gabriel to fall over, and the blond did his share of grumbling about that, but, in the end, he had no choice but to face Sam.
"Okay, okay, you win, it was a little more than that," Gabriel mumbled, brows furrowed in annoyance, "she was flirting with you, and that would have bothered me regardless of who was doing it. But…" he clicked his tongue against his teeth, stalling again.
"But she's a special case?" Sam asked softly, "Was that your ex?"
It ticked Gabriel off sometimes, how good Sam was at drawing conclusions. At least, this time, it saved him the trouble of having to explain. "Y-Yeah," he huffed, "that was definitely Kali."
Sam pulled Gabriel into a hug, "One day you're going to try to run away from me, and I won't be there to find you. Please promise you won't do that again?"
Gabriel settled against him, taking a deep breath, "Y-Yeah, okay. Sorry if I freaked you out or whatever."
Sam hummed, "It's all right. Just talk to me when you have problems, that's what I'm here for, after all."
"And I guess I'm just here to give you a hard time." Gabriel chuckled softly, retaliating from his moment of weakness.
Sam cupped Gabriel's cheek and threaded his fingers into his soft caramel-colored hair. "That's not the only thing you're here for," he grinned, "Now, what do you say we go back to the party and try to coin a new dance or something?"
"Fine," Mid-sentence, Gabriel was already climbing to his feet, "but only if I get to lead!"