So, since I'm including Death in a human AU, I needed to give him a human name. It's Rodger Mortis, a play off of rigor mortis. Coffee-without-a-pause (Tumblr) suggested Richard Mortis, though I tweaked it because Richard reminds me of Richard Speight Jr. It was gonna be that or Graham Reaper, but he looks more like a Rodger I think
Also: Alpha fight this chapter, ye be warned
Sam found himself fussing over his clothes the day before Wednesday. He happened to want to make a good impression with Gabriel's family, but had a hard time finding a formal shirt that would go with the gold and pearled collar; normal collared shirts for men were not exactly omega friendly because most men were alphas or betas.
His mother thankfully had a solution that did not involve a blouse or anything overtly feminine. He wore a black v-neck shirt and they got him a dark blue blazer that did not hide the gold around his neck or on his collarbone. He didn't think he'd be wearing the blazer for long because of the weather, but it was worth getting just because of the expression on Gabriel's face when he came to pick him up Wednesday afternoon. Surprising the alpha was always pleasing to Sam.
"You look great," Gabriel said, his hand automatically resting on Sam's hip where the blazer gave him a nice waist line. Gabriel was wearing a button down shirt, jacket, and nicer pants, but clearly wasn't going as formally as Sam was; his shirt tails weren't even tucked in.
"Thanks." Sam smiled. The untucked shirt did bother him but he tried not to mention it while they were saying goodbye to the party goers in the kitchen. Not only was the Winchester house there, but so was Karen and Bobby Singer, Sam's uncle-beta and aunt-beta. Then the Harvilles had been invited over because neither Ellen or her mate cooked. Jo was out with her own mate and Dean was too busy cooking burgers to be disgruntled; it was the first year John was allowing Dean to do the cooking, but their father was constantly checking in on him just to make sure he was doing it right.
The drive to the Shurley's was in the next town over, which explained why Sam hadn't seen his family about. The ride was filled with music, tips about who was going to the party (only Gabriel's immediate family), and of course the smell of the chocolate mousse pie that Gabriel was bringing for dessert.
They arrived at a house that was not unlike Sam's childhood home, a two story house with a long driveway for company. But before they went in, Sam insisted on tucking Gabriel's shirt tails into his pants, buttoning up his shirt all the way and straightening his jacket while Gabriel was holding the pie.
"Sam, you realize we're going to MY family's house, right?" Gabriel quirked a brow at him. Sam shrugged. Was it his fault that he didn't want to look sloppy because of his alpha? He did care about how Gabriel looked, especially if he was going to see Gabriel's family. What kind of omega would he be if he didn't feel the need for his mate to be presentable?
"Let me at least look like I try to keep you from being a slob," Sam said. Gabriel let Sam fiddle without much more than verbal protest.
"Thanks for not messing with my apartment then," Gabriel said in retrospect. Sam smiled because there were a few things that bothered him, but it was Gabriel's territory. He had no say in what an alpha did with their own territory; not unless he was living there too.
Once Sam was done primping, Gabriel opened the door to the house and rapped upon the wall in the hall as he made his way inside. The scent of baked foods was more prevalent than anything else. "You can all celebrate now because I brought pie!" Gabriel called. Sam shut the door after them, following Gabriel closely because he was in uncharted territory. Gabriel took a detour into a kitchen and Sam peeked in, seeing two men.
"There's room in the fridge, Gabriel," the older of the two men said.
"Great." Gabriel beckoned for Sam to come in and once Sam was at his side, Gabriel wrapped his arm around his waist, saying, "Dad, this is Sam Winchester, my mate." Then he used the pie to gesture to the older man, who was tall and thin and quite formal looking. "Sam, this is my dad, Rodger Mortis." At first glance, Sam thought he was very skeletal looking, but that had to be from the distinct lines in his face and neutral expression.
"A pleasure." Rodger offered his hand and Sam shook it firmly, returning the greeting. The man was stronger than he looked and much more formal than Sam expected from being related to Gabriel. Rodger was in an ironed flat white button down shirt, with every button hole being used; black slacks and shined shoes. Rodger was also wearing a plain apron as he was in the middle of finishing up something in the oven.
Gabriel then pointed to the other man; a far less formal introduction given to the person nearer to his own age. "And that's Michael, my oldest brother." Michael just nodded to Sam, his dress shirt rolled to his elbows and was busy mixing a salad together. He was partially as formally dressed as Rodger. At least Sam could tell they were related because they both shared black hair and sharper facial features; very little like Gabriel.
Gabriel put the pie in the fridge as Rodger turned his attention back to what he was doing at the stove as he said, "Your mother and sister are on the back porch."
"Sweet," Gabriel said and took Sam's hand leading him out of the kitchen and into the living room that was cluttered with papers and comfortable furniture.
"Your dad is..." Sam wasn't sure what do say because he wasn't much like Gabriel at all.
"A little stiff?" Gabriel asked, guiding him towards a sliding door.
"Yeah." Sam nodded.
"Well he works with stiffs all day, so maybe that's why." Gabriel shrugged.
"Stiffs as in...?" Sam raised a brow.
"Dead people," Gabriel clarified. He paused at the door to smile at Sam's surprised expression. "He's a mortician."
"Oh," Sam said quietly.
"And before you ask, yes, that's his casual wear." Gabriel pushed open the sliding glass door and hopped out onto a concrete patio, where a good sized table was set up with three more people. There were a few snacks set out and a couple pitchers of drink. Two men and a woman were already comfortable at the table but clearly interrupted as Gabriel announced, "Hey, the party can start now, I'm here."
"By all means, you can be the party." The man closest to the door said, sitting in a partly reclined deck chair and drink in hand. He was the most casually dressed person there, in jeans and a green t-shirt. He had heavily gray-peppered brown hair and a short beard on his face. Around his neck was a collar, black and thin. There were tiny beads strung under it, like the corner of a web with tassels of string that decorated the ends where the edges intersected. In the center was a crystal skull which seemed to be embedded to the web with red ruby eyes in the sockets. Gabriel planted a kiss on the man's temple and squeezed his shoulder, standing behind the chair.
"Mom, this is Sam," Gabriel said fondly. "Sam, Chuck Shurley." Sam nodded because Chuck just gave him a friendly wave, drinking what appeared to be pink lemonade. Sam guessed that Chuck owned the house since children were often named under the house owner's name. Usually the alpha was deemed default name carrier, but not every family was the same. Sam saw where Gabriel got his softness from compared to Rodger; his height too, Sam would later conclude when Chuck was moving about.
"Nice to meet you. Gabriel did mention he'd finally picked an omega to mate with again." Chuck wagged his finger, saying thoughtfully, "You're kinda tall for an omega."
"So I've been told," Sam said with a shrug before Gabriel introduced the other two.
"My sister, Raphael, and her mate... what's his name," Gabriel said.
"Virgil," Raphael stated evenly, in a white blouse that contrasted her dark skin and black hair that was pulled into a bun. She wore black pants and leaned on the large wooden table, drinking a glass of regular lemonade. She was much younger than Gabriel; had to be around Sam's age. Around her neck was a band of beads, formed into a zigzag pattern of bright green, red, and yellow. Hanging from the collar was the metallic shape of an angel, detailed with six wings that formed in a heart shape. Compared to her, Virgil was very plain looking; wearing a suit, had pale skin, and dark hair. "He's been my mate for 2 years now, can you at least try to remember his name?"
"Maybe." Gabriel gave a cheeky smile and Virgil gave an unamused look to him in return. "Just for you though, sis."
"Thank you," she said. "How is the bakery?"
Sam sat in a chair as the conversation picked up.
"Booming as usual. How's the morgue? Dead and lifeless I hope." Gabriel went for drinks in the pitchers, sniffing the contents before Chuck mentioned the red pitcher was his in a whisper.
"Yes, I still have no zombies to report to you," she assured him.
"Good, let's keep it that way," Gabriel said and poured Chuck more drink from the red pitcher when he gestured his cup towards it.
"Do you work with your dad?" Sam asked as he was soon handed regular lemonade in a red solo cup.
"Michael as well." Raphael nodded. "What about you? What do you do?"
"I um... I'm graduating this year," Sam said, feeling like the youngest person there. Raphael looked at Gabriel and slowly rose her brows at her brother.
"What?" Gabriel asked as he took a seat next to Sam. "He's presented, it's legal. And he'll be 18 this August." Sam confirmed with a nod. "He's only a year younger than you."
"Well, you're old, I thought you'd mate with another old person, like Kali." Raphael shrugged. Gabriel rolled his eyes.
"Ancient history, drop it," Gabriel said. Sam blinked, curious about the other person Gabriel tried to mate with. Gabriel certainly didn't talk about old flames around him. "Where's Lucifer?" Gabriel dragged over the tray of crackers and started to munch on them.
"Late." Chuck shrugged. "Something about wrapping up business. He did assure me he would bring the wine for dessert."
"He better bring port or zinfandel this time," Gabriel said, his hand brushing against Sam's thigh lazily. Sam looked curiously to Gabriel, not sure exactly what the difference was in wines.
"I reminded him," Chuck said helpfully before drinking from his cup.
"They go well with the pie," Gabriel explained to Sam. Sam nodded; the most he knew about wines were that they usually came in bottles or boxes, and would usually be red or white.
"So... I am a bit curious," Sam said, more to Gabriel, during a lull of conversation. "Why is your brother named after Satan?" Gabriel smiled.
"Besides the fact that he IS Satan?" Gabriel asked. Sam shrugged, he always found it odd, but there were several other angel names a parent could use. "Mom, hey Mom," Gabriel looked to Chuck, who perked up, "explain again why you named Lucifer after the devil." Chuck rolled his eyes, as though it was not the first time he'd been asked.
"I didn't name him after Satan, believe it or not," Chuck said. "Lucifer happens to mean 'morning star' or 'bringer of dawn' or 'shining one'. It's an aesthetically pleasing name." About that time, Rodger came out with a casserole dish and Michael was close behind with plates and utensils.
"Lucy is mom's favorite," Gabriel muttered to Sam.
"Gabriel, he is not my favorite," Chuck said quickly. "I love you all equally."
"He was very into Hebrew religion and mythology research while he was pregnant with Lucifer," Rodger added as he set the dish down on the table. Chuck shrugged and took a sip from his cup before it was plucked from his fingers. Rodger sniffed the contents. "I thought you were going to wait for dinner to start drinking." Chuck pouted and turned some very convincing sad eyes to his mate.
"Only one," Chuck said in his defense.
"Three," Raphael corrected.
"Chuck," Rodger turned his disapproving gaze on him and Chuck turned a frown at Raphael, who pretended she hadn't said anything and was suddenly fussing with Virgil's tie. Gabriel was also more interested in Sam's jacket than looking guilty about pouring his mother a drink.
"I had a headache." Chuck eyed the cup, losing the innocent look after his daughter ratted him out.
"The alcohol causes the headaches," Rodger said calmly.
"Does not," Chuck argued.
"It does, the doctor said so and it only makes your hot flashes and headaches worse; and I have to deal with them later." Rodger took the cup and the red pitcher and dumped them over the side of the patio railing, into the grass. Chuck folded his arms a clear pout on his face.
Gabriel nudged Sam and whispered to him, "Mom hit the big M-phase thing last year." It took a moment but Sam nodded. Menopause usually hit omegas about 50 years of age. They didn't go into heat in fall, their bodies didn't shift. They pretty much stayed in a beta-state, but during Summer and Autumn, symptoms like hot flashes and discomfort often appeared.
Rodger made sure every drop was out of the pitcher before he walked to Chuck and leaned down to place a kiss on Chuck's head. "Love you, mate," Rodger told him with underlying affection. Chuck gave a huffy scoff and Rodger continued on his way inside, presumably to put the pitcher in the sink. Sam could only smile a bit because it reminded him of his mother when she was trying to get his father to eat healthier.
"So, Gabriel says you write books," Sam said, trying to change the subject. Chuck lit up noticeably.
"I do," Chuck confirmed. "Several series believe it or not. Have you read any?"
"I don't think so," Sam said. He tended to enjoy murder mysteries while Gabriel had described his mother's as science fiction or ghost stories.
"Well most of them are religious or paranormal books." Chuck touched the skull on his collar, forgetting his aggravation with his mate for the moment. "Rodger got me this as our..." he paused, "3rd year together, I think. He knows I have a thing for the morbid. Though I suppose it also makes sense that he's an undertaker."
"Funeral director," Michael corrected as he was setting out plates and taking away the snacks for the real food. Chuck waved off the correction, as though he was above technical corrections because of his age.
"It just doesn't have the ring to it," Chuck said, before repeating it in a more cryptic fashion, "Undertaker." Rodger returned with a mug of coffee and offered to to Chuck. Chuck took it and seeming appeased for the moment. "You're forgiven this time." Rodger just smiled and continued to help Michael with the table. "Gabriel was going to join the family business too."
"You were?" Sam looked to his mate. He couldn't quite see Gabriel's vibrant energy being contained in a suit and tie. Though it would explain some of the alpha's humor. Gabriel gave a shrug.
"Was going to until I was like 12." Gabriel shrugged. "I went to work with dad lots of times. Poked a lot of dead things."
"The dead things happened to be my clients' family." Rodger sighed solemnly. Sam rolled his eyes because that just sounded typical of Gabriel. "Although what really discouraged him was when children about his age were brought in." Gabriel shrugged, looking uncomfortable.
"Well, come on. It kinda made me think about what I wanted to do, and it wasn't working with the stiffs and embalming fluid," Gabriel said firmly.
"He got his father's talent for cooking," Chuck commented. "Rodger helped him start his own restaurant." Rodger shrugged, starting to serve food to everyone.
"What can I say, I thought it was a worth while investment. He has always had good taste." Rodger gave a small smile. "Such as detouring for banana splits on Sundays when he was younger."
Gabriel chuckled, telling Sam, "Me and Dad would always go out for these huge banana splits to get out of going to church."
"And that's why he's my favorite," Rodger said fondly as everyone picked spots at the table to start digging in.
"Rodger, you're not supposed to pick favorites," Chuck scolded as he moved next him to sit. "And I'm still mad at you for never going with me."
"Darling, I deal with death everyday and I certainly don't want to think about it on my days off," Rodger said simply. Chuck huffed, but didn't chase the subject. Sam tasted the casserole and hummed, enjoying the melded flavors. He had to agree that Gabriel and learned his skill from his father. The story about banana splits made more sense about why Gabriel chose the ice-cream charm on his casual collar.
"So," Chuck said, once everyone had started to dig in. "Sam, are you and Gabriel discussing children?" Sam cleared his throat, trying to not choke on a bite of green beans. "Too soon? It's just out of curiosity."
"Um, no. I mean, we've talked," Sam said, though he knew that was partly an expectation of his own parents as well, he wasn't quite ready for Gabriel's mother to question him. Gabriel had already agreed that it was far too soon to be talking about children. "I wanted to go to college first, and getting pregnant would be sort of a distraction." Chuck gave a look of disappointment.
"Don't mind him," Rodger said, patting Chuck's back, "He's been looking forward to grand children since Michael was born."
"I'm a beta, so he can't bother me for kids," Michael said casually. "And I don't think Lucifer will ever settle down."
"I can hope that you're wrong," Chuck muttered, "but then that just leaves my two babies." Gabriel and Raphael glanced at each other but made no comment.
The glass door opened and Sam glanced up to see a familiar man stepping onto the porch. "Speak of the devil," Gabriel said wryly.
"Ah, I missed your witty jokes, Gabriel," Lucifer said dryly as he shut the door behind him. He was wearing a simple neat polo shirt and khaki slacks. He also had a bottle of wine tucked under his arm, the contents being a pale pink. He was a classically handsome man, having dirtier blond hair than Gabriel, a mix of tall like Rodger but not as sharp. At first he was deceptively innocent looking but he gave off a strong, dominating presences; the kind stereotypically given off by an alpha.
His eyes landed on Sam's and Sam felt a chill up his back. Sam immediately looked back to his meal, straightening ever so much in his chair. Lucifer had always been an odd person, maybe considered an alpha among alphas. Sam was not yet been acquainted with an alpha's stare. He'd seen John and Gabriel staring off. The intensity was much different when he was on the other end of the stare. It happened very quickly and he could only guess that maybe it was just nerves. Or maybe it had to do with him being an omega. He wasn't really attracted to Lucifer but the stare did arouse something that Sam wasn't ready for. It scared him a bit.
"Zinfendel," Lucifer said casually as he lifted the bottle and set it on the table as he looked at Gabriel. "You can't complain this time." Sam felt Gabriel's hand return to his leg under the table, which eased his nerves by rubbing them away.
"Go put it to chill so we can have it for desert already then," Gabriel said, his tone a bit sharper than normal. "Or did you forget where the fridge was?"
"So sorry. I thought you'd want proof." Lucifer raised his brows and after a moment, returned inside to put the wine away. Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The tenseness between Gabriel and John hadn't been quite like that. At home it had been a large cloud of air. What he just experienced was sharper, more deadly. Like two alphas disagreeing over an omega. Sam was very, very happy to be sitting between Raphael and Gabriel rather than near the open chair to Chuck's left. Sam reminded himself they were civilized people, it wasn't like Gabriel and Lucifer would actually start a fight over him. Perhaps he just imagined the tension.
"I should at least have one glass with desert," Chuck said to Rodger, eying him expectantly.
"Decaf would be a better choice," Rodger said without looking away from his plate and Chuck whined. "Well you should have waited to have a glass after dinner."
Chuck huffed but said, "Only if you make more coffee."
Rodger just smiled. "Of course dear."
Lucifer returned and helped himself to the provided food. Some casual conversation started up and the tension Sam felt didn't immediately reappear. Of course, Sam also avoided eye contact with Lucifer.
"I like your collar," Sam told Raphael once a good portion of the meal was gone. "I don't see beaded ones often." Raphael gave a small smile.
"Thank you, I can see Gabriel spared no expense on you," she said. Sam shrugged, trying not to be embarrassed. The amount that Gabriel spent for one courting gift seemed to be ridiculous every time he was reminded. "Don't get me wrong, it's very pretty. I was offered similar. I just happened to like Vigil's best because they resemble African courting beads." Sam blinked curiously at the beads. Perhaps in a history class they'd glanced over courtship in different countries, but rarely did they go into depth in high school.
"They're actually very accurate," Chuck said happily. Virgil ducked his head, his quite stoic posture being ruined by a blush on his face.
"It's not a huge deal," he muttered, betraying the more teenage age he was close to.
"I went to Africa to study how more primitive tribes dealt with heat season," Chuck said and Sam nodded to show he was listening. "In the tribe I studied, they were more familiar with a free-love style of courtship and their decorations are used not only half the year but all year round. Not only did omegas wear jewelry, but so did alphas and betas. The beads themselves had their own language, but were not only for courtship. They told of bonds, family, status in the tribe, even how many children they had, and with whom."
"Mom had his mid-life crisis there," Lucifer said with the casualty of poking at a fresh bruise. Chuck's confidence seemed to melt away into looking at his hands and tapping his fingers together. Rodger on the other hand appeared to subtly go tense. It reminded Sam a lot about how John became agitated when ever Mary mentioned Charlie's father.
"Yes, thank you, Lucifer, for bringing it up while we have guests." Rodger's sharp gaze caught Lucifer's which evoked an immediate reaction. Lucifer's patronizing air died and he looked away promptly; submitting begrudgingly. Sam guessed that Raphael had a different father than Rodger, but he wouldn't have guessed it was such a sore subject.
Chuck cleared his throat and said, "I admit that I may have failed to plan accordingly. I had stayed there for a whole year to see the complete cycle. I assumed taking a heavy suppressant though heat would be alright, but I wasn't expecting to be integrated into the courting cycle myself..." Rodger finally looked back to his food before Chuck gave a shy smile. "I did happen to get my little girl though."
"Who is a fine mortician and daughter." Rodger put in simply, showing he had little anger towards Raphael. Raphael herself relaxed, as did everyone else he realized after Rodger returned to a normal calm state. Sam wasn't really expecting such a strong alpha stare from such an old man.
"Thank you, dad," Raphael said and Rodger gave her a small smile in return.
"So," Gabriel said loudly. He stood and his legs moved his chair back with a grind on the patio. "Who wants pie?"
"I do!" said a chorus from Virgil, Raphael, and especially Chuck. Sam stood with Gabriel.
"I'll help." Sam followed Gabriel into the house, feeling relieved when the glass door shut after them.
Gabriel gave him a sympathetic smile. "You holding up okay, kiddo?"
Sam nodded but a heavy breath left him. "Yeah. Um... your parents are nice." He really didn't want to be alone out there. Lucifer was making him increasingly uncomfortable even though they hadn't made eye contact.
"They've gotten more... civil." Gabriel walked to the kitchen. He grimaced a bit as he took out the mousse pie. Sam watched as Gabriel set about getting out a pie serving spatula and started cutting it. "Look, the thing with Raphael's conception really threw their bond into turmoil for years. Mom always wanted more kids. Like, lots more kids. I bet he would have had a dozen he had been allowed. Dad wasn't really on board. So you know, we can come up with as many excuses as we need to make us feel better, but I don't think he really minded having Raphael until he saw how much it hurt dad."
Sam nodded slowly. "Sounds a little like what happened with Charlie." Sam had been very young at the time, but Dean filled in the gaps when he was little. "Dad was getting... hostile; he drank a lot." Sam couldn't remember his father being there too often in his early life, not until he had a little sister in any case. "It got so bad that mom wouldn't mate with him. Wouldn't even stay at the house with him."
Gabriel's mouth cracked a bitter smile, "Well for me, let's just say there was plenty to argue about over Sunday diner." Sam couldn't say there were a lot of arguing when he was young.
"Lucifer sort of brought it up, didn't he?" Sam asked. Gabriel nodded and handed the cut pie to Sam while he gathered new plates for desert.
"Well he's a great big bag of dicks. He does that," Gabriel said as he rooted around in the cabinets.
Lucifer stood in the doorway to the kitchen and he startled Sam when he spoke, "I really thought we were above the name calling, Gabriel." Gabriel forgot about dishes and his sharp gaze fell on his brother, a frown on his face.
"Well I can't properly talk behind your back if you're listening," Gabriel said sternly. Lucifer didn't reply, instead, he turned his attention to Sam and walked closer to him. Sam frowned at Lucifer and tensed as the intruding alpha ran his fingers over the waves of gold that rested across his collarbone, the metal tinged softly against itself as it fell back into place. Sam inadvertently locked eyes with Lucifer, feeling the gut tightening start up again.
"You would look much more flattering in diamonds." Lucifer gave him a charming smirk. Before Sam could first think to recoil, Gabriel stepped between them and shoved Lucifer back several stumbling steps.
"Back off, Lucifer," Gabriel said, his tone so low that he sounded dangerous. Sam immediately stepped behind Gabriel, heart thudding in his ribs as the brothers locked eyes. Lucifer's upper lip was nearly curled in a snarl as he stared Gabriel down. Sam did not consider himself one to let others fight for him, but stepping between two alphas challenging each other was not something he could really do. "You lost the courting game."
"And you play a fixed game," Lucifer accused sharply. "If Sam had been able to pick fairly, he would have picked MY gift."
"Oh don't play that card. It's not my fault you didn't hand deliver it yourself. You were waiting for other prospects to pop up. You had your eye on Lilith," Gabriel said. "Let me guess, she kept your diamonds but said no-way-Jose`."
Neither broke their gaze or submitted. The air was thick and sharp. Sam wished Lucifer wasn't blocking the only exit out of the kitchen, practically cornering them in. It was bad and Sam was sure if both alphas could, they'd be growling ferally at each other; but it wasn't needed. As the moments stretched on, their bodies twitched and tensed, gearing up for a physical fight. Sam tried to will Lucifer to stop and submit because he certainly wouldn't want Gabriel to lose this challenge. Sam didn't HAVE to say yes to Lucifer by law, but he could humiliate Gabriel or any other mate that tried to court Sam if he really pushed. Sam felt useless, stuck holding a freaking PIE.
Sam was surprised when Gabriel lunged first and both brothers tumbled into the hallway. Lucifer wasn't a push over though, even as he was rammed into the wall, he twisted Gabriel's arm and shoved him to the ground. Gabriel knocked Lucifer's legs from under him and it dissolved into limbs jabbing into each other with painful sounds as it moved out of the hallway and into the living room.
The reason it stopped so quickly, and with with as little blood shed as possible, was that the glass door opened and Rodger entered the living room, tearing his sons off of one another. The strength of the old alpha continued to impress Sam, but what was even more amazing was that both submitted as soon as he had a hold of each of their napes, as though they were puppies held by the scruff.
"What is WRONG with you two?" Rodger demanded, looking livid. "You are full grown men fighting like beasts."
Gabriel's lip and nose was bleeding freely, not to mention his clothes were askew. "HE asked for it. He challenged me over Sam."
Lucifer looked a little less damaged, but he was equally ruffled and one of his eyes were squinted. "I have a right to challenge him," Lucifer said under his breath.
"Not in my territory," Rodger said gravely. "Here, you are brothers and civilized human beings. ACT like it." He gave Lucifer an extra shake, gaining the older brother's attention. "You should be ashamed of yourself for challenging your brother for a mate."
"HE cheated on Courting Day," Lucifer protested.
"I DIDN'T cheat," Gabriel snapped. "You just can't play the game!"
"Enough." Rodger released them and they both staggered on their feet for a moment, glaring at each other. "You're not fighting under my roof." He pointed in the direction of the door. "Lucifer, I'm going to ask you to leave." Sam immediately moved out of the doorway to the hallway and closer to where Gabriel stood. Lucifer looked affronted but he didn't argue. There was very little verbal arguing when an alpha fight broke out, especially when it was in another alpha's territory.
"Rodger." Chuck was standing in the sliding glass doorway, a frown on his face. Michael, Raphael, and Virgil were behind him as he was blocking the way in with his arms. Michael looked anxious to get inside to help while Raphael and Virgil looked more inclined to see what was going on.
"Lucifer knows better than to start fights in my house, dear," Rodger said firmly. Sam couldn't help but think Lucifer's earlier jab at the family wound helped Rodger make his decision about who was going home. Rodger gave Lucifer a glare and the younger alpha huffed but submitted again, turning away. Sam skirted around Lucifer and stood next to Gabriel. Lucifer had an angry leer in place as he passed him and Sam only relaxed when he heard the front door close. He put the pie down on a table in the living room and stood before Gabriel to get a good look at him. Buttons had popped from his shirt and blood was seeping into it from his chin. Sam fruitlessly tried to fix Gabriel's jacket, still surprised it had happened so fast.
"Sam, it's fine," Gabriel assured him.
"You're bleeding." Sam's hands fell on his shoulders. Gabriel gave a half shrug and smile. Sam then pulled him into a tight hug, probably squeezing far too hard because it forced a wheeze out of Gabriel.
"Easy, ow..." Gabriel managed to pat Sam's back. Sam pulled back, reminding himself Gabriel had just been in a fight.
"Sorry, I just..." He was intensely proud of Gabriel but also felt incredibly bad that Gabriel had to get into a fight with his brother over him. "Are you... should I call an ambulance?"
Gabriel shook his head stiffly and plopped down in a nearby chair. "No, I'm fine, no worse than when we were younger and had spats."
Chuck walked over to them, holding a first aid kit and commented, "Arguably, there was less blood when you were younger." He held the kit towards Sam. "I presume you'd like to-" Sam took the kit as soon as it was offered and Chuck didn't even bother to finish. Sam pulled a chair closer and sat in front of Gabriel. He started sorting through the gauze and band-aids for some antiseptic. The least he could do was clean up his alpha for fighting for him.
Gabriel flinched when Sam touched his lip with a cloth, "Ow..." Sam made it quick, swiping away most of the blood and he gently pinched his still wet nose.
"Tilt your head back, your nose is bleeding," Sam told him and Gabriel did so and ended up holding the cloth as Sam applied the peroxide to a clean cotton ball.
Gabriel was at least good humored enough to joke, "Aw, you care." His voice sounded off key of course because of holding his nose.
"Of course I care," Sam said, swiping the lip wound with the cotton ball and earning a mild discomforted sound from Gabriel. "But that was stupid; getting into a fight." The others had cleared the room to presumably give them space and Rodger had gone to the front door to make sure Lucifer had gone.
"Hey, he challenged me. I wasn't just gonna give you up." Gabriel still cracked a half smile. "What kind of alpha would I be?" Sam let out a slow breath and made sure Gabriel's lip had stopped bleeding enough to apply Vaseline with a separate cotton ball. "You okay?"
"I just..." Sam looked down at the small open tub of clear goop and snapped the lid shut. "For a moment, I thought he was going to kill you."
"Nah, he wouldn't have," Gabriel said automatically. "He would have given up eventually." Sam scoffed, threatening to sound like a laugh. He'd seen enough of Lucifer's attitude to get the feeling one of them would have ended up in the emergency room.
"At least we were on your dad's territory." Sam was thankful for that. Since Rodger was the alpha of the property, it gave him authority over it, much like John had territory over the Winchester house.
"Yeah, I guess. I could have taken him though," Gabriel protested and removed the cloth to test to see if his nose had stopped bleeding. A flash of anger crossed Sam's mind and he smacked Gabriel's chest, making the alpha wince.
"Just stop, you both scared me, okay?" Sam said stiffly. "It's not something to joke about."
"Shhh, Sam, I wasn't joking... that much." Gabriel took the hand that smacked him, squeezing it.
"You guys shouldn't be fighting over me," Sam looked down, looking at a line of drying blood drips on Gabriel's shirt and jacket.
"Hey, hey." Gabriel sat up a bit in the seat. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood. I didn't mean to scare you." Gabriel squeezed his hand a bit tighter and Sam looked up at him, still feeling an uncomfortable patch of ice in his belly.
"I froze up and you got hurt," Sam said suddenly.
"No, you didn't do anything," Gabriel said firmly. "You listen to me. Lucifer's been trouble since he presented and became a smug asshole. He's always had trouble submitting or losing what he wants. He has trouble submitting to dad when he visits. He wants pretty much everything he can't have, so don't think it's your fault that he's picking fights." Gabriel squeezed Sam's hand a bit tighter, locking their eyes. "And fuck, if I have to fight for you, I will." He rubbed his thumb over Sam's knuckles, a half smile appearing on his mouth again. "No one said having a mate was easy." It didn't settle Sam's nerves.
"I guess." Sam tossed the Vaseline tub into the box. "I hate that you got hurt, but I'm glad you didn't submit to him." A slow but a genuine smile crossed Gabriel's face; as much as it could with the split lip and discoloring where there would probably be bruises later.
"Is my nose still bleeding?" Gabriel asked. Sam checked, but didn't see any fresh blood leaking out. He shook his head and Gabriel stood slowly. "Then let's have some of that pie. It'll help me heal up." Sam highly doubted that, but he stood as well. He cleaned up the pile of pink stained first aid supplies and they returned to the party; where Gabriel proudly showed off new battle scars.
There are actual African tribes that use beads to communicate what Chuck mentioned. Such as the Zulu. Reading on it was kinda cool.