So ... I only have two chapters left of this story now. It's been interesting, before I tried this story I was convinced I couldn't write Sam, and maybe I still can't but I've kind of enjoyed testing out the dynamic between him and Gabriel. I hope everyone who has read this far has enjoyed reading it too, and I hope the ending does the rest justice x
Samandriel had accidentally changed a lot of Sam and Gabriel's routine. Especially when it came to Scruff. He had taken to walking their dog in the afternoon, giving them that brief window of time together. He seemed to know what they were doing with their time alone, because he was unsurprised that one time when Gabriel took his shirt off as he sorted out Scruff's lead, ready to go. He took his time on those walks as well, making sure he didn't stumble across anything he didn't want to see.
They spent time with him too, as weird as it seemed to both of them that a seventeen-year-old would want to hang around his technically-not-legal guardians. He was very active in their wedding planning, to the point that Gabriel asked him if he was trying to make a career of it, but he got more done than Gabriel had attempted with a reticent Sam. In a few short weeks, all the big issues had been sorted, from the location to the registrar, the cake and the flowers, the tuxes and even a DJ.
They were in the park one afternoon, taking a well-earned break from work and the wedding, tossing a frisbee about as Scruff ran between them, trying to catch the disc. Sam kept throwing it high on purpose, so that Scruff could go and fetch it back for them, but it meant that either Gabriel or Samandriel had to wrestle it back off of the poor dog, often ending up in a defeated heap. The fifth time it happened to Samandriel, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and frowned at it.
"Nuh-uh, no wedding stuff!" Gabriel called out. "We can call them back later."
"It's not. It's Jo from Dean's school."
From what Gabriel and Sam had gathered, Samandriel had a teeny crush on Jo. But in honour of his friendship with another girl called Charlie who also had a crush on Jo, he tried to tamp it down, and not talk about her too much. Even if he Skyped her nearly every day.
"You can get back to …" Gabriel gave up trying to tell Samandriel off as he carried on with his phone, ignoring them. He was watching the screen avidly, not typing. "What's up?"
"They did it."
Samandriel sounded shocked. Sam ran across the grass to look over his shoulder, his expression surprised.
"Is that?"
"Yep."
"Online?"
"Youtube."
Sam cocked his head, and Gabriel stopped trying to wrestle the frisbee from Scruff, going over and looking at Samandriel's cell phone as well. Samandriel pressed play again, and Gabriel saw the school hallway lined with lockers, the person filming moving towards an open door and zooming in on Dean and Castiel, standing close together beside a desk. They were talking with their heads close together, and then they began kissing.
"They're making out at Dean's school?" Gabriel frowned at the screen.
"Yeah. Jo said the school's gone nuts, and Dean quit, and now no one's going back to their classes because they're making out in the parking lot too."
"But why?"
"Gabe, this is a good thing," Sam beamed. "Now they're 'out' we don't have to cater to their crazy at the wedding."
"Which would be a big help. The seating plan alone was going to be a nightmare if no one was allowed to know about the 'secret boyfriend' stuff." Samandriel nodded.
"Seating plan?" Sam asked weakly. Samandriel smiled at Gabriel.
"He complains when he doesn't lift a finger."
"And yet, I love him."
"Uh-huh. You weren't kidding about the dying moose thing either. You woke me up last night. Just because it's two in the morning and you can't sleep doesn't mean you can't be heard."
"I was like a ninja," Gabriel winked. "That was all Sam."
"Can you please stop talking about our sex life? Please?" Sam looked pained. But Gabriel found it easier to bond with Samandriel by teasing his boyfriend.
"But it's my favourite thing."
"How can you even be a sex ninja?" Samandriel snorted. "Gabe, you sound like an elephant falling down the stairs when you run down them."
"So, a moose and an elephant are in a relationship," Gabriel began.
"Do not try to come up with a punchline. I will leave. And I'll take the dog with me."
Sam was near the end of his tether, clearly. Samandriel seemed to realise when Gabriel did.
"Okay, okay. I still say it's good that they're out. Means they can work on their relationship properly."
It was kind of sweet that Samandriel was so focused on Dean and Castiel having their connection back.
"You're like a little love guru, aren't you?" Gabriel teased him. "Working on our wedding, cheering for them, standing aside from Jo for Charlie … like a relationship fairy."
Samandriel shrugged.
"I don't know. I guess … I mean, my Amish friends all had families who worked well together, you know? And Cas is so in love with Dean, like a crazy amount. Nearly every other word out of his mouth is Dean. And Dean is almost as bad, the way he watches Cas all the time like he can't believe he got so lucky. And you two are … well, you know. It's just nice to see, especially after the family home."
Gabriel and Sam looked at each other. They were what, exactly? Jigsaw pieces from different puzzles that somehow fit together? A weird little mish-mash that somehow functioned? Gabriel knew exactly what Samandriel meant about 'especially after the family home' although it was strange to hear it described that way. He supposed calling it 'the compound' in front of Samandriel could potentially upset him.
"That's why you're helping us?" Sam's voice had gone soft. He took the frisbee from their dog and threw it, all three of them watching as Scruff skittered across the grass and grabbed it out of the air, scrambling back over to them.
"That and you two suck at it. And I don't."
"Yeah, sure. You don't even have a degree, homeschool."
"No, but I have connections."
"Sure." Sam smirked. Samandriel mimed taking a phone call.
"Oh, hi, is that A Plus catering? Hi, I'm Samandriel Novak and my brother is having an event … yes, Jimmy Novak's brother … a major discount would be incredible, Jimmy would be so thrilled."
Gabriel stared at his brother in impressed disbelief.
"Samandriel … they know it's not Jimmy's wedding, right?" Sam asked weakly. He clipped the leash back on Scruff, ready to take him back home.
"Yep. But I kind of already told people he's a guest and it's another brother getting married which is all true. And you said it was okay because I could get discounts."
"By using Cas' name. You know he hates that."
"He told me I could do it, when he went home with Dean. Why do you think we were talking so long? He said knowing Gabe it would all be a huge joke and you would be swamped with work so maybe if I just used that position to nudge it along a little. And besides, how many Samandriel's do you know? Can you please stop trying to yell at me now?"
"I'm not trying to yell," Sam sighed. "I just don't want you getting chased by angry caterers, or falling out with Cas. If you say he's fine with it, then okay. I trust you."
"Good. Because you two would never manage this wedding without me. Can I hold the lead?"
Sam passed it over, and let Samandriel lead the way back to the house. Gabriel slipped his hand into Sam's, and squeezed his fingers tightly.
"Samandriel wouldn't upset Cas," he whispered.
"I know, I just got worried. I hope he's not planning some huge event. Maybe running away to Vegas would be the best thing."
"Isn't that what Cas and Dean did?" Gabriel nudged him with a shoulder. "Hey, I was thinking."
"A dangerous thing for you to do," Sam quipped. Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
"Well, this is one of my better thoughts. I hope." Gabriel took a deep breath. "I want to take your name."
"Take it where?" Sam sounded confused.
"As in, when we say I do, I'll be Gabriel Winchester."
Sam stopped walking, and Gabriel jerked to a stop as well, as they were still holding hands.
"Are you sure?"
"Did you hear Samandriel? He called himself a Novak. Cas took your last name too. I don't want any more ties to my old family either. You're my family now. You, and Samandriel, and Cas, and Dean. And I know your dad hated me, but your mom was starting to be okay with me, I know she was. It's much better to be a Winchester than an Allen."
Sam tugged him closer, kissing him almost indecently on the sidewalk. Gabriel gave back as good as he got, his chest hurting with how much he loved Sam. He took the kiss as Sam's approval.