Hey guys I don't own anything but the plot.

I've never written anything like this so I hope you like it.

When Dean Winchester was four, he learned about soulmates for the first time. He was running around, eagerly preparing for the birth of his very own baby brother when he felt a sudden pain in his knee. He looked down and saw his large red scrapes on his left kneecap. He immediately ran to his mother, tears rolling down his cheeks. His mother looked at his knee for a moment and Dean watched in wonder as the wound faded as though it had never been there at all. His mother smiled slightly at him and asked him if he wanted to hear a story. He eagerly nodded his head and settled in her lap, his hand resting on her stomach in case Sammy had something to add.

That day changed his life. His mother told him about how everybody has a special person, even better than a best friend, and that person would love them forever. In order to help find that person, you temporarily receive any injuries that that person gets, and they get yours. He asked his mother if it always hurt and his mother said that it did, but that it was worth it. She said it made it even easier to love someone. She then told him about when she was younger, and she would get scraped knees and elbows all the time. She told him about the broken arm she got when she was thirteen and the cut on the back of her head when she was sixteen. She recounted each injury with a small smile on her face and a soft look in her eyes. Finally, she talked about a young marine knocking her to the ground on accident and then helping her up with a palm that was littered with identical scrapes as her own. He listened as his mother explained how she met her soulmate and got her happily ever after. His mother's special person was his father and Dean found himself trying to imagine his own soulmate. He hoped they liked him and didn't make him eat broccoli. He hated broccoli.

Three days later, Sammy was born in the early hours of the morning. Dean was excited, but his dad started screaming in the waiting room when they were about to go see his brother. They led his dad away and a nice nurse with a big smile helped him get a snack from behind the desk. The next thing he knew, he was sitting next to his daddy who was sleeping in a hospital bed of his own. He was bored and tried to climb onto the chair next to his dad, who had started to twitch in his sleep. His foot slipped and his head went slamming into the table next to the bed. Dean began to cry, and the crying woke his dad, who looked around wildly before he saw Dean and scooped him into his arms. He began to cry into his hair and Dean had no idea why.

Later he would see his brother for the first time the same day that he learned that his mom wouldn't be coming home. He didn't understand why. Two months later, when he got an unexplained cut along his leg, he asked his dad about soulmates again. His dad snapped at him and told him not to talk about fairy tales. Dean didn't understand that either. Except, when he got older, old enough to understand why his dad had started screaming, he got that too.

-hello, don't mind me. just a page break-

Sam Winchester first learned about soulmates when he was six years old. When he saw yet another unexplained bruise disappearing, he finally decided to ask Dean what they meant. It didn't even occur to him to ask his dad. Dean gave him the same romantic explanation that their mother had given him, but where it had left Dean dreaming for six years, it left Sam feeling more alone than ever. There was no way that his fated match would love him. Not any possible way. He waited until Dean left and then he very quietly cried.

-Howdy, I know. Small section-

When Dean was sixteen, his neat little world was once again turned on its head in one measly night. Dean had ventured out with one of his friends, leaving Sam and his dad home by themselves. Sam had begged him not to go, making up flimsy excuses but Dean was tired of him squashing all his fun just because his brother loved books more than people. Dean had a good night, at least until he got a phone call asking him to come home. The voice was unfamiliar and had identified himself as officer something, but Dean had stopped caring. His father, his BROTHER. He didn't remember what he told his friends, but soon he was in the car, racing toward their house.

It was worse than anything he imagined. There were flashing lights up and down his street and a group of people were gathered around his house. Dean forced himself through the group and was immediately being held back by two uniformed officers.

"Please," He screamed, desperately fighting against their restraining hands. "My brother, please. My brother and my dad are in there."

A stern-faced officer looked at him for a long moment before he approached, his face growing more desolate with each sad step. Dean felt his blood run cold and he suddenly stopped fighting to move forward. If anything, he wanted to run away. Whatever he was about to be told, there would be no going back. There would be no recovery.

"Dean Winchester?" he questioned softly, waving the other officers aside when Dean nodded numbly. "I'm sorry to tell you that we got a call about a disturbance from one of the neighbors. By the time we got here, your father was gone. I'm so sorry," the officer said, leading him deeper into the maze of emergency vehicles and helping him sit of the rear bumper of a firetruck. Dean felt as though his world was ending as his blank mind struggled to grasp what he was being told. Everything had been normal when he had left. It had been achingly familiar.

"My-my brother," he gasped through a raw throat, struggling to blink back tears that were stinging behind his eyelids.

"He's alive," the officer hurried to say, putting steadying hands on his shoulders. "He got a beat up and he won't say anything, but he's going to be just fine. We think that whoever did this killed your father and then were trying to kill your brother when we pulled up and spooked them."

Dean honestly wanted to sob when he heard those wonderful words. The world wasn't over. It was different but it hadn't ceased to turn the way that it would have if he had lost his brother. He tuned out everything else that the detective told him, only caring about his brother, who was miraculously still alive. He stood when the detective urged him to and let himself be led once more through the maze of flashing lights.

When he finally spotted his little brother being patched up by an EMT, his brain switched back on. He ran to him and hugged him tight. He felt his brother stiffen before he relaxed into his brother and began to shake with sobs.

"D-dean," he gasped harshly, panting slightly with the force of his sobs. "I-i'm so sorry."

"shh. You're okay. That's all that matters, okay?" Dean said, running a hand gently through his tangled hair.

And surprisingly, it was. Their father had never really been a father to them after all. He spent all of his time at work or drunk. He yelled at them a lot, but otherwise let them take care of themselves. Following his death, they were sent to live with their estranged uncle in South Dakota named Bobby Singer. Dean was nervous and he could tell that Sam was as well, but they needn't have worried. Bobby was everything they both so desperately needed. With him, they finally found a real home. Sam relaxed and started speaking more, but he wasn't the way he was before the attack. Dean didn't care though, spending the entire summer at his side. It was magic.

When school started, Dean hated it. He wasn't a fan of this whole learning thing, but Sam was. The boy was succeeding so much that they ended up moving him one year older than he was supposed to be. Dean was so proud of him, but he couldn't help but worry. Sam was already young for his age group and now he would be mixing with kids who were two years older than him. Dean worried about him all day during his first time in his new class but his worry was unfounded. Against all odds, his brother had made a friend.

For the next three months, all Dean heard about was Castiel. He was glad that Sam had made a friend, he really was, but he didn't see what could be so great about the guy. Especially when Dean found out he knew his older brother, who he was suitably unimpressed with. Gabriel Novak was loud and obnoxious. He loved to pull pranks and had even gotten Dean with a few of them, which irked the older Winchester more than he could even properly communicate.

One Tuesday, when Dean got home from helping Bobby in the scrap yard, he heard voices coming from the kitchen. He walked into the room and was met the sight of his brother, a million textbooks, and a new kid, who Dean assumed must be Castiel. The thing was, in all of his brother's ramblings he had never told him how hot he was. Dean had also never told his brother which side he batted for but that was beside the point. His hair was black as night and his blue eyes were captivating as they locked onto his green ones. Dean knew he must be imaging it, but it felt as though his skin was on fire and time itself had slowed down. Sam had been introducing the two but stopped when it became apparent that nobody was listening to him. He coughed lightly and Castiel looked at him with a blush.

"This is my brother Dean," Sam said, looking delightedly from one of them to the other. "Dean, this is Cas."

"Hello, Dean," Cas said in a surprisingly low voice.

Dean mumbled a quick hello and ventured to the sink to clean his greasy hands. He could hear the two talking behind him and could feel the back of his neck burning. He had a crush on his brother's incredible looking best friend. He ducked his head and was about to leave when his brother called him back with a smirk on his face. Luckily, Dean relaxed as the afternoon progressed into evening. He had a fun time talking with Cas, but by the time they walked him to the door, his crush had grown to an embarrassing size. Sam smirked at him as soon as the door closed.

"You like him," Sam said, smiling as Dean blushed against his will. He soften slightly when he saw the widening eyes and fearful glance toward his fists. "It's okay Dean. I know you swing both ways. I do too. I've known for years. Honestly, if you like him so much, just go for it."

Dean stood there in shock for a minute, simply processing, until he found his voice. "But what about my soulmate?" he asked, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows slightly. Sam's face closed down slightly before he shrugged. "Suit yourself," he muttered, turning and bolting up the stairs.

The next few weeks were torture. Castiel and Sam were spending more time studying together, either at their place or Cas'. Dean wasn't sure what was worse, being so close to him for hours at a time or wondering what he was doing when they were apart. All Dean knew for sure was that he found everything about the kid adorable in a way that he couldn't seem to shake. Every time they spent time together, he walked away liking him a bit more despite wanting desperately to find his soulmate.

Dean was so frustrated with the entire situation that he began to retreat to the scrap yard whenever Cas came over. It was on one such occasion when he dropped a heavy block on his foot. Dean cursed and wrenched it off of the top of his foot. He hopped over to the bumper of a car to inspect the damage when he heard the front door slam and heavy footfalls reverberating through the yard around him. He turned and saw Cas hobbling quickly in his direction with Sam following, looking utterly confused. Cas stopped dead when he saw Dean hunched over his foot.

"I knew it," Cas said happily, moving swiftly toward Dean. He sat next to Dean who was frozen in his tracks and tugged off his shoe to reveal identical bruising wrapping around his foot and fading quickly. Dean sat there for a moment, wondering what he was supposed to do. He had dreamed about his soulmate for so long that he wasn't quite sure what to do when faced with him head on.

"Cas," he breathed, moving a hand to tentatively cup his cheek. "You have no idea how happy I am that it's you."

Cas smiled and leaned into the touch. "I was actually worried that you didn't like me much," Cas mumbled, looking away from Dean and toying his lip between his teeth.

Dean felt like a jerk. He hadn't thought that he could be hurting Cas with his distancing. Even before he knew about the soulmate thing, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt him. "No," he said softly, turning Cas's head back to him. "Cas, I've liked you since the day I met you. I liked you so much, but I knew I wanted to be with my soulmate and I didn't want to hurt you. I thought that being away from you was the only way to ensure that I didn't do anything stupid."

Cas laughed and it was slightly watery as he gazed at Dean with adoration in his eyes. "I have liked you since that day as well," he whispered, a smile tugging at his lips. He looked so happy and Dean knew he was probably smiling like a dope himself. He felt like everything had suddenly righted himself in his life. He was so high on his happiness that he barely hesitated to lean forward slowly and capturing Cas's lips in his own. It was chaste and relatively quick, but it was perfect and promised more.

The sat there for a few minutes, just drinking in the presence of the other when Dean broke the silence. "What exactly do you want from this, Cas?" he asked, scared of what the answer would be.

Cas smiled widely as if reading his thoughts. "I want to be able to call you mine," he responded, lacing his fingers with Dean's. Dean just smiled and leaned in for another kiss. There was something about kissing Cas that he just couldn't get enough of. "Sounds good to me," he said, content to just sit there forever.

They sat in silence for a while before Cas began to giggle. Dean looked at him in happy confusion, raising an eyebrow. Cas pointed out into the empty yard. "Sam left," he said, giggling some more. Dean couldn't help chuckling as well, but he would forever owe his brother for bringing him to Cas.

-HI just a page break, move along-

Sam wasn't happy. At first, Dean thought that he was just uncomfortable with the new-found closeness between his brother and his best friend. They were suddenly attached at the hip, whether at home or at school. Then he thought that maybe Sammy was jealous, but Sam had never seemed to care much about his soulmate and Dean caught him looking at the two with an easy, happy smile. He even toyed around with the idea that Sam was as annoyed with Gabriel, who had decided that he was now a constant in their lives as well, as dean was, but Sam and Gabriel actually seemed to get along well. Dean was stumped as to what could be bothering his brother.

Dean himself was overjoyed to have Cas in his life. He was exactly what Dean needed and everything he didn't even know he wanted. He loved everything about him, and he was happy that his soulmate and his brother got along so well. He never wanted to choose between the two. He wished he could boil Gabriel sometimes, but even he wasn't nearly as annoying as he originally appeared. And Dean wasn't blind. Gabriel wasn't subtle when it came to flirting with his brother. It was obvious that he liked him, but Sam wasn't very responsive to it. Again, Dean had no idea what was going through his brother's head and he wasn't sure how much he liked the idea of his sensitive brother and the trickster.

"You know, Gabriel may seem loud and irresponsible, but he can also be the most compassionate and sensitive person I have ever met," Cas said one afternoon when they were lounging around the scrap yard while Sam was in town with Bobby. Dean looked up in surprise, but Cas just waved him off. "I know that your concerned about Sam, but I wouldn't worry. Gabriel wouldn't hurt him and for all his talk, Gabriel is waiting for his soulmate. He wants to meet them more than anyone I've ever met. So yeah, he just likes to mess around sometimes, but he won't take it too far."

Dean smiled at his boyfriend, so incredibly relieved at the news. "How do you always know what I need to hear?" he teased.

"It's my super-power," Cas remarked, pulling Deans arm even further around him.

A few days later, Dean caught Sam wiping his eyes and decided that he had had enough. "Okay Sammy, what's up? And don't you try to lie to me, I'll know. You know I will."

Sam jumped slightly and looked at him guiltily. "What do you mean?" he asked quietly, looking away from Dean determinedly.

Dean sighed impatiently. "You haven't been yourself for a while now. Is it me and Cas? Is it your soulmate?" Dean asked, trying to work through the problem in his mind once again. To his surprise, Sam's shoulders slumped and began to shake slightly with tears. Dean reached out and scooped his little brother into his arms. "Hey now, what's this? C'mon Sammy, talk to me."

Sam whimpered slightly and took a deep breath. "It's not you and Cas," he whispered, his eyes welling with fresh tears. "You guys are perfect. It's me. Dean, I'm broken. Something's wrong with me," he said, gripping Dean's shirt tightly and clenching his eyes shut.

Dean's heart was breaking as he clutched his brother to him tightly. He hadn't seen Sam cry like this since his father died and it was hard to see when he couldn't do anything to stop the pain. "Sammy, what are you talking about? Nothing's wrong with you," he said, begging Sam to believe him.

Sam just let more tears slide out from clenched eyelids. "Yes, there is," Sam whispered. "I don't want to meet them Dean. I'm scared of meeting my soulmate." His breath was coming in harsh pants and he moaned slightly as he turned further into Dean's shirt.

Dean was shocked into silence. He had never dreamed that Sam's problem was not wanting to meet his soulmate. After dreaming so hard about his own he just couldn't understand it. "Sammy," he said soothingly as he could. "Why?"

Sam broke down into fresh sobs. "They won't love me," he gasped. "They can't love me. They won't love me." Sam continued to mumble it into the air as he cried himself to sleep. It didn't matter what Dean said, or how much he pleaded, Sam didn't change his mind and he wouldn't say anything more. Dean gently tucked Sam into his bed as though he was six and not fourteen. Then Dean fell asleep with tears streaking his own face.

-I'm a little page break short and stout-

Over the next few months, Dean tried to get Sam to talk to him, but his brother continued to act as though nothing had happened and it was starting to worry Dean. If he could continue to pretend that everything was fine, how long had he really been feeling this way. And what made his little brother so sure that he was unlovable.

It all came to a head one day when they were gathered in the Novak home. Gabriel and Sam had disappeared into the kitchen to get some snacks, but Dean was sure that they were also trying to give the couple some time alone. Dean smiled to himself and sunk closer to Cas until their lips met. Cas didn't seem to mind at all as he deepened the kiss.

Sam poured pretzels into a bowl while Gabriel cut up some carrot sticks, chatting idly about a project Sam was doing for extra credit. Sam hissed slightly as a cut appeared suddenly on his thumb and his head shot up when he heard a similar hiss from across the room. He met the same shocked gaze from across the room as Gabriel sucked on his thumb lightly.

"Sammy?" Gabriel asked, looking slightly sad as he met his gaze with a gentle one of his own. "Oh my gosh, Sammy I never guessed. Why didn't you say anything? We could have figured it out months ago, but I'm so happy to find you. And to know you're here and your okay and I thought about you all the time." Gabriel rambled as he moved toward Sam from across the kitchen, his eyes unbelievably soft in a way Sam didn't even know was possible for his loud friend. Sam jerked back when Gabriel tried to take his hand.

"Please," he gasped. "Please don't tell Dean what happened. He doesn't know. He'd hate me if he knew. Just like you must hate me, please. I'll be good. Just don't tell him."

Gabriel stood in shocked silence for a moment, thinking of all the bruises, the cuts. His heart was breaking as he took in the boy in front of him, every bit as broken as Gabriel always suspected he would be. He needed to be loved in the way Gabriel already loved him. Gabriel yearned to hold him in his arms after so many years. He wanted to be able to take away his pain, but Sam turned and bolted out the door.

Gabriel ran after him but stopped in the living room, watching with large, sad eyes as Sam ran away from him. Part of him wasn't even surprised, but the bigger part of him wished to take away all the fear and hurt. Gabriel heard a cough and looked over to Cas and Dean, who were looking between him, and the door Sam ran through in shock.

"What happened?" Dean asked, a sharp edge to his voice. He moved almost threateningly in Gabriel's direction but relaxed slightly when Cas' hand landed on his arm. Gabriel didn't look away from the empty doorway as he responded in a sad, weak voice, "he's my soulmate."

Dean and Cas gaped in shock for a moment as Gabriel held up his cut thumb in a kind of half-hearted attempt at proof. To be honest, he didn't care if he believed it or not. Dean was ecstatic when his shock wore off. He had his doubts about Gabriel, but he knew that he would love his brother. His brother could be happy again, if he would let him in. And who better to be his brother's soulmate than his soulmate's favorite brother. His smile faded almost as soon as it started when he remembered what had just happened. "Why did he run?" he asked, desperately hoping that Gabriel hadn't done anything his brother could equate with rejection.

Gabriel hesitated. Sam desperately didn't want Dean to know. He had begged, stating that Dean would hate him if he knew what Gabriel now did. Gabriel didn't believe that though. He didn't think that it was possible for Dean to hate his brother and he thought that maybe telling the truth would be the first painful step in healing for his young soulmate, but he didn't want to betray him either. "He didn't want me to tell you about what happened," Gabriel hedged, trying to decide the best way to explain this to the protective older brother.

This meant nothing to Dean, who clenched his fist in frustration, but Cas gasped and looked at Gabriel with horrified eyes. The brothers communicated silently for a moment before Cas slipped his hand in Dean's shaking one. "What do you mean?" he asked, suddenly terrified of what the answer would be.

Gabriel took a deep breath and sank onto the couch. His voice was soft and shook with emotion when he spoke. "Dean, when I was growing up, I got my first bruise when I was five," he started, running his hands through his long hair. "After that, I constantly had bruises and cuts on me. Everyday they would appear like clockwork until they stopped almost altogether when I was sixteen. "

It honestly wasn't what Dean was expecting. "So, what? Sam was a clumsy kid and your soulmates. That's how you work," he said, trying to understand what was wrong.

Gabriel voice was breaking when he replied, "They weren't normal bruises, Dean. They were finger shaped and repetitive. One time they were circling his throat. I thought he was going to die."

Dean felt as though his feet were being swept out from under him. "Someone hurt him?" he asked, gripping Cas's hand more tightly in his own. "Why? Who? Was he bullied?"

Gabriel let out a thick sob. He looked utterly wrecked, as though he was reliving his own trauma instead of somebody else's. It was Castiel who answered him. "Dean, he said gently, more slowly than he had ever spoken to him before. "The first time your brother was beat he was only a year old. It wasn't bullies."

Dean shook his head in despair as he remembered all the times Sam had begged him to stay home when he went out. All the times he would flinch when Dad moved to fast or stiffen when someone touched him. He remembered Sam's heartbreakingly low self-esteem and he felt his anger grow. "My dad?" he clarified, utterly broken by the revelation. Cas just nodded his head and gathered Dean in his arms as the tears began to fall. He had been so stupid. It was his job to protect him and he had failed so much that Sam couldn't even let his soulmate love him.

Eventually, Dean calmed himself down. "I have to go find Sammy," he said, extracting his hand from Cas' and walking toward the door. Gabriel was snapped out of his daze and bolted to his feet, making his intent to follow quite clear. Dean wanted to argue but he could see how much Gabriel needed to do see Sam. Dean nodded and jerked his head toward Cas as well, who looked relieved that he wasn't being left behind. They quickly piled into the car.

When they arrived at the scrap yard, Dean put a restraining hand on Gabriel's shoulder as he made to jump out of the car. "Give me an hour, then come in," Dean asked, his voice pleading. Gabriel nodded reluctantly and Cas smiled at him encouragingly as he put an arm around his brother. Dean wasn't sure if it was a comfort or a restraint, but it seemed to make him feel better anyway.

Dean found his brother on the back-patio area, looking blankly over the sea of cars. He was curled around himself. Dean silently sank onto the step next to him and they sat in silence for a long moment until Sam spoke, "He told you, didn't he?" he asked. His voice was small and vulnerable. As if he expected Dean to yell at him.

"Yeah, I kinda made him," Dean replied, gently wrapping his brother in a hug. "Are you okay? I mean I know dad died a long time ago, but I have to know. Are you okay?"

Sam looked surprised as he nodded slowly. Whatever he had been expecting from Dean, this obviously wasn't it. The thought made Dean's heart hurt. Didn't his brother have any idea how deeply he was loved? Sam looked back out in the cars in front of him.

"Sammy," Dean asked quietly. "What happened that night?"

Sam took a deep breath and began talking in a monotone voice, purposefully distancing himself from the words he knew he would have to say someday. The words he was sure were about to ruin his life. "He hurt me all the time. That night, I-I fought back, and I couldn't stop. I'm sorry Dean, but there wasn't anyone else there that night. I killed him and I'm so sorry," he said, nearly gasping the last words as he braced himself for what was coming, but Dean just gathered him into his arms.

"I know Sammy," he whispered, rocking him softly in his arms. "I know and I'm just glad that you are here. I love you and I don't blame you for what you had to do. Do you hear me? It's not your fault."

At those words, Sam's dam broke and he felt himself crying once more. Dean just tightened his grip and let him cry. They sat there; one brother broken but filled with hope for the first time in too long while the other did his best to heal. When Sam finally calmed down, they sat motionlessly entangled with one another until Dean felt a soft hand cup his arm and pull. He looked up and smiled at Cas as he saw Gabriel walk around to settle next to Sam's other side. He let Cas pull him up and into the house, silently praying that Gabriel would know what to say.

Gabriel and Sam waited until both of their brothers were gone until either of them moved. Sam surprised Gabriel when he grabbed his hand in his large one, fitting their fingers together in a move that was unexpected but not unwelcome.

"Thank you," Sam said, looking up into Gabriel's eyes before he looked away with a blush. "But what…What exactly do you want from me?"

Gabriel smiled slightly. "I want everything that you think you can give me. I want to be your friend and if you'll let me, someday I want to love you even more than I do right now," he said gently running his thumb over Sam's cheek.

Sam's brow furrowed. "But I caused you so much pain," he said, looking towards the ground.

Gabriel just smiled and pulled their hands into his lap to lay his other hand on top, encasing Sam's hand in his own. "That wasn't your fault."

Sam tried to pull his hand away, but Gabriel wouldn't release him. "I killed someone. How can anyone love me after that?" Sam almost yelled, tears flooding his eyes.

Gabriel cupped Sam's cheeks in both of his, finally dropping his hand, and pulled his eyes up to meet him. "I do," he said honestly. "You did what you had to do, and I love that you are here and that I get to selfishly keep you all to myself. You, Sam Winchester, are my past, present and future and I couldn't be happier about it. Please, don't take that from me."

Sam surprised him once again. He searched his eyes for a long moment before crashing their lips together in a messy kiss. When they finally pulled back for air, Sam smiled and touched his forehead to Gabriel. "I love you too," he whispered happily.

When the two finally joined Cas and Dean inside for a movie night, Dean was beside himself with worry. But when the two came in with smiles on their faces and Gabriel casually piggybacking Sam, He let out a whoop of joy and eagerly pulled them both into a hug before quickly exchanging them for Cas. They settled in for a movie and within moments, Sam was asleep on Gabriel's chest. Dean just smiled. For the first time in a long time, Sammy seemed to be at peace.

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