Author's Note: Soooo after I'm done with my December stuff, I will be taking a short break from FanFiction. I will still be posting for the Gabriel Monthly Challenge, any bangs that I'm signed up for, as well as a new prompt challenge given to me by Silvaxus, but I won't be posting/writing anything new for at least a month maybe two. The reason being is that the publisher I have my heart set on has open submissions again and if I can get it on paper, I do have an outline that would be acceptable for their guidelines. I'll be around, just not nearly as often.

Sorry.

~This has been edited by QueenOfHearts

Chapter Two

Waking up with a hangover wasn't anything new. Dean groaned, rubbing his forehead while he tried to make sure his skull stuck together instead of splitting apart. The smell of coffee penetrated the air, making the increasing headache slightly worse, though his stomach calmed at the scent. Slowly getting up, Dean's hand fell off the side of the couch, hitting something hard and cold to the touch. Opening his eyes, Dean squinted until his vision cleared enough to make out the hard, plastic bucket beside the couch, right beside where his head had been resting.

Against his will, a smile stretched Dean's face. It was nice, knowing that Gabriel would take care of him when he couldn't take care of himself. As silly as it was, having even just a bucket beside him for in the morning in case it was needed warmed the taller man's heart. It wasn't often that someone cared enough to do the simple things for him, like helping his drunk ass out of his shoes and throwing a blanket over him. Gabriel was the only one who did that, who knew when he needed to let go, and instead of getting plastered with him, made sure that Dean was going to be okay.

It was one of the reasons why Dean loved him.

Falling in love with his best friend wasn't something Dean had thought he would ever do, always sure to keep a certain distance from people so that he didn't get hurt. Gabriel never allowed it. Instead of staying away when he was at his worst, Gabriel dragged Dean out of his shell and inserted himself into the taller man's life. Now five years after befriending the man, Dean didn't know what he would do without him. He had other friends, coworkers and such that he would go out for a drink with, but nobody like Gabriel.

It wasn't surprising when Dean found himself wanting more. What was surprising was that he wasn't willing to give up what he had with Gabriel, not even for the chance of a romantic relationship with the man. Typically, Dean wouldn't have cared, would have gone for it even if it burned his ass later. But Gabriel was worth so much more than Dean could offer, and he was willing to wait around until the other man found whatever he was looking for and left him in the dust.

"How's your head, Dean-o? You were hitting the beer pretty hard last night. I made coffee, and we'll see if your stomach can handle more after, yeah?"

Turning to the voice, Dean tried to smile at the other man, who was speaking from his kitchen. The apartment wasn't much. Dean could see into the kitchen from his spot on the couch, and it raised some questions. Like why Gabriel seemed to be doing paperwork of all things on a Saturday morning. Taking his time, Dean got off the sofa and shuffled his way to the coffeemaker. Not bothering with milk or sugar , Dean sipped the beverage black, waiting until it hit his system after a moment before speaking.

"What the hell are you doing?" the taller man asked, taking a seat at the table which had some papers thrown about with half-written paragraphs. He had seen Gabriel work from home before, but with his line of work it was typically all stock markets and numbers. What he was looking at then were what seemed to be half-formed ideas for a novel. Gabriel lifted his head from where he had been staring at the paper before him and turned his full attention to Dean.

"I was thinking while you were sleeping it off. Do you remember when you suggested that we play pretend boyfriends last night?" Dean tried to think back, most of the night being lost in the bottle.

"Yeah, we were bummed about our families for Christmas and thought it would be a clever idea if we pretend for my folks?" He also remembered coming out to the other man, how for the first time in his presence he admitted that he liked guys just as well as girls. And Gabriel's hadn't even batted an eye.

Cupping the hot mug with both hands, Dean nodded to Gabriel to continue with whatever he was planning. It was usually easier that way. "Well, it got me thinking that drunk-you could be on to something. I've been working on making a believable backstory for us and when we decided to try being boyfriends. That reminds me, do you prefer boyfriend or partner or what?"

Shaking his head before he could stop himself, Dean instantly regretted his decision as the pain in his head doubled. Rubbing his temples, Dean didn't miss how Gabriel was quick to rise and shove a bottle of aspirin at him. Opening the small bottle, Dean took two before swallowing them down with his coffee. Looking to his friend who was waiting for his headache to tone down a bit, though they both knew it would take about twenty minutes for the meds to kick in, Dean sighed.

"I don't care either way. Partner or boyfriend works for me. But we can't be seriously considering this, Gabe." When Gabriel did nothing but raise an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair, Dean sputtered.

"Oh my God, you're serious. We could never pull it off!" Instead of answering, Gabriel passed Dean a few of the papers that were littering the table before refilling their coffee cups.

Picking up the nearest sheet, Dean started to read. It was all there in black and white, how they met and when Gabriel thought would have been a good time for them to change the status of their relationship. It mapped out everything from their first date to their first kiss. If Dean hadn't known any better, he would have believed it to be true. There was also a list of things Gabriel was sure they would bicker about if they lived together.

"You've put a lot of work into this, why?" asked the taller man, his headache receding as the pills kicked in. Gabriel ran a hand through his hair, something he only did when he didn't want to talk about whatever was on his mind.

"I really don't want to go back to my parents' house for Christmas. I wasn't joking, all we do is argue, and by the time Christmas comes around I feel so torn that it makes me cranky as hell for weeks. Don't you remember last year? I couldn't even go out for drinks or socialize. If I can avoid that, I will."

Dean did remember. For a while, he had thought that it was something he had done to push Gabriel away. It wasn't until three weeks into the new year that he even saw his friend again; he had sworn then that he would never let Gabriel deal with whatever he had been through alone. "Let's do it." The reminder of how torn up the other man had been was enough to make Dean jump on board. They could do it; if he could push his feelings down, they could pretend to be together.

Besides, even if it was just for pretend, it would be nice to see what it would be like to be with Gabriel the way he wanted. Whiskey-colored eyes widened, Gabriel seeming to search Dean's reasoning before he graced the taller man with a broad smile. "You can crash here for the day; we should practice being close together for a while so that it's not awkward. Okay, snookums?"

Groaning, Dean let his head fall to the table. The sound of Gabriel's laughter was well worth any embarrassing nicknames that the other could come up with. The shorter man gathered the papers, running his fingers through Dean's hair as he passed the other man before starting work on breakfast. Watching as Gabriel puttered about the kitchen, Dean hoped that this wouldn't be what broke him, being so close but unable to have what he wanted.

If it saved Gabriel from having to deal with the depression that followed seeing his family, he would do anything. Gabriel was always worth it.

P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter or Instagram as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I'm reading (I always review so you know what you're getting into) I'm on Goodreads as well, the same name as always.