Author's Note: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! If you do not celebrate Christmas, then Happy (insert holiday here)!

~This has been edited by QueenOfHearts

Chapter Four

Loading his suitcase into Dean's car, a sleek Chevy Impala that his father gifted to him for his eighteenth birthday, Gabriel slammed the trunk shut which earned him a glare from the man. Making his way to the passenger side, Gabriel pulled open the door and slid inside, though he was careful not to slam the door this time. Dean was having second guesses; it was easy to tell by the way the man would hardly look at him, how he occasionally bit his lip in contemplation. Once they were both in the car, Gabriel turned to Dean, his stomach dropping at the thought of not being able to go with the man to his parents this Christmas.

It would suck spending the time alone in his apartment.

"Dean? You alright, man?"

The question seemed to shake Dean out of whatever debate he had been having, turning his green eyes on Gabriel and giving the shorter man a nod. "Yeah, I'm good. Hope you took a leak before we left, cause I'm not stopping until we get there." The car's motor started, letting go a loud rumble before Dean pulled out of the parking lot and toward the highway. They had a four-hour drive ahead of them, and Gabriel planned on spending that time relaxing while Dean drove.

Not bothering to put up a fight as Dean switched off the radio and popped in one of the cassette tapes he had laying around, Gabriel sighed and looked out the window at the passing scenery. There wasn't much, just a few rests stops along the way, some trees and signs; but the farther they drove, the denser the woods became, and the potential for wildlife increased. "You know my mom is really excited to meet you." Jerking his head to look at Dean whose gaze was focused on the road, Gabriel wondered if it was a good thing that Dean's mother wanted to meet him.

"And what exactly did you tell her anyway? We should get our stories straight if we want to pull this off." Dean's cheeks flushed slightly at the reminder of what they would have to pretend to be.

"She's known about you for a while, Gabe. I told her that we wanted to give being more than friends a shot and that it seemed to be working. I was surprised by how accepting she was about me not saying anything sooner, once I told her I didn't want this to be another Lisa situation." Just the thought of Lisa was enough for Gabriel to have that outrage at the bottom of his stomach. Dean had deserved so much better; he deserved everything.

"And once you explained that she was alright with me coming over as more than your friend?" Dean nodded, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Yeah, she's excited to get to know you, my whole family is." There was a pregnant pause before Dean took a breath and continued his line of thought. "I've never actually brought someone home for Christmas before. Anyone I was dating at the time wasn't that serious, at least not enough to bring them home to meet my parents so that they may make a big deal out of it."

It took a moment for Gabriel to realize that Dean was nervous, not about introducing him to his family, or that they would be able to pull off looking like a couple, but that Gabriel wouldn't like the ones he held dear. Without thinking, Gabriel reached between them and placed his hand on Dean's thigh which gave a little jerk, accelerating the car before Dean managed to slow back to speed again. "Dean, you've told me so much about them that I feel like I know your family already. Even if for some reason I don't like them I'll pretend for you, Dean. I'm not about to embarrass you in front of your folks or younger siblings so relax, would you?"

Some of the tension Dean had been carrying in his shoulders did relax a bit at his words, and Gabriel kept his hand exactly where it was for the next few miles, enjoying the firm flesh under his palm. When the country roads led back into the towns, Gabriel wondered not for the first time if what they were doing was the right thing. He was so very hopeful that he would be able to come back from this, that they would be able to. It wasn't that he doubted they could convince the others that they were a couple, though Dean may not have realized it, they were always touching or reassuring each other in some way. What he feared was that he wouldn't be able to go back to how things were once they were done.

"How did your family take it that you're going home with me this year?"

Grasping at the change of subject, Gabriel moved his hand off Dean's thigh though it now rested between them. "I spoke to Michael, and he wasn't too impressed, but Mom seemed to be thrilled at the idea of me having a boyfriend who's serious enough to warrant a family visit. While I feel a bit bad for lying to her and Dad, I guess I never noticed how they wanted me to find someone. I think she would have kissed you for it had you been in the room."

Dean laughed, his eyes regaining some of the shimmer Gabriel loved to see. The rest of the trip was spent with Dean giving Gabriel as much information as he could on how things worked in his family for Christmas. As they were pulling in the driveway, Gabriel didn't have time to prepare himself before a young blonde woman was darting out of the house and throwing Dean's door open. Instead of hugging the man, she pulled her hand back and punched his shoulder, making Dean shout while Gabriel got out of the car.

"What the hell was that for?" demanded Dean, who was now standing beside the car, rubbing his shoulder for a moment.

"Why didn't you tell me you were dating Gabriel? Here I've been worried about you and if you're going to find someone, and you were keeping your boyfriend a secret!" Before Dean could say anything, Gabriel cleared his throat to get Jo's attention. When the siblings turned to him, Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

"Not to interrupt or anything, but if you two are going to be arguing, Dean, will you pop the trunk so that I can get our bags? I don't want to stand here in the cold while you squabble."

Both blushed, though Dean did lean back into the car and flip the switch to release the trunk. Gabriel gathered his bag, Dean, right beside him. Once their things were out of the car, Gabriel soon had an arm wrapped around him, allowing him to lean into Dean's side. "Jo, this is my boyfriend Gabriel. Gabriel, this is my kid sister Jo." With Dean's arm still around him, Gabriel offered his hand to the woman who quickly took it. Her grip was firm, and there was a warning in her eyes while they exchanged pleasantries. He liked her.

Making their way inside the house, Gabriel quickly followed Dean's lead and removed his shoes before making his way past the front porch. Jo trailed behind them, holding Gabriel's suit. Instead of being ambushed in the hallway, there was a holler from another room that supper would be ready in about ten minutes before Dean ushered Gabriel up the stairs. With Jo trailing behind him, Gabriel listened while the siblings spoke, Dean getting caught up on what was happening in town while Jo wondered about what Dean was doing recently.

Entering the room, Gabriel could see the moment that Dean realized they would have to sleep in the same bed. Not wanting to draw attention to his boyfriend's panic, Gabriel took the suit from Jo and smiled at the woman. "Thanks for your help. Mind if I borrow a few minutes with Dean before I meet your folks?" Making it seem like it was him that needed the reassurance seemed to work as Jo nodded before shutting the door behind her as she made her way downstairs. Once they were alone, Gabriel threw the suit on to the bed and placed his hand on Dean's shoulder.

"Come on big guy; you had to know this would happen. Unless you had two beds in your childhood bedroom, you had to have known that we would end up sharing. It's not a big issue; we've bunked up before after having a couple drinks down at the pub."

The shoulder he was holding was tense, and without thinking, Gabriel started to rub the muscles, pressing himself to Dean's back. As the taller man let go a large breath, Gabriel smiled, moving his arms to wrap around Dean. "Yeah, I didn't think about it is all. It took me by surprise. You really don't mind sharing with me? I snore."

Laughing, Gabriel squeezed a bit tighter, thrilled when larger hands captured his own and held him there. "No, I don't mind… besides, I end up as an octopus cuddle-monster through the night, so you're going to have to deal with that."

Dean hummed, though he didn't let go of Gabriel's hands. "I think I can handle that. You ready to meet my mom? Dad should be back soon from work as well, but it might be easier if you meet her first." Nodding against Dean's back, Gabriel gave one quick squeeze before letting go. The taller man turned and smiled at him, and Gabriel could feel his heart beat just a bit faster. Before they left the room, Dean reached out and grabbed the smaller man's hand, linking their fingers together.

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