Warnings: Slash, Animal torture graphic torture violence, mentions of oral sex between two males

Chapter 4

After dropping Sam off at the motel Gabriel made his way back to his apartment with only half his mind on the road. If it weren't for his reflexes Gabriel was certain there would have been a crash before he parked in front of the apartment building he was claiming as his until this job was over. The apartment wasn't anything fancy, not like his real homes, but it served its purpose this time. Climbing the stairs, Gabriel didn't waste any time once he was inside before flopping down on his couch and letting lose a groan.

He was so screwed.

While he knew this date was a bad idea, a part of Gabriel had hoped he would use it to confirm Sam was the same as Lucifer. In some ways, Sam was, it was a good match even if it didn't seem like it to an outside observer. Sam was smart, a tactician if he ever saw one, and someone that could probably lie as easily as he breathed. Sam was also kind; and warm, and caring and wore his heart on his sleeve, and what a heart it was. He was exactly like Lucifer, like the big brother who taught Gabriel how to fly, the same brother who saved his life from their aunt and played pranks on Michael.

Sam was the same as the Morningstar, not the Devil. There were some differences of course, being the vessel of an archangel didn't mean they were the same person. In this case, it seemed like the basics were the same. Gabriel had loved Lucifer, how could he not? But he knew it wouldn't take much for him to be in love with Sam. The man was every fantasy Gabriel had ever had wrapped up in a beautiful form. He should walk away now, should call off tomorrow's date and run from the town before either of them let this get any deeper than it was.

One thing he knew how to do well was run, Gabriel could leave or give the brothers enough clues that he was what they were hunting. It would be easy enough to convince the two he had been getting close to Sam so he could see if they were close to him. It would crush the younger man, because Gabriel knew the kid was in deep enough it would hurt, but it would be smarter. It wouldn't be long now before either Heaven or Hell made their move to try and push those two towards opening the cage. The soul of the Righteous Man would only come around so often, and his brothers would not wait much longer before they acted.

Sighing, Gabriel ran a hand through his hair. While he knew what he should do, it was something else entirely for him to actually do it. For the first time in his life, his go-to of running was what he should be doing, and for the first time it was what he knew he wouldn't do. It was probably going to kill him, but Gabriel had never felt this strongly for someone so quickly, and he wasn't about to let it pass him by. He had tried, Dad knew, he tried with Kali, but even then, he hadn't been able to muster up the emotions he was going through now. In two days Samuel Winchester had managed to bring more emotion from him than Kali had managed in centuries.

He was so screwed.

Looking around the room Gabriel sighed before snapping his fingers and changing it around. The lavish lifestyle he enjoyed wasn't something he would be able to afford as a janitor; however he only downgraded the major things. His furniture was still comfortable, and he wasn't going to touch anything in his bedroom, as no matter what cover he was trying to keep he wasn't about to give up his comfortable bed or soft sheets. With another snap of his fingers Gabriel's clothes were changed into a pair of joggers and loose shirt to lounge around in. Kicking his feet up on the table in front of him, Gabriel waved his hand to turn on the television which was mounted on the wall. While he would love to conjure up someone to take the edge off, he knew it would only be a poor substitute.

Instead of watching any shows or movies the television showed an image of a man which followed him around. There wasn't anything outstanding about the man, he was average at best and a bit past middle age. What made him worth such attention was a feeling Gabriel had gotten from him as he passed him in the halls of the university. Human souls were always so bright and expressive, more so than the vessels which housed them, it was nothing for him to 'read' a soul. This one wasn't as dark as some of the others Gabriel had run into, and while normally that would make Gabriel merely teach a lesson and leave the man alone this was a special case.

Human souls were tainted by the pain and misery they caused others. It wasn't something they could wash away, it stuck with the soul until they died, where a reaper would decide if the soul was tainted enough for Hell. This soul was tainted, but it wasn't the blood of humans which stained his hands. While normally Gabriel kept his more lethal plans for killers and rapists, this one was special. The university approved serval scientific projects besides the ones done at the university itself, and it appeared this man worked for one of their outsourced projects. While not a serial killer in the strictest sense, he enjoyed harming the animals at the lab a bit too much for Gabriel to merely let him go.

The television was the easiest way for him to monitor those he was punishing. For a couple hours, Gabriel watched the man do normal every day things, it was boring but necessary if he was going to find out how hard to punish the human. It wasn't until later that night, much later than Gabriel expected, the show revealed what the human was doing. Gabriel felt his grace boil with anger as he watched the man with their newest pet. The pup was only a few months old, probably either a stray or from some puppy mill that gave the pup to the university. His big brown eyes were full of pain, his three remaining legs beaten, and there were burns and lacerations in various stages of infection covering his body.

There was no way this man was going to live another day. Growling, Gabriel watched as the man grinned while injecting poison into the puppy's already weakened body. Gabriel didn't know how he managed to wait until the human was gone before he snapped himself to the storage room the puppy was dying in. Not bothering to look for any kind of security, Gabriel knelt next to the small cage which was barely big enough to fit the puppy. The poor creature was shivering and whimpering, the floor was freezing and if the experiments didn't kill the poor thing the cold would. He didn't have a lot of time before the puppy would be beyond even his help, still Gabriel moved slowly as not to startle the dying pup as he opened the cage.

Once the cage was open Gabriel reached in, his movements slow enough the puppy wouldn't be startled. Placing his hand on the small creature, Gabriel pushed his grace into the animal who cried out as his wounds were healed over. The pup would still be weak, Gabriel wasn't expecting the small lick at his fingers as he pulled his hand back. Animals knew human from creature, and they had always had an instinctive trust of those working for Heaven, it was the only thing saving Gabriel from a bite from the small creature, he was sure.

"How about we get you out of here? I have a nice doggy bed with your name on it and some food. I'll let you come out while I fix up this joint and then we can head out, okay?"

A small yelp was his reply, but he would take what he could get. Standing, Gabriel looked around the room. This was the private office of the man, and as such was the only place he felt he could conduct his torture without anyone being the wiser. The only other animals were a few mice and rats who had seen better days. Walking over to the animals Gabriel opened their doors as well and put his hand into each cage to heal the rodents before snapping his fingers and transporting them to different cities, they would be fine on their own.

Turning around Gabriel saw the pup had left the cage and was sitting down, looking at Gabriel with a trust which would probably never be directed at a human again. Gabriel gave some thought to restoring the missing front leg but decided against it. While it wasn't for a human healing a missing limb would be considered a miracle and those were carefully monitored by Heaven. The pup would be fine missing one leg, especially at this age where he would just be learning how to do things anyways.

Bending down, Gabriel carefully picked up the small creature and cradled him to his chest. Holding the pup as tight as he dared, Gabriel flew them both to his apartment, not missing a beat in conjuring a fluffy dog bed and food and water dish. Setting the pup down, Gabriel watched as he made his way slowly over to the bowl, having followed his nose to the food. Gabriel watched as the pup ate, making note that the pup stopped on his own instead of eating until nothing was left. As the pup drank down some water, Gabriel snapped his fingers and made some adjustments to the apartment moving anything that could harm the creature higher and making a few toys show up near the bed.

While normally he would have trained the pup using a crate, it seemed cruel to place the pup in yet another cage. Instead Gabriel made a few 'puppy training pads' appear in various places. Sighing he sat down on the couch and waited for the pup to explore as much as he wanted before hearing the patter of small feet almost at the couch. Bending down Gabriel picked the pup up and looked him in the eye before standing giving the pup a tour.

"This is your bed, you are to sleep and lay down here… these are toys for you to play with as much as you want, you can take them around the place if you wish completely up to you. Now this is the important one, I don't have a doggy door on this apartment, but you are to use the washroom on these pads and I will replace them with fresh ones as they're used. Your food dish should always have food in it, same with your water dish so eat as much as you want."

While he was explaining where everything was and pointing out things as he went, Gabriel used a sliver of grace to imprint the actual meaning of his words to the pup. It helped that dogs were one of the smarter animals as they could retain a lot of information in a small amount of time. By the time he was done touring the apartment with the small animal Gabriel had no doubt at the very least the pup would understand what was explained to him. Gabriel had no need to teach him usual tricks, instead he made certain to mention where he was to void his bladder and bowels several times so the pup understood.

It was early into the next day before Gabriel came up with a plan for the animal abuser, one that he would have to wait until night to complete. Instead of spending his time watching humans on either his television or finding something else to do, Gabriel found himself spending most of the day with the pup. He had decided to name the small pup Xander and while the pup was a bit uncoordinated; both because of his mistreatment, and his missing limb, he was still as energetic as any other puppy. Gabriel spent most of the day playing with numerus toys he brought into existence and cuddling the fluffball.

Hours passed before he heard a small chime ring through the apartment which took his attention from the pup for a moment. Looking around the room Gabriel found the source, his phone was quickly picked up and Xander looked at the flashing screen while Gabriel held him in his other arm. Sitting down on the couch he kept Xander on his lap while he opened the message.

Samsquatch: Hey, I don't want to come off as pushy, but I was wondering if maybe we could meet up a bit earlier than planned? My brother is on my last nerve.

Gabriel snorted before smiling at the phone. While he could have felt insulted Sam only wanted away from his brother Gabriel knew an excuse when he saw one. Originally, he had planned on causing a bit of friction between the brothers, turns out the two had been in close quarters a bit too long anyways. Gabriel hadn't needed to do anything besides freezing Sam's computer once.

Loki: Not sure if I should be flattered that you can't wait to see me or insulted it's just to get rid of your bro.

Samsquatch: Flattered, definitely flattered.

Glancing at the time, Gabriel noticed it was four o'clock anyways and two hours wouldn't make that much of a difference in his plans as they were. A breath of warm air from the wet nose nuzzled against his arm caused Gabriel to pause slightly.

Loki: Have you eaten yet?

Samsquatch: I could eat, or if you wanted to head over we could grab something there.

Loki: I've never seen anything that wasn't 120% grease served at a carnival.

Samsquatch: I'll make an exception for tonight, so you coming over?

Loki: I'll be there in about half hour, need to make sure everything is puppy-proof before I leave and shower.

Samsquatch: Puppy?

Gabriel smiled as he read the response, he hadn't exactly known how to bring Xander into conversation. While he had told Sam he was more of a dog person, and the taller man had mentioned he was as well, Gabriel didn't know if this would harm the relationship or not. He wouldn't be able to use his grace while Sam was there to calm the pup, and abused animals didn't deal well with freakishly tall men. Carefully Gabriel placed Xander in his dog bed before double checking that everything which could hurt him was moved and the door to his bedroom was closed before refilling the dog dish and water dish.

"Okay Xander, Daddy's going to be out for a bit, but you have plenty of food and water. Remember what we talked about for when you need to piss or shit and everything will be fine. You have all this space to explore, I'll be back, hopefully with a friend, in a few hours."

Xander yelped at Gabriel once he stopped talking in his version of acknowledgment. Smiling at the pup, Gabriel patted his head lightly before he snapped his fingers and changed his clothes along with cleaning his vessel. While he preferred bathing the human way, it would take him a while to get to the motel and he wanted to see Sam as soon as possible. On the way there, Gabriel thought about how he planned on this date going. He hadn't really expected Sam to agree to go with him to the carnival. If he was honest with himself, Gabriel was excited to have someone to go with who was real. He had conjured people for more than sex, but it was always hollow to have to make someone to have company while he had fun.

Pulling into the parking lot, Gabriel smiled as he climbed out of the car and made his way to Sam's motel room. Knocking on the door he was startled slightly as he was pulled into a quick kiss before he had the chance to greet the hunter. Not one to waste an opportunity, Gabriel didn't bother to struggle against the man as Sam pushed enough to make them take a step away from the door. It was just enough so Sam could shut the door behind him, but Gabriel wasn't about to let the man leave it at that. Grabbing the back of Sam's head he brought Sam's mouth to his own in a rough kiss, his tongue easily pressing against the others'. With his other hand, Gabriel wrapped it around Sam's back and pressed against him, causing their bodies to press flush against each other drawing a moan from Sam's throat.

The two continued to kiss for a few more moments before Gabriel broke them apart. While he wanted nothing more than to get Sam into his bed, or any flat surface at that moment, that would be for later. Pulling away from the hunter, Gabriel smirked at the flushed face in front of him and the slightly swollen lips. Absently he wondered what Sam's lips would look like wrapped around him.

"If I had known you would greet me like that I would have shown up this morning, you trying to kill me Kiddo?"

That caused Sam to smile at him, which made his stomach to feel warm like it did every time the other smiled.

"What can I say? I got tired of having a thought to keep me warm, figured I would go for the real deal."

Groaning, Gabriel leaned up and pressed his lips against Sam's again. They didn't hold the contact, merely brushed their lips against each other before breaking apart.

"You can have the real deal as much as you want, but I think I promised you food and entertainment."

Sam brought his hand which had been gripping Gabriel's' shoulder to link their fingers together. While Gabriel's hands were smaller than the other mans, they seemed to fit so well together. It had been something he had thought of often since getting to know the hunter, Gabriel had always imagined he would be attracted to someone more of his own size. While he knew he was shorter than the giant of a man, Gabriel never really felt small compared to him which was odd. It appeared Sam was willing to let Gabriel take the lead even though physically he should have the advantage.

Getting into the car, Gabriel waited until they were away from the motel before he started talking again in case Sam needed physical space from his frustration.

"So, you want to tell me what big brother did to have you running? Not that I'm complaining, but helps to have an outside perspective sometimes, you know?"

"It's nothing new… just too long on the road together, I think we need a break from each other for a bit before we go on our next job. I know he means well, but sometimes he still sees the baby learning to walk instead of an adult. I get it, in our business you have to be careful, but it can be so frustrating at times."

Gabriel didn't know if Sam meant to let that bit about his work slip, and decided against bringing it up. If Sam wanted to talk about his work Gabriel would let him, but then he would have to reveal himself a bit earlier than he wanted.

"I guess it's a good thing I can relate then, yeah? I get it, really, I do, my big brothers were always so controlling that eventually I actually ran away to get away from them. Maybe a couple days' break would be good for you two, a vacation from work and yourselves."

"Yeah, sounds good in theory but we aren't really the sit around and do nothing kind of people. We'll fight until we burn out and then we'll be fine."

Gabriel bit his lip before sneaking a quick glance at Sam. The thing was that even without him doing anything the two brothers would probably end up fighting until they burnt out. It wasn't safe for hunting partners to be at odds with each other like they were. Not knowing how well his next words were going to be received, Gabriel decided to bite the bullet and try.

"You could stay with me for a few days."

That seemed to shock Sam out of whatever thoughts he had been having as he starred at Gabriel with widened eyes. Sam opened his mouth for a moment before closing it again. Shrugging mentally Gabriel continued 'In for a penny…'

"Offer is out there, and I'm sure between myself and Xander you won't be too bored for a few days while you re-center yourself."

They were pulling into the parking lot as he finished, and while he turned off the car Gabriel wondered if he had over stepped. While the offer was genuine he had no idea where Sam was with all this, or even if he realized what exactly he was hunting in town in the first place.

"I… who's Xander?"

Deciding to let the subject drop to his newest little friend, Gabriel kept the ever-present smile on his face while he started to get out of the car.

"He's my puppy, a rescue so he's a bit on edge around humans but he's a good pup."

The two of them started to walk towards the carnival before Sam once again held his hand. Smiling up at the hunter now that he knew he still had a shot with the man, Gabriel tugged on the hand until Sam turned to face him. Leaning up he pecked the others lips before turning back to the entrance of the park.

He would let Sam think about his offer for a bit, and while he did, Gabriel would think about why he offered in the first place.

He was so screwed.

P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler or Twitter 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, same name as always.