an:/ so I'm a dirty liar when it comes to which story I'm going to update and when. But I've been in such a fantastic mood I've only wanted to write fluff. Apparently I wanted it so bad I wrote a whole chapter of it.
You're welcome in advance.
Apparently nap time translated to 'watching a Disney movie and being quiet'. Sam didn't really mind joining Castiel's nieces in the den upstairs. It was a big comfy room with a projection tv, enough seating for a small party and seemingly any movie anyone could want to watch. They let the sisters pick, despite Dean's quiet protests.
Castiel took up the majority of the couch, one redheaded little girl tucked beneath each arm, looking as if everything was right with the world again. He seemed to have recovered from his brother's fight much faster than everyone else. It was almost like a few minutes ago he hadn't been clinging to Michael, pleading with him to calm down- but in all likelihood he was simply more used to dealing with these sorts of things.
"Man, prince charming is such a wuss." Dean groaned, looking to Sam for agreement. "What does this dude do other than sing?"
"He kisses Snow White and she wakes up." Sarah, Anna and Michael's middle child said sharply. "You have to wait for it."
"Is he gunna keep singing the whole time?"
"No. The bad man tries to kill Snow White and she runs away and meets the dwarfs."
Dean looked slightly distressed. "Dwarfs?"
"They are tiny men and some have beards." Sarah explained in an annoyed tone.
Dean leaned back on the recliner he had claimed, folding his arms behind his head and making a face. "They're going to sing too, aren't they?"
For such a small girl, she had a surprisingly large, vindictive smile.
The child had either seen the movie before or simply understood the formula- because there were indeed dwarves and more singing.. Dean took the easy out and fell asleep in his chair.
Sam got up from the floor where he had sprawled to sit as close to Castiel as he could without smooshing a child between them.
"Castiel, can I ask you a question?"
"I like the one with the glasses best. He seems nice." The man said quietly so as not to speak over the movie.
But Sam didn't really care which dwarf was Cas' favorite so he just shook his head and tried again. "No. Can I ask you something about your brothers?"
The man looked up at him, eyes curious. "I suppose so."
"Do they always fight like that?"
"No." He got a small frown. "They used to start as soon as they saw each other and they used to be much worse about it. Over the years we've been able to slowly postpone the fight until after we finish eating or the kid blows out the candles on the cake, or whatever it is that we're doing. And thank you for jumping in there with me. It's almost impossible to keep them apart single handed without some kind of bloodshed." He sighed and adjusted one of Hannah's pigtails.
"Did they ever get along?"
"I think maybe two or three times, back before Dad left." He answered after a moment's thought.
Sam smiled. "Just two or three times?"
"I didn't grow up with them… so there might have been one more time that I don't know about." He returned the smallest hint of a smile. "We're brothers. Not sisters. There's lot of things that they don't talk to me about."
Sam chuckled. "Dean's not big on sharing either."
"I've noticed." Castiel looked over at the man slumped in the recliner. "Sam… can I ask you a question about your brother?"
Sam nodded, feeling that it would only be fair.
"What kind of movie should I ask him to come see with me if I want him to say yes?"
What a dangerous question.
Sam could simply not answer- just tell Cas that Dean wasn't the kind of guy to go to movies with other guys. Or he could tell the truth and set Dean up on a little date of his own.
Just like Dean had done for him.
"Something with explosions. He likes action movies." Sam said, knowing that this wasn't exactly fair to Cas, but at the same time- he was an adult. He could figure out he was barking up the wrong kind of tree all on his own. "And offer burgers beforehand. I've never seen him turn down food."
"Explosions and food." Cas repeated the recipe to himself. "Alright." He gave Sam such a sweet smile that the younger man almost felt guilty about what he was doing.
"Uncle Cas?" Sarah asked from where she was half asleep against her uncle. "The movie's done. Can we have pie?"
"Well," he looked around the room for an answer, sort of shrugging at Sam. "I'll let Hannah sleep but should we wake Dean?"
"Let me tell you a secret about my brother." Sam kept his voice low and secretive. "If pie is involved, the answer is always yes."
They joined the other adults downstairs, leaving the smallest child upstairs to continue her nap, as was appropriate etiquette when dealing with small children Sam learned. Dean looked a bit bleary eyed, but very pleased to sit down at the table with a large piece of apple pie all to himself.
Sam sat beside his brother and made polite conversation with Gabriel of all people.
The man was a little more forward than Sam was used to, but at the same time he was very open and enthusiastic, and it was too soon to tell if that was a good thing or not. So they spoke of Stanford, and some of the teachers that they shared and the weird layout of the English department, a handful of other odds and ends. Even if Sam wasn't all that good at making small talk, Gabriel seemed to have no problem taking control of the conversation, steering it around to wherever he saw fit.
The backdoor opened in the other room and Nick came into the dining room, a small piece of pumpkin pie on his plate. His cheeks were a little red from the cold ocean breeze outside, but his eyes were clear and the anger was gone. He sat down beside Rehka, because Gabriel had stolen his seat on the other side of Sam, and he leaned into his sister-in-law, whispering something in her ear before earning himself a slap on his arm and a soft laugh.
The younger Winchester looked over at Nick, offering a hesitant smile and to his surprise, the man smiled right back, mouthing something that looked an awful lot like the word 'sorry'.
Sam just rolled his eyes, because really, there was nothing that had happened that the man needed to apologize for.
Not long afterwards, they were packing up the few remaining pieces of pie and Castiel was hugging his siblings and their wives, bidding them all a cheerful goodbye, promising to be back for Christmas.
Nick was much quieter about his farewells, kneeling beside his nieces, getting little kisses on his stubbled cheeks and tight hugs around his neck. He thumped his nephew on the shoulder and they traded a manly look before Nick stood and kissed both his sister-in-laws, telling that would see them in the spring- which to Sam seemed unnecessary. He could have just said goodbye, but it was like he wanted to specifically emphasize that he wouldn't be coming back in a month like he had been asked to.
He never even looked at Michael, and Gabriel got as little as a begrudging one armed hug and what looked to be a whispered threat pressed into his cheek with words too soft to hear over the general noise of everyone else talking. Gabriel looked a little shocked before laughing happily and patting his big brother's chest.
All in all, Sam wished that he wasn't paying so much attention to what Nick was doing. There was no reason for it. But there he was, in the back of the group, beside Dean, just watching the man interacting with his family. It was weirdly voyeuristic and he made himself look away, feeling too much like he was invading on something personal that he hadn't earned a right to yet.
He smiled a tight lipped smile at Dean, sort of a 'yep, we're still here, and not part of this'. Dean just kind of nodded and shrugged in agreement. But it was too soon because Anna chose then descended on the brothers, pulling them both down, one at a time, into a warm, pleasant smelling hug.
"It was wonderful to meet you boys. And the pie was absolutely delicious." She grinned brightly up at Dean, arms still around him and by the overly pleased look he was wearing, Dean didn't seem to mind. "And if you boys don't have plans for Christmas you're welcome to join us."
"Oh, we couldn't do that." Dean said with an apologetic smile.
"Nonsense." She shook him slightly before letting go and stepping back to join her husband's side. "Castiel told me that all your family is back East somewhere and if you boys stay here in California then you're invited over for dinner. The holidays are about family and friends. Even new friends."
"Especially new friends." Nick said soft enough that Sam wasn't sure anyone else heard him. He looked over at the blonde man in time to earn himself a little half smile and Sam didn't know what it was supposed to mean.
Final farewells and the four men made it out into the falling dusk. It was jarring after the light and warmth of the house, all there was now were heavy clouds tinged with bits of orange and red from the setting sun and the bitter cold gusts coming off the ocean. They piled into the car and Castiel cranked up the heat, warming his hands on one of the vents before starting back on the road that would take them to the highway.
"Hey, Sammy-" Dean peered around his head rest into the backseat. "How's about you cleaning the kitchen for me when we get home since I made you that nasty pie you enjoyed so much?"
"I was going to go over to Nick's to study again tonight." Which was a great way to get out of doing dishes.
"I thought you were going to lay off the books for today." Dean complained, but Sam could tell from his tone that his big brother was already giving up on him.
"I said I wouldn't bring my books to dinner. I never say I wouldn't study today."
"You're so lame." He turned back to look out the windshield. "And you can study at home. I'll keep the music down."
Sam did his best to not look over at the man sitting beside him, not wanting to look too guilty. "That's alright. There's less distractions at Nick's."
Dean seemed to chew that idea over for a bit before slowly saying, "Right… less distractions."
"He doesn't even own a television." Castiel piped up, vouching for his brother. "I used to go over there to study during the holidays when campus was closed."
"You're supposed to be on my side." Dean grumbled, folding his arms and looking sullen.
"I thought that we wanted them to spend time together… if that's what they want." He added quickly, eyes darting to the rearview mirror to peek into the backseat. "I'm not trying to say that-"
"We get it, Cas." Nick said softly, soothing his younger brother's anxiety. "It's ok. Really."
"Really?" Castiel's eyes flicked back to them.
"Really." Sam confirmed with a smile.
Dean got dropped off at the house and Sam ran inside to grab his book bag with promises that he would do dishes when he got home later that night. He tried to rush back out, not wanting to keep Castiel waiting, but his big brother stopped him from leaving, leaning against the door frame, barring any escape.
"Come on, Dean. Nick'll give me a ride home later." Sam shouldered his bag, sighing.
"It's gunna' rain tonight. You really plan to let him take you back here in the dark on that bike?"
"It'll be fine, and if it's raining I'll just stay the night again."
The muscles in Dean's jaw tightened. "Course you will."
Sam blinked rapidly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's just… dude, you met the guy two weeks ago and you're already staying the night at his place. If it was anyone else I would congratulate them. But this is you, Sam. Don't you think this is moving a bit... you know… fast for you?"
"Whoa now." Sam held up his hands, palms out. "Let's pretend for one second that you didn't set me up on a date with this guy. Let's also pretend, just for good measure, that you didn't send me a text that same night telling me to get my 'freak on' with him- which I believe were you're exact words. All that aside, no one said that there's anything like that going on between us."
"I've seen the looks you've been giving each other."
"We haven't been… what looks?"
"Oh, there's been looks."
"Neither of us are even remotely gay." Sam tried to clarify, not sure how defensive he was supposed to be getting- reminding himself that this kind of argument flew in the face of his and Nick's plans. Too much denial would make for an awkward transition later.
"I'm not either. But if I was… gay, and wasn't your brother, I'd… I'd hit that."
Sam thought that he managed to make some kind of useless noise, mouth hanging open between shock and confusion.
"Even if the guy's straight, Sammy, he's not blind." How Dean could manage to make these bizarre arguments with such a straight face had always been a puzzlement to Sam.
"God- do you realize how insane you sound, Dean?"
"I just don't think you should be jumping into something with a guy you don't know."
"You set me up on a date with him!" Sam felt his voice rising along with his frustration.
"That was supposed to be a one off- just someone willing to jump your gangly bones so maybe you'd be less of a tightly wound son of a bitch all the time. You weren't supposed to make friends with him and set up play dates. Next thing you know the two of you are gunna' be telling us you're engaged and I'm going to end up in-laws with that crazy ass family."
Sam took a long breath through his nose before putting his hands on his big brother's shoulders and forcibly pulling him away from the door. "Good night, Dean."
"Fine. But I've got work in the morning, so keep it down if you come home real late."
Sam waved goodbye and ran back out to the car, only slightly surprised to see that Nick had moved to the front passenger seat. So Sam folded himself into the back and sat alone. More room to stretch out anyways.
"Sorry for taking so long." He said while he buckled his seat belt. "Dean felt a need to give me 'the talk' before I left."
Nick laughed, startled but pleased.
"The talk?" Castiel questioned as he started back to his brother's apartment.
"The birds and the bees, Cassy." Nick explained with a grin in his voice.
Castiel got quiet, busying himself with flipping on the windshield wipers against the light sprinkle. "Birds and bees?"
"Sex." Nick clarified, and Sam was glad he did, because he was honestly too surprised that the accountant didn't understand the reference.
"Oh…" Cas glanced into the backseat. "Aren't you a bit old to not know about sex? I thought that they taught it in highschool."
"They do." Sam assured between chuckles. "I think Dean's just worried that with me being so young and naive, Nick might try to take advantage of me."
This only made Nick laugh harder, up until his younger brother shot him a stern look. "It's not funny. That's a very serious accusation, Nick. I will have a talk with Dean and explain to him that you are not that kind of person."
"Thanks for that." He patted Castiel on the shoulder, the movement almost tender, but mostly sarcastic.
Castiel pulled up in front of Nick's apartment, and put the car in park, turning in his seat to look at his brother, then back at Sam in turn. "Thank you both for coming today. It meant a lot to me… and everyone else." He tacked on, looking pointedly back at Nick.
"Don't worry about it. It was just nice to have a home cooked meal."
"It helps that Anna was cooking it." Cas said with a significant look. "You know, she'll be cooking on Christmas too. She'd probably make anything you wanted if you promised to come by."
"Don't push it." Nick warned gently.
Castiel looked away, relenting. "Good night… and good luck on your tests, Sam."
"Thanks." Sam grinned before climbing back out of the car.
The little accountant unrolled his window and called after them. "I'll drop off my spare key at the shop on Sunday."
"Got it." Nick waved. "Drive safe, Cas."
The two hoofed it up the long flight of stairs, Sam huffing a little around the third story.
"No elevator?"
"Elevators are for the weak." Nick grinned over his shoulder, not at all bothered by the long climb. "Did your brother really try to warn you about me?"
"Apparently you were supposed to be a one night stand and he's worried that we might be getting involved."
Nick scoffed at the idea. "Didn't he set you up with me in the first place?"
"I just don't think he was expecting it to amount to anything."
"Oh, then he is going to love this next part," Nick unlocked his door, "because I actually have every intention of taking advantage of you tonight."
"Yeah, good luck with that." Sam followed him inside, going straight for the table and settling himself in for a good bought of quality time with his textbooks.
In a seeming effort to win the 'boyfriend of the year' award, Nick made a pot of strong coffee and unbidden set a mug down beside Sam's elbow before folding himself down into the couch and quietly watching a movie on his computer. So unobtrusive and out of the way. Practically too perfect. Sam almost wished that this wasn't just a shared lie.
If Sam did plan to settle down with a guy, he would definitely want one like Nick- except maybe without the unexpected alcohol consumption or the violence towards oddly specific family members. Those parts he could pass on.
It wasn't that he was against drinking, just growing up in the same household as an alcoholic made him feel a bit skittish around people who drank for reasons other than socially. He knew from watching his dad, and occasionally Dean, that alcohol was not any kind of solution to a man's problems.
He also wasn't against arguing with family members, mostly because he wasn't a giant hypocrite. But there had been tense levels of animosity between Nick and his brothers that Sam hadn't expected and it made him uncomfortable in ways he couldn't quite put his finger on.
He found himself glancing over at the couch, at this man that he had shackled himself to for the next three months.
Nick looked up, tugging on his lip. "Yeah?"
"Nothing." Sam busied himself with his coffee, hiding behind the steam. "So, uh…" Not really sure where he was going with that so he let the idea wander off without him.
The blonde tapped his tablet screen and the movie grew silent. He sat there, watching Sam, waiting like he had all the time in the world.
"Cas and I were talking today."
"You brave man you." Nick kept a remarkably straight face.
"He said that you used to be married."
Nick got this sour look on his face, eyes suddenly darting from wall to wall, skipping over Sam. "Castiel never really learned when to keep his mouth shut."
"I'm sorry."
"eh," he waved it off. "There's not much to say about it. Lilith and I dated on and off during highschool and for a few years after that. I was almost twenty-one, she got pregnant, told me it was mine, and I tried to do the right thing so we got married." He huffed softly, still not looking at Sam as if it made the whole thing easier to tell. "So she's seven months along, goes up to Tahoe to visit her mother, and I get two letters from her. First one says that she lost the baby, second one is my half of the divorce paperwork."
"I'm sorry." Sam repeated, not knowing what else he could add to something like that.
"You said that already." Nick offered him a hint of a smile. "It was almost nine years ago, and considering how Lilith was I've never been sure that the kid was actually mine to begin with." He swung his long legs off the couch and went to the kitchen to refill his coffee.
Sam watched Nick's careful drink preparations, and all he could think for a few minutes was that the other man had to be thirty. Which wasn't horrifically old in the scheme of things. Nor was it particularly important. Certainly not enough to make Sam reconsider their arrangement or anything like that. It was just…
"Castiel said that you haven't dated anyone since then… that's a really long time."
Nick chuckled. "Just because I don't tell my brothers every time I go out, or every time someone with nice legs takes me home, doesn't mean I've been sitting around all this time moping over a crazy bitch like Lilith." He pulled out the chair beside Sam's, sitting the wrong way round, folding his arms over the back of the chair. "A girlfriend would be nice and all- but I'm already in a relationship with alcohol and bad decisions. Hardly seems fair to drag someone down with me."
"You say to your boyfriend." Sam pointed out quietly.
"You can hold your own against me." Nick scoffed. "You're a smart kid."
" 'm not a kid." He rolled his coffee cup between his hands.
Nick's knee crashed into his almost like an apology, his eyes crinkling just a touch as he blew on his own drink. "Sorry, darlin'. You're just so young and bright eyed. Sometimes I forget."
"You're supposed to be falling in love with me." Sam lectured in his most serious voice. "Please try and remember that I'm a tall, handsome, man that you won't be able to resist kissing tonight."
"How could I possibly forget that part?" Nick looked aghast at the mere suggestion. "Finally getting my hands on that sweet ass of yours will be the highlight of my holiday season."
Sam almost choked on his coffee and had to spit it back into his mug because it was only slightly better than spewing it all over his text books. "We agreed to a first kiss- my ass doesn't enter into this."
"Trust me, it will." Nick winked and Sam had to resist the urge to hit him because that kind of reaction worked with Dean but might not end well with Nick.
He settled for bashing their knees together hard enough that he hurt himself. "Don't you go starting anything you can't finish."
"Oh, it might take me a while, but I promise to finish every last bit of you."
Sam had enough and he almost felt sideways in his seat, doubling over. "What is- what's that even- supposed to mean?" He got out between breathless laughter.
"It's an innuendo." Nick's laugh answered his own, deeper and more restrained. "It means whatever you want it to."
"I- I don't want it to mean anything." Sam shook his head, trying and failing to wipe the grin off his face. "And you keep your hands to yourself."
"What a thing to say to your only boyfriend." Nick got up from that table, mock insult plain on his face. "You keep that up and you're getting nothing for me tonight." He managed to put an undue amount of sass into his walk to the couch before folding himself back down and situating his tablet back on his crooked knees.
Sam swallowed down the last bit of his laugh and shook his head again, pushing hair from his eyes. He found himself watching Nick, for what had to be the hundredth time today. And It remained an unproductive use of his time.
Like a big cat, the man had sort of folded in on himself, pale knee peeking out from a small hole worn in his left pant leg, smallest slash of hip bone visible where his t-shirt had been rucked up. The designs on his arms twisted and got lost with how they were pressed up to his chest, holding his mug comfortably against his lower lip.
For maybe just a hair longer than a second, Sam found himself watching the tip of Nick's tongue flick along the rim of his mug, and Sam's disloyal mind entertained thoughts of how the kiss that they were going to say happened would have happened.
In a panic he shoved the idea down, horrified that he had even had it.
He buried his face in his text books, letting the fine print utterly consume him, because it was safe and familiar and good and as far from that confusing daydream as he could bring himself.
One or maybe two hours later Sam's eyes were getting tired, too long looking at too small of words. He pushed his books away, rubbing his face.
He must have made a noise to draw the other man's attention because Nick's soft voice interrupted his stretch.
"You want to watch a movie with me, Sam? Or do you want a ride home?"
Sam glanced at the clock in the kitchen, almost seven thirty, before he looked out the window into the starless night with its black clouds, the quiet pattering of rain against the glass.
"It's a bit wet outside."
"I can order us a pizza. We can cuddle and try to wait out the rain." Nick offered, turning a little, making room for Sam to join him.
Sam pointedly ignored the offer to 'cuddle.' "Are any pizza places open tonight?" Holidays being what they were, most places would be closed. Sam closed his book and got up, getting one last stretch in, arms reaching high overhead, almost brushing the ceiling.
Nick blinked at him, just this slow, lazy sort of expression, eyes following the long arch of Sam's body.
"No… probably not." He looked away, back at his computer. "Let me see what I can find."
They ended up ordering India food from a restaurant down the street. The place didn't offer takeout- so after Nick called in their order the two of them took the short walk to pick it up.
Outside the rain was coming down in a persistent drizzle and the two decided to share Nick's only umbrella, walking close enough that their shoulders brushed from time to time and really quickly Sam gave up apologizing for it.
"How do you think today went?" Sam asked hesitantly.
Nick glanced up, much closer to Sam than the younger man was used to people being.
"It could have gone a lot worse." He said after some thought.
"I take it that the fighting between you two isn't anything new."
"He started it." Nick's shoulder hitched as he got defensive.
Sam pursed his lips and looked away, because saying 'you weren't helping' probably wouldn't be productive.
"Michael and I haven't… we've never really liked each other, you could say."
"You seemed to get along well enough with his wife." Sam immediately regretted those words, biting the inside of his cheek and trying to form a hurried apology.
"Oh my. Is that jealousy I hear?" Nick teased, slowly spinning the umbrella between his hands.
"No. I didn't mean it like that."
"Anna knows that her husband can take things a little too far sometimes. She knows I can too- and she's been trying to keep us from killing each other since she met us. Some nonsense about if she was going to be part of our family she would make sure that there was still enough people left standing to be called a family." He pulled open the door of the Indian restaurant. "She's a good woman. A little intimidating, but good- and honestly better than my brother deserves."
Sam blinked into the florescent lights, shaking water from his hair, watching as Nick carefully folded his umbrella and nodded to the dark haired woman behind the counter. She nodded back, recognizing the man, no words exchanged as she went to get their order.
"Speaking of better than a brother deserves- I may have given Castiel advice on how to ask Dean out."
Nick made a startled noise, his eyes dancing with joy at the prospect. "Well, that's only fair I suppose."
"I thought so." Sam grinned.
The woman returned with two Styrofoam boxes settled into a take-out bag. "Here you are, Nick. Eighteen- forty-three."
Sam got out his wallet, but Nick got there first, slapping down a handful of bills.
"You paid last time."
"And I'll pay next time too." Nick said with a smirk, handing the food off to Sam. "I am the man in this relationship after all."
The woman behind the counter laughed softly, trying to hide it behind a hand as she took the offered money. "Have a good night, boys." Her dark eyes shone. "I will see you next week, Nick."
Nick shared her smile. "Goodnight, Sanjeet." He got his umbrella opened and held it up high for Sam as they started walking.
"Who says that you get to be the 'man' in this whole mess?"
"One of us has to be, and I'm older, so why not me?"
"I don't see why we aren't just both the 'men' … and besides, I'm taller." Sam argued as if it were a firm basis for anything.
"Anything over six foot doesn't count. Relationship wise, we're the same height."
"That's the dumbest rule I've ever heard." And Sam had heard plenty of dumb rules in his lifetime.
"When you're the older one you can pay for our meals- how's that?"
Sam gave one of his best bitch-faces in answer and earned himself a warm laugh.
"I'll let you hold doors open for me?" Nick added to his offer, trying to sweeten the deal.
Stubbornly, Sam kept up his scowl.
"You can be on top… sixteen percent of the time."
A laugh threatened to crawl out of Sam and he did his best to swallow it down. "Sixteen percent?"
"It's a great deal." Nick quickly pointed out. "Over the next three months we will have fake sex… why not… one hundred times? And for sixteen of those I will let you tell people that you bent me over."
"One hundred times?"
"It's about thirty times a month, so roughly once a day." Nick did some quick math. "It's a rigorous schedule, but doable."
"I don't know if you're up to it, old man." Sam's voice had gone a bit off as he rapidly lost the battle to his laughter. "We're supposed to be building a believable lie."
"Hey. I'm only thirty."
"Old." Sam taunted, dancing away as Nick aimed a sharp shove at him. He ended up outside of the shelter of the umbrella, rain quickly soaking into his hair and the shoulders of his jacket. "I just don't think anyone's going to believe that you can keep up with me. Not with that much fake sex going around. When would we even find the time?"
"When you want someone as much as I want you, you find a way." Nick held the umbrella over Sam's head, giving him a sideways smile that had no business being out in public.
Sam stubbornly went back out into the rain. Wanting no part in this nonsense.
Nick's hooded gaze only made his words all that much worse. "Final offer- and this is the bare minimum- eight times over the next three months. That puts me on my knees once if we're going to keep up the sixteen percent ratio."
"I'm not agreeing to this." Sam stubbornly dodged parking meters and kept pace with Nick, rain water running down the collar of his jacket.
"Fine. I will throw in two fairly drunk blowjobs- but that's my final offer." Nick was amazing at keeping a straight face, as if this were the most normal business proposition ever laid out.
Sam looked up into the rain clouds, trying to fight off the heat he felt rising to his cheeks from the mere suggestion of what they were going to lie about now. It wasn't that he was a particularly shy individual. In truth, he liked to think that his body would have the same adverse reaction regardless of who was offering it such things.
Years of dealing with the regularly awkward things that Dean would say should have prepared him for something like this. Though decidedly, Nick was significantly worse to deal with than Dean. Sam's big brother was grossly inappropriate on a good day. But Nick was downright lewd. And the fact that it made Sam want to laugh instead of scaring him off like it should was probably a bad sign.
He sighed and returned to the shelter of the umbrella. "Charmer."
Nick gave another one of his soft, rolling chuckles and couldn't seem to keep eye contact with Sam, watching his mouth, then neck, and pretty much anywhere else that wasn't direct.
"It makes me a little uncomfortable just how comfortable you are with this." Sam said as they began the long climb back up to Nick's apartment.
"Oh, it's freaking me the fuck out." Nick grinned suddenly. "But I figure the more used to it I get when it's just you and me the easier it will be with other people around. Besides- I'm not the one who keeps blushing."
"I don't blush." Sam stopped on the landing between floors, taking a deep breath before trailing after Nick.
"You do. Like a teenage girl." Nick egged him on, just a few steps ahead, just out of arm's reach. "Which is the other reason why I get to be the man."
Sam managed the last flight of stairs in brooding silence, summoning a frown when he saw the other man waiting for him at the door, keys jingling in one hand. "Nothing? No come back? Does that mean you give up?"
"You are possibly the worst boyfriend I have ever had." There. He said it. So bitterly honest.
"So I win then?" Nick asked, eyebrows hitching, smile wide.
"You win." Sam mumbled, relenting because he knew he didn't have it in him to retaliate. For a moment he entertained the idea of pushing Nick against the wall, towering over him (as much as he could) and giving the man a stern lecture on how loudly propositioning him in the hallway was not welcome or wanted. But Nick was the tallest of his brothers, and undoubtedly knew that trick and he would only smile up at Sam in that infuriating way- just like he was now. And Sam would eventually just give up on the whole mess and let the man say whatever horrible things he wanted to. Nick simply didn't strike him as the sort of man who would ever actually act on his words. It was all just talk. And all those poorly crafted innuendos didn't scare Sam.
Quite the opposite actually. But he couldn't let on how much fun he was having. He was the long suffering, passive aggressive Winchester, who was often too serious for his own good. He had a certain reputation to upkeep.
The two of them pointedly did not cuddle on the couch, though Nick got his crazy legs going again and ended up half sprawled over Sam's lap, a comfortable weight, a nice balance of warmth to fight the chill of the room.
They picked at their food and watched 'Lost Boys' because Nick seemed insulted that Sam had never seen it before. All in all there was too much glitter and too many vampires, but it was good in the fantastic way that movies from the eighties can be sometimes.
By the time the credits started to roll it was almost ten-thirty. Later than Sam had intended on staying. He scraped up the last bits of curry and rice before tossing the box back onto the coffee table.
"Think it's still raining?" He arched, trying to look out the kitchen window from where he sat, but it was only dark outside. No way to see more.
Nick answered by turning off the movie, closing his eyes and simply listening. Sam followed suit, and heard the hum of the heater (which had never been turned up to Sam's satisfaction), his own shallow breaths, and somewhere outside the gusting of the wind.
"I think we should be safe if you want a ride home." Nick finally announced, his legs shifting against Sam as he sat up on his elbows. "I've even got an extra helmet for you. Pulled it out of storage a few days ago."
Surprised by the gesture, Sam smiled. "Thanks."
"Well, I'm sort of invested in that pretty face of yours. Thought I should do my best to protect it." He reached out to touch Sam, tips of his fingers almost reaching the younger man's cheek- but he twisted his wrist, flicking some of Sam's hair instead.
"That's almost… sweet of you." Sam hesitated, not really sure if that was the word he was looking for.
"I am widely known to be one of the sweetest people."
Sam scoffed, pushing Nick's legs off and standing. "I doubt that."
Nick almost managed to obey the speed limit for the short drive back to the little house with the picket fences and flower boxes. The noise of the bike was oddly muffled by Sam's helmet, it made the far too fast and reckless ride almost surreal. The warm curve of the other man's back molded to his chest, and the way that the rain had waited for them to get halfway there before coming at them sideways, swept about by the wind.
The bike settled in beside the Impala, odd angle on the slightly sloping driveway and Sam stumbled off, growing less and less graceful each time he hitched a ride. He tried to find his land legs, taking the opportunity to simply stand there, swaying in the rain, while Nick tugged off his helmet. His pale eyes looked almost black out here in the dark, his smile half hidden but visible enough to be concerning.
With practiced ease, he balanced his helmet on the handle bars, nodding for Sam to do the same, looking expectant.
So, for lack of better choices, Sam pulled off his helmet as well, regretting this choice in the same instant because it had been the only thing keeping his head safe from the determined rainfall.
"It's wet." He said simply, as if it needed to be pointed out. "You want to come inside and dry off?"
"So I can come back out and get soaked again?" Nick tilted his head, sliver of porch light cutting across his face. "I'm going to pass. Besides, I don't think your brother would like me coming in."
Sam waved it off, passing the helmet between his hands. "Dean's alright. He's just a bit overly protective."
"Then it'll bother him something awful if I kiss you goodnight?"
That got Sam laughing, despite the awkwardness and the cold and the rain. "Oh yea. He'll throw a fit. I'm looking forward to telling him about it tomorrow."
"Why wait?"
There was not enough time between Nick asking, and Nick grabbing him by the collar and pulling Sam down, for the younger man to formulate a proper answer to the question. All Sam managed to do was let out a startled noise that was a bit like a yip and he dropped his helmet in favor of bracing his hands against the other man's cheeks out of self preservation.
There were only centimeters between them, close enough that they were sharing breaths, startled silver clouds ghosting between their lips.
"Nick." Sam let out a shaky warning, surprised that he managed that much through the sheer panic he felt.
"God, you're high strung." Nick tightened his grip, making fists in Sam's jacket. "I'm not going to kiss you, you big girl." He was oddly easy to understand despite the fact that the younger man had fingers pressed against his mouth. "Your brother is peeking at us through the window. He sees us like this then you don't even have to tell him anything. Which is great for you because you don't strike me as being all that good of a liar."
Sam licked his lips, logic coming in through the terror of being this close to another guy. In the dark, in the rain, a good fifteen feet back- it wouldn't matter if they actually kissed or not, because with Sam bent down over the bike, with them holding on to each other so close- what they were doing would only be too obvious to Dean.
"You could have warned me, jerk."
"And miss that beautiful noise?" One of Nick's hands slid up into his hair and it was all somehow worse for it.
Sam closed his eyes. "Just promise you won't actually kiss me."
"Can I at least lick your fingers?"
"No." Sam's eyes flew open, and they were still too close, just too close.
"Then you want to get them off my mouth?" Nick was almost as good at that wide puppy dog eyes as Sam.
Feeling more than his regular amount of stupid, Sam moved his hands to Nick's cheeks, warmth beneath his fingertips. "How long are we going to stay like this? I'm getting wet."
"Oh, darlin'." Nick got that awful grin again. "I love when you talk dirty like that."
"The absolute worst boyfriend." Sam hooked an arm around Nick's neck, slowly tugging him into a choke hold, refusing to laugh at the joke.
Nick let their noses brush, punctuating his words. "I'm your only boyfriend."
"Yeah, well. You're setting the bar really low." He pointed out, pulling back by inches, feeling the cold settle down around him everywhere except where he and Nick were still touching.
"How can I resist you when you talk to me like that?" His hands slid down Sam, so lightly they almost couldn't be felt, before settling on Sam's sides, just high enough to miss his hips.
"You'll just have to try a little harder." Sam advised, feeling a little more control over the situation, and honestly pleased with the whole thing. It certainly saved him from having to figure out an awkward way to lie to Dean that he'd kissed a dude.
It couldn't have gone better- that was the last thing he thought before he felt one of Nick's hands slipping to the small of his back.
"I swear to god, Nick. If you touch my ass I will bite your face." They were still close enough to make the threat viable.
Judging by the sudden twinkle in his eyes, the man looked like he was debating whether to consider Sam's words a challenge or not. His fingers wiggled ever so slightly along Sam's spine. A taunt. A tease. A threat of his own.
Sam leaned back in, mouth open, teeth bared- and Nick started laughing, almost giddy.
"He's flickering the porch light."
Sam turned in the circle of Nick's arms, looking over his shoulder to watch in fascination as the porch light flickered off then on again, repeating the impatient pattern just in case anyone missed it.
"I'd better get in before he comes out and drags us apart."
"I'll miss you." Nick almost sang as he let go of Sam.
Sam stooped down, picking back up his poor new helmet which was now scuffed and fairly moist. "Well, I can't help you with that." They shared a grin, both a little too wide and wild, finding inappropriate amounts of joy in their communal lie. "Goodnight, Nick. Drive safe." Sam added on, knowing that there was little chance of it being followed.
"Goodnight, sweet prince." He tugged his helmet back on, started his bike back up with an understated roar and rolled slowly backwards down the driveway. Almost hesitant until he was pointed back in a homeward direction, then he tore off, spray of rain water flying off the back tire.
Sam stood there, dripping wet, watching the red haze of light fading off into the gloom.
Somewhere behind him the door to the house opened.
"Get your ass in here before you drown." Dean demanded with a voice that carried quite well through the rain.
Despite the fact that no actual kissing happened, thus nothing to actually feel embarrassed about, Sam found that he couldn't look at his brother. He settled for pushing his way into the house and avoiding eye contact like a trained professional.
"That's exactly what I tried to warn you about, Sam." Dean didn't waste any time. "That's what those looks can turn into… what the hell is wrong with you? Are you blushing?"
"I'm- I'm not blushing." He thought he managed to get out lamely, dumping his waterlogged book bag, pulling out its contents, making sure that everything was still alright. "Nothing happened."
"I saw." Dean's accusation was startlingly loud. "I saw the whole damn thing."
It was so much easier to lie when all you had to do was tell an unbelievable truth. The blushing was a weird reaction that Sam had no control over, but it was still a nice touch.
"Weren't you going to bed early tonight?"
"Was that part of the plan? Was I supposed to be in bed while some guy feels up my kid brother?"
"I'm an adult, Dean." Sam thunked his books down onto the coffee table with a bit more force than needed. "And you're the one who set me up with him in the first place."
"That doesn't mean I want to see it!" Dean was good at having dramatic arm gestures.
"Then don't look."
"Sammy." But it had more whining than anger in it. "Are you two, like, dating now?"
Sam had never been an actor, never was all that good at lying to his brother. He settled for kind of shrugging and making an awkward face.
They looked at each other from opposite ends of the room, all the tension leaving because after all these years they were good at picking their fights and they both knew that this one wasn't worth it.
"I don't like it." Dean finally decided aloud.
So Sam sighed and shook his head. "You don't have to. He's not going to be kissing you."
Dean's lip curled in disgust at the idea. "Just… don't put out too easy, you tramp- you'll embarrass the whole family. Try and wait til the third date if you can."
Enough was enough. "Goodnight, jerk."
Dean finally answered back, stubborn even in surrender. "Goodnight, bitch."