AN. Another chapter today! C: I'm feeling really productive today. Updates will be slow for a bit, because it's report week next week and we're doing some special Olympics thing to try get extra credit. Hopefully there will be another chapter up by Wednesday, Thursday at the latest but I can't make any promises. Sorry, guys.

Also, I got help with the first paragraph. I didn't quite know how to word it and apparently my first draft was inappropriate. xD

At some point, Gabriel had gotten sick of how slow Sam walked, and had grabbed his hand – despite the taller boy's loud complaints. After about five minutes of walking – no, Gabriel dragging Sam – they reached their destination. It was a large Willow tree, and the leaves cascaded down to the ground. The leaves were a deep green in colour – a few of them were even a sort of brown colour. The branches of the tree were spread in such a manner that it was easy to climb them, and they were thick enough to hold a human's weight. Or there was space on the ground underneath the shade of the leaves to sit. It was dark under the leaves, as the blocked out most light. It was perfectly secluded, and smelled like the forest.

"This place is..." Sam trailed off, squinting to try and adjust his eyes as Gabriel led him through the leaves. "Shit, Gabe. I can't see."

"Better?" Gabriel asked, pressing the flashlight app on his phone. He shone it in Sam's direction, seeing relief flit onto the boy's face. "Whoa, Sammy, are you scared of the dark?" Sam's cheeks grew warmer as he cast his eyes down to the dark ground, nodding ever so slightly. He shifted his weight, clearly embarrassed by that fact. At fourteen, he knew he shouldn't still be afraid of the dark, but he was. Every night after both Dean and John had gone to sleep, Sam would get up, trembling, and dart over to his light switch. He didn't know why he was afraid, he just was; and had been for as long as he could remember.

"Sam, geez, it's nothing to be embarrassed about." Gabriel said quietly, stepping closer to him. "I'll let you in on a secret. I'm scared of people getting hurt. I can't be around people when they're hurt. Even if it's not my fault, I can't help but feel like it is. I try so hard to make sure everyone's happy, but I always end up failing and –"

"And even when they're all happy, you're not?" Sam suggested, looking up.

"Yeah," Gabriel sighed. "But, enough of this depressing crap. Let's climb the damn tree. I'll go up first so I can help pull you up. Here, hold this." The blond held his phone out to Sam, who took it gently, before reaching up and grabbing hold of a relatively thin branch. Biting his lip he swung himself up onto the branch; quickly moving onto a thicker one in case that one snapped. Smiling gently, he motioned for Sam to join him – reaching one hand down to take one of Sam's.

"Do you trust me?" He asked, meeting Sam's eyes.

"I must be insane, but, yes." Sam nodded, swallowing back any fear he might have as he grasped Gabriel's hand, and used his free hand to grip a branch. Along with Gabriel's help, he managed to haul himself up, though it wasn't without difficulty. Gabriel gave him a reassuring smile, letting go of his hand.

"It's nice here." Sam remarked casually, wiping the sweat that had formed on his palm when he was holding Gabriel's hand onto his jeans.

"I know." Gabriel smiled. "I love it. No one ever thinks to look here. It means I can actually get some time to myself every once in a while." Sam nodded, leaning back so his head rested against the trunk of the tree. He understood what Gabriel meant. Sometimes things could just get so exhausting and overwhelming. Sometimes you just needed some time to yourself to clear our head and think rationally. He had to pity Gabriel, having all those siblings. Sam found it hard enough to live with just one; so, five would probably be a nightmare for him.

Gabriel chewed his lower lip, casting a glance over at Sam. He guessed they'd been there for a few hours – missed lunch if his calculations were right. About an hour before, Sam had fallen asleep. How he could fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position, Gabriel would never know. The blond watched him for a few more minutes, before internally calling himself a creep and going back to staring at the ground. He didn't understand it. Why did he care so much about this new kid? He was nothing special. Attractive, sure. But, he'd only just met him. He shouldn't be feeling anything towards him. And he certainly shouldn't feel dizzy when their eyes connected, and his stomach definitely shouldn't flutter whenever he blushed. It wasn't right. He shouldn't feel like this. Besides, the kid was probably straight as a ruler anyway. Gabriel had no chance. Not to mention the guy had a big brother. If he so much as looked at Sam in a more-than-chaste way around him, he was one hundred percent sure the guy would neuter him. And, quite frankly, Gabriel would like to keep his balls.

Sighing quietly, Gabriel dropped from the branch, cringing at the thump! His landing made. He settled at the bottom of the tree, but not before checking that Sam was still asleep. Kid looked like he could really use a decent sleep. Maybe I'll invite him over later. No... That would be kind of weird. Gabriel grumbled to himself, eyes closing as he attempted to get a little bit of rest in before Sam woke up. Maybe he'll let me walk him home. If his thoughts indicated anything, sleep was going to be very hard for him. Not just now, later that night also.

AN. It got a little rambly at the end; I apologize. -