Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Their family had always been extremely traditional. That meant it was up to their alpha father to find appropriate mates for all of them, and in his absence, that duty fell to the oldest alpha son. Gabriel ran before that could happen to him.

Sometimes he felt a little bad about leaving, especially with so many younger siblings who might not think to leave when faced with a mating they didn’t want, but he knew he would have been miserable otherwise. Their absentee father had left Michael and Lucifer as twin heads of house and although he loved his brothers dearly, he didn’t much like them. He knew they wouldn’t take his opinions into consideration when choosing him a mate, just what they thought was best for the family and its place in their isolated little town.

So he left as soon as he heard his elder brothers were in talks with a prospective mate, a lecherous older alpha with a lot of money who was rumoured to be looking for the youngest, prettiest omega he could find. Gabriel didn’t want to be stuck with anyone like that.

He left notes to all his younger siblings because as much as he was often an odd duck in his own family, he wanted them to be ok even if he couldn’t bear to be there with them. He didn’t bother with leaving a way to contact him since he didn’t really know where he was going, just that he was, and he didn’t want Michael or Lucifer to send Raphael to bring him back. It would just cause a bigger mess than there already was.

An omega with little money and fewer real skills leaving home alone should have been a recipe for disaster, but Gabriel was charming and more than capable of taking care of himself after growing up with so many siblings. Surprisingly, his status didn’t even seem to make much of a difference the further he got from home. By the time he got to the nearest big city, a feat which took almost a week but probably only took him a hundred or so miles away, hardly anyone even looked twice when they saw he was an omega alone.

It didn’t take as long as he’d feared to get a job, though a place to stay was a little more difficult. He stayed for almost a month at an omegas shelter while saving money from his job at a small candy store. It was a little lonely not knowing anyone in the city or even being familiar with cities in general since his father had forbidden them from traveling outside of their little town, but Gabriel really thought he could be happy.

Before he knew it, years had passed and he’d created a whole new life for himself. He’d moved into the apartment above the candy store during his second year in the city when the beta owner had gotten too old to climb stairs and wanted someone close by to the shop. He hadn’t moved since then, perfectly content in his little apartment, especially when the owner retired a few years later.

The candy store had become the focus of his life- being the owner and sole employee took a lot of time and energy- but it hadn’t taken long for him to find friends and even a few lovers of various statuses. Things in the city were far different than at home, where he never would have been able to have casual affairs without the presumption of an official mating, much less been able to take a lover that was anything but an older alpha. Tradition wasn’t exactly looked down on in the city, but it definitely wasn’t given nearly the amount of reverence that he’d come to expect growing up.

It had been surprisingly easy to settle into his life in the big city with a job and friends and lovers whenever he liked. He knew he’d been amazingly lucky to do so well, especially to escape an environment that he’d come to discover was far more unhealthy than he’d ever believed. Even so, he occasionally thought of the family he’d left behind, especially the younger siblings who were no doubt forced into matings they didn’t want just because Michael and Lucifer drank the koolaid and couldn’t comprehend anything other the life they’d been brought up in.

He was thinking about his siblings one day as he tidied the counter and prepared to close the shop for the night. He had plans for dinner with Kali, and that always brought up thoughts of family since she had one almost as big as his. She was much closer to her siblings, though, and it sometimes made him wish he’d been able to keep in touch with some of his own. At the time it hadn’t been at the forefront of his mind, but now, years later, he was missing having family to rely on.

The bell at the door jingled while he was crouched under the counter, trying to keep a box of snack pack gummy worms from spilling out all over the floor. Again. He glanced at his watch, noting that he’d have to leave soon if he was going to be on time to meet Kali.

“Welcome!” he called, still shoving at the box of gummy worms. “I’ll be with you in just a moment, but we will be closing in five minutes.”

“That’s ok, we’ll wait,” said a female voice that sounded strangely familiar.

Gabriel jerked up so fast he slammed his head on the underside of the counter, making the glass jars of candy wobble dangerously. He emerged a moment later, one hand pressed to the top of his head and his eyes wide. “Anna?” he whispered, voice hoarse with surprise and disbelief. “Castiel?”

“Hello, Gabriel,” Castiel said solemnly, his beta twin smiling a little more brightly at his side. “It’s good to see you.”

Gabriel didn’t make it to his dinner with Kali, but she seemed to understand. She even seemed happy for him, in her way. It wasn’t every day you were reunited with siblings you hadn’t seen in ten years after all.

“So you two ran, too?” Gabriel asked, slurping obnoxiously on his milkshake. The diner he’d ordered from was near the candy shop and had the best milkshakes in the city as far as he was concerned.

Castiel nodded, more interested in his burger than the conversation. Anna rolled her eyes at her alpha brother’s inattention, but nodded as well. “A lot’s happened since you left, big brother,” she said, voice sad and small.

Gabriel didn’t know what had happened at home in the past decade, but he was sure it was nothing good. He’d left for a reason, after all, and a big part of the reason is that he could see Michael and Lucifer slipping further and further, dangerously so, into the fanatical traditionalism of their hometown.

But that wasn't really what he wanted to think about, not with his two favorite siblings sitting right in front of him. He didn't like that they looked so lost, didn't like that he could feel the sadness and fear in the air. He never wanted to feel like that again after leaving, his new life was a good one and he needed to show them that.

“Well, I haven't changed at all,” he said with a wink. “I'm still the most amazing guy you'll ever meet. And hey, I even have a candy shop now! Candy makes everything better.”

He didn't wait for either of them to answer, getting up and heading over to the candy he kept stashed in his apartment. The shop was just downstairs, but that usually seemed like a lot of work when he just wanted something sweet to snack on. He rifled through the the bucket, trying to find the gummy cheese burgers and bon bons he knew were in there somewhere. He hoped their taste in candy hadn't changed since he last saw them, but if it had they could tough it out. Candy was candy.

“Here,” he said tossing the candy to them and flopping back in his chair to open his own package of jelly beans. “Bon apetite!”

The candy did its job, softening the atmosphere and making small smiles appear on his siblings' faces. They ate the candy in silence, but it was more comfortable now and Gabriel didn't feel like he had to say something just so someone wouldn't randomly start crying.

“Thank you,” Castiel said after awhile in that quiet, solemn way he'd always had when things got tough.

“You're my siblings,” Gabriel said with a shrug. He didn't really think he needed a thanks for being a good brother, especially when he hadn't done much yet, but they hadn't grown up with very good role models in that department and the two of them were probably feeling pretty apprehensive about being away from home for the first time. “Speaking of, I've got an extra bedroom. Only one bed, but I'm sure you two can share until we can get you another one. A bunk bed maybe. Is that too juvenile?”

Anna giggled, a little too high and hysterical, though Gabriel wasn't going to mentioned it, and shook her head. “You don't have to do that,” she said. “We can... we can find something else. We don't want to intrude.”

“Did you not just hear what I said?” Gabriel demanded, offended that they'd think he would leave them on their own. “Of course you're staying here and it's not intruding. Believe me, I'll let you know if you're intruding.”

Castiel opened his mouth to say something, but Gabriel raised a hand to stop him setting his mouth in a stubborn line. “If you really feel bad about it, you can do the dishes to pay for room and board or whatever,” he said, smirking a little. “I hate doing dishes.”

Chapter Text

It took awhile for Castiel and Anna to really settle in. Gabriel shortened the shop hours for a few weeks so he could spend time with them. At first they stuck to the apartment and the immediate neighborhood, trying to get the two of them comfortable, but soon he was taking them all over the city, to parks and restaurants and museums. They took in all the tourist traps, and it was like Gabriel was new to the city all over again too. He kind of liked it.

The twins made a few noises about getting jobs and finding their own place, but Gabriel knew they weren’t really serious and, to be honest, he didn't want them to go. He liked having other people in the apartment, liked having his family around again, liked not being alone all the time anymore. He thought they like it too, but it had always been a little hard to tell with them.

Eventually, though, he had to give into their desire to do something other than sit around the apartment and explore the city. He understood their need to feel useful and not just like house guests, but he still didn't want them to leave, so he offered them jobs at the candy shop.

Somehow with cutting the hours of the candy shop, he’d accidentally made it even more popular. It was easier than he thought to convince Castiel and Anna that he needed the help and that the shop was a better option than looking elsewhere. And really, it did make things easier on him. He'd been the only employee at the shop for so long that he forgot how nice it was to have someone else to talk to or to take over when he had errands to run.

The months flew by like that, getting to know each other again and getting the twins used to life in the city. Christmas was a little subdued, it being the first time the two of them had been away from the family, but Gabriel tried to make it fun. It was nice to have someone to buy presents for at least, and to appreciate the effort he put into decorating the shop and the apartment. Or to complain about it, but close enough.

By spring, Castiel and Anna seemed far more settled in than he could have hoped. They ran the candy shop like they’d been doing it for years, not just months, and they genuinely seemed to enjoy living with him. Back at home, he’d always been a bit of a pain and the age and dynamic difference had made things difficult. Here, though, it didn’t seem to matter as much.

When Gabriel first came to the city, he hadn’t had anywhere to go, so he’d stayed at an omega shelter downtown until he could afford his own apartment. He hadn’t really liked living there, it was hard to like having to share a small room and exist only on charity, but he appreciated having somewhere to stay and it had continued to be an important place for him. Every chance he had after moving out, he volunteered there, and he donated money and supplies even more often than that.

With the twins around, he hadn’t had a chance to volunteer. The shop had taken up most of his time before, but the two of them ended up taking up even more of it until he felt comfortable leaving them in charge of the shop for most of a day. One morning when the two of them ganged up to tell him he had the day off and they’d watch the shop alone, he took it as a sign that he needed to get back to helping at the shelter.

He made it to the shelter just in time to help with the lunch rush. Kali smiled at him when he came in the door, a sign that meant he hadn’t seen her in far too long or that she’d been having a particularly good day chasing off asshole alphas. Since he’d had lunch with her just a few days before, he figured it was the latter. He would have felt sorry for whoever made it on the wrong side of the omega woman, but he knew the kinds of alphas that came around an omega shelter. They always meant bad news.

That was the last he saw of Kali for a few hours. The shelter was busier than he remembered the last time he’d been there, but it had been a few months, and the shelter was always fuller for awhile after holidays. He served soup in the cafeteria, helped some teens with doing their laundry, and managed to avoid the main areas for awhile by hiding in the children’s room and amusing the kids, and a few parents, with sleight of hand tricks.

Before he knew it, it was almost dinner time and he realized he needed to get back to the shop. He trusted Castiel and Anna to close up by themselves, but he needed to reassure himself that they were ok. They were adults, but this was the longest he’d been away from them since they came to the city, and his parental instincts might have kicked in just a bit after spending so long with the kids at the shelter.

He was making his way to the front door of the shelter when he heard the shouting. He paused a moment, hackles rising at the idea of some alpha trying to force their way in here, before he realized that the one shouting seemed to be saying he was an omega. That was odd.

As quickly as he could, not running in case it startled any of the omegas in residence, Gabriel got up to the front desk. Claire, a quiet but intense beta, was manning the desk. She was face to face with the guy who was shouting, though she didn’t seem put out in the least. Behind the omega was another guy, taller but a little younger, who looked incredibly uncomfortable to be there.

“I’m sorry, we have a no alpha policy,” Claire said when the guy stopped to catch his breath for a moment. “You can stay, but he’ll have to find somewhere else.”

Must be an alpha, Gabriel thought, considering the scene in front of him.

It happened occasionally that an alpha tried to get a room with an omega, but one of the chief rules of the shelter was that alphas weren’t allowed past the front room. Many of the omegas that had to stay at the shelter were wary of alphas and it was important to make sure that they had a safe and comfortable environment. Even if the current alpha in question didn’t look like a threat.

The omega looked ready to start yelling again, so Gabriel stepped forward and gave Claire a look that basically boiled down to “Go find Kali ASAP.” She scurried off, and Gabriel faced the other man, crossing his arms across his chest and trying to look stern. It wasn’t a look he tried to pull of often, but this seemed like the time for it.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked, keeping his voice carefully neutral.

The guy frowned, narrowing his eyes a little. “I just want to get a room for my brother and I for the night,” he said, thankfully much more quietly than before. “But they said he couldn’t stay with me, which is bullshit.”

“Sorry,” Gabriel said. And he really was sorry. Breaking up brothers wasn’t something he wanted to do, but rules were rules. “Omegas only, for everyone’s safety. There’s a mixed shelter on 10th. I can get you the address.”

“We tried there,” the guy replied, huffing in frustration. His brother shifted nervously behind him, but didn’t say anything, which was a little odd for an alpha. Most wouldn’t let an omega speak for them, even here in the city, even if they were related. “Full up, no room in the inn.”

Gabriel sighed, arms uncrossing as he considered his options. There really wasn’t much he could do, however much he wanted to help. He started to open his mouth to say something, he wasn’t even really sure what, but was interrupted by the alpha brother speaking for the first time.

“We just need somewhere to sleep for the night,” he said quietly. He looked up, locking eyes with Gabriel, and his exhaustion and sadness was clearly visible. “Please.”

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said, grimacing at how hollow that probably sounded to these two who obviously needed a safe place to stay.

They both wilted at his words, already turning to leave, all the fight gone out of them. Somewhere down the hall, he heard the clack of heels on laminate, and he hesitated. “Just a minute,” he said, and the stopped, turning back. “Let me talk to someone and I’ll try to work something out.”

He didn’t wait for a response, hoping they’d stay, and headed over to intercept Kali.

“Kali, got an issue,” he said quietly as she marched up to him, eyebrows drawn. He figured Claire had already told her what was going on which, while accurate, was no longer the whole story. “Don’t blow a gasket yet, I think it can be resolved. Hopefully.”

“Yes, by kicking the overbearing alpha to the curb,” she snapped. He fought back a very inappropriate giggle seeing as the overbearing one wasn’t the alpha at all.

Despite her harsh words, she’d stopped and was looking at him expectantly, trusting him to know if there was going to be an actual issue or not. He appreciated it, and quickly explained the new developments since he’d sent Claire for her.

“So I think it would be best for everyone if we could find them a place for the night together,” he finished, watching her closely. She hadn’t said a word throughout his explanation, and she was hard to read even at the best of times. “Not here, I know, but the omega’s desperate and the alpha just seems along for the ride.”

“Gabriel,” she sighed, shaking her head a little. “You are far too much of a soft heart. I’ll see what I can do. They’re still in the front?”

“You’re the best, Kali!” he said, grinning widely and reaching out to give her a hug. She barely returned it, but he hadn’t been expecting her to. Their relationship was based more on him being tactile and her being standoffish, but it worked.

They made their way back to the entrance. They omega and alpha were still there, the former looking annoyed and the latter even more uncomfortable than before. Gabriel thought it was likely the omega had been complaining about his brother not helping out and saying anything, based on the snatch of conversation he heard as they entered the room.

“Gentleman, I’m Kali, director of this shelter. You two are?”

“Sam,” the alpha said immediately, ignoring the glare his brother gave him. “And he’s Dean. Is there… do we have to leave?”

“I’m afraid we can’t allow an alpha to stay here,” Kali said, “but I think we may be able to work something else out.”

The omega, Dean, narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, work something else out?” he asked gruffly.

Kali gave him a small smile that probably no one but Gabriel could tell was meant to be condescending. “I don’t mean sell yourself on the street, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she replied not unkindly. “We have some volunteers who occasionally open up their homes when needed.”

“Bobby’s a great guy, you’ll like him,” Gabriel said, unable to keep quiet anymore. Kali glared at him, but he just shrugged and smiled. “What? I know that’s who you were gonna say.”

“You are a pain,” she informed him, not for the first time, then turned back to the brothers who were looking between them with wide eyes. “I apologize for Gabriel, he still hasn’t learned how to keep his mouth shut for more than a few minutes.”

“Right,” Dean said slowly. “So this Bobby guy?”

“A beta and one of our most regular volunteers for several years,” she replied. “He has a house a few blocks from here and always keeps a few rooms ready. I can call him and have you two over there in half an hour if you’d like.”

The two brothers looked at one another for a few long moments, a whole conversation seeming to pass between them in the silence, until Sam nodded firmly. Dean was the one who looked somewhat uncomfortable now, but he nodded as well. “Ok, yeah,” he said.

A phone call and twenty minutes later, Gabriel was driving Dean and Sam to Bobby’s place. Kali had suggested sending them in the shelter’s van, but he’d nixed that. He was going Bobby’s way anyway to get home, and he wanted to talk to the brothers a little. They’d seemed like good kids, even if Dean had been yelling at Claire when he came in.

“So, first time in the city?” Gabriel asked as they pulled out of the parking lot. Dean, in the front seat, just grunted in ascent, but Gabriel didn’t let that deter him. “I was the same about ten years back. It gets better once you get the hang of it, especially if you can find some good people.”

“Did you go to the shelter too?” Sam asked softly from the backseat.

Gabriel smiled at him in the rearview mirror. “Yep,” he said, nodding. “Met Kali there, though she was just a volunteer then. It’s a good place for newbies.”

“Just not for us,” Dean muttered, making Gabriel grimace a little.

“Yeah, sorry,” Gabriel replied. He could see Sam bowing his head, probably either embarrassed or angry like his brother. “But rules are rules. We gotta keep the omegas safe, and a lot of them are uncomfortable with alphas, even nice ones like your brother.”

Silence fell between them after that, a little uncomfortable, but Gabriel wasn’t exactly sure what to do about it. He was used to running his mouth in any situation, but even he was feeling a bit weird about this one. He’d hated having to turn the two of them out of the shelter, even if Kali’d found them somewhere else.

They pulled up to the house a few minutes later, a large, somewhat rundown place that looked out of place between the newer buildings. There was a light on in the front room and a shadowed figure stood from a chair on the porch as they opened the doors and got out.

“Hey, before you go in,” Gabriel said. Sam and Dean stopped, duffle bags in hand, and looked at him. He held out one of his business cards and Sam took it when Dean only frowned at him. “I have a candy shop about ten minutes from here, run it with my brother and sister. You should come by some time, I’ll even give you some free candy.”

“Wow, that just sounds super skeevy,” Dean snorted, shaking his head.

Gabriel stared at him for a moment, then laughed. “Sorry, I’m not usually so creepy,” he said. He winked. “At least not on a first date. I promise my jokes will be better in the future.”

“Right,” Dean replied skeptically as his brother let out a startled snort of laughter, making Gabriel smile at him. At least the hot one thought he was funny.

“You idjits gonna come up to the house anytime soon or you gonna gossip all night?”

The three of them turned to Bobby, standing on the front porch steps, and Gabriel waved at him. “Hey, old man,” he called. “Got the two who are staying with you. Try not to scare them too much.”

Bobby harumphed, turning his back and heading inside. “Just get inside,” he said gruffly, stopping in the doorway. “Too damn cold out here still.”

Sam flinched a little when the screen door slammed behind the older man. “Sorry about him,” Gabriel said, giving them a reassuring smile. “He’s really a lot nicer than he wants to seem. I swear.”

Dean shrugged. “We’ve dealt with worse,” he said, not reassuring Gabriel in the slightest. “At least it’s somewhere to sleep. Thanks for the ride.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Sam said, giving Gabriel a smile before grabbing his duffle and following his brother up to the house.

Gabriel watched them go in and greet Bobby and hoped that the two of them would be alright. And maybe that he’d even get to see them again.

Chapter Text

His wish came true two weeks later. It was a slow afternoon and Castiel and Anna were hiding in the back while he spun aimlessly on his chair and sucked on a sucker. The jangle of the bell above the door startled him so much he almost fell from his chair, which made the person coming in the door laugh.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to laugh,” Sam said, smiling at him when Gabriel managed to right himself and look up.

As soon as he saw Sam, with Dean a few steps behind, Gabriel’s face lit up and he jumped from his seat. “You did come!” he said, delighted. He’d really doubted they would, especially Dean, but he was glad to have been proven wrong.

“Got bored,” Dean said with a shrug. He looked around the shop with wide eyes, hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans.

“Well, this is a good place to cure your boredom!” Gabriel said. “Look around, pick some candy, my treat.”

Dean rolled his eyes at the little pun, but turned to look more closely around the store. Sam did the same, and for a few minutes Gabriel just watched them look around, their curiosity obvious. He wondered from their reactions how long it had been since someone did something nice for them or since they’d been able to have something that was pure luxury, like candy. He wanted to ask, but he knew from experience that that would just end up badly. It was better to wait and make friends and if they ever felt comfortable telling him more about their lives then they would.

The two of them were making their way up to the counter, a few pieces of candy in their hands, when there was a sound behind him and he turned to see Castiel and Anna emerging from the back. Castiel was frowning at something, but his face went blank as soon as he saw that the shop wasn’t empty.

“Finally finished hiding?” Gabriel joked, trying to ease the tension in his brother’s form. Castiel had been doing better and better the longer they were at the shop, but strangers sometimes still startled him when he wasn’t expecting them.

“I got hungry and there weren’t any bon bons in the back,” Anna said, snatching a handful of said candy from a bowl on the counter. “Plus I heard voices.” The look her twin threw her said she hadn’t seen fit to share that information and he wasn’t pleased.

“Guess I oughta order more, you eat a metric ton of those,” Gabriel said, faking a put upon sigh. He noticed that Sam and Dean had paused a little ways away and waved them forward. “Don’t be shy, these are just the sibs I told you about. Sam and Dean, meet Castiel and Anna.”

Sam smiled, giving a nod in greeting. “Nice to meet you,” he said, stepping on his brother’s foot when he didn’t say anything.

“Yeah, hey,” Dean said vaguely, staring between Castiel and Anna.

Gabriel frowned a little, wondering if there was something wrong, then noticed that Castiel was staring at Dean even more intently. Anna seemed to have noticed her twin’s look as well and Gabriel could see a glint of something in her eyes. He was pretty sure he didn’t want to know what she was thinking just then.

“So anyway,” Gabriel said, turning to Sam, “find some good candy?”

“Uh, yeah, there was a lot to choose from,” Sam said as he set his handful of candy on the counter.

He started to pull out his wallet, but Gabriel frowned. “I said my treat, didn’t I?” Gabriel asked. He popped his forgotten sucker back in his mouth and sucking on it obnoxiously. “You two can pay for the candy next time. It’s good enough I’m sure you’ll be back!”

“Oh, I bet,” Sam said, licking his lips a little as his eyes zeroed in on Gabriel’s mouth. He seemed to realize what he was doing and what he’d said a moment later and flushed, eyes dropping. “Uh, thanks.”

“No problem,” Gabriel replied, waving a hand at him vaguely.

So the kid seemed to have a thing for him, or at least for the way he ate suckers. He looked the alpha up and down as inconspicuously as he could and had to hold back some lip licking of his own. The guy was gorgeous and way taller than he’d realized the first time they met. Gabriel kind of wanted to climb him like a tree, but now probably wasn’t the time.

Gabriel was trying to figure out where to turn the conversation when Dean cleared his throat quite loudly, flushing a little when everyone turned to look at him. “We should get going,” Dean said, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “Work and all that.”

“But-” Sam started, eyebrows pulled down into a frown, but Dean cut him off with a significant look and he sighed. “Right, yeah. Thanks for the candy, Gabriel, I’ll, uh, see you around. Soon. Nice to meet you, Castiel, Anna.”

“You too,” Anna said, ever polite.

“Bye,” Gabriel said, feeling a little off balance at Dean’s dismissive nod as he turned to go. He wondered why Dean had insisted on leaving so quickly, he would have liked to have talked to Sam some more. Hopefully he’d get the chance later, since the alpha seemed as interested as he was.

Castiel didn’t say anything, just watched the two brothers grab their candy and head out the door. Gabriel waited until the two were truly gone, bell on the door finished ringing, before he turned to the twins. “So,” he said, eyebrows raised, “what was that?”

“What was what?” Anna asked, her face the picture of innocence.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, not believing the act for a moment. He’d grown up with her and had become very used to the look in the past few months, he didn’t fall for it anymore. “You know what,” he replied.

She shrugged, reaching out for another bon bon. “He was cute, that’s all,” she said around a mouthful of chocolate. “I think Cassie scared him a little, but I’m sure he’ll get over it.”

“Hmm,” Gabriel replied noncommittally, finishing off the last of his sucker. He could tell that wasn’t the whole story, but it was probably best not to push at the moment. He’d figure it out eventually, his siblings had never been able to hide anything from him for long.

It only took a week before Sam and Dean came by the shop again, though by Anna and Castiel’s evasive looks, he thought they might have seen at least Dean in that time. In any case, he was glad to see them again, and even gladder that they looked much better than they had before. The city and staying with Bobby seemed to have agreed with them.

“How are you doing?” Gabriel asked Sam, watching Dean with the twins out of the corner of his eye.

Sam smiled, still a small thing, but one that made Gabriel’s heart beat just a little bit faster at how beautiful the other man looked. “Really good, actually,” he replied. In contrast to Gabriel, he seemed to be studiously ignoring the three at the other end of the counter. It was a little suspicious, but Gabriel didn’t feel like thinking about that right now.

“Bobby’s helping you two? I know it’s hard at the beginning.”

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Sam said, shaking his head a little. He looked amazed, and it pained Gabriel a little to think that such kindness could have such an impact. He didn’t know much about the brothers’ lives before coming to the city, but he knew it couldn’t have been easy for them even then.

“Bobby’s been great,” Sam continued. “He got Dean a job at the garage and is trying to get me one with a friend. It’s… so much more than I ever hoped.” He gave a short, bitter laugh. “He’s been a better dad these past few weeks than our real one ever was.”

Gabriel sucked in a sharp breath, tears prickling at his eyes for a moment. He definitely knew how Sam felt, about having a father that could instill such bitterness. The mood was chilling between them with the conversation, and Gabriel searched frantically for something to say, a joke or anything that could warm things up. He didn’t want Sam to leave with this the last thing they’d talked about.

“I could be your daddy,” Gabriel blurted out, wincing as soon as the words had left his mouth. Stupid, stupid, stupid thing to say. Sam was likely to up and leave after that, and Gabriel wouldn’t blame him at all.

To his surprise, Sam let out a bark of laughter, a much warmer sound than earlier. Gabriel looked at him, eyes wide, but the taller man seemed to have genuinely thought his terrible, spur of the moment joke was funny. This kid was kind of amazing.

After that, Gabriel tried every chance he had to make Sam laugh again. He turned out to have the opportunity quite often because the brothers started dropping by a lot more often after that, sometimes just one of them, sometimes both. Once every few weeks turned into almost every week turned into a few times a week turned into practically every day.

As far as he could tell, Sam never came when he wasn’t working, which gave him a pleasant warm feeling when he thought about it. Sometimes Sam didn’t even buy any candy, just came to chat about the city or his job at the bookstore or volunteering at the shelter or whatever else came to mind at the time. It was really nice to talk to Sam, who was incredibly intelligent as well as incredibly attractive. Really, Gabriel felt like the alpha was a little out of his league. After awhile, he started to forget a time when he didn’t see and talk to Sam all the time.

And then he had to go and ruin it all, just like he always did.

He’d thought that they were really getting along, that they were flirting, but apparently some signals got crossed somewhere. He didn’t blame anyone else for him misreading the signs, but it didn’t make the whole situation any less awkward or painful.

The brothers had been in the city for a few months and they’d really seemed to be settling in. They both had jobs and were saving money to get their own apartment, though it was pretty obvious that Bobby would be content for them to stay. Gabriel thought he and his siblings had built pretty stable relationships with the two of them, but apparently one of those relationships was quite a bit less than what he’d thought.

It was a beautiful summer day when everything changed. The day started out just like any other, with Gabriel and the twins opening the shop and Sam and Dean coming by for a visit in the early afternoon. It was a good day and Gabriel was feeling quite happy after a few days off to volunteer at the shelter and catch up with Kali. Later, he’d blame that happiness for everything going wrong.

Sam was standing in his usual spot at the end of the counter. From Gabriel’s perspective, the younger man seemed to be framed in golden light from the window across the room, and he’d never wanted as much as he did at that moment.

“Will you go on a date with me?” he asked before he could really think about it.

Sam jerked back, eyes going wide, and Gabriel immediately knew he’d said the wrong thing. “I.. what?” he stammered, looking wildly around for his brother. Dean seemed to sense that his brother was panicking because he appeared out of nowhere a moment later.

“Sammy, what’s wrong?”

“I can’t- I need to go,” Sam replied, turning on his heel. Before any of them could say or do anything more, he was out the door.

“What did you do to my brother?” Dean demanded, wheeling around to look at Gabriel, his eyes hard as stone.

“Nothing!” Gabriel exclaimed, still dumbfounded. He’d had some pretty harsh rejections in his day, but this was something else entirely. “I just asked him out.”

Dean seemed to deflate at that, hands coming down to rest heavily on the counter like he needed to hold himself up. Out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel could see Castiel and Anna lurking a few feet away, worried looks on their faces. He would have liked to reassure them, but he had no idea what the fuck was going on either.

“It’s… it’s not you,” Dean finally said, voice heavy and suddenly tired sounding.

“Not me?” Gabriel said, a flash of anger making its way through the shock and upset he’d been feeling. He wanted to demand that Dean leave right then, but that would probably just make things worse in the end. “How could it not be me? I think he made it pretty clear that he’s just- just not into me. Aggressively not into me, even.”

“No,” Dean said shaking his head. He finally looked up, eyes more haunted than Gabriel had ever seen them, even when they first met at the shelter. “This is about something else. Something in his past that I really thought he’d gotten over.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel saw the twins take a step closer.

“What is it?” Castiel asked. “Is there anything we can do?”

Dean was shaking his head before Castiel even finished speaking. “I can’t tell you,” he said heavily, but with obvious regret. “It’s his story to tell, not mine. And what you can do? I really just don’t know since I obviously haven’t been much help.”

“Whatever it is, it isn’t your fault,” Anna said softly, and Castiel nodded along.

“I guess,” Dean replied, but even Gabriel could tell that the other omega didn’t really believe it. It was the kind of man and brother he was, the kind that always took responsibility onto his own shoulders even when it obviously didn’t belong there.

They were silent for several long, uncomfortable moments, none of them really knowing what to say. Gabriel wanted to ask more questions, or maybe even go to his room and cry, but it wouldn’t do any good. He’d just have to… wait and see.

“I’m going to go,” Dean finally said.

He was almost to the door by the time the twins realized what he was saying and tried to say something to him. He shook them off with a small, sad smile and said something too quiet for Gabriel to hear that made the twins laugh. If Gabriel hadn’t been so preoccupied, he might have paid more attention, if only to tease them later about their obvious thing for the omega.

“I’m going to bed, you can close up the shop,” Gabriel said as the bell signalling Dean’s departure faded away. He ignored the looks his siblings gave him and made his way upstairs in a haze. He needed to think.

Chapter Text

Things were awkward after that, at least from Gabriel’s perspective. Sam stopped coming around, or at least stopped coming around while Gabriel was running the shop. Dean still came around occasionally, though far less than before, but he mostly stuck around Castiel and Anna. Gabriel sometimes caught the three of them giving him looks while he manned the counter, but he tried to ignore them. He didn’t need to feel any worse than he already did.

For days after Sam’s rejection, Gabriel had a hard time getting his head on straight. There were so many thoughts and feelings flying around his mind, sadness and anger and confusion and even a little guilt, but he really didn’t know what to do about them.

Sam obviously didn’t want to talk to him, and Dean wouldn’t explain anything more than he had, and that left a sort of void for Gabriel. He couldn’t get the kind of closure he wanted, and it was eating away at him.

He took to hanging out with Kali more often and helping out at the shelter. Being able to do something good there always made him feel better, and to be honest it kept him a lot busier than the shop did, so he had less time to dwell. Kali was good at that, too, because as always she would take absolutely no shit from him. It was one of the many things he loved about her.

“You need to stop hiding,” Kali said one day, cornering him in the office at the shelter. She glared at him, hands on her hips, and if he hadn’t known her so long it would have been quite intimidating. “And stop pouting about how your life is terrible. Get over it.”

No bullshit at all, that was Kali.

Gabriel spun on his chair, carefully not looking her in the eyes. He knew she was right and that he’d been a pain the last few weeks even if she did appreciate the help in the shelter, but he just wasn’t sure he wanted to get over it.

The more he thought about it, the more he was sure Sam wasn’t just another crush. There were real feelings there, deep ones that he hadn’t even realized existed until they were dashed on the rocks. He had no intention of pressuring Sam, even if he could find him, especially after what Dean had said. Or not said, really.

“But Kaaaaaali,” Gabriel said, knowing he was pouting and getting a little thrill out of the way it made Kali frown. “I deserve to pout! The love of my life rejected me!”

“Love of your life, hmm?” Kali asked, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Gabriel immediately snapped around to face her, the blood draining from his face. He hadn’t just said that, had he? She was never going to let him live it down. He kind of just wanted to go hide somewhere, but that was why he was at the shelter in the first place, so he didn’t really have anywhere to go.

“Um, can we just forget I said that?” Gabriel asked, giving her his best smile. He wilted a little at the smirk he got in return. Damnit.

“Never. It’s not every day you realize you’re in love with someone, after all,” she said with a sharp smile. A moment later the smile dissolved and her eyes narrowed. “You are being serious, aren’t you?”

“I’m always serious!” he replied, trying to joke but he had a feeling it came out rather flat. He rubbed a hand over his suddenly stinging eyes, then looked at her as steadily as he could. “Yeah,” he said after a moment. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I really… I really think I’m in love with him.”

“Oh, Gabriel.”

Kali reached for him and he melted into her arms, hugging her tight. She’d never been a really tactile person, even when they’d been friends for so many years, so this was almost unheard of for her. He was glad she was willing to do this for him, though, because he suddenly realized how very much he needed this kind of human contact.

They drew apart a few minutes later and Gabriel felt a little lighter, despite the knot of sadness and helplessness that still curled in the bottom of his stomach. He had a feeling that that wouldn’t go away for quite some time, but this was a good step.

“Alright,” Kali said, eyes softer and kinder than Gabriel had seen them in a long time, maybe ever. He shouldn’t be surprised, she was his best friend and he was her’s, no matter how much they grated on each other sometimes. “How about we drown your sorrows in alcohol?”

Gabriel smiled. “Excellent idea.”

A night of overdrinking was fun and it served to get things off his mind for one night at least, but it wasn’t really a long term solution. Kali was a good sounding board, no matter how much she pretended she didn’t care about his problems, and Gabriel was thankful for the advice she gave him. The hard part was implementing it.

The first thing he did was try to return to his normal schedule. He went back to working at the shop and spent less time hiding at the shelter. Castiel and Anna didn’t say as much, but he rather thought they were glad to have him back. He was glad too, even if his heart still hurt.

Apparently Dean had started coming by more in his absence, which was both suspicious and reassuring. Gabriel knew there was something going on between the other omega and the twins, he just wasn’t quite sure what. He’d find out, he just had other things on his mind at the moment.

Like finding out what was going on with Sam.

Luckily, Dean seemed perfectly happy to give Gabriel news on the alpha, if not an explanation. Gabriel thought privately that it was due at least in part to Dean being annoyed with Sam, but he wasn’t sure why. Gabriel and Dean got along fine, but he didn’t think Dean was that invested in Gabriel and Sam’s relationship, rocky as it was at the moment.

It turned out that Sam wasn’t any more happy with the situation than Gabriel was, even though he’d been the one to reject Gabriel. It lit some small flame of hope in Gabriel that Sam had some sort of feelings for him, strange as that thought was based on Sam’s previous reaction.

On days that Dean visited the shop, he always made sure to take a little time away from the twins to give Gabriel some update on Sam. Most days it was to say that Sam was pouting and had stopped doing much more than going to work. Other days it was to say that Dean had found Sam sitting in a dark corner of Bobby’s house, eyes red like he’d been crying.

Gabriel was happy to hear anything about Sam, but his heart broke a little more at every update Dean gave him. He just didn’t understand. Sam sounded as broken as he was, maybe even more so since Gabriel hadn’t shed more than a few tears in the privacy of his own bedroom. It didn’t make sense unless Sam regretted rejecting Gabriel, but if that was the case surely he would have come to talk by now.

Dean wasn’t any help in that department. He was still cagey about Sam’s reasoning, and even more so about Sam’s actual state of mind the past few weeks. The only thing he would say for sure was that Sam was upset but there probably wasn’t anything Gabriel could do about it.

It all just made Gabriel feel even worse, if he was being honest.

As the summer turned to fall, things didn’t get better. Gabriel hadn’t really expected things to improve much until Sam got over whatever it was that upset him, but he really hadn’t thought things could get worse. Then again, this new development was not something anyone could have predicted.

He was the only one in the shop when they arrive one afternoon during a lull. He’d been sorting Skittles by color on the counter when he heard the bell ring, signalling someone was entering, and his friendly smile of welcome melted straight off his face when he saw who was walking through the door.

“Michael, Lucifer,” he whispered, throat gone suddenly terribly dry. He bumped into the counter behind him and blinked rapidly, not even realizing until that moment that he’d backed away.

“Hello, brother, it’s been a long time.”

Gabriel snorted before he could stop himself. “Not long enough,” he said bitterly, trying not to give in to the fear and childlike uncertainty seeing his siblings inspired in him.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Gabe,” Lucifer said with a smirk, stepping up to the counter.

He looked much the same as Gabriel remembered him, not seemingly aged much at all in the past ten years. Michael, on the other hand, looked almost exactly like their father, the harsh lines around his mouth and the angry line between his brows evidence of frequent frowning. It made Gabriel feel lost and afraid, just like he had for so many years before getting up the courage to finally leave.

“Yes, Gabriel, don’t you miss your big brothers?” Michael asked, looking at Gabriel like he was some poor lost child meant to be pitied.

Gabriel felt an immediate flare of anger at the look and at the question. He’d worked so, so hard to get away, to get where he was now, and for these two to just waltz right in like they had any right at all was infuriating. He deserved to feel safe and happy in his own space, and he hated the way they were invading.

“What do you want?” Gabriel gritted out. He knew there would be little chance of a straight answer, but he wanted them gone as soon as possible.

“Would you believe that we just came for a visit?” Lucifer asked with a smirk. The way his eyes passed over the contents of the shop, his disdain for it obvious, made Gabriel’s hackles rise, but he fought to control himself. It wouldn’t do anything to get angry, it never had.

“I figured that was pretty much off the table seeing as I ran away from home,” Gabriel replied with a lopsided smile. “If I remember correctly, Father frowned upon that kind of thing. Especially from omegas.”

Lucifer smiled at that, but it wasn’t a nice smile. “Well, Dad’s dead, so things are a little different now,” Lucifer said. “Surprise!”

Time seemed to just stop for a long, uncomfortable moment. There was a rushing sound in Gabriel’s ears and his chest felt full of ice shards. It was impossible to say whether that was good news or not, especially with the way every single thought seemed to have flown out of his mind at Lucifer’s words. Whatever he’d been expecting from his brothers, it hadn’t been this.

“What?” Gabriel eventually managed to get out.

Lucifer shrugged. “It’s not like he was around very much, anyway,” he said, far more calmly than Gabriel would have thought.

Michael, on the other hand, had frozen up even more than Gabriel. His body was a line of tension so stiff he looked like he might break at the merest feather’s touch. Even so, Gabriel could see the anger in his brother’s eyes and wasn’t surprised by it at all. Michael had always been the one closest to their father, practically worshipping the older alpha. It was part of what made their family life so strained.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Gabriel said. “You could have sent a letter. I’ve been gone for ten years and it’s not like he liked omegas in the first place, I’m sure he didn’t leave me anything in his will.”

“Actually,” Lucifer said with a sudden grin that made Gabriel’s blood run cold, “he did mention you in his will. That’s why we’re here.”

“So get on with it!”

“Tsk, tsk,” Michael said, shaking his head. Gabriel turned to look at him with narrowed eyes, a little suspicious that his other brother was finally joining the conversation. “That’s no way to speak to your elders and betters, Gabriel.”

“As if,” Gabriel said, lip curling in disgust. It looked like Michael hadn’t changed a bit, not even with the death of their father. He was still the same superior alpha asshole he’d always been.

“Children, let’s not fight,” Lucifer interrupted, smiling condescendingly at them. “We have a lot to discuss. Foremost you coming home, Gabriel, so we can find you a suitable alpha.”

Gabriel sputtered, wide eyed, at his brother’s words. Go home? Find a suitable alpha? This was… this was exactly the kind of talk that made him leave in the first place and here they were spouting it in his shop that he’d worked so hard for. He wouldn’t allow them to ruin his life, not after everything he’d done to get to a good place.

“Fuck off, Lucifer,” Gabriel said, far more controlled than he felt. “And you, too, Michael. I don’t want any of your ‘suitable alpha’ bullshit. I’m fine just as I am.”

“Now, now, Gabe, don’t fight. We’re just trying to do what’s best for you,” Lucifer said. “After all, Dad’s dying wish was for all of his children to find suitable mates and you, the prodigal son, most of all. You wouldn’t want to go against his last wishes now, would you?”

“I fucking well would,” Gabriel said with a snort. He didn’t know what his brothers were on, but he couldn’t believe that they would think he would give up his life to go back to the home he’d run away from, all for the dying wish of a man he’d always hated. “Why should I care what Father wanted?”

“You should be more respectful,” Michael said coldly, eyes hard as stone.

“He bred Mom to death, despised omegas, and wanted to mate me off to a disgusting alpha three times my age, with your approval I might add,” Gabriel snapped, the lid on his anger finally coming off. He couldn’t believe the nerve of Michael telling him that, especially now, so many years after he’d left. “Like hell I will respect him! Or you!”

“Why you-” Michael snarled, coming close enough to the counter that Gabriel wished there was somewhere to flee.

“Just leave!” Gabriel shouted. He grasped around wildly behind him before he found the shop phone, brandishing it in front of him. “Before I call the cops and have you two hauled away!”

Michael looked ready to continue, but Lucifer put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. “Of course, little brother,” Lucifer said cooly, fake sincerity oozing out of him like noxious slime. “We’re sorry for disturbing you.”

With only a little effort, Lucifer managed to pull Michael back, and in just a minute they were gone. The bell tinkled cheerfully behind them in a mockery of the fear and disgust and anger roiling around in Gabriel’s belly. He had a terrible feeling that he hadn’t seen the last of his older brothers.

Working on autopilot, Gabriel went to the front door and locked it tight, putting up the closed sign. He was in no shape to deal with any more customers today, that was for sure. What he really needed was to curl up in bed where he could feel safe again and eat a mountain of chocolate. And he should probably tell the twins about what happened. Michael and Lucifer were sure to be after them too, though certainly not like the older twins had been with him.

He grabbed a handful of mixed chocolates, shoving them into his pocket for later, before heading up to the living spaces. He hoped Anna and Castiel were still there. They probably were, since they usually came to see him before leaving even if they were going to use the back door.

Upstairs, the twins’ bedroom door was shut, but he could hear quiet sounds inside. He knocked on the door, immediately opening it before freezing in the doorway.

We never did get that other bed, Gabriel realized distantly. It hadn't seemed like the most important thing in the first few weeks and then it just... slipped his mind. Neither Castiel or Anna had complained about it, and from what he was seeing, it wasn't going to be an issue.

“Really, Dean, you’re sleeping with both of them? Together?” Gabriel asked after a moment of stunned silence, not really sure if he should be disgusted at having walked in on his siblings like this, put out that they’d kept this from him and he hadn’t figured it out, or annoyed that they were getting laid and he wasn’t.

Dean shrugged, pulling the sheet up a little so it covered the three of them more fully, which Gabriel greatly appreciated. “It works,” Dean said lightly, though there was obvious tension in his shoulders.

The twins hadn’t said a word, just stared intently at Gabriel. He noticed that they each had a hand on Dean, an obvious sign of comfort from an alpha and a beta to their omega. Seeing that, Gabriel couldn’t help but smile. It seemed his younger sibling had found a way to be happy, and who was he to argue or deny them that?

“Congrats, guys,” he said, smile widening when the tension in the room eased down considerably. “You could have told me though, you know!”

“Apologies, Gabriel,” Castiel said solemnly. “We had thought to tell you before but… it never seemed like the right time.”

Gabriel could understand that. The last several weeks had not been the best time for Gabriel, and certainly wouldn’t have been a good time to share something like this. “Fine, fine,” he replied with a dramatic sigh. “I suppose that’s fair or whatever.”

“Thank you for not freaking out,” Anna said softly, eyes bright.

Gabriel felt his heart melt a little at that. His sister, and by extension his brother, had obviously been worried about his reaction, and he felt a little bad that they could have thought he would be anything but supportive of their choices.

“You’re my siblings,” he said simply, voice a little rough. He hoped they knew that meant he loved them and supported them, even if he couldn’t get the words out. They nodded, and he smiled. They knew.

“Not to disturb the family love fest,” Dean said after a moment, amusement clear on his face, “but did you bust in here for something in particular, Gabriel?”

“Oh yeah,” Gabriel said, deflating. The atmosphere in the room immediately changed in response, the twins sitting up straighter and Dean going tense again. Gabriel sighed. This wasn’t a great time for this discussion, but it had to be done. “Michael and Lucifer were here. Father’s dead and they want me to go home with them and take a mate.”

Chapter Text

Probably naively, Gabriel got hopeful that Michael and Lucifer had left for good after a few days of silence. He tried to keep to his regular work schedule, just with the added bonus of Anna and Castiel sticking around with him at the store instead of going off with Dean as they often did, but he was tense and perhaps a little afraid. It was like some dark cloud hanging over his head, making him irritable and jumpy every time the bell tinkled when someone entered the shop.

“Gabriel, worrying is not going to do any good,” Anna said on the third day with no sign of their older siblings. Dean was there with them, lurking around the twins and eating jelly beans, and he nodded in agreement. “Everything will work out.”

“Sure, whatever,” Gabriel mumbled morosely. He wondered vaguely if he was going to have to deal with this feeling of impending doom forever if Michael and Lucifer didn’t show up again. As much as he didn’t want to see them, that would suck just as much. He just wanted to be able to return to his life.

The bell above the door rang and Gabriel looked up, freezing completely for the second time in a week. They were back.

“Ahh, the little twins are here with you, how wonderful,” Lucifer said as he strode in, Michael just a step behind.

They both looked pleased to see their three younger siblings all together, and it made rage bubble up inside Gabriel. They could fuck around with him, he’d had more than a decade to recover from all the shit of their childhood home life, but they had no right to bother Castiel and Anna. Gabriel might have been an omega, but he was going to protect his younger siblings no matter the cost.

“I told you to fuck off,” Gabriel snarled, hands curling so tightly on the edge of the counter that his knuckles turned white.

“Such language, Gabey!” Lucifer said with a far too delighted chuckle. “And you knew we couldn’t do that. We have Dad’s last will to follow through with, you know. You should all have been mated long before now, but I’m sure we can still find you someone suitable.”

“Well you can shove-” Gabriel started, but was cut off by Anna’s hand on his arm. He looked over to see his sister staring straight at the older twins, one hand clasped tightly in Dean’s like she needed to ground herself before she flew off in a rage. Gabriel could sympathize.

“We don’t need your matchmaking, brothers,” she said coldly. “Now please, leave.”

Lucifer’s lip curled up as he glanced from the clasped hands to Dean. “I don’t care a lick about your omega whore,” he said. “You will make a proper mating. You all will.”

Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, though he wasn’t sure what would come out through the almost deafening fury swirling about his head, but Castiel beat him to it, stepping up beside Dean and taking his other hand. Lucifer and Michael stared even more, gazes hard and cold.

Castiel had always been a bit odd for an alpha, quiet and intense and usually content to let his beta twin do most of their socializing, but now he was really coming alive in a way Gabriel wasn’t sure he’d seen before. Anger blazed in his eyes and he seemed taller and far more intimidating than usual.

“As you can see,” Castiel said slowly, gesturing at Anna and Dean with his free hand, “we are mated. We need no interference from you.”

Gabriel almost laughed at the look of shock on the older twins’ faces, though he was feeling quite shocked himself. He hadn’t realized the three of them were ready to declare official mating, but it was a relief. True alpha/beta/omega triads were considered the best relationship dynamic even if they happened very rarely. There was absolutely no legal way Lucifer and Michael, alpha heads of the household or not, would be able to tear them apart.

Unfortunately, the twin alphas recovered quickly, sneers replacing shock so quickly Gabriel felt a little sick. He knew that since they couldn’t force Castiel and Anna anymore, they’d just focus that much harder on him. And he didn’t have a mate to back him up.

“So be it,” Michael spat. “If you wish to sully yourself with some common omega we can’t stop you.”

“But you, on the other hand, Gabriel,” Lucifer continued, staring him down with cold black eyes, “we can and will see mated appropriately. Unless you have some secret alpha waiting in the wings as well?”

“He does,” said a voice over the tinkle of the front door opening.

They all turned to look at the newcomer and Gabriel felt his jaw drop. Sam was standing there in the doorway, looking more worn than he had the last time Gabriel saw him several weeks ago, but still so attractive that it made Gabriel’s heart flutter just a bit. Michael and Lucifer were looking the tall alpha over with narrowed eyes, probably judging him harshly, and it made Gabriel want to scream at them that none of this was their business.

“You,” Michael asked, disbelief clear in his voice, “are Gabriel’s alpha mate?”

Sam nodded, quickly walking across the room and behind the counter so he could take Gabriel’s hand in his. “I am,” he replied, much to Gabriel’s confusion. Out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel could see Dean smirking.

“And just how long have you been mated?” Lucifer asked. “And why should we accept you as his mate? We cannot allow just any alpha for our precious omega brother, especially one who looks so young.”

Gabriel felt sick at his brother’s words, knowing they thought of him as anything but precious and that they probably had a much older alpha picked out for him once again, but he kept his mouth shut for once. He wasn’t sure what Sam was planning with this farce. All he could do was wait and see and hope to every deity imaginable that things wouldn’t blow up in all of their faces.

“It’s none of your business how long we’ve been mated or how old I am,” Sam said sharply, hand squeezing Gabriel’s hard for just a moment. “But I think you will find I’m more than suitable.”

“Oh yes?” Michael asked, brow raised in challenge. “Please, do tell.”

Sam smirked. “Didn’t I introduce myself?” he asked lightly. “I’m Samuel Winchester, alpha heir to the Campbell-Winchester estate and heir apparent to the Singer estate.”

Gabriel felt an entirely inappropriate urge to giggle as his older siblings stared at Sam, this time their eyes wide in shock. Sam pretending to be his mate was one thing, but here he was throwing around his family name, one that Gabriel hadn’t even connected him to before. He should have known that Sam and Dean were the Winchesters even if they’d never mentioned their father’s name before. And it really shouldn’t have come as a shock to hear about the Singer estate either. Bobby had taken to the two of them immediately, though leaving Sam everything was quite surprising.

“Well?” Sam asked after a few minutes of silence, sounding much more confident than Gabriel felt, even after that reveal. “Are you satisfied?”

“Yes,” Michael gritted out, obviously angry but unable to do anything about it. “I… apologize for our harshness.”

“We only wanted what’s best for our brother,” Lucifer said silkily. Gabriel knew he was trying to get into the other alpha’s good graces since it turned out that Sam was far more wealthy than they, even if the family finances had somehow recovered after their father wasted most of it away on drinking and gambling.

“If you say so,” Sam said, and even to Gabriel it felt like a dismissal. He felt a surge of gratitude for Sam and unconsciously squeezed the alpha’s hand, smiling a little when the movement was returned. “Now I think it’s time for you to leave. Don’t bother visiting.”

Faster than Gabriel would have thought possible, Michael and Lucifer were out the door. As soon as they were gone, he allowed himself to relax a little, slumping against the counter. It was over, he wasn’t going to be mated off against his will. Now he just had to deal with Sam, who had rejected him and avoided him and, in the end, saved him from his brothers.

“So,” he said, pushing himself up so he could look at the taller man.

As soon as he looked into Sam’s eyes, he lost whatever he was going to say. Anna cleared her throat, and Gabriel flushed, tearing his gaze away. “So,” he tried again, searching for something, anything, to say. “Bobby’s really going to leave you everything?”

Sam laughed, the tension in the room breaking. “No,” he said, eyes dancing. “That was just for effect. He’s actually leaving it all to Dean.”

Gabriel could hear Anna and Castiel immediately questioning Dean, obviously as surprised at the news as he was, but he ignored it. He needed to talk to Sam, to sort things out, if only for his own peace of mind. He was more grateful than he could ever say to Sam for coming just when he was needed, but now there was even more between them that needed to be sorted out.

“We need to talk,” he said abruptly, relaxing a little when Sam nodded. “We can go upstairs where there’s a little privacy. Anna, close the store, please?”

Gabriel turned without waiting for an answer and led the way upstairs, sitting carefully at one end of the couch in the living room as Sam took the other end. He wanted more than anything to sit closer, but this wasn’t the time, and to be honest he was confused about whether or not that was even something Sam wanted. Before, he would have said emphatically that it wasn’t, but after today, he honestly wasn’t sure anymore.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for several minutes, both unsure of where to start, before Sam finally sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I guess… I guess I need to explain,” he said.

Gabriel snorted. “That would be nice,” he replied, trying not to let his frustration show through but probably failing miserably.

“I guess I deserve that,” Sam said with a crooked smile, then shook his head. “I messed up before, I know. I had my reasons, but as Dean’s been so kind to tell me, they maybe weren’t the best and I maybe just need to get over them. It’s been hard.”

“Ok,” Gabriel said, nodding, but he was still lost. “And that means what, exactly?”

“When you asked me out, I should have said yes,” Sam replied, holding Gabriel’s gaze so intensly Gabriel felt a little like he was floating, the two of them the only things in the world. “I like you, a lot. But I was afraid and I took that out on you, and I’m sorry about that.”

Gabriel nodded, feeling both shocked and elated. Dean had said Sam liked him, but it was different to hear it from Sam’s own mouth and to get an apology on top of that. “Why were you afraid?” he asked after a moment. That was the part that didn’t make sense to him, the part that Dean wouldn’t explain. “I mean, I can’t say I’m really that terrifying.”

“I wasn’t afraid of you,” he said quietly, giving him a small smile. “I was afraid of…” He shook his head. “I don’t even know what I was afraid of, honestly. I thought I was afraid of my dad, but he’s dead, or of me, but that doesn’t make sense. I think… I think I was afraid of falling in love with you.”

“Falling in love with me?” Gabriel asked faintly. He slumped back against the arm of the couch, unsure of how to react. He knew he was in love with Sam, but he honestly hadn’t considered the possibility of Sam ever loving him back. He was nothing special, after all, and Sam could do so much better. Especially after everything Gabriel had learned about him tonight.

“Yeah,” Sam said, nodding, and reached out to take Gabriel’s hand, twining their fingers together. He took a deep breath, like he needed courage to say whatever else needed to be said, and Gabriel felt a tiny spark of fear. What else could there be?

“I was in love with a girl once,” Sam said after a moment. “A beautiful omega girl named Jessica. We were going to mate and I was so, so happy. But my dad…” He took another deep breath, eyes haunted, and Gabriel squeezed his hand in reassurance. “My dad was a drunk and a bully,” he continued. “And he didn’t like Jessica, didn’t want me to be with her, because he didn’t think she was good enough. He… he killed her in front of me.”

Gabriel gasped, absolutely shocked. He’d heard about the scandal with John Winchester, how he killed an omega girl and went to prison only to be killed himself a few months later in a gang fight. No one had ever said why he killed the girl, but this… this was horrific. His heart hurt for Sam, and all he wanted to do was comfort the alpha.

“Sam,” Gabriel whispered, clutching Sam’s hand like it was a lifeline for both of them, and maybe it was. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Sam gave him a small, wet smile and shook his head. “No one did, except for Dean,” he replied, voice equally soft. “After that, I promised myself I’d never get involved with another omega because it hurt so badly and because I was afraid that somehow it would all go wrong again.”

“Oh,” Gabriel said, realizing for the first time that Sam had been as hurt by rejecting Gabriel as Gabriel had been by being rejected, maybe even more so.

“It wasn’t the right decision, obviously,” Sam said with a crooked smile. “Dean made sure to remind me of that every day for the past few weeks. He was right, of course, but I didn’t really understand until today when your brothers came.”

Gabriel smiled. “Well, better late than never,” he joked, relaxing a little when Sam chuckled. “So what does that mean now? For us?”

“It means… whatever we want it to mean,” Sam replied, squeezing Gabriel’s hand again. Gabriel realized with a jolt that they’d both drifted toward the middle of the couch as they talked and there was only a scant six inches separating them. “I’d like it to mean we’re together, if you like.”

“Mates?” Gabriel asked carefully.

Sam nodded, a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “Yeah,” he breathed, leaning in for a soft kiss that made Gabriel want to melt. “I’d like that.”