Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

*****

Gabriel had what you might call a love-hate relationship with card tricks.

On the one hand, they were iconic. Any half-decent illusionist knew at least one card trick well enough that they could perform it with their eyes closed. In his case, some of the first techniques he’d taught himself had been conjuring cards out of thin air and vanishing them without a trace. Besides, what could be more quintessential to a magician’s bag of tricks than an “ordinary” deck of playing cards? Perhaps the biggest perk, however, was the look of astonishment you received after amazing someone with nothing more than a palm-sized stack of paper and your bare hands. It was certainly an ego boost, getting such a dramatic response using so little. Flashy special effects and bright, colorful explosions were fun and all, but it was the up close and personal tricks that really demonstrated your skill and finesse.

On the other, they were significantly more complicated than most people gave them credit for. Properly executing a good card trick was a lot like juggling: if you didn’t want to screw it up, you had to be pretty damn good at multitasking. But instead of three or four interchangeable rubber balls, you had fifty-two distinct cards that you had to be absolutely certain not to mix up. Losing track of the cards you needed was a surefire way to mess up the trick, and when that happened it was awkward for everyone involved. If astounding someone with a deck of cards could make your day, humiliating yourself with one was certainly enough to ruin it. 

So, to avoid any more blows to his ego than were necessary, Gabriel practiced. Constantly. If he ever had his hands free and a few moments to spare, it was a safe bet that he’d use the opportunity to rehearse a few card tricks. He practiced new tricks, performing them in front of a mirror until he was satisfied, executing them over and over again to build up muscle memory until he could do them without so much as a thought. He practiced old tricks, ones he already knew by heart and that were almost therapeutic to rehearse, so he could keep this techniques sharp and polished. Sometimes it wasn’t even actual tricks, just little flares and flourishes that served no real purpose beyond making the actual tricks more fun to watch. And sometimes he would just let his mind wander as he lost himself in the familiar, nostalgic feel of the worn Bicycle playing cards on his fingertips, shuffling them through his hands in a blur of yellowing paper and black and red ink.

Of course, the best way to practice any kind of trick was in front of an audience. And, fortunately for him, there was no shortage of those when he needed them.

“Again, again!” Gabriel barely managed to conceal a grin at the elated request from the girl in front of him, reshuffling his cards after a successful reveal. He’d learned pretty quickly that in crowded places, magicians were magnets for curious kids. As soon as they saw anyone doing something out of the ordinary, it got their full attention, and they weren’t shy about staring. The bus route between work and his apartment was no exception; at least once a week, he ended up doing an impromptu show for some wide-eyed toddler or a few bored middle schoolers. Adults were generally a lot more subtle, glancing out of the corner of their eye every now and then while trying their best to hide it, not wanting to seem rude. Children, however, were often too caught up in their own little worlds to have any kind of regard for social norms or common courtesies. It was a trait that Gabriel respected greatly.

Schooling his expression, he heaved a long, exaggerated sigh before looking up at her and the taller boy whose arm she clung to, rubbing his chin pensively. “Hmm, I don’t know, guys. If we keep this up, I might not have any tricks left soon. Besides, my stop is gonna be coming up soon,” he explained, slowly moving his hand to put the deck back into his pocket.

The heartbroken look on both kids’ faces was almost enough to make him drop the act, but Gabe managed to hold it together. He wasn’t about to give in that easily. “Aww, c’mon, please?” the boy implored as he and his sister stared up at him with impossibly huge Bambi eyes. “Just one more? We won’t ask for anything else, we promise.”

Another thing Gabriel respected about kids: they felt no obligation to play fair. “Well…I guess it couldn’t hurt,” he conceded, pulling the deck away from his pocket and holding it out in front of him again. “But only because you asked nicely.” The siblings beamed, positively vibrating with excitement as the magician fanned his cards out face down in front of them. “Alright, squirts, you know the drill. Pick a card, any card.” After a moment of deliberation, the girl reached out and plucked a card from the hand, holding it up to her face and scrutinizing the image printed on its front. Apparently satisfied with her choice, she held it up for her brother to see. “Make sure you’ve got it memorized, and don’t you dare let me see it. Got it?”

The pair nodded enthusiastically, smiling at each other over their shared secret. “Awesome. Now, this part’s super important. I want both of you to press your thumb against the back of the card, really really hard.” His two volunteers wasted no time following the magician’s instructions, then placed their card back among its brothers and sisters. “Perfect! Now,” Gabriel continued, his expression growing serious as he began strategically shuffling the deck in his hands. “Remember how I told you guys these cards are magic?” They nodded, their eyes growing impossibly wider in anticipation. “Well, they’re going to tell me exactly which one of them has your thumbprints on it. Ready?” 

Gabriel wasn’t sure he’d ever seen such a flawless impression of a bobble head doll. Luckily, he managed to maintain his professional demeanor, clearing his throat and readying the deck in front of him. “Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here,” he murmured aloud, lifting the first card from the top of the deck. Jack of diamonds. “This one? No, that’s not right.” He picked up the next one. Three of clubs. “Nope, not that one either. How about…?” When he held up the next card, he caught the flicker of recognition and excitement that crossed their faces and bit back a grin. “Nah, that can’t be it,” he dismissed it promptly, placing the card on the seat beside him with the first two as the both brother and sister barely restrained themselves from interjecting. As much as they wanted to point out his mistake, they couldn’t give away any hints. Seven of hearts. “Ah ha! Here it is. This has gotta be it,” he insisted, holding the card out for them to see with a triumphant grin. “Ta-da!”

The little girl bit her lip before turning to her brother, who looked just as confused and disappointed as she felt. Sighing, she looked up at the man in front of her and shook her head sadly, causing his own smile to fall. “No? Really?” Scratching his head, Gabriel inspected the card between his fingers carefully before flipping it between his fingers, pointing out an invisible point on the back. “I’m pretty sure I can make out two thumbprints, right here.”

“No, that’s the wrong one!” the boy exclaimed, his arms crossed in irritation. It was bad enough that the so-called magician had messed up the trick, but now he wouldn’t even listen when they tried to tell him he’d done something wrong.

Despite the kid’s insistence, Gabriel still wasn’t completely convinced. “Hmm, are you sure about that?” he prodded further, gauging their reactions.

This time, the girl spoke up, trying to be more understanding than her big brother was in this situation. “Yeah! We had the one with the five…pointing things,” she assured him, struggling to find the right word.

Gabriel made a show of thinking for a moment before his face lit up in recognition. “Ah, the five of spades? Well, then, this must be the right one. See?” Sure enough, he flipped the card over once more to reveal five black spades in place of the seven crimson hearts that had been there not ten seconds earlier.

Watching the kids’ expressions go from confusion to amazement to sheer joy in just a matter of seconds was enough to make the man’s entire week. As his sister squealed in excitement, her brother cautiously reached out to take the card from Gabe’s had, looking it over with a smile still plastered to his face. “But we saw you…how did you do that?”

Gabriel shrugged his shoulders casually, a blithe, cheerful grin on his face. “Sorry, guys, but you know the rules: a good magician never reveals his secrets.” Just this once, though, he decided to take pity, especially after the disappointed groan that last comment had garnered from his two spectators. “I will say, though,” he conceded, pointing at the card deck sitting in his palm. “These crazy little guys are constantly switching places and mixing themselves up. I tell you, it’s a miracle they haven’t managed to wander off on me yet.” To prove this point, he quickly vanished a hand of cards from the deck and went on to pluck them from various parts of his person: behind his ear, out of his mouth, even shaking a few out of his pant leg. “See what I mean? You know, I’m starting to think they just like showing off for you guys,” he speculated, earning a peal of enthused giggles from the kids.

Unfortunately, the sound was quickly cut off by a sharp, clearly annoyed throat-clearing, causing all three to look up. Apparently their mom, who had been obliviously chattering away on her cell phone for the past five stops at least, had finally remembered that she had two kids she was supposed to be giving a damn about. From the looks of it, she was in protective mama-bear mode upon seeing them talking to a stranger. Sure, it was an understandable response, but it’d make more sense from someone who hadn’t been blatantly ignoring her son and daughter on a crowded public bus for the past twenty minutes or more. Visibly deflating, the boy gave Gabriel an apologetic smile before handing the card back to him and walking across the aisle, leading his sister along with him. “Haven’t I told you two a hundred times not to wander off? I swear, I look away for just two seconds and you run off to bother some stranger. You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Gabriel scoffed quietly, rolling his eyes at the exaggerated claim. Judging by the scathing glare she shot him, it hadn’t been as subtle an action as he’d have liked.

“Sorry, Mommy. But he’s really, really nice,” her daughter insisted, tugging on the sleeve of her coat enthusiastically.

Her brother was quick to back up her claims, smiling broadly. “Yeah, and he has magic cards. They’re so cool!”

The woman gave a long-suffering sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. “Sweetie, there’s no such thing as magic.” Gabriel ran a thumb over the edge of his deck, the cards snapping against one another sharply as he bit the inside of his cheek. Now, he didn’t know the first thing about being a parent, so maybe his opinion didn’t mean jack squat in this situation, but that seemed like an unnecessary comment to make. The boy and girl didn’t look to be much older than seven and five, respectively. That was pretty young to get slapped with a harsh life lesson like that. At their age, he’d been setting traps for the Tooth Fairy and struggling to stay up all night to catch a glimpse of her whenever he’d lost a tooth. “That man is just wasting his time with useless tricks. Don’t encourage him.”

Okay, that was uncalled for. Gabe knew better than to give parenting advice, but that last comment was a bit below the belt. Clearing his throat, he raised a hand to draw the woman’s attention. “Uh, ‘scuse me, still within earshot over here,” he pointed out, hiding his irritation with a charming smile. “Look, I think that’s a little harsh, considering—”

“You are lucky I don’t report you to the police,” she snapped venomously, looking almost insulted that he’d even dare to speak up and try to defend himself. Gabriel was getting the feeling that she wasn’t used to people talking back to her, and when it did happen she took it as a personal affront. “Don’t you have anything better to do than harass little kids?”

“Whoa, hold the phone, I wasn’t harassing any—” the magician started to protest, but trailed off, realizing he was wasting his time here. This lady clearly had no interest in listening to anything he had to say, unless maybe he was agreeing with her every word. “Alright, message received,” he conceded, standing up from his seat as he tucked the deck back into his pocket. “My stop’s coming up soon anyway. Oh,” he stopped himself mid-step, a sly smile ghosting across his lips. “I’m gonna need that card back.” He took a moment to relish in her puzzled expression before adding, “You know, the one in your purse?”

She stared at him for a few seconds, skepticism clear on her face, before frowning and reaching into her purse. Sure enough, after shuffling through its contents she pulled out the very card he’d mentioned, holding it up in disbelief. To either side, her children stifled surprised gasps behind their hands, although their smiles were a lot harder to conceal. “Hmm, queen of hearts,” Gabriel observed, striding over to peer over her shoulder (thankfully, he didn’t have to stand on his toes to do so; that would’ve ruined the effect entirely). “Somehow, I feel like it suits you.” Turning to the kids, he pantomimed a blade against his throat with his hand, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He had to commend them on their valiant efforts to keep straight faces, but a few giggles manages to slip through. 

The queen herself, on the other hand, was not amused. “Oh, please. You just put it in there while I wasn’t looking,” she declared, none too gently slapping the card against his chest. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

Gabriel was starting to get the sneaking suspicion that she’d been that girl in elementary school who’d told all the other kids that Santa Claus didn’t exist as soon as she’d found out herself. Nonetheless, he seemed unfazed by her accusation, simply shrugging as he took the card back into his own hand. “Oh, well, looks like I can’t pull the wool over your eyes, huh? I guess you’re just too smart for me,” he drawled, an impish grin on his face. “I’m sure you won’t have any trouble figuring this one out either.” That said, he put out his hand palm up, placed the card face down, and pressed his palm against the nearest window, his face hardened with concentration. By this point, they’d managed to gain the attention of about half the bus’ passengers, and a small crowd had gathered around them, pushing and shoving for a better look. When the man pulled his hand away, the card remained behind, the red queen’s printed gaze staring serenely out at the faux leather seats and their occupants. He threw a smirk at the woman beside him, who merely scoffed and reached for the card, probably intending to rip it to pieces and end the foolishness once and for all.

The look on her face when her fingertips hit cold, smooth glass instead of paper: Priceless.

The crowd around them came alive with scattered gasps and urgent murmurs, along with a few camera shutters here and there. For her part, the woman just stood there, dumbfounded and struggling to wrap her head around what had just happened. It had to be a trick, some little detail she’d missed the first time around. But when she reached out again, all she could feel was the window, smooth and unscathed saved for a few smudges. Behind her, the magician gave a low, almost appreciative whistle. “Wow, right through the glass. She clearly couldn’t wait to get away from you. I know the feeling,” he added under his breath. 

The woman whipped around to face him, the incredulity in her eyes quickly replaced by rage and accusation. “Why, you son of a—”

“Ah, ah, mind your language,” he advised, putting up his index finger in front of her. “Wouldn’t want any of the impressionable little ones picking up any bad words, would we?” Before she could respond, he turned to the children, who were at this point staring at him in sheer awe, and gave them a salute and a wink before turning and striding up toward the front of the bus, questions and applause following him the whole way. The vehicle slowed to a stop just as he reached the driver’s seat, allowing Gabriel to make his exit onto the sidewalk in front of him. Before it departed again, he trotted up to the window and plucked his card off of the outside of the window, placing it safe and sound back into the deck where it belonged. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face if he’d tried when he saw the girl and her brother waving back at him as the bus sped off to the next stop.

Once they were out of sight though, the grin slid off of his a bit, replaced by a sour scowl. “‘Oh, he’s just wasting his time with useless tricks,’” he mimicked under his breath in a nasal tone, lip curled in annoyance. “Yeah, sticks and stones, lady.” Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a small handful of one-dollar bills, licking his thumb before counting through them. It was only seven bucks total; just enough money that she’d notice it was missing, but not so much that she’d go and call the cops over it. Judging by the high-end leather purse he’d snagged the cash from, he doubted she’d needed it for anything, but it’d sure be enough to annoy the hell out of her. If nothing else, seven bucks would at least be enough for a cold beer or a few candy bars. Most likely the candy bars; his sweet tooth had been acting up all day and would not be ignored now that he had some cash to spare.

Cheered by the thought of satisfying his craving for sugar, Gabriel smiled as he made his way down the sidewalk, whistling the tune of some oldies song that he’d heard on the radio and couldn’t be bothered to remember the name of. Alright, so maybe stealing money from a single mother who needed to grow a sense of humor wasn’t the most ethical use of him magic, nor the most practical. Hell, he could practically hear Michael complaining about him “wasting his talents on frivolous endeavors and petty parlor tricks”, or some other holier-than-thou bullshit like that. Even so, he couldn’t really say he had any regrets. It wasn’t like he’d snatched her whole wallet and vanished her fancy diamond engagement ring right off of her hand. At least he could rest easy in the knowledge that he wasn’t a total dick. Besides, it was his firm opinion that she’d had some karmic retribution heading her way already. Where was the harm in speeding the process along? At the very least, those kids had seemed pretty thrilled, and as far as Gabe was concerned that more than made up for a minor case of pick-pocketing.

Besides, what fun was having magic if you didn’t use it to knock the high and mighty of the world down a few pegs?

He’d been walking for a good ten minutes before breaking out of his train of thought and slowing to a halt, his whistling trailing off on a sour note. “What the hell…?” Gabriel had walked the same route nearly every day for the past two years; from the bus stop, it was a straight shot to his apartment building, then up five floors, around the corner, and three doors down. He could easily walk it in his sleep by this point. So how he’d ended up walking in the wrong direction and wound up in an area of town even he didn’t recognize was beyond him. It wasn’t the best area to find yourself in but he wouldn’t go so far as to say it was the worst either. Granted, there were several stores with chicken’s feet and snake skins hanging in the windows, but honestly, it was New Orleans after all. Shops like those could be pretty commonplace depending on what part of the city you happened to be in. Other than that, there were a few semi-decent looking convenience stores, a restaurant that had clearly seen better days, and more souvenir shops than he cared to count. Whatever street this was, it was pretty much identical to quite a few he’d been on, and it couldn’t be that far off the beaten path. He just needed to find a street sign and he’d be back on track.

It wasn’t until he felt something like a dull tug in his chest yanking him toward one of the nicer stores that Gabe was able to take a wild guess as to why he was here in the first place.

“Well, what do you know…” As he walked toward the building, more cautious than he could remember being in a good long while, the blond couldn’t help but wonder whose idea it was to put an animal shelter here of all places. It was a nice thought, sure, but he couldn’t imagine they got as much business here as they might elsewhere. It just seemed a little out of place. Still, its windows were clean and intact, and none of the letters on the sign above the door were missing, so it seemed Second Chance Adoptions was doing pretty well for itself. A quick look at the interior didn’t change that opinion. Even if the brightly colored paw prints painted on the walls were about as cliche as you could get, the place was clean and spacious, so he couldn’t be too critical. The girl at the counter didn’t see him come in as she tapped away almost maniacally on her laptop, eyes glued to the screen, but he let her be. He doubted she’d be able to help much with this particular search anyway. Sticking his hands into his pockets, Gabriel made his way around the main room, browsing through the variety of furred and feathered little beasts on display. Most of the cages looked empty, which made sense when he thought about it; Christmas had been just over two weeks away, and what kid didn’t want to wake up and find a cute little kitten or puppy sitting under their tree with a big red bow around its neck?

Pausing in front of one cage, he peered through the bars at a sleek black cat, its bright green eyes staring back at him in disinterest before it yawned widely and rolled over to face the other way. Gabriel smirked. “Yeah, guess that would be too obvious.” Unfortunately, as he made his rounds through the remaining animals, none of them seemed to pull him in, figuratively or literally. Sighing, he tapped his fingers against one of the empty fish tanks, scanning the room one last time. It had to be in here somewhere; why else would he have been drawn to this place? Just as the thought crossed his mind, he felt it again, like someone had tied a string around his sternum and was tugging at it just hard enough that he couldn’t ignore it. Seeing as he didn’t have a better plan at the moment, he followed along, letting the invisible force lead him to the kennels in the next room.

Again, the pickings were pretty slim here; most of the previous tenants had been cleared out during last minute holiday shopping, leaving only a handful of older dogs with full run of the place. As far as kennels went, they seemed to have it pretty good here, if the blankets, pillows, and bucket loads of toys scattering the floor were any indication. Gabriel had barely taken two steps through the door before the room came alive with excited barks and yips, paws batting at the wire mesh barriers separating him from the eager canines. They all seemed more than happy to meet the strange new human who’d entered their territory, sniffing at him curiously and making as much noise as possible so he would notice them. The only exception was a lone tenant toward the end of the hall who hadn’t even bothered to lift its head. That in itself was odd enough that the man made his way over, taking a knee in front of the kennel so he could get a better look at its less than enthusiastic occupant. The dog was huge, that was obvious as soon as he laid eyes on it, but had somehow managed to curl itself up into a furry brown ball about half its actual size. Gabe was half convinced it was asleep until its eyes opened and looked up at him with what was easily the saddest, most defeated gaze he had ever seen. It was like the animal had give up on all illusions of getting out of here and was just waiting for the man to move on so he could be left to mope in peace. Still, something caused him to lift his head, ears perking slightly as if in confusion and veiled interest.

If the fact that Gabriel’s ribcage was just about being ripped out of his chest at this point wasn’t a big enough hint, those big, knowing hazel eyes staring up at him had been more than enough confirmation. 

“And Bingo was his name-o.” Grinning triumphantly, he hooked his fingers through the holes between the woven metal. “Well, buddy, looks like this is your lucky day.”

Chapter Text

The adoption process was surprisingly quick and painless. Gabriel had been expecting an extensive background check, a thorough inspection of his apartment, maybe a mountain of paperwork that would take him the rest of the day to fill out properly. Instead, the petite blonde behind the main desk handed him a thin packet to skim over before signing and filling out some basic contact information. He liked to think it was because he had a trustworthy demeanor, but he wasn’t that self-deluded. More likely they just wanted to find homes for their animals as quickly as possible to avoid overcrowding, and he just happened to meet whatever standards they had for potential owners.

If nothing else, the girl on duty — Becky, according to her name tag — seemed to like him well enough. Either that, or she was on some kind of caffeine high. “I think it’s so great that you’re taking this cutie pie home with you,” she cooed, bending down to ruffle the dog’s fur and fawn over it affectionately. “People are always going straight for the puppies, it’s so much harder to find home for our older boys. You’re a real sweetheart.” She must not have noticed the low groan and lack of reaction on the animal’s part, and she definitely didn’t catch the look of “please help me” that it shot at Gabriel as she gushed.

Luckily, Gabriel was feeling generous and wanted to get out of here just as much as his companion seemed to. “Well, I just couldn’t say no to that face,” he explained, drawing her attention back to himself as he signed the last page with a flourish. “So, we all good to go here?”

The dog seemed to heave a silent sigh of relief as Becky straightened up to look over the paperwork, smiling brightly. “Yep, I think that’s everything. Oh, and don’t worry, he’s already had a full check-up, no fleas or rabies or any of that bad stuff,” she assured him, filing the packet away. “If you have any questions at all, though, feel free to come back anytime,” she added, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. At least, he assumed it was supposed to be flirtatious, but the action fell short of the desired effect.

Fortunately, one of the benefits of practicing street magic was that you became a very accomplished liar in the process. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” he promised, pouring on the charm and shooting the girl a wink that sent her into a fit of giggles. He prayed to whatever gods might be listening that he never had to take her up on that offer as he took the leash and led his new “pet” out the door, leaving Becky to, most likely, blog about the cute guy she’d met at work who had totally been hitting on her.

The street was darkening and practically abandoned by the time he and the dog left the shelter, but Gabriel wasn’t about to take any chances. They walked down a couple of blocks before ducking into an alley, happy to find it unoccupied and more or less free of garbage. “Alrighty, Fido, your bail’s been paid,” Gabriel declared with a grin, reaching down to unclip the leash from the creature’s worn leather collar. “No need to thank me, although if you insist, the preferred medium is either cash or expensive gifts.” The massive canine gazed up at him, head tilted slightly to the side. At that angle it looked an awful lot like the dog was raising its eyebrow at him. Apart from that, though, it just sat there, staring up at the human expectantly.

After a full minute of this, Gabriel frowned, his own head tilting. “Hello? C’mon, you’ve been stuck in there for how long? I’d be jumping at the chance to shift if I were you.” The only response he received was the dog reaching one of his back legs forward to scratch at its neck, the tags on his collar jingling musically. This waiting game was very quickly starting to grow old. With a half-sigh, half-frustrated groan, he raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Oh my God, if I bought the wrong one, I am going to be so—”

The rest of that statement was abruptly cut off with a sharp bark, pulling his attention right back to the dog sitting in front of him. Groaning low in its throat, the animal began purposefully scratching at its neck again, its too-long nails catching on the collar. Gabriel wondered if maybe it had fleas, but the exasperated look he was being shot and the low growl told him it was probably something else. Man, who knew it was possible for a dog to look annoyed?

Finally, though, he managed to take a hint, his eyes widening in realization. “Oh! Well, why didn’t you say so?” he quipped with a smirk, bending down to get a better look at the collar. He was pretty sure he’d seen the creature roll its eyes at him, but decided to let that slide in favor of unbuckling the strip of leather around its neck. At first glance, it didn’t look like anything out of the ordinary; maybe a little old and crappy, but still just your average run-of-the-mill dog collar. It was only when he held it in his hand that he felt the slight traces of spell work radiating off of it. Frowning, he muttered a quick incantation under his breath, breaking the enchantment with ease. Sure enough, the collar was absolutely covered in symbols and runes, all carved right into the leather. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they were there for. Gabriel scoffed, rising to his feet as he examined the carefully crafted etchings. “Yeah, ‘full check-up’ my ass…” If they’d bothered to just take the collar off when they’d found the dog, he wouldn’t have had to spend over a hundred bucks of his weekly paycheck to bust it out of there.

“Like I didn’t get poked and prodded enough by her?”

Gabriel looked up from the collar at the deep, dryly amused voice, unsurprised to find the dog he’d adopted missing. The man who sat in its place pushed a few locks of long, dark hair out of his face, looking up at him with those same multi-hued eyes. The smile seemed tired and almost shy, the clothes he wore rumpled and unkempt, and his whole demeanor spoke of exhaustion and hardship. All in all, though, he didn’t seem hurt and had apparently retained a sense of humor, so Gabriel was willing to call it a success. The fact that the familiar he’d just rescued had a human form that was quite easy on the eyes? That was just an added bonus.

“Hmm, fair enough.” Gabriel reached a hand out and helped pull the man up off of the ground, backing up as he found his footing. “Huh. You’re a lot taller than I expected.” That was an understatement at best. As a dog he’d been fairly large, his head coming up to the shorter man’s waist, but in this form he towered over him. Gabe wasn’t the tallest person to start with, but this was just not fair.

The familiar chuckled, a spark of genuine humor lighting up his eyes. “Yeah, I get that a lot,” he admitted sheepishly, although most of his focus seemed to be on staying upright. He nearly lost his footing on the first step forward, but quickly righted himself, arms out for balance. “Shit. Gonna have to get used to that again,” he murmured, forcing himself to take shorter strides as he reintroduced himself to walking on two legs.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Once he was sure the man wasn't going to trip over his own mile-long legs, Gabriel handed over the collar, all the while eyeing it curiously. “How the hell did you end up shift-blocked in a random-ass animal shelter anyway?” Blocking spells like the one on the collar weren’t all that common, and if you did find one, it was a pretty safe bet that whoever had put it there was a grade-A douchebag. The first thing every witch, sorcerer, or magic-user of any kind learned about familiars was that you had to treat them well, and limiting one’s ability to change its shape was exactly how not to do that. Whoever or whatever this guy had gotten himself mixed up with before ending up here, Gabriel knew it couldn’t have been pleasant.

The taller man didn’t answer immediately, his expression hard as his fingernails dug into the carved leather. “Run-in with a hunter,” he said finally, walking over to a nearby garbage can and tossing the collar in with more force than necessary. “The guy had a sick sense of humor.”

The last part, Gabriel didn’t doubt for a second. It was the first part that raised little red flags. Yes, there were some pretty smart hunters out there, but spells like this weren’t exactly common knowledge. “Right…” Even though Rover’s cryptic explanation had told him next to nothing, he doubted he was going to get any more out of the guy even if he tried. If he was the one who’d gotten stuck in a cage for an unspecified amount of time, he figured he wouldn’t be too talkative either. …Actually, on second thought, you probably couldn’t get him to shut up if he’d been in that situation. All that time without anyone to talk to? Gabriel had nightmares like that.

Obviously, the other man didn’t feel the same way, as he failed to say anything more on the subject. In fact, he seemed to be having some trouble finding any words at all. “Look, um…thanks for getting me out of there, but if you’re looking for a familiar to bond with you, I’m really not—”

“Whoa, back up the truck, big guy,” Gabriel interrupted, realizing where this train of thought was going. “At least buy me dinner first.” When the brunet just stared at him in confusion, he decided to change tactics. “Look, I said you didn’t need to thank me, and I meant it. What was I supposed to do, just leave you there? With her? I’m no saint, but I’m not a sadist either.”

That one actually managed to get a laugh out of the guy, a victory Gabriel was more than happy to claim. For the first time, he actually got a sense of genuine happiness from the guy (if only just a sense). “Well…I appreciate it. Not sure how many people would’ve done something like that,” he admitted, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. Gabriel found himself wondering how a grown man could possibly look so endearing without making an actual conscious effort. Maybe it was just some of the canine qualities bleeding through.

The shorter man merely shrugged off the compliment, sticking his hands into his pockets nonchalantly. “Well, clearly you need to start hanging out with different people.”

He regretted letting the words come out of his mouth as soon as he saw the smile slide off of the familiar’s face, guilt settling heavy in his stomach. It wasn’t as though Gabriel made a habit of thinking before he spoke, but generally, he could deal with the consequences or just didn’t give a damn about them. This wasn’t one of those situations. He heard a mumble from the man sounding a lot like “yeah, no kidding,” but he was turning to leave before Gabe could even think to comment on it. “Anyway, you should probably get going. Thanks again.” His shift back to his canine form was fluid and quick, and without another word or a glance back, he was gone, just a tail vanishing around the next corner and out of sight.

“Um…bye?” The familiar’s sudden departure left Gabriel feeling a little perturbed, like there was more he could’ve done for the guy and now he’d lost the chance. Still, he’d seemed more than comfortable walking away. Should he have said something, done something, to stop him from running off into the night? Hell, hadn’t even asked for his name. Sighing, Gabe pulled the deck out of his pocket and started shuffling it instinctively. It was out of his hands now either way, regardless of what he didn’t do or what could have happened. Worrying about the alternatives wasn’t going to do any good at this point.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d stood there staring at the spot where the familiar had disappeared, but eventually cold and hunger forced him to start moving again. It was already dark, and he still had to figure out how to get back to his apartment from here. As he exited the alley, Gabriel made a quick detour to the convenience store he’d spotted earlier. After today, he’d definitely earned that Snicker’s bar.

*****

In general, Sam had been something of an early bloomer growing up. Whether certain things had just come naturally for him or he’d just had an incredible will to succeed as a child, he’d tended to pick things up pretty quickly. He’d started saying actual words at a year old, and had figured out the basics of reading before he’d gotten into kindergarten. Starting school didn’t slow him down either; he was almost consistently at the top of his classes, regularly bringing home A’s and being recommended for higher level courses. There were times when he’d worried about unintentionally making his brother look bad, or even making him jealous, but Dean was always just as proud of his successes as their parents, maybe even more so.

There were just two areas in his life where this rule didn’t apply: his height and his shifting. And, of course, Dean made a point of harassing him mercilessly for both.

“Okay, I think I’ve got it.” Sam rolled his eyes, forehead pressed against the window as he watched houses, trees and people fly by. He didn’t interrupt, though, genuinely curious to hear whatever mad theory was about to come out of his brother’s mouth. “A moose.”

The younger boy gave a short bark of surprised laughter, turning to stare at his brother incredulously. “A what?”

Dean smirked, glancing away from the road momentarily to catch a glimpse of the other’s reaction. “Yeah, it’s perfect! Hell, you’ve already got the long, skinny legs. All you need are a pair of antlers and it’s a done deal.”

Rolling his eyes, Sam released a long-suffering sigh. After finally starting his growth spurt over the summer, he’d thought he would at long last be free of the constant jabs about his height. Unfortunately, the gawky transition phase between childhood and adulthood was giving Dean plenty of ammo. “Right, because that’s definitely how it works.”

“Damn straight. Look at it this way: I’m a badass,” he started, pointing to himself. “Which is why I have badass shift forms. And since you’re nerdy and awkward,” he continued, gesturing to his brother, “it stands to reason your shift form will be, too. Makes perfect sense,” Dean explained matter-of-factly, as if what he was saying was common knowledge, a simple fact of life that everyone came to accept.

Shaking his head, Sam turned to gaze out the window again with a humorless smile on his lips. “Yep, you totally nailed it, Dean,” he chuckled, albeit weakly. In truth they both knew that the process was a little more complicated than that. Unlike traditional shape shifters, familiars were limited in what kinds of animals they could change into. Everyone had a least one, a Companion form, usually that of a common or domestic animal that could easily blend in if the need arose. Members of some of the older bloodlines, though, also had a more powerful Warrior form, remnant of a time when familiars had to act as their witches’ protectors as well as their assistants and confidants. Dean already had both; a pit bull terrier and a Siberian tiger, the latter he’d just gotten the previous year while he and Sam had been in a particularly vicious argument (whatever that had been about, neither could remember. Obviously, it‘d paled in comparison to Dean shifting into his Warrior form for the first time). Sam, on the hand, hadn’t been so lucky.

The older boy’s good-natured grin faded, and after a moment he reached forward to turn the radio down, silencing the Led Zeppelin cassette that had been playing. That got Sam’s attention; usually Dean made a point of blaring his music as loudly as possible, especially when the younger told him to turn it down “Hey, you know I’m just messing with you, right?” he probed, trying to keep one eye on the road as he glanced at his brother sympathetically.

Of course Sam knew this; it was one of the most basic parts of their relationship. Normally, he was happy to participate, throwing a few well-timed quips of his own until one of them was left without a decent comeback. The fact that he wasn’t even making an effort was probably what had tipped Dean off that something was bothering him. The teen sighed, knowing he wouldn’t be off the hook until he explained himself. “…What if I don’t get a shift form?”

“What?” Even without turning away from the window, he could practically hear Dean going into protective older brother mode. “That’s crazy, of course you’ll get one.”

The teenager finally turned to meet his brother’s gaze, his expression skeptical at best. “Dean, you had your first shift in seventh grade. And Mom had hers even earlier than that. I’m fifteen, and still nothing.”

“C’mon, man, don’t do that to yourself. You know it’s different for everyone. So it’s taking a little longer for your shift mojo to kick in, so what? Maybe your animal is just so amazing the world isn’t ready for it yet?” Dean added encouragingly, nudging the younger boy in the ribs.

A smirk made its way across his face at that, but the doubt still weighed heavy in his heart. Logically, he knew he was being ridiculous; it was statistically impossible for him not to be a familiar. As far as numbers where concerned, their kind made up less than half of a percent of the population, and that was speaking optimistically. Once hunters had figured out how much of a power boost they gave to witches, familiars had quickly become a prime target. The whole species might have been completely wiped out if evolution hadn’t intervened and given them a few very powerful special features. Besides being able to shift into another animal, both as a means of disguise and to better protect themselves and their bonded witch, they were genetically dominant. As long as one parent was a familiar, any children they had were guaranteed to be in the exact same boat.

Still…he’d grown up just as accustomed to seeing his mother’s companion form — a gentle golden retriever with fur that shimmered like sunlight — as her human form. He and Dean had been raised on a slightly different variation of fairy tales, where instead of eating Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, the wolf had protected them from a witch-killing woodsman; and where Puss in Boots served as a prime example of how a familiar was meant to act, fiercely loyal to their witch and aiding them tirelessly. He’d been taught from a young age to recognize the difference between a regular animal and a familiar in disguise, to sense the minute traces of magic that radiate off of all magic users, the same energy but a distinctly unique Pulse for each person. His whole life, Sam had been completely immersed in this world. The very prospect of not being a part of it scared him like nothing else.

The troubled boy was pulled out of his musings by a warm hand on his shoulder, coaxing him to look up. “Seriously, Sammy. You’re going to shift sooner or later, I promise. And even if you were the one in a million that didn’t, do you think I’d treat you any differently?”

Sam bit his lip, considering. “No…”

“Do you think Mom and Dad would love you any less?”

“Wha—no, of course not!”

“Then what’s there to worry about?” Dean’s smile was soft and genuine as he looked his brother in the eye. “Shift form or no shift form, you're my little brother. Nothing’s gonna change that.”

It didn’t put his fears to rest, not completely at least, but it did help. “Thanks, Dean,” Sam murmured, a real smile on his face for the first time since he’d gotten into the car.

Satisfied that his brother’s bad mood had been averted, Dean reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair in a way he knew for a fact Sam hated. “Don’t mention it. But that mini therapy session’s gonna cost you, just so you know.”

Sam laughed, giving his brother a shove, hard enough to jostle him but not to run them off the road. “Yeah, whatever. God, you’re a jerk.”

“That’s why you love me!” Before Sam could open his mouth to respond, though, the older teen reached for the volume dial, filling the car with rock music once again. For once, though, he had no complaints, happily listening to his brother belt out the words to “Ramble On” as they made their way home.

Two weeks later, Sam raced down the stairs after waking up as a big, fluffy Leonberger, stumbling over clumsy paws in a rush to show his family. Dean had made some snarky comments about how he’d “always known Sam was a bitch”, but their dad had quickly silenced him with a light slap to the back of the head. The younger boy had been far too busy getting used to his new shape and sniffing at everything he could find to even notice.

Chapter Text

“Aw, you’ve got to be kidding me!” Gabriel glared down at the inverted glass on the table as if it had personally wronged him. Of course, he knew it wasn’t the glass’ fault that his five dollar tip was currently suspended in the ice water beneath it. That blame lay on the shoulders of the drunken idiots who’d been sitting there earlier and decided to have a laugh at his expense. “Can you believe this?” he exclaimed in outrage to the almost empty bar, gesturing wildly. “Look, I appreciate a prank just as much as the next guy, but this is just pathetic. Completely juvenile. I mean, what is the world coming to when a guy can’t even get a simple tip without—”

“Oh, don’t be such a drama queen.” His rant of righteous fury was placed on hold as he glanced over his shoulder, where Kali was counting up their profits for the night. “It’s not like it makes things that much more difficult for you,” she reminded him, sounding terribly unimpressed by his antics. To be fair, she used that same tone fairly often, so it was hard to tell if she was actually unimpressed or just using her normal voice.

Furrowing his brow in what was most definitely not a pout, Gabriel sighed and rolled up his sleeves. “Not the point,” he clarified, lifting the glass and turning it right side up again while its contents remained undisturbed. “It’s the principle. I was nothing if not accommodating and then they have to go and pull this bullshit.” Indignant, he reached into the glass and removed the bill, shaking it a few times to get rid of the moisture that had soaked into it. It could still be used, but he certainly didn’t enjoy shoving his hand into an icy beverage just to get his tip.

“‘Accommodating’?” A low chuckle from the kitchen carried over the sound of plates and silverware clinking together as the were put away. Flicking off the lights, Benny stepped out into the main room as he pulled on his jacket, raising a skeptical eyebrow at the shorter man. “Weren’t you making fun of that one guy’s hair from the second they walked in?”

“Hey, he should’ve been thanking me for the fashion advice,” Gabriel declared, removing his apron and teleporting it to the coat rack behind the liquor counter. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t supposed to use his powers in front of ‘mere mortals’. He’d never been too good at following that rule. “If I looked that stupid, I’d want someone to have the common courtesy to tell me.” In his defense, the man had gotten it into his head that curly hair and a mullet were a good combination. He’d been doing him a favor.

“Right, so maybe now’s a good time to talk to you about that hideous orange shirt you were wearing last week?” Kali chimed in innocently, then ducked to avoid the dishrag tossed in her direction. The wide grin on Gabriel’s face gave him away, though; try as he might, he couldn’t be too annoyed with either of them. After all, the two mortals were the best friends he'd ever had. He and Kali had years of history, traveling the world, seeing the sites, even having a few passionate flings here and there. Ultimately, though, it was unanimously decided that they functioned best as close friends, with or without the benefits. They’d met Benny after finding themselves in New Orleans and for one reason or another both decided to stick around there for a while, and in no time the prickly-looking marshmallow of a man had made a place for himself in both their lives. The way Gabriel saw it, they balanced each other out pretty well.

Trickster’s Tavern had been a joint investment, and after almost three years, business didn’t show any signs of slowing down. It wasn’t the largest bar on Bourbon Street, nor was it necessarily the most popular — possibly due to the lack of strippers; Gabe had thought about pitching the idea more than once, but the scathing look Kali had given him the first time he’d mentioned it had been more than enough of a deterrent. Nevertheless, they got enough customers on a regular basis to keep the place afloat, while still managing to pocket a fair amount of profit. Hell, they’d even managed to earn themselves a few regulars. Benny was just as talented a bartender as he was a cook, Gabriel had gotten very good at discretely using his magic to make keeping up with the crowds easier, and Kali was a literal goddess when it came to keeping the two of them on task and in check. The witch would be lying if he claimed he hadn’t been half expecting the place to crash and burn, but apparently he’d picked the right business partners.

One of the Tavern’s more notable quirks was its lack of clearly defined hours of operation. From 6 pm onward, they were open for as long as people kept coming in. Tuesdays, for example, weren’t their busiest nights, and with the clock approaching eleven and no new customers in the past half hour, it looked like this would be an early night.

At least, that’s what all three had been planning for when a disheveled figure trudged in from the cold January air and all but collapsed into the nearest chair, arms wrapped around himself for warmth. He didn’t even seem to notice that the bar was completely deserted save for the handful of people who staffed it, or if he did he was too preoccupied with other matters to give the fact much thought.

In all fairness, though, the man had been so quiet that none of them even realized he was there until Kali spotted him over Gabriel’s shoulder, her scarlet lips pressed into a thin line. “So much for clocking out early,” she mused, hands toying with the buttons on her coat as she wondered whether she should even bother fastening them.

Looking the figure over, Benny leaned back against the bar thoughtfully. “You wanna go kick him out?” he challenged lightly, his voice a soft murmur as his eyes stayed fixed on their customer. “The guy looks like he’s been through hell and back.”

For his part, Gabriel was completely oblivious to the exchange, ignoring his friends in favor of staring at the man across the room. It couldn’t be…could it? After all, two weeks had passed since that night at Second Chance. The witch had pretty much just accepted the fact that the familiar was long gone and had hoped he’d gotten wherever he’d meant to go safely. From the looks of it, that hadn’t happened. The hair was messier, the bags under his eyes were dark and pronounced, and a scruffy layer of facial hair covered his jaw, but there was no mistaking the face.

Considering his option, Gabriel turned to his colleagues, who were still deliberating over how to best approach the situation. Lucky for them, he had this one covered. “Hey, why don’t you guys go ahead,” he offered, point his thumb over his shoulder at the door. “I’ll lock up when we’re done here.”

Both of his coworkers paused mid-conversation and stared at him as if he’d spontaneously grown an extra head (which he had done once, during a particularly drunken Halloween. Granted, it hadn’t been a real head, technically, but that was beside the point). Normally, when Gabriel offered to close, it was because he wanted to flirt with one of the bar patrons in hopes of getting lucky. Since he wasn’t wearing his usual cocky smirk, though, they were forced to believe he had another reason for offering to stay behind. Kali was the first to figure it out, her eyes widening in recognition. “Oh. This is one of those…?” She made a vague motion with her hand.

“‘Fraid so,” he confirmed, knowing full well what the gesture was supposed to mean. He also knew better than to let his very human friends get dragged into situations where magic was likely involved. Although they were fully aware of what he was and what he could do, and as much as he enjoyed showing off for them, Benny and Kali just weren’t a part of this aspect of his life. Fortunately, they recognized this too, and so far they’d had no qualms about staying as far away from it as possible while still maintaining their friendship with the witch.

Their suspicions verified, Benny put his hands up, pulling away from the counter. “Say no more.” Pulling on his cap, he clapped Gabriel on the shoulder on his way to the door. “See you tomorrow, brother.”

Kali followed not far behind, pausing to give the shorter man a peck on the cheek before trapping him in her hard-as-steel gaze. “Make an effort to stay out of trouble,” she advised, though it sounded a lot more like a warning.

“Don’t I always?” Thankfully, she didn’t feel the need to justify that question with a response. Otherwise they’d be there all night.

With his friends on their way to their respective homes, Gabriel turned his attention to the bar’s sole occupant, casually walking over to his table by the window. The brunet didn’t look up as he approached, but evidently he could hear him coming. “Just water for me, please,” he murmured, his voice much rougher and more strained than the blond remembered. There was no recognition in the tone, so it was probably safe to assume whatever mojo it was familiars used to identify witches was on the fritz. Not that Gabe was too surprised; the guy looked as though he was about to pass out at any moment. It was a wonder he was even remotely aware of his surroundings.

The witch smirked, eyebrow flared as he looked down at the brunet. “Sure, you want that in a glass or should I just bring you a bowl?”

That certainly seemed to get the familiar’s attention, as his entire body went rigid and his gaze shot up to find Gabriel standing over him. Going by his shocked expression alone, it was hard to tell whether he was happy to see the witch or dismayed. At least it was clear that he was terribly surprised. “What’re you doing here?”

“Uh, I work here?” Gabe suggested, tapping at the piece of plastic pinned to his shirt. “Guess the name tag and me taking your drink order weren’t big enough hints.”

The taller man didn’t look particularly impressed by the comment, avoiding the server’s gaze as he stared coldly out the window. “Well, now you’ve got it,” he noted, clearly hoping his host would the hint and leave him be.

Gabriel did the exact opposite and pulled a chair out from the table, spinning it around and taking a seat with his arms crossed over the backrest. “Man, someone’s in a mood tonight. What’s eating you?”

In the reflection on the glass, he could see the other man’s expression soften just a fraction. It still wasn’t enough to get him to turn around. “You’re asking a complete stranger about his problems? Why do you even think I’d tell you?” The question was less defensive, more genuinely confused.

“Aw, I wouldn’t call you a complete stranger,” Gabriel assured him, reaching out to pat the giant of a man on the arm. “We’ve got history! Plus,” he added, feigning innocence, “if you want to be technical about it, I sort of own you.”

Where his previous attempts had failed, this one actually managed to get a response. Judging from the glare he was receiving, it wasn’t a positive one. “You can’t own a person,” the familiar muttered, his gaze blade sharp. “Maybe you’re not aware of this, but it’s a human rights violation.”

“True, that’s true,” Gabriel conceded. “But, strictly speaking, you’re not human, are—?”

The rest of the line caught in his throat as the familiar slammed a hand down on the table, hard. “Then let me put it this way,” he growled, rising from his chair to loom menacingly over the witch. His stricken appearance didn’t make him any less threatening. “You don’t own me. I didn’t ask you to get me out of that place, and I sure as hell don’t owe you anything for it.” Gabriel thought he might’ve spotted a pair of sharpened canines glinting in the dim light of the bar, but it was possible that the fear for his life was just messing with his head.

Swallowing hard, he put his hands up in defense, hoping to defuse the situation before he ended up with a nice set of teeth marks in his jugular, courtesy of one very pissed off familiar. “O-kay, fair point. No owning, absolutely zero ownership here.” The blond knew his sense of humor wasn’t the most appropriate at times, but he certainly hadn’t expected to set the guy off like this. ‘Nice going, Gabe. So much for trying to be a decent human being.’ The taller man rolled his eyes and turned to leave, the water he’d come in for long forgotten. He had his hand on the door by the time Gabriel managed to find his voice again. “W-Wait, hold up!” Miraculously, it was enough to get him to pause, but he still looked ready to storm out at any moment. “I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing to say, and I know it.” Once again, thinking about what he said and actually saying it had occurred in the wrong order. “Listen, I get that you know nothing about me, and you probably don’t want to take my word for it, but I really do want to help.”

“I don’t need your—”

“Please, don’t,” Gabe interjected flatly. He couldn’t stand to hear the words “I’m fine” or any variation thereof from a guy who so obviously was anything but. “Look, I’ve got an empty couch back at my apartment, all I want to do is offer it to you for the night. No strings attached.” He felt like he was trying to talk down a frightened animal, which, if he thought about it, wasn’t that far off base.

The familiar hadn’t left yet, and the witch took that as a good sign. “What makes you think I don’t already have somewhere to stay?” he challenged, glancing back over his shoulder but making no movement otherwise.

Gabriel crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised skeptically. “You’re wearing the same clothes and about five fewer pounds than the last time I saw you, Marmaduke. Just because I’m pretty doesn’t mean I’m an idiot.” Maybe it was just naive optimism talking, but he really felt like he was close to cracking the guy. “You wouldn’t have to stay any longer than you wanted to. Just humor me, please? For my own peace of mind, if nothing else.”

Time seemed to stop, neither one of them making a sound. Finally, the familiar pushed the door open, letting in a gust of cool night air. Gabriel felt his heart sink to his stomach and was prepared to start another round of negotiation when he heard the man speak up.

“Just for one night. That’s it.”

*****

Elysian Fields Apartments certainly lived up to its name, at least in comparison to some of the other places Gabriel had lived over the years. The building was well-maintained, the apartments themselves spacious and fully furnished, and it was just a short walk and a bus ride away from Trickster’s so commuting was a breeze. Add to that the friendly neighbors who knew when to mind their own business and the pool that was unfortunately closed during the winter months but open for use any other time of the year, and yes, the place really did feel like a little piece of paradise.

It was also well above the price range of a guy who made his living working at a bar. The only reason he was even able to live here was because Kali was amazing and just so happened to be dating Baldur Norse, the owner of the Elysian and a few other swanky places. It was Gabe’s firm belief that the man was an incredible douchebag with a huge stick up his ass and that Kali could do way better, but for whatever reason she seemed fond of the guy. And if one of the perks of that relationship was an amazing deal on rent, who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?

“Well, here we are. Feel free to make yourself at home.” Since taking in a homeless familiar had been a spontaneous decision, Gabriel hadn’t had the foresight to tidy up first. At the very least, it wasn’t a total disaster area. Though he didn’t look like the type, the witch made a point of keeping his apartment relatively clean, if only so he didn’t trip over anything. Still, there were some clothes strewn about in the main room and a few discarded candy wrappers, and his own bedroom was just more of the same. The second bedroom had been more or less converted into storage space, a place to keep all of the stuff he didn’t want lying around in plain sight. Needless to say, this mostly consisted of magic-related objects: the grimoire he’d been given for his eighteenth birthday, a small library of other spell books, a few specific ingredients that he liked to have on hand just in case of emergencies. It was basically his own personal Hogwarts in there.

Unfortunately, this meant his guest was stuck sleeping on the couch instead of in an actual bed tonight. Not that it was the worst position to be in; Gabriel had dozed off on the same couch more times than he could count and woken up rested and free of any serious neck pain. In any case, it sure beat sleeping outside in the middle of winter, so hopefully the familiar wouldn’t have too many complaints.

Leaving the brunet to look around, Gabriel hung up his coat before making a beeline for the closet, trying to remember where he’d put his extra sheets or if they were even clean. “Sorry if the couch is kind of cramped,” Gabe called over his shoulder. “I, uh, didn’t really factor in height when I offered it to you. If it’s too uncomfortable, I can probably clear off the crap on the other bed.” It wasn’t really something he was dying to do in the middle of the night, but maybe it wouldn’t take too long with help. Finally tracking down sheets, blankets, and a spare pillow, he kicked the closet door shut with his foot. “Name’s Gabriel, by the way, but Gabe works too. Sorry, I never caught your…”

His introduction fell on deaf ears as Gabriel spotted the large, furry shape already curled up on top of the couch cushions and snoring softly. “…Huh. Or that works, I guess,” he said to himself quietly, dropping his armful of fabric on the nearby coffee table. Evidently, his guest had had no trouble getting comfortable, but it looked as though his companion form was in almost as sorry a state as the human one. His fur was a tangled, matted mess, and underneath it Gabe was sure he’d be able to see ribs sticking out from under his skin. He made a mental note to have food ready when his houseguest woke up, but for now deemed it best to let sleeping dogs lie, in more ways than one.

Grabbing a thin blanket, he draped it over the sleeping form, careful not to disturb him. In spite of himself, he smiled fondly at the sight; he looked so much more peaceful and content now than Gabriel had ever seen him. If only he could look that way while conscious. “Sleep tight, Fido.” Stifling a yawn, the witch shut off the lights and headed to his own room, following the familiar’s example. He had places to be and stuff to do in the morning, and it wouldn’t do him any good to be tired for that.

Chapter Text

By the time Sam woke up the next morning, the sun was well into the sky, filling the apartment with a bright yellow glow. As his blinked his eyes open and his jaws parted in a full-body yawn, it took him a few seconds to remember why he wasn’t freezing his tail off in an alley. He still felt half asleep as he rose to his paws, shaking out his fur and dislodging the blanket that had been covering him. When had that gotten there? Tilting his head, he sniffed at the throw inquisitively, recognizing the sweet, vaguely smoky scent almost immediately. So the witch had put it on him. That was…nice, if a little confusing and not strictly necessary. The familiar put it out of his mind as he shifted into his human form, another yawn escaping his lips as he stretched this body as well. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so rested. The fact that he’d slept so deeply and so easily in a complete stranger’s home was a testament to how much his body had needed the break.

Speaking of which, he’d almost forgotten about his host. Blinking the last remnants of sleep from his eyes, Sam looked around the main room, his ears anticipating any sounds from inside the apartment. For the moment it seemed deserted; the only noises he heard were from the cars and people moving around outside, and any traces of the witch’s scent were at least several hours old. His brow furrowed, Sam ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully, trying to fathom why the guy had any reason to think leaving a stranger alone in his apartment was a good idea. It was then that he noticed the folded paper sitting on the table, right next to a stack of sheets and a pillow. Eyes narrowed, he plucked it up and unfolded it, reading over the wide, slanting letters.

Sorry I couldn’t be there when you woke up. Had a previous engagement and didn’t want to wake you. Food and drinks are in the fridge. Bathroom is the first door on the left and free for use. Tried to find some clothes your size, but deemed the task impossible. T-shirt and sweatpants are on the table for you anyway. Be back later; make yourself comfy, but please don’t rob me blind. That would suck.

-Gabriel Shurley

Beneath that a phone number was printed, along with a simplistic smiley-face poking its tongue out. Sam couldn’t help but feel appreciative as he read through the note, a small smile making its way onto his face. He still had some doubts about the guy, but so far there weren’t any warning bells going off in his head. Maybe he really did just want to help? A bitter huff of laughter slid past his lips. “Yeah, like I’d ever get that lucky,” he murmured, putting the note back where he’d found it before rising from the couch. As much as his stomach ached for something even resembling food, he also knew he was long overdue for a bath. This Gabriel guy had already done so much for him; the least he could do in return was not get dirt and grime everywhere.

Even though he’d promised himself he wouldn’t take more than ten minutes, the brunet quickly lost track of time under the steaming spray of the shower. It’d been way too long since he’d had a chance to enjoy little luxuries like water heating, and without meaning to he’d spent most of his time just enjoying the feeling. Luckily, he managed to come back to his senses before he ended up using all of the hot water, quickly washing before shutting off the water and drying off with the towel he’d found on the coffee table. Apparently Gabriel had thought of everything when it came to hospitality; there was even a brand new toothbrush and disposable razor waiting for him next to the sink. By the time he was finished, Sam felt like he could finally recognize the man looking back at him from the fogged mirror.

The clothes were definitely too small for him, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t been anticipating that. Gabriel was nearly a foot shorter than him, so it wasn’t as though he would have Sam’s clothing size just lying around. The sweatpants only reached down to mid-calf, the shirt was tight around his chest and his wrists extended far past the sleeves, but as long as he didn’t lift his arm up too high, they would suffice. It was certainly better than walking around naked or wearing the soiled clothes he’d been living in for the past few weeks. Those he placed in the hamper beside the bathroom door, hoping he wasn’t overstepping his run of the house by doing so. The note hadn’t really specified what to do with his own laundry, but worst case scenario, he’d just apologize profusely and grab it before he left.

By the time he was showered, shaved, and dressed, all Sam could think about was getting something, anything, into his stomach. Luckily for him, the witch hadn’t half-assed anything when it came to breakfast. The familiar’s eyes widened when he opened the refrigerator door it find a pair of sizable containers stacked at the front of the shelf, filled to capacity with pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. If there was any question that they’d been left for him, that was quickly put to rest by the post-it note reading ‘Bon-appetite!’ stuck to the lid. Generally, Sam didn’t tend to eat much for breakfast, usually a bowl of cereal or oatmeal and some fruit, but his mouth watered at the sight. Finally giving into his body’s demands, he quickly heated up a plate in the microwave and filled a glass with orange juice, paying no mind to the weird aftertaste that came with drinking it right after brushing his teeth.

Halfway into his second serving, once his hunger had been sated enough that he could think about anything else, Sam’s mind wandered to the strange, short man who was responsible for all of this. This was the second time Gabriel had helped him, and so far he hadn’t asked for anything in return. Breaking him out of the shelter was one thing, but letting him spend the night here? Sharing his home and food with a man he’d met all of once, a man whose name he didn’t even know? It was possible that he had some kind of ulterior motive, that he was trying to lull the familiar into a false sense of security, but for whatever reason, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that. From what he’d seen, the witch genuinely wanted to help him, even after the way Sam had acted back at the bar. The memory of his behavior last night weighed heavily on him as he slowly lost his appetite. Gabriel had been nothing but nice to him; meanwhile, Sam had made every effort to keep him at arm’s length. Could it really hurt to give the guy a chance?

A brief flash of cold metal and colder blue eyes answered that question.

Swallowing hard, he managed to shake himself of the unpleasant memory just in time for the door to open, causing him to instinctively look up and sit at attention. Gabriel smiled as soon as he spotted the familiar, even as he struggled with the plastic bags in his arms. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty! Nice to see you finally up and about. Good morning!”

Stomping down on the paranoia trying to overcome him, Sam mustered a wry smile. “More like afternoon,” he pointed out, nodding toward the luminous green digits on the microwave. It was quickly approaching three and he’d only been awake for the past hour and a half at the most. Again, the thought of sleeping so much of the day away left him a little self-conscious, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “Sorry about that…”

The witch just shot him an amused glance at he dropped his bags on the counter. “You’re seriously apologizing for sleeping in after you passed out from exhaustion?” The familiar opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it, realizing that the shorter man did have a point. “You clean up nice, kiddo.”

“‘Kiddo?’” Sam looked up from poking at the remaining food on his plate, shooting the shorter man a confused look. “You can’t be that much older than me.”

Gabriel shrugged, a variety of cans and boxes floating up and into the higher cabinets in response to his hand motions. Clearly, levitation was one of his natural gifts; every witch had a few powers they were able to use without much effort. The rest usually required either a significant energy boost or a well-constructed spell to achieve. “No, but the huge puppy-dog eyes make you look a lot younger,” he explained, as if it were obvious. Sam had to chuckle silently at that; it wasn’t the first time he’d heard something similar. “Oh, you might look better with these though.” Without further warning, the blond tossed him the remaining bag, which he caught deftly. Interest piqued, he opened it to find a few shirts and pairs of jeans, along with a package of socks and boxer shorts. “I figured you might prefer something that actually fit. I was gonna take a guess at your size, but then I thought ‘screw it’, grabbed the largest they had, and hoped for the best.”

Despite the man’s claims, though, the clothes really did look like a decent fit. The fact that he’d even bothered to get them was…unexpected, to say the least. Sam smiled unconsciously as he ran his fingers over a blue plaid flannel. It looked like Gabriel had used the familiar’s older clothes as a style reference. “Well, thank you,” he finally said, looking up at the witch with sincere gratitude. “Seriously, I don’t know how to pay you back for this.” Well, he could think of one thing, but hopefully the same idea wouldn’t cross Gabriel’s mind. He’d already dodged that bullet once.

“Hey, don’t sweat it.” Closing the cabinets with a wave of his hand, Gabriel strode over to the table, dropping into one of the chairs. “I figure I’ll just let karma pick up the slack for this one.” The familiar chuckled, hoping his relief wasn’t too obvious. Maybe he really was just being paranoid. He started to rethink this, though, when the blond’s expression turned thoughtful. “Actually…Y’know, we’re a little shorthanded at Trickster’s. I doubt anyone would mind an extra pair of hands around the place. Not like waiting tables requires much job experience anyway,” he tacked on for reassurance, crossing his arms behind his head.

Sam blinked, nervous anticipation sweeping out of his body as he tried to wrap his head around what the man was saying. “You’re offering me a job?” It certainly wasn’t the payment method he’d been expecting, but he couldn’t exactly complain about that. Anyway, it would beat being another witch’s lapdog.

“Sure, why not? You can stay here until you get back on your feet, and this way you won’t feel like you owe me anything. Total win-win!” The shorter man must have picked up on the familiar’s reluctance, though, because after a moment his lowered his arms and sat up in his chair. “What?”

Frankly, he’d considered asking his host the exact same question. “Nothing, it’s just…” Biting the inside of his cheek, he let his gaze dart back and forth across the table, carefully avoiding the intense gold of the shorter man’s gaze. “You’ve known me less than a day. You don’t know anything about me, you don’t even know my name.” Granted, Sam could’ve given it at any time, but the fact that he hadn’t been asked for it in the first place confounded him. It made sense if Gabriel had only planned to let him stay for a single night; why bother getting to know someone you'd likely never see again? But now… “Why are you going through all this trouble for someone you barely know?”

“Uh…because that’s what decent people do?” Gabriel suggested, apparently not sure what kind of answer was expected of him. “Do I really need an excuse besides that? And as far as the name thing goes, that can be fixed pretty easily.” Crossing his legs, the stared at the familiar expectantly. Either the witch was telling the truth, or he was a very accomplished liar. Sam had stopped trusting himself to know the difference a while ago.

Hesitant as he was, the familiar figured there wasn’t any real harm in just giving his name. It couldn’t put him in any worse a position, at least. “Sam. Sam Winchester.”

“Well, Sammy—” A low growl rumbled from his throat before he could cut it off, to the brunet’s embarrassment. As much as he tried to ignore it, the nickname was something of a sore spot for him. Dean had used it his whole life, partially due to force of habit and partially because he knew it annoyed the hell out of the younger boy. Aside from his brother, though, the name wasn’t exactly associated with good memories.“Er, Sam,” the witch quickly amended, apparently realizing his he’d overstepped some unspoken boundary. His smile only faltered for a moment before returning with a vengeance. “What’s the verdict?”

Eyeing the witch thoughtfully, Sam weighed his options. The more cautious parts of his brain were pleading with him to decline and just leave while the chance was still there. Gabriel might not have given him any reason to doubt his good intentions, but he had no reason to trust them, either. However, his sensible side had to consider his current situation. Here he was, in an unfamiliar city with nowhere to stay and no source of income, and being offered just that. Honestly, his next best alternative would probably be living as a stray for the foreseeable future, until he ended up in another animal shelter. The more he thought about it, the less of a choice he saw in the matter. Closing his eyes, Sam exhaled slowly and just hoped he wouldn’t regret his decision. “Just as long as you’re sure I’m not overstaying my welcome.”

“You kidding?” Gabriel sprung off of his chair, beaming like a kid who’d just gotten a puppy. Which, in a weird way, wasn’t actually too far off. “It’ll be nice to have the company! I’ll be honest, the other bedroom isn’t in the best shape,” he explained with a slight wince. “But I’m sure I can at least dig the bed out from under that mess. Believe me, this is one job that’s been a long time—”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down for a second.” With his host’s mile-a-minute chatter put on hold, Sam cleared his throat, looking for the right words. “Look, thank you, but you don’t have to go through the trouble. I’m not gonna be staying here that long anyway.” The ‘hopefully’ in that sentence went unspoken. “I’ll just sleep in my other form, it’ll take up a lot less space. Still better than sleeping in an alley in the middle of winter,” he added, hoping his weak smile didn’t look too forced. The last thing he needed was a chance to get comfortable in the witch’s apartment. It would just make leaving that much harder when circumstances were more in his favor.

The witch seemed a little bemused by the reaction, but didn’t press the matter. “Hey, suit yourself, pal. Just try and keep the shedding to a minimum.” Sam rolled his eyes, but let a small grin slip free. “Oh, you should try those on,” Gabriel continued, pointing to the bag on the table. “Not that you don’t look great in my clothes, but you might wanna try something that doesn’t cut off blood flow to the extremities.”

Taking this as a dismissal, Sam nodded, grabbing the bundle and making his way to the bathroom. Behind him he could hear Gabriel picking up the plate he’d left behind and depositing it in the sink, whistling cheerily. Once the door was closed, the familiar let himself slump back against it, exhaling deeply. Well, that certainly hadn’t gone as planned. Somehow, his brief stay with the man had been extended indefinitely, and despite his better judgment, he’d let himself get talked into agreeing. What had he been thinking? Just because the witch had made him food and bought him some clothes didn’t necessarily mean Sam could trust him. Hell, he had more incentive to leave now, because who knew how long that would still be an option? Maybe this Gabriel guy seemed alright now, but was this really a risk he could afford to take?

Running a hand through his hair, the familiar forced himself to calm down and not let panic cloud his judgment. It was a blow to his ego, sure, accepting help from a guy he barely knew, but he could think of far worse fates. At most, he’d only be here for a few weeks, possibly less if the job Gabriel was offering paid well enough. And if things went sideways, if he got even the slightest inkling that something was wrong, he’d leave. There was nothing tying him down here, nothing stopping him from getting out if he had to. As long as he kept his guard up, everything would be alright.

One thing was certain: if Gabriel wanted a familiar, he’d have to look somewhere else. Because as soon as things shifted in Sam’s favor, he’d be long gone.

*****

The first time Sam bonded with a witch, he did it out of love.

He still remembered the moment he’d realized there was a witch in his freshman ethics class at Stanford. It wasn’t the first time he’d sensed a magic-user’s Pulse, of course, but as he set foot in the lecture hall, he’d actually stopped dead in his tracks. The feeling in his chest, a warm, soothing glow that seemed to ignite out of nowhere, was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. No other witch he’d come in contact with had ever affected him so strongly. Immediately, he knew he had to find this person, but tracking down one individual in a class of three hundred or more students was far easier said than done. Trying to keep a low profile while doing so was even more of a challenge. After the first month, he was starting to fear that the sensation of peace and warmth was the closest he was ever going to get.

A few weeks later, his roommate insisted on dragging him to a party on campus, despite Sam’s valiant efforts to get out of it. Looking back, he found himself grateful for Brady’s stubbornness, because the moment he was introduced to Jessica Moore the world suddenly clicked into place. It’d taken him longer to recover than he would’ve liked, and when he finally did remember how to talk, all he could manage to force out of his mouth was, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

Thankfully, she didn’t seem too bothered by his awkwardness. Instead, she just took his hand in her smaller one and looked up at him with a smile that felt like home. “Glad I’m not the only one.”

They’d ended up splitting off from their friends soon after and spending the entire night just talking. He told her everything he could think to tell: about his parents, a familiar and a hunter who’d somehow fallen in love against all rhyme or reason; about his brother, who was strong and smart and undyingly loyal, but swore up and down that he’d never let himself be tied down to a witch; about himself, the first in his family to go to college and intent on getting into law school. Jess returned the favor; she was a third-generation witch and the middle child of three; her inherent knack for healing magic had been what led her to study nursing; and for nearly two months she’d been trying to track down the familiar in her ethics class. Evidently, luck had been on both their sides.

The two were dating by the end of the semester, and by the beginning of sophomore year they’d moved in together. A month after that, they were officially bonded. Natural bonds between witches and familiars were just another mystery of their world. Any magic-user could form a bond with any familiar, but only naturals could do so without performing a binding ritual. No one was really sure what measured compatibility, though theories ranged from coinciding energy frequencies to the strength of the emotional connection. Like most aspects of magic, it was hardly an exact science.

For his part, Sam couldn’t have cared less how or why it had happened. Waking up to find Jess’ flowing, nearly luminous white sigil imprinted on his upper arm, marking him as hers and hers alone, had been arguably one of the most perfect moments of his life. From then on, the warm glow in his chest was another constant, like the sun rising in the morning or blood running through his veins. Omnipresent, vital, life-sustaining. For four years, he and Jess were practically inseparable. Sam was her best friend, her trusted ally, and — much to his personal delight — the love of her life. And whether it was the soul bond talking or his inner hopeless romantic, she was the center of his world.

And then, just like that, it was over.

He’d been with Dean that night, catching up at a local bar after the elder had complained for weeks prior that it’d been far too long since he’d spent any quality time with his baby brother. They celebrated Sam’s impending interview for Stanford’s law school, and he showed his older brother the ring that had been burning a hole in his pocket for the past week. Traditionally, romantic relationships between bonded witches and their familiars wasn’t a common practice, but things had changed in a few thousand years and it wasn’t nearly as taboo as it had once been. Besides, when you’re bound to someone by your very soul, was there really any harm in adding another dimension to that relationship? In any case, Sam already knew he wanted to spend his life with this woman, and Dean couldn’t be happier for him —especially after he was asked to be the best man.

Halfway through listening to his brother make plans for Sam’s bachelor party, he suddenly went rigid, dread running like a cold chill down his spine. He wasn’t sure what to make of it at first, but the bone-deep sense of foreboding was so strong it threatened to smother him. Then he felt it, the slightest tremble in that soft flame inside of him, and he knew something was very, very wrong. And that he needed to get to Jess before it was too late. He didn’t even hear Dean calling out to him as he tore out of the bar like a man possessed, barely waiting until he got outside before shifting. As his paws flew across the ground, Sam could taste ash on his tongue and feel flames licking at his skin, and he forced himself to move faster. It wasn’t until after that he realized he must’ve changed into his Warrior form at some point, something he’d never done before then. Given the circumstances, it hadn’t even crossed his mind.

When Sam was finally close enough to see the apartment building, it was already ablaze, smoke and flames pouring out of every window. He only slowed down for a moment, searching frantically for a way inside, but it was enough time for a pair of massive paws to pin him on the spot. Dean was pleading for him to stop, telling him it was too late, that he’d only get himself killed, but he could barely hear his brother over the roaring in his ears. Sam refused to listen, clawing and biting and snarling as he struggled in vain to break free. In the end, it wouldn’t have made a difference; seconds later, the younger familiar went limp as he felt that precious, beautiful glow flicker and go out, chilling him to the core. By the time anyone saw them, the two had already reverted back to their human forms, Dean holding his brother close as Sam sobbed weakly into his chest.

When it was over, the firefighters explained that it had been an accident, the dangerous combination of a faulty electrical socket and an unnoticed gas leak. The end result was a destroyed building, dozens of injuries, and one casualty. They said Jess had likely been asleep the whole time, that the smoke had probably gotten to her before the flames could. It was hardly any consolation. For weeks afterwards, Sam barely slept or ate, and any attempts to talk to him were about as effective as talking to a wall. Somehow, he’d managed to pull himself through his senior year, but couldn’t force himself to go any further than an undergraduate degree. He’d had a whole future planned out — law school, marriage, a family — but Jess’ death had effectively punched a hole in that dream.

Losing someone you loved was painful, and losing someone you were bonded to was nearly unbearable. But losing both at once? That was a disaster in the making.

Chapter Text

Weekend crowds were always pretty sizable, even outside of tourist season. As long as the weather was half-decent, you could bet that the French Quarter would be fairly crowded around midday. From where Gabriel stood on top of a bench on the corner, he estimated about twenty to thirty people had gathered around him, and that number was steadily climbing higher with each passerby who happened to glance his way and become intrigued enough to stop. It was kind of an ego trip, knowing people were voluntarily taking time out of their days just to watch him perform on a random street corner. Not that he could blame them, of course; the magician was pretty impressive, if he did say so himself.

“Thank you, you’re all far too kind!” He pulled the hat off of his head and gave a low, exaggerated bow. As per usual, the levitation tricks were a hit, even despite the obnoxious teenagers in the back shouting that it was obviously fake and that they could see the string. Unlikely, since he wasn’t using one, but it wasn’t the first time he’d had to deal with hecklers. Admittedly, though, Gabe hadn’t been paying much mind to them, or to most of the audience, really. Instead, most of his attention had been focused on the man standing a few yards away, bundled in a hoodie and leaning against a lamppost. It’d been over a week since he’d invited Sam to crash with him, and in that time the familiar had only left the apartment for the shift at Trickster’s Tavern the witch had gotten him. Aside from that, he seemed content to spend his hours either cleaning or working his way through the collection of spell books cluttering the guest room. And while the apartment had never looked better and it was nice knowing all those books were doing more than just collecting dust, Gabe couldn’t help but feel it was his responsibility to drag the man outside every now and then. Spending that much time cooped up indoors just couldn’t be healthy. After no small amount of persuasion, he’d managed to coax Sam out for at least an hour or two. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

The magician pushed down his sunglasses and shot him a playful wink before turning back to the crowd in front of him. “And now, for my next trick, an old favorite.” Holding his hat out in front of him, he displayed the interior to the audience, even pushing it inside out for good measure. “As you can see, nothing out of the ordinary here. No hidden pockets, no trick bottom. Here, why don’t you check that for me?” he added, tossing it to the man in front of him.

“Let me guess, you’re gonna pull a rabbit out of it?” The outburst was accompanied by a cackle of laughter from the back of the group.

Gabriel looked at the teenager flatly. “Actually no, smart guy. The rabbit’s on maternity leave for the rest of the month. You would not believe how often that happens.” Laughter rippled through the crowd as he took his hat back, smirking. “Not to worry, though, I’m sure I’ll be able to find something in here. Fingers crossed it’s nothing that bites.” Clearing his throat, the blond held the hat out flat in front of him and reached inside, making a show of feeling around blindly. “Let’s see here…ah-ha!” With great care, he pulled out a small, fluffy orange cat, cradling it in his hand. “Well, Dr. Seuss would be proud, folks. There is, in fact, a cat in this hat.”

A number of ‘awws’ and ‘oohs’ carried over the applause as he took a bow, ignoring the cry of “he just pulled it out of his sleeve” as he returned the cat to its hiding place. Some people just had to kill the fun for everybody else.

The rest of the act carried on this way, with Gabriel pulling a menagerie of different creatures out of his hat — including a fish that was promptly dropped back in with a tiny splash — each followed by a snide remark from the smartass in the back. The magician did take some pride in the moment of silence as he painstakingly produced a full-grown boa constrictor, but shutting the guy up wasn’t quite enough. So, once Monty the Python, as he’d introduced the reptile, slithered his way back into the hat, Gabriel stuck his hand in one last time, pushing his arm in nearly to the shoulder. His expression of intense focus broke into a grin as he pulled his hand back out, displaying the small white dove perched delicately on his finger. “Hey, wait, weren’t there supposed to be more of you?” he interrogated the bird before holding it up to his ear, apparently listening for an answer. “Uh huh….oh, I see. Hey, excuse me! Yeah, you in the back row, Captain Spoiler Alert.” The kid in question paled slightly, apparently not so tough when he was actually being called out, but crossed his arms in an attempt to look edgy and defiant for his posse. “Hey, mind opening your backpack for two seconds?”

After a moment of hesitation, the boy shrugged the bag off his shoulders and slowly unzipped the main pocket, peering inside. The next moment, he scrambled backwards spitting a string of colorful curses as dozens of white birds burst from the bag, earning several shrieks and a peal of laughter from the other spectators. Gabriel grinned as the flock escaped into the clear blue sky, scratching his own fine feathered friend under its chin. “Yeah, sorry about that, they must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere. Oh, by the way, you may want to consider cleaning that thing out.” The laughter and applause was almost as gratifying as the dumbstruck look on the teens’ faces as they puzzled over what had just happened. Neither one, though, was quite as satisfying as the tiny half-smile Sam was trying to hide. “Alright, ladies and gentlemen, you’ve been a lovely audience! Once again, my name is Loki, don’t wear it out, and enjoy the rest of your day.” With that, he flipped the hat top-down and gave it a quick toss, sending a cloud of confetti into the air. When it cleared, the magician was gone, bird and all.

No one seemed to notice when he reappeared a few feet away from Sam, sans bird and dusting pieces of confetti off of his clothes. “I think that went well.” Shaking paper out of his hair, Gabriel snapped his fingers, replacing his all-black performance garb with a more casual outfit. He’d considered added quick-changes to his act, but on the off chance something went wrong and the switch backfired, he’d rather not be caught in front of a crowd in his boxers. Believe it or not, he did have some sense of modesty.

Beside him, the familiar smirked, falling in beside Gabriel as they left the crowd to disperse. “‘Loki’? Really?”

“Hey, every good magician needs a stage name, right? You think Criss Angel is his birth name?” Perhaps it was a result of his successful performance, but the witch found himself in a generous mood and decided to explain. “I went through a mythology phase in grade school. Loki was always one of my favorites. Guy knew how to party.” The exasperated look on Sam’s face brought him more joy than it should have. “Any other comments besides the name?”

The familiar thought for a moment, choosing his words. “It was…impressive,” he finally admitted, his smile reserved but genuine. “The birds were a nice touch. Kinda cheating, though, using your powers like that,” he added thoughtfully.

“Cheating? Au contraire, Samsquatch.” Once he’d realized that ‘Sammy’ was off limits, Gabriel had made a point of finding a suitable nickname for his new roommate. So far, he’d found several that he quite liked. “People go to magicians fully aware that they’re gonna be deceived. They just don’t know how.” As he said this, the magician flicked his wrist and made a rabbit appear in his hand. Or rather a convincing illusion of a rabbit, from its twitching nose to its white cotton tail. As any witch could tell you, actually creating a living, breathing creature out of thin air was virtually impossible, unless you had all of the right ingredients, a lot of free time on your hands, and the patience of a saint. And since Gabe couldn’t teleport things without knowing exactly where they were to start with, he had to rely on his tried and true fallback: faking it. In the end, some condensed air and a half-decent glamour was all that was needed. “The way I see it, I’m just giving them their money’s worth. Or I would be, if I were actually getting paid,” he tossed in as an afterthought, letting the faux bunny dissolve back into thin air.

“So why don’t you?” Sam glanced at the shorter man inquisitively. “People would probably pay good money to see you do that stuff. Why not making a full-time job?” Gabriel held back a grin at the familiar’s commentary. Not only was he flattered, but it was the most interested Sam had been in anything besides books or work all week. If he’d known this would be the result, he’d have told the familiar about his hobby a lot sooner.

He winced slightly, though, as the question brought back not-so-fond memories. “Well, first and last time I actually did a gig, it didn’t work out so swell,” he explained, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Apparently people don’t appreciate it when you accidentally set fire to one of their tables. Go figure, huh?” Needless to say, it hadn't been the best way to start a career. He’d been immediately banned from the bar that had hired him, and after word spread, all chances of getting work anywhere nearby went out the window. At least it had been during his and Kali’s town-hopping phase, so they hadn’t planned on sticking around to start with.

Sam grimaced sympathetically. “Yikes…”

“Yeah, not one of my finer moments,” the blond confessed, chuckling lightly. It had taken him a while to stop beating himself up over blowing his first legitimate performance, but several years had passed and he’d since put the mishap behind him. Even so, it wasn’t one of his crowning glories. “So, I figured it’d be better to do the street performer shtick for a while,” he explained, pulling his deck out of his pocket. “Good practice, less of a fire hazard.”

Beside him, the familiar nodded, watching as Gabe practiced a few basic card flourishes. “Well, once you work out all the bugs, maybe you could give it another shot. Seems like something you could make a living off of,” he observed, shrugging his shoulders. “Actually, I’m sort of surprised there aren’t more witches doing magic tricks for a quick buck.”

That earned him a genuine laugh from the witch. “Eh, it’s a pride thing, far as I can tell. I know none of my brothers would last a day ‘wasting their potential on such frivolous nonsense’.” He ran his thumb along the edge of the deck, snapping the cards loudly.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the taller man look up. For while he seemed to hesitate, trying to decide whether to voice his thoughts or not. “You have brothers?”

“Oh yeah,” Gabriel mused, turning his attention back to the cards. “Three, all older. Dear old dad was a busy guy.” He gagged, bringing a smirk to Sam’s lips. “They all kinda went on to bigger and better things. Mikey took over Dad’s law firm after he retired, always following in Daddy’s footsteps. Raph’s off doing brain surgery…or maybe it was heart surgery. Hell, could be both for all I know. And Luci?” He chuckled semi-fondly, recalling the charming big brother he’d downright idolized as a child. “Well, knowing him, he’s probably earned himself a cult following somewhere by now.”

There was a kind of softness in Sam’s eyes as he smiled at the witch. “Sounds like you guys were pretty close.”

Gabriel cleared his throat, snapping out of his little trip down memory lane. “Yeah, well, what can I say? I guess being the family disappointment kinda put a damper on the whole familial bonds thing,” he said sardonically, his expression schooled into disinterest. “Long story short, we’re not exactly on speaking terms anymore. It happens.”

The familiar’s expression was distant as he nodded. “Yeah, it does.” He didn’t go into detail beyond that, and Gabriel didn’t ask. He wanted to, of course; hell, they’d been living in the same apartment for a week, and he barely knew any more about Sam now than when he’d found him in that kennel. The man was a mystery, one that he was more than eager to solve. But this was the most he’d managed to get out of the guy in one sitting, and the last thing he wanted to do was screw that up by pushing too hard.

He was just about ready to change the subject and break the awkward silence that had fallen between them when the familiar spoke up again, his tone cautious. “Do you ever wonder if they were right?” At the confused look Gabriel gave him, he continued, “Your brothers. Do you ever wish you’d listened to them?”

The question seemed to come out of nowhere, especially given the praise he’d gotten from the familiar not five minutes ago on his performance. Even so, it was an earnest question, and as much as the magician wanted to simply say ‘I regret nothing’ and leave it at that, he figured it warranted an honest answer. “Yeah, I’ve thought about it more than once,” he conceded. “Probably would’ve been easier in a lot of ways. But if I hadn’t gone through with it, I’d have spent my whole life with that ‘what if’ hanging over my head. Plus, I wouldn’t have met Kali or Benny.” He looked up at the younger man with a grin. “Or you, for that matter. That’s gotta count for something, right?”

Sam’s feeble, almost pained smile suggested he might have some doubts about that sentiment.

Gabriel cleared his throat, hoping to break through the dark cloud that had settled over their conversation. “Alright, that’s enough nostalgia for one day,” he joked, elbowing the familiar lightly. “Hey, you ever been to Cafe Du Monde? It’s probably not too crowded, and they’ve got the best beignets in town. Trust me, it’s easily a bucket-list worthy experience.”

“Now?” Sam raised his eyebrow critically, even as a smirk peaked through his solemn mood. “You know it’s like three in the afternoon.”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Gigantor,” Gabriel said blithely, hooking his arm around the familiar’s. “There’s never a bad time for deep-fried dough covered in powdered sugar. That really isn’t something I should have to explain to you.” That said, he practically dragged the taller man toward their destination, not an easy feat for a guy half a foot shorter and a good deal lighter than the man he was pulling. The low, rumbling chuckle it earned him, though, certainly made it worth the effort.

And the promise of beignets wasn’t a bad incentive either.

Chapter Text

Sam knew he wouldn’t be staying with Gabriel for long. This was a temporary solution, a quick fix for his situation, and that was exactly how he was treating it. It was why he’d insisted on sleeping in the main room as a dog instead of a bed of his own. It was why the few clothes he had were kept in a bag in the corner of the room. It was why whatever money he wasn’t using to help pay for food or rent — despite the witch swearing up and down it wasn’t necessary — was stored away for future use. Soon enough, he’d be moving on to another apartment, another town, hell, probably another state. He hadn’t really worked out the details yet, but wherever the road took him, chances were good that it’d be far away from here.

Somehow, knowing all of that hadn’t stopped him from liking this place.

True, Gabriel wasn’t always the most tolerable person to live with. He was a little loud, a little juvenile, and the concept of personal boundaries seemed to elude him at times. But for all his quirks, the shorter man had been infinitely generous, and so far had asked nothing in return for his help. Even though he knew next to nothing about him, he treated the familiar more like an old friend than the stranger he was. And it wasn’t just Gabriel; Benny had been just as friendly and more than happy to show Trickster’s new employee the ropes, though he was a little more mindful of the familiar’s boundaries. And Kali, despite her cool demeanor and no-nonsense attitude, had quickly warmed up to him, saying it was nice to work with someone who took his job seriously for a change (a comment Gabriel had given her no end of grief for until she threatened to dock his pay for the week). The last thing he’d intended to do was make friends here, but it had happened regardless, and Sam had no doubt that he’d miss them when it came time to move on.

Curled up in the middle of the sofa, Sam actually had to remind himself why he couldn’t take the chance of sticking around. Sure, things were pretty good for him now, but who could say how long that would last? No matter how sincere Gabriel seemed, there was just no guarantee that he didn’t have an ulterior motive. Maybe if circumstances were different, if he wasn’t a familiar and Gabe wasn’t a witch, he’d be more inclined to believe it. But as it was, the whole thing just felt too good to be true, and in his experience, that often meant that it was. No, he was better off sticking to the plan. Getting tied down to another witch wasn’t a risk he could afford.

“Move over, Rover!” The Leonberger was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear Gabriel approaching until he flopped down onto the couch beside him, nearly giving Sam a heart attack in the process. Shifting to human form, he shot the witch a withering glare, noting the sizable bowl of popcorn and the massive blanket in his arms.

Frowning, he gave himself a moment to stretch out his stiff limbs, feet tingling as blood rushed back to them. “What’s all that for?” he yawned, running a hand through his sleep-ruffled hair.

“Movie night,” the blond answered simply as he dropped the bowl onto the table and set to work unfolding the absurdly fuzzy throw. Sam noticed he was dressed comfortably in a pair of black sweatpants and a worn t-shirt that might have had a graphic at some point. “I figured the bowl of popcorn was a dead giveaway.”

“‘Movie night’?” the brunet echoed critically. “Why?” He knew they didn’t have work tonight; Trickster’s Tavern took Sunday nights off, since people generally didn’t go out and drink the night before the work week started. Even the most loyal customers weren’t likely to risk being hungover on a Monday. However, Gabe usually spent this time either performing or testing out and practicing new tricks for his act.

The man just shrugged, shaking the blanket out before draping it over his legs. “Why not? Tavern’s closed, the weather’s lousy, perfect combination for a night in.” A low rumble of thunder confirmed the witch’s forecast. Funny, it’d been pretty clear out the last time Sam had checked. Then again, it had also still been light outside; he must have been lying there longer than he’d thought. “You want in?” Gabriel’s honey-gold eyes shone as he waved the popcorn bowl temptingly.

Sam smirked, but shook his head, standing up from the couch. “Thanks, I’ll pass.” He could probably distract himself with one of the old tomes in the guest room for the next few hours, maybe try to organize some of the mess in there if he was really desperate for something to do.

“Aww, come on,” Gabriel begged, his shoulders slumped in disappointment. “It’s not like you’ve got any other plans.” While he couldn’t deny that, the comment didn’t make Sam any more eager to take the offer. “Look, I’ll even let you pick,” he tried again, grinning encouragingly as he nodded toward the entertainment center. “Top drawer on the right.”

It was clear the witch didn’t intend to leave him in peace on this. “Alright, alright,” Sam sighed, raising his hands in resignation as he made his way over to the drawer. It was just one movie, right? At most, it would only take about two hours to get through, then he’d be off the hook. As he sifted through the collection of DVDs, however, he quickly became less and less hopeful about their options. “Uh, no offense, but all of these look kind of…”

“Terrible?” Gabe supplied with apparent amusement.

“Pretty much. I mean…” Sam pulled a few cases out of the drawer, trying not to grimace as he read the titles out loud. “Birdemic: Shock and Terror? The Room? Killer Klowns from Outer Space?” He barely suppressed a shudder at the last one, glancing back at the man on the couch. “You actually watch these?”

“There are two kinds of bad movies, my friend,” the witch informed him sagely as he grabbed a handful of popcorn. “There’s the kind nobody should ever have to suffer through, and the kind everyone has to see at least once. Trust me, you won’t regret it.”

The familiar huffed a quiet laugh as he put the cases back, intentionally pushing Killer Klowns as far to the back of the drawer as he could. Regardless of how bad the titles were, he knew that one was definitely off the list. Finally, after trying and failing to pick the film that looked the least terrible, he resorted to just reaching in and picking one at random. “Okay…how ‘bout this?” He showed the cover to Gabriel, whose face automatically split into a grin.

“Ooh, excellent choice. Pop it in!” Doing as he was told, Sam hit ‘Play’ before making his way back to the couch, where Gabe had abandoned the popcorn in favor of a bag of M&M's he hadn’t had a few minutes ago. Looking up, the witch poured a few into his palm and offered them to Sam as he sat down. “Want one?”

“No, thanks,” he responded, putting up a hand. “Not really a big sweets person.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed at the confession. “Hmm, challenge accepted.” Without further preface, he snapped his fingers and a pile of candy dropped onto the coffee table, seemingly out of thin air. “I’ve got a stash of this stuff here and at the bar, big guy,” he explained, grinning widely at the younger’s dumbfounded expression. “This isn’t even making a dent!” In the end, Sam decided it was just better not to comment and accepted the bag he was handed, turning to the screen with a restrained smile.

As expected, the movie was horrific, but, like Gabe had said, in a good way. It was a train wreck that he just couldn’t look away from, no matter how bad it got. And make no mistake, it was pretty bad. “Okay, I still don’t get this,” Sam spoke up halfway through the film, chewing absently on a gummy worm as he tried to make heads or tails of what he was watching.

“Seriously?” Gabriel swallowed his mouthful of popcorn, shooting the man next to him an exasperated glance. “It’s a shark mixed with an octopus. What’s not to get?”

“Besides everything? Why does it have quills?” While he knew this wasn’t the kind of movie to expect reasonable explanations from, that one detail had been bothering him since the mutated monstrosity had appeared.

The witch thought for a moment, humming as he considered the question. “…Porcupine DNA,” he finally answered.

“What?”

“Hey, they had to get it to breathe out of water somehow!” he pointed out, as if the reasoning were perfectly logical.

Sam scoffed, smiling even as he rolled his eyes. “That makes no sense.”

“You asked.” With a triumphant smirk, the blond crossed his arms behind his head and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table, evidently satisfied with his answer. The familiar opened his mouth to respond, but snapped it shut when Gabriel’s shift in position ended in him leaning against the taller man. He blinked in surprise, glancing down at the man as he watched the screen intently, either not realizing how close they were or not considering it an issue. After a moment, Sam followed his example, watching Sharktopus mutilate another victim and trying to disregard the pressure against his leg and side. There was nothing stopping him from moving away, of course, but Gabe seemed comfortable, and a part of him didn’t want to disturb him. Another part of him had to admit that it wasn’t so bad, being close to another person, sharing a comfortable silence and a crappy B-movie. And try as me might, he had to admit that the soft radiance of Gabriel’s Pulse was a pleasant feeling. The familiar couldn’t recall the last time he’d felt so… content? Happy? Safe? It wasn’t an easy thing to describe, but he knew he’d been without it for a long time, and it was nice to have it again, even momentarily. Obviously, it wasn’t something he should let himself get used to, but it couldn’t hurt to enjoy the feeling while it lasted, right?

“…Dude, are you purring?”

Sam didn’t even notice the low, throaty rumble he’d been producing until Gabriel’s question snapped him back to attention. “No.” Face flushed crimson, he shoved the shorter man away with a glower, cursing his subconscious mind for betraying him.

“Oh my God, you totally were!” Gabriel sputtered in shocked amusement. “You were purring just now!” Sam glared at the man as he dissolved into a fit of laughter, physically clutching his sides. “That’s adorable!”

“You done?” the familiar deadpanned, willing the deep flush in his cheeks to fade as he crossed his arms moodily. He could feel a growl building in his chest, but managed to keep it pushed down. More animal noises weren’t going to help his case.

Gabriel was practically wheezing by the time he managed to speak again “Sorry, it’s just…What the hell kind of dog purrs?” he choked out, wiping a tear from his eye. Sam didn’t justify that question with a response, pointedly ignoring the other man as he focused on the ridiculously gory deaths on the screen. Maybe if he refused to acknowledge the subject, Gabriel would drop it and move on. “…Wait, do you have another form?”

Well, so much for that plan. “I’m going to bed,” he announced flatly, making a move to get up. He could clear out a space in the guest room for tonight, since his usual accommodations were in use.

“No no no, wait, wait!” Valiantly, Gabriel managed to get himself back under control, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m done, I swear, scout’s honor.” While Sam had serious doubts that the man had ever been a boy scout, the sincerity in his tone seemed real enough. “C’mon, I promise to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the movie,” he pleaded.

Common sense told him it was a bad call, that he should just go to sleep. One slip-up was enough for tonight, and he wasn’t too keen on risking a repeat performance and further interrogation as a result. Still, it was such a simple request, and the blond looked like he genuinely regretted overstepping his bounds. Sighing quietly, Sam stuck close to the armrest as he sat back down on the sofa, smiling dryly. “Not holding my breath for that one.”

Gabriel laughed, grabbing the remote to rewind the scene he’d missed. Not that it was strictly necessary; the film didn’t have much of a plot to follow. “You know me so well. Hey, we should have enough time to watch the next one after this. If you think Sharktopus doesn’t make sense, wait ’til you see Pteracuda!” The brunet managed a semi-convincing chuckle, but in truth, poking fun at bad monster movies was the last thing on his mind right now. How could he be so careless? It was clear he was getting way too comfortable around the witch, despite his best efforts to avoid doing just that. Sam couldn’t afford to get attached, couldn’t risk sticking around and just praying that for once the other shoe wouldn’t drop. He’d been down that path enough times before, and he wouldn’t let himself fall victim to it again.

As the credits rolled and Gabe got up to pop in the next disk, he found himself wishing the man could be a little less kind, a little less likable. It would make leaving so much easier.

Chapter Text

There were plenty of reasons why Gabriel had decided to make New Orleans his home sweet home; he had friends here, the food was great, and it was an ideal place for a street performer to take in a decent crowd. The list went on and on, but if he’d ever bothered to write it all down and rank that list, you could safely bet that Mardi Gras would make the top five. A one-day religious observance nearly everywhere else had become a full-fledged, week-long celebration here, complete with extravagant parades, flashy costumes, and at least four different kind of debauchery wherever you looked. Needless to say, the whole holiday was right up Gabe’s alley.

“You sure you don’t want one of these?” he shouted over his shoulder, pointing at the styrofoam cup in his hand. “Not like we’re driving anywhere.”

“I'm good, thanks.” Even though Sam was only a foot behind, Gabe could barely hear his answer past the cacophony of whooping, laughter, and music. The witch shrugged, taking another swig of his strawberry daiquiri. In spite of his size, he was hardly a lightweight when it came to alcohol. If the situation called for it, he could drink most guys under the table without fear of blacking out or dying of alcohol poisoning. Even so, he liked the lighter beverage; it was sweet, tangy, and provided just the right buzz for the occasion. “What’re we even doing here?” Sam griped, an air of caution surrounding him as usual.

“It's called 'having a good time', sport,” Gabe retorted, “and there's no better time or place for it.” Grinning, he winked at a couple of scantily dressed women passing by. One giggled and the other blew him a kiss before they scurried off. Beside him, Sam made a noncommittal sound, ever the unwilling participant in Gabriel’s efforts to get him to enjoy himself. “Oh, come on, could you at least try and pretend you don't have that ginormous stick up your ass?” Gabriel scolded lightly, trying to get a smile out of the taller man.

He succeeded in getting a small smirk, but only just. “Sorry, I'm just not that big into partying.” Gabe felt the familiar inch closer, looking up to find the other eyeing a man in costume warily. “Or clowns,” he added quietly, almost reluctantly.

To his credit, Gabriel bit back a snicker. He’d notice the way the younger had practically hidden the Killer Klowns DVD in the back of the drawer, and now his previous suspicions had been confirmed. “Jesters, Sam-I-Am,” he supplied helpfully. “There's a distinction.”

“Yeah, right,” the younger murmured, apparently far from convinced as he grew tenser with each passerby wearing make-up and an unnecessarily large hat.

Fortunately for him, the witch wasn’t a complete sadist. “Come on, you.” Pulling Sam along by his arm, he tried to find a place nearby that was more or less jester-free. It wasn’t an easy feat, but he finally settled on a bar that seemed to cater more to the Sunday night football crowd. He could practically feel the familiar’s apprehension melt away as they entered, elbowing their way through to an empty table in the corner. “There, see? No clowns in here,” he pointed out reassuringly, taking another swig from his drink.

The taller man raised an eyebrow, his gaze critical. “You mean besides you?”

Gabriel nearly choked on the frozen beverage as barked out a surprised laugh, looking up at his companion with wide eyes. “Holy crap, you just made a joke. Someone pinch me!”

“Shut up,” Sam groaned half-heartedly, ducking his head as he gave the witch a soft shove.

Of course, the blond intended to do no such thing. Sam Winchester, probably the most stubbornly stoic person he’d met besides his own relatives, had just cracked a joke at his expense. Gabriel couldn’t have been more proud. “No, seriously! If this is the progress we make in one month, I could have you laughing within a year.” The witch had a hunch that Sam had a great laugh; he’d often catch the faintest glimpse of dimples when the familiar smiled, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he’d like to see them more often.

At the moment, though, they were invisible as Sam’s smile faded, his gaze falling awkwardly to the wooden tabletop. “Yeah… Too bad I probably won't be around that long.”

Gabriel’s own smile followed suit at the comment. Why did he have to bring that up just when they were starting to enjoy themselves? He knew this was temporary, they both did, but it wasn’t a fact he liked to dwell on. In fact, the truth of it was that he wished it wasn’t case. He couldn’t really pinpoint how or when he’d gotten so attached to the other man. Maybe it was seeing him so downtrodden and defeated when they’d first met that had tugged at his heartstrings. Maybe it was the haunted look that would sometimes show up in those bright hazel eyes, hinting at some tragedy in his past that still had a hold on him. Or maybe it was just the opposite, those brief moments when the sweet, friendly side of him shone through the stony facade he seemed so determined to hold up. Whatever the reason, Gabriel did know that, deep down, he would’ve liked for Sam to stick around. And he liked to think that a part of the other man felt the same way.

The witch slipped a hand into his jacket pocket, his fingers toying with the piece of metal inside. Now was as good a time as any. “Well, yeah, I know, but...hey, plans can change, right?” he asked hopefully, swirling his melting drink around in his cup. When Sam didn’t respond, he took it as a cue to press onward. “I mean, I’ll admit, it's not exactly the sweet life, but I think we've got a pretty good thing going here.” Oh, wow, that didn’t sound creepy or desperate at all. He waited tensely for Sam to reply, but again, there was no answer. Honestly, he was a little grateful. Maybe a change of tactics was in order? “Besides, it’s been great having an extra set hands around Trickster’s. I’m sure Kali’ll hate to see you go, Benny too.” That certainly wasn’t a lie; both of his coworkers had grown pretty fond of his adopted roommate since he’d gotten him the job at the bar. “Plus with the economy shot to hell, finding a new place would probably be a pain in the ass for—”

“I get it, Gabe.” It was almost lucky Sam had chosen that moment to interject, because the witch had been quickly running out of material. The look on the familiar’s face, though, was far from convinced. If anything, he looked annoyed, disappointed, even angry. “You can cut the act already, we both know you're not doing this for my benefit.”

Gabriel blinked, trying to process of what had just been asked of him. He wasn’t having much success. “Uh, sorry, did I take a wrong turn in this conversation somewhere? Because you lost me completely.”

The witch almost flinched at the hard, accusing glare that was shot his way, his mind flashing back to that second time they’d run into each other. How did he keep winding up on the receiving end of that look? “You bailed me out of that shelter. You got be a job. You’ve let me share your apartment for the past month.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I mean, do you really expect me to believe all that was just out of the kindness of your heart?”

“Um…kinda?” Apparently that wasn’t the answer Sam was looking for, because the next thing he knew the familiar was pushing out his chair and making for the door, not even glancing back. It took a moment for Gabriel to react, shooting up from the table and racing after the other man when he finally overcame the shock. “Hey, wait up!” Catching up took some effort, especially with Sam’s longer stride working to his advantage, but Gabriel was able to reach him at halfway down the block. “Will you at least tell me what I did to piss you off?”

“Like you don’t know!” Sam reeled back at him, eyes seeming to flash amber in the multicolored lights. And his teeth were definitely sharper than usual, there was no doubt this time. “Do you really think I’m that stupid? That I don’t know what you’re trying to do?” His face twisted in disgust. “You can play up the ‘nice guy’ act as long as you like, but if you think I’m just gonna roll over and bond with you, you’ve got another thing coming.”

The witch stared up at the man in surprise, fear for his life quickly replaced by confusion. “Wha—‘bond with you’?” he echoed, his brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? Why would I want you to bond with me?” Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t say the idea didn’t have appeal, but he wouldn’t have even considered it if the familiar hadn’t brought it up.

From the look of it, Sam was far from convinced. “Seriously? You’re a witch, I’m a familiar. What more reason do you need?” he growled, hands clenched at his sides. “You’re not the first person to pull this, you know. I’m not about to make the same mistake again.”

‘Again?’ Gabriel’s eyes widened in realization. Sam had been bonded before? The possibility had never really occurred to him, but then again, why should it have? There was so little that he actually knew about the familiar, even after living with him for a month. The witch was so busy trying to absorb this new information he almost didn’t notice the man turn to walk away. “Sam, wait!”

“Leave me alone.” The crowd was so dense now that no one even noticed the tall man change into his dog form and bolt off. If they did, they probably just blamed it on the alcohol. Gabriel tried to follow, pushing through the crowd and scanning for anything dark and furry, but he already knew it was no use. Sam was already long gone.

*****

The second time he bonded, it was out of loneliness.

Sam met her a few years after the fire, during a cross-country road trip Dean had talked him into. He sensed her the moment she walked into the diner, the Pulse of her magic charging the air around her. It only grew stronger as she walked over and took a seat at his table, looking for all the world like she belonged there. When he asked, she said that she found him interesting, but failed to go into specifics. Suffice it to say, Sam was at a loss on how to react to the woman across the table. Not that it mattered; they’d barely said a few sentences to each other before Dean returned from refueling the car and told him it was time to head out. The younger didn’t miss the steel in his brother’s tone or the glare he shot the witch before they headed out. It wasn’t until an hour and about fifty miles later that he found the card in his pocket. The name over the phone number read ‘Ruby’.

Another week passed before he gave in and called her.

Ruby was everything that Jess hadn’t been; looking back, it was part of the reason he’d been so drawn to her. Where Jess had been soft and sweet and gentle, Ruby was all sharp edges and dry wit; where Jess’s aura had been soothing and tender, Ruby’s was passionate and vital. In a way it was a comfort, being with someone who didn’t remind him of what he’d lost, a diversion rather than a replacement. Just being around her, he felt more alive than he had in years. On some unconscious level, he’d been craving this connection, the soul-deep link that only a witch could provide. It was like an addiction, and the only way he’d be satisfied was when he didn’t have to keep chasing his fix anymore.

At least, that’s how Ruby had explained it, and Sam had been in no position to argue with her logic.

The binding ritual was long and arduous, and by the end of it both he and the witch were left drained by the process. Ruby’s Pulse was lightning in his veins, and her thorny sigil showed red on his skin, just beneath the faded grey mark on his shoulder. It was the closest he’d felt to being whole again in years, even if the piece wasn’t quite the right shape. It wasn’t exactly the same, but Sam was happy to have recovered even a little of what he’d been missing.

Then slowly, without him even seeing it, the dream began to crumble.

When it came to inherent magic, Sam knew he was in no short supply. Older bloodlines tended to be more powerful, and Jess had always commented on the boost her magic got just from being near him. For Ruby, though, it wasn’t enough. She needed more from him, and she had a few methods in mind that could help achieve that. “It won’t take much,” she promised. “Just a small potion, you won’t even feel any different.” The familiar had his doubts, of course especially when she neglected to go into any details. But she’d already done so much for him, given him purpose again, and this was a small price to pay. The potion had been acrid and hard to swallow, but it seemed to do the trick. A few weeks later, she gave him another dose, then another a week after that. With each one, she grew a little stronger, until she practically radiated with the magic that flowed through her.

And as Ruby grew stronger, Sam grew weaker

It started off small, a few headaches here and a case of fatigue there. Over time the symptoms escalated; aches and pains, dizzy spells, a persistent cough that he was told sounded like he was trying to hack up a lung. He’d been taking the potions for nearly a month and a half when he started losing time, blacking out for short bursts that quickly grew longer. Dean seemed more and more worried every time he saw his brother, but Sam always insisted that he was fine, that it was just a bad case of the flu or something and he just needed some time to sleep it off. The excuse became less and less believable with each visit. On a particularly bad day, his brother demanded to know if Ruby had anything to do with what was happening to him. Sam couldn’t remember what he’d said, but he was sure it hadn’t been anything nice. He wasn’t stupid, of course; he knew it was no coincidence that his health had started deteriorating not long after he’d agreed to help Ruby get stronger. The way Sam saw it, though, he’d already failed one witch; he didn’t plan on making the same mistake twice.

The whole ordeal came to a head on a night when Dean stormed in on Ruby preparing the next “treatment”. Sam himself could barely remember it; he’d been so weak at that point that even breathing had been a struggle. As it was, he could barely make out the voices in the room with him.

“…killing him! What were you…”

“…trying to help…”

“…if you ever go near him…”

“…take him. He wasn’t worth the trouble anyway.”

The last thing Sam saw before he passed out was Ruby’s back as she walked away from him. After that night, he never saw her again.

Chapter Text

In his lifetime, Gabriel had done more than a few things that he'd ultimately regretted. There was the time he’d filled all of the toilets in his school with dry ice and claimed the bathrooms were haunted, which had landed him in detention for a month. There was the Halloween he’d scared his cousin Castiel so badly that it’d taken an hour of apologizing and half the older boy’s candy to calm him down. And then there was that one night in Rio, that certainly could have gone a lot better. He still owed Kali for bailing him out of that mess, and she made sure he never forgot it.

This one, though, easily blew all of his other mistakes out of the water. At least in those cases, he’d managed to patch things up one way or another. This time, he didn’t even know where to start.

With a heavy heart, Gabriel stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for his floor, shoving his hands into his pockets. He’d spent the past two hours scouring the French Quarter for any sign of the familiar and had nothing to show for it but exhaustion and disappointment. Not that the odds had really been in his favor; Sam had spent a week on the streets before he’d moved in, and there was no doubt in Gabe’s mind that he could avoid being found if he wanted to. And boy, did that seem like the case. The witch suppressed a shudder, remembering how angry and hurt the familiar had looked the last time he’d seen him. All because he’d gotten it in his head that Gabe wanted Sam as his familiar. Even if that was the case, why would that be such a bad thing? Witches and familiars were supposed to want to be together, right? Besides, he’d kind of thought that the two of them had gotten along pretty well.

So much for that theory.

The elevator stopped at the fifth floor and the doors slid open with a cheerful ding. As the witch trudged down the hall, he couldn’t stop thinking about Sam, wondering if he was alright. People got pretty wild around Mardi Gras, and while he knew that the familiar could take care of himself, it didn’t ease the twinge of concern in his gut. When he turned the corner, though, it became apparent that he had nothing to worry about. Sighing in relief, he hurried over to his apartment door and the black-and-brown ball of fur that lay in front of it.

“Didn’t think you’d be here,” he admitted, smiling down at the dog as he unlocked the door. Sam’s only response was to shoot him what he supposed was the canine variant of a glare, huffing as he trotted into the apartment. Apparently, two hours hadn’t been enough time for him to forget about their little ‘discussion’ earlier. “Ah, silent treatment, huh?” Gabriel wasn’t deluded enough to believe that the familiar had any intentions of sticking around. He’d made it abundantly clear that he’d rather take his chances on his own than stay, and while the witch couldn’t say he agreed, he knew better than to try and talk Sam out of it. Sure enough, the dog made a beeline for the bag in the corner as soon as he entered, nosing around inside to check its contents. He glanced up as Gabriel followed him inside, eyeing the witch and the open door tensely.

Realizing what the familiar was expecting, he raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Relax, Scooby, I’m not gonna stop you if you really want to go.” He could feel the canine’s hazel gaze on him as he flopped down onto the couch, giving him a wide berth. “You can keep the clothes, they’re too big for me anyway.” No matter how nonchalant he acted, he couldn’t ignore the heaviness in his chest at the thought of Sam leaving. Despite knowing so little about him, living with the man had been surprisingly easy, and even if Sam didn’t feel the same way, Gabe considered him a friend. He wouldn’t go back on his word, of course, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t miss the familiar like crazy.

After a moment of hesitation, Sam picked up the bag in his mouth and started carrying it toward the door, glancing back at the witch warily. He was halfway through the door when Gabriel finally spoke up. If this was the last time they’d see each other, he wanted to make one thing clear first. “For what it’s worth, I didn't help you just because you were a familiar,” he explained, staring up at the ceiling. “I’d have done the same thing if you were human.” For a while, there was only silence, until finally he heard the door click shut. Gabe tried not to flinch at the sound. This was Sam’s choice, and as much as it killed him, he had to respect it. After all, he’d known from the start this would be temporary. He just hadn’t expected to get so damn attached.

“You really mean that.” Gabriel jumped slightly as he felt the couch shift, looking over at the man beside him. “I just don’t get you,” Sam murmured, staring down at his interlocked fingers. For the life of him, Gabe couldn’t remember ever seeing him look so defeated, so helpless, even when he’d been behind bars. “Everything you’ve done for me…” He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “You’d really let me go, just like that?”

“Well, yeah, if that’s what you wanted.” The fact that he seemed to have trouble believing that was quite possibly one of the saddest things Gabriel had ever seen. “Look, that night at Trickster’s, when you said you didn’t owe me for breaking you out? You were right. And you don’t owe me now, either.” He moved to put a hand on the other man’s shoulder, but thought better of it, not wanting to scare him off. “You’re a good guy, Sam. And from the looks of it, you’ve been through a lot more hell than you deserve. I just don’t understand why it’s so hard to believe someone might want to help you out. Have the other witches you’ve met really been that bad?”

Sam remained silent, then heaved a long, resigned sigh. “Most of them.” He didn’t look at Gabriel as he sat up and slipped off his sweatshirt and flannel, leaving only his undershirt. Gabriel wasn’t sure how to react until he noticed the faded grey marks trailing down his left arm from shoulder to elbow. ‘Bonding sigils’, his mind supplied, surprised he’d never noticed them before. He’d read about them as a kid; every witch had one that was completely unique, in form and in color. They were only visible after the bond was complete, and the mark remained on the familiar’s skin for the rest of their life, even after it was severed. In the dim light, he could make out three distinct patterns marring the tan skin. Forming a bond was a huge commitment, so most familiars only had one witch in their lifetime, maybe two depending on the circumstances. But three? That was almost unheard of.

Almost lovingly, the man’s fingers traced the softly curving lines of the first sigil, a tiny smile on his lips. “The first witch I bonded with was…she was amazing,” he explained, obviously lost in some fond memory. It didn’t last, though, as his eyes clouded with sorrow. “But I couldn’t protect her.” His tone made it clear that it wasn't something he was willing to talk about, and Gabriel didn’t pry. “The second one just wanted to use my power to make herself stronger.” His fingertips briefly trailed over the jagged lines of the second mark before moving to the last one, which wrap around his bicep like a tether. “And the third…”

His voice faltered, as if he were afraid to recall that time in his life, but Gabriel thought he knew where this was going. “The third had a penchant for shift-blocking collars?” The vulnerability in the familiar’s eyes nearly gutted him when the man finally looked up. “I know you said ‘hunter’ when we met, but your eyes said ‘I’m lying through my teeth’,” he informed him, smiling sadly. “Pretty, not stupid, remember?”

The familiar tried to return the smile, but it came out looking more like a grimace. “The last two seemed great at first,” he recalled, voice barely louder than whisper. “They were nice to me, made me think they cared about me. But as soon as I agreed to bond with them…” Sam shrugged, pulling the flannel back on. “Guess I’ve only got myself to blame for that,” he mused, fiddling with the buttons.

Gabriel shot him a disbelieving look, not sure he’d heard correctly. “How is it your fault?” Again, the familiar just shrugged, as if it went without saying. Did he really think he was responsible for whatever had happened to him? This time he did put a hand on the brunet's shoulder, forcing him to look up. “Sam, you trusted those guys and they took advantage of that,” Gabriel reminded, forcing himself not to sound as angry as he felt. “That’s on them, not you. Don’t blame yourself for expecting better.” It made him sick to think any witch could misuse a bond with their familiar in such a way. Treating him like a power source or a pet…God, if he had half a chance, he’d track them both down and give them a piece of his mind. They’d tricked Sam, gained his trust so he’d willingly bond with them, and when they’d finally shown their true colors, Sam had been left with no way out. No wonder he’d reacted so violently when Gabe tried to ask him to stay longer; the last thing he’d want was to end up in that same situation again.

“Look, if you still want to go, I’m not gonna stand in your way,” he promised, trying to ignore Sam’s gaze as he got up from the couch. Reaching into his pocket, he fished out the duplicate key he’d been toying with earlier and placed it on the coffee table. “I was gonna give you this if you decided to stay, but even if you don’t…You’re welcome here if you ever need anything.” With that said, he turned and headed for his bedroom, leaving Sam to make his choice. A part of him was still wishing the familiar would choose to stay, but he tried not to put much weight in that. The familiar had every reason to want to be as far away from a witch as possible. Whichever path he chose, Gabriel was determined to respect it. Even if it meant losing his friend.

*****

He wasn’t surprised when he woke up to find Sam gone the next morning. The couch was bare and a quick look revealed the other rooms to be empty. For the first time in a month, the witch was completely alone in his apartment. As he stood in the main room, he couldn’t remember if the place had felt as big and empty before Sam had moved in. It wasn’t that much of a blow, really; he’d already come to terms with the fact that he’d likely not see Sam again after last night. It was sad, of course, but Gabe knew he’d get over it in time. Or, at least, that’s what he tried telling himself.

What did surprise him, though, was hearing the door open and seeing the familiar walk in not two minutes later.

The witch stared dumbly as Sam closed the door behind him, half-convinced he was still dreaming and just hadn’t woken up yet. The familiar smiled when he saw him there, albeit a bit sheepishly. “Hey. Morning.”

“Uh…hey!” Snapping out of his trance-like state, Gabriel waved awkwardly, still trying to process what was happening as the brunet headed into the kitchen, carrying a few bags and what looked like two cups of coffee. “You’re…still here. Not that I’m complaining, of course,” he reiterated quickly, scrambling for the right words. Really, any words he could string together to form a coherent sentence would be great. “I-I just figured, since you weren’t here…Well, you know.” Wow. Masterfully put.

Shrugging off his jacket, Sam shot him a confused look. “Yeah, I left a note. Didn’t you see it?” As if to verify, he nodded to the refrigerator, where a piece of paper had in fact been taped. How long had that been there?

“I’ve only been awake for like five seconds!” Gabriel said defensively, noting the time on microwave clock. “Christ, what time did you get up?” He knew the brunet was an early riser, having gotten used to seeing him already watching TV or reading some massive spell book when he woke up in the morning. But honestly, what sane person left their house before nine in the morning?

“It isn’t that early,” Sam insisted, handing the witch one of the cups before taking a sip from the other. “Anyway, you should be thanking me. Figured I might as well pick up breakfast while I was out.” The smell of bacon and maple syrup coming from the bag on the table was more than enough to prove his claim. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he graciously accepted one of the styrofoam boxes and dug in. At least he could be sure at this point that he wasn’t dreaming, even if he wasn’t quite sure what had caused Sam to change his mind. Had he changed his mind? Maybe this was just his way of saying thank you before hitting the road. Gabriel didn’t think that was the case, but maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. He tried not to dwell on it, focusing his attention on drowning his pancakes with syrup instead.

He was halfway through the soggy, sugary mess when Sam finally spoke up, idly poking at the fruit in his own box with his fork. “So I was thinking…” he started hesitantly, his gaze fixed on his breakfast. “Maybe later we could work on clearing out some space in the other room?” There was a slight flush to his cheeks at the younger man glanced up, the look in his eyes cautiously hopeful. “If the offer’s still open, I mean.”

The blond took a moment to absorb what was being asked, a grin slowly making its way across his face. “Course it is.” Sam’s relief was almost palpable as he smiled back, for once without a single trace of doubt or hesitation. With nothing more needing to be said on the subject, the two resumed their meal in silence. There’d be plenty of time to address whatever they needed to later on. For now, though, they could afford to take some time and just enjoy the moment.

Chapter Text

It took less time than Sam would’ve expected to settle into a routine. Every morning he’d get up early and go out for a run before Gabriel even woke up, often stopping to grab breakfast or at least coffee on his way back. Days were spent watching Gabe perform on street corners and in public squares, exploring new parts of the city, or just organizing and categorizing all of the books and spell ingredients that now packed his closet. Six nights a week were spent at Trickster’s Tavern, sharing stories with Benny and battling wits with Kali as he diligently worked his way through his shift. Back at home — and wasn’t it funny how quickly he’d started thinking of it that way? — he and Gabe slowly made their way through the movie collection in the top shelf, ripping each one apart with great pleasure. They’d talk, they’d laugh, they’d get on each other’s nerves, usually all in the same day. And every night, Sam would retire to his own room and fall asleep in his own bed, savoring the simple luxury of it.

All in all, he decided it was a good way to spend his days, simple and comfortable. Of course, it would have been a lot simpler if he weren’t living with a guy who had magic.

“Son of a bitch!” were the first words Sam heard when he got back that afternoon, pausing at the door before cautiously entering. He’d only been gone for half an hour, but he knew better than to underestimate the amount of damage Gabriel could do in a limited time frame.

Nothing appeared to be on fire when he entered, at least, so that was a good sign. “Gabe?”

“Kitchen!” Following the sardonically sing-song tone, he found the witch hovering over the counter, a carton of eggs and a pack of ping pong balls at his side. Deeming it better not to break his concentration, Sam made his way over to the table with a handful of groceries. He could here Gabe murmuring under his breath followed by a hollow bouncing sound and then a resounding splat. “Dammit!”

Finally, the familiar’s curiosity got the better of him and he walked over, narrowly avoiding stepping in a puddle of eggshells and yolk. “Everything alright?” he asked with barely restrained amusement as he noted the splatters of yellow and white all over the kitchen.

“Fan-freaking-tastic,” Gabriel grumbled, lifting his head off the counter with an irritated groan. “Suppose you’re wondering why this place looks like a Jackson Pollock painting?” he ventured, kicking a ping pong ball that rolled near his foot.

Sam winced sympathetically at the witch’s disheartened tone. “The question had crossed my mind,” he admitted. “Now I know why you asked me to get more eggs. What were you even trying to do?” It wasn’t a leap to assume this had something to do with one of his acts, but usually his practice sessions were a lot more successful. Not to mention less messy.

Gabriel smiled, some of his usual spark returning. “Well, I saw this YouTube video where the guy made it look like he turned a ping pong ball into an egg,” he explained, picking up both objects off of the counter. “So I was thinking, ‘hey, that would look way cooler if you did it in real life.’ Aaand this has been the end result of that thinking,” he added flatly, motioning to the egg-splattered room around them.

As much as he felt sorry for his friend’s failed endeavor, Sam couldn’t help raising a skeptical eyebrow. “A ping pong ball into an egg?” he reiterated. “You know that’s not physically possible, right?” Despite what Harry Potter had led people to believe, magic couldn’t be used to transmogrify one object into another, especially not when they were made up of completely different components. Sure, you could make one object appear like another, but it was only a temporary effect.

The blond scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Of course I know that. Do I look like I’ve got a Philosopher’s Stone on me?” he quipped, then held up the two objects in his hands. “That’s why I’m trying to switch the ball with the egg at the last minute. No one would even notice!” Launching right into a demonstration, Gabe returned to his spot at the counter and aimed the while plastic ball at the frying pan sitting on the stove a couple feet away. With a look of intense focus, he bounced the ball across the granite, switching it out with the egg just as it reached the peak of its last arc. But instead of shattering into the pan, the recently teleported egg shifted trajectory and slammed into the opposite wall. Sam thought he could hear the ping pong ball clacking around somewhere behind them. “Well, that’s the end of that carton,” Gabriel deadpanned, glaring at the egg on the wall with enough intensity to fry it.

As funny as the situation should have been, Sam could only feel sympathy for the witch. Gabriel didn’t seem to take things seriously all that often, but his act was one thing he consistently put his heart into. It was clear he was putting a lot of pressure on himself to make this trick work, and it was hard watching him beat himself up like this. After a moment of thought, Sam went back to the back of groceries and returned with an egg in hand, gently shaking Gabe out of his slump. “Maybe you’re thinking about this too hard,” he suggested, dropping the egg into the blond’s hand. “Magic’s about misdirection, right? Making people see what you want them to see?” Gabriel nodded slowly, clearly not following the familiar’s train of thought. “Alright, so just make the egg look like a ping pong ball.”

The witch looked unconvinced, but did as instructed, casting a flawless glamour on the object in his hand. “Okay, I think see where you’re going with this, but it’s not gonna work,” he insisted, looking dejectedly at the disguised egg in his hand. “It’ll crack the second it hits the counter—”

“No, it won’t,” Sam interrupted calmly, his tone certain. They both know Gabe’s illusions were, for lack of a better term, fragile. Even though they were one of this specialties, glamours weren’t made to last, and they generally couldn’t take much physical strain. However, Sam had a strong feeling that this was going to work. “Just change it back before it hits the pan. Trust me on this.”

After a moment of consideration, Gabriel mustered a smirk. “Well, can’t end any worse than the last eight times,” he conceded. Breathing deeply, he lined up the shot and tossed the egg-ball, immediately crossing his fingers. As the two watched in hopeful silence, it skipped across the countertop before landing in the pan with a satisfying crunch. Sam grinned widely, barely containing a chuckle at the stupefied look on his friend’s face. “It…it worked!” Gabe laughed in disbelief. “Holy crap, it actually worked!” Before the brunet could react, he found himself practically tackled by the shorter man as he whooped victoriously. “Oh, you mad genius!” Stunned as he was, Sam managed to awkwardly pat him on the back before Gabriel detached himself, grabbing the pan as he babbled excitedly. “I’ll be honest I had my doubts, but wow, when you’re right, you’re right! That thing bounced perfectly, I didn’t even know I could do that!” The familiar just sat back and smiled at his friend’s enthusiasm. At least until the witch’s expression quickly shifted to confusion. “Actually, how the hell did I do that?”

To his credit, the familiar managed to keep a straight face right up until Gabriel’s suspicious gaze fixed on him. “Uh…” Realizing he’d been caught, Sam cleared his throat awkwardly. “I…may have given you a hand with that,” he haltingly admitted, avoiding eye contact as the witch stared at him. He couldn’t blame him for being surprised; unbonded familiars could lend some of their power to a magic-user if they chose to, but it was rarely done. Many considered sharing magic a privilege that should only be reserved for bonded pairs. After Sam’s personal experiences, however, he couldn’t say he put too much stock in this mindset, seeing as most of the witches he’d bonded with had happily abused their access to his magic. Besides, he’d seen no reason not to help Gabriel out. It wasn’t as though strengthening a simple glamour took that much out of him.

Gabriel, however, apparently took the gesture more to heard, as he seemed to be struggling for the right words. “You…I don’t…well, damn. Thanks, kiddo,” he finally managed, smiling sincerely.

Sam simply nodded, just happy to have helped in some way. For a moment, the two just stood in silence, until an idea suddenly popped into the younger’s head. “Hey, I don’t know if you’ve got any other tricks you're working on, but maybe I could…give you a hand?” he asked almost shyly, not sure how the suggestion would be received. Gabriel had done the street magician thing on his own for years, it was entirely possible that he’d just prefer working alone. Still, he figured it didn’t hurt to offer. It was the least he could do to thank the guy for everything he’d done for him.

The witch only needed a second to consider the idea before his face split into a grin. “Are you kidding? That’d be awesome!” he crowed, practically vibrating with energy. “My ideas and your brain, who knows what we could pull off?” Snapping his fingers, the blond produced a small flame and held it under the frying pan, causing the egg to sizzle and pop loudly. “We can discuss it over lunch. My treat!” he joked, waggling his eyebrows animatedly

Grinning at the witch’s enthusiasm, Sam nodded, then looked around the kitchen with a slight grimace. “Sounds good, but…maybe we should clean this place up first?” he suggested, motioning toward the yolk-yellowed spots on the walls and counters.

“Oh…” Gabe smiled sheepishly, extinguishing the flame and putting the pan back down. “Yeah, you might be onto something there.” Shaking his head in poorly veiled amusement, Sam went to find the cleaning supplies as Gabriel set out to track down stray ping pong balls. If this was any indicator, the two had a lot of work ahead of them.

*****

“I don’t know how you managed to talk me into this.”

“Hey, you’re the one who offered to help with the act.”

“Yeah, planning it. This isn’t exactly what I’d had in mind.”

“Come on, Sam-a-lam, you’ll do great! All you have to do is look good and follow my lead. Who knows, you might even enjoy it.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

“Well, maybe not with that attitude. Alright, look, if you really don’t want to do this, I’m not going to force you.”

“…Nah, let’s face it. You’d be lost without me.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Even an hour after the fact, Gabe still couldn’t believe that he’d actually managed to convince the familiar to go along with his plan. While he felt a little guilty for pressuring Sam into it, he didn’t think this would be too miserable for the guy. And, to be quite honest, he didn’t think he’d be able to pull this off without the familiar’s help. He’d been so dependent on the additional magic he’d been lent during rehearsals that he didn’t want to even attempt the tricks they’d come up with without Sam backing him up. It probably would’ve been enough for Sam to just watch from the audience as long as he was in range, but…well, this was more fun.

The first couple of tricks went off without a hitch, just like they’d practiced. He’d teleport an object to his hand from the bag Sam had brought with them, then cast a glamour on it before revealing it to the audience. The magician had held his breath when he’d handed the first one to a woman in front to prove it was real, half-expecting the spell to break as soon as it left his hand. But the glamour held, thanks to Sam, and was apparently convincing enough to fool the audience. Then when it came to the actual trick, he’d just drop the facade and reveal the actual object, then bask in everyone’s astonishment. They had a ton of transformations lined up for this act; it’d been especially fun seeing people’s reactions when he bit into a lightbulb and revealed it to be an apple. He thought the big guy in the back was going to pass out after that one.

By the end of the act, he had everyone’s attention, and for once there wasn’t a single heckler in the mix. Which meant now was a perfect time to introduce one more new addition to the show. “Thank you, please hold your applause until the end,” he requested, casually dusting off his jacket. “Now, as you all probably know, no magician is complete without their lovely assistant. However, since none of the wonderful ladies I know are willing to put up with this crap, I’ve got the next best thing.” With a snap of his fingers, he whipped up a small puff of smoke and teleported Sam into position before it cleared. The witch barely contained his laughter as the audience squealed and gushed over the huge, fluffy dog sitting beside him with ears perked, tongue lolling and tail pounding against the pavement. Despite his uncertainty earlier, the familiar was pretty good at faking his enthusiasm, falling easily into the role of eager, lovable canine companion.

If the crowd had been engrossed before, it was nothing compared to their reaction when man’s best friend was thrown into the mix. As it turned out, fairly basic tricks like levitation and guessing an audience member’s card got a much better reaction when one of the performers was a cute dog. Sam managed to keep up a good attitude throughout the act, even giving the little girl who reached out to pet him a friendly lick on her hand. When it was time to wrap things up, Gabe produced a large sheet and tossed it over the dog with a flourish. “Alright, last one for today. I know, sadly, all good things must come to an end. Now, you know those guys in Vegas who turn tigers into showgirls?” A few wolf whistles erupted from the crowd before he managed to reel them in again. “Yeah, I thought so. Since there are little ones in the audience, though, let’s try and keep it G-rated, shall we? And…presto!” By the time he pulled away the sheet, Sam was back to his human form, wearing a similar outfit to Gabe’s and giving a low bow as the crowd clapped and chattered. “Well, he’s no showgirl, but, uh…I sure ain’t complaining,” Gabriel confessed with a suggestive wink before taking his own bow amongst laughter, applause, and a few catcalls. “Hope you enjoyed the show, goodnight everybody!”

The two basked in the applause for a little while before Gabe teleported them away in another burst of smoke, only dropping his professional facade once they were safely secluded in an alley the next block over. “Did you hear that? They were eating it up!” he laughed, unable to contain his delight. And apparently, he wasn’t the only one; it took the witch a moment to realize that Sam was laughing breathlessly as he leaned against the wall, his entire body trembling with the sound. “Not bad for your big debut, huh?” the blond joked, patting the taller man on the back.

Sam looked with a wide, dimpled smile, hazel eyes bright with joy. “It was…fun,” he admitted, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice at the realization. “I actually really enjoyed that.” Hearing this was a big weight off of Gabe’s shoulders. As successfully as this show had gone, he hadn’t planned on making it a regular thing if the familiar hadn’t been comfortable with it. He was happy to see that he wouldn't have to choose between what worked well for his act and what Sam was willing to do.

“Alright, let’s go, Superstar,” he chuckled. “Lunch is on me today. We’ll go to Camellia Grill to celebrate, I’m craving pancakes like you wouldn’t believe.” The familiar laughed as he let himself be led away by his enthusiastic roommate, who was already starting on plans for their next performance. “Oh! You’re gonna need a stage name, something endearing but not too cheesy. Let’s see…Sparky? Ace? Fenrir? That’d go with the Norse mythology theme. Come on, work with me here!” He could practically hear Sam’s eyes rolling, but the thought didn’t spoil his mood in the slightest. All Gabriel knew was that this was the start of a beautiful partnership.

*****

The third time, Sam bonded out of spite.

Recovering was even harder the second time around. When Jess had died, her presence had simply flickered out, wholly and completely. It had hurt, of course, but the pain was dull and empty, like a hunger. True to form, being severed from Ruby was completely different, a slow and agonizing process that made recuperating from the effects of the potion even more painful. It was like the Pulse inside of him was being slowly ripped out, bit by bit, extracted from his very soul. After one too many failed attempts to break out and track down Ruby in hopes of ending the pain, his brother had resorted to locking him down until the process had run its course.

Their reunion after he’d finally recovered certainly could have gone better.

“I can’t believe you let that psycho bitch use you like that! How could you be so stupid?!”

“I didn’t ask you to come rescue me, you're the one who always has to be the hero!”

“Oh, well excuse me, maybe next time I should just leave you to die!”

“I’m not a kid, Dean, I can handle things on my own!”

“Obviously you can’t! That’s what got you in that mess in the first place!”

Tempers flared, insults were hurled, and in the end Sam drove off into the night and didn’t look back. As the days past, the younger Winchester just kept driving, putting as many miles between himself and his brother as possible. He regretted what he said, of course; Dean had without a doubt saved his life that night, and he’d done a pretty crappy job of showing his gratitude for it. He’d have gone back and apologized for everything if his injured pride hadn’t gotten in the way. Instead, he ended up at a bar in the middle of nowhere, trying to drown his anger and shame in alcohol. He didn’t need his brother looking over his shoulder every ten seconds to make sure he was alright. He didn’t need Dean making decisions for him just because the elder clearly thought he was incapable of doing it himself. That last comment has stung more than he’d liked to admit, and with that still weighing heavily on his mind, he couldn’t bring himself to go back and beg forgiveness.

He was on his fourth drink when a man took the seat next to him.

Even in his inebriated state, Sam could sense the magic coming off of him, a chill that had the familiar pulling his jacket closer to his body. The blond told the bartender to charge the brunet’s drinks to his tab and ordered another round for both of them, smiling kindly at the taller man. Sam had only planned on having a few drinks to take the edge off from his fight with Dean, but after some coaxing from his new ‘friend’, he found himself explaining his life’s story to the stranger beside him. The man, who called himself Luke, listened intently, asking all the right questions and pressing all the right buttons.

“No offense, but your big bro sounds like a real pain in the ass,” he noted, patting Sam on the back. “I know the type. Got an older brother myself, always had to have the final word, always thought he knew best. Insufferable, aren’t they?” Sam was inclined to agree, still seething over Dean’s apparent lack of faith in him. “He was right about one thing, though. That witch you were tied to? She used you, Sammy, plain and simple. You deserve better than that.” He wasn’t all too sure if he believed that, but it was a nice sentiment all the same.

They talked for hours, the younger man slowly becoming more and more comfortable with the witch. It was a relief, having someone to vent to, and Luke was a more than attentive audience. When closing time rolled around, he asked Sam to come with him. Be the master of his own fate for a change. “Unless, of course, you think you need Dean’s permission first?” he added, noticing the familiar’s hesitation.

Maybe if he’d been thinking more clearly, if he’d been a little less charmed by the man and a lot less angry with his brother, Sam might have realized the mistake he was making. As it was, he shot Dean a text telling him where to find the car before following Luke out into the night.

Like all of his worst decisions, everything started out well enough. As it turned out, Luke was well connected in the magical community, and his extensive circle of acquaintances was more than welcoming to the familiar. It was a world Sam was well accustomed to, but he’d never found himself so completely immersed in it until now. He saw places humans didn’t even know existed, hidden away behind some secret door or convincing glamour, where magic-users didn’t have to hide what they could do out of fear for their lives. Up until then, his encounters with witches and other familiars had been relatively few and far between; seeing so many in the same place nearly left him at a loss for words. Luke seemed to find his fascination infinitely amusing.

It wasn’t long before he gave the younger man an ultimatum. He could bond with Luke and stay, or he could go back home. More specifically, the offer was ‘live life on your own terms or go back to being taken for granted’. When it was put that way, the choice seemed so obvious. Not until after he had the witch’s Pulse chilling him to his very core and the twisting black sigil snaking around his arm did Sam start to realize he’d made the wrong one.

Months passed before he even noticed that something was off. How Luke would make little offhanded jabs at him and later write them off as harmless jokes. How he’d constantly talk over the familiar when they were with his ‘friends’, rarely letting him get more than two words in. How he slowly but surely became less patient and more domineering, any warmth he’d once shown dwindling to nothing as time went on. Luke hadn’t wanted a companion, Sam finally realized; he’d wanted a trophy, a status symbol to flaunt to anyone who’d look. And who better for that position than a naive young familiar who’d let himself get charmed by pretty words and false sympathies?

Acting out only make things worse, although he relished the satisfaction of fighting back as long as it lasted. That was how the collar had been introduced, as a punishment for when he ‘misbehaved’. Luke would force him to stay in his Companion form for hours, then days. Finally the day came when the witch put it on him and never took it off. Sam went from arm candy to a glorified lap dog.

This time, Dean didn’t find him. Sam wouldn’t have been surprised if he hadn’t even tried.

Sam wasn’t sure how long things continued that way until he finally managed to make a break for it. He remembered biting down hard, blood on his tongue and teeth meeting bone, then bolting out the open door. After that he’d just kept running, his only goal to get as far away from the witch as possible. He kept moving as the bond slowly severed with the distance, denying his subconscious urge to turn back. He remembered collapsing from the pain one moment and waking up inside the next, lying in a cage as a bubbly blonde girl cooed at him from outside. Not the best place for a shift-blocked familiar to find himself, but all things considered, it was a marked improvement from the last place he’d called home. He hadn’t known how long to expect he’d be trapped there, and frankly, he couldn’t bring himself to care. Sam was just so tired. Of being used, of losing the ones he loved, all of it. For once, he just failed to believe that maybe, just maybe, things could turn around.

Then a man with a mischievous smirk and a Pulse like sunlight showed up and proved him wrong.

Chapter Text

“Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!

So tell me what you want, what you really really want!

I’ll tell you want I want, what I really really want!

So tell me what you want, what—”

“You mean besides for you to stop singing?”

The magician pushed his sunglasses down and glanced over them at Sam, his eyebrow cocked critically. “Ouch! What’s got your tail in a knot?” he asked before turning back to the road. “You’re awfully grumpy for a guy who’s spent half the trip sticking his head out the window.”

The familiar chuckled, shaking his head. “Hey, I can only take so much of you butchering 90’s pop songs. I’m surprised I’ve survived this long,” he quipped. In his defense, they had been on the road for almost three days straight; between driving about seven hours per day, eating exclusively at roadside diners, and sleeping at sub-par hotels, most people might have a bad case of cabin fever by this point. Luckily, both of them were used to this kind of trip, Gabriel from traveling with Kali after he’d left home and Sam from annual road trips with his family and, when they were older, just Dean and himself. Given the distance to their destination, taking a flight might have been the more reasonable option, but seeing as they had the week off from work, they’d decided to take Gabe’s old Mustang out of storage and put it to good use. Besides, thanks to a few handy spells and some creative thinking, they’d managed to save a small fortune on gas money by powering the car on magic alone. As far as alternative fuel sources went, it was pretty damn effective.

Gabriel snorted, glancing at the map on his phone momentarily. “Well, your suffering’s nearly at its end, buttercup. Cassie’s place should be somewhere up ahead.” With both Trickster’s Tavern and their joint magic act doing better than ever, the witch had finally given in to his cousin’s demands that he take time off to visit. Of all their relatives, he was the only Gabe was still on good terms with, and it’d been well over a year since they’d last seen each other. And once he’d explained the situation with Sam, Castiel had insisted he bring him along. “At least I think it is. Why does everything have to be so spread out here?” Not that the change of scenery wasn’t refreshing, but the witch was much more used to the energy and closeness of city life. Based on what he’d seen of Kansas so far, the witch was a bit out of his element.

“It’s not so bad once you get used to it,” Sam assured him, smiling as he watched the scenery roll by. It was nice to see him enjoying himself, especially since he’d seemed a little uncertain when he’d first found out about their destination. The fact that Castiel now lived in the same state where the familiar had grown up had been a surprise to both of them. He’d been quick to decline, though, when Gabriel had suggested swinging by Lawrence on their way to Lebanon, claiming it wasn’t necessary to go out of their way. The witch had left it at that, knowing as well as anyone how complicated family situations could be. Even so, the way Sam had talked about his parents, his brother, even his adoptive uncle Bobby, it didn’t sound like there was any bad blood or hard feelings between them. He never heard a trace of bitterness in the familiar’s voice, just bittersweet nostalgia and an ever-present longing. It was clear he loved them, even if he wasn’t apparently all that eager to see them right now. Gabe didn’t doubt that he had his reasons, whatever they might be, and he wasn’t about to broach a sensitive subject like that. Sam hadn’t asked him any more about his own family problems; the least he could do was show the same courtesy.

“We’re not gonna be here that long, are we?” he griped, succeeding in drawing a laugh and a light shove from the other man. The only thing that kept it from deteriorating into an all-out war that sent them skidding off the road was the metallic ding from Gabe’s phone, alerting them that they were nearing their destination. Sure enough, the witch looked up to see a small, cozy little house coming up on the right, just as Castiel had described it. His cousin had always had fairly modest tastes, just another trait that made him something of a black sheep in their family. Gabriel could see this quaint little place in the middle of nowhere being right up his alley. “Well, this looks like the place,” he said with a smile, looking forward to finally getting out of the car and stretching his legs. “Least that’s what I’m assuming, since it’s the only one within a mile. Not my first pick for location, but that’s Cassie for ya. Heh, twenty bucks says they’ve got beehives in the back—”

“Stop the car.” The witch faltered, looking over at his companion in confusion. He opened his mouth to respond, but Sam beat him to it, the familiar’s face white as a sheet. “Gabe, stop the car, now!” he demanded, panic clear in his voice. The man looked practically on the verge of a panic attack.

Gabriel knew better than to argue, pulling the Mustang over to the side of the road, their destination sitting a few yards ahead. Beside him, the familiar sat with his head cradled in his hands, drawing long, shaky breaths in an effort to calm himself down. “Sam? What happened, you alright?” the witch asked, struggling not to sound as concerned as he felt. His friend was clearly upset about something, and the last thing he wanted to do was make the situation any more stressful for him. Granted, that would be a lot easier if he knew what had set him off in the first place. “What, was it the beehive thing?” he ventured, reviewing what he’d just said for possible triggers. “Okay, I’m not gonna say it isn’t a strong possibility, Castiel’s had a thing for bees since he was five. But I promise, you don’t have to go anywhere near them.”

Not looking the least bit assured, Sam shook his head miserably. “It’s not the bees, Gabe,” he murmured, finally steadying himself enough to lift his head. For a moment he was quiet, just staring at the house before them, then his shoulders slumped with resignation. “Dean’s car is in the driveway.”

Shocked by the admission, Gabe followed the other man’s gaze, catching a glimpse of sleek black paint and glistening silver from in front of the house. “Wait, Dean as in your brother? You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure!” he snapped, chewing at his bottom lip in agitation. “How many ’67 Chevy Impalas do you think are still on the road?” The witch didn’t take the outburst too much to heart; Sam was clearly under a lot of stress at the moment.

For his part, Gabriel could only shake his head in disbelief. “So when he said he had a familiar…Well, shit.” He’d been pleasantly surprised to hear that his cousin had bonded since they’d last seen each other, bearing in mind how hard it was for the younger witch to find people he really connected with. He’d always been so shy growing up, and people tended to find many of his quirks and interests off-putting — the bees being a prime example. From what he’d heard over the phone, though, Castiel couldn’t have been happier with the familiar he’d met and bonded with in the past year. Of course, it hadn’t even crossed Gabe’s mind that his cousin’s new companion and Sam’s estranged brother could be one and the same. Why would he? Even given the limited population of familiars in the world, the odds were so slim they weren’t even worth considering. Or so he’d thought, up until now. “Talk about a small world, huh?” he quipped lightly, trying to get a smile out of the brunet. This would be a lot easier to handle if Sam could function without needing to breathe into a paper bag.

Not surprisingly, Sam didn’t seem any less distressed, raking his fingers through his hair roughly. “Shit... I can’t go in there. I can’t, there’s no way I can face him,” he murmured feverishly, working himself back up into a frenzy.

Knowing he had to intervene somehow, the witch cut the engine and put a hand on Sam’s shoulder, anchoring him to the here and now. “Whoa, easy there, big guy, deep breaths. You’re okay, we’re staying right here until we’ve got all this sorted out, I promise. Come on, in and out.”

It took a few minutes of slow, steady breathing, but eventually the two managed to bring Sam’s frenetic heart rate back to normal. “That’s it, kiddo,” Gabe praised warmly, heaving a silent breath of relief as he patted the man on the back. “Now, can you tell me why you don’t want to go in there?” The short answer was obvious; clearly, Sam didn’t want to be anywhere near his older brother right now. What he couldn’t understand, though, was why. The whole time they’d known each other, Sam had had nothing but good things to say about Dean; even his complaints about the elder’s antics hand always been tempered with a tone of fondness. The reaction he’d seen just now belied all of that, and Gabriel knew there had to be a logical reason for it. Unfortunately, the younger wasn’t making it easy for him to figure it out, his lips pressed together in a thin, tight line. “C’mon, Sam,” he prodded gently, not wanting to push his friend too far too fast. “You’ve always said how close you and Dean were growing up. What happened between you guys?” Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have asked, preferring to respect the familiar’s privacy. Now, though, it was clear that this needed to come to light.

Sam hesitated, staring down at his hands folded on the dashboard, before finally mustering up an answer. “Dean always looked out for me when we were kids. He said it was his responsibility to keep an eye on me, make sure I didn’t do anything stupid.” Even now, he couldn’t keep the fondness out of his smile as he thought back to those times. “The last time I saw him,” he continued, the mirth in his eyes replaced by bitterness, “he was trying to help me and I just threw it back in his face. If I’d just listened to him, I wouldn’t have…” He trailed off, but the witch already knew what he’d been thinking about. Ever since Sam had moved in officially, he’d slowly opened up about his past, even the less savory aspects of it. Gabe knew about Jess, the girl he’d given his heart to, and Ruby, the bitch he’d almost lost his life to. But as for the infamous third witch, he didn’t even have a name. The familiar had made it clear that it was one topic that he refused to speak about, and Gabriel had been content to respect that. If his reasons for not wanting to see Dean were in some way linked to that time in his life, he could see why Sam felt so strongly about it.

Still, it was plain enough to see that, at the heart of the matter, Sam missed his brother, and whatever fears he’d been carrying with him all this time were holding him back. “If you’re worried about him saying ‘I told you so,’ I’ll be more than happy to set him straight,” he promised, flexing his arms in an exaggerated fashion. Obviously, he wouldn’t actually let it get that far, but he’d definitely give the man a stern talking-to if need be.

Sam smiled weakly, but it was offset by the wetness in his eyes. “Honestly, I think I’ll be lucky if he wants to talk to me at all.”

Gabriel’s heart went out to the younger man; he’d already been through so much, and yet he still deemed it necessary to beat himself up further. “Listen, kiddo,” he started, leaning into Sam’s line of sight. “I know I might not ever manage to get this through your hard head, but you’ve gotta stop blaming yourself for what happened. You made a mistake. Believe it or not, people do it all the time.” Again, Sam didn’t seem to take this sentiment to heart, at he relaxed slightly. “And I really doubt your brother’s been holding a grudge against you all this time. Brothers fight, doesn’t mean they stop caring about each other.”

“Like you and your brothers?” Sam countered flatly, and Gabriel flinched. It was a low blow, but he made a fair enough point.

“Not exactly the best frame of reference,” the witch muttered, scratching the back of his neck. After a moment, though, he continued with a slight hesitation. “Honestly, though? My brothers might be dicks, but they’re still my family,” he admitted, a bit begrudgingly. “Just because I can’t stand to be around them doesn’t mean I don’t still love them, deep down.” Oddly enough, he wasn’t just saying that to cheer Sam up. Gabe hadn’t seen his brothers in well over a decade, but even through all the years, they’d managed to keep a place in his heart. “And if Dean’s anything like you’ve told me, I bet he’s missed you just as much as you’ve missed him,” he concluded, watching Sam’s face soften. He smiled warmly as the familiar looked up, nodding over at the house. “So what d’you say we give this another shot?”

The brunet looked up at the small, innocent house and the pristine car in the driveway, taking them in before turning back to his friend with an uncertain smile. “You’ll have my back, right?”

Grinning, Gabriel turned the key and fired up the engine again. “‘Course I will. Where else would I be?” With that, he toed the gas and pulled them into the driveway, keeping his free hand clasped over Sam’s. It remained there even when they got to the front door, giving a reassuring squeeze as he rang the doorbell. He could feel the familiar’s grip on his hand tighten painfully as a guy with dark hair, green eyes, and a generous dusting of freckles answered the door, nearly breaking Gabe’s hand in the process.

But when Sam was almost immediately pulled into a tight hug, the witch figured than any fears that had still been clinging to his mind had been effectively put to rest.

Chapter Text

As a general rule, Gabe tried to keep his magic use at Trickster’s to a minimum, at least during business hours. It wasn’t really a personal preference, considering how much easier his job would be if he could get things done with just a snap of his fingers, but unfortunately it was necessary. Getting spotted by a hunter wasn’t a risk he could afford to take, especially not now that it could mean dragging Sam down with him. He could get away with messing with a few rude patrons now and then, and having a magic act was virtually a get out of jail free card, but anything higher level than that was usually off limits. Besides, after that time he’d tried to enchant the sink so all of the dishes would wash themselves…suffice it to say Fantasia should be considered a cautionary tale. Kali had kept him and his magic on a much tighter leash ever since. Tonight, though, with the bar closed early and his friend distracted with other matters, Gabe couldn’t be bothered to keep a low profile.

“Damn, look at you go!” Adjusting the curtain one last time, the witch peered down from the ladder with a grin, shooting Benny a salute. The man chuckled, shaking his head as he went back to stacking the last few chairs. “Why can’t you put in this much effort every day?” Gabriel laughed, looking down at the broom gliding across the floor below — cliche, maybe, but it was better than doing it himself — and the lightbulbs floating around him. Yes, it seemed like his powers were in rare form tonight, easily handling a much higher workload than usual. They’d been like that a lot recently, now that he thought about it, and he’d been using them much more often, but maybe it was just because he’d been in such a good mood. And why shouldn’t he be? Sam was happier than ever since they’d gotten back from their trip, and now they were going to be performing an actual, paid gig in just a few days. He was hard pressed to think how it could be better.

Satisfied with his work, Gabe hopped down to stand beside his friend, snapping away the burnt-out lightbulbs and sending the broom and ladder back to the closet. “Not bad, huh?” An hour ago, the disused stage had been a complete wreck. Now it looked just like new, spotlights gleaming and the moth-eaten curtain restored to its former glory. Not too shabby, if he did say so himself. “Two years we’ve had this place, I can’t believe we’ve never used this thing,” he exclaimed, stepping back to admire his job well done.

“Never had a reason ’til now,” Benny pointed out, putting the last chair in its place. “What I can’t believe is that Kali agreed to this,” he added teasingly, giving the shorter man a good-natured nudge.

Gabriel put a hand to his chest haughtily, feigning insult. “Oh, ye of little faith! I’ll have you know, Kali trusts me a lot more than you give her credit for.” At the taller man’s knowing look, his bravado deflated slightly. “Of course, Sam vouching for me might’ve helped a little,” he threw in sheepishly, the grin not leaving his face. In truth, Sam was the one who had convinced both of them. He’d been the first to suggest performing at Trickster’s to draw in more business during the week, and his faith in Gabe’s magic had put both his and Kali’s doubts to rest. The man could be pretty persuasive when he wanted to be.

Benny’s low chuckle drew him away from his train of thought. “Oh, I don’t doubt that. Must be nice knowing he’s got your back,” the bartender said knowingly. Gabriel tried to ignore the implications in his tone, but the man was far from subtle. When he refused to reply, Benny sighed heavily. “Aw, c’mon, Gabe, we all know you’ve got a thing for—”

Rest of the comment was cut off as Gabriel slapped a hand across his mouth, shushing the man frantically as his amber eyes scanned the main room. “Would it kill you to keep your voice down?” he hissed, only pulling his hand away when he was sure that a certain familiar hadn’t stumbled upon their conversation.

The taller man allowed himself to be manhandled, rolling his eyes at the magician’s secrecy. “Relax, Romeo,” he teased gruffly. “Your boyfriend’s checking inventory, so your secret’s safe.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” the blond retorted, then cursed himself silently for answering so quickly. A guilty conscience had a way of doing that to you. Though he refused to admit it out loud, especially when Sam was even in the same building, he couldn’t deny that Benny knew what he was talking about. Yes, he liked Sam. Of course he did, who wouldn’t? The guy was kind, smart, fun to be around once he was coaxed out of his shell, and he put up with Gabe’s crap better than anyone, even Kali. He was the witch’s voice of reason, his second opinion, his partner in crime. Maybe it was crazy to think so highly of someone he’d only known for a few months, but Gabriel could scarcely imagine going back to the life he’d led before Sam had walked into it.

He’d just thought he’d been doing a better job of hiding it.

A heavy hand on his shoulder pulled him back to the present once again. “Only ‘cause you haven’t fessed up to him yet.” Gabriel looked up at his friend, wanting more than anything to believe that. He would love to think that if he just came clean to Sam about his feelings, everything would fall into place and they could live happily ever after. But with all that Sam had been through already, it just wasn’t in the cards. He’d had his first love ripped away from him, then been manipulated and used by the next two people whose hands he’d placed his life into. Frankly, it was a miracle Gabriel had managed to get as close to Sam as he was now. The last thing he wanted to do was run the risk of losing that by pushing the familiar any further than he was comfortable with. Besides, having him as a friend was a blessing in itself; he was more than satisfied with what he already had, even as he wondered how much more they could be.

In the end, though, he just shrugged, not really validating or denying Benny’s claim. “Look, it’s a complicated situation. We’ve both got some baggage…I just don’t want to risk opening up any old—”

“Excuse me, I just said we’re closed!”

Both men looked up automatically, all too familiar with that tone of voice. It was usually taken as a signal to stay as far out of Kali’s way as possible — unless you happened to be her target, in which case it was better to just get it over with and take it like a man. Gabe didn’t even get a chance to feel grateful for the change in subject. Not when he caught sight of the figure striding toward them with a very ticked-off Kali hot on his heels. “Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just stopping by to catch up with an old friend.” Somehow Gabriel managed to keep his expression stony as the man before him looked him over with a smirk. “Long time no see, baby brother.”

Benny must’ve picked up on the tension rolling off of him in waves, because it only took the bartender a second to step between them. “You heard the lady. Now why don’t you just go wait outside.” He clapped a firm hand onto the man’s shoulder, but pulled it back with a gasp almost immediately, shaking out his fingers as if they’d been burned. The witch knew better; his older brother had always run cold more than warm.

He also knew that he needed to put an end to this before things got out of hand, just like they always seemed to do when his brothers were involved. “Guys, it’s okay. You go ahead, I’ll deal with this.” Kali looked about to protest, but she recognized the meaning in the look he shot her. With a tight nod, she granted the man one more scathing glare before storming away, practically dragging Benny along with her. At least his friend’s hand seemed to have recovered quickly; the chill had only been a warning, not an actual attack.

As Gabriel watched his friends depart, he could feel the air around him drop a few degrees as Lucifer drew closer. “Still hanging out with mortals, I see,” he observed with amusement, slipping his hands into his pockets. “I’ll admit, they’re good for a laugh every now and then, but as company—”

“What are you doing here?” Gabriel cut him off, his amber gaze hard as he glared at the taller blond. After a particularly long and tedious day of work, this was the absolute last thing he wanted to deal with. Hell, it never even crossed his mind that he’d ever have to deal with this again.

Raising an eyebrow, the older witch just smirked. “Ouch! That’s a hell of a hello for your big brother. It’s been what, ten, fifteen years?”

“Not nearly long enough,” Gabe murmured bitterly, turning on his heel as he fiddled with the tie on his apron. He’d figured the fact that they’d been out of touch for nearly two decades was enough of an indicator that he’d wanted to keep it that way. Up until now, it hadn’t been a problem. After the first year or so, the witch had concluded that his brothers hadn’t made the effort to try and find him, a fact he’d been perfectly fine with.

Disregarding the retort, Lucifer pressed on, glancing around the bar in a bored manner. “You’ve become quite the Internet sensation,” he commented lightly, running his fingers along the liquor counter. For the first time in his life, Gabriel silently cursed the World Wide Web. Ever since he and Sam had revamped their act, they’d found themselves featured in more than a few viral videos. At least that explained how his brother had tracked him down. The ‘why’ was still a mystery, but Gabriel really couldn’t have cared less. “You must be so proud. Then again, not like it takes much to keep humans entertained.”

Gabriel scowled as he roughly hung up his apron. They’d been talking for less than a minute and it looked as though Luci was already launching into one of his ‘witches are better than mortals’ tirades. Their whole family seemed to have that mindset, although Lucifer was easily the most vocal about it. He generally didn’t spend time around not-magical individuals unless he had to, and on those occasions he would gripe and groan and take great pleasure in messing with their heads, whether or not they’d done anything to deserve it. At least Michael and Raphael had been a little more civil with their prejudices, deeming it necessary to tolerate humans since they were literally everywhere. And then there’d been Gabe, the only one of the group who actually had human friends and didn’t subscribe to the idea that having magic automatically made you better. Humans had gotten along just fine for centuries, all without the option of using magic as a crutch or a short cut. He’d have thought that would be something to admire, not scorn, but God forbid any of his siblings take anything he said to heart. It was just one of many reasons why he’d left home about as soon as possible.

“Gee, thanks for the input,” Gabe said flatly, shooting his brother a clearly forced smile. “But if you tracked me down just to criticize my life choices — again — I’m gonna have to pass on that. Thanks anyway, drive safe, see you in another twenty years. Or more, I’m not picky.”

Lucifer pouted, though the amusement in his eyes was clear. “Oh, don’t be like that. You were never this sensitive when we were kids.” The younger fought the urge to roll his eyes; he knew it would just encourage Luci to know that his attempts to get under his skin were working. “Remember all the good times we had back then? Before all that unpleasantness with Mikey started? Why can’t we go back to that?” Gabriel chewed at his lip, pointedly avoiding eye contact. Of course he remembered that; his brother had been his best friend growing up, they’d been practically joined at the hip at one point. But then they’d gotten older and all of that had changed. Gabriel had grown less naive, Lucifer less patient, and in the end they’d drifted apart just like their other siblings. It was a harsh reality, but one that he’d long ago come to terms with. There was no repairing their relationship like Sam and Dean had. Lucifer was too warped a person to have any kind of bond with, and Gabriel was far too aware of that fact now to even try.

“Hey, Gabe, remind me to tell Kali we need to order more—” Sam trailed off as he exited the kitchen and caught sight of the two witches, drawing the attention of both. Gabriel had been so caught up in dealing with his brother that he’d all but forgotten that the familiar was still here with them. Something about the smile that slithered onto Lucifer’s face at that moment gave him a very distinct feeling that it was time to end this reunion.

“Ah, Samsquatch! I’ll be right with you, we were just wrapping things up.” He turned back to Gabriel with an overly-pleasant smile. “Once again, Luci, thanks ever so much for stopping by, but it’s late and I’d just hate to keep you from your busy schedule of tormenting the innocent, or whatever you do in your free time.” His tone made it clear that he wasn’t going to ask twice for his brother to leave.

Thankfully, once more seemed to be enough as Luci finally pulled his eyes away from the brunet, smiling politely. “Oh, of course. And I’m sure you have mortals to entertain with cheap parlor tricks. Wouldn’t want to be late for that,” he countered smoothly. “Always nice to see you, Gabriel. Hopefully we’ll run into one another again soon.” With one last glance at Sam, the older witch turned and strode away toward the front entrance.

Gabriel didn’t relax until he heard the door close with a light thud. “Yeah, don’t count on it,” he grumbled under his breath, snapping his jacket to his hand before turning back to Sam. “...Hey, you alright?” The taller man seemed dazed for a moment, like his thoughts were caught somewhere else entirely.

He quickly snapped out of his blank state, however, and smiled at the blond, nodding. “Yeah, sorry. Long day, I guess,” he said as he adjusted his own jacket. Spring was coming and it was getting warmer, but even here a chill seemed to cling stubbornly to the air. “That, uh...that was your brother?”

Grimacing, the witch shot a cold glare over his shoulder. “Yeah, real piece of work, that guy,” he muttered, pulling his arm through his jacket sleeve. “Guess he was in the neighborhood and wanted to harass me for old time’s sake.” Shaking off his sour mood, he clapped Sam on the back. “Nothing to worry about. Let’s just finish up here. You and I got a date with the second Sharknado movie when we get home,” he reminded happily before heading off to lock up. As surreal as it was to see his brother again after so many years, Gabe chose not to dwell on it. He’d made it clear that he wasn’t interested in ‘catching up’, or whatever had brought the elder here, and he couldn’t imagine Luci putting too much effort into patching things up between them. He gave it a day, two days tops, before his brother moved on completely and left town. Then life could go back to normal for all of them.

*****

“You sure you want to sit this one out?” Gabriel asked for the fourth time as his hand hovered over the doorknob, waiting for a sudden change of heart. The familiar couldn’t help but feel a little touched by his friend’s persistence. They both knew how much Sam enjoyed taking part the magician’s performances; since their first act together, he’d been a more than willing volunteer. The look of surprise on Gabe’s face when he’d said he planned on staying home this time around might’ve been funny if he hadn’t been so preoccupied with other matters.

Sam smiled apologetically from his spot on the couch, but nodded. “Sorry, not this time. Think I might be coming down with something.” It wasn’t the least convincing excuse he could’ve given. He’d been so out of sorts since closing time the night before, an illness would actually be a logical explanation for his shift in behavior. Given the circumstances, he certainly felt sick, even if a cold wasn’t to blame for it.

Biting his lip, Gabriel looked him over with evident concern. “Maybe I should stay, too, if it’s really that bad.”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Sam insisted, quick to wave off the suggestion. “Someone needs to spread the word about the show this week, right?” he added, hoping it would be enough of an incentive. It was nice knowing that Gabe cared enough to actually stay behind with him in lieu of performing. As touching as the offer was,though, it just wasn’t an option. Not tonight.

The witch looked about ready to protest again, but ultimately gave in with a begrudging smile. “Yeah, you’ve got a point there. But I’m telling you right now, I won’t be half as good without my lovely assistant,” he added with a wink and a flirtatious grin. Sam rolled his eyes, but snickered at the man’s antics as he finally pushed the door open. “Be back later, kiddo. Try not to die!” With that last word of advice, Gabriel closed the door behind him.

It wasn’t until Sam was sure the blond had at least made it to the elevator that he let his forced smile drop, slumping forward like a puppet with its strings clipped. As much as he wanted to, he fought the urge to call Gabe back, to explain everything and somehow find a way out of this nightmare together. Fortunately, the familiar had more sense than that.

Running a hand through his hair, Sam looked around the apartment he’d grown so used to in the past few months. It was hard to believe that so short a time ago he’d been living on the streets with nothing. Now he had a home, a job, people who cared about him. Hell, he even had his family back. Gabriel had given him all of this, he’d given Sam a second chance. Dragging him into the familiar’s mess would be a poor way of paying him back for all he’d done. Sighing, Sam toyed with the fabric of his sleeve in agitation. He loved this life, and he knew that if he wanted to keep it, he’d have to fight for it. And he’d have to do so on his own.

As he pulled on his boots and jacket, Sam took one last look around, taking everything in, and couldn’t keep a single, horrible thought from settling in his head. If he left, was there any guarantee he’d come back? Would he ever see Benny or Kali again? Would he be pulled off the radar again so soon after finally mending things with Dean? And what about Gabriel? What if that had been his last time seeing the witch who’d done so much for him? He hadn’t even said a proper goodbye. There was so much he’d never told him, so much he still wanted to say... No, no, he couldn’t let himself think like that. Of course he’d see Gabe again. Once he’d dealt with the task at hand, he’d be back before the witch even returned. Then they’d be able to go back to their lives.

‘Everything will be fine,’ he promised himself as he locked the apartment behind him. Sam had to believe that, if nothing else.

*****

He found the front door already unlocked when he arrived at Trickster’s Tavern. It was strange how different the bar felt, cold and dark and quiet for the first time in his memory. Every other time he’d been inside, the place had been so full of life and sound, ever when it was just him and the others hanging out after hours. Now, as he wound through the empty tables, heart pounding in his ears, Sam had a hard time reminding himself that this was the same place.

Luke was waiting for him in the back, leaning casually against the edge of the stage. The witch’s eyes remained closed as Sam approached, but the chilling smile on his face betrayed him. “You know, it really was nice seeing Gabriel again after so long,” he said conversationally. “Never thought he’d actually make anything of himself with that magician dream of his. But, I suppose his stubbornness paid off, even just barely.” He chuckled low in his throat, the sound almost a purr. “Imagine my surprise when I saw you in that video with him.” Luke’s eyes seemed to glow in the darkness when he finally opened them, locking onto the familiar. Maybe they were glowing; the man had always had a flair for theatrics. “I guess that was just my good fortune.”

“What do you want?” Sam asked flatly, his voice calmer and steadier than he felt at that moment. Not for the first time, he wondered if maybe he should’ve told Gabriel the truth. Just being in the same room as his former witch was making him want to crawl out of his skin, and he couldn’t help thinking that having someone there with him might help. There was nothing he could do about that now, though.

Grinning ferally, Luke pushed away from the stage and strode slowly toward the familiar. “You know, playing dumb really doesn’t suit you, Sammy,” he chided. He was right, of course; Sam knew why he was here. He’d been dreading this moment for a long time. “Now, I know we’ve had our...disagreements in the past.” The witch adjusted his sleeve, unconsciously thumbing the marred skin on his hand. Despite the situation, Sam couldn’t ignore the flicker of cold pride in his chest at the sight of bite mark. “However,” he continued, his grin sickly sweet, “I’m willing to work things out if you are.”

“‘Work things out,’” Sam echoed slowly, hardly able to believe the words had actually come out of the man’s mouth. He really was deluded if he thought that was going to work. The taller man stared back at his former tormentor, his expression hard as stone. “You used me. You lied to me, held me against my will, treated me like your personal pet—”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, please,” Lucifer cut him off, apparently unfazed by the growing anger in his voice. Sam forced himself to calm down, or at the very least keep his rage under wraps. It had done little to help him in past dealings with the man, and he doubted it would be of much use now. So instead he held his tongue and tried not to shudder as the witch drew closer, his voice taunting. “You and I both know bonding only works if both parties are completely and utterly willing,” he reminded with sick delight, leaning in ever closer. “If you’d had even a shred of doubt in your mind, my mark wouldn’t have took. So you can go ahead and throw the blame around all you want, but the simple fact, Sammy-Boy, is that you. Chose. Me.”

Against his will, the familiar felt himself shrink back at the calm accusations. As much as he wanted to, Sam couldn’t deny the truth in those words. Maybe he could blame anger and alcohol for his trusting the man initially, but he’d had more than enough time to realize what kind of person Lucifer was before they’d bonded. He just hadn’t managed to put two and two together until it was too late. The witch had played him like a harp, and Sam had fallen for it, even after Dean had bailed him out of his last ill-fated bond. He could’ve been trapped there for the rest of his life, cowering in fear from a man who held nearly complete control over him. But he hadn’t. He’d fought back, he’d gotten away, and Luke had the scars to prove it. Sam had gotten himself into that mess, he couldn’t ignore that fact. But he’d gotten himself out of it, too. “Yeah, well, I also chose to walk away,” he retorted coolly. “And it was the best damn decision I’d made since I met you.”

The older man’s triumphant facade seemed to crack momentarily, but he was quick to repair it. “Really? Then what are you doing here?” he asked, unconvinced by the familiar’s show of will. “Maybe, deep down, you miss it. Being my faithful familiar, always at my side—”

“You mean at your feet?” he snapped back, baring his teeth menacingly. Sam had put up with just about as much as he could stand to hear. “I only came here to save us both the trouble,” he explained evenly, not once breaking eye contact. He was so done behaving submissively around this bastard, watching his step for fear of punishment that would undoubtedly come around anyway. “I’m not going anywhere with you. So either you stay away from me, or I promise you, you are going to regret it.” His tone left no mistaking that he meant every word of that threat, and that it would be the only warning he gave.

Lucifer, for his part, didn’t seem all that phased by the warning, raising an eyebrow with interest. “Well, you’ve got more guts than I’d expected, I’ll give you that,” he admitted calmly, sounding almost impressed. “Coming here to tell me off, and alone, no less. I’d half expected Gabriel to be here with you, though. The two of you seemed awfully close.” Sam kept his lips pressed together in a thin line, betraying nothing. Luke’s grin widened. “Oh, I see. He doesn’t know, does he? About our history together? I wonder what his thoughts would be on that?”

“Leave him out of this!” the familiar snarled, anger boiling his blood. “This is between you and me.” As bad as he felt about leaving Gabriel in the dark, he knew he’d have felt a lot worse if he’d pulled the witch into this with him. No matter how complicated their family situation was, Sam knew he couldn’t have asked Gabe to stand against his brother.

“Oh, come on, do you really think I’d do anything to hurt my own flesh and blood?” The witch nearly sounded offended, but the savage glint in his eye gave him away. The glare Sam shot back was answer enough; he knew how ruthless Lucifer could be, and he wasn’t willing to put anything past him, not even harming one of his own. “And even if I did,” he continued with a purr, “it’s not like you could protect him. Just like you couldn’t protect your sweet, darling Jessica.” Sam saw red. With a snarl, he launched himself at the witch, only to have him duck out of reach effortlessly. He tried again, only to stop dead when he found his legs refused to move with him. The cold, satisfied smirk on Luke’s face just heighten the dread creeping over him. “Just like you can’t protect yourself,” he finished, toeing the ice that encased Sam’s feet, holding him in place. He’d been so caught up in his fear and anger, so distracted that he hadn’t even realized…

Shaking his head in denial, Sam frantically pulled at his legs, struggling to break free. He tried to shift, but of course Lucifer had seen that coming. The familiar could just make out the blocking sigils etched into the ice trapping him. He couldn’t shift, he couldn’t move. Sam felt his heart drop into his stomach at the realization that he’d walked right into Lucifer’s hands again. He was trapped, plain and simple.

A cold hand cradling his jaw pulled him back to the present, forcing him to look up into triumphant blue eyes. “Now, what was that about not going anywhere with me?”

Chapter Text

“So you haven’t heard from him? ...No, I’ve tried three times already, he hasn’t picked up. It’s really weird. ...I know, I know, but he’s been acting so— ...Yeah, you’re probably right. Just keep me posted, okay? Thanks, Kali.” Gabriel sighed heavily as he hung up, leaning against the building behind him. His performance had gone about as well as expected, considering his co-star wasn’t there to back him. He’d been worried that his magic wouldn’t be able to pick up the slack, but the tricks had gone off without a hitch in the end. The entire time, though, his mind kept wandering away from whatever trick he was performing and to the absent familiar. And not in the normal, love-struck idiot kind of way, either. After cutting the show short, he’d tried calling the apartment to check up on Sam, but had gotten no answer in return. As much as he tried to tell himself that his friend was probably just sleeping off whatever ailment he’d come down with, there was still that nagging sense that it was something more.

Staring down at his phone, the witch resisted the urge to dial the apartment a fourth time. He knew he was overreacting, of course; it had only been a couple of hours since he’d seen the guy, and he was acting like a paranoid, clingy boyfriend for no good reason. Sam was fine, probably sitting on the couch where Gabe had left him with his nose in a book or a movie playing on the TV. So what if he hadn’t answered the phone? Gabriel rarely answered his own phone, and no one had ever jumped to the conclusion that he was dead in a ditch somewhere. Granted, Sam didn’t strike him as the kind of person to regularly miss phone calls, but that was beside the point. He had no reason whatsoever to think that everything wasn’t just peachy keen back home.

So why couldn’t he shake that horrible gut feeling that something was wrong?

“Ugh, to hell with it.” Even if he was overreacting, it couldn’t hurt to just go back and check, right? It wasn’t like he had anything better to do, and for all his protests, Sam would probably enjoy the company. He could even stop along the way and grab dinner to take back, maybe a new movie or two to watch. His mind made up, Gabriel dropped the phone into his pocket and turned to head toward the bus stop. He narrowly avoided falling flat on his face when something pulled him back. “What the…?” Experimentally, he tried to move forward again and felt the firm, unyielding tug on his chest holding him in place. It was an odd but familiar sensation, taking him back to that day in January that had turned his life on its head. The witch tested the pull again, ignoring the strange looks he was getting from those passing by. There was no mistaking it; this was the very same pull that had first led him to Sam. So why was it pulling him away from the apartment?

The worry he’d been trying so hard to push down returned with a vengeance. Maybe it was nothing, but it couldn’t hurt to take a look, right? It wasn’t like he had much choice in the matter either way. “So much for a nice night in,” he murmured as he turned around, following the insistent pull as it dragged him toward some unknown destination. Gabriel just hoped that wherever he was being led, he’d get there soon.

*****

The witch pieced together where he was supposed to be going a block from the destination, having walked the same route more times than he could count. What he couldn’t figure out was why Sam would be there on a Sunday night instead of back at the apartment where he’d said he’d be. Sure enough, though, the pull went lax when he reached the Tavern’s front entrance, one last tug coaxing him onward. The door was unlocked, despite the fact that he distinctly recalled bolting it before they’d left the night before. Red flag right there. His resolve steeled by the thought that Sam might be inside, he make his way in slowly and silently, the worry twisting his stomach keeping him cautious. He’d always thought the bar looked kinda creepy when it was empty like this, and the added tension he was feeling sure didn’t help with that. He was about to say something, to call out to Sam, if only to break the oppressing silence, when someone else beat him to it.

“Alright, how about we make a deal?” As quietly as he could, the witch crept toward the voice, one that he’d hoped he wouldn’t have to hear again for a very long time. Peering out past the table he was crouched behind, he spotted two figures standing by the stage. One he already knew, and the other he recognized immediately, knowing that oversized build and mop of brown hair anywhere. What the hell were they doing in the same place? “You and I walk out of here, and I promise to stay as far away from Gabriel as you’d like. Same goes for those charming mortals you two are so attached to.”

“And I’m supposed to just take your word for that?” Sam growled, refusing to look at the man circling him like a vulture biding its time.

The low chuckle that answered made Gabe’s skin crawl like nothing else. “Aw, come on, Sammy. It’ll be just like old times,” he cooed, grabbing the familiar’s chin and forcing him to look up. “Course, we’ll have to get you a new collar, seeing as you lost the last one. Maybe something with a nice, shiny padlock?”

That was all it took to send Gabriel over the edge. The older witch cried out in shock as his sleeve suddenly burst into flames, his air of calm shattered as he frantically slapped out the blaze. “I wouldn’t try that again if I were you!” the younger witch shouted, storming out of his hiding place as the two stared at him in surprise. He couldn’t have cared less about blowing his cover at this point. To think that his own brother was the witch that had tormented Sam to the point where he flat out refused to talk about it… He’d known Lucifer had his faults, but this was a new low, even for him. And from the looks of it, the older witch was planning a repeat performance of whatever he’d done to shatter the familiar’s trust in others. There was no way in hell Gabe was about to let that happen. “Now that I’ve got your attention, I’d strongly suggest letting him go.”

Lucifer didn’t respond immediately, too busy staring at his younger brother in a mix of poorly concealed shock and confusion. “Gabriel… What the hell are you doing here?”

“Besides the fact that it’s my bar?” the younger suggested flatly, despite knowing full well that wasn’t what he’d meant. His gaze soften as it turned to Sam, whom he was fairly sure had never looked so relieved to see anyone in his entire life. “Let’s just say I had a hunch I was needed and leave it at that.” In all honesty, Gabriel wasn’t all that certain how else to explain it. He’d tracked the familiar from several blocks away, a much greater range than he likely should have been able to sense him from. Not that he was complaining, obviously. The witch didn’t even want to imagine how things might have turned out if he’d gone back home as planned.

The older shook his head, his brow furrowed. “No...no, I warded this place the second I got here, there’s no way you…” He trailed off mid-sentence, eyes narrowing as he glanced over his shoulder. Wordlessly, he turned back to Sam and roughly grabbed his arm, drawing a pained grunt from the taller man as he pulled it forward. Gabriel was seconds from igniting another part of his brother’s clothing when the familiar’s sleeve was yanked upward, revealing the bottom half of his dead, grey bonding sigils. Even at a distance, he could make out the radiant yellow lines adorning Sam’s forearm, just below the tangle of grey lines he’d seen before. It didn’t take too long for him to guess who the new mark belonged to, though it wasn’t the easiest fact to come to grips with. Words like ‘how’ and ‘when’ and ‘what the hell’ were the ones that initially came to mind.

Blinking owlishly, Gabriel finally looked away from the sigil and up at his brother, who was was currently glaring at him with malice and accusation. “...Just wanna go on record here, I had no idea that was there,” he insisted, still trying to absorb this new information. Not only did he not have even the slightest clue how or when this had happened or, more importantly, how he’d been completely oblivious to it until now, he also wasn’t sure how he felt about this turn of events. Part of him was thrilled by the idea that somehow he and Sam had forged a natural bond, that on some level they lined up so perfectly that it could even happen. Another part of him felt positively gutted by the thought that he’d trapped Sam in yet another bond after he’d said time and again it was the last thing he wanted. Was that why Sam hadn’t told him?

That, however, was something to deal with at a later date. Lucifer’s grip on the familiar’s wrist hardened, causing him to wince. “Well, ain’t that a bitch?” he noted with annoyance, lip curled in distaste. “I suppose Sammy here will have a hell of a time severing that. Then again, he’s had plenty of practice. Haven’t you?” Finally, he released his grasp, letting Sam cradle his arm as he turned back to the younger witch. “As for you, baby brother, why don’t you run along and leave us in peace? Someone here needs to be reminded of his place.”

With a rush of protective rage, the younger witch teleported himself across the room and smack dab between his brother and Sam. “Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time. I’m not going anywhere until you let him go and clear out of here. Capisce?” Somewhere in the back of his mind, his common sense was screaming for him to rethink this decision. In true Gabriel Shurley fashion, he opted to ignore it.

Lucifer actually looked amused by his posturing, his eyebrow cocked critically. Needless to say, it wasn’t doing much for the younger’s confidence. “Really, Gabe? Do you actually think you stand a chance against me?” As a magic-user, Gabriel certainly wasn’t what anyone would call weak. That said, Lucifer had always been significantly stronger. Maybe it was the age difference, maybe just luck of the draw, but he’d never been able to compete with his big brother, especially not with any combat-related magics.

As far as Gabe was concerned, though, that just meant he’d have to try something besides the head-on approach. “Well, there’s one way to find out.” Lucifer didn’t even notice the chair the shorter blond had been subtly moving until it slammed into him, bowling him over completely. Even as he winced sympathetically, Gabriel couldn’t keep the mischievous grin off of his face. “Wow, that was satisfying,” he laughed to himself, shooting Sam a quick thumbs up.

The familiar opened his mouth to retort, wearing his trademark bitchface, but whatever he’d planned to say was forgotten as his eyes widened. “Watch your back!” Thankfully that was all the warning the witch needed, teleporting himself out of the way in time to dodge a blast of energy that dented the floor right where he’d been standing. Making a mental note to fix that before Kali came in on Monday, Gabriel focused his attentions on Lucifer, who was already poised for another attack. The witch zapped across the room seconds before it hit him, dodging the next few blasts with just as much grace and efficiency while sending a few more chairs in the other’s direction. He knew he didn’t stand a chance against his brother in a fair fight, but seeing as he preferred to rely on tricks anyway, that wasn’t really a problem. As strong as he was, Luci couldn’t keep up at this pace forever.

As it turned out, the elder had realized this too, and his brother’s strategy was doing just as good a job of pissing him off as wearing him down. “Enough!” With a roar, Lucifer sent out a blast wave as soon as he saw Gabriel reappear, sending the younger witch sprawling to the ground. It took him a few moments to reorient himself and try to sit up, only to be pinned down by a firm foot on the center of his chest. He could hear Sam redoubling his efforts to get free as Lucifer loomed over him, basking in his victory. “Nice try, baby brother,” he congratulated dryly, pressing down harder. “But I was always the stronger one between us.”

To Lucifer’s surprise, the younger man didn’t even try to resist. In fact, he just looked up and grinned. “Maybe,” he admitted, “but I was always the smarter one.” Luke’s eyes widened in disbelief as the form beneath him flickered and vanished, his foot dropping down to meet with the floor. By the time he’d realized what was going on, a snap of fingers echoed and a ring of fire ignited around him, effectively trapping him where he stood. Gabriel knew he’d have to add that to the list of stuff to repair, but as he emerged from his hiding spot, he couldn’t be too disappointed by that fact. He was much too busy enjoying the fact that he’d managed to pull a fast one on his big brother. The look on the elder’s face at that moment: Priceless.

“Well, now that that song and dance is over,” Gabe drawled as he strode over. “Here’s my offer. You let Sam go, I let you go, we all go home happy and moderately uninjured. Take it or leave it.” For all his brother’s stubbornness, he had to believe that Luci would see reason and realize cooperating was his best option. Otherwise, they’d all be stuck here for the foreseeable future, and nobody won in that situation.

Lucifer was silent for a while, staring his brother down through the flames containing him. Just when Gabriel was starting to worry that he’d have to be more persuasive somehow, his brother smiled, gracefully accepting his defeat. “Gotta say, I’m impressed. Not bad.” With a wave of his had, the ice trapping Sam shattered, sending the familiar stumbling to his knees. Gabe only hesitated a moment before dropping his own spell and rushing over to aid him.

The brunet seemed a little shaken and would probably be a bit weak at the knees for a while, but other than that looked no worse for the wear. “Hey, kiddo, you alright?” Gabe asked gently, slowly helping him to his feet. Sam wobbled slightly, but was able to remain standing with the witch there to support him.

“Slight case of frostbite, but I think I’ll live,” he insisted shakily, mustering a weak smile. “Thanks.”

Smiling back, the witch gave him a fond pat on the shoulder. “Hey, don’t mention it. We both know I’d be lost without my lovely assistant,” he joked warmly. The adrenaline rush he’d been running on was slowly fading, leaving him slightly drained but ultimately happy. His familiar was safe, and that was all that mattered.

Gabriel was so lost in his relief that didn’t hear Lucifer coming up behind him. He didn’t see the glint of the razor-sharp shard of ice as the older witch held it up, ready to strike. Lucky for him, though, Sam did.

“No!” One moment, Gabriel was obsessively looking the familiar over for injuries; the next he was being shoved aside as Sam launched past him with a roar. Not a figurative one, either, but an actual, animalistic, bone-shaking roar that he was pretty sure caused his heart to skip a few beats. The witch stood paralyzed, unable to put together what was happening in his state of shock, but the thought that Sam could be in trouble had him turning the second he regained control of his body. What he saw when he did so...well, it was hard to describe to say the least.

He’d known that Sam had had a Warrior form — the familiar had told him as much himself — but that had been the extent of his knowledge. From what he understood, Sam had only used it once, when his first witch had been in danger, and since then had either not been able to use it or, more likely, never made the attempt. After failing to save Jess, he hadn’t seen much value in the form. Evidently, he’d had a change of heart, unless the massive lion currently pinning Lucifer to the floor was just a figment of his imagination. Judging by the way his brother struggled to get free, that probably wasn’t the case.

After a few stunned moments of staring at the snarling beast and the makeshift blade still clutched in Lucifer’s hand, Gabe managed to piece things together just before the familiar raised an enormous golden paw to strike. “Wait, Sam, don’t!” For a breathless moment, he was afraid he’d spoken too late, but to the witch’s relief the lion stilled and looked back at him, his piercing gold eyes clearly asking ‘are you kidding me’. “Okay, yeah, I know he just tried to kill me. I’m just as pissed about that as you are,” he assured him. For all their squabbles, he wouldn’t have believed that Lucifer would ever try to seriously hurt him, but it was hard to ignore the evidence in front of him. He’d really have gone that far just to get Sam back. Granted Gabe could kind of understand why, but murder, really? That was just a tad extreme! He quickly realized that this inner monologue wasn’t helping his case. “But...kiddo, you’re better than this. You’re better than him.” If he knew Sam, he knew the familiar would never forgive himself if he went through with this. Even if the man probably did deserve to be mauled by a vicious African predator. “Come on, Sam,” he pleaded. “Don’t let this bag of dicks run your life anymore.”

Sam appeared hesitant, but after a moment of consideration, he drew back and stepped away, though not without a warning growl to the witch below him. He stood glaring at Luci as he shakily stood up, hackles raised and looking ready to strike if he even thought about using the ice blade still in his hand. For once in his life, Lucifer didn’t have a smart retort, staring warily at the familiar as he debated whether he should risk moving or not. Gabriel offered Sam a sympathetic smile, knowing it couldn’t have been easy to pass up a chance for revenge like that. Then he turned back to his brother, eyes hard as steel. “As for you,” he started, boldly moving closer, “you’re not going anywhere until you can convince me that we’re not gonna have this issue again.” Even if Luci was armed, he wasn’t stupid enough to try anything with six hundred pounds of claws and teeth standing three feet away.

The older witch sneered, the contempt in his eyes not completely overshadowing the fear. “You want my word?” he spat. “Fine, I—”

“Please, your word don’t mean shit,” Gabe interjected flatly, not the least bit convinced. Anyone who’d spent as much time with Lucifer as he had growing up knew that the man was well versed in lying through his teeth. Gabe also knew there was only one way to be sure that he’d follow through with any promise he gave. “I want you to swear on your blood.”

Lucifer’s eyes widened almost comically at the request. “You can’t be serious.” For a witch, a blood vow was nothing to be taken lightly. Any other contract could be overwritten or neutralized with the right spell, but a promise made on one’s own blood was binding, completely and until death. In the event that it was ever broken, the witch’s powers, every last drop of magic flowing through their veins, were forfeit. For many, that simply wasn’t something they could cope with, which made it an effective but seldomly used means of securing an agreement.

“Oh, as serious as a heart attack,” Gabe assured him coldly. “Only way I know you’ll keep your word. Unless you’d like to work out a different arrangement with my charming associate over there,” he added with a quick nod to Sam, who responded with a menacing snarl. The magician had a hunch that he was secretly enjoying the terror he was causing his former witch, not that anyone could really blame him.

Lucifer hesitated, probably hoping that another way out would suddenly appear out of the blue, but in the end, he knew he’d been cornered. Shooting them both a look of pure malice, he raised the ice shard and pressed the tip to his palm, crimson blood blossoming where it broke the skin. “I swear upon my blood and all the powers therein,” he ground out through clenched teeth, “that I’ll never again try to take away your precious, little familiar.” As he spoke the words, the blood in his hand glowed brightly, imbued with his magic. When the light faded, it left behind only a small, pink scar, a reminder of the vow he had sworn to keep.

The witch tossed away his blade, letting it shatter as it hit the hardwood floor. Only then did Sam back off, shifting back to his human form as he moved to stand next to Gabriel. Not once did he take his eyes off of Lucifer. “There, now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” The elder didn’t answer, opting to shoot his brother a scathing look. “Now, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to walk out that door and crawl back into whatever hole in the ground you slithered out of,” he said plainly. “And if you ever try to come near either of us again—”

“Oh, you’ll what?” Lucifer finally spoke, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “Kill me? No offense, baby bro, but I don’t think you’ve got the stomach for that.” Now that the immediate danger was gone it looked like he was right back to acting like a big shot. Funny, he hadn’t seen much of that bravado when there’d been a lion in the room.

Gabriel tapped his chin pensively, then shrugged. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he agreed, then smirked, pointing his thumb to the familiar at his side. “But he might. That really a risk you’re willing to take?” Sam said nothing, but the yellow flash of his eyes and the low growl rumbling from his chest was enough to wipe the grin off of Lucifer’s face. “Yeah, didn’t think so.” The magician waved smugly as his brother departed, shooting one last glare before turning and leaving. He didn’t look back once as he pushed through the door and disappeared into the darkness outside.

Gabriel had a hunch that this time, it would be a lot longer before he saw the man again. And for that, he had no complaints.

Chapter Text

The two hung around for another hour after Lucifer left, cleaning up and repairing the damage caused to the Tavern. They both knew it could have been a lot worse, but neither wanted to face Kali without making sure the bar was in the same condition they’d left it in the night before. Despite nearly constant reassurance from both Gabriel and his own mind, Sam didn’t start to relax until they were halfway back to the apartment without incident. He half expected to see the older witch step out from a dark alley or be standing there when they turned a corner. Even though he’d seen the vow himself and heard the words with his own ears, it was hard to accept that it was really over, that he didn’t have to be afraid anymore.

“You’re not worried about him following us?” Sam asked, voicing the question that had been rolling around in his head for the past twenty minutes.

Gabriel smiled up at him crookedly. “Nah, I doubt it. One thing I know about Luci, he’s got a marvelous sense of self-preservation,” he answered with a wink, earning him a small smile from the familiar. His old witch had looked positively floored when he’d come face to face with Sam’s Warrior form. It was unlikely he’d risk running afoul of it again. “How’re you holding up?” Gabe asked after a moment, pointing to the familiar’s hands.

He hadn’t realized he’d been rubbing his wrist on and off for over an hour until Gabriel drew his attention to it. The skin was bruised from the grip Lucifer had held it in earlier, and he suspected there was a little frostbite from the other man’s powers, but it was nothing serious. “I’ve had worse,” Sam informed him, looking over the injury.

“Not really helping your case here, bucko.” The brunet only hesitated momentarily when Gabriel put his hand out, gesturing to let him see. He watched as the witch cradled his wrist gently in both hands, then blinked in surprise at the bruising slowly faded, leaving nothing behind but unmarred skin.

With a quiet laugh of disbelief, Sam took his arm back, rolling his wrist experimentally. “Wow. That’s a new trick.” Over the weeks they’d lived together, he’d gotten a good sense of what Gabe’s magic could and couldn’t do. Healing hadn’t been a part of that list until just now.

Gabriel laughed in agreement. “I know, right? I’ve been getting a lot of those lately. Guess we know why now,” he added with a knowing smile, nodding at his companion’s arm.

The familiar returned the expression, albeit somewhat shyly. This wasn’t really how he’d planned to have this conversation. “I was going to tell you last night. I was, but then Luke was there and I just…” Sam sighed, unconsciously rubbing his arm where he knew Gabriel’s sigil shone under his sleeve. “I panicked.”

The witch seemed to understand, for which Sam was thankful. He hadn’t intended to hide the fact that they were bonded; hell, he’d been thrilled to wake up and find the magician’s mark on his arm. He’d just needed the right time to bring it up. Ultimately, though, Lucifer had done that for him, and Sam was almost thankful to him for that. Almost. “But you still went after him,” Gabriel pointed out. “By yourself, I might add. You know how crazy that was, right?”

Well, he couldn’t very well disagree with that assessment. Sam had had his doubts about going to face Lucifer right off the bat, and for good reason, as it turned out. “He would’ve found me one way or another,” Sam sighed, not doubting the fact for a second. “And...I wanted to keep you as far away from it as possible.” The thought of Gabriel getting caught in the crossfire because he’d been too scared to face the witch on his own had been worse than any fears Sam might’ve had walking into Trickster’s that night.

“Thank God that failed miserably.” The taller man shot Gabe a look, which he responded to with a sly grin. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have been around to save your ass.”

In spite of himself, Sam laughed, elbowing his friend lightly. “Pretty sure we’re even there,” he reminded playfully.

Scoffing, the witch waved him off. “Eh, details.” Though he rolled his eyes, Sam knew there wasn’t much point in pushing the subject. The simple truth was that Gabriel was right. He’d have never gotten out of that mess on his own, and in time he probably would’ve given in to Lucifer’s demand. It was chilling to think how close he’d been living under the man’s thumb once more, especially knowing that he might not have been so lucky escaping the second time around. If anything, saving Gabriel’s life just made them even for all the ways the witch had helped him in the past few months.

After a moment of silence, Gabriel cleared his throat and slowed to a halt. “Listen, I, um… There are probably ways of getting rid of that without the whole ‘agonizing pain’ aspect.” There was a kind of heaviness in his voice, like he was trying to force the words out. “If that’s what you’d rather do, I mean. I just...I get how you feel about being trapped with someone, and I don’t...Well, y’know.”

It took Sam a moment to figure out what exactly the witch was trying to say. “Gabriel, you didn’t trap me into a bond. It just...happened.” There wasn’t really any other way to describe how a natural bond worked. One day, it was business as usual, and the next, everything you knew changed, often for the better.

“Yeah, well…” The witch shrugged, looking up with a small smile. “Natural or not, if you don’t want it, neither do I. Totally up to you, kiddo.”

The familiar wasn’t sure how to respond. It went without saying that natural bonds were hard to come by. Sam had never entertained the thought that he’d ever experience anything like it again after Jessica’s death. But, somehow, it had happened, and Gabriel was apparently willing to give that up for his sake. Ever since he’d gotten away from Lucifer, Sam’s greatest fear was that he’d end up bonded to another witch who just wanted to use him. Instead, he’d found the exact opposite, someone who treated him as a person first and a familiar second. And there was no way in hell he was going to let that slip through his fingers.

Smiling, the familiar dropped a hand onto Gabriel’s shoulder. “You know, I’ve been bonded more times that most familiars,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe the fourth time’s the charm?”

The grin that slowly spread across the shorter man’s face was more than enough confirmation he’d made the right choice. “Does that mean I’ve got myself a familiar?”

“Does this answer your question?” Maybe it was too bold a move, leaning in to press his lips against the witch’s, and for a split second, Sam worried he’d taken things a bit too far. But when Gabriel started eagerly responding after just a moment of surprise, his doubts were quickly put to rest. The familiar could feel the Pulse they shared glowing brightly, spreading through his chest like a wildfire. If only he had the option, he’d have made that moment last forever.

As it was, though, the need for air eventually became too great to ignore, and the two reluctantly pulled away. Sam couldn’t hold back a chuckle at the dazed look on the witch’s face. “Hmm...I didn’t quite catch that, you might have to repeat yourself,” Gabriel finally said, puckering his lips dramatically.

With a snort, he pushed the witch away. “Knock it off,” he snickered, rolling his eyes. “God, you’re such a dork.”

“Damn straight!” Gabriel winked before hooking his arm around Sam’s. “But I’m your dork now, so get used to it.” Shaking his head wearily, the familiar allowed himself be dragged along, content to let the blond lead the way as he was often wont to do. “Which reminds me, when exactly were you gonna mention that you can turn into a freaking lion?”

“Shut up.”

“Actually, come to think of it, that does explain the purring. And the long, luxurious hair.”

“This doesn’t sound like shutting up.”

“Hey, can I start calling you Sam-ba?”

“I’m gonna regret this decision, aren’t I?”

Cackling, Gabe flung an arm around the familiar’s shoulders as best he could. “That is a definite possibility.”

*****

Gabriel couldn’t remember ever seeing so many people in one place. Of course, that was less a testament to the actual size of the audience and more to nerves affecting his memory. It was, however, a pretty sizable crowd. Nearly every table was filled, packing Trickster’s Tavern almost to capacity. If nothing else, Gabe was sure that he’d never performed in front of this many people, even on one of his best days.

The witch was peering out through the gap his the curtains and shuffling his deck neurotically when Sam found him, drawing his attention with a smile and a wave. His anxiety eased slightly with the familiar nearby, but even that still left him pretty tightly wound. “Hey, guests of honor here yet?” he asked, hoping to take his mind off of the show for a moment. He’d been too overwhelmed by the crowd to pick out any specific faces.

“Just left ‘em,” Sam reported brightly, making his way over. “Benny and Dean seem to be getting along famously.” He wasn’t too surprised to hear that; as intimidating as they might try to act, they were both just great big teddy bears in the end. “I told Cas you’d meet up with him after the show,” he added, eyes drawn to the magician’s gracefully moving hands. “Nervous?”

“Who, me? Nervous?” Gabriel scoffed, noting with slight dismay that his voice sounded a pitch higher than usual. “Pfft, don’t be ridiculous.” Unfortunately, he could only last so long under the familiar’s knowing gaze. “...But if I was, hypothetically speaking, what would you say?”

The familiar smiled, gently taking the cards out of Gabe’s grasp. “Hypothetically speaking, I’d remind you that you’ve done this a hundred times and you’ve got nothing to worry about,” he said reassuringly, reaching over to drop the deck into the witch’s pocket. He landed a quick kiss on the blond’s lips before pulling back. “And that I’ll be right there beside you all the way.”

Gabe didn’t even try to hide the goofy, love-struck grin on his face. “Yeah, that’d do it. Hypothetically.”

The two were brought back to the present by a light cough, turning to find Kali standing behind them. “Hate to interrupt,” she quipped, walking over to join them. “You boys ready?”

“Are you kidding?” Snapping his fingers, Gabriel summoned his sunglasses and put them on, shooting a thumbs up. “I was born ready.”

His comment earned him two pairs of eye-rolls. “Save it for the audience, Houdini,” Kali chided, giving them each a quick peck on the cheek for luck. “Break a leg, don’t miss your cue. Oh!” She paused before stepping out onto the stage, sending the familiar a wink over her shoulder. “And Sam, happy birthday.”

As she pushed through the curtains, Gabe slapped a hand to his forehead in annoyance, making a mental not to get friends who could keep secrets better. He tried to ignore the hazel eyes boring into him as he feigned innocence. “I take it Dean told you.” It was more of a statement than an actual question.

The magician grinned helplessly, shrugging. “He told me you’d probably either forget or just not bring it up. Apparently, he was right on the money,” he tacked on dryly. As Sam shook his head in amusement, Gabe snapped up a flower and pinned it to the brunet’s jacket. After all, they had to make a good impression for their first real show. “Seeing as the cat’s out of the bag, I’m not gonna have any trouble dragging you to dinner with the rest of the gang, am I?” he asked with a sly grin.

“I’ll try to behave,” Sam chuckled, smirking sardonically. The two looked up as applause sounded from the other side of the curtain, interspersed by a few sharp whistles. “Well, better not keep your adoring public waiting.”

Smiling in agreement, Gabe adjusted his outfit one last time. The nerves were still there, of course, but he figured he could deal with that. Especially with Sam backing him up. With a charming grin, he put his hand out to the familiar. “Shall we?”

Sam didn’t hesitate a second before placing his hand in the magician’s, and with a radiant smile, Gabe pulled him out into the spotlight.