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It wasn’t the best job. People could be real shitty sometimes. But it paid the bills, and paid them good.
Sam wasn’t complaining. People were nice just as often as others were nasty. And the job wasn’t the hardest. Most of his time was spent sitting in his vehicle, driving from one mailbox to the next. He had a nice route, too.
He’d only been at it for a little over two years, but he had come to love it, despite the bad days. Dean thought he took the job too personal, because Sam…well, Sam liked to leave things for people on holidays. Just a couple, really…Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Every time Dean saw Sam working on his gifts, he’d give him hell about it, telling him he was wasting his time and money on people that didn’t appreciate it.
Just like he’d done last night, when Sam was decorating cookies.
“Oh, come on! Again, Sam?! Really? These people are going to see these things and either toss them, or eat them, and then they won’t think about it again. They won’t think a single moment about their mail guy and how much time he took to make this shit for them,” Dean fussed.
Sam just sighed, but he didn’t argue. Mostly because he didn’t want to explain to Dean why he was doing this. Sam knew, better than anyone, even Dean, just how lonely and depressing those holidays could be. Their mother had died in a house fire when he was an infant, and their father worked odd jobs to keep them fed, and to keep liquor in himself so he didn’t have to face the reality of raising his sons on his own. Which, of course, meant that Dean had raised him.
It was okay, though. Dean had done his best, and Sam felt like he was a pretty decent person because of Dean. All the same, he always felt a heavy sense of melancholy on Christmas, and on Valentine’s. Especially since Jess had died. Eerily enough, it was a fire that had taken her life, too. Her death had driven Sam from college and back home, where he’d moped for well over a year before Dean managed to bitch him out with just the right mix of seriousness and levity to get Sam to get up off the couch and do something with his life.
That something had been to apply to be a postal worker, and that was how he’d come to his role as a mail man.
Now, it was Valentine’s Day, and Sam was trucking along with totes of cookies and uplifting messages, right alongside his totes of mail.
At present, he was finishing up Wild Rose Drive, tucking mail into the Tran’s box. A cookie and a slip of paper for Ms. Tran, telling her to keep her head up, because she was an awesome mom. And a cookie and slip of paper for Kevin, telling him that he was a genius, and he didn’t need to worry, he could get into any college he wanted.
After that, he turned left onto Hanging Vine Road, tucking cookies and a slip of paper into the Bradbury’s box, along with their mail. The paper wished Gilda and Charlie a happy Valentine’s day, and let them know their love for each other was beautiful and uplifting.
Castiel Novak was next. He sometimes waved to Sam, but Sam never really saw anyone with him. The guy seemed to be a little awkward, so…maybe that was why. Sam just put his mail in the box, along with a cookie, and of course, a slip of paper. The paper had a blurb about how awesome Cas was, and how his yard (full of wildflowers that were carefully cared for) was an amazing sight any day of the week.
So Sam went about, delivering mail, cookies, and notes of encouragement.
He was two streets over, at Gabriel Novak’s house (he was pretty sure the guy was Castiel’s brother, because really, how common was that last name?) when he halted, staring into the mailbox.
There was a cellophane wrapped piece of chocolate, sitting on top of a piece of paper. It took a minute for Sam to snap out of it, and he reached in, pulling it out. He set the chocolate to one side, then opened the folded paper.
“You’re an amazing guy, mail man. Hell, I don’t even know your name. But when I’m feeling down the most, which is always on a holiday, there’s always this note that gives me hope for myself, and for the world, in my mailbox. And usually a sweet, too, which, as a candy maker, I can thoroughly appreciate. You deserve to know how much your gifts mean to me, even though we’ve never met. And you deserve a gift in return. Hope you enjoy the treat!
-G”
Sam stared at the note, rereading it. He couldn’t help but smile. He almost wanted to show it to Dean, to rub it in his face, but Dean had no idea about the notes, and Sam didn’t want him to know. He tucked the note away, and delivered Gabriel’s mail, cookie, and a note slightly altered from the original, thanking him for the chocolate and note.
He saved the chocolate for a bedtime treat. And the next day, several mailboxes had notes of thanks, some also offering small gifts in return. It was the first time it’d happened, as if Gabriel had been the herald for it. Sam was overwhelmed, and half of his route was done with happy tears welling in his eyes. He was well and truly touched.
He wanted to share it with someone. Desperately. And he just couldn’t share it with Dean.
So, a few days later, heart still bursting with happy and touched emotions, he wrote another note.
“I’m sorry for dropping this on you, but I’m overwhelmed with emotion, and I can’t really talk to my brother about it. Not only is he a ‘no chick-flick moments’ dude, he doesn’t know about the notes I leave with the gifts. I can’t tell him about it, and the reason why is kind of a long story.
I just felt the need to thank you again. You were the first person that gave me something along the route. And the day after that, other people had left me notes, too. Some even left gifts! My brother is always telling me I waste my time, and that no one cares about what I do, but I’m happy to know, to have confirmation, that I’ve made a difference.
And by the way, my name is Sam. And I’m very happy, and very thankful, that I made a difference for you. And you should know, you made one for me, too.”
Sam dropped the note with Gabriel’s mail into the box and continued along his route.
There were notes exchanged for a few weeks after that, with Sam pausing at the box to write a response every day.
Then numbers were exchanged.
Finally, on Christmas Eve, they had their first date.
And on the next Christmas Eve, Sam knelt before Gabriel and presented him with a ring.
The wedding’s the weekend after Valentine’s day, and Sam has a feeling there’s another one in the near future. Dean has been eyeing Gabe’s brother all week through the planning.