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“I’m just saying, Gabriel didn’t make it all up, there are real tricksters out there,” Sam sighed, tossing his duffel on his bed and moving to the table to set up his laptop. Dean tossed his own bag down on the other bed, pulling a beer out of the cooler and opening the can one handed.
“And I’m saying let’s not rule anything else out and get caught with our pants down,” Dean quipped, dropping down onto his bed, the squeak of the mattress painfully loud. The brothers looked at each other, Sam raising an eyebrow and Dean glaring daggers at him. They both knew Dean was the more restless sleeper. “Fine, we’ll switch,” Dean grumbled, grabbing his bag, the mattress groaning again as he stood up. As Sam looked up the information on their case, which wasn’t much more than three odd dead bodies at this point, the white noise of a football game came from the TV.
Two hours went by, and Sam still had nothing except for three corpses: a man who fought dogs that was killed by his own dogs, a woman who had a neighborhood bulldozed for a shopping mall found dead and propped up like a mannequin in one of her stores, and a man who embezzled millions from a retirement home that got hit by the home’s shuttle bus. All three cases of ‘just desserts’, all three found with half eaten sweets and candy wrappers near the bodies.
Dean was skeptical, blaming it on actual people, and while he had to admit his brother had a point, Sam had a gut feeling that this was a case, and refused to let it go.
“Alright, I’m gonna hit up that diner we saw a couple blocks back, want anything?” Dean sighed, turning off the TV and standing to stretch.
“Just bring me whatever.” Sam had stopped relying on Dean to bring him healthier food when he asked for it, mainly because his brother refused to order a salad under any circumstance. Dean pulled his boots back on and walked out the door, the rumble of the Impala fading into the distance. Sam stared at his computer, the words on the screen blurred into fuzzy black lines as he tried to think. Gabriel had used the name ‘Loki’ among the other gods that once, but whether or not that meant the real Loki was out there or that he’d been Loki the whole time , Sam had no idea. He started to look up info on Loki regardless, just to make sure he could be killed like any other trickster.
As annoying as Gabriel had been, Sam (after thinking he was dead of course) started to realize that, in spite of the attitude and the obsession with porn, he'd had a good heart. He genuinely cared about his brothers, and for some reason had genuinely come to care about Sam and Dean. And when someone sacrifices themselves to Lucifer for you, you kind of forgive them their faults. Dean may never get there, but Sam had even forgiven Gabriel for mystery spot.
Yeah, the archangel had made quite a permanent impression on Sam, so hearing from Cas that he might still be alive, but used by Metatron? Maybe it kindled a small hope Sam had forgotten about. He'd spent hours pondering how difficult he would make Metatron's life, just trying to keep him contained. Cas didn't seem to think it was really Gabriel, but he did mention subtle nuances, things that Sam had grown accustomed to noticing when dealing with the trickster.
He had never told a soul about the prayers, about asking Gabriel to help, to come back.
He hardly even believed it himself when he's find their dad’s journal opened to the exact page they needed a few minutes later, or for Google to open up to the exact website he needed. Or about the general calm he felt after praying to Gabe.
So he had kept doing it, kept praying when all signs pointed to him not being there. Of course when this case popped up Sam was all over it. Dean was hesitant, but the drive wasn't far and Sam had pulled out his best puppy dog eyes. Because yeah, even now, that still worked on his brother.
Sam stood and stretched, walking over to the squeaky bed and crawling in to wait for Dean to come back. He turned on the TV, changing channels, smiling as Dr. Sexy went by.
He blinked.
He flipped back.
Are you fucking kidding me?!
Gabriel. Right there, making out with Dr. Piccolo. She pulled back and slapped him, and when his face turned to the camera, he smirked.
The TV shut off and there he was, standing in front of Sam’s bed, still in the ridiculous doctor outfit.
“Hiya Sam!” Sam just stared as Gabriel dropped down to sit on the foot of the bed. The mattress made an even higher pitched protest and Gabriel winced, looking up at Sam. “Guess a secret romp in the sheets is out of the question. Won't be a secret very long.” Sam let the joke slide by.
“You are still alive,” he sighed. Gabe opened his arms as if to say tadaa . Sam ran a hand through his hair, letting out his breath in a huff. “When Cas said he saw you… I just knew it.”
“Course I’m alive. Takes a lot more than death to take me out,” Gabriel winked, turning on the mattress to sit cross legged, wincing when it squeaked again in protest. Gabe sighed and snapped, and bounced on the bed a few times, moving closer to Sam each time, forcing him to bend his legs to keep them from being crushed. The mattress wasn’t squeaking anymore, to Sam’s relief.
“Thanks.” That was going to make it easier to sleep tonight. “So, it’s great to know you’re alive and all, but why are you here now? Did you kill these people?” Gabe looked offended that Sam had even asked the question.
“No, I didn’t kill these people, I’m one of the good guys, remember?” He smirked and Sam just raised an eyebrow. Gabe rolled his eyes. “And as for why I’m here, I knew you were going to think it was me, so I came to set the record straight.” Sam tucked his legs in, sitting cross legged just like Gabe was in front of him.
“So it’s an actual trickster?”
“Bingo was his name-o. One of the lesser folks, nowhere near as awesome as I was… am… whatever.” Sam smiled in triumph.
“We kill it the same way?”
“You mean the way you tried to kill me before? Yes, but don’t expect this one to play nice. I let you boys off easy.” Sam moved to get up, but paused.
“Thank you, by the way,” Sam said quietly. Gabriel frowned a bit.
“For what?”
“For not killing us, well… permanently, anyway. For actually helping when I’ve needed it. For not throwing in the towel.” Sam smiled at Gabriel’s stunned face.
“You’re the one that won’t stop praying to me,” Gabe snips. Sam finally stands up, but before he walks over to get his laptop, he stops and turns back to Gabe.
“You didn’t have to listen,” he says softly. He can see Gabriel trying to come back with something witty or sarcastic, so Sam just leans forward and hugs him, pulling him in as close as he can towering over him.
“You know, loverboy, if you wanted a piece of this all you had to do was ask.” Gabriel’s voice is slightly nervous, which takes the sting out of the one liner. When Sam doesn’t let go, Gabriel’s arms snake slowly around his back, and Sam pretends, for Gabe’s sake, to ignore just how tightly those fingers dig into his shirt. “I’ll always be listening for you, gigantor,” Gabe huffs seriously into his shoulder. He lets out a small chuckle. “But don’t tell our brothers that, I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” Sam laughed, releasing Gabriel and fixing Gabe’s hair where he’d brushed it into his face.
“Scouts honor,” Sam nodded, walking over to grab his laptop.
“You were never a boy scout,” Gabriel said suspiciously. The rumble of the Impala pulling in came through the window, and when Sam turned to Gabriel to see if he’d stay, Gabe blew him a kiss and snapped, disappearing in a flutter of wings. Dean walked in, nearly walking into Sam where he stood by the table.
“I figured you were hungry, but I didn’t think you’d be hungry enough to jump me at the door,” Dean grunted, shoving a paper bag of food into Sam’s arm. Sam grabbed his laptop and peeked inside the bag.
“Dude, did you get me a chicken wrap?” he asked, completely stunned. Dean shrugged one shoulder, not looking at Sam.
“Just shut up and eat,” he muttered. Sam shook his head as his brother turned the TV back on, digging into his cheeseburger with disgusting gusto. Sam dropped into his bed again, and just smiled when Dean nearly choked on his food.
“Dude, how’d you-?” he sputtered. Sam grinned, leaning back onto his pillow and feeling something poke into his shoulders. When he sat up, a pile of Hershey’s kisses were sitting there. Dean just stared at him. “Where the hell did those come from?” he asked, his voice a little high pitched in his confusion. Sam just shrugged, picking up the candy and moving it over so he could sit back.
“Must be a miracle,” he laughed. Somehow he knew that somewhere, Gabriel was laughing along with him.