Title: Try, Try Again
Author: CosmicalMadison
Rating: T for some language
Pairing/Characters: Sam/Gabriel, Dean
Summary: With Dean always in the way, Sam and Gabriel find it difficult to find a moment alone together.
Prompt: "Despite Gabriel's best efforts, getting Sam away from Dean without sounding the alarm proved to be quite difficult" from sms_recs at the spn_gabriel_sam LiveJournal fic tag war.

Having a relationship with an archangel is a lot harder than Sam had though. And, okay, he hadn't exactly thought it would be easy, but her certainly didn't see his older brother being their biggest obstacle.

The hardest part was finding time alone together. Sam and Dean were always side by side fighting off whatever horrifying new thing that Apocalypse threw at them. Castiel, as his Grace faded and he was able to spend less and less time looking for God, was usually with them. Sometimes Gabriel would drop by to help. Sam, at least, considered him an honorary member of Team Free Will, though Dean still didn't trust him.

All the archangel did was help, so Sam couldn't see why. Their salt bags were never empty nowadays, and the right weapon was always just within reach when they needed it. But Dean still glared whenever Gabriel appeared in a room and wouldn't keep his eyes off of him if he could help it. Probably still sore from Gabriel killing him so many times back at the Mystery Spot. Sam now understood why the angel had done the things he had, and if he hadn't forgiven him completely yet, he was definitely moving in that direction.

It was one day in a no-name town in Virginia where they had stopped for a regular salt-and-burn that the claustrophobic feeling become too much. Sam told his brother, "Gabriel and I are going to head to the library, see if we can find out where our ghost's body is buried."

Dean turned to him sharply from where he gazed at his laptop - arranged so he could keep an eye on Gabriel lounging on the bed just beyond - and said, "There's no need, Sammy. I have everything we need right here." He tapped at the screen. "Check it out." He went back to glaring at Gabriel.

Sam huffed out a sigh and tried not to sound too whiny. "But, Dean… The library has information you can't get off of there. You know, in books."

"We have what we need right here," Dean growled. "Now get your but over here and take a look."

Sam gave a Gabriel a plaintive look, at which the archangel rolled his eyes and vanished, before plopping down next to his brother at the table and pulling Dean's computer toward him.

A few hours later, they had everything they needed. (Dean had been right about getting it all from the computer, much to Sam's annoyance.) They knew where the body was buried and were ready to head out and take care of it once darkness fell.

Dean was in the bathroom when there was the sound of a snap, and Gabriel appeared near the door. Sam grinned at him, his mood immediately lifted with the archangel's presence. "Hey, Gabriel."

"Hey, Sammy! Where's your grump of a brother?" Sam pointed, and Gabriel's usual grin widened. "Great, let's go."

"Go…where?" Sam asked curiously.

Gabriel waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Anyway you want, babe."

"Gabriel…" As much as Sam wanted to, he knew he couldn't. "You know we can't. The way Dean and I have been lately, it really wouldn't be a good idea for me to disappear on him like that."

"Aw, c'mon, Sam." The angel winked. "A wise man once said, 'it's better to ask forgiveness than permission.' Let's live a little!"

Sam sighed and was about to answer when Dean returned. He stepped out of the bathroom, caught sight of Gabriel, and immediately his features settled into a glare. "What're you doing here?" he demanded.

Gabriel just rolled his eyes, long used to this kind of treatment. "The two of you have been cooped up inside researching all day, so I figured I'd come take Sammy out somewhere."

Dean's eyes widened a bit, but he just said, "Actually we were about to head out to dinner, so that won't be necessary." He smirked at the archangel. "But thanks anyway."

Sam was a bit surprised when Gabriel's only response was, "All right then. I'll come with you."

Dean looked ready to argue, then thought better of it and muttered, "Whatever."

The three of them headed over to the diner across the street. Once they were seated, Sam and Dean on one side with Gabriel facing them, Dean ordered his regular cheeseburger, Sam a salad, and the sweet-loving angel a slice of cherry pie. They ate in silence for a while, Sam and Gabriel trading impatient looks, while Dean just glared at his food, completely oblivious.

"Dean," Gabriel finally said when they were nearly done, setting his fork down on the table carefully.

The older Winchester whipped his head up at the serious tone. "What is it?"

Sam had never seen Gabriel nervous, but he definitely looked it now. "I need to tell you something. About your brother and I."

Sam felt his stomach fill with ice cold panic. Gabriel was going to tell Dean about them. They hadn't talked about this. Gabriel knew how worried Sam was about his brother's reaction. How could he-

As if reading his thoughts, Gabriel caught Sam's eye and gave him a reassuring smile. It's better this way, he seemed to be saying. Don't worry; it's gonna be fine.

Sam took a deep breath and gave him a nervous smile in return, hoping the angel was right.

Dean was a shifting a bewildered look between the two of them. "Well, spit it out," he demanded. "What's up?"

Smiling now, Gabriel reached across the table and took Sam's hand before turning back to the older Winchester. "You see, Dean, Sam and I are more than just friends. You're obviously too dull to notice, but we're together now."

Sam just had to laugh at the way his brother's eyes bugged out that that statement, even if he was still waited with bated breath for what he would say next.

"As in, together together?" Dean choked.

Gabriel grinned at him before letting go of Sam's hand and ticking off on his fingers as he spoke. "Seeing each other, courting, dating, going out, we're a couple, kissing, touching, screwing - as least we would be if you'd give us two minutes alone together."

Dean made a high, shocked sound before whipping around to face his brother. "Really, Sammy? You and this guy? You know you can't trust him, right?"

"But I can, Dean," Sam explained patiently. "I still don't see why you don't. He's our ally, and he cares about us. He understands me, more than anyone else ever has. We're so much alike." He gazed at his angel and couldn't help the soft smile that spread onto his face. "I love him, Dean."

"Well, shit." Dean scrubbed his hands over his face agitatedly, then grumbled, "I just knew this was gonna happen."

"What?"

"Sam, don't you think there's a good reason I've been trying to keep the two of you from being alone together? Jeez, I'm not as dull as Mr. Archangel here seems to think." He shot a glare at Gabriel.

Gabriel smirked. "You don't sound too happy about it, Dean-o."

"I'm not, necessarily," Dean told him, "but it's not like it's really my choice, is it? The thing is, it looks like you two are happy together. Sam trusts you, and I can give this a try, for him. I'm gonna warn you, though - you hurt him, and, so help me, I will find a way to way to kill you if it takes the rest of my life."

"I would never hurt him."

The words were said so simply and solemnly that Dean couldn't help but stare. Shit, how had he not noticed how deep this was before? He'd that it was just a passing thing, that Sam would be smart enough to get out of it, but it certainly didn't look like that now.

"I know you wouldn't." Sam was giving the man across from him that lovey-dovey look again, the one that simultaneously warmed Dean's heart and made him want to barf.

Trying desperately to escape the chick flick moment, he quipped, "Come on, will you two just get a room?"

The moment was broken, and Gabriel leered at him. "That's the plan for tonight, bro. You're not gonna keep us apart anymore."

"Ugh. Too much information."

Dean stood up and stalked away to pay the bill, but Sam went after him and caught his arm. "Dean," he asked, "is this really okay? It's not gonna be a problem?"

"No, Sam, it's all right," Dean answered honestly. "As long as you're happy, I'm not gonna do anything to take that away. You are happy with him, right?"

"Yeah, Dean," Sam said with a warm smile. "I'm happy."