Another request that I wrote up, this time for Regnumveritatis. She wanted, "pretend to be my boyfriend asked to stranger sitting across from me at a restaurant so my no good ex gets jealous that ends up turning into a relationship" and I was all too happy to write it up for her. So please enjoy.

Taken for my Own

The smoke of the bar swirled slowly and lazily in the bar, floating among the dim lights hanging from the ceiling like a soul trying to ascend to a heaven that did not want it. The mood of the afternoon felt fatalistic, almost dead and hopeless in some way. Gabriel knew it had to be due to the clientele here today. A lonely and cold Tuesday outside, soaking wet outside with coats on the rack by the door, dripping water on the floor. Too early in the week for parties or merriment and a bad sign for anyone sitting here at the bar. It was a sure sign of a bad mood if anyone had to be in this early in the week to get themselves a drink.

"Another beer, please," a patron asked, waving his empty bottle lightly in a loose grip. Even slightly slouched over the bar, he was way too big for it, looking tall even when sitting. The guy probably needed a lot of the drink to feel the effects with his size, and Gabriel took the bottle from him before popping open another one and placing it down on the bar. This was his forth, but the man had been here for nearly two hours, nursing them for the most part. He had grabbed a shot before getting started, but it seemed more to take the edge off than a real desire to actually get drunk.

"I can tell just from looking you that you've got a story," he said as he watched him get started on the alcohol. "Want to talk about it?"

For a minute he said nothing, staring down at his bottle before meeting the eyes of the bartender. His lips quirked a bit, as if he wanted to smile but he'd forgotten how to.

"Why do bartenders always ask that?" he asked. "Not that I'm trying to sound insulting or anything, I just don't get it."

"Well, we're pretty used to acting as cheap therapists. We don't offer to the ones dancing by the jukebox or laughing their asses off into their beers. Just the ones who-"

"Who look pathetic?" he snorted out.

"I was going to say looks like they need a friendly ear," he replied honestly. "If you don't want to talk though, I don't want to force it. Pissing off the drinkers affects my tips."

The man did laugh at that one, and it didn't sound as bitter as it could have. Gabriel decided to take it as a sign that the other was opening up to him, even if only a little.

"My name is Gabriel," he said, deciding to be the one to offer the olive branch first. "What about you?"

"Sam," he replied after a moment. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. So, you want to tell me or should I guess?" he asked before he held up his hand and shook his head. "No wait, let me give it a go. I bet I can get it down in three or less."

Sam seemed to consider it for a moment before shrugging his broad shoulders.

"Why not? It's not like it really matters now," he said. "Go ahead."

"Alright," he replied before pondering it over. "Lost your job? Less with your impression than the fact it's in the middle of the afternoon and most people are working at this time of the day, and you don't give me the homeless transit with no work type."

"No," he answered with a shake of his head and swigging down his drink, emptying half of it in a couple gulps. Seemed the guy wanted to speed things up a bit. "Way off. I just took a personal day from work. I never get sick, so I have time racked up."

"Okay then," he said as he thought it over. It could be a lost relative or something like that, but something in his gut told him that wasn't it. Call it a knack, but Gabriel considered himself pretty good at reading people and Sam just didn't seem like the type to go off and drink over something like that. Seemed more responsible, like he'd be seeing to burials and paperwork rather than drowning in the drink if that were the case. He seemed upset, but in a put upon kind of way, tired more than anything. He'd seen that look a lot too, on both men and women, so it wasn't hard to guess once he took a moment to really mull it over. "Just broke up, didn't you?"

Sam said nothing in reply to that, just hung his head low enough that his hair hid his face, and that was answer enough. Yeah, break ups always sucked.

"It's never fun getting dumped," he said in sympathy.

"Wasn't," Sam replied as he looked back up at him. "I broke up with her. It wasn't… well, it wasn't working. She was always angry at me, at the world, at everything really. I tried to be understanding, don't always have it together myself, and she could be really nice at times too. At first I thought it could be worked out, but I think I was kind of kidding myself. The first time we met she yelled at me, so I kind of walked in with my eyes wide open despite myself."

"How'd you meet?" Gabriel asked, gently urging him to talk it all out.

"I hit a dog," he groaned out. "He's okay though. I adopted him, but she was pissed about it."

"Oh hell," the bartender said, sympathy filling him for this poor guy. This whole story sounded pretty bad. No wonder he was in a bar in the middle of the day on a rainy, cold day. This whole thing sounded pretty sad and pathetic from the very start, but he had a feeling it would be kind of cruel to say so.

It was too bad, if the guy didn't look like a kicked puppy, he could be really handsome. He certainly had a body and a face that could go and pick up a date in order to cheer himself up, but it didn't look like that was something he was interested in.

Had they broken up recently? Was this a build up thing that had finally imploded or was the news just finally sinking in for him? Honestly, he had too little information to really figure on it one way or the other.

"Well, from the sounds of it, it didn't seem like things were working out anyway. If it starts bad, usually it ends bad. Angry make-up sex can only get you so far," he stated as he put down another bottle in front of Sam without being asked. Might as well give the guy one on the house. It couldn't hurt anything at this point. "Think of it as a chance for the two of you to move on and find things in your life that you both really want."

Sam stayed silent and went back to nursing his beer. It didn't seem like the words had taken any effect and it they had, he wasn't showing any signs of it. Well, not everyone was ready to take advice when they first heard it.

The door to the bar opened up and he looked over to greet the newest customer, a woman with curly brown hair and a smart but sharp looking face. She walked in, nose buried in her phone before reaching the bar. She stopped short at the sight of Sam, clearly him being big enough to catch anyone's peripheral vision. She frowned deeply at the sight.

"I thought you'd be here," she said as she put her phone away. "Your brother has been texting me nonstop asking about where you are. You know I'm wasting my lunch break on this, all because you want to feel sorry for yourself?"

"Hello, Amelia," Sam replied flatly. "Don't usually come here except on the weekend, huh?"

She went red at that, Gabriel didn't get the veiled implication, but clearly the words had meant something because the woman went from cold to hot just that fast.

"You're one to talk, drowning yourself like this! I'm at least functional, and I don't take time off just to liquor up! This a new hobby for you, Sam Winchester?" she demanded. "Like you have a reason to feel sorry for yourself! You're the one who broke up with me, remember?!"

Gabriel really, really didn't want to deal with this, and he could tell this was going to get out of hand if he didn't interfere soon. This is why he didn't work the weekends. Less pay, but also a lot less of drunk drama and fighting like this. She wasn't causing enough of a scene for him to bother the cops, but she clearly couldn't stay either. He needed to chase her off.

"Babe, you want to go to Denny's for dinner or a local owned diner?" he suddenly asked Sam with a smile. "Or you want to just buy something nice at the market and make it at my place?"

He gave a wink to Sam from a side the woman couldn't see, cuing him to play along if he wanted to. Sam only looked confused for a moment before his eyes seemed to light up in what the man was hinting at him. Gabriel had never been the type to mind getting involved in drama before anyway, and it seemed like this guy could use a save from an argument he clearly wasn't in the mood for anyway.

"I'd really like to get to your place," he said with a smile. "Soon as you're off, we can get going."

"Excuse me?" Amelia asked, looking between the two. "Who are you?"

"Oh, no one really. Just Sam's boyfriend," he said with a smirk. "He was so sweet, coming to see me for work. It's our first week anniversary."

It felt so sappy to say something like that, but he couldn't help but want to screw with this lady a little bit. She seemed like the high and mighty type, just asking to be taken down a notch or two. The haughty ones always fell the best.

She turned red at that, spinning to Sam.

"We've only been off for ten days," she hissed at him. "You replaced me?!"

"I just found someone who didn't feel the need to call me a white supremacist due to liking flannel," he stated coldly. Oh ouch, she'd done that? What the hell was wrong with her? "As if it's a crime to like warm clothes or something?"

"Oh, like I'm some kind of bitch or something? Is that what you're saying? You know what, if I didn't care I wouldn't be out looking for you. If your brother could get over his pathetic, made up depression then he could-"

Sam was up on his feet in a second, towering over the woman and glaring at her.

"Don't," he hissed out. "Don't you dare talk about him like that. Dean lost his husband in a war zone. You of all people should know how that feels."

"Don't you equate what I went through with what he did. They were not husbands," she said with a roll of her eyes. "It's not even legal in this state. They-"

Gabriel suddenly grabbed Sam and pulled him over the counter, making him lean in to kiss. He tasted of whiskey and a hint of bitter beer, the flesh of his tongue warm and slick against his own, moving in Sam's mouth as he explored him with a wanton relish that was not entirely faked. This guy was too good for this crap, and he really wanted to make this lady uncomfortable now.

"Got a problem with this?" he asked her pointedly, his breath a little uneven after he pulled away. Sam had been instantly responsive, impressive considering how he'd been drinking and the kiss had to have taken him by surprise. He had to be a really damn good kisser to give such a good performance right on the fly. "Because if you do, you can get the hell out of here."

The woman glared at him, lip curling up into a sneer. It seemed she wanted to say something to him, and Gabriel already had a good dozen insults to throw at her if she did, but she just turned her heel and stormed off. The door slammed harshly behind her, sadly not hitting her ass on the way out.

A few of the other patrons had looked up at the scene, but when the bartender shot them all a look, they went back to their drinks as if nothing had happened. Gabriel wasn't shy about his interests and had worked here long enough that no one who was a regular really cared or felt it worth saying anything.

"I… thanks," Sam said, his cheeks a little dusty pink. "That was… I mean, you didn't have to go that for just for me."

"I went that far for me. You got lips made for kissing," the bartender chuckled. "Now I suggest you switch to coffee. You're going to need to sober up."
"Huh? Why?" he asked, looking confused.

"Well, first I think it probably would be a good idea to call your brother. Sounds like he's worried about you," he replied. "Don't get so wrapped up in yourself you don't treasure your family. Hell, I have three brothers and every one of them is a self-absorbed prick. The ones that worry about you are worth keeping. Second, I'd like you to be able to drive when we go to the market for dinner."

"I… What? That was a serious offer?" the man asked, flabbergasted.

"It can be, if you want," he said with a shrug. "I only have a couple hours left of my shift anyway. Long enough for you to process the alcohol in your system, I'm sure. Sounds like you could do with something nice. It doesn't have to be anything, just dinner, if you even want that."

"No, I mean yes. I mean, uh yeah. I think I'd like to have dinner with you, and… something more maybe," he said. His tone was both a little uncertain but also a bit excited. Maybe even shy. It was cute.

"Great," Gabriel replied, finding himself looking forward to it. This could be really nice.

End

At first the ex was going to be Ruby, but I was convinced to use Amelia instead. I didn't mind, since that had some good material as well for a bad and broken relationship.