Gabriel should have known that something was up when an unknown number flashed across his cell phone. Nevertheless, it was the area code for Sioux Falls, so he answered, holding the phone almost hesitantly to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Gabriel! It's Charlie, the girl you met with Sam last week!" A chipper voice said over the phone, exuding happiness as if she was in the same room with Gabriel. He perked up a little, remembering the girl that he had gotten snappy with in his jealousy, flushing a little as he looked at his feet.

"Oh, hi, Charlie... I'm sorry for that day," Gabriel said genuinely. She seemed like a nice girl, and he didn't want her to hate him, especially if Sam liked her.

"It's nothing, honestly. I know it's easy to get jealous of Sam's friends," Charlie replied, a slightly teasing tone in her voice that had Gabriel's cheeks flaming with red heat, shifting a little and falling onto his bed, sighing.

"Anyways, I'm calling 'cause I wanted to know if you would like to hang out?" Charlie continued, thankfully diverting the subject from Sam so Gabriel could avoid any more embarrassment at the moment. Instead, he furrowed his brows in confusion, glancing at the phone in his hand as if it would tell him its secrets.

"Um...can I ask why?"

"Castiel and Dean are my best friends, so I have to get to know you. Besides, you like Sam, and he's my little brother," If someone could wink over the phone, Gabriel was sure Charlie was the one to do it. Yet, he found himself smiling at how easy going she seemed to be, relaxing and thinking it over for a few minutes.

"Sure, when do you want to hang out?" Gabriel asked, running a schedule over his head and debating what times he could have free. Maybe while Castiel was at work.

"Well, since I'm outside your house waiting...now," Charlie giggled and Gabriel jerked up, swearing as he fell out of bed when his foot caught a blanket. Still, he shuffled around quickly, pulling on his shoes and tugging off his hoodie, grabbing Castiel's jacket instead and hurrying towards the door.

Castiel was in the kitchen, staring outside the window, "Charlie is outside," He commented as Gabriel hurried in, glancing back at him, "Oh, did she invite you out?"

"Yeah, sorry for the surprise," Gabriel said with a sheepish smile, but Castiel just looked back towards the window easily, not seeming particularly upset about it.

"If I know Charlie, you didn't get much of a warning either," Castiel responded before shaking his head and moving back to the oven to check on the roast that was cooking inside, "Have fun."

"Thanks, Cas," Gabriel replied, giving the taller man a hug before hurrying from the house and into the cold. He was shivering by the time he reached the car and when he slipped in, he welcomed the feeling of the hot air billowing around him, meeting the sparkling eyes of the redhead.

"You're even cuter up close," Charlie said with a smirk, looking Gabriel over as if he were an art piece. He scrunched his nose, but he felt a small swell of confidence at her words, "I'm imagining you with mouse ears and it's too cute for words."

Gabriel looked at her funny, "Mouse ears? You mean my hoodie?" He asked, frowning a little when Charlie nodded, "How did you know about that?"

Charlie put the car into drive, pulling out of the driveway, "Sam wouldn't shut up about it all week," She stated as if talking about the weather, but the look she gave him pulled another blush to his face, and a big smile to split his cheeks.

"What did he say exactly?" Gabriel asked shyly, watching as Charlie drove through the town, concentration on her face, but her lips quirked into something mischevious.

"There was no way he could say no to you when you looked so cute," Charlie replied, turning and moving farther out of town, "'Bout time someone gave him a taste of his own medicine. Damn puppy eyes of his."

Gabriel grinned, remembering Dean complaining about the same thing only yesterday, "I've heard of the infamous stare from Dean," Gabriel commented, letting the warmness of his chest spread through his limbs.

Charlie laughed as if she just imagined Dean talking about it, "He gets the brunt of it. Poor Dean, getting double teamed by both Sam and Cas," Charlie answered, turning left onto a less traveled road, speeding up a little now that they were nearing the city's limits.

"Cas has puppy eyes too?" Gabriel asked, perking a little bit. Most the thing he saw from Castiel was a small smile or an annoyed blush. He didn't think he had any other emotions.

"That's how they got together. Castiel was going through a tough time and Dean couldn't stand to see the look on his face, so he took care of Cas, and they just...fell in love," Charlie said with a shrug, a warm smile on her face as she spoke about the two men, "They just hit their four year anniversary two months ago."

"What happened to Cas?" Gabriel asked, furrowing his brows. He never heard mention of Castiel being sad. Gabriel didn't like the look that Charlie sent him.

"His dad passed away? I figured you would have heard of it by now," Charlie stated, frowning at Gabriel, and he could almost see the gears turning in her head. He jerked a little, shaking his head and looking down at his lap, chewing on his lip.

"I thought it had been longer than four years," Gabriel replied, his throat clenching a little as he glanced at Charlie. The suspicion faded from her face, replaced by a sad one, coughing a little as she pulled into the driveway of a home that...was surprisingly dark brown at the top and bottom with a cream broad strip running through the middle.

"Why does your house look like an oreo?" Gabriel asked, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the home. He was starting to question the sanity of all the people he was around at this point.

"Dean comes over more now that it does, even if it's subconscious," She said with a wicked grin, parking and stepping out of the car. Gabriel smirks, getting out as well and following the redhead into the house. 

He was greeted by a warm smell that reminded him of vanilla and cinnamon mixed, sniffing appreciatively as he slipped his shoes off the door and followed her further into the house. It didn't take long to notice that she was a nerd, various posters and game paraphernalia lining the walls.

"Hey, Sam!" Charlie shouted into the air, waiting until she heard back a loud 'What' coming from further down the hallway before speaking again, "What do you want for dinner!"

"Mac and Cheese!"

"Exotic or regular?!" 

"I haven't eaten marshmallow mac and cheese since I was eight, Charlie!" Sam shouted back, obviously annoyed. Charlie grinned, moving towards the kitchen and glancing back at the curious Gabriel as he followed.

"I forgot that he comes over on Thursdays," Charlie said, an obvious smirk on her face that made it clear that she did not forget at all. Gabriel began to grin, definitely liking her more and more.

It didn't take long for Charlie to make macaroni and cheese, spooning into three bowls for each person and setting them on the table, "Sam! Food!" Charlie called, patting the space beside her in an invitation for Gabriel. He sat down, stirring the macaroni and cheese before taking a bite and smiling at the taste.

Sam walked in, glancing up from his phone, only to freeze when he saw Gabriel sitting there. He looked at Gabriel, then Charlie before a bitchface crossed over his features, scowling at the smaller teen, "What's he doing here?" He asked grumpily, stalking over and sitting down across from them, eyeing Gabriel with dark eyes.

Charlie merely smiled at the front that Sam was trying to put up, "Oh calm down. You think he's cute," Charlie stated, making Sam blush and grumble, taking a large bite of his food so he didn't have to speak.

Gabriel smirked around his mouthful, reaching out with his foot and poking Sam in the leg. Sam shot him a look when Charlie was checking her phone, but Gabriel tipped his head, nudging his foot at Sam again. He let out a slight huff when Sam trapped his foot between his calves, though he didn't complain at Sam's heat warming his toes and returned back to eating.

His foot eventually fell from Sam's grasp as he loosened it, and Gabriel blushed a little when Sam rubbed their feet together, staring resolutely at his food and not daring to look at Gabriel. Charlie had begun talking about something, and Gabriel turned to answer her, though he was trying to slow his heart down and hide the smile that was threatening to make its way onto his face.

He was disappointed when Sam stopped to put his plate on the counter and headed back towards the door he had come through earlier, "And where do you think you are going?" Charlie asked, effectively stopping Sam in place.

"I need to finish my homework," Sam stated softly, almost like he was embarrassed. Charlie only grinned, shaking her head and standing from the table.

"No, you're going to sit in here and play UNO with us like a real family," Charlie chirped happily, picking up Gabriel's and her own bowl and taking them to the cabinet before pushing Sam back to his seat, "Now, you two play nice until I get back."

She left the room and silence spread between them, Sam staring at the table before finally looking up at Gabriel, "What are you doing here?" Sam asked, his fingers running over the wood grain of the table.

"Charlie invited me over. She said she wanted to get to know me," Gabriel replied, leaning back in his seat and giving Sam a grin. Sam huffed, looking down at his lap and not answering, looking as if he were lost in thought before Charlie walked back in, brandishing a box with the word 'UNO' stamped clearly across it.

"I'm sure you both know how to play?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you kidding me, Gabe?!" Sam growled when Gabriel laid down a draw four, a triumphant look on the younger boys face as he stared Sam down. Sam huffed, bundling up the cards he had left and flinging them in Gabriel's face.

Gabriel's mouth dropped open in indigination, Charlie's laughter in the background as he grabbed the deck of cards sitting in the middle of the table and throwing them at Sam in response. Sam dodged the main part of the deck, glaring at Gabriel from under his arm.

"You little shit," Sam hissed, and Gabriel gulped before getting out his seat and running out of the room. There was a scrape of chair legs and then Sam was on his heels, almost catching him until he took a sharp turn through an open doorway, making a loop back to the front door in a hurry.

He managed only a few moments, at most a minute, before Sam grabbed him around the waist, halting him with breathy laughter leaving his mouth and his heart racing against Sam's hand, "Got you," Sam huffed out, laughter clear in his breathless voice as he held Gabriel tightly to him.

Gabriel grinned, wishing he could live in this feeling forever, "This is like a gay trust fall," Gabriel stated, looking down at the floor where he was leaning a bit awkwardly towards the ground, only held up by Sam. He felt the taller tense for just a moment before letting go, Gabriel crashing to the ground with a yelp. Gabriel flipped over, glaring at Sam from the floor, though he couldn't stop the smirk on his face either.

"This view is nice too. It's almost like the future," Gabriel stated, grinning when Sam finally got the joke and turned red. He grumbled, a debate on whether to kick Gabriel or not clear on his face before he finally reached out, letting Gabriel take his hand and haul himself up.