Under the Mistletoe (Destiel and Sabriel Christmas fic)

Chapter 8

It was a few days before Christmas and the snow had finally decided to grace the boys with its presence. Icicles glistened from the trees outside and delicate snowflakes had spent all night fluttering gracefully to the ground, only for their perfect composition to be ruined by Sam landing flat on his back on top of them.

It had been Gabe's idea to go out in the snow (of course it had), and despite the cold, all of them had enjoyed their day outside. The second they had all set foot outside, Gabe had lunged at Sam, sending him flying backwards with Gabe landing on top of him. They had laid like this for a few too many seconds before Dean had started pelting them with snowballs.

Cas had enjoyed building a snowman, and had spent the majority of his day working of a massive one that was towering over even Sam (no one bothered asking how Cas had managed to get the snowman's head on top of something twice as big as he was).

Gabe had given up on the snowball fight pretty quickly when he realised he stood no chance against Sam and Dean, two boys who had better aim than any angel he had ever met. He, instead, chose to make multiple snow angels, a concept he found funny due to the fact that he himself was an angel.

They had to cut the day short for multiple reasons, one being that it was already beginning to get dark. Another more complicated reason was that Dean had thrown himself at Sam when the latter had thrown a snowball the size of a football at his head. This resulted in both of them flying backwards into Cas' snowman, knocking it over.

Dean began to laugh, until he saw the sad expression on Cas' face. He picked himself up and held his upset boyfriend in his arms, promising to make him a hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream to make up for it. Although Cas didn't need food or drink and knew it would merely taste of molecules to him, he agreed and let Dean guide him indoors.

The third reason was simple: It was Secret Santa day at last. Dean had spent time making the library all cosy with some blankets and pillows, whilst Cas had made some gingerbread men in the kitchen (he was starting to discover that he had a sort of passion for baking). Sam and Gabe, however, were in their respective rooms, half freaking out that they had to give their presents to their crushes.

Finally, the time came, and all four of them were sitting comfortably in the library, smothered in blankets and eating warm gingerbread men. Earlier that day they had all put their gifts in a red sack that Sam had found lying around. Dean, who had decided to play Santa, grabbed the sack and started to hand the presents out.

"And this first one is for... Gabe!" Dean exclaimed in his Santa voice, handing over the very obviously shaped candy cane present to the angel sitting opposite him. Everyone chuckled at the poor wrapping, and a red tinge crept across Sam's face as he watched Gabe open the present.

"Oh look, a massive candy cane!" Gabe said with fake amazement as everyone chuckled again. After looking at it for a while, Gabe noticed the lid on one of the ends. He popped it open and was met with the picture of him and Sam, surrounded by a few overflowing pieces of candy. Gabe smiled as fond memories of that day came back to him, wondering to himself why it was only this time of being around Sam that brought on his feelings for the boy.

"What's inside then, Gabe?" asked Dean after a few moments of silence. Gabe looked up and noticed that everyone was looking at him. Well, everyone except Sam, who had apparently noticed something particularly interesting on the floor. Gabe smiled to himself, realising who his Secret Santa had been, and cleared his throat.

"Oh it's just full of candy, someone knows their way to my heart" Gabe joked, eliciting a laugh for Dean and Cas. He didn't want to mention the photos, feeling it was too private; something to be kept between him and Sam. As Gabe looked back down, he missed the short look of disappointment from Sam sitting next to him.

"Aaaaaaaand next up is... Cas" Dean chuckled as he pulled out the gift he had wrapped earlier that week and handed it to the cute angel sitting next to him. Cas opened it and a look of confusion immediately washed over his face as he pulled out the halo headband and angel wings from the wrapping paper.

"I don't understand, Dean. How is this a Secret Santa?" Cas asked whilst inspecting the garments in his hands. He thought he had understood the brief clearly, so why had no-one else. And besides, angels didn't have halos, Dean knew that. The others around the table giggled as they watched the innocent angel toy with the present in his hands.

"Cas, a Secret Santa is just a stupid present that you get someone, you knew that right? I explained it to you" Dean said as he took the present from Cas. He then arranged the headband onto his boyfriend's head and pushed his arms through the holes for the wings. Sam and Gabe laughed at the state of him.

"I seem to have badly misunderstood the brief" Cas mumbled as he tried to take off the headband to no success as Dean held it on.

"Next present up is... me, apparently" Dean said as he pulled out the interestingly wrapped present from near the bottom of the sack. He quickly unwrapped it to reveal a garden gnome in all green with a long white beard, holding a fishing rod and bucket. Dean stuttered as he tried to come up with a response that wouldn't embarrass his adorable angel.

"Oh a... garden gnome! Just what I've always wanted. Really cool present" Dean said, trying with all his might not to sound sarcastic. Cas hid his red face in Dean's shoulder as he explained his gift.

"He looks like Santa, but if he was trying to not be spotted. He looks like a Secret Santa" Cas mumbled into Dean's flannel top. Dean's heart almost burst with affection for his cute angel and he ruffled his hair affectionately.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, Gabe had started sweating quite a lot, having recently worked out that this had been a set-up, and that he and Sam had been given each other on purpose. He made a mental note to murder his brother when he next got the chance, and tried to think of an excuse to leave the room, and quickly.

Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough.

"And so the final present must be for... Sammy" Dean said as he took out the final present. As he passed it over to Sam he noticed the worried look on Gabe's face and exchanged a glance with Cas. Hopefully this didn't all completely backfire on him.

Sam took the present and tore off the wrapping paper, hearing Gabe next to him suck in an unusually deep breath. He disregarded it as he revealed the box inside and took off the lid. This revealed the watch that Gabe had bought and Sam smiled as he took it out of the box. He hadn't noticed the note yet and Gabe quickly formulated a plan to grab it when he wasn't looking.

"Woah, thanks Secret Santa! I've really wanted this watch for a long time" Sam exclaimed as he attached the watch to his wrist. Whilst looking down to secure the watch in place, he noticed a folded up piece of yellow paper. Curious, he takes it out and unfolds it, beginning to read the words written on its surface.

Dear Sam,

Why am I writing this note? Chuck knows. It kind of defeats the point of Secret Santa anyway, you're not supposed to know whose sent it to you. But I want you to know. I also want you to know how head-over-heels in love with you I am. Really, I don't know where it came from or how it developed, but it's hit me like a truck. I just want to spend evenings wrapped in your abnormally large muscles, drown in your eyes and suffocate in your lips. You're so perfect Sam, and I could never say this to you out loud, which is why I'm writing it down and putting it in your Secret Santa. I love you, Sam Winchester, and I want you to know.

Gabe x

Sam stared at the note in shock, noticing how frigid Gabe had gone next to him. Sam stares in disbelief that these feelings aren't just his. Or, he thinks, this could be some mean prank. Maybe Gabe has noticed the way he's been acting around him and wants to play a joke. He finally tears his eyes away from the paper and looks at Dean and Cas, staring at the two of them in confusion. Sam decides to break the silence.

"Um, Gabe. What's this?" Sam asks, still unsure of the note's intentions. Gabe looks up and Sam can see tears forming in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

"I- I..." Gabe stutters before the tears leak out of his eyes. Then quickly, before anyone could say anything, Gabe jumped up from the table, discarded his blanket on the floor and sprinted to his room, leaving everyone at the table sitting there in shock.