A Decent Proposal

[low_key_angel]

Things had been going surprisingly well the past seven days. Better than Gabriel expected, really. Dean, aka David, was comfortable in the hotel room. He used room service without abusing it, made ample use of the hot tub and soft bed, even going out on his own now and then but always returning.

Gabriel breezed in and out when the mood struck him. Enough to spend time with "David" and get to know him, but also giving the kid some space. There had been fantastic sex on the couch, bed, hot tub and even in the shower but not once did Gabriel try and talk him into something he wasn't game for. Because he was more than just a street hooker. Dean was special. He was smarter than he gave himself credit for. Kinder than he wanted to let on.

They were comfortable in bed, Gabriel with his back against the headboard and Dean tucked in against his side, their legs tangled together. A bowl of popcorn lay on the bed as they finished up another movie. The final day of their contracted week together and Gabriel wasn't ready for it to end. He'd grown used to having Dean in his life, watching that slow, sleepy smile in the morning and the way he grumped before having hot coffee and a shower.

So after the credits finished rolling, Gabriel ran his fingertips down Dean's bare arm. "So. I've been thinking. What would you say to another, slightly longer-term deal?"

One that involved an apartment, better clothes and a sense of normality.

.. well. As normal as you get sleeping with an ex-archangel.

Comments

[lostwaywardson]

The week went by fast. A little too fast, really. Dean found himself kind of sad about it. Not even just the loss of the cushy lifestyle with the room service and the hot tub... it was going to be hard to go back to being just another hooker on the corner. It had been nice to spend a week being treated like a real person.

He was going to miss Gabe, too. The guy had a crazy sense of humor and a massive sweet tooth. It was never dull when he was around. He made things fun and light.

Dean had been determined to enjoy every bit of the last night. The the movie and the company had been a great start. He looked up drowsily at Gabe's question, blinking in surprise when the words processed.

"What kind of deal?" All things considered, he was pretty sure he'd be willing to agree to a lot to hang onto this a little longer.

[low_key_angel]

"Probably not as cushy as this place, but I was thinking tomorrow we go check out a couple of apartments and you pick the one you like best. We put your name on the lease, I'll handle things like rent and expenses and we just keep doing what we've been doing."

His fingers kept dancing idly up and down his arm, the curve of his shoulder. "You don't have to go back to the street, kiddo. Everything'll be in your name, and if you ever decide enough's enough, you don't have to stay."

Gabriel leaned in for a kiss. "But I'm kinda hoping you won't."

[lostwaywardson]

Whoa. Dean had totally not been expecting anything like that. The guy had money, obviously, but what he was talking about seemed pricey, even for him. Dean knew he was pretty good in bed, a week's worth of luxury good maybe, but he wasn't that good.

Plus, he wasn't entirely sure he deserved that kind of chance.

Dean chewed his bottom lip a minute, struggling internally between the desire to have a life that didn't suck and his personal need to suffer. "Why? You could have anybody else. Somebody better..."

[low_key_angel]

It's a lot, so he gives him a moment more to process the proposition. The question is unexpected and he props himself up to look down at him for a moment, finger trailing fondly down his jaw. "Kiddo, there is nobody better."

"You make me smile, and when I'm here? I can breathe kid. What we have, I don't wanna give up. Ever. And I've gotta be honest, I'll feel better knowing that when I'm out of town you're safe."

"You might not think you matter. But you do to me."

[lostwaywardson]

Now, that was a whole lot to take in. Money, sex... he gets those. Affection and caring are harder to wrap his head around, although if he were honest, he'd been enjoying the little glimpses of both those things he'd gotten over the last seven days. He'd put it off to really good sex, but deep down he kind of wished it was more than that... even if he totally didn't deserve it.

But, he wanted it.

"Okay," he answered softly. Maybe, just maybe, seven years was long enough to pay for his mistakes. "If you're really sure..."

[low_key_angel]

The smile that broke over his face was rare. Bright and genuine, no trace of smirk in it at all. He said yes. Cupping his cheek, Gabriel lingered over a kiss until they were both breathless. "I'm really sure. Never been more sure about anything."

"Tomorrow we'll start hunting for a place you like, which means tonight I think we should celebrate."

[lostwaywardson]

The kiss left him breathless and laughing just a little bit giddy. This was completely insane and any minute now he was going to wake up to reality, he was sure of it, but for right now, he was going to enjoy the insanity.

"Just what kind of celebration did you have in mind?" He asked with a grin. With Gabe, he never knew... it could be anything from hot tub sex to a brownie ala mode the size of a dinner plate. And anything in between, or any combination.

[low_key_angel]

He could cheerfully spend the rest of his life making Dean laugh like that. Gabriel shifted, rolling until Dean was beneath him, kissing him again. "I think we need one last romp in the hot tub tonight, don't you?"

Another lingering kiss. "But this time we change it up. You top." They'd already fallen into a comfortable routine during their seven days and it had been good. Amazing. So maybe he was ready to let someone else take control for a night.

.. probably more than just the one.

[lostwaywardson]

Dean blinked at that request. It wasn't often he ended up on top with his... well, he supposed Gabe didn't count as just a customer anymore. Actually, he wasn't entirely sure what this was, but he was starting to think he could get pretty used to it pretty easily.

"You're just full of surprises tonight." He smiled and nuzzled Gabe's cheek and neck. "Let's go make some waves."

[low_key_angel]

They did more than make a few waves before it was over and following a late night snack, they hopped back into bed where Gabriel lay quietly in the dark, listening to Dean's breath go slow and even as he slipped off into sleep. While he slept, Gabriel went to work and by morning, an apartment a few blocks away had been called up out of nothing.

He let Dean sleep in, ordering up conventional room service before they headed downstairs to officially check out. Feet up on the couch, a newspaper in hand, cheerfully working through the advanced sudoku puzzle with a cup of oversugared coffee at his side.

Yep. He could really get used to this.

[lostwaywardson]

The next morning, Dean's body woke before his brain did, as per usual. He stumbled into the living room area in a pair of sleep pants, hair awry, rubbing his eyes and locating the coffee on the breakfast cart by scent. After he'd acquired his coffee and doctored it to his liking, he took a seat beside Gabe on the couch, plastering himself to his side with a grumble that was vaguely greeting-like.

[low_key_angel]

He shifted to allow Dean to flop beside him, draping an arm around his bare shoulders and giving his hair an affectionate nuzzle. "You don't say," he teases gently, blunt nails gently dragging along his skin. They'd been up pretty late the night before, so that's all the harassment he gets until the coffee kicks in and he starts to feel a bit more awake.

"Checkout's around noon, I've already lined up a couple of places we can take a look at after breakfast."

[lostwaywardson]

Dean didn't even attempt conversation before his first cup of coffee was gone, unless he absolutely had to. He gave a sleepy snort of amusement at Gabe's teasing, still nursing the hot brew.

He pried one eye open and squinted up at Gabe. Part of him had wondered if he'd wake in the morning and find that Gabe forgot or just wanted to forget the whole thing. The little bit of him that still managed to onto things like hope warmed to hear that it was still going to happen, even if it was just for a little while.

"Yeah? What are they like?"

loop!

[low_key_angel]

Gabriel tightened his arm around Dean, nuzzling into his hair and just taking a moment to breathe him in. "It's a lot to suddenly have so many choices." To go from the hooker on the street, just trying to get by to a place of his own with someone who genuinely cared about him. Now options like school? A job? Yeah. Gabriel might not be human, but he gets why he's unsure.

"You've got the time to make a decision you're happy with. Maybe just start with a class here and there, see how well you get back into the swing of things."

He dropped a kiss to his shoulder. "You can do it. I know you can."

[lostwaywardson]

Dean smiled at those words. He'd gone years without anything like support or encouragement. At first, he'd shied away from it when Gabe offered it. It seemed too fragile and fleeting. Better not to get used to it being around. But, weeks went by and the support remained. He was finally -- maybe -- beginning to believe in it.

He turned in Gabe's arms and leaned into him. Dean brushed a kiss against his lips. "Thank you. I probably don't say it enough, but you've really saved me."

[low_key_angel]

The support was always there, quiet and unobtrusive until Dean got more accustomed to it. It took a couple of weeks before he really settled into the apartment, so sure that one day Gabriel was just going to pull it all out from under him. Dean had a pretty rough go of it, so Gabriel was patient. Offered support, made him laugh, reminded him that yeah, he was completely and utterly worth it.

"You're worth saving, kiddo." A pleased smile as he leaned to return the kiss. "This has been pretty amazing for me too, you know?"

[lostwaywardson]

Dean tipped his head to the side, observing Gabe with a quiet smile like he was trying to figure him out. An impossible job, but a fun one. "Still seems like I'm getting a lot more out of the deal than you. But if you're happy, then I'm glad. Been a long time since I made somebody happy."

Damn, but he missed Sammy. Sure, the kid could be a brat and a certified pain in the ass at times, but he'd also bee Dean's best friend and biggest fan. He'd lost a big chunk of himself when he left his little brother behind.

[low_key_angel]

"You look like the cutest confused puppy when you do that." Gabriel was getting more than enough out of their little arrangement. Setting up apartments and mundane little details like that were nothing. It meant more to him that Dean always saw him as just.. Gabe. Just a guy. Not an archangel, not a trickster, all Dean saw was him and Gabriel sort of adored him for that.

"I could find him, you know." They'd talked about his past a bit. Dean was reluctant to share too much and Gabriel never pressed him for details. But he knew that the kid missed his brother terribly and that was enough.

[lostwaywardson]

It was hard for Dean to think of Gabe as anything but Gabe, in spite of the amazing things that he could do without a thought. He was still the guy who saved him; he was still the guy who believed in him and told him he was worth more than he believed. To be completely honest, though, he had kind of developed a fondness for Gabriel's wings... seeing them, touching them, being wrapped up in them.

He frowned, chewing his bottom lip at that offer. Part of him wanted to jump at it. Part of him wanted to run like hell. "Probably not a good idea. He's... Dad wouldn't want that and Sam's probably fine without me."

[low_key_angel]

There was nothing like a good preening, really. To stretch out and let Dean go to town straightening out kinked feathers and turn him into a completely relaxed puddle. He loved letting Dean explore them and they were the ideal blanket at night, swinging a large wing over Dean while he slept.

"Little brothers always need their bigger brothers, kiddo." He pulled a phone out of thin air. "You want to just call him? I can make that happen too."

[lostwaywardson]

Dean was finally becoming used to seeing things pop out of nowhere around Gabe, so he didn't really jump at the sight of the sudden phone. It did make him nervous, though. He wanted to talk to his brother so badly, he could practically hear the kid's voice already. Still, he was scared.

He rested his forehead on Gabe's shoulder with a sigh, voice muffled a bit when he answered, small and plaintive. "What if he hates me?"

[low_key_angel]

That pleading note in Dean's voice could undo Gabriel like nothing else. Warm wings folded slowly around him and he kissed his hair gently. "You're his big brother Dean. Sam doesn't hate you, he just misses you."

"I could just keep an eye on him for a few? Make sure he and your old man are okay?" Distance was okay, he could understand that just as well. Family was great and his? Better as long as it was miles and miles apart. Like a few million miles, to be exact.

[lostwaywardson]

"I'd like that. Thank you." It would be good to know they were safe. That was what he wanted, more than anything.

Dean hummed softly when the wings wrapped around him, soaking in the comfort. Gabe had a way of making everything seem so possible. Things that were cold and distant became close and attainable. It made Dean turn his head and eyes the cellphone again, reaching slowly to take it from Gabe's hand. "Think he'd talk to me if I called...?"

[low_key_angel]

"Sure thing. I'll duck out and check on them tomorrow, make sure things are kosher." It'd be tricky peering past the wards John favored, but not impossible. He warded against a lot, but not angels.

Anything was possible for Dean because Gabriel cared about him. Maybe even loved him, even though it was a frightening concept. Everything seemed new and wonderful again through his eyes. Something as simple as a trip halfway around the world and it was like he was seeing Japan for the first time again.

"I think your very rapidly growing little brother would sock you one if you didn't," he countered gently. "But when you're ready kiddo."

[lostwaywardson]

Dean nodded slowly, rubbing a thumb along the edge of the phone. It didn't occur to him to question the how anymore. If Gabe said he could call Sam on this phone, he knew he could. If there was one thing he could safely say he believed in, it was Gabe.

"Thank you. Can I hang onto this a little while? Maybe think of what to say?"