Remain Hidden (DESTIEL AU)

Chapter Seven

 Sam didn't like Uriel all that much. The tall, stony-faced angel kept his distance, sometimes watching Sam under his creepy-intense stare or just ignoring him altogether. He learned fairly quickly not to try and make conversation with this angel, and instead learned to ignore Uriel's constant presence.

To distract him, Gabriel often popped up at random points in Sam's day. He always had licorice ropes or chocolate stashed in his pockets, and would usually come to bother Sam out of studying or reading.

Sam didn't really mind. He liked Gabriel—at least this angel actually enjoyed holding a conversation. It had been only a few days since Castiel, Uriel, and Gabriel became a part of the Palace, but the Heaven and Earth Prince had already form a strong friendship.

Sam told him about his first girlfriend, Jessica, and how their relationship had been what made King John retract his enforced hatred of love on the Empire. Gabriel told him about how he had been dumped by a boyfriend, who Gabriel immediately began pranking so often that he eventually left Heaven to escape his wrath.

Sam made a mental note not to get on this angel's bad side.

He also made a mental note that Gabriel, and Heaven itself, did not hold the same homophobic beliefs as his father.

"You see Cassie and Dean-o this morning?" Gabriel asked, lying upside down on the loveseat and watching Sam retrieve a few books from the towering shelves of the Palace's library. Sam hummed in response as he descended the library ladder with an armful of books.

"Seems your brother's made it his mission to flirt Castiel to death." Gabriel said, chewing on a licorice rope. "I thought your father didn't approve of gay relationships."

"He doesn't." Sam said, flipping through one of the books absentmindedly.

"How do you think he'd react if he knew one of his sons—"

"Both." Sam mumbled before he even realized it. His cheeks turned red, and he immediately hid behind his books.

"Huh?" Gabriel asked curiously.

"Nothing."

"If you're gay, Sasquatch, I'm probably the last person who's going to judge you." Gabriel said, a note of amusement in his voice.

"Everyone else would." Sam snapped. "And I'm not gay. I've done research—the correct term for me is pansexual."

"Sorry, sorry. I forgot Earth people assume everyone's straight."

"Heaven doesn't?"

"Heaven doesn't care." Gabriel snorted. "People don't assume anything about others' preferences, and no one judges—unless someone's got a thing for animals or something." Gabriel shuddered. "That's just...no."

"Sounds nicer than Earth." Sam muttered again.

"I dunno. Earth's got its upsides."

"Like what?"

"Well, their youngest Prince is easy on the eyes."

Sam glared at Gabriel over his book, his cheeks burning again.

"Is serious even a word in your vocabulary?" He snapped.

"Probably not." Gabriel shrugged, his golden hair mussed up from being upside down for so long. His wings were sprawled out on either side of him, glimmering in the midday sun. Sam couldn't help but wish he had wings like those...

He didn't mind spending his afternoons in the library with Gabriel, although the best days were the ones when the angel fell asleep and Sam could read in silence. But he also loved hearing Gabriel tell stories about Heaven, or compare cultures and customs with him. It was fascinating, and every day Sam started thinking Heaven was a better place to be than Earth.