Request: "Hello :) Could you please write a piece where the reader accidentally finds a ring in her boyfriend's (Sam or Dean) pocket and freaks out, because even though he's the love of her life, she just never thought herself to be the marrying kind. When she finds out that the ring was an evidence from a hunt (or something like that), she is relieved and that kind of hurts him a little, even though it wasn't his intention to propose to her immediately. And then go somewhere from that. Thanks in advance!" -Anon (Tumblr)
Pairing: Sam x Reader
Warnings: none
Words: 1457
You looked at Sam with a smile as you walked through the grocery store. You were running out of food in the Bunker, and you wanted to take a ride with Sam. It's been awhile since the two of you had had time alone together, since Dean insisted on having more "brotherly bonding", especially with what happened with Lucifer and such. He finally figured out that this life is guaranteed death and Dean doesn't want to waste another second not having brotherly moments.
And even though you love Dean to death, you still wanted those little moments where you and Sam were together without any distractions. Yes, there were people around you, but they weren't bothering you every time you tried to duck in for a kiss.
"$221.75," the cashier said. She sent you a small smile as Sam dug through his pockets for his wallet, and you returned the smile before looking back at Sam.
"I think I left my wallet in the Impala," he said, talking you more than her. "I'll be right back." He kissed you on the cheek, but you grabbed his elbow, preventing him from leaving.
"I'll get it," you persisted.
"You sure?" he asked and you nodded, making your way to the car. "It's in my jacket pocket!" he called after you and you waved him off.
You had managed to snag a parking spot near the front, so it wasn't a long walk. Upon reaching the car, you opened the backseat door and grabbed his jacket, reaching into his pocket for the wallet. As you pulled it out, you froze when you heard something metallic fall to the ground. Tossing the jacket back into the car, you bent down and picked up... an engagement ring.
Your chest squeezed in panic as you looked at the ring. To be honest, it was beautiful, a thin, silver band with a round diamond that is at least three carats. But the beauty it held didn't matter, seeing as you never planned that far ahead in your life. Sure, you loved Sam more than anything, and you'd do anything to keep him breathing, but... to you, marriage was just a piece of paper.
You hesitated as you thought about whether or not to return the ring to his pocket. Soon, you found yourself shoving it into your own pocket, thinking that if he didn't have the ring, he couldn't propose to you.
Closing the door, you made your way back to the grocery store.
---
The ride home seemed to drag on, but maybe it was because Sam was intentionally taking the long route. You were silent, which struck Sam odd, but you were too deep in thought as your hand remained in your jacket pocket, playing with the diamond ring. When Sam spoke, you jumped and pulled your hand out of your pocket quickly.
"What?"
"I asked if you wanted anything to eat," he repeated himself. "Y'know, we can stop at a diner or something before heading back." You knew he wanted to keep the two of you alone for the sake of peace and quiet, but a diner? With the thought of the ring in your head, a diner seemed an appropriate place to propose. Diners held audiences, and saying no in front of an audience was kind of a jerk move.
"I'm actually not quite hungry," you said calmly.
Sam glanced at you in confusion. "In the store, you were saying how hungry you were." He scoffed. "You sure? We're getting ready to past your favorite diner."
Your favorite diner? That was a long way away from the Bunker. And the food there sucked, but it was the place where you first met Sam and Dean. It was the place where you and Sam had your first kiss. It was the place where Sam asked you to be his girlfriend. That's why it's your favorite. And now it's going to be the place where Sam proposes to you.
But he doesn't have the ring. He can't propose without a ring. Unless he does and waits until he finds the ring, but you have it. And you don't have any intention on returning it, so he'll be looking for a long time... until, of course, he buys another one. How much did he spend on this one ring, anyway? Another unsolved mystery.
"Y/N?" Sam pulled you out of your thoughts yet again. And then he shook his head and turned on his blinker as he waited to pull into the diner parking lot. "I'm not giving you a choice."
You were panicking. You weren't even close to preparing yourself for marriage. You ran through all the pros and cons, and the cons were winning.
He killed the engine of the Impala and grabbed his wallet, reaching into the back for his jacket. You held your breath as he brought it up to the front and opened the car door. You were trying hard to prepare yourself for this, for the rejection, but you just couldn't do it.
You got out.
---
You couldn't focus, it was hard while the thing that determines your future burns a hole in your jacket pocket. Sam had to order for you since you couldn't look away from that one word on the menu.
"Hey, I have a question for you." Your head snapped up in his direction as your heart began thumping quickly in your chest, ramming into your ribcage... or, that's what it felt like.
'This is it. This is the big question. Prepare yourself, Y/N, to say no to the man you have fallen in love with over the years.' You took in a deep breath. "Yeah?"
When he reached into his pocket, you held your breath. He sent you a smile as he pulled his out of it and reached into his other pocket. When he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, you worked hard to look innocent and not guilty.
"What's wrong, Sam?" you asked.
"I..." He trailed off as he patted his pants pockets. "I can't find the ring."
"What ring?"
"The ring from the hunt," he explained. "It was evidence. Something about it..." He sighed and looked at you. "If you wear it, it gives you the urges to kill. I was going to ask you if we could stop somewhere to bury it."
It was your turn to furrow your eyebrows. You reached into your pocket and set the ring on the table. "I'm sorry, Sam," you whispered as he looked at you in confusion. "I thought..." you trailed off.
"You thought I was going to propose to you." He was quick to guess, and you nodded sheepishly. "Is that why you seem so distracted? Do you-"
"No, no." You sighed. "I don't."
He nodded and bit the inside of his cheek. You could see the hurt that flashed in his eyes as he returned the ring to his pocket. "Alright."
"I'm relieved that it wasn't your intention to propose," you told him, "because marriage in this life... It just doesn't fit well."
He didn't respond as he looked down at the menu, though you had already ordered.
You sighed. "Sam, look at me, please."
His stare remained on the menu.
"Sam, I don't want to marry you for many reasons," you explained quietly, reaching out to take his hand, only for him to move them under the table. You were hurt at the gesture. "One being that married couples have more argument than when they weren't married. And there's the possibility of being divorced. And children. Ugh, kids. We cannot have kids at the moment, not with the life we're living."
"I just... I thought that we were at that stage," he whispered. "Thought it wasn't my intention to propose to you, I thought that you and I were in love and-"
"Sam!" You scoffed. "Sam, I love you to death, alright? I'll do anything for you just like Dean would do anything for you. But... Sammy, marriage is just a piece of paper, and we don't need a piece of paper to prove to each other how much we love each other. Sam, a piece of paper can be destroyed by multiple things. What we have... it's so much more than a single, thin piece of paper."
Finally, he looked up at you and smiled.
You shrugged. "Though, this may have a little something to do with my parents, but we'll save that conversation for another day."
He chuckled and held onto your hand, which was still on his side of the table. "I love you, Y/N," he whispered.
"I love you, too," you replied. "Now, let's eat this terrible food and get outta here to bury that ring."
"Terrible foo-" He rolled his eyes. "You love this place!"
"I only love this place because of you." You smiled at him as you moved your so so the waitress can deliver the food. "Oh, get that stupid grin off your face and eat your salad."