Chapter Text
Sam and Gabriel had been friends forever, long enough that they couldn’t even remember meeting. The Novak’s had lived right down the street from the Winchester’s their entire lives, and Dean befriended the little Blond Novak boy when Sammy was still a baby. There were even pictures of Gabriel holding him, right along with Dean.
They couldn’t remember when they’d started spending more time together than the two older boys, or when they decided they were best friends, or even what their first fight had been*, but now, with Sam finishing up law school, and Gabriel starting out his acting career famously , the pair are absolutely inseparable. Enough so that when Sam’s given the choice between spending his summer out on a hunting trip in the woods with Dean and their dad or going on a spontaneous cross country road trip with Gabriel, he didn’t even hesitate before packing his bags and loading them into the back of Gabriel’s custom Nissan Figaro.
Granted, he did second guess his decision when he remembered what a terrible driver Gabriel was. Well, not terrible , he had an impeccable driving record, insane was more like it he supposed, and of course, he never let anyone else drive his baby. Well, to be fair, Sam had, a grand total of twice, but that was only because Gabriel had been the one to teach him to drive, and so he got the special privilege to chauffeur Gabriel home when he got unintentionally shitfaced.
Regardless, Sam was looking forward to spending the entire summer exploring with his best friend. Even if for the entire first eight hours of the drive he could feel his heart in his throat as they talked nonchalantly about whatever came to mind and sang along to whichever of their favorite songs came on the radio*.
By hour nine though, the older boy was beginning to wind down, and he pulled over at a rest stop to give them both a chance to stretch their legs and restock on snacks. Really, Sam knew he shouldn’t bother asking, he knew perfectly well Gabriel would say no, just like he always did. ‘You know no one touches Kali, Sammy, not even you, best friend though you are.’ The same answer as always, but Gabriel looked so tired, and honestly, Sam was a little worried for both of their safety at this point, so he gently laid a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder as he made to climb back into the driver’s seat. “How about you let me drive for a while..?”
It’s a close thing, but Sam does manage to keep his jaw from hitting the floor when Gabriel offered him a tired smile and a small nod, “yeah okay… Thanks, Sammy, I could use a chance to recharge.” Sam managed to nod slightly, sliding dazedly into the driver's seat and starting the car while Gabriel walked around the bonnet to climb in on the passenger side, only to promptly lean his seat back and close his eyes. “If I wake up to find a scratch on my baby, I will feed you a poison taco.”
* Although, they agreed it had something to do with a chocolate pudding cup
** Well, Sam sang, Gabriel did an interesting mixture of screaming and interpretive dance