Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Loki is a black cat. His eyes are the brightest gold. So bright you can see them glowing from so very far away. His little paws are snow white no matter where he's been stepping. He has a home where he is well loved, but he loves to wander. His territory is very large. There are homes here and there that give him food and pets and love and different names, but he will never call them home.

Gabriel is a ginger tomcat, mangy and loud, yowling late into the night. His hair is matted and a bit dirty from his lack of care, but somehow he manages to still look a little regal. He's big. Like, really big. Other animals see him coming and slink into the shadows. There's something deep within him, and the humans can't see it. An anger, perhaps a fear. They try to lure him in with treats, fancy soft foods, toys. But gabriel won't stay in one home, he can't. Theres always something else to see out there.

Chapter Text

 If there’s one thing Sam Winchester has, it’s patience.

He’s been catching and rehoming stray cats in his neighborhood since he was still in high school, and he was determined to get these boys. 

These two cats aren’t feral, can’t possibly be. They aren’t the least bit afraid of him. Hell, Sam is sure the ginger cat is teasing him at every failed attempt at capture. He’d come when called, sure, but no matter how Sam tried the cat would not come within arms length. Just that unsettling, unblinking stare that made Sam think that there was something almost otherworldly behind those gold eyes.

The black cat was a much more elusive prey. Sam never saw him during the day, and was even more difficult to find at night. Glowing eyes from under a car or on a low hanging tree branch were there in the night, and then Sam would see them blink and all of a sudden they would be gone. 

Sam had to use all his tricks trying to catch that black cat, but he always came up empty. Tripped cat traps, every crumb of food taken with nothing to show for his concern. All night stake outs without so much as a sighting of his target. 

Sam asked around the neighborhood, and some of the people knew that cat. They feed him sometimes and a few families even let him in. A couple with five year old twins tried to make him their house cat, knowing that he didn't have a home, but the sneaky cat found a way out of the house and into the night. He never came back to that house. 

At a point, Sam was just getting frustrated. But, remember, Sam has patience.

He had been sitting in a bush for most of the night, getting bug bites and thorn scratches in the name of making sure he can get these cats some care, and sure, a little bit of love, too.

The little bowl of whipped cream had been refilled three times now, and each time Sam had to convince himself not to give up. It was cold and he was tired, but he would not leave. 

He finally spied a flash of orange fur in the dim light of the street lights. Sam tensed, but forced himself to calm down. This would take a gentle hand. The orange cat sniffed the air, and immediately those damn golden eyes settled right on Sam’s hiding place.  With a defeated sigh, Sam slowly came out from the bush. 

“Hey, buddy,” he spoke quietly, not wanting to spook the cat away. “It’s okay.”

The cat just sat there, watching him, still unbothered by Sam’s presence. After Sam settled himself on the ground, still a good distance from his target, the cat wandered over to the offered bowl of treats. He made himself comfortable at his dish, still watching Sam. And the hunter was perplexed to see the cat just...sit there. His gold eyes closed in contentment, just sitting in front of his gift, and Sam couldn't help but think that the cat was simply taking pleasure in the fact that Sam had given him such a wonderful thing. 

“You, uh, you doing ok?” Sam asked, still looking on in wonder. The cat didn't move, so Sam decided to take a bit of a chance. He scooted forward, trying his best to be silent in the quiet of the late night. He could hear the cat purring, every now and then a quiet mew slipping off his tongue. Sam’s lips curled up at the corners, happy to see that the cat being a satisfied little loaf. 

“Yeah, you're a good boy, aren’t you.” He moved slowly, still trying not to spook the cat. “It’s okay.”

Sam repeated the line over and over, hoping that this would work. His fingers grazed dirty fur, and Sam’s heart leapt in celebration. The purring from the ginger cat only got louder as Sam finally was able to gently pet the cat, eyes still closed as he took in the affection. 

After a moment, the cat hoisted himself up off the ground and lazily ambled closer to the source of the tender kindness. He pushed into Sam’s hand, taking in every bit of the scritches and pets being offered. 

Sam could only let out a breathy chuckle, still amazed that this cat that had been aloof and, frankly, kind of a jerk to him in the past was now letting him touch and even scratch his tummy. 

“Wow. Awesome,” Sam laughed. He held his breath, and made his move. He scooped his hands under that soft belly and lifted the cat into his arms. After a moment of being dumbfounded by this turn of events, Sam offered a fingertip full of whipped cream, and the cradled ball of fluff enthusiastically ate his fill. 

“Oh, I see. You're just a big softie under all that mange, huh?” Sam could only smile as he rose from the ground, overjoyed at this unexpected progress. He headed back to his home, already planning out his next move for the next couple of days. This boy obviously needed some nurturing. Any plans to come back for the black cat were put on hold, although Sam knew he couldn't give up on that boy, either. 

Because, as you know, Sam has patience.

Chapter Text

If you ask his brother, Sam has a Bleeding Heart. And, yeah, normally Sam was one to roll his eyes at the moniker, his exasperated sigh hidden under Dean’s laughter. But Sam knew it was truth. When Sam first picked up that golden tabby cat, he knew, and he was ok with it. 

He named the cat Gabriel. There was no tag, no microchip. No one came looking for him even with all the posters that Sam put up in his neighborhood. And damn his brother for being right all the time, Sam just could not let the cat go. 

Gabriel followed Sam around everywhere. Around the brother’s apartment, the cat was Sam’s shadow. Dean would always complain that he was gonna kick that freakin’ cat whenever the two crossed paths. 

And when Sam left the apartment, nothing changed with Gabriel. 

Sam still went out to search for stray cats, especially that elusive black cat, Gabriel was there at his side. He never needed a harness, Gabriel never wanted to be out of eyesight of his claimed human. Sam always wondered what they looked like from his neighbor’s windows; a giant of a man being followed by this wild looking cat. He thought it must be hilarious. 

The thought flitted through Sam’s mind again tonight as the two of them walked together in the late night, the street lights casting their shadows long onto the streets. He glanced down at his cat, and after three weeks he was comfortable calling Gabriel his cat, and smiled to himself. Big gold eyes blinked back up at him, sparkling in the dim light. A tiny meow echoed through the quiet of the night, and Sam let out a laugh.

“Oh, yeah?” he asked with a smile, “I had no idea.” 

They continued down the road, Sam’s eyes roaming the shadows for movement. He was still on the lookout for the black cat, and any other wild animals that were wandering around. Kansas may be the most boring state ever, but it does have its fair share of dangerous animals. 

Suddenly, Gabriel stopped, frozen in place and his body rigid. 

“What’s up, Gabriel?”

The cat growled, low in his throat and before Sam could kneel down and grab his cat, Gabriel ran off into the night, ferocious yeowling echoing through the night. Sam was quick on his feet and followed close behind. He was desperate to keep up with Gabriel, not wanting to lose him in the night. The sounds of awful howling led him through yards and over fences, his own heartbeat racing in his chest. 

It must have been a horrible fight; terrible sounds and gnashing teeth getting louder as Sam burst through the trees to see Gabriel fighting viciously, savagely, and horribly attacking a rattlesnake that had wrapped itself around something on the empty street. Gabriel had launched himself into the fight, fur flying as he scratched and bit and screeched through the scramble. Sam had no idea how to help, not wanting to get himself hurt in the fray. He’s sent himself to the emergency room before from an animal bite and he’d rather not go through that again. 

The snake managed to untangled itself from the mass of fur lurching on the asphalt, slithering back into a ball on the asphalt. It curled and roiled, tail shaking angrily as it hissed and lunged. Gabriel swiped and hissed right back, moving himself around to seemingly keep himself between the snake and the pitiful pile of fur that it had let go. 

His fur stood on end from his arched back, claws extended and swiping at the snake. Sam took his chance, and while Gabriel chased the retreating rattlesnake into the bushes, Sam scooped up the bundle and ran off in the other direction. He called to Gabriel, and was relieved to see the cat running after him. 

Assuming they were far enough away to be safe, Sam stopped and knelt down, letting Gabriel, panting and limping a little, crowd up into his legs. The poor cat let out a small whimper, and Sam ran a hand over spiky fur. When he pulled it back, there was no blood, and Sam was grateful. He let out a thankful sigh and turned his attention to … whatever it was that he picked up. 

The bundle in his arms was wheezing, and after a quick step into the focused rays of the streetlight, Sam gasped at what he saw. In his arms was the black cat that he had been searching for these last few months, skinny, beaten and in pain. 

“Oh, my god!” 

After a second to collect his scrambled thoughts, Sam’s legs started working again and he set out at a hasty pace to the local all night vet clinic.

~~

Lounging in the vet’s stiff guest chairs, Sam felt his eyelids becoming heavy. Gabriel was warm in his lap, and Sam enjoyed the feeling of the warm fur under his hand. 

Gabriel was already given a clean bill of health, the vet fairly surprised to hear that the orange cat had taken on a rattlesnake on his own and came away unscathed. The black cat had been whisked away to the back of the clinic, orders being shouted as Sam clutched Gabriel in his arms. All he could do was wait this out, and he told the receptionist just as much, even if the black cat wasn't his. Sam had been trying to catch this cat for weeks, he wasn't going to leave him now.

A tech calling his name startled Sam out of the edge of real sleep, and he followed him into an exam room. 

“So,” the tech started, “he’s gonna be ok.”

Sam sighed in relief, as Gabriel let himself out of Sam’s arms to sniff around the exam table. “That’s so great to hear.”

“Yeah, we weren't sure about him for a minute there, but Loki’s a strong boy.”

“Loki?” Sam asked.

“Loki,” the tech confirmed, nodding. “We scanned him for a chip and he had one. The name registered to it is Loki. However we tried the phone number attached to the chip and there was no answer. So it looks like he might have to stay here for a bit.”

“When he’s ready, I'll take him home.” Sam was almost surprised at the words that came from his mouth. There really wasn't any more room for another cat at his and Dean’s apartment, but there was something about this cat, Loki. Sam felt a sense of attachment with him, he sure spent enough time looking for him for Sam to feel a sense of ownership. And the way that Gabriel was staring approvingly at him with those big golden eyes, Sam was certain that it was the right choice. 

“You sure?”

Gabriel let out a long meow, walking up to put a paw on Sam’s chest. Sam smiled softly at his furry friend, fully aware of what adding a new cat into his home means. 

“Oh, yes.”