Fic: Supernatural - Lips like Liquorish, Tongue like Candy 2/2
Much, much later, Sam would admit that Gabriel’s prank was pretty brilliant. The fact that he managed to get half the campus in on it alone wasn’t something to be scoffed at. If he hadn’t been the victim, Sam would’ve shaken his hand.
He probably would’ve eventually if Gabriel didn’t decide that it was his sole duty as Sam’s roommate to make his life a living hell from then on. The Y: The Last Man prank certainly wasn’t the last one he ever pulled on Sam but it was definitely the most memorable one. Still, that didn’t mean his other pranks didn’t constantly make Sam want to shoot something, preferably Gabriel’s face.
*
The less said about the time Sam had to convince the Don that he didn’t hire the stripper hiding under his bed, the better.
*
Their second Bonding Moment as roommates takes place in the middle of finals. It’s ten past one and Sam’s nose deep in his notes when Gabriel, who’s actually studying and not out partying for once, slams his binder shut and declares they need a break.
“Gabriel, I can’t,” Sam protests, but he doesn’t struggle too much when Gabriel drags him out of his desk and into the hallway.
“Come on, a little fresh air isn’t going to kill you.”
Gabriel leads him on a weird trail around campus until they stop in front of one of the older buildings. He takes out a set of keys from nowhere, starts picking the lock (Sam doesn’t want to know), and pushes him into the shadows.
Sam is momentarily blinded and reaches out to stable himself when he feels something warm take hold of his hand. “Gabriel?” he asks.
“I’m here,” whispers Gabriel. He starts walking and Sam is forced to follow.
Gabriel must have built in night vision or something because there’s no way he could’ve navigated his way around the building and up the stairs without tripping at least once if he didn’t. “You sure you know where you’re going?” he calls out as they make their way up yet another flight of stairs.
“Yes, now close your eyes. We’re there.”
Sam almost asks what the point is, as he can’t see anything regardless, but obeys his instructions anyway. He hears Gabriel tinkering with another lock before the sound of a door creaking open echoes through his ears. Sam is hit with a gust of December wind as Gabriel gently pulls him along. “Are we outside?’
“Yup. You can open your eyes and now. Oh, and you should probably look up.”
Sam does so and gasps. Above him is the most gorgeous sight he’s seen since coming to Stanford. The sky is clear and covered in a blanket of stars. He can actually recognize some of the constellations he often sees in Lawrence and it makes him feel a little closer to home. “Wow” is the only thing he can say.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” asks Gabriel softly at his side. Even though he’s probably seen this all before, the smile on his face is the most genuine Sam’s seen since they first met. There’s no indication of trickery afoot, just open admiration. He should smile like that more often.
“How’d you find this place?”
Gabriel shrugs. “Dunno, I remember I wanted to see the stars really badly one night,” he pauses. “I come here sometimes when I just want to think, get away from the rest of the world.”
This is a side of Gabriel Sam has never seen before. He often thought Gabriel was a social butterfly who thrived on attention. It never occurred to him that Gabriel needed an escape from the hustle and bustle constantly surrounding him sometimes.
“I like it,” says Sam, and he means it.
They stay on the roof for a long time, alternating between chatting about inane things and just sitting in companionable silence with nothing but each other and the stars for company.
*
Gabriel isn’t a bad person, per se, it’s just Sam he’s horrible to.
Sam doesn’t really get it. He’s a pretty likable person, so he doesn’t get what it is about him that seems to compel Gabriel to steal the varsity baseball team’s ball pitcher and modify it so it would fling pies at his face at twenty miles per hour.
So when he walks in the room one day with Sarah (who may or may not be his girlfriend one day-he’s kind of hoping for the former), having momentarily forgotten about his roommate’s hobby of embarrassing him as many times a day as possible, and doesn’t get assaulted by pies or strippers or even something as mundane as a pineapple, he’s surprised.
Gabriel is a perfect gentleman actually, which is something Sam would never have associated with his roommate until that day. He looks up from his laptop when Sam opens the door, looks from him to Sarah (sizing her up, almost), and says, “Hi.” He actually stands up to shake her hand. “I’m Gabriel, Sam’s roommate.”
The thing about Gabriel is, he’s lazy. Sometimes when it gets too dark in the room, he would actually ask Sam to turn on his own desk light for him even though the switch is well within arms’ reach. Sam usually does it to shut him up.
Sarah grins and shakes his hand. “Yeah, I figured. I’m Sarah, Sam’s friend.”
Sam almost has an aneurysm when Gabriel still doesn’t do anything. It’s kind of freaky.
Later, after Sarah leaves, Sam can only stare in shock as Gabriel waves goodbye and sits back down on his desk like nothing happened. “I like her,” he says simply.
It takes a moment for Sam to snap out of it. “Um, yeah. I like her, too,” he says. “I kind of want to ask her out,” he admits, before realizing what he’s saying. This is Gabriel, for crying out loud. He’d probably Facebook this in the middle of the night after Sam’s gone to bed and ruin his chances of a love life forever and ever. So why the hell is he telling Gabriel this?
“Cool. I’ll let you borrow my cologne if you want.” Gabriel’s voice is strange, kind of strangled but mostly devoid of emotion.
Sam blinks. “Um, thanks?”
He goes to bed that night still in a daze. He’s still not entirely sure what just happened.
*
He and Sarah last for about two months before they realize they’re much better as friends than they are as a couple.
Gabriel walks around the rest of the day of the break up wearing a grin that vaguely resembles that of a Cheshire cat.
*
After getting a bucket of paint dumped on him, Sam can’t take it anymore. He’s this close to breaking something short called ‘Gabriel’.
He turns to Dean for help, because even though he’s eighteen and no longer a little kid, a part of him still desperately holds on to his three year old self’s belief that his older brother is Hercules and can fix anything.
After his nearly twenty minute long rant about how much Gabriel annoys him, Sam waits with bated breath for Dean’s response. “Dude, I think your roommate has a crush on you,” Dean’s image on the computer finally says, and he sounds serious.
Sam’s brain just stops functioning right there. That definitely wasn’t what he was expecting his brother to say. “Um, sorry?”
“Gabriel’s pulling your pigtails,” continues Dean, as if there’s nothing wrong with what he just said. “it’s kinda cute.”
If Sam could, he would totally reach through his laptop screen right now to wipe the annoying smirk out of Dean’s face. Seriously, how did he end up with the most unsupportive older brother in the world? “No way, Gabriel doesn’t like me.”
Dean shakes his head slowly. “Uh, no, I’m pretty sure he does. From what you’ve told me, he’s been trying to get your attention since he first laid eyes on your ass and it’s working.”
Sam barks out a laugh. “Oh, he’s got my attention alright, but it’s not the kind he was hoping for.”
Dean raises his eyebrow in a “go on” gesture.
It’s like once Sam’s opened his mouth he can’t stop. Everything just comes tumbling out and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. He’s not even sure he wants to, having bottled everything up for so long that he needs an outlet, any outlet, right now. “He’s the most insensitive jerk in the world! If he really liked me, he could-oh, I don’t know-maybe act like it? I mean, I’m not expecting flowers or a confession of undying love or anything like that, but being pelted in the face with pie isn’t the way to do it.”
“Damn, what a waste of good pie.”
“Dean! Focus!”
“Sorry, go on, Princess Sammy.”
“I just-what can he possibly hope to accomplish by being an asshole? Does he enjoy making people hate him?”
“You hate him?”
Sam snorts. “What do you think? If I could, I’d have switched rooms a long time ago. You know, I’ll be so happy when the year’s finally over because that means I won’t have to see his face again-”
Sam cuts himself off at a ‘thud!’ from the door. It’s a familiar sound he’s been hearing all year. It’s the sound Gabriel’s messenger bag makes when he drops it on the floor in the middle of their room and causes Sam to trip over it more times than he can count.
Oh, shit.
Standing frozen at the door is Gabriel himself, staring at Sam with a completely blank look on his face. His eyes don’t hide anything from Sam, though; there’s something that looks like heartbreak in them.
“Sam? You okay?”
But Dean’s voice is faraway to Sam and he barely hears it. There’s nothing but him and Gabriel now.
Gabriel breaks the silence with a swallow. “Okay,” he says, his voice a little shaky. Then he leaves.
Sam half gets up from his chair with the full intent to stop him and apologize, but a small, ugly voice at the back of his head reminds him that this is Gabriel’s fault. Not his. He did nothing wrong except tell the truth.
That doesn’t make it sting any less.
*
Gabriel literally doesn’t come back to the room for the following few days. During that time, Sam goes crazy with worry. It’s not that he’s afraid that Gabriel can’t take care of himself (despite his size, he’s not someone to be underestimated) but he doesn’t know where they are-as roommates, as friends-or what’s going through Gabriel’s head. The Winchester gene of stubbornness in him keeps him from actively seeking Gabriel out during those days.
It’s not his fault that Gabriel brought this on himself. Maybe if he’d acted like a normal human being-
Oh, who’s he kidding? Gabriel isn’t normal. He’s got his own brand of otherworldly charm that even Sam’s fallen prey to. He’s funny, can make Sam laugh like no one else can, and has this sixth sense about him. He has no problem with being an annoying little fucker most of the time but he knows when to keep to himself at times when Sam isn’t in the mood. Gabriel’s surprised him a few times by leaving a cup of coffee or tea, and sometimes even a snack on his desk when he knows Sam could really use it.
A small part of him still can’t forgive Gabriel for his pranks but in a way, he can understand. After all, it’s Gabriel. He probably didn’t see any harm in them and he certainly didn’t pull them on Sam with the intention of hurting him.
So yeah, maybe things between them aren’t perfect but that sure as hell won’t stop Sam from fixing it.
*
“We could all see it, you know,” says Crowley, not looking up from his battered copy of the Divine Comedy. “his epic unrequited love for you, I mean.”
It took a while but eventually word got to Sam that Gabriel had been hiding out in Castiel’s room. Sam was kinda impressed that they managed to keep him out of the loop for so long because Castiel was the kind of person who couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.
Sam groans and buries his face in his hands. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Crowley confirms.
“How am I only learning about it now?”
“Because you’re as blind as a bat?” Crowley offers, finally closing his book to look at Sam. At Sam’s glare he goes on, “His eyes light up whenever you walk into the room. Are you seriously telling me you never saw it?”
Well, no. Sam’s seen it but he always figured it was just Gabriel planning something sneaky.
Before he can reply the door opens and the familiar pitter-patter of feet reach Sam’s ears. “Honey, I’m ho-” Gabriel stops and stares at Sam, his face reddening. “Nevermind,” he mutters, already turning away.
But Sam’s prepared. He shoots off of Castiel’s bed like a rocket and grabs Gabriel’s arm, pulling him into the room. “Wait, Gabriel.”
He tenses but still doesn’t look up at Sam. “I’m sorry,” he blurts out, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the dorm’s ugly carpet floor. “for being a jerk. I promise I won’t bother you anymore.”
Sam gulps. “No, I... Gabriel-” Sam stops thinking. He tips Gabriel’s chin up and before his roommate (ex-roommate) can protest, he’s surging forward and pressing his lips against Gabriel’s. Gabriel freezes and it takes some coaxing on Sam’s part to get him to part his lips and rub his tongue along the edge of his mouth. Gabriel tastes like a mix of strawberry and chocolate and Sam thinks, yeah, this is something he could get addicted to.
They pull apart eventually, both of them breathing hard like they’d just run a marathon. Gabriel’s staring at Sam like he’s never seen him before. “What-”
“I like you,” says Sam. “I... I didn’t know and I wish I did because then we wouldn’t be here and... yeah,” he finishes lamely. But at least he got his words out, as incoherent as they were. Now it’s Gabriel’s turn.
Gabriel blushes and looks so shell shocked it’s almost unnatural. Gabriel never gets caught off guard. “I thought you were as straight as an arrow,” he says carefully.
“... I thought so, too,” admits Sam. He’s surprisingly okay with this new development of his sexuality.
Gabriel just looks at him. “Sam, I can’t... ” he swallows. “I know you hate me so this-please don’t.”
“What?” Now Sam’s officially confused.
“Maybe I deserve it,” Gabriel continues, his voice soft and broken. “I know you’re mad and if you want to get back at me, I understand, but please don’t do this. Please don’t play with me like this. I’ll move out of your room permanently, I’ll run around campus in a tutu and put it up on YouTube, I’ll even leave Stanford if you want me to, but don’t do this. Don’t pretend you have feelings for me, too.”
Sam just stares at him. “You really think I’d do that?” he finally asks, because he’s kind of offended Gabriel would think he’s that cold-hearted.
Gabriel actually looks like he’s considering it. “Well, no,” he says, “but... I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Sam leans down to kiss him again, this time deeper and longer. He tries to put everything he has into the kiss, convey all his emotions in that one little action, both the positive and the negative. When he pulls away, Gabriel’s flushed. “I like you,” he says again, more firmly. “And... I’m not playing with you. I want this to go somewhere if... if you want it to. Preferably with less strippers or pies being pelted at my face”
Gabriel at least has the decency to look embarrassed about that. “I’m sorry,” he says sheepishly, “and I do-want a relationship, I mean. I just-”
“You’re both idiots,” says Crowley from the opposite side of the room. Sam turns around, having forgotten about the quirky British exchange student, and catches Crowley with his nose buried in his book again, not even bothering to look up to watch the drama unfold. “You already kissed and made up. What else are you waiting for? The sky to open and a heavenly chorus to start singing ‘Hallelujah’?”
Sam has to admit that Crowley has a point. He takes Gabriel’s hand, threading their fingers together. “Let’s go home.”
“It’s just a room,” Gabriel points out, but he’s smiling and the sight does things to Sam, like making his heart do flip flops.
“Don’t ruin the moment.” He leans down to kiss Gabriel again.
He probably would’ve eventually if Gabriel didn’t decide that it was his sole duty as Sam’s roommate to make his life a living hell from then on. The Y: The Last Man prank certainly wasn’t the last one he ever pulled on Sam but it was definitely the most memorable one. Still, that didn’t mean his other pranks didn’t constantly make Sam want to shoot something, preferably Gabriel’s face.
*
The less said about the time Sam had to convince the Don that he didn’t hire the stripper hiding under his bed, the better.
*
Their second Bonding Moment as roommates takes place in the middle of finals. It’s ten past one and Sam’s nose deep in his notes when Gabriel, who’s actually studying and not out partying for once, slams his binder shut and declares they need a break.
“Gabriel, I can’t,” Sam protests, but he doesn’t struggle too much when Gabriel drags him out of his desk and into the hallway.
“Come on, a little fresh air isn’t going to kill you.”
Gabriel leads him on a weird trail around campus until they stop in front of one of the older buildings. He takes out a set of keys from nowhere, starts picking the lock (Sam doesn’t want to know), and pushes him into the shadows.
Sam is momentarily blinded and reaches out to stable himself when he feels something warm take hold of his hand. “Gabriel?” he asks.
“I’m here,” whispers Gabriel. He starts walking and Sam is forced to follow.
Gabriel must have built in night vision or something because there’s no way he could’ve navigated his way around the building and up the stairs without tripping at least once if he didn’t. “You sure you know where you’re going?” he calls out as they make their way up yet another flight of stairs.
“Yes, now close your eyes. We’re there.”
Sam almost asks what the point is, as he can’t see anything regardless, but obeys his instructions anyway. He hears Gabriel tinkering with another lock before the sound of a door creaking open echoes through his ears. Sam is hit with a gust of December wind as Gabriel gently pulls him along. “Are we outside?’
“Yup. You can open your eyes and now. Oh, and you should probably look up.”
Sam does so and gasps. Above him is the most gorgeous sight he’s seen since coming to Stanford. The sky is clear and covered in a blanket of stars. He can actually recognize some of the constellations he often sees in Lawrence and it makes him feel a little closer to home. “Wow” is the only thing he can say.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” asks Gabriel softly at his side. Even though he’s probably seen this all before, the smile on his face is the most genuine Sam’s seen since they first met. There’s no indication of trickery afoot, just open admiration. He should smile like that more often.
“How’d you find this place?”
Gabriel shrugs. “Dunno, I remember I wanted to see the stars really badly one night,” he pauses. “I come here sometimes when I just want to think, get away from the rest of the world.”
This is a side of Gabriel Sam has never seen before. He often thought Gabriel was a social butterfly who thrived on attention. It never occurred to him that Gabriel needed an escape from the hustle and bustle constantly surrounding him sometimes.
“I like it,” says Sam, and he means it.
They stay on the roof for a long time, alternating between chatting about inane things and just sitting in companionable silence with nothing but each other and the stars for company.
*
Gabriel isn’t a bad person, per se, it’s just Sam he’s horrible to.
Sam doesn’t really get it. He’s a pretty likable person, so he doesn’t get what it is about him that seems to compel Gabriel to steal the varsity baseball team’s ball pitcher and modify it so it would fling pies at his face at twenty miles per hour.
So when he walks in the room one day with Sarah (who may or may not be his girlfriend one day-he’s kind of hoping for the former), having momentarily forgotten about his roommate’s hobby of embarrassing him as many times a day as possible, and doesn’t get assaulted by pies or strippers or even something as mundane as a pineapple, he’s surprised.
Gabriel is a perfect gentleman actually, which is something Sam would never have associated with his roommate until that day. He looks up from his laptop when Sam opens the door, looks from him to Sarah (sizing her up, almost), and says, “Hi.” He actually stands up to shake her hand. “I’m Gabriel, Sam’s roommate.”
The thing about Gabriel is, he’s lazy. Sometimes when it gets too dark in the room, he would actually ask Sam to turn on his own desk light for him even though the switch is well within arms’ reach. Sam usually does it to shut him up.
Sarah grins and shakes his hand. “Yeah, I figured. I’m Sarah, Sam’s friend.”
Sam almost has an aneurysm when Gabriel still doesn’t do anything. It’s kind of freaky.
Later, after Sarah leaves, Sam can only stare in shock as Gabriel waves goodbye and sits back down on his desk like nothing happened. “I like her,” he says simply.
It takes a moment for Sam to snap out of it. “Um, yeah. I like her, too,” he says. “I kind of want to ask her out,” he admits, before realizing what he’s saying. This is Gabriel, for crying out loud. He’d probably Facebook this in the middle of the night after Sam’s gone to bed and ruin his chances of a love life forever and ever. So why the hell is he telling Gabriel this?
“Cool. I’ll let you borrow my cologne if you want.” Gabriel’s voice is strange, kind of strangled but mostly devoid of emotion.
Sam blinks. “Um, thanks?”
He goes to bed that night still in a daze. He’s still not entirely sure what just happened.
*
He and Sarah last for about two months before they realize they’re much better as friends than they are as a couple.
Gabriel walks around the rest of the day of the break up wearing a grin that vaguely resembles that of a Cheshire cat.
*
After getting a bucket of paint dumped on him, Sam can’t take it anymore. He’s this close to breaking something short called ‘Gabriel’.
He turns to Dean for help, because even though he’s eighteen and no longer a little kid, a part of him still desperately holds on to his three year old self’s belief that his older brother is Hercules and can fix anything.
After his nearly twenty minute long rant about how much Gabriel annoys him, Sam waits with bated breath for Dean’s response. “Dude, I think your roommate has a crush on you,” Dean’s image on the computer finally says, and he sounds serious.
Sam’s brain just stops functioning right there. That definitely wasn’t what he was expecting his brother to say. “Um, sorry?”
“Gabriel’s pulling your pigtails,” continues Dean, as if there’s nothing wrong with what he just said. “it’s kinda cute.”
If Sam could, he would totally reach through his laptop screen right now to wipe the annoying smirk out of Dean’s face. Seriously, how did he end up with the most unsupportive older brother in the world? “No way, Gabriel doesn’t like me.”
Dean shakes his head slowly. “Uh, no, I’m pretty sure he does. From what you’ve told me, he’s been trying to get your attention since he first laid eyes on your ass and it’s working.”
Sam barks out a laugh. “Oh, he’s got my attention alright, but it’s not the kind he was hoping for.”
Dean raises his eyebrow in a “go on” gesture.
It’s like once Sam’s opened his mouth he can’t stop. Everything just comes tumbling out and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. He’s not even sure he wants to, having bottled everything up for so long that he needs an outlet, any outlet, right now. “He’s the most insensitive jerk in the world! If he really liked me, he could-oh, I don’t know-maybe act like it? I mean, I’m not expecting flowers or a confession of undying love or anything like that, but being pelted in the face with pie isn’t the way to do it.”
“Damn, what a waste of good pie.”
“Dean! Focus!”
“Sorry, go on, Princess Sammy.”
“I just-what can he possibly hope to accomplish by being an asshole? Does he enjoy making people hate him?”
“You hate him?”
Sam snorts. “What do you think? If I could, I’d have switched rooms a long time ago. You know, I’ll be so happy when the year’s finally over because that means I won’t have to see his face again-”
Sam cuts himself off at a ‘thud!’ from the door. It’s a familiar sound he’s been hearing all year. It’s the sound Gabriel’s messenger bag makes when he drops it on the floor in the middle of their room and causes Sam to trip over it more times than he can count.
Oh, shit.
Standing frozen at the door is Gabriel himself, staring at Sam with a completely blank look on his face. His eyes don’t hide anything from Sam, though; there’s something that looks like heartbreak in them.
“Sam? You okay?”
But Dean’s voice is faraway to Sam and he barely hears it. There’s nothing but him and Gabriel now.
Gabriel breaks the silence with a swallow. “Okay,” he says, his voice a little shaky. Then he leaves.
Sam half gets up from his chair with the full intent to stop him and apologize, but a small, ugly voice at the back of his head reminds him that this is Gabriel’s fault. Not his. He did nothing wrong except tell the truth.
That doesn’t make it sting any less.
*
Gabriel literally doesn’t come back to the room for the following few days. During that time, Sam goes crazy with worry. It’s not that he’s afraid that Gabriel can’t take care of himself (despite his size, he’s not someone to be underestimated) but he doesn’t know where they are-as roommates, as friends-or what’s going through Gabriel’s head. The Winchester gene of stubbornness in him keeps him from actively seeking Gabriel out during those days.
It’s not his fault that Gabriel brought this on himself. Maybe if he’d acted like a normal human being-
Oh, who’s he kidding? Gabriel isn’t normal. He’s got his own brand of otherworldly charm that even Sam’s fallen prey to. He’s funny, can make Sam laugh like no one else can, and has this sixth sense about him. He has no problem with being an annoying little fucker most of the time but he knows when to keep to himself at times when Sam isn’t in the mood. Gabriel’s surprised him a few times by leaving a cup of coffee or tea, and sometimes even a snack on his desk when he knows Sam could really use it.
A small part of him still can’t forgive Gabriel for his pranks but in a way, he can understand. After all, it’s Gabriel. He probably didn’t see any harm in them and he certainly didn’t pull them on Sam with the intention of hurting him.
So yeah, maybe things between them aren’t perfect but that sure as hell won’t stop Sam from fixing it.
*
“We could all see it, you know,” says Crowley, not looking up from his battered copy of the Divine Comedy. “his epic unrequited love for you, I mean.”
It took a while but eventually word got to Sam that Gabriel had been hiding out in Castiel’s room. Sam was kinda impressed that they managed to keep him out of the loop for so long because Castiel was the kind of person who couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.
Sam groans and buries his face in his hands. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Crowley confirms.
“How am I only learning about it now?”
“Because you’re as blind as a bat?” Crowley offers, finally closing his book to look at Sam. At Sam’s glare he goes on, “His eyes light up whenever you walk into the room. Are you seriously telling me you never saw it?”
Well, no. Sam’s seen it but he always figured it was just Gabriel planning something sneaky.
Before he can reply the door opens and the familiar pitter-patter of feet reach Sam’s ears. “Honey, I’m ho-” Gabriel stops and stares at Sam, his face reddening. “Nevermind,” he mutters, already turning away.
But Sam’s prepared. He shoots off of Castiel’s bed like a rocket and grabs Gabriel’s arm, pulling him into the room. “Wait, Gabriel.”
He tenses but still doesn’t look up at Sam. “I’m sorry,” he blurts out, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the dorm’s ugly carpet floor. “for being a jerk. I promise I won’t bother you anymore.”
Sam gulps. “No, I... Gabriel-” Sam stops thinking. He tips Gabriel’s chin up and before his roommate (ex-roommate) can protest, he’s surging forward and pressing his lips against Gabriel’s. Gabriel freezes and it takes some coaxing on Sam’s part to get him to part his lips and rub his tongue along the edge of his mouth. Gabriel tastes like a mix of strawberry and chocolate and Sam thinks, yeah, this is something he could get addicted to.
They pull apart eventually, both of them breathing hard like they’d just run a marathon. Gabriel’s staring at Sam like he’s never seen him before. “What-”
“I like you,” says Sam. “I... I didn’t know and I wish I did because then we wouldn’t be here and... yeah,” he finishes lamely. But at least he got his words out, as incoherent as they were. Now it’s Gabriel’s turn.
Gabriel blushes and looks so shell shocked it’s almost unnatural. Gabriel never gets caught off guard. “I thought you were as straight as an arrow,” he says carefully.
“... I thought so, too,” admits Sam. He’s surprisingly okay with this new development of his sexuality.
Gabriel just looks at him. “Sam, I can’t... ” he swallows. “I know you hate me so this-please don’t.”
“What?” Now Sam’s officially confused.
“Maybe I deserve it,” Gabriel continues, his voice soft and broken. “I know you’re mad and if you want to get back at me, I understand, but please don’t do this. Please don’t play with me like this. I’ll move out of your room permanently, I’ll run around campus in a tutu and put it up on YouTube, I’ll even leave Stanford if you want me to, but don’t do this. Don’t pretend you have feelings for me, too.”
Sam just stares at him. “You really think I’d do that?” he finally asks, because he’s kind of offended Gabriel would think he’s that cold-hearted.
Gabriel actually looks like he’s considering it. “Well, no,” he says, “but... I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Sam leans down to kiss him again, this time deeper and longer. He tries to put everything he has into the kiss, convey all his emotions in that one little action, both the positive and the negative. When he pulls away, Gabriel’s flushed. “I like you,” he says again, more firmly. “And... I’m not playing with you. I want this to go somewhere if... if you want it to. Preferably with less strippers or pies being pelted at my face”
Gabriel at least has the decency to look embarrassed about that. “I’m sorry,” he says sheepishly, “and I do-want a relationship, I mean. I just-”
“You’re both idiots,” says Crowley from the opposite side of the room. Sam turns around, having forgotten about the quirky British exchange student, and catches Crowley with his nose buried in his book again, not even bothering to look up to watch the drama unfold. “You already kissed and made up. What else are you waiting for? The sky to open and a heavenly chorus to start singing ‘Hallelujah’?”
Sam has to admit that Crowley has a point. He takes Gabriel’s hand, threading their fingers together. “Let’s go home.”
“It’s just a room,” Gabriel points out, but he’s smiling and the sight does things to Sam, like making his heart do flip flops.
“Don’t ruin the moment.” He leans down to kiss Gabriel again.