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Sam and Gabriel waited outside a diner in the middle of nowhere for Dean and Castiel. Its lettering long since faded, its exterior having begun to decay and rot away with age and lights dim enough that it blended into the night sky. The world seemed silent, save for the gentle hum of the flickering neon signs outside the diner crying to just be put out of their misery.
Sam leaned against the side of the car and tilted his head up to the stars and suddenly it felt like nothing really mattered, like they didn’t fight monsters, angels and demons, like their life span wasn’t cut in half just because of their job. Just as Sam began to sink into that rare feeling of serenity, Gabriel spoke. “Good to stretch the legs, huh?” his smirk evident in his voice. In the seconds it took to look down at Gabriel, Sam felt something click in his brain, maybe it was just the calmness he felt or maybe it was the recent weeks spent together while Gabriel healed but looking at him felt different this time.
Sam barely registered the fact he hadn’t responded when Gabriel turned away from him. He didn’t laugh at Sam for his lack of a response or poke at Sam for having stared him down for far longer than socially acceptable instead, he just continued to look forward to the diner. All that was left was the sound of muffled chatter from in the diner and the sound of the neon signs all going out and then snapping back on at the same time.
Sam glanced over at Gabriel. The archangel leaning against the car with his arms folded and eyes half lidded. The dim glow of the neon signs making him look uncharacteristically soft. His typical smirk now replaced with something much more serene and gentle and expecting, like he was waiting for Sam to say something to break the silence.
For a long time neither of them moved.
Then finally, Gabriel moved. Allowing his arms to drop down, causing his hand to brush Sam’s. The touch was casual, almost accidental, but Sam felt the current of something electric pass between them. His breath caught for just a second, and for the first time in a long time, he realized that he didn’t know what to say to Gabriel.
“Do you think they’re okay?” Sam asked to break the tension, trying to play off the poorly disguised nervousness in his voice. Gabriel snorted “Those love birds are probably making out in one of the stalls” his tone filled with the usual mischief his face only proving that as his usual smirk arose on his face making Sam scrunch up his face at the thought. “Besides isn’t it a good thing they’re taking longer it means we have more time together Sammy boy” Gabriel teased looking up to meet Sam’s eyes, leaning closer to his face.
Sam tilted his head, staring at Gabriel. He knew what Gabriel was offering him. The problem was that Sam wasn’t sure he was ready for it, or even if he knew how to navigate the way he felt, especially with how his past relationships played out. Gabriel wasn’t like anyone else. He wasn’t human, for one thing, which isn’t that strange considering Sam’s track history but that wasn’t it. There was something about Gabriel that made Sam’s heart race, made him feel alive in a way he hadn’t in a long time.
“You know I’m not really good with this kind of thing,” Sam muttered with a chuckle, looking away out of habit. He felt like a teenage girl getting asked out for the first time. Gabriel’s smirk widened. “Mmmm, yeah, you don’t have the best record when it comes to keeping you’re partners alive, do you?” He shifted, leaning in closer, his arm brushing lightly against Sam’s. “I don’t expect you to just suddenly get all comfy with it,” he continued, his tone shifting into a more serious one with a thoughtful hum, like he was considering his words carefully. “Hell, I don’t even know what this is.” He said looking away from Sam.
Sam swallowed, his heart hammering in his chest. He glanced back at Gabriel, who was so close now, close enough that Sam could feel the warmth of his body and the faint sweet scent of Gabriel’s cologne mixing with the night air. Gabriel’s expression was unreadable for a moment, but then there was a shift. Something subtle, but undeniable. A look in his eyes, soft and searching as he looked back up to Sam. “Then what do you want, Gabriel?” Sam asked, turning fully towards Gabriel, his voice barely above a whisper.
His hands were clenched tight, but his pulse was racing, every instinct inside him telling him to just give in to what Gabriel was offering him. Gabriel leaned in slightly, his breath warm against Sam’s face. “What I want is to stop pretending that this is nothing,” he said softly gesturing between them, his voice almost a murmur. “To stop pretending that there isn’t something here between us.” His face softening as he spoke.
Sam’s chest tightened, his breath catching in his throat. His heart beat faster, louder, as if trying to signal something as a million thoughts ran through his head. Gabriel’s gaze dropped to Sam’s lips for just a moment, and Sam knew that whatever happened next, it wasn’t going to be easy.
But despite the panicked thoughts running through his head, Sam didn’t pull away. He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring or what this would mean for them, but for now, it didn’t matter. In the quiet of the night, beneath the flickering lights of the dingy diner and the endless stretch of the road ahead, all that mattered was that they were here, together, in this moment. The tension between them buzzed in the air like electricity, bringing them closer together.
And when Gabriel leaned in, his lips barely brushing Sam’s in a dance before fully connecting, it wasn’t hurried or frantic. It was slow, something more careful and gentle. A silent conversation between two people who had fought so much, lost so much and yet for once were simply here. In a way they hadn’t allowed themselves to be before.
When they finally pulled back, neither of them spoke for a long time. Not that they needed to, the silence was no longer uncomfortable. it was full and complete with all the things they couldn’t say aloud and for the first time in a long while, Sam felt like maybe, just maybe, things were going to be okay.