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Just a day or so after returning from winter break his sophomore year, Sam’s confronted by Gabriel, who lives a floor below him and sometimes hangs out with his friend group. “Sam-I-am, good break, I assume?”
Sam shrugs. He’d run into his ex from last year, Jess, at a Christmas party in the neighborhood, which he should have seen coming, but the new guy on her arm was a subtle reminder that he was still single. “It was alright. Yours?”
"I maaaaay have run into a little problem-o with the relatives. They’ve got a party coming up, for my parent’s anniversary, which was discussed at Christmas, and I may have said some things that weren’t quite true…”
Sam lets out a little laugh. “What, you? Stretching the truth? Unheard of.”
"Look, I may have just been a little pressured by my mother’s ‘When is my baby going to bring someone home to meet the psycho fam’ talk, but…"
"What did you do?"
"I may have said it was no big deal, and… that I’d have someone drop-dead gorgeous with me at the party next month. In other words, I’ve got two days to find someone willing to pretend to be my devoted beau."
Sam’s trying not to laugh. “You know there are people you can hire to-“
"Bitch please I’m broke." Gabriel’s actually got his serious face on, so Sam tries to compose himself and actually help.
"You want me to ask Meg? She’d probably do it if I was the one to ask."
Gabriel tilts his head, considering. “I was kinda hoping you’d go with me, Sam.”
Sam frowns. “No offense, but won’t your family be expecting someone a little more… female?”
"Nah. Family knows I’m into guys, girls, anything in-between… How about it?"
He’s never thought about dating Gabriel before, because he’d been hung up on the whole Jess thing, and he’d thought Gabriel was straight(ish), and he’s just realizing now that this means Gabriel considers him to be “drop-dead gorgeous”. He glances down at the guy leaning in his doorway, taking in his soft blond hair and rumpled Asia t-shirt. His whole face is taut with anticipation, a trace of nervousness hidden in his honey-colored eyes. How had he literally never considered dating Gabriel? Gabriel is smoking hot, and hilarious, and easy to talk to, and-
"Sam." Gabriel’s voice snapped him out of his trance. "It’s a fake date. Your honor will be mostly intact." Gabriel pokes Sam in the chest, and it takes him a second to remember he’s wearing a shirt from a theatrical production the school had just done. "Put all those acting skills to the test."
Right. Pretending. Sam can do that. “Yeah, count me in then,” he nods.
——
"You know what would be fun?" Gabriel asks from where he’s sprawled over Sam’s bed. Ever since the fake date incident a week ago, Sam had started inviting Gabriel up to his single occupant room to hang out, just the two of them. Gabriel has not once rejected him.
The party had gone magnificently, in terms of Sam's acting; significant others were supposed to be a little awkward around siblings and parents and cousins, right? Personally, Sam thought he'd pulled it off rather well. Holding Gabriel's hand and kissing his cheek had felt natural. Gabriel had seemed to savor in those kisses, too, and he'd stuck close to Sam's side- really close, actually. Closer than most couples would be. Sam had the tiniest of suspicions that Gabriel maybe liked him.
Then again, the other boy might just be hanging out because he can’t stand his new roommate, a random placement at start semester who goes by Al. Apparently, he’s homophobic, smells like athlete, and insists on keeping the place ‘orderly’ (“-and he’s a bag of dicks who tries to contain my art.” “He said that about you and you’re complaining about him picking stuff up?” “He tries. To contain. My art.”)
Sam looks up from his chemistry book."What’d be fun?"
"We should convince Al we’re dating."
"What?" The book flutters shut as Sam drops the pages he was holding.
Gabriel shrugs. “It’d piss him off. And maybe then he’d start not being in the room all the time.”
Sam mulls it over a little. He’s got plenty of things against Al, and… whatever this entails, he’d probably going to like it. His guiltiest thoughts now involve quite a bit of Gabriel. “Got any great ideas?”
This question is what leads to the two of them cuddled much closer than necessary on Gabriel’s bunk to watch a movie when they know Al’s due back from hockey practice any minute. Gabriel’s a very good cuddler, and takes it perfectly in stride when Sam catches his jaw and kisses him, deeply and sincerely, in front of Al. Sam wants to blame the flutters in his stomach on stage fright, but he knows he’s getting a little too into the role. When Gabriel proudly loops an arm around him and introduces him as "my boyfriend, Sam," he's elated.
Either way, Al requests a room transfer, so they count it as a success.
——
Another week rolls by, and Sam’s alone studying on Valentine’s Day, which doesn't actually bother him, but still feels like he’s maybe doing something wrong. Either way, when he answers Gabriel’s knock, he’s not expecting his friend to be dressed in dress slacks, a button down, and a vest. He asks why with one raised eyebrow.
"Listen to me, Sam. The restaurant in town is offering a free dessert bar to couples because it’s v-day, and no, I don’t mean the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, although I’m down for celebrating that with dessert as well.”
"So what you’re saying is-"
"What I’m saying is you’re my pretend-date, Sam. I’ll buy you a meal and everything, but we’re getting that free dessert."
Sam stares for a minute, and finally asks, “Do you really think I don’t know what you’re doing?”
"Uh, I’m scoring myself a chocolate fountain and all the coconut fudge I can eat?" He makes a "duh" face. "Come on, Sam. Do you even know me?"
"Yeah, I do. And I also know this is the third time you've asked me out without actually asking me out." Sam leans against the door frame so he’s a little closer to Gabriel’s level. "I’m not totally ignorant."
Gabriel’s shoulders visibly slump, and he folds his arms. The change in body language is the only response he’s going to give, obviously, because he’s standing quiet for once and gazing at the floor.
"Hey." Sam says. Gabriel looks up, still looking guilty. "You could have just… asked me out. I was gonna-"
Gabriel snorts. “Like I was going to do that. You’re-” he waves a hand up and down in frustration. “You’re Sam. And I'm me. I can't."
"You’re practically doing it right now." Sam protests. "Just…"
“Fine,” Gabriel huffs dramatically. “If it’s such a big deal to you…” he drags both hands down his face, but it does nothing to stem the rising blush. “Sam. The restaurant in town is offering free dessert for-“
Sam stops him right there by catching his shoulder and kissing him, passionate and sweet and the answer to Gabriel's question. Gabriel startles under his hand, but within a second brings both hands up to hold Sam's face, eagerly returning the kiss. “Yes, I’m going out with you, you dork,” Sam smiles as they finally separate. “There’s no way I’d pass this up, okay?”
"Okay." Gabriel glances towards the hall door. "But all sappy confrontations and my wildest dreams coming true aside, there’s a cake buffet with my name on it. Can we?"
Sam kisses the top of Gabriel’s head. “We can.”
----
The next two months fly by. It’s a busy semester, his friends are a continual presence in his life, and dating Gabriel is a whirlwind of excitement that he hadn’t expected. Gabriel has a new roommate- Kevin- who’s very studious, joins Sam’s other friends in Lord of the Rings marathons, and most importantly, doesn’t call Gabriel horrible slurs- or touch his artwork. Still, they’re not keen on Kevin being in the room while they make out, and he’s probably not into that either (they’ve never asked but feel it unlikely), so they find other places to be alone. They’re both broke college kids, but Gabriel still manages to take him “out” in surprising ways, First it’s the picnic of smuggled cafeteria food in a study room of an academic building. Then it’s the propped door Gabriel “found” that leads to the roof- they sit out in the snow on the roof and watch the stars until they get cold and wet and end up huddled by a heat vent inside.
Mostly, though, it’s cuddling on Sam’s bed.
The fact that Gabriel now asks Sam to come make out with him instead of waiting for Sam to initiate is nice, too. Gabriel'd been shy about asking Sam out, and Sam quickly found that he was shy about asking for physical contact as well. He explained awkwardly that he didn't want to lead Sam on or anything, but Sam quickly reassures him that he doesn't get any ideas from Gabriel's offers to curl up together. He loves what they have. They'll take it further when they get around to it.
Today's not that day- they've been cuddling innocently enough for at least half an hour when Sam forces himself to sit up, Gabriel still clinging to him adoringly. “Come on, let go. I need to get started on research for that paper for Rickston’s class.”
"Aw, come on, Sam. Forget Rickston’s class. He loves you and you’re going to pass no matter what you do." He tugs Sam’s arm so he falls back to the bed. "Turn the research in late. Tell him you were busy screwing your gorgeous new boyfriend.”
"Okay, one, not telling my professor that, and two- we’re not even screwing.”
Gabriel shakes his head. “Screwing around, maybe.”
"Well, I've got research to do. You can keep me company, but no more ‘screwing around’ until I've got at least two sources."
"What about… five more minutes of screwing around.”
Sam’s a sucker for puppy eyes, and admittedly pleased that Gabriel’s asking for what he wants for real. “Five more,” he concedes, rolling towards Gabriel and bringing their lips together again.
It’s always screwing around and never screwing, Sam thinks later on, when he’s in bed alone trying to fall asleep. They haven’t even reached the pants off stage. And it certainly doesn't bother him, just… makes him wonder why. Gabriel clearly likes being close to him, and loves kissing whenever they get a chance.
Sam’s a big guy- nearly six four, broad shouldered, and in good shape as well. Everyone he’s been with, Gabriel included, has been physically smaller, and he doesn't want to be intimidating. So he’s sort of adopted a policy of “don’t touch unless they do first”- let the girl, or guy, in his current case, decide when to start getting sexual and take it from there,
But Gabriel just… hasn't. And now, thinking about Gabriel’s comment, he’s starting to wonder if Gabriel just has a thing about asking. He’d been shy about asking for a real date, after all. He could easily be shy about asking to take their pants off as well. Sam’s just going to have to encourage it.
—
The opportunity arises when Gabriel asks to come home with him over spring break. He knows Dad won’t care, and likely won’t even be around, so it comes down to asking Dean. His brother isn't easily convinced, because he doesn't like people seeing the place, and they don’t have anywhere for Gabriel to stay, but he eventually caves when Sam gets all wobbly voiced and says he doesn't want to have to worry about his boyfriend going home to an abusive environment. It’s the ‘puppy eyes through the phone’ thing that Sam thinks does the trick.
Either way, Gabe’s spending a week at his house and, due to lack of space, is sleeping in Sam’s bed with him. Dean tells him, as they haul duffel bags upstairs, that he’d better not be hearing anything, and Sam wrinkles his nose in response. “Relax, Dean. We’re not going to do anything.”
"That’s what you say now."
"I mean it, we’ll behave," Sam insists.
"No one can share a bed like that without wanting to do something. Wait till I leave for Bobby’s okay?"
Dean clearly intends to give them the chance, because he tells them at dinner on the third night that he’s staying over at Bobby’s for a few days to help with ‘some stuff’. But after movies and some homework on Sam's part, they settle in for the night as usual, and Sam receives only a muttered “G’night, Samshine."
They lie in the dark for a minute or so, Sam the big spoon, before he cracks and whispers against the back of his boyfriend’s neck, “Hey Gabriel? I'm not ready to sleep yet, are you?”
Said boyfriend rolls over. “Thank God. Thought you’d never ask.” And then they’re kissing again, passionately but slowly, Gabriel clearly just enjoying what they’re doing now and not attempting to go for anything else.
Sam pulls back a little, just enough to speak, although Gabriel’s mouth relocates to his neck, still gentle but eager to keep contact. “Gabriel. Did you wanna-“
He gets a little mumbled “Hm?” in response.
"Did you wanna go further? I thought you’d ask, but…" Sam trails off.
The change is instantaneous. Gabriel shifts away from him, tenses up a little. “No.”
"Hey, hey." Sam rushes. "It’s totally okay, if you’re not comfortable with me and-"
"That’s the thing, Sam," Gabriel spits out. "I am comfortable with you. I tell you almost everything. I just…” he’s dragged the blanket up and hugged it to his chest so it forms a tiny, soft barrier between the two of them.
Sam tilts his head a little to make eye contact as best as he can in the darkness. “It’s just what?” he asks as softly as he can without whispering.
Gabriel pauses to lick his lips nervously. “I’m asexual, Sam. I can’t- I mean, I can, I just don’t want- I don’t like the idea but I could-“
"Ooh." Sam breathes, cutting him off. Because that explains… everything. "Oh, Gabriel, I should have asked. I really hope I haven’t crossed any lines with what we've already been doing; I just thought you were hesitant to ask, like when you first asked me out-"
"No, Sam, you don’t understand." His voice almost cracks. "I never meant to actually ask you out, because I thought you knew-" he rushes, "so I thought we could just spend time together without actually dating, because…" Gabriel draws a shaky breath. "Because I really like you, Sam."
"I really like you too, you know." Sam reassures softly.
"But you wouldn't have if you’d known." Gabriel says despairingly. "That’s why I never asked you out for real. Because I thought you knew what I am, and I thought you’d- you’d never…”
Sam gazes in disbelief for a second. He can feel an actual ache in his heart as he starts to process what he’s hearing- Gabriel hadn’t been shy; he’d been convinced Sam wouldn’t like who he was. He’d purposefully set them up as a fake couple over and over because he thought he’d never get the real thing, and judging from the torn up but resigned look on his face now, he still thought Sam was about to kick him out of bed right now.
"Oh, baby." Sam whispers- and Gabriel knows that’s a big thing, because they only use ‘baby’ when things get incredibly emotional. "Oh, Gabriel, did you think I’d-" Sam lunges forward and hugs him tightly, the blanket still smashed between them. "You being who you are isn't going to stop me from liking you and dating you. I wish I had known; I wouldn't have brought it up-" He can feel Gabriel relaxing in his arms. "What we have now is perfect. No expectations or add-ons needed."
"So you still wanna date?" Gabriel gets out, lifting his face from Sam's shoulder.
"Of course I still want to date you."
"And you still wanna make out with me?"
"Making out isn't a means to an end."
"So that's a yes?"
Sam kisses Gabriel softly. "That's a yes."