All Tricks Aside

The pain was unbearable as he felt the knife slice through his skin as if he were jelly. Gasping as he fell towards the unkind ground beneath, he landed with a thud seeing stars almost instantly as he felt warm liquid pouring between his fingers, coating them in a rich red color. Blood, and so much of it that the smell was overriding his senses and he could feel it making its way up his throat as he choked, the back of his throat was coated with life essence as he tasted the bitter tang of metallic liquid on his tongue.

He was going to die, he was sure of it; his life was literally seeping out and staining the ground beneath him with a sickly reddish hugh. Yet, in the face of death the only thing he could think about was a moment two months ago in a shady motel room, Dean and Cas had gone off looking for information, as such was the normal protocol these days now that Gabriel had joined team free will, which left Sam quietly gazing off into the emptiness of the room until Gabriel had suddenly appeared next to him on the couch sitting cross legged and dangling a lollipop from the corner of his mouth which was permanently done up in a smirk.

Long story short, after the exchange of a few long forgotten words Sam found he had a lap full of archangel and his mouth was otherwise occupied by said archangel who tasted of cherries. The passion in it all was overwhelming and Sam found that he was too shocked to even respond and apparently Gabriel had taken that as a no to what he was propositioning. He could still clearly see the dejected look Gabriel had worn, too hurt to mask the pain clearly etched across the plains of his face. That moment seemed to drag on forever before Gabriel gave a slight tilt of the head and his signature snap was the last Sam heard of him before he disappeared.

He wasn't even able to say anything before Gabriel disappeared; his one chance to tell the Archangel that he wanted it too was gone in a flash, and now he was dying on the floor in some godforsaken place while his brother and Castiel were most likely trapped in their own nightmare as the monster separated them to pick them off one by one. Clearly the least of his worries was if Gabriel was ever coming back, seeing as he could almost see the fire at the end of the tunnel where he was sure to be doing the hellfire rumba as Gabriel had once remarked to them.

As light filtered in from some unknown source he felt a hand on his shoulder, "I don't remember saying it was ok for you to go and die." He heard a voice say, and for a split second he almost thought it was Lucifer, but the voice was off. It sounded richer and softer than Lucifer would have, not to mention the worry in the tone, the second clue though was the scent of chocolate and mint that was overwhelming Sam's senses. What happened next literally was a flash, one moment he's lying on the floor dying and the next he's laying on a bed in the motel he and Dean had rented. Change of scenery, but same predicament; he was losing blood faster than before and he was getting tired so very tired. Then hands are at the hem of his shirt and he feels the stranger slowly remove his shirt, exposing it to the chilly air. Under normal circumstances he would protest but there's something in the touch that seems oddly familiar, and it only strikes him when the stranger bends down, mouth right next to Sam's ear whispering in a calm voice "Sorry 'bout this next part kiddo, it might…sting." And just like that he knew.

Gabriel.

Who else would have such a delicate touch? He had saved him yet again, and Sam was beginning to wonder if this was all a dream, he'd believe it a bit more if it was seeing as the last time he had spoken to Gabriel they hadn't even really spoken so much as lip locked and that took place roughly two months ago. Which scared Sam even more, what if Gabriel was planning on disappearing again after he helped him?

Those sudden revelations were swept clear out of Sam's mind only to hit a metaphorical window and shatter to a million pieces as his train of thought was shot to hell when a sudden unearthly burst of pain swept through him, he tried to scream out or do something anything, but his body was still and silent.

The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was the soft spoken words from an archangel, "Sleep Sammy." And sleep he did.

~*~
Sam awoke feeling more well rested than he had in a long time, well two months to be exact. Gabriel had always been sure to ease him into a nightmare free dream, now that he was back and at it again, Sam felt at peace. Until he noticed the empty curve in the bed that he was sure had been previously occupied by an archangel, even though he knew Gabriel didn't need sleep, he was worried that maybe while he was sleeping Gabriel had vanished again.

What if he never got the chance to tell him how he really felt, it was such a petty thing to be worried about even though he should be scared over whether his brother and Cas had made it back in one piece. But he just couldn't even think of anything else but Gabriel and his soft lips and his eyes like honey, his touch-

"Well, looks like someone's up." Gabriel called from what he assumed was the kitchen, only to appear moments later with two cups of hot coffee. Sam shook his head when Gabriel offered him a cup, his stomach was still acting funny.

He sat up straighter in the bed and felt aches all over, remembering that Gabriel was still in the room he almost jumped out of the bed just so he could be closer to the Archangel. Snapping away the cups, Gabriel moved to sit next to Sam on the bed, he made room by scooting over a bit so that Gabriel was mere inches from him and he could feel him pressed against his side, Gabriel's legs were planted firmly on the ground and his head was tilted in such a Castiel like manner.

"Why did you leave?" Was the first thing that popped out of his mouth, he hadn't even thought before saying it, but now it was out there and there was no way he could take it back now.

Gabriel fixed him with a steady gaze, "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to." His voice was devoid of all emotion, at least that's how he tried to make it sound, but Sam could pick up tinges of hurt imbedded in his tone.

Sam understood that maybe under the circumstances it was unusual for him to be sitting here with Gabriel when he had no idea where Dean and Castiel were, or how they were.

"They're in the next room actually. Dean has minor injuries, he'll be fine and-"

He tuned out the rest of what Gabriel was saying after he found out that they were both doing fine. Now his attention was based fully on Gabriel's lips as he spoke, how Sam really wanted to feel them up against his again, as he was thinking it he found himself leaning forward until his lips met Gabriel's in a light kiss.

"You never gave me time to react; you really can't just jump on someone like that." Sam murmured against Gabriel's lips. Only pulling back slightly to rest their foreheads together, taking in the look of shock on Gabriel's face.

"I thought you-"

"Clearly you thought wrong."

"But-"

"Just shut up already." Sam stated, claiming Gabriel's lips yet again. This time, they didn't separate for a very long time.

Even when they did, from that day on you couldn't find Sam without his archangel right there next to him.