His '66 Ford Mustang GT Convertible was at the mechanic's. Why, oh why? Hadn't he treated his baby right?

"What you've got here, you've got a shimmy problem. Not just that, there's a surge – you've been having fun with that there pile of rust?"

Okay, maybe he hadn't treated it the best, but… it was most certainly not a pile of rust. He gave the mechanic his best glower without actually glaring. The mechanic would piss himself if Gabriel actually glared at him. He would know, tougher men had cried.

The mechanic rolled some chew around in his mouth. Spat it and the black dribble pinged into a beer can. "I'll put my boy on the job. He'll have your… ride running smooth in no time."

"How long is 'in no time'?"

"Decent time."

"How much will it cost?"

"Enough."

Luckily, the mechanic had turned away before viewing Gabriel's glare. Lucky bastard, it would have paralyzed him with terror.

He petted his Mustang. "It's okay, Candy, I'll take you home soon enough. We've got to make you all better first, than I'll put some air in your tires, gives you that nice oil that makes you purr…"

"Dude, are you talking to your car?"

He spun around with wide "innocent" eyes. "She's my virgin baby…!"

This guy… was huge. Endless legs, broad shoulders, sleeves rolled up to the elbows on his bulging arms… but, damn, he was hot!

And loaded. Literally. Gabriel stared at the indistinct shape of a handgun clinging to the Hulk's side, hidden by the baggy waist of his blue jumpsuit.

And then he continued his one-over. Alright, so now he was dealing with someone liable to be dangerous, big deal! Danger was nice. Danger was exciting. Danger was his middle name.

Gabriel stared at his baby face for a moment longer than needed – or possibly even wanted. Long, floppy brown hair. He wanted to touch it. Touch, touch, touch – pet the baby!

"Uh, sir?"

"Hair?"

They stared at each other for a long moment. Wow, the sasquatch even had gorgeous eyes.

"What?" And straight, white teeth. Gabriel definitely wasn't expecting this guy to be that perfect.

"What?" he parroted.

"What about hair?"

"I didn't say anything about hair." He so wanted to pet him.

"… Right… Is this your car?" Mr. Gargantuan gestured to his Mustang.

"This is my baby!" He smiled fondly at his vehicle. "Her name is Candy."

Surprisingly, Gigantor didn't have anything to say to that. He just nodded and his jaw twitched, then he got straight down to work. He walked around the Mustang a few times, checked under the hood and tested the brakes.

He had the same thing to say as the first mechanic. Gabriel just liked him too much to tell him to shut up.

"Really?" He feigned surprise and awe to the best of his ability. "Could you explain to me what that all means? Not really car savvy here." Bullshit. But he really liked this guy's voice. He liked having those hazel eyes on him. Hell, he just liked the giant.

Even with his gun.

The mechanic frowned at him, like he knew he was lying. "Has your car been speeding up or slowing down without you pressing on the accelerator pedal?"

He gasped. "How did you know?"

Now the mechanic was just glaring at him. It was too adorable. "Listen, I know you're mocking me now –"

"Who, me?"

The mechanic's nostrils flared. "Yes, you."

"Am not!"

"Do you want me to fix your car or do you want someone else on the job?"

Okay, now he was seeing it. That was a dangerously cold glint for one to have in their eyes, Gabriel would know. He knew a lot of things. He pursed his lips and forced himself to be good. "Sorry." He offered an easy grin. "I just like to hear you talk."

The mechanic didn't blush like he had been aiming for. But he didn't call him a fag either, and that had to be good.

He did take a step back and away. "Not interested."

But he still discussed time and fees with him.

Gabriel left in a cab, his car going to stay at the shop for the next three days.

Now the only thing he had in common with that gorgeous moose was Candy.

And, damn it, he still wanted to pet his hair.

~::~

He called the shop the next day.

The boss answered and he asked to be switched to the man working on his baby. The mechanic snorted, but did as asked anyway.

"Hello?" Ah, that was definitely the Hulk.

"Hey, there!"

He heard the man's exaggerated sigh. "Sir, I haven't finished with your car yet."

"Please, call me Gabriel."

"… You're serious, aren't you?"

"What? You got something against my name?"

"No, no… Just… I got the impression that you weren't the least bit angelic."

He took a moment to understand that. Then he scowled. "Oh, hah hah, Mr. Gargantuan has a sense of humor."

"Who?"

"You!"

"That's not my name."

"Which is why I called!" Gabriel nestled back in his love couch. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

There was dial tone.

"Hello?"

~::~

Sam Winchester, that was his name.

Gabriel only learned this after asking his boss.

He wasn't able to get a hold of his mechanic till it was time to pick up his baby.

~::~

"I don't want to let go!"

"Let go anyway!"

"No!"

"Gabriel, you're being so immature!"

He knew he was. What mature person would latch onto someone they hardly knew, much less someone armed?

He refused to let go anyway. Sam was just… just… so cute! How could he let this be the last time he saw him? Gabriel wouldn't allow it!

Sam was unsuccessfully trying to shove him off, but he wasn't letting go for the life of him. So what if he was vertically challenged? He was deceivingly strong and, despite what others liked to think of him, just as smart. His stance times momentum plus how much he could bench press said that he could pick Sammy here off his feet.

"Gabriel, grow up and let go of me," Sam hissed, right before he tried to deliver an unsuccessful right hook. Gabriel was too short and too close for it to be effective.

"You know you love it! When was the last time you were held, huh? You remind me of a great big teddy bear!" He paused. Sam was tense in his arms, no longer fighting, and, judging by how still his chest was, no longer breathing either. "Sammy?"

"… Don't call me that," he choked out. His hazel eyes looked away and his huge hands landed on Gabriel's shoulders.

Slowly but surely, instead of pushing him away, he held him closer.

It was a small victory, especially when Sam shoved him away as soon as he relaxed into the embrace, but Gabriel still did a jig in his head.

Sam walked away, pale and red at the same time, and the older mechanic came in to deal with sending Gabriel off.

Gabriel hummed a love song the whole way home.

~::~

"You gonna check that out?"

Sam jumped and spun around to glare at him. "What are you doing here?"

Gabriel blinked innocently at him. "Isn't this a public place? Don't I have the right to be here?"

Sam just gave him a drawl look. "You don't look like the library type."

He had him there. But, honestly, it wasn't like he had seen Sam walking down the street and had decided to stalk him all the way to the local library and then follow him among the aisles… It wasn't like that at all.

"Neither do you!" he countered, instead. "You look more like the illegal fighter kind."

"Maybe I am the illegal fighter kind." Sam tilted his head up and glowered down at him, like he was trying to make him feel smaller than he already was. "Maybe you should just leave me the fuck alone."

This was the first time he had seen him without his blue jumper on.

Gabriel took time to appreciate the sight. He had a leather shoulder bag and he would bet Candy on the pistol being in there. "No can do, Sammy."

"It's Sam."

"Listen, kiddo, I'm not going to beat around the bushes here," though he usually enjoyed doing so. He swaggered closer and opened his arms out in a here-I-am-this-is-me kind of deal. "I like you, I'm attracted to you, and I think you're a stuckup sonofabitch who isn't going to let me in for crap." He leered and Sam stared frigidly at him. "So let's start out with talking and work our way up from there."

"And if I don't want to talk?"

"You wound me."

"Ask me if I care."

"I know you don't care. But I want you to."

"Listen, alright!" Now Sam was getting frantic. The law book he had been reading till Gabriel snuck up on him was shoved angrily back into its place. "Leave me the fuck alone, I don't want to have a relationship with you! Not casual, not romantic, I don't even want to hate you. Just leave me alone and everyone will be better for it."

He stormed out and, though Gabriel really didn't think they were done talking, he was really happy to watch his back as he went. His lower back, anyway.

Tight jeans were God's gift, he would vouch for that.

~::~

Two months later, they met by complete accident.

Gabriel had just got off a date with a vegan and had the overwhelming need for meat. Must have been something about her speech on farm animals and how it was all inhumane. Something like that.

So, there he was at the grocery store, and who else but Sam was there in the meat section?

But he looked worse for wear. There was a nice shiner on his cheek and cuts were along his knuckles on both hands. His bottom lip was split.

"Don't you look peachy tonight!" he greeted happily.

Sam turned a glare on him. "What are you doing here?"

"Eating. Y'know, growing boys need their protein." He trailed his eyes down Sam's body. He was wearing a loose coat, but Gabriel could spot the gun in his waistband from a mile away. Lucky for him, he doubted anyone else could. Sam wasn't stupid, he knew how to arrange his weapon so it didn't look conspicuous.

Gabriel just so happened to have a past with weapons.

"And you? You looking for some meat to put on that shiner?"

Sam jerked. "Dinner," he said simply and harshly, end of discussion.

"Imagine that, I just got done having dinner! You should come to my house and let me cook you something."

"But you just…"

"Vegan. Bleh. Now I'm starving!" Sam's belly growled. Gabriel was delighted to see him flush red. "And you are too, apparently."

"I've been busy the past few days, okay? I just haven't had time to sit down and eat a proper meal."

"Excuses, excuses." He snagged the steaks Sam had been eyeing and continued on his way, whistling. "What side dish do you want? No vegetables! God, I'm so done with vegetables today."