Chapter 9

Waking snuggled into a warm body wasn't something Sam was accustomed to, before he woke into a full panic the hunter had to admit he enjoyed the feeling. The one he was holding was shorter than him; the taller man was laying with his chin on the other's head. His hand was being held by another, resting on a soft stomach moving slowly in deep breaths. While he may not have anticipated waking up behind someone, it only took a moment for Sam to place who was in his bed.

The second he remembered, Sam didn't fight a giant grin from splitting his face. Placing a soft kiss on the top of Gabriel's head, the hunter let himself relax again. It would be nice if he were someone who could fall back asleep once awake, sadly that was never the case. Sighing, the hazel-eyed man squeezed their interlocked fingers for a moment before moving to extract himself from the archangel slowly.

"And where do you think you're going? It's still early; go back to sleep, Samshine." Leaning up on one arm to peer over and see the archangel's face, Sam placed a soft kiss on Gabriel's cheek. "Won't work, you don't have to get up if you don't want to, but I need to brush my teeth and use the washroom." Watching as Gabriel huffed before turning his head and glaring at him, Sam slotted their lips together for a moment, careful not to open his mouth and deepen the kiss with his morning breath.

There was a gentle tingling sensation in his mouth and inside his abdomen before a slick tongue was asking for entrance. Instead of allowing the kiss to grow heated, the taller man pulled back shooting Gabriel an apologetic look. The expression was met with an eye roll from the archangel who let go of their previously held hands and rolled until he was on his back, the hunter leaning over him.

"It would take you like what? Five minutes at least to get all that done, when you could be ravishing me instead. I took care of it for you; I'd much rather spend our time making out like teenagers."

Blinking, the hunter noticed his mouth no longer tasted stale and his bladder felt empty. As Gabriel pulled him down, Sam went willingly. This time instead of the chaste peck, the brunet captured a moan while he pressed down onto the shorter man. Like the night before, Gabriel easily slid his legs apart to wrap around him while they moved, hands reaching up to keep Sam pressed close.

"Why do I want you so much?" While he hadn't meant to say it out loud, Sam covered up what could be considered as an insult by taking Gabriel's earlobe into his mouth and biting down lightly. The moment they touched, the hunter felt like he was on fire like his entire world revolved around reaching more of Gabriel's skin. There was a passion there Sam couldn't explain, but it felt natural.

"It's…" Gabriel was forced to trail off as Sam licked along the shell of his ear causing him to shiver. "It's mostly you, but my grace… you have to realize, Sam, this is at a soul-deep level. While your head may be in the game, it's your soul calling the shots. It wants to complete the bond, to be one with me, while my grace wishes to provide for you…"

Cutting off with a sharp moan as Sam bit down hard on his neck, Gabriel hooked both legs around the hunter's waist. "Your soul wants to take what I'm offering. I've never seen a soul react to grace like yours; it thirsts for it. Your soul recognizes my grace as what purged the stain of demon from you; it wants to make sure I'm not going anywhere."

"Are you?" as he spoke, Sam wiggled a hand between their bodies to slip under the shirt Gabriel was wearing. The smooth skin felt soft and warm under his palm, making Sam breathe for a moment to control himself. Gabriel seemed startled by his question, widened whiskey eyes opening to gaze into hazel ones.

"No. Ball is in your court, but I'm not leaving you, not for anything. You don't need to complete the bond for me to protect you, Sammy… the feather around your neck proves that." Sam took a moment to merely observe Gabriel, reading the truth in the archangel's words.

Biting his lip, Sam asked the question which had been burning at his mind since they first kissed the night before. "And if we have sex, that will complete the bond?" while he wanted to, Sam wasn't sure he was ready to tie himself forever to a being he had only known a few days. It felt right, everything about it felt right, but he knew Dean and Bobby would blow a gasket when they found out.

"No, sex isn't what completes the bond. Some mates have sex for years before they're mated. It's not the sex that would complete it, but what happens during. My grace would fuse with your soul through a mark which would be seared onto your skin and then mirrored on my own."

"So we can-" began Sam only to be cut off as the blond shook his head. "We could but… as much as I want you Sam; and believe me it is taking all my willpower not to vanish our clothes, lube up and ride you like a show-horse, I want it to be when it's our first time together. I want us to join in every way possible when we do, is that… if it's not something you want, then, of course, we can…"

Gabriel didn't finish his sentence but instead lifted his hips, so their crotches rubbed together. The second the archangel had said no, Sam had begun to soften until the touch made him realize how close he was to the whiskey-eyed angel all over again. If he asked for it; if Sam truly wanted to continue where they were headed, Gabriel was giving him the green light. Groaning, the hunter was tempted to take the blond up on his offer. He could feel Gabriel's chub against his leaking erection; it wouldn't take much to have the man just as hard, just as wanting.

Leaning back, Sam looked down at the archangel. Gabriel's hair was splayed on the pillow, his breathing a bit strained and his skin flushed. He was beautiful. While not as Michelangelo painted, there was no doubt in Sam's mind Gabriel was who he was claiming to be. He had an archangel below him, one who would only ever be under him. And that archangel was asking Sam to stop. Groaning the taller man lay back down over Gabriel, burying his face in the archangel's neck.

"Just give me a minute to cool down, okay?"

The pleased sound that came from Gabriel was almost a chirp which the hunter made a note to ask about later. Hands began to gently run fingers through Sam's hair, helping the hunter center himself. Even though he still wanted to rub against the other man, Sam took a few minutes to hold and be held by the archangel. Once he was no longer aching to continue what they had started, he placed a soft kiss on Gabriel's shoulder before rising from the bed.

"I'm going to grab a shower; Dean is taking some time to wrap his head around this, so it's only Bobby downstairs if you want to wait there for me." Sam watched as the archangel licked his lips, honey eyes trailing along Sam's body and the hunter had no doubt that Gabriel was picturing them in the shower together. He was half-tempted to offer to share with the other man if only to get a chance to touch more of Gabriel's skin. Grabbing some clean clothes from his bag, the hunter didn't wait for Gabriel to answer before leaving the room. He had a cold shower to get to.