Gabriel stared at Sam, rendered speechless for the first time in his life.
"You..." he stammered out.
"I know I said I wasn't ready, but... ready or not, there's no denying it anymore," Sam said. Gabriel's face broke into a smile.
"I love you too," he said.
"I'm ready to try if you are," Sam said.
"If I am? I said I would wait for you, Sam, and I meant it," Gabe said. Sam smiled and Gabe pulled him in for a kiss. Finally. Gabe was so happy he thought he might burst.
***
That night, Gabriel insisted on taking Sam out.
"We have to celebrate, Samsquatch! This is a momentous occasion!" He had said. Sam ended up agreeing, and that was how they'd ended up at the diner down the street.
"And Samuel Moose Winchester, if you order a salad to celebrate our love, I will shove that salad in your face," Gabriel said, raising his eyebrows.
"You're so cute when you threaten me," Sam said, smiling. Gabe felt his face redden.
"I could take you," he said.
"Yeah, in your dreams, short stack," Sam said. Gabriel grinned.
"There it is," he said.
"There what is?" Sam asked.
"My nickname. I knew you had one in that brain of yours, and I've found it!" Gabriel exclaimed triumphantly.
"Don't make me call you short stack," Sam said.
"You're the one that came up with it," Gabriel said. Sam just sighed and looked back at his menu, wisely realizing he wasn't going to win this. Dinner was nice, and they talked a lot, but then they both finished and Gabe started looking over the desert menu.
"What do you think of the fudge sundae for two?" He asked.
"Would it actually be for two?" Sam asked. Gabriel scoffed.
"What kind of boyfriend do you think I am?" He asked.
"The kind that orders a two person desert just for themselves," Sam said.
"Aw, you know me so well," Gabriel said. Sam shook his head, smiling, as the waitress came over and Gabe ordered the desert.
"You are a fiend," Sam said.
"This has been established," Gabriel said.
***
"I still cannot believe you ate that whole thing," Sam said as they walked back to Sam's apartment holding hands.
"Hey, you kissed me, remember?" Gabriel asked.
"What? No, I don't remember that, because it's not true," Sam said.
"No, you definitely kissed me, that's what started this," Gabe said.
"I kissed you once and then shut the door on the relationship just a few days later, I..." Sam trailed off.
"Sam?" Gabe questioned.
"I broke your heart. Gabe, you shouldn't be with me, you deserve someone better than me," Sam said, stopping on the sidewalk. Gabe stopped next to him.
"Don't say that. Sam, I love you. It's not about who deserves who, it's about how much I think about you when you aren't around. It's about how every time you smile, my day gets better. It's about how much I hate it when you say this utter crap about yourself," Gabe said, taking Sam's hand. Sam didn't meet his eyes.
"But what if-" Gabe cut Sam off by kissing him.
"No what ifs. No what will people think, no deserving. Just you and me, Sam. It's just you and me," Gabriel said. And that was that. Gabriel and Sam walked back to Sam's apartment, and Gabriel left with fresh determination to show Sam Winchester how beautiful he was.