On Gabriel’s third evening in his new apartment, a tall, gorgeous man holding a still-warm-from-the-oven pie turns up on his doorstep.
“Hey. I hope you like apricot?” He pauses, shifts his weight to his other foot. “Oh, sorry, I’m Sam Winchester, I live downstairs. Just wanted to welcome you to the building.”
“Nice to meet you,” Gabriel shakes Sam’s free hand, trying his damnedest not to stare at how absolutely stunning his new neighbor was. “You didn’t have to bring anything.”
“Just wanted an excuse to introduce myself, actually,” Sam admitted.
Gabriel swung the door open wider. “Come on in. I have butter pecan ice cream if you wanna help me eat this à la mode.”
They talked for three hours and Gabriel’s box-filled apartment felt like home for the first time.
Gabriel had moved across town to be closer to the park. He’d thought maybe, seeing it out his window, he’d be inspired to get out and get some more fucking exercise. A week had passed since he’s moved in and all he’d done was eat every remaining slice of Sam’s pie. This was an exception, he told himself.
Sam showed up with chocolate chip cheesecake a week later, because “you said the pie was the best thing you’d had in months, so...” He never finished the sentence, but it didn’t matter, because Gabriel invited him in and they talked until midnight and eat half the cheesecake. Also an exception.
Sam turned up on his doorstep a few days later, on Saturday morning, with a tray of muffins and the sheepish confession that he’d made way too many and needed to share. Gabriel protested, but Sam insisted that he liked baking, and Gabriel liked what he made, so sharing was perfect. Gabriel didn’t have the heart to turn him away, both because of how good he is at cooking, and because no one could resist those puppy eyes. He had yet to go to the park.
Perhaps a dozen or so more instances passed before Gabriel finally snapped. “You gotta stop doing this!”
Sam stands there, a plate of cupcakes in his hands, head tilted like a confused puppy, and Gabriel sighs and waves him inside anyway.
“It’s not that I don’t love your food or your company, it’s just...” Gabriel closes the door and flounders for the words. Sam wouldn’t get it.
Sam can’t have any idea how it feels to be the chubby one in the family, teased about his baby face long into his teen years and hiding behind younger cousins in every photo. Sam without a doubt takes off his shirt at the beach instead of mumbling something about burning easily. Sam doesn’t have a whole drawer full of pants that don’t quite fit yet. Sam doesn’t have to feel guilty when he eats the sweet things he loves.
Sam hasn’t moved across town just to stare out at a park he’s never visited because somehow it feels hopeless to even step outside and try. “I don’t want to look like this forever,” Gabriel mutters miserably.
Sam cocks his head a little, like he’s trying to process it. “Why not?”
There’s no out. Gabriel scuffs his bare feet against the tile floor of the entryway and finally says as casually as he can, “I just want to look good, okay? For once.” I want to be good enough for someone like you.
Gabriel hears rather than sees Sam slowly set the cupcakes down on the entryway table next to half unpacked boxes. “I have a confession.”
“I haven’t actually been baking too much.”
“I know, Sam,” Gabriel assures. “I know you were just sharing to be nice-”
“That’s not it,” Sam cuts him off. “I’ve been making things to bring to you because I didn’t know how else to ask you to spend time with me. I like just sitting around here with you and talking about whatever.”
Sam pauses, but Gabriel doesn’t have a single thing to say.
“I like you,” Sam adds finally. “And yeah, before you ask, that means I like you just how you are. Maybe some asshole in the past told you to lose weight and look good, but they’re dead wrong, okay? You’re stunning.”
Well. Holy shit. This is definitely a twist. Gabriel blinks stupidly at Sam, totally out of his league Sam, and tries to figure out exactly what he can say to that.
“I, um, I’ve really said too much,” Sam mumbles. “I’ll leave you alone for a while.”
“I like you too,” Gabriel finally spits out. “I didn’t think you’d be interested.”
Sam grins, the happiness in his eyes overcoming his shyness. “I’d really like to go out with you sometime. Hell, even a walk in the park would be, um, a walk in the park. There’s a great one right next door, have you been yet?”
“Not yet. I’d love for you to show me.”
“We could go now,” Sam offers.
Gabriel nods thoughtfully. It was funny, how things worked out. He finally had the reason to step outside, and it was entirely different than what he’d imagined it being, but it still came down to Sam. “Cupcakes first, though. I’m sure they’re too good to pass up.”
Sam beams. Their first kiss tastes like cream cheese frosting.
