Chapter Text
Sam toed at the sand, staring at the line of paddleboards propped up near the shore.
"I can't believe you convinced me to do this," he grumbled.
"Aw, c'mon, it'll be fun!" Gabriel chirped. "Haven't you ever wanted to do yoga on the ocean? Aren't you into that hippie bullshit?"
Sam rolled his eyes, shoving Gabe away. "Yeah, on dry land. Not flailing in the water while you," and he shoved at Gabriel with his paddle, "mysteriously happen to have flawlesss balance and preternatural flexibility."
"You weren't complaining about my flexibility last night, Sammy-boy," Gabriel teased, and Sam groaned. "Look, what if I promise not to use my grace?"
Sam eyed him suspiciously, and he held up his hands. "No catches, I swear. If I lose my balance, I'm face-planting in the Atlantic, same as you."
Sam squinted at him, but the Florida sun was shining bright and gold in his hair, catching the amber glints of his eyes, and he sighed in defeat. "Fine. But if I drown or get eaten by a shark, I'm gonna be so pissed at you."
Gabriel grinned at him. "I'll save you, little moose."
Finally the instructor waved them all down to the shoreline, grey-green water licking at their toes.
"My name's Kim, and welcome to paddleboard yoga!" she called, clapping her hands enthusiastically, and Sam stifled an eye-roll. "Believe it or not, you really don't need any experience for this, so don't be scared."
"See?" Gabriel whispered. "Oh, just let me use a little grace, and we could be the stars…"
"No, Gabe," Sam hissed, snickering, and Gabriel huffed.
"Grab a paddleboard, hop on it," -- and Kim neatly perched herself on her knees, "and come on out."
"How is this my life," Sam muttered to himself.
He shoved a board into the water, snugged the paddle under a line of elastic at the front and climbed gingerly on top, balancing on his knees.
"Oh God!" he yelped, wobbling wildly, then flushed. But he looked around, and while two or three people were already standing up, skillfully pushing themselves around the inlet, everybody else was flailing and yelping and laughing, accompanied by the occasional telltale splash.
Gabriel, true to his word, was crouched on his haunches, gripping the edges of the board.
"OK, I might have misjudged this," he admitted, letting go for a moment only to teeter back and forth, and Sam snorted.
"Your idea," he reminded him smugly. He picked up his oar and began paddling awkwardly towards the instructor.
Kim stood up with infuriating grace. "OK," she called, clapping her hands again. "Everybody, find your child's pose." She dropped to her knees, head planted on the mat and arms stretched out, and Sam followed her lead.
"This much I got," Gabriel muttered from behind him. "Especially if I get to check out your --"
"And into your first downward-facing dog." She neatly folded herself into a triangle, and Sam clumsily mimicked it, gratified to hear a small shriek from Gabriel.
"Not so easy without angel powers, huh?" he whispered, and Gabe glared at him.
As awkward as it was, the ocean was warm and gentle, and tiny fish swam in the cloudy water. The sun shone down hot and invigorating, and it again occurred to Sam how easy it was to forget about the reality of his life in the company of the archangel.
A wet oar smacking against his ass brought him back to the present.
"Wanna try standing up, Sam-moose?"
"Oh God," Sam said with a shudder. "You swear you'll save me if I drown?"
"Cross my heart," Gabriel avowed.
Sam slowly got to his feet, arms splayed out for balance, and as soon as he stood up straight a yell rang out to his side. He turned automatically at the familiar voice, but the sudden motion threw him off balance. He wobbled, then crashed into the water.
"Goddammit," he spluttered, glowering at Gabriel still perched smugly on his board. "You're a dirty fucking cheat, you know that, for an archangel."
"I've been told," Gabe agreed.
Sam waded back to his board and clambered on, swaying awkwardly on his knees. He picked up his paddle, glanced over at Gabriel, and gave his board a swift shove.
Gabriel yelped, teetered, then tumbled head-first into the inlet. Stringy seaweed stuck to his face when he popped up, and Sam doubled over laughing.
"Moose," Gabriel gasped, pushing his hair out of his eyes, "I swear to Dad, I'm gonna --"
"Boys," the instructor called, waving her paddle at them. "Not to go all recess monitor on you, but it's hard enough to stay on the boards without people splashing around."
"Sorry," they called back sheepishly, and she smiled at them.
"We keep the last five or ten minutes of class set aside for playing around. Now let's finish our vinyasa and find your next down dog, and we'll start our first Sun Salutation."
An hour later Sam and Gabe stumbled out of the warm shallows, soaked and laughing.
"That was fun," Sam admitted, plucking stray shell fragments from his arm.
"I'm always fun," Gabriel retorted. "I'd hoped you'd realized that by now."
"Well, you're definitely never boring, I'll give you that."
"You'd be surprised," Gabe said thoughtfully. "After a few thousand years, even archangels can get into a sulk."
Sam snorted. "Well, hopefully I can keep you entertained for awhile."
Gabriel eyed him up and down, lingering on the cheap gift-shop swim trunks clinging to his ass. "Think you're good on that one, little moose."
Sam blushed, hip-checking Gabriel and sending him tumbling into the soft white sand.
"Not fair," he grumbled, standing up and brushing himself off. "If I can't use my powers, you can't use your ridiculous Samsquatchian height advantage."
"Samsquatchian?" Sam repeated, grinning.
"It's appropriate," Gabriel declared. He reached out and tangled their hands together -- then swung his arm sharply in front of him and let go. Sam squawked, throwing out his long arms for balance, then fell into a high sand dune. "How d'ya like me now, moose?"
"Ow, ow, sandspurs!" Sam yelped, twisting awkwardly.
"Oh, shit," Gabe apologized, jumping over and holding out his hand. "Sorry, Sammy, I -- fuck!" Sam grabbed his hand and yanked him into the sea grass, using the leverage to pull himself up and take off running down the beach.
"Truce?" he yelled, brandishing a piece of driftwood like a sword.
Gabriel squinted at him, shaking the sand from his eyes, and snapped his fingers. Suddenly Sam found himself pressed against the wall of the motel shower, mysteriously divested of his clothes.
"Truce," Gabriel agreed, reaching up to tug at his hair.
"Jesus," Sam swallowed.
"Not quite," Gabriel said, and Sam rolled his eyes.
"You ever gonna stop using that line?"
"Probably not." He leaned up and kissed Sam lazily, letting the hot water wash the sand and seaweed away, and rolled his shoulders. "Gotta say, Sam-moose, humans were onto something when you invented plumbing. Archangelic power's got nothing on water pressure."
"Glad you approve," Sam said drily. "Space flight and supercomputers, but it's plumbing that you appreciate."
"It's not all I appreciate," Gabriel murmured, running his hands down Sam's back until they landed on his ass, and Sam choked out a laugh that ended in a groan.
"Are all archangels as subtle as you?"
"You've been possessed by my brother," Gabriel pointed out. "You would know." He paused, then shuddered. "Never let me mention a brother when I'm naked with you again."
"Only if the same goes for you." He wrapped his hands under Gabriel's thighs and picked him up neatly, spinning them around. Gabriel's head fell back against the wall, and Sam licked at the drops of water pooling in his shoulderblades.
"You're gonna kill me, Sammy," Gabe mumbled, arching against him.
"That would be impressive," Sam agreed. He hitched one leg up until his foot was on the edge of the tub, supporting Gabriel on his leg until he was spread open. Trailing his hand between his legs, he mouthed along the lines of his throat until their lips were pressed together, and teased his finger further.
"Fuck, Sammy," Gabriel hissed, and Sam hummed.
"Do you want me to…"
"Yes, I want you to." Gabriel tensed for a second and shuddered, and then Sam's fingers slid in and out of him easily, and Sam grinned.
"Done with not-grace cheating?" he asked.
"Yes. Now will you -- fucking -- fuck me --"
"Since you asked so nicely…"
He shifted his hips, bracing his hand on the shower wall, until Gabriel was spread out over his cock, the head teasing his hole.
"Sam," Gabe choked out, "if you don't -- I swear to --"
"Please don't finish that sentence," Sam murmured, then thrust up gently until he was inside, muscles shivering.
"Oh," Gabriel whispered, his fingers digging into Sam's back. "Oh."
"Yeah," Sam said weakly. "God, if this is what I gotta do -- to shut you up -- I might never stop…"
"You say the sweetest things," Gabriel gasped. "But please, don't stop."
Sam growled, taking one hand off the wall to urge Gabriel up and down.
"Oh, God," Gabriel said, biting into Sam's shoulder. "Hope you don't expect -- angelic stamina. Not fair, looking at you in wet swim trunks…"
"Have you seen what you look like in the sun?" Sam returned breathlessly. "You're -- you're golden, you're all golden…"
"C'mon, Sammy," Gabriel begged. "I'm so close, so close --"
"Should just make you wait," Sam muttered, but he angled up harder, until Gabriel's head fell back and his mouth fell open.
Finally he shifted his hand from Gabriel's hip to his cock, stroking in rhythm, and within seconds Gabriel was crying out and spilling over his fingers. At the clenching heat, Sam dug his fingers into his flesh and pulled Gabe down hard on top of him, until he went rigid, coming deep inside.
"Unf," Gabriel asserted, dropping his head onto Sam's shoulder.
"Mm," Sam agreed. He pulled out gingerly, propping Gabriel against the wall, then splashed some water between them, swiping a tender hand at Gabe's ass. "Good enough."
He shut off the water and stumbled out, pulling the dazed archangel behind him. Their clothes lay untouched and they groped their way into the bed, fumbling at the remote until some cooking show was playing on the old television.
"I want pizza," Gabriel mumbled, turning into his shoulder, and Sam snorted.
"Then we'll have pizza," he avowed. "Whatever you want."
Gabriel's eyes flicked up to him, smirking. "Anchovies?"
"No, dickhead," Sam said, laughing. "Something not gross."
"Fine," Gabriel sighed. "Mm… ham and pineapple?"
"Pineapple?"
"It's sweet. And tasty."
"Fine," Sam sighed. "You're lucky I like you."
"Mm," Gabriel agreed, wiggling his hips. "Jesus."
Sam smirked, dropping a kiss to his head. "Not quite."