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The first time Gabriel slides his hand up Sam’s thigh and Sam freezes like a deer in headlights, Gabriel doesn’t think much of it because it probably means he’s not ready for their relationship to progress or he’s uncomfortable with PDA when their brothers could come into the room at any moment, but when it happens again and again with innocuous pats on the shoulder or brushing up behind him in a too small space or sitting a little close at a diner, Gabriel starts to think that there’s something more to it.
He asks Sam about it one night when it’s just the two of them sitting on the couch, the tv a soothing source of light and sound in the background, and Sam freezes again before curling in on himself, crying and whispering something that Gabriel has to strain to hear until he freezes too when he catches the mantra of “Sorry, sorry, please don’t hurt me, please, I’m sorry” and his heart shatters in a million little pieces.
They don’t talk that night or for many nights afterward and Gabriel has to concentrate on being careful and open and not startling Sam by being too close or too quiet, but eventually they do talk and it’s every bit as terrible as he’d feared, or maybe even more so, and Gabriel feels rage bubble within him more powerful than ever before at the thought that someone would so casually, so cruelly hurt this sweet boy before him.