Chapter Text
Sammy jumped in place, still leaning against Sam's body, and the Drake brother smirked inwardly, thinking that he'd hit a nerve in a good way with his touch. It was only a second later that he heard the same thing Sammy had heard: a rustling outside. Someone was coming. Sam knew it wasn't a big deal to be sitting on a desk together, clothed; but the panic in Sammy's eyes made it clear that the kid was not on the same page. They'd made an arrangement, after all: Sammy wasn't ready for PDA.
"Sam?' It was Nathan, generously calling out while still at a distance. Sam's posture relaxed more, but Sammy's didn't. He was turning bright red, the flush delicately highlighting his cheekbones, and Sam bit back a smirk at how cute the younger guy looked. They both hopped off the desk, and Sammy almost comically stepped away from Sam. As if that would fool anyone, Sam thought to himself; but it clearly made Sammy feel better.
There were some deliberately-loud footsteps outside, and then Nathan appeared in the doorway. "Hi, guys," he said lightly, smiling his usual smile but only looking at Sammy for a moment. Sam could have hugged his younger brother then; he knew exactly how much the kid didn't want attention right now, and was making it easy. "Sam, something came up. We're going to catch a flight to New Orleans and meet with Elena. You coming?"
Normally the answer would be a resounding yes, but Sam paused. He already knew what his answer would be before he said it. "I'm gonna pass this time, actually." Two pairs of wide eyes looked at him, but Sam responded as casually as if it wasn't the first time he'd ever rejected a treasure hunt. "Solo job for you, Nathan. Spotlight's all yours. I" He didn't look at Sammy, but Nathan knew who his brother's sentence was for all the same "am going to stick around here for a while."
"Okay," Nate said brightly. He couldn't deny a bit of surprise internally, but didn't let it show. Logically, he had to know this was coming, he figured. He and Sully had been the ones encouraging this relationship, after all. He'd just never actually seen Sam choose romance over adventure, and it was jarring in the moment. Sam saw his brother's reaction, knowing him too well, but he let his smile grow even bigger and met his younger brother's gaze. 'I'm happy,' he tried to say with his eyes. 'I'm really, really happy'.
Nate got the message, and smiled back softly. He kept his voice casual though, for Sammy's sake, who was still in the corner looking far too frightened for the situation. "See you guys later then! I'll text you when we land, Sam." He waved and headed off. Sam immediately stepped over to Sammy's side of the space and put his arm back around him; it already felt like there was something missing if he wasn't holding him. "There, Sammy," he said, using that sweeter, lighter voice he only used with him "that wasn't so bad." When Sammy didn't answer right away, Sam gently jostled him a little. "Was it?"
Sammy was still blushing, but his shoulders had loosened. "Well, no. Are you..." Sammy felt as if he was being sedated; the comfy-cozy feeling from Sam's hold was making him feel snuggly and romanced all over again. "Are you really going to miss out on an adventure?"
Sam laughed, and slid both hands up to cup the younger guy's face. "Sammy," he pressed a kiss to the boy's lips, making them both hum for a second at the sensation, and then pulled back a little to meet Sammy's eyes. "THIS is an adventure."