(no subject)
In the world of hunters and monsters, there wasn’t exactly a lot of time to go out shopping. If there was ever a need for something, usually whatever drugstore or other little mom and pop shop would have whatever they needed. So when they actually rolled into a fairly large city in Chicago-land, for once, and there were actually more stores available then a dinky little general store, Gabriel had declared a brief break from hunting, and dragged them all out to a mall ‘for some fun’.
Sam would admit that going to college had allowed him more access to malls and other types of shopping than probably his brother had, but at this point it hardly mattered, because Castiel and Dean had wandered off somewhere, somewhere that sold ratty band T-shirts or the food court, either one. Sam wasn’t too worried, since they both had their cellphones, but he was a little bit confused and exasperated with Gabriel, who seemed to insist in stopping in nearly every store, sometimes just glancing around before leaving, sometimes (like now) spending nearly half an hour peering at just about everything.
“Gabriel, what are you doing?” Sam asked irritably, as Gabriel put down another stupid little figurine he’d been examining. The archangel/pagan god glanced at him, a bit sheepishly.
“Uh…shopping?” Sam narrowed his eyes. He knew that evasive tone of voice.
“For what, exactly?” They’d been through this song and dance enough times that Gabriel knew when he was caught.
“Um…a friend of mine. She’s, uh, well, her birthday is coming up, and I need to get her something.” Gabriel made a face. “And this was the only time that it was likely we’d come across a store that held more than cheap plastic crap. I just, uh, don’t know exactly what to get her.”
Now Sam was even more confused. “Why didn’t you just get it earlier?”
Gabriel looked at him as if he was the one acting strange. “Because there were no shops in the other towns that we passed through?”
“No, why didn’t you just pop out while we were on a hunt or something and get it then?” Gabriel looked surprised.
“Why would I have done that? There’s no way I’d be done by the time you got back, and then you’d be upset because I wasn’t there.” The minute he said it, Gabriel’s face suddenly twisted into mortification and he turned away. “Spending way too much time with Castiel,” he muttered, suddenly intently interested in an ornamental cross lying on a table filled with other types of jewelry.
Sam’s heart warmed with what Gabriel had just admitted, in as many words, no less. He strode up behind his tense lover, wrapping his arms around him in a hug. “Thank you,” he murmured to the top of Gabriel’s head, trying to ignore the gothic cashier who’d just glanced up uninterestedly at them. The archangel in his arms relaxed slightly, and he put down the cross, instead examining the other jewelry.
“So what does this friend of yours like?” Sam asked, curious. Gabriel rarely ever mentioned his friends.
Gabriel sighed. “Pretty things. Sparkly things, especially, but she’s a bit more particular than others about the type of pretty, sparkly things she likes. Basically, she had a very refined taste, and it’s hard for me to pick something out that she will like, because I don’t do the simplistic, elegant things she likes.”
“Hm,” Sam hummed. “Well, let’s get out of this store, then, and I’ll help you find something for your friend. Any other specifics?”
“She likes rare, unique things,” Gabriel said, following Sam out the door. “She’s a bit of a collector…well.”
“Well?”
“More of a hoarder. She’s a dragon, you see.”
Sam stopped to stare at Gabriel, whose mouth was curved up into that sardonic smile that meant he wasn’t actually kidding, this time.
“Ooooooookay,” Sam said slowly. “Back to the jewelry stores, then.”
Sam would admit that going to college had allowed him more access to malls and other types of shopping than probably his brother had, but at this point it hardly mattered, because Castiel and Dean had wandered off somewhere, somewhere that sold ratty band T-shirts or the food court, either one. Sam wasn’t too worried, since they both had their cellphones, but he was a little bit confused and exasperated with Gabriel, who seemed to insist in stopping in nearly every store, sometimes just glancing around before leaving, sometimes (like now) spending nearly half an hour peering at just about everything.
“Gabriel, what are you doing?” Sam asked irritably, as Gabriel put down another stupid little figurine he’d been examining. The archangel/pagan god glanced at him, a bit sheepishly.
“Uh…shopping?” Sam narrowed his eyes. He knew that evasive tone of voice.
“For what, exactly?” They’d been through this song and dance enough times that Gabriel knew when he was caught.
“Um…a friend of mine. She’s, uh, well, her birthday is coming up, and I need to get her something.” Gabriel made a face. “And this was the only time that it was likely we’d come across a store that held more than cheap plastic crap. I just, uh, don’t know exactly what to get her.”
Now Sam was even more confused. “Why didn’t you just get it earlier?”
Gabriel looked at him as if he was the one acting strange. “Because there were no shops in the other towns that we passed through?”
“No, why didn’t you just pop out while we were on a hunt or something and get it then?” Gabriel looked surprised.
“Why would I have done that? There’s no way I’d be done by the time you got back, and then you’d be upset because I wasn’t there.” The minute he said it, Gabriel’s face suddenly twisted into mortification and he turned away. “Spending way too much time with Castiel,” he muttered, suddenly intently interested in an ornamental cross lying on a table filled with other types of jewelry.
Sam’s heart warmed with what Gabriel had just admitted, in as many words, no less. He strode up behind his tense lover, wrapping his arms around him in a hug. “Thank you,” he murmured to the top of Gabriel’s head, trying to ignore the gothic cashier who’d just glanced up uninterestedly at them. The archangel in his arms relaxed slightly, and he put down the cross, instead examining the other jewelry.
“So what does this friend of yours like?” Sam asked, curious. Gabriel rarely ever mentioned his friends.
Gabriel sighed. “Pretty things. Sparkly things, especially, but she’s a bit more particular than others about the type of pretty, sparkly things she likes. Basically, she had a very refined taste, and it’s hard for me to pick something out that she will like, because I don’t do the simplistic, elegant things she likes.”
“Hm,” Sam hummed. “Well, let’s get out of this store, then, and I’ll help you find something for your friend. Any other specifics?”
“She likes rare, unique things,” Gabriel said, following Sam out the door. “She’s a bit of a collector…well.”
“Well?”
“More of a hoarder. She’s a dragon, you see.”
Sam stopped to stare at Gabriel, whose mouth was curved up into that sardonic smile that meant he wasn’t actually kidding, this time.
“Ooooooookay,” Sam said slowly. “Back to the jewelry stores, then.”