Luftmensch


Luftmensch (Yiddish) ~ An impractical dreamer with no business sense. Literally, air person.


"He's got to be kidding," Dean groaned, staring at the back of the Impala, covered in colorful candy wrappers. "We're in the middle of the freakin' Apocalypse and the damn Trickster decided to add an extra mess!"

Sam sighed wearily, already gathering a handful of wrappers and shoving them into the trash can nearby. "Dean, he's just joking around."

"Yeah, that's all he ever does is joke around. I mean, it's his family causing a mess and he's just screwing with us!" Dean threw his hands up in the air. "Just…I dunno, man. Talk to him or something, 'cause he listens to you a hell of a lot more than me." He disappeared into the motel room, grumbling irritably, and Sam quietly worked on cleaning out the backseat some more.

"Like my little present?" The car suddenly groaned under the added weight perched on top and Sam looked up sharply, only to see Gabriel lounging lazily on the hood of the car.

"Not really." Sam straightened, glad for once that he was tall enough to remain at eye-level with Gabriel even though he was on the ground. "Don't you think we've got better things to do than clean up your messes?"

"What's one more mess apart from the one you made?" Sam tried not to flinch at the accusation, but Gabriel's easygoing expression was slightly harder now. "It's just a little fun, Sasquatch, no big deal."

"Very big deal." Sam scowled. "We're trying to stop the Apocalypse here, we don't have time for your tricks. And on that note, what's with you screwing around? It's your family that's got the epic boss fight going on, why aren't you stepping up to stop it?"

Gabriel's lips were pursed. "I told you, Sam. I want it to be over."

"You want one of them dead when it's over, too?" Sam hadn't thought it was possible for an archangel to flinch until then. "Look, do whatever you want. Just leave me and Dean out of it. We're busy. Go be an idiot somewhere else." He turned back to the car to brush the last wrappers into his hand to avoid looking at Gabriel.

When he finally looked up, Gabriel's eyes were wide with hurt and something Sam couldn't quite identify, but Sam barely had time for guilt to set in before Gabriel's expression became shuttered again. "Fine. Sorry for getting in your way." Before Sam could call him back, the archangel disappeared.

"He gone?" Dean peeked out of the motel room, nodding approvingly when he saw that Gabriel was gone. "Good riddance."

Sam didn't know why he didn't feel the same way.


Their leads and plans turned out useless, as they always did these days, and Dean and Sam began to take on small hunts while they waited for breakthroughs. Castiel popped in sometimes with advice, and to their surprise, even Gabriel made appearances now and then.

He was different, though, subdued in a way neither Winchester had ever known him to be. He gave them tips and information straightforwardly before vanishing again, no tricks or pranks in his wake. It was unnerving, far more so than the tricks had been, and Sam had had enough.

He managed to catch Gabriel on his own once in the parking lot, when Dean was comparing notes with Castiel in the motel room ("comparing notes," Sam's ass).

"What the hell, Gabriel?" Sam demanded unceremoniously, earning a calmly raised eyebrow.

"I don't understand, Sam."

"The useful tips, the lack of pranks." Sam gestured vaguely at Gabriel. "You're even dressing different." Gabriel was wearing a black suit jacket with a white shirt underneath, a far outcry from his usual brightly colored clothing.

Gabriel tilted his head in a very Castiel-like fashion, and Sam's stomach turned at the similarity. Gabriel shouldn't have to be like the other angels, he was different. "You wanted me to stop messing around, Sam."

"No, but I didn't mean like this." Sam had a feeling Dean would kick his ass for what he was going to say. "I'll take the pranks back, all the jokes and tricks you can throw our way. Just…I want the old you back."

Gabriel's expression was carefully blank. "This is what you wanted, though."

Sam huffed exasperatedly. "Apparently, I don't know what I want anymore." Before Gabriel could open his mouth as his eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement, Sam closed the gap between them and grabbed Gabriel's collar, yanking the archangel up and kissing him firmly.

Gabriel promptly vanished, and Sam's fingers closed on empty air rather than a stiff suit collar. Something deep within Sam's chest clenched tightly and the lump in his throat refused to go away.


Sam found a dozen Hershey's Kisses on his pillow in the next motel room he and Dean booked. He didn't complain.


Just a short drabble I wrote for Sabriel Week on Tumblr. Today's prompt was non-translateable word day. I just decided to upload this while everyone is waiting for an update of "Catch Me Now."

I'm seriously going to ignore any reviews or PMs asking when I'm going to update, because I really don't know. I am writing and it's coming along very slowly to the point where I'm really frustrated with it. Writer's block is kicking my ass and you guys asking when I'm going to update isn't helping. I appreciate your excitement and how invested in the story you are (seriously, I fangirled when I looked at the stats and saw how many followers it had), but it's getting really hard to write the story when I'm being pressured to.

That rant out of the way, enjoy the Sabriel fluff!