Sabriel One-Shots

Secret in The Bay

Gabriel's favorite part about the life of a mermaid was watching the lives of humans.

The golden gilded mermaid was a notorious people-watcher - he would change positions along the west coast of California every so often and then stay there for a while, hiding behind rocks that poked out by the beach, just around the bend of a cove to smell the scent of grilled hot dogs wafting into the air from a beach house party, and even leaning against the pole of a port dock, right alongside one of the Navy bases hidden in San Diego Bay. This was odd behavior for a mermaid. Gabriel simply got bored of hearing about the pretty fish some mermaid had seen or hyperbolic stories of narrowly escaping a fishing net, and instead wanted to hear something new and interesting, or better yet see it with his own eyes. His favorites were middle-aged mothers complaining to a manager over the phone and watching little kids scream at each other over the smallest things. He'd grin so hard his face hurt and he'd have to cup a hand over his mouth to not laugh. No one could see him there.

Now he staked out his spot under the dock at the naval base during the early hours of the morning, watching Navy officers prepare for departure, yelling instructions to one another as they got ready to depart for another six months at sea. The ship was impressive, and Gabriel was tempted to reach out a hand to touch it's side, but of course he kept hidden under the dock. Although mermaid stories made him yawn, he had heard one too many of humans capturing mermaids or even killing them just to prove they were real. Gabriel wasn't going to reveal himself to a human any time soon, that was for sure.

Well, that's what he thought.

"Promise to write me a letter every day?" The voice of an older teenager spoke. His voice seemed like it had just finished dropping in it's pitch, deeper and smooth yet still cracking when he rose it one note too high. Gabriel couldn't make fun of it - after all, he was at the same stage.

"Of course Sammy. How could I forget?" The deeper, more grizzled voice of a man came from right above him. Gabriel looked up through a crack in the wooden planks, closing one eye to focus better. He could just barely see the pouting face of the teen, who must be named Sammy, looking up at someone just barely taller than him. Gabriel couldn't quite see the other person, so he kept his eyes on Sammy.

"That's what you said last time and I didn't get a letter for weeks," Sammy shot back. The other man sighed and shifted his weight, making the wooden planks creak. 

"I know, I know, how many times do I have to say sorry before you forgive me?" The man asked, and Sammy didn't respond. The man sighed again. "Sam, you're seventeen, you'll be able to manage if I miss a few days. I might get caught up in the job and miss a day or two. You'll be fine."

"I know I'll be okay, Dean. I don't know that you'll be okay."

Silence. Damn, Gabriel wasn't even a part of the conversation but he could feel the tension weighing on his chest. Dean stepped forward and wrapped Sam in a tight embrace.

"Take care of yourself, bitch," Dean murmured.

"You too, jerk," Sam responded. They patted each other's backs and Dean's footsteps faded as he climbed on board the navy vessel. Sam watched Dean for a moment, standing still, and in that moment Gabriel examined him closer. He was, admittedly, cute - he was growing out his hair, the ends of it going just past his ear, and shaggy bangs that hid his forehead, ending a little bit above his blue - no, hazel - green eyes? They seemed to change color each time he blinked, a trick of the light and his indecisive iris'. He had on an over sized brown hoodie with dark blue jeans and scuffed black converse. It's like he had this whole 'I'm too tired to give a shit' aesthetic going on, which seemed to ring true as he had dark circles under his eyes.