The animals were curious about why this strange creature, so gentle and kind, seemed to be in such distress. A Lemur had nestled up against his body, long fluffy tail curled around the angel's arm. It got no response, not even a pat on the head.
It could have been days. It could have been years.
It felt like eternity...
Raphael lay flat on his back, staring up at the sky -at the stars- imagining that glittering one was Gabriel's shining presence, or maybe that particularily bright one. Wadded up pieces of paper were strewn about him, his Journal in bits, each crumpled sheet saying something along the lines of I love you, dear brother... please forgive me... I wish I could tell you everything... The empty cover lay abandoned a few feet away. His body trembled violently and his hair was half in a knotted braid, half streaming around his face. His cheek had at least stopped bleeding from when he had crashed into the rocky cliff, tears blurring his vision
( ... )
Not for nothing was Gabriel called the Prince of Ice and Thunder. As he stormed into the Metatron's office, even in Heaven, distant rumbles of thunder could be heard. At the sight of the angry Archangel, Metatron found himself rising to his feet
( ... )
Thunder began to rumble in the clouds above, like a low growl of a feral animal. The birds spread their wings and took off. The Lemur leaped away (not even a ruffle through my fur! it sighed), creatures skittering off to find shelter. Their instincts told them a big one was coming.
Raphael did not move, the freed strands of hair whipping across his face. The air chilled as if an icy blanket had dropped onto him and he vaguely wondered if Death had at last heard his cries. Fresh tears spilled down his cheeks and he closed them, vision filled with Gabriel, his brother, holding him tightly against a moving, shifted universe of stars.
His body trembled and he gripped at his feather to keep the wind from claiming it, the other hand digging into the dirt.
He didn't move, even as the dark clouds moved over him like a dangerous animal overtaking its prey.
Gabriel was only vaguely aware that he had subconsciously caused the storm; he could see a flash of red up ahead. As he approached, he caught his breath at the sight.
It was raining by the time he landed, folding blue-white wings back, and ran to the Archangel lying on his back. Gabriel had been angry, but now his anger was overtaken by worry. Feathers and paper lay strewn everywhere, and Raphael looked like the people he had used to treat once.
What have you done to yourself?
He knelt by Raphael, lifting his head and healing the cut on his icy cheek. "Raphael? Can you hear me?"
"I didn't do it through my corporation," he whispered, burting his face in the damp fabric. He let go, sensing the horror and realizing with painful clarity that if the Messenger wanted to leave him that no amount of clinging would stop him. He held out his hand, letting his weakened aura shine as much as it could without blacking out. There was a mark on his right hand, glowing a soft, gentle green that trailed down his arm and stopped at his heart.
"You were that worried about Falling, about causing Michael to Fall." He let his head drop to his chest, sucking his aura back into himself before swooning slightly. He leaned against the tree trunk, eyes staring dully at the rustling leaves against the storm. Thunder cracked above, flashes of white flickering at the edges of their silhouettes. "I wanted you to be happy together. You... were never supposed to know, but that day that I..." He bit his lip, the very memory enough to cause fresh tears to surge from his shattered heart. "I had been so close to breaking. I knew if I didn't...
( ... )
There was a sharp intake of breath as Gabriel stared at the mark. I caused him to do this.
"I was afraid of losing Michael. I didn't think you'd be in danger, too. I should never have told you. You keep saying you want Michael and myself to be happy together; even if I was willing to endanger either of us before, do you really think I'd even try to regain our friendship knowing about this?" He held the scroll up again, and his gaze fell on the feather. So Raphael had found it, after all.
"None of that would have been necessary had you not made this decision. I'm going to ask Father if He can do something about this; I will not have you in constant danger of Falling as well. I can bear my own punishments."
And then... He wondered if it had been a mistake to let himself grow so close to others; it only put them in harm's way.
"Then it really would have been for nothing..." He didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do. The thunder and lightning continued their mournful cries into the cruel night. Finally he spoke again.
"These last few days... with you gone... It was what I imagined oblivion would feel like." He didn't try to hold back the tears anymore, he was well beyond fighting his emotions anymore. "I never thought I could feel such emptiness after the loss of the presence in my life and my powers. You're more than just my brother, you're my best friend... I trust you with my very Existence." He turned, swollen red eyes gazing at the Messenger. "Please don't leave me..." he whispered desperately, the wind whipping his hair across his face. "Don't leave me alone in this... I've already lost everything important to me. I will never forgive myself for allowing you to believe that lie that I... I..." He couldn't finish, breaking into another fit of sobbing, the thunder echoing his pain.
I just got a thunderstorm alert on my phone XD *glances
( ... )
Gabriel bit his lip. He had trusted Michael with everything once, and he still longed to see the familiar head of golden curls and boyish grin. And when he had thought he'd lost Raphael too... it had hurt. They were far too important to him. Even now he still wanted to go back to Michael and plead with him to try and forget anything involving romance, to make an attempt at regaining their friendship without Gabriel fearing the repercussions. He knew he should distance himself from Raphael as well, and probably Uriel before the Severer did something stupid as well, but he didn't think he could.
He embraced Raphael, holding the smaller angel tightly. "I should, but I'm not sure I can."
"I know," he whispered. "But even if it was only for a minute it was still too long to feel such a pain." The last couple days had been complete agony for the Healer, he couldn't even begin to imagine what Gabriel must have been going through.
His gaze fell on the scroll, slightly crunched in the middle from where the Messenger has fisted it. He reached over and took it himself, feeling the Metatron's lingering aura on it. "Was he as smug about it as he is about everything else?or did he at the very least have the decency to be sensitive about it?" He already knew the answer, but he still held onto the hope that the Angel of Mercy had been shown some mercy himself during his pain.
He let out a sigh. Figures. "He was sure smug about it when he was writing it up. When he suggested Binding myself to it in blood using my True Name I seriously thought he was holding back a smile. I suppose that's just the way he is," he shrugged. His gaze slowly turned to the sky, the dark rolling thunderheads beginning to dissapate, revealing shimmering stars peeking down at them.
Raphael let a genuine smile form. One with the Presence... he thought.
"He suggested - " Gabriel's hands clenched into fists. "I've been planning to speak with Father about him for a while. I'll do the next time I return to Heaven."
At the sight of Raphael's genuine smile, though, - finally - he smiled as well.
Comments 45
It could have been days. It could have been years.
It felt like eternity...
Raphael lay flat on his back, staring up at the sky -at the stars- imagining that glittering one was Gabriel's shining presence, or maybe that particularily bright one. Wadded up pieces of paper were strewn about him, his Journal in bits, each crumpled sheet saying something along the lines of I love you, dear brother... please forgive me... I wish I could tell you everything... The empty cover lay abandoned a few feet away. His body trembled violently and his hair was half in a knotted braid, half streaming around his face. His cheek had at least stopped bleeding from when he had crashed into the rocky cliff, tears blurring his vision ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Raphael did not move, the freed strands of hair whipping across his face. The air chilled as if an icy blanket had dropped onto him and he vaguely wondered if Death had at last heard his cries. Fresh tears spilled down his cheeks and he closed them, vision filled with Gabriel, his brother, holding him tightly against a moving, shifted universe of stars.
His body trembled and he gripped at his feather to keep the wind from claiming it, the other hand digging into the dirt.
He didn't move, even as the dark clouds moved over him like a dangerous animal overtaking its prey.
Reply
It was raining by the time he landed, folding blue-white wings back, and ran to the Archangel lying on his back. Gabriel had been angry, but now his anger was overtaken by worry. Feathers and paper lay strewn everywhere, and Raphael looked like the people he had used to treat once.
What have you done to yourself?
He knelt by Raphael, lifting his head and healing the cut on his icy cheek. "Raphael? Can you hear me?"
Reply
"You were that worried about Falling, about causing Michael to Fall." He let his head drop to his chest, sucking his aura back into himself before swooning slightly. He leaned against the tree trunk, eyes staring dully at the rustling leaves against the storm. Thunder cracked above, flashes of white flickering at the edges of their silhouettes. "I wanted you to be happy together. You... were never supposed to know, but that day that I..." He bit his lip, the very memory enough to cause fresh tears to surge from his shattered heart. "I had been so close to breaking. I knew if I didn't... ( ... )
Reply
"I was afraid of losing Michael. I didn't think you'd be in danger, too. I should never have told you. You keep saying you want Michael and myself to be happy together; even if I was willing to endanger either of us before, do you really think I'd even try to regain our friendship knowing about this?" He held the scroll up again, and his gaze fell on the feather. So Raphael had found it, after all.
"None of that would have been necessary had you not made this decision. I'm going to ask Father if He can do something about this; I will not have you in constant danger of Falling as well. I can bear my own punishments."
And then... He wondered if it had been a mistake to let himself grow so close to others; it only put them in harm's way.
Reply
"These last few days... with you gone... It was what I imagined oblivion would feel like." He didn't try to hold back the tears anymore, he was well beyond fighting his emotions anymore. "I never thought I could feel such emptiness after the loss of the presence in my life and my powers. You're more than just my brother, you're my best friend... I trust you with my very Existence." He turned, swollen red eyes gazing at the Messenger. "Please don't leave me..." he whispered desperately, the wind whipping his hair across his face. "Don't leave me alone in this... I've already lost everything important to me. I will never forgive myself for allowing you to believe that lie that I... I..." He couldn't finish, breaking into another fit of sobbing, the thunder echoing his pain.
I just got a thunderstorm alert on my phone XD *glances ( ... )
Reply
Gabriel bit his lip. He had trusted Michael with everything once, and he still longed to see the familiar head of golden curls and boyish grin. And when he had thought he'd lost Raphael too... it had hurt. They were far too important to him. Even now he still wanted to go back to Michael and plead with him to try and forget anything involving romance, to make an attempt at regaining their friendship without Gabriel fearing the repercussions. He knew he should distance himself from Raphael as well, and probably Uriel before the Severer did something stupid as well, but he didn't think he could.
He embraced Raphael, holding the smaller angel tightly. "I should, but I'm not sure I can."
Reply
His gaze fell on the scroll, slightly crunched in the middle from where the Messenger has fisted it. He reached over and took it himself, feeling the Metatron's lingering aura on it. "Was he as smug about it as he is about everything else?or did he at the very least have the decency to be sensitive about it?" He already knew the answer, but he still held onto the hope that the Angel of Mercy had been shown some mercy himself during his pain.
Reply
"He was smug, of course. Apparently the flaming whip from so long ago wasn't enough to teach him humility."
Reply
Raphael let a genuine smile form. One with the Presence... he thought.
Reply
At the sight of Raphael's genuine smile, though, - finally - he smiled as well.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment