Fic: A History of Heaven (Gabriel/Various Angels, PG-13 for most) 4/59
For full notes and other chapters, please see the Masterpost.
Notes: In this story, before Lucifer fell, his name was Sammael. He was not Lucifer in Heaven.
There is one other canon character operating under an OC name, but I wish for his identity to remain unknown.
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Chapter word count: 3,405
Chapter Summary: Tonight’s the night animal life climbs onto dry land, but first, Gabriel must console a fledgling angel.
CHAPTER 4:
Castiel and the FishGabriel swooped and soared over the great black ocean below. The sun was on the far side of Earth right now, and the world was lit only by reflected moonlight and the occasional streak of another angel’s grace. His own burnt the sky like a brilliant comet, and Gabriel laughed as he trimmed his wings and rolled over and over through the night sky. Nothing beat the freedom of flying on Earth. Raphael looked at him funny if he did barrel rolls through Heaven, and it wasn’t fitting for the Messenger of Heaven to howl his joy like a fledgling.
Gabriel loved being the Messenger. While he had fretted at first that Sammael could have been correct and the job far too much for him to handle, his Father had the utmost faith in him. Gabriel had not disappointed Him yet. Every so often, he’d hear his Father calling for him in his head, and he’d wing back to the Garden as quickly as he could. More and more often these days, it presented itself as the Throne Room, and Gabriel bowed before his Father as he received the revelations to spread throughout the Host. Gabriel no longer quaked in fear when he stood before God. He knew that God was capable of world-shattering wrath, but his Father was always warm and jovial with him. Often, they would talk about things of no real consequence before getting to the messages Gabriel was tasked to deliver. Gabriel loved these times best of all, when he could marvel at his Father’s creations and listen to the Creator Himself explain His thoughts.
Like tonight. Tonight was going to be an important night. His Father had said so, when Gabriel spoke about the animals swimming in the oceans. Tonight, the first animal would move to the dry earth. Gabriel wanted to watch this happening for himself. God had hinted several times that His greatest creation would be one such animal, making a home on land.
With no messages to deliver, Gabriel was free to spend his time stretching his wings and singing out to the stars. He folded his wings in and dove, streaking over the ocean and pulling up just before he crashed into the sand. Laughing, Gabriel shook out his wings and spun in a circle.
“Who’s there?”
The voice surprised him, a tremulous little thing. Gabriel cocked his head to the side, stretching out his grace. Aha, there! Just over a little hill of sand, a fledgling angel crouched, his own grace barely bright enough to illuminate the ground beneath him. The fledgling shrank back as Gabriel stepped closer, his eyes wide in fear.
Gabriel reached out and stroked the fledgling’s shaking wings, stilling the feathers. “Hello there, little one. I don’t believe you’re one of mine.”
The fledgling shook his head, unconsciously pressing into the caress. “I serve Ezekiel, who serves Remiel, in the choir of Raphael.”
“And I serve God, Lord of All.” Gabriel sat on the beach and patted the sand beside him. The little fledgling crept forward and hummed when Gabriel caught him and tucked him against his side. “I am Gabriel, and I will forgive you for being one of Raphael’s angels.”
The fledgling shook, hiding his face behind wings and hands. “I’m sorry!” he cried, trying to bow and hide at the same time.
Gabriel caught the fledgling’s hands and drew them away from his face, very deliberately projecting serenity toward the child. “Peace, little one! I may fight with my twin, but that doesn’t mean I’ll take it out on you! What’s your name?”
“Castiel.” The fledgling was eventually coaxed into cuddling against Gabriel’s side again, one tiny hand curled around a gold-edged feather. “I have been awake for six years.”
“Six years already?” Gabriel stroked Castiel’s wings, recognizing that name from a story Cariel had told him. “I have been awake for thousands of years. But I do know you.”
Castiel’s wings drooped, his bright gaze dropping to the sand. “From my fledging? Everyone knows about that.”
As God created more and more Angels, it quickly became impossible for the Archangels to attend every fledging personally, even though they needed to select their choir members from the new fledglings. They started sending their Seraphim in their stead. Gabriel sent Cariel whenever possible, as he trusted his second above any other Seraphim in his choir to know the sort of angels he wanted to collect. His other top Seraphim, Zachariah and Barachiel, were decent enough at picking out new angels, but Cariel was the best. Gabriel had also been entrusted with the reading of the names, as God no longer personally awoke each angel. There were just far too many. When Gabriel couldn’t attend a fledging, his Seraph representative read the names for him.
When it was time for Castiel’s clutch to fledge, Cariel had been sent as Gabriel’s representative. He had related the event to Gabriel amid his own laughter.
It started same as any other fledging. We took our positions in the four directions around the clutch, and I started to read. ‘You, celestial being, have been created to be an angel of the Lord. I name you Iofiel. I name you Morael. I name you Balthazar,’ and so on. And then-I name you Castiel. Eighth angel of the clutch to Awaken.
Like every angel before him, Castiel opened his eyes and spread his wings… and wham! Hits Morael upside the head, who falls forward onto Peniel, who grabs Dabriel… only Balthazar had the sense to jump aside! Six fledgling Angels were sprawled out in a mess of wings and arms, and Castiel just stood there, pointing as if to say ‘did I do that?’
“It could’ve happened to anyone,” Gabriel pointed out, fighting down a smile at the memory. Cariel had confessed that he very nearly claimed Castiel for Gabriel’s choir right then, but he knew Raphael’s Seraph would have reported it back immediately and Gabriel would never have been able to live it down. He chose Balthazar, Castiel’s partner, instead, and foisted Castiel off on Raphael.
“But it didn’t. It happened to me.”
Castiel looked so dejected at the memory of his disastrous awakening that Gabriel shifted and pulled the fledgling into his lap. He wrapped Castiel in his softest wings, hugging the young angel close. “The Lord works in mysterious ways,” he soothed, running his hand over Castiel’s little head. “Nothing happens without reason. He must have meant you to knock your brothers down. Why do you think He’d want that?”
Castiel flexed his wings but didn’t answer. Gabriel suspected that was because the little Angel couldn’t actually vocalize Because Dad’s a dick. It had taken Gabriel many years before he could let himself think that of his Father without panicking. Speaking it out loud was still a trial, and he only ever said it to Sammael, who would laugh and agree. They loved their Father with all their hearts, but neither Gabriel nor Sammael were so blind as to overlook His distance and constant testing.
But God’s dickish ways tended to have a deeper meaning, when they actually stopped and thought about it. There was usually a lesson to be learned, if only they looked. Gabriel couldn’t see Raphael taking the time to teach this to his miserable fledgling.
Gabriel hummed softly as he waited for Castiel to speak again, rocking gently to the rhythm of the waves. Eventually, Castiel’s wings sagged again and he shrugged thin shoulders. “I don’t know. Everyone laughed.”
“No one laughed,” Gabriel said, shaking his head. Cariel had assured Gabriel that at the time, none of the Seraphim had made any sound, though they had all stared at each other in shock and barely-veiled amusement. He himself had cleared his throat and kept reading the names as if nothing unusual had happened. The laughter came later.
“Everyone laughs now.”
“Because now it is a story, woven into the song of Heaven. You are woven into the song of Heaven.” Gabriel carded his fingers through Castiel’s limp wings, smoothing out his feathers and brushing them straight. “When I was a fledgling about your age, Sammael was trying to teach me how to fly on my own.”
“You couldn’t fly?” Castiel interrupted. While angels weren’t awakened with the ability to fly, they all tended to pick it up by the time they reached Castiel’s age. Some learned quicker than others, but it didn’t take too long before fledglings stopped crashing into each other and the more senior angels.
Gabriel chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, I could fly, but I never flew on my own. I always held on to Michael or Sammael’s hands. Raphael liked to show off how he could fly, but I was scared to let go.”
“But you’re an Archangel. You’re not scared of anything!”
“Archangels can be scared, just like fledgling angels. Especially fledgling Archangels!” Gabriel tweaked the tip of Castiel’s wing before smoothing the feathers again. “And when I was learning to fly, there was no ground. There was just darkness, and you could fall and fall and fall forever.”
“I’d be scared of that too,” Castiel admitted, snuggling in close. “I don’t like falling.”
“I don’t think any angel likes to fall.” Gabriel tucked Castiel’s wings in and wrapped both arms around the young angel. “Sammael told me there was nothing to be scared of. He’d start flying with me, but he’d hold his arm out as far as it could and make me fly as far away from him as I could. He’d still hold my hand, though, so I’d do it. But then one time, he let go.” Castiel gave a little gasp, pressing in close, and Gabriel almost laughed. Instead, he just nuzzled the Angel’s head.
“He let go, and then I was flying on my own. And I screamed! Michael thought something was attacking me and flew over as fast as he could. Do you know what I did?”
Castiel shook his head, lifting his face to look at Gabriel. The Archangel tapped Castiel between the eyes. “I crashed into Michael! I grabbed one of his wings and caught his feathers, and I tore these two big handfuls of feathers right out of his primary wing!”
“You didn’t!”
“I did!” Gabriel was laughing now, but laughing at himself, at the memory. Michael, with his sword out, twisting so he didn’t skewer his out-of-control brother. Sammael, realizing the danger too late and darting in to catch Gabriel, and Gabriel himself, going too fast to stop in time. “Michael had this big bald patch until his feathers grew back, and I was so embarrassed that I kept hiding behind Sammael whenever Michael was close. But do you know what?”
“What?”
“I learned that there were worse things than falling forever, and I wasn’t scared of flying on my own anymore. Next I was scared of not being able to stop!”
Castiel giggled, clapping his hands together at the story. “But you’re the best flyer now! Better than anyone!”
“Don’t let Raphael hear you say that,” Gabriel warned. “He’s still faster than I am. But you are right. I’m a great flyer now, but only because I had to get over that fear I used to have. I needed to mess up so I could get better.”
“So you think I had to mess up too?” There was so much hope in Castiel’s immature grace, it was making him glow almost as bright as one of Gabriel’s wings.
Gabriel nodded at the fledgling. “I think you did. I hear you’re a great flyer yourself.”
“I was the first in my clutch to fly!” Castiel said proudly, pointing at himself, his wings fluffing up. “Remiel says he thinks I’m the youngest ever angel to start flying!”
“Exactly!” Gabriel stroked his hand up the arch of Castiel’s wing. “You knew that you needed to learn how to use these right away, so you wouldn’t knock your brothers down again! Because you hit Morael, you started flying first. Because of your fledging, you are the best Angel flyer.” Gabriel poked Castiel lightly in the chest, making the fledgling giggle. “So you see? Father meant you to knock them over so you would learn to fly best. I bet by the time you’re grown, you’ll fly faster than Raphael and better than me!”
“Oh no!” Castiel shook his head and covered his face with his hands again, though he did peek out at Gabriel between his fingers. “I can’t be better than you! You’re Archangels!”
“Are you doubting me?” Gabriel teased, cocking his head to the side. As he suspected, Castiel immediately began waving his hands.
“No, oh no, I’m not doubting you at all!”
“Good!” Gabriel nudged Castiel out of his lap and stood up, pulling the fledgling up as well. “Come on, fly for me. Show me what you can do!”
Castiel glanced back at Gabriel nervously, but when Gabriel gestured out over the ocean, Castiel snapped his wings out and took a running start. He soon leapt up, his wings beating heavily to keep him airborne.
The fledgling’s technique was rough, Gabriel decided as he watched, but had great potential. As his wings developed in size and strength, he wouldn’t have to work so hard. They were a good shape for both speed and agility-Castiel might never be as fast as Raphael with his sleek wings, or as maneuverable as Gabriel with his wide ones, but he’d likely end up comparably faster than Gabriel and more agile than Raphael, only at a disadvantage due to their wings outnumbering his. More impressively, Castiel had the most important trait of a good flyer. He clearly loved being in the air, flying like he was made for no other purpose. Gabriel suspected the fledgling would have been whooping and spinning just like Gabriel did if it weren’t too undignified to do in front of an Archangel.
Gabriel was so engrossed in the fledgling that he almost didn’t notice the new movement by his feet, an unremarkable little grey fish swimming in the waves and being pushed up the shore. This was it, then! The first animal to make its home on land.
Castiel landed soon after Gabriel looked down, almost on top of the fish. Gabriel reached out quickly, catching Castiel’s arm and pulling him back, keeping it safe. “Don’t step on that fish, Castiel,” he murmured, looping his arms around his baby brother’s chest to hold him still. “Big plans for that fish.”
“What is it?” Castiel whispered back, reaching up to curl his fingers around Gabriel’s hands, watching the fish with his big eyes.
“It’s the start of Father’s greatest creation.” Gabriel drew Castiel back another step, giving the fish plenty of room to pull itself out of the water completely. “Remember this night, Castiel.” The fledgling sighed happily at his name, resting his head against Gabriel’s arm. “You and I are witnessing the start of their history.”
Castiel watched the fish with Gabriel for a long time, but the fish didn’t do anything exciting. It lay on the sand and just breathed, one black eye focused on the two angels. Gabriel didn’t mind, though. An hour watching a fish was still the blink of an eye to him, after all his thousands of years. He actually liked this, liked standing on the Earth with one of his baby brothers in his arms, encouraging the younger angel to open up his heart to this planet and all the living things on it.
“It’s ugly,” Castiel declared, and Gabriel started laughing, all his wings shaking with his mirth.
“Someday, little one, you’ll understand.” Gabriel tightened his arms around Castiel and scooped him off the ground. Castiel’s wings beat the air as Gabriel swooped the Angel over his head. “You’ve been away from your garrison for a while. Will they be looking for you?”
Castiel spread his arms out and shook his head. “Probably not. Nobody ever notices me go missing. Only when I’m in the way.”
“We should get you back home anyway,” Gabriel decided, making a mental note to pull Cariel aside and discuss possible ways to get Castiel transferred into his choir. No angel should ever be made to feel like they were underwing, and several somebodies in Raphael’s choir were clearly slacking if six years after his Awakening, Castiel still felt horrible over what had happened that day. “Let’s fly together, shall we? We can race back to Heaven!”
Castiel nodded excitedly at that, and he trilled a few happy notes as Gabriel flung him into the air, his wings automatically beating to stop him from falling. Gabriel took off beside him and started to lead the way back home, though he held back and let Castiel just barely inch ahead. “Argh! You’re beating me!”
“You’re not flying hard enough!” Castiel cried back, squaring his shoulders and pushing his little wings even faster.
Gabriel laughed as they both ripped through the planes and into Heaven’s bright light. The air here was a much busier place, filled with Seraphim and Dominions and Angels flitting to and fro. Gabriel soared above most of the crowd and tugged Castiel up with him, holding his hand so the fledgling wouldn’t fall. “Raphael is in the east. I’m sure we’ll find someone from your garrison there.”
Castiel nodded and clung to Gabriel’s hand as they flew leisurely above Heaven. “I’ve never been this high!”
“I won’t let you go. I’m not mean like Sammael!” Gabriel promised, earning a giggle from the fledgling.
They were only halfway between the Garden and Raphael’s tower when the Archangel of the Air came swooping down on them, his wings spread. “Gabriel.”
“Raphael.” Gabriel hovered before his brother, gathering Castiel into his arms. The fledgling had already fallen silent, ducking his head in respect to his choirmaster. Gabriel bristled at the change in the child’s demeanor. He was acting scared of Raphael. A good choirmaster should instill a sense of love and loyalty in his angels, not fear!
“Are you trying to steal one of my Angels?” Though Raphael’s tone was dry, there was no seriousness in his words. Raphael’s grace spoke of regretful confidence that no other Archangel would try to poach this particular Angel.
“I was actually returning him home,” Gabriel explained. “I found Castiel on Earth. We swapped some stories, and he showed me how well he can fly. At his age! You must be very proud.” Castiel’s fingers curled into Gabriel’s wings again, but the fledgling didn’t attempt to even lift his head.
“A fledgling who flies before he can understand where not to is more of an annoyance than something to be proud of,” Raphael grumbled, reaching out for the Angel. “Give him to me. I will take him back to Ezekiel.”
Gabriel’s arms tightened around Castiel, and for a moment he debated not handing Castiel over. Maybe he could just steal Castiel away, secret him into one of Zachariah’s garrisons-Anael’s had Balthazar, Castiel’s partner, if he was remembering correctly. Or maybe it was Hester’s garrison with Balthazar. Castiel would be able to thrive with Anael anyway. She was one of the gentlest Dominions Gabriel knew.
But if Gabriel stole Castiel, Raphael would chase him down and catch him, and he’d take Castiel away for good. Or maybe he’d just go to Michael, and Michael would chastise Gabriel and make him feel two feet tall. No, if he were going to take Castiel from Raphael, he’d need to find a legitimate way of doing so.
As Gabriel reluctantly passed the fledgling to his twin, he accompanied it with a polite little nod. “Thank you for spending the evening with me, Castiel. Here.” He reached into his wings, plucking one gold-edged feather and handing it out to the young angel. “Remember what I said. This night was a night you should never forget.”
Castiel didn’t seem to want to let go of Gabriel, but he accepted the feather silently, hugging it against his chest. He tipped his head up just enough to peek out at Gabriel, and Gabriel reached in to rub his cheek. “Good night, Castiel, Raphael.”
“Good night, Gabriel,” Raphael answered, before turning sharply and flying off.
Gabriel watched them go before bolting back to his own tower. “Cariel!” As soon as possible, Castiel would be his.
Next...
Notes: In this story, before Lucifer fell, his name was Sammael. He was not Lucifer in Heaven.
There is one other canon character operating under an OC name, but I wish for his identity to remain unknown.
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Chapter word count: 3,405
Chapter Summary: Tonight’s the night animal life climbs onto dry land, but first, Gabriel must console a fledgling angel.
CHAPTER 4:
Castiel and the FishGabriel swooped and soared over the great black ocean below. The sun was on the far side of Earth right now, and the world was lit only by reflected moonlight and the occasional streak of another angel’s grace. His own burnt the sky like a brilliant comet, and Gabriel laughed as he trimmed his wings and rolled over and over through the night sky. Nothing beat the freedom of flying on Earth. Raphael looked at him funny if he did barrel rolls through Heaven, and it wasn’t fitting for the Messenger of Heaven to howl his joy like a fledgling.
Gabriel loved being the Messenger. While he had fretted at first that Sammael could have been correct and the job far too much for him to handle, his Father had the utmost faith in him. Gabriel had not disappointed Him yet. Every so often, he’d hear his Father calling for him in his head, and he’d wing back to the Garden as quickly as he could. More and more often these days, it presented itself as the Throne Room, and Gabriel bowed before his Father as he received the revelations to spread throughout the Host. Gabriel no longer quaked in fear when he stood before God. He knew that God was capable of world-shattering wrath, but his Father was always warm and jovial with him. Often, they would talk about things of no real consequence before getting to the messages Gabriel was tasked to deliver. Gabriel loved these times best of all, when he could marvel at his Father’s creations and listen to the Creator Himself explain His thoughts.
Like tonight. Tonight was going to be an important night. His Father had said so, when Gabriel spoke about the animals swimming in the oceans. Tonight, the first animal would move to the dry earth. Gabriel wanted to watch this happening for himself. God had hinted several times that His greatest creation would be one such animal, making a home on land.
With no messages to deliver, Gabriel was free to spend his time stretching his wings and singing out to the stars. He folded his wings in and dove, streaking over the ocean and pulling up just before he crashed into the sand. Laughing, Gabriel shook out his wings and spun in a circle.
“Who’s there?”
The voice surprised him, a tremulous little thing. Gabriel cocked his head to the side, stretching out his grace. Aha, there! Just over a little hill of sand, a fledgling angel crouched, his own grace barely bright enough to illuminate the ground beneath him. The fledgling shrank back as Gabriel stepped closer, his eyes wide in fear.
Gabriel reached out and stroked the fledgling’s shaking wings, stilling the feathers. “Hello there, little one. I don’t believe you’re one of mine.”
The fledgling shook his head, unconsciously pressing into the caress. “I serve Ezekiel, who serves Remiel, in the choir of Raphael.”
“And I serve God, Lord of All.” Gabriel sat on the beach and patted the sand beside him. The little fledgling crept forward and hummed when Gabriel caught him and tucked him against his side. “I am Gabriel, and I will forgive you for being one of Raphael’s angels.”
The fledgling shook, hiding his face behind wings and hands. “I’m sorry!” he cried, trying to bow and hide at the same time.
Gabriel caught the fledgling’s hands and drew them away from his face, very deliberately projecting serenity toward the child. “Peace, little one! I may fight with my twin, but that doesn’t mean I’ll take it out on you! What’s your name?”
“Castiel.” The fledgling was eventually coaxed into cuddling against Gabriel’s side again, one tiny hand curled around a gold-edged feather. “I have been awake for six years.”
“Six years already?” Gabriel stroked Castiel’s wings, recognizing that name from a story Cariel had told him. “I have been awake for thousands of years. But I do know you.”
Castiel’s wings drooped, his bright gaze dropping to the sand. “From my fledging? Everyone knows about that.”
As God created more and more Angels, it quickly became impossible for the Archangels to attend every fledging personally, even though they needed to select their choir members from the new fledglings. They started sending their Seraphim in their stead. Gabriel sent Cariel whenever possible, as he trusted his second above any other Seraphim in his choir to know the sort of angels he wanted to collect. His other top Seraphim, Zachariah and Barachiel, were decent enough at picking out new angels, but Cariel was the best. Gabriel had also been entrusted with the reading of the names, as God no longer personally awoke each angel. There were just far too many. When Gabriel couldn’t attend a fledging, his Seraph representative read the names for him.
When it was time for Castiel’s clutch to fledge, Cariel had been sent as Gabriel’s representative. He had related the event to Gabriel amid his own laughter.
It started same as any other fledging. We took our positions in the four directions around the clutch, and I started to read. ‘You, celestial being, have been created to be an angel of the Lord. I name you Iofiel. I name you Morael. I name you Balthazar,’ and so on. And then-I name you Castiel. Eighth angel of the clutch to Awaken.
Like every angel before him, Castiel opened his eyes and spread his wings… and wham! Hits Morael upside the head, who falls forward onto Peniel, who grabs Dabriel… only Balthazar had the sense to jump aside! Six fledgling Angels were sprawled out in a mess of wings and arms, and Castiel just stood there, pointing as if to say ‘did I do that?’
“It could’ve happened to anyone,” Gabriel pointed out, fighting down a smile at the memory. Cariel had confessed that he very nearly claimed Castiel for Gabriel’s choir right then, but he knew Raphael’s Seraph would have reported it back immediately and Gabriel would never have been able to live it down. He chose Balthazar, Castiel’s partner, instead, and foisted Castiel off on Raphael.
“But it didn’t. It happened to me.”
Castiel looked so dejected at the memory of his disastrous awakening that Gabriel shifted and pulled the fledgling into his lap. He wrapped Castiel in his softest wings, hugging the young angel close. “The Lord works in mysterious ways,” he soothed, running his hand over Castiel’s little head. “Nothing happens without reason. He must have meant you to knock your brothers down. Why do you think He’d want that?”
Castiel flexed his wings but didn’t answer. Gabriel suspected that was because the little Angel couldn’t actually vocalize Because Dad’s a dick. It had taken Gabriel many years before he could let himself think that of his Father without panicking. Speaking it out loud was still a trial, and he only ever said it to Sammael, who would laugh and agree. They loved their Father with all their hearts, but neither Gabriel nor Sammael were so blind as to overlook His distance and constant testing.
But God’s dickish ways tended to have a deeper meaning, when they actually stopped and thought about it. There was usually a lesson to be learned, if only they looked. Gabriel couldn’t see Raphael taking the time to teach this to his miserable fledgling.
Gabriel hummed softly as he waited for Castiel to speak again, rocking gently to the rhythm of the waves. Eventually, Castiel’s wings sagged again and he shrugged thin shoulders. “I don’t know. Everyone laughed.”
“No one laughed,” Gabriel said, shaking his head. Cariel had assured Gabriel that at the time, none of the Seraphim had made any sound, though they had all stared at each other in shock and barely-veiled amusement. He himself had cleared his throat and kept reading the names as if nothing unusual had happened. The laughter came later.
“Everyone laughs now.”
“Because now it is a story, woven into the song of Heaven. You are woven into the song of Heaven.” Gabriel carded his fingers through Castiel’s limp wings, smoothing out his feathers and brushing them straight. “When I was a fledgling about your age, Sammael was trying to teach me how to fly on my own.”
“You couldn’t fly?” Castiel interrupted. While angels weren’t awakened with the ability to fly, they all tended to pick it up by the time they reached Castiel’s age. Some learned quicker than others, but it didn’t take too long before fledglings stopped crashing into each other and the more senior angels.
Gabriel chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, I could fly, but I never flew on my own. I always held on to Michael or Sammael’s hands. Raphael liked to show off how he could fly, but I was scared to let go.”
“But you’re an Archangel. You’re not scared of anything!”
“Archangels can be scared, just like fledgling angels. Especially fledgling Archangels!” Gabriel tweaked the tip of Castiel’s wing before smoothing the feathers again. “And when I was learning to fly, there was no ground. There was just darkness, and you could fall and fall and fall forever.”
“I’d be scared of that too,” Castiel admitted, snuggling in close. “I don’t like falling.”
“I don’t think any angel likes to fall.” Gabriel tucked Castiel’s wings in and wrapped both arms around the young angel. “Sammael told me there was nothing to be scared of. He’d start flying with me, but he’d hold his arm out as far as it could and make me fly as far away from him as I could. He’d still hold my hand, though, so I’d do it. But then one time, he let go.” Castiel gave a little gasp, pressing in close, and Gabriel almost laughed. Instead, he just nuzzled the Angel’s head.
“He let go, and then I was flying on my own. And I screamed! Michael thought something was attacking me and flew over as fast as he could. Do you know what I did?”
Castiel shook his head, lifting his face to look at Gabriel. The Archangel tapped Castiel between the eyes. “I crashed into Michael! I grabbed one of his wings and caught his feathers, and I tore these two big handfuls of feathers right out of his primary wing!”
“You didn’t!”
“I did!” Gabriel was laughing now, but laughing at himself, at the memory. Michael, with his sword out, twisting so he didn’t skewer his out-of-control brother. Sammael, realizing the danger too late and darting in to catch Gabriel, and Gabriel himself, going too fast to stop in time. “Michael had this big bald patch until his feathers grew back, and I was so embarrassed that I kept hiding behind Sammael whenever Michael was close. But do you know what?”
“What?”
“I learned that there were worse things than falling forever, and I wasn’t scared of flying on my own anymore. Next I was scared of not being able to stop!”
Castiel giggled, clapping his hands together at the story. “But you’re the best flyer now! Better than anyone!”
“Don’t let Raphael hear you say that,” Gabriel warned. “He’s still faster than I am. But you are right. I’m a great flyer now, but only because I had to get over that fear I used to have. I needed to mess up so I could get better.”
“So you think I had to mess up too?” There was so much hope in Castiel’s immature grace, it was making him glow almost as bright as one of Gabriel’s wings.
Gabriel nodded at the fledgling. “I think you did. I hear you’re a great flyer yourself.”
“I was the first in my clutch to fly!” Castiel said proudly, pointing at himself, his wings fluffing up. “Remiel says he thinks I’m the youngest ever angel to start flying!”
“Exactly!” Gabriel stroked his hand up the arch of Castiel’s wing. “You knew that you needed to learn how to use these right away, so you wouldn’t knock your brothers down again! Because you hit Morael, you started flying first. Because of your fledging, you are the best Angel flyer.” Gabriel poked Castiel lightly in the chest, making the fledgling giggle. “So you see? Father meant you to knock them over so you would learn to fly best. I bet by the time you’re grown, you’ll fly faster than Raphael and better than me!”
“Oh no!” Castiel shook his head and covered his face with his hands again, though he did peek out at Gabriel between his fingers. “I can’t be better than you! You’re Archangels!”
“Are you doubting me?” Gabriel teased, cocking his head to the side. As he suspected, Castiel immediately began waving his hands.
“No, oh no, I’m not doubting you at all!”
“Good!” Gabriel nudged Castiel out of his lap and stood up, pulling the fledgling up as well. “Come on, fly for me. Show me what you can do!”
Castiel glanced back at Gabriel nervously, but when Gabriel gestured out over the ocean, Castiel snapped his wings out and took a running start. He soon leapt up, his wings beating heavily to keep him airborne.
The fledgling’s technique was rough, Gabriel decided as he watched, but had great potential. As his wings developed in size and strength, he wouldn’t have to work so hard. They were a good shape for both speed and agility-Castiel might never be as fast as Raphael with his sleek wings, or as maneuverable as Gabriel with his wide ones, but he’d likely end up comparably faster than Gabriel and more agile than Raphael, only at a disadvantage due to their wings outnumbering his. More impressively, Castiel had the most important trait of a good flyer. He clearly loved being in the air, flying like he was made for no other purpose. Gabriel suspected the fledgling would have been whooping and spinning just like Gabriel did if it weren’t too undignified to do in front of an Archangel.
Gabriel was so engrossed in the fledgling that he almost didn’t notice the new movement by his feet, an unremarkable little grey fish swimming in the waves and being pushed up the shore. This was it, then! The first animal to make its home on land.
Castiel landed soon after Gabriel looked down, almost on top of the fish. Gabriel reached out quickly, catching Castiel’s arm and pulling him back, keeping it safe. “Don’t step on that fish, Castiel,” he murmured, looping his arms around his baby brother’s chest to hold him still. “Big plans for that fish.”
“What is it?” Castiel whispered back, reaching up to curl his fingers around Gabriel’s hands, watching the fish with his big eyes.
“It’s the start of Father’s greatest creation.” Gabriel drew Castiel back another step, giving the fish plenty of room to pull itself out of the water completely. “Remember this night, Castiel.” The fledgling sighed happily at his name, resting his head against Gabriel’s arm. “You and I are witnessing the start of their history.”
Castiel watched the fish with Gabriel for a long time, but the fish didn’t do anything exciting. It lay on the sand and just breathed, one black eye focused on the two angels. Gabriel didn’t mind, though. An hour watching a fish was still the blink of an eye to him, after all his thousands of years. He actually liked this, liked standing on the Earth with one of his baby brothers in his arms, encouraging the younger angel to open up his heart to this planet and all the living things on it.
“It’s ugly,” Castiel declared, and Gabriel started laughing, all his wings shaking with his mirth.
“Someday, little one, you’ll understand.” Gabriel tightened his arms around Castiel and scooped him off the ground. Castiel’s wings beat the air as Gabriel swooped the Angel over his head. “You’ve been away from your garrison for a while. Will they be looking for you?”
Castiel spread his arms out and shook his head. “Probably not. Nobody ever notices me go missing. Only when I’m in the way.”
“We should get you back home anyway,” Gabriel decided, making a mental note to pull Cariel aside and discuss possible ways to get Castiel transferred into his choir. No angel should ever be made to feel like they were underwing, and several somebodies in Raphael’s choir were clearly slacking if six years after his Awakening, Castiel still felt horrible over what had happened that day. “Let’s fly together, shall we? We can race back to Heaven!”
Castiel nodded excitedly at that, and he trilled a few happy notes as Gabriel flung him into the air, his wings automatically beating to stop him from falling. Gabriel took off beside him and started to lead the way back home, though he held back and let Castiel just barely inch ahead. “Argh! You’re beating me!”
“You’re not flying hard enough!” Castiel cried back, squaring his shoulders and pushing his little wings even faster.
Gabriel laughed as they both ripped through the planes and into Heaven’s bright light. The air here was a much busier place, filled with Seraphim and Dominions and Angels flitting to and fro. Gabriel soared above most of the crowd and tugged Castiel up with him, holding his hand so the fledgling wouldn’t fall. “Raphael is in the east. I’m sure we’ll find someone from your garrison there.”
Castiel nodded and clung to Gabriel’s hand as they flew leisurely above Heaven. “I’ve never been this high!”
“I won’t let you go. I’m not mean like Sammael!” Gabriel promised, earning a giggle from the fledgling.
They were only halfway between the Garden and Raphael’s tower when the Archangel of the Air came swooping down on them, his wings spread. “Gabriel.”
“Raphael.” Gabriel hovered before his brother, gathering Castiel into his arms. The fledgling had already fallen silent, ducking his head in respect to his choirmaster. Gabriel bristled at the change in the child’s demeanor. He was acting scared of Raphael. A good choirmaster should instill a sense of love and loyalty in his angels, not fear!
“Are you trying to steal one of my Angels?” Though Raphael’s tone was dry, there was no seriousness in his words. Raphael’s grace spoke of regretful confidence that no other Archangel would try to poach this particular Angel.
“I was actually returning him home,” Gabriel explained. “I found Castiel on Earth. We swapped some stories, and he showed me how well he can fly. At his age! You must be very proud.” Castiel’s fingers curled into Gabriel’s wings again, but the fledgling didn’t attempt to even lift his head.
“A fledgling who flies before he can understand where not to is more of an annoyance than something to be proud of,” Raphael grumbled, reaching out for the Angel. “Give him to me. I will take him back to Ezekiel.”
Gabriel’s arms tightened around Castiel, and for a moment he debated not handing Castiel over. Maybe he could just steal Castiel away, secret him into one of Zachariah’s garrisons-Anael’s had Balthazar, Castiel’s partner, if he was remembering correctly. Or maybe it was Hester’s garrison with Balthazar. Castiel would be able to thrive with Anael anyway. She was one of the gentlest Dominions Gabriel knew.
But if Gabriel stole Castiel, Raphael would chase him down and catch him, and he’d take Castiel away for good. Or maybe he’d just go to Michael, and Michael would chastise Gabriel and make him feel two feet tall. No, if he were going to take Castiel from Raphael, he’d need to find a legitimate way of doing so.
As Gabriel reluctantly passed the fledgling to his twin, he accompanied it with a polite little nod. “Thank you for spending the evening with me, Castiel. Here.” He reached into his wings, plucking one gold-edged feather and handing it out to the young angel. “Remember what I said. This night was a night you should never forget.”
Castiel didn’t seem to want to let go of Gabriel, but he accepted the feather silently, hugging it against his chest. He tipped his head up just enough to peek out at Gabriel, and Gabriel reached in to rub his cheek. “Good night, Castiel, Raphael.”
“Good night, Gabriel,” Raphael answered, before turning sharply and flying off.
Gabriel watched them go before bolting back to his own tower. “Cariel!” As soon as possible, Castiel would be his.
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