Fic: A History of Heaven (Gabriel/Various Angels, NC-17 this chapter) 10/59
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.
I am a firm believer that angels, not just fallen/falling angels, are sexual creatures, but not in the same way animals are, for procreation. They relish closeness with their brothers, because they’re not-quite a hive mind society. Being near another angel reaffirms their value to you and yours to them. It’s sort of a sign of respect and love, and it’s why angels have such big issues with personal space bubbles (yes, Cas, we’re looking at you!). Give them a body, and they want to get that body as close to other bodies as they can, again, as a way to reaffirm love and value and connection among each other, or among humans they value, or what have you. Anna, Balthazar, Gabriel, Zachariah… all of these angels in the show have expressed genuine sexual interest. Virginal Castiel is more of the exception than the rule, I think. Even when he and Dean are talking about sex, Castiel is a virgin not because sex is abhorrent to angels, but because he “never had occasion” (because the angels tease him and never let him play their angel games!).
Chapter Rating: NC-17 (PG-15 version available at fanfiction.net)
Chapter word count: 8,152
Chapter Summary: Gabriel can’t stand being the only angel with a vessel. He goes to alert Sammael and Michael, and together they discover what physical bodies can do.
CHAPTER TEN:
Cain and Abel
Envesseled, Gabriel could run, jump, and fly, though every gesture felt heavy, weighted down by the solid mass of flesh and bone he wore over his spirit. Gabriel experimented with his human body, scrambling up a tree and pursuing a deer by leaping through the branches. Vindonnus had been hunting, Gabriel realized, the information offered up by the quiet soul he carefully held within him. He should help Vindonnus out in exchange for borrowing his body.
The bow was confusing to figure out. Angels fought with blades and wings, not with ranged weapons like this. If they needed to hit something over a distance, they used blasts of pure grace or threw a blade. Gabriel’s fingers seemed to know how to hold the bow and arrow, but the actions felt stiff and ungainly to the angel. With a growl, he tucked the bow aside and drew a short sword from his grace instead. The deer he had been following was now standing still, unaware of his presence.
A quick glance ahead through time showed that the deer was going to die today anyway. If Gabriel didn’t kill it, Vindonnus would. Either way, she would feed his family. Gabriel shifted on the branch, lining up his shot before flinging his knife forward.
Gabriel might not like to fight, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t. The deer dropped instantly, an angel’s blade buried in her skull. Gabriel hopped out of the tree and knelt beside her carcass. “I’m sorry, pretty one, but humans need to eat. Thank you for your life. It will sustain his family.” He touched his hand gently over the doe’s eyes, closing them, before easily scooping her up and hoisting her over one shoulder. He’d drop this off at the camp where he could feel the rest of Vindonnus’ family, and then he’d go off again, testing his limits while within a human vessel.
When he finally slid out of Vindonnus, only an hour had passed. The man staggered, but Gabriel caught him and held him steady while he found his feet again. “That was amazing!”
Vindonnus gave the angel a shaky grin. “It worked?”
Gabriel nodded. “I entered your camp, and no one was hurt!”
“What!?” Vindonnus stared at Gabriel. “What did you do to them?”
“Nothing!” Gabriel assured the man. “I brought them a deer-you were trying to hunt for them when you found me, right?” Vindonnus nodded, and Gabriel gently squeezed his arms. “I brought them a deer and told them I-you-would be back soon. I just wanted to see if humans could bear my presence while I was envesseled.”
“You… brought food to my family?”
Gabriel nodded. “Was that… was that okay? I wanted to give you something in thanks for letting me use your body.”
“If you help my family, you are a friend of mine,” Vindonnus decided. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Gabriel insisted. “My brothers and I have been trying to figure out how to take a vessel for months now. Now I know, and I can teach them. May I bring them to you, to show them?”
Vindonnus nodded. “I would not say no to a god-messenger. But… could you come back during the night, when my family sleeps? I don’t want them to be scared.”
“I can do that,” Gabriel agreed. “Thank you again, Vindonnus. I’ll see you soon.” He stepped back from the human and spread his wings, watching amazement fill Vindonnus’ face again. A second later, he was gone, leaping into the sky and hurtling between the planes to return to Heaven.
Who to tell first? Gabriel’s choir was the obvious answer-they needed to learn how to take vessels to do their jobs-but Gabriel was worried that Vindonnus might just be a fluke. What if it didn’t work with them? Cariel would be happy to test things with him, but Cariel was confined to Heaven. Sammael? Sammael always took time to teach Gabriel whenever he figured out something new. Gabriel had never had an opportunity to return the favor. And Gabriel couldn’t possibly lose face in front of Sammael if it didn’t work a second time. Sammael would be fascinated by Gabriel’s experience and try to figure out what went wrong. Sammael was the perfect brother to go to. Gabriel flared his grace to Sammael, a silent Where are you? but Sammael didn’t answer. Gabriel had to look for him the long way.
Sammael wasn’t in his tower, but Azazel suggested Gabriel check the fields just to the north. Michael had been by, and he and Sammael frequently went there to spend time together. Thanking Sammael’s second, Gabriel took off again, pushing his wings as hard as he could, practically bursting at the seams to tell someone about his vessel.
Michael and Sammael were in the fields, facing off against each other with their swords drawn. They were just sparring, Gabriel recognized, and from the gleeful tint to their graces, they were both thoroughly enjoying themselves. Michael and Sammael were easily the best warriors of God, the strongest and fastest angels ever made. Even Gabriel and Raphael were no match for them in combat. They could only truly have a challenge when they battled each other. Their swords flickered through the air between them, silver blades ringing like bells whenever they came together. Strike, parry, feint, thrust, the two angels danced across the field in perfect sync. Gabriel folded his wings and dove toward them, wondering if they would even notice his presence or if they were too wrapped up in each other.
Michael gave a shout, yanking his sword back as Gabriel interrupted their match, and Sammael danced back a few steps, laughing, stretching his wings forward to catch Gabriel and pull him close. “That was dangerous, little brother!”
“You’d never hurt me.” Gabriel flung his arms around Sammael, hugging him tightly. “Am I interrupting anything important?”
“Interrupting, yes,” Michael said, sheathing his sword with an indulgent look in his eyes as he watched his younger brothers. “Important, not really. Did something happen, Gabriel?”
Gabriel couldn’t contain the burst of excitement that flooded his grace at Michael’s question, a brilliant flash of light. “Yes!”
“Something good, obviously!” Sammael laughed. “Did Cariel’s wings heal?”
“No, this has nothing to do with Cariel.” Gabriel flapped his wings to put himself at Sammael’s height, his feet off the ground. “I took a vessel!”
“You did what?” Sammael held Gabriel at arm’s length, staring at his little brother. “A vessel? You figured it out?”
“I did! I met a human whose eyes didn’t melt, and I spoke with him and his ears didn’t bleed, and… and I took him as a vessel!” Gabriel looked over his shoulder at Michael, who looked impressed. “It was incredible. I had a body, a mouth, skin, weight…”
“Show us!” Sammael released Gabriel, letting him land, though his own wings were spread and flexing impatiently. “Show us how to take a vessel, Gabriel.”
Gabriel nodded eagerly, but Michael took a step back. “Perhaps you two should go alone.”
“Nonsense,” Sammael declared. “Michael, we already agreed; we’re spending today together. Filiel can handle Heaven while you take one day to play on Earth.”
“Play?” Michael repeated skeptically, but Sammael was nudging Gabriel to follow his lead and holding out his hands to his older brother.
“Please, Michael? Please come to Earth with us? It won’t be as much fun without you!”
“Pleeeeease?” Gabriel echoed, mimicking Sammael’s pleading stance. “Oh please, Michael, we never spend time together these days, just the three of us!”
“Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?” If Sammael could shrink himself to the size of a fledgling again, Gabriel was sure he would, just to get Michael to succumb to his begging. It wasn’t necessary. Even as Michael was shaking his head and taking another step back, he was also laughing and stretching his hands forward to them.
“Fine! If you both really want me there, I’ll go!”
Sammael grabbed Michael’s hands and yanked him forward into a hug, lifting his older brother off his feet. “Let’s do this! Lead the way, Gabriel!”
Gabriel made sure to fly through time as well as the planes, landing hours later than when he left Earth. The sun had set in Vindonnus’ part of the world, and his little family camp was quiet and still. Vindonnus himself sat awake by a small fire, shaping some sticks with his knife.
“That’s him,” Gabriel whispered, peering through the trees with Michael and Sammael at his side. All three of them were veiled to human senses at the moment. Even Vindonnus was unaware of their presence. “That’s Vindonnus. My vessel.”
“He doesn’t look at all unique,” Sammael said.
“No, look again,” Michael pointed. “See his soul, there? That pattern?”
Sammael cocked his head to the side, studying Vindonnus, before his eyes widened, and he looked sharply at Gabriel. “Oh!”
“Oh what?” Gabriel asked, squinting at the human. “I don’t see anything special.”
“One of the patterns in his soul,” Michael explained. “Those jagged lines? It’s similar to your spirit.”
“It looks like you when you were a fledgling, pudgy and undeveloped, but definitely yours,” Sammael said. “Maybe that’s why you didn’t hurt him. Your grace and his soul resonate the same.”
“It’s a theory,” Michael mused. “Can you call him over? Sammael doesn’t have that pattern. If his presence hurts the human, then it could very well be the key to finding vessels.”
“I don’t want to hurt Vindonnus.” Gabriel looked between his brothers, suddenly wondering if this had been a good idea.
“I’ll only reveal myself a little,” Sammael said, holding up finger and thumb barely apart. “And I’ll veil again if it hurts him. No permanent damage.”
“We’ll heal him if it goes wrong, Gabriel,” Michael said, and Gabriel’s name was a soothing caress to his worries. “Call him over.”
Gabriel nodded and slipped out of the trees, crossing invisibly to Vindonnus’ side. He crouched by the human, reaching out to run his fingers along the man’s arm.
Vindonnus jumped, looking around in alarm. “Gabriel?”
“Yes,” Gabriel answered. “Vindonnus, my brothers have come. They are in the trees now, and would like to meet you. Could you come with me?”
“I should wake my brother,” Vindonnus said, though he was already setting aside his tools. “Someone needs to watch my family while I am gone.”
“Your family will be safe.” Gabriel drew a few protective sigils in the dust at their feet and murmured a word of power to activate them. “No harm can come to them here while you are with me.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” It was the least Gabriel could do for Vindonnus. The sigils would keep low-level danger away. If anything big came, like dragons, or the last few unicorns… well, Vindonnus wouldn’t have been able to protect his family from those anyway. The wards would make sure Gabriel knew of the danger, and then Gabriel could come flying back to try to protect the humans.
Vindonnus rose to his feet and held out one hand. Gabriel curled his fingers around it and gave a little tug to get Vindonnus walking in the right direction.
Just beyond the trees, Michael and Sammael were waiting with identical ripples of incredulity in their grace. “You said you could talk to the human,” Sammael murmured, keeping his voice hidden. “I didn’t quite believe you!”
“Vindonnus is special.” Gabriel loosened his hold on his grace, letting enough spill out so Vindonnus could see him again. The man grinned as he turned toward the light, giving Gabriel’s hand another one of those delicate squeezes. “Vindonnus, my brothers are here. Michael is standing in front of that tree, and Sammael is here at my side.” He gestured to where the other Archangels were, even though Vindonnus could not see them. “Sammael wants to show himself to you. If it hurts, please close your eyes immediately and tell me.”
Vindonnus nodded. “You are the god-messenger,” he said, grinning cheekily at Gabriel.
“God-messenger?” Sammael echoed.
“Oh, shut up,” Gabriel muttered back to his brother.
Sammael laughed and started to release his own grace. Following Gabriel’s lead, he unfurled himself slowly to give Vindonnus time to react.
Almost immediately, the man cried out and stepped back, releasing Gabriel’s hand to cover his eyes with his arms.
“Stop it!” Gabriel snapped at Sammael, stepping in front of Vindonnus and pressing his hands over the man’s face. “Vindonnus, Vindonnus, are you all right?” Sammael had yanked his grace back again, waiting silently. “Vindonnus, it’s okay. He’s hidden again. Let me see your eyes.”
“That hurt,” Vindonnus whispered, gingerly lowering his arms. “You don’t hurt, but he does.”
“We think you are meant for Gabriel only,” Michael said, pitching his voice as quiet as he could but not trying to veil it. Vindonnus still winced, covering his ears, and Gabriel shot an exasperated look over his shoulder at his brother. Michael met his gaze calmly. That had been another test.
“That was Michael,” Gabriel told Vindonnus, cupping his head in his hands and rubbing his thumbs lightly over the man’s jaw, trying to soothe some of his ache. “He thinks you are meant only for me.”
“I don’t like your brothers,” Vindonnus grumbled. “They’re too loud, too bright. You’re perfect.”
“You have an admirer,” Sammael cooed, until Gabriel swatted him with a wing. He ducked it, laughing.
“We’ll just have to find our own humans, ones who resonate with our grace,” Michael said. “Could you show us how you took this man-Vindonnus-as your vessel, Gabriel?”
Gabriel nodded, focusing on the human in front of him again. “Vindonnus, may I take you as my vessel again?”
“Bring back more food?” Vindonnus asked with a grin. Gabriel nodded and Vindonnus nodded back. “Yes.”
The air shimmered gold between them again. Gabriel glanced over at Michael and Sammael, but neither of them seemed to notice it. Maybe it was something only Gabriel could see. He touched the link and poured himself into the human.
It was easier this time. Vindonnus didn’t feel quite as tight, though it was still a snug fit. Gabriel rolled his head on his shoulders and grinned at his brothers. Michael and Sammael had stepped closer to him, their eyes wide.
“Gabriel?” Sammael reached out and prodded Gabriel in the forehead. Gabriel laughed and stepped back.
“That’s all there is to it! What do you think?” He spread his arms and turned slowly for his brothers.
“You look like him, but also like you.” Michael leaned in, peering intently at Gabriel. He wasn’t as brilliant in Gabriel’s eyes. The edges of his form seemed fuzzy and indistinct, and his voice felt weird, distorted, but he was still definitely Michael. Sammael was also fuzzy and sounded funny, but neither were causing Gabriel any pain to see or hear. “Your grace is layered over his soul. The patterns match.” He stroked his fingers over Gabriel’s body, marveling at the sight.
“You’re tracking us,” Sammael said, his eyes on Gabriel’s face. “You can see us, hear us?”
“Of course I can,” Gabriel answered. “You look fuzzy, but-” Even as he spoke, Sammael’s grace brightened and grew more defined, more like the angel Gabriel was accustomed to looking at. Michael followed suit a moment later. “Much better!”
“We’re not veiled now,” Sammael said. “No pain?”
“None.” Gabriel looked inward, at Vindonnus’ soul. “He isn’t reacting either.”
“That’s all there is to it?” Michael asked. “You find a human that can endure you and just… reach?”
“I think he has to say yes,” Gabriel said. “I think you have to ask him to be your vessel, and he says yes. Every time Vindonnus says yes, this golden bridge appears, linking us together. I just touched it, and I could slip inside him.”
“Find a human, ask him to be your vessel, touch the bridge?” Sammael nodded. “I think we can do that. Michael? Let’s go find some vessels of our own.”
Gabriel grinned. “Be careful!” he called after his brothers as they both took to the sky.
Michael and Sammael were going to want to test their limits as soon as they had vessels, Gabriel knew from his own experience. He didn’t want to risk them disturbing Vindonnus’ family, so he spread his wings outside Vindonnus’ body and took to the sky. While his brothers sought out their vessels, Gabriel could search for a section of land mostly isolated from humanity.
Halfway around the world, Gabriel had some success. A thick, ancient forest covered a wide swath of land, and there were miles and miles without humans. The sun was still bright here, breaking through the thick foliage in places. Gabriel pressed his hands against the moss-covered trunk of a gnarled tree and grinned up at the branches. This would be perfect for his brothers.
A flare of grace attracted Gabriel’s attention, and he turned, brightening his own in response. Sammael had called to him. He must have been successful.
Moments later, two swarthy humans with the massive wings of Archangels landed near him. Gabriel's eyes widened as he took in the human forms of his brothers.
Both men were tall, with long dark hair and prominent noses. Sammael’s vessel stood a handspan above Michael’s, and his eyes were a dark, dark brown, rich and inviting. Michael’s vessel was broader in the shoulders than Sammael’s, and his eyes were the same earthy green as the moss behind Gabriel. Both men were older than Vindonnus, but neither had hair on their faces. They wore similar skirts of sheepskin wrapped around their waists and pinned in place, but nothing else covering their dark skin.
Sammael smiled first, his mouth stretch stiffly with the unfamiliar gesture. “These humans want to express everything through their faces,” he said. “I keep doing this.” He reached up, pressing fingers against his lips.
“You're smiling,” Gabriel explained. “It's happiness.”
“I know what a smile is,” Sammael pinched his lower lip and tugged it out before releasing it. “I've just never felt one firsthand.”
“I like your smile,” Michael said. “It's like a physical image of your grace.”
Sammael smiled again at Michael's words, and the expression was much more relaxed this time.
Gabriel grinned at both of them. Smiling had come naturally to him, in Vindonnus' body. The man's face seemed naturally inclined to smile, even when he was at rest. “Your vessels look alike! Did you find them near each other?”
The older angels exchanged a glance before nodding. “They're actually brothers,” Michael explained. “Mine is named Hevel, and he is a shepherd.”
“And I have taken Qayin.” Sammael's smile shifted into a smirk as he leaned against Michael's shoulder. “Qayin's a farmer and he's older.”
“A fact which Sammael has reminded me of no fewer than six times in the minutes we've been envesseled.” Michael shoved lightly at Sammael to knock him off his shoulder. “They were asleep when we found them. I'm not entirely sure if they realized we weren't a dream.”
“But they did say yes. You're right; consent does seem to be the key to taking a vessel.”
“Have you done anything with them yet?” Gabriel asked. “Ran? Jumped? Obviously you flew.”
“That was bizarre,” Michael marveled, pressing his hands against his chest. “Earth has always called to me, but with these bodies, I felt drawn to it. I understand what you meant, Gabriel. Having a weight is…” He shook his head, at a loss for a description.
Gabriel jerked his head toward the tree. “If you thought that was weird, try this.” He turned from his brothers, folding his wings fully inside his vessel, and grabbed the trunk, finding a knot for one hand. Using nothing more than his body and the tree itself, Gabriel clambered up the side to a wide, sturdy branch. “No wings!”
On the ground, Michael and Sammael looked at each other again before they both broke for the tree, fighting each other for good places to grip or dig their toes in. Gabriel swung a leg over the branch, straddling it, and laughed as he watched their ascent. Michael was in obviously in a rare playful mood as he shouldered Sammael to the side, dodging a gentle kick from his brother. Gone was the Prince of Heaven, the first Son of God, and in its place was Gabriel's big brother, who used to race him between the stars. Sammael's jests were much more common than Michael's, but even so, Gabriel's brothers seemed to have reconnected with their inner fledglings as they connected with their human vessels.
Sammael reached the branch Gabriel was on first, though not for lack of Michael trying to pull him down. He crowed happily, clambering around Gabriel to straddle the branch behind him. Michael just smiled fondly at his brothers, settling down against the trunk. “That was-”
“Exhilarating?” Gabriel offered, crawling forward to fling his arms around Michael's neck. Michael easily returned the embrace, his warm arms wrapping around Gabriel's back. “We have muscles now, Michael! Muscles pulling weight, and fingers gripping tight to hold us up!” He leaned back against Michael's grip, thrusting his hands at Michael's face and wiggling said fingers.
Michael laughed, releasing Gabriel to catch his hands. “And faces, Gabriel, faces making the most amusing expressions, especially yours!” He tapped Gabriel's nose, and Gabriel scrunched it up in response, making Michael laugh again.
“Faces are all well and good, but I'm enjoying these muscles.” Sammael pressed his hands against the branch and pushed himself up to his feet, balancing carefully on the tree. “I can feel them working to hold me up, compensating if I move too much to one side or the other. I'm not even telling them what to do. They move as easily as our wings.” He turned slowly, bare feet curling around the branch. “What do you say we test these muscles out some more? What else was there, Gabriel? Running? Jumping?” Sammael tilted his head to the side and grinned, lifting one hand to beckon to his brothers before taking off. He ran down the branch and leapt, catching himself in another tree as easily as a squirrel. The branch shook beneath Sammael's weight, but he didn't fall off. Instead, he looked back at Michael and Gabriel, a challenge glimmering in his dark eyes. “Catch me if you can!”
Gabriel scrambled to his feet, immediately giving chase. He leapt from tree to tree without any fear-just because they weren't using their wings now didn't mean they couldn't, in case something went wrong. The trees creaked and groaned, showering leaves and twigs onto the forest floor as the three Archangels raced across their branches, shimmying around their trunks and clambering further up into the canopy. Michael caught Sammael first and immediately darted away, leading a chase through the branches to the north. Gabriel eventually got close enough to brush Michael's arm and both his older brothers turned on him.
Sammael was racing along branches above Gabriel, trying to get the drop on him, quite literally, while Michael was steadily gaining as he doggedly followed Gabriel's path exactly. Gabriel hurled himself at a giant oak, too busy taunting his brothers to pay attention to the lack of leaves on this particular tree. He yelped as the dead branch cracked under his weight, sending him toppling toward the ground.
“Gabriel!” Michael and Sammael's voices harmonized even in their vessels as they cried out for him. They had forgotten the game, but Gabriel hadn't. He flared out his wings as he fell, turning his crash into a roll to spring back to his feet, and then he was off running again, glancing back behind him.
“You think a little tumble will slow me down?”
Gabriel could just make out his brothers sharing one of their silent looks before they leapt from the tree, gliding down on their own wings to give chase once more.
In the trees, agility and dexterity could keep Gabriel ahead of the taller Sammael or the stronger Michael, but on the ground, Sammael's long legs were proving advantageous. He pulled ahead of Michael, catching Gabriel just before he could vault over a small creek. Gabriel couldn’t help the squeal that erupted from his throat as Sammael wrapped his arms around his waist and swept him off his feet, swinging him in a circle, both of them laughing. Gabriel kicked his legs out in front of him, feeling like a fledgling himself all over again, leaning back against Sammael's solid chest.
And then, just like when Gabriel was a fledgling, Sammael let go, heaving him into the creek. “Ack!” Gabriel splashed into the water, flailing in the sluggish current. Sammael howled with laughter, nearly bent double from the force of his joy.
Even Michael was grinning as he walked into the scene, though Michael proved he was the nicer brother by also stepping forward to offer Gabriel a hand out of the creek. Gabriel closed his fingers around Michael's arm, letting the older angel haul him out of the mud and water. Sammael still laughed as Michael drew Gabriel onto dry land, though he had toned it down to just a snicker as he approached Gabriel.
Gabriel dropped to his knees, shaking his dripping arms ruefully. He pouted at Sammael, but he wasn't really upset. Water was his least favorite element, but it wasn't going to kill him to be wet.
Sammael folded his long legs and sat in front of Gabriel, his brown gaze caressing Gabriel's face. He reached forward, pushing Gabriel's sodden curls aside, then drew back to frown thoughtfully at the water now on his fingers. As Michael and Gabriel both watched, Sammael lifted his fingers to his nose, sniffing them thoughtfully, before his tongue darted out to taste.
Taste. Gabriel was suddenly very aware of his own tongue, something he had never bothered to consider before. He rolled it in his mouth, feeling the hard lines of his teeth, the smooth curve of his palette turning into the spongy roof of his mouth. Behind him, he could hear Michael humming thoughtfully to himself.
Sammael suddenly leaned in, running his tongue lightly over Gabriel's lips. Gabriel gasped at the contact, freezing on the spot. Sammael was frozen as well, his face inches from Gabriel's own, just staring at him.
No angel had ever licked another angel before. Sammael got the dubious honor of that first. But licking itself… humans sometimes licked each other. Cats and dogs did too, and plenty of other animals. It was a very Earthly thing to do, and Gabriel wanted to experience everything. He met Sammael's eyes and nodded slowly, not trusting words at the moment.
Deliberately, Sammael leaned in again, sweeping his tongue against Gabriel's lips again, slower this time, allowing Gabriel to savor the electric brush of wet flesh against his mouth. He could hear the quiet thump of Michael sitting down beside them and could just make out his oldest brother leaning toward them, absolute interest written across his face.
Sammael lifted his hands to Gabriel's face, smoothing his fingers over the copper fuzz on his cheeks. He continued to explore with his mouth, tongue sweeping up Gabriel's jaw and across his cheek. Sammael pressed his lips to the tip Gabriel's nose, then dragged them up to finish with a lick between his brows. Gabriel's eyes fluttered closed involuntarily, and he bit his lip as Sammael's mouth ghosted over each closed eyelid.
A third hand brushed against Gabriel's hair, pushing it back, and Gabriel tilted his head with the caress. He could feel Michael even closer now, could sense his grace moments before the oldest angel curled his tongue down the whorls of Gabriel's ear, closing his lips over Gabriel's earlobe and sucking gently. Gabriel's body twitched at the flood of want, another gasp escaping him from the unexpected magnitude of the sensation. He reached out blindly, finding Michael's bare knee and curling his fingers around the bone, needing to ground himself.
Sammael took advantage of Gabriel's gasp, surging in to press their lips together, keeping Gabriel's open with a press of his tongue. This was a kiss, Gabriel knew. Humans did this all the time, to show love and affection, and as a precursor to fornication. Fornication made babies, or it could be done just for the fun of it.
For the fun of it. Everything Gabriel had ever known about sex had come from just watching God's creations, but it all paled in light of the desire Sammael was inducing with nothing more than lips and tongue and the heat of his body, so close to Gabriel's own. Only his hands were on Gabriel now, holding him in place, keeping his head still as he plundered Gabriel's mouth.
Humans had sex for the fun of it, but also because they needed to, Gabriel was realizing. Want and desire turned into a desperate need that sizzled down Gabriel's spine, setting off sparks across his skin. He clutched desperately at Michael's knee, as if somehow, his brother could help him.
Michael did react, because now Gabriel could feel fingers brushing against the corner of his mouth, against Sammael's, exploring their kiss. He couldn't help but smile, feeling Sammael echo the expression against his lips.
Gabriel opened his eyes as Sammael drew back, meeting his gaze hopefully for a moment before Sammael turned toward Michael's fingers, rubbing his lips against them. Now it was Gabriel's turn to watch as green eyes met brown. The two older angels fell together, their mouths connecting like they were meant to be one. Gabriel couldn't tear his gaze away from the kiss. It was sloppy and wet, full of tongues and teeth as Michael and Sammael battled each other for dominance even here. Their hands found each other's, fingers lacing together and pulling apart, reaching for shoulders, sliding over chests, down arms, across backs.
Need. Gabriel clearly wasn't the only one filled with need if the way his brothers clung together was any indication. And he needed them, both of them. He groaned, digging fingers into Michael's knee, grabbing Sammael's, to keep his hands from reaching between them and breaking their contact.
He broke them apart anyway, their eyes flying open when they heard him, both drawing back just an inch. One perfect strand of saliva stretched between their swollen lips, keeping them connected as they stared at each other. They were communicating, Gabriel realized, not with words, but with a slide of Sammael's eyes, a cant of Michael's head. The bond between these partners was so great that they didn't need words. They turned to Gabriel in unison.
Gabriel felt pinned by the intense focus of both his brothers, leaning back a little under their combined stare. He licked his lips, wondering if his were as red as theirs. Two sets of eyes snapped down to his tongue, and then two angels were leaning in.
Michael swiped his tongue across Gabriel's chin, catching a stray drop of creek water that had been gathering there. Sammael pressed in beside him, his lips kissing the underside of Gabriel's chin as Gabriel tilted his head back. They were moving, shifting to either side of Gabriel, their hands layered together on his thigh as their tongues swept down either side of Gabriel's throat. Need. Gabriel needed their hands to move higher, needed to get rid of his clothes, needed to reach for his brothers and touch them back, pull them down to kiss them again. Gabriel closed his eyes and swallowed, struggling to reign in his body before it raced completely out of his control. Michael, to his left, smiled against Gabriel's skin and then bit, his teeth pinching against Gabriel's throbbing pulse. Gabriel whimpered at the first bite but cried out as Sammael followed suit just a moment later, his hips jerking up against his own accord.
Please, please, please… Gabriel chanted in his mind, hoping his brothers had watched humanity enough to understand what Gabriel needed from them. He knew he certainly couldn't find the words to explain it to them, not with his body delighting in every new sensation his brothers were wringing from it.
Sammael peppered kisses across Gabriel's throat until he met Michael's mouth, and the two were kissing again, kissing against Gabriel's skin, their lips sliding together and making the most obscene sounds just beneath Gabriel's chin where he couldn't watch. Sammael's hands were sliding up, stroking over Gabriel's hips and up his chest, feeling across the shirt that kept him from touching. Gabriel swallowed again, feeling their mouths move with the motion, and forced a word out.
“Please…“
Gabriel finished the word with a whimper as Sammael's fingers curled around the collar of his shirt and yanked, ripping the animal skins open. An annoying, niggling corner of Gabriel's mind reminded him that technically, none of this was his, it was all borrowed from Vindonnus, but Michael's voice slipped inside, covering his worries.
We can fix it.
And that was all Gabriel needed, really, to give a cry of relief as Sammael bared his chest. His hips jerked again, and he felt himself falling, but suddenly Michael's strong arm was circling his back to catch him. He sucked in a breath, and then another, realizing he was panting heavily, his body not trusting that it was receiving enough air. Michael and Sammael both shifted, pulling their mouths away from Gabriel, and he whimpered at the loss, managing to crack his eyes open.
His brothers were sitting up and staring down at him, their eyes hungry as they licked their lips and didn't touch. Gabriel whined and twisted against Michael's arm, trying to remind them that there was more than just looking.
Sammael stretched out his hand, but he touched Michael instead of Gabriel, brushing Michael's chin and catching his eye. The two were communicating again, leaving Gabriel out of the loop again. He growled his frustration, digging his nails into their knees where he still held on.
Michael pulled his knee away, moving now. He eased himself behind Gabriel, tugging the torn shirt from Gabriel's arms and guiding Gabriel to lean back against his own bare chest. While Michael was distracting Gabriel, Sammael's fingers slid over Gabriel's belt and pulled it open, catching in the waist of his leggings and drawing them down. Michael set his hands on Gabriel's sides and drew them down to curl around his hips, lifting his body enough so Sammael could finish stripping Gabriel's clothes off.
Gabriel had never worn clothes in his life before he met Vindonnus. Angels had no need for clothes. They had no physical bodies to be modest of, or to protect from the elements. Nevertheless, as Gabriel found himself naked before his brothers, a dark seed of fear burrowed into his chest. For a moment, it overrode even the burning need, and Gabriel was scared. He rolled his head back against Michael's shoulder, looking up at Michael's fascinated expression. One of his hands shook as he reached to Michael, brushing his cheek and nudging him to look down at Gabriel's eyes instead of his body.
Michael's eyes widened with sudden understanding as their eyes met, and his arms slid around his little brother's waist in a recognizable hug. He leaned in, nuzzling at Gabriel's hair and cheeks, dotting gentle kisses along his jaw and mouth, refusing to linger. Lower, Gabriel could feel Sammael lie down over his right leg, wrapping an arm around Gabriel's thigh, his tongue flicking out to trace the line of one of Gabriel's hips. He made no other movement, giving Gabriel time to let Michael distract him with those maddening, teasing kisses that just weren't enough! Gabriel whined, trying to chase Michael's mouth with his own, but the older angel had more freedom of movement and kept pulling just out of reach.
Sammael huffed a cool laugh against Gabriel's hip, and Michael lifted his head to look at his partner. Gabriel could see the love in his brother's eyes as Michael's gaze traveled along the full length of Sammael's body, stretched out against Gabriel's leg. Sammael's expression mirrored that love, though his mouth was decidedly more mischievous, nipping at Gabriel's skin. He shifted his leg and rocked his hips against Gabriel's calf. A hard line of flesh, covered by Sammael's woolen skirt, pressed against Gabriel's leg, and both angels groaned at the contact. Sammael's dark eyes finally closed as he rocked his hips again, trying to find a rhythm.
Gabriel rolled his head against Michael's chest, biting at his own lips, nipping at Michael's when his brother leaned in for another kiss. He surged up, catching Michael's face more firmly and dragged him down into a proper kiss. Michael allowed Gabriel to move him, kissing back as Gabriel pressed against him, licking his way into Michael's mouth and taking back some control.
When Gabriel finally dropped back to Michael's chest, he couldn't help but smile up at his brother. Michael would always be there for him, whenever Gabriel was scared. Always. How was this any different? It was only sex, only something humans did every single day, only pleasure and heat and touch, shared with the brothers he loved and trusted more than any others. The warmth in Michael's eyes as he smiled back was all Gabriel needed to know that his brother loved him just as much, and that was all Gabriel needed to feel safe in his brothers' arms.
Sammael was still rolling his hips against Gabriel's leg, watching him and Michael intently. Gabriel tipped his head toward his brother and smiled at him too before reaching back to loop his arms around Michael's shoulders, pulling just enough to stretch his body taut and exposed before Sammael's gaze. Sammael laughed, but it was warm and happy. Gabriel grinned back, pulling his left leg over to cover Sammael's, rubbing his foot against Sammael's dark skin. Sammael's laugh petered out, and he looked intently at Gabriel. Gabriel nodded back.
Sammael surged up Gabriel's body, licking a trail from belly to throat. He flattened his tongue over one of Gabriel's nipples, and that need slammed back into Gabriel, making him cry out and thrash against Michael. His oldest brother's arms tightened around him, and Michael dropped his head near Gabriel's ear, a low groan finally escaping his throat. Gabriel's breath caught, realizing suddenly that Michael's vessel beneath him was just as aroused as Sammael's, as Gabriel's himself. Sammael seemed to have the same realization, his eyes snapping to Michael's, then to Gabriel's, and then he grabbed Gabriel by the hips and pushed him back, spreading him against Michael's wool-covered erection.
Gabriel wailed as Michael's body was right there, scratching at Michael's shoulders and back as the need solidified into a wordless plea for more. He needed more, there, right there. “Please,” he whispered, his voice raw and shaky even to his own ears.
Michael growled against Gabriel's ear, rocking his hips up at that word, drawing another breathless cry from Gabriel's lips. He dragged his nails up Gabriel's chest, drawing delicious lines of fire that tingled as they cooled. Sammael's smirk was absolutely wicked as he kept forcing Gabriel's hips to roll against Michael's, spreading him open and pulling him away. Michael caught Gabriel's nipples between his fingers, pinching each time Sammael thrust Gabriel back. Gabriel thrashed against them, spreading his legs open, his pleas catching in his throat as little hiccupping breaths in time with their rhythm.
Sammael settled between Gabriel's thighs, stretching out on his belly. His thumbs rubbed soothingly over Gabriel's hips as he stopped rocking him back and instead held him still, an iron grip that Gabriel couldn't break, no matter how much he wanted to press back against Michael again. Gabriel swallowed thickly and licked his lips, watching Sammael sway his head from side to side, leaning in close to Gabriel's swollen erection, almost enough to kiss. Pleasepleaseplease! Michael pressed up, dragging himself along the cleft of Gabriel's ass, and Gabriel whimpered, his eyes squeezing shut.
Sammael laughed, a cool puff of air against Gabriel's inflamed skin. Gabriel hissed several unflattering Enochian words, straining to break free from Sammael's grip to find his mouth. Sammael wasn't so easily dissuaded. He lifted Gabriel's hips up further, drawing him away from even the small relief of Michael's body, and leaned in.
At the first touch of Sammael's tongue to the taut skin just behind Gabriel's sac, Gabriel screamed, high and strained, his true voice ripping out of his human throat. His body bowed forward, and he released Michael's shoulders to reach for himself, the need demanding he be touched. Sammael hissed a warning and Michael snatched Gabriel's arms back, pinning them against his heaving chest with as much force as a mountain. Gabriel wasn't moving anywhere as long as Michael didn't want him to.
Pleased with Gabriel's restraints, Sammael dipped his head again, his tongue trailing down, there, right there! Gabriel tossed his head against Michael's chest, digging his heels into the earth as Sammael teased him with little delicate licks, then broad swipes, pressing in, kissing him, tasting him, devouring him. Sammael removed one of his hands from Gabriel's hips, but his grip with the other was tight enough to bruise Gabriel's fair skin, holding him in place. Gabriel wrapped his freed leg around Sammael's back, trying to urge him closer.
Michael suddenly gasped against Gabriel's shoulder, biting into the flesh to keep his noises muffled as he whimpered in pleasure. Gabriel looked up at Michael, just barely noticing he was staring past Gabriel at Sammael. Michael pulled away from Gabriel's shoulder enough to give Sammael a little nod, and then Sammael was guiding Gabriel's hips back against Michael's.
With the first slide against Michael's hips, Gabriel realized Michael's clothes were gone. Sammael must have tugged them free one-handedly, but Gabriel couldn't think about anything further. Michael's bare cock, hard and slick, pressed against his ass, slid against the base of his spine, thrust after thrust almost but not quite there. Gabriel cried over and over again, a babbling plea for “More, more, please, more!“ as he strained against Michael's arms. His own cock was so hard it hurt, the purple head fully exposed and leaking pearly trails down his shaft. At his shoulder, Michael licked his lips, his eyes focused on Gabriel now. A flicker of Michael's thoughts, wondering what Gabriel would taste like, slipped into Gabriel's head, and Gabriel groaned, deep and low.
Sammael finally drew away from them with another laugh, bracing his hands on Gabriel's spread thighs to lean up and kiss Gabriel deeply. He was watching Michael through the kiss even as his hands slid up to Gabriel's hips. Gabriel barely had time to acknowledge the movement before Sammael had lifted Gabriel, positioning him better over Michael's cock. As Michael thrust up, Sammael guided Gabriel down. Gabriel sobbed as Michael filled him, so much thicker and harder than Sammael's tongue had been. His muscles seized, wanting to reject this intrusion.
Michael was panting against Gabriel's shoulder, still holding Gabriel's arms in his vice-like grip. Gabriel could feel Michael struggling to stay still, to give him time to recover. He gasped in ragged breaths, a few tears escaping his shut eyes to roll down his cheeks and drip onto Michael's shoulder.
The sharp gasp Michael gave was not a pleased one. Gabriel forced his eyes open just enough to see Michael's worried gaze focusing on him. Michael leaned forward, brushing soft kisses against every inch of Gabriel's face he could reach, loosening his grip on Gabriel's arms to stroke over his skin. Gabriel's grace was already responding to the situation, racing through his body, relaxing his muscles, opening him up to his brother. The pain was already diminishing, leaving behind a delicious fullness that reminded Gabriel of the first time he slipped into Vindonnus' body. Only this time, it was so much better, because it was Michael, and Michael was right there, exactly where Gabriel needed him to be.
Michael was kissing away Gabriel's tears, though, clearly afraid that he had hurt his brother. Gabriel didn't want that. He wanted Michael to move, to enjoy himself again. Words were too hard, so Gabriel settled on actions instead. He braced himself against Michael's hold and lifted his hips, then pushed back with a grunt. Biting his lip, Gabriel did it again, managing to lift himself a little further off Michael this time before shoving back. Michael hissed, his forehead dropping against Gabriel's shoulder.
Sammael leaned in again, having pulled back when he noticed Gabriel's tears. He grabbed Michael's shoulders, tugging him forward. Michael finally released Gabriel's arms as Sammael unbalanced them both, and Gabriel caught himself on his hands and knees, Michael still inside him. Michael could control the pace of their coupling now, and Gabriel had much better leverage to rock back. The oldest angel gave an experimental thrust, which Gabriel answered with a push of his hips.
Michael's fingers found Gabriel's hips as they rocked together, digging in with every frantic thrust. His lips brushed Gabriel's back, rewarding each cry from Gabriel's throat with a spattering of kisses against his skin.
Sammael knelt in front of Gabriel, biting his own lips. He tugged at the wool wrapped around his waist, pulling it free. His cock rose straight and proud against his belly, jutting out from a dark thatch of curls. Gabriel's eyes focused on it, his voice shifting to reflect his desire. He wanted a chance to taste. He rolled between his brothers, pushing back to meet Michael, surging forward to try to reach Sammael. Sammael eased closer, catching Gabriel's head in his hands and helping brace him against Michael's thrusts as he drew Gabriel down.
Gabriel swept his tongue over the head of Sammael's cock and groaned as the taste exploded over him, sharp and musky, much stronger than the taste of Sammael's mouth. He could hear Michael groan behind him, digging his fingers in tighter as he thrust harder, rocking Gabriel against Sammael and making him cry out against Sammael's flesh.
Sammael released Gabriel's head and reached for Michael. They were kissing again, leaning over Gabriel's back, and then Michael slammed his hips into Gabriel's body and shouted wordlessly, his very grace exploding out from him in a massive corona as he finished.
Gabriel sagged toward the earth, gasping against the dirt as Michael eased himself back. His hips ached as his brother released him, his whole body ached, and his cock was all but screaming to be touched. Gabriel's own grace was tightly coiled within him, a swirling ball of heat and that ever-present need. Gabriel didn't reach for himself. Sammael and Michael had stopped him when he had tried earlier, and so he would not try again, not until they let him.
In front of him, Sammael rocked back on his haunches, panting heavily, his cock still hard and leaking, hips unconsciously rolling in tight circles. Gabriel lifted his head and then pushed up, off the ground, reaching for Sammael's shoulders to support himself. He couldn't stop the breathy little moans that every movement wrung from him. His body was trembling from the strain of this extended pleasure, and he could feel a wet trail against his inner thigh from Michael.
Michael, who was behind him, who was suddenly pressed against his back once more, sliding his hands between his legs and lifting him physically onto Sammael's lap. Gabriel clung to Sammael as Michael guided their brother inside him.
Gabriel could only muster the energy for a drawn out moan as he was filled again, but Sammael cried out and surged forward, tipping Gabriel back against Michael's chest. Gabriel just held on as Michael easily supported his weight, crying out a ragged, endless plea as Sammael drove into his body. He met Michael's eyes, barely able to focus anymore, and then Michael, blessed Michael, was reaching over his body and finally curling a hand around Gabriel's swollen cock. Michael barely touched him before Gabriel was screaming his own release, his grace erupting with all the force of an ancient volcano. Michael's wings snapped out, catching Gabriel's grace and soothing the frayed strain from being held on edge so long.
So caught up was he in his own relief, Gabriel almost missed the moment when Sammael let go, buried deep within him. Sammael's brilliance exploded through the forest, winging through trees. He swept up Michael and Gabriel both in his exuberance, and for one endless moment, the three brothers were one, their graces thoroughly mixed. Gabriel knew intimately the depths of Michael's love, the breadth of Sammael's admiration, and he offered up the heights of his own joy. These were his brothers, his lights, his world, his everything. This is how they were meant to be.
Coming Down
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.
I am a firm believer that angels, not just fallen/falling angels, are sexual creatures, but not in the same way animals are, for procreation. They relish closeness with their brothers, because they’re not-quite a hive mind society. Being near another angel reaffirms their value to you and yours to them. It’s sort of a sign of respect and love, and it’s why angels have such big issues with personal space bubbles (yes, Cas, we’re looking at you!). Give them a body, and they want to get that body as close to other bodies as they can, again, as a way to reaffirm love and value and connection among each other, or among humans they value, or what have you. Anna, Balthazar, Gabriel, Zachariah… all of these angels in the show have expressed genuine sexual interest. Virginal Castiel is more of the exception than the rule, I think. Even when he and Dean are talking about sex, Castiel is a virgin not because sex is abhorrent to angels, but because he “never had occasion” (because the angels tease him and never let him play their angel games!).
Chapter Rating: NC-17 (PG-15 version available at fanfiction.net)
Chapter word count: 8,152
Chapter Summary: Gabriel can’t stand being the only angel with a vessel. He goes to alert Sammael and Michael, and together they discover what physical bodies can do.
CHAPTER TEN:
Cain and Abel
Envesseled, Gabriel could run, jump, and fly, though every gesture felt heavy, weighted down by the solid mass of flesh and bone he wore over his spirit. Gabriel experimented with his human body, scrambling up a tree and pursuing a deer by leaping through the branches. Vindonnus had been hunting, Gabriel realized, the information offered up by the quiet soul he carefully held within him. He should help Vindonnus out in exchange for borrowing his body.
The bow was confusing to figure out. Angels fought with blades and wings, not with ranged weapons like this. If they needed to hit something over a distance, they used blasts of pure grace or threw a blade. Gabriel’s fingers seemed to know how to hold the bow and arrow, but the actions felt stiff and ungainly to the angel. With a growl, he tucked the bow aside and drew a short sword from his grace instead. The deer he had been following was now standing still, unaware of his presence.
A quick glance ahead through time showed that the deer was going to die today anyway. If Gabriel didn’t kill it, Vindonnus would. Either way, she would feed his family. Gabriel shifted on the branch, lining up his shot before flinging his knife forward.
Gabriel might not like to fight, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t. The deer dropped instantly, an angel’s blade buried in her skull. Gabriel hopped out of the tree and knelt beside her carcass. “I’m sorry, pretty one, but humans need to eat. Thank you for your life. It will sustain his family.” He touched his hand gently over the doe’s eyes, closing them, before easily scooping her up and hoisting her over one shoulder. He’d drop this off at the camp where he could feel the rest of Vindonnus’ family, and then he’d go off again, testing his limits while within a human vessel.
When he finally slid out of Vindonnus, only an hour had passed. The man staggered, but Gabriel caught him and held him steady while he found his feet again. “That was amazing!”
Vindonnus gave the angel a shaky grin. “It worked?”
Gabriel nodded. “I entered your camp, and no one was hurt!”
“What!?” Vindonnus stared at Gabriel. “What did you do to them?”
“Nothing!” Gabriel assured the man. “I brought them a deer-you were trying to hunt for them when you found me, right?” Vindonnus nodded, and Gabriel gently squeezed his arms. “I brought them a deer and told them I-you-would be back soon. I just wanted to see if humans could bear my presence while I was envesseled.”
“You… brought food to my family?”
Gabriel nodded. “Was that… was that okay? I wanted to give you something in thanks for letting me use your body.”
“If you help my family, you are a friend of mine,” Vindonnus decided. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Gabriel insisted. “My brothers and I have been trying to figure out how to take a vessel for months now. Now I know, and I can teach them. May I bring them to you, to show them?”
Vindonnus nodded. “I would not say no to a god-messenger. But… could you come back during the night, when my family sleeps? I don’t want them to be scared.”
“I can do that,” Gabriel agreed. “Thank you again, Vindonnus. I’ll see you soon.” He stepped back from the human and spread his wings, watching amazement fill Vindonnus’ face again. A second later, he was gone, leaping into the sky and hurtling between the planes to return to Heaven.
Who to tell first? Gabriel’s choir was the obvious answer-they needed to learn how to take vessels to do their jobs-but Gabriel was worried that Vindonnus might just be a fluke. What if it didn’t work with them? Cariel would be happy to test things with him, but Cariel was confined to Heaven. Sammael? Sammael always took time to teach Gabriel whenever he figured out something new. Gabriel had never had an opportunity to return the favor. And Gabriel couldn’t possibly lose face in front of Sammael if it didn’t work a second time. Sammael would be fascinated by Gabriel’s experience and try to figure out what went wrong. Sammael was the perfect brother to go to. Gabriel flared his grace to Sammael, a silent Where are you? but Sammael didn’t answer. Gabriel had to look for him the long way.
Sammael wasn’t in his tower, but Azazel suggested Gabriel check the fields just to the north. Michael had been by, and he and Sammael frequently went there to spend time together. Thanking Sammael’s second, Gabriel took off again, pushing his wings as hard as he could, practically bursting at the seams to tell someone about his vessel.
Michael and Sammael were in the fields, facing off against each other with their swords drawn. They were just sparring, Gabriel recognized, and from the gleeful tint to their graces, they were both thoroughly enjoying themselves. Michael and Sammael were easily the best warriors of God, the strongest and fastest angels ever made. Even Gabriel and Raphael were no match for them in combat. They could only truly have a challenge when they battled each other. Their swords flickered through the air between them, silver blades ringing like bells whenever they came together. Strike, parry, feint, thrust, the two angels danced across the field in perfect sync. Gabriel folded his wings and dove toward them, wondering if they would even notice his presence or if they were too wrapped up in each other.
Michael gave a shout, yanking his sword back as Gabriel interrupted their match, and Sammael danced back a few steps, laughing, stretching his wings forward to catch Gabriel and pull him close. “That was dangerous, little brother!”
“You’d never hurt me.” Gabriel flung his arms around Sammael, hugging him tightly. “Am I interrupting anything important?”
“Interrupting, yes,” Michael said, sheathing his sword with an indulgent look in his eyes as he watched his younger brothers. “Important, not really. Did something happen, Gabriel?”
Gabriel couldn’t contain the burst of excitement that flooded his grace at Michael’s question, a brilliant flash of light. “Yes!”
“Something good, obviously!” Sammael laughed. “Did Cariel’s wings heal?”
“No, this has nothing to do with Cariel.” Gabriel flapped his wings to put himself at Sammael’s height, his feet off the ground. “I took a vessel!”
“You did what?” Sammael held Gabriel at arm’s length, staring at his little brother. “A vessel? You figured it out?”
“I did! I met a human whose eyes didn’t melt, and I spoke with him and his ears didn’t bleed, and… and I took him as a vessel!” Gabriel looked over his shoulder at Michael, who looked impressed. “It was incredible. I had a body, a mouth, skin, weight…”
“Show us!” Sammael released Gabriel, letting him land, though his own wings were spread and flexing impatiently. “Show us how to take a vessel, Gabriel.”
Gabriel nodded eagerly, but Michael took a step back. “Perhaps you two should go alone.”
“Nonsense,” Sammael declared. “Michael, we already agreed; we’re spending today together. Filiel can handle Heaven while you take one day to play on Earth.”
“Play?” Michael repeated skeptically, but Sammael was nudging Gabriel to follow his lead and holding out his hands to his older brother.
“Please, Michael? Please come to Earth with us? It won’t be as much fun without you!”
“Pleeeeease?” Gabriel echoed, mimicking Sammael’s pleading stance. “Oh please, Michael, we never spend time together these days, just the three of us!”
“Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?” If Sammael could shrink himself to the size of a fledgling again, Gabriel was sure he would, just to get Michael to succumb to his begging. It wasn’t necessary. Even as Michael was shaking his head and taking another step back, he was also laughing and stretching his hands forward to them.
“Fine! If you both really want me there, I’ll go!”
Sammael grabbed Michael’s hands and yanked him forward into a hug, lifting his older brother off his feet. “Let’s do this! Lead the way, Gabriel!”
Gabriel made sure to fly through time as well as the planes, landing hours later than when he left Earth. The sun had set in Vindonnus’ part of the world, and his little family camp was quiet and still. Vindonnus himself sat awake by a small fire, shaping some sticks with his knife.
“That’s him,” Gabriel whispered, peering through the trees with Michael and Sammael at his side. All three of them were veiled to human senses at the moment. Even Vindonnus was unaware of their presence. “That’s Vindonnus. My vessel.”
“He doesn’t look at all unique,” Sammael said.
“No, look again,” Michael pointed. “See his soul, there? That pattern?”
Sammael cocked his head to the side, studying Vindonnus, before his eyes widened, and he looked sharply at Gabriel. “Oh!”
“Oh what?” Gabriel asked, squinting at the human. “I don’t see anything special.”
“One of the patterns in his soul,” Michael explained. “Those jagged lines? It’s similar to your spirit.”
“It looks like you when you were a fledgling, pudgy and undeveloped, but definitely yours,” Sammael said. “Maybe that’s why you didn’t hurt him. Your grace and his soul resonate the same.”
“It’s a theory,” Michael mused. “Can you call him over? Sammael doesn’t have that pattern. If his presence hurts the human, then it could very well be the key to finding vessels.”
“I don’t want to hurt Vindonnus.” Gabriel looked between his brothers, suddenly wondering if this had been a good idea.
“I’ll only reveal myself a little,” Sammael said, holding up finger and thumb barely apart. “And I’ll veil again if it hurts him. No permanent damage.”
“We’ll heal him if it goes wrong, Gabriel,” Michael said, and Gabriel’s name was a soothing caress to his worries. “Call him over.”
Gabriel nodded and slipped out of the trees, crossing invisibly to Vindonnus’ side. He crouched by the human, reaching out to run his fingers along the man’s arm.
Vindonnus jumped, looking around in alarm. “Gabriel?”
“Yes,” Gabriel answered. “Vindonnus, my brothers have come. They are in the trees now, and would like to meet you. Could you come with me?”
“I should wake my brother,” Vindonnus said, though he was already setting aside his tools. “Someone needs to watch my family while I am gone.”
“Your family will be safe.” Gabriel drew a few protective sigils in the dust at their feet and murmured a word of power to activate them. “No harm can come to them here while you are with me.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” It was the least Gabriel could do for Vindonnus. The sigils would keep low-level danger away. If anything big came, like dragons, or the last few unicorns… well, Vindonnus wouldn’t have been able to protect his family from those anyway. The wards would make sure Gabriel knew of the danger, and then Gabriel could come flying back to try to protect the humans.
Vindonnus rose to his feet and held out one hand. Gabriel curled his fingers around it and gave a little tug to get Vindonnus walking in the right direction.
Just beyond the trees, Michael and Sammael were waiting with identical ripples of incredulity in their grace. “You said you could talk to the human,” Sammael murmured, keeping his voice hidden. “I didn’t quite believe you!”
“Vindonnus is special.” Gabriel loosened his hold on his grace, letting enough spill out so Vindonnus could see him again. The man grinned as he turned toward the light, giving Gabriel’s hand another one of those delicate squeezes. “Vindonnus, my brothers are here. Michael is standing in front of that tree, and Sammael is here at my side.” He gestured to where the other Archangels were, even though Vindonnus could not see them. “Sammael wants to show himself to you. If it hurts, please close your eyes immediately and tell me.”
Vindonnus nodded. “You are the god-messenger,” he said, grinning cheekily at Gabriel.
“God-messenger?” Sammael echoed.
“Oh, shut up,” Gabriel muttered back to his brother.
Sammael laughed and started to release his own grace. Following Gabriel’s lead, he unfurled himself slowly to give Vindonnus time to react.
Almost immediately, the man cried out and stepped back, releasing Gabriel’s hand to cover his eyes with his arms.
“Stop it!” Gabriel snapped at Sammael, stepping in front of Vindonnus and pressing his hands over the man’s face. “Vindonnus, Vindonnus, are you all right?” Sammael had yanked his grace back again, waiting silently. “Vindonnus, it’s okay. He’s hidden again. Let me see your eyes.”
“That hurt,” Vindonnus whispered, gingerly lowering his arms. “You don’t hurt, but he does.”
“We think you are meant for Gabriel only,” Michael said, pitching his voice as quiet as he could but not trying to veil it. Vindonnus still winced, covering his ears, and Gabriel shot an exasperated look over his shoulder at his brother. Michael met his gaze calmly. That had been another test.
“That was Michael,” Gabriel told Vindonnus, cupping his head in his hands and rubbing his thumbs lightly over the man’s jaw, trying to soothe some of his ache. “He thinks you are meant only for me.”
“I don’t like your brothers,” Vindonnus grumbled. “They’re too loud, too bright. You’re perfect.”
“You have an admirer,” Sammael cooed, until Gabriel swatted him with a wing. He ducked it, laughing.
“We’ll just have to find our own humans, ones who resonate with our grace,” Michael said. “Could you show us how you took this man-Vindonnus-as your vessel, Gabriel?”
Gabriel nodded, focusing on the human in front of him again. “Vindonnus, may I take you as my vessel again?”
“Bring back more food?” Vindonnus asked with a grin. Gabriel nodded and Vindonnus nodded back. “Yes.”
The air shimmered gold between them again. Gabriel glanced over at Michael and Sammael, but neither of them seemed to notice it. Maybe it was something only Gabriel could see. He touched the link and poured himself into the human.
It was easier this time. Vindonnus didn’t feel quite as tight, though it was still a snug fit. Gabriel rolled his head on his shoulders and grinned at his brothers. Michael and Sammael had stepped closer to him, their eyes wide.
“Gabriel?” Sammael reached out and prodded Gabriel in the forehead. Gabriel laughed and stepped back.
“That’s all there is to it! What do you think?” He spread his arms and turned slowly for his brothers.
“You look like him, but also like you.” Michael leaned in, peering intently at Gabriel. He wasn’t as brilliant in Gabriel’s eyes. The edges of his form seemed fuzzy and indistinct, and his voice felt weird, distorted, but he was still definitely Michael. Sammael was also fuzzy and sounded funny, but neither were causing Gabriel any pain to see or hear. “Your grace is layered over his soul. The patterns match.” He stroked his fingers over Gabriel’s body, marveling at the sight.
“You’re tracking us,” Sammael said, his eyes on Gabriel’s face. “You can see us, hear us?”
“Of course I can,” Gabriel answered. “You look fuzzy, but-” Even as he spoke, Sammael’s grace brightened and grew more defined, more like the angel Gabriel was accustomed to looking at. Michael followed suit a moment later. “Much better!”
“We’re not veiled now,” Sammael said. “No pain?”
“None.” Gabriel looked inward, at Vindonnus’ soul. “He isn’t reacting either.”
“That’s all there is to it?” Michael asked. “You find a human that can endure you and just… reach?”
“I think he has to say yes,” Gabriel said. “I think you have to ask him to be your vessel, and he says yes. Every time Vindonnus says yes, this golden bridge appears, linking us together. I just touched it, and I could slip inside him.”
“Find a human, ask him to be your vessel, touch the bridge?” Sammael nodded. “I think we can do that. Michael? Let’s go find some vessels of our own.”
Gabriel grinned. “Be careful!” he called after his brothers as they both took to the sky.
Michael and Sammael were going to want to test their limits as soon as they had vessels, Gabriel knew from his own experience. He didn’t want to risk them disturbing Vindonnus’ family, so he spread his wings outside Vindonnus’ body and took to the sky. While his brothers sought out their vessels, Gabriel could search for a section of land mostly isolated from humanity.
Halfway around the world, Gabriel had some success. A thick, ancient forest covered a wide swath of land, and there were miles and miles without humans. The sun was still bright here, breaking through the thick foliage in places. Gabriel pressed his hands against the moss-covered trunk of a gnarled tree and grinned up at the branches. This would be perfect for his brothers.
A flare of grace attracted Gabriel’s attention, and he turned, brightening his own in response. Sammael had called to him. He must have been successful.
Moments later, two swarthy humans with the massive wings of Archangels landed near him. Gabriel's eyes widened as he took in the human forms of his brothers.
Both men were tall, with long dark hair and prominent noses. Sammael’s vessel stood a handspan above Michael’s, and his eyes were a dark, dark brown, rich and inviting. Michael’s vessel was broader in the shoulders than Sammael’s, and his eyes were the same earthy green as the moss behind Gabriel. Both men were older than Vindonnus, but neither had hair on their faces. They wore similar skirts of sheepskin wrapped around their waists and pinned in place, but nothing else covering their dark skin.
Sammael smiled first, his mouth stretch stiffly with the unfamiliar gesture. “These humans want to express everything through their faces,” he said. “I keep doing this.” He reached up, pressing fingers against his lips.
“You're smiling,” Gabriel explained. “It's happiness.”
“I know what a smile is,” Sammael pinched his lower lip and tugged it out before releasing it. “I've just never felt one firsthand.”
“I like your smile,” Michael said. “It's like a physical image of your grace.”
Sammael smiled again at Michael's words, and the expression was much more relaxed this time.
Gabriel grinned at both of them. Smiling had come naturally to him, in Vindonnus' body. The man's face seemed naturally inclined to smile, even when he was at rest. “Your vessels look alike! Did you find them near each other?”
The older angels exchanged a glance before nodding. “They're actually brothers,” Michael explained. “Mine is named Hevel, and he is a shepherd.”
“And I have taken Qayin.” Sammael's smile shifted into a smirk as he leaned against Michael's shoulder. “Qayin's a farmer and he's older.”
“A fact which Sammael has reminded me of no fewer than six times in the minutes we've been envesseled.” Michael shoved lightly at Sammael to knock him off his shoulder. “They were asleep when we found them. I'm not entirely sure if they realized we weren't a dream.”
“But they did say yes. You're right; consent does seem to be the key to taking a vessel.”
“Have you done anything with them yet?” Gabriel asked. “Ran? Jumped? Obviously you flew.”
“That was bizarre,” Michael marveled, pressing his hands against his chest. “Earth has always called to me, but with these bodies, I felt drawn to it. I understand what you meant, Gabriel. Having a weight is…” He shook his head, at a loss for a description.
Gabriel jerked his head toward the tree. “If you thought that was weird, try this.” He turned from his brothers, folding his wings fully inside his vessel, and grabbed the trunk, finding a knot for one hand. Using nothing more than his body and the tree itself, Gabriel clambered up the side to a wide, sturdy branch. “No wings!”
On the ground, Michael and Sammael looked at each other again before they both broke for the tree, fighting each other for good places to grip or dig their toes in. Gabriel swung a leg over the branch, straddling it, and laughed as he watched their ascent. Michael was in obviously in a rare playful mood as he shouldered Sammael to the side, dodging a gentle kick from his brother. Gone was the Prince of Heaven, the first Son of God, and in its place was Gabriel's big brother, who used to race him between the stars. Sammael's jests were much more common than Michael's, but even so, Gabriel's brothers seemed to have reconnected with their inner fledglings as they connected with their human vessels.
Sammael reached the branch Gabriel was on first, though not for lack of Michael trying to pull him down. He crowed happily, clambering around Gabriel to straddle the branch behind him. Michael just smiled fondly at his brothers, settling down against the trunk. “That was-”
“Exhilarating?” Gabriel offered, crawling forward to fling his arms around Michael's neck. Michael easily returned the embrace, his warm arms wrapping around Gabriel's back. “We have muscles now, Michael! Muscles pulling weight, and fingers gripping tight to hold us up!” He leaned back against Michael's grip, thrusting his hands at Michael's face and wiggling said fingers.
Michael laughed, releasing Gabriel to catch his hands. “And faces, Gabriel, faces making the most amusing expressions, especially yours!” He tapped Gabriel's nose, and Gabriel scrunched it up in response, making Michael laugh again.
“Faces are all well and good, but I'm enjoying these muscles.” Sammael pressed his hands against the branch and pushed himself up to his feet, balancing carefully on the tree. “I can feel them working to hold me up, compensating if I move too much to one side or the other. I'm not even telling them what to do. They move as easily as our wings.” He turned slowly, bare feet curling around the branch. “What do you say we test these muscles out some more? What else was there, Gabriel? Running? Jumping?” Sammael tilted his head to the side and grinned, lifting one hand to beckon to his brothers before taking off. He ran down the branch and leapt, catching himself in another tree as easily as a squirrel. The branch shook beneath Sammael's weight, but he didn't fall off. Instead, he looked back at Michael and Gabriel, a challenge glimmering in his dark eyes. “Catch me if you can!”
Gabriel scrambled to his feet, immediately giving chase. He leapt from tree to tree without any fear-just because they weren't using their wings now didn't mean they couldn't, in case something went wrong. The trees creaked and groaned, showering leaves and twigs onto the forest floor as the three Archangels raced across their branches, shimmying around their trunks and clambering further up into the canopy. Michael caught Sammael first and immediately darted away, leading a chase through the branches to the north. Gabriel eventually got close enough to brush Michael's arm and both his older brothers turned on him.
Sammael was racing along branches above Gabriel, trying to get the drop on him, quite literally, while Michael was steadily gaining as he doggedly followed Gabriel's path exactly. Gabriel hurled himself at a giant oak, too busy taunting his brothers to pay attention to the lack of leaves on this particular tree. He yelped as the dead branch cracked under his weight, sending him toppling toward the ground.
“Gabriel!” Michael and Sammael's voices harmonized even in their vessels as they cried out for him. They had forgotten the game, but Gabriel hadn't. He flared out his wings as he fell, turning his crash into a roll to spring back to his feet, and then he was off running again, glancing back behind him.
“You think a little tumble will slow me down?”
Gabriel could just make out his brothers sharing one of their silent looks before they leapt from the tree, gliding down on their own wings to give chase once more.
In the trees, agility and dexterity could keep Gabriel ahead of the taller Sammael or the stronger Michael, but on the ground, Sammael's long legs were proving advantageous. He pulled ahead of Michael, catching Gabriel just before he could vault over a small creek. Gabriel couldn’t help the squeal that erupted from his throat as Sammael wrapped his arms around his waist and swept him off his feet, swinging him in a circle, both of them laughing. Gabriel kicked his legs out in front of him, feeling like a fledgling himself all over again, leaning back against Sammael's solid chest.
And then, just like when Gabriel was a fledgling, Sammael let go, heaving him into the creek. “Ack!” Gabriel splashed into the water, flailing in the sluggish current. Sammael howled with laughter, nearly bent double from the force of his joy.
Even Michael was grinning as he walked into the scene, though Michael proved he was the nicer brother by also stepping forward to offer Gabriel a hand out of the creek. Gabriel closed his fingers around Michael's arm, letting the older angel haul him out of the mud and water. Sammael still laughed as Michael drew Gabriel onto dry land, though he had toned it down to just a snicker as he approached Gabriel.
Gabriel dropped to his knees, shaking his dripping arms ruefully. He pouted at Sammael, but he wasn't really upset. Water was his least favorite element, but it wasn't going to kill him to be wet.
Sammael folded his long legs and sat in front of Gabriel, his brown gaze caressing Gabriel's face. He reached forward, pushing Gabriel's sodden curls aside, then drew back to frown thoughtfully at the water now on his fingers. As Michael and Gabriel both watched, Sammael lifted his fingers to his nose, sniffing them thoughtfully, before his tongue darted out to taste.
Taste. Gabriel was suddenly very aware of his own tongue, something he had never bothered to consider before. He rolled it in his mouth, feeling the hard lines of his teeth, the smooth curve of his palette turning into the spongy roof of his mouth. Behind him, he could hear Michael humming thoughtfully to himself.
Sammael suddenly leaned in, running his tongue lightly over Gabriel's lips. Gabriel gasped at the contact, freezing on the spot. Sammael was frozen as well, his face inches from Gabriel's own, just staring at him.
No angel had ever licked another angel before. Sammael got the dubious honor of that first. But licking itself… humans sometimes licked each other. Cats and dogs did too, and plenty of other animals. It was a very Earthly thing to do, and Gabriel wanted to experience everything. He met Sammael's eyes and nodded slowly, not trusting words at the moment.
Deliberately, Sammael leaned in again, sweeping his tongue against Gabriel's lips again, slower this time, allowing Gabriel to savor the electric brush of wet flesh against his mouth. He could hear the quiet thump of Michael sitting down beside them and could just make out his oldest brother leaning toward them, absolute interest written across his face.
Sammael lifted his hands to Gabriel's face, smoothing his fingers over the copper fuzz on his cheeks. He continued to explore with his mouth, tongue sweeping up Gabriel's jaw and across his cheek. Sammael pressed his lips to the tip Gabriel's nose, then dragged them up to finish with a lick between his brows. Gabriel's eyes fluttered closed involuntarily, and he bit his lip as Sammael's mouth ghosted over each closed eyelid.
A third hand brushed against Gabriel's hair, pushing it back, and Gabriel tilted his head with the caress. He could feel Michael even closer now, could sense his grace moments before the oldest angel curled his tongue down the whorls of Gabriel's ear, closing his lips over Gabriel's earlobe and sucking gently. Gabriel's body twitched at the flood of want, another gasp escaping him from the unexpected magnitude of the sensation. He reached out blindly, finding Michael's bare knee and curling his fingers around the bone, needing to ground himself.
Sammael took advantage of Gabriel's gasp, surging in to press their lips together, keeping Gabriel's open with a press of his tongue. This was a kiss, Gabriel knew. Humans did this all the time, to show love and affection, and as a precursor to fornication. Fornication made babies, or it could be done just for the fun of it.
For the fun of it. Everything Gabriel had ever known about sex had come from just watching God's creations, but it all paled in light of the desire Sammael was inducing with nothing more than lips and tongue and the heat of his body, so close to Gabriel's own. Only his hands were on Gabriel now, holding him in place, keeping his head still as he plundered Gabriel's mouth.
Humans had sex for the fun of it, but also because they needed to, Gabriel was realizing. Want and desire turned into a desperate need that sizzled down Gabriel's spine, setting off sparks across his skin. He clutched desperately at Michael's knee, as if somehow, his brother could help him.
Michael did react, because now Gabriel could feel fingers brushing against the corner of his mouth, against Sammael's, exploring their kiss. He couldn't help but smile, feeling Sammael echo the expression against his lips.
Gabriel opened his eyes as Sammael drew back, meeting his gaze hopefully for a moment before Sammael turned toward Michael's fingers, rubbing his lips against them. Now it was Gabriel's turn to watch as green eyes met brown. The two older angels fell together, their mouths connecting like they were meant to be one. Gabriel couldn't tear his gaze away from the kiss. It was sloppy and wet, full of tongues and teeth as Michael and Sammael battled each other for dominance even here. Their hands found each other's, fingers lacing together and pulling apart, reaching for shoulders, sliding over chests, down arms, across backs.
Need. Gabriel clearly wasn't the only one filled with need if the way his brothers clung together was any indication. And he needed them, both of them. He groaned, digging fingers into Michael's knee, grabbing Sammael's, to keep his hands from reaching between them and breaking their contact.
He broke them apart anyway, their eyes flying open when they heard him, both drawing back just an inch. One perfect strand of saliva stretched between their swollen lips, keeping them connected as they stared at each other. They were communicating, Gabriel realized, not with words, but with a slide of Sammael's eyes, a cant of Michael's head. The bond between these partners was so great that they didn't need words. They turned to Gabriel in unison.
Gabriel felt pinned by the intense focus of both his brothers, leaning back a little under their combined stare. He licked his lips, wondering if his were as red as theirs. Two sets of eyes snapped down to his tongue, and then two angels were leaning in.
Michael swiped his tongue across Gabriel's chin, catching a stray drop of creek water that had been gathering there. Sammael pressed in beside him, his lips kissing the underside of Gabriel's chin as Gabriel tilted his head back. They were moving, shifting to either side of Gabriel, their hands layered together on his thigh as their tongues swept down either side of Gabriel's throat. Need. Gabriel needed their hands to move higher, needed to get rid of his clothes, needed to reach for his brothers and touch them back, pull them down to kiss them again. Gabriel closed his eyes and swallowed, struggling to reign in his body before it raced completely out of his control. Michael, to his left, smiled against Gabriel's skin and then bit, his teeth pinching against Gabriel's throbbing pulse. Gabriel whimpered at the first bite but cried out as Sammael followed suit just a moment later, his hips jerking up against his own accord.
Please, please, please… Gabriel chanted in his mind, hoping his brothers had watched humanity enough to understand what Gabriel needed from them. He knew he certainly couldn't find the words to explain it to them, not with his body delighting in every new sensation his brothers were wringing from it.
Sammael peppered kisses across Gabriel's throat until he met Michael's mouth, and the two were kissing again, kissing against Gabriel's skin, their lips sliding together and making the most obscene sounds just beneath Gabriel's chin where he couldn't watch. Sammael's hands were sliding up, stroking over Gabriel's hips and up his chest, feeling across the shirt that kept him from touching. Gabriel swallowed again, feeling their mouths move with the motion, and forced a word out.
“Please…“
Gabriel finished the word with a whimper as Sammael's fingers curled around the collar of his shirt and yanked, ripping the animal skins open. An annoying, niggling corner of Gabriel's mind reminded him that technically, none of this was his, it was all borrowed from Vindonnus, but Michael's voice slipped inside, covering his worries.
We can fix it.
And that was all Gabriel needed, really, to give a cry of relief as Sammael bared his chest. His hips jerked again, and he felt himself falling, but suddenly Michael's strong arm was circling his back to catch him. He sucked in a breath, and then another, realizing he was panting heavily, his body not trusting that it was receiving enough air. Michael and Sammael both shifted, pulling their mouths away from Gabriel, and he whimpered at the loss, managing to crack his eyes open.
His brothers were sitting up and staring down at him, their eyes hungry as they licked their lips and didn't touch. Gabriel whined and twisted against Michael's arm, trying to remind them that there was more than just looking.
Sammael stretched out his hand, but he touched Michael instead of Gabriel, brushing Michael's chin and catching his eye. The two were communicating again, leaving Gabriel out of the loop again. He growled his frustration, digging his nails into their knees where he still held on.
Michael pulled his knee away, moving now. He eased himself behind Gabriel, tugging the torn shirt from Gabriel's arms and guiding Gabriel to lean back against his own bare chest. While Michael was distracting Gabriel, Sammael's fingers slid over Gabriel's belt and pulled it open, catching in the waist of his leggings and drawing them down. Michael set his hands on Gabriel's sides and drew them down to curl around his hips, lifting his body enough so Sammael could finish stripping Gabriel's clothes off.
Gabriel had never worn clothes in his life before he met Vindonnus. Angels had no need for clothes. They had no physical bodies to be modest of, or to protect from the elements. Nevertheless, as Gabriel found himself naked before his brothers, a dark seed of fear burrowed into his chest. For a moment, it overrode even the burning need, and Gabriel was scared. He rolled his head back against Michael's shoulder, looking up at Michael's fascinated expression. One of his hands shook as he reached to Michael, brushing his cheek and nudging him to look down at Gabriel's eyes instead of his body.
Michael's eyes widened with sudden understanding as their eyes met, and his arms slid around his little brother's waist in a recognizable hug. He leaned in, nuzzling at Gabriel's hair and cheeks, dotting gentle kisses along his jaw and mouth, refusing to linger. Lower, Gabriel could feel Sammael lie down over his right leg, wrapping an arm around Gabriel's thigh, his tongue flicking out to trace the line of one of Gabriel's hips. He made no other movement, giving Gabriel time to let Michael distract him with those maddening, teasing kisses that just weren't enough! Gabriel whined, trying to chase Michael's mouth with his own, but the older angel had more freedom of movement and kept pulling just out of reach.
Sammael huffed a cool laugh against Gabriel's hip, and Michael lifted his head to look at his partner. Gabriel could see the love in his brother's eyes as Michael's gaze traveled along the full length of Sammael's body, stretched out against Gabriel's leg. Sammael's expression mirrored that love, though his mouth was decidedly more mischievous, nipping at Gabriel's skin. He shifted his leg and rocked his hips against Gabriel's calf. A hard line of flesh, covered by Sammael's woolen skirt, pressed against Gabriel's leg, and both angels groaned at the contact. Sammael's dark eyes finally closed as he rocked his hips again, trying to find a rhythm.
Gabriel rolled his head against Michael's chest, biting at his own lips, nipping at Michael's when his brother leaned in for another kiss. He surged up, catching Michael's face more firmly and dragged him down into a proper kiss. Michael allowed Gabriel to move him, kissing back as Gabriel pressed against him, licking his way into Michael's mouth and taking back some control.
When Gabriel finally dropped back to Michael's chest, he couldn't help but smile up at his brother. Michael would always be there for him, whenever Gabriel was scared. Always. How was this any different? It was only sex, only something humans did every single day, only pleasure and heat and touch, shared with the brothers he loved and trusted more than any others. The warmth in Michael's eyes as he smiled back was all Gabriel needed to know that his brother loved him just as much, and that was all Gabriel needed to feel safe in his brothers' arms.
Sammael was still rolling his hips against Gabriel's leg, watching him and Michael intently. Gabriel tipped his head toward his brother and smiled at him too before reaching back to loop his arms around Michael's shoulders, pulling just enough to stretch his body taut and exposed before Sammael's gaze. Sammael laughed, but it was warm and happy. Gabriel grinned back, pulling his left leg over to cover Sammael's, rubbing his foot against Sammael's dark skin. Sammael's laugh petered out, and he looked intently at Gabriel. Gabriel nodded back.
Sammael surged up Gabriel's body, licking a trail from belly to throat. He flattened his tongue over one of Gabriel's nipples, and that need slammed back into Gabriel, making him cry out and thrash against Michael. His oldest brother's arms tightened around him, and Michael dropped his head near Gabriel's ear, a low groan finally escaping his throat. Gabriel's breath caught, realizing suddenly that Michael's vessel beneath him was just as aroused as Sammael's, as Gabriel's himself. Sammael seemed to have the same realization, his eyes snapping to Michael's, then to Gabriel's, and then he grabbed Gabriel by the hips and pushed him back, spreading him against Michael's wool-covered erection.
Gabriel wailed as Michael's body was right there, scratching at Michael's shoulders and back as the need solidified into a wordless plea for more. He needed more, there, right there. “Please,” he whispered, his voice raw and shaky even to his own ears.
Michael growled against Gabriel's ear, rocking his hips up at that word, drawing another breathless cry from Gabriel's lips. He dragged his nails up Gabriel's chest, drawing delicious lines of fire that tingled as they cooled. Sammael's smirk was absolutely wicked as he kept forcing Gabriel's hips to roll against Michael's, spreading him open and pulling him away. Michael caught Gabriel's nipples between his fingers, pinching each time Sammael thrust Gabriel back. Gabriel thrashed against them, spreading his legs open, his pleas catching in his throat as little hiccupping breaths in time with their rhythm.
Sammael settled between Gabriel's thighs, stretching out on his belly. His thumbs rubbed soothingly over Gabriel's hips as he stopped rocking him back and instead held him still, an iron grip that Gabriel couldn't break, no matter how much he wanted to press back against Michael again. Gabriel swallowed thickly and licked his lips, watching Sammael sway his head from side to side, leaning in close to Gabriel's swollen erection, almost enough to kiss. Pleasepleaseplease! Michael pressed up, dragging himself along the cleft of Gabriel's ass, and Gabriel whimpered, his eyes squeezing shut.
Sammael laughed, a cool puff of air against Gabriel's inflamed skin. Gabriel hissed several unflattering Enochian words, straining to break free from Sammael's grip to find his mouth. Sammael wasn't so easily dissuaded. He lifted Gabriel's hips up further, drawing him away from even the small relief of Michael's body, and leaned in.
At the first touch of Sammael's tongue to the taut skin just behind Gabriel's sac, Gabriel screamed, high and strained, his true voice ripping out of his human throat. His body bowed forward, and he released Michael's shoulders to reach for himself, the need demanding he be touched. Sammael hissed a warning and Michael snatched Gabriel's arms back, pinning them against his heaving chest with as much force as a mountain. Gabriel wasn't moving anywhere as long as Michael didn't want him to.
Pleased with Gabriel's restraints, Sammael dipped his head again, his tongue trailing down, there, right there! Gabriel tossed his head against Michael's chest, digging his heels into the earth as Sammael teased him with little delicate licks, then broad swipes, pressing in, kissing him, tasting him, devouring him. Sammael removed one of his hands from Gabriel's hips, but his grip with the other was tight enough to bruise Gabriel's fair skin, holding him in place. Gabriel wrapped his freed leg around Sammael's back, trying to urge him closer.
Michael suddenly gasped against Gabriel's shoulder, biting into the flesh to keep his noises muffled as he whimpered in pleasure. Gabriel looked up at Michael, just barely noticing he was staring past Gabriel at Sammael. Michael pulled away from Gabriel's shoulder enough to give Sammael a little nod, and then Sammael was guiding Gabriel's hips back against Michael's.
With the first slide against Michael's hips, Gabriel realized Michael's clothes were gone. Sammael must have tugged them free one-handedly, but Gabriel couldn't think about anything further. Michael's bare cock, hard and slick, pressed against his ass, slid against the base of his spine, thrust after thrust almost but not quite there. Gabriel cried over and over again, a babbling plea for “More, more, please, more!“ as he strained against Michael's arms. His own cock was so hard it hurt, the purple head fully exposed and leaking pearly trails down his shaft. At his shoulder, Michael licked his lips, his eyes focused on Gabriel now. A flicker of Michael's thoughts, wondering what Gabriel would taste like, slipped into Gabriel's head, and Gabriel groaned, deep and low.
Sammael finally drew away from them with another laugh, bracing his hands on Gabriel's spread thighs to lean up and kiss Gabriel deeply. He was watching Michael through the kiss even as his hands slid up to Gabriel's hips. Gabriel barely had time to acknowledge the movement before Sammael had lifted Gabriel, positioning him better over Michael's cock. As Michael thrust up, Sammael guided Gabriel down. Gabriel sobbed as Michael filled him, so much thicker and harder than Sammael's tongue had been. His muscles seized, wanting to reject this intrusion.
Michael was panting against Gabriel's shoulder, still holding Gabriel's arms in his vice-like grip. Gabriel could feel Michael struggling to stay still, to give him time to recover. He gasped in ragged breaths, a few tears escaping his shut eyes to roll down his cheeks and drip onto Michael's shoulder.
The sharp gasp Michael gave was not a pleased one. Gabriel forced his eyes open just enough to see Michael's worried gaze focusing on him. Michael leaned forward, brushing soft kisses against every inch of Gabriel's face he could reach, loosening his grip on Gabriel's arms to stroke over his skin. Gabriel's grace was already responding to the situation, racing through his body, relaxing his muscles, opening him up to his brother. The pain was already diminishing, leaving behind a delicious fullness that reminded Gabriel of the first time he slipped into Vindonnus' body. Only this time, it was so much better, because it was Michael, and Michael was right there, exactly where Gabriel needed him to be.
Michael was kissing away Gabriel's tears, though, clearly afraid that he had hurt his brother. Gabriel didn't want that. He wanted Michael to move, to enjoy himself again. Words were too hard, so Gabriel settled on actions instead. He braced himself against Michael's hold and lifted his hips, then pushed back with a grunt. Biting his lip, Gabriel did it again, managing to lift himself a little further off Michael this time before shoving back. Michael hissed, his forehead dropping against Gabriel's shoulder.
Sammael leaned in again, having pulled back when he noticed Gabriel's tears. He grabbed Michael's shoulders, tugging him forward. Michael finally released Gabriel's arms as Sammael unbalanced them both, and Gabriel caught himself on his hands and knees, Michael still inside him. Michael could control the pace of their coupling now, and Gabriel had much better leverage to rock back. The oldest angel gave an experimental thrust, which Gabriel answered with a push of his hips.
Michael's fingers found Gabriel's hips as they rocked together, digging in with every frantic thrust. His lips brushed Gabriel's back, rewarding each cry from Gabriel's throat with a spattering of kisses against his skin.
Sammael knelt in front of Gabriel, biting his own lips. He tugged at the wool wrapped around his waist, pulling it free. His cock rose straight and proud against his belly, jutting out from a dark thatch of curls. Gabriel's eyes focused on it, his voice shifting to reflect his desire. He wanted a chance to taste. He rolled between his brothers, pushing back to meet Michael, surging forward to try to reach Sammael. Sammael eased closer, catching Gabriel's head in his hands and helping brace him against Michael's thrusts as he drew Gabriel down.
Gabriel swept his tongue over the head of Sammael's cock and groaned as the taste exploded over him, sharp and musky, much stronger than the taste of Sammael's mouth. He could hear Michael groan behind him, digging his fingers in tighter as he thrust harder, rocking Gabriel against Sammael and making him cry out against Sammael's flesh.
Sammael released Gabriel's head and reached for Michael. They were kissing again, leaning over Gabriel's back, and then Michael slammed his hips into Gabriel's body and shouted wordlessly, his very grace exploding out from him in a massive corona as he finished.
Gabriel sagged toward the earth, gasping against the dirt as Michael eased himself back. His hips ached as his brother released him, his whole body ached, and his cock was all but screaming to be touched. Gabriel's own grace was tightly coiled within him, a swirling ball of heat and that ever-present need. Gabriel didn't reach for himself. Sammael and Michael had stopped him when he had tried earlier, and so he would not try again, not until they let him.
In front of him, Sammael rocked back on his haunches, panting heavily, his cock still hard and leaking, hips unconsciously rolling in tight circles. Gabriel lifted his head and then pushed up, off the ground, reaching for Sammael's shoulders to support himself. He couldn't stop the breathy little moans that every movement wrung from him. His body was trembling from the strain of this extended pleasure, and he could feel a wet trail against his inner thigh from Michael.
Michael, who was behind him, who was suddenly pressed against his back once more, sliding his hands between his legs and lifting him physically onto Sammael's lap. Gabriel clung to Sammael as Michael guided their brother inside him.
Gabriel could only muster the energy for a drawn out moan as he was filled again, but Sammael cried out and surged forward, tipping Gabriel back against Michael's chest. Gabriel just held on as Michael easily supported his weight, crying out a ragged, endless plea as Sammael drove into his body. He met Michael's eyes, barely able to focus anymore, and then Michael, blessed Michael, was reaching over his body and finally curling a hand around Gabriel's swollen cock. Michael barely touched him before Gabriel was screaming his own release, his grace erupting with all the force of an ancient volcano. Michael's wings snapped out, catching Gabriel's grace and soothing the frayed strain from being held on edge so long.
So caught up was he in his own relief, Gabriel almost missed the moment when Sammael let go, buried deep within him. Sammael's brilliance exploded through the forest, winging through trees. He swept up Michael and Gabriel both in his exuberance, and for one endless moment, the three brothers were one, their graces thoroughly mixed. Gabriel knew intimately the depths of Michael's love, the breadth of Sammael's admiration, and he offered up the heights of his own joy. These were his brothers, his lights, his world, his everything. This is how they were meant to be.
Coming Down