"Up you get little brother."
He squealed in excitement as he was lifted up from under the arms, feet kicking out as they left the solid ground below, and he was turned to look into the shining hazel eyes of his older brother.
Life as a small child with three older, basically grown, brothers was great. He was the youngest, the baby of the family, and they all knew it. He was being raised under the watchful eyes of three different personalities and coming up with one all of his own design.
Michael was the strict one, all about the rules and guidelines, there was no room to play nor stray from the path set out. He was the one who dished out the most severe punishments, like no sweets and if the deed called for it a trip over his knee, he was the strong hold and the protector. Tough and hard and all business no play.
Unless you got him alone, out of public eye, then he was goofy and he told the best stories.
Sometimes if you caught him in the right place, he'd even let you cuddle up next to him, wrapped in a wing, and tell you a story as you went down for a nap. And he smiled. All the time.
Then there was Lucifer, but he was okay with everyone calling him Luci or LuLu or Luce, he was almost as old as Michael was but not quite. He too could be strict when the situation arrised, and could give out just as bad punishments as Michael did though he preferred talking about it first before jumping in and waiting until after, but most of the time he was laid back and playful. He really liked making people smile and laugh and anyone and everyone could talk to him.
Luci was just that relatable.
Nothing really changed when you got him to yourself either, though it did become much more of a calm natural feel then when he was trying to be approachable to the crowds.
He'd groom you or hum to you as you fell asleep after a long days work and your mind couldn't slow down.
Last but certainly not least, in any way, shape, or form, was Raphael. The third eldest, he was a perfect mixture of Michael and Lucifer. Playful until it came to someone getting hurt or feeling bad, then he could become really strict. He could dish out punishment, and though he preferred a stern talking to and then everything was forgiven, a certain someone has it on good authority that he can give out as good a wallop as his older brothers could.
He was good for soft groomings and venting when you had an issue with command or what not. And knew the little things to turn someones frown back around again.
Raphael was quite, not having a lot to say, but he was one of those guys that could say the right thing at exactly the right moment and have the entire room crack up laughing at it.
"Have you been behaving for the cherubs?"
He nodded happily and wrapped an arm around his brothers shoulders. An arm under his bottom supported him in his seat against his his brothers chest and giggles when fingers play into his belly.
"Yes! Just like I promised!"
"And do you remember what I had promised if you have been good for the Cherubs while we had to go off with our duties?"
He giggled excitedly, "You promised we go to swimmin!"
"Did I? And do you think that we should go swimming?"
Gabriel pouted and leaned up to press a kiss to his older brothers nose, Raphael chuckles softly and tickles his belly again, soaking in the giggles he produces.
"Now how can we say no to that?"
He bounces the child archangel on his arm as he turns to thank the Cherubs for their service, they blush and bow to his attentions and the elder sends them on their way with tender kisses to their temples and a soft rustle through their wings.
Gabriel chatters excitedly of all they're going to do as Raphael walks them up the stone path to their 'Nest'. It wasn't so much a nest as it was a house, with five bedrooms, well four and the nursery. He wouldn't get his own room until he was much older, sleeping still in the nurery or one of his brothers rooms.
Sometimes even in his Father's room.
Daddy had the best bed.
The elder archangel nods along at the right moments and bounces the fledgling on his arm as he walked, even adding his own ideas and suggestions of fun. His fledgling brother nods along excitedly when he brings up the suggestion that perhaps they could swim with the dolphins.
Raphael had taken him once some years ago and he'd absolutely had the time of his life.
"We have to change your robes first, don't we?"
Gabriel giggles and kicks to be set down, he knows what will happen if Raphy helped him put on his water shorts, last time he helped his big brother had played with his little giggle filled belly so much he'd nearly cried.
The elder chuckles as it takes him a few moments of struggles to get the buttons undone.
"Do you need help little one?"
"No! I gots it!"
He sits back and watches amusedly as he struggles to get the water shorts on, and after a good ten minutes steps in when he begins to look like he's going to throw himself a tantrum, thats when the older archangel finally stepped in and took hold of the shorts.
"Now now, you've been behaved thus far, don't ruin it now."
Gabriel whined softly but lifts his hands when instructed, his older brother chuckled, "Now none of that. Don't think I wont turn that frown back around for you."
That gives him another giggle, as he reaches up to flutter fingers over the smooth belly, and Gabriel wraps his arms around himself anyway and curls away.
"No Rapha! No!"
"Oh and why ever not?"
"Tickles!"
He chuckles but relents anyway and scoops him up again. Gabriel bounces on his arm giggling excitedly.
"Swimmin Rapha! Swimmin!"
"Of course little sundrop, are we ready?"
When the mini messenger nods his head his beloved big brother smiles and falls back over the edge, listening to the dilarious screams from the fledgling as they fall lower and faster, until he opens his wings to catch them.
The screams fade away to contagious laughter that has him smiling once again.
Gabriel bounces back faster then any other angel he knows and secretly he hopes he never changes.
...
"Gabriel what in Father's name are you doing!"
He turns, eyes wide as a deer caught in headlights, little hands raised caught red handed. Michael and Lucifer are behind him, one with hands on his hips and the other with arms crossed over his chest. Before him sits a portrait that one of the Muses had just finished and is now completely ruined.
She's going to completely devastated when she sees it.
"Well, what have you to say for yourself?"
He doesn't like this, Luci sounds right mad too and its never good when Luci is just as mad as Micha because that means he's well on his way over someones knee and he doesn't want that.
No sir.
No thank you.
"I didn do it!"
They exchange looks and Michael nods, stepping forward, the little messenger shrieks softly and turns wing to take off but a large hands catches him by the scruff and he's tugged backwards. Little hands fly back to protect the endangered rear and he sniffles already.
Never are they too rough with him, not wanting to seriously harm him, just to teach him the lesson and once done they always remind him just how much they love him.
He's indulged but its hard to indulge him.
"You're lying now? Oh Little One, why, you know that you mustn't do such a thing."
Lucifer hums in agreement and rotates his hand, fingers coming up wrapped around the small wooden brush they use for their wings, the bristles soft for growing feathers and the wooden backside hard on tender little rear ends.
Their little hummingbird whines as the sight of it and his big golden eyes begin to glisten with tears.
"NO! Micha! You can't that! No that! Micha hurts!"
Michael adjusted his hold and turned his little chin around, wiping away already loose tears, "Now Gabby you know what happens when you tell a lie, and you did a wrong on top of that, what do we do when a fledgling tells a lie?"
He sniffled, "Tey get a spankin."
His speech regressed to a more premature form in his distress and it only made them want to comfort him more, but all things come in good time.
And cuddle him they would.
"Very good. Now I think eight is a good number. Luci agrees too."
"Nohoho!"
Gabriel's shakes his head and breaks into a sob, shaking in his fear and anxiety of such a mean horrid punishment. Sure he had been told not to come in here and he's been told before not to mess with the portraits and to never ever tell lies, but he can't help it sometimes.
And they know that, Father knows the both of them have felt the sting of the brush, they know how effective it can be.
"Come now, you know it's never more then we say, and as soon as we're through perhaps we can get a small snack and then we can lay down."
It doesn't help in the slightest, at the moment, and he wails as his brother sits and drapes him over a raised knee. He squirms and kicks when his little skirt is pulled up. Gabriel watches with wide eyes and sucks in a breath as Lucifer passes over the brush and Michael shifts as he lifts it.
"OWIE!"
And then brings it down with enough force that the sting is well felt but it won't leave any lasting damage.
One down, seven to go, and he's already a sobbing mess.
"OWIEEEEEEEEEE! MICHA!"
Another, to the other side, and he wails out right.
Two.
"MICHA I SOWWY!"
Stop stop stop! He doesn't like this! He wants it to stop!
"MICHA NOHOOOOOOO!"
Three.
"IIIIIYYEEEEEEEEEEE! LUCIIIIIIIII! HUWTS!"
Four. He chokes on a sob and Micha stops if only for a moment and rubs his back until he calms enough again.
"OWIE OWIE! HUWTS MICHA HUWTS!"
Five. He's never going to lie again. Never ever never.
"I SOWWY MICHA I SOWWY! BE GOO'! BE GOOOOOOOO'!"
Six. And he's never going to step a foot in here again either.
Never never ever.
"STOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPP! MICHAAAAAAAAAA! OWIEEEEEEE!"
Seven. He can't even think straight. His bottom is burning and Michael shifts and he wails before anything even happens.
"OOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Eight, and one solid smack to his thighs, and he's a sobbing well chastised fledgling. Michael passes the brush back to Luci who gets rid of it just as quick as he'd fetched it, and the elder right's the sobbing buggery fledgling around in his lap, Gabriel wails and wants to rub at his burning bottom.
But his big brothers are prepared to dote on him now.
Luci kneels and pressed a cloth to his teeny red nose, softly cooing at him to blow, and he does mid sob. Big brother softly wipes his nose clean and folds over the clothe to wipe clean his tear soaked face.
Micha stands then, turning him to cradle close, and coos when he burrows into his neck sobbing his little wings out. He hums deep in his chest a soft rumbling tune that slowly but surely calms the downright distraught fledgling, and runs fingers softly through the soft down of his little baby wings, saying something over his head he can't make out exactly.
He's vaguely aware of Luci talking and another softer sadden voice replying, and off she goes on request to see Father.
She's going to be gone for a while (and when she eventually makes it back to her garrison word reaches around that she returned with a red face and ruffled feathers and bright eyes filled with repressed giggles).
They stop first at the kitchen, they don't need to eat but they enjoy it so they do, and they pick up a small bowl of nectarines because they know how much he likes them. Luci holds a small piece up to his lips and he takes it, humming at the tangy sweetness, and opens his mouth for another. The Morning Star chuckles softly but does as requested until the entire fruit bowl is emtpy.
And then Micha turns down the hall, still humming, fingers now scratching softly at the base of his wings and he mews softly, once, in comfort, before sniffling slightly. That same, but cleaner, cloth is produced and once again he blows as softly instructed.
He recognizes the wood of Micha's door, having been pulled in there the other day, and most brutally ganged up against. Luci went for the belly and Micha the wings. He'd cried then too but those were a different sort of tears.
Theres a moment.
Micha's arms never set him down but he does feel the softness of big brothers blankets as Luci settles in beside them and pulls them up over them all. They scratch at his back as they know he really likes and hums together, a perfect melding of melody and baritone, and his eye lids get heavy.
He mews adorable and they press kisses to his cheeks and ears and hair, Luci does so a bit more playfully until he sleepily giggles, and turns to burrow back into Michael's side. Michael gives Lucifer a look above his little head that clearly tells him to carry on and face the consequenes for his own actions.
Knowing full well how brutal Michael can be you can imagine he ceased and instead returned to scratching and humming.
They whisper words of love and soft little nothings down at him as his little far and in between hiccups fade away as he slowly drifts off.
"There we are little hummingbird."
"Sleep tight little comet, we love you so much, there you go."
They talk for sometime in soft hushed tones until drifting off themselves.
Raphael joins them a bit later, snuggled deep into Lucifer's other side curled around the blonde's arm.
And Dad snaps a picture.
...
"GABRIEL!"
The mischeivous little fledgling giggles and runs away from his Parent's shout. He's almost home free when two strong hands catch him from behind, around the middle, and he's plucked off his feet.
"You little troublemaker! What ever am I going to do with you?"
"Daddy!"
"Don't presume that cuteness is going to get you out of trouble, Little One."
He giggles behind his hands, "Daddy 'our hair is green!"
"No thanks to a certain fledgling of Mine, I'm sure. You little trickster you."
He shrieks and giggles when Daddy blows into his belly a loud raspberry.
"DADDDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
"I think I know what to do with you, My Giggly Fledgling. I shall teach you what befalls those who try and prank Daddy."
(Somewhere, in the middle of some task, Lucifer freezes and shivers, his wings quivering and he feels bad for whomever was unlucky enough to be caught by Him. Michael was bad, but He was much much worse, it wasn't often he himself pranked Father.
And got away with it.)