The sun filtered through the leaves, and the sound of birds singing accompanied a young man. He sang along to the bird's tune, his golden eyes only half-lidded. He wet his lips, taking in a breath through his nose. He allowed one pair of his wings to stretch out, then the next, and finally the last pair. He smiled gently as he moved from sitting sideways on the branch to straddling it. He ran a hand through his golden hair, which was slicked back. He whistled out a small tune, and the birds surrounding him paused. Some cocked their heads and sang it back to him.
"Good!" He smiled at them, whistling out the tune again. This time, they all echoed it back to him. He let out a laugh, one that was melodious and beautiful. He let out a quiet grunt as he stood, spreading out his weight evenly so the branch wouldn't break. He placed his hand on the rough bark of the trunk itself, smiling. He looked down at the ground below him, checking the amount of branches. He jumped, his wings spreading out to catch the wind as he fell. They did their jobs well and caught the archangel just before hitting the ground. He laughed, soaring up and weaving through branches. Leaves slapped at his skin as he erupted from the treetops. The sun glowed in the sky, and wind rushed past his face as he rolled onto his stomach and shot forward.
"Gabriel!" The archangel paused in his merriment, looking down at the ground. His expression lit up as he spotted his brothers, and he cupped his wings as he curved into a dive. He pulled up last second, drawing his wings closed as he reached the ground. He folded them more comfortably, a smile pulling at his lips.
"What were ye doing?" Michael looked at his younger brother with distain, eyes narrowed. Gabriel's smile twitched, and he looked down at his sandal-clad feet.
" 'Tis not a crime to have fun, Michael." Gabriel looked up again, a grin on his face. Lucifer smiled, stepping forward and patting the younger Archangel on the back. Raphael barely even looked up for a few moments, but he snapped shut the leather-bound book in his hands. He raised his gaze, a small smile tugging at his lips as he watched his two brothers.
"Our younger brother has a point, Michael." Lucifer sang out, slinging his arm across Gabriel's shoulder. Gabriel, in turn, draped an arm across Lucifer's back and placed a hand on his shoulder. The two mischievous brothers had grins on their faces, seeming almost too innocent.
"We have been looking for ye for very close to an hour, Gabriel." Michael stiffened, eyes narrowing. Raphael placed a hand on his brother' shoulder in an attempt to calm him.
"Calm down, brother!" Lucifer chortled merrily. "He was just having some fun! Don't let thy temper get the best of ye!" Gabriel chortled as he nodded in agreement, eyes sparkling.
"Michael, thou art such a spoilsport." Lucifer broke out into loud laughter, and Michael grabbed him by the robes. Gabriel sensed trouble coming from his passing remark, and was about to intervene when a child's voice erupted from the path.
"Gabriel!" All four archangels paused, and Gabriel pushed the brothers away from each other by ducking between them.
"Cassie?" Gabriel looked slightly worried, and he kneeled in the dirt before the smaller angel. Tears were welled in his large blue eyes and slid down his face.
"Oh for goodness sakes." Michael disappeared down the path, and Lucifer ran after him, eager to continue their fight. Raphael pat his younger brother's head as he passed. Gabriel watched them leave for a passing moment before returning his attention to Castiel.
"Castiel, what happened?" Gabriel almost immediately dropped the air of authority he wore around his brothers. And then he noticed the swelling in Castiel's cheek, and the redness of the skin. Anger flashed through Gabriel, bright and hot, and his grip on his brother's arms tightened until Castiel flinched and whimpered. Gabriel's grip loosened immediately; he had no intentions of causing Castiel any pain.
"Uriel and Balthazar were play fighting, and they got me involved. One of them hit me." Gabriel stood, twitching. He gently took the younger angel's hand, smiling gently.
"Can you show me where they are?" He asked gently. Castiel nodded and tugged on Gabriel's hand as he started towards where the other angels were. Uriel and Balthazar were just chatting now, and they grinned as Castiel appeared. They almost immediately paled the moment they spotted Gabriel.
"Alright which one of you hit him?" Gabriel got straight to the point. Uriel and Balthazar pointed at each other, wide eyed. "Fess up and I won't punish you." The duo didn't relax, but they dropped their hands. Castiel inched behind Gabriel, looking almost scared. He gripped the hem of the archangel's tunic, shuddering.
"It was me..." Balthazar lifted his hand sheepishly, looking ashamed.
"Alright. I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Gabriel looked down at Castiel, who had clung onto his leg. "Go play. Just call me, and I'll come when you need help." He gently nudged the younger angel away, petting his hair. Castiel nodded and ran over to Balthazar and Uriel. Balthazar poked Castiel, yelled "tag!" and ran off. Castiel lunged at Uriel, trying to tag him, and then ran after Balthazar. Gabriel watched silently for a moment before shooting into the air. His golden wings stood out against the blue sky, and he soared towards the large mass of water that his father called an "ocean". He said there were seven down on Earth, and Gabriel wondered to himself how it was possible to hold that much water. With a shrug, he dipped down towards the water. The waves crashed against each other, and the archangel skimmed the waves as they formed.
Gabriel closed his eyes, feeling a tug in his stomach. He paused in his flight, straightening up. Looking up at the sky, he saw three familiar shapes circling above him. Lucifer grinned down at him, Raphael waved, and Michael gave a gruff nod. With bright eyes and a singsong laugh, Gabriel shot up to join them.
Yeah, it's kind of short, isn't it? I just really wanted fluffy family stuff between Gabriel and his brothers ;w;
I miss Gabriel TnT