I would like to send out a huge thank you to Ooshaboosha for the awesome idea! I am terribly sorry about not getting it up sooner my friend, but I have absolutely loved it for a while and have unfortunately been very busy.. Things are settled now so.. Here I am! Enough of my ramblings though!
It had been a routine mission. Go in, take out the threats, and come back. They were still in training, Samandriel's (or Alfie as he insisted on being called) garrison was full of younglings still and some fledgling who were ahead of their own flocks even if it was rare, so it wasn't like they would send them into a huge 'life or death' kind of fight anytime soon.
It also probably had something to do with the fact that Raphael was Alfie's guardian too, but nobody actually ever voiced it. It was like one of those unspoken types of things. Just like it had been kept under wraps when Castiel had been ordered to pull Dean Winchester from Hell, or when Raziel was ordered to go back in time and stop a certain event that was supposed to happen from actually happening but that's a story for another time, or when Samael had been ordered to go and.. Well nobody really knew what he was ordered to do cause Lucifer had found out and it hasn't been talked about sense.
But like Castiel's guardian, Raphael was always busy. Being the healer and all, he had lots of patients. Whether it be a weather angel who had gotten to caught up in the lightning fields, or a choir angel who had for some strange reason found that they weren't able to speak (don't ask alright! Its happened before), or simply a common warrior coming in and having been injured in the line of battle and needed a healer who knew what they were doing. Like he had said, Raphael was a busy guy.
So they never actually got his permission for him to go on the mission in the first place. Kind of like the human American law where you couldn't vote till 18 or drink till 21, you couldn't actually go on missions without permission until you were at least 20 millenniums past being a youngling and even then it was another unspoken thing that concerning certain guardians it was a wise idea to get permission.
Nobody thought that Raphael would have a problem with it so that's how Samandriel (ALFIE PEOPLE!) found himself in some thick rain forest down on Earth fighting a horde of rogue demons lead by a Hell-Knight. It had been easy taking out the demons but the real problem was the Hell-Knight itself. Every time they thought that they had the upper hand it would lash out again. Raguel had been taken out sometime ago. He wasn't dead just unconscious.
The hell-Knight lashed out with its sword and twisted in some move that would be really cool in a slow motion ninja movie and thrust the sharp weapon downwards to slice through the downed angel's wings when another being jumped in the way. there was a bright clash as holy metal met hell metal and the Hell-Knight was flung backwards at the same time the angel who had used itself s a barrier was flung into a tree further away.
He was flung at such a speed that he crashed right through the trunk and landed in a heap on the ground behind the demolished tree. The remaining members of the garrison jumped in with enough momentum and time to cut the sword from the dazed Hell-Knight's hand and dispatch it back down to Hell for Lucifer (or Samael, though there was more and more news of souls and demons wishing they got Lucifer instead) to take care of. Cameal helped Raguel up off the ground while one of the few fledglings in the garrison wondered closer to the demolished tree and peaked over at the groaning mound starting to lift itself from the ground.
The tiny fledgling jumped up and down when he stood up and groaned as either the back or wings cracked. But come on he was standing, diffidently a positive.
"Alfie Alfie! that was soo cool! You were all like-"
The angel spun around a d stumbled a moment but after catching its equilibrium smiled back at the tiny fledgling who was still jumping. Alfie walked a tad slower then usual back across the bits and splinters that was left of the poor trees trunk after he went flying through it. He ruffled the tiny angels mad red hair and walked with him back to the others.
"Alfie you good?"
He looked up for a moment and nodded at the inquiring worried gazes. They didn't look all that convinced but Raguel was starting to stir and if he didn't get the smash to the head looked at soon then it would be very bad.
"I'm good Cam... Why don't you guys head on, I'll check it out for remainders and be right behind you."
Camael nodded, albeit suspiciously with narrowed eyes and everything but in the end decided on that being the best course of action and soon the garrison was flying up behind him. The tiny fledgling who had come to see him stared for a moment before he shooed him away and the tiny wings somehow carried it up and away with a power nobody suspected he had. Samandriel grimaced as he watched to make sure the tiny thing was finally out of sight before hissing and turning ever so slightly and lifting the side of his robes.
There littering his left side and around to his back was something that looked like what you get after you go rolling through a thorn bush about ten times. Scratches, blood, and dirt. He knew it wrapped around and into his left wing, he could feel it. But his ruffled it and lowered his robe back down into position. He could handle this tiny excuse for a cut.
He kept to his word, although somewhat slower then what was most likely expected, but was there none the less. Raguel was awake and talking, a bit slurry and stuttery, but talking. Him and a couple others were seated around the pantheon as Alfie walked into the large open room. Raphael looked over at him as he entered, ordered the new healer to continue washing out the wound and to wrap it when she was finished, as he turned around and made his way to his young charge.
Almost immediately when he was within arms length Raphael gathered him up in a hug that had some of the new young 'fresh meat' healers to look up. Samandriel didn't moan about it this time like he usually did whenever his garrison was near. He simply and slowly slung his arms around the older and larger angel to return the embrace.
"I was worried when you didn't return with the others. Are you injured? What happened? What was the mission?"
Samandriel answered the questions like he always did after he returned from a mission and allowed Raphael to hold him out at arms length and scan over him for any sign of injury and whatnot. even though he denied having injury Raphael got the same look Camael had gotten but didn't press on and for that the young seraph of imagination was thankful. He could handle it and didn't need to go running to big brother every time he got a scrape.
So Raphael simply looked him up and down one more time before turning back around, arm still slung over his shoulder, and walked back over to the others. Samandriel sat on one of the table bed things (where do you think humans got the idea for a gurney?) as the others were tended to and left, as others came and went. He excused himself with something like 'I have to return some stuff to the armory' and was gone before anyone could ask any questions.
He slammed into the solid oak doors and leaned back against it with a hiss. He glanced down at his side and blue eyes widened at the sight of blood staining through his robes. He lifted the side up and hissed again at the injury. there was no other word he could use to describe it, it was more then a simply scratch but not as bad as some of the injuries he had... Obtained once. He poke it with a finger and the skin changed on itself. It wasn't healed simply concealed from prying eyes. he pulled his robe back down again and wiped his fingers along the stain forming watching as it disappeared on itself. A gasp startled him, made him jump up and look around until his eyes finally landed on the same tiny fledgling who had been next to him when he walked away from the tree.
His eyes were wide and stared at the side that the injury was on. Samandriel rushed forward before he actually said anything, but didn't make it in time. The small but strong voice shouted echoed throughout the room.
"Your injured! You have to tell Raphael! It' bleeding Alfie! Raphael needs to know!"
Samandriel shook his head rapidly. He thrust his hands over the little angels mouth to silence him before someone actually heard and told Raphael. He'd never be allowed on anymore missions for the rest of his life if Raphael knew he was hiding this from him. He only removed his hands when he got the fledgling to promise to not make a sound.
"No! Raphael can't know! It's just a scratch alright, its fine!"
"It looked like more than a scratch to me!"
"Promise me! Promise me you won't tell Raph!"
The fledgling looked like he wanted to protest making such a promise but in the ended folded and promised anyway. He was still a fledgling after all, he could easily be removed from the garrison if someone were to tell Michael, any of the archangels really. Samandriel looked just about as desperate to do such a thing if he did tell Raphael.
"Ok... I promise..."
"Good"
And with that, Samandriel hissed one more time and walked out of the armory. The little fledgling walked out slightly slower after him and watched as the Angel of Imagination flew off towards to Healing Pantheon. He could see how he wasn't flying straight, how his left wing was limp compared to the right one. But he had promised not to tell Raphael, the fledgling smiled. He promised not to tell Raphael, not to tell someone else who could tell Raphael. The little fledgling took to the air to find Gabriel.
Samandriel returned to Raphael's personal rooms at the Archangels Home instead of the pantheon. He felt kind of bad for making the tiny angel to promise him something like that and to lie, cause he knew it was bound to happen now, but as long as nobody knew then he was fine. He pulled the top of his robes off and sat on the edge of the silken bed to look down at it. His concealing was starting to wear off and the actual injury started to show itself. It was redder then before, he groaned as he realized it was probably infection setting in.
He jumped when the doors to Raphael's slammed open and said archangel marched in. There was an easy way one could tell if the healer was angry. It was kind of hard to explain but one could tell right away. And right now, at the moment, Samandriel knew he was absolutely livid.
"Show me Samandriel, NOW!"
"I-I don't know what your talking about"
Raphael stalked closer to him and grabbed at his hand covering his left side. That was one of the ways. Raphael was always one to use the nicknames of siblings instead of their full names, Samandriel included. When he used your full name you knew you were a dead man walking.
"I just heard the funniest of things from Gabriel, do you know what he told me Samandriel, he told me that he heard from a fledgling that a certain youngling I know was injured badly and I told him that the certain youngling couldn't be injured because he wouldn't have lied to me. But you know what I realized Samandriel, I realized that you don't take your bow back tot eh armory, no you usually leave it in the pantheon and guess what? I found it sitting on the bed you were and guess what it was covered in. I am not going to repeat myself youngling, or I will make you strip right here right now"
He wanted some dignity left after this, so Samandriel removed his hand and Raphael was on him like a flea on a dog. Kneeling down to look closer he huffed and grumbled under his breath about 'trouble' and 'troublesome younglings' as he pocked and prodded at the red burning flesh. He stood and with a firm order that Samandriel knew not to disobey walked across the room to the cabinet of medical supplies on the opposite wall. He grabbed a gold looking jar and some wraps before closing the cabinet door and marching back over, mumbling under his breath the entire time.
Samandriel sat in complete and utter silence as he cleaned the wound and dressed it. Raphael stopped glaring when he saw how pale he was making the youngling and handed him a clean pair of robes, or the tops of them anyway. He sighed and sat next to him on the bed. Running a hand over his face and holding his head there as he turned to look at the young seraph.
"Alfie, why would you fell the need to hide any injury from me?"
Samandriel looked down at his legs and away from the pained eyes of his older brother. A hand slipped under his chin and he found himself looking there anyways.
"Samandriel"
"I-I...I don't want to have to run to my big brother for everything..."
Raphael sighed and shook his head, "And I don't expect you to. But when it gets as bad as that you need no I expect you to come to again Samandriel, if you are injured you will tell me, we are not doing this again. I don't want to have to find out from someone else"
The young seraph nodded his head but he knew, he knew he wasn't getting off easy. He had lied and hidden an injury until it had become infected. Raphael would never let that slide, heck, nobody would let that slide. And he was right.
"You know this can't go unpunished Samandriel"
He nodded and allowed Raphael to pull him over his lap, mindful of his left side. He felt more the heard the heavy sigh as a hand rested itself on his bottom. He took in a deep breath when it pulled away and like anyone else who had ever been in this position let out a yelp when it came back down, and down, and down, and down.
Raphael was relentless and Samandriel was soon in tears because of it. He knew that his guardian was more worried and upset then anything else right now, oh trust me he knew it.
"You *Smack* Will *Smack* Never *smack* Lie *Smack* When *Smack* Someone *Smack* Asks *Smack* If *Smack* You *Smack* Are *Smack* Injured *Smack* To *Smack* Anyone *Smack* Ever *Smack* Again *Smack* Do *Smack* I *Smack* Make *Smack* Myself *Smack* Clear *Smack* Youngling *Smack*"
Samandriel's butt was on fire and he had tears falling down his face in currants. All he was able to manage was sobs of 'y-yes si-sir' and other nonsense that he was sure nobody would be able to decipher. But Raphael didn't stop and his pleas fell on deaf ears. He didn't stop until Samandriel was a sobbing mess and had a grip so tight on his leg he had to pry the smaller angels fingers from around it.
"Alfie.. Calm down.. It's over.. all is forgiven little one... calm down"
The mantra was repeated as Raphael rocked the youngling against his chest. Wiping away stray tears with his thumb as the sobs turned to cries and the cries to whimpers and the whimpers to hiccups. Alfie sniffled and buried his face in the robe covered chest beneath him. Raphael had to lean down to hear what he was mumbling.
"What Alfie? I didn't catch that.."
"Ca-can I sleep with you tonight?"
While it was normal for younglings to stay with their guardians, they also had a room in their flock houses where they stayed too. Raphael smiled and leaned back pulling Alfie further into his chest as he did so.
"Of course you can little one"
SO.. I hope it was ok! Tell me what you thought!