AN: as per madam Jessica, who wanted to see some teenage Akeelah sulking about being still so much smaller then most everyone else and some fluff with our dearest Michael, your wish is my command :D

It was one of those rare days, rest was being had, and neither of them had much of anything to keep them, so they both settled into the coolness and solitude of the Garden. He shut his eyes, resting just a bit, as he ran his fingers through the curls of the head that rested against the side of his stomach, knowing that his companion was still wide awake and weaving one of the flower crowns she used to weave for everyone when she had been a small fledgling.

Well, a fledgling.

She was still small.

Fingers curled around his hand that stroked through the curls, and he let his appendage be pulled up over the head and tugged to lay on her stomach instead. He felt his fingers open wide, a little hand pressing up against his, flat against his palm, as though to measure the difference between them. There was a soft huff and his hand was dropped back onto the stomach underneath, and he felt the shift as the little body moved slightly, no doubt to reach down and pluck at the green grass underneath them, as she had done when she had been aggravated as a fledgling.

He dug his fingers slightly into her belly, smiling when it elicited the same small shriek it had when she had been so much younger "Why are you sulking, little one?"

"I'm not sulking." Though the tone it was said it said otherwise "Big one."

"Oh, yes you are," he opened a single eye to peer over at the untamable curls, she still wore them in braids, sometimes, but she had grown accustomed to the curls and wore her hair naturally most days now, "I can feel you, such as you're plucking at the grass right now, which you did when you sulked as a fledgling." Immediately she shifted again, fingers untwining from the green grass quickly, folding on top of her belly instead, their hands rubbed against each other. He smiled knowingly and laid back down again, closing his eye, and took a small sigh to relax himself again.

He waited patiently for a moment, digging his fingers in again, and this time small fingers curled around his as his companion jolted slightly at the feeling.

"Now, tell me what has you sulking."

He heard her take a deep breath, fingers still curled around his, and felt her heave a great sigh against his stomach.

"Why am I still so small?" she lifted his hand and dropped it back to her belly, "I mean, Gabe's taller then me, and he's a midget."

He couldn't help himself, he chuckled at that last remark, curling his fingers around hers "I wouldn't let him hear you say that." He knew his rest was at an end when the weight against his side moved, she sat it, and took his hand with her. He opened his eyes and sat up in turn, tugging her closer with the hand she still held captive, but she didn't move at his tug, stubbornly staying in place.

"I'm being serious."

He held up his hands, even the one she kept to herself, in surrender "Alright, alright, my apologies. I shall take this more seriously then." And then under his breath, though not so much that she couldn't hear him "So serious now." And she narrowed her eyes.

"Micha."

The archangel chuckled and dipped his chin in apology "My apologies. I'll be serious now." She didn't look convinced and let his hand go. He yelped slightly when she grabbed his ankle, lifted his foot, and pressed hers against his. She groaned at the way his dwarfed hers and let his ankle go to drop back onto the grass under him. Michael raised an eyebrow at it and leaned forward, amusement taking over when she merely let herself fall back, arms falling spread on either side.

"I'm…. I'm a runt, Micha." She pressed her hands to her face to hide away "I thought you were supposed to get bigger when you grew. I only got a little bigger."

"It's not so bad, now, aren't you being a bit dramatic?"

She peeked out from under her hands, glaring at him, "Easy for you to say, you…...you giant." And he raised an eyebrow. She covered her face again, and he watched her for a moment, eyebrow still raised in amusement to her plight.

"Being small is not such a horrid thing, look at Gabe, for example, he's a 'midget' as you so kindly put it, yet still one of Heaven's most terrifying weapons."

Akeelah was glaring at him again "But he's an archangel." And she hid away again "No one makes fun of him for being short."

He raised another eyebrow, "You do. Quite often, in fact."

"I'm trying to keep him humble."

"I see. I'm sure he appreciate the effort."

She groaned again, into her hands, and the Viceroy heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Come here," he grabbed her by the ankle and tugged her to him, she yelped, her hands falling away from her face at the sudden motion, "Shall we go over all the ways being smaller than others is useful?"

"Micha!"

"Hush, little one." He tilted his head downwards, "I'm teaching right now."

The archangel tugged her closer, nearly in his lap, and buried his hand into her belly again. She shrieked brightly, giggling in delight, eyes sparkling in the way they had when she'd been a little fledgling, and he smiled at the reaction.

"Let's see, shall we," he moved his hand downwards slightly, and she arched upwards, giggles getting a bit harder "Your friend, Zaves, he's rather short too. And yet, he is Captain of the Principalities."

"Mihihicahaahha! Stohohhop!"

"I said to hush, little star." He reached for her side and gave it a rather hard squeeze, she shrieked again, jumping away, not getting too far, for she jumped against his stomach, and he trapped her there as he let his fingers torment her side for a bit. "I'm talking now. You wanted me to be serious. And that's another thing; you're so serious now." He smiled when his young charge, she may not be a fledgling anymore, but she would forever be his little charge, little star, when she tried to curl onto her side to block his fingers from their access. No matter, he let her curl up, back pressed against his stomach, and dug his fingers into her exposed side instead. She shrieked again, squealing brightly, curled in a ball and yet still trapped under his tortures, "You don't have to be serious all the time now, just because you've grown out of fledglinghood, you may not be little anymore but you're still so young."

"Dihihid yohohu just mahahake a—Micha! Not there! —shohohort johohoke!"

Michael's fingers found that one spot above the highest rib, skillfully digging in there, he'd helped raise her since she was a small fledgling, he knew all the buttons to push to gain the best of responses.

"So, what if I did?" he poked a finger under her arm, worming it in, and she yelped, uncurling slightly to reach for his finger, her arm lifting just a tad, and that was all he needed to shove his other fingers under, "What will you do about it, runty little thing?"

"Dohohon't cahahhaalll mehehheee ruuhahahaunty!"

"Or what, are you going to stop me, you wee little thing you?"

Despite her precarious position, and his clear maintaining of the upper hand, she reached back and punched him in the stomach. It did little to phase the archangel, but he stopped his playful attack, to look down at the fist that pressed into his stomach.

"Did you just punch me?"

She giggled despite his stillness, eyes twinkling with joy, and he smiled despite himself.

"Did your old master not teach you what happens to those who hit us?"

Akeelah yelped as they turned over, her back hitting the grass, her older brother laying over top of her slight frame, to keep her from moving.

"I, personally, wouldn't have you any other way." He smiled down to her, leaning forward to press his lips to her temple, before pressing their foreheads together and brushing his nose against hers, she giggled softly and scrunched her nose up, "You are perfect just the way you are."

"I lohohove you, Micha."

He chuckled warmly, "And, I love you, with all my heart." The archangel leaned forward once more and pressed their foreheads together again, "And do you know what my favorite part about your size is?" her persistent giggles warmed his heart, and she shook her head, eyes shining as they looked up into his, "It makes doing this so much easier." Michael dropped his head from her temple, burying his face into her neck, and she squealed brightly as she scrunched her shoulder up, but he was already there. Those bright giggles turned into bubbly hisses when she tried to stifle her laughter as he nibbled softly into the soft sensitive skin.

Akeelah was still giggling breathlessly when he pulled away, resting their foreheads together again, a rare playful moment between the two of them after a regretfully long time, and he would cherish every minute of it, make it last as long as he could. After all the harsh training, rough conditioning, and the bout of hazing (yes—he was indeed made aware of the actions that took place), his little star could use a bit of laughter.

"You are not small, my little star, you are lithe. Which makes you my sneakiest of warriors." He kissed the tip of her nose lightly "Don't think I don't know about your little escapades with young Sasha after dark. There is very little that happens in my training squads that I don't know about."

"I don't knohow what you're tahahalking about."

"Of course, you don't," her eyes were sparkling, and he knew her previous woes were forgotten in the moment "Because you're so sneaky."

And he let his head drop to the other side, burying his face into the left side of her neck now, and she did much of the same thing as before, squealing brightly she tried to scrunch up again, more little bubbly hisses when he nibbled a bit on the soft skin there, kissing softly behind her ear, airy soft giggles swirling around them peacefully. Her giggles echoed in his ear, and he smiled into the soft skin under him, burrowing in a bit deeper to gain more of them.

Michael pulled away slightly "Are you still upset?" but he was still close enough that he spoke into the soft skin of her neck, she shook her head despite her scrunched-up position, "Nohoho! Nohoho Mihihichaaa!"

"Good." He burrowed back in, and she squealed again, her small fingers curling into the front of his tunic, they had pushed against him at first but now they just clung on instead "Mihihichahaha!" he dug his fingers on both sides of her high ribs and she screamed in laughter, arching her back against his chest, and he felt her throw her head back in ticklish agony, he laughed with her as he finally pulled away, pressing his temple to hers once more. Her eyes were scrunched shut and he waited until they opened, shining bright with mirth and delight and perhaps some joyful tears, and kissed her nose again "What, little star? I haven't gotten to spend time alone with you in months, I'm just enjoying myself a bit."

"Ahahahhat my expehehehence!"

"Well, of course it's at your expense." He smiled at her persistent giggling, though perhaps it had to do with him twitching his fingers every so often "Did you think it would be at mine?"

She squealed brightly again, curling her shoulder up, when he fell back into the right side of her neck. Pressing small kisses behind her ear again, bubbly little hisses escaping at the tingly little feeling, and when he nibbled a bit into the soft skin once more. Again, he dug his fingers into her highest ribs, and she screamed in laughter once more, fingers tightening their grip on the front of his tunic, and he waited for her to arch her back again to cross his arms under her. He wiggled his fingers into her ribs again, relishing in her bright laughter, and turned them over again, laying on his back now, and pulling her up to lay on his chest. His little Akeelah wiggled and squirmed, trying to break free of his tickly hug, when he finally pulled away from her neck for good, brushing a kiss to her forehead again, he stopped his playful attack once and for all.

The little lady was breathless, chest heaving as she fell limp on top of him, fingers loosening their grip but staying curled lightly in his tunic. He returned to his previous motion of stroking his fingers through her curls as she calmed down from his, somewhat merciless, playful attack.

"Feel better?"

She nodded, still giggling lightly from the after tingles that danced over her ticklish neck, nuzzling her cheek against his chest softly.

"That… was…. mean."

"Perhaps," he rubbed a hand over her shoulders lightly, smiling faintly when she relaxed even further into him "But, you feel better now. And I've been told I can be quite mean." She giggled lightly, still a bit breathlessly, and pulled his hand down from her curls to rest over her cheek. He smiled and curled his fingers, rubbing the tips over the smooth skin, "Close your eyes, little star." He glided the tips of his fingers up from her cheek to rub at her forehead instead, and she sighed contentedly, nuzzling deeper into his chest. It had truly been months since they got to spend time together alone, and he regretted every minute of that time span, wanting this moment to never end. He knew her eyes were closed without having to look down. She was a good listener. For the most part. "Rest, little one, I will be here when you wake again. You're completely spent."

He felt her nod against his chest, hugging his hand to her chest, just as she had when she was only his small little fledgling "I love you, big brother."

His fingers curled over hers, the fingers of his free hand still rubbing at her temple "I love you too, baby sister."