#a small (~1’’) beetle makes such a big noise!! was scary at first

[leadendeath]

BUG COLLECTION (byeah)

[blueyedcas]

Wings Like Midnight (Ch.7)

Can also be read here in AO3

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Fandom: Supernatural

Relationships: Gabriel & Other archangels and angels

Warnings: None

Summary:

An angel’s wings are a beautiful and unique thing, their colour supposedly signifying their owners personality and temperament. But when an fledgling is branded an ‘abomination’ the moment he’s created, will Gabriel find it in himself to help the little one? And is it possible that Heaven’s new angel could help him back?

(I promise the story’s better and more complex than the summary)

Hello again guys! I'm so sorry its been ages since the last chapter! My computer broke down and I've had a tonne of work from college and its just been a mess tbh :'DD Anyways, I hope the length of the chapter makes up for the length of time it took to post this hehe Sophie xx p.s. thanks again to my wonderful beta, Dayna <3

“Please, I’m begging you, just be quiet.”

He gazed around his nest, desperately trying to find a distraction while the fledgling bawled, his hands clenched into tiny fists. Suddenly, an idea popped into the archangels head as his eyes fell on a black dot crawling up the smooth, brown wood of his wall.

“Hey, buddy, look who it is,” he cooed, stretching out a finger for Loki the beetle to climb on. The dreadful wails died almost instantly as Gabriel brought the beetle close to the fledgling’s face for inspection. Bright, blue eyes examined Loki and a gummy grin stretched across his face.

Sighing in relief, the archangel dipped his head and passed through the vines that swung down, covering the entrance, swaying leisurely in the breeze. He extended his six golden wings into the air and looked down at the fledgling who was transfixed with Loki, remembering the next time he had seen Anna.

|/#~#\|

The anticipation was like a thick fog. It hung in the air, spreading particles of excitement and trepidation. After two years of waiting, the newest member of their family was about to be fully created.

Gabriel was watching from afar, wishing he were closer to the tightly packed ring of angel surrounding the developing fledgling. From what he could see, his father’s newest creation was at the same point he had been for the past six months; everything had formed apart from his wings, two swirling spheres of colour protruding from his back. However, Michael said today was the day and, irritatingly, he was usually right.

Looking to his right he saw his fellow archangels perched regally on their seats. Michael sat upright, his back straight, white wings held high and proud. Lucifer was sat in a more casual position next to him, slouching yet still seeming as powerful and controlled as his older brother. Raphael tried to imitate Michael but her orange wings fell short of the magnificence her older brothers seemed to achieve effortlessly.

Murmuring from the crowd distracted him from his siblings, drawing his attention back to the delicate little body of his soon-to-be brother. All eyes were focused on him or, more specifically, his wings. The kaleidoscope of colours inside it seemed to be slowing, its swirling mist of hues seeming to settle. Before long a deep purple had spread throughout the wings and as their glow diminished, individual feathers became defined.

“Purple is said to represent optimism, a vital trait that will ensure this new arrival is a significant part of our family,” Michael’s voice boomed, echoing off the walls of the Guannu, “We thank you for your gift, Father. ”

The angels quickly repeated the prayer, turning their heads up to the sky, palms clasped together as their lips moved in silent prayer. Gabriel followed suit though only for appearances. He was coming to the realisation that no one could hear or wanted to hear. Lucifer seemed to have reached the same conclusion, slouching unmoving in his seat as he watched his siblings, a small smirk instead of prayer on his lips.

“Now, in this happy time, we must not be distracted from our responsibilities,” Michael continued, looking solemnly between the faces in front of him. “A young, vulnerable angel has been given to us by our Father and it is up to us to protect him.”

He paused. Silence reigned as the angels gazed up at Michael, waiting with baited breath. The newly created fledgling still lay in the centre of the Guannu, sniffling gently, forgotten in the wake of Michael’s towering figure.

“We need a guardian to guide and protect, to love and prepare, to take charge and mould this fledgling into a grown angel. Who would like to volunteer?”

Michael has barely stopped speaking before a loud voice sounded from the crowd.

“I would be honored,” Zachariah said, puffing his chest out and holding his head high as he pushed through the crowd. He was an insignificant looking angel with thin, beige-coloured wings and an insincere smile that seemed permanently etched on his smug face.

Gabriel felt an instant dislike, rolling his eyes at the way he held himself, an obvious attempt to imitate the eldest archangel. He barely contained a laugh as Michael looked visibly taken aback by Zachariah’s eagerness.

“Well, very good. Very good indeed,” Michael said while pursing his lips, the purpose and strength he normally spoke with falling short of his usual grandeur, “Would anyone else like to put themselves forward?”

Gabriel scanned the crowd, looking for a raised hand or upturned head. Unusually, no one else seemed to want the fledgling. He saw them shift on their feet, looking at the ground, their eyes trying to avoid something.

Looking at lonely figure at the front of the crowd, Gabriel realized that something was Zachariah. The youngest archangel clenched his jaw as he watched Zachariah glare at the angels behind him, daring anyone to speak up.

“Featherless dick,” he hissed under his breath. Lucifer hummed in agreement.

“Well,” Michael said, eyes darting between the faces of his younger siblings, a frown creasing his forehead, ”If no one else would like to step forward.”

He paused again and Gabriel chuckled as Zachariah’s eyes narrowed. Obviously it wasn't just him and Lucifer that disliked his smug, cheating demeanor.

A long sigh escaped Michael, grimacing in what looked to be an attempt at a smile.

“In that case, Zachariah, I name you-”

“Wait!” a cry came from the crowd, halting Michael mid-speech. The sound of shuffling and murmuring filled the air as the crowd parted, flashes of colourful wings appearing everywhere as angels turned around to see the source of the shouting. Gabriel sat up, craning his neck in an attempt to glimpse over the sea of confused faces.

Eventually, it was revealed. She neared the archangels, walking steadily and gracefully, red strands of hair falling around her face and bobbing faintly with each step. Her large, fearsome grey eyes were nervous but firm, contrasting with the pale pink of her splayed wings, lighting sparks of recognition in Gabriel’s chest. A soft smile appeared on the archangel's face as his gaze fleetingly crossed hers.

“I-” Anna started, her voice weak and strangled. Zachariah let out a huff, pursing his lips with feigned impatience. Ignoring him, she cleared her throat and continued.

“I put myself forward. I want to become a guardian.”

Gabriel’s smile widened as he detected the steely note of determination in her declaration. The crowd seemed to pick up on this too, murmurs of approval vibrating through the Guannu until Michael’s hand was raised and the noise fell. A rare smile curved the eldest archangels lips as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Well, it looks like we have a decision on our hands.”

“If I may, my lord,” Zachariah said, inclining his head as a smarmy smile stretched across his face, “She is barely an angel!”

The condescending glare he sent Anna’s way made Gabriel’s body clench with anger, flames of fury licking their way up his throat as he watched her be belittled.

“She has no experience. How could she raise a fledgling, a future citizen of our home. I mean, she’s practically a fledgling!” Zachariah exclaimed with a snort of laughter which he quickly stifled as he was met with the unblinking stares of his siblings. After a few seconds he dipped his chin and licked his lips nervously, repeating his previous statement in a much quieter voice.

“..Practically a fledgling...”

“Okay,” said Michael with an unimpressed quirk of the eyebrow before turning to Anna. Standing beside her competitor she looked tranquil and serene, the only indication of the anger beneath being the clenched fist she hid under the sleeve of her robe and the wrathful look in her thunderous grey eyes, like the calm before a storm, hidden by her passive face.

“Is there anything you would like to say before we take a vote?”

“There is, sir,” she replied, composed and confident. Gabriel barely contained a smile as he remembered their first meeting and the way she had stuttered when talking to him, the big scary archangel. She wasn’t stuttering now.

“Zachariah would do well to remember that many a young angel has raised fledglings into loyal, hard working individuals, dedicated to our Father,” she said, aiming a well-concealed glare at the floundering angel beside her as she turned to the crowd.

“For example!”

She gestured a hand to an angel with light grey wings speckled with brown. With a jolt, Gabriel recognised him to be Joshua, one of the oldest angels in Heaven. No where near as old as him, of course, but still old. He used to know him well, distinctly remembering the wise words he used and the kind sparkle in his eyes.

“Joshua, at just a millennia old, raised Daniel, Marut and Gadreel to be honourable, devoted citizens of Heaven.”

The three angel’s mentioned bowed their heads, grinning embarrassedly as the sparkle in their former guardian’s eyes shone brighter than normal. This was a reaction echoed by all of the angels Anna called out, proud to be recognised in the eyes of their family. Gabriel was sure to direct a respectful nod in each of their directions, enjoying the delighted grins that lit up their faces.

“Perhaps,” Anna said finally, turning back to her rival who was now spluttering and red-faced, “Zachariah might research his arguments before using them so...disrespectfully.”

Zachariah’s chest puffed out in outrage, saliva spraying from his gaping mouth in rage.

“N-now, I never said-I never meant-” he trailed off as he heard tutting from the crowd and his plump face now turned a shade darker.

“Well, I believe it is time for us to vote,” Michael announced, the corners of his lips threatening to curl up into a smile, “Gabriel?”

“I vote for pink,” he said, winking at the pink-winged angel who bowed her head graciously in reply, a red blush staining her cheeks and matching her flaming hair.

Gabriel heard saw Zachariah’s protest before he heard it. His chest inflated abruptly as he took a large intake of breath and his eyes widened. With a flare of his unimpressive beige wings he leapt into the verbal attack, rage making him ignorant to the good humoured smile slipping off the youngest archangel’s face.

“What do you know, hm? The youngest of the ‘mighty’ archangels,” he sneered, face crinkled into a snarl. “What do any of you know? You let this,” he paused to sniff disgustedly at Anna, “fledgling take this poor young one. Have you no honour? Do you take no pride in our father’s creation?”

Zachariah continued ranting, heedless to the fact the crowds attention was not on him. It was instead fixed on Gabriel who had not taken his steady gaze off the raving angel, his six golden wings unfurling agonizingly slow behind him.

“And another thing-” the tirade came to a sudden stop as Zachariah noticed Heaven had fallen deathly still. The redness that had blotched his face dissipated instantly as his watery blue eyes met Gabriel’s fiery gold ones and the smile that failed to reach them.

“Oh please, don’t let me interrupt,” the archangel said, his voice barely above a whisper. He cocked his head, examining Zachariah and the way his lower lip began to tremble. In a flash of gold, Gabriel was in front of him, wings raised high, emitting a glow of primordial power.

“I mean, what would I know, being the youngest archangel?” he growled as Zachariah fell to his knees, shrinking into a ball.

“Mercy! I beg you! I’m sorry for my disrespect, I’m sorry!”

Gabriel let him cower for a few moments to teach him a lesson, to make sure he never disrespected Anna or any other of his siblings. That’s what he told himself anyway, ignoring the exhilarating feeling of power roaring through his system, heating his very core with a fire that burned away his sense of self, leaving nothing but the primordial creature he’d been created to be. Slowly, he managed to reign himself back, allowing his wings to relax.

“Ah, don’t sweat it,” he said with a tremulous smile that disappeared almost immediately, patting Zachariah’s quivering shoulders. Exhilaration was replaced with regret as he noticed the rest of his siblings; their fearful glances, submissive postures, drooping wings.

Even Anna looked unnerved, pale pink wings fluttering nervously behind her. He looked back at the archangels, who looked on grave faced, save for Lucifer whose dark eyes seemed to be hiding a grin. A sickening sensation overcame him and in another golden flash he was back in his chair, fiddling with the end of his robe.

“Raphael?” Michael asked as if nothing has happened.

“Anna. We cannot have fledglings taught by those who disrespect archangels,” she replied, her voice almost the perfect imitation of Michael’s. The were nervous murmurs of agreement from the crowd and Gabriel cringed. He wanted to hide away, tuck himself somewhere that no one could find him, hidden from the gaze of his terrified siblings.

“I agree,” Michael announced and Raphael beamed. “Lucifer?”

Lucifer flicked his head with a noncommittal nod and the fledgling’s fate was decided.

“We have chosen. Congratulations, Anna.”

Anna’s beam seemed to lift the tense atmosphere, prompting action from her brothers and sisters as they moved forwards in one, synchronized wave. They swamped her with congratulations and hugs, pushing Zachariah aside who was still hunched over, his ordeal unforgotten. Gabriel’s thoughts were similarly preoccupied.

He wouldn’t have actually hurt him... Would he?

Gabriel physically shook his head to rid himself of the terrifying thoughts clouding his head.

Of course he wouldn’t have hurt him. He had the situation completely under control. He was just giving him a healthy dose of fear to stop him from bullying others. That’s all it was.

He looked up up just in time to see Anna looking lovingly at the tiny being she had cradled in her arms. Angels hushed each other as she cleared her throat.

“I name him… Balthazar!”

|/#~#\|

The plan had seemed simple enough; find Anna’s nest. Get to Anna’s nest without getting seen. Convince her to help.

Gabriel tried to avoid flying as much as possible, leaping from roof to roof, avoiding the eyes of bustle of angels below. Every so often, his shadow caught someone's eye and he had to duck backwards to avoid being seen, clutching the fledgling even tighter to his body. He was constantly glancing over his shoulder, expecting to see a pointed finger and a yell of recognition.

Even from the roof tops Gabriel could hear the mutterings and gossips of the crowds, exchanging stories and opinions.

“...Sister, I swear, the lightening was protecting Michael, not the abomination..”

“...Can you imagine if you were stuck as the guardian of such a creature…”

“...It’s finally happened, Gabriel’s gone insane…”

“...I feel more sorry for the fledgling than the guardian…”

He continued on with the journey, pushing away the negative thoughts that threatened to bubble in his head, triggered by the cruel jokes at his expense. He couldn’t afford to stop now; his fledgling needed him.

And anyway, the gossiping did have its positives. The angels seemed far too engrossed in their discussions to pay any heed to the archangel travelling directly above them, gigantic wings flat against his back and sparkling, golden eyes narrowed with determination.

After a while, Gabriel came to a halt and pursed his lips, looking around. He started in one direction and stopped again, deciding to take another route before thinking better of it. Rubbing his chin in thought, he looked from side to side until he felt a pair of eyes on him. Looking down, he was met with the startling blue eyes of his fledgling and Loki’s antennae twitching nervously.

“What? Quit looking at me like that, I know what I’m doing.”

The cobalt orbs were unwavering and, Gabriel thought, skeptical. Loki looked on mockingly.

“I do!” he said, his tone rising in pitch defensively, “Angels always build their nest next to their guardian. I just have to.. Remember where Naomi’s nest is.”

He avoided the two unimpressed frowns by looking around again, trying to gain a sense of direction. Out the corner of his eye he spotted a box-like building. Something felt familiar but he couldn’t be sure, considering it was surrounded by identical box-like buildings. Sighing with frustration, he made his way over, leaping from roof to roof. He had to keep moving his wings in case the glow from the walk ways fell on them, reflecting golden light like a beacon.

A giggle suddenly resonated through the air like a song, followed by the light tap of footsteps. Gabriel barely had time to duck for cover before a small fledgling ran directly underneath them, deep purple wings flapping unceremoniously behind him. He stopped, panting heavily, to look over his shoulder. The beaming smile on his rosy face grew as another angel appeared.

“Balthazar! Don’t go running off like that,” she reprimanded but her words lost conviction as she began to grin herself. Her pale pink wings was held high behind her, looking dignified and graceful compared to the unkempt mess of feathers protruding from Balthazar’s back. The guardian seemed to notice the bedraggled state of her fledgling’s wings too.

“Look at the mess of your feathers,” Anna tutted while stooping so she could reach out to flatten them. Her fledgling batted her hand away, his laughter turning to groans of protest.

“Leave them alone, they look fine,”

“They don’t look fine to me.”

The fledgling and guardian followed the pathway before stopping at a building. The building, Gabriel noted, next to the nest he thought was Naomi’s.

“I told you,” he whispered to the tiny fledgling clutched to his chest.

“Well, they’re not your wings,” Balthazar whined.

“Don’t use that tone with me. You’re not an angel yet.”

The archangel smiled as he recognised the sharp note to Anna’s voice, just like the day she had won against Zachariah. The fledgling stood no chance.

“Now, get inside and let me groom them.”

Balthazar moaned dramatically and stomped through the large, black door to their nest, his purple wings splayed in defiance as his guardian rolled her eyes and followed him. The door slammed shut and the everything was silent again, save for the distant, high pitched hum Heaven always seemed to emit.

Gabriel told himself that now was the time to move but his body refused to comply, the weight of what he was about to do now seeming even more daunting. With one last look at the little fledgling he got up, fighting the overwhelming urge to freeze, and spread out his wings, scattering flecks of golden light all around. Loki, who was now waiting on the top of the little one’s head, gave an encouraging twitch of the antenna.

After hesitating for a few moments, he stepped of the roof and glided, landing neatly by the door to the nest. His fear was quelled, if only for a moment, as he saw the fledgling’s eyes widen with wonder at the sight of Gabriel’s six powerful wings working together in unison, their golden glow reflecting like a twinkle in his large, azurite orbs.

Grimacing, he stretched a tentative hand to the door and curled it into a fist. Before he could retract it, he gave three sharp knocks and darted backwards, clutching the little fledgling tightly to his body.

What was he doing?

Fear rose in his stomach, elevating his breathing and drying his mouth. Heaven’s hum grew louder in his ears as his chest rose and fell swiftly, bobbing the fledgling’s head with every shaking breath. The movement disturbed the little one who had already picked up on the archangel’s distress.

First, he sniffled slightly. Then his face scrunched up. Gabriel looked down in horror as a wail rose from the back of the tiny fledgling’s throat.

“Shhhhhh, shhhhh, please be quiet,” he pleaded, rocking the little one gently as he continued to scream, “why do you have to do this now?”

The fledgling’s howling was one of the archangel’s least favourite noise, second only to the drawn out scraping sound as the door in front of him eased open, scratching the dull, white floor beneath them. Gabriel froze as a figure appeared, and his terror became blinding as he watched the colour drain from her face.

Petrified golden eyes met stunned grey ones for the first time in a millenia and all other noises were forgotten, dissipating into the air.

“Hiya, pink.”

Thanks for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave a comment/like letting me know how I've done and what I can improve on, I'd appreciate it so so much. As I've said before, I have lots of work atm so I don't know when I'll be posting next. However, you don't need to be worried about me not continuing with this story because I just planned out the first half of the story and I'm so excited to write it and show you guys :D Well, thank you again for reading! I think I've said this before, but if you want to know where I'm up to in writing the next chapter or if you have any questions, feel free to comment or send me a question via my Tumblr (sassmycroft) and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. Sophie xx