[Credit where credit is due: Michael doubts the Gabriel he knew in Heaven would have stood his ground. Then again, he remembers well that first week of being powerless. Gabriel probably couldn't run if he wanted to.
Still, his current disposition is a mystery to him. They haven't seen one another in a few thousand years and Gabriel is an archangel. They were always meant to be more independent than the rest, more adaptable. Michael fixes him with an evaluating stare. Whether it's the general assessing his troops or the elder brother checking up on his siblings after a tumble depends on one's perspective.
Gabriel's human voice isn't familiar to Michael, either, but he knows this younger brother well enough to realize that a certain degree of baseline of sass isn't intended to cause offense any more than his practiced disinterest is meant to be dismissive. Unless he's in a bad mood. Which does tend to happen quite a bit.
However, despite all the accusations he could level against him, Michael's conflict has never been with Gabriel himself.]
Considering you left without saying goodbye, I can't say I expected to see you again at all.
[He is holding a grudge about that whole disappearing without a trace thing, though.]
Also, I believed you to be dead.
[Twice over, in fact. He's not going to say he's happy to see him, and he's not going to move any closer, but the fact that he's talking instead of yelling should be proof enough that he's relieved that's not the case.]
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Still, his current disposition is a mystery to him. They haven't seen one another in a few thousand years and Gabriel is an archangel. They were always meant to be more independent than the rest, more adaptable. Michael fixes him with an evaluating stare. Whether it's the general assessing his troops or the elder brother checking up on his siblings after a tumble depends on one's perspective.
Gabriel's human voice isn't familiar to Michael, either, but he knows this younger brother well enough to realize that a certain degree of baseline of sass isn't intended to cause offense any more than his practiced disinterest is meant to be dismissive. Unless he's in a bad mood. Which does tend to happen quite a bit.
However, despite all the accusations he could level against him, Michael's conflict has never been with Gabriel himself.]
Considering you left without saying goodbye, I can't say I expected to see you again at all.
[He is holding a grudge about that whole disappearing without a trace thing, though.]
Also, I believed you to be dead.
[Twice over, in fact. He's not going to say he's happy to see him, and he's not going to move any closer, but the fact that he's talking instead of yelling should be proof enough that he's relieved that's not the case.]