1.2k+ words | GN! Reader | Romance, Comedy | CW: none, just a very oblivious angel
Summary: Raphael doesn’t seem to understand the tradition of mistletoe and Solomon and the hallmark channel are making it more confusing.
At this point, it was a battle of will. By that you meant ‘Will this oblivious angel even understand?’
Even Luke had noticed by now that there was an odd amount of mistletoe placed around Purgatory Hall and he kept giving weird looks to Solomon who kept insisting it was not him.
Simeon chuckled as he knew the truth. You were desperately hoping to kiss Raphael even just a small peck, but he was blind to any kind of affectionate moves and flirtations. You’d once called him cute directly to his face and he thought you were describing the Devildom and called you odd.
It was a potentially fruitless effort to get him to understand why you were putting up so much mistletoe. He saw you doing it again today as he sat there eating what was supposed to be a sandwich that Solomon had concocted for him.
He watched you nonchalantly, his spear at his side as he’d just come back from some kind of work. This time you stuck a bushel of holly on the corner of the living room wall right before the hallway leading to his room. The next dozen would be placed around his door and if he’d let you in, his room.
“That’s a lot,” he commented after finishing the sandwich and you sighed to yourself. As you took a step down the ladder your ankle twisted slightly and you fell back. Before you could even gasp, Raphael had his arms around you, catching your fall.
You stayed there for a moment shocked at how quickly that’d all happened when you grinned up at Raphael.
“Raphael! Look, we’re under the mistletoe!”
He blinked. “Of course we are…you put it everywhere.” He said as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. You sighed exasperatedly and sat up.
You heard Solomon laughing in the kitchen and glared in the general direction.
“Better luck next time,” Simeon said sweetly though he was glad it hadn’t worked.
Most people were very confused about your affection and general attraction to a stern angel like Raphael with unyielding convictions contrasting many of yours. But you couldn’t help it. He had the cutest smile he rarely showed, a voice that lived up to the description ‘angelic’, he was very protective of you and his loved ones, wanted what was best for everyone, and was very clearly lonely and lacking in enough socialization. One reason he did not seem to understand the human tradition of kissing under the mistletoe.
You began losing hope, wondering if he knew what it meant but avoided partaking in a commercialized aspect of a holiday that meant so much to him.
You nonetheless continued and knocked on the door of Purgatory Hall the next evening again.
Raphael looked out through the peephole and let you in, his slightly reddened face betrayed his efforts to hide anything was wrong.
You placed the mistletoe on the table again and Raphael walked past you to the couch where Hallmark movies were playing. This should have been the second sign something was different from yesterday.
“Hey, Raphael?” You called and he flinched and looked up immediately.
“Yes?”
“Can I put some of these in your room?”
He blushed furiously and looked away, “my room?”
You nodded and it dawned on you he was avoiding your eyes more than usual. You frowned and took off your coat placing it on the back of your chair.
“Raphael…what’s wrong?” You asked sweetly and he turned away to hide his expressions.
“Have you…never mind…” he immediately gave up and you shook your head.
“You can tell me anything, Raphael.” You assured and he was quiet for a long time but when you didn’t budge from your spot he relaxed and nodded.
“Are you…trying to set up Solomon and I?”
You froze. This dumass was more oblivious than you thought.
You heard loud cackling from Solomon’s room and Raphael turned red and clutched his spear ready to throw it at the door.
“What?” You said completely dumbfounded as you stared at him in shock.
He collected himself for a more serious conversation and began to explain himself. “I recently learned of the human tradition to kiss under the mistletoe.”
You nodded wondering how him finally learning the truth had gone so wrong.
“You set it up everywhere in our home and then immediately leave after Solomon begins laughing…This must be a signal for you to leave after prepping the area.” He said determinedly and you planted your face in your hands.
Solomon kept laughing so Raphael grabbed your arm. “Don’t go. Please take the mistletoe down. I’m not sure what Solomon has said to you but I do not have an interest in him, only his cooking.”
This situation was so absurd you finally broke down laughing, clutching your stomach as you fell onto your side, head in his hap.
Raphael let go of you and blushed. He had no idea what to do. He was feeling humiliated as he may have jumped to conclusions. Perhaps you just really liked mistletoe. Now you were in tears on his lap, a situation he’d never found himself in and so he sat there, his embarrassment growing until he had had enough.
“That’s enough. I deserve an answer. You’ve been doing this for weeks now.”
You wiped the tears from your eyes and poured yourself a glass of water asking him to wait as you calmed yourself down.
Finally, you turned around to Raphael, leaning against the counter, pink in the face as you decided the only way he’d get it through his head is if you explained it to him.
“Solomon is laughing because I keep failing.”
“At…hanging mistletoe? You did fall a few times…” he noted, his shoulders instantly relaxed as he now knew he was not part of some hallmark movie plot to set him up with Solomon.
You shook your head. “Raphael, how many times were we under the mistletoe at the same time?” You asked him to recall and he thought about it.
“…every time?” He said but it still didn’t click.
How could someone observant enough to be the best hitman in the celestial realm be so blind to this?
“Raphael…” you sighed and gave him a dumbfounded look. “I’ve been failing to get you to kiss me.”
Having it finally spelled it out, Raphael was very quiet and very still for what felt like minutes but was probably a few moments.
Then Raphael did something you’d never seen the proud angel do before. He hid his face in his hands and remained that way for what was minutes.
Luke and Simeon came into the living room to check up on him and Simeon offered you another glass of water which you drank as you became anxious this was a clear rejection.
Finally, Raphael sat up straight, face as expressionless as usual, and got up from the couch with his spear in hand. He disappeared around the corner and your heart fell. You thought you’d fall over as tears pricked the corners of your eyes when Raphael reappeared with a single leaf of mistletoe he’d ripped off a wall somewhere.
Now he blushed and looked away from you. You blinked in surprise trying not to get your hopes up but you ran up to him and hugged him. He stuck the leaf onto the end of the spear which reached above you both and he looked down at you, pink visible in his cheeks.
You looked up at him and closed your eyes. He stared at your freshly glossed lips and closing his eyes too he bent down and you finally felt the kiss of your angel’s lips.
I had an idea, so I wrote it. A huge shout out to this guy's youtube where I watched his videos on how to use a spear multiple times in order to write this. Also I'd like to say that there are a lot of suggestive words when it comes to spears, but I swear this is entirely sfw.
GN!MC x Raphael
Warnings: none, it's fluff
You hefted your bag onto your shoulder more snugly as you made your way down the front stairs at RAD. You were finally done with classes and after school meetings. It was time to make your way back to the House of Lamentation.
You were thinking about what you would do when you got there as you walked through campus. You stayed on the path, following it as it wound through the grounds. Your thoughts were disturbed when something bright caught your eye.
You turned your head in that direction only to stop dead in your tracks.
It was Raphael and the glint from the gold of the diamonds in his hair had been what you had seen.
There was nothing unusual about seeing Raphael around campus, but you were entranced by what he was doing.
In his hands, Raphael held one of his infamous spears. It was no simple wood and iron spear, either. It looked like it was made of gold and steel, bright as the eternal Celestial Realm sun.
He was moving through a specific set of moves, holding the spear firmly, thrusting and lunging at imaginary opponents.
Your heart raced as you watched him. His footwork was precise but complicated, making him look like a deadly dancer. His face was as serious as it always was, composed and full of concentration.
Raphael turned in his routine and his eyes focused on your face. He stopped moving, looking at you over the shining tip of the spear.
You were wondering if you should say something when Raphael pulled the spear back, holding it at his side and standing straight out of his fighting stance.
"MC," he said. He didn't sound upset that you were watching him. He sounded just as he always did.
You were flustered, though, at having been caught. "I'm sorry," you said. "I didn't mean to stare at you or to interrupt. I was just curious." You couldn't exactly say that you were a little entranced by him, too.
Raphael cocked his head a little. "Are you interested in learning to use the spear, MC? I can show you the basics."
You blinked. You hadn't really thought about it, but now that he had suggested it…
"I would like that," you replied.
Raphael nodded. "We can start now, if you like."
You immediately shrugged off your book bag and left it in the grass. "Okay," you said.
Raphael gestured for you to stand in front of him. Then he handed you his spear. You took it reverently, especially because you felt like you were handling something holy.
"It isn't fragile," Raphael said, seemingly picking up on your sense of uncertainty. "Grip it firmly."
"Like this?" you asked, attempting to emulate how you had seen him holding it earlier.
"Your grip depends on how you intend to use it," Raphael said. "Let's start with the basic thrust move. For that you'll want your dominant hand closer to the base of the spear. It will be the one directing your thrusts."
You rearranged your hold a bit, to be closer to what you thought was correct.
Raphael studied your hold for a moment. "Now thrust the spear forward with both hands, without changing their position, and lunge forward with your front foot. Make sure to keep your stance a bit low to the ground."
You did as he instructed and then froze in place with the spear extended. The tip didn't quite reach Raphael, but it was inches away from his chest. He seemed unperturbed.
"That's good, MC," he said. "But your power is lacking. You need to put your dominant hand a little further back."
You readjusted your hand and tried again.
After several repetitions of the move where Raphael simply watched you, he held up a hand.
You stopped, still in a fighting stance, and waited.
Raphael circled around behind you. You figured he was looking at all the ways in which you were standing incorrectly.
And then you felt his hands on yours. And you realized he was standing close enough to put his arms around you and hold the spear with you.
"You need to hold it more on an angle, like this." Raphael's voice was right next to your ear and you tried not to think about the goosebumps that rose on your skin. He adjusted the angle of the spear.
"When you thrust, simply go straight forward. Be careful not to do this." He demonstrated by thrusting the spear, his chest pressing against your back as he did. It was clear that he was telling you not to let the spear go out from your body before it went forward toward your opponent.
"Keep it steady," Raphael said. "And step into the forward movement."
Raphael let go of you and stepped back. "Try it again," he said.
You were grateful he was behind you now, hoping it meant he couldn't see the blush on your cheeks. You had to take a breath before attempting the move again.
After your next attempt, you couldn't stop yourself from looking over your shoulder at him, for confirmation on whether or not you had improved.
Your heart nearly stopped when you saw the gentle smile on his face. He nodded in approval.
You spent another solid hour practicing this basic move with Raphael's spear. It started to feel like second nature, as if that beautiful shining weapon somehow belonged in your very own human hands.
When you realized you needed to get back to the House of Lamentation, you carefully handed Raphael back his spear.
He stood it upright beside him, smiling at you again. Your heart shuddered at the sight - he looked absolutely angelic when he smiled at you like that.
"You did well, MC," he said. "I think you have potential with the spear, if you'd like to continue training."
You shrugged at the praise. "I just had a really good teacher, that's all."
Raphael sighed and shook his head a little. "I think I was a bit too distracting for you. But you managed to improve despite that. You truly are remarkable, MC."
You blushed because it was pretty clear from this statement that he had been aware of the reactions you had attempted to hide.
To your complete astonishment, Raphael reached out and put his hand on your cheek. "This is what I mean," he said.
You fought to stop yourself from blushing even more, but it was a losing battle. "Um, I should get back…"
Raphael stepped away from you, then smiled and said, "If you keep practicing, you'll be able to put those brothers in their place in no time."
You laughed. It was such a hilarious image, you couldn't help it. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces," you said.
You thanked Raphael and made a plan to continue your training at a later time. As you grabbed your bag, you stopped for a moment to watch as he fell into an elaborate routine once again. You wouldn't soon forget the feeling of his hands on yours or the sound of his voice, low in your ear. You rushed home with the golden glint of his spear still prominent in your mind.
↳ mammon, leviathan, mephistopheles, thirteen, and raphael × gn!reader (separately)
↳ genre: fluff(?), enemies to lovers-type beat | wordcount: 1.7k | warnings: cursing, lower demon tries to eat you (mammon), kissing mention (thirteen), you get locked in a closet by solomon (raphael)
↳ notes: when i tell you i worked on this for months 🤡 hfdfjkgdgjfdgjdg
—mammon
between the demeaning remarks from mammon and the fact that you wouldn't take his shit from day one, one can probably guess there'd be a problem
but lucifer appointed him to escort you and show you how things are in the devildom, so it's not like mammon could just say no
but eventually your constant bickering seemed to create a fifth type of migraine for lucifer, so he let mammon off the hook and told you to choose another one of his brothers to escort you around rad
you, being you (and still feeling very petty about mammon's comment of you needing a babysitter. like he was one to talk) you did not listen
the freedom was thrilling, in your defense
after being constantly followed and berated by mammon everyday, being able to go around campus without anyone telling you where to go made you a bit excited
that is, until you found yourself cornered by a random lower demon looking for a snack
but before you could even consider making a run for it, the demon stiffened, their previous predatory sneer freezing into a grimace
they fell to the floor immediately after
and there stood mammon, glaring down at them, his fist positioned upwards like he was ready to land another punch
his glare rose to you
"if you're gonna run around rad all willy-nilly without an escort, at least know when you're bein' followed. idiot."
you merely blinked at him, still reeling in surprise
mammon tore his gaze away. if it were anyone else, you'd almost say he looked flustered
"oh come on, don't go lookin' at me like that! what, did ya really think i'd let some lowlife snack on ya? lucifer'd murder me on the spot!"
you didn't even notice you dropped your bag until mammon picked it up off the floor, carrying it on one shoulder. he gave you a rougher-than-intended nudge on the shoulder
he still wouldn't meet your eyes
"come on, human, let's get ya to class"
—leviathan
it all began.. with the tsl trivia quiz. and then it went downhill from there
though leviathan honored his word and gave you a pact and you began respecting his otaku expertise, on a personal level? yeah no
maybe he was still butthurt about the quiz..? you didn't want to assume the worst about him. you barely knew the guy after all
but also he tried to kill you over his hyperfixation. maybe you had the right to assume whatever you want
and honestly, you were bound to get tired of it at some point
"you're just a random normie anyway lol"
"what, you think i'll just let some normie into my room?"
"ugh, i can't believe a normie beat me at a gamee."
forget tired, honestly, you were getting sick of it
you decided you've reached your limit on a random thursday morning
"hey, normie, pass the salt, would you?"
you ought to throw it at his head at this point
your teeth ground together in irritation
you didn't even notice that you'd crossed the room and moved around the entire dining table until you had the demon's collar by the fist
"i have had it with you!"
"wH- eh?" leviathan could only sputter as your grip tightened on his shirt. "what is your problem?"
"what's my problem? what's your problem?"
you didn't catch the hitch in his breath, the growing red of his cheeks, too blinded by annoyance to look anywhere but the narrowed pupils of his eyes
"would it kill you to have some manners, goddammit? i haven't done a single thing but breathe near you and all i hear is normie this, normie that, do you even know my fucking name?"
levi gulped nervously, but he surprised you nonetheless
"..m....mc.. your name is mc." he mumbled.
you were silent for a moment. but even after all the shit, you decided it would have to do for now. this wasn't worth being late to class over
"i'm not done with you.. demon."
you let go (he heaves a sigh of relief below you) and pick up your bag and leave. simple
all the while, levi watched you leave with his heart hammering in his chest
—mephistopheles
let's be honest, it's not very hard to make an enemy out of mephistopheles
even if you weren't an angel, as a human, you managed to get on his nerves just fine
you'd think with his status and titles and riches that fighting with him on a near daily basis would have some serious kind of ripple effect against you
but you quickly learn that no, he was just the most dramatic bitch in the universe
we been knew
but this only served to annoy you more, really. it was clear that he didn't even take you seriously enough to fight you properly
instead, he resorted to being petty and snarky and obnoxious about literally everything and you wanted to break his stupid nose with his stupid cane
depending on who you are, you would be delighted or very irritated to know that you get on his nerves just as badly!! :D
he knew the demon brothers were a bunch of oafs from the start, but honestly, the way they tumbled over each other to kneel at your feet was just a whole new level of pathetic
you were just some random human exchange student, after all. how great could you really be?
that was what he thought until one day, when his younger brother came barreling into the newspaper club room, completely unannounced, for his first surprise visit to his older brother's school
before mephistopheles could question him, he noticed you standing awkwardly in the doorway
"meph, did you meet mc?" his brother's bright grin seemed like a slice out of the sun as his eyes darted between you and your so-called enemy
obliviously, the kid continued rambling on. "your school is really really big, and i got lost after dad dropped me, but mc found me and brought me to you!"
huh
mephistopheles raised his eyes to meet yours. he couldn't quite read the expression on your face. but he didnt push you further
"is that so?"
(as he soon learned, you were actually pretty great)
—thirteen
in thirteen's defense, you were not the target of the trap
obviously
(so clearly, it was solomon's fault right?? riiiight???)
but you didn't seem to think that way. and to her discredit, you did still get caught in it
upside down and dizzy, the rubber rope latched around your ankles and wrists bouncing with the slightest breeze, you swore you would get her back for this
and you did:
after setting you free, the day after, she reset the trap. all you needed to do was push
in your defense, being stuck upside down for hours, even if on a mere accident, was not fun in the slightest
you were even late for class :(
unfortunately for both of you, the reaper seemed to take this as an act of war
and so ensued your rivalry
unfortunately for everyone else, you were both incredibly stubborn, headstrong, and dramatic
so more often than not, other people ended up falling victim to either of your pranks
belphegor gets caught in a tickle machine intended for you, mephistopheles suffers a bucket of ink falling from the door onto his head, not to mention the time lucifer got hit face first with glitter glue
legend says you were both almost suspended
but that wasn't even taking into account how much everyone hated being there for your verbal fights
satan has had to leave so many rooms just to keep from getting irritated at your antics
it isn't until asmodeus intervened one day that some of the poor witnesses figured out how to make a little entertainment off of this predicament
"good heavens, would you two just KISS already?!"
and, well, in asmodeus's defense, it had just been a joke on his part; a way to get you both to shut up
but much to both of your discredit, neither of you were all that good at hiding your blushing
—raphael
it started with solomon, being the good, amazing, wonderful peacekeeper with no ulterior motives that he is, he hatched a plan to get you and the angel to make up
a plan that was totally not for his own entertainment whatsoever, no
he even got luke to help him out :D
and that was the story of how you and raphael got locked in a room together <3
"luke, please let us out. right now."
a muscle ticked in raphael's jaw as solomon laughed from the other side of the door
"sorry!" luke exclaimed. "we can't open it just yet! not until you talk and make up!"
"solomon....." you warned
"tsk tsk tsk. come on, mc, we're only trying to help you. both of you"
"define 'help'." raphael muttered
you snorted at his quip
"well, for one, the fact that spears rain from the heavens whenever you fight"
"that is none of your business!"
you couldn't help but laugh at his words, even as he glanced your way with incredulity. if anything, the bewildered look only made you laugh again
"guys, you know i could just summon one of the brothers to let us out right? why bother with all this?"
"i know you can, of course," replied solomon. "but. you know. we'd much rather you didn't"
"we just want you two to stop fighting.." luke said
your shoulders slumped at his voice. luke, at least, was being serious
you glanced sideways at raphael. he met your gaze, and the look on his face told you he was thinking the same thing
the angel sighed. "..okay"
"okay what?" luke asked
"we will try to get along."
"really?!"
raphael chuckled. "yes, really" the soft smile on his face faded as he saw your expression
"what."
"nothing, nothing, i just don't think i've seen you smile so nicely before" :)
"which would make sense, given that you're annoying"
"you-"
"haha," solomon chuckled. "they're getting along already"
Yahooo~ I’m here to ask if you aren’t busy for a request!
Im desperate for Raphael content soo.. can you possibly do a male mc x Raphael with this dynamic!
Third wheel being one of the purgatory hall characters- honestly I don’t blame you if you ignore this but I might aswell take a shot🙏🙏
pov you don't know anything about raphael (✯ᴗ✯) I kinda trailed off with this fic but I hope you like it anyway haha...
oblivious mc and raphael
✿✿
raphael is a complicated man, that's for sure. he's stoic and determined- and even incredibly violent. he's michael's right-hand man after all.
so does any of that explain why he's so nice to you? why he always offers to carry your bags at R.A.D.? or let you borrow his D.D.D. when yours is dead? surely he must do this to others, right?
no, as luke told you, he doesn't. he doesn't even let luke use his D.D.D. to call simeon when his has died. raphael is harsh to everyone, except you. and luke didn't like it one bit.
everytime you and raphael would be alone for a little too long, luke would burst in the room and pull you away. he doesn't like how cutesy the two of you get.
but when simeon mentions just how sweet the two of you are together, luke gets a new plan. yes... instead of forcing you apart- he'll force you together!
and so it starts, whenever you're carrying books near raphael, luke will purposefully bump into you so you drop them, and then urge raphael to help you.
and this happens... multiple times in a day. you can barely understand raphael's small advances towards you, and you understand luke's even less!
after a few unruly days of these antics, you dragged raphael in an unused room at purgatory hall. though you barely payed attention, he seemed really nervous.
"what's up with luke?" you ask, standing in front of him, leaning up against the wall.
"I, uh," he puts a hand up against the back of his neck. he was so close you could smell his cologne. "I don't have a clue, but there's something I need to tell you-"
"I mean seriously! he's been all up in arms these past few days and I just can't understand why-!"
your rant comes to a very short end as raphael leans even closer to you, the smell of his cedar and nutmeg filling your nose. you had come to love the smell, after spending so much time with him.
your lips touch for mere moments, but they fill you with electricity. your fingers and toes buzz as you reach a hand to clasp against his own. it's a perfect moment until-
"raphael! human! can one of you-" luke stops dead in his tracks as the two of you jump apart. oh no.
"are you kidding me?! I spend all this time making you two admit you're in love and you do it behind closed doors?!"
LISTEN. Nobody said I was good at titles, okay? Spear Lessons was bad enough, but I didn't wanna just call this Spear Lessons Part Two, you know??
Anyway, this is the second part to Spear Lessons. I am completely addicted to medieval sparring youtube now and there is no turning back for me. Also might be a little in love with Raphael, but that's a different problem.
GN!MC x Raphael
Warnings: none, 'tis still fluff
You stood in the RAD coliseum, your feet spread and knees lowered in a fighting stance. You clutched a spear in one hand, held up and slightly behind yourself, waiting. The large space was filled with tense silence.
Across from you, still several feet away, Raphael stood straight, but relaxed. His spear was held in his hand, pointing up to the ceiling. He seemed perfectly composed as he kept his eyes on you.
You crouched slightly, waiting for him to make the first move.
When Raphael stepped back, bringing his spear down into position, you knew he was deliberately going slow enough for you to see what he was doing. It irritated you just a little. After all this time, why was he still going easy on you?
Because of this, you were prepared for his lunge. You brought your spear down and around, tucking it on the inside of his to easily knock it to the side. It stabbed past your head harmlessly.
You took advantage of the moment and stepped forward into your own thrust, aiming the tip of your spear at his chest.
Raphael stepped backward, pulling the tip of his spear just beneath yours so it was positioned to knock you out of the way.
Your spear listed to the side a little as you pulled it back into yourself, rearranging into a prepared stance. The tips of your spears were now crossed and they clanked against each other faintly as you each shuffled your feet in preparation for the next attack.
It was a split second decision for you to take the offense, stepping forward before Raphael could, bringing your spear into line to hit him.
Raphael deflected your spear almost too easily. He may have started slow for your benefit, but you recognized when he got serious.
That was when his spear slid across the top of yours, the tip aimed right at your neck.
Your best choice was to duck, so you did. You took several steps backward to further avoid the strike. Then you turned a little to re-enter the fighting space and thrust your own spear out at Raphael. You kept your dominant hand on the bottom of the spear, using your arm's strength to send it out from you as far as it would go.
You nearly clipped him, but Raphael knocked it aside in time.
You were breathing a little heavily now, but you were proud of yourself for getting that close.
You didn't let up. You decided a series of quick thrusts was the way to go - throw him off by not letting him take a break from defending against you.
You moved forward with each thrust, your feet carrying you across the coliseum floor easily, the continual jabs from the spear being repelled each time. But you noted how Raphael's parries were getting sloppier and sloppier as you pressed him.
So you continued, kept going until you saw the perfect opening. Raphael's spear was already slightly off to the side due to meeting your last thrust. So you used your own spear to press his down, forcing the tip to the ground. Then you thrust, letting your spear slide up the length of his until the point reached his throat.
If you had been fighting for real, he would be dead.
Raphael looked at you over the tip of your spear, which was made of a harmless rubber and was now bent in half against his neck. His surprised expression suddenly melted into a smile and your heart constricted when you saw the pride there.
You laughed, overwhelmed at the fact that you had finally beat him. For months now, you had been sparring here in the coliseum and you had never once managed to hit him. Every time, Raphael deflected your attacks.
You dropped your sparring spear, a simple thing made of wood, letting it clank against the ground.
"I did it!" you exclaimed.
You didn't wait for a reaction from Raphael, you simply ran toward him and flung your arms around his neck.
There was another clank as Raphael dropped his own spear - also for practice and made of wood and rubber. His arms caught you and he stepped back a few paces from your momentum.
You suddenly found yourself staring directly into those blue eyes. They were as calm as they always were, but there was something else there now. A spark of feeling that you couldn't quite decipher. It was more than pride, it was fondness, it was accomplishment.
Memories flashed through your mind - all the days you had come here with your practice spear, ready to lose yet again. Every time Raphael had carefully shown you the nuances of handling the spear correctly. Whenever he took the time to explain to you what you were doing wrong. The adrenaline of a sparring match firing you up, the rapid beating of your heart, from exertion and exhilaration and something else you couldn't quite admit to.
"I'm proud of you, MC," Raphael said. "You've really mastered the use of the spear."
It was such a simple statement. It was just like him to say something like that to you so easily, with all his emotions simmering beneath them. He remained so calm upon the surface, but his words gave him away.
"You were still holding back," you said quietly. "I saw how you fell into the stance so slowly. Don't do that next time, okay?"
Raphael chuckled. "I won't, I promise."
You pulled an arm back so you could let your fingertips brush through his hair, just barely catching the edges of the gold diamonds.
All the feelings that had built up inside you throughout the time you'd been learning from Raphael finally spilled over.
It seemed that Raphael could see it happening in your eyes because his arms tightened around you.
That was all the encouragement you needed. You cupped his face with your hands and kissed him.
The spark you'd seen in his eyes flared up between you instead, a swirling flutter in your stomach as he returned your kiss.
You pulled away with a little gasp, your nerves jangling.
Raphael's eyes were shining. "MC," he said. "I want to give you something."
He let go of you, though you could feel the reluctance as he did. You waited, watching him.
Raphael lifted a hand, a glow surrounded him, and the rain of spears he was so well known for began. You didn't need to step out of the way because you knew they wouldn't touch you.
And they didn't. They didn't even hit the ground. Raphael grabbed one and the rest disappeared. It looked just like the Celestial Realm spear he had been using that day you first saw him on the grass on the RAD campus. Bright and shining, all gold and steel.
Raphael held it out to you. "I want you to have this."
Your eyes widened. "Y-you… what?"
He smiled, stepped closer to you, lifted one of your hands to hold the spear with his. "You've earned it," he said. "And if there's ever a day when you need to defend yourself for real, you'll have a weapon that will never fail you."
The thoughtfulness of this gesture made you feel like you might explode into a tiny burst of spears yourself.
"Are you sure?" you asked.
Raphael's expression became serious. "I have never been so sure of anything in my life."
You turned into him, overwhelmed. And although the bright and shining spear was still clutched between you, Raphael kissed you again. It was full of all the things he hadn't said - everything you already knew from the look in his eyes and the spear in your hand.
It was a bit risky, perhaps. You were both keenly aware of what had happened the last time an angel fell in love with a human. But you were also prepared for any adversity that happened to come your way. Even if it meant that in the end, it would only be the two of you and some stolen Celestial Realm spears.
Spear Lessons | masterlist | Thank you for reading!
Raphael x reader were reader is the reincarnation of his archangel lover from the celestial realm but died in the celestial war?
notes: reader can speak/has a voice. this isn't very long, and im sorry it took a while 😭 but i will admit this is a super fun concept and im so down to writing more posts for it
he knew you through the sound of your voice.
angel's physical forms couldn't exactly be described as real. they were manipulations of the light bending around them to create shape. particles of air pulled together to mimic the sensation of touch. and whatever they looked like were manifestations of the naked eye, combined with some good old-fashioned magic. even most of their eyes, wings and other things were disguised or hidden.
the only thing truly real about the way an angel appeared to you was their voice. though the rippling, divine effect was taken back a notch to mimic human tone, the essence of the sound was exactly the same. the same pitch and timbre, the same cadence, the same odd inflection in tone. that was how raphael found you, laughing on the street without a care in the world.
since simeon had been turned human, raphael had been appointed to handle celestial-human realm affairs regarding the exchange program. he was walking down a rather picturesque street when he was greeted with raphael's walking exemplification of a miracle— you. you, who he hasn't seen since the great celestial war. and certainly not in a form like this.
raphael, of course, wasn't the type to jump to conclusions. but the longer he watched you, the more he.. felt.. something. something he couldn't put a name to. something that seemed to tug him like a string tied around his heart. the feeling ached, and he nearly dropped the documents he was meant to deliver to michael; breath caught in his throat.
that couldn't be you.
but there was no way it couldn't be.
no way anyone could laugh the exact same way you did. down to the pitch and timbre of your voice. the cadence. the same odd inflection in tone. the same sound that made raphael's heart flutter every time he heard it.
and there was no way raphael had spent every night with you memorizing the sound of your voice only for him to mistake you for someone else.
