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"It's snowing on Heaven": the words fly, free, like dust in the air, between houses and trees. It's snowing on Heaven, a gentle and innocent snow covering everything in white. It's snowing on Heaven. It doesn't happen so often. Snow doesn't have anything to do with angels, timeless snowflakes shining in the cold air like glitter aren't a celestial matter.
It's snowing on Heaven.
In the sky, above and behind the clouds fading away in the night, some stars are still shining ; pieces of ice burning forever around a cold moon. It's snowing in the middle of the night on Heaven, and the sparkles in children's eyes staying up late to see it fall are like a reflection of the heavenly vault above. Confortably sitting on a chair, their cheeks pressed against the cold window glass, they leave some mist they wipe away quickly. The older ones, who know the word, whisper "snowin, it's snowin, wake up" to their siblings. The young just laugh and wave at the weird little things falling from the sky.
Nothing's more boring and beautiful than snowflakes reflecting in children's eyes. Nothing's more perfect and painful than the wait, magnificent and dazzling than the slow snowfall on Heaven tonight.
Even archangels find this curiously calming and poetic, tonight. Raphael's arms wrapped securely around him, one of the youngest frowns and closes his eyes. Gabriel has woken his big brother up just after he has felt a subtle change in the air, as soon as the moon has disappeared behind a cloud, at the exact minute the light has faded a bit. He has shaken him slightly to climb into his bed and curls himself against him, his golden eyes shining in the darkness of the room.
"Raphy, it's cold and stars... The stars are crying outside. Like Luci. "
Raphael looks at him, his eyes slightly glowing in the dim light : their pupil looks like a deep, black lake around which a sick field is trying to grow. He has held his little brother against him, held him close while he's wispering in his ear - he knows the boy will fall asleep soon - :
"It's snow, Gabriel.
- Snow?
- Cold, frozen water falling from the sky. "
Gabe tilts his head, running his fingers through Raphael's hair. He's afraid of the snow. Maybe it will eat his home, maybe it is only something evil, something bad falling on them from the crying stars. He's sure the snowflakes are evil, really! First because water isn't good when cold. Nah. He hates cold water, so he hates snow because it's made of cold water. Childish - but true - logic.
He hates snow because he knows it's trying to bury them, his brothers and sisters, their place, under something he can't quite understand yet.
" I don't like snow, Raph.
- Why don't you like it?
- First... First it's coloring aaaaall outside, everywhere! Fields and even Michael's house and me, I can't. And it's white. White paint isn't pretty.
- Michael's wings are white, says his brother, eyes already closed.
- Yeah, and he's not pretty. But ... But I don't like it mostly because it won't even last. "
~O~
It's snowing on Heaven. In a room, not far from the one where Gabriel tries to convince his brother about how evil snow is, Michael is standing alone in front of his closed window. The room's temperature is quite the same as outside : he has kept the window open as long as he could, before his brother come in. Lucifer smiles at the sight. Siting in front of the fireplace, the ice running through his veins makes the air around even colder.
It's snowing on Heaven. Michael watches over the whole mess snow is creating outside.
It's snowing on Heaven.
Lucifer calls him. His words are like snowflakes in the room, flying and melting at the fire's heat.
"Michael, come here.
- Not now, Luce. Something can happen. I have to ...
- I'm cold. "
The regent - first archangel, the one whose name can be translated by 'similar to God' - turns to look at the other. Flames' light are projecting shadows on his body, like forms and memories from another fire, from another time. Another snowfall on Heaven, maybe. Another snowfall where he won't be cold.
But the ice blue color of his eyes reminds his brother as well as himself that he is like a snowflake, six wings figuring out the six arms.
He is a snowflake-like star.
No one has ever asked the stars if they weren't cold, up there alone in the sky. No one has ever asked them if they weren't waiting for some warmth, welcoming and as soft as a hug in the freezing winter. No one has ever asked if the stars were feeling cold or if the fire weren't screaming his pain out loud.
"I like snow. It looks like fallen stars, Mikey.
- I just hope you will never fall. "
~O~
It's snowing on Heaven. Far, far away from the screaming fire and the freezing stars, Castiel reaches out his arms to touch the sky. To touch the glazed dome above his craddle, to touch the curious things he can't even name yet. Snow is pretty. He smiles.
Sitting on a chair near, Balthazar looks at his brother's hands and shakes his head.
It's snowing on Heaven
"Look, Cassy, it's snow."
He moves his fingers silently as he stands up, to hold the baby's and and smile at him.
"It's Dad telling us goodnight, Gabriel told me. It's beautiful, isn't it? "
It's snowing on Heaven. Balthazar looks at his brother's craddle when the young one falls asleep in a yawn. It's snowing on Heaven, stars bringing them their Father's good night. They will probably never hear Him say it, but they don't know it yet.
"Goodnight, Cas."
~O~
It has snowed on Heaven when Raphael has found his brother's empty bed.
It has snowed on Heaven when Castiel has seen Balthazar for the last time, dead.
It has snowed on Heaven when Michael has lost his brother, his hands painted in blood, painted in red.
It has snowed on Heaven.
It has snowed on Heaven a thousand times without anyone ever wondering why Gabriel hated snow, if fire were cold or if it were only screaming, if Castiel remembered his Father's goodnight. It has snowed on Heaven a thousand times without anyone wondering if snow would last forever, if it would be enough to cover the graves around the place, to muffle the sound of blades and fights.
It has snowed on Heaven a thousand times.
But now, everything is quiet and calm, everyone has been taken away from their home by the avalanche.
Lucifer has fallen. Gabriel and Raphael are dead. Balthazar died. Michael is locked up in the Cage.
But now, everything is still quiet and calm, and on Heaven it's snowing.
Alone in the ruins of what has been his home, Castiel looks up at the sky, wondering for who, now, snow is even falling. He turns up to look at the graves of the archangels and whispers a goodnight into the deads' ears.
It has snowed on them a thousand times, telling them goodnight, but the young seraph is sure his brothers have been too deaf to hear.