After a nice afternoon working out with your angel/lion/himbo friend Gabriel, the two of you take a walk and a subway home. All the casual little joys of the scenario ensue.

3,922 words.

Gabriel belongs to

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This is mostly a feel-good piece I wrote because I love   Silver-Stag 's angel lion himbo. Wanted to experiment with some more extreme size difference in my usual fluff style of writing, and got this !! Please enjoy !

Also, as a fair warning. Gabriel has a mortal form and an angel form—while he's in the angel form, I gave him a change in text formatting to try and convey it a little better? It works better on the PDF version, but I've tried to replicate it in the description. That's it, just wanted to let you know !!

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“Alright, nearly there. Just a few more.”

You steadied yourself again, hands grasping the barbell resting on your shoulders. You felt the lion’s comforting voice roll over you as he stood behind you, hands at the ready, spotting you. Gritting your teeth, you continued your squats.

“One, good,” Gabriel muttered, doing his best not to distract you. The timber of his voice felt like it rattled your bones. “Two… three… come on, come on, let’s make it to five.”

You nodded with gritted teeth as you followed along. Your legs were burning, not to mention how it felt like your hands were aching from gripping the metal for so long. Still, you persisted, emboldened with a hearty chuckle from the lion behind you.

“That’s it, that’s good, take it nice and easy.” You took deep breaths as you squatted again. “Four! Almost there, just one more!”

Your legs shook as you rose to your feet again, wavering. Gabriel leaned down a little closer, bits of his bright white hair falling onto your shoulder.

“Just one more, little one, just one more.” He nodded to you, once, as he stood up straight again. “You’ve got this. Give me one more.”

With another nod, you squatted again, legs officially on fire. You heard Gabriel muttering his support in your ear as you reached the bottom, before you slowly returned, standing up…

“That’s it, there we go!” Gabriel bellowed, triumphantly, as you dropped the barbell from your shoulders. He caught it in one hand like it was nothing more than a dumbbell, promptly taking the weights off of either side of it. “That was amazing, man. Best I’ve seen from you.”

“Please, angel,” you started, immediately sitting down on a bench next to you, stretching your shoulders out. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Pssh, nah. You could’ve done that on your own.” The lion twirled the bar between his fingers as he set the weights back, chuckling. “Just helps to have some encouragement, y’know?”

You smiled as you reached down into your gym bag, grabbing your water bottle while Gabriel went through the very kind motion of cleaning up your weights for you.

By this point, you’d gotten used to him, but he was still… well, there were lots of ways to describe him. The first word that came to mind, obviously, was huge.

He towered over you by a fair bit, that was no surprise—his real power was in the sheer amount of bulk packed onto his frame. He was built beyond belief, a trait he loved to regularly flaunt anytime somebody asked him about it. The gym you were both currently in had to upsize their front doors simply because his shoulders would plow through it so often.

Even now, as you were watching him put the weights away, his sheer size and strength was apparent. He picked up fifty-pound weights that somebody had left out, tossing them in his hand like they weighed nothing to him. His back was broad enough that you couldn’t see his head, especially combined with how thick his neck was. As he turned around to face you, you could only see a hint of his face, his chin buried deep in the cleft of his pecs to look down at you.

“So, how do you feel?” the lion asked, reaching up and grabbing the straps of his tank top. It was stretched across his barrel chest and stomach, with big bold font that read GOD’S STRONGEST SOLDIER. The words were a bit misshapen with how they curved around his pecs, but you tried not to stare. “I’d say that was… divine. Heh.”

You stifled a laugh as you leaned back onto one hand, still taking small sips of your water. “I feel fine. Might’ve overworked myself, but fine.”

“Oh. That ain’t good.” He put his hands on his hips, giving you a chance to really appreciate how wide his lats were. Not to mention the swell of his biceps—they were easily bigger than your head. “You want a granola bar?”

“Sure, that’d be nice.” You took another sip of your water. “Wait, why do you have a granola bar?”

The lion had already walked past you, bending over to grab his gym bag. It took him a bit of effort, reaching around his pecs, but he eventually managed. “What?”

“I thought you didn’t need to eat. Y’know, being an angel and all.”

“Oh! That.” Gabriel chuckled again, his tail swaying casually behind him as he grabbed the granola bar and tossed it to you. It was a little smushed. “I don’t need to eat, but I still can. Your guys’ mortal food is wicked good. I mean, like, really really good.” He set his bag down on the bench next to you, flashing a smile. “It also helps with the experience. Makes me feel like I fit in, y’know?”

You gave him an accusatory look up and down, from his sneakers all the way up to his face. At least, what you could see of his face. “I think you fit in just fine. With people, anyway, not the machines. Have you paid off the expenses for that one you broke?”

“The leg press? Nahhh, I got it all sorted out. Went up to the guys and told ‘em, ‘sorry, bro, the Big Man just made my quads too big for your guys’ stuff! I’m sure he’ll sort it out.’”

As he spoke, he pulled up his shorts a little bit and flexed his legs for emphasis—one of his thighs alone, thick with muscles like corded steel, had enough girth and mass to surpass a stone pillar.

“Sure enough, I asked the Man Upstairs to sort it out, and he did. Came in the next day and it was good.” He shook his leg out with a laugh. “But, I also asked Him to make sure it was strong enough for me to keep up my gains.”

“And how did that work out?” you asked, a smile on your face.

“Just fine! Set the weight to max and actually got a bit of a challenge.”

“The gym didn’t ask any questions?”

“I mean, yeah. I just told ‘em it was all part of His plan—I mean, I ain’t lyin’.” Gabriel looked across the gym to one of the many mirrors covering the walls. He raised his arms and flexed, biceps surging upwards over his head as he continued speaking, posing all the while. “I told ‘em to just try it out, maybe get some of my divinity rub off on ‘em.”

“Mhm.” You nodded as you listened, although you had to admit you were getting a bit distracted with his posing routine. His posterior was at your eye-level, since you were sitting, his tail brushing past your face—the small angelic ring at the tip glimmered as it passed you. “Can you, uh… can you even do that?”

He turned and flexed his thighs, his rear just inches from your face. “Do what?”

“Can your divinity rub off on other people?”

“If the Big Man says it can, it can! I’ll ask him for you when I visit him.” He stopped posing as he turned back around, crouching to grab his gym bag. “Gonna have to tell him you were staring, though.”

“H-hey!” You put your water bottle away as you tried to avoid his gaze. “It’s not my fault you like to show off so much, angel.”

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he gave you a firm pat on the back that knocked the wind out of you. “Relax, relax, I’m not gonna rat you out. I get it, I stick out.” He held out a hand to help you up—his paw was absolutely massive compared to yours, big enough to hold your whole forearm. “Posing’s just the best way to advertise His work. He gave me these gains, so I gotta spread the word, y’know?”

You grabbed your own bag, shaking out your legs a bit to try and rid yourself of the tenderness. “You know… that makes sense, Gabriel.”

“Of course it does.” He nudged you with an elbow, almost knocking you off your feet. “All part of His plan, heh.” He looked around as he started for the exit. “You lookin’ to shower here, or…?”

“I was thinking we’d do it when we got home.” You followed after him, walking beside him. His entire leg was about the size of you. “I forgot a change of clothes, anyway.”

You walked with him out of the gym in a casual quiet, listening to the clanking and clamoring from the rest of the gym-goers. A few of them sent glances of awe Gabriel’s way, but you were both used to that by now. It didn’t take long before you both reached the front doors, the lion ducking under the doorway after you.

The cool city air welcomed the both of you. You stood a little closer to Gabriel now that you were out in the open, especially now that the sun had dipped below the horizon. The streets were mostly empty, but it didn’t stop the slight veneer of uncertainty that always accompanied a dark street.

Walking next to Gabriel, it was easy to feel his size and power, rather than just seeing it. Not accounting for the way the ground shook just a little with each step, three of your steps made one of his. There was such weight behind his movement, but it was always accompanied by a little bit of divine grace. Like he was floating, almost. Sometimes.

The street started to get a bit more crowded as the two of you neared the subway. People moved out of Gabriel’s way as he approached, you following close behind. He held out his hand, which you took gladly.

“Hand-holding, how sinful,” he whispered, quickly dissolving into a light chuckle.

You stuck close to him as the two of you walked down into the subway, filling through the crowds of people. Even here, Gabriel stood head and shoulders and chest above everyone else in the crowd. He turned himself sideways to cross through the subway terminal, barely managing to squeeze his chest and rear through.

Following after, the two of you picked a spot away from the crowd to stand and wait for the subway to actually arrive. Gabriel leaned up against the wall as he looked out across the groups of people, calmly observing them.

“You advertise, right?” you asked, turning to look up at him. The lion shifted a bit, looking down over his chest to see you before he spoke.

“Yeah, I do it all the time. Mostly just by existing.” He leaned down and flexed his bicep towards you—for a moment, you could see a glimpse of his divine form seeping through the shadow of his muscles. “Folks always wanna know how I get these gains.”

“Right, right. I know that much, big guy.” You turned away from him, casually people-watching just as he’d been doing a moment before. “Did you ever do… like, door-to-door work?”

“...what?”

“Y’know, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, or whatever. The guys who walk up to the door and ask if you wanna know more about Jesus.” You nudged him in the side as you continued. “Did you ever knock on people’s doors, flex for them, and tell them to go to church?”

The lion chuckled heartily, his chest bouncing a bit with his laugh. “No, no, no. I might have, long time ago, but I’ve forgotten about it at this point. Nowadays just hangin’ around mortals is enough to get ‘em interested.”

The two of you watched the crowd in peace until the subway finally arrived. Gabriel politely strode to the front of the crowd, if only for everybody else’s sake—it was better he had somewhere to sit rather than let him stand and take up all the space around him.

The doors slid open, and Gabriel ducked down and squeezed himself through with a bit of effort. You would’ve helped, you thought as he crammed his massively broad shoulders and chest through the door, but he’d told you off for trying to push him before. Not enough room for Jesus, he’d said.

The lion took a seat—more like three seats, really—and patted the one open spot next to him. You sat down as he suggested as people started to fill the empty space around the both of you.

Everyone seemed more content with staring at Gabriel rather than asking him questions; he seemed to be alright with things. You caught sight of him bouncing his pecs to a jaguar that was eyeing him less-than-discretely. You cozied up next to him as the subway started moving, almost pulling you into him.

With your head pressed against his massive bicep and tricep, you could feel a warmth emanating out of him. With how long he’d been in his mortal guise, you wouldn’t be surprised if he was starting to get tired of it. You noticed the lion shifting in his seats—granted, it was hard to tell if it was him being antsy or just him being crammed into three seats.

You felt yourself dozing off as the subway went along. Gabriel must’ve noticed, for he looped his arm around yours—to the best of his ability—and pulled you in just that much closer. You felt a smile creep up your face, and you could hear him chuckle faintly, somewhere over the vast mountain of muscle that was his arm.

With a sigh, you let yourself relax.

...

Gabriel nudged you firmly with his arm to wake you up—a moment after, he was grabbing you by the forearm and hoisting you out of your seat. You blinked, drearily, as the lion pushed you out of the subway, soon squeezing out after you.

“Sorry, I—ngh—I was gonna wake you up sooner.” With a grunt of effort, Gabriel freed his shoulders from the subway, brushing himself off. “I didn’t realize it was our stop. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine! Just fine.” You rubbed your eyes as you caught your footing. “Just a bit off-kilter.”

“Right, gotcha.” The lion held out his hand for you again. “C’mon, apartment’s not too far.”

“I know, I know.” You smiled as you took his hand again, squeezing it gently—at least, you squeezed the one finger you could actually wrap your hand around. “I’ll be alright.”

“I’ll take your word for it, little one.” He gave you a slight pat on the shoulder, before turning and pulling you along. “Right! Let’s get home, I’m itching to spread my wings and take a shower.”

He was true to his word—it was only a few minutes’ walk back to the apartment. You both took the stairs, considering Gabriel’s size made it a bit inconvenient for him to use elevators, finally reaching the door to your apartment. The evening had fully progressed into nighttime now, a bit of cold nipping at your face as Gabriel searched for his key.

“I think I’ve got it in my bag somewhere, can you check?” He chuckled as he turned his bag towards you. “Can’t reach it with my chest in the way, and you’re right there.”

You sifted through his spare clothes, his Bible, and his water bottle until you found a small ring of keys thrown at the bottom. You grabbed them and patted him on the abs to indicate you’d found them.

He stepped back as you opened the door with a small click. You stepped inside first, tossing your bag before you turned around. “Here, hand me your bag first—it might make it easier for you to squeeze through.”

Gabriel readily obliged, dropping his bag off his shoulder and sliding it through the door to you. You moved it aside as he turned himself sideways, paws digging into the doorframe as he pushed himself through. “We really—grah—really need to get a bigger doorway.”

“You’d outgrow that, too, angel,” you muttered with a giggle, standing aside as you watched to make sure he didn’t take the wall down with him.

“Fair point. But, hey, if the Big Man wants it, I’m always growin’.” The lion managed to slip his shoulders through, now placing either hand on the inside wall as he tried to pull his chest through. “Maybe I’ll ask Him for a bigger doorway. He could probably do that, real quick ‘n’ easy.”

You stepped back a bit as he finally pushed his chest through the doorway with a heave, now focusing on turning just enough so that his posterior and his thighs could come through. “I always thought the Man Upstairs had bigger things to deal with. Like… world peace, or something.”

“Yeah, of course He does!” The lion grunted as he pulled most of his hips and thighs through, only creating a small crack in the doorframe. It wasn’t like there were plenty already. “But He’s, y’know, all-powerful. He’s fine taking a little bit of time to help a bro out.”

Your eyes looked around your apartment as your thoughts traveled. “How are the two of you ‘bros’ if He’s the heavenly father? Isn’t He technically a dad?”

With a huff, Gabriel finally managed to pull the entirety of his mortal form through the doorway. He brushed a bit of plaster off of his legs. “Actually… I dunno. I don’t think I’ve ever called Him ‘bro’ to his face.” The lion nodded, giving you a thumbs up in response. “Maybe that could work. I’ll see.”

“I gotta write a list of questions for you one of these days,” you remarked, picking up your bag and strolling into the living room. “Must be nice to have God on speed dial.”

“You bet! It’s rad!” Gabriel lifted his bag and stormed past you, footsteps thundering as he strode past you and dropped his bag firmly on the couch. “But that’s besides the point, I need to unwind—shield your eyes, alright, little one?”

You turned away, walking towards the kitchen. You subtly pulled a pair of sunglasses out of your bag, just so you could enjoy his ‘ascension’ in full. “On it, big guy.”

“Good.” The lion sighed, gripping the base of his shirt and pulling it up over his head, tossing it aside. “Finally.”

The moment he spoke, a bright light filled your entire apartment. You watched as it seemed to pour out of his fur, little beams of light erupting from his muscles as his white hair fluttered, a whirlwind of light and power gathering around him. The light began to collapse in on him as he fully transformed, as if he were a black hole trapping everything within his orbit.

His normal brownish fur glazed over to reveal an endless nebula, stars and constellations stretching far into the expanse of his body. You could see the outline of his muscles atop them, and they shuddered with power as they slowly started to swell in size. From behind, you sat the way his back broadened into a veritable grassland of muscle, fur giving way to starlight as his back muscles made room for the next step.

With a flash, a pair of wings erupted from the lion’s newly-grown back. Orange and tawny and cream feathers spread outwards, stretching and flexing themselves as they now had room to grow. There were eyes at the joint, darting around his surroundings as he fully absorbed everything. Another two wings emerged, one after the other, following up on the first. They formed a grand shape around him, almost like a throne made of wings—they were the true mark of his status as a seraph.

The lion spread his feet a little wider as his thighs swelled up against each other—you could barely see the fabric of his shorts straining around the increased mass. Gabriel clenched his fists as the silver mane of hair atop his head flowed outwards, forming a bright white halo stationed just above his head. Now lined with a golden halo and his wings, everything began to fall into place.

You watched as he slowly started to grow upwards. Inch by inch, he crept closer to the ceiling as his transformation finalized. Rings appeared at his ankles, then at his wrists, before finally wrapping around his head and returning his omniscience to him. He took a deep breath, relishing in his power, just before his head collided with a CRASH against the ceiling.

There was a brief pause as the light fully faded, only the glow from Gabriel’s many halos and his nebular fur remaining. He held the back of his head as he ducked down, rubbing his halo.

“Did our ceilings get shorter…?”

You took a step towards him, only to hear—

RIIIIP!

“Not my shorts…”

You stopped moving almost immediately, but not before he sensed your gaze. In an instant, every eye upon him—from his wings to his halos to the rings around his head and ankles and wrists—all turned their gaze towards you. It made you jump.

“Hey, now, can’t let you be seeing that—Curse of Ham, yada yada.”

Gabriel waved his hand as a fourth pair of wings appeared at his hips, curling around in front to give him some decency. In his proper form, his voice had a certain resonance to it, like he was many people speaking at once. It was oddly comforting.

“Sorry, I didn’t blind you, did I? I think that was a bit brighter than usual.”

“I-I’m fine, big guy. Just wanted to make sure you were alright.” You took a few steps closer now that you were free from punishment of curse, looking up at the ceiling. There was a fairly sizeable dent where the lion’s head had been. “We’ll have to get that fixed, huh?”

“Don’t worry about it, little one, I’ll have it sorted out.”

He patted you on the back, actually knocking you off balance this time. His fur felt like it was tickling you with bits of fire, stars shimmering under his skin.

“For now, though, I’ve gotta go shower. Keep myself clean for the Man.”

“Very cool,” you patted him on the arm in return as he left, strolling over to the bedroom, ducking under the ceiling as he floated along. You looked over at the TV for a moment before turning back in his direction. “You want me to put anything on?” you hollered.

He paused in the doorway to the bedroom to think. With a burst of inspiration—literally, a burst of light erupted from his head—he whirled around to speak, his wings knocking a shelf over in the process.

“Keep playing that game you were on the other day, I wanna see how it ends.”

He snapped his fingers a few times as he thought.

“It’s got the, uh, the dragons. And the fire.”

“Fire Emblem?” you asked, a smile on your face.

“Yeah! That one!”

He turned and moved through the doorway to the bedroom—without any mortal constrictions, he could warp the laws of space to accommodate him. It was convenient, if a little unnerving.

“I’ll catch up once I’m out, alright?”

“Understood, Gabriel.” You turned on the TV with a smile. “I’ll try to take my time.”

“Thank you so much, little one.”

You cozied up into the couch as you heard the shower begin to run, followed soon after by the humming of a very satisfied lion. Grabbing a blanket and wrapping around your legs, you felt sufficiently relaxed.

God’s gifts could truly be bountiful.