"I know." He sighs. He'd meant Michael really, more than Raphael, but in any case he doesn't want to argue about it. He doesn't want to argue at all, but the only thing he's unwilling to compromise on here is Raphael learning to prioritise himself for once. It's the only thing he's really willing to argue about.

"Right now I don't give a shit what he needs." That sounds harsher than he means it to - he winces, but doesn't stop. "I don't care if he's turned into Darth freakin' Vader - he's still not my priority, here and now. You are."

It's less of an issue since Michael's not here, of course. There shouldn't be too much of a conflict of interest - with Michael out of the picture, Gabriel's hoping Raphael might be able to put himself... well, probably still not first. But at least one name higher on the list.

"Look, I get it. I get where you're coming from. But Michael's not here, so how about we leave worrying about him for when he's actually around, alright? And the rest of us may not be totally competent, but we're coping. Maybe not perfectly, but well enough that we can take care of ourselves and you without breaking down completely. Even if you can't trust them with it, you can trust me." Or, actually -- he grimaces. "Well, maybe you can't always, but you can with this, okay? I've taken care of myself for more than a thousand years now, Raph. I think I can handle keeping a handful of angels intact."