Sam stared at the huge mutilated body in front of him. It was burned, an arm at been torn of and if hadn't been for the significant emblem on his armour, it would've been impossible to distinguish the troll from the other corpses around him. He felt odd to discover his hated enemy look not different form every other dead troll. This was not more but a lifeless creature the crows would eat.
Not the Urgralgra he had feared, hated and hunted in the last years.
Sam used to tip of his sword to poke at the body, but the troll was dead. It was stupid that he wanted to make sure of that, even when he knew the unlikelihood of a troll surviving the battle with angel.
Trolls were pure muscle, all strength and no mind. Let alone the ability to fly or the agility most angels possessed, even when they fought just on their feet.
"Does this satisfy your need for revenge?"
Michael walked towards Sam, still in full armour and his wings extended behind him. The blood of his killed enemies stained the feathers, which colour had darkened to a dangerous brown shade during the battle. It was far from the shining golden sight Sam was used to.
"Lord Arch," he said and bowed. "Yes, this does satisfy me. Urgralgra's death will be enough, my brother can rest in peace now."
At least he would, if Sam find a way to let go of Dean. He had lost more or less his entire family to this war, but Dean's death by the war chiefs hands he took the hardest. Partly because he knew Dean hadn't died quick, but had been tortured for information. Yet Dean hadn't budged and kept quiet about Castiel's plan to raise the Arch Family from their slumber.
Angels Sam knew and fought alongside with, but the Arch Family was different. While they were no part of the Angel's Council, they had much authority and were widely respected, because first of all they were guardians and protectors. Powerful and frighting warriors, but still likeable companions, if you asked Sam.
"Please don't call me that," Michael said and shook his head, which made his rain drenched hair fly and caused more strands of his braid to come lose. "Simply Michael will do, as I've told you enough of times."
Sam nodded. He still found it difficult not to pay his respect to Michael, but he had the impression the War Angel insisted, because so many of his own race could not see beyond their awe of him.
"I'll try to remember," Sam promised, but given the fact the largest battle was over and Urgralgra dead, it was unlikely he would get much chance for it. Then he turned his glance from the blond hair angel lord to the dead ugly troll on the ground.
"I merely wanted to make sure he was dead," he whispered, thinking of the times his dreams at night at been probably worse than any encounter with the troll himself.
"I understand," Michael said and put his hand on Sam shoulder, who knew that Michael understood indeed.
While they had been travelling through the land, seeking out the lairs in which the other members of the Arch Family had been sleeping, it had been him who had taken care of Sam and his frequent nightmares. Lucifer, the first of the Arch Family to awoke, was not a bad fellow, but after being trapped in the crystal and unable to fall in trance, it had been hard for him to look beyond his own needs and his desire for revenge against those, who had put the Arch Family to sleep in the first place.
But Michael misread his silence and took his hand away, which caused Sam to rise his gaze, which had been still fixated on the dead troll, who had tortured Dean to death and nearly killed Castiel as well.
"Does it displease you that it was not you, who dealt the killing blow?" Michael asked.
Sam knit his eyebrows in confusion until he realized that Michael thought, Sam was angry at him.
"No," he said, trying to put as much as insistence in this word as he could. "No, Michael. I'm not displeased. How could I be if you risked your own life for a vengeance, which was mine to full fill?"
Michael watched him for a moment, let his eyes travel over Sam's body. Surely he saw the ragged state Sam was in. His clothes were torn, his helmet was long lost and his armour was dirty and covered in gore, just like his sword. Not to mention how he must reek of blood and sweat after hours of fighting and weeks on the road.
"I thank you," Michael said to Sam's astonishment. "Your anger would've saddened me, but in fact I'm glad that I battled this creature and you, for I was more likely to come out of this unharmed."
With Michael soft and careful words, Sam saw something in the war angels eyes that made his heart beat faster. Open concern was something Michael only showed towards his family or the young and innocent he had once sworn to protect and until now Sam would've guessed he belong in the second group.
But Michael was shifting his wings and raised his left above Sam's head in order to protect him from the rain, which started to fall.
"I...," Sam began, trying to find the right words for this.
He feared, he would lose the opportunity to talk to Michael about the admiration he felt for him, because surely Michael and the rest of the Arch Family would depart soon to deal with the council and Zachariah in their homeland. While Sam saw Michael as close friend and personally held him in high regards, he was not sure if the war angel felt the same. Was Sam not more, but a partner he could trust to have his back in battle for the given time, they had fought together.
"What do you intend to do now?" Sam asked trying to avoid the subject.
He did not wish to think about, that he was most likely never to see Michael – or the rest of his family – ever again. It hurt imaging that and not only because the Arch Family had been a group he had grown to like, but also because there was no one left in the Kansas Kingdom, who he loved and who was still alive.
But Michael surprised him again, when he said: "I intend to fly back to the castle."
Despite his dark thoughts concerning his lonely future, Sam growled playfully.
"This I didn't mean and you know. I wished to know, when you intend to travel to the Heavens and indict Zachariah for the crimes against the Arch Family."
Michael levelled him with his gaze, but Sam held against it. He did not intend to have his hopes dashed, after he gave in to the invitation the war angel seemed to make, since the wing – which was holding of the pouring rain - tried to nudge Sam closer to Michael.
"Do you refuse me?" Michael openly asked and had it not been for the resonant emotion in his voice, Sam would've stepped back, turned around and ran way from Michael as fast as possible. He didn't want to face, what he couldn't have.
"Do you refuse me?" Michael repeat, this time louder and with a edge of despair and grabbed Sam at his shoulders. "Why do you refuse me? You try to evade me, when I want to talk to you. You do not share your worries or fears with me, even after had to listen to your tormented cries in your sleep."
"Michael...," Sam tried to say, but the war angel was not finished yet.
Finally the reserve that had Sam back away so long was washed away by the silent rain above them and the despair in Michaels voice.
"Furthermore you are uncomfortable, when I carry through the sky," Michael all but screamed at him and this seemed to other him the most. "But with Lucifer and any other you're fine. With Gabriel you crack jokes, with Castiel you share memories and even Raphael you get to talk, when she's not dictatorial about your fragile human health. You talk to everyone, but me...!"
A few moments passed, when Michael gathered his breath and Sam tried to grasp, what had been just thrown into his face.
"I don't like it how flinch away from me", Michael persisted on, only more quietly. In truth Sam could barely hear him. "I don't want you to fear me. I want … "
Before Michael could talk further, Sam leant into him. And kissed him.
Michael froze for a moment, eyes wide and blind, before he pushed Sam towards him with his wing, wrapped the other around them above to prevent Sam from leaving. To prevent him from stopping kissing him.
Warmth flowed through Sam and after the past hours in the cold it nearly hurt, but oh it felt so good, Michael's mouth hot and eager against his own, while Sam still held his sword loosely in his left hand and feeling Michaels neck with his other under his glove.
"Sam...," Michael dared to say after a while, but Sam interrupted him.
"You're important to me, Michael" Sam managed to say, his voice tight and hoarse. "You're important me and I do not wish to leave you. Carry me all the way to the Heaven, if your strength allows it, but I do not wish to leave you."
A rustling of wings was all, that was heard a few moments later, when Michael leaped into the stormy sky, leaving behind only a horde of dead trolls.