Title: Vain and Conceited
Fandom: Supernatural
Characters: Michael, OFC, Lucifer
Prompt: Written for the "January 31 Day Place Challenge"; Day 7: Hell
Word Count: 736
Rating: K+
Genre: General, Angst, Family, Humor
Summary: Michael is both vain and foolishly conceited… He just doesn't realize it.
Author's Notes: Episode Tags: 5.22 "Swan Song", 11.09 "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
Disclaimer: I own nothing …
"You will one day come to regret your actions." He looked behind him. Azrael stood leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed in front.(1)
"Another woman?" Michael remarked with a measure of disdain as he took in his… sister's… current vessel.
Azrael rolled her deep brown eyes. Her long, dark brown hair flowed freely down her back and she was clad in a deep red chiton dress. "I am right, you know." She straightened her posture and her arms fell to her sides as she entered the room and crossed to where Michael stood looking out at the expanse of Heaven from the balcony. She stood by his side, staring out at their home.
Michael sighed and crossed his own arms over his (ironically, in Azrael's mind) shiny bronze cuirass.(2) It figured that he'd clothe himself in the regalia of a human warrior, despite his contempt with regards to humanity. "Someone needed to take charge," he argued, turning away from her. "We have been lost since Father went away. Scrambling about and tripping over our own wings like infants. We need order. Why should I regret that… Sister?"
"I do not imply that you should. I am stating that you will," she replied tartly. "Outright, and with bitter contrition."
Michael scoffed. "How could I ever have cause to be contrite?"
"Your foolish conceit, for one," she replied dryly and turned away from the beautiful portrait the horizon made. "You are vain, Brother," she laughed caustically. "You simply have yet to realize the true extent of it."
Anger flashed in his eyes. He whipped around and roughly seized her by her arms, causing her to squeak in pain, and brought her so close to him their noses nearly brushed. "Watch your tone with me, Sister!" His breath burned hot upon the skin of her face. He was the complete antithesis of the Morning Star, especially when angered.(3) Which was admittedly quite easy. "You will respect me," he intoned, almost darkly, as he shook her.
"And if I do not?" she challenged, staring straight into his eyes, into his very being. She held her head high, back as straight as it could be in his vice-like grasp.
"Obstinate, headstrong jezebe-"(4)
"Do not forget, Brother, of which dominion I was charged with by our Father," Azrael practically crooned.
Michael glared. She glared right back.
Michael huffed as he broke eye contact and practically tossed her aside, turning back to look over the balcony once more. He didn't say anything as she took her leave.
His True Vessel was particularly obstinate and headstrong. He could almost find it admirable. 'Azrael would like him,' he thought sardonically. They still did not approve of one another. She particularly did not approve of his, Raphael's, and even Lucifer's insistence in initiating the Apocalypse. Something about self-fulfilling prophecies and their likelihood of coming to fruition in any form of agreeable manner.
He had ignored her rather gloating smirk when he was forced to take an alternate vessel for his confrontation with Lucifer. It wasn't perfect, but the boy was of the Winchester bloodline. That was all that mattered now.
Michael stood in Stull Cemetary, staring down his brother. This was going to end. Today. Come hell or high water…
An engine roared in the distance. 'Oh hell,' he cursed internally. This particular Winchester was proving to be a very large thorn in his side…
The Cage - Approximately 640 years later… (in Hell time)
"Let me do a few tricks, some old and then some new tricks, I'm very versatiiiile…"
"Oh, for the love of Dad, will you please shut up!?" Lucifer whined loudly as his only older brother belted out another round of lyrics in and almost drunken manner. When an Angel inhabited a vessel, all that vessel's memories were imprinted on the possessing Angel's brain – demons as well, actually. While Michael had been merciful and thrust Adam's soul into Heaven, Adam's consciousness had clearly imprinted on Michael in an adverse way. Not for the first time, the most notorious Fallen Angel in history wondered why, in all of Creation, a nineteen year old human male would have such an extensive knowledge of show tunes…
"Kiss me too fieeeercely, hold me to tiiiiight…"
Lucifer turned to the wall of the Cage and was about to start beating his head against it when he heard it. The chanting. He grinned evilly. It was time…
- 30 -
Footnotes:
(1) Azrael – Archangel (in theology). Domain: Death/Retribution. In this, she's just a high level Angel, not an Archangel.
(2) Bronze Cuirass – also known as a muscle cuirass, anatomical cuirass or heroic cuirass is an Ancient Greek body armor that was cast to fit the wearer's torso and embossed with a depiction of the ideal masculine musculature (basically a naked man's chest and abs).
(3) Morning Star – Lucifer. According to SPN lore, he burns cold. By contrast, here, Michael burns hot.
(4) Jezebel – definition 2: often not capitalized: an impudent, shameless, or morally unrestrained woman. (synonyms include: hussy, minx, slut, wench, whore)
(5) The two songs Michael is singing at the end are "Let Me Entertain You" from Gypsy, and "As Long As You're Mine" form Wicked.
Completed: January 17, 2017
