… Because he's dead.

It took Adam and Michael exactly five seconds to register those words. It took the demon two seconds, and the archangel only half of one, to genuinely realize the meaning. The reaction hit Michael first; Like a bus had slammed into their chest, heavy and hard, and enough to knock their breath away. That's what made it real for Adam, that's what brought the realization, Earth-shattering, dizzying, and horrifying; And then his own pain burst to life, and it was only then that they both really began to suffocate, their lungs seemingly collapsing under the pressure. Something had cracked, in the both of them - even Adam.

With it, came the realization that the demon had, most definitely, grown closer to Lucifer than he'd even imagined. He knew he didn't hate the Devil - but he hadn't expected to grieve over him like this. He hadn't expected such a burning, twisting kind of pain, the horror, the confusion, the disbelief and the grief that slammed through him, and he visibly shook at the way it hurt.

The Devil had become… not quite a friend, on either side, but an acquaintance. Adam trusted him, at the very least; Because he was honest. And honesty was something that the demon had clung to during his time in the Cage, desperate for something that wasn't a trick, or a lie. He'd been deceived by the angels; He'd been deceived by his brothers; Aside from Michael, Lucifer was the first one who hadn't openly tried to use him, hadn't made any kind of attempt at lying to him - or "avoided certain truths to manipulate him".

He… he had ended up liking the Devil, intentionally or otherwise. So, yes, the revelation hurt - and that, combined with the horror and confusion and grief radiating from Michael-

Michael.

The pain flowing from the archangel hadn't faded a bit - if anything, it only seemed to get stronger by the second. He had released all of his control, almost accidentally, but he was still there - still in the front of their mind, that is, still watching, still listening. For a moment, Adam hesitated. He could feel the grief and guilt mixing in the archangel's chest, yet his thoughts were almost blank - hurting, but numb, at the same time.

He didn't even respond to his name, nothing.

Adam hesitated, unsurprised, now, by the heat pressing behind his eyes, the very faint prickling of the tears that were threatening to rise. Whether they were from Michael, or himself, could be addressed at a later date; There were much bigger issues now - the archangel was completely unresponsive, Lucifer was- he was-

The demon shook again, unable to complete the thought, even internally. There was no one else to find, now, Adam realized quickly. Lucifer was- gone, which left them both completely stuck. Where did they go now? What did they do now? Of course their existence didn't revolve around Lucifer - At least Adam's didn't, as much as he was grieving over the Devil - but that had been the one thing they were actually dead set on, the one thing they knew they were going to do, the one thing holding them together for the time being, and…

The guilt and grief from Michael's side only intensified, but along with it came a sudden rush of anxiety, confusion. Adam could feel it - of course, that was Michael's drive, too. The one thing keeping the archangel pushing forward, the only thing he was certain of, was finding his brother. Making things right, as Adam had realized. He couldn't do that now; He couldn't fix things with Lucifer now, he was gone, and Michael was still here - still here, still lost.

And once more, devoid of any sense of purpose.

Adam had seen what it had done to him in the Cage. The way he had snapped, and cracked, and shattered. It had driven him insane - completely, utterly, batshit crazy - and only began to change when Adam had finally had enough. He had been able to fix Michael then, but what was he supposed to do now? It wasn't like they could raise Lucifer from the dead.

"Yyyyeeeaaah I figured you'd take it pretty rough," Belphegor mumbled, snapping Adam from his thoughts. The demon glanced up at the other as he stood, lightly pushing the chair back a bit and cracking a slightly sheepish grin at Adam, who just stared, blank and unresponsive. "So, uh… Adam, Micha, whichever one you are, or both- y'all can get details from-"

"Micha?" That was Michael, who had spoken, voice strained, as if it was taking everything he had just to keep himself together. Adam jumped a little, startled by his sudden reappearance, as well as the sudden realization that seemed to have struck. Belphegor seemed to have his own epiphany at that moment, looking briefly alarmed, before it was masked over again.

"Uh huh… so you can just… yeah." Belphegor clasped his hands together, backing toward the doorway now. "Sam or Dean - or both - can fill you in on the details. I don't even really know how it happened, but they do, so… I'ma head out."

Michael was, once again, quiet. Adam just stared as Belphegor finally ducked out of the room, leaving them alone yet again, before slowly dropping his gaze to the floor in front of them. It felt like everything had just suddenly flipped around - as if reality was slowly, but surely, shattering right before their eyes. It was horrifying, the way things seemed to have changed so quickly, in an instant - how one bit of news could change almost their entire existence.

Adam blinked as the tears flickered back to life, threatening to brew. Again, he didn't know who they were coming from now - but he was alarmed to feel the pain suddenly fading from Michael's end, slowly but surely fizzling out into complete numbness.

They sat there for a while, silent. Adam didn't know what to do. His usual tough-love approach wasn't going to work for this one, and he wasn't one for the soft heart-to-hearts that Michael was usually so good at giving. He felt just as lost, in too many different ways.

The demon retreated slightly, still uncertain - and he startled when Michael abruptly rose up, a different emotion stirring in his chest. Adam couldn't quite place it - something cold, and strong, and almost terrifying. "Michael?" The demon muttered carefully, but he didn't get a response as Michael pushed them to stand, a little unsteadily, and crossed the room to the door.

"Michael," Adam repeated, a little stronger. Michael paused, this time, offering an unspoken what? before he continued on his way, glancing up and down the halls before heading off again. From the looks of it, he was bringing them back to the main area of the school, where everyone else was - where Sam and Dean were, the demon realized a little bit too late. The emotions clouding the archangel's head were dizzying and somewhat confusing, but, finally picking them apart, slowly and surely, there was some anger lying underneath.

"I don't even really know how it happened, but they do."

The demon could tell how hard of a time the archangel was having, not making assumptions, not getting angry - but even then, his senses were still clouded, grief and pain driving him above everything else, and Adam faltered a little, just for a second. He didn't do anything, yet, just as desperate for answers. His own anger rose up, alongside Michael's, just for a second - given how the Winchesters felt about Lucifer, he wouldn't put it past them to have been involved with his… jeez, he still couldn't think the word… and if that was the case, then honestly, Michael certainly couldn't have a reason to hold Adam back then, right?

"Where are they?" Michael demanded as they entered the room, never breaking stride. Adam pulled himself out of his own thoughts, slightly startled by the sharp tone that had entered the archangel's voice. His words cracked and trembled, but this time it seemed to be from a completely different emotion; A completely different set of feelings driving him.

It was… unnatural, for Michael, which unnerved Adam just a little bit.

"Who?" Castiel spoke up, blue eyes narrowed, as Michael approached him and the red-headed woman he had been interacting with before. The woman looked up at once, eyebrows raising slightly, but Michael's focus was on Castiel.

"The Winchesters. Where are they?" Michael repeated, and as cold as his voice was, Adam could have easily assumed he was the one talking, instead of the archangel. Again, it was so unnatural, the archangel somehow being more angry than Adam was about - anything, really. It just felt wrong, like it was throwing the universe completely off-kilter. Like it was shattering their world even further than it had already been.

"Sam and Dean are checking on the barrier, a hunter jus-" Castiel started, and Michael turned at once, heading off without waiting for the angel to finish. Adam frowned, finally ready to voice his own concerns, to ask what, exactly, Michael even planned to do - but before he could, and before Michael could get very far, a hand clamped down on their shoulder, bringing them to a quick, steady stop. "Michael," Castiel's gruff voice almost held a warning, "what are you-"

Michael spun around, jerking away from the other angel, one hand catching Castiel's wrist and yanking his hand off of the archangel's shoulder. In the next instant, the other angel had backed off, blue eyes searching their face, seeming startled by whatever he was seeing there.

"Castiel-" Michael's voice was breathless, shaking with fury, "-don't-"

"Michael," Adam cut the archangel off quickly, caring less about talking to him out loud and more about calming the other down. Michael paused at once, seeming reluctant to do so, but he ripped his attention away from Castiel and turned his gaze toward the doors instead. The fury brewing within him was stronger than Adam had even known he was capable of, and while Adam did, somewhat, want to stand back and watch the fight break out between him and Castiel - Michael's warning from earlier still rang in his ears.

Michael clenched their teeth, but reeled back, raising their hands to their face. Adam sighed a little, screwing their eyes shut as Michael dug their fingers into their hair, tugging slightly and turning his back on Castiel once more. He didn't make another move for the door, though, simply stood still, head in their hands, breathing heavily, struggling to pull himself together.

"Michael, what is it?" Castiel demanded behind them, but he was keeping his distance now. Adam sighed a little, forcing his own anger back as much as possible. Definitely a twist, this was; Him, keeping Michael calm for once. The archangel didn't respond, just shook his head.

Adam replied, instead, calmer, but annoyed. "Lucifer's…"

Silence followed, and Adam just raised their head, not bothering to turn around. He didn't want to have to clarify further, but he didn't have to - Michael whirled around, abruptly, anger returning. "Did you know?" He suddenly demanded, searching the other angel's face. "Did you know that he was- that he- that he's- that he's dead?"

"I was aware, yes," Castiel responded stiffly, narrowing his eyes slightly at them. Confusion glinted through the angel's blue eyes, and Adam resisted the urge to roll his own. Michael took a few steps back and breathed in slowly, seemingly trying to calm himself down, as much as he could. While he took a moment to compose himself, Adam spoke up, narrowing their eyes at the angel slightly.

"How?" The demon demanded simply, crossing their arms over their chest. "Let me guess; Sam and Dean had something to do with it," he added, his own anger rising again, but he struggled to push it down again, not wanting to make it any harder on Michael than it seemed to be.

Finally, a flicker of hesitation appeared on Castiel's face. "Well…"

"Had something to do with what?" They twitched and turned, at once, hearing Sam speak up from behind them. Dean was beside him, busy stuffing their shotguns into a duffle-bag. The taller of the two looked more bewildered than anything, glancing from Adam and Michael to Castiel. "What's wrong?"

Michael shook their head a little, while Adam took in a breath and held it, still struggling to keep his anger at bay - especially now that he was facing the Winchesters again. His mouth twitched, twisting into a faint scowl, and Michael shook a little. The anger between both of them, combined, was most certainly a dangerous combination. They both acknowledged this.

"Lucifer's dead," Michael finally managed to hiss, quieter than before, his voice shakier than before - but filled with rage, all the same. Sam blinked at that, his confusion seeming to intensify. It was Dean who reacted, shoulders jerking, head snapping up, eyes flickering upwards, his own confusion giving way to a horrified realization before it was masked just as abruptly, jaw setting, eyes hardening.

Adam inclined their head toward his older half-brother, and Michael's gaze came to rest on the older Winchester, having seen his reaction just the same. "What?" Adam demanded, narrowing their eyes at Dean. "You were involved, weren't you? What the hell did you do?"

A snarl broke from their lips after Adam had spoken the last part, but it had come from Michael this time, the archangel hardly trying to stifle his own fury now.

"Alright, hey-" Dean held a hand up defensively, eyes narrowing slightly. "Let's just- try and remember that we're talking about the Devil here, okay? Satan?" He reminded them, but it did nothing to calm the archangel or the demon. "He was-"

"My brother," Michael choked out through clenched teeth, shaking even harder. Adam twitched slightly, every part of him aching to lunge now, yearning for blood, desperate to rip into the Winchesters as deeply as possible - and, maybe he would have, if Michael wasn't having the same urges. Maybe he would have, if Michael didn't seem as eager to attack as Adam was. That gave Adam pause, made him hesitate. That wasn't right, it wasn't right…

"Let's just try and calm down," Sam said carefully, stepping forward a little, as if to put himself in between Dean and Michael. Castiel shuffled forward, as well, bringing himself up on the other side, but Michael didn't seem to notice. Either that, or he just didn't care.

Castiel nodded slightly in agreement to Sam's words, blue eyes flickering back and forth between Dean and Michael with growing uncertainty. "Yes, let's-"

"I want to know," Michael's voice rose slightly. Dean jolted a little, only slightly, but he didn't move backwards, just continued to stare at the archangel in silence. "Who killed my brother."

"I did, okay?" Dean finally snarled back, and Michael's eyes hardened at once, jerking back a little bit. The hunter stood still, shrugging away from Sam and Castiel and ignoring their protests as he met Adam and Michael's gaze steadily, despite the echoes of fear, uncertainty that flickered through his green gaze. "I mean, I had a little help, but it was me-"

"You?" Michael interrupted, lips curled back slightly, as he suddenly moved forward - even Adam was left stunned into silence by his sudden, aggressive advance, and Dean finally took a few steps back, green eyes hardening slightly with defiance despite the way his face seemed to pale in response to the archangel's fury. "You killed my brother?"

"I killed the Devil," Dean corrected, still backing away with every step forward that Michael took. Adam just stared, unsure how to react now, what to do - did he let Michael handle the Winchesters himself, or did he step in to help? Or… or did he step in to stop him? Castiel and Sam were trying, Adam could feel Castiel's hand on Michael's shoulder, and Sam was following after Dean, still trying to get him out of the archangel's line of sight.

"No, no, he didn't deserve to- he didn't deserve to die," Michael roared, ripping away from Castiel and moving forward again. His eyes blazed, a distinct, bright blue, as he approached the hunter. "You- you-" At a loss for words, the archangel only continued to shake slightly, before taking another few steps forward. "Murderer."

Adam hesitated, still torn, but the last word caught his attention. He thought back to what Michael had said to him earlier - you're not a murderer. He thought back to the guilt that constantly plagued the archangel, the way he kept him from hurting Sam and Dean, afraid of the demon making the same mistakes that he had, afraid of Adam drowning in guilt of his own. I can tell you that this… revenge… none of it's going to make it better. It's not going to make you hate them any less.

The demon faltered.

Michael was hurt. He was angry. He was confused. And grieving… but even then, Adam knew, the archangel was only giving himself yet another reason to hate himself. Yet another thing to punish himself for. Yet another thing to feel guilty over. He was blinded by rage now - but when that went away, if he did something now that he'd end up regretting later, it was going to be even harder for him to bring himself back from the self-loathing he was trapped in.

Adam frowned, looking at Dean. The fear was apparent on his face, despite how much he was trying to hide it. But even as satisfying as it was… as satisfying as it would be to just sit back and let Michael lose himself to the fury, to let him rip the hunter apart himself, knowing what that would do to the archangel, and even the slightest possibility - Adam couldn't.

"... Michael…" The demon mumbled, quietly, but it was enough to make Michael pause again. His blazing gaze didn't leave Dean, and for just a second, Adam fell silent, staring at his brother as confusion replaced the wariness and fear that had been written across his face moments before. But, Adam's hesitation didn't last so long this time; Before Michael could continue his advances, the demon tore their gaze away, off of Dean, rooting their eyes to the floor instead. "This isn't you."

Michael didn't respond, but he clenched their hands into fists slightly, knuckles turning white.

You're better than this, Adam insisted, internally now, as he took a few steps backwards, distancing them from Dean. Michael let him, keeping their gaze downcast. Even if you don't think so, you are. So don't do this. Not if you're going to end up hating yourself for it later. They're not… The demon let their gaze flick back up, just for a second. They're not worth it.

Again, the archangel remained unresponsive. But he did look up, eyes resting on Dean, first, and then Sam - and then Castiel, who had them by the shoulder again, continuing to pull them backwards, away from Dean. Michael looked back at Dean, gaze lingering, just for a second.

It took a while, and Michael continued to hesitate. Adam eventually pulled away from Castiel, himself, shooting him an irritated look but continuing to back off anyway. But, finally, Michael's anger faltered, dimmed, and diminished all at once, leaving behind nothing but uncertain, pained exhaustion. And then, with that, he had vanished just as quickly, retracting the last of his control and retreating completely into the back of their mind, leaving Adam alone at the front.

Adam glanced up, shoulders dropping slightly, as if a weight had dropped. He stumbled, just a little, before managing to right himself again, lifting his head and focusing his gaze on Dean. "Consider yourself lucky," he growled at his brother, "that Michael doesn't deserve to live with the guilt of killing you, or I'd have let him pulverize your sorry ass." He didn't wait for a response, didn't stick around for a reply. He turned, shoving his way past Castiel, brushing past Belphegor, and left the room.

It was only when he reached the nurse's office that he stopped. And, shutting his eyes, he retreated, himself, his body crumpling to the ground as he let his control slip.