Adam realized that, yes, he was kind of clinging to Michael, but at the same time, he didn't quite care. The archangel was holding onto him just as close, the grip on his arm seeming to tighten with every passing second, and the demon only tightened his own grip in response. This… this, he didn't like. He didn't feel secure, the way he did when he could feel Michael's emotions as his own, the way he did when he could hear the archangel in his head, the soft, compassionate comments and the comforting, reassuring words. It felt weird, being this close to him and feeling nothing, absolutely nothing, it felt wrong, the connection between them just… gone.
Michael looked over at him, wide-eyed, but he didn't say anything. Adam furrowed his eyebrows at the archangel in response, searching his gaze desperately, wanting - no, needing - to know what he was thinking, what he was feeling. The archangel swallowed, hard, before he looked away again, and Adam let out a low, quiet growl in the back of his throat - one of desperation, confusion, rather than anger. Never had he felt weaker than he did right then.
Lucifer - not the Lucifer Adam remembered on Earth, no, this new guy who was apparently Lucifer now - was watching them, intent and curious, but he didn't move from his place beside the other man - the one still just staring at Adam, intrigued. The demon spared him nothing more than a glance, jaw setting slightly as his lips curled back, the low growl rising to something a little more aggressive than it had been just moments before.
Michael seemed to recognize that, though, because the archangel's attention was redirected right back to him in an instant. The archangel spared a glance toward the man, mouth twisting slightly, but he didn't say anything, didn't even meet the man's gaze for any longer than a second before he had turned back to Adam, lightly tugging on his arm to get his attention; The demon continued to glare, just for a moment, before ripping his gaze back to Michael. The archangel gave him a pointed look, but he didn't say anything - Adam only blinked.
Just a few minutes ago, he'd have been able to know what Michael was trying to tell him. Now he had absolutely no idea, not the slightest clue - and he despised it.
"Okay, uh, first of all…" The kid - Lucifer's vessel - suddenly spoke up, taking a step toward them. "Hello." He lifted a hand to wave, while Adam just narrowed his eyes at him, nose wrinkling and mouth twisting slightly as he pulled his lips back and let out a low, rumbling snarl; In an instant, Lucifer and the woman were pacing forward from different sides, and Michael was pulling Adam back by the shoulders, while the kid only blinked.
"It's okay," Michael muttered to Adam, glancing from Lucifer to the woman and back again, desperate. "It's okay, it's okay, he- he's just-" The archangel swallowed. "It's okay."
Concern overpowered the wariness; With one last, hostile glare in the kid's direction, Adam turned back to Michael, yanking his shoulders away and grabbing onto the archangel's arm, instead. He pulled him back, away from the woman and the kid, and took a few steps toward Lucifer. The Devil glanced at him, eyes narrowing faintly, but he said nothing.
"I want an explanation," Adam hissed, letting Michael's arm go and turning around. The archangel reached out a shaking hand pressing down gently over the demon's shoulder, and Adam leaned slightly into the touch, but otherwise, he didn't move.
"I'm trying to give you one," the kid insisted, and Adam's mouth twitched again, ready to snarl again - but Michael's other hand came to rest on his other shoulder, fingers digging into his shirt, squeezing softly, and the demon stopped and inhaled deeply, forcing himself to relax - at least, as much as he possibly could, given the circumstances. The kid stared at him, uncertain, then cleared his throat and raised a hand again. "Okay, uh, hello, everyone, my name's Jack."
"We're aware," Gabriel told him slowly, calm on the surface, but even Adam could see that he was certainly not comfortable with the arrangement here. His eyes darted around every which way, a faint scowl written across his face, a gleam of recognition in his eyes; Then, suddenly, the archangel strode over to where Lucifer stood, circling around him to stand in between the Devil and Michael, who hadn't moved away from Adam - and good thing, too, because the demon was this close to attacking the man that was still staring at him.
"Actually, I was not." The other woman, the one who had called Michael 'nephew', whom Adam assumed was Amara, spoke up. She looked down at Jack, intrigued, and tilted her head to the side. "Jack… so you're Lucifer's son."
At that realization, Adam stiffened, and he felt Michael's hands tightened around his shoulders. Whether or not he had tensed up, himself, or he was simply trying to restrain the demon, even Adam couldn't tell; And he hated it, on so many different fucking levels. "That's the…" Adam forced himself to speak, looking toward Lucifer, who nodded, almost proudly. Adam stared for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the kid - Jack - who offered an awkward smile. "Holy shit…. Wait. No. Hold it." The demon stared at the Nephilim for a long time before flicking his eyes back to Lucifer, and then right back to Jack. "You're dead. I mean- Lucifer was fucking…"
"Possessing me. Yeah, I know." Jack paused, rubbing the back of his neck and looking toward Lucifer. Adam noticed his eyes narrowed, just for a second, before he turned away again. "And, um, I am dead… sort of. For now… Not the point- listen-"
"We need to get rid of Chuck," the woman behind him spoke up, and almost every head turned in her direction. Amara looked shocked, and even Gabriel looked a little surprised. Michael, however, didn't react, and Adam just stared for a very, very long time until, finally, the woman narrowed her eyes a little and spoke up again, slowly, "God."
Adam blinked, and Michael jerked back, hands lifting from the demon's shoulders.
"What?"
"Hear her out," Lucifer was insisting, a little sour now, as he turned to watch his brother. Adam waved him off quickly, immediately turning after Michael and taking a few steps after the archangel, who was backing away. He stopped when he saw Adam approaching, though, allowing the demon to get close enough to keep up with him, allowing him to reach over and grab his arm, pulling him forward just enough to get close to him again. Neither of them were particularly fond of any kind of physical contact, but right then, Adam needed it more than ever. And, judging by the way Michael relaxed at his touch, the archangel needed it, too.
"Billie, just…" Jack spared the woman a desperate look, and, raising her eyebrows, she backed off and allowed the Nephilim to take a few more steps forward, turning his attention back to Michael and Adam. "I know that sounds really… really strange, but, uh- well, I mean, Lucifer told you about what He did, right?" He questioned, and Michael didn't react, so Adam just forced a jerky, cold nod in the kid's direction for the both of them.
"He's gone too far."
Michael winced, and Adam tensed all over again, a snarl breaking through his teeth as he turned his head. It was the odd, black, gooey entity that had risen out of the darkness. It hadn't moved - its mouth hadn't even opened to speak. The voice seemed to echo around the entire area, while simultaneously coming straight from the entity. The voice was distorted, slow, but the words were easy enough to make out.
"I wouldn't be bothered, but now…" The entity's head tilted ever so slightly, and Adam leaned back, thoroughly creeped out. "No, no, no. I can't sleep. This one won't let me." Its head turned in Jack and Billie's direction, just for a second - Adam couldn't tell which one it was talking about, but at the same time, he didn't care enough to try and figure it out. "And don't even get me started on the lack of balance. The natural order has been near destroyed…"
"I'm a firm believer in 'what's dead should stay dead'," Billie interrupted, turning her cold gaze onto the others. "Yes, the souls of Hell no longer walk the Earth - at least, the ones that had been set free during-"
"My brother's little temper tantrum," Amara muttered, rolling her eyes.
Billie nodded to her. "Even then, as long as he still walks this Earth, he's a threat. To us, and to the balance of the universe. And this universe needs. Balance." Adam just stared, glancing between all of them, disbelief and confusion growing - it was Michael who spoke, voice shaking.
"But…" The archangel licked his lips, looking nervous as everybody turned to look at him, expectant. Adam narrowed his eyes at them, slightly, leaning back into Michael's touch, trying to remind the archangel that he was there, he wasn't facing this alone. In response, Michael squeezed the demon's shoulders lightly and continued on, hesitantly. "My Father is gone. He left- right?" His head turned toward Lucifer, as did Adam's. "You said He left."
"I said that Sam and Dean think He left," Lucifer corrected casually, and Gabriel narrowed his eyes faintly at the Devil, but he didn't seem particularly hostile, just a mixture of curious and confused. "But, He didn't. He's too weak," the Devil added, almost seeming proud by that, and definitely seeming amused. Michael was silent, but his grip around Adam's shoulders tightened even further - not that the demon minded, not the slightest bit.
Amara narrowed her eyes faintly, looking interested now. Then, suddenly, she had started laughing. "Ah. That's why He wanted to leave." Billie and Jack nodded, while almost everybody else spared Amara a curious look, prompting her to explain, "my Brother… He came to me not too long ago, despite our arrangement - which was, basically, staying out of each other's way." She rolled her eyes, seeming irritated. "He wanted to leave the universe. Of course, He can't leave now, not on His own. He's injured." Her lips twitched, a satisfied smile breaking across her face, just for a moment. "So, I left him. In Reno."
"Reno?" The man beside Lucifer suddenly spoke up, finally, finally moving his gaze away from Adam, much to the demon's relief. The man looked toward Amara, intrigued. "One place I've never been, actually. What's it like?"
"Oh, it's wonderful." Amara's smile brightened, turning much more genuine. Adam just blinked, glancing between the two of them now. "Really, you should go sometime. You know, when my Brother's not there, at least. The food is amazing, the spas are delightful - and the hotels…"
"It sounds lovely," the man said curiously, head tilting. "Have you ever been to Australia?"
"No, actually." Amara blinked. "Do they have spas?"
"Okay, as interesting as this conversation is-" Gabriel interrupted abruptly - which, if he hadn't, Adam had honestly been about to - and turned to Billie and Jack, the former of which just looked unamused once more while the latter looked bewildered, crossing his arms over his chest and pacing forward a few steps. "I don't know exactly what you're planning to do, but I'm in."
"What?" Michael choked out from behind Adam, and this time, the demon did twist around to look at him, concerned. The archangel's expression was unreadable. "Gabriel-"
"Come on, man." Gabriel turned to face his brothers, now, his expression a mixture of irritation and disbelief. "After everything Dad's done? Lying to us, for years, pretending that He cared - watching humanity crumble to pieces again and again, forcing you and Lucifer against each other for His own stupid, twisted enjoyment, forcing me to-" The youngest archangel stilled, mouth twisting, a deep grimace settling across his face as his eyes darkened. "And now, this? Just, pulling the plug? He's done, no shits given? How the Hell is that supposed to be fair?"
"For once, Gabriel," Lucifer mumbled. "You're actually talking sense."
Michael just stared at them, while Adam only blinked, still trying to catch a glimpse of the archangel's expression. It was so hard, looking at him, not being able to tell what he was thinking, and what he was feeling. He hated it, he genuinely hated it, and he missed it. Of course he did, he wasn't even surprised by that - he'd always known that he wouldn't be able to function without Michael, now, but with him right there, and still holding absolutely no connection with him, it was as frustrating as it was scary. "I don't…" Michael finally started, swallowing hard, "I…"
"Michael," Billie's voice was gentle, as opposed to the cold, down-to-business tone she had taken with them earlier. "I understand how you feel about your Father. It's hard to let go of that kind of loyalty. But even you have to understand that something has to be done. He can't leave. And as long as He's here, He poses as a threat - not just to humanity, or to the universe. To us." After a moment's pause, staring at them, she added, "to you, and to Adam."
It was only at that last part that Michael reacted, hands twitching on Adam's shoulders, drawing him ever so slightly closer as if to protect him. The demon narrowed his eyes at Billie slightly, taking a slight step back toward the archangel, just to reassure him that he was alright. "I wouldn't let Him hurt Adam," Michael mumbled, but he didn't sound very confident, voice shaking with uncertainty and terror as he glanced toward Lucifer, then Gabriel, then back toward Billie and Jack. "But I- even if we could do something- what can we do against God?"
"Hashtag put God in the hole," Lucifer piped up idly, and the man beside him made some kind of motion with his hands, as if he were throwing a basketball - which actually amused Adam for a second - while the Devil spoke. "You know, trap His ass. Kind of, uh…"
"Just desserts," Gabriel cut in, a slight glimmer of pride appearing in his eyes now, as well as mischief. "For once, Luci, you're talking sense…"
"We can't kill Him. Not unless we want to throw the entire universe completely off kilter. Then everybody's kind of… what is it kids say these days? Fucked?" The entity turned toward Billie, who nodded, and it turned back to the others, nodding a bit, itself. "Fucked."
"Oh, I'm in," Amara said at once, stepping forward and raising a hand slightly. "Definitely in. I mean, if He's gonna try and destroy the world, hah- that means- Reno- let's trap Him. Please. Where- where are we trapping him? Know what, actually? Doesn't matter. Anywhere will do." She definitely seemed enthusiastic about the plan, but Adam's focus was more or less on Michael now, watching the archangel carefully as Michael's gaze flickered from one person to the other, clearly overwhelmed and stressed to the max. Adam didn't need to share a body with him to be able to sense that, at least.
"We're putting him in the Cage," Lucifer said proudly. Both Michael and Adam stiffened. Well, Michael stiffened - Adam only stilled because he had. Or, hell - maybe the demon had been the one to tense first, and then the archangel had done the same. He really couldn't tell now.
One of them would do something small, the other would follow suit. One of them would twitch, the other would move completely. Then they were both left wondering who had started what, who had moved first.
"The Cage?" Gabriel asked slowly, raising an eyebrow almost skeptically.
"The Cage?" Amara echoed, a faint frown appearing on her face now, as she stared at Lucifer.
Adam shook his head a little, and, finally having enough, turned away from the others. He grabbed Michael by the wrist, and the archangel hardly fought against him as he was tugged away from the others, sparing a glance back over his shoulder every now and again, but he followed after Adam gladly as the demon simply pulled him away from the group, further into the darkness, just needing to distance them both before one of them - or both of them - had a panic attack right on the spot. Adam felt damn close to some kind of breakdown, and Michael wasn't exactly looking too hot, either.
"Are you okay?" The demon demanded after a moment, as Michael doubled over slightly, arms wrapping around himself, and seemed to shrink in on himself. The archangel let out a shuddering sigh, not responding, but he leaned a little closer to Adam, desperate for some kind of contact - they could both agree with that, needing some kind of connection, since their souls had been ripped apart so… violently, so abruptly.
"Don't know," the archangel mumbled honestly, and Adam laid a hand over his shoulder, steady and grounding. Michael took in a deep breath and opened his eyes, looking over at the demon wearily. "Are you?"
"Ask me again when we're not planning on fighting God," Adam mumbled, and, despite himself, Michael actually huffed out a laugh - but then, he was silent. The demon studied him for a moment, once more aching to know what was going on inside his head, what he was thinking about, what he was feeling. But he didn't want to ask - he never had to before, and he wasn't going to start now. Hopefully this - whatever was going on here - would be over soon. Hopefully they would be able to go back to normal soon, because Adam didn't know how to function on his own. Not anymore. And that just wasn't changing. Not now, not ever.
"You gotta excuse them, you know. They're a little bit over-enthusiastic."
Adam turned, a snarl already building in his throat, but Michael's hand rested on his back, just between his shoulder blades, enough to calm the demon just enough to see who it was.
It was the man that had been watching him earlier; Casual as ever, hands tucked into his pockets, he wore a bright, casual - somewhat lazy - grin, no clear emotion flickering through his eyes. Yet, he wasn't particularly guarded; No, every little flash of emotion, Adam could see clearly, flitting across his face. But those little bursts lasted no more than a few seconds before they were replaced by the next, too fast for the demon to register, but too slow to be considered nothing. Adam blinked, and stared at him, somewhat mesmerized, at least for the moment.
"And, excuse me," the man continued, lips tugging upwards into a dry, amused-looking smile as he stepped forward, not moving his hands from his pockets. "Been a while since I've interacted with anyone for more than five seconds, haven't really practiced my manners too much." He pulled one hand out of his pocket, crossing it over his chest as he bowed, "Jesse. Jesse Turner."
It took a few seconds for that name to click, but judging by the way Michael stiffened beside Adam, he had figured it out the second Jesse had introduced himself. "You're that… you're the hybrid," the demon muttered, eyes narrowing slowly at the man as his lips curled back, baring his teeth ever so slightly at the other, who just looked amused.
"Mm, and you're a demon." Jesse's smile seemed to turn just a little bit colder as he spoke, but it was hard to tell, the emotion not lasting longer than a second before it was replaced by the next. "Not one like I've ever seen before. That's interesting. You're different." He cocked his head. "Not a crossroads demon, not a normal demon… not a prince, or a knight…" The hybrid narrowed his eyes slightly, looking intrigued once again. "What color are your eyes?"
"The hell are you talking about?" Adam demanded coldly, and even Michael seemed bewildered, staring back at Jesse with a mixture of confusion and concern written across his face. Jesse just raised an eyebrow, silent now, then turned his head to the side.
"Hey, J."
"What's going on?" Jack questioned, appearing from the darkness and approaching the three of them with a frown. The Nephilim slowed to a stop beside the Cambion, who flashed him a bright, genuine-looking smile, nothing like the plastic, polite ones that he had offered to Adam and Michael. In response, Jack gave him a warm look right back before he turned back to the other two, concern and confusion replacing the smile. "I'm sorry if you're… overwhelmed. I didn't think it was a good idea to bring you guys here so early, but Billie said that Chuck was getting suspicious, and we needed to get a move on. We need the two of you, since-"
"Yeah, that's what I don't understand about all of this," Adam admitted, interrupting the Nephilim and narrowing his eyes faintly at Jack and Jesse, who exchanged a glance in response. "Why us? I mean- okay, actually, Michael, I understand-"
"I'm not even at full power, though," Michael pointed out nervously, "don't know how good I would do against… against Him," he almost spat the word out - almost, and Adam was proud, either way, at the spite that had entered his tone. Proud, but concerned, as his voice shook.
"Well, that's what we're trying to explain," Jack replied, shifting a little on his feet and throwing another glance toward Jesse. "We're trying to work out the details. Getting you back to full power, for one, is important. We need at least three of the original archangels, since Lucifer won't let us bring Raphael back…" The kid rolled his eyes, irritated.
"First name basis with the old man," Adam muttered under his breath. "That's rough, buddy."
"But…" Jack continued, as if he hadn't heard - which, to be completely honest, was irritating as all Hell. "I know that, uh… well, what He did to you, for one, the both of you - you deserve justice just as much as everybody else here. It's not just about how useful you'll be, or how powerful you are. This is about taking a stand." The Nephilim raised his head slightly, eyes narrowing. "And showing Him that we're more than just some characters in a story. We have feelings. We have lives. And we're not going to let Him screw with that anymore."
"We deserve better," Jesse agreed, nodding. "All of us. The lost, the broken, the defeated, the scared. The forgotten - we all had a part to play. We all had a story to tell. We just got a little abandoned along the way. Cast aside. Created and discarded, because we didn't fit anymore." The Cambion paused, looking over at Jack as the Nephilim reached over and touched his shoulder. "It's time to rise up. Take a shot at something that we've never really had before."
"Take a chance for something we've never really experienced, until now," Jack added in, a smile appearing on his face. "Free will. There's still a lot to work out, but…" The kid looked over at Adam and Michael. The archangel had faltered, considerably, listening to them, a myriad of emotions crossing his face as he watched the two, seeming torn. Adam, honestly, felt almost the same way. He did want to do something - but not for him. For Michael.
"I think we can do this," Jack continued, quiet now, but confident. "I think we should try. For all of us - because all of us are worth fighting for." He grinned, warm and innocent.
"Exactly." Jesse smiled dryly, though his eyes glittered with humor as he leaned to one side, propping himself up against Jack. "I mean, I don't know about you two, but I think it's about time we got the chance to raise a little bit of Hell, ourselves." Jesse's smile shifted, turning into something a little sharper, but genuine all the same. "We go down, we go down fighting."
Adam didn't respond, bringing his gaze back to Michael. The archangel looked back at him at the exact same time, clear hesitance shining through his eyes - but there was something else, too, some kind of longing. He wanted to do this, he wanted to, and it was so clear to see, even now - and the terror, the reluctance, Adam hated that more than anything. He hated seeing how much the archangel truly did want to fight against his Father - and how broken and confused and uncertain he was to do so because of everything, everything He had done to him.
The demon held Michael's gaze, unmoving, but he tightened his grip on the archangel's shoulder. I'm with you, whatever you choose. I'm with you.
Michael relaxed, slowly, ever so slightly, as if he had understood. After a while of staring, the archangel inhaled, held his breath for a good few seconds, then cleared his throat, swallowed, and turned back to Jesse and Jack, who were watching them intensely and hopefully - respectively - while they waited for a response. And, after a moment, Michael gave one, and Adam's lips twitched upwards into the smallest of smiles once he had.
"... Hashtag put God in the hole…" The archangel looked over at Adam and, seeing the slight smile that had appeared on the demon's lips, his own faint grin appeared, still hesitant - but now with just a spark, a small spark of confidence. Jesse and Jack exchanged a look, both of them smiling now, wider than ever, excited and relieved. "Right?"
Despite how much he tried to fight it, even Adam couldn't keep his face from splitting into a grin, both proud and amused as he nudged the archangel's shoulder. "Damn straight, asshole."