"Oh- hey- good, they're back…"
Michael paused, raising his head slightly to look past Jack and Jesse, toward Lucifer. Adam had done the same, the demon's eyes narrowed through the darkness as he searched for the Devil, and Lucifer only offered them both an amused smile in response - which abruptly faded, dropped, and twisted into a frown as his nose wrinkled. "Damn, it's so weird seeing you two… as… two…" He muttered, and Michael almost laughed - it was weird seeing them split up? Yeah, it was even worse actually being split up, thank-you-very-much. He hated it, every single second of it, and he was just hating it more and more.
Judging by the half-grunt, half-growl that was rising in the back of Adam's throat, he felt the same way. Michael reached over, almost unconsciously - instinctive, despite them being split - to lay a hand across his shoulder again. It was nothing more than a light touch, barely any pressure; But the second he came into contact with Adam, the demon relaxed.
"Are you done having your moment, or…?" Lucifer blinked at them, and Michael spared his brother a warning look - for his own sake, rather than Adam's, because his silent reassurances were only going to work for so long. He had to admit, it was a lot easier holding Adam back in their own head than it was to actually, physically restrain him - just another thing that Michael hated about being separated from him. "Yes? Good." He turned away, gesturing toward Billie. "So, then, the plan…"
"Insensitive…" Jack muttered under his breath, leaving Jesse's side to walk back over to Billie, and leaving the Cambion snickering under his breath as he circled around Gabriel and Lucifer, standing off to one side by himself. The Devil spared a look after his son, half-exasperated, and Michael turned his gaze in the Nephilim's direction, himself. His nephew… an odd thought.
He looked over at Adam for a moment, seeing his gaze fixed on Jack; The second Michael looked at Adam, though, the demon lifted his gaze to the archangel, blinking faintly as their eyes met, just for a second. Then his eyebrows furrowed, and Michael's did the same, blinking once more, at the same time, before they both heaved out slow, irritated sighs and ripped their gazes away from each other, breaking eye contact at the same time.
Yeah. Michael hated this.
"Listen." Billie's voice rose above everyone else's, taking the archangel's attention back almost at once. Adam twitched, a low growl beginning to rumble in his chest, instinctive at this point; He rubbed his thumb over the demon's shoulder, just enough pressure to remind the demon that he was right there - after a moment, the growl faded, and Adam relaxed. "I know that this is God we're talking about, and it might seem a little intimidating. But He's vulnerable right now, and this might be the only chance we'll get to start fighting back."
"Our universe is in danger," Jack added, "and we're the only ones who can stop it."
"Because we're the only ones who can do what needs to be done," Lucifer cut in, and Michael turned his head toward his younger brother at once, blinking. "We're the only ones who can stop what He started - and we're the only ones who can give ourselves justice."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Billie murmured. Jack's lips twitched, just for a second, meeting Lucifer's gaze briefly before he looked away once more. Michael couldn't help a smile of his own, but he turned his attention from Lucifer to Amara when his aunt stepped forward; The archangel couldn't keep himself from tensing in time, and, in turn, Adam started growling once again. He shushed the demon as quietly as possible, squeezing his shoulder softly.
"Well, let's talk business," Amara insisted, folding her arms across her chest and looking around. "How are we going to get my Brother into this… Cage, and how do we know it'll be strong enough to hold Him in the first place?" She demanded.
Michael's eyebrows furrowed, thinking about that. Come to think of it, actually, he didn't have the slightest clue if it would be enough to hold… well, God. It was made to hold an archangel. It was made to hold a demon. A human. But whether or not it was strong enough to hold his Father… it wasn't as if that was something that had been any kind of possibility before. Most certainly nothing that anybody else had ever thought of before. And, then, of course, there was always the issue that-
"The Cage is open, anyway," Adam grunted, echoing Michael's thoughts, and the archangel glanced down at the demon a he continued, "I mean, apparently God opened it like it was nothing from the outside. I seriously doubt He wouldn't be able to do the same from the inside."
"Like we said, He's weakened-" Lucifer started.
"But He wasn't too weak to tear Hell open, was He?" Michael murmured, and Lucifer paused, looking over at him. Everyone went kind of quiet then, and Adam twisted around slightly to look at him, shrugging Michael's hand off of his shoulder - only to reach up, grabbing the archangel's shoulder in a tight, steel-like grip, his unwavering gaze never moving from Michael's. After a moment of staring, the archangel took in a breath, held it, then let it out slowly and looked away.
"Mm." Billie tilted her head at them, raising an eyebrow sharply. "Listen, boys. We're not going into this blind, or unprepared. That phase of this plan isn't even remotely ready yet - whether He's weakened by His injuries or not, the Cage wasn't made to hold Him. The warding wasn't made to contain Him. And that-" She paused, sparing a pointed look Amara's way. "Is exactly where she comes in. Her power, alone, rivals God's. He was able to take her down, only with the assistance of the archangels - and even then, He just barely managed it."
"The only problem is, we can't lock Him up where He sent her," Lucifer added. "If we do that, we need someone to hold the key - like with the Mark of Cain. And that was a disaster."
"No kidding," Gabriel muttered.
"So you're settling for the next best thing," Michael mumbled, uneasiness replacing whatever confidence that he had built up before. That was far too easy lately; Confidence, courage, it never came easy to the archangel. And when it did, it was shut down almost immediately, buried under the shame and insecurities and the fear that had been building up inside of him for so, so long. The prideful, if not somewhat arrogant, archangel, who had once stood tall before his brothers, who had once led not just Heaven's armies, but all of Heaven, himself, when their own Father abandoned them - that archangel was gone. And in his place was something entirely new. Something twisted, and broken, and shattered beyond his own recognition.
His breathing hitched slightly at the thought, but it was nearly unnoticeable. To all, except one. And that one, the one who stood tall beside him, who carried enough courage and confidence for the both of them, who Michael didn't feel broken with, tightened his grip on the archangel's shoulder to get his attention, meeting his gaze steadily, nothing but unwavering loyalty and understanding flickering through his deep, imploring gaze, soulful and direct, holding an unspoken question; Michael held his gaze until the uncertainty had faded away, until another spark had been lit, until another burst of that ever-fading confidence flickered to life once more.
He wanted to do this. He needed to do this.
Michael exhaled, nodding to Adam, who loosened his grip on the archangel's shoulder almost immediately, a small smile appearing on the demon's face, just for a second. Michael held his gaze for a few moments longer before he looked away again, setting his jaw and lifting his head ever so slightly. "So how do we get the Cage to hold Him?"
Billie's lips twitched slightly, and Lucifer's face broke into a grin, almost looking proud, for just a second. Jack just beamed, unsurprised, warm and hopeful as ever. Gabriel's mouth lifted into a small half-smile, but he said nothing, looking toward the others and raising his eyebrows expectantly. "Well, Amara, Jesse and I will work out the kinks. All that really needs to be done is the warding, something that will weaken Chuck's powers further once He's inside, so that He can't break Himself out. The problem is, we can't keep the Cage in Hell while we do that." At the confused stares from Michael, Adam and Gabriel, she pressed, "if He senses what we're trying to do, then there's no point. He's still clueless, as of right now, but if He even begins to suspect - to really suspect what we're trying to do-"
"We're fucked," the entity finished for Billie, and Michael couldn't help but flinch, hearing the growling, distorted voice. Adam snarled softly under his breath, but Michael didn't try to calm him this time - because by the time he had turned to do so, Adam had straightened up, eyes shut, inhaling deeply through his nose, already working on calming himself down.
"Jesse's power makes Lucifer walking the Earth a lot more difficult," Billie continued, eyes narrowing faintly. "The Winchesters are already beginning to suspect. And Chuck, even if He doesn't realize it by Himself - He's still watching Sam and Dean's every movement. Making sure they're not after Him. Keeping them distracted, occupied, until He finds a way to leave. With His eyes on them, and their eyes on us - it's risky, trying to do anything from Earth, from Hell, and from Heaven. Caution is our friend right now." Billie leaned back, crossing her arms.
Michael blinked and lowered his gaze, eyebrows furrowing. The question he wanted to ask was lingering, just on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to speak up quite yet. Moving the Cage - honestly, just seeing the Cage would probably be too much right now, or at least, it felt like it. And, above that, Michael didn't even know how that would be possible. The amount of warding, the binds, the chains… He had been there, he had been right there, when his Father had created the Cage. He'd known every part of it from the outside, and now he knew it from the inside. He knew how it functioned, he knew the spells, and the magic surrounding it. He knew every enochian symbol etched onto the bars, and he knew every sigil carved into the chains, and he knew the lock, and the keys, every single one.
He could say that he'd memorized it all for God's sake, but the truth was, even back then, Michael had been uncertain of his own faith. Even back then, he doubted himself. Even back then, he doubted his Father; And even back then, he had been wondering if he was really making the right choice when it came down to Lucifer and God.
The archangel could still remember that kind of fear.
He did as he was told; He was a soldier, not a son, to God. Every order, every command, was taken in with careful precision, responded to only with absolute obedience. Like a complete, cold, marble statue, he stood, awaiting his Father's next orders. God told him to jump? He didn't ask how high - he just did it. No questions asked, no answers needed, no doubts evident. Despite the constant cacophony of voices whispering - no, screaming in his ear, asking himself the same question that he'd been asking since before he could even remember; The same question that had only gotten louder, and louder, and louder. Why. Why. Why.
And that's why he just stood by as his Father left him to command Heaven. That's why he bit his tongue and took charge. That's why he struggled, day after day, second-guessing every step he took, every decision that he made, because he didn't know if God would have approved. He remembered how lost he had been without his Father there to guide him, without the constant orders and commands he had been expected to carry out daily. Giving commands was harder than accepting them. Taking charge was harder than letting someone else take the wheel. Free will was harder than the chains that used to bind him to his Father.
For a moment, though, the cycle of why's halted. Hell, it screeched to a stop, left him right there on the edge of a cliff, barely anything keeping him up. It was jump, fall, or run. It was take control of his own life, or continue to hide away.
Continue to be unable to make his own decisions. Continue to make the same mistakes over, and over again. Continue to let Him define his entire existence.
Michael, you can't do this to yourself anymore. You're always so set on making things right, aren't you? Maybe the one you need to start with is you.
The archangel blinked, staring down, hands slowly curling into fists at his sides. Okay, so he wasn't worth anything to God. And his Father had made that clear - too clear. But he was worth it - clearly enough, he was worth something to someone. He was worth fighting for to someone. Maybe he didn't have the same purpose he had used to. Maybe he didn't have any orders to carry out. Maybe he didn't have a higher power to look up to. Maybe he didn't have to bite his tongue anymore, maybe he didn't have to change who he was to please someone else. Adam thought he was worth fighting for exactly how he was, as broken as he was, as weak as he was.
"Halo?" Michael blinked again, pupils shrinking slightly, and looked up. Adam raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, confusion and concern flickering through his eyes as he stared at the archangel. "You okay?"
"I…" Michael stared at him for a moment, eyebrows furrowing together. He didn't know how to answer that. He didn't know if he was okay, not right then, but he did know that he wanted to be. He wanted to be able to put God behind him. He wanted to be able to put his life as a soldier, his existence, his purpose, behind him - and make a new one, one of his own choice. He wanted to be something - someone - else. And this was as good a chance as any to start.
"No… I don't know…" The archangel mumbled, finally, honestly. Adam's eyebrows pinched together, understanding but concerned; After a moment, Michael raised a hand and grabbed the demon's arm, holding on tightly as he turned back to Billie. "I…" He paused, swallowed, and forced his head up a little bit, forced his mouth to move, despite the anxiety writhing in his chest. "The Cage- I can help move it." His mouth went dry, but he went on. "I know how it was made."
Lucifer's eyebrows raised, but he was silent.
Billie lifted her chin faintly, approval glittering through her dark eyes as she smiled mirthlessly at the archangel. "I was hoping you'd say that," she responded, calm as ever. Beside Michael, Adam squeezed his shoulder, and the archangel looked over at once. The demon didn't look upset by the suggestion - if anything, pride glittered through his eyes, faint, but there.
"Guess we're going back to Hell," Adam mused, and Michael's lips twitched into a faint, warm smile in response. That was enough, at least, to help the archangel relax; Knowing that Adam was still standing with him through this made him feel ten times better about the situation, much more confident. "Should be fun. As long as we don't have to fall to get there…"
"Pussy," Lucifer taunted, and Michael tightened his grip on Adam's arm as the demon turned, a snarl already rising in his throat and a retort already on the tip of his tongue as he opened his mouth to respond. But Lucifer was speaking again, before the demon could spit out a word. "Anywho, since big bro was brave enough to volunteer - honestly, wasn't expecting that, so, wow, Micha - I guess I'll go along with them." He threw Billie and Jack a sly side glance. "Michael's not the only one who knows a few things about the Cage."
"I'll come, too," Gabriel offered, and Michael looked up at his younger brother, blinking faintly in surprise. Lucifer raised an eyebrow, almost skeptically, but even his expression softened slightly when the younger archangel continued. "You'll need the extra mojo." Gabriel wiggled his fingers. "Luci can't use too much of his power without running the risk of Dad sensing him, and…" He paused, glancing over at Michael. "Michael's still running low on engine fuel."
"I wish I could join you…" Jack muttered, irritation flickering through his eyes as he looked down and kicked at the ground, forehead creasing as his face scrunched up in a scowl.
"I'm sorry, Jack, but even with the progress we've made on your soul, it's just not a good idea for you to be where Chuck can sense you," Billie told the Nephilim, reaching over to place a hand over Jack's shoulder, and the kid sighed, but nodded. "You and Jesse are better off here."
"Yeah, hey- don't sweat it, J," Jesse piped up, a grin forming on his face now as he winked at Jack. "We'll have plenty fun of our own up here." Despite himself, Jack's mouth twitched the tiniest bit, an amused smile making its way onto his lips. Lucifer squinted slightly at Jesse, while Michael just shook his head, sighed, and closed his eyes for a moment.
"I can keep my Brother distracted enough for you to do what you need to do," Amara added, though she didn't sound too thrilled with the idea of visiting Chuck again. "Just… be fast. Every moment with him is painful… Can you believe he actually thought the Game of Thrones ending was good?" A disgusted sound rose in the back of her throat, and Michael opened his eyes to look over at his aunt, both confused and unnerved. "Honestly…"
"Well, if you're moving the Cage, you may as well move it here," the entity spoke up, somewhat begrudgingly, as it angled its head toward Michael, Adam, Lucifer and Gabriel; Michael immediately pulled Adam back, just a little bit, not quite trusting of the entity nor of his aunt. "Which means… Well, I'm not going with you… but, I'll keep open up somewhat of a… rift in Hell for you to get through when you need it."
"Great," Lucifer hummed, "and where, exactly, will this rift be?"
"You'll know it when you see it."
"Well, when, exactly, does this need to be done?" Gabriel asked suddenly, turning to Billie again. "'Cause, like I said, I was in the middle of… uh… something, before you dumped this whole Order of the Phoenix meeting on us and everything."
Adam started laughing at that, much to Michael's surprise.
"Oh, no. There's no rush at all," Billie responded coolly, "we'll just wait a few more weeks, let Chuck figure everything out before we actually start putting our plan into action. You know, give him somewhat of a head start, so it's fair. You can go on about your day and pretend like the universe isn't in danger, and we'll meet back up again here after Chuck's already found out what we're trying to do and is, once again, ten steps ahead of us because we waited."
Lucifer was snickering by the time Gabriel had managed to respond. "Point taken," the youngest archangel mumbled, turning back to his brothers and Adam. "So, then, I guess… You need a way into Hell, since you can't fly," He started, looking at Michael.
"I can fl-" Michael only got about halfway through his protest before Adam was tugging him back, clasping a hand over the archangel's mouth to silence him as the demon turned back to Gabriel, a deep scowl written across his face now.
"No. No, he can't fly."
Michael narrowed his eyes at the demon, but he said nothing, not sure whether to be amused or offended, but he let it slide easily enough. He knew that Adam didn't like flying, and he knew it made him nauseous, and, of course, he knew Adam was concerned about him draining his energy completely - and he didn't want to put the demon in a situation that would make him uncomfortable; So, if he was more comfortable with Gabriel taking them down to Hell than he was with Michael doing so, the archangel would go along with it.
"Figured. I'll come get you." Gabriel looked over at Lucifer. "And we'll meet you in Hell."
Lucifer gave a mock salute, looking amused. Adam moved his hand away, to the archangel's shoulder, and Michael took a deep breath, holding it for a moment. Truthfully, he didn't know if he was ready to go back to Hell again, much less to see the Cage after everything that had happened. But he knew that he had to do this, he had to step out of his comfort zone. He'd already volunteered, for one - and this was a decision of his own. A choice, and one that he was making for himself, for once. That was important. If he wanted to be able to move forward, than this was important. The archangel relaxed slightly, looking over at Adam.
Silent, Adam held his gaze, intent and confident. That strengthened Michael's own confidence, finally fanning that spark of courage into a flame. It was small, but it burned just as brightly. Not the way it used to - and, to be honest, he wasn't sure he would ever burn as brightly as he used to - but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.
He had changed, and he couldn't say if he'd changed for the better - but everything that had happened to him, meeting Adam, getting stuck in the Cage, and everything they'd done from that moment on, that had changed him.
And it had changed him, for better, or for worse, for good.
"Wait-" Michael spoke up suddenly, as the entity raised an arm, a hand forming, ready to snap its fingers. It paused, and the archangel turned, tightening his grip on Adam's shoulder slightly. The demon stepped forward along with him, head raising slightly, still so perfectly in sync. "Wait, uh…" The archangel paused, glancing at Billie, then back at the entity. Michael stared for a moment, heart pounding, before he took in a breath and forced himself to speak again, to ask the question lingering in his mind. "Adam and I… we'll still be together when we get back, right?"
"Yes," Billie responded at once, as if she had been expecting the question. Michael relaxed, with that, and exchanged a relieved look with Adam, who had relaxed just as easily, satisfied.
"Good," they muttered, both of them at once, as one - Michael's lips twitched, and Adam even huffed out a slightly breathless sounding snicker - as they shifted a little bit closer. Michael, for one, he was just aching for that familiar connection. He ached to be close to the demon the way they were used to, to feel his emotions, to hear his thoughts. Judging by the way Adam's hand closed over his shoulder, tight and grounding, the demon was just as anxious to get back to normal as the archangel was.
They watched, silent now, as the entity raised its hand again; And, this time, uninterrupted, it snapped its fingers - and the darkness spun them abruptly, the ground dropping from beneath them, dizzying and terrifying. But before Michael could get a better hold on Adam, their fingers were slipping apart; The grip he had on the demon's arm had vanished, and he could no longer feel Adam's hand on his shoulder, and it felt like his breath had left him.
Barely seconds later, they were sitting upright in their bed, two beings residing in one, as one, once again, and both of them gasping roughly for the air they didn't need.