"I swear, this place gives me the creeps…"
Michael blinked down at his younger brother as he walked along through the halls, eyebrows furrowing faintly in a mixture of concern and confusion. Gabriel had never been one of the bravest angels in Heaven, and Michael would admit that - but what he had lacked in courage, he made up for with enough snark and sarcasm to fool everyone else into believing that he just didn't… care. There was no sign of that guarded, masked archangel now, no sign of the scheming, but compassionate jokester that Michael had once known. Now, he walked along stiffly, back straight, shoulders tense. For a moment, the archangel thought back to how he had looked before, when they had been walking through Hell to find the Crook.
He didn't quite understand, though. Gabriel had never really had anything against Hell, as far as Michael could remember. He had never cared for it, at least - but the idea of his brother being afraid of the place… well, the archangel couldn't quite grasp it. After all, even being the youngest, Gabriel was one of the strongest archangels - why would he be afraid of Hell?
Uh, 'cause it's Hell, Adam piped up dryly, and Michael bit back a snort and resisted the urge to roll his eyes, not sure whether to be amused by that or not. Okay, the demon did have a point - but, Michael was definitely biased. They both were. After so long trapped in Hell, it made sense that they would loathe the place, that they would fear it, the idea of being stuck again. Michael had never thought highly of the place, even before his being stuck in the Cage - but even then, this was different. There was more than just unease, more than just a simple kind of wariness radiating from his younger brother, and Michael just… couldn't place it.
He opened his mouth, but shut it slowly, after a moment. Almost every part of him ached to ask, to understand what was wrong, but there was still some of that uncertainty lingering, that uncertainty. Gabriel wasn't their Father, and Michael knew that, and he wasn't afraid of questioning his brother - but he was afraid of making him uncomfortable, of making him pull away even more than he already was. Gabriel was already so… distant toward him, and who could blame him - but he wanted to get close to him again, the way they used to be.
For a moment, he mulled over that, a frown tugging at his lips. He could still remember a time when he and his siblings had been closer than ever. He could remember when Gabriel was sweet, and open, the class clown of the family - the one who made them laugh, who always wore a smile, no matter how tough things seemed. He could remember when Lucifer was warm and loving, when his younger brother had used to look up to him, the one who used to beg him day after day to take him flying, to teach him all the things he knew. Lucifer's change had hit him the hardest, for certain - and Gabriel leaving, he hadn't been surprised by, but it pained him.
What hurt even more was the loss of the archangel his brother had once been, twisted by the feud between his older brothers, angered by the fact that he had to choose between them. The revelation of what God really was must have hit Gabriel hard, Michael realized for the first time. While he didn't hold the undying loyalty to their Father as Michael did, he had still loved Him.
He had still trusted Him.
Talk to him, Adam's words startled the archangel for a moment, drawing him out of his thoughts, and Michael glanced ahead slightly as the demon went on, you want to get close to him, yeah? You can't do that if you keep avoiding interacting with him, Adam chided, and Michael's eyebrows furrowed faintly, hesitating. The demon had a point - of course he did, he was rational. He didn't get anxious like Michael did; He was blunt, and simple, with what he needed to say. The archangel had never really been like that, unable to speak his own mind, to speak for himself. The thought caused his frown to deepen, slightly, and a small spark of determination was added to the tiny, flickering flame that had been lit within him, just enough.
Confidence strengthened, the archangel took in a deep breath and looked up again, turning his gaze to Gabriel, who was glaring at a statue as they passed, looking unnerved. He looked over when Michael spoke, however, hesitant but determined. "Can I ask you something?"
"You just did," Gabriel responded easily enough, hardly missing a beat - and Michael had to pause, because, yeah, that was true, but that hadn't been what… oh- oh, it was just another one of Gabriel's jokes. The anxiety calmed almost at once, as his brother dissolved into laughter, the tension between them cracking - if only for those few seconds, but it was enough of a window. "Just joking, man. But, seriously, just some advice - don't ask to ask something. Just… ask it." The youngest archangel paused, blinked, and narrowed his eyes. "... yeah."
"Right." Michael stared at him, somewhat dumbfounded, but he couldn't fight back a smile when Adam began chuckling, internal and silent, but the sound still warmed the archangel from head to toe. He fell silent for a while, then eventually shook his head and forced himself to focus. "Why…" The archangel paused, licked his lips, swallowed, and continued on carefully. "Well… why… why do you hate Hell so much?" He paused, as Gabriel slowed to a stop, blinking at him. It took just about everything Michael had not to cringe back, wondering if maybe he'd overstepped. It was so hard to tell now, as guarded as his brother suddenly was.
Easy, Adam murmured, and Michael took a deep breath in, steeling himself. However his brother reacted, whether he told him to fuck off and mind his own business, or whether he answered honestly, he had to be prepared. And he would be prepared.
"Kinda disappointed," Gabriel muttered after a few moments. "I thought you were gonna ask about the pornstars." The youngest archangel pulled a face, and Michael was left just staring at him in complete confusion - because, yeah, he hadn't exactly been prepared for that. Adam fell silent, slowly retracting his control, a mixture of bewildered, amused and disgusted all at once. Michael just opened his mouth, then closed it, not quite knowing what to say.
"It's an interesting story, actually," his younger brother continued on, already turning away and heading off on his way again. Michael couldn't move, so Adam rose up to take control again, following after the archangel slowly. "I've always kind of hated Hell, don't get me wrong…"
"I don't blame you," Michael said quietly, looking down for a moment, running their tongue over their lips and letting out a slow, slightly shaky sigh. Gabriel glanced back at them, but he didn't say anything for a moment, looking slightly thoughtful now. He paused at one of the crossroad-like hallways, glancing up and down the halls with an irritated expression before closing his eyes, looking like he was searching for something; And, seeming satisfied, he turned and headed to the left; Michael and Adam followed without question, since neither of them had bothered to memorize the maze on their way out, meaning they were just as lost as Gabriel.
"Well…" Gabriel finally started speaking again after a little while of walking, a bit of uncertainty having broken through the guarded tone, just for a second. "I got myself into a little bit of, uh… trouble. After Luci 'killed me'." His younger brother raised his hands, mimicking finger quotes as he continued on, dropping his arms back to his sides. "See, I'd gone into hiding. Kind of like… well, you know, when the Family Feud began." The archangel spared Michael a glance.
Michael's mouth twisted into a grimace, but he said nothing.
"Anyway, this time was different. Since I was assumed dead by pretty much everyone - except, you know, for a select few," Gabriel continued on, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Loki and his kids, to name some… and, then, Asmodeus." The youngest archangel's tone sharpened. "Or, as I prefer to call him, Ass-modeus."
Michael paused slightly, looking over at his younger brother. Asmodeus… the name was unfamiliar, but the way his brother spoke of him was unsettling enough. The archangel bit his tongue for a few seconds, hesitating, then took in a deep breath and brought himself a little closer, falling into step with his brother and wrapping their arms around them slightly. "I've never heard of him," he murmured, glancing over at Gabriel. "Who is he?"
"Was," Gabriel responded vaguely, eyes narrowing ahead for a moment. "Nothing special, you know. Just a demon- no offense to your little buddy, or whatever," the archangel added, and Adam rolled their eyes slightly, but he didn't say anything. Michael just furrowed his eyebrows. "While everyone assumed me to be dead, I…" The youngest archangel's jaw set slightly. "Well, I was being kept down here for years while Ass-modeus tortured me, feeding off of my Grace."
Adam's eyes widened slightly, actually startled by that. Michael simply froze where he stood, coming to a complete stop and staring at his brother through wide, horrified eyes.
It took Gabriel a moment to realize that he had stopped following; The youngest archangel paused several feet away, finally turning to look, confusion evident in his expression as he stared at his older brother. "What?" He demanded, somewhat impatient. "You coming?"
Michael just stared at him, confused, not quite comprehending. He didn't understand - how could Gabriel just casually admit that like it was nothing, like it didn't matter? He clearly was still affected by it, if the way he was acting now, in Hell, was any kind of indication. And yet, here he stood, calm and casual as could be as he spoke of his own capture, his own torture, like it was the very least of his own worries, at the bottom of the list of things he gave any shits about. The archangel's head was swimming, thoughts swirling dangerously fast. He couldn't just brush that aside the way Gabriel was doing - so many emotions came with the admission. Pain, for how much he had missed, for how much his brother had hurt. Anger, toward the demon that had dared to lay a finger on his little brother. Disgust, and confusion, and… and…
And he wanted to find Asmodeus and rip his head off of his shoulders - but if what Gabriel had said before - "Was" - meant anything, then it might be too little, too late for all of that.
"Gabriel, I…" Michael faltered, head tilting to the side, eyebrows furrowing. Gabriel quirked one of his own, pressing him on further, but the archangel could barely manage to get any words out at this point, genuinely unsure of how to react. "I didn't know…" He stopped, swallowing hard, eyes flickering as he searched his brother's gaze for something, some kind of emotion, trying to see past the guarded mask that the youngest archangel had been building up for longer than Michael had even realized. "Are you… are you…" He couldn't continue. He couldn't ask.
But Gabriel blinked, realization flitting across his face, and his expression of bewilderment only increased further for those few seconds of silence - before the mask was back up, a cocky smile forming on that guarded face, and Michael's heart sank as his brother stepped away, distancing himself once again. "Hey, bro, I'm good. All of 'em, they're gone now. Ass-modeus, Loki and his traitor kids - gone." The youngest archangel shrugged. "Only thing that bothers me is these creepy ass hallways, and the sooner we're outta here, the sooner I can get back to my pornstars. So, if you don't mind." Gabriel gestured, and rather dramatically so, ahead of them.
Michael opened his mouth to protest, but he couldn't form the words. He just didn't know what else to do at that point. He had tried reaching out, and it hadn't done much good; Gabriel was so closed off now, so distant, so guarded. But what he was guarding himself from, the archangel couldn't even tell. He faltered a little, mouth twisting slightly, staring back at his younger brother in complete silence. Adam was just as quiet, nothing but supportive, nothing but silent, warm encouragement emanating from the demon, but before Michael could gather up the courage to speak again, his younger brother groaned, sighed, screwed his eyes shut, and caved.
"Okay. Yeah. I hate it here." Gabriel's tone sharpened slightly, but he didn't sound guarded anymore, just upset. "I hate it here, because every time I pass one of those dumb statues, or get a glimpse into a familiar room, all it does is remind me how weak I was, and how scared I was - and how scared I still am, even though he's gone." The youngest archangel blinked his eyes open, narrowing them into a slight glare as he looked away from his older brother. "But, you know what? You got problems with Hell, Luci's got problems with Hell - we all got problems with Hell. Fine. Sure. Whatever. But I'm a little sick of being caught up in the past. I'm sick of looking at you and seeing the face of the archangel that killed me, I'm sick of looking at Lucifer and seeing the evil, twisted older brother that I used to look up t-"
"What?" Michael interrupted, short and choked, breath hitching, throat closing, chest constricting, only hung up on one specific part of that sentence, one part of that sentence he hadn't expected to hear at all. Gabriel visibly paused in response, confusion replacing the fury written across the youngest archangel's face as his younger brother slowly brought his gaze up to Michael's face again. For a while, they only stared at each other, until Michael finally dared a stumbling, unsteady step forward. Adam steadied them quickly enough, concerned and just as bewildered as Michael, as the archangel stared down at his younger brother with wide eyes. "What… what do you mean… th- the face of- the- the f- the face of the archangel that…"
Gabriel let out a low, strangled sigh from the back of his throat and hung his head, screwing his eyes shut, looking for all the world like he was kicking himself.
"He…?" Michael's mouth went dry as he struggled to speak, pupils shrinking slightly. "He got- he got you, too? He- He…" Sam had left that part out - the part about his alternate universe counterpart killing not just one of his brothers, but two of them. The thought was sickening. He felt too weak to stand, but Adam wasn't letting him fall, not this time.
"It doesn't matter, okay?" Gabriel finally spoke up, much colder than before, and Michael couldn't keep himself from flinching in time. The youngest archangel paused slightly while Michael took a moment to reign Adam in, a snarl already bubbling in their throat from the demon's end as he prepared to rip right into Michael's younger brother, ready to let him have it. It took a while for the archangel to calm Adam down this time, stifling the protectiveness with a soft, calm, soothing voice as he dropped his gaze from his brother, to the floor, and went still.
Gabriel softened a bit, sighing again, and while he was a little more gentle when he spoke next, he was just as guarded as before, and his tone made it clear enough that he wasn't dealing with any more pressing on Michael's end. "Just- come on. Luci's gonna think we stood him up, and nobody wants a pissed-off-because-his-prom-date-ditched-him-Lucifer, any day of the week." The youngest archangel's attempt at a joke didn't get much of a response, just a silent stare, and, after a moment, Gabriel simply gave up and turned away, continuing on his way down the hall - and without looking back this time, too.
Michael didn't move, and Adam didn't move them this time. You okay?
The archangel's response was instant and honest as always. I don't know. They stood still for a moment, silent, thinking. Then, finally, with a deep breath in, Michael raised their head and Adam continued on, with the reassurance that the archangel would be okay - he just needed to clear his head. Just needed to think over a few things. Just needed to figure out how he was going to get both of his brothers back this time, because he was honestly clueless there.
You want me to punch him? Adam questioned after a while, all-too casually, and while Michael wanted to laugh, he was silent as ever, eyes fixed on the back of his brother's head.
No, thanks. The archangel fell silent for a moment longer, wrapping their arms around them once again and taking in a slow, steady breath, letting it out in a short, soundless huff and dropping his gaze right back to the floor, a faint grimace settling across his face. That was just another thing he had to fix, another mistake to mend that he hadn't even made.
It was funny - he didn't think he could hate himself any more than he already had. And the version of himself that he hated most wasn't even him, at all.
Now that got a laugh out of the archangel.