"So, why Minnesota?"
"First place that popped into my head." Adam, at the moment, was busying himself with climbing up the jungle gym. And somewhat hesitantly, at that. It was just a dream, right? So it wouldn't make much of a difference if he fell. Still, he was nauseous - every time he pulled himself up, went just a little bit higher, he felt like he was about to be sick. Below him, Michael paced the ground, just watching him carefully as he climbed, shooting him looks of encouragement every now and again when the demon seemed to hesitate. He was Adam fucking Milligan, he shouldn't be having this much trouble climbing a damn jungle gym, but the thought of falling… Adam shuddered, reaching up to grab yet another bar, and Michael paused his pacing.
"And… ghouls?" The archangel questioned with a tilt of his head, somewhat quizzical in his inquiries - but one glance downwards told Adam that he understood perfectly, a knowing look flickering through Michael's soft blue eyes as he held the demon's gaze. He sighed, but he said nothing else as Adam turned and reached up for another bar, hoisting himself up further.
"Again, first thing that popped into my head," the demon grunted, shifting his focus from climbing to return his attention back to Michael. The archangel continued his pacing, with one half-nervous glance upwards - but he seemed more nervous about Adam being nervous than he was about the demon falling. Swallowing hard, Adam fought back another rush of nausea and clenched his fists tighter over the bars. "S'all good, though. Luckily, I don't think there's actually any ghouls down there, but Bela doesn't need to know that," he muttered, with a dry chuckle.
"I'm still a little surprised you lied to her - willingly," Michael admitted, wrapping his arms around himself. Adam spared a brief glance downwards, a frown tugging at his lips, but he shifted his focus to the task at hand rather quickly. "I mean, are you… are you okay? With lying, I mean. I know how much you hate - I mean, after Zachariah, and…"
"Well, I don't know if I'm any good at it," Adam conceded, his frown deepening slightly. Yeah, Michael definitely knew him better than anyone else. Lying definitely still bothered him. But, he had to suck it up. "And yeah, I'm kinda hating myself in a million different ways for it - But I don't really have much of a choice, do I? If I tell her the truth…" He gave another dry laugh, but this one had a slight twinge of uncertainty to it. "I know it's wrong. Believe me-"
"But that's not what I'm worried about," Michael corrected him softly. "I'm worried about you. I mean- I don't want you beating yourself up for this, you know?"
"I know." Adam looked down at him for a moment, meeting the archangel's gentle, concerned gaze, and, after a moment of reluctance, he managed a very small, reassuring smile in response, just something he hoped could console the archangel for the time being. It seemed to work; Michael's shoulders dropped a little, and his pacing slowed considerably, the vice-like grip he had around himself easing just a tiny bit as Adam continued, "and I'm fine. Yeah, it sucks ass, but I gotta do what I gotta do for…" He trailed off, words failing him. "For the Winchesters."
Michael knew what he was about to say, if the softening of his expression and the soft smile tugging at his lips was any indication. After a few seconds, watching as Adam hauled himself up another few bars, the archangel let out a soft, somewhat defeated sounding sigh before he turned and began pulling himself up along with the demon. Adam paused, glancing down, head tilting slightly as Michael made his way up toward him - and he stopped climbing, relaxing more and more the closer the archangel got, until he was right beside him, holding on easily. Adam smiled a little more despite himself, catching Michael's gaze for barely more than a second.
"You know, you were five years old when you managed to climb this thing to the top," Michael commented, a smile of his own appearing on his lips as he hauled himself up. For a kid's jungle gym, the thing was rather high - tilting his head back to look up at it, he could recall the first time he had climbed it. The damn thing had - somehow - looked a lot less daunting when he was tiny and carefree, nothing but a little daredevil completely willing to break a bone or sprain an ankle for the sake of his own curiosity. "When you got up there, you didn't even freak out or anything. You took one look down, and started laughing."
A low chuckle broke through Adam's lips, completely beyond his permission, as he climbed up after the archangel, much more steady and much more confident than he had been just moments before. "I remember that," he muttered, the smile on his face turning a little more wistful as he replayed the memory in his head. "Thought I was on top of the fucking world back then, man. King of the playground. No other kid could get to the top, but I did."
"Well, of course." Michael flashed him a grin, reaching the top and turning over to sit down, waiting for Adam to join him. "You're Adam Milligan. You can do anything you put your mind to."
"Yeah," the demon couldn't help but laugh, following after him and reaching the top barely a second later. He sank back beside the archangel, gripping the bars below him and looking over at Michael with a small, wistful smile still written across his face. "It definitely feels like that when you're a kid. You know... you think there's nothing you can't do, because nobody's ever told you otherwise. When you're little like that, nobody bothers to tell you how limited you really are." He shrugged, and his smile faded, but didn't disappear. "Then you get older, and…"
"And nothing changes," Michael interrupted, gesturing toward the park; Adam turned his head slightly, finally sparing a glance down for the first time since he'd reached the top, and he blinked. Everything else looked a lot smaller from up above, a lot less significant. And it felt like it, too - like he had left all of his problems at the bottom of the jungle gym, completely free the second he had reached the top. There was no nausea, no fear, nothing of the sort. "Adam, you survived Hell," the archangel emphasized, leaning forward slightly to watch him. "Maybe I'm being a little bold here, but you're kinda past 'limited', don't you think?"
Adam didn't respond for a moment, just looking over at him. Quiet, thoughtful, calculating. The soft, sappy things Michael said, they didn't surprise him anymore. He barely thought twice.
What he did consider, however, was what the words meant. If Michael thought that surviving Hell really made you into this big, bad, unlimited thing, then how could the archangel think so lowly of himself? He had survived Hell, too. He had survived the pain, and the torment, and the betrayal and abandonment and the insanity, and he'd become this; Maybe he wasn't as strong as he used to be. Maybe he wasn't arrogant and overconfident - but he was so, so good, and it had used to hurt Adam on a physical level, aching for someone to hate and blame when Lucifer had left, and Sam was gone, and they were the only two there. But by then, Michael had already begun to change. And by then, he had already begun to show Adam just how amazingly kind, and caring, and compassionate and strong he truly was. He had survived. They had survived.
"The same goes for you," Adam finally spoke up, quieter than before, as he lightly shifted his legs over to let them hang down through the bars of the jungle gym. Michael only glanced over at him, silent, eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly as the archangel listened to the demon's words. Adam only shrugged, fingers loosely gripping the bars beneath him as he looked down across the park once again. "You know, you survived, too."
"Yeah, I did." Michael tilted his head back, looking up at the sky. After a moment, lips pursed, eyes narrowed in silent consideration, before he spoke again. "Couldn't have done it without you - but yeah, you're damn right I survived." At this, Adam couldn't help but smile; the archangel had come a long way from the self-loathing, depressed mess he had, admittedly, started out as. Hell, they'd both come so far. And Adam knew they could only go further. Michael exhaled softly and closed his eyes; the demon glanced over at him, his smile not faltering. "We're awesome."
Adam grinned a little, unable to bite it back in time and unsure if he really wanted to do so. Awesome - they were awesome. And the demon had never been prouder - of either of them. "Fuck yeah, we are," he murmured. "And we're gonna kick some serious ass, man."
Grinning, Michael looked over at him, his soft blue eyes alight with a spark - no, not even that anymore. That spark had grown into flames, bursting and crackling and brighter than ever, and Adam felt his smile widen in sheer pleasure the second he caught a glimpse of that fiery, determined look in the archangel's gaze. He was a fighter, and he was strong - it was going to take a lot more than a Cage and a betrayal from God to hold him down, and he was finally getting his wings back and rising back up to what he'd used to be - actually, no. Better than he'd used to be. And Adam couldn't wait to see him rise from the ashes and become it, that strong but sweet, determined but compassionate archangel Adam knew he was.
"I miss you," they sighed, together, as one - and they both paused, but only for a few seconds, before they started laughing. Adam let his head fall back, grinning up at the sky, and Michael only smiled a little to himself as he looked back out across the park. Neither of them were sure how much time they had left, but right then, neither of them really cared. The reunion, however brief it might be, had sparked up the flames, left them stronger than ever. They were both okay. Alive, well, happy, and determined and ready to fight.
Didn't matter how far away they were from each other now; They would always be together, always have a part of each other with them, and as long as they had that… then they were never completely incomplete. Not completely whole, but not entirely ripped apart.
As the laughter quieted, they just shook their heads and grinned - though they turned somewhat serene when the dream shifted, seeming to fade ever so slightly; One or both of them was waking up. For a moment, Adam wanted to hold on; But, after a good few seconds, he let it slip. He did, however, turn and reach out to pull Michael into a brief but tight hug, and the archangel complied happily, wrapping his arms around the demon and burying his face into his shoulder. And Adam only smiled, doing the same, eyes drifting shut, because he loved it now. The contact, the hugs, the affection - a part of him had always enjoyed it. It had just taken him a while to accept it, to understand that he needed it. Relied on it, even. And he was sure they'd have many hugs to come, many small, comforting touches and affectionate gestures - and finally, the demon was all for it. Adam sighed, blinking his eyes open.
"Don't forget to tell them about Bela," he whispered, not wanting to pull away, but knowing he would have to soon. Almost in response to his thoughts, Michael seemed to pull him just a little bit closer, and Adam found himself relaxing into the embrace, his smile returning.
"I'll tell them," the archangel murmured back. "Be careful, Adam."
"I'll do my best," Adam promised with a low chuckle, squeezing Michael slightly before he pulled away. He kept his hands on the archangel's shoulders, though, giving him a warm smile - while looking slightly surprised by the open display of affection, Michael only grinned back, soft and compassionate. "You be careful, too," he added, turning serious. "Give Chuck a punch for me." After a moment of thought, he corrected himself, "two punches."
It said something, about their relationship, that Michael didn't laugh. He knew the demon was serious, as serious as he could possibly be, and in response, the archangel gave an agreeing nod and a smile, soft and comforting, but understanding. Adam wasn't joking by any means, and the nod was just a simple confirmation that Michael would definitely be doing what he asked - no words were needed for them to know that. So, the archangel just pulled Adam into another hug and held him close, and Adam leaned into the embrace, holding on as tight as he could. Until, finally, he couldn't anymore, and the dream ripped them apart. It wasn't jarring or abrupt, or scary; Just soft, silent tugs, and they let it pull them away from each other, satisfied that this wouldn't be the last time they saw one another, satisfied that the other was okay.
Adam blinked his eyes open, stretched out on his back on the couch, just as he had fallen asleep. He said nothing, he did nothing, for a good few seconds, just stared up at the ceiling. Then, with a soft sigh and a faint smile, he rolled himself over and heaved himself up off of the couch, a little unsteady on his feet at first, but regaining his balance quickly enough. And the first thing he did was stumble on over to the alcohol stand, grabbing the champagne.
"It's five o' clock somewhere," the demon muttered, pouring himself a glass and downing it slowly. This time, just for the sheer pleasure; Not drinking to try and get drunk, not that it mattered anyway. He let it go down slowly, savoring the taste and the way it singed against his tastebuds, the way it slid down his throat. It was actually a rather calming sensation - drinking just for the hell of it was a lot better than drinking out of stress, or anxiety. Licking his lips, he put the glass down and glanced toward the kitchen - but he tore his gaze back to the other doorway when, just on cue, Bela walked in, looking sleepy, wrapped in a silk robe with her hair down.
She paused for a moment when she saw Adam, and arched an eyebrow at the champagne glass and bottle, looking amused. "Morning," Bela piped up after a good few seconds of silence, dropping her hands from her face. Adam just grinned over at her before turning his head to look out the window; The sun was already up. Funny, time had passed a lot quicker in the dream. But, it was always like that. Adam just didn't dream anymore - until… well, now. And even then… "Sleep well?"
"Mm… Yeah," Adam responded honestly as Bela made her way over to him, reaching around him for the champagne. As she did so, however, she pushed herself up onto the tips of her toes, much to Adam's surprise, to press her lips to his just for a second before she pulled away again. The demon blinked down at her, honestly a little dazed. "What was that for?"
Bela snickered a little, grabbing a glass and leaning back with a smug little smile on her face. "Well, for one…" She flicked her gaze upwards, her eyes leaving his to trail to his hair, before she looked back down again, amused. Adam paused, just for a second, before the realization set in, and immediately reached up in an attempt to fix his hair. Probably shouldn't have went to sleep with it still kind of wet - it was kind of messy now. "Oh, don't fret. It's a cute look on you," the other demon teased him, and Adam just rolled his eyes a little. "Really."
"Go to hell," Adam told her, heaving out a sigh.
"Been there, done that," Bela snickered, pouring herself a glass. "Anywho, since we're already all packed to leave, I thought we'd get an early start. Long trip to Minnesota," she added, and Adam only paused for a second, a tiny bit of dread finally setting in. Right, yeah, they were still going to Minnesota. He was still leading her away. He just hoped Michael could get some answers from Sam and Dean - hell, even Chuck - and fast. The sooner he figured out what she was really out for, and whether she might be working with the enemy, the sooner he could figure out whether or not he was wasting his time trying to save her. "So, ready to go?"
"Maybe," Adam murmured, glancing back down at her, and Bela raised her eyebrows, taking a long sip of the champagne. The demon watched her for a moment, unable to help but soften slightly, and cursing himself all the while as he did so. Sighing, he shook his head and managed a small, dry smile. "Yeah. Just let me fix my hair."
Bela chuckled, grabbing Adam's empty glass and finishing off her own. "Damn, there goes the messy doe-eyed puppy look," the demon pouted playfully, then grinned. "You've got five minutes." With that, she stepped back and spun on her feet, heading for the kitchen.
Adam shook his head again, staring after her. He couldn't help but think back to Michael's words - you like her - and he kind of hated just how true that was. Hating her was beginning to look a little bit impossible now - but he just had to hold off as much as was possible until he found out more, because forming a genuine attachment at this point definitely wasn't smart. Rubbing a hand over his mouth, the demon paused, turned, and headed off for the bathroom, once more raising his hands and attempting to smooth down his hair.
He'd always hated falling, in every sense of the word. And, he was finding out, he still did.