Michael took a breath as he looked around, taking in his surroundings, the halls of Heaven itself.
It was… different. It looked the same, yes, as he remembered - though that wasn't too shocking. But something about it felt off; the lights were duller, the energy that Michael used to remember buzzing so strongly was absent. Heaven itself felt… it just felt dull, blank, empty. The archangel sucked in another breath, and this time their chest shuddered as he inhaled, the air seeming to resist even as it filled their lungs regardless. There was a glimmer of recognition from Adam's side, faint but present, as the demon remembered catching glimpses of Heaven when Michael had first possessed him, roaming the halls as he waited for Lucifer to ready up for their fight. Instinctively, he couldn't keep his gaze from darting toward his younger brother - both of them. Lucifer actually looked somewhat bored, tracing his fingers over the wall; Gabriel was tense. Michael wanted nothing more in that moment than to wrap his wings around both of them.
But reassurances could come later; he redirected his attention quickly, taking a swift look around. He recognized the hallway they were standing in, though it would all look the same to an outsider - thus proven when Sam and Dean appeared, glancing around in obvious bewilderment and peeking around a corner to peer down another hallway - but Michael knew these halls like the back of his hand, he could navigate his old home with his eyes closed. Running their tongue over their lips carefully, the archangel ventured a few steps forward and stopped again. He could feel Chuck's presence, something Heaven seemed to be numb to. Before, his Father could light the halls like never before when he was around. But it was dull.
"Jeez…" Gabriel huffed, sucking in air through his teeth. He shuffled forward beside Michael and Adam, and the demon spared a swift glance in his direction before looking ahead again; the archangel was more or less trying to shift his focus to where Chuck was in Heaven, and figure out where they needed to be. It didn't take him too long to pinpoint his Father's location.
Despite himself, he laughed. It was a strained sound, lacking bitterness but containing every bit of the contempt he felt toward the man. "Bastard," he mumbled. "He's on his damn throne."
"Of course he is," Lucifer grunted. He paced forward to stand beside his brothers, settling in on Michael's other side. Michael tipped his head back a little, somewhat resigned despite himself, but Adam offered him an encouraging nudge in response. They needed to get through this; they were going to get through this, in one way or the next. Michael just needed to take it all in stride and push forward; Chuck was probably hoping for some kind of reaction from his sons now, hoping to distract them with their own anger. But Michael… Michael wasn't angry, not really. Just astonished, appalled by his Father's audacity. To come here, after all these years, and try to take the throne now. To come here, after all these years, and reclaim his spot in Heaven.
Michael knew now that Chuck had never deserved that spot, that throne. He may not care for Heaven itself, may not hold any positive feelings toward his old home - may be entirely indifferent to it, even, when it comes down to it, but he was going to see fit that Chuck didn't last any longer than necessary within these halls, in that room. Maybe it was petty, but Michael didn't quite care right then as much as he should. With Chuck, he deserved to be a little petty.
Damn right, asshole, Adam chuckled. Now lead the way, my angelic compass.
Michael cracked a grin despite himself, shaking his head slightly in response to the demon. But he did push forward after a moment, making his way down the hallway in silence. Nobody said anything, but Lucifer and Gabriel were quick to fall into step with him; Michael glanced over as Gabriel drew an angel blade from his sleeve, twirling it idly, and he couldn't help but glance back just to make sure everyone else was suited with weapons of their own. Sam and Dean and Castiel were, and they were sticking close enough to Crowley and the others who didn't - though truthfully, whoever didn't have a weapon, Michael knew, probably didn't really need one. So he turned his attention ahead again, and took a deep breath, lowering his chin slightly.
He knew where his Father's throne was; he'd visited the room so many times, even after Chuck had left. He'd never touched the throne, of course, never dared to. Now, however, he couldn't quite suppress his own desire to slam Chuck into it until it broke, to make sure his Father knew damn well that his leadership, his role, his reign of terror had ended the moment he left them - the moment he created them, really, knowing they were nothing more to him than characters in a story. They'd never mattered to him - Heaven had never mattered to him - and so Michael wanted to see fit that Chuck knew that he had never really mattered to Heaven, either. Hell, if the fact that Heaven had remained so dull like this, so empty and numb, even in the presence of God himself, wasn't any indication of that already - any indication of how weak Chuck really was, and how little he really mattered to this world he'd created, and the people and angels in it.
He smiled to himself at the thought, unable to help himself. Chuck really was just a little man with too much power in his hands, and yet not enough, it seemed, for what he really wanted. His creations didn't care about him any more than he cared about them, and it showed, so easily - in the most simplest of ways, it showed how Chuck really was nothing. Not a father, not a God.
Michael didn't care for revenge, but he would take satisfaction regardless the moment he saw that realization on Chuck's face, the expression of a man who'd bitten off more than he could chew. And even if he didn't, he'd be satisfied regardless - because he'd had that realization. He knew what Chuck was, how little and insignificant he was, and that was all he needed. The archangel rolled his shoulders back and clenched his fists at his sides, stepping forward to turn a corner down another hallway, but he withdrew quickly in surprise when he almost bumped into someone. He didn't recognize the angel in front of them - well, angels - but it was easy to tell that they were angels; he could see through their vessels, see their glowing forms, true faces.
Caught off guard by how familiar they were - and yet, how he didn't recognize them at all - he was slow to react when they attacked. Adam was quicker to take control, lunging forward to grab one of the angels by the arm just before they managed to reach them. Flames burst to life against the angel's skin at once, before Adam released them only to throw them backwards; Michael could only watch, stunned, as the angel threw their head back and howled - and then vanished just like that in a burst of flames, leaving nothing more than a piece of charred fabric.
"Damn," Adam mumbled, sounding somewhat impressed, himself, and Michael continued to gawk for a moment before a grunt tore him out of his thoughts. Lucifer and Gabriel didn't seem to be struggling too hard with the other angels who had attacked - there were about four of them in all, each wielding an angel blade, but the archangels were able to fend them off easily. Michael only reacted when one of the angels started toward Sam and Dean, whirling around and flaring his wings out, spreading them wide, to block the angel's path. "I don't think so," Adam snarled, wings bristling, and Michael took a step forward and raised a hand, flinging the angel back without touching them and pinning them against the wall before they could react.
Admittedly, Michael flinched a little when Gabriel and Lucifer finally overpowered the other three; Lucifer had twisted one of the angel's blades to make them stab themselves, smiting them just like that with a scream and a burst of light, and the two Gabriel were fighting followed suit just like that. But the oldest archangel forced himself to focus quickly enough, shifting his attention back to the angel he had pinned as he drew his wings back and folded them away. He hesitated a little despite himself, torn; of course, these angels were attacking them, but most likely because they were under Chuck's command. They didn't deserve to die because of that. Adam huffed out a laugh at that, internally, but the sound displayed nothing but fondness. He proposed an idea after a moment, and Michael was quick to oblige; clenching his fist, he simply expelled the angel, ripping them straight out of the vessel - which crumbled to the floor at once - and sending them up into the air, watching their Grace swirl for a moment before they vanished.
"Goodie-two-shoes," Lucifer commented as he watched, but he was smirking anyway. Gabriel simply huffed as he pushed himself forward, but he nodded slightly in approval, glancing back to watch as the others approached. Sam and Dean seemed to relax after a moment, looking past the archangels briefly to make sure the threat had passed, and Michael saw Jack glance over his shoulder - Castiel, too - just to make sure the hallways were clear before everyone settled again, grouping back together once more and this time seeming to stick a little closer.
"Everyone okay?" Michael gave everyone a quick once-over, but he was pretty sure they'd handled all of the angels in the area for the time being; everyone, luckily, looked unharmed.
"Yeah." Dean exhaled, offering a grateful nod before straightening up. "How much further?"
"Not too far from here," Michael told him, turning to peer down the hallway again. He proceeded with a little more caution this time, forcing himself out of his thoughts and trying to stay alert. Adam himself was on guard now, making silent notes about where everyone was and glancing back every so often to make sure they were okay. Castiel had fallen into step with the Winchesters, his stance tense and protective as he shot glances over his shoulder every now and again to check on Jack, who had taken up the back with Jesse at his side, ready to fight. Everyone else trailed along behind the Winchesters; Crowley looked more or less intrigued as he looked around, and Rowena looked positively fascinated. Billie and Amara seemed to be the most focused, eyes glued ahead and narrowed as they walked along. Michael sucked in another breath and looked ahead, and tried to ignore the weight he felt on his shoulders. He never thought he'd see the day where he, the Prince of Heaven, led an army against God.
It was… oddly exhilirating - but such a strong weight to shoulder at the same time, a strong responsibility. He was, quite literally, leading them to Chuck. That alone made him feel responsible, responsible for the lives of the people behind him, and whatever went wrong here. But he shook the thought off quickly enough, with a little help from Adam. "Focusing on what might go wrong isn't going to help anyone," the demon reminded him. "We've got this, halo."
"I know." Michael exhaled sharply and drew himself up a little, raising his head. He glanced over when Lucifer bumped his shoulder against the oldest archangel's, managing a tiny smile in response to the reassuring glance that his younger brother offered him as they continued on.
They ran into several more angels along the way, some familiar and some not. Some of them even stopped when they recognized Michael, going completely still and backing away before simply leaving before the archangel could get a word in. Lucifer and Gabriel continued to smite the ones they attacked, but Michael continued to expel whoever he could instead. Adam did have to do his fire thing a few more times, lighting angels ablaze and watching them vanish whenever they got too close to Sam and Dean for comfort - of course, the Winchesters themselves took down quite a few angels with those blades they were holding, and Amara was quick to smite an entire cluster of angels when they were ambushed in the hall, outnumbered but not outstrengthed. Regardless, they got through Heaven without much of an issue, and nobody was harmed on the way there, until Michael finally brought them to a halt, looking up.
He used to feel so small looking up at those double doors and knowing what rested ahead of him, his Father, Almighty, his Lord and Savior. Now, however, Michael found most of his anxiety fizzling away as he stared, replaced once again with contempt, from both him and Adam. There may be something to fear beyond those doors, but the fearful respect he'd held for Chuck back then, the love and awe and admiration, it made it a lot easier to ignore the apprehension, to overpower it with determination, and strength, and the knowledge that whatever happened today would happen as it was - and Michael was determined to fight as hard as he could.
He stayed still for a moment, looking up at the doors and silently preparing himself and Adam for what they both knew was just beyond them. There was nothing but encouragement from the demon, a steady rush of warmth and support and love; Michael couldn't help but smile slightly to himself as he ducked his head and shut his eyes, taking another deep breath and squaring his shoulders. He felt Lucifer brush up against his side after a few seconds, and felt Gabriel's warmth on his other side as the other archangel stepped up beside him. Behind them, the others stood, ready to enter whenever Michael did. Once again, he was reminded of the weight that rested on his shoulders, the responsibility he possessed at that moment; but instead of apprehensive, he felt determined. As long as he was leading them, he would lead them to glory.
Michael jerked his head up, eyes blazing blue, and Adam tugged their lips up into a grin as the archangel stepped forward and reached out, pushing the doors open and stepping inside.
The sight that greets him is unexpected, yet unsurprising.
He's faced with rows upon rows of angels, each standing tall and strong, each one of them wielding a blade of their own. Admittedly, Michael drew back a little - the blades wouldn't hurt him, since they were simply angel blades, but he didn't know the effect they'd have on Adam even while they're together and he wasn't really sure he wanted to find out. But even so, as he recoiled, Adam braved a few steps forward regardless, jerking their chin up to stare past them.
Behind the angels, each one as still as stone, Chuck sat on his throne. He was sitting sideways, as Michael had always remembered he had, with one leg draped over one of the arms and one arm stretched out across the back of the throne. He smirked when Adam locked their gaze with his, eyes glittering with nothing but pure amusement, excitement clouded with malicious intent. Michael sucked in another breath and held it this time as Lucifer and Gabriel stepped up beside him again. They raised their heads as one, looking up at their Father, then exchanged a glance.
"Hey, boys," Chuck greeted with a smile, directing the other two archangels' attention back to him. Michael narrowed their eyes faintly without moving his gaze away from his Father's. Chuck's smile only seemed to widen even further, lifting his arm from the back of his throne to wave at them. Michael tensed, admittedly, when he moved - his eyes darted to the angels instinctively, the army his Father seemed to have gathered. There were at least twenty other angels in the room alone, but they didn't move when Chuck did, not yet. So Michael turned their gaze back to his Father again after a moment, lowering their chin slightly. "How've you been?"
"Great, Pops," Gabriel sneered.
"Yeah, just peachy, Daddy-o," Lucifer added.
Michael arched an eyebrow. "Never been better, Father."
Chuck smirked slightly at them, then lifted his gaze. He seemed to pause, if only for a moment; Michael already knew what - who - he was looking at, simply from the way his Father's expression shifted alone, the way Chuck seemed to freeze and tense up. Then he pushed himself up a little, sitting upright in his throne, and lifted his chin to peer down at them with a scowl on his face. His eyes betrayed him, widening with fear, with worry, with apprehension. "Jack, kiddo," he called out, tugging his lips into a sharp grin, and Michael reached out to curl his fingers around Lucifer's arm when the Devil took a half-step forward, already baring his teeth and ready to spit as much venom toward their Father as it took to redirect his attention away from his son. Michael understood - but they needed to be careful right now. "Happy birthday."
"Bite me," Jack shot back, and Lucifer froze under Michael's grip and swiveled his head in Jack's direction with a startled expression, then looked back up at the oldest archangel with what Michael could only describe as pride. Satisfied he wasn't going to be trying anything anytime soon, Michael finally let him go and leaned back slightly when Jack walked forward, somewhat pleased by the way Chuck seemed to recoil as much as his throne would allow. His knuckles turned white, gripping the arms tightly as he lowered his chin and glared at Jack.
"Nicely said, kid," Dean growled as he paced forward after the Nephilim, glaring at the angels briefly. Castiel was right beside him, with Sam following suit, tense and ready to fight again.
Chuck scowled. "Are we skipping the small talk?"
"Do you really think they…" Castiel inclined his head toward the angels briefly, and Chuck lifted his gaze. Adam shifted a little on their feet, clearly tense, but not quite apprehensive. If anything, he seemed oddly eager to fight - something Michael could somewhat agree with, though a lot of his focus was directed toward their Father. He wasn't going to stop Adam from attacking the angels, of course (though his personal preference was simply to send them away, himself), but they both held back for the time being regardless. "Are going to be able to do anything against us?" Castiel continued, stepping forward until he was right beside Lucifer now, eyeing Chuck. Their Father paused, sweeping a swift glance in the other angels' direction, and shrugged.
"Nope." Chuck raised a hand; Adam drew them back this time, and Michael rolled their shoulders back sharply, preparing himself. "But I don't need them to stop you, I just need them to slow you down." He held up a finger, and the entire room dissolved into a battlefield. Not literally, of course - but for a moment, all Michael could see was the first war, the Rebellion, the way the angels rushed forward with their weapons ready to strike. The only difference was that Michael wasn't on their side anymore, wasn't leading the charge. He was against them now.
He caught the wrist of an angel with ease before they had the chance to plunge an angel blade into their chest, narrowing his eyes faintly toward them. He let Adam take over then, watching the flames burst from the demon's fingertips, watching them rise and consume the angel completely until they'd vanished just like that, burnt fabric fluttering to the floor. Michael caught the angel blade before it could fall, and took a deep breath to prepare himself for what he was about to do. There were too many now, and it would take much too long, to send them all away one by one. He had Adam to protect, and the others to look out for. He needed to fight back.
He kept one eye on Chuck, admittedly, as he fought. His Father was simply watching them, half-leaning forward on his throne with an almost fascinated look on his face. Honestly, that just further pissed Michael and Adam off. The fact that he was watching, interested, by the fight that was going on. He couldn't help but wonder, if his Father had been there, if he'd seen him, at least, during the Rebellion - he couldn't help but wonder what he would have seen then.
He couldn't help but wonder if it would have changed anything.
But Adam was quick to redirect his attention. He sent another angel up in flames, and Michael managed to plunge his blade into the stomach of one that had managed to grab onto their arm. He spared a swift glance toward the others; Sam and Dean were holding their own. Gabriel seemed oddly bored, smiting one of the angels that came toward him with practiced ease. Lucifer and Castiel, Michael couldn't help but notice, were fighting side by side, shoulder to shoulder. Billie stood by for a moment, merely watching as Chuck was, with Amara and Jack.
Then Jack lifted a hand, and everything stopped. At least, the angels stopped; Michael paused mid-lunge, halting his blade just inches away from the angel he'd been ready to attack, and stared up at them for a moment before swiveling their head around to look at the others. Everyone else had backed off, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Jesse was still eyeing the angel he'd been fighting as if he wanted to keep attacking, and Crowley, after a moment of contemplation, still ended up stabbing the one in front of him with their own blade. But Sam, Dean and Castiel stopped and stepped back; Gabriel and Lucifer, however, raised their hands after a moment and snapped their fingers, expelling a few of the angels around them from their vessels at once.
"I think that's enough." Jack lifted his gaze, the blue in his eyes replaced with a bright golden glow instead. Michael and Adam paused to stare - and Adam's lips tugged into a brief grin - before they both paused and turned their head to look toward Chuck again. Michael narrowed their eyes faintly at the less-than-pleased expression on his Father's face, as Chuck finally heaved himself off of his throne to stand up, lifting his head and glancing around the room. Once again, despite trying to appear undaunted, Michael could see the shadows of doubt obscuring his Father's pale face, the fear flickering behind his eyes though he tried to hide it. He took a step backwards, closer to his throne, and Michael and Adam stepped forward at once. They weren't the only ones; everyone else in the room moved a step forward as Chuck retreated, and Michael finally cracked a cold smile as his Father's fear finally won him over.
"Oh now, dearie, you look like you're going to cry," Rowena crooned as she took a few more steps forward. Chuck withdrew at once, visibly tense as he glared at her; Michael could sense Adam's pride, his excitement, as the witch took another step forward. "I think big bad God bit off a tad bit more than he could chew. Wouldn't you all agree?" The witch flashed a smile toward the others, then turned her piercing gaze back to Chuck again, eyes sparkling with malice.
Amara narrowed her eyes, unmoving. "Indeed."
"Oh, yeah," Gabriel agreed, walking forward. "You know my father. This is around the time he runs off, tries to escape like the little coward he is," the youngest archangel added tauntingly - and Michael grinned - as he glared down at Chuck. "Because he can't finish what he starts."
"Watch your tone," Chuck warned.
"Watch yours," Lucifer snapped, stepping forward beside Gabriel. Michael watched his wings flare out, watched them rise up, feathers bristling with fury. Gabriel's were quick to follow. Castiel didn't take long to follow suit, walking forward beside them and spreading his own wings out. Michael smiled to himself, just for a moment, then lowered their chin and let their gaze lock with Chuck's, unfurling his own wings. Adam finally glanced over, catching a better glimpse; Michael felt the awe stirring in his chest as he stared at the black and blue feathers, held smooth and steady as Michael raised them up and lashed them downwards. Chuck turned his head sharply at the motion, and his pupils seemed to shrink for a moment as he stared up at him, wide-eyed.
"So what'll it be, Chuck?" Sam called, and Chuck's gaze snapped back up to them at once. Anger flickered through his eyes, just for a second, as his gaze landed on the Winchesters.
"You gonna choose fight-" Dean smirked, "-or flight?"
Adam grinned then, as Chuck's gaze slowly roamed around the room, taking in everyone there, everyone poised and ready to fight. Michael blinked, just once - and he felt something shift. Chuck's gaze lifted back to them, seeming to visibly freeze for a moment, but they didn't understand why until they caught a glimpse of their reflection in the window behind Chuck's throne. Their eyes - they weren't blazing blue like Michael's usually did, weren't the normal pale blue they typically were - but instead they were black, all around, the white parts completely consumed in pitch, dark black. But dead in the center rested two glowing blue pupils - nothing more than that, the black and the blue. They stared for a moment, blinking again, but their eyes didn't change. Then, ever so slowly, they drew their gaze back toward Chuck, who remained frozen for quite some time before suddenly jerking himself backwards, eyes hardening slightly.
"Oh, I'll stay," Chuck growled. "Long enough to see them kick your sorry asses." He raised a hand and snapped his fingers, and Adam leaned their head back a little, turning to glance at the angels. But seeing them remain frozen, Michael and Adam both couldn't stifle a surge of triumph, of amusement. But that sentiment faded when they saw the others' reactions; first Gabriel, and then Lucifer. They were the first two to react, flinching back as if they'd been struck, eyes widening in shock as they stared just past the archangel and the demon. The others were slower to react; Castiel looked stunned, maybe a little fearful. Sam and Dean looked startled and Crowley's eyes narrowed - but everybody else just stood, looking confused and tense.
Michael paused, and blinked again, feeling the shift in their eyes dissolve back to normal as he turned their head around to look back toward Chuck, and see what everyone else was seeing. He and Adam recoiled at once, both in equal amounts of shock, but for different reasons.
On one side of Chuck stood a demon Michael recognized only from Adam's memories. Brown, curly hair and sea-green eyes that glued to them as if they were the only thing in the room right then. It was Bela; the name was frozen in their head, not on loop but simply there. Adam sucked in a breath through their teeth that didn't come back out, but only because Michael held it, forcing their chest still as they stared. Then, just as quickly as their eyes focused on the girl, their gaze flicked to the other person, the one on Chuck's other side, the dark-skinned male that stood tall and proud beside God himself. Michael felt their mouth run dry, throat closing up as he met the familiar stone-cold stare, not recognizing the man, but the angel's face underneath.
"Adam," Bela greeted politely; her eyes glittered as their gaze darted toward her, but Michael couldn't keep their gaze from straying back to the other, and Adam was too stunned to protest.
The angel dipped his head in greeting when Michael looked back at him. "Michael."
"Raphael…" Michael whispered, swallowing hard.