Michael. Felt. Like. Shit.
The moment he regained consciousness, everything hurt. Most notably, his head, which literally felt like it was exploding from the inside. His breathing grew heavier, and his eyes squeezed shut even tighter hands inching up to press into his eyes wordlessly, mouth opening slightly as he sucked in a sharp gasp. Not only was he in pain, but his stomach and chest were twisting in a way he'd never felt before - And, mind you, it felt very different from the pleasurable warmth he got around Ella - And he felt just about ready to throw up.
A groan left his lips before he could stop it, shifting slightly in the bed and rolling onto his back. His wings were spiking, golden feathers ruffling as he curled both of them around himself. His memory was fuzzy, but he could just vaguely recall… Drinking, a cab, bringing Ella inside…
Ella.
The archangel gasped and pushed himself to sit up, eyes flying open instantly. Then, he practically yelled out from the pain it brought, his entire body aching as he fell to lay back down, wings stretching out restlessly. He laid there for a moment, gasping, before pushing himself back up. This time, bracing himself, he was ready for the pain, and the wave of nausea, dammit, he was going to throw up.
"Hey, hey! Easy!"
Ella's voice broke into the pain bursting through his head, huffing slightly as he dared to crack his eyes open to look up at the girl. He was able to focus for a second, but his eyes squeezed shut again almost immediately, a soft groan escaping him as he shook his head. "What's… What…" He inhaled sharply and let the breath out slowly, desperately trying to spit the words out and keep his mouth opening without throwing up. "I don't…"
"Yeah, yeah, c'mon, I know. Bathroom, buddy, get up."
"Nononono," Michael groaned as Ella grabbed both his hands and pulled him up to stand, shifting back slightly when he felt her arm brush up against one of his wings. He groaned again, wings folding back instantly, and then the realization hit. First, he was an angel, so why the Hell was this hurting his head, and second, his wings were out, and visible.
"What…" Michael breathed, letting his head fall back for a moment and forcing his eyes open again. He waited a moment to adjust to the pain before pushing himself back, lightly twisting out of Ella's grip and fixing the girl with a confused stare, before turning his gaze to his wings. "Can… You…"
"Oh." Ella blinked, and her gaze darted behind Michael, confirming what the archangel already knew. "Yeah, those…"
"Oh…" Michael trailed off, then, despite himself, he started laughing, falling back and covering his face with his hands. "Oh. Oh. I am in- I am in so much trouble for this, I- I-" No, he was definitely in trouble for this. Humans weren't supposed to be exposed to divinity, and, hello, this human was staring right at an angel with wings. The archangel groaned and let his hands fall back onto the bed beside him, looking up at Ella, who was just staring at him in confusion. "... You, are not freaking out."
"No," Ella responded carefully, eyebrows pinching together as she moved forward and sat down on the bed beside him, crossing her legs. Michael frowned and pushed himself up, folding his wings back slightly to keep them hidden as usual, and sighing in relief once they were out of the way.
"Yeah, why is that?" Michael asked uncertainly, his gaze flickering over Ella's face, searching for any signs of fear, or discomfort. It must not have completely set in for her just yet.
"Well, why would I?" Ella questioned, looking genuinely bewildered. Michael shook his head, letting out a few disbelieving chuckles and looking down as he rubbed a hand over his mouth. "I mean… You're an angel. I guess I'm not really that surprised anymore. I mean, c'mon… I talk to ghosts. Well, a ghost… And that was a long time ago…" She trailed off, looking distracted, before shaking her head. "But, uh, point is! Sure, this is crazy and weird but… That's kinda my thing, so."
Michael just stared at her, stunned into silence. When he finally managed to speak, his voice had lowered considerably, genuinely confused. "So you're… Not… Scared?"
"Scared?" Ella repeated, eyebrows shooting up. "Uh, Hell no?" After a moment, she squinted, glancing away and frowning to herself. "Wait, is that a bad thing to say to an angel…"
Michael chuckled despite himself, rubbing his head with a sigh. "No," he responded simply, leaning back with a frown. "Mm… Dad's gonna be so mad," he groaned, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling for a moment before looking away again.
"Oh… Big Guy," Ella whispered, her eyes widening. "Totally… Forgot about… Whoa. Whoa. W- So, so you- You talk to- You're- He's your Dad-"
Michael frowned, shaking his head. "This is why humans shouldn't…"
"No no no, I'm fine, I promise!" Ella exclaimed, eyes widening even more. "It's just- It's a lot to take in, s… So…" She paused, sitting back and taking in a slow, shaky breath. "D- This means that- If- You're an angel and you're- Lucifer's- So he's- He's really- He's the Devil-"
Michael nodded, a little uncertainly this time. Ella exhaled slowly and sat back, looking down for a long, long time as she considered that. "... I'm friends with the Devil."
"I'm brothers with the Devil," Michael commented, rubbing his eyes. "Look, uh…" He trailed off, clicking his teeth together. "This… Is this- I understand that it's a lot to consider, and to take in, but…" He trailed off, eyebrows pinching together as he glanced up at her. "You can't… Tell anybody, okay? Not everyone will react as calm as you, and… I'll already be in enough trouble with Dad for you finding out in the first place."
"Uh…" Ella blinked a few times, seemingly still lost in thought. "Uh, yeah, um, between us… Wait." She suddenly looked up, eyes wide as she stared at Michael. "Y- You said you're supposed to take Lucifer home… Right?"
"That's the plan."
"Does that mean Hell?" Ella looked a little stressed now. "Does he have to go back to Hell?"
"Uh… No," Michael responded, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "You have to remember, before Sam- Lucifer, became the Devil, he was an angel. A rebellious, annoying, cocky-ass rude angel but an angel…" He trailed off, going silent for a moment before shaking his head. "And, uh, for whatever reason, Dad wants him back in Heaven."
"Whoa," Ella whispered, narrowing her eyes and thinking about that for a moment before speaking up. "So, uh… You're taking him to Heaven?" She frowned. "How long…?"
Michael hesitated, glancing down at her. "... I don't know," he finally sighed. "Dad didn't exactly specify that, and I don't ask questions."
Ella nodded, sitting back and looking down at her hands with a frown. "And how long until he has to go?"
"A month," Michael replied, shaking his head. "Dad's given him a month." He paused, glancing at Ella, and after studying her carefully for a moment, he sat back and shook his head, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He took a moment to try to heal most of the pain he was feeling, something he'd been too stressed to think of before. He relaxed almost instantly, but kept his eyes shut. "So, you find out your friend is the Devil. Taking that pretty well, too."
"Oh, well, yeah. He's still the same Lucifer I know and love… And he's never really lied about it. Nobody's just… Ever believed him," Ella replied, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "He's never hurt anyone… Innocent, at least."
Michael blinked, glancing away. "Guess not," he muttered. Ella paused, looking up at him curiously before reaching out and lightly nudging his shoulder.
"You feelin' better yet?"
"A lot better, actually, yeah," Michael sighed, offering her a small smile. "Uh… Thank you, Ella. Really. For everything," he chuckled. "And especially for taking this so well. Maybe Dad will go easier on me."
"Well, I hope so," Ella responded, grinning. "Now, I'm making food and coffee, and then me and you are gonna sit down and you are going to tell me anything and everything the Bible got wrong or left out, got it?" Without waiting for an answer, she jumped up and skipped out of the room.
Michael stared after her, mouth slightly open, before simply falling back onto the bed and covering his face with his arms. "... Holy crap."