Lucifer realized, when he opened his eyes and took a look at his brother, that Michael was right. Something was wrong. He had his wings out, but the golden feathers were falling off, right before their eyes. Michael's wings kept fluttering, trying desperately to fly - At this point, Lucifer was pretty sure Michael was just trying to make sure they were working, not take them back to Heaven. But it seemed his brother was getting his wings clipped, and the Devil watched, eyes wide, as the feathers continued falling into a pile around their feet. Amenadiel backed away, wide-eyed, and Michael just stared, finally stopping what he was doing and staring in confusion and terror. He lifted his hand from Lucifer's shoulder, catching one of the feathers as it fell, and clenched it tightly in his hand, which was shaking. "I…"
Only when Lucifer saw a white feather fall into the pile of golden ones did he turn his attention to his own wings, which were spread out open wide now against his will, his own feathers slowly fluttering to the ground. The Devil tensed, not caring nearly as much as Michael did about his, but it was startling to see. And, surprisingly enough, it didn't hurt. It felt like… Nothing. It felt like nothing was happening, but it was. He was watching it, watching the wings droop as the feathers fell, and he kept his gaze fixed on them firmly. "What the Hell…?" He whispered, disbelief sparkling through his eyes as he narrowed them, brushing one of the feathers off his shoulder and looking down as they fell.
Michael seemed to be panicking, taking a few steps back and grabbing at his wings as if trying to keep the feathers attached, but he was failing miserably. Lucifer turned his attention back to his older brother, then threw a quick glance toward Amenadiel, eyes wide with confusion. His oldest brother just stared back at him in alarm and concern, gaze flickering from Michael to Lucifer, and the Devil took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking back up and fixing his gaze on Michael. The last of the feathers were falling, and Michael's wings in general were becoming crooked, drooping lower to the ground than Lucifer knew they should. His brother was surrounded by his own feathers at his feet, and all three of them stared as the wings simply fell with a soft, quiet thump to the floor, completely disconnected from him altogether.
Lucifer stepped back, the movement causing his own feathers to flurry up around him, and he flinched despite himself, raising a hand up to brush them out of his hair and off his clothes. Like Michael's, he felt his own wings drooping low, finally starting to hurt just the slightest bit as they strained. But he didn't say a word, turning his head quietly to watch the feathers flutter down, falling like leaves to the ground until, finally, the wings fell to the floor with their own quiet thump, and the weight on Lucifer's back was relieved. The Devil sucked in a quiet gasp and let it out slowly, shoulders lowering as he looked up, turning his gaze back to Michael, who was staring down at the golden feathers on the floor, shaking slightly in confusion and fear and disbelief.
"I…" Michael's voice shook slightly, almost as much as he was shaking, in general, as he looked up, his gaze meeting Lucifer's, then Amenadiel's, then darting right back down to the golden feathers. His amber eyes, which always seemed to be blazing with that fire, were unnaturally dull. "It's… It's gone… It's all gone…" He trailed off, swallowing. "I can't… Sense it, anymore… I can't… The powers… I…" He took a deep breath, and Lucifer watched his chest stop moving, as if he was holding his breath before he abruptly released it. "What just happened?"
"I don't…" Lucifer shook his head, just as bewildered, but surprisingly not as afraid as his brother. After all, they were just wings. Though, the thing his older brother had said about the powers got to him, piquing his curiosity. He could worry about that later, though. He kicked at the sea of feathers, sending them scattering in different directions, searching for one specific thing. The Sword was still there, luckily enough, lying bloody on the floor as it had been before. They were still in the penthouse, the screwed-up, broken penthouse, with Michael and Lucifer standing across from them and Amenadiel beside Lucifer, facing both his younger brothers with wide eyes filled with concern, confusion and disbelief.
"I don't know," he finally admitted to his older brother, taking a deep breath and looking up. Michael had fixed his gaze on the Sword, too, but he stayed firmly in place. Lucifer kept his gaze on Michael until his older brother looked up at him, confusion sparkling through those way too dull amber eyes as the archangel - Or, former, possibly - Stared at his younger brother. "But… If I had to guess, brother…" He trailed off. "I'd say both of us just became… Mortal." Not too surprising, and, again, he wasn't as fazed by it as he should have been. After all, he was practically mortal around Chloe, anyway. Although, it did strike up some unease at the idea of not being able to use his powers…
Michael looked… Horrified. Lucifer knew he had nothing against mortals, or humanity, but he also knew that being a mortal himself was one thing that his older brother had never wanted at all. It was almost amusing, the look on his face as he took that in, and he opened his mouth, but faltered when he started to speak, seemingly unable to find the words. Lucifer… Well, understood, despite himself. Michael was all about power, and now that that power had been stripped away… Well, what did that leave him? Not that much, to be fair. The former archangel stared down at the feathers at his feet. Lucifer watched his eyes flicker, struggling to accept that - Or, maybe the opposite, struggling to deny it.
"I'd offer a drink, but my bar, was, unfortunately destroyed…" Lucifer trailed off, actually letting out a small, slightly forced laugh despite himself. What did this mean? Well, ultimately, it meant… He wasn't the Devil anymore. But he wasn't an angel. He was mortal. And if he was mortal… He couldn't get to Heaven. Meaning, the Detective and Ella were still in danger, possibly… And Lucifer… Didn't want that. His smile faltered, staring at his older brother, and he looked away. "And now we can't get back to Heaven…"
"And whose fault is that?" Michael marveled, his voice raising slightly in pitch, desperate and confused and Lucifer almost felt sympathetic. "This is probably Dad's way of telling us to wait out the whole month. I told you it was too early to go back. But you never listen, do you?"
"I never listen?" Lucifer retorted, his eyes widening immediately as he fixed his brother with a disbelieving glare. "You're the one that doesn't listen. And you know what? If you hadn't gotten so attached to Miss Lopez and gotten her into this mess in the first place, then we wouldn't need to go back."
"Excuse me?" Michael's amber eyes flickered with fury as he stepped forward. Even though his eyes were no longer filled with literal fire, somehow, they still blazed with rage as he stared his younger brother down. And yet, Lucifer felt no fear. For the first time in his life, he wasn't even the slightest bit scared of his brother. Why would he be? They were both mortals now. Neither of them had any kind of advantage. Michael didn't have his strength anymore, he couldn't hurt him the way he used to. "You've forgotten who apparently gave Pierce the idea of me using the Sword to kill him to begin with, haven't you?" His older brother demanded. "If you had just kept your mouth shut, for once, then that wouldn't have happened, and everything would be fine, now wouldn't it?"
"And who's the one who got attached to a mortal, eh? If you hadn't, Pierce wouldn't have known taking her would piss you off. But," Lucifer taunted, lips curling back slightly as he took a step forward. He ignored a slightly warning hum from Amenadiel, stepping up to his older brother and raising his head to look him directly in the eyes. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you? Falling for humanity, falling for her. Well, Daddy's perfect soldier disobeyed his rule. Guess you're more like me than you realized."
The fury that ignited in Michael's eyes was all worth it. Eons worth of torture endured, the fear, all of it leading up to this moment. Well, there was no fear. Just a strong, determined sense of satisfaction as he watched the effect his words had, as he finally stepped up to get the payback he'd been dreaming of since he was little. His brother was a bully. Hell, his brother was worse than a bully, and it was about time that Lucifer got him back for it. "I am nothing like you, Samael. I never will be."
"Oh, no, brother, it's too late," Lucifer replied quietly, lowering his voice. "Don't you see, now? You are like me. Take away the rebellion, the "worship Dad", and look at yourself. You've fallen, too. Fallen for the humans. And you know, as well as I do, that you don't want to go back to Heaven, do you? You want to stay… Right here. Right down here, with her. Because you can deny it all you want, but you're in love with her. You got attached. And you hate it. You hate it, because you know you can't worship Him anymore. Because you've seen that humanity can be, and honestly always will be, better than Him. Better than us."
Michael didn't say anything. And for a long, long time, he just stared at his younger brother, fury flickering through his eyes. And, after a moment of silence, he walked forward and swung at his brother, aiming to punch him in the face - But, this time, Lucifer was ready. He ducked, dodging the punch easily, and grabbed his brother by the wrist, twisting as hard as he could and narrowing his eyes in satisfaction when he heard a crack, and a sharp gasp from his older brother. "Remember, brother. You're mortal, too."
Lucifer shoved him back and swung, punching him in the face. And he didn't stop after that. He attacked, one blow after another, shoving his brother back into the wall and continuing his attacks. And, after a long time, Michael suddenly gave up fighting. Lucifer saw it, flickering through his amber eyes. The realization that maybe, just maybe, he was getting everything he deserved.
But then Lucifer was pulled back, and the younger brother looked up. Hands aching and stained with his brother's blood, he turned his wide gaze to his oldest brother as Amenadiel pulled him back, holding him with ease. But what surprised Lucifer most was that behind Amenadiel, his dark grey wings were spread out, and his eyes were stern and cold as he stared down at his younger brother. Lucifer started to give in, opened his mouth to ask how he'd gotten his wings back.
But Michael cut in before he could, reminding Lucifer of his presence, and the younger turned his head back to his brother. "Heh," Michael wheezed out a soft laugh, rubbing the blood off his face and gasping in a sharp, unsteady breath as his gaze fixed on Lucifer, filled with fury and pain. "I'm… Nothing like you, Sammy. Know why?" He sucked in another breath, pushing himself away from the wall. "I'm a good son. Unlike either of you two. I may be attached to Ella, but I never planned on trying to stay here. And I've never slept with a demon, or raised a murderer from Hell. So you can say what you will, but in the end, we all know who the better angel here is."
Lucifer stared at him, silent rage blazing in his eyes. He felt Amenadiel stiffen, as well. And this time, it wasn't just about him. Michael had brought his oldest brother into this. And, honestly, Lucifer hated it. And he wanted nothing more than to defend his brother. And, so, he turned his head to look up at Amenadiel, catching his gaze easily. And, after a long, long moment of silence, his brother released him and stepped back.
Lucifer grinned and whirled around to face Michael, watching the smug smirk on his face fade into a look that practically screamed oh, fuck. And Lucifer lunged, attacking his brother again, punching him as hard as possible and slamming him back into the wall. "You really shouldn't have said that, now," he warned. "Nobody dicks with Amenadiel but me." With that said, he ripped his older brother away from the wall, and turned. And, with every bit of strength he had, he threw his brother back toward the bar.
He realized his mistake too little too late. Michael was mortal now. And, Lucifer froze, horror taking over the anger as his brother crashed back into the broken glass. He watched the sharp pieces slice right through him, one rather large piece in particular stabbing right through his older brother's back and poking out of his stomach. Michael froze, pushing himself away from the glass and looking down, eyes widening with confusion as blood trickled down, staining into his shirt and running down his skin. He faltered, but steadied himself on the counter.
"No, no, no, wait…" Lucifer whispered, immediately rushing forward, stepping over the broken glass to get to his brother. Michael continued to stare down, no longer paying attention to his younger brother and instead choosing to watch the blood rushing down his clothes from multiple spots, his amber eyes flickering faintly. "Shit… No, Michael…"
Lucifer was angry at his brother, sure. And yeah, part of him hated him. And maybe he'd wanted to kill him a few times. But that was then. Now, watching his brother stare down, wide-eyed, watching him bleed, shards of glass sticking out from his back, he wanted to scream. He wanted the old Michael back, as obnoxious and horrible as he was, because at least that Michael didn't have the look on his face that he did now.
When Michael looked up, Lucifer was stunned to see tears in his eyes, his amber gaze searching for his brother's. The younger grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him away from the counter, and Michael grabbed onto his arm to steady himself again. "Y… You…" Michael's voice faded slightly, swallowing and struggling to speak. "You hate me that much, huh…"
"No," Lucifer insisted, sucking in a sharp breath and holding it. "No, no, I didn't- I didn't want this."
"M'just… Teasing, Sammy," Michael chuckled, then whimpered, flinching slightly. He let out a few choked coughs, blood bubbling at his lips as he looked up again, focusing on Lucifer… At least somewhat. His gaze kept roaming, not really seeing anything, but he was struggling to stay conscious. "I…" He rolled his head back, then looked up again, his flickering eyes meeting Lucifer's horrified gaze. And he blinked, quite a few times, a few tears escaping as he did so. "Hey, you actually look upset…"
"I didn't mean…" Lucifer's voice dropped, trailing off desperately as he reached around his brother. He flinched, feeling the several different shards of glass sticking out of his skin, feeling the blood running down his fingers. "I didn't mean to…"
"I know…" Michael trailed off, gaze dropping for a moment, before raising again. "But I… I deserve it, don't I?" He whispered shakily, forcing a small smile at Lucifer. But it faltered after a moment, his grip on his brother tightening, fingers digging into his shirt. "S… Sam…" After a moment, he shook his head faintly, starting to cough again. Blood trickled down the side of his mouth, and Lucifer tensed, his eyes widening in horror as he watched. "Lucifer," Michael corrected himself, a little stronger this time. "I'm sorry."
"No," Lucifer whispered, his eyes widening at the realization. This was real, this was happening. And he didn't want an apology. He wanted this to stop. "No, no, no, Michael…"
"I am," Michael insisted, his voice once more going quiet. "I- I never- I never m… meant for… for… This…" He trailed off, and his gaze trailed, amber eyes hazing over for a second. "T- To…" And that's as far as he got. For a while, he just stared at nothing, open-mouthed and silent. And then his eyes glazed over, dull and lifeless, and Lucifer stared in complete horror as his brother completely collapsed right into his arms.
"M- Michael-" Lucifer stammered, pulling back and pulling Michael away from the bar, lowering him to the floor. He didn't want to set him on his back, so he kept him sitting up, using one hand to lift his brother's head to look at him. But his eyes stayed dull, no life at all, no longer flickering with the familiar, passionate fire. And the more Lucifer stared at his older brother, the more he realized exactly what he'd just done. Tears flooded his eyes, not quite allowing them to spill over yet, and he looked up, gaze darting around desperately before his eyes landed on Amenadiel. "C- Can't- Can't you-"
Amenadiel seemed completely frozen, staring at the two. He did, however, eventually force himself to move, kneeling down and reaching out to Michael. But, even after he made contact, nothing happened. Lucifer sucked in a breath, realizing his brother's wings were gone, now. Whatever had happened for them to return… It was over. It was all over. The realization hit a little too hard, a little too painfully. He dropped his older brother, watching him crumple limply to the floor, and scrambled back, staring down at the blood on his hands.
He'd just killed his brother. Another one of his brothers, and he'd killed him. Lucifer found himself shaking, scooting himself back even more and forcing himself to his feet, nothing but horror and pain and guilt flickering through his eyes. His chest twisted, a lump rising in his throat, painful enough to bring more tears to his eyes.
"... Luci…" Amenadiel's voice was quiet. Soft, soothing. But Lucifer… Felt… Almost numb to it. He just stared, gaze not moving from Michael, as Amenadiel stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. When he failed to react, his brother stepped aside, effectively blocking his view of his older brother and forcing Lucifer's gaze to him. His oldest brother's expression softened almost immediately, seeing the pain reflected in his eyes. And before Lucifer knew it, he was being pulled into a hug.
Lucifer shook his head, but he didn't resist. Though, he didn't hug back, either. And, eventually, Amenadiel pulled away, leaving Lucifer as numb as he had been before. He took in a soft, shaky breath and let it out slowly, letting his gaze fall to the floor.
The familiar ding of the elevator made him flinch. He expected Chloe and Ella - And having to explain all of this to them… Not something he wanted to do. He shuffled back instinctively, bracing himself. But he heard nothing but footsteps, and a soft gasp from Amenadiel, which finally forced him to look up. His gaze landed on a man that he didn't recognize - At first glance, at least - Watching him walk slowly and carefully from the elevator and toward the boys. He didn't look at Lucifer or Amenadiel, instead crouching down beside Michael and, slowly, began pulling the shards of glass out of his back one by one. Lucifer stepped forward, ready to defend his dead brother, but Amenadiel immediately pulled him right back.
The man rolled Michael onto his back, reaching out and closing his eyes. He then pressed two fingers to Michael's head, and Lucifer watched, eyes wide, as his brother sucked in a sharp gasp of air, chest heaving as he began breathing again. But he settled comfortably once more, unconscious but breathing, and alive, and Lucifer stared in confusion and relief as the man brushed Michael's blonde hair from his face and stood. His gaze finally lifted to Lucifer and Amenadiel, and flickered from one to the other as he stepped around Michael and walked forward to stop right in front of the two. And Lucifer's eyes widened when the man's gaze met his, disbelief flooding his eyes as he stared into the familiar, flickering, warm green eyes. The man just smiled at him and Amenadiel, stepping forward and raising his head.
"Hello, boys."