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When Lucifer enticed the first demon to cross into the Cage; when Castiel stole Sam's body; when Death took Sam's soul; when the Darkness broke the Cage. Those were momentous happenings. Hundreds of years between one event and the other but they were still the things occupying the Cage's inhabitants' minds and talk for years.
Then Crowley came and took Lucifer for a “parley”.
They didn't come back.
Michael was restless for weeks. He knew something momentous had happened but not what. His history with Lucifer was complex, undoubtedly. Yet it was theirs and he could never see himself without that history. After all, when his story was told it was often in relation to how he had defeated, cast out, and been victorious over Samael, over the snake, and made the other fall. Lucifer would not be the Fallen Angel without Michael and Michael would not be the Warrior Angel without Lucifer.
Adam spoke to him softly and he replied snippily. Silenced him harshly. What could this child possibly understand? He didn't even have siblings. Sam and Dean notwithstanding, it was obvious they weren't his brothers. Not like Lucifer was to him.
It was Adam's idea to get one of the demons to find out.
It was a good idea. Michael simply wasn't used to working with these lowlife beings. Even the 800 years, give or take, they had been in the Cage so far hadn't softened him to their kind.
The wait. The wait reminded him of the first days in the Cage. Back when he was sure his Father would come.
The wait made him want to tear at his skin. Pull Adam out and smash him against the floor. Sometimes he feared himself, feared being like them. Like his brother. Like his Father.
Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, Jericho. Were the fates of those cities not just his dad's spite? Although, he never questioned. Perhaps he should have questioned. Now, it was too late.
Back when Sam was fully in the Cage sometimes Lucifer got him to… participate.
Punishment was just. It was Sam's fault, after all, that they were all entrapped in the lowest levels of Hell.
He usually doesn't, didn’t. Partake, that is, in the sadism and torture, in the games that Lucifer played with his vessel. Michael frowned upon it and thought that his duty was to care for his vessel. His vessel allowed him to embody. It was a tool, and thus he should care for it and make sure it was in the best of conditions to execute and perform.
Although, it seemed they wouldn't be performing or executing for a very long time. He refused to believe it. They were cosmic beings, time was different. The playing field and span was much longer.
So, he cared for Adam. It's his duty.
Years went by in the Cage.
Centuries went by in the Cage.
The wait for his Father stopped being his first and foremost thought and turned into disbelief.
He sometimes let his brother goad him into breaking his toys. His toy, he only had one: Sam. He didn't feel guilty, that was Lucifer's prerogative. But as time went by, Adam pulling back made it harder and harder to fall into Lucifer's games.
The last time Adam had actually taken control, he had started brushing Sam's hair and crying freely. Babbling comfort words while he asked for forgiveness for what his body had done. ‘Sam confused, bleeding, and tied up hadn't even been able to register that this was Adam.’ Sam feared Michael, to a degree, but mostly walked on eggshells as to what Lucifer may believe they were talking about. Sam knew a kindness such as brushing his hair wouldn't be seen in a positive light by Lucifer.
The punishment that day hurt everyone.
Michael decided it was too difficult for his vessel, for them, to continue participating in this type of activity. He thinks that if they were free, in a real war doing their mission, Adam would have no option. He would toughen up when Michael tore into people and fought and dismembered and was a warrior and a soldier. Adam did, after all, sign up to bring the apocalypse to fruition. However, they are sitting in a cell. Doing nothing. There is too much time for introspection. Too much time to enmesh himself with his superior and think they are one.
The only person to torture is his blood. It's true that Sam and Adam weren't raised together, and have no history together, but there will always be a spark of curiosity, fealty. That bond Michael supposes is always there, difficult to suppress. He knows he hasn't been able to suppress his bond in eons. Can't expect the child to be able to, that would be hypocritical.
So, he soothes Adam. It's his duty.
After that, Michael and Lucifer drift even further apart.
Then Lucifer loses Sam, he rages. Enraged, he is wrath. A blistering and crazed scream from the literal pits of hell. His anger no longer has an outlet upon which to pour itself. A live wire that sizzles dangerously and seeks to zap them. Demons play a version of chicken, some even survive.
Lucifer's anger must itch inside him. Michael understands, it itches inside him constantly too. His brother prods, instigates, he tries. Michael fights him but does not give him what he wants.
The nasty things Lucifer whispers in his ear, "Bring your pretty one out to play." Michael shoves him fiercely away. Ignoring the taunting and concentrating on pure strength. "Mine was good for sharing but not yours? Greedy, brother, greedy." The Cage is a difficult place for fighting, they can't stretch out their wings, fly, throw each other very far, use all their strength. It's almost a fight focused more on restraint. "Whoever wins gets yummy Adam?" Lucifer proposes, Michael ignores.
So, he protects Adam. It's his duty.
Then the Cage broke. Not a lot, the Darkness fissured the Cage -the upper left panel in the corner approximately 13 inches. But Lucifer was obsessed. Always in that corner. He spoke wildly, hopefully. Almost with glee, in their old speech. An Enochian so old that perhaps only a handful of beings could still speak or understand it. He wondered,did Lucifer speak it to himself, write it out, sing songs? How did he keep it alive for all those centuries when he was buried alive in this Cage? Because this is not his first foray in this terrain.
Michael muses on that, this is terrible, and he at least has Adam and Lucifer because they both are important to keeping him sane and contribute to making the tedium not seem so insufferable. He has his brother and he has his vessel. He can not imagine how it must have been being alone, completely alone.
Adam gives freely of his warmth. He is funny. Sarcastic and curious. He asks questions and that serves to guide their discussions. Michael leads them through his memories, they have ample time, so they enter in intricate detail of the things that are of most interest. Curiously, furniture and medicine. They have also started playing at 'what would you be?' A question Adam seems fond of, and they chat at length of their alternate lives as a tanner and a cobbler or in a more modern times a Starbucks barista and a stockbroker. As per Adam, "So you, bro."
"Wouldn't you rather be the doctor you were studying to be?" Michael asks.
"I don't think I ever wanted to heal. I was just used to the hospital because of mom. Doctors, the ER, fixing people. But it was never about curing cancer or anything like that. I was thinking about being an orthopedic surgeon and well, Lucifer kinda took my interest in broken bones away." Adam shudders, figuratively but enough that Michael can feel it inside of him. "Doesn't matter anymore."
It's not that Michael feels sad, that's not aligned with his priorities or the way he is supposed to respond but he can recognize how distressing losing that view of himself must be for his vessel. He curses his brother. He picks a fight with Lucifer that gets very bloody a mere hours later.
So, he fights for Adam. It's his duty.
Lucifer leaves with Crowley. The King of Hell had spoken all pompous about friendly parley and negotiations. Lucifer whispers on his way out, "Going to see my good boy." There's a skip in his step.
The wait was bad. The not knowing was worse. The betrayal was the worst.
In the end it was a betrayal, another one. The demon that Adam sent out brings back news: Lucifer did see Sam, but Sam said no. "I could have told you that." Adam says, pride in his reply. Lucifer however managed to convince Castiel and is out. Michael berates himself. He should know by now. How they are. His brother. His Father.
If ever there were a moment of peril for Adam this would be it. This would be the time to run and hide. The time to make himself small, to try and wish other things occupied his Archangel's mind and to hope he forgot about his miserable puny existence. Adam didn't get that memo. He steps up, and wrestles with Michael. He is demanding, more forceful than he has been in centuries. He orders Michael around. He steps into piloting the vessel at times. He demands that Michael rest. He instates a routine. Who cares about a routine when they have infinity? He has something about language, some term, positive cognitive restructuring, Michael seriously considers banging him against the Cage floor. Adam laughs. "Dude, I'd know every single one of your moves before you made it. Come on, try the breathing exercise again."
They are alone. After the initial shock of the betrayal, Michael thinks this isn't that bad. Lucifer was like a thunderstorm. Noisy and sending electro-shocks but not often providing water.
They expand, and use more of the Cage. Claim the space for themselves. Get into a new routine. Adam refuses to use the bed though. He is less hidden, less fearful, more relaxed without Lucifer. Michael supposes this is good. Michael tells stories of times gone by, and of concerts he's seen to pass the time.
So, he entertains Adam. It's his duty.
Then he gets a message. The message.
What Lucifer did, the same can be done for him. He has his loyalists and they saw what Lucifer did and immediately started working on organizing how to do the same thing for him.
Hester and Virgil are leading a campaign of angels to fix heaven and understand that after God the rightful leader should be Michael.
Michael feels a zap of energy and excitement, his brain already organizing troops, seeing which angels go in which areas. Virgil was a great field officer, Hester was excellent in office management, they are a great duo. She was cold and calculating, he was unquestioning and followed orders easily. He liked the combination. But that was for after, neither could come into Hell.
How was he getting out?
The demon explains, via Rowena, she had a spell to get Lucifer out of the Cage which she did and he repaid her by snapping her neck. Michael feels chagrin, of course he did, he thinks Lucifer can't avoid betraying everyone. Like the story of the scorpion and the toad, it's his nature.
"Luckily," the demon states, "Rowena had an immortality spell on her and although it took several weeks, she is back. Now she wants to get revenge." The demon explains how she'll let Michael out, if he promises to kill Lucifer, or at least die trying.
"It's sort of my whole shtick. Fighting and killing Lucifer. Literally, life purpose." He feels Adam stir disapprovingly, "Fortunately, I've done it before too."
"She has the perfect vessel lined up too. Claire Novak. We know she is strong enough, she has held Castiel, and she is willing. Apparently she has been hunting and wants to strengthen her abilities. Plus, she wants to teach Castiel a lesson. You outrank him."
Suddenly, the long stretch of time. The thing that seems to continue on and is tedious, slow, never-ending and boring comes to a halt.
Michael understands. Comprehension hits him.
His loyalists.
A spell for him to get out.
A campaign for him to run heaven.
A vessel for him to occupy.
Then the vessel he does occupy would stay behind? Abandoned. Alone.
The campaign would be without Adam's snarky words in his head. The spell is because someone says yes to being occupied, they can't carry another body out. Michael runs all scenarios quickly. He could arrange someone to steal Adam's body, like Castiel stole Sam's, but can a human soul possess another human's? He doesn't think so. Not strong enough and he doesn't have the friendship with Death that Sam apparently did. He can leave and work tirelessly to look for a solution to get Adam out later, but he is sure that Dean Winchester did that and it still took two tries and two centuries. And now there would be no one left in the Cage. He sends a message back with the demon.
Politely declines.
So, he accompanies Adam. It's his duty.
A few centuries later God opens the Rupture to Hell and releases all the souls and demons of Hell upon the Earth. The mayhem and running is utter chaos. It was the day Michael had been waiting for centuries. He was calm as he walked out, demons scurried frazzled, fighting, burning, death, screaming. Some were looting, others escaping with no thought but the quickest and most obvious exit. He looked for the most discreet one. The equivalent of the service exit. Still single minded on the exit, his aura focused on leaving. He could feel Adam shouting inside, but he didn't give him space to come up. He needed total calm and control. Later he would think about the fact that this meant his Father was back. Now, it was time to get them out of Hell.
Years before he would have considered this eatery a version of hell. Now, seeing Adam, his face lit up, his excessive requests, pizza, cheeseburger, fries, sundae, for some reason it made him feel content. Happy for his vessel. Even if it was a small thing. "That stuff will kill you."
Adam's eyes flashed, a sarcastic smile. "Haven't had a burger in 10 human years, let me get my mouth-gasm on."
Michael shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The vocabulary this generation used, really unnecessary but he wanted to show he was open and willing to be flexible so he said, "Go for it buddy." He cringed internally. In the Cage he hadn't worried because nobody heard, now he felt that everyone at Jaci's Red Wagon Diner was looking at them. Listening in and judging.
"We're out man!" Adam's words rush over each other, he speaks of plans, some as trivial as paying for this lunch and others more substantial such as where they will be living.
"You'll be my guide." Michael affirms.
"You're not going back to Heaven?" Adam asks.
"I want to see the places you mentioned, at leisure."
"We'll have to get a job. For some money, you know it's needed here on Earth." Adam swivels his head to signal where they are.
Michael shrugs his shoulders, "Overrated. What do we need money for? We don't eat, except your cravings. We are welcome and esteemed guests anywhere we travel. We travel by flying." Michael opens his palms in a questioning movement.
"Well, like clothes. Dude these are the same clothes we went to Hell in. I want to change."
"Okay, let's go to the store. We will tell the clerk to give us the clothes. Nobody says no to the Archangel Michael."
Adam is quiet. He pushes away his burger. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I was excited for a minute but I forgot that's all I am, Archangel Michael's meat-suit."
Michael purses his lips. He is a warrior, not a poet or a politician used to words and swaying people. "Do you want me to leave you? Go find Dean, that Claire girl that offered or any other that is strong enough to be my meat-suit as you call it? You agreed to hold me to fight Lucifer, and we did that, plus more. I consider your end of the deal sufficiently upheld and release you."
Adam's blue eyes grow wide and his hands tremble as he takes full control of the vessel. He walks angrily to the back of the diner and slams the door of the bathroom, locking it. The mirror is gritty, slightly marred. It doesn't matter, it's not like he has looked at himself in almost a millennia.
“You’ll release me?" Adam puts a palm against the mirror, "How fucking dare you!"
"Is it not what you want? Burgers, naps, sex? To be human again!?" Michael yells at him.
"Dude, you have no chill. That's reminiscing, that's my childhood. Literally a blink, 20 years out of 1000. My being is with you. Listening to you, talking to you. Knowing your every move before you make it. Seeing your thoughts. Serving as a body for you to embody. I am your vessel." Adam runs his hands down their arms.
"That's not what you want." Michael pouts.
"It is what I signed up for, or I'd be dead, remember? In a way, for me the Cage was the same as an afterlife. I was wrapped in the arms of an Archangel that protected me. That… stayed with me… I know what you did."
"Well, like you say, it's hard to keep secrets when you know my every thought." His tone is more biting than he intended.
"Your every move before you make it." Adam corrects, light-hearted.
"Yeah that."
"More importantly, Michael." Adam's tone is commanding, time has taught him the subtle changes to infer this.
"Hmm," Michael turns questioningly to Adam, raises his eyes in the mirror searching for him.
"I know why you did it." Adam says it so low it could almost be confused for a whisper he thought to himself.
Michael doesn't answer verbally this time, he simply shrugs his shoulders. Drops his gaze. As if he gives a few centuries away easily and without good reason any given day.
"I do too."
And suddenly Michael has overpowered the vessel, he is smiling so wide. Their hands are holding onto the sides of the sink, squeezing tight as he breathes deeply. "Stupid breathing exercises, I still don't think they do anything."
"They don't hurt either, so keep doing them." Comes Adam’s voice from within.
"So you'll stay?" Michael feels like he is tempting fate but asks anyway.
"I never planned on leaving. You're the one that brought that dumb idea up. You chose me and stayed with me, I chose you and will stay with you." Adam feels how their chest unknots and all the tension flows out of their shared body. "But Michael, when we're on Earth we get one meal per day."
"Once a week." The Archangel counters.
"Every three days."
"Deal, but lactose free. Your body does not like milk."
"Oh, so it's my body when it has to do with shit." Adam sasses back.
"Quite literally." Michael chuckles.
So, he loves Adam. It's his duty.