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Michael watches fondly while projecting himself across the table as Adam picks up the burger. He bites into it, and immediately his face melts into an expression of pure bliss.
The sight brings Michael pure joy and satisfaction. After being trapped in the cage with his half insane brother for centuries, and then alone with Adam for several more, all of Michael's priorities have completely morphed. He no longer cares about finding his father or running heaven. No, all that matters is the young human chowing down on a greasy burger that will undoubtedly clog up his veins and with enough repeated consumption, kill him.
Since about six hundred years ago, give or take a few decades, everything Michael did, every action that he took and every decision he made had shifted. He stopped caring about the angels he left, his absent father and the grand plan to bring him back. No, since then, everything he values shifted to this one little human, and hasn't changed since.
The clothes he wears are Adam's style and comfort. The fact that they are in a small, insignificant human dinner in the middle of an insignificant town in the middle of nowhere, is purely on Adam's request. The way Michael projects himself in the opposite seat in Adam's eyes, instead of simply observing from Adam's mind is a decision for Adam's comfort.
Well, not entirely. Michael does get a certain… pleasure from watching Adam's animated gestures and expressions. There's just something about it, a lightness, an innocence that's not naive in the way Adam speaks about the rest of the world. It's equally refreshing and contagious.
Right now, Adam's eyes are closed, his face melted in pure ecstasy and his body language open, unguarded and relaxed, in a way that Michael never quite got him to be in the Cage.
Michael thinks it's beautiful.
He's beautiful.
But there's still the minor issue of the contents of Adam's burger. It's greasy and fatty, and Michael can already see it clogging Adam's veins and taking years off his life.
Michael hates to interrupt Adam's moment of enjoyment, but it needs to be said. After all, it was Adam that taught Michael about healthy communication. "You know that stuff will kill you."
Adam has the gall to look him dead in the eyes and say, "Worth it."
It doesn't quite make sense. Michael can see that Adam's immensely enjoying the taste burger. But is the taste that good that it equals his life? Something isn't adding up.
"Michael, I haven't seen a burger in 10 years."
Ah.
Now it makes sense. Although the burger alone is delicious, it isn't just the burger that Adam is delighting in. It's the… humanity, the normalcy of being in a human created place, eating human food for the first time since the Angel's turned Adam's heaven upside down.
Michael remembers the joy and the sense of familiarity he used to feel in heaven, among his kin and he understands. Michael may feel out of place and alien in this human dinner, but Adam is at home here.
That sense of home and familiarity, well Michael understands why the ideal holds up against death.
Nonetheless, Michael reaches over and picks up one of Adam's fries. It's coated in the same grease the burger is oozing. Michael turns the fry around, examining it. Sure it has the capability to clog up Adam's veins, but it's nothing that Michael's grace can't take care of.
Sufficiently satisfied that he can protect Adam's from the junk food, Michael puts the fry back down in Adam's plate. "Go for it, kid."
Adam swallows his bite. It's a strange feeling. Due to sharing the same vessel, Michael can feel ghost impressions of everything that touches Adam. He can feel faint sensations of the clothes on Adam's body, the ground beneath his feet, the seat he sits on and the sustenance that slides down his throat.
Michael has never eaten anything in his life. He has never needed to; his grace sustains him. His past vessels saw no reason to eat once Michael took care of the need. Seeing Adam gorge into the greasy burger, Michael thinks that eating, at least human food isn't for him.
That being said, Michael would never begrudge Adam the opportunity to indulge himself. And should Adam attempt one of the human bonding practices he explained in the Cage ask to share a meal with Michael? Well. He supposes that it could be an interesting experience.
Adam sniffs, wipes his sleeve underneath his nose and clears his throat. "You know, I know I don't need to eat but it just tastes so damn good." He crunches into a fry and closes his eyes, enjoying the taste. Adam's expression of pure bliss is back.
"I wouldn't know." Michael idly watches Adam scratch his neck and notes that since Adam started eating, he has kept his eyes more closed than open. The archangel warrior in his mind whispers that it makes Adam vulnerable, and the voice isn't wrong. Like this, all of Adam's walls are dropped.
Adam is vulnerable.
That's why Michael is here. It's his chosen role to keep Adam safe and to the best of his abilities, happy.
Michael glances around the restaurant at the other humans. He uses just a touch of his grace to really look at them, and confirms that they are all human. No demons, no angels, no monsters.
Good.
Yet, as Michael looks around at the other humans, he struggles to even remotely understand them. Some of the humans are wearing similar clothes, blue with white tied around. The style doesn't seem practical or comfortable. Although, he does note that it's only the humans in blue and white picking up and dropping off the meals. The rest of the humans wear a wide range of clothes. Some are dirty, faded colours with mud, dirt and clay on them. Others have pristine clothes - or at least as close as possible to pristine that humans are capable. Some of the humans keep their hair short, like Adam's. Others keep it long and it hangs down behind their backs, and other still keep it long and tied up creating the impression of short hair.
Michael doesn't understand.
He tells Adam. "I don't know much, about any of this." Then he reconsiders. In the many centuries of solitude, he's gotten to understand Adam. His motivations, his mannerisms, his emotions. It's not always crystal clear, but Michael hasn't misunderstood anything Adam has said in the past half century. Adam is his key to understanding this strange world. Michael finds himself feeling… excited at the idea of Adam showing him around Earth. "You'll be my guide."
The human dressed in blue and white comes over and sets a pizza in front of Adam. It's absolutely soaking in grease, and Michael barely keeps his scowl inside. Only the fact that the grease is the same as on the fry, and Michael had already examined and cleared it keeps Michael in the spot and not moving the pizza out of sight.
As Michael watches, Adam picks up a slice of pizza and bites into it. Once again, Michael is treated with the Adam Milligan expression of pure bliss and he supposes that perhaps he can put up with this… abomination of greasy substance if it causes Adam to make faces like that.
Then his eyes fall to Adam's neck and alarm floods him. Adam is still absent mindedly scratching at his neck, and it is red. To red to have been the result of an itch.
Abruptly, Michael stands up, leans across the table, takes Adam's wrist and pulls it away from his neck.
There are small red lumps forming where Adam was scratching.
Michael stares at them, as the archangel warrior part of his brain starts running through possibilities. He doesn't know too much about human biology - most of what he knows Adam taught him. Has Adam been poisoned?
Adam's wrist jerks in his grasp, straining to get back to his neck. When Michael doesn't let him, Adam drops the pizza and uses his other hand to scratch his nails against his neck, hard. They dig into the top layers of Adam's skin, causing it to turn white.
"Stop it!" Michael commands. He grabs Adam's other hand and holds it fast, away from his neck. It's been awhile since Michael used anything but a friendly tone with Adam, but there are even more small red lumps are forming on the other side of Adam's neck.
Michael is panicking.
Adam looks up at him in concern. "Micheel wha--" That's all Adam gets out before he shuts his mouth. Adam's mouth is numb. He tries again. "Micchaa."
There are red lumps on Adam's neck, Adam isn't able to speak properly and Michael has no idea what's going on.
Normally Michael keeps the sensations Adam feels muted. Now he boots them up, nearly to the max.
He needs to figure this out now, and fast.
As Michael takes an inventory of all of Adam's sensations - dear Heaven, what is that overwhelming fiery sensation on his neck, cheeks, and chest? It's strong, and Michael understands why Adam's hands are still straining to break out of Michael's hold and scratch his neck bloody.
"Mhmicha-Mmicha," Adam stutters. His voice is weird, as if he can't shape the words properly. But worst of all, is the unmistakable pleading, begging tone of Adam's voice.
Michael's attention snaps up to Adam's face and he almost misses the emotion in Adam's eyes. They're both turning red, and there's little shiny pools of water gathering in him. But what alarms him, is the fear he sees in Adam's eyes. Michael hasn't seen that kind of fear in Adam's eyes in several centuries, since the last time they fought Lucifer.
Whatever is going on is scaring the hell out of Adam.
That's enough to make up Michael's mind. He pushes Adam out of the way and grabs control of the vessel.
There's another weird sensation in his gut. His-Adams's stomach pains, and Michael gets the impression that the food Adam just ate wants to come back up his throat.
Instinctively, Michael covers his mouth with his hand and leans over the table, right over the pizza, as he tries to suppress the overwhelming sensation to gag.
The smell of the pizza drifts up at him, and goes straight to his head. Michael's head spins. He calls for his grace but the strong sensations of this attack has him swaying in the air.
Michael's swaying, swaying and then there's the unmistakable sensation of falling. His vessel's shoulder breaks the fall as it hits the ground, hard, and trembles.
Around him, the other humans have begun to take notice. Nearly all the humans within earshot spin around, and stare at him in horror. The woman in blue and white abruptly sets the dishes in her hands down on the nearest table and runs towards him. One of the other humans starts yelling to call something - someone.
Michael hisses. He doesn't know who this '911' creature is, but he is not letting it get to Adam.
The person is white and blue reaches him. She kneels down on the ground, and reaches a tentative hand towards him. Towards his vessel. "Sweetie -"
That's enough.
Michael concentrates past the attack on his vessel, wraps himself in his grace and transports them away.
He brings them to an empty field. The first time Michael does is refresh the state of Adam's body until it regains the physical healthy state it had the moment they left the Cage.
Instantly, the fiery inferno on his neck begging to be itched is gone, along with the red lumps. His eyes are no longer red and watery. His head stops spinning, and the desire to gag is gone.
Inside, he can almost hear Adam slump in relief. Michael looks around at their location. The field is empty, safe for a few animals.
He releases control of the vessel, allowing Adam to come through. Michael projects himself a foot in front of Adam. Someone had just attacked them. He doesn't feel confident leaving Adam's side.
Part of Michael pangs with regret. The plan - their plan was to lay low and keep off everyone's awarnessness. However, when faced with Adam's health, his safety, Michael will use every single drop of his grace to protect and heal him, regardless of who he alerts with his grace.
Michael will burn through anyone and anything that comes for Adam.
To his knowledge, he is the fifth most powerful being in this world. The most powerful, Amara has been locked up for millenia. Michael doesn't anticipate seeing her around. The second most powerful is his father, who has been absent for millenia. The third is the empty, who isn't able to appear on earth. The fourth is Death, however Michael doubts he was responsible. Death's methods are usually quick and efficient, unlike the attack.
As far as Michael knows, he is the most powerful being on earth, and he is fully capable and ready to utterly destroy anyone who'd dare lay a finger on Adam.
Despite that, Michael doesn't know how their attacker was able to sneak up on them completely unnoticed. Michael doesn't even know the nature of the attack. He suspects poison, but the symptoms are… off.
This rattles Michael.
Fortunately, Adam takes control of his vessel. The first thing he does is frantically pat his neck for any lingering itching or bumps.
"It's okay, Adam. The -" that's as far as Michael gets before Adam throws himself at Michael. One of Adam's arms secures itself around Michael's back, and the other around his shoulders. Adam buries his face in the crook of Michael's neck. He's shaking, albeit lightly.
Michael knows what this is. Over the centuries, he has shared numerous hugs with Adam in the Cage. One does not simply spend centuries living alone with another being under great stress without hugging them. Or so Adam told him, the first time.
Carefully, Michael places one arm around Adam's shoulders and another around his back, holding him firmly. Adam doesn't… cry precisely, but Michael can tell that he's getting rid of his residual panic.
Eventually Adam stops shaking and pulls back, slightly. He glances at Michael. "I forgot that I have a severe allergy to peanuts."
Peanuts.
The answer is absurd. Adam was overcome by peanuts? Michael remembers examining the fry at the dinner. It had only mere traces of peanut oil.
"A few drops of peanut oil triggered this?" Michael confirms, just to be sure he's not misunderstanding something. He can't quite wrap his mind around the fact that those micrograms of peanut oil had been enough to incapacitate Adam.
"Yeah." Adam steps further back, out of Michael's embrace and kicks as the ground. "When I was four years old, some kid at my daycare was sharing peanuts. All the kids were having it, so naturally four year old me didn't want to be left out. I got one, and within seconds I was gasping for air."
There's something that isn't adding up. Michael has examined the fry. The peanut oil held no toxic compounds dangerous to humans. The other children in Adam's daycare were unaffected. "Why are you the only one affected by peanuts?"
"It's an allergy." Seeing Michael's confused expression, Adam elaborates. "Sometimes human bodies get tricked into thinking that some substances are dangerous when they're not. When we get those foods, our immune system kicks in and essentially raises a red flag and tries to eliminate the substance. Not everyone has them, but they're still fairly common. Unfortunately that doesn't stop most fast food stores from using it."
Ah.
It appears that peanuts are found in common human foods. If Adam didn't remember his peanut allergy, it's likely that their enemies wouldn't either. On top of that, there are much more… efficient ways to incapacitate a vessel. Still, Michael needs to confirm this. "So it was a simple misfortune? No one was attacking us?"
"No, just a mistake." Adam smiles reassuringly. Michael relaxes at the confirmation. "It's a shame I didn't get to enjoy the burger though."
Michael frowns. "The burger would have killed you, had I not been there."
"And it would've been worth it." Adam follows up, dead serious. "Anyways, I know a few peanut free burger places. Can we go?"
Every fiber in Michael wants to say no. Adam had nearly died, as a result of this allergy. Now he wants to tempt faith again. Michael opens his mouth, about to tell him 'no,' when he sees the hopeful expression on Adam's face.
He remembers the expression of pure bliss Adam had made when he tastes the burger.
And Michael, the most fearsome archangel warrior caves.
"As you wish."
The end.