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He watches.
Not in a creepy way, anymore at least.
Michael used to skulk and plot and try and be the Iago to his Lightbringer twin’s Othello, but that’s in the past. Ever since Father’s dinner, when even he realized that the old man could never love any of them so why bother fighting for scraps, well, things have actually gotten easier. He decided to stay in Los Angeles and after many, many awkward and aggravating joint sessions with Samael, Michael has been able to integrate himself at least peripherally into Sam’s circle of super friends.
Occasionally, since he is a weapons expert---goes with being the Sword after all---he’s even called in to collaborate or at least offer a knowledgeable opinion on crimes where Sam and his pet detective are after a weird M.O. The first time he was called in, the whole precinct was shocked that a broad sword had been used, though he and the very energetic woman, the one who reminded him of Trixie even though she had to be a lot older to work for the cops, right…anyway she’d been livid when they’d all discovered a Dungeons and Dragons group gone very wrong.
Who knew role playing games could be life and death after all?
Then there was the purloined dagger from the antiquities museum. This time, and he was completely baffled so far on the who of the case, though that was for the Devil and Decker to supply, but still it had been surreal today giving an opinion on a recreated Iron Maiden. He’d seen a few used during the Inquisition and found it abhorrent each time, but to see it back in 21st century L.A. was both gross and shocking.
Yet, after offering his piece, he’d stayed at least outside the big glass door by Ella Lopez’s forensic lab to watch her work. She was absorbed going over crime scene photos again, and he was sure that odd yet somehow fascinating brain of hers was looking for any possible clue she’d missed.
She was, in short, the most interesting of contradictions: brilliant yet somehow not as mature as her compatriots, insufferably sunny and yet sometimes would stare ahead with one of the more haunted looks he’d seen in his entire existence, and both a glutton for sugary drinks that somehow merited coffee---coffee of all things---costing 9 bucks but also fierce enough to strike the Sword and pretty damn hard for a mortal with her sneaker.
He’d never found a human fascinating before, but he was so very curious about her now.
Surely, just watching her work an extra few minutes wouldn’t be noticed…
“Once a shadow, always a shadow, Brother,” his idiot twin chirped behind him.
Michael grumbled. Just because he had stopped vowing to destroy Sam’s life and just because he played nice with his humans and sometimes helped on cases…well, it didn’t mean they’d be friends. It just didn’t. He could tolerate Samael in very small doses. Miniscule drop-ins really, but there would never come a time, even if he lived another 14 billion years that Michael would not be annoyed by his twin.
It was impossible.
“What now?”
“I might have noticed that you seem to be quite interested in the lab of late.”
He shook his head. “It’s just a confusing case. I never thought even someone’s homemade version of an Iron Maiden would come back in style. I’m mulling over if I missed anything, Sammy.”
His brother narrowed his eyes at him even as he picked non-existent lint of his well-coiffed lapels. “I hate that.”
Michael grinned genuinely then. “I know.”
“But, forgive me, but I think you are interested in something beyond forensics, my devil senses---”
“Ha, right.”
“Well, I am a being of desire, and I can tell when you are enthralled by someone, and it seems that dear Miss Lopez has caught your fancy. Dearie me, even the Douche could see it.”
“Lopez is nice. She’s weird, but I can’t say I’m normal by any definition either. She’s just so smart,” he admitted, which was a big step for him.
He’d found humans inconsequential filth before, less cute and fuzzy than monkeys even so far more useless. Until Linda’s insightful therapy and Lopez’s savant brain for crime, he’d never have believed how brilliant they could actually be. Michael was glad he knew that now, even gladder that Lopez was as worthy an intellect as any angel he’d ever known and, to be blunt, far smarter than Amenadiel or Jo had ever been.
“It’s not like that.”
“But it could be, although I issue the disclaimer that I will be the one kicking you into Hell and directly in Mum’s old cell if you hurt her in anyway.”
He swallowed hard at that. It had taken everything he’d had to win against Sam eons ago with the Fall. He was bent and broken now, and there was every reason to fear that he’d lose a rematch. Besides, he would gladly fly himself to the fiery depths below if he ever hurt Lopez. She was far too good and faithful—somehow despite all she saw on the job—so very faithful. He didn’t want to hurt her; hell, the only thing he wanted was to protect her.
Dad’s honest truth.
And Michael isn’t exactly sure when all that started, just that it had somewhere around the middle of their odd dagger case, and he didn’t want to fight that instinct. Or the warmth that bloomed in his chest as he watched her pull out her microscope to pour yet again over the trace evidence.
“I would never hurt her.”
“You have been a liar before, a prevaricator.”
He snorted. “I don’t talk around the truth, but yeah, I lie like a rug when it suits me. With her, it wouldn’t, but I…there’s no chance at all.”
“Oh, she’s far out of your league.”
“And that’s the twin I know.”
“But, she may have inquired the other day after you and asked if you’d considered her request to join her DnD club, and I’ve no idea what exactly that’s code for.”
He most certainly did not blush as he tried to explain and barely fumbled around it was some idea for board games she’d come up with after the weird Dungeon master case.
“And so it’s just…it’s friendly invite.”
“I read desire even better off humans, Brother. She wants more than just friendship or, at least, to build from there.”
“And you get up my ass about reading fears.”
Sam sighs again and fiddles with his cuffs. “She wants you, or at least I’ve ferreted out that she wants to have a chance with you. And dear Miss Lopez has suffered a lot these last few years, and much of that has been my fault, choices I’ve made. But also things that have gutted her too, especially the loss of our dearly departed Charlotte. I…if you walked in there right now and asked her to one of those film festivals she likes with all the superheroes in questionable sartorial get ups, she’d say yes.”
He turns to Sam and is surprised to see the earnest expression on their shared face. The Devil never exactly lies but Samael is clearly invested in such a plan.
“This isn’t for me.”
“No, it’s not. Miss Lopez desires a chance to at least have a date with you, and after how she’s suffered and struggled with herself, I would very much like or at least be hopeful if you could return the favor.”
“But she could have anyone.”
“She’s had some awful louses, and she deserves something better.”
“You hate me.”
“Oh, I do but the criminal lowlifes she’s had the misfortune to choose instead…she deserves someone who would never hurt her. And someone who clearly finds all this dull science and procedure somehow as fascinating as she does.”
Michael laughed and it was genuine. “You never had patience for rules, Sam.”
“And you never met a bureaucratic litany you didn’t wish to commit to memory, Mik-a-el,” he replied.
“I hate that.”
“Oh, well aware,” Sam replied, patting Michael’s good shoulder. “Now, no more hesitating, Twin. Seriously, off you pop.”
“But she---”
He shakes his head, the briefest flash of red in his eyes, so brief and then gone again. “She deserves the whole bloody world. At least give her someone who, for now, won’t break her heart.” He seemed to think better of it for a moment before adding, “Or bores her to tears. This Carol bloke that Daniel set her up with was as dull as dishwater.”
“I…well I guess I could try.”
“Oh you will do it,” Samael replied, pushing him just so. “After all, Brother, even we aren’t getting any younger. Carpe diem and all that.”
“Seize the day, huh?” Michael focused back through the window, just catching Lopez as she pulled out her hair tie and let her long, beautifully dark tresses fall over her back. “Yes, I think I’d like that.”