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It had all happened very quickly, realized Michael, too quickly, for it to make sense. All she knew was that she had been suddenly grabbed coming out of the elevator and now it had been a hour that she had been at a trial, her own, and it seemed to be going badly. She had lied to heaven, she had lied to her superiors and had fraternized with a demon. And she was caught. This couldn't have ended well.
The scene was impressive, similar to a smaller version of an ancient Greek theater filled with a hundred angels who judged her, only Gabriel was missing. And in the center, the Metatron which overlooked her on a large platform. The trial was quite quick, she was found guilty in the first minutes, the rest of the trial had only served to expose all the evidence and the last phrase "and is doomed to Fall" still echoed in her head. She was brought out of her thoughts by three violent hammer blows from the Metatron. The sound was so loud and resonant that it almost hurt her, she hated loud and sudden noises.
" Well, if no one has anything to add, then I think there is no need to dwell on this case, " said the Metatron as he looked darkly at the whole crowd, daring anyone to say anything more. " Judicael ! Natahiel ! " he called and two angels that Michael had never seen appeared and approached her with a confident but mostly empty look. " We can finish this, we still have a lot to do. "
The angels formally bowed before him and without even giving Michael time to react, one of them placed himself behind her and pressed hard, very hard between her shoulder blades. It was an extremely sensitive spot for all angels and she hissed as her wings spread on their own. It irritated her not to be able to control them.
Her six wings were now exposed and the light reflected off the hundreds of golden feathers. She found it almost humiliating, it had been so long since the angels had stopped showing their wings that it had almost become taboo. She then felt a hand grab one of her wings and she didn't like it, it brought back bad memories but she also couldn't break free from his grip due to the restraints on her wrists.
" Don’t touch me ! " she spat at him. " I forbid you. "
" Silence, " the Metatron said in a truly bored voice.
" You have nothing more to demand, traitor, " replied the angel behind her as if he had waited his whole life to speak to her that way and the other took the opportunity to force her to lower her head by holding her by the hair.
What audacity. Only one person was allowed to touch her and it definitely wasn't them. She tried to fold her wing but the angel still held it firmly.
" Cut two- no, four of them ! " the Metatron then ordered in a deep and detached voice. " She won't need as many where she's going. If she even manages to keep the last two. "
Bastard
Michael turned her head to look at him and glare at him, she had nothing to lose anyway so why hide her hatred ? She couldn't quite read his expression, disappointment. Disgust. Joy. Maybe a little of all three. This guy couldn't really still be an angel ?? It was at this moment that she saw Aziraphale who looked completely panicked knowing that he was next. How long had he been there ? Her mind was still confused, she didn't even remember his arrest.
Saraqael had not stopped praying since the judgment was announced and did not think she would be able to watch this. Even Uriel, who was ready to do anything to have the role of Supreme Archangel, could not watch the scene and just stare at the ground. There was only Sandalphon accompanied by his sadistic look and his stupid smile to take pleasure in seeing Michael in this state.
" Let's see if your demon will still want you after this, " said the Metatron who seemed really happy with the situation. He always liked to get rid of problems after all. " Go ahead, " he added, waving his hand vaguely to the angel who was still holding Michael's wing.
Because Dagon was present too, on the sidelines, like a witness ? A proof ? Michael didn't know, she hadn't been able to interact with her. She was surprised that the demoness didn't react, it wasn't like her, she just stood watching the scene from afar. Crowley was there too and unlike Dagon, he was held back by four angel guards as he tried to help his precious angel. He hit, screamed and cursed, or so Michael thought. Everything seemed blurry and in slow motion, she didn't understand what was happening to her. She thought that perhaps her grace might already be leaving her.
After the Metatron's comment, Michael turned to her partner, hoping for her support. She stood straight and formal and her gaze also seemed distant. The brunette was rather uncomfortable, her look was too similar to everyone who judged her.
" Dagon... " she whispered. " Please do so- "
However, she was incredibly surprised but above all hurt to see Dagon look away with an expression...almost disappointed or disgusted. Why ? She seemed like she didn't care. Was the Metatron right and she wouldn't want her anymore ? Was that why she wasn't doing anything ? It was impossible, it couldn't be true...
So that's it, was it the end ? At least the end of her life as an angel ? She wanted to fight, she wanted to defend herself but she couldn't move, even speaking was difficult. Her chains kept her on her knees and in a few seconds she would be amputated and pushed into the void. She never thought she would become a demon one day. God definitely wouldn't catch her this time.
Did God even see all of this ? Was God okay with all of this ?
Then she stopped thinking about it when she saw the angel raise the arm in which he held a flaming sword, she closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable blow by praying, more by reflex than anything else. She was scared, really scared, she couldn't deny it. The angel violently lowered his weapon...
----
" No ! " she blurted out, suddenly opening her eyes as she sat up in bed.
Her breathing was ragged and she nervously touched her wrists to see that there were no chains, she was completely free to move. She was also reassured to feel her wings still present in their dimension. It was a dream ? No, a nightmare. Just a nightmare.
" Well Goldie, what a wake-up, " interjects a voice from her right.
Michael turned her head towards Dagon, whom she had awakened at the same time. For a brief moment she seemed surprised to see her before breaking down and feeling her eyes water. She liked to act confident but in reality she was more afraid of getting caught one day.
" Michael ? " said Dagon, losing her smile and sitting down to be on the same level. " Are you okay ? What's- "
Then the angel threw herself into her arms and Dagon wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. That was the only person allowed to touch her.
" Hey love, what's happened, tell me. Bad dream ? " Dagon asked and Michael nodded, still buried in her neck. " You want to talk about it ? "
" I thought it was real...it seemed so real, " the brunette muttered to her. " I could feel everything. "
" It’s okay, you’re awake now, " the Duke reassured her and took the opportunity to run her hands through her brown hair, it always had a calming effect on her.
Michael was safe and she was aware of it. Nobody knew for them and she was still doing good work in heaven and so had no immediate reason to worry. Despite this, her nightmare still bothered her and even though she already suspected the answer she needed to be sure of something.
" Would you still love me if I became a demon ? " she asked then.
" What ? " Dagon frowning. " Why are you asking this ? "
" Just answer please, would you still love me ? "
" Yes, obviously, " replied the redhead categorically. " Even if you were human at this point. "
" What would you do if there was a trial ? Mine ? And I was doomed to fall ? "
" Was that your nightmare ? " asked Dagon. " You were cast out of heaven ? "
" Yes, they knew everything, for the back channels, for us, for my lies, " the angel replied softly, still feeling the sensation of her wing being gripped. " You were there too...but you didn't do anything...I wanted to ask you for help but you just looked away. "
" No risk, I won't let that happen you know it well, " assured the demoness before cupping her face, stroking her golden marks with her fingertips. " And I will never look away from you. You will not fall Michael. I'll burn them all before they even think about touching you. "
Michael knew she shouldn't agree with the last part but she loved the devotion nonetheless. She knew her demon wouldn't just watch if she was in danger.
" You promise ? " she asked.
" I promise. But reassure me, you don’t think I stay with you just because you’re an angel, do you ? "
Michael simply shook her head negatively, offering her a comforting smile. " No. "
" Good, " said Dagon, kissing her forehead quickly. " Come on, " she added as she lay down again, dragging Michael with her. " Try to go back to sleep and not think about it. "
" I don't know if I could. Maybe you, hm, would you be okay to read me ? "
" You know I don’t read very well, " the redhead reminded her. Since her own fall, words seemed difficult for her to discern.
" It doesn't matter, I still like it. I just want to hear your voice, " replied Michael. " Or sing ? You know, the song I caught you sin- "
" Alright, " Dagon cut her off. " Let’s go for reading, " she added, grabbing a book from Michael's bedside table. " You’re never going to let me go with that. "
" No, " teased the angel with a smile. " I want to hear it in full one day. "
" Yeah yeah yeah, not now, " replied Dagon, sweeping the air with her hand hoping Michael would forget about it before starting to read, doing her best to make it clear.
Michael had thought maybe it would be better to stop sleeping, after all she didn't need it but it was just something she had come to appreciate. Plus, she could take advantage of it to get some extra cuddles. So she just settled comfortably in the redhead's arms and let herself be carried away by the voice, hoping not to have similar nightmares again. This didn't happen.