Work Text:
It was the feeling of her phone vibrating that brought her out of her thoughts. Michael was pretty sure she had missed the last thirty minutes of the latest mission debrief. She glanced at the angel speaking at the end of the table before leaning back against the back of her chair to be more discreet when taking it out.
Hey angel, you're gonna hate me but I'm not gonna be able to go out today
She frowned as she read that.
What's going on ?
Her phone vibrates again a few minutes later.
Belyth managed to force the kennel door open. There are about thirty dogs running around in all the corridors. They have already caused several deaths
What ? Who is Belyth ?
The alpha of the hellhounds, and incidentally their mother.
The brunette huffed discreetly.
And it's up to you to take care of it ?
Yeah, they are really annoying things to catch. Pray for me angel, I'm going to spend a rotten day again down here
Just don't die
Yes my love
Even though Michael was a little sad not to see her today, her last message made her smile. Looking up she saw Uriel looking at her with a raised eyebrow, knowing full well what she was doing, to which she responded with a look that clearly said "oh come on".
---- (Hell)
Seven hours had passed and about twenty dogs had been caught. Some might think that following the screams would be more convenient to find the missing ones but that wasn't something that worked in hell. Differentiating between the screams of tortured souls and attacked demons was literally impossible, which made the job even longer.
Dagon growled as she closed the door behind her to the new kennel that Belyth had finally been added to. She would need more chains for the others. It was in rooms, hundreds of identical ones filled with weapons of all kinds. Footsteps were heard followed by two loud knocks on the metal door.
" Barbatos, what a displeasure to see you. What brings you here ? Certainly not your more than visible desire to help us, " said Dagon, ironically.
Barbatos was another Duke of Hell, also part of the Dark Council. He was two meters tall, his skin was the color of coal and he was as massive as an ox, he scared everyone. Everyone, but Dagon was not one of them.
" Abrahel had an accident, she fell on Belyth who did not spare her. She will not be able to complete her mission tonight, " he said.
" And ? Check it out with Asmodee, I'm not the one who manages the succubi, I have other dogs to catch. "
" Her target is leaving tomorrow for America. That's not our territory there, we have to catch him, tonight. "
" Yeah, well that's too bad, " Dagon replied ironically as she unhooked another chain from the wall.
" This guy is very demanding when it comes to women, even the average succubi can't bewitch him. That is why Abrahel was the one who had to go, she's the chief succubus. He wouldn't let anyone else influence him. "
Dagon turned to him with a wary and frustrated expression and placed a hand on her hip. She wasn't stupid and suspected that his whole speech wasn't just because he wanted to chat.
" Are you going to tell me what you had for breakfast too ? Just spit it out. "
" Our master thinks a siren might do the trick. You have the power to seduce people, don't you ? "
" Oh, fuck me, " she growled.
" Afraid you won't make it ? "
" I can do it. It's not my abilities that are the problem, it's my motivation. " She huffed. " He didn't demand it directly, did he ? "
" He did. "
She dropped the chains she was holding onto the desk in front of her and growled. " Seriously ? "
" Yeah. "
" Fuck it... I guess I can't refuse ? "
" Unless you prefer to explain yourself to our master. "
" No, no way, " she said, knowing she didn't really have a choice. She knew better than to anger her boss over a simple rejected mission. " Okay, who's this guy ? What was Abrahel supposed to do ? "
" He is a human baron, very rich and influential. His family has been dealing with Mammon demons for centuries. Tonight he's having a party in his honor, it's him, Baron Colman, " said Barbatos, handing her a worn photo.
" Yeah, he looks ugly, " she said, taking the photo.
" And that's what you have to get back, " this time he handed her a drawing, very well done but a drawing nonetheless.
" A book ? All that for a book ? "
" A grimoire of incantation, " Barbatos corrected her. " It belongs in Hell and has no place among humans. Who knows how he got it. "
" And you can't just kill him and take it ? "
" You can imagine that he has already used it, and to protect himself from demonic attacks. He's also one of our greatest followers, well, a follower of Mammon, and he bring us more future soldiers every year, you see. That's why he has to stay alive. "
" Leaving them alive is not what I do, " complained the redhead, clearly not enthusiastic.
" Yet that is what you will have to do this time. " He pointed at the drawing. " It must be somewhere in his room. Because of these damn incantations no one can enter without his consent or even without him, under penalty of being instantly destroyed. So this is where you have to push him to bring you- "
" Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't make me throw up now, I know what I have to do, " she cut him off.
---- (meanwhile in Heaven)
" Why me ? " complained Michael.
" You're the best at fighting, in case things get out of hand, " Saraqael informed her. " Although this will probably be more observation than actual fieldwork. "
" If it's just surveillance then any angel can do it. Humans have parties all the time, why do they need to be monitored this time ? "
" Oh but they have been for years. Remiel has been doing it for two decades but she is not here today as you know, " continued Saraqael. " This is a party in honor of Mammon, there has never been an incident until today but no risks should be taken. "
" Do they realize that he will never show up at their little party ? "
" Obviously not. Come over here. " Both of them headed towards the floating sphere of the earth. " See, it's right here, the Colman Estate, " she pointed to an area southeast of Norwich, " and it would only be for one night. "
Michael thought about it anyway before remembering that her initial plans for the day, and the evening, had been cancelled and therefore she had nothing else to do. She could well use this time for more work to compensate.
" Alright, " she said. " Maybe it's not a bad idea, I need a change of scenery. "
" Something wrong ? "
" Everything is fine, " Michael caught herself. " I'm going to go, it's almost dark. "
---- (Earth)
Dagon had humanized her appearance of course to infiltrate among the guests. However, she was stopped at the entrance by a man who was outside.
" Madam, you did not show your invitation, " he informed her, holding his arm out in front of her.
" Forget it, kid, and it's Miss, " she corrected him, " I'm not married. Not yet, " she mumbled.
" Miss, sorry. However without an invitation you cannot enter, it is a private party. "
She looked at him with her shining silver-blue eyes. Perhaps a light test of her skills wouldn't be a bad idea even if she was confident she hadn't lost anything. She walked over to him, almost pressing herself against him and placing her perfectly manicured hand on his forearm.
" I'm sure we can come to an agreement, " she said in a seductive voice. " Just this once. "
" Well... I guess I can make an exception, have a nice evening, mada- miss. " He said this without taking his eyes off her.
" Thank you, honey, " she told him. " You moron, " she added in a whisper once she had passed him.
She left her long coat at the entrance, revealing her rather provocative outfit, a blue dress, transparent in some places, which left little to the imagination. All accompanied by a large number of various jewels, hair jewels, fine gold chains falling on her shoulders as well as a dozen bracelets on the wrists as well as on the ankles, she was like a real living jewel. For a normal party her outfit would have been considered inappropriate and far too revealing but here she was one of the most dressed up.
She wandered among the guests, ignoring the lecherous looks she might receive, whether by men or women, she only had one target and would make sure not to waste any more time. As she walked she grabbed a glass placed on one of the trays carried by a waiter, she didn't want to do this mission, a little alcohol wouldn't be refused. She spotted him quite easily, not that he was hard to find, speaking loudly and surrounded by a dozen women, each more alluring than the last. She leaned against the bar before downing half her glass.
" Fuck, that disgusts me... " she whispered to herself. " Okay, bastard, it's up to us. "
It was quite far but she still thought she could make it. She stared at him intensely, it was the first time she had acted this way to catch a man's interest, she only knew that she just needed to meet his gaze. It took her ten long minutes, Barbatos was right, this man was hard to captivate but he had finally glanced towards the bar and she took advantage of it. He observed her for a moment before putting down his drink and freeing himself from the slutty girls who surrounded him.
Got you.
He wasted no time in walking towards her in a more than confident manner.
" What a beautiful creature this is, " he said as he approached.
You couldn't be more right... she thought.
" And who do I have the honor to talk to ? I don't remember knowing you, or inviting you, " he asked in a voice he probably thought was flirtatious before running his fingers over her bare shoulder without even asking.
Cutting off his hand wouldn't kill him, would it ? She suddenly thought.
" I invited myself but I can leave if it's a problem. "
" Oh no, jewel, I wouldn't dare make such a mistake. What's your name ? "
" Da..., " no wait fuck "...aria. Daaria Berrington. "
" Now that's a name that sounds royal. "
" I know, right. "
She didn't take her eyes off him and it annoyed her enough, she didn't like having eye contact with him much less using her charms without drowning him in a minute.
" A very shiny outfit you have there. "
" Oh yeah ? "
" Is what's underneath as shiny ? "
" You don't even have an idea. "
" I like everything that shines. "
" I guess that gives us something in common. "
" In this case, how about we see something more interesting ? Upstairs. In my private quarters~ " he said, holding out a hand.
" I thought you'd never ask, " she said, taking his hand, inwardly holding back the feeling of vomiting at her own actions.
---- pov Dagon
He quickly dragged her upstairs, almost jogging, seeming in a hurry to get down to business. She felt it when he pulled her behind him into his room, the charm that guarded the room was powerful, it would have disintegrated any demon, despite the reluctance of the mission she had done well to do it this way.
It only took her a few seconds to finally see the grimoire on an altar, in plain sight, she figured it would be easier than expected and she wouldn't need to search the entire room. Her hand was already outstretched, ready to take it but a hand grabbed her arm to suddenly turn her around, she let out a gasp of surprise when she found herself pinned back against a shelf. The glass vase that was placed there crashed to the ground, the Baron did not seem to have seen or heard it, too focused on her and trying to kiss her, she managed to avoid it.
" Ah yeah, I forgot about that, " she groaned as the man's hands tightened around her waist.
She really hated the feeling. Of all the men she had been able to bewitch in the past, none of them had ever touched her... none of them had stayed alive long enough either. However, this one she wasn't supposed to kill, which made it more complicated for her. Without her being able to react, he pulled her towards the bed before pushing her to lie down on it, everything happened faster than she hoped, this bastard had more strength than he let on.
---- pov Michael
She watched the reception from afar, through the large bay windows, not understanding what could be so good about an evening like this. They were all talking loudly, laughing loudly and half of them already seemed drunk. At first she hadn't intended to enter, wanting to stay as far away from all the commotion as possible, but her senses had picked up a rather powerful demonic aura and she knew it wasn't Mammon.
After several long minutes of thinking she decided to go out into the field and use a miracle on herself to make herself completely invisible to human eyes and reluctantly enter the residence. She was quite troubled by the decadence and lack of respect that humans could have for themselves sometimes. Almost thinking that this reception would be more suitable for Asmodeus than for Mammon. She felt really out of her element at that moment, every time she looked away from a lewd scene she was met with something worse.
She quietly entered and took a staircase to go upstairs, while dodging the humans who crossed her path, this way she would have a full view of the room. However, despite this presence that seemed almost familiar to her, although this idea seemed absurd to her, she saw nothing suspicious. So she wandered through random corridors whose walls were filled with portraits or various scenes, it was more pleasant and above all quieter, she had only come across four people there. Despite this, she was still bothered by this demonic energy.
" This is ridiculous, " she muttered to herself.
Her main thought was that given the number of demonic receptions that had taken place here it was normal to feel this kind of presence. She pulled herself together and was about to turn around to go outside again when, at the end of the long hallway, the sound of something glass breaking caught her attention and her curiosity got the better of her. She moved to the far door and saw light under it and not really knowing why, her arm reached out of its own accord to open it and...
Hearing the door open, Dagon turned her head sharply... Of course she expected anything but that. And of course given their position, ANYONE would have misinterpreted.
" Michael... "
The angel expired in disbelief before shaking her head in confusion and turning to disappear into the hallway, not wishing to see more of this.
" Wait, Michael ! " called the redhead, freeing herself to catch up with her.
" Hey, where are you going, sweetheart ? " The man asked with a silly smile as he grabbed Dagon's arm, still hypnotized.
Unfortunately, because of this restraint, Dagon could not catch up or hold Michael before she left. She had seen her gaze, a mixture of shock, sadness and incomprehension, it was too much to bear. Dagon knew what she had to think and she absolutely had to tell her the truth. " Shut your fucking mouth you ! " spat the redhead, losing her fake calm and quickly removing her arm.
She quickly reached the doorway but once in the corridor she saw at the end of it one of the large windows open, she quickly understood that it was too late.
" Bloody hell ! " she growled, hitting the wall with her hand.
She quickly went back into the room, just wanting to take the book and run away following.
" She was pretty, you should bring her here, I could please her properly, " said the man who was still looking vaguely towards the door. " She must be exquisite without clothes. "
Dagon froze in her tracks and turned back to him, approaching quickly with a look of pure hatred, her teeth once again sharp and pointed, her scales once again showing, and her eyes almost completely black.
" I forbid you to talk about her like that ! " she spat at him and even if it was not planned in the plan, she couldn't help it, her hand flew towards his throat, fatally slicing his flesh. No matter the trouble it could cause her. " She's always exquisite, asshole, " she added, leaving the room, not without taking the book with her.
---- (Heaven)
Michael appeared in a beam of light in heaven, more like a violent lightning bolt than anything else.
" Already back ? " Saraqael asked her when she saw her return only three hours after she left.
However, she didn't have time to ask more because, in anger, Michael threw her phone, which had just started to ring, to the ground and broke under the impact. Saraqael jumped, clearly surprised but above all worried, Michael never lost her temper.
" Hey, hey, what's going on ? "
" I hate demons ! "
She was angry and hurt, what she had just seen had completely disoriented her and she couldn't think straight. Her aura was like boiling, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself. She walked quickly to her desk, hesitating for a moment between sitting down or breaking it too but after a deep exhale she sat down, resting her elbows on her thighs before burying her face in her hands.
" I'm just an idiot, " she muttered.
" Michael, " said Saraqael, placing a hand on her shoulder. " What happened ? "
Saraqael could see that Michael was uncomfortable and that she was hiding something.
" You know you can trust me, right ? "
" I know, "
" And you know that whatever you say, it stays between us. "
" You know what's going on between Aziraphale and Crowley ? And between Gabriel and Beelzebub ? "
" Their fraternization ? "
The brunette nodded.
" And ? "
Michael was torn between telling her the truth and keeping it a secret even though she knew she could trust her.
" ...I did the same thing, " she confessed, ashamed.
" You did the same thing ? You mean, you have more than professional relationships with demons ? "
" With one demon, " corrected Michael.
" Does anyone else know ? "
" Uriel, she... surprised us once. She told me it was a bad idea, she'll probably be happy to tell me she was right. "
" I see. Who is it ? "
" You know her. "
" Do I ? "
" In the bookshop. "
It took Saraqael no more than two seconds to understand. " The redhead ? " she concluded and Michael's look was affirmation enough. " Well. "
" You're not disgusted ? Outraged ? You're not going to report me ? Or tell me that of course I should have expected this ? "
Saraqael reached out to wipe away a tear from the brunette's cheek that she hadn't even felt fall.
" You're doing very well on your own I think. Now, tell me what happened. "
" She cheated on me. I loved her. I really loved her... I thought she was different... I was naive. I feel so stupid. "
" Oh, Michael... "
" I know, " Michael cut her off, " this is wrong and completely unprofessional. "
" How long ? "
" What ? "
" You two, how long has it been ? "
" Three years. "
Despite the unconsciousness of the action Saraqael decided to take her in her arms, with a bit of luck it could calm her down a bit. Surprisingly, Michael agreed without protest.
" I'm sorry it happened this way. "
" At least I learned my lesson... I won't get fooled twice, " mumbled Michael.
---- (Earth)
In an old abandoned chapel in the south of England was Michael who had finally decided to return to earth after three weeks cloistered in heaven. She was in a prayer position on one of the benches in the first row but was not really praying, it was more of a reflex position, her left fist closed in her right hand wedged under her chin. She was just lost in her thoughts, going over the last three years of her life. She was sad but couldn't cry anymore, she had cried enough for a lifetime.
She didn't know that Dagon had found her, she had already been waiting outside this same chapel for a good hour, wondering how she should go about it. The first step was already to approach her but a detail tickled her while she was at the entrance to the chapel grounds. She reached forward and immediately felt a tingling sensation in her hand, obviously the place, even though it was clearly abandoned, was still sacred. However, Michael was in that chapel and she wasn't going to let her chance pass her by.
" Then shit, " she said as she took a step forward, firmly determined to see her partner, she might as well stand a few burns for that. She walked quickly to the large, half-open doors. " Michael, " she called as she officially entered the chapel.
She could feel the disagreeable sensation growing under her feet, although the scaly layer she had caused to appear on the soles of her feet gave her a small lapse of time, it was unpleasant to her to walk on this ground.
Michael turned her head to the side, glancing sideways, she couldn't see her yet she didn't move or speak.
" You haven't answered my calls or messages in weeks. I was really starting to get worried, " continued Dagon, stepping closer.
The brunette eventually got up and slowly turned towards the demon with a neutral and rather cold expression.
" I missed you, " added the redhead once in front of her.
SLAP
The slap Michael had just given her echoed through the chapel.
" Holy slap, " muttered Dagon to herself, holding her jaw.
" I hate you ! " Michael shouted at her.
Dagon immediately forgot about her sore cheek. Those were the first words she had heard from Michael in three weeks and they hurt as much as the slap, if not more.
" Just- "
" I'm so stupid to have fallen for a demon, how could I believe... you don't have a heart. "
" Yes I have one, Michael, please- "
" I trusted you ! How could you ? "
" You can trust- " tried Dagon.
" You cheated on me ! "
" Is that really what you think ? "
" I saw you ! "
" If you would listen to- "
" You said you loved me ! "
" And it's true ! "
" Stop lying. "
With each sentence spoken, Michael had taken a step forward and Dagon a step back, never knowing, angry Michael was a real danger, specifically to demons. Dagon reached out her hand towards the brunette, trying to touch her shoulder out of reflex or an attempt at comfort, even she wasn't sure.
" Don't touch me ! " shouted Michael, pushing her violently against one of the columns of the chapel which shook under the shock.
" You're more violent than I thought, said Dagon, rubbing the back of her head which had hit the pillar as well. " Diplomacy won't work for that I guess. "
She approached the brunette more determined than before. It didn't matter if she was going to get hit again.
" Okay listen- " she began.
" I don't want to hear you. "
Michael pushed her back by the shoulders and Dagon only took a slight step back before recovering and grabbing both of the angel's wrists. Even though she didn't want to, she used her own strength to pull her violently to the side and make her tip over and fall on her back to pin her to the ground.
" No, you listen to me, " Dagon finally said, still holding her handles firmly on each side of her head.
" Get away from me ! " ordered Michael.
Dagon knew that with the angel's anger and her own strength weakened because of the location she wouldn't be able to hold her for long, she had to tell her the truth quickly.
" It was a mission ! A damn mission I didn't even want to do ! "
Michael was still looking at her with a half angry, half sad look. Dagon winced slightly at the pain she was starting to feel on her fingers from them being in direct contact with the ground but if that was what it took to get her angel to listen to her then she would do it.
" Abrahel, do you know Abrahel ? " she continued. " Yes you do. It was her mission originally but she had an accident, Belyth attacked her, no look at me. Satan demanded that I take her place because no one else could and I didn't have time to warn you. I know what you think you understand but it's not, it's really NOT what you think. I could never do that. "
She thought it was a quick and simple enough explanation for Michael to understand the situation. It seemed to have worked, even a little.
" A mission ? "
" Yes, a mission. Just that, nothing more. "
" Why were you like... that ? And him. "
" I was supposed to seduce him. He's the one who pulled me and you came in next, I assure you that the rotten timing is the only culprit in this situation. "
Michael no longer tries to free herself which was a good sign from Dagon's point of view.
" I'm going to let you go now. Please stop hitting me. "
Dagon slowly released her wrists and the angel made no sudden movements, so she helped her sit up. The two exchanged a long look before Michael let herself fall against the redhead's shoulder, she couldn't help but let out another sob, more related to her nerves relaxing. Dagon was slightly surprised before hugging her tighter, it really broke her heart to hear that, especially if she was the cause of it. From their position it was now her shins that were starting to burn but finally having Michael in her arms was all she was waiting for so she ignored it.
" I can't handle anger, " Michael finally said once she had calmed down a bit. " I wasn't made to contain it... "
" I know, angel, I know. "
" I really believed... I mean... did you see how you two were ? It's hard to think of anything else. "
Dagon cupped her face to lift her head and look into her eyes before wiping away one of her tears with her thumb.
" I could never, I mean never, do that. Whether Satan or God demanded it. Never. You're forcing me to act in a romantic way, it's terrible, I swear. " She took her hand and pressed it against her chest. " Do you feel that ? It beats for you, only for you. "
Michael looked at her with her bright blue eyes still red from her tears and nodded slowly. The Duke pressed her forehead to hers before placing a quick kiss on it and pulling her against her once more.
" It was our first argument, " she said, kissing the top of her head.
" I don't like it, " said Michael. " I don't want this to happen again. "
" You're with me and you can't control your anger. Of course it will happen again. But that's okay, I'll come get you in every damn chapel or church on this planet if I have to. "
Dagon takes advantage of their position to run a hand through the angel's brown hair before she notices the state of her knuckles, burned. She then thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea to go out, plus her legs were starting to hurt a lot too.
" Angel... " she finally said. " Can we get out of here before I completely disincorporate. "
It was then that Michael seemed to realize the situation.
" Oh yes, yes, " she said.
Once finally outside the chapel grounds, Dagon dropped to the ground on her back with her eyes closed.
" Ah yeah... much better... " she huffed.
The angel sat awkwardly beside her in the grass.
" Do you need any treatment ? " she asked.
" It will be fine, " said the demon. " I just have to wait."
" I'm sorry, I should have realized. I wasn't paying attention. "
" It's okay, I was the one who entered voluntarily. "
" That wasn't very smart of you, if this place wasn't so old it could have been a lot worse. "
" I had to see you. You can't lecture me about that. "
" How did you find me ? "
" Saraqael, " Dagon replied simply.
" Saraqael ? "
" Yeah, I've been stalking her for over two weeks to know since you didn't answer. I managed to talk between her threats, I think she'll try to hit me if we see each other. The protector has a protector herself it seems, she cares a lot about you. "
" It would seem so, " smiled the brunette. " I'll still watch when she rolls you in the mud. "
" You're mean, " pouted the redhead.
Michael's gaze was caught by a silver sheen around Dagon's neck, she reached out to see what it was and the redhead didn't even make the effort to try to stop her. It was a small medallion with the engraving of an angel trampling a half-snake figure and with the inscription Saint Michael.
" It's me, " she said, simply.
" I miss you when I'm in hell, " affirmed Dagon.
Michael was really touched by these words which made her feel even more guilty about the situation.
" But how... can you wear that ? Doesn't it burn you ? "
" It did when I first had it done, I had to have another one made with hell steel and powerful miracles. You're a real pain, you know that ? Even in engraving you give us a thrashing. "
Michael let out a small laugh. " I wouldn't apologize for that. "
" I wouldn't want you to do that. "
Dagon gave her a gentle pat on the upper arm.
" Hey. " She took her hand to kiss it. " Please, never doubt my loyalty. I mean, how could I even think of going elsewhere when I'm with you ? "
" I know I shouldn't have, I'm sorry. I... I just misjudged the situation. I was afraid for a moment that all that is said about demons will be true. "
" That we are bad heartless traitors ? "
" ...yes, " Michael said hardly.
" It seems I'm not a very good demon then. " In truth Dagon wasn't even offended by that, she knew her angel well and her regrettable indoctrination which took over at times. " Would I be entitled to your little pampering ? " she asked with a fake pout. " Because it really hurts. "
" I... " Michael rolled her eyes, " okay, abuse as much as you want... I guess I owe you that much. "
" So I can ask for kisses at will ? Massages ? Meals served to me ? "
" ... "
" I was joking... well not for the first point though. " Dagon reached out, inviting her. " Kiss me, angel. "
Michael pinched her lips in a smile.
" Come on, just a kiss from my wife, that's not too much to ask, is it ? "
" I can do that, " said Michael, leaning over to finally seal their lips, this feeling had been sorely missed by both of them and of course Dagon took the opportunity to deepen their kiss. " But I'm not your wife, " she added after breaking their kiss.
" Not yet. "