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“Hi, Uncle Michael!”
The archangel immediately softened at just the sight and sound of his nephew. The way Jack’s wings flared and fluffed up with excitement — and the fact that they were the same gold, if not a couple shades darker, as Gabriel’s — reminded Michael of when his siblings were all fledglings, little things vying for their Father’s approval. His own grace lit up as it recognized the presence of Jack’s, and while it was still protectively curled around Adam’s soul, it reached out slightly to greet the Nephilim.
“Hey, kid,” Michael said. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yep!” Jack beamed, and Michael couldn’t help but wonder just where Lucifer’s genes had gone. (Michael ignored the thought that Lucifer had once been called the light-bringer before his demise, and Jack was nothing if not exemplary of that.)
But here Michael was, in the doorway of the ridiculous bunker the Winchesters considered home. It had been about a week since Jack’s birthday, but the Nephilim had been begging his two favorite uncles to visit for the occasion. Adam had only just managed to free up two days to treat their nephew, but they were going to make the most of it. Therefore, the day was packed fairly tight, and Michael had forced the body up earlier than Adam would normally wake up. So Adam was still very unconscious as Michael picked up Jack.
“Jack!” Castiel came bounding from one of the adjoining hallways. “Don’t forget your bag.” He tossed Jack’s backpack patterned with little dinosaurs up the stairs to him.
Jack smiled back at him. “Thanks, Dad!”
“Of course.” Castiel then turned his attention to Michael. The archangel didn’t miss how his broken wings flared just slightly at the sight of him. He dipped his head in greeting. “Michael.”
“Castiel.”
He paused for a moment, as though considering what to say before furrowing his brow and responding. “Say hello to Adam for me.”
In his chest, his grace pulsed around Adam’s soul. Michael looked Castiel up and down. The two of them had never properly made up after the whole holy-fire-trap-and-take-to-weird-ass-bunker fiasco, and he hesitated at this apparent olive branch that Castiel was extending. The archangel swallowed. He wasn’t sure he was ready to go all buddy-buddy with Castiel this quickly; hasty alliances didn’t tend to bode well with their crowd.
Michael nodded once in acknowledgment and turned to leave the bunker, one wing gently guiding Jack to follow him.
With the door closed behind them, Michael stuffed his hands in the pockets of Adam’s hooded jacket. He turned to his nephew. “Adam’s still asleep, so I’ll try to be fun enough for the both of us.” At Jack’s frown, Michael clarified. “That was a joke.”
Jack seemed to consider that for a moment before shrugging. “So where are we going?”
Michael smirked and laid a hand on the Nephilim’s shoulder. “Close your eyes.” Behind him, he flexed his wings as he prepared for flight. Jack’s eyes slipped shut, and Michael flew them to the parking lot of a zoo in Milwaukee. He knew Jack had a fondness for all living things, so he hoped a zoo would be a good choice for him to enjoy himself and have fun. And when Jack opened his eyes and gasped at the sign in front of the building, Michael’s heart might’ve soared a little bit.
Jack flapped his hands and kept shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Thank you, Uncle Michael! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Michael smiled fondly. “Don’t mention it, kid.” He glanced toward the check-in desk where a woman sat, clacking away on her computer. Despite the initial flare-up of resentment at the thought of interacting with a human, Michael smoothed it out with some effort (for Jack’s sake) and approached her.
She smiled politely at them. “Do you two already have tickets?”
“Yes,” Michael said.
“And what would the name on that be?”
“Milligan.”
She typed some more before nodding. “I have two adult tickets for Michael Milligan. Is that correct?” At Michael’s assertion, she presented them with two paper wristbands and showed them off with a cheerful wave.
As they passed the entrance, Michael reached for a map and passed it to Jack. “Where to first?”
After a moment of careful consideration — wherein Jack jutted his bottom lip out in concentration, and, yeah, it reminded Michael of a young Raphael working through some logic puzzle he had given them — Jack eventually jabbed a finger at one location in particular.
“The aviary,” he announced.
Michael nodded. “To the aviary, then.”
It was early enough in the day — and also the middle of the week — that not many families were milling about. There were a handful of parents with younger children and a few couples, but the park was mainly overtaken with a calm vacancy.
The two reached the building, which, like the rest of the park, was nearly devoid of people. While the Nephilim leapt at the opportunity just to see birds, Michael was content to enjoy watching Jack’s excitement. He was openly gawking at a heron perched on a rock near him when Adam’s soul began to stir in the body’s chest. The soul stretched out briefly, the equivalent of a yawn, and prodded lightly at Michael’s grace. The archangel gently squeezed back to assure Adam that he was there.
‘Mornin’, halo,’ Adam thought after a moment. ‘How’s everything going?’
Michael watched as Jack cooed at a nearby starling. ‘We haven’t gotten in trouble yet, so that’s a good thing. Castiel sends his regards, by the way.’
Adam was silent and still for a while before quietly responding. ‘…that’s nice of him.’
Michael’s grace hummed, much like a cat purring. ‘Would you like to take over?’
‘Sure.’
Michael allowed his presence to retreat as Adam slid into the driver’s seat. The archangel didn’t bother to manifest his projection, instead opting to calmly watch through Adam’s eyes. The human had barely settled into the body when Jack piped up.
“Hi, Uncle Adam!”
Adam yawned. Somehow, that Nephilim could always tell when they switched. Right now, his back was turned fully to them, and he hadn’t even missed a beat. Adam was shocked by it, though Michael had said it wasn’t really all that strange.
“Hey, kiddo,” Adam said. He patted down his pockets to make sure Michael had grabbed everything earlier. Upon feeling his phone, keys, and wallet securely squared away — he sent a pulse of gratitude to the angel — he turned his attention back to his nephew. “Michael been treating you well?” Michael’s grace playfully batted at his soul, as though rolling his eyes and saying ‘of course, what do you take me for?’
Jack turned to face him with a big smile. “Yep! Come look at this starling!”
Adam chuckled. “Alright.”
Michael and Adam traded off the body every couple exhibits, if one of them was particularly interested; Michael always enjoyed seeing tortoises (Adam thought he was having a silent conversation with one of them somehow), and Adam wanted to meet the cows because he’d never actually seen a cow in-person before. Sometimes, they’d switch if Jack had a question for one of them. Like, “Uncle Michael, why did bats evolve to sleep upside down?” or “Uncle Adam, why are they called red pandas if they aren’t pandas?”
Eventually, they ended up in the reptile building with Michael in control of the body. Jack had been happily bouncing from exhibit to exhibit, gasping and pointing at each of the animals until they reached the snake tanks. Jack suddenly stopped and stared at one that appeared to be lazily sunning in one corner.
“Jack?” Michael said. “Is everything alright?”
The Nephilim swallowed hard and began fidgeting with his hands. “I had a snake once. A couple years ago. I… I didn’t take very good care of him.” His wings curled around his body, pressing against his shoulders. “He wasn’t eating, so I thought he was unhappy, and…”
Michael silently brushed a navy wing against Jack’s golden-brown, gently embracing him. The Nephilim startled at the touch and glanced at Michael. His eyes shone with unshed tears. Michael recognized that look. He saw it plastered across Lucifer’s face when he had been chosen to be branded with the Mark of Darkness. It was an awareness of having done something wrong and knowing there would be punishment, yet without understanding how to recompense. One tear slipped down Jack’s face as he turned back to face the snake. Michael reached the tip of his wing to Jack’s cheek and dried the spot.
He was familiar with this position. Michael had held Lucifer and Raphael and Gabriel in much the same way when they were young. And when his Father had left, he had cradled the earth in his grasp and vowed to keep it safe for His return. His wing on Jack’s now, he felt a duty to protect him, even if there was no threat lurking around the corner.
“Uncle Michael…” Jack said after some time. The snake had uncurled itself and now stared quizzically at the Nephilim. “You’re really good.”
Michael huffed out a chuckle. “Thanks, kid.” Despite his outward indifference, his grace sang at the praise, something Adam’s soul playfully squeezed him about.
Jack pressed his palms to his eyes to further dry his tears before smiling at Michael. “I think I’m ready to go.”
Before they could leave the zoo, however, they had to go through the gift shop. Adam tugged gently on Michael’s grace, a silent request for control of the body. Michael replied in the negative; he had something special in mind. His wing again on Jack’s shoulder, he directed him away from the wall of shitty novelty T-shirts and toward the stuffed animal section. Jack was busy pouting at how adorable the penguins looked when he was surprised by Michael returning, holding a stuffed animal of his own.
“I’m… sorry about your snake,” Michael said slowly. He thought he was doing a terrible job, but Adam kept shooting him words of encouragement, so he kept going, presenting the stuffed snake he had found. “Hopefully, this one will be easier to take care of.”
Jack gasped and snatched the snake from him. After fiddling with it in his hands for a few seconds, he surged forward and enveloped Michael in a hug. The Nephilim’s wings flared out behind him in his excitement, the massive appendages appearing to phase through the displays around them — Adam had described the sight as similar to a poorly-made video game graphic.
“I love it, Uncle Michael,” Jack said. “Thank you so much.” Michael returned the hug with a pat to Jack’s shoulder. From within Michael’s mind, Adam offered to handle talking to the cashier, acknowledging Michael’s general dislike in engaging with people of any sort, which the archangel took him up on. Once Adam switched out, Jack was shoving the snake in his face. “Uncle Adam, look at him!”
Adam chuckled, but gave the stuffed animal two ginger pats on the head. “He’s very cute, Jack. What are you gonna name him?”
Adam started heading for the check-out desk while Jack hummed in thought. Eventually, he perked up. “I’m gonna call him Noodle!”
“Then, hello to Noodle.”
Adam struck up a conversation with the cashier and paid swiftly. The moment he left the checkout counter, Michael switched back out at Adam’s insistence. Seeing as they had flown to both locations thus far, they had no car available to them, so Michael would have to fly them once more to the next destination on the list.
Once they were back in the parking lot, Michael turned to Jack. “Alright, kid, you ready?” The Nephilim nodded excitedly as Michael placed his hand on his shoulder. Jack blinked, and suddenly they were at the outskirts of a small farmer’s market a couple towns over. Adam had researched possible locations nearby and had found this to be a good option — and it had curbed Michael’s dislike toward eating indoors (it made it more difficult for them to talk to each other undetected).
Jack tilted his head to the side curiously as Adam gently settled into the body. He noticed that Jack had curled Noodle around his neck so he was resting across his shoulders. “Uncle Adam, where are we?”
“We are at a local farmer’s market,” Adam said, as though he were recounting an ancient tale. “But we are here for…” He gestured to the ice cream truck parked next to an open field lined with picnic tables.
Jack gasped just as he had with the zoo. “Ice cream? I love ice cream!”
Adam chuckled as he produced his wallet from the pocket of his jeans. “Go take a look at the menu and let me know what you want.”
As Jack rushed off, Michael’s apparition raised an eyebrow. “And what are you getting?”
“Probably just, like, an ice cream sandwich,” Adam said, shrugging. “I’m not a big sweets guy, y’know?”
“Oh, I know.”
“Uncle Adam!” Jack ran back over and excitedly tugged on Adam’s sleeve. “They have a Snickers ice cream bar! It has nougat!”
“That’s what you want?” Adam asked with a smile.
“Yes,” Jack said, as though it were a truth of the universe.
Adam nodded. “Well, alright, then.” The line for the ice cream truck was, thankfully, short, and Adam returned with two hands full of ice cream to where Jack was sitting at a nearby picnic table. “A Snickers ice cream bar for my Nephilim nephew and an ice cream sandwich for myself.”
“Thank you, Uncle Adam!” Jack said, accepting the item.
Adam sat down across from him as he unwrapped his ice cream sandwich. “You’re welcome, kiddo. Oh, and I grabbed some napkins.” He slid the wad of napkins he’d been clutching across the table. After Jack’s first bite, he drew his eyebrows together in contemplation. Adam inquired around his own mouthful of ice cream. “How is it?”
Jack blinked. “It’s good! It’s different… but I think I like it.”
After that, the two sat in relative silence as they each enjoyed their frozen treats. As Adam was chewing a bite, something occurred to him.
‘Hey, Michael?’
‘Yes?’
‘Have you ever had an ice cream sandwich?’
Adam didn’t need Michael’s apparition to know that he was shooting him an unimpressed look.
‘No. And I am not about to change that.’ Adam’s soul prodded Michael’s grace teasingly. The archangel relented. ‘At least, not around other people like this. I would want to be alone with you.’
‘Take a girl out to dinner first, halo.’
He rolled his eyes despite the smile on his face. ‘That’s not what I—‘
“Uncle Adam, there’s a trail!” Jack pointed to a little break in the trees where a small wooden sign had been posted up. “Can we go on it? Please?”
Adam chuckled. “Yeah, of course, kiddo. Just try not to spill any ice cream.”
“Okay!” Jack very carefully held his ice cream bar with a fistful of napkins as they made their way to the treeline. Adam didn’t miss how Michael protectively curled his wing around Jack — something Adam had seen him do many times already, although previously not without control of the body. He smiled at the way Michael’s grace pressed up against Jack’s where the two met.
“So…” Jack said after a time, “Sam and Dean told me you were in medical school. A while ago.” Adam fought back both the scowl that had crept onto his face and also the rapidly growing heat from his chest at Michael’s own detestation. Just the mention of them caused Adam’s blood to boil. He had somehow managed to forget that they had raised this wonderful ball of sunshine now cradled beneath Michael’s wing.
“I was,” Adam said. “It was what my mom did, too.”
Jack seemed to consider that, chewing on his ice cream as he did so. “Were you close? You and your mom?”
Adam shrugged. “I miss her. She was around as much as she could be, but she had to work all the time to support us. I raised myself, mostly. But yeah, in the moments she was around, we were close.”
Jack nodded. “I never knew my mom when she was alive. She died in childbirth.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“No, it’s okay,” he said. “I wish I knew her better. The only other mom I had was Mary, and…” Michael squeezed his shoulder gently as Jack suddenly dropped off in speech. He fidgeted for several moments before turning to face Adam with a watery smile. “I’m glad you had time with your mom.” Mimicking Michael, Adam reached an arm around Jack and held him tight. When Jack responded by resting his head on Adam’s shoulder, he had no choice but to press a kiss to his nephew’s forehead. They separated shortly after at Jack’s quiet declaration that he had more ice cream to eat, and conversation picked back up quickly.
“I’m back in med school, y’know,” Adam said. Jack hummed inquisitively around his ice cream. “Well…” Adam continued, “not now. The semester just ended. But I’m back in college. Pre-med still, but I’m getting there.” A glance at Jack told him that he had just finished the ice cream bar. He chuckled at the amount smeared on his face. “You all done there, kiddo? Here.” He handed him the rest of the napkins he had grabbed and checked to make sure his face was sufficiently clean by the end.
‘Home now?’ Michael asked. Even though they had been living there for a while now, something in Adam’s chest still managed to flutter when Michael referred to their little condo as home.
‘Home now,’ Adam said, and he pulled back from the body to pass control to Michael.
The archangel again set his hand on Jack’s shoulder and said, “Are you ready?” At his nod, the two found themselves in another parking lot, this time in a neighborhood in Madison, Wisconsin.
Jack furrowed his brow in confusion. “Why not just fly us inside?”
Michael had gently nudged Adam back to the front. “I don’t wanna rely on angel power.” He shrugged. “We only fly if we’re going long distances, like to pick you up. Mostly, we take the car. But it’s electric, so it can’t go very far anyway. Wings are just a replacement for car, and the car would only be out here.”
From his expression, Adam could guess that Jack didn’t really understand his logic. Regardless, the kid followed him up the stairs to their condo and waited while Adam fished out their keys and unlocked the door. An orange blur raced across the room and planted in front of Adam.
“Oh yeah.” Adam chuckled. “Jack, this is Marmalade.” Recognizing her name, the cat meowed loudly and brushed against Adam’s leg.
Jack gasped, crouching down to her. “You have a cat?” Marmalade sniffed his hand before nudging up into it.
‘You fed her this morning, right?’
Adam felt Michael’s smirk. ‘I did. It was no easy feat.’
Adam snorted out loud. At Jack’s questioning expression, Adam explained. “Sorry. Michael’s telling me she gave him a hard time this morning.”
‘She always does,’ Michael said bitterly.
Adam continued. “She doesn’t like him for some reason. I don’t even know how she knows.” Michael had learned by this point that Adam preferred to not have these things explained to him, so he bit back a comment about archangel grace and instead watched passively as Jack gingerly brushed a hand down Marmalade’s back. Adam settled onto the couch and watched as Jack presented Noodle to her. ‘I hope she wasn’t too bad this morning.’ Adam’s mind was suddenly flooded with snippets of Michael trying desperately to set a food bowl down while Marmalade clawed at his pant leg. Quizzically, Adam glanced down at the same pant leg that he had failed to notice claw marks in.
‘I mended it for you. I know you like these pants.’
Adam hummed. ‘Have you tried pretending to be me?’
Michael’s apparition leaned against the couch behind him. ‘Pretending to be you?’
‘Yeah. Y’know, trick Marmalade into thinking you’re me, and then she’ll like you!’
“Uncle Adam, can we play a game?” Jack suddenly piped up.
Adam smiled. “Of course, kiddo. Pick one out.” He gestured to the cabinet of board and card games, of which there was a modest collection.
Michael brushed a wing against Adam’s hand, and he pet the dark blue feathers back in kind. ‘So you want me to, what, imitate your voice and walk like you do?’
‘Well, I just meant— wait, do I walk weird?’
‘Not weird. Just different. Distinctive.’
Adam furrowed his brow. ‘Distinctive?’
‘Like you. You walk like you.’
‘What does that even—‘
“This one!” Jack presented a bright red box that said “Yahtzee” on it.
Adam nodded. “Sounds good. I didn’t know you knew how to play.”
“Dean taught me,” Jack said. “He says it’s gateway gambling.” Adam had to huff out a laugh at that, despite the connection to a half-brother he did not want to be thinking about.
“A low-stakes game of Yahtzee, then,” Adam said.
And three games later — because Jack had demanded best-two-out-of-three — Adam was the victor.
“That’s what I’m talking about! Yeah!”
Jack clapped his hands. “Good job!”
Michael’s apparition glowered despite the glimmer of humor in his eye. “It’s a game of luck.”
“No, Michael,” Adam said, momentarily forgetting that Jack couldn’t see him. “It’s a game of skill.”
Michael took over the body to cut him off. “Jack, are you hungry? We bought a bag of those chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs. Or, what you people think dinosaurs looked like.”
“Yes please, Uncle Michael!” Jack said from where he was still seated on the couch.
As Michael was getting the air fryer ready, Adam muttered, ‘Probably need some fruit with that…’ He pushed his way out once Michael was finished. “Do you like berries?”
Jack perked up from the couch. “Berries?”
“Yeah,” Adam said, reaching into the fridge. “Michael and I went berry picking over the weekend. Strawberries and blueberries.” It was difficult for them to find things to do together — even though after years in the Cage, they were content to do anything, no matter how mundane, with each other — and when Adam had seen an ad for a local orchard, it had been the perfect opportunity for them. Michael had found that he was rather fond of strawberries, and between the two of them, they had eaten most of their haul. Both baskets, which had been full to the brim, were now reduced to about a quarter left each.
“Take your pick,” Adam said as Jack rushed over to his side. Michael gently nudged his way to the front to sneak a strawberry over Jack’s shoulder before pushing Adam back out. Jack had nearly finished the basket of blueberries by the time the dino nuggets finished cooking. Adam pulled out two paper plates, a bottle of ketchup for himself, and… “Hey, Jack, what do you dip your nuggets in?”
Jack glanced up from the basket of blueberries. “Mayo.”
“That’s your choice, kiddo,” he said as he reluctantly retrieved the bottle of mayonnaise as well.
The two sat and ate their nuggets while some trashy reality TV show played. Michael even hazarded a taste, but he determined that it tasted “too much like everything and not enough like anything” for him to have more than one bite.
“More for me, then,” Adam had said with a shrug.
Marmalade, who had settled on Jack’s lap a while ago, decided to interrupt whatever they were watching by loudly proclaiming that it was her dinnertime. Adam chuckled as he stood up to feed her, taking their now-empty paper plates with him. Michael grumbled something about ‘she’s nothing like this when it’s my turn to feed her’ and Adam rolled his eyes at the fluffy orange lump twining around his legs.
‘Not everyone can love you as much as I do, halo,’ Adam thought back. Despite not being able to see him, Adam knew it had the intended effect on the archangel, as he felt his own cheeks grow hot.
One of Michael’s wings drifted up to caress Adam’s chin as he muttered, ‘Perhaps, I should be grateful, then.’
Adam smirked. ‘Yeah, very grateful. You’ve got the Yahtzee champion of the year as your partner.’
‘If you do say so yourself?’
Adam set down Marmalade’s food bowl before raising his hands in mock surrender. ‘Hey, the dice don’t lie.’ He turned around to face Jack. “How do you feel about a movie and then some quiet reading time with Michael while I sleep like the human I am?”
Jack beamed. “Yes, please! Can I choose the movie?”
Adam couldn’t help but smile as well. “Of course, kiddo. The world’s your oyster.”
After a beat of silence, Michael quietly piped up, ‘What does that even mean, “the world’s your oyster?”’
‘Y’know, I’ve got no clue.’