Chapter Text
“Come on, come on, come on! Michaaaaeeel! Hurry up!” whined his other half as he attempted and failed to bodily drag him into the air and towards the area that until now their father had forbid them from entering.
Eden.
Michael knew he shouldn’t tease him so, but Sammy was just so adorable when he got worked up like this.
Not bothering to restraining his grin at the younger’s antics, Michael continued to resist his brothers attempts for a moment longer before finally allowing him to force them both into flight.
The ecstatic trill the younger let out at finally ‘succeeding’ had him laughing under his breath.
If Sammy had it his way, they would have been waiting for their father at the entrance to his latest project the moment he had informed them of his desire to finally share it with them.
Fortunately, Michael was far wiser thanks to being two heartbeats older and had insisted they wait till after they quenched their hunger and thirst to go traipsing towards the unknown.
Michael loved his father, but the man had a tendency not to consider the danger his projects could pose given he was nigh invulnerable.
His siblings, love them as he did, also tended to forget how dangerous these projects could be. Which, given they weren’t invulnerable, was a problem.
Sammy as the youngest had an especially hard time remembering this and Michael couldn’t count the number of times he’d had to intervene before he lost a limb to some misunderstood project that he wished to hug.
Sammy might have been able to regrow it but it still would have hurt.
No, better they be in top condition lest they have to flee a Behemoth.
Again.
Samael didn’t see it that way but then Sammy had never been the most patient. Preferring to react in the moment rather than plan for the possibility.
It’s why they made a such a good team, Michael tempered his twin’s impatience and Samael prevented him from overthinking.
Seeing that Sammy was starting to look concerned at how quiet he was being, Michael made the responsible choice to start poking; “What’s the matter Sammy? Do you have somewhere to be?”
The annoyed huff he got in response was glorious.
“Really Mikey? Don’t act like you aren’t excited to see father’s project!”
He felt his smile dip for a second at the response but thankfully managed to fix it back in place before the younger looked back at him.
The truth was Michael didn’t know how to feel.
Their father was crafting an entity in his and their likeness but with flaws deliberately built in.
Many of the others were excited for the opportunity to interact with new beings, likening the situation to when father had crafted the Seraphs and later still the Thrones.
But Michael had his doubts and wasn’t sure this was the as similar as everyone else thought.
The Seraphs were weaker than them but beyond raw power there was little difference between his siblings and the lower angels.
They were not intentionally broken.
The Seraphs also seemed to mature faster, their bodies and minds adapting at a speed greater than either of them or their siblings had to the world around them but that was hardly problematic.
A boon if anything given how many of them there was to care for and guide now.
Raphael suspected it was because they had less power to grow into, their divinity being less meant there was less to contain and restrain within their physical forms.
A fact backed up by how the Thrones, weaker still than the Seraphs, seemed to have surpassed them all and reached true maturity.
Michael couldn’t comment too much on the topic as he rarely interacted with them beyond what was needed to fulfil his duties.
Not like Sammy who delighted in no longer being the youngest and insisted on teaching the baby Seraphs how to do the most random things.
Gabi would tease him, call him their grumpy little introvert but why should he care to socialise with the dozens of Seraphs and Thrones when he had everything he needed with his siblings.
He’d said as much once, but Gabriel had gone such a bright shade of red in response before screeching in glee as she flung herself at him that he hadn’t risked doing so again.
“Do you know what name Father settled on for his new creations?”
He truly was excited about this Michael thought as a pit began to grow in his stomach.
Samael adored all of creation, but he had a special place in his heart for the things he deemed ‘misunderstood’.
The Leviathan, ugly ducklings, that one eldritch god that they’d found sleeping at the bottom of a pit… His brother was a bleeding heart like that.
Sammy hadn’t even seen these things yet and he was already attached.
He needed to cut this off at the roots before it became a problem.
Normally he’d let Sammy learn the hard way then pick up the pieces when he invariably got hurt, but something felt different this time.
Like this wasn’t the kind of disaster that could be turned into a moment of introspection and learning but the kind that wrecked everything in its wake.
It felt like they were on the precipice of something that would change everything.
The feeling had been bothering him since his father had first spoken of this project and though he’d spoken with the man over his worries, not even father’s calm assurances had managed to quell the feeling that this could only end badly.
It didn’t matter, so long as their family had each other they would endure whatever came next.
Focusing outward once more he realised that Sammy was still waiting on a response and starting to grow worried.
“What does it matter Sammy,” he tried to deflect “they’re purposefully flawed and meant to fade. Why learn the name of something that has a shorter life span than a tree and less intelligence than a twig.”
“Not true, Father said that if he does things right, they will have intelligence close to our own!”
“Close but not equal." he chided softly, "The novelty will wear off eventually Sammy and father will move on to something better. You shouldn’t get attached to something when you know it won’t last.”
Even as the words left his mouth, he knew they were the wrong thing to say.
“Michael!”
Oh dear, Michael could not deal with Sammy crying.
Absolutely not.
“Apologies brother, I’m just-” worried “Cranky. I haven’t been resting well. Too busy.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie, his concerns had been keeping him up these past few days, it just wasn’t the whole truth.
Thankfully Samael seemed to buy his response and was mollified by the answer. Going so far as to shoot him an understanding look before pulling him close and directing a weighted stare towards Michaels wings.
Catching on quickly he nodded in agreement, a grooming session after their father’s presentation would help settle his frazzled nerves.
Happy that the situation had been handled Samael finally stopped yanking on his hand and flew ahead, his earlier distress forgotten.
Time may not be a fixed concept yet, but something told Michael that what followed once he landed would be long lasting and exhausting.