Prick! Prick! Prick! Goes The Broken Hearted

@two-alleluias-and-an-amen

June had quickly begun to realize that raising a baby in Heaven wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. She assumed that she'd have the help of the other sevens to watch Tristan since they all really loved and cared for him. Unfortunately that was not the case and June knew that soon enough, The Author would get tired of The Designer's reports of her terrible work output and constant lateness. She knew that both she and baby Tristan might even be outcast because she couldn't fulfill her duties as a working horse all while being a mother.

And she had assumed that day had arrived when The Author called for her and Tristan to come before him in his office.

-------------------------------------------

"Agent, get in here!" God called, ringing his bell for Michael. When the man arrived, God had a stern expression on his face, "Have you by chance happened to notice the Designers reports lately?" He started, standing up from his chair and leaning on the front side of his desk to watch Michael, "All of his Working Horses are doing amazingly well, all their work match and exceed my standards.... Well all except for one of them of course... And I think you know which specific one." He continued, "And your work has started to suffer as well, Agent. I've noticed you've been taking extra breaks and been walking down the halls at slower paces in an attempt to catch a glimpse of them. Your worry has only been damaging your career. Which is why I called you here today: to fix it." God then snapped his fingers.

Soon enough, The Translators walked into the room, holding June tightly in their grip. June, meanwhile, was holding the one year old Tristan in her arms. The last time Michael had seen his son was when Tristan was only a few weeks old.

"I'm going to give you a choice, Agent. And I am being extremely generous here. You can take your son. You can raise him as your own. You can love him and train him to be a One like yourself. You will be his father and he will love you as such. However, the one caveat is that you cannot associate with that little filly anymore. Tristan is to be your son and she cannot help you raise him. Or, if that option is not to your liking, you will abandon both of them and I will see to it that you will never see them again AT ALL and they will live the rest of their existences as Sevens with no way to climb up the ladder." He explained and June's face paled. Tristan softly cooed in his mother's arms, looking over at his father with Michael's familiar eyes.

“It’s not spreading. I was told by a Glad Hand who was a friend of June’s. He said she was beyond destroyed…” The Publicist said softly, staring at the small trembling child in Michael’s arms. He slowly approached Michael and the boy, but Tristan only turned away from him and buried his face in Michael’s chest.

“He looks like a clone of you, agent.” The Publicist said with a gentle smile, getting down to Tristan’s level to try and be equal with him, “What are you gonna do, Buddy? Do you even know how to handle children?” The Publicist reached into his pocket and produced a tiny mouse with a little trumpet, the creature playing a small tune for Tristan. The boy looked back towards the noise, a small smile on his little face as he giggled a bit.

The look of pure relief that came over Michael’s face as he was told that the news of this hadn’t spread beyond a few trusted people would have been visible to anyone. It allowed him the upper hand if needed since prior to all of this the idea of seeing him of all people with a child was unheard of. He let out a small chuckle at the mention of how alike the two of them looked and gently ran his fingers through Tristan’s hair to soothe him as he curled against Michael’s body.

With that next statement however, a soft sigh escaped his lips as that fact started to weigh on him. “I don’t even have the slightest idea, I’m more than likely going to have to send a Glad Hand to speak to The Librarian regarding some reading materials.” Things such as children, their care and the like were never a part of Michael’s training within his youth for what was now becoming a very obvious reason. When he’d been designed, The Author had very clearly never intended for him to stray from his set path but here he now was, beyond clueless but knowing only one thing for certain and that was that he refused to not make the best effort he could for Tristan.

Meanwhile, back down in the working horse stables, June was completely inconsolable. She had not only lost the man she loved, but now she lost her son as well. She clung to the locket she kept that had a piece of Tristan’s blonde hair in it, sitting on her bed with her legs pulled to her chest.

@two-alleluias-and-an-amen

June had quickly begun to realize that raising a baby in Heaven wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. She assumed that she'd have the help of the other sevens to watch Tristan since they all really loved and cared for him. Unfortunately that was not the case and June knew that soon enough, The Author would get tired of The Designer's reports of her terrible work output and constant lateness. She knew that both she and baby Tristan might even be outcast because she couldn't fulfill her duties as a working horse all while being a mother.

And she had assumed that day had arrived when The Author called for her and Tristan to come before him in his office.

-------------------------------------------

"Agent, get in here!" God called, ringing his bell for Michael. When the man arrived, God had a stern expression on his face, "Have you by chance happened to notice the Designers reports lately?" He started, standing up from his chair and leaning on the front side of his desk to watch Michael, "All of his Working Horses are doing amazingly well, all their work match and exceed my standards.... Well all except for one of them of course... And I think you know which specific one." He continued, "And your work has started to suffer as well, Agent. I've noticed you've been taking extra breaks and been walking down the halls at slower paces in an attempt to catch a glimpse of them. Your worry has only been damaging your career. Which is why I called you here today: to fix it." God then snapped his fingers.

Soon enough, The Translators walked into the room, holding June tightly in their grip. June, meanwhile, was holding the one year old Tristan in her arms. The last time Michael had seen his son was when Tristan was only a few weeks old.

"I'm going to give you a choice, Agent. And I am being extremely generous here. You can take your son. You can raise him as your own. You can love him and train him to be a One like yourself. You will be his father and he will love you as such. However, the one caveat is that you cannot associate with that little filly anymore. Tristan is to be your son and she cannot help you raise him. Or, if that option is not to your liking, you will abandon both of them and I will see to it that you will never see them again AT ALL and they will live the rest of their existences as Sevens with no way to climb up the ladder." He explained and June's face paled. Tristan softly cooed in his mother's arms, looking over at his father with Michael's familiar eyes.

Tristan bawled into Michael’s arms, his tiny body overwhelmed with all his emotions.

“Want mommy!” He begged, clenching his tiny fists in Michael’s sash as he cried. He couldn’t really speak all that well yet but he conveyed what he wanted pretty clearly. It took him a good long while before he finally started to calm down, still clinging to Michael like a lifeline. His sniffles slowly died down as he looked up at his father. The pair of them shared the same eyes and Tristan reached up to touch Michael’s face out of curiosity.

June, meanwhile, was dragged back down to Level Seven and thrown on the floor by the Translators, leaving her alone with all the other Sevens.

“June, what happened?! Wheres Tristan?!” One of the other working horses asked as she went to June’s side.

“He’s… he’s safe with his father now… but I won’t ever be able to see him again.” June burst into tears shortly after, a sudden dogpile of hugs from the other women embracing her immediately. One of the Glad Hands who knew the whole situation between Michael and June and was a good friend to June knew he had to tell the only other person in all of Heaven who was sympathetic to them. The Glad Hand quickly snuck upstairs to the soundstage to track down the Publicist. He explained the whole situation to the man about June losing custody of her son and asked if he could atleast try to check on Tristan every once in a while and report back to them

The Publicist, of course heartbroken at the news, agreed immediately and ran upstairs to Level One since he had some free time.

“Agent, Buddy G, I heard about-“ The Publicist cut himself off when he opened the door, finding Michael sitting there with a clearly sad but calm Tristan in his arms, “So it’s true then…”

What could he even say that would make any of this better for Tristan? Even with all of the privileges that came with his post, matters involving June were almost always denied to him; or in this case backfired where situations like the one they were in managed to occur. So rather than speak he just simply held his son as he let it out, just doing what he could to offer some comfort that it was clear that he needed. Michael glanced at Tristan as he heard him start to quiet down, a genuine smile coming to his face as Tristan reached out to him and gently placing his hand over his son’s much smaller one.

This was the first time he was really getting a chance to get a good look at him and he was almost amazed at what a perfect mix of both he and June his son was. At the moment, like any child his features were mostly very soft and innocent but Michael could see what would likely grow to be a great intensity in his eyes; one that very much matched his own. Unlike him though, he never wanted Tristan to ever lose that spark as Michael somewhat had from endless years of service under The Author.

Michael glanced up as he heard his office door suddenly open, ready to chastise whoever it was but quickly calming again as he saw The Publicist walk in. He had always loved that the older male seemed to know when Michael was needing to see him, even if Michael didn’t know it himself. He let out a soft sigh and nodded in response to the question, doing his best to hide his now growing nervousness. “So word is already starting to spread about it...” he muttered, not necessarily speaking to the other. He wasn’t surprised of course, if there was anything that managed to spread quickly in the halls it was whispers of the day’s gossip. “No matter, but yes it is true... I never thought it would have been forced to come to this decision.”

@two-alleluias-and-an-amen

June had quickly begun to realize that raising a baby in Heaven wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. She assumed that she'd have the help of the other sevens to watch Tristan since they all really loved and cared for him. Unfortunately that was not the case and June knew that soon enough, The Author would get tired of The Designer's reports of her terrible work output and constant lateness. She knew that both she and baby Tristan might even be outcast because she couldn't fulfill her duties as a working horse all while being a mother.

And she had assumed that day had arrived when The Author called for her and Tristan to come before him in his office.

-------------------------------------------

"Agent, get in here!" God called, ringing his bell for Michael. When the man arrived, God had a stern expression on his face, "Have you by chance happened to notice the Designers reports lately?" He started, standing up from his chair and leaning on the front side of his desk to watch Michael, "All of his Working Horses are doing amazingly well, all their work match and exceed my standards.... Well all except for one of them of course... And I think you know which specific one." He continued, "And your work has started to suffer as well, Agent. I've noticed you've been taking extra breaks and been walking down the halls at slower paces in an attempt to catch a glimpse of them. Your worry has only been damaging your career. Which is why I called you here today: to fix it." God then snapped his fingers.

Soon enough, The Translators walked into the room, holding June tightly in their grip. June, meanwhile, was holding the one year old Tristan in her arms. The last time Michael had seen his son was when Tristan was only a few weeks old.

"I'm going to give you a choice, Agent. And I am being extremely generous here. You can take your son. You can raise him as your own. You can love him and train him to be a One like yourself. You will be his father and he will love you as such. However, the one caveat is that you cannot associate with that little filly anymore. Tristan is to be your son and she cannot help you raise him. Or, if that option is not to your liking, you will abandon both of them and I will see to it that you will never see them again AT ALL and they will live the rest of their existences as Sevens with no way to climb up the ladder." He explained and June's face paled. Tristan softly cooed in his mother's arms, looking over at his father with Michael's familiar eyes.

June held Tristan as close to her as possible, giving the boy a gentle kiss on his cheek until she heard God speak.

“What?! No! You can’t take my son from me!” She protested immediately, starting to panic.

“I’m not taking him from you, dear. I’m simply giving him to the more fit parent, the one who would give him better prospects. After all… isn’t that what mothers should want for their children?” God replied with a sickeningly sweet tone that was clearly full of malice. June’s gaze bounced back and forth between God and Michael, desperately looking at her lover for some assistance but she knew she wouldn’t get any.

“Please tell me that I can still see Tristan on occasion? Even if I can’t raise him, atleast give me the courtesy of seeing him every once in a while?! Please!” She begged, still clinging to the boy as God sighed.

“What part of “do not get to raise him” do you not understand, girl?! You will have no part in his life whatsoever! Sure you may see him in the hallways every so often, but that is it. You want him to have his best chance, this is your only choice.” God boomed, staring down at June before nodding at the Translators. Bentz grabbed June by the shoulders and Batez started taking Tristan from her.

“No! NO PLEASE! PLEASE LET ME SAY GOODBYE ATLEAST PLEASE!!!!” She screamed, Tristan beginning to cry as he was ripped from his mother’s arms. The boy started reaching out for June, tears in his eyes as he was soon placed into Michael’s arms. June had collapsed to her knees, head in her hands as she sobbed. She looked up at Michael for a brief moment before the Translators hauled her to her feet.

“He’s scared of the dark, Agent…. please don’t leave him alone in the dark!” She called out to him as the Translators forced her to start walking. And soon enough, it was only God, Michael, and Tristan left alone in the room. Tristan was inconsolable, burying his face in his father’s shoulder and grasping at his golden sash desperately.

“You wanted to be a father. Here’s your chance, Agent. Now take him back to your quarters. It’s already been equipped with a nursery for him.” God waved his hand and the doors swung open, wanting the man to take the screaming child away already.

He tried to block out the sound of June’s voice as she started protesting, doing his best to just focus on the idea that he was making the best decision that he could for Tristan. Michael refused to let his own emotions get the better of him, despite the want to wretch that was steadily growing inside of him. When she looked in his direction for any kind of assistance, he was unable to do anything other than just look at her with pity clear in his eyes for what was happening and what he had helped to bring about.

Michael’s eyes went wide as he saw that June would not even be permitted to console Tristan and say goodbye. He opened his mouth to protest but closed it as Tristan’s cries began to ring out and he was placed into his arms, gently holding him and rubbing the small boy’s back to try and offer even the slightest bit of comfort that he deserved. He looked at June as she said that and nodded, watching as she was taken out from the room and continuing to comfort Tristan despite being in some level of shock from what just happened. He looked back at The Author as he spoke, clearly taking the hint as he heard the door open to the hall. “Yes sir and thank you again for your benevolence...” was all he could manage to say before he turned and walked out from the office; heading towards the closest elevator to try and avoid any of the crowds that Tristan’s cries certainly would have attracted.

“Want mommy!” He begged, clenching his tiny fists in Michael’s sash as he cried. He couldn’t really speak all that well yet but he conveyed what he wanted pretty clearly. It took him a good long while before he finally started to calm down, still clinging to Michael like a lifeline. His sniffles slowly died down as he looked up at his father. The pair of them shared the same eyes and Tristan reached up to touch Michael’s face out of curiosity.

June, meanwhile, was dragged back down to Level Seven and thrown on the floor by the Translators, leaving her alone with all the other Sevens.

“June, what happened?! Wheres Tristan?!” One of the other working horses asked as she went to June’s side.

“He’s... he’s safe with his father now... but I won’t ever be able to see him again.” June burst into tears shortly after, a sudden dogpile of hugs from the other women embracing her immediately. One of the Glad Hands who knew the whole situation between Michael and June and was a good friend to June knew he had to tell the only other person in all of Heaven who was sympathetic to them. The Glad Hand quickly snuck upstairs to the soundstage to track down the Publicist. He explained the whole situation to the man about June losing custody of her son and asked if he could atleast try to check on Tristan every once in a while and report back to them

The Publicist, of course heartbroken at the news, agreed immediately and ran upstairs to Level One since he had some free time.

@two-alleluias-and-an-amen

June had quickly begun to realize that raising a baby in Heaven wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. She assumed that she'd have the help of the other sevens to watch Tristan since they all really loved and cared for him. Unfortunately that was not the case and June knew that soon enough, The Author would get tired of The Designer's reports of her terrible work output and constant lateness. She knew that both she and baby Tristan might even be outcast because she couldn't fulfill her duties as a working horse all while being a mother.

And she had assumed that day had arrived when The Author called for her and Tristan to come before him in his office.

-------------------------------------------

"Agent, get in here!" God called, ringing his bell for Michael. When the man arrived, God had a stern expression on his face, "Have you by chance happened to notice the Designers reports lately?" He started, standing up from his chair and leaning on the front side of his desk to watch Michael, "All of his Working Horses are doing amazingly well, all their work match and exceed my standards.... Well all except for one of them of course... And I think you know which specific one." He continued, "And your work has started to suffer as well, Agent. I've noticed you've been taking extra breaks and been walking down the halls at slower paces in an attempt to catch a glimpse of them. Your worry has only been damaging your career. Which is why I called you here today: to fix it." God then snapped his fingers.

Soon enough, The Translators walked into the room, holding June tightly in their grip. June, meanwhile, was holding the one year old Tristan in her arms. The last time Michael had seen his son was when Tristan was only a few weeks old.

"I'm going to give you a choice, Agent. And I am being extremely generous here. You can take your son. You can raise him as your own. You can love him and train him to be a One like yourself. You will be his father and he will love you as such. However, the one caveat is that you cannot associate with that little filly anymore. Tristan is to be your son and she cannot help you raise him. Or, if that option is not to your liking, you will abandon both of them and I will see to it that you will never see them again AT ALL and they will live the rest of their existences as Sevens with no way to climb up the ladder." He explained and June's face paled. Tristan softly cooed in his mother's arms, looking over at his father with Michael's familiar eyes.

It hadn’t taken long after their son was born that Michael found it harder and harder to spot them, no matter how he tried. He'd almost wondered, with each time The Designer sent progress and update reports if he would see one less name among their ranks. He had considered approaching the Author about all of this, though he hardly had any idea of how to broach the subject until it seemed the great creator had decided to do it himself.

----------

He was sure that it was going to be like every other time that God had called him into his office to discuss business matters and so had started to open his mouth to respond when asked about The Designer’s reports; his jaw quickly shutting again as it seemed this was to be more of a lecture than a discussion. He gently bit the lower corner of his lip as The Author continued speaking, not backing down necessarily but certainly in no position to deny or raise any kind of a challenge to his master’s accusations. He glanced over as the two sixes came in and he almost felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw June and Tristan with them. Tristan had grown so much from the last time Michael had a chance to see him, it almost broke his heart to consider some of the things he might have already missed for Tristan.

When he heard God start to speak again, he almost had to force himself to turn his eyes away from them and listen to the offer he was being given. Michael felt his stomach drop and his heart clench as he was presented with his options and while one was certainly better than the other, neither left any of them completely unscathed. Tristan deserved a life with both he and June there for him, surely The Author knew that but what did that matter when it wouldn’t have yielded the result he was going for. Michael looked over at June, seeing the clear concern on her face and his eyes dropping down to look at Tristan who had met his father’s gaze with eyes wide and unaware of the situation he was caught in the middle of. “Sir you...- you can’t be serious?” This was far more generous of an offer than he would likely ever receive again and yet he almost couldn’t help but second guess it. Even still though, the life of a seven was no life for his son since the Glad Hands only had it slightly easier than even the best Working Horse that could be created; letting a soft sigh escape his lips as he knew the choice he had to make. “Fine, I accept your offer and thank you for your generosity to let me eventually add a new One to the ranks.”

“What?! No! You can’t take my son from me!” She protested immediately, starting to panic.

“I’m not taking him from you, dear. I’m simply giving him to the more fit parent, the one who would give him better prospects. After all... isn’t that what mothers should want for their children?” God replied with a sickeningly sweet tone that was clearly full of malice. June’s gaze bounced back and forth between God and Michael, desperately looking at her lover for some assistance but she knew she wouldn’t get any.

“Please tell me that I can still see Tristan on occasion? Even if I can’t raise him, atleast give me the courtesy of seeing him every once in a while?! Please!” She begged, still clinging to the boy as God sighed.

“What part of “do not get to raise him” do you not understand, girl?! You will have no part in his life whatsoever! Sure you may see him in the hallways every so often, but that is it. You want him to have his best chance, this is your only choice.” God boomed, staring down at June before nodding at the Translators. Bentz grabbed June by the shoulders and Batez started taking Tristan from her.

“No! NO PLEASE! PLEASE LET ME SAY GOODBYE ATLEAST PLEASE!!!!” She screamed, Tristan beginning to cry as he was ripped from his mother’s arms. The boy started reaching out for June, tears in his eyes as he was soon placed into Michael’s arms. June had collapsed to her knees, head in her hands as she sobbed. She looked up at Michael for a brief moment before the Translators hauled her to her feet.

“He’s scared of the dark, Agent.... please don’t leave him alone in the dark!” She called out to him as the Translators forced her to start walking. And soon enough, it was only God, Michael, and Tristan left alone in the room. Tristan was inconsolable, burying his face in his father’s shoulder and grasping at his golden sash desperately.

Tristan began nervously biting his knuckle, looking down at the ground after he caught sight of his parents together.

“How the fuck can you two be so calm about this situation?” He snarled, “Lucifer is manipulating us for his own ends and it fucking sucks…. if I just offed myself, I could solve this already and Atleast he’d lose one unwilling soldier….. And one that’s already worthless to him and the rest of hell.” Tristan muttered, grabbing the knife out of his back pocket and looking at it, wondering if he would be able to die with his healing abilities.

Michael glanced over as Tristan spoke, frowning as he listened to him rant but his concern almost immediately sparked as he saw Tristan pull out a knife and he stood, quickly moving over to him. “You’re wrong Tristan, nothing would be solved with you taking that path I can promise you.” He exhaled softly, knowing that he had to choose his words carefully. “Lucifer had no problem resurrecting you once and I can guarantee he’d have no problem doing it again if you tried that.” He moved closer and gently took Tristan’s face in his hands. “I am just as concerned as you are about this but it’s not always going to be an asset to let that emotion show… sometimes the best way to be a threat to someone that opposes you is to lull them into trust and then strike when their guard is down.” He let out a soft sigh as he moved one of his hands down to Tristan’s and tried to ease the blade out of his grip.

“I was just a fetus when he revived me the first time… maybe if I finished the job now, my soul would be too far into Purgatory for him to reach.” He whimpered, physically trembling under Michael’s touch as he desperately craved the affection and love while also being terrified of it at the same time.

“I just don’t wanna be USED anymore….” His voice cracked as he finally broke, tears staining his cheeks as he looked at Michael with the same eyes as his father.

He recalled all the times he’d stiffened when the Author would try and ‘reassure’ him and how he would stiffen up as well. He almost felt his breath catch in this throat as Tristan looked at him, the other male’s eyes cold and dark, desperate for any kind of positive attention. “I know… you don’t deserve to be either…” he responded. “I will find you a way out of this. I don’t know how just yet but as sure as I’m standing here, I will.”

“I have to tell you something, Michael.” Tristan murmured under his breath, “While you were back in Heaven, I trained with the Bayonettes like I normally did but this time... it was different. I was so distraught and I couldn’t control myself and...” He paused, letting out a shaky breath, “And I unconsciously infused my sword with my holy power. I slaughtered a few demons with it and Lucifer saw. He knows just what I’m capable of. And I don’t know what to do.” He begged his father for answers, meeting Michael’s eyes as he trembled in his arms.

Tristan began nervously biting his knuckle, looking down at the ground after he caught sight of his parents together.

“How the fuck can you two be so calm about this situation?” He snarled, “Lucifer is manipulating us for his own ends and it fucking sucks…. if I just offed myself, I could solve this already and Atleast he’d lose one unwilling soldier….. And one that’s already worthless to him and the rest of hell.” Tristan muttered, grabbing the knife out of his back pocket and looking at it, wondering if he would be able to die with his healing abilities.

Michael glanced over as Tristan spoke, frowning as he listened to him rant but his concern almost immediately sparked as he saw Tristan pull out a knife and he stood, quickly moving over to him. “You’re wrong Tristan, nothing would be solved with you taking that path I can promise you.” He exhaled softly, knowing that he had to choose his words carefully. “Lucifer had no problem resurrecting you once and I can guarantee he’d have no problem doing it again if you tried that.” He moved closer and gently took Tristan’s face in his hands. “I am just as concerned as you are about this but it’s not always going to be an asset to let that emotion show… sometimes the best way to be a threat to someone that opposes you is to lull them into trust and then strike when their guard is down.” He let out a soft sigh as he moved one of his hands down to Tristan’s and tried to ease the blade out of his grip.

“I was just a fetus when he revived me the first time... maybe if I finished the job now, my soul would be too far into Purgatory for him to reach.” He whimpered, physically trembling under Michael’s touch as he desperately craved the affection and love while also being terrified of it at the same time.

“I just don’t wanna be USED anymore....” His voice cracked as he finally broke, tears staining his cheeks as he looked at Michael with the same eyes as his father.

“Wonderful…. I’ll be keeping an eye on you to make sure you follow through. Now get out.” Lucifer glanced at Scorpion, who let Doll go, but not before planting a passionate kiss on her lips. Doll happily reciprocated before pulling away, giving him a dark smirk before collecting her son and broken lover. All three of them left Lucifer’s quarters and June quickly escorted them to her tent.

“Tristan I’m so sorry….” She whimpered, “There was nothing I could’ve done to stop him.” June was frantic, trying to find something to splint Tristan’s wrist, before she witnessed his wrist heal on its own. The bones reset themselves and his bruising faded almost instantly.

“It’s fine, Doll…” Tristan hissed her name, refusing to call her “mother” as his emotions were still all over the place, “It’s not like you ever stopped Scorpion before when he’s broken my arms and legs. Remember when he shattered my legs with a crowbar because I stole his hairspray? Yeah, I was 8 when that happened, and you stood by and WATCHED HIM DO IT!” He snarled, “So yeah, thanks for literally nothing.” Tristan walked over to her vanity and leaned on the desk, trying to calm himself as June felt an ache in her heart at that memory. She also took this time to take Michael’s face in her hands, looking him over.

“Are you ok? Fuck this is all my fault…. If I hadn’t been so stupid, Tristan would never have been born in the first place and you would still be The Agent you were meant to be…” She whispered. All June wanted was for neither Michael nor Tristan to suffer, but sadly that was not the case.

He nodded as Lucifer said that and kept the growl that wanted to pass his lips from doing so as The Scorpion once again placed a kiss on her lips. He went along with the two of them, taking a couple deep breaths to recenter himself emotionally after all of that, knowing that was something he was definitely going to have to build Tristan up to. Even for Michael though, something like that came with decades and decades of training and self restraint… something he certainly knew Lucifer wasn’t going to give him. He ran a hand through his hair, almost starting to like the slight tussled mess of it, noticing as Tristan’s wrist healed itself.

Michael would be lying if he hadn’t noticed the deep tension that existed between Tristan and June, letting out a slight sigh. He certainly wouldn’t be the person to tell Tristan that his anger was misplaced at the moment, but it still hurt for him to watch his son react the way that he was. He couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle and smile as June looked him over as well. “Hey, I’m fine… all things considered I could have come out of there a lot worse.” He placed his hand on hers and let out a soft sigh. “You aren’t the only one to blame for all of this, I had a part to play in it as well… if it hadn’t been you I probably would have been tested some other way. It almost seems that all roads up there wind up here at some point.”

“Wonderful…. I’ll be keeping an eye on you to make sure you follow through. Now get out.” Lucifer glanced at Scorpion, who let Doll go, but not before planting a passionate kiss on her lips. Doll happily reciprocated before pulling away, giving him a dark smirk before collecting her son and broken lover. All three of them left Lucifer’s quarters and June quickly escorted them to her tent.

“Tristan I’m so sorry….” She whimpered, “There was nothing I could’ve done to stop him.” June was frantic, trying to find something to splint Tristan’s wrist, before she witnessed his wrist heal on its own. The bones reset themselves and his bruising faded almost instantly.

“It’s fine, Doll…” Tristan hissed her name, refusing to call her “mother” as his emotions were still all over the place, “It’s not like you ever stopped Scorpion before when he’s broken my arms and legs. Remember when he shattered my legs with a crowbar because I stole his hairspray? Yeah, I was 8 when that happened, and you stood by and WATCHED HIM DO IT!” He snarled, “So yeah, thanks for literally nothing.” Tristan walked over to her vanity and leaned on the desk, trying to calm himself as June felt an ache in her heart at that memory. She also took this time to take Michael’s face in her hands, looking him over.

“Are you ok? Fuck this is all my fault…. If I hadn’t been so stupid, Tristan would never have been born in the first place and you would still be The Agent you were meant to be…” She whispered. All June wanted was for neither Michael nor Tristan to suffer, but sadly that was not the case.

He nodded as Lucifer said that and kept the growl that wanted to pass his lips from doing so as The Scorpion once again placed a kiss on her lips. He went along with the two of them, taking a couple deep breaths to recenter himself emotionally after all of that, knowing that was something he was definitely going to have to build Tristan up to. Even for Michael though, something like that came with decades and decades of training and self restraint… something he certainly knew Lucifer wasn’t going to give him. He ran a hand through his hair, almost starting to like the slight tussled mess of it, noticing as Tristan’s wrist healed itself.

Michael would be lying if he hadn’t noticed the deep tension that existed between Tristan and June, letting out a slight sigh. He certainly wouldn’t be the person to tell Tristan that his anger was misplaced at the moment, but it still hurt for him to watch his son react the way that he was. He couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle and smile as June looked him over as well. “Hey, I’m fine… all things considered I could have come out of there a lot worse.” He placed his hand on hers and let out a soft sigh. “You aren’t the only one to blame for all of this, I had a part to play in it as well… if it hadn’t been you I probably would have been tested some other way. It almost seems that all roads up there wind up here at some point.”

Lucifer simply smirked before finally letting Tristan go, the poor thing collapsing to the ground in pain and clutching at his wrist.

“Both you and him will be leading my army, after you train him of course. And hopefully he’ll know how to control his emotions better by that point so he can be an effective weapon.” Lucifer mused before snapping his fingers once again and Scorpion extended a hand to The Painted Doll, forcing her to take it as he walked her into the tent as well. It was clear she had been crying as well, some of her makeup smeared across the cracks in her face. Scorpion simply held her close and began pressing loving kisses to her neck.

“And of course, I need to have insurance that you’ll actually go through with this…. Because if you don’t, well….” His eyes then glanced over at Doll and Scorpion, watching as Scorpion pulled out his switchblade and held it to Doll’s throat. She didn’t cry out, as they had done this sort of thing before in the bedroom, but she did tense up as she knew this wasn’t sexy anymore…. it was a threat.

Michael exhaled as he finally released Tristan, his muscles relaxing for a moment as he looked at Lucifer, still not trusting him in the slightest. He glanced over as The Scorpion brought June in, noticing the clear evidence of her having been crying while all of this had been going on. Despite that his muscles had relaxed even moments before, they almost immediately tensed once again as the younger male started kissing her neck. Much like with Lucifer, he had very little advantage if he tried to strike however.

“Tristan I’m so sorry....” She whimpered, “There was nothing I could’ve done to stop him.” June was frantic, trying to find something to splint Tristan’s wrist, before she witnessed his wrist heal on its own. The bones reset themselves and his bruising faded almost instantly.

“It’s fine, Doll...” Tristan hissed her name, refusing to call her “mother” as his emotions were still all over the place, “It’s not like you ever stopped Scorpion before when he’s broken my arms and legs. Remember when he shattered my legs with a crowbar because I stole his hairspray? Yeah, I was 8 when that happened, and you stood by and WATCHED HIM DO IT!” He snarled, “So yeah, thanks for literally nothing.” Tristan walked over to her vanity and leaned on the desk, trying to calm himself as June felt an ache in her heart at that memory. She also took this time to take Michael’s face in her hands, looking him over.

“Are you ok? Fuck this is all my fault.... If I hadn’t been so stupid, Tristan would never have been born in the first place and you would still be The Agent you were meant to be...” She whispered. All June wanted was for neither Michael nor Tristan to suffer, but sadly that was not the case.

The second Michael grabbed the sword, Lucifer literally pulled Tristan to his feet, BY HIS HAIR, and held him in front of him. His free hand was now clawed at the boy’s throat, with everyone in that room knowing that Lucifer’s claws were sharp enough to rip Tristan’s throat out with ease. Lucifer, however, couldn’t stop chuckling to himself the more Tristan struggled.

“And you know that my threats aren’t something to be taken lightly… Now you put that blade away and listen to me well, brother.” He hissed, yanking Tristan’s head back yet again so far back that his entire throat was exposed and there were now tears of pain staining Tristan’s beautiful face, “You will train him. Clearly you’re the only one who knows how his abilities work. In addition, you’re one of the best swordsmen I know. You WILL train him to be strong enough and quick enough to slaughter God’s forces BY YOUR SIDE, or I will gut him like a fucking fish right now.” He growled through gritted teeth as Tristan got a hand free and reached up to grab one of Lucifer’s horns, but Scorpion was on him, grabbing his arm and breaking his wrist for doing so.

“FUCK!!!!” Tristan screamed in pain from his now shattered wrist, “LET ME GO FOR FUCKS SAKE STOP IT PLEASE!!” He began to beg, more tears spilling from his glowing eyes as the pain in his scalp intensified.

He tightened his grip on his blade, had he not of known better Michael was almost certain that the heat from his anger would have caused some of the metal to melt once again. Michael was no fool, and despite Lucifer’s instructions he only lowered his blade, refusing to place it back to its sheath until he was sure of Tristan’s safety at the moment. As Lucifer explained his terms, Michael narrowed his eyes but let out a growl as he watched Tristan’s wrist get shattered.

“Both you and him will be leading my army, after you train him of course. And hopefully he’ll know how to control his emotions better by that point so he can be an effective weapon.” Lucifer mused before snapping his fingers once again and Scorpion extended a hand to The Painted Doll, forcing her to take it as he walked her into the tent as well. It was clear she had been crying as well, some of her makeup smeared across the cracks in her face. Scorpion simply held her close and began pressing loving kisses to her neck.

Scorpion did indeed notice the sword, his eyes practically bulging out of his head as he could feel the power radiating off it. Michael, however, was practically dragged to Lucifer’s tent, The Major having a firm grip on his shoulder the whole time while June and Tristan followed behind as sneakily as they could. The Major literally threw Michael onto the ground when they reached Lucifer, with both Major and Scorpion on either side of Michael to make sure he didn’t run, and the devil slowly approached.

“Well well well…. now this is certainly something I never thought I’d see in my entire existence.” He started with a smirk, leaning down and putting a single claw under Michael’s chin and forcing him to look up at him.

“How does Falling feel, brother?” Lucifer purred, now realizing Michael’s identity after having seen Tristan’s abilities, “It hurts doesn’t it? Having your archangel wings burned to a near crisp on the way down is one of the most painful things in the world… you clearly haven’t really felt that yet, but you’ll feel it soon.” He chuckled, “Or atleast you’ll feel some kind of pain if you don’t comply with my demands.” He slowly pulled back from Michael, a dark and dangerous smile on his face.

“Do you wanna know how I found out you were The Agent, Michael? I’ll give you a hint…” Lucifer snapped his fingers and that’s when the Twin teleported behind Tristan, who was listening in with June, but Twin grabbed Tristan and dragged him inside the tent as well, throwing him onto the floor beside his father. Lucifer walked up behind Tristan, grabbed a big handful of his gorgeous curly blonde hair, and yanked it as hard as he could. Tristan cried out in pain and in response, his eyes began to glow a bright white from the pain, “Your little boy has a bit of a temper issue…. can’t really handle his emotions too well you see. And ive only ever seen that glow in one other person…. You.” He had his hand still tangled in Tristan’s hair and continued to pull hard, making the boy whimper in agony and try his best to fight against Lucifer.

Michael went along as he was once again brought to Lucifer’s quarters, not that he had all that much of a say in the matter one way or the other in going. He let out a slight groan as he landed, his shoulder still somewhat sore despite Tristan having healed it. He looked up at Lucifer as he felt one of his talons under his chin, his eyes narrowing at his remarks. He did his best to keep himself expressionless as he was once again referred to as brother, but unable to keep from feeling the chill shoot up his spine. His eyes went slightly wide as Tristan was tossed in as well, but springing to his feet as he heard him let out a cry of pain.

“And you know that my threats aren’t something to be taken lightly... Now you put that blade away and listen to me well, brother.” He hissed, yanking Tristan’s head back yet again so far back that his entire throat was exposed and there were now tears of pain staining Tristan’s beautiful face, “You will train him. Clearly you’re the only one who knows how his abilities work. In addition, you’re one of the best swordsmen I know. You WILL train him to be strong enough and quick enough to slaughter God’s forces BY YOUR SIDE, or I will gut him like a fucking fish right now.” He growled through gritted teeth as Tristan got a hand free and reached up to grab one of Lucifer’s horns, but Scorpion was on him, grabbing his arm and breaking his wrist for doing so.

“You…. you knocked God on his ass?! Michael you’re lucky he didn’t disintegrate you on the spot!” June exclaimed, a soft laugh leaving her at the image of God all fucked up and on his back like a turtle.

“Speaking of your body adjusting, why were your eyes glowing red instead of white? Is that a byproduct of your fall?” Tristan asked, extremely curious as to how this whole thing worked. However, their family bonding moment was suddenly cut short when The Major and Scorpion walked into the tent.

Originally posted by lizzieforbes

“Lucifer wants a word with you, Agent. And he doesn’t look happy.” Scorpion teased, walking over to June before kissing her hard and passionately right in front of Michael. Sadly for him, The Painted Doll kissed back, as that side of her still loved Scorpion and gently caressed Scorpion’s face when he finally pulled back.

Michael couldn’t help the genuine smile that came across his face as he heard June laugh, having missed the sound of it as the years passed. “I’m honestly surprised that wasn’t his first plan instead of having Batez and Bentz try to eliminate me.” He glanced over at Tristan as he asked about his eyes, raising an eyebrow. “I have to assume so, it’s hard to tell at the moment but outside of myself the only other one like me to fall has been Lucifer… there’s no real precedent set to tell one way or the other.” He paused a moment, opening his mouth to continue speaking before closing it again as the two others entered.

He let out a sigh at The Scorpion’s comment, but his jaw tightened as he saw the younger male kiss June. Were it not for Tristan being in the tent as well as feeling The Major put a hand on his shoulder, no doubt noticing the change in Michael’s posture, he likely would have gone for round two with The Scorpion when he finally pulled back. “I’d best not keep him waiting then…” He reached down and grabbed his blade, making sure that The Scorpion caught sight of it as he placed it back in his belt; a warning to the other without having to say a word.

“Well well well.... now this is certainly something I never thought I’d see in my entire existence.” He started with a smirk, leaning down and putting a single claw under Michael’s chin and forcing him to look up at him.

“How does Falling feel, brother?” Lucifer purred, now realizing Michael’s identity after having seen Tristan’s abilities, “It hurts doesn’t it? Having your archangel wings burned to a near crisp on the way down is one of the most painful things in the world... you clearly haven’t really felt that yet, but you’ll feel it soon.” He chuckled, “Or atleast you’ll feel some kind of pain if you don’t comply with my demands.” He slowly pulled back from Michael, a dark and dangerous smile on his face.

“Wait…. Michael as in…. as in the Archangel?!” Tristan stammered, his eyes going wide as he started putting the pieces together in his head. His abilities combined with the way he was once treated by god now made sense. His father was Michael the goddamn Archangel….

And yet despite that, he never knew about him until a few days ago…. He could’ve saved him if he’d known… but his mother chose to try and kill him first.

Tristan looked over at June as she started to help Michael, watching as she took one of his hands and listened to him. His eyes soon went to the wound in his shoulder, kneeling down beside his father and helping him shrug off his jacket so he could take a better look.

“How could he threaten us if we’re already dead and down here? We shouldn’t matter that much to him, right?” June asked, a bit confused, before her eyes widened, “Oh fuck…. did you leave the map there or did you grab it before you left?!” Her tone suddenly turned nervous as she realized how bad their situation could be if God still had the map. Tristan, however, realized the bullet had gone clean through his shoulder so he wouldn’t have to dig anything out. Soon enough, Tristan’s eyes began glowing bright white as another soft white light erupted from his palm as he pressed it against Michael’s bleeding wound. It didn’t take him long to heal it, but he was surprised that Michael wasn’t able to heal from it.

“Are the weapons in heaven specialized? Is that why you couldn’t heal from the gunshot wound yourself?” Tristan asked, his eyes still glowing white as he struggled with his current mental state when he backed away from his father in thought.

Originally posted by fishkreizler

He let out a soft sigh as Tristan helped him take off his coat, already grateful to have it off since it lessened the pain on the wound some. He glanced at June as she asked that, biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to suppress a laugh. “I’m pretty sure that was destroyed in the energy blast that knocked him on his ass… still even if there’s anything left it won’t do him much good.” He relaxed as he felt Tristan heal the wound, just as concerned as his son was that it hadn’t done it on it’s own like it normally would have.

“Couldn’t say but I doubt it… more than likely it’s a result of my body trying to adjust to whatever’s happened to me.” Michael frowned a little, not knowing much of whatever seemed to consume him when he fell but knowing that the main thing he felt when he let it loose was a hot and burning rage that had been seemingly had been pent up for centuries. “That or having been outcast has slowed it down, not that I’m much in the mood to test that theory.”

“Speaking of your body adjusting, why were your eyes glowing red instead of white? Is that a byproduct of your fall?” Tristan asked, extremely curious as to how this whole thing worked. However, their family bonding moment was suddenly cut short when The Major and Scorpion walked into the tent.

The Painted Doll continued to back up out of fear and precaution until she saw his eyes go back to normal. Her own mismatched eyes looked him up and down for a few moments, trying to figure out what was going on, until Scorpion stepped inbetween her and Michael.

“Touch her and I will rip you from your ass all the way up to your mouth.” Scorpion threatened, snarling angrily but Doll simply put her hand on his shoulder to make him stand down. She then looked at Michael, noticing his wound before silently gesturing for him to follow her. When Scorpion protested, June dismissed him and he took the hint, letting Michael follow her. She quickly led him to Tristan’s tent, who followed her inside shortly after.

“Michael…. what happened?!” She whispered, still clearly terrified but Tristan was more confused at the name she used.

“Michael? That’s…. that’s his name?” Tristan stammered.

Originally posted by humilesque-myricae

He gave a slight smile as he saw her start to relax a bit once again, though his muscles began to tense once again as The Scorpion stepped between them. He refused to shift over once again though, not wanting to chance scaring June off again. He silently nodded as she told him to follow her, walking into the isolating safety that the tent provided, and glancing over as Tristan joined them as well.

Michael gave a long sigh as June asked that before letting out a small but heartfelt chuckle at Tristan’s seeming amazement. He nodded and looked over at him. “Yes it is, it’s one that hasn’t been used for the most part anymore. I’m honestly surprised that Lucifer didn’t recognize me when I was first down here.” He looked at June and his tone shifted, turning almost solemn. “I know what I promised you but I had to break part of it to keep the rest of it. I’m an outcast June… things got far too out of hand up there. God threatened the both of you up there when I was in his office…” Given that he’d been in his archangel state when he went through the bloodbath in heaven, flashes of it coming back into his mind causing him to shudder. “The Translators… the two of them are dead and who knows how many other denizens as I tried to get out of there since God’s already arming them for war.”

And yet despite that, he never knew about him until a few days ago.... He could’ve saved him if he’d known... but his mother chose to try and kill him first.

Tristan looked over at June as she started to help Michael, watching as she took one of his hands and listened to him. His eyes soon went to the wound in his shoulder, kneeling down beside his father and helping him shrug off his jacket so he could take a better look.

“How could he threaten us if we’re already dead and down here? We shouldn’t matter that much to him, right?” June asked, a bit confused, before her eyes widened, “Oh fuck.... did you leave the map there or did you grab it before you left?!” Her tone suddenly turned nervous as she realized how bad their situation could be if God still had the map. Tristan, however, realized the bullet had gone clean through his shoulder so he wouldn’t have to dig anything out. Soon enough, Tristan’s eyes began glowing bright white as another soft white light erupted from his palm as he pressed it against Michael’s bleeding wound. It didn’t take him long to heal it, but he was surprised that Michael wasn’t able to heal from it.

“Are the weapons in heaven specialized? Is that why you couldn’t heal from the gunshot wound yourself?” Tristan asked, his eyes still glowing white as he struggled with his current mental state when he backed away from his father in thought.

“You…. you’ve been outcast?” The Ticket Keeper stammered, staring in shock and horror at Michael’s glowing red eyes. The entire carnival was surprisingly silent given most of the citizens of hell were there staring at Michael.

However, the one most important to Michael was a little late to the party, and she walked in just in time to find Michael pinning Scorpion to the wall of a booth with a large sword at the man’s throat. She could hear him mumbling something about how could Scorpion be so heartless as to toss a dead child away like it was nothing and June immediately knew he was talking about Tristan.

“Agent…” She spoke up, trying to get his attention. But the second he turned around, she saw the glowing red eyes and the demented look on his face and she gasped loudly. Doll took over to protect June and slowly started to back away in fear, glancing over at Tristan to make sure he was alright.

He nodded in response as the the older man asked him that, almost immediately feeling as if his news had caused all of Hell to stand still in surprise, or perhaps it was the way that his archangel abilities had seemed to mutate on his initial way down. He finally moved away from The Twin turning his attention to The Scorpion, having had just as much of a score to settle with him. Much like with Twin it didn’t take him long to get the younger man pinned, his blade having been drawn from his belt and so close to being able to inflict whatever damage he wanted.

He froze for a moment as he heard the sound of June’s voice and turned to face her. He frowned as he saw the panic enter her eyes and she backed away from him. Micheal hissed slightly, almost in pain as he returned to normal, his eyes going back to their natural green and his expression concerned. He let his hand fall, not even caring as The Scorpion sprinted off.

“June… please June I can explain…” He frowned as he took a couple steps towards her before letting out a slight groan of pain as his body was reminded once again of the gunshot that still remained in his shoulder.

“Touch her and I will rip you from your ass all the way up to your mouth.” Scorpion threatened, snarling angrily but Doll simply put her hand on his shoulder to make him stand down. She then looked at Michael, noticing his wound before silently gesturing for him to follow her. When Scorpion protested, June dismissed him and he took the hint, letting Michael follow her. She quickly led him to Tristan’s tent, who followed her inside shortly after.

“Michael.... what happened?!” She whispered, still clearly terrified but Tristan was more confused at the name she used.

“Michael? That’s.... that’s his name?” Tristan stammered.