#angels6k

“Yeah, but Jack has never even been to a concert. He's just saying what Claire told him, and she was probably trying to mess with him.” Adam sat down on the armrest of the chair Michael's projection was in. On instinct, Michael reached out to put a hand on his leg, and Adam's arm slung around Michael's shoulders.

In contrast, Michael's next words were far less gentle – they were true, though. “You've also never been to a concert.”

Adam gasped, then punched Michael's arm. “Hey, low blow!” He pouted, and, despite his clear discontent, moved to drape his legs over Michael's lap. “You know I just didn't have the money and stuff.”

“I know, but that doesn't change the fact that you know just as little about concerts as Jack does.”

“Buddy, I've spent more time on Earth than you two combined. I think I know a little bit more about everything.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “Everything,” he said flatly, just so Adam would roll his eyes.

“Not literally. Shut up.” Another punch to the arm. If it were anyone else, Michael would have been offended, but he could feel Adam's amusement ripple through their bond, saw his soul shining brightly. He would forgive him just about anything.

Quite unlike his brother, who chose that very moment to appear in their living room.

“Sup, buckos.”

“Woah!” Adam jumped, his heart rate elevating as he scrambled up from the chair (or rather Michael's lap). “Jesus, you scared me!”

Michael glared at his brother. “What do you want?”

“Keep your angel blade tucked, bro, I'm just here to deliver a message.”

Michael had made no move to draw a weapon. Not that he would need one to fight, necessarily. “Going back to your roots, then,” he said dryly, tracking Gabriel's movements. Just because he wasn't a threat didn't mean he wouldn't cause chaos.

“Not so much messenger of God these days, you know.” Gabriel shrugged. “Then again, who's even God anymore, right?”

“No one,” Michael said. Since Jack had given up a good part of his power and had separated from Amara (now also powered down), there really wasn't anyone who could claim that title.

“Anyway, Sam said to tell you there'll be some kind of barbecue or whatever.” Gabriel shrugged.

“Some kind of...” Adam and Michael shared a look. “Okay. Do you know when?”

“Uuuuh, he probably mentioned it, but...” Another shrug.

Michael huffed. As an archangel, Gabriel's memory was extremely good. If he didn't remember, or didn't say anything, that was probably on purpose.

Maybe Sam wants us to call him, Adam said through their bond, so only Michael could hear him. We have ignored some of his texts.

We had better things to do. Michael didn't feel bad for ignoring the Winchesters in the slightest. Their relationship with Adam was still tender, more born of obligation than anything else, and he wasn't sure if it would ever become warm. Didn't really care if it would.

If it wasn't for Jack, Michael would have gladly forgotten the brothers' existence altogether.

“Okay, I gotta ask,” Gabriel said, weighing his head as he listened to the most recent song in the playlist, “what are you listening to?”

More to love when your hands are free Baby put your pom poms down for me Come on shake it up 1-2-3 Baby put your pom poms down for me

The song has changed while they'd been talking. Adam groaned. “Don't ask.”

“They're a very popular band,” Michael said, as much for Gabriel as to chastise Adam on his reaction.

“Yeah, boy band,” Adam grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Not for nothing, but you're starting to sound like Dean-o.”

As Adam's face scrunched up, his emotions whirled all over the place for only a moment. Them he clamped down on them. “Bullshit.”

“See? You should learn to appreciate all forms of art so you don't end up like your brother,” Michael told him.

“Half-brother. And I'm not like him at all, okay! For example – we got cookies. You want some cookies, Gabe?” Adam moved towards the kitchen, where he'd stashed the cookies he'd baked the day before. It took him a moment to find them, because the little tin box was, to his surprise, at the very back of the wall cabinet – just where Michael had put it. The intention had been for Adam not to see the box, and possibly to forget about it until the cookies were spoiled. This tended to happen with other things, where Adam would no longer think of them as long as they were out of sight, and Michael sometimes had to remind him of them.

With putting the cookies away, Michael had hoped to keep Adam (for once) from eating too many sweets.

Apparently it hadn't worked.

Gabriel grinned as Adam handed him the box. “That's why you're my favourite brother-in-law.”

“We're not married,” Michael said distractedly. The notion was absurd – neither of them technically existed, from a human legal standpoint. Adam's fake ID said 'Adam Miller', a fact he grumbled about on a regular basis. But he also didn't want to ask Sam for a new one.

Unimpressed with that answer, Gabriel raised a single eyebrow at him. “You keep telling yourself that, bro.”

Michael wasn't telling himself anything. It was simply a truth.

Annoyed, Michael tuned his brother out and listened to the music instead.

It's only human, you know that it's real So why would you fight or try to deny the way that you feel? Oh, babe, you can't fool me, your body's got other plans So stop pretending you're shy, just come on and Dance, dance, dance, dance, oh

Well. Maybe the music wasn't any better.

“... Castiel and Dean to invite us if they get married,” Adam was saying when Michael shifted his focus back to them. “But only if they have an open bar.”

“Not sure they'd invite Michael, honestly.” Gabriel seemed amused by the idea.

“Well, they just need to invite me. People can bring a plus one to weddings, right?”

“Ya know, usually a plus one isn't an archangel who lives in your head.”

Adam made a throwaway gesture. “Screw usual.”

Gabriel grinned. “Are you gonna invite them to your own wedding too, then?”

“We can't get married,” Michael repeated. Neither could Castiel and Dean. This was all very silly.

“Michael, you know marriages are basically just promises, right?” Adam asked, smiling but still with a tight lid on his emotions, inwardly.

“No. They're legal contracts that ensure mutual support and that both people take care of any potential offspring, as well as providing tax benefits. I looked it up.”

“... You what?” Gabriel asked, eyebrows riding high on his forehead.

Of course Michael had looked into it. It was a human custom, and since Adam had been rather vague about it even though he loved movies with weddings in them, Michael had taken it upon himself to get more information.

Instead of answering Gabriel's question, Michael said: “The benefits are superfluous for us, and neither of us legally exists, so a marriage is off the table. We also don't need a contract – we already have an agreement.”

While he spoke, a smile started tucking on Adam's lips, and even though he obviously tried to keep his amusement under lock, Michael could still feel it through their bond. “Yeah, I guess we do.”

“Okay, you lost me,” Gabriel admitted. “What agreement?”

Adam and Michael exchanged an amused look. “Oh, just something we came to while we were in the Cage,” Adam said lightly.

“A mutual understanding,” Michael added.

“And what was it you mutually understood?” Gabriel prompted, seeming impatient.

Another exchanged look. Adam was barely holding down a grin.

“Well. After careful consideration on both of our parts, we came to the conclusion that...” Michael made a dramatic pause, just so Gabriel would become exasperated. It worked. “... we like each other.”

Gabriel blinked at him.

“Admittedly, it was born out of the fact that we were the only ones in the Cage. If you discount Lucifer.” Michael shrugged.

“So what, did you make promise rings for each other? Friendship bracelets? What exactly is your relationship, anyway?” Gabriel frowned.

“Our relationship is very good,” Michael said, leaning back in his armchair. “Thanks for asking.”

Adam bit his lip to keep from laughing.

“But what is it? What do you call each other?”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “Well, I mostly call him Adam, since that's his name.”

Gabriel groaned in frustration. “Let me put this as clear as possible. Do you smooch or not?”

“I don't see how that's any of your business,” Michael said simply. Of course he knew what Gabriel was asking, but he had no intention of discussing such private things with him. Besides, his relationship with Adam could hardly be described in such simple terms as romantic or non-romantic. There was so much more depth to it that-

Without warning, Adam changed the song on the playlist.

We go together Better than birds of a feather, you and me

Ah. Michael liked this one. Adam had made jokes about the 'feathers' line and Michael's wings the first time they'd listened to it, but Michael had long since forgiven him. (Besides, it had been kind of funny.)

I'm a sucker for you You say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly I'm a sucker for you, yeah Any road you take, you know that you'll find me

Adam grinned as he leaned back against the armchair.

He liked that one, too, even if he would never admit it.

I'm a sucker for all the subliminal things No one knows about you (about you) about you (about you) And you're making the typical me break my typical rules It's true, I'm a sucker for you, yeah

Maybe that song was a good summary of their relationship, actually.

All he knew was that if they played this song at the concert, they were both going to sing along loudly.

[Image ID}: A black background with the text:

It is something so grand and so small It is something so grounded and so precious We can have a house and we can have some kids We can keep the dog and you can have a cat too We can tell sappy tales until our faces turn blue Then I can pull you close and ask "did you know I love you?"

Sweet mundanity didn't need to be made legal Though it's true this too was a crime But no one permitted that first claim on my shoulder And it's our choice to choose us every time

But I've heard it time and again Take the house, kids, and dog slice-of-life Just don't pretend you can have something holy You're just two men who live and die by the knife

But my love My love My Love,

It is something so deep and so calm It is something so eternal and so present We can build a home and we can love our kids We can love our dog and I'll even love your cat too And I've fought God but I've never known something more holy and true So let me be greedy because I think I want to marry you

End of text. The text is in white with words from each line highlighted in rainbow colors to write out:

It is something we can have We can keep until you know I love you

Sweet it's true that first choice

time and again Take something holy live and die by

my love My Love

It is something we can love We can love And something I want