Angel Wings and Demon Pitchforks

5. Forced to Be Friends With The Devil

Michael sat quietly at the back of his first class hoping not to be noticed by anyone. His home room class went terribly: the teacher made him stand in front of the whole class and introduce himself. The other students had just talked over him as if they didn't even notice him. Michael didn't know what made him feel worse, the fact that he had to talk while standing in front of everyone or the fact that nobody even bothered to listen to him.

The first period teacher walked up to the board and began talking to the class about an upcoming assessment, she was almost half way through the lesson when a familiar face walked through the door. Lucifer Novak.

"Ah Jacinta, good to see you again." The boy grinned widely at the teacher.

"Novak, you're late." The teacher glared at Lucifer.

"Yes I am, how nice of you to notice." Mrs Phillips rolled her eyes.

"Sit." She pointed to the middle of the room where the only seat was left.

Lucifer walked over and sat down sighing. He looked around the classroom at the other students until his eyes rested on Michael, who was staring right back at him. Michael quickly looked away, his cheeks flushing red. 

--

"I saw you looking at me," Lucifer sang softly. Michael slammed his locker shut.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He denied, turning away from the Novak boy.

"Oh, come on, Mikey."

"Don't call me Mikey."

"Fine. Michael. Do you want to sit with me at lunch?"

Michael paused. "I think I'm going to sit with my brothers."

"Why do you hate me?" Lucifer whined.

"I don't hate you."

"Well you keep brushing me off." He pouted and Michael sighed.

"Sorry. It's just... it's been a long weekend." Sam hated him, Dean was short-tempered because of their dad's death and they had moved states. In the space of two days, their whole life had been uprooted. Michael was worried about his brothers.

"I hear ya," Lucifer said. "My parents got divorced and Gabriel got to keep the whiteboard, which may not be a big deal to you, but it was." The second bell rang just as Michael reached his next class. "Find me at lunch. No excuses."

--

Michael didn't find Lucifer at lunch, instead settling under a nice tree next to the oval. He had seen his brothers sitting happily with a group and decided not to bother them.

"Why are you all the way over here?"

"For goodness sake-" Michael looked up from the book he was reading to see Lucifer. "Will you ever leave me alone?"

"Nope." He said, popping the 'p' and sitting next to Michael under the tree. "It's nice over here."

"It was nicer before you got here," Michael muttered and shuffled to the side, away from Lucifer.

"You're so rude!" Lucifer feigned offence. "But seriously, why aren't you sitting with your brothers?"

Michael shrugged and looked over to where he could see Dean sitting at a table, a girl with bright red hair talking animatedly.

"I like you, Michael," Lucifer decided. "You're going to be my new friend."

"Oh, am I?" Michael asked.

"Yep."

"Don't I get a say in this friendship?" He asked.

"No, it's a dictatorship." Michael rolled his eyes at the boy and went back to his reading. But all he could concentrate on was the boy sitting next to him.

-----

Dean waited by the impala, now fixed and as good as new thanks to Lucifer's overtime, for his brothers after school. He was pleased with himself; he had made a group of friends. Sam had hung out with kids his age. They hadn't gotten him to talk, but that was a task for another day.

The image of Cas flashed in Dean's mind eye. It was weird how instantly they connected and became friends. On the way to Art after lunch they had talked about, well, everything. From their favourite music to their favourite food. They hadn't stopped talking during class and even had to be told off by the teacher. Dean was impressed. He had never made a friend this quickly.

"Alright, let's go," Michael said, pulling open the driver door and snapping Dean back to the present.

"Sammy's not here yet," Dean told him, sliding into the passenger seat. There was the sound of the back door being opened and Sam silently hopped in. "What about-"

"Jo's going home with a couple of friends," Michael explained and started up the car. "It's just us." The first five minutes were awkward silence. The only sound between them was of the engine and the soft music from the radio.

"How was school?" Dean asked. Sam looked out the window, ignoring him.

"It was alright," Michael said. "You know that guy from yesterday? Lucifer? He wouldn't leave me alone all day."

"Oh, that's cause he thinks you're--" Dean stopped himself suddenly, letting the sentence hang.

"I'm what?" Michael asked, quickly looking at his brother.

"Nothing. It's nothing." Dean turned to look out the window and they lapsed back into silence.

-----

The door slammed behind them and Ellen hurried out of the kitchen.

"Michael, Bobby wants to see you in the shop," she told him. "And Dean, Sam, I need both of your help with dinner." Michael dumped his bag on the floor and turned to go back outside. The air had a slight afternoon chill that he enjoyed. The sound of metal on metal got louder and the smell of grease filled his nose as Michael neared the large shed, weaving through the many cars from the workshop.

"Bobby?" He called into the open door. The sounds stopped.

"Michael!" Bobby walked out from around one of the cars. He wiped his hands on a towel. "If I remember correctly, you told me you were interested in mechanical engineering?" That was years ago. Years and years ago.

"I grew out of that dream." Michael said. He had to look after Sam and Dean, not waste his time on some fantasy like college.

"Nonsense," Bobby scoffed. He had noticed the way that Michael's shoulders had tensed at the dinner table. He saw the way that he looked at his brothers, like he was constantly protecting them from any predator. Michael needed to relax. "Would you be interested in working here? I'd pay you, of course, and it would give you good experience."

Michael was taken aback by the offer. He had given up on mechanics a long time ago, when he realised that going to college was unrealistic. There were too many things standing in his way: they didn't have the money for him to go, he needed to get his brothers away from their father and he needed to put all his earnings into giving them a better life. But now. Now they had Bobby and Ellen. Now he didn't have to worry about taking Sam and Dean and leaving. Now he could think about college, he could think about following that small dream.

"I could? You'd let me?"

"'Course! I always like the extra help."

"Thanks, Bobby," Michael said. "When do I start?"

"When Lucifer gets here," Bobby replied. There was the sound of a car driving in and an engine cutting abruptly. "Speak of the devil."