Chapter Text
Crowley and Ezra continued working on the project from either boy's house, though they could both feel a shift in their friendship. They never talked about how they almost kissed, but it was on both boys minds during the lead up to Christmas. Crowley kept wondering what would have happened if his mom hadn't decided to check on them 5 minutes later than she had, and Ezra thought about what Crowley would have done if he’d gotten to say what he wanted. Meanwhile, everyone around them could feel the tension between the friends.
“Ezra, what is going on with you and Tony?” Gabriel asked a few days before school got out for winter break. He’d confronted Ezra in the hallway between classes. Ezra rolled his eyes.
“Nothing! What makes you say that?” he asked, and Gabriel crossed his arms.
“You and him have gotten closer in the last couple of weeks than you have since you first met. I told you, he’s toxic. This is just a game for him! He doesn’t care about anyone else but himself” Gabriel said angrily.
“And I’ve told you, you don’t know him like I do. You just hate him because he wasn’t the perfect member for the Archangels. He’s kind and caring, and he understands me. We have our differences, but they make our friendship more interesting” Ezra argued, and Gabriel looked taken aback, before something apparently clicked in his mind, and he sighed.
“God, it’s worse than I thought. You actually like him, don’t you! You’ve fallen for Anthony Crowley. He’s a master manipulator, and he’s gotten to you too” Gabriel said, and Ezra blushed.
“I’m not discussing my love life with you, Gabriel. Now, if you would excuse me, I have a class to get to” he said, bidding Gabriel a farewell, and pushing past him. But Gabriel wasn’t done yet.
“Ezra, this is only going to end in heartbreak! I’m just trying to look out for you! Guys like Tony act like they care, and then as soon as they’ve had their fun, they leave, and go to the next exciting adventure!” Gabriel shouted after Ezra, who ignored him, and kept walking. He knew Crowley, and that wasn’t the Crowley he knew, that he lo-had a crush on. He wasn’t going to call it the L-word just yet. He’s only 17. He doesn’t know what love is, and he doesn’t know if that’s what he feels for Crowley is love. Now wasn’t the time to think about that, he had a class to get to.
“Hey Crawley! How’s it going with your little angel?” Hastur called to Crowley, as the Demons approached him. Crowley groaned. It was the last day of school before winter break, he didn’t want to have to deal with the Demons bullshit before school ended for 2 weeks.
“Hey Hastur! That’s none of your business!” he called back, turning to look at the approaching teens. Hastur had his arm wrapped around Ligur’s waist. Beez had on her usual leather jacket, and she and Dagon were smirking at him.
“Come on Crowley! Spill the beans! It’s super obvious there’s something going on between you two. The sexual tension has been turned up to an eleven for the last 2 weeks!” Beez said, and Crowley rolled his eyes.
“There’s no sexual tension. We’re just excited because his mom has agreed to let him stay at my house for Christmas eve. That’s it” Crowley said, and Beez eyed him carefully. She knew him better than anyone at the school. Well, except for Ezra.
“Nope, that’s not everything. Something happened between you two 2 weeks ago” she said, and he huffed a sigh, knowing she’s not going to let him get out of this.
“Fine. But, don’t go spreading this around. A couple weeks back, we went to my house to continue working on our project for History. And...we almost kissed” Crowley said, blushing a very bright red. Beez smiled supportively at him.
“Damn! Were there words that were said, or was it in a heat of the moment kind of thing?” she asked, and Crowley blushed brighter. She smirked. In the 2 years she had known Crowley, nothing ever made him blush like that. She found it incredibly amusing.
“It was a bit of both. I’d been painting the board for our project, and when I finished, he called me adorable and beautiful. And then we started leaning closer and closer, I even put my hand on his cheek, and he leaned in to it. And just before we actually kissed, my mom knocked on my door to check on us, and that was the end of it” he said, and Beez looked at him with sympathy.
“Wow. Do you have any plans for Christmas Eve?” she asked, and he shook his head.
“Just hanging out with him is enough for me” Crowley said, and she nodded.
“Wow Crawley. That sounds like more than just a crush at this point” Hastur said, leaning against Ligur, who nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, I think I might actually love him, which is a scary thought, because I’ve never felt that before, so I don’t even know if that’s what I feel” he said, feeling the corners of his eyes sting.
“Just listen to your heart” Dagon said, and Crowley laughed, resisting the urge to gag.
“Alright you sappy assholes, I gotta go. Gotta get through the rest of the day, and then actually clean my room tomorrow” Crowley said, picking up his bag, and backing away from the Demons. They laughed at him.
“Alright, see you Crowley. Have a good break” Ligur called, and Crowley waved.
“Same to you!” Crowley called, and turned around to continue to his next class. Christmas Eve was a few days away, and he had a lot to do before then.
Those few days came and went faster than both Crowley and Ezra had expected, and suddenly, Ezra was standing in Crowley’s room with a bag filled with things for the overnight stay.
“Long time no see” Ezra joked, and Crowley laughed.
“Oh shut up. We talked on the phone for ages just yesterday” he said, and Ezra laughed.
“Well, it’s felt like a long time then” he said, and Crowley blushed.
“Please tell me you packed more than just ugly Christmas jumpers” Crowley said, and Ezra gasped in false hurt.
“I’ll have you know my taste in jumpers is spectacular” he said, and Crowley rolled his eyes behind his glasses.
“Whatever helps you sleep tonight, Angel” he said, and Ezra laughed again. Crowley’s heart melted again.
“So, where do you intend for me to sleep?” Ezra asked, and Crowley looked around his spotless room and shrugged.
“Well, if you brought a sleeping bag, I guess you can just pick a spot and set up shop” he said, and Ezra nodded.
“Now, mom’s got Christmas Eve dinner cooking, but it’ll be another 2 hours at least before it’s ready. So my 2 questions are, what do we do until then, and would you rather have your gift tonight or tomorrow morning?”Crowley asked, and Ezra thought for a moment.
“Well, to answer your second question, I’m very excited to see my gift, so we can exchange gifts tonight, if you don’t mind. As for your first question, I have no idea what we can do for the next 2 hours” Ezra said, and Crowley smiled.
“Well, we have board games, video games, books, other stuff” Crowley listed, and Ezra nodded.
“Or we could just talk like we usually do” Ezra suggested, and Crowley paused. Why hadn’t he thought of that?
“You know what? That sounds like an excellent idea!” Crowley said, and Ezra smiled, taking a seat on Crowley’s bed. They talked for the full 2 hours, feeling like no time at all had passed. Before either of them knew it, Crowley's mom was letting them know the food was ready, and they were heading downstairs, laughing together and smiling. Mary smiled at Anthony without Crowley and Ezra noticing, and he smiled back. It had been a long time since Crowley had had a friend like Ezra. Neither parent could even remember the last time Crowley and a friend had a sleepover, and they could both see that Ezra meant a lot to Crowley.
“Ezra, what’s your family doing for Christmas? Do you have a yearly tradition?” Anthony asked, once dinner had been served. Crowley sat next to Ezra, and Anthony sat next to Mary across from the table.
“We usually have the typical Christmas dinner, turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, stuffing, that sort of thing. Sometimes my grandma comes down, but she’s getting on in years, and it’s difficult for her to travel in the cold. What do you do?” Ezra asked, taking a sip of water. Crowley smiled from next to him.
“We usually have a regular meal on Christmas Eve, and then since it’s just us 3, we go out to the Chinese restaurant and have Peking duck for Christmas” Crowley said, turning to look at him. Ezra smiled back.
“I’ve never done that before. It sounds lovely” he said, and Crowley’s smile brightened.
“It is. We first went when Crowley was 8, and he loved it. It was the first time we’d taken him to have Chinese” Anthony said, and Mary smiled at Crowley.
“You know, I’ve always wondered, why do you go by Crowley?” Ezra asked, looking at Crowley again. Crowley blushed.
“My full name is Anthony Junior Crowley, but people tend to call me Tony or Junior, so I just stick with Crowley. Now the only person who calls me Tony is Gabriel, but he’s called me that since first year, so I imagine that’s what he’ll call me forever. And Hastur does call me Crawley still, but I think he just does it to be annoying on purpose, so I don’t much mind” he said, and Ezra nodded.
“I just call him Crowley because it’s easier for both of us to realize who’s being referred to. Most people call me Anthony, especially the people I work with, so it makes it especially easy when we have co-workers over or something” Anthony said, and Ezra nodded again.
“And I call him Jay, because when he was little, he used to dress up as Jay, the amazing superhero. It was adorable” Mary said, and Crowley blushed, hiding his head in his arms on the table. Leave it to his mom to embarrass him in front of his best friend. Ezra smiled fondly at Crowley, and continued eating.
“Oh! I’ve just remembered! My parents wanted me to ask if you’d all like to join us for Christmas dinner tomorrow night. It’ll just be us 3, and mom always makes a full turkey” Ezra said, looking at Anthony and Mary. They looked at each other, almost seeming to have a conversation entirely through looks alone before nodding to each other, smiles on both faces.
“We’d love to! Is that alright with you, Jay?” Mary asked, looking at Crowley. He smiled and nodded.
“Great! Mom said if you say yes, then you can just come over when they were going to pick me up anyway” Ezra said, and Anthony and Mary nodded. Suddenly Crowley had a thought.
“Mom, dad, since Ezra’s staying over tonight, and we’ll be going over for dinner to his house tomorrow anyway, do you think I could spend the night at his house?” he asked, and his parents looked at each other again.
“Well, we will be going over for dinner anyway, and it is Christmas” Anthony said, turning back to Crowley.
“So long as George and Angela say yes, then I suppose that’s alright” Mary said, and Crowley and Ezra both beamed.
“Thanks mom and dad!” Crowley said, and with that, dinner continued. There were conversations here and there, and all in all, the dinner was very delicious and fun. When it was over, Ezra offered to help clean up, but Anthony refused.
“You’re the guest, Ezra. It’s very kind of you, but I’ve got it. Go hang out with Crowley. We’ll be alright” he said, and Ezra nodded, following Crowley back up to his room, Crowley closing the door behind them. They both sat on his bed for a second in silence, before Crowley clapped his hands together.
“Alright, present time!” he said, standing up to get the gift. Ezra reached out and grabbed his hand. Crowley’s face heated up, and he looked back at his friend.
“Actually, if it’s alright, I’d love to give you yours first” he said, and Crowley nodded, finding his mouth unable to form words at the moment. He sat back down on the bed, and Ezra stood up, rummaging through his bag, before he pulled out a package wrapped in a lovely blue wrapping paper that had silver stars on it. He handed it to Crowley, and sat down next to him, smiling.
“What is it?” Crowley asked, smirking at him. Ezra shrugged his shoulders.
“Open it and find out” he said, and Crowley smiled. He carefully tore away the wrapping paper, not wanting to leave too much of a mess. When he pulled away the last bit of paper, he gasped. It was a very large astronomy book, complete with color pictures and descriptions of certain stars, nebulas, planets and other astronomical bodies. Crowley gaped up at Ezra, who was smiling wide at him.
“Do you like it?” he asked, and Crowley smiled just as wide.
“I love it! This is spectacular, Angel! Thank you so much!” he said, pulling Ezra into a tight hug that was quickly returned.
“I know how much you love space and the stars, and I thought this might be a good book not only for the information, but perhaps you could use the pictures as reference for paintings” Ezra said, and Crowley beamed at him. It was utterly perfect!
“It’s amazing! Thank you!” he said, before standing up, and gently placing the book on his bed.
“Right, your turn! Close your eyes!” he said, and Ezra complied, peeking just a little. Crowley noticed, and smiled.
“No peeking!” he said, and Ezra laughed, closing his eyes again, and keeping them closed. He heard Crowley pick something up, and then set it down in front of him, and he resisted the temptation to open his eyes before Crowley told him to.
“It’s not wrapped, but it’s covered by a sheet. Do you want to pull the sheet away, or should I?” he heard Crowley ask, and he shrugged his shoulders.
“You choose” he said, and he heard the sheet fall away.
“Okay, you can open your eyes now,” Crowley said, and Ezra asked, before gasping and standing up. It was a painting of him from the shoulders up, smiling brightly, a halo over his head, a soft glow of light around him. He looked otherworldly, and very beautiful, if he was being honest. Crowley captured his likeness perfectly.
“Do you like it?” he heard Crowley ask nervously, and he realized he hadn’t said anything in at least a minute. He shook his head a little, and brought himself back to reality.
“It’s beautiful” he said softly, and Crowley smiled.
“Really?” he asked, and Ezra nodded.
“Yes. I look very angelic” he said, and Crowley’s smile softened, and he did something he had never done around Ezra. He picked his glasses up off of his eyes, and pushed them into his hair. Ezra’s eyes widened at the sight of Crowley’s eyes. They were beautiful, light brown, almost gold if you looked in the right light, and his pupils were elongated like a snakes. And they were looking at him with nothing but love. Ezra suddenly understood another reason Crowley wore glasses so often. Not only because of the way his eyes looked, but because they were perhaps the most expressive part of him.
“It’s how you look to me. When I look at you, this is what I see” Crowley said softly, and Ezra looked at him, shock and adoration in his eyes.
“Really?” he asked, and Crowley nodded, taking a step closer to Ezra.
“Yeah. When I look at you, you just look like an angel. You’re so beautiful” he said, and Ezra smiled softly at him, stepping closer to him. They were only a few inches away from each other.
“Crowley, I-I don’t know what to say” Ezra said, and Crowley smiled, gently reaching out and grabbing Ezra’s hand in his. Ezra looked down at their hands, before looking back up at Crowley, and weaving their fingers together. Crowley’s face reddened, and Ezra smiled at him.
“Ezra, I-I think I love you. And, more than as friends, because I know there’s the friend love. I mean, I’ve never felt this sort of thing before, and I’m not even 18 yet, and I’ve never even dated anyone before, but this feels like so much more than just a crush. It feels like I could spend forever with you. It’s more than just wanting the usual teenage romance. I want to like, fall asleep next to you, and wake up with you holding me. God, I know that sounds cheesy, but I just-” Crowley said, before Ezra cut him off with a tight hug. Crowley wrapped his arms around Ezra’s waist and hugged him back.
“Crowley, I think I love you too. I didn’t know what I felt for you, but hearing how you feel, it’s the same for me, so I think it’s love too. I’m so happy to have you in my life” Ezra said, pulling back just a little to see Crowley smiling at him.
“Ezra, can I kiss you?” Crowley asked, and Ezra leaned in close enough that he could feel Crowley’s breath on his lips.
“Please” he replied, almost in a whisper, and Crowley leaned forward that last little space, and connected their lips. It was very chaste, neither knowing how fast or how slow to go, but even that sent fireworks up Crowley’s entire body, and sent his heart pounding like a drum. It was beating so quickly and hard, he was surprised Ezra couldn’t feel it. They both pulled back just a little, to see if the other was okay with that simple kiss, before leaning back in, and kissing again, deeper this time, but still just as simple and soft as the first. Then suddenly, Ezra wrapped his arms around Crowley’s neck, and gently carded his hands into Crowley’s long red hair. Crowley felt a fire growing in his stomach, and wrapped his arms around Ezra’s waist again, pulling him in closer, Ezra going willingly. The kiss deepened, and Ezra opened his mouth against Crowley’s, pulling a gasp from Crowley, before he responded in kind.
The kiss continued for only a few seconds longer, before both boys had to part for air, but they stayed close, resting their foreheads together as they both took deep breaths.
“That was nice” Crowley said, smiling at Ezra. Ezra smiled back.
“Yes, it was” he said, before taking the initiative, and leaning back in for more, this kiss deeper and more passionate than before. Crowley made a whining noise as he kissed back, walking them back towards his bed, sitting Ezra down and taking his own seat on his knees on either side of Ezra’s lap. Ezra moved his arms to wrap around Crowley’s waist, and Crowley gently cupped his face. They continued kissing, Ezra’s hands toying with the hem of Crowley’s shirt, before one slipped underneath, and Crowley pulled away with a wet smack.
“Everything okay?” Ezra asked, hoping he didn’t cross a line and ruin everything.
“Yeah. I’m just not ready for that yet” Crowley said, panting from the kiss. Ezra nodded, feeling a little bad.
“I’m sorry” he said, and Crowley smiled softly at him from his lap.
“Don’t be. You didn’t know, and you’re respecting my boundaries. Besides, the kissing and sitting in your lap is nice” Crowley said, and Ezra smiled back.
“I have to admit, I do like seeing you here on my lap” Ezra said, and Crowley blushed.
“Well, you can expect to see me here a lot more often, Angel'' Crowley said, leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to Ezra’s lips once more, before placing their foreheads together. They sat together like that in silence for a while, before Crowley tried to stifle a yawn, and failed. Ezra smiled softly at him.
“Alright, it’s bedtime, isn’t it?” he asked, and Crowley shook his head, wrapping his arms around Ezra’s chest, snuggling up to him closer.
“Nope. Gonna stay here. You’re soft and warm” he said, and Ezra giggled at him. Crowley’s heart felt like it was exploding.
“You’re like a snake. You curl around warmth, you don’t eat much, you hiss at people, if Beez is to be believed, and your beautiful eyes look like a snakes” Ezra said, and Crowley blushed.
“You think my eyes are beautiful?” he asked, leaning back a little, and looking Ezra in the eyes.
“Yes. Every part of you is beautiful” he said, and Crowley blushed brighter.
“Most people think they look freakish” he said, and Ezra scoffed.
“Well, most people don’t know what’s right” he said, and Crowley smiled softly.
“Thank you” he said, and Ezra kissed his forehead gently.
“Alright, now it really is bedtime” Ezra said, and Crowley groaned, and reluctantly got off of Ezra’s lap. Ezra instantly missed the warmth.
“Fine. Have you decided where on the floor you’re going to sleep tonight?” Crowley asked, and Ezra blushed.
“Actually, I was wondering if, er, you wanted to share your bed. You seemed so peaceful resting in my lap, and you had said you wanted to fall asleep next to me, so I just thought you might like to continue me holding you” Ezra said nervously. Crowley blushed, but smiled brightly at him all the same.
“Ezra, I’d love to. But, you know, just to sleep, nothing else, right?” he asked, knowing that Ezra just meant to sleep, but he wanted to ask anyway. Ezra nodded hurriedly.
“Yes, just to sleep. I-I rather liked getting to hold you in my arms, and I figured, why stop just because we have to sleep. We’re staying in the same room anyway. Might as well” he said, and Crowley nodded, smiling.
“Sure” he said, and Ezra smiled back, looking relieved. They got dressed together, facing away from each other, trusting that neither will peek at the other. When they were both dressed in night clothes, Crowley laid down under the covers, and held them up for Ezra to get under. He climbed next to Crowley, and they settled in together, lying on their sides to face each other. Crowley reached up and turned his bedside lamp off, and they were surrounded by darkness, the only light coming in from the distant street lamp outside. They passed by a few minutes in silence, before Crowley spoke again.
“Ezra?” he asked, and Ezra looked at him.
“Yes?” he asked back, and Crowley looked away nervously.
“Would, would you like to be my boyfriend?” Crowley asked, his voice shaking just enough for Ezra to hear, and he smiled.
“Yes” he said, and Crowley beamed, sliding closer to Ezra, wrapping his arms around the boy’s waist and kissing him once. Ezra draped his arm over Crowley’s waist in return, and they fell asleep like that, in each other's arms. Unbeknownst to them, an hour later, when they were both fast asleep, Crowley’s front door was opened quietly as Mary and Anthony checked up on the boys, to make sure they weren’t up too late. They were greeted with the sight of Ezra and Crowley in bed together, fully clothed, to both parents' relief, and gently holding each other. Through the light coming in from the hallway, they could just make out the content smile on Crowley’s face, as he shifted a little, and pulled Ezra closer to him. Mary smiled to Anthony, who smiled back. They had been right. Crowley cared about Ezra very much. They were just happy to see their son had found someone who cared about him just as much as they did. With that, they quietly closed the door again, and let the boys sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day for everyone. Better let them get their sleep till then.