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Something was wrong with Crowley. After 6000 years of knowing the demon, Aziraphale could tell. They had stopped Armageddon together, convinced their respective sides they were unkillable with the usual methods by convincingly pretending to be the other, and most importantly, in Aziraphale’s opinion, finally confessed to each other how they felt. (And if Aziraphale’s heart still skipped a beat every time Crowley said “I love you” that was no ones business but his own, though he suspected Crowley knew, the wily serpent.) But still, something was wrong with Crowley
In a nutshell, Crowley wasn’t sleeping.
Strictly speaking, neither of them really needed to sleep, like eating or drinking, they could function just as well without as with. Aziraphale himself rarely kept the habit. Time spent sleeping could just as easily be spent reading, in his humble opinion (though he was guilty of the odd cat nap on a warm afternoon). However, Crowley had always seemed fond of sleep. The demon had slept through an entire century, for Heaven's sake. But ever since the apocalypse-that-wasn’t, Aziraphale hadn’t seen him sleep at all and given they had spent essentially all of their time together, he certainly would have noticed if he had.
So. Definitely something wrong. Aziraphale just wasn’t sure what it was, nor was he sure what- if anything- he could do to fix it.
***
Things finally came to a head a few days after Aziraphale noticed Crowley’s lack of sleeping. They were cuddled together in Aziraphale’s bed, sweat still cooling on their skin. Crowley’s nose was buried in Aziraphale’s hair, and the angel knew if he could see his demon’s face, his eyes would be either half or fully closed with contentment and a small smile would be gracing his lips. They lay in peaceful silence for a while, their breathing and heartbeats falling into perfect synchronization, until a low grumble broke the silence.
Aziraphale blushed as his stomach let out another rumble and he could feel Crowley pressing his face further into his hair as his chest shook with barely contained laughter. Another rumble and Aziraphale could feel Crowley’s soft chuckle.
“Angel,” he murmured softly, laughter in his voice, “I do believe something wants your attention.”
Aziraphale’s blush deepened as he stammered, “I am so- dearest I- my sincerest apologies-“
“Far be it for me to stand between my angel and food,” Crowley interrupted as Aziraphale was beginning to extract himself from the embrace and the plush bed. He paused at the side of the bed after he got out and Crowley cracked an eye open to give him a fond look. “Go, angel. I’ll be here when you get back.”
Aziraphale leaned down to press a kiss to Crowley’s cheek before miracling his clothes back on and heading for the door that led downstairs, saying as he went, “Just a spot of tea I think. Perhaps some of that blackberry tart we picked up at the market, and I wonder if there is any of that melon left…”
Crowley’s soft laughter followed Aziraphale as he left the room and went down to his tiny kitchen. He put the kettle on the stove, turning it on as he did so. (He could just miracle up a cup of tea, but really, it tasted ever so much better when made the proper human way, even if it did take longer.) Rummaging through the fridge, he found the leftover tart and was delighted to find there was still some leftover melon. He pulled both out and set them to the side while he waited for the tea
The kettle had just finished boiling and he was moving it off the hot burner in preparation to pour himself a glass when a noise from upstairs made him pause. Frowning, he turned towards the doorway, but after a long moment passed with no other sounds, he went back to compiling his snack.
It wasn’t until he had sat down and was munching contentedly on the tart that he heard another noise. There was no question this time as to what it was. A choked off cry of anguish came from the bedroom. Feeling the tart turn to ash in his mouth, Aziraphale stood up fast enough that the chair he’d been sitting in toppled over. Abandoning both the fallen chair and his snack, he hurried up the stairs, hearing more sounds of distress as he did.
Entering the room, Aziraphale froze. Crowley was twisted in the sheets, though still clearly asleep. The demon was tossing his head back and forth on the pillows. Soft pleas of: “No- no please- please, please no,” were interspersed with the cries and moans of pain. Tears were running freely from behind his closed eyes.
Aziraphale stood still in the doorway, frozen in shock. It wasn’t until he heard Crowley gasp out, “Angel? Angel where are you? I can’t find- Aziraphale please...” in a broken whisper that he unfroze and moved to the bed.
“Crowley?” He called as he neared the bed and reached out to lay on a gentle hand on the demon’s shoulder. “Dearest, please wake up.”
As soon as Aziraphale’s hand made contact, Crowley’s eyes flew open, pupils little more than thin black lines, and he shot straight up with a gasp. As the angel slowly sat down on the bed next to him, Crowley finally seemed to become aware he was there. “Azzzira- Aziraphale?” He asked between sharp, hard breaths.
“I’m here dearest,” Aziraphale told him, trying for a comforting smile and finding it a bit wobbly. “It’s alright.”
To his dismay, tears started falling faster down his demon’s cheeks and he yanked the angel to him, burying his face in the crook of Aziraphale’s neck. “I thought I’d lost you,” Crowley mumbled hoarsely, almost too soft to hear.
“Oh my darling…” One of Aziraphale’s hands came up to cup the back of Crowley’s head while the other began to rub small circles on the demon’s back. Heart in his throat and feeling the damp on his shoulder where Crowley’s face was, he continued, “I’m here love. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”
Crowley clutched him tighter. “The shop… there was fire everywhere,” he let out a soft, keening whine as he shifted impossibly closer. “I couldn’t find you, couldn’t even sense you and I thought… I thought those bastards had… had…”
The angel gently hushed him, turning his head slightly to press a kiss to the disheveled red locks. “Shh, dear one. It’s alright. I’m here. Everything worked out fine in the end.”
The demon pulled back to look at Aziraphale. Red rimmed and puffy yellow eyes met crystal blue ones for a moment before Crowley leaned in and pressed their lips together for a brief kiss. When they broke apart they separated just enough to lean their foreheads together.
Aziraphale hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, “Crowley dearest, is… is this why you haven’t been sleeping lately?”
Heads still pressed together, Crowley nodded. “Every time I close my eyes I see the shop burning. And you with it. Or I see you, the real you this time, being forced into the hellfire while the other angels, Gabriel and Uriel and such, watch with such gleeful malice in their eyes while I’m helpless to do anything to stop it.”
“Oh my darling,” Aziraphale gently pulled away so he could look Crowley in the eye. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Yellow eyes flickered to the side, avoiding the clear blue gaze. “What was there to say? You can’t just miracle this away, angel.” He looked back at Aziraphale. “Besides... I don’t mind staying awake if I’m with you,” a pause, and then in a quieter voice, “it’s easier to block out when I’m with you.”
“Well then,” Aziraphale said, miracling away his clothes as he climbed back into bed. “I guess I’ll just have to stay with you then.”
A shocked moment of silence followed before Crowley spoke. “But...you don’t sleep.”
“Yes, well. Perhaps it’s time I started. After all, you seem to enjoy it a great deal.” Aziraphale settles himself on the bed, tugging Crowley to curl up with him.
“Angel?” Crowley tilted his head up to peer at him.
“Sleep darling,” the angel leaned down and Crowley met him halfway for another short, sweet kiss. “I’ll be here for anymore of those dreams. And I’ll still be here when you wake tomorrow morning, and every morning after.”
Wrapping his long limbs around his angel, who was here, safe and sound with him, Crowley closed his eyes again and whispered, “I love you angel.”
Aziraphale’s heart skipped a beat, drawing the faintest of chuckles from the demon who’s head was pressed to his chest.“I love you too, you old serpent.”