Work Text:
Aziraphale had become more aware of Crowley's domestic needs recently. He was... Needy, really. He wanted Aziraphale's attention all the time but wasn't brave enough to tell him that so he did it whenever he could do so without words, like when Aziraphale was curled up with one of his books, Crowley would cuddle up in his lap and lay there for hours. Occasionally the angel's hand found its way to Crowley's hair or his back, sensations Crowley would do almost anything for.
Sometimes Aziraphale would ignore Crowley, just to see how he'd react. It often came with whines and other small sounds to draw the angel's attention from his books to his favorite demon.
Crowley wasn't in that situation, though. He'd just waken up from a horrible nightmare, in fact, it was so bad it would be better classified as a night terror. He still felt the fire over his ribs as they pulled the scales from his back and cut off his wings, he could even still feel his scales being torn at and his feathers being pulled off his wings and then being cut off, six hours after. He'd resorted to drinking. For six hours. Eventually, he gave up on drinking the pain away and went with his next option.
Aziraphale. Aziraphale loved him, Aziraphale listened to him, he cared and he would ease Crowley's pain in every way he could, physically and emotionally. He needed his angel now more than he ever had. So, he picked up his phone and called Aziraphale,
"Angel..." He said hoarsely into the phone.
"Crowley, dear? What's wrong?"
"N... Nightmare... 'M comin' over..." He hung up. He didn't bother driving, he couldn't bring himself to stand up. He snapped his fingers and suddenly he was on the floor of Aziraphale's backroom to his Bookshop on his back. Aziraphale had been reading on his couch, clearly having expected him to be driving. He immediately sat up and looked down at the demon. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was messy, and the front of his shirt was wet and smelled of alcohol.
"Crowley, what happened?" The angel asked calmly, patting his lap to get Crowley to crawl up into it. He didn't move from his spot on the floor, he only said,
"Nightmare..." Aziraphale frowned.
"You've already told me that, my dear. Do you not want to talk about it, then?"
"I feel like I'll have to eventually... Might as well do it while it's fresh in my mind... Maybe it'll make me feel better." He sat up and climbed onto the couch, curling up in Aziraphale's lap, but crying out in pain weakly as Aziraphale's fingers slid down his spine. They still ached from the feeling of being ripped at. Aziraphale pulled his hand away, going up to his hair.
"I don't... I don't remember a lot of what actually happened... I was... Was on my stomach, restrained to a... A table... A-and then I felt... They started to burn off my feathers, Aziraphale... And then, th-then my scales were being pulled off... And then my feathers were gone... Then I could see my wings in front of my face, they were severed from my body... Then I woke up..." He was brief, partially because he couldn't be fucked to go into detail, partially because he couldn't remember many details.
"Oh, dear... That's... Horrible... Can you still feel the pain in your scales? Is that why you yelped?" He asked softly, pushing out his angelic aura to Crowley. For any other demon, this would make things worse, but Crowley had spent so much time around Aziraphale he loved the feeling of warmth and comfort he got from the angel's presence.
He nodded gently,
"M' wings, too... I'm so tired of living, Aziraphale, the constant pain doesn't feel worth it."
"I know, dear, I know, we all have ups and downs... You just seem to have hit rock bottom. But, that's okay, because there's only one way left to go from there." He smiled faintly, which made Crowley feel the slightest bit better. Seeing Aziraphale's smile always made Crowley that much happier...
"I love you..." The demon whispered. "Can we... Do something else? Like... I don't know, c-cuddle?" He seemed to have a hard time forcing the last word out. Saying cuddle sounded weird to him. Hearing it in his own voice, albeit hoarse and pathetic, made him feel sick to his stomach, not because it was gross but because he was afraid of the response he'd get.
Lucky for him, Aziraphale was more than willing. They were quickly in a new position, on the couch together, Aziraphale the big spoon with his arms wrapped tightly around his precious demon, face nestled into the top of his head. His shirt was also gone, because Aziraphale didn't want the smell of alcohol on him or his couch.
"Doesn't hurt, does it?" Aziraphale asked, referring to him pressed up against Crowley's scales.
"Little bit... Take off your shit, might be easier on me..." The demon said. It was completely innocent, though. He didn't just want Aziraphale to be shirtless with him, he genuinely thought it'd help him. Despite how much Aziraphale hated his body, he put that away for now and his layers of clothing for his top half were gone. It was quite a bit easier on Crowley. Comforted him, even.
"I'm... Gonna try to go back to sleep until morning... The pain's usually gone by then..."
"Alright. Sleep well, Crowley. If you start shaking or something I'll wake you up, okay?"
"Thank you..."
Eventually, morning came. Crowley's pain wasn't all gone of course, that was one of the only constants in his life other than Aziraphale and his nightmares, but it was bearable now. He could cope, at least.
Aziraphale still had him held close, but he was awake, judging by the hand running down his ribs. He assumed the angel hadn't got up in case he woke Crowley, which he appreciated to a very high degree. He'd slept rather peacefully in Aziraphale's arms.
"Mm... 'Ziraphale..." The demon said tiredly. He couldn't help but smile a bit as a small kiss was planted on the back of his neck,
"Did you sleep well, my dear?" He asked softly. Crowley nodded,
"Much better than I had earlier... Didn't dream, though... Probably a good thing."
"That's alright, I'd rather you not dream at all than have nightmares like that." Aziraphale said, scratching at the demon's ribs a bit just to see his reaction. He knew Crowley was quite ticklish, and he enjoyed it to a point. He wasn't much one for tickle torture but light tickles here and there were pleasant. Hell, contact with Aziraphale in general was pleasant.
"Me too, really... 'M kinda tired of sleeping... I wish I didn't sleep at all... 'S just kind of a break from... My paranoia..." He turned to face Aziraphale, lightly grabbing at him to make sure he was awake.
"What are you doing, Crowley?" Aziraphale asked as Crowley lightly squeezed Aziraphale's stomach.
"Making sure I'm awake... Happens a lot... I have nightmares then I think I'm awake and then I'm not... Being able to feel you puts me at ease..."
"Well... Warn me next time, you know how I feel about myself..."
"You shouldn't feel that way, Aziraphale, nobody has any right to make fun of you for a single fucking thing about you. You have flaws but that makes you who you are and I wouldn't change a damn thing."
Aziraphale smiled. As much as he hated his body, Crowley made him feel better about it. Then he frowned and asked,
"So... If I lost weight, you wouldn't like it?"
"Aziraphale if you decide you want to start exercising and eating healthy be my guest, but if you only do it because you feel like you have to I will personally hunt down anyone who has ever dared to tell you to lose weight, and Gabriel is first on my shit list, you know what that bastard's like."
"Thank you, my dear... I-I really need to hear that sometimes..."
"Of course, Angel. I love you, any way you want to be." Crowley smiled at him.