Work Text:
Crepes or Cripes
An Angel and A Demon celebrate Halloween
The Armadidn’t had been in August. Back when the each day, in the Northern part of earth, was long and hot. Aziraphale and Crowley had managed a little switcheroo that meant they were both free to do whatever they liked for the foreseeable future.
Azirophale and Crowley had stayed in touch with the Them and Anathema and Newt and Madame Tracy and Shadwell. Something about averting an apocalypse meant everyone involved wanted to stick together after.
Every now and then they’d drive down to Tadfield to visit those that lived there.
Newt had found, since meeting Adam, he could now touch computers and mobile phones Without explosions and Without shutting off the power, even the power in Jasmine Cottage stayed On when he used the computer there! As he hadn’t had much experience with technology he was still doing a lot of learning how these things worked, but he was getting there.
The last time they had visited Adam had been telling Aziraphale about Halloween. Of course Aziraphale had read about it and its links to Samhein and various human things honouring the dead and celebrating the harvest. But Adam had told him ‘it can be Fun too. People dress up and go to visit their friends’. ‘What happens then?’ Aziraphale had asked. ‘Well’ smiled Adam, ‘those visiting can threaten to do something scary and ask for treats’. ‘Oh dear’ said Aziraphale ‘the doing something scary sounds bad, why would you do that to your friends? . ‘Don’t worry’ Adam reassured ‘most people don’t Do anything any scarier than wearing a costume and maybe make Whooooo noises, pretending to be ghosts, aaaaannnd the people in the houses often do give out sweet treats.
So as the days grew shorter and colder Aziraphale was talking to Crowley ‘you know dear boy, we simply must visit Tadfield again on the 31st of October and celebrate Halloween the human way’. ‘But its cold and its damp and I’m tired’ Crowley argued. ‘Oh yes dear, I know. But its so spooky and you Like spooky things and it’ll be good to see all our old friends again. Besides I’ve never dressed up for Halloween and I’d like to. I want to be a ghost’, Aziraphale explained. ‘Fine’ huffed Crowley, ‘don’t expect Me to bother much with a costume though. I like to look Stylish’.
So that’s how Halloween rolled round to find the Angel had made himself a ghost costume by putting eye holes in a tartan sheet. The Demon had been persuaded that he looked ‘very dashing my dear’ in his horn headband and with the red devil’s tail that was tacked on behind him and that ‘yes of Course you can still wear your sun-glasses. I know how much you like them’.
So while they were still in London they visited Madame Tracy and Shadwell, who hadn’t moved to the little bungalow yet. Azirophale rang the bell and, luckily for him, it was Madame Tracy who answered (as Shadwell was still not sure he trusted either Aziraphale Or Crowley). ‘Crepes or Cripes?’, the Angel in tartan ghost mode called out merrily, Crowley muttered quietly ‘Angel, the saying is Trick or Treat’. ‘Oh look at the two of you’ Madame Tracy smiled, ‘you both look just wonderful. But I’ve already given out all the chocolates to the local kiddies who came calling earlier. Oh well Happy Halloween’.
Then the Demon drove them both to Tadfield. First they knocked on the door of the Young family. There was a Halloween party in full swing. Wensleydale and Pepper were both dressed as witches, Brian had dressed as an ogre, which meant he could get as dirty as he liked and everyone would think it was just part of the costume. Adam was wrapped in bandages dressed as a mummy.
Azirophale shouted out ‘Crepes or Cripes?’. ‘For Somebody’s sake Angel’ groaned Crowley ‘its Trick or Treat’, but they were invited in and got to join in some bobbing for apples and were each given a rather tasty glass of mulled wine, so that was all right. Crowley was starting to think maybe celebrating things like humans did was not so bad.
Then off they went again to visit Anathema and Newt. They knocked on the door. Anathema opened it dressed in a gorgeous purple witch outfit, complete with pointy hat. She called Newt to the door too. He just had to see this. Newt had forgotten what day it was and was dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans. When he saw the tartan ghost in the front lawn he had to admit it wasn’t the sort of thing he saw every day. So he got his mobile phone out and eventually worked out How to take a photo of said tartan ghost and the Demon dressed as a devil (just about)accompanying him. ‘Crepes or Cripes?’ said Aziraphale merrily. Crowley was getting a tad sick of this and had a definite growl to his voice when he said ‘How many times Angel? Its Trick or Treat!’. Anathema and Newt couldn’t help but giggle at the two of them and Anathema smiled broadly ‘actually, I had a feeling making crepes this evening was a good idea’. The Angel and the Demon were invited in. They were given the most delicious crepes either of them had ever tasted ‘even better than the ones in Paris’ Azirophale smiled approvingly. They were also given a hot drink each black coffee for Crowley and cocoa complete with cream and marshmallows for Azirophale. ‘This has all turned out just ticketyboo my dear hasn’t it?’ he asked ‘ I thought I might get crepes if I asked enough people’. Crowley stammered ‘you you you, you did it on purpose’, but he couldn’t stay cross for long when he could plainly see his Angel was having such a good time. He burst out laughing and Azirophale, Anathema and Newt all joined in.