Work Text:
The Fall
By 1Lunabug7
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop 11 years ago)
Crowley
“What!?” Crowley, who was lounging on Aziraphale’s overstuffed couch, said as he sat up in surprise, nearly spilling his wine.
“I said,” Aziraphale repeated calmly, “do you remember any of your previous life before you fell?”
Crowley’s eyes suddenly went glassy, “Oh…., I don’t think you want to know that story.”
“Oh,” Aziraphale’s cheerful face became slack, “I see. Well, my dear, you’ll have to go now. I have just remembered an errand that I must run. We will discuss this matter further” He led Crowley to the door and showed him out, closing it as soon as Crowley was on the street.
Crowley looked back at the bookshop with a pained expression on his face as he slowly walked towards his Bentley. He hadn’t meant to hurt Zira’s feelings, but if he knew the whole story… Crowley shook his head at the thought, “No, he’s not ready. He may never be ready”.
Of course, there had been plenty of times when Crowley nearly told Aziraphale the truth, but after the you go too fast for me situation, Crowley had kind of lost faith in the Angel. Yet, somewhere in the deep corners of his mind, Crowley still hoped that Aziraphale would one day be ready for him. As he got in the car and drove, the familiar tune of Queen’s Somebody to Love playing in the background, he recalled that long-ago time before he became the serpent known as Crowley. In fact, his name used to be….
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Raphael
“Raphael!” the Archangel Gabriel screamed into the infinite, inky blackness that was the newly born universe, “We are needed by Michael.”
Raphael, who was spinning stardust to create a perfect nebula, looked back at Gabriel with his innocent green eyes and drifted down to meet the impatient Archangel. He smiled a genuine smile and said, “This better be good, I was working on a name for a new star system, one that looks like one but is really two. I’m thinking… Alpha Centauri!”
“Oh, I think you’ll quite like this,” he said, his eyes cold. If the Archangel were to be honest, he wasn’t the biggest fan of his younger brother. There was something not right about him, something about the way he did things. Gabriel couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Raphael just wasn’t like most angels and that scared Gabriel much more than he’d like to admit, but he could quell that fear by treating the little weirdo like crap for all eternity. After all, who doesn’t want a little power?
As Gabriel and Raphael strolled towards the group of angels waiting patiently for them, Raphael couldn’t help but notice an angel he had never seen before. He was slightly shorter than the rest with fluffy white-blonde hair that reminded Raphael of the swirling white clouds that he had just put on the planet he liked to call Earth. His hair was nothing, however, compared to his bright and piercing blue eyes. Raphael looked at those eyes with curiosity and a new emotion stirred inside of him, an emotion that Crowley had felt before, yet, somehow more advanced. As an angel, he was compelled to feel a fondness for all things, yet when he saw this… this angel, his heart felt all panicky and leaped at the sight of those beautiful eyes.
“Raphael, Raphael!” Michael reprimanded as he was brought back into reality. “As I was saying,” Michael continued, pausing to glare at Raphael, “The Almighty has plans to inhabit the planet known as Earth, created by the Archangel Raphael here.” Raphael stared at her in surprise. “What did she mean by inhabit?” “We have hired Aziraphale here…” “So that was his name…” Raphael’s heart did another leap as he glanced at the angel again, “…to guard and protect the area where the inhabitants will live once it is completed. That is all for now; I will give you more information when the time comes. Raphael, perhaps you should stay and talk to Aziraphale over here. After all, you did create the planet.” She said over her shoulder as Raphael stared at her, slack-jawed, while she walked away.
“Um, I don’t believe we’ve met,” said a posh voice behind him…
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Aziraphale
“That Angel is staring at me”, thought Aziraphale as he waited for the meeting to start. “Well”, he mused, “I have never been to this part of Heaven before.” He was just a common angel, after all, nowhere close to achieving the status of Archangel. This angel, however, was staring at him with such bold curiosity that it made Aziraphale acutely aware of his appearance. With his fiery red hair that went past his shoulders and childish green eyes, how could Aziraphale ever compare to him? Throughout the meeting, Aziraphale kept shifting glances at the angel, whose name was apparently Raphael, and began to feel nervous. “What is wrong with me, he’s an angel, just like everyone else here, but why do I feel so strange when I catch sight of him?” “… Aziraphale here,” Aziraphale snapped back into reality at the mention of his name, “to guard and protect the area where the inhabitants will live once it is completed.” Aziraphale silently chastised himself for not paying attention and went back to the meeting, “Raphael, perhaps you should stay and talk to Aziraphale over here. After all, you did create the planet.” Aziraphale looked at Raphael and noticed a look of surprise on the Archangel’s face as Michael walked away.
“Um, I don’t believe we’ve met,” the angel started awkwardly, his face turning a bright shade of pink.
Raphael turned around and looked as uncomfortable as Aziraphale felt and mumbled, “Yeah, my name’s Raphael, as you probably heard Michael say, I’m usually not around here often, I like to spend most of my time creating galaxies,” he blushed crimson, “ What about you? We usually don’t see Angels like you around?”
“Well,” Aziraphale started, pausing to look at those emerald eyes, “Michael and Gabriel came to me one day while I was talking to some friends of mine and told me that I had been promoted to a principality. All I would have to do was permanently reside on the planet Earth and watch over its inhabitants.” he stated, “I accepted, of course, being made principality is a huge honor, especially for someone like me…” The angel faltered, as his shocking blue ones peered into Raphael’s shining green ones. “I…” Aziraphale couldn’t finish, he looked down at his feet, embarrassed.
“Oh! That reminds me,” said Raphael, clearly not noticing Aziraphale’s nervous attitude, “did they ever tell you what they meant by “inhabit the Earth”? Like, what exactly are we inhabiting there, Angels, or something new?” he inquired, his eyes brimming with questions.
“Well…” Aziraphale began, but before he could finish, a dark-haired angel with a boyish face waved at Raphael.
“Hey Raphael, want to come hang out with us?” the angel shouted, a devious smile taking up his whole face.
Raphael’s face broke into a grin, “Coming Lucifer!” he shouted back. As he turned to leave, he smiled a smile that made Aziraphale crumble inside and said, “See you later!” Before running off with Lucifer and the other angels.
Aziraphale watched him leave, a new emotion bubbling inside him, one that almost felt painful. “What was this?” He didn’t like seeing Raphael hanging out with those other angels. As Raphael walked away, laughing with his friends, a pang went through Aziraphale’s chest. He wanted it to stop. “Why am I feeling this way?” When he turned around to go, he felt a cold hand grip his shoulder.
“Aziraphale, what were you looking at,” Gabriel asked, the disdain on his face very clear.
“N- nothing, Archangel Gabriel,” Aziraphale stuttered, not wanting anyone to know his current feelings.
“Are you sure Aziraphale, because it looked like you were watching Raphael and that hooligan, Lucifer,” Gabriel intoned.
“Just stuck in my own head is all,” insisted Aziraphale, “Well, best be going now.” He gave a cheery wave to the Archangel and went on his way.
The Archangel waved back, but when Aziraphale’s back was turned he frowned and placed a hand on his chin, as if deep in thought.
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Raphael
After that day when he first met the Angel, Raphael couldn’t stop thinking about Aziraphale. It had been a couple of days since he had last seen him, but the memory of his face was clearer than ever. Every time he thought about Aziraphale, which was often, it felt like his heart might burst. He had to see him again, somehow, someway, he had to look into those stunning eyes.
The opportunity came when he saw the angel walking around, as if lost in thought. Raphael approached him and shouted excitedly, “Ah, a familiar face! Could you come with me for a second? I want your opinion on something.”
“Oh! Um, of course, but why would you ask someone like me? I feel like Gabriel or Michael would be more qualified, um...” Aziraphale muttered.
Raphael said nothing, he merely waved Aziraphale over and began to walk. Aziraphale hesitated for a second, but then ran to catch up with Raphael. They ended up in the inky darkness of the universe, Raphael led the way becoming more and more confident the farther away he walked from heaven, after all, this was his territory. Aziraphale walked behind him, his eyes filled with amazement. When Raphael finally stopped Aziraphale curiously asked, “D- did you make all of this?!”
Raphael turned to him, with a shy smile he answered, “Um… yeah, it’s one of my favorite things to do.” “Ugh, why am I suddenly so nervous?” He could feel his knees shaking, so he quickly changed the subject, “Come here, this is what I wanted to show you.” When Aziraphale stepped next to him he said, “This is my greatest masterpiece. You see how it looks like it’s only one star? Well, it’s actually two stars, but they’re so close together that they look like one. What do you think?” Raphael finished in a whisper.
“It- it’s wonderful,” Aziraphale beamed, but then suddenly grew serious, “but I still don’t understand why you brought me here, Raphael.” He looked at Raphael, his blue eyes peering into Raphael’s soul.
Raphael stared back and quietly said, “It’s because,” Raphael paused, hearing his name on Aziraphale’s tongue was more than he could handle, he sighed deeply and finally said, “because I like you, okay.”
“What do you mean by “like”?” Aziraphale eyed him suspiciously.
“I think, I think I mean this…” Raphael took Aziraphale’s hand in his. He quickly let go and turned away in shame when he saw Aziraphale’s face, red and filled with unadulterated surprise. “I-I have to go now, goodbye.” He hastily turned to leave.
“Wait Raphael!” He felt a hand grab his own and turned around to face the angel, staring at the ground, face filled with pain. He felt hands grasp his face and was unprepared for what happened next. Aziraphale stood on the balls of his feet and pulled Raphael’s face close until their lips touched. When they finally pulled back, Aziraphale looked into Raphael’s beaming eyes and said in a whisper so quietly that it was barely audible, “I like you too, Raphael.”
Raphael was speechless, all he could do was stare into Aziraphale’s wide eyes. His heart was beating so fast that he could hear it in his ears. He grabbed Aziraphale’s hands and there they stood for an undocumented amount of time until Aziraphale inquired, his voice hoarse, “Do you… do you know what this,” he gestured at Raphael then himself, “what this is?”
Raphael was silent for a minute, but then said, “No, I don’t, but does it really matter?” He placed a hand gently on Aziraphale’s cheek. “I mean, there may be no name for what we have, but if it makes us happy, then why not just let it go.”
Aziraphale said nothing, he simply continued to look at Raphael until a deep voice below then yelled, “Raphael, where are you!? We’re having another meeting with Michael and the other Archangels.” Raphael and Aziraphale quickly parted, not wanting Gabriel to catch them together, but also slightly irritated that they were interrupted.
“Coming now, Gabriel, just wanted Aziraphale’s opinion on the star system I just made,” Raphael said jovially as they went down to meet Gabriel. “Shall we go?”
“Actually, I would like to discuss something with Aziraphale here.” He laid a hand on the angel’s shoulder, and Aziraphale slightly winced with pain, “You go on ahead.” He smiled as Raphael slowly walked away, taking one last look at Aziraphale with a confused expression on his face. When Raphael was out of site Gabriel’s face became somber. “Now, Aziraphale, what exactly were you doing with Raphael?”
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Aziraphale
“Pardon me?” Aziraphale’s demeanor, which was joyful and carefree, suddenly became cold.
“I asked,” the Archangel repeated, “what exactly were you doing with Raphael?”
“We were looking at the new star that the Archangel created,” Aziraphale said, hoping that his skittishness wasn’t too obvious.
“I hope that was all you were doing,” Gabriel said, his purple eyes bored into Aziraphale’s concerned blue ones. “I think it is best that you do not see Raphael anymore, Aziraphale.”
Aziraphale was silent with shock for a moment, when he finally regained his voice he asked, “W-why?”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Raphael, he’s not normal. He tends to, how do I explain this, he tends to question the order of things. Sometimes a little too much. Asking questions can get an angel in trouble. In fact, Raphael and Lucifer have already gotten several offenses on their metaphorical belts, if you know what I’m saying. I just don’t want his bad influences rubbing off on you so please, avoid him if you can.” He patted Aziraphale on the shoulder, “Good talk. Now I have to go, meetings. You get it, right?” He started to walk away, “I will see you later.” He smiled and left, leaving Aziraphale alone, basking in the darkness of the universe.
When Aziraphale finally regained his composure and returned to Heaven, he, at last, tried to process what he had just heard. “What did Gabriel mean by Raphael’s “bad” influences rubbing off on me? I will have to ask Raphael about it when I see him again. Of course, it would have to be somewhere private, lest Gabriel catching us.”
“Well,” Aziraphale thought as he paced back and forth, “there’s nothing I can do but wait, so I might as well relax.” He could not stop the racing of his mind, however, and instead continued to pace, impatiently waiting for Raphael to arrive.
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Raphael
As Raphael and the other Archangels waited for Gabriel to appear, Raphael kept replaying the moment he had with Aziraphale over and over again in his head. He briefly smiled to himself, but regained his posture when Gabriel finally arrived, looking pleased with himself.
“Everyone here and accounted for?” Michael asked, “Good. Now there is an important matter that we must discuss. It has to do with a group of rebelling Angels. I believe you know one of them, Raphael, Lucifer Morningstar?”
“I-I do…we’re friends,” Raphael said in a monotone manner, his face stony, “What exactly happened?”
“Well, earlier today Lucifer and his cronies committed an act against The Great Plan. They tried to destroy the planet known as Earth, protesting God’s plan to inhabit the area. Thankfully they were restrained before any damage was done.” Michael reassured, knowing how possessive Raphael was of his creations, “They of course will be punished severely.”
“What is the punishment?” Raphael asked, his face expressionless, but his eyes telling a completely different story.
“The offenders shall become fallen and will be cast out from heaven, never to return again.” Michael stated, “Plans to inhabit the Earth have been compromised for the time being, that is all.” The rest of the Archangels disbanded, leaving Raphael. “I have to see Aziraphale, now!” He turned and began to run.
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Aziraphale
Aziraphale, who was beginning to consider looking for Raphael, heard footsteps coming. He turned around and smiled, “Oh, Raphael! I was just wondering where… what’s wrong!?”
Raphael’s was bright red, his face contorted in anger. “What are they thinking?! Treating their own kind like that! It doesn’t matter what they did, no one should be treated like that! We’re angels for God's sake!” Aziraphale said nothing, but merely let Raphael pace back and forth, spewing profanities and complaints.
When Raphael had finally calmed down, he told Aziraphale what he had heard. Once he finished Aziraphale said in a shocked voice, “Fallen Angels, I can’t believe it. Well, I can, after what Gabriel just told me.”
“What did Gabriel tell you?” Raphael’s voice tensed.
“Actually,” Aziraphale said as he looked down at the ground, “he said that I shouldn’t see you again. Says you’re a bad influence on me.”
“What!” Raphael’s eyes blazed, but then softened. He whispered, “You didn’t tell him about us, did you?” Aziraphale looked up but had to look away when he saw the hurt in those green eyes.
“No, of course not. I just wanted to ask you if what he said was true,” Aziraphale turned to face him and placed his hand on Raphael’s, “He said that you have gotten in trouble before for “asking questions”, you and Lucifer, and after hearing what happened to him, I’m worried that you might fall too.” Aziraphale’s voice was filled with concern.
“Aziraphale,” he winced and pulled his hand away, “after all we’ve been through, Angel… I thought you trusted me.” His voice became crestfallen, “I guess I was wrong. Goodbye, Aziraphale, I hope I never see you again” If Raphael had bothered to look back, he would’ve seen Aziraphale standing stock still, tears running down his face.
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Raphael
“Raphael, are you okay?” one of the other Angels asked, “You don’t look so good.”
“Oh, just a little stressed is all,” Raphael answered automatically. It had been a couple of days since he had last seen Aziraphale. He shuddered, just thinking about him made his heart feel like it was being stabbed. Raphael clutched his chest and went on his way, claiming that he had important business to attend. What he needed was a distraction. He finally decided to head to the only place where he really felt comfortable. The universe engulfed him, and the tension in his chest slowly faded. That is, until he stumbled upon a certain star system. At the sight of Alpha Centauri, Raphael’s tough exterior cracked. Even after all that had happened, Raphael missed Aziraphale. Would he ever see the Angel again? Raphael looked to the skies; his face filled with dejection.
“Raphael…” Said a familiar voice behind him.
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Aziraphale
Aziraphale couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened between him and Raphael. Every time he thought about the hurt in Raphael’s voice as he walked away, his heart felt hollow… almost empty, somehow. “I have to apologize to Raphael; Gabriel had probably just made a mistake.” Using the memory of Raphael leading him, Aziraphale made his way to the cosmic realm. After wandering around the darkness for a while, he eventually came upon the outskirts of Alpha Centauri. His heart ached at the sight of Raphael, who was standing in the darkness, alone, his face contorted in pain.
“Raphael…” Aziraphale said cautiously.
Raphael slowly got up and turned around to face him, his aggrieved expression quickly changing into an impassive one. “Raphael, I just wanted to say…,” but before he could finish Raphael flung himself at Aziraphale and kissed him. Aziraphale, while surprised, put his hands on the sides of Raphael’s face and pulled him closer. When they finally parted Aziraphale placed his forehead on Raphael’s forehead and murmured, “As I was saying, I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day, my dear. I shouldn’t have…”
Raphael put his finger to Aziraphale’s lips and shushed him, “No no no no, it’s my fault I overreacted. Besides, that doesn’t matter,” he smiled and looked into Aziraphale’s shining sapphire eyes, “the only thing that matters now is me and you.” He kissed Aziraphale softly. “Do you remember when you asked me what we were, my Angel, well I think I know what to call it now. I was thinking of calling it, love.”
Aziraphale mulled it over for a minute before saying, “Love, I quite like the sound of that.”
“I love you, Aziraphale.”
“I love you too, Raphael.”
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Gabriel
As of recent events, the Archangel had been feeling pretty good about himself. Lucifer and those hooligans were finally gone, and if his conversation with that imbecile principality, Aziraphale, had done its job then Raphael would soon be joining Lucifer. “Patience, Gabriel, patience,” he thought to himself, “the time will soon come.” For now, he must focus on the matter at hand. Michael had ordered him to find Raphael and tell him to add some more planets to compliment the Earth. He walked into the awaiting cosmos and called out, “Raphael, I need to speak to you! Where are you?” As Gabriel continued walking, he wondered where his brother could be. “He’s probably at that stupid star system he made, Alpha Centauri, I believe.” As he walked towards the shining star system, his eyes first widened in surprise, but then grew excited at what he saw. It was Raphael and the principality, holding each other close. “Were they kissing?” This was more than Gabriel could’ve ever hoped for. Two angels together like that, it wasn’t natural. Raphael would surely fall now. Gabriel smiled a sinister smile as he turned to leave the scene. He couldn’t wait to tell Michael.
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Raphael
Even though Raphael was holding Aziraphale’s hand while they walked back to Heaven, he still could not process what happened. He walked, as if lost in a dream, only stopping to point out a constellation he had made recently. When they got to Heaven’s bounds, much to their dissatisfaction, they separated. They had barely taken ten steps before Michael appeared in front of them, her face looking somber, “Raphael, Aziraphale, I need you to come with me please.”
“Sure Michael, what seems to be the…,” something hard hit the back of his head and he dropped to the floor. He croaked, “Aziraphale…run!” before passing out.
Raphael woke up in an empty, white room. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. He rubbed his head, trying to remember what happened. “I was with Aziraphale and then… Michael? Aziraphale! What happened to him!? Was he ok!?” Raphael’s movements became frantic. He needed to get out of here.
“You can’t leave. Trust me, many have tried.” Raphael turned to find Gabriel behind him.
“Gabriel, what am I doing here?”
“You really don’t know, do you?”
“What, what do you mean?”
“I caught you and the principality, Aziraphale, together,” Gabriel smiled maliciously at the sight of Raphael’s stunned face, “Surely you must’ve known in the back of your mind that you would be caught, and now that you have you will face the consequences.”
“What are you going to do to us?”
“Well, the other Archangels and I have decided that you will lose your Archangel status and Aziraphale will become fallen. I had hoped that both of you would fall, but you know how it goes.”
“NO!”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“There’s nothing you can do. Unless…” Gabriel’s dark eyes gleamed.
“Unless what?”
“You have a better idea?”
Raphael thought for a minute.
“If you let Aziraphale stay, I’ll… I’ll fall.”
“What an interesting proposition.” Gabriel’s eyes brightened, “Of course, we would have to erase his memory in order to prevent something like this from happening again. I will take it up with the others.”
“Wait!”
Gabriel turned around, a look of contempt was on his face, “What?”
“If they accept my offer. Can-can I see him one last time, before, you know?”
Gabriel took pity on the pathetic excuse of an Archangel, “I’ll see what I can do.” He turned to leave, the door sealing behind him.
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Aziraphale
Aziraphale’s eyes opened drowsily, “Where am I?” The memories of what happened came flooding back to him and he tried to stand up. He had to sit back down right away, though, because the wound on his head made him woozy. A million questions were running through Aziraphale’s head. As he was thinking of a way to escape, the door opened, revealing Michael and Gabriel. “Up!” Michael ordered. Aziraphale stood up, somewhat groggily, only to find that his arms and legs had been chained. “Follow us,” Michael commanded and Aziraphale did as he was told.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they finally arrived at an unmarked door similar to the one Aziraphale had just left. They opened the door and Aziraphale’s face brightened when he saw who it was. “You have five minutes,” Gabriel said before the door closed behind him. Aziraphale looked down to find that the chains had disappeared.
Aziraphale looked up and ran into Raphael’s arms. “Oh Raphael, I’m so glad you’re okay. Oh, my dear.” Aziraphale looked up into the eyes he had fallen in love with and smiled before pulling him in for a kiss.
When they parted, Raphael asked, “Are you ok? Did they hurt you?”
“No, but, Raphael, what’s going on?”
“I’ll explain later. All I want to do now is look at you.” He grabbed Aziraphale’s hands, “I wish we had more time, but…” The angel looked up to find that even though he was smiling, his eyes were filled with tears. Aziraphale became very afraid. Something was very very wrong if Raphael, the strongest person Aziraphale knew, was crying.
“Raphael what’s wrong!? Why are you…” Before he could finish the door opened revealing Gabriel and Michael.
“It’s time, Raphael,” Michael grabbed Raphael’s arm and began to lead him away. Before Aziraphale could protest he felt two pairs of hands grip tightly on his arms.
“NO! NO!” Aziraphale struggled against the other angel’s as they pinned him down, “Raphael!?”
Raphael turned his head, Aziraphale noticed that tears were now running down his face, “Goodbye, my Angel. I love and will always love you.” The door closed, leaving Aziraphale alone with Gabriel and the two other angels, who had pinned him to the ground.
“Alright, let’s get this over with. When I’m done with you, this will all seem like a bad dream.” He cracked his knuckles and started towards Aziraphale.
Aziraphale’s eyes widened in realization of what was to come, “No, please no… NO!” Aziraphale’s face relaxed and his eyes closed. Suddenly his eyes opened again, revealing that they were no longer brilliant blue, instead they were a pale green, before closing once more.
(The Beginning, Pre-Garden)
Raphael
Raphael stood on the edge of Heaven’s gates. His knees were shaking in terror, but he tried to focus on the memory of Aziraphale’s face to suppress his fear. He refused to give them the satisfaction of fear. “Open your wings,” Michael growled. Raphael groaned in pain as Michael clipped his wings so that he couldn’t fly back up. They would heal, eventually, but not fast enough to save him. “Now face me.” Raphael turned to find Gabriel in front of him, smiling.
“You won’t get away with this, Gabriel. Mark my words.”
He grasped Raphael’s shoulders and leaned to whisper in his ear, “I already have.” Gabriel’s nails dug into Raphael’s skin, “Have a nice trip.” Raphael felt himself get shoved, a sudden falling sensation ensued, and then…
The pain. Oh, the excruciating pain. Something was burning. He slowly turned his head and was vaguely aware that his wings were on fire. As he grew closer and closer to the planet that he created, the Earth, the burning sensation grew stronger and stronger until…
BOOM!
Raphael landed in a pile of burning lava. There was no movement for a couple minutes, then, a shaking hand gripped the hardened magma surrounding the pit of lava and began to climb. When Raphael had pulled himself out of the burning lava, he began to search for something to stop the burning. After crawling painfully, he at last found a stream of cool water. When the burning had turned into a dull throb, Raphael at last took a moment to examine himself; his wings were now completely black, the feathers had been scorched. He peered into the stream to look at his face. “My eyes! What has happened to my eyes!?” His eyes, which were once bright green, were now completely yellow, his pupils were now thin black slits in the middle of his eyes. Before Raphael could say anything, however, a hoarse voice spoke, “Welcome new brother, it is I, Lucifer. This is your moment of rebirth; you must name yourself. What would you like to be called?”
Raphael thought for a moment then said, “Crawly, call me Crawly.”
“Well, Crowley, welcome to Hell.”
(Post Armageddon)
Crowley
Crowley had not felt this good in a long time, about 6,000 years to be exact. He had just stopped the apocalypse, they had finally broken free from Heaven and Hell’s iron grip, and Aziraphale was spending the night at his apartment! For the first time in 11 years, as he and Aziraphale sat holding hands in that bus, Crowley was considering telling Aziraphale everything. Aziraphale was finally ready.
When he and Aziraphale had entered Crowley’s apartment, Crowley asked curiously, “Aziraphale, do you remember 11 years ago when you asked me if I remembered anything about Heaven?”
“Why yes, my dear, why do you ask?”
Crowley took off his sunglasses and stared into Aziraphale’s pale green eyes, “Aziraphale, there’s something I have to tell you.”
(Post Apocalypse)
Crowley
“Why, whatever do you mean, my dear?” asked Aziraphale, but Crowley could see that Aziraphale knew exactly what he meant.
“You may want to sit down for this, Angel. This is gonna get pretty intense.”
By the time Crowley had finished, it was very late. As he paced back and forth, he said bitterly, “Well, there’s the whole bloody story, tune in next week for more sordid tales.”
Aziraphale frowned, “I can see why you never told me all this before. I’m so sorry for getting angry with you all those years ago I shouldn’t have…”
“It’s okay, Angel, it’s not your fault. You had no idea.”
“Oh, Crowley,” Aziraphale shook his head, “how could you do that to yourself? It was me who was supposed to fall, not you. It was you who should have stayed in Heaven.”
“Why do you think Aziraphale?! I couldn’t let them hurt you! It was me who caused this mess in the first place!” He turned away from Aziraphale and said, his voice cracking, “I knew it was wrong, what we were doing. Two angels shouldn’t be able to love each other like that but…” he clenched his fists, his sharp nails digging into his hands, “I was selfish. I did it anyway, not thinking about the consequences my actions would have on others. It’s my one regret. I don’t regret asking questions, I don’t even regret falling, but do I regret dragging you into all this, Angel.”
“Crowley… I- I never knew I…”
“How could you, Aziraphale?!” Crowley yelled, but then grew quiet. Aziraphale could see that the skin surrounding his eyes were red. “Gabriel erased your memory.”
Aziraphale could only stare in silence, his mouth slightly agape.
“Aziraphale, there’s one thing I need to ask you before we continue.” Crowley sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly before continuing, “Are my feelings one-sided, Angel? Do you, oh I’m just gonna go right out and say it, do you love me?”
“Crowley! I-I…”
“That’s what I thought,” Crowley smiled sadly, “Still too fast for you, huh, Angel?”
“Crowley, wait!” Aziraphale reached and grabbed Crowley’s shoulder. He felt Crowley tense. “Crowley, I… I love you too, my dear. I have for years. I was just scared, scared of what Hell would do to you if they found out. You would’ve been punished, or worse, killed. I couldn’t let that happen to you. It was best for me to accept that we could be nothing more than friends.” Aziraphale’s eyes lit up, “But it doesn’t have to be like that anymore! We can be together now!”
“How?” Crowley looked skeptical, “Heaven and Hell are after our asses and we’ve got no plan. It’s hopeless.”
“With this!” Aziraphale held up a scrap of paper, slightly burnt around the edges.
“Agnes’s last prophecy,” Crowley’s eyes widened.
“Yes! And, Crowley, I’ve figured it out! Now, it’s a little tricky and we’re going to have to be very, very careful, but we can figure it out…” He clasped Crowley’s hands in his, Aziraphale noticed that there were marks where Crowley had dug his nails, “… together.” He looked into Crowley’s yellow eyes and smiled.
Crowley gave a conflicted look and then grasped the sides of Aziraphale’s face and kissed him. He pulled back and noticed Aziraphale’s appalled face, “Oh! I’m so sorry I… mmf!” Aziraphale grabbed the front of Crowley’s t-shirt and thrust the demon towards him, their lips meeting.
“So,” said Crowley, slightly dazed, “what’s this grand plan of yours?”
“Well,” Aziraphale said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, “how good are you with body-switching?”
Crowley smiled.
End