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It had only been two days since Crowley had told his Angel that he loved him. Aziraphale just snarled and questioned what had ever made the demon think an angel could ever love him. It had broken the demon. But after two days the demon hadn't been able to forget about the Angel. Normally he'd just wallow and stay out of the angel's way for a few years, but he just couldn't do it this time. He needed to make sure his angel was still on his side, even if he didn't love him back. But when he returned to the bookshop, he was shocked by what awaited him.
"Angel? Come on stop it!" Crowley yelled. It didn't work. The angel just swung his sword back at the demon, causing a painful cut in his arm. Crowley hissed in pain.
"Crowley..." Came a little whisper in his mind. But the demon didn't have time to think about it before Aziraphale flung his sword through the air only barely missing the demon as he dodged.
"Crowley..." The voice came again.
"I'M BUSY!" The demon yelled out loud.
"Crowley... Please my dear." He heard. This got the demon's attention
"My... dear? Angel?" Crowley muttered. Keeping an eye on Aziraphale attacking him, the demon reached his mind back to the voice.
"Angel? Is that you?" The two rarely used telepathic means of communication because if how draining it was, but every once in a while, it came in handy.
"Oh thank goodness! Crowley that's not me! He swapped our bodies! Ouch. Crowley, you need to get to safety! He's got all my powers! He's going to kill you!" Crowley froze, looking at the deadly angel in front of him.
"Aziraphale? Where are you?" He asked quietly.
"I'm trapped in hell. Oh I'm so glad I got through. I didn't think I'd be able to get to you in time."
"Hell? Are you okay?" The demon's concerns laced his voice as he dodged another attack.
"I... I'll be fine. Just please get to safety!" Crowley could hear the hesitation and fear in the Angel's voice. Now knowing why Aziraphale was attacking him, he miracled behind him and very quickly knocked him unconscious.
"I'm coming to get you angel."
As Crowley walked through the walls of hell, he kept his telepathic line with his angel at the forefront of his mind, closely behind the Angel's rejection. He had to know. He shut his eyes briefly before asking.
"A.. Angel? How long have you been here?" The angel sighed, also shutting his eyes as his back rested against the concrete wall.
"Honestly dear? I don't know. At least a week definitely, but past that... I've lost count...I've been unconscious most of it. And it's hard to keep time down here" Crowley let out an involuntary sob as he heard that.
"A week?
"Why, what did he do? What did..." Aziraphale paused. "What did I do?"
"It doesn't matter now Angel... It wasn't you. I should've realised, and I'm sorry I didn't, but I will get you out of here." Aziraphale doubled over in pain, letting out a grunt. He could feel the essence being drained from him. He wasn't going to survive much longer down here.
"Angel?"
"It's.. it's fine..."
"Angel? Is there something you're not telling me?" Aziraphale stayed silent. "Aziraphale?"
"I... Crowley... Hastur placed a void star in here with me." Crowley froze.
"W... Wh..at?" Aziraphale sighed. "Angel... Your essence..."
"I know dear..." Crowley's fear was expanding if his angel was left next to that thing for too long... He'd cease to exist.
"Crowley?" The angel sounded broken. Hurt. Weak. The demon did his best to ignore it but he just couldn't.
"Hmm?"
"You know I love you right?" Aziraphale's words stopped the demon in his tracks, turning his full attention to the angel speaking in his mind.
"What did you say?"
"I know we've never really said it to each other before. But I can feel your love for me and well... You know I love you too right?"
"Don't you dare, Angel." Crowley seethed, continuing his descent through hell. Centuries he'd wanted to hear those words from his angel, but now... They terrified him.
"What?"
"Don't you dare give up! I'm going to get you out!" Aziraphale smiled lightly.
"Please just tell me you know."
"No."
"Please?"
"No! I won't give you that satisfaction! You and I will both get out of here, THEN I'll tell you how I feel!" No response came. "Angel?" Nothing. "Angel, are... Are you okay?" Still nothing. Crowley stopped and reached out towards Aziraphale's essence which he could no longer feel.
"A... Angel?" He whispered aloud. Tears reached his eyes as an overwhelming pain clutched his heart. "Angel..." He sobbed, grasping onto the wall for support. "Angel... I love you!" He continued to sob. "I love you more than anything! And I know... I know you love me! Please don't leave me!" A very very weak chuckle entered into his mind.
"Oh you bastard!" He sent towards his Angel. The angel chuckled a little more.
"I just wanted to hear you say it Crowley." Aziraphale's weak voice returned.
"Aziraphale... Why... What's happened?"
"The void... It's reached the physical plane."
"Angel..." Crowley struggled... "Please try to hold on." With that, Crowley broke out into a run, mazing through the labyrinth. This was taking too long. He needed to get to his angel faster. He could feel a burst of pain fling through their connection.
"Crowley... I can't... I can't keep the line open." He spoke weakly.
"Please try. I need to know you're alright."
"A...lright." A moment of gratefulness passed through the demon until he had a thought. What is keeping the line open kept him from keeping himself safe?
"Angel?"
"Hmm?"
"If... If you need to cut the connection..." Aziraphale smiled.
"It's alright dear, I'll keep it open as long as I can."
"But what if you need your power?"
"I'm far more likely to fight if you're with me than if I'm alone." And the angel knew he spoke the truth. He loved his demon, and the thing that made him want to fight more than anything else, was the idea of seeing him again. The demon sighed in a relief that caused Aziraphale to smile again.
"Aziraphale, whether you're with me or not, I always want you to fight for your life."
"What else do I have but you, my dear?"
"Your bookshop. The people who come to you for help. Humanity. Earth."
"None of that is worth anything without you."
"Angel..." the demon begun softly, then he stopped. "I think I'm close. I can sense you nearby." The demon looked around the concrete walls that all looked the same. He took a few steps forward. "I can sense you like you're right in front of me. Why can't I see you? Can you sense me?" The angel stood up with a grunt, holding his stomach. He tried to let his senses reach out but he just couldn't.
"I... I'm sorry dear... I don't know... I can't sense anything." This worried the already panicked demon. Everyone knew that this was an angel's most basic nature. If he couldn't sense anything... He was close to death. Crowley reached out further to the angel, hoping to lock onto his whereabouts. The angel did the same, hoping the demon could use it to find him.
"Angel, I don't know where you are!" The demon walked forward and suddenly the angel gasped. "Aziraphale! Are you okay?"
"What did you just do!?"
"Me I didn't..."
"That was definitely your essence. I could feel it." Looking back at where he came, the demon had a thought.
"Tell me if it happens again." Slowly, the demon walked back the way he came and as he did, the angel shuttered.
"Yeah it happened again." Crowley grinned. With a wave of his hand, the barrier came crumbling down and his angel appeared before him. Of course it was his angel in Hastur's body, but as the demon looked at the ethereal plane, he could see his angel's angelic form. His smile faded though, as he saw the Angel's condition. He was pale, he had bruises dotting him. A cut seemed to form down from his temple. An arm rested firmly over his stomach and his eyes were a horrible red. Glancing at the void ball next to his angel, he waved his hand and it disappeared. Aziraphale wanted to run and jump into Crowley's arms but he knew how uncomfortable it would be for Crowley to hug the body of a fellow demon. But despite the Angel's train of thought, Crowley rushed up to him and clenched him against his body. Aziraphale whimpered as he hugged the demon back.
"I love you Crowley! I love you so much!" He knew it must've sounded weird coming from a body that wasn't his own, but the demon didn't react to that, he just held on tighter and replied.
"I love you too my angel!" The demon grabbed onto his Angel's hand, and began leading him through the walls of hell. The demon noted that the angels hand wasn't as warm in Hastur's body, but he didn't care. If his angel was stuck in this body forever, he wouldn't care. He would just spend every day grateful to still have his angel.
Finally the pair made it back to the bookshop, Crowley not daring to let go of the angel's hand. When the walked through, they could see Aziraphale's body still unconscious on the floor.
"I don't have a lot of experience with possession... But is there any way to cast him out?" Aziraphale queried.
"Yeah, generally something with holy essence will repel a demon. But if he holds on to the corporation, it'll destroy it." The Angel frowned before the demon turned to face him.
"Angel, you're not your corporation. Your Aziraphale. It doesn't matter what body you take." The Angel smiled but Crowley could see how forced it was.
"But, if you want your corporation back, I'll help you." These words corrected the smile on Aziraphale's face. Crowley didn't even need to ask to know what the angel wanted. And by this stage, it was common knowledge for both of them that crowley would do anything for Aziraphale. Crowley walked over to behind the angel's desk and picked up the bible that always remained there, before handing it to the Angel. Aziraphale quickly snatched it from the Demon's hand and placed it under his arm before inspecting the Demon's fingers.
"Didn't that hurt?" Aziraphale exclaimed, looking at the burns from the sacred text. Crowley shrugged seeming to barely notice. The Angel looked at him worriedly before moving his hands away.
"Do you want to head out before I start?"
"Nah, these'll do." The demon miracled a set of headphones from the ether. Once he put them on, the angel began to read aloud.
"In the beginning there was the word, and the word was with God..." And he watched as he read, as the demon that had once inhabited his body began to twitch and shiver and eventually fall through the universe to the hell underneath. Once he was sure the demon had left his body, he stepped towards it and guided his being back into his chosen corporation. He stood up, wobbling a little as he walked towards Crowley, who caught his elbows in his hands. Aziraphale removed the Demon's headphones and then his glasses, placing them both on the desk beside them. He then looked into the shining golden eyes before him.
"We made it out alive... I believe there's something you owe me now." Crowley smiled smally and sincerely.
"I love you Angel, with every part of my eternal being and I will love you forever. I wish there were a word that could encompass the extent of my love for you, but there just isn't anything strong enough. So all I can do is tell you that I love you." Aziraphale emanated a heavenly glow.
"My dearest, I know exactly how you feel. My love for you transcends heaven and hell and all things between. You are everything to me. I love you. Aziraphale took Crowley's hand and lightly kissed it before speaking again.
"Now let's go deal with these burns."