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Ace Omens 20 Days of Hugs
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Published:
2022-01-02
Updated:
2022-01-22
Words:
2,555
Chapters:
7/20
Comments:
37
Kudos:
54
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8
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660

In your arms

Summary:

A collection of hug ficlets, ranging from emotional to fluffy and funny, centered around the ineffable husbands. Most can be read as non-romantic.

Notes:

This was started back in July/Aug in the Ace Omens discord server. I managed 5 pieces and abandoned the hugs, and tbh writing altogether for a while. Life is wild! But right now it feels liek the perfect thing to get me back into the swing of things, so enjoy!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: A hug hello

Chapter Text

The air was starting to get cold. Aziraphale only realized this when he wanted to worry at his ring, an instinctive gesture performed countless times over the years, and couldn’t because his hands were shaking. He sighed. St. James might not be the best place to be at this late hour, even on an august evening. But, well, it wasn't like he could have gone back to the shop.

“It burned down, remember?”

Crowley’s words echoed softly in his head. Said with so much empathy. So much pain. And while it seemed Adam had fixed many things in this world, he just couldn’t bear to go and look for himself. The day had been rather taxing on him and if the shop wasn’t fine, he didn’t know if he could bear it. And going somewhere with humans hadn’t felt quite right either. Too alive, too much of a reminder, too distracting and what he needed were no distractions. It was time to properly think.

His brain, however, seemed like it hadn’t gotten that particular memo since he had been staring out at the water for – for he actually didn’t know how long. He felt bone-deep tired, weary and restless and the only thing he could focus on was. Was Crowley. Crowley who had had just as terrible a day as him. Crowley who had offered him a place to stay, with him. Crowley whom he’d had rejected, once again.

Aziraphale sighed and got up from the bench. He had been a fool, fool to think he could do this on his own. After all, he never truly had done the important things alone. And, if he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to, and he was too tired to lie to himself. For whose benefit.

And so, Aziraphale found himself knocking on a door in Mayfair.

And when the door opened, he stepped inside.

And when Crowley’s arms opened too, he stepped into the offered embrace, closing his eyes.

“Hello, Angel,” Crowley said and Aziraphale finally felt warm and at rest.

Chapter 2: Bear hug

Chapter Text

It was on the way to the Ritz when it happened.

They had won! They had won and Aziraphale was overjoyed, ecstatic, that they had made it, finally free and safe. And then it hit him. The realization of what it would have meant if they hadn’t made it. He hadn’t been able to allow himself any thought of the consequences of failure before, allowed himself no doubt of their plan. It had to work out. It had to. And now that it had worked out, and he finally had the space to breathe, the sudden awareness choked him.

“Angel?”

Crowley’s voice came from in front of him and Aziraphale realized he must have stopped walking. He felt slightly faint, no, sick. Sick with the weight of what could have happened if they hadn’t-

“I almost lost you,” he said, looking up at Crowley.

Crowley seemed taken aback at that. Surprised. Aziraphale realized that Crowley must have doubted. Must have been fully aware of the possible consequences. And yet still, he had followed through.

Aziraphale reached out a hand, but didn’t have the courage to do more, leaving it to hover awkwardly in the air.

“I. You.”

He wanted to say so much more, but his head was spinning. Crowley grabbed his arm, most likely to stabilize him and Aziraphale stepped forward, bringing both of his arms around the other and squeezing tightly. Clinging. Reassuring himself. Trying to reassure Crowley. Something he had failed to do too often. And to his surprise, or maybe not, Crowley reciprocated in kind, squeezing so tightly the air almost went out of Aziraphale’s lungs.

They didn’t say anything, instead simply holding onto each other, until the terrible feelings started to fade, until both of them were firmly grounded in the now again, the now that meant they had won. They were free. They were safe.

With a final squeeze, Aziraphale relaxed and let go, and smiled at Crowley. And Crowley allowed himself to smile back. And they went on to have their well-deserved celebration.

Chapter 3: Hug from behind

Chapter Text

Aziraphale was making cake. It was Sunday morning and he was making cake for the simple reason that he wanted to. He wanted to bake cake and eat cake and share cake with Crowley. He would make tea in the afternoon and they would drink it on the porch after Crowley had performed his garden routine and they would have cake. It was all going to be rather lovely.

He hummed to himself as he mixed the batter, smiling when he heard bare feet pad down the stairs.

A soft touch to his shoulder, a gesture of hello drawn with a thumb and then Crowley was plastered against his back, chin hooked over Aziraphale’s shoulder and his arms around Aziraphale’s middle.

“Good morning, angel,” Crowley said, voice still heavy from sleep and Aziraphale turned his head so he could lay a kiss at least partly onto Crowley’s lips.

“Good morning to you too. Slept well?”

Crowley hummed and yawned, chin poking into Aziraphale’s shoulder.

“You making breakfast?” he mumbled, sounding as if he was about to fall back asleep. Which had happened before.

“Afraid not, I am making a cake for later. But your coffee is over there.”

Crowley grabbed the mug Aziraphale had indicated and took a sip, but he didn’t move or let off the hug. Aziraphale smiled and shook his head fondly. Ah well. He supposed he could be a bed for a bit. After all he would never mind being the one to put Crowley at rest.

Chapter 4: Never let go hug

Chapter Text

Tracy carefully balanced the cake she was carrying in one hand, while opening the door to the bookshop with her other hand and the help of her hips.

“Mr. Aziraphale, hellooo, I’m here!” she called into the bookshop that was very unoccupied for any shop during its opening hours. She smiled, pleased. “I see my incense has done wonders to ward off the ‘evil spirits’ then?”

“Yes, really, I must thank you again for the recommendation.”

The voice came from her left, accompanied by soft footsteps and she turned with a smile.

“Oh, you brought cake! How delightful,” he said, moving towards her with an ease one would not have expected when they looked at him.

Not because he looked unfit or too old or any of those silly things, but because of the Redhead that was wound around his torso. And appeared to be sleeping.

“Oh my, and what’s this?” Tracy said, unable to contain the mirth in her voice.

Aziraphale turned his head, smiling affectionately at the sight of his constricting companion.

“Ah, well, he found that he rather likes hugging and doesn’t like having to let go. I told him he didn’t have to and he apparently took that as a challenge. It’s been three weeks and combined with your incense, I haven’t had anyone trying to buy a book!”

He beamed and Tracy shook her head, smiling.

“Shall we get the tea started then? I do have some stories to tell you.”

 

Chapter 5: A Hug goodbye

Chapter Text

They entered in silence. Crowley didn’t say anything as he wandered off into his kitchen, filled with useless, fascinating gadgets, ignoring them all in favour of two glasses and a bottle of something. Aziraphale didn’t say anything when he came back, to the sofa where Aziraphale sat. Nothing when he sat down. The sound of the pouring liquid was deafening to Crowley’s ears in the silence blanketing them, but Aziraphale showed no reaction. And when Crowley wanted to hand him a glass, he didn’t take it.

Instead, he did something that surprised Crowley. Crowley hadn’t thought there could be anything to surprise him after all that had happened, after Aziraphale being gone reappearing, Aziraphale defying heaven, Aziraphale standing with him against Satan, Aziraphale taking his hand, Aziraphale coming with him, into his home. Yet still, he hadn’t expected for soft arms to close around him and pull him into a soft, firm chest. Hadn’t expected Aziraphale to lean into him, bury his face in Crowley’s hair. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, this minor change of the pattern, but to Crowley it came as a shock. Yes, surely that swirl of emotions in his chest was shock. What else could it be?

“Angel, what-”

He gulped, swallowing down the rest of his sentence when the angel gripped him tighter, moved his hand along Crowley’s back.

Crowley sank into it, the warmth, the embrace, the comfort. He was a demon after all. He couldn’t help but want, take what had never been allowed for him. And he was also Anthony J. Crowley. He couldn’t help but hope. Reach for the impossible.

“There has always been so much uncertainty and now there is even more. Maybe it’s all ineffable and not for us to know but I wanted you to know this one thing. To have this one certainty,” Aziraphale whispered into Crowley’s hair. “And if this means goodbye, I won’t let you go into it without you knowing, without a doubt, that I love you. That you are the dearest, most important thing on this earth. And that I want to hold onto you forever.”

Aziraphale’s voice sounded broken and he was shaking in Crowley’s arms, but he was still petting along Crowley’s back, a gentle, soothing, grounding weight. All of Crowley’s words were gone, swallowed down by the snake that lived inside him, burned by the fire that did too, or maybe just drowned by the tears gathering in his eyes. He tried, he fought to get some of them to come out, coaxed, bribed, threatened, but all he got was bits and pieces, and that could never be good enough. Aziraphale deserved better than fragments. But the angel, the one who had collected antiques his entire life, piercing them together, mending, restoring, simply shushed him.

“I know.”

Chapter 6: A hug to keep you on your feet

Chapter Text

It was warm. Soft. Comfortable. Crowley was finally relaxed, not relaxed enough to sleep but enough to nod off and doze, his mind wandering to no place in particular, thoughts slowing. He enjoyed the drifting sensation after a week of his thoughts constantly running in circles, after decades of pacing.

He was jolted out of it, ironically, by a stop. Their stop. Not a stop the bus usually stopped on but a stop it stopped on this day. Crowley didn’t really want to move. Moving meant progress, meant things would happen. He’d had enough of things happening for the foreseeable future. He groaned.

“Oh dear,” said his warm soft cushion in an amused tone.

The cushion moved, which made Crowley shortly question the laws of physics and whether he was in a universe of sentient furniture, before he slowly came to a bit more and realized this was no ordinary cushion, but Aziraphale. He was laying on Aziraphale. Had been laying on Aziraphale for quite a while, in fact. There was an arm around his waist, which most likely belonged to Aziraphale too, an arm that had been holding and was now gripping, and before Crowley realized what had happened, he was standing. Standing smushed up against Aziraphale in an odd side-hug.

“Wha?” he half asked, half protested, both of which were cheerfully ignored by an Aziraphale that was now moving them off the bus. Crowley would have liked to think he contributed something, but when he felt Aziraphale turn towards him to lift him down the stairs even his imagination wasn’t enough to pretend.

He blinked himself awake forcefully and regained his footing as they watched the bus leave.

He coughed politely, taking a small step away from Aziraphale.

Aziraphale’s hold loosened. But his hand did not move away.

“You can let go now. I don’t need your support anymore.”

The angel made a soft noise. His arm stayed right where it was wound around Crowley’s hips.

“Aziraphale, really, I-”

“Well, maybe I need it,” the angel whispered, not looking at Crowley, barely audible.

“Sorry?”

“Maybe I need the support. Maybe all that’s keeping me upright is keeping you upright, and if I let go I’ll…” the angel trailed off.

Crowley was surprised. The angel had always been the one who didn’t flinch, didn’t sag, didn’t slouch… didn’t fall. He had never heard Aziraphale sounding this exhausted.

They stood there, unmoving.

And then, slowly, carefully, Crowley raised his arm, and put it around Aziraphale.

“Let’s support each other then. Come on, up to the flat.”

And they moved, an angel and a demon who had averted the apocalypse and survived it. Arm in arm. Together.

Chapter 7: A multi-purpose hug

Chapter Text

“So, what’s this for then?” Crowley asked when instead of the usual nod Aziraphale greeted him with a hug.

“Mhh,” Aziraphale hummed, not letting go. “I would say this hug serves multiple purposes.”

“Oooooh, multi-purpose? A swiss army knife hug then?”

“No, of course not. Neither of us is a swiss army knife.”

Crowley snorted.

“If you must know,” Aziraphale said, voice quieter now and close to Crowley’s ear. Very close. He could feel Aziraphale’s breath against his skin. “It mostly is because the lovely widow Bernson over there is apparently quite lonely and I haven’t found a way to let her down gently yet.”

Crowley raised an eyebrow and his arms, deciding to reciprocate the hug.

“You, unable to let someone down? You must be the most experienced person I know in denying people what they want, angel. Your entire shop is made for it.”

“Oh you – A person in love is not a customer! No, you fiend, stop chuckling, you know what I meant.”

“I know, I know,” Crowley chuckled. “Plan seems to be working by the way. Lady has shot me the dirtiest look I’ve seen since I suggested Warlock eat peas when he was three.”

“Oh, wonderful,” Aziraphale said – and did nothing else.

Crowley waited patiently. For about ten seconds until he just had to ask.

“So, what’s the others then?”

“Others?”

“The multitude of benefits you claimed. Or am I just doing this to disappoint widows?”

“No, no, of course not. The other reason is that you just got in from outside and it is rather cold today, so I thought you might appreciate some warming up. It’s quite balanced, you see? Mutually beneficial.”

Crowley hummed.

“Oh, is it? I’m sure most of your customers leaving to give the two of us some privacy is only an unplanned but welcome side effect then.”

Aziraphale chuckled.

“It might have crossed my mind, I’ll admit, but it wasn’t a main goal.”

“Oh? What’s that then? Two is not a multitude, angel, you should know.”

“Well, there is one other reason, that benefits you as well as me.”

“And that is?”

Aziraphale pulled back slightly, so he could look into Crowley’s eyes. And then he beamed.

“Because I love you, dear boy, and I wanted to be sure you felt it. And I don’t think I need any more reasons than that.”

“Nhhh,” Crowley countered eloquently and buried his face in Aziraphale’s shoulder.

He heard the soft clicking and clacking noises that told him Aziraphale had closed the door and turned the sign.

“Come on, love. Let’s move to the back, onto the sofa,” Aziraphale said.

And they went without letting go. Because they loved one another, and wanted to be close, and what other reason does anyone need.

 

Notes:

Feel free to tell me about spelling errors, grammar errors and britpick.
Comments and kudos keep me writing, so please give me anything you can :D No comment is unappreaciated! This is also blanko allowance for any kind of derivative fanwork, just like tag me and tell me about it!

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