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If you want to listen to David reading that story, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aJopVMKpBw&t=83s
It was almost 2 am and Aziraphale could still feel tossing in the bed. He tried not to pay much attention to that since he knew that Crowley wouldn't like to be caught while not being able to sleep. However, when he had been doing that for 3 hours now, the angel had to do something.
"Crowley, darling, are you sure, you're okay?" he said quietly, brushing the demon's shoulder. In response, he only got a groan. Crowley wrapped himself tighter in the duvet and buried his face in the pillow. Aziraphale sighed worryingly and tried to think about a way to help his husband.
"Would you like some cocoa?"
Groan.
"Maybe water?"
Groan.
"I could read to you, my dear," the angel suggested and grabbed a book from his night stand.
The demon only said, "No offence, angel, but you're books are not the most interesting to me."
Aziraphale smiled. "I think you'd like this one very much."
For a while, the room was filled with complete silence before Aziraphale started reading.
"The Highway Rat was a baddie. The Highway Rat was a beast. He took what he wanted and ate what he took. His life was one long feast. His teeth were sharp and yellow, his manners were rough and rude. And the Higway Rat went riding - riding - riding - riding along he highway and-"
"Stealing the travellers' food!" Crowley finished and rolled over, cuddling to the angel's side, looking up at his with happy eyes. Aziraphale smiled at him and kissed on his head.
As he was continuing to read, his hand was casually brushing the ginger hair. At some point, he snapped his finger, changing Crowley's black boxers into his fluffy pyjamas with snakes. Immediately, Aziraphael could feel the demon relaxing more.
"Give me your pastries and pudd- Yes, my dear?" the angel asked when Crowley kept pulling on his shirt.
"Spike, plwease, dada," he said with tiny voice.
"Where is it, my dear boy?" Tony blushed and pulled the duvet up to his nose as he murmured something barely understandable. "I'm afraid, I didn't hear. Can you repeat, Tony?" Aziraphale brushed the boy's nose, making him giggle a little.
"I left him downstairs," he admitted and quickly after that the angel miracled the fox in the demon's arms. He hugged him tight, nuzzling in Aziraphale's crook of his shoulder.
The angel continued reading. "For I am the-"
"Rat of the Highway, the Highway, the Highway! Yes, I am the Rat of the Highway, and whatever I want, I take!" Tony recited happily, throwing Spike in the air and catching him right after a few seconds. Aziraphale chuckled, seeing his boy in a better mood. However, his purpose now was to make Tony more sleepy instead of more awake.
"I'm glad you're enjoying the story, sweetheart, but we are going to sleep now, okay?" he said, brushing the ginger hair out of Tony's eyes.
"Uh huh," the boy nodded and closed his eyes.
Aziraphale's voice filled the room. It was comforting and soothing. The angel was slowly rubbing Tony's shoulder, keeping him close to his side.
The longer Aziraphale was reading, the closer Tony was to falling asleep. Even when he was joining the angel in the story, his voice was getting more and more sleepy. The yawns were getting more often.
"A thinner and greyer, and meeker Rat, he robs on the road no more, for he landed a job in a cake shop-"
"A cake shop." Yawn. "A cake shop." Tony put his head on Aziraphale's shoulder.
"And they say he still works in the cake shop, sweeping the cake shop floor." The angel closed the book and gently put it on his night stand. Tony was breathing slowly, cuddled to Aziraphale, finally relaxed and comfortable.
The angel moved them both more to the laying position. He kissed the demon's head with a smile.
"Goodnight, my sweet boy."
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The next day, Tony woke up in a great mood. He immediately got up and ran downstairs, holding Spike in his head. It wasn't difficult to find Aziraphale somewhere around the bookshelves so he gave him a tight good morning hug.
"Look at you, my smiley boy." Aziraphale kissed his head. "Are you feeling better, Tony?"
The boy nodded and bounced happily. "I wanna be Highway Wat, plwease!"
The angel couldn't just say no to that so with a snap of his fingers, Tony was wearing a black cape with a matching hat and sabre. Of course, a fake one so he wouldn't hurt himself accidentally. The happy demon was running around the bookshop (fortunately, it was closed), pretending to be stealing sweets and candies. Meanwhile, Aziraphale had to keep an eye on him and kept him away from the actual sweets that were hidden in one of their cupboards.
"Tony, listen," the angel stood up after half an hour. "I have to go to a store for a while. Will you be a good boy and behave when I'm away? Won't be longer than twenty minutes." The angel was a bit afraid of leaving Tony alone but he really need to go out. Fortunately, the boy nodded and got back to playing so he didn't really notice when Azipraphale left.
Being the Highway Rat was so absorbing that it made him forget about the fact that he was alone in the bookshop until he heard the bell above the door ring. He froze. Nobody should be able to enter the bookshop unless Aziraphale forgot to lock the door. Tony only peek out from behind one of the bookshelves but he couldn't see the person inside the room. He desperately wanted to be big again but the stress was too big of an obstacle.
"Mr Aziraphale?" the stranger said and Tony was pretty sure he had heard that voice before. "Oh, Mr Crowley!" the person said after noticing the demon's head. It was Madame Tracy.
Tony stood in front of her, one hand holding Spike, the other his sabre, he was biting his lip, not sure what to say. He had to behave normally. But he didn't know how to. His glasses were lying on a counter so his only protection was out of reach.
"You lookin' for da- Zira?" he asked, trying his best to make his voice sound deeper and more mature.
Madame Tracy looked at him closely but a friendly expression didn't leave her face. It was more of a curious look. "Yes, is he here?" Tony shook his head. He didn't trust his voice. "Oh, then do you know where he is right now?"
"Stowe." Tony got more and more stressed. He decided to take off his costume but was struggling which only make him feel worse, at the edge of cry which didn't go past Madame Tracy without a reaction.
"Crowley, are you alright? May I help you with anything?" she asked, taking a few steps forward, slowly, in order not to scare him more. In fact, she had met the demon only once or twice after the Non-Armageddon.
Tony jerked and hit the bookshelf with his back. "Oh, careful there, darling, we don't want you to get hurt, do we?" The boy looked up at the lady with confusion. She didn't make fun of him or try to ask many questions. She was in fact kind to him. "Maybe you'd like to tell me who are you dressed up as?"
Immediately, the boy smiled at the mention of his costume. "I'm Highway Wat!" He raised his sabre in the air, careful not to hurt Madame Tracy. The lady chuckled at the demon and watched his performance closely. "I'm a baddie and I'll steal your sweets!" he said proudly, feeling more relaxed around his new friend.
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Aziraphale was mad at himself for coming back later than he thought he would come. He hoped that nothing had happened to Tony while he was absent. He still remembered the horror movie situation and didn't want it to repeat. That's why, as soon as he entered the bookshop, he put the bags on the counter and went to look for his boy who was suspiciously nowhere near. Aziraphale felt cold sweat when he noticed Spike abandoned on the sofa.
"Tony?" the angel said but there was no response. "Anthony!" This time he heard a chuckle coming out of their bedroom. Aziraphale breathed a sigh of relief which didn't last long because there was somebody else in the room. Another voice.
The angel rushed upstairs to check on his boy and when he opened the door, he was shocked to see Tony jumping around the bed, reciting the whole story to... Madame Tracy. She was casually sitting in a chair, content to listen to the boy.
"Dada!" Tony ran to Aziraphale and gave him a big hug. The angel hugged him back and gave Madame Tracy a awkward look. He completely forgot about their meeting and now blamed himself for making the demon be in such a uncomfortable situation.
"Tony, my sweet boy, can you go downstairs? I think you left Spike down there," Aziraphale noticed and fortunately, Tony rushed down for his friend. "Madame Tracy, I am so sorry that you had to witness that, I should have planned it better, I hope Tony didn't make cause any proble-"
"But what are you talking about, Aziraphale, dear?" The lady stood up and smiled brightly at the angel. "He was the most adorable boy. Told me everything about the Highway Rat," she chuckled and so did Aziraphale. "You think I didn't know what was going on? You may think you are older, Mr angel, but I've seen many things in my life." She patted him reasuringly on the shoulder. "Let's join Cro- Tony."
Both of them went downstairs and caught Tony on trying to search through the bags.
"Muffins?" Tony looked at Aziraphale with puppy eyes.
The angel smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't get any muffins."
"No, no! Madame Twacy pwomised to make muffins with me!" He bounced happily.
"Oh, well, then, go on," Aziraphale smiled. "Just don't make a big big mess." He ruffled Tony's hair and looked at him and Madame Tracy making their way to the kitchen. He was glad that there was another person that Tony could be comfortable around.
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As expected, the muffins turned out delicious, however, the process of making them made Tony very sleepy so after eating two of them, he lied his head on Aziraphale's lap and was about to fall asleep while the angel was brushing his fluffy hair. The only sound in the bookshop was two voices - Madame Tracy's and Aziraphale's as they were talking about magic, literature and history. It was like another story for Tony.
Eventually, he didn't really fall asleep but only relaxed in the angel's lap until he felt more awake. He propped himself on his elbows, yawned and looked at Madame Tracy.
"Thank you, ma'am," he said in his casual voice and smiled, blushing a little though.
"I'm very glad you enjoyed my time with you, Crowley," she smiled back.
"Very much."