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England, 1399
The breeze bit through Aziraphale’s tunic, and he tugged his cloak tighter around himself as he stepped outside into the lavender glow of daybreak. The light cast a soft halo to the treetops, barely enough illumination for Aziraphale to even see the little dirt path ahead.
But that was okay. After living here alone for an entire year, he knew every inch of the surroundings by heart.
He wasn’t entirely alone, though. True, there were no humans nearby—or even a demon, unfortunately—but he did have company.
Soft, peaceful clucks greeted him as he padded up to the henhouse. He glanced around to be sure there were no predators, casting out his attention for any uninvited presence. But no, there was nothing to worry about.
Unfortunately, there were still no signs of the invited presence he’d been hoping for either.
Ah well. Aziraphale opened the henhouse. “Good morning, ladies,” he said as feathery fluffballs careened past him on their way to freedom. “Did you sleep well? No nasty owls or foxes in the night?”
There never were. Aziraphale had been quite careful in his warding of this little sanctuary, very specific about what could pass and what would suddenly develop a desire to get very far away.
Done with investigating the ground for bugs and other goodies, several of the chickens wheeled around to contemplate Aziraphale’s shoes instead. They pecked at him, and he chuckled. “Excuse me, dears, I need to get your yummy snacks.”
He reached down, stroking the soft feathers, and picked up one of his favorite chickens. The little creature let out a few indignant clucks of protest, then settled down in his arms and closed her eyes.
Smiling, Aziraphale studied the way that the early morning sunlight cast a purplish iridescence to the black feathers. Much more striking in full sunlight, of course, but even the subtler effect was beautiful.
He absently smoothed and preened a few of her feathers as he inched through the flock and over to the barrel where he kept their grain. “We’ll get you some lovely breakfast, hmm? Suppose you’ll all make me work for mine, as usual, but I’ll start off with some of that yummy bread I baked yesterday, and some—”
“So, this is where you’ve been hiding out.”
Aziraphale froze at the familiar voice, then twisted around and beamed. “Crowley! You’ve found me.”
“Yup.” Crowley waved the note that Aziraphale had sent for him, one that looked markedly more battered than it had when Aziraphale wrote it. The messengers must have had difficulty locating Crowley. “Mind, it was actually pretty hard to find this place. You’re really out in the middle of— Is that a chicken?”
Aziraphale petted the bird in his arms, then glanced meaningfully at the flock all around his feet. “In fact, it’s rather a lot of chickens!”
“Uh-huh.” Crowley stepped forward, and every chicken in the vicinity squawked and fluttered away. “Nnnh. Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ‘em. It’s the whole… snake thing.”
“Not to fret, my dear. In fact, it’s rather more likely that they’re just a bit spooked because they don’t know you.” The chicken in Aziraphale’s arms was struggling a bit now, so Aziraphale set her on the ground. Then he went to Crowley, heart singing with joy. “Oh, I’m delighted you’ve made it. How have you been, my dear?”
“Eh. Y’know. Rough century.” Crowley gave a shrug that rippled through his whole body, then looked around with interest. “Terrific setup you’ve got here, although the lack of a tavern is a downside.”
“Well, fortunately for you, I make my very own mead.” Gently, Aziraphale touched Crowley’s arm. “Would you like to come inside and have a drink, or would you prefer to walk a bit first?”
“Nnnh, dunno. Whatever you want.” Crowley’s eyes softened behind the dark glasses, and he moved closer. “M’ just glad to be here. I, er… it was weird not having you around, this past year.”
The unspoken I missed you hung in the air between them. Unspoken, but understood.
“It was strange for me too,” Aziraphale said softly. He kept hold of Crowley’s arm as they set off at a slow, steady walk under the trees. “I’m sorry for just… vanishing, as it were. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Crowley’s golden eyes slid to him, still soft. “S’ all right. I could feel that you were okay, just hiding out. I woulda come looking for you if I sensed anything was wrong.”
The words wrenched through Aziraphale, stealing his breaths, and he stopped dead. He gazed up at Crowley, heart racing as the emotions flooded him. “You were keeping an eye on me?”
“Well, sorta. Metaphysically speaking.” The corner of Crowley’s mouth twitched into a smile. “I knew more or less where you were. Just didn’t wanna show up uninvited.”
“Well, you are very much invited now.” And not simply for the day, if Aziraphale had anything to say about it.
They strolled around together in silence for a while, Aziraphale carefully checking his wards to be sure they were secure. They’d been designed to allow Crowley’s entrance, of course, but ought to keep out anyone or anything else.
“Why chickens?” Crowley finally asked.
“Hmm?”
“I wasn’t sure what you were doing out here, but I wasn’t expecting to find you surrounded by chickens.” A smile crept back onto Crowley’s face. “Thought you’d just be surrounded by books. Or maybe ducks.”
“Oh, well, there are in fact some ducks over that way. There’s a pond.” Aziraphale waved vaguely in that direction. “And I do have rather a lot of books. They’re just inside the house. As for the chickens, well… they were here. I had been wandering a bit, thinking about how I’d like to spend some time away from humans.”
“Can’t blame you for that,” Crowley said, tone bleak.
“Yes, rather. Anyway, I happened across some folks out here who were interested in moving to the local village and, well…” Aziraphale shrugged. “They had chickens, and I discovered that I quite enjoy their company.”
“They suit you.” Somehow, Crowley’s expression had gone even softer. He brushed his fingers against Aziraphale’s hand, just a moment of tender contact that nonetheless made Aziraphale’s heart skip a beat. “You looked really peaceful.”
“Oh! Thank you.” Warmth crept into Aziraphale’s cheeks, and he ducked his head shyly. “It is quite a peaceful environment. I admit I am very happy to talk to someone who can respond with a more complex range of vocalizations, though.”
Crowley laughed, a beautiful clear sound that made Aziraphale feel as though everything in the world had just become immeasurably more wonderful. “Well, I’m glad I’m better company than a chicken.”
“You are. Not that I don’t adore the chickens!” Aziraphale stroked one that had just jumped up on a nearby stump. More of them had flocked over now, clustering around Crowley’s feet curiously. “But yes. I… I missed you, Crowley.”
Crowley’s eyes widened. He leaned towards Aziraphale, swallowing hard. “Angel, I… ouch!”
Another chicken pecked his leg, and Aziraphale shooed her away. “Now, be polite. There, you see, Crowley? They’ve accepted you already.”
“Terrific. As long as they don’t actually try to eat me.”
“They shouldn’t. Although they can be a bit vicious with snakes. I’ve had to rescue a few.” At the look of alarm on Crowley’s face, Aziraphale gently nudged away the next chicken eyeing the demon’s leg. “Don’t fret, my dear. I’ll protect you.”
The smile twitched back onto Crowley’s face. “Gosh, I feel safer already. Now, where were we?”
Rather longing to pull him into a hug, in Aziraphale’s case. Or perhaps, even, to verbalize some of the feelings that had been building up over the past year. Things that he’d been free to contemplate, if not express.
Aziraphale swallowed hard. “Would you like to sit down for a bit? There’s a lovely little bench over here. We could watch the chickens, and… and talk.”
Crowley nodded, fingers brushing against Aziraphale’s hand again. This time, Aziraphale caught it, held on. His heart beat faster, chest tight with anticipation.
He sank down onto the bench, trembling slightly, and Crowley squeezed his hand. “All right, angel?” he asked softly.
“Oh, yes. I’m just a bit…” Aziraphale gulped, stroking his thumb across Crowley’s skin. The chickens milled around in front of them, pecking at the ground, and watching them calmed Aziraphale’s anxiety. “As I said. I missed you, Crowley. Very much.”
“M’ here now.”
“Yes. Yes, you are.” Aziraphale snuck a glance sideways at him. Crowley was only just watching him out of the corner of his eye, offering connection without pressure. “I suppose it’s a bit selfish of me, considering I was the one who left.”
Crowley just smiled. “S’ all right. Like I said, it was weird not having you around, but I’m glad you’ve been happy here. Needed a holiday, yeah?”
“Something like that. And, well, I had rather a lot of time to think while tending to my chickens.”
Not merely to think, but to daydream. To imagine what he might say when he saw Crowley again someday.
“It’s a bit of an odd life we have, hmm?” he finally said. “All these millennia, there’s been so much uncertainty. So much changes about the world, year to year, century to century.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Crowley turned a little more towards him, lifting an eyebrow, and squeezed his hand. “Some things stay the same though, eh?”
“Yes. They very much do. As I’ve said, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about, well, us, and I…”
Aziraphale froze, clutching at Crowley’s hand. How could he say that? It was unthinkable. An angel couldn’t possibly admit—
“I know,” Crowley said softly, other hand lifting to cup Aziraphale’s cheek. “It’s okay. I love you too, Aziraphale.”
Every muscle in Aziraphale’s body went rather limp at the same time, and it was only Crowley’s grip on his hand that kept him from melting off the bench. “You… you do?”
“Yup.” Crowley offered another little smile and ran a light stroke across his hair. “You don’t have to say it back, if you’re not comfortable with it. But you can if you want. Nobody here but us and the chickens.”
Aziraphale glanced down at the flock, all happily clucking away with not a care in the world. “I suppose the chickens are rather unlikely to tattle on me to Heaven. As are you, my dear.”
He smiled at the demon beside him, and Crowley grinned in response. “Not a word to Heaven, promise.”
“Oh…” Ducking his head, Aziraphale blushed more deeply. Then he leaned closer to Crowley, so close that his lips brushed the slightly stubbled cheek, and whispered, “I love you, Crowley.”
“Love you, angel,” Crowley whispered back.
Aziraphale giggled with delight, and then very suddenly found himself hugging Crowley. He wasn’t entirely sure which of them had initiated it, but that didn’t matter now. He sank into it, arms wrapped around Crowley’s lithe body, whole body tingling with pleasure at the embrace. Oh Lord, he could happily stay right here all day. For another year, even.
And then Crowley yelped. Aziraphale let go at once, jerking back to find the cause of the trouble. “Crowley?”
“S’ all right,” Crowley said, frozen in place as he stared at the fluffy white chicken now roosting on his thigh. “The chickens are just accepting me as one of their own. I guess.”
Chuckling, Aziraphale patted the chicken. “You may pet her, my dear. They’re really quite sweet.”
Looking a bit suspicious, Crowley trailed his slender fingers across the soft feathers. She made a couple quiet trilling noises, and he grinned. “Okay. They are pretty cool. I can see why you’ve just been hanging out with them, definitely better company than people a lot of the time.”
“They are lovely. But, um…” Aziraphale swallowed hard, twisting his hands together. “I do get lonely, sometimes. I was wondering if… if you’d like to stay? Here, with me.”
Crowley’s eyes widened, and Aziraphale quickly added, “I-I know that we can’t stay forever. Jobs to do, and all that. Sooner or later, we’ll both get assignments and need to go rushing off, but for now…”
“Gosh, yeah. I’d love that.” Crowley glanced down at the chicken, hesitantly picked her up and set her down on the ground, then turned towards Aziraphale. He reached up again, touching Aziraphale’s cheek. “Er. Earlier, I thought you might like to…”
“Yes,” Aziraphale blurted.
He leaned in, trembling, and Crowley mirrored him. Their lips met, touching together almost shyly.
For a moment, Aziraphale nearly panicked. Oh Lord, what was he thinking? He had no idea what he was doing, none at all!
But then Crowley’s hands framed his face, tender, coaxing Aziraphale to relax into the kiss. Crowley seemed equally inexperienced, his own careful presses of lips as clumsy as Aziraphale’s. But sweet, so achingly sweet, and Aziraphale melted against him.
Thumbs stroked across his cheeks, Crowley tilting his head so they could kiss more deeply. Aziraphale adjusted too, although it threw off their rhythm for a moment.
Trembling, he lifted his own hand, daring to touch as their lips met and parted and met again. A trailing caress down Crowley’s cheek, their lips sliding together. Running his fingers through Crowley’s hair, both of them sinking into a deeper kiss again.
Slowly, they drew back, both stealing more quick little presses. Playful pecks, and Aziraphale couldn’t help but be reminded of the chickens pecking at something they found interesting. He chuckled, then blushed.
Crowley grew back a little more, a grin on his face. “Wot?” he asked, caressing Aziraphale’s cheek again.
Aziraphale tilted his head towards the chickens still pecking at the ground near their feet, and Crowley laughed before pulling him back into another long kiss.
This time when they drew apart, Aziraphale caught Crowley’s hand and squeezed. “Oh my. I liked that very much.”
“Me too.” Crowley gave a little tempting sway. “Y’know, if I stay here, we could do loads more of it.”
“I like that idea very much too.” Blushing again, Aziraphale gave him a shy look. “Would you like to help me search for breakfast?”
“To…” Eyebrow creeping up, Crowley gave him a baffled look. “Wot.”
“I’m afraid the chickens have a habit of laying their eggs in the oddest places.” Aziraphale could hear the telltale clucking egg song, an announcement that someone had just provided part of their breakfast. “It would be awfully easier to find them if someone helped me search.”
He pouted, and Crowley hopped up with a grin. “Absolutely. Come on, angel.”
Aziraphale rose, taking Crowley’s hand, and together they inched through the flock on their way for what would undoubtedly be a rather entertaining adventure of Crowley grumbling about the hens and their odd choices of nests. Eventually, they would need to return to their assignments. But for now, they would enjoy this peaceful sanctuary.