Chapter Text
The halls of the dreadful place were exactly how Aziraphale remembered them. Granted, it had only been about four years since he had last visited Heaven, which felt like the blink of an eye compared to the eternal existence of angels, but even so, the walls were still too bright for his liking, and he had forgotten just how stiff and proper all the other angels seemed to be. Perhaps he spent far too much time on Earth, with Crowley. Perhaps the comfort of his bookshop kept him safe from the realities of Heaven, and everything in it that ensued. Aziraphale was not required to be a real angel for quite some time, and jumping from a low-class angel on Earth to the Supreme Archangel of Heaven, it was almost unbelievable.
Aziraphale watched as the Archangel Michael walked by, staring at him with daggers in his eyes. He wore his usual taupe coloured suit, with a fancy ruff collar underneath the jacket. The sleeves under the coat frilled out at his wrists, and a long pocket square hung out of his chest pocket. His hair was almost as neat as his posture, which surpassed that of Aziraphale's.
Aziraphale never quite liked Michael, and Michael never particularly cared for Aziraphale, especially now that Aziraphale was to be the new Supreme Archangel of Heaven instead of Michael himself. Why couldn't Michael obtain the status of Supreme Archangel? He had done everything right, and never failed or swayed outside of anything but perfect, while Aziraphale on the other hand, conspired with a demon, worked against God's orders to stop Armogeddon, and hid the Archangel Gabriel from Heaven before they could fire him and wipe his memory. Aziraphale thought perhaps Michael even hated him, but then he remembered how angels don't normally hold the capacity to hate another. Except for demons. Angels were supposed to hate demons.
But Aziraphale couldn't help but find himself feeling the opposite of hate for a demon like Crowley.
Aziraphale shook his head in dread. Crowley was different. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, Crowley had a good heart, and cared deeply about the people of Earth. Aziraphale couldn't quite comprehend why such a kind-hearted demon would refuse the status of an angel, when he had all the right qualities to be one, other than obedience. Aziraphale knew Crowley struggled with obedience.
"This is your new office," the Metatron said in a slightly raspy voice.
Aziraphale admired his new and advanced headquarters. It was much nicer than the one he had before he was exiled from Heaven. The desk was made of what looked to be glass, shimmering iridescently like diamonds, and there were two smaller platforms above the main base. The entire office was empty, which gave Aziraphale a hollow feeling inside. How would Crowley have reacted to a nice office such as this? Maybe their offices would have been next to each other, so they could visit each other however many times a day as they wanted to.
It had only been a few hours, and Aziraphale couldn't help but wonder how his bookshop was doing as of then. How was Muriel taking care of it? Was it already aflame again? Maybe Crowley was right, he really can't leave his bookshop.
"Are you thinking about your old friend?"
Aziraphale tilted his head, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Old?"
The Metatron nodded. "You are no longer friends, I presume? I know what happened."
Aziraphale's hazel eyes repeatedly blinked swiftly, and he said in embarrassment, "Oh, it was just a falling out, I suppose. Crowley will change his mind soon enough."
The Metatron lifted his eyebrows and began walking away in doubt. "I wouldn't be so sure. He was a stubborn one."
Aziraphale sighed. He knew that the Metatron was right; Crowley was the most stubborn person he knew, it was just how demons were.
But what if he should have listened to Crowley? What if they should have run off together? What if he couldn't change Heaven?
No, Crowley was wrong and Aziraphale was sure of it. Perhaps the demon wasn't the only one captured by stubbornness. The truth was, Crowley was happiest as an angel, and Aziraphale knew this, especially because of their first meeting. Of course, Crowley was a bit less compliant than other angels, and asked far too many questions for The Almighty's liking, but he had the chance to be happy like that again. It angered Aziraphale when Crowley rejected his proposal; Aziraphale was doing it for him. He would change Heaven for him, and he was still determined to do so, despite Crowley's dismissal.
"For now," the Metatron interrupted Aziraphale's thoughts, "Archangel Michael will be your second in command."
Michael appeared behind the Metatron, standing in the stiff posture that he always did. He glared deeply into Aziraphale's eyes, nearly startling the new Supreme Archangel. Michael let out a small sigh, and Aziraphale could tell he very much did not want him to hold the title that the Archangel Michael so desperately wanted. And now, he was to be his second in command.
How lucky.
Aziraphale nervously forged a smile, trying so very hard to come off as eager and excited to be working with Michael. "Oh, how delightful," said Aziraphale, his eye contact breaking regularly. He could already tell this might end in disaster.
"Now," the Metatron exclaimed, "We shall have a meeting about the Second Coming."
"Right," Aziraphale stuttered. "The Second Coming."
He turned to Aziraphale and nodded. "You will not see me in person again for a very long time, Aziraphale." Aziraphale bobbed his head up and down in response as the Metatron walked away, leaving him alone with Michael. He was almost grateful that he wouldn't see him in person again for a while, considering how intimidating the older angel was.
"Are you going to join us for the meeting?" the Archangel Michael asked.
Aziraphale whipped his head around to face him, and nodded. "Yes, of course."
The illusions of all of the angels' faces nearly startled Aziraphale. It had been many years since he had been in one of these "meetings", and he had almost forgotten how large the faces seemed in front of him. He could clearly see all of the angels' features, such as their eye colour, hair colour, and other unique characteristics. The Matatron spoke first. "We are here to discuss the Second Coming."
Uriel nodded, their gold flecks on their cheeks shimmering in the light. "We are devising a plan to enforce the Second Coming without the aid of the Antichrist and the Four Horsemen."
"Yes," Aziraphale stumbled nervously, "and how are we supposed to do that?"
"Well, we can pull all three departments together," said Saraqael. "Maybe, instead of using the Antichrist, we can use Christ."
Michael shook his head. "How does that bring all departments together? That brings one up front and disregards the other two."
"We can always bring God down to Earth, like the ID demanded," Uriel suggested sarcastically, making Saraqael roll their eyes.
"Obviously, we can always bring the JD Messiah to Earth," Michael snapped back with the same amount of sarcasm as Uriel.
"No," said the Metatron. "We can incorporate all three departments without causing strife between them. No need to bring Christ, or God, or the JD Messiah to Earth."
"I'm sorry," Aziraphale interrupted, "what departments are we talking about right now?"
The Metatron sighed. "I suppose we haven't introduced you to the different departments of Heaven, considering you've been in the CD for your entire existence."
Aziraphale panned the faces that were presented in front of him. Saraqael looked concerned, while Michael and Uriel held disgusted expressions on their faces. "I'm sorry for my ignorance," Aziraphale said in frustration. He knew this would give Michael more of a reason to fight for his new position as Supreme Archangel.
Without Crowley as his second in command, he wasn't so sure he would enjoy the position anyways.
"There are three different departments of Heaven, Aziraphale," the Metatron explained patiently. "There is the Christian Department, or the CD, the Islamic Department, the ID, and the Jewish Department, JD. You have been and always will be part of the CD, but you can slowly move your way up now that you have replaced Gabriel. He oversaw all three departments, like Michael, Uriel, and Saraqael do, but for now, we'll just introduce you to the ID as the next department you'll be overseeing."
"Why not the JD?" Aziraphale questioned.
"We can introduce you to all of them, if you want," Michael said, and Aziraphale didn't notice the sarcastic tone in his voice.
"Yes, please," said Aziraphale thankfully.
The Metatron interjected. "No," he said strictly. "Michael, you have no power above Aziraphale anymore, and definitely no power above me. I decide that Aziraphale should be introduced slowly to all of the departments, and the first one he will be introduced to outside of the Christian Department is the Islamic one. I've made my decision, and you must respect that."
Michael bit his cheek, looking away from the Metatron in spite.
"There is Ifza, who will be giving you a tour of the ID, and later on, will also be giving you a tour of the JD. She works in both departments, and as the Angel of Protection in Islam. She will be your assistant as of today."
Suddenly, there was a tap on Aziraphale's left shoulder. He turned around to face an unfamiliar angel he had never seen before. She had dark tan skin, and her eyes were a bright amber colour. Her lips were small, though her bottom lip was fuller than her top, and she had flushed cheeks that complimented her black eyebrows. Her hair was covered with a white scarf, and she wore what humans called a tan coloured abaya that ended at her ankles. It had gold embroidery on the collar of the dress, and her waist was tied with a gold coloured ribbon. Her cheeks lifted with a sweet smile as she said, "My name is Ifza. It's lovely to meet you, Supreme Archangel Aziraphale." She put her hand on her heart and nodded her head.
"Please," Aziraphale said, "I'm just Aziraphale. No need for the formality."
"Oh, but there is a need for the formality," said Uriel. "Ifza is 11th class, while you are 3rd. She is required to call you by your title."
"But that's just so-" Aziraphale stopped himself. He knew that if he didn't keep his mouth shut, he would simply cause problems. Heaven didn't like when an angel spoke out, and he needn't forget that.
"It's an honour to call you by your title, Archangel Azirphale," Ifza said. Aziraphale may have had a hard time understanding sarcasm, but he could tell when someone as honest as Ifza lied through their teeth – and she was doing just that. He felt pity for her. Aziraphale knew she probably worked very hard to reach the spot she was in while the position Aziraphale was in was simply handed to him, and for Ifza to be working in two different departments must have been hard. Aziraphale didn't even know there were multiple departments until that day.
Aziraphale nodded, his face splattered with concern. "It's lovely to meet you, Ifza."
"Anyways, back to the Second Coming," Saraqael said. "Forget my idea of bringing Christ to Earth-"
"We already forgot it," interrupted Uriel, their eyes rolling.
"What if," said Michael, "we brought the JD Messiah, Christ, and God to Earth all at the same time?"
Uriel shook their head. "That's outrageous."
"We have no other options," the Metatron said. "This is the best plan. What do you think, Aziraphale?"
Suddenly, all eyes were on him. Aziraphale blinked fast and hard, trying to focus on ridding himself of the lump in his throat. "Uhh, I think," stuttered Aziraphale, "that there shouldn't, umm, be a Second Coming." His statement sounded more like a question.
"Excuse me?" Michael asked.
"Aziraphale," said the Metatron, "you aren't still fighting against the Last Day, are you?"
"I just think," Aziraphale paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, "that we should rethink this whole 'Ultimate War' thing."
The Metatron caught his face in his palm. "Aziraphale," he said strictly. "This is what has been planned since the beginning of time. The Almighty will not accept that the third Supreme Archangel has fought against Their Will."
Aziraphale gulped nervously. "Y-you're right. I apologise."
Michael rolled his eyes and shook his head. Uriel and Saraqael sighed, almost simultaneously, and the Metatron nodded, accepting Aziraphale's apology. "Thank you, Archangel Aziraphale."
"I have one request," said the blonde haired angel. "I need to go down to Earth, to gather more information on the other departments."
Ifza raised her hand, startling Aziraphale, as he had forgotten she was behind him. "I can help you with that, Supreme Archangel Aziraphale. All we need to do is travel around Heaven to explore the other departments. No need to go down to Earth."
"Well, yes. However, Earth is where the people, who follow God, are. If anyone can explain it to me the best, it's humans."
Michael nodded and turned to where the Metatron's floating head was. "I suppose Aziraphale is right. The humans would know best."
"Maybe, I can devise a plan for the Second Coming while I'm at it," added Aziraphale.
"You're right!" Ifza said with excitement. "Will I be joining you to Earth?"
"No, I don't think there's any need for tha-"
"Yes," said the Metatron. "Ifza will be accompanying you."
Aziraphale tried to hide his sigh as Ifza's face lifted with a wide smile. "I love going to Earth! I'm great at blending in– as a human, of course."
Aziraphale nodded. What he didn't want the Archangels and Ifza to know was that his plan was not to go to Earth for the purpose of beginning the Second Coming, but rather ending it. He needed to gather a team together that would willingly go against Heaven, Hell, and God Themself. And it would be a rather difficult task. But stopping Apocalypse 2.0 wasn't the only thing on his agenda. Perhaps he also wanted to check on his bookshop. Had Muriel sold any books without consulting him first? (In which he would say "no" anyways.) What about Nina and Maggie? Were they doing alright together? Were they even together at all? Maybe Crowley would be sleeping in his Bentley just about now-
Oh, but it was always about Crowley. Every thought Aziraphale had travelled back to Crowley, and the stupid decision Crowley had made. Why would Crowley kiss him, Aziraphale wondered? It was something only humans did, something someone invented– perhaps it was Jane Austin, but Aziraphale wouldn't know. Had Crowley become so attached to the human culture that he felt the need to perform anthropoid acts, such as a kiss? And why in God's name (or, maybe, Satan's name) would Crowley reject a spot in Heaven if it meant that he could safely be friends with Aziraphale without Heaven and Hell constantly hounding them for their likes for one another?
Aziraphale told Crowley that nothing lasts forever, and he was right. He was willing to give up everything he loved about Earth if it meant he could spend eternity with Crowley, safely. But Crowley didn't seem to understand that.
There was no use to being the Supreme Archangel of Heaven if Crowley couldn't be beside him. Why couldn't he see that?