Chapter Text
September 2019 - 11 years old
Aziraphale really didn't mind it, not at all. It never even truly occurred to him to mind. Whether it was because he was, after all, an angel, and therefore a master of forgiveness or because he was so lovestruck with his family - well that was truly up for witnesses to decide. Warlock was obviously closer to Crowley, though it didn't mean Aziraphale lacked any of the same parental love Crowley had for Warlock. It really was simply the way things fell into place. Crowley had been "nanny" for so many years, (and "mama" for a good long while as a toddler,) that he was destined to be closer to Crowley. Of course, Warlock still loved Aziraphale fiercely, there was no mistake anyone could possibly make on that front- all it really meant was that Warlock's instinct was to cry out for Crowley in the middle of the night when the nightmares had him up screaming.
Aziraphale could have pointed out that Crowley actually did sleep while Aziraphale did not and therefore was always already awake to help, and that Crowley was simply impossible to wake up, but that fact stopped being true when Warlock had been born. Crowley, ever Crowley, used to sleep in the rocking chair in that uncomfortably office-like nursery despite Aziraphale's many years of protest. ("Now really, dear boy it is made of quite hard and unforgiving wood! Surely your own bed across the hall must be more comfortable" "Snake, angel. I fit wherever it's warm.") That whole first month Aziraphale felt no shame to admit he also hung around the nursery, with only with mild shame he'd have to admit that it was because he absolutely did not trust Crowley to wake up to something as simple as a child crying when he'd slept through the ENTIRE 19th century. He truly couldn't be blamed for having reasonable expectations.
However, to his shock and glee, Crowley shot up like, well, like someone hit lit him on fire, the instant Warlock began to cry. His "parents" had bragged to everyone about how "of course their lovely Warlock sleeps through the night already!" when truthfully it was all the nanny not letting him so much as finish the beginning of the first cry. (Crowley had stolen Mr. Dowling's watch at the next dinner party for the comment, despite Aziraphale protesting that Crowley could just miracle himself his own new watch if he wanted one. Crowley had just blinked at him in that slow slightly unnerving way and chucked the watch into the pond.)
Warlock had actually been quite a terrible sleeper. Crowley once dropped to his knees begging Aziraphale to help, he was so worried Warlock would die from not sleeping; much too afraid his own sleeping miracle would put Warlock into nightmares. ("Crowley! Oh dear boy, you should have said so before! Come on, get up, a simple miracle couldn't hurt this once.") Warlock, to his credit, was ever-consistent and still a terrible sleeper. Riddled with insomnia, sleepwalking, nightmares, and even his tonsils cutting off his airways in his sleep for a while until they had to be removed. If Aziraphale didn't know better he would simply swear that Crowley absolutely must have had relations with a human woman because the resemblance was uncanny.
Tonight seemed to be a true display of just how poor Warlock slept. It wasn't the scream that had pulled Aziraphale's attention from his book first, it was Crowley jolting out of a dead sleep from his place in Aziraphale's lap not two seconds before the scream had actually started. Crowley was off the couch and up the stairs before Aziraphale had even managed to drop his book.
The end of the world that wasn't was just shy of a month ago, and Warlock hadn't slept more than four hours in a row since. Crowley's first response to being freed from the responsibilities of hell was to kiss Aziraphale dizzy and apologize deeply for not doing it sooner- the second was dropping to his knees to hug Warlock and apologize for not telling him the truth while asking if he'd like to stay here in Tadfield, with Crowley and Aziraphale as his family.
Given that Aziraphale was currently rushing into the room where Crowley already had Warlock gathered in his lap on the bed, it's obvious what two responses Crowley had received.
Warlock's sobs were heartbreaking, worse yet when they'd already directed him back to bed once just a few hours before in another sleepwalking daze. Aziraphale sat himself across from Crowley to rub Warlock's back as soothingly as he could.
"Oh, darling boy. Warlock, it's alright, we're right here dear." Crowley had trouble making words in a normal conversation, they nearly always all but died in positions like this. It made an easy routine outline: Crowley held and rocked Warlock, and Aziraphale spoke kindly and softly until he either came back around from the panic or drifted back off.
"Was bad. Dad froze time but didn't come back." Ah, Warlock's most often nightmares were of one of the three of them not having made it back from what wasn't the end. Apparently, those were also the ones Crowley struggled with the most as well. (Aziraphale didn't sleep, but he did often find his mind wrapped around a tangle of Crowley's knees hitting the tarmac and a slew of "what would have happened if Crowley didn't come back from stopping time.")
"Darling, we're both here. Everyone is just peachy. Dad's holding you right now, how about a story?" The nod was so small it was easy to miss if you weren't used to being a parent. "Very well, do you have any in mind?" Warlock muttered something far too low for even Aziraphale's hearing to manage but Crowley produced a book and passed it over to Aziraphale.
"Oh yes, of course. Inkheart is perfect for the occasion." Aziraphale moved to the headboard next to Crowley, who in turn leaned ever so slightly to have his shoulder touching Aziraphale.
"Now let's see, Chapter One. The moon shone in the rocking horse's eye, and in the mouse's eye, too, when Tolly fetched it out from under his pillow to see. The clock went tick-tock-"
Aziraphale had noticed immediately when Warlock stopped crying finally, he'd even noticed Crowley's weight get heavier on his side- he somehow missed that both boys had completely fallen asleep until Crowley's soft snoring pulled him back out of his steady reading. He'd only been reading for about an hour, but it was always so effective. (Although Crowley would absolutely never admit that it also worked just as easily on him.) Somewhere along the book, Crowley had straightened his legs out with Warlock still safely tucked onto his chest. It didn't take a miracle for Crowley to keep his arm around Warlock's shoulders, they always slept like that.
Aziraphale managed to wiggle off of the bed and pull the blanket up around both boys without disturbing either of them. There was always a twist in Aziraphale's chest at the sight, it couldn't possibly grow old, not after everything Crowley had been through after the fall. If anyone deserved a calm, domestic life, it was his Crowley.
***
"Good morning, Warlock." There was something of a vague grumble behind him as the barely conscious preteen stumbled his way to the table- where he promptly laid his head right back down in his arms. Aziraphale slid over a cup of tea and a plate of eggs and toast before rubbing Warlock's back again. "Get any more sleep, dear?"
"Hmm, yeah. Thanks, didn't wake up again after." Oh, very much barely awake.
"Where's Crowley?"
"Still 'sleep." Somehow, he wasn't surprised. Aziraphale left Warlock to his breakfast, or at least the attempt to pick his head up long enough to eat it, and headed upstairs. Crowley had promised a trip to the park today, a promise Aziraphale was most definitely not letting go of.
As it turns out, "still asleep" was a mild version of "absolutely dead to the world in the most bizarre possible position." Crowley's hair was an absolute mess, sheets tangled around him like a snake, it was quite the puzzle trying to figure out where on Earth Warlock possibly could have been laying. Of course, the answer was probably still with his head on Crowley's chest and Crowley had just taken the absence of the child as a way to extend even further. It was truly amazing how boneless he seemed to be, even in human form.
"Crowley, darling, we have plans for the day." All he got in response was a vague grunt and Crowley rolling onto his stomach, basically halfway off the bed. "Oh, dear." Aziraphale bent down until he was right by Crowley's ear. "Crowley, if you don't get up I'm going to hand Warlock a cup of coffee and send him in here after he's had the whole thing."
"UP! I'M UP!" Crowley tried to jump into a sitting position and landed promptly on the floor. "Aziraphale, you're a bastard."
"So you've said, dear." Crowley glared at the hand Aziraphale was offering and stood using the nightstand.
"How's he doing?"
"All's fine! He's eating breakfast, well, maybe sleeping in it." Crowley snorted a laugh and kissed Aziraphale's cheek. Oh, that damn blush he couldn't seem to stop. "You look rather slept in, darling." Crowley narrowed his eyes and muttered what was probably another 'bastard' before snapping himself into fresh clothes and slightly tamed hair. Not that his hair was particularly ever tame.
Warlock was definitely asleep on the table, just like Aziraphale had guessed.
"You made me get up but he isn't even up, Angel."
"He was mostly up a few minutes ago!"
"Warlock is barely up on a normal day, so I know that isn't true." Aziraphale felt himself blush and knew that was why Crowley started grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Can I at least have coffee if you're forcing me to be conscious?" Aziraphale's sigh could probably be heard two blocks away.
"Dear, you're a demon. You could just miracle it." Aziraphale was almost sure that the little handwave he presented that sentence with was more work than simply creating a miracle, but he was also feeling rather techy.
"But angel, you do it so much better." With a heavy eye roll, Aziraphale caved and miracled Crowley a cup of coffee, and Crowley played up a moan to 'prove' it was much better than if he had done it himself.
"Can hear you guys. Gross." Warlock's unexpected comment sent Aziraphale into a fit of giggles and Crowley couldn't totally hide his laughter either.
***
"Oh Crowley, nothing lasts forever."
"Aziraphale, it doesn't have to be forever. Just now. Right now with you. Angel, give me right now."
"I'm sorry Crowley, I forgive you."
"Aziraphale-"
"Oh, you and that silly phone." What?
Crowley blinked awake to Aziraphale's warm legs across his lap on the couch in the bookshop.
"Crowley? Oh, I'm sorry dear I didn't even notice you'd nodded off. I thought you were listening to music through that… Bluetooth stuff again. Did I wake you?" Crowley smiled lazily and bent to kiss Aziraphale, who returned it with a happy hum.
"Not really, was barely asleep. Had this weird dream-" Crowley waved his hand like he was trying to wave the words away, "Kissed you and you were telling' me this whole 'nothin' lasts forever' thing goin' back to heaven. Weird." Aziraphale's brow scrunched in a way that made Crowley want to lean back in for another kiss until Aziraphale stuck his tongue out just barely through his teeth.
"Quite weird, and insulting. I mean really dear, they try to burn down the world and we spend eleven years raising a child together and that's what you think of me when you dream?" Crowley couldn't help the laugh that burst out, he knew Aziraphale was only joking of course but also not entirely. After what those feathery bastards pulled Aziraphale had gone out of his way to make it quite crystal clear to his former coworkers that he had his flaming sword back and had not a single objection to using it. It had done a good many things to Crowley, including having to hide a boner from Satan himself.
If Crowley considered bouncing around a church full of Nazis on burning feet humiliation, that had been a level of embarrassment that lacked a word in any language.
"Yes of course. 'M sorry for my subconscious and its terrible thoughts." Crowley didn't even bother trying to hide how much he was smiling.
"As you should be." Aziraphale had that twinkle in his eye again, he knew he was being cheeky. Crowley eventually pulled himself together enough to stretch his arms and check his watch.
"Warlock still isn't out of the shower?" Aziraphale shook his head without looking up from the book he'd fallen right back into. "I knew teenage boys were bad but-"
"ANTHONY CROWLEY! BITE YOUR TONGUE!" Crowley had still been howling with laughter when Warlock meandered his way down the stairs and announced he was ready to go, looking about as put together as any 11-year-old could be.
"Great, your dad might smite me if we don't get going." Crowley slid out from Aziraphale's legs and offered an arm that earned a happy hum as it was accepted. "Are we walking?"
"Oh! Yes, please! We can stop at that delightful little bakery on the way! Warlock, would you like that?"
"Yeah, of course." Warlock's American accent sometimes drove him away from stores or little stops if he was feeling particularly techy, apparently the nightmare last night had melted back into the shadows. "Think they have blueberry muffins?"
"Oh, I'm sure they do. We're expecting them too, after all." Something about watching Warlock and Aziraphale talk about pastries as they moved out the door made Crowley feel like a vice had made its way around his heart, he spent 6,000 years just hoping Aziraphale would admit they were friends. Raising a human with him wasn't a thought that existed in the universe, much less the bookshop in Soho. Crowley managed to grab his coat off the rack while keeping pace with his family, barely jogging a few steps after locking up behind them all.
"Do you think we should have packed a lunch? How long will we be out?" Warlock was a great kid, he never avoided spending time with Aziraphale and Crowley out in public or really was much of a twat at all. He and Aziraphale bonded over food easily, which left Crowley free to drink his coffee without much pestering about why only one party member at the table was eating. Humans took much easier to the idea that two out of three simply threw the majority vote even if someone wasn't hungry, which was bullshit. Aziraphale was a majority vote on his own even without Warlock's aid, where he wanted to go is where Crowley took him for 6,000 years as it was.
"Crowley, dear?"
"Huh?" Crowley was pulled out of his mildly grumpy thoughts about human assumptions with Aziraphale's hand slipping into his.
"Where did you just go?" Crowley flushed, mumbling something that probably didn't count as actual words. "Try again, perhaps." Crowley decided if the ground wanted to open up in front of him he might take a step in.
"I- well, I just- ugh. 'S thinking that people never took us as seriously when it was just me and you and they ask so many less questions with Warlock around! Which is bullshit-"
"Crowley."
"Sorry, Warlock. It is! As if I haven't taken you wherever for as long as there have been places to go. Bothers me. You counted as a majority vote before but they still asked all kinds of stupid questions." Aziraphale and Warlock exchanged a look that probably meant 'he needs coffee before he gets grumpier' as Crowley moved to open the door to the bakery for them both.
"Well, Warlock's here. Let's just enjoy the lack of questioning now." Aziraphale panted a soft kiss on Crowley's cheek before letting his hand go to step inside, that was also bullshit, he decided. Making him blush right before walking into a brightly lit bakery with only his sunglasses to hide it seemed borderline cruel. He stayed to keep the door for a woman who looked exceedingly frazzled as she entered and made his way through the tables up to the register just as Aziraphale was finishing the order.
"Add an egg muffin to that order, please." Warlock looked at him with as much shock as Aziraphale must have felt, but had mastered hiding in public by now. Crowley just smiled and handed the woman behind the counter his card. Crowley felt the tingle as Aziraphale miraculously tipped her heavily, probably her whole rent. It didn't matter to Crowley, he expected them to be disgustingly rich, so they were. Crowley gestured for Aziraphale and Warlock to find somewhere to sit while he hung around and waited for their order, the two of them could order the whole bakery when left alone, so being handed only three drinks and only two bags of food was impressive. Balancing two bags of food and three drinks, was less than impressive. Thank go- sat- someone for Warlock, who rushed right over to take a bag of food and drink from Crowley's increasingly unstable hold.
Aziraphale held the door on the way out, to Crowley's chagrin. He scowled and decided he needed extra hands or arms or, something. Aziraphale plucked his drink from Crowley's hold and smiled brightly, there was a vague thought that it may have blinded him without his sunglasses.
"Thanks, Dad." Crowley pulled his eyes away from his angel with only slight difficulty to smile at Warlock.
"Of course, dear." Crowley could have melted into the background, he could be nothing more than the watch on Aziraphale's wrist or the tie holding Warlock's hair out of his face and he'd still be just as happy. To be a part of it, to be in the moment of it. with his angel and their son on the way to the park he'd protected from being turned into a parking lot or building, just because Aziraphale liked it. He found his drink was coffee, as expected by that glance, his fourth of the morning, and found that one food bag was apparently "acceptable" breakfast sandwiches, (since Warlock had neglected his own food earlier) and one bag was sweet things. Muffins, pastries, something that had jelly in it.
"Bench?" Crowley asked over the lid of his cup, barely nodding his head in the right direction as they neared the bench and pond they'd found themselves at so many times before.
"Can we sit in the grass? Like a picnic?" Aziraphale beamed up at Crowley at Warlock's question, as if he was even capable of saying no to either of them, before taking Warlock's hand and guiding them off the path to a large tree that just so happened to have a checkered blanket lying in the grass under it. Crowley glanced at Aziraphale, who glanced back with the same look Crowley had. Neither of them had put it there.
Then again, the fourth member of the day was just around the corner.
Adam came sprinting down the walkway, almost slamming into Warlock before skidding to a clumsy stop when he noticed the hot chocolate in hand. Aziraphale took it the moment Warlock thrust it out to throw his arms around Adam, both boys laughing beautifully.
"Ah, I'm starting to see the egg muffin request play out." Aziraphale smiled up at Crowley, eyes gleaming with something Crowley would call love if he weren't so busy watching Warlock stutter out questions about Adam's arrival all the way in Soho. Crowley turned to wave as Mr. and Mrs. Young drove by on the street with a nod, he felt he was getting much better at the whole parenting thing.
"Called this morning." Crowley bent slightly to kiss Aziraphale as the boys took off towards the blanket, pulling out all the sweet things. "While you were picking out your morning book and Warlock was running up to shower."
"Oh, you silly old serpent." Aziraphale laced their free hands together again, gently pulling Crowley towards the picnic blanket as well.
"I have a reputation you know, schemes and plans and stuff." Crowley ran out of steam at the end, suddenly very aware that maybe Aziraphale had just planned for this to be a calm family activity. "I should have asked you, sorry. You might have wanted a family thing. I wasn't thinking. After last night I thought he could use it and it's not a school night and-" Aziraphale kissed him again to shut him up.
"I did want a family outing, dear. I think it's rather unfair not to include Adam in that, don't you?" Crowley bit back a smile as he nodded and helped Aziraphale down to the blanket, not that he needed help but Crowley was a gentleman. Unless you asked him to admit it, then he was insulted.
"Here, Adam." Adam snapped to look at Crowley, away from where he'd been glued on Warlock rambling about some new TV show that Aziraphale would probably spend a year purposefully calling the wrong thing. Crowley handed him his sandwich and Warlock's, not missing the way Adam unwrapped Warlock's first, before passing it on.
"Thank you."
"Of course." The boys prattled on, Adam remembered the apocon't, of course. He had questions to toss Aziraphale's way, as did Warlock. Both were still new to the supernatural thing, both trusted Aziraphale and Crowley implicitly. Warlock seemed to save most of his questions for when Adam was around, from where Crowley was lying on his back with his arms behind his head he briefly wondered if they'd agreed to that somewhere along the way. Maybe so they weren't repeating questions, it seemed the polite thing both boys would do. He felt Aziraphale's fingers find their way through his hair as the boys' voices grew distant, he might have started dozing off and missed the question about running to play and Aziraphale's permission- or the boys had bolted. Either way, the white noise of the people talking, Aziraphale's book pages turning, the birds, and the wind in the trees was making the perfect situation to drift off in. At least until-
"Dear, do you think Adam has more power left than he lets on?" Crowley hummed to acknowledge that he'd heard and was thinking it over.
"Maybe. He's certainly still weird."
"Crowley!"
"Sorry, Angel. Just meant he's got weird stuff that happens around him. The blanket could be a coincidence, but I got the idea that he was expecting me to call earlier." Aziraphale shifted a little and Crowley found his head being lifted to accommodate the folded jacket being pushed under it. He didn't bother opening his eyes.
"How do you mean?" Crowley made an unintelligent sound, like air being let out of a balloon.
"Well, he answered. Not his dad, Aardvark-"
"Okay, now you're just making up words that start with A to pretend you don't remember his name, you snake." There was both accusation and adoration in Aziraphale's voice and Crowley wasn't ever going to give up the bit.
"Angel, I would never!" His mock offense got a huff that might have been a poorly concealed laugh or a sigh. "Anyway, Adam answered and said his little proper hello's and said he missed Warlock very much. He's the one who brought it to my attention that it's a weekend, Something about the way he said it implied there was a bag already packed."
"Is that all your mystery hangs on? An implication that an 11-year-old would like to stay the night somewhere that isn't his own home? And, am I to expect Adam is spending the night?"
"First of all no, there's more! And yeah, already got movies rented for them. When he handed Aaron-" That time Aziraphale definitely sighed, Crowley was pushing it for one afternoon, "his dad, the phone, he said something to his wife about Adam being right."
"Darling, that could have been about anything." Crowley hummed his disagreement. "We should visit Anathema, she may have more information for us?"
"Guess I am tempting you, Angel. Poking around a child's privacy? Sounds like demon work." Aziraphale huffed and Crowley knew his cheeks were at least a little pink.
"You wicked, wicked thing."
"Mmm, love you too, Angel."
"I love you, Crowley." Crowley felt Aziraphale return his hand to Crowley's hair and belatedly realized Aziraphale was probably wringing them together before, genuinely worried.
"'Zira, even if Adam is ssstill the antichrist, he wouldn't hurt Warlock." Bless that hiss, the last thing he wanted Aziraphale to think was that he was offering empty platitudes just to fall asleep in peace. Even if he was already too far gone to hear Aziraphale's response a moment later.
"I know that darling, he looks at Warlock the way you look at me."
It felt like no time at all had passed when Crowley was blinking awake to the boys asking Aziraphale what time it was, trying their best to be quiet clearly but also failing miserably.
"It's noon. Are you two hungry? Your dad never did answer if we had lunch plans earlier."
"Yeah, 'cause he was thinking about humans. He knows I'm human, right?" Crowley loved having sunglasses all the time sometimes and loved that Warlock was asking just to be a little shit. It made him feel better about the shriek that came out when Crowley launched to grab him and scared the shit out of him. Adam, however, was doubled over laughing when Warlock stumbled out of Crowley's grasp with a look that could melt glass. He still managed to reach out and steady Warlock, never even catching his breath through peals of laughter. Aziraphale was also smiling, just softly enough that Crowley thought he might be the glass that would melt.
"Want lunch?"
"TO MAKE UP FOR THE ATTACK? YES!" Adam had just gotten himself under control when Warlock's outburst sent him back into another laughing fit.
"There's a darling new place that's opened not far from the shop! We can head there so it's easier to get you boys home and out of those grass-stained clothes." Warlock frowned miserably while Adam beamed up at him.
"Help me up!" Warlock stuck out an arm despite his misery and pulled Adam to his feet. "Can't you just, shoo away the stains?"
"Well, yes, but you both will grow up and move away to your own places and if you get too comfortable with us doing it for you, then you won't learn to do it yourselves." Aziraphale was so matter-of-fact, nose stuck up and all. If Crowley had anywhere left to keep falling, he'd have fallen in love again right then.
"Let's get a move on, are we leaving this blanket here?" Crowley stood, guiding Aziraphale up in a more graceful version of the yank Warlock had helped Adam with.
"We shouldn't, it should be the parks. You know, so other people can have this too." Crowley liked Adam, he'd probably have made a good demon, or, well, whatever the heaven the son of Satan counted as. Surely that had to be something above demon?
"Hey, Angel?"
"Yes, dear?"
"What the hell is Adam?" Adam didn't look offended at all, but Warlock certainly did as they began their walk back.
"Dad! You can't just say shit like that!"
"Language."
"Sorry."
"Alright, that was my bad." Warlock glared as Crowley offered an awkward little smile.
"It may help if you explain what you meant, Crowley." Aziraphale was an angel in so many ways, including saving Crowley's ass.
"Like, the different angel-level stuff. Is he like a whole new level of demon?" Adam looked increasingly interested, Warlock looked only slightly less pissed.
"I've never given it much thought. If there's only him, could he count as his whole own classification?"
"I think so," Adam added in a very unchildlike calm. "Because he could have more, right? There's nothing that stops him from like, having more babies. I think I'm just the first of whatever I am, or the first that anyone really knows about." Warlock reaching out to take Adam's hand didn't slip through Crowley's attention.
"If there's more of you, are they your siblings?" Warlock and Adam were quite good at picking up the questions on their own.
"Well, no. Not really. Not anymore. When I put everything right again, I also wasn't his son anymore. I think all the way down, I'm my dad's, my real dad's. I just think I look like me still. It would be weird if I'd made everything right but went home and looked a lot different." Warlock nodded in agreement, Crowley thought it wasn't unlike what he and Aziraphale might have talked about if they'd been children.
"Adam, if it's alright to ask, how much of that is gone?" Aziraphale was twisting his hands together nervously, Crowley wanted to reach out and take a hand to get him to stop but knew that Aziraphale wanted to know without distraction. He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep himself from reaching out, only a little grumpy about it.
"Well, I think most of it." Adam watched himself walk for a moment before letting go of Warlock's hand to walk backward facing Aziraphale, trusting Warlock to keep him from running into stuff. "I think I accidentally kept a little, sometimes things go really well for me that maybe shouldn't." He cringed a little and looked away from Aziraphale to Crowley. "I think I maybe also kind of messed up Tadfield? I was worried about it getting ruined because I grew up there so it's very important and I think I got it stuck like that. No one's come by to try to buy anyone's house to build a new coffee shop or anything. They also stopped planning this big road they wanted to put through it. I think it's like that thing in amber from that old dinosaur movie." It was Crowley's turn to cringe at the use of 'old' for something that came out in 1993.
"Jurassic park?" Warlock added helpfully and Adam jumped back the right way again.
"Yeah!" Aziraphale had stopped twisting his hands in relief and joined arms with Crowley's.
"Well, that isn't so bad dear. It's quite lucky to get to keep the place you grew up in." Adam nodded thoughtfully as Warlock spotted the diner.
"There it is!" Adam followed Warlock's line of sight and laughed.
"You already know what you want, don't you?" Warlock blushed a little but nodded at Adam.
"How about you, Angel?" Aziraphale looked incredibly intense, trying to find an answer. "How about we see the menu first?" Aziraphale nodded in relief.
Lunch went by easily, everyone laughing and pointedly avoiding the whole supernatural thing. Warlock tried to steal Crowley's coffee, Adam dropped the news that he'd be staying the night, gaining Crowley a launched hug that almost knocked over the coffee, Aziraphale had set rules about the books- of course, both boys knew them already and knew to expect the talk every time, and it was agreed that the boys could order pizza in for dinner. Warlock fought valiantly for both pizza and Chinese, Adam said they should save one for his house next time, and when offered the chance at the other later, they settled on pizza alone finally.
"I believe we have the makings of an ice cream station as well." Aziraphale's eyes gleamed with mischief, Crowley got comfortable in thinking it was because he intended to sugar up two almost-teenagers, it was worse. "I'm sure your father would be quite happy to assemble your sundaes and deliver them personally when you begin your movie," Crowley growled, accidentally scaring the server that had come to drop off a to-go container.
"Angel, what are you planning?"
"Nothing, dear!" Aziraphale's cheer meant something, Crowley was almost scared to find out what.
As it turned out, being scared was exactly the wrong thing to worry about. The grand plan of Aziraphale's was to make the kids crash as hard as possible without divine intervention and enjoy the peace and quiet of the evening. Crowley wasn't going to complain at all as he brought out two glasses of wine and settled himself on the couch next to the angel.
"Sorry I ever doubted you." Aziraphale met Crowley's ridiculous proposed cheers.
"Quite right too." Crowley barked a laugh and leaned in to kiss Aziraphale, slowly and "embarrassingly", as Warlock would have put it. Enough so that it took Aziraphale a moment to get his wits about him again. "How were they when you checked?"
"Out cold, they could sleep through the apocalypse if it rolled in again right now."
"Have you sent one of your digital letters to let the Youngs know all is well?" Crowley bit back a laugh, Aziraphale was absolutely hopeless with new technology.
"Nah, I know you like to make that call." Aziraphale blushed up to his ears, Crowley wanted him right then and there.
"I do enjoy it, but I think maybe tonight you can handle it."
"Consider it done." Crowley whipped out his phone and sent the text, the answer coming back fast, letting him know they'd probably been waiting so they could head to bed themselves.
Boys are down. Wore out from the park.
Thank you, Anthony! You are all so lovely to Adam, We're so glad you've got that place here now!
We'll be headed back tomorrow, I'm sure Ezra would be thrilled to see you. Set up a time with him when we drop Adam off, he still hasn't gotten the hang of texting.
That would be darling! We'll see you all tomorrow! Goodnight!
Goodnight.
"All done, Crowley?"
"Taken care of." Crowley would never let Aziraphale see that text thread, if he had to throw the phone in a vat of holy water so be it. It would destroy what little cool aloofness he'd managed to keep Aziraphale thinking he had, but he couldn't just be mean to Warlock's friends' parents, he'd never forgive him.
"Oh, I hope you didn't text with all those little pictures! They'll never understand what you're saying!" Crowley laughed and reached to refill Aziraphale's glass. "Oh, I appreciate you so. One more glass, don't you think?"
"Huh? Why only one? Angel, we can get drunk while watching someone else's kid. We're not human we can just-" The way Aziraphale was looking at him made it VERY clear why. "OH! Yeah, yeah one more glass." Crowley took a deep drink of his own to empty it before refilling both, if it hid the blush creeping up it was simply a bonus.