Chapter Text
Joe wasn’t entirely sure as to where he was wandering currently. He knew tears were running down his face, and few people gave a second look. Perhaps they didn’t care, or perhaps everyone had dealt with this.
He looked at his sneakers, falling apart at the seems a bit. They’d be replaced soon, probably.
He looked up, for a moment. The second he was not looking at his feet, another person rammed into him.
“Oh! Sorry!” The man spoke, Joe noted the height of the man, despite not looking much older than himself.
Joe didn’t offer that a response, instead stepping aside and keeping his pace.
However, the man did not seem to appreciate this, and instead happened to jog a little to catch up with him.
“Have you been crying? Your eyes are all red!” The taller man spoke, his words too fast for the slow way he was walking. Joe did not bless this with a response, and kept walking.
He turned left, to double check that this man was in fact, going to follow him, before stopping sharply. Looking at him.
“Do you really plan on following me?” Joe spoke harshly, hoping beyond all belief that he would stop following him. One could only [MOVING SADLY] so much with a brightly-dressed Scotsman following along.
“You either have no destination, or are lost. Thats a perfect reason to follow you.” The words were smug, but not in the way Joe was all too used to hearing, in the childish pride he had lost far too soon.
“So what if I am a bit lost?” He would admit to being a bit defensive, but who would trust a man they'd just met?
“I know people! A- A group of people. They know me? You could lodge for the night.” The words ended with a laugh, like a joke Joe would get later. But now his lurking had been brought to a close, he would admit to being- a little tired.
He took another look at the man stood in front of him, floppy blond hair, black slacks, a blazer that likely had more colors than Joe could care to name. Not a single threatening thing about him, and maybe, just maybe, a small part of Joe could admit he was lonely.
–
Of all things Joe expected an eccentric Scotman (he would later learn his name, Campbell, it fit) to live in, a library was not one of them. Campbell pushed the door open, waving his hand eccentrically, inviting Joe in.
He had slowed his rambling slightly on the (admittedly short, was this planned?) walk over.
A much more library-ready man stood inside, a tan waistcoat and pants much more appropriate for the weather, if anything. Of course this comment was imminently overtaken by another man, wearing a blue blazer, fur waistcoat and a offensively fluffy scarf.
Joe suddenly felt underdressed, wearing a plain black wool sweater. His coat being simple forest green. But perhaps that was a good idea, much more comfortable.
“Campbell! Who have you bought in?” The man with the blue coat spoke, his voice higher and potentially sharing Joe’s welsh roots.
Campbell smiled before he spoke, hopping in the room to gesture more effectively
“This is Joe! He is staying the night.”
Joe felt there was a look shared between the other occupants of the room, but did not think too much into it, the eccentric folk here did not seem possible to understand.
Campbell turned back to him, after a certain amount of staring, and led him upstairs.
“This place was rebuilt in ‘21, believe it or not! Aziraphale, the guy in the tan coat, is absolutely rich!” Campbell rambled, but he was correct. The place looked as if it’d been standing 50, 100 years.
Campbell opened a door to a room that was larger than expected, it simply held two nightstands, a dresser, and a double bed.
Joe felt his heart speeding up slightly, but either Campbell could hear everything, or simply had more to say.
“Course ill be taking the couch, unless you want to. But Miles would kill me if I made a visitor take the couch without written permission.” He spoke carelessly, but somehow Joe felt that each word was carefully chosen.
“No- I’ll take the couch.” Joe felt panic rushing through his body still. No point taking the bed if he wouldn’t be sleeping tonight, he shoved his hands in his coat pockets, suddenly shivering.
“That works, I’ll show you the living room. If you see a tall red-head, that's just Crowley.”
Campbell failed to elaborate, Joe failed to notice as he was led away.
As warned, a tall red head was sat on an armchair as Campbell left Joe to his own devices.
His own device, at this time, was to sit on the couch and try to avoid thinking.
He wrung his hands, folding and unfolding the hem of his sweater. He felt eyes on him, and then a weight beside him on the couch. He kept his hands firmly planted on the hem of his sweater
“Can you breathe with me?” A voice spoke, Joe should know who- who the voice belonged to-
“Count to four, breathe in.” The voice breathed in loudly, Joe tried to follow it.
“Hold for five, out for six.” The voice kept the loud breathing until Joe managed to get his breathing more under control. His hands untwisted from his sweater.
“You alright?” The voice- Crowley- his name was Crowley- spoke.
Joe hummed, only recently noticing his knees being brought up to his face, he brought them down slowly, until he was sat cross-legged on the couch.
Crowley looked- Joe assumed, atleast, as the man had dark glasses on- at him. And it felt like he was being studied, he shrunk into himself a bit. He wondered where Campbell went, the man’s ability to speak about everything would be very helpful here.
Crowley leaned back on the sofa, Joe felt his body tense with the need to leave. He was sure Crowley was a nice person, probably, but he would much rather the eccentricity dressed people of before to someone who’d just witnessed- that.
He placed his feet on the floor and slowly walked out, he shut the door, giving himself a moment to breathe
He had just managed to catch his breath as Campbell walked up the stairs, looking slightly more annoyed then before. Joe allowed himself to vaugly wonder why before Campbell saw him and brightened back up.
“Crowley that scary?” Campbell landed opposite him, with that blinding smile, “He’s a good cook, atleast once you get over the eyes!” , Another joke Joe felt he would only get later.
“I have a radio, if that's more your jam, or you could read. Only Aziraphale reads the books, he’d probably buy any you even slightly mention liking!” Campbell waved his hands a bit as he spoke.
“Radio?” Joe spoke, but it remained far to quiet for most people to here, Campbell, of course, was not most people.
“Yes! Come- it's in my room, Aziraphale, the rich bastard, got it for me because I missed christmas!” Campbell seemed to speak even though he had little to say, and Joe apparently did not spend time with people of many words.
Joe let himself be led down the hallway once again, stopping in front of the same door, and entering the same room. Now with a more controlled heartrate, he found himself seeing the small bits of Campbell around the room.
Joe wondered how long Campbell had lived here, his earlier comment about ‘missing christmas’ was the only indicator he hadn’t lived here all his life, minus the accent, of course.
A small part of Joe wondered if he was also a foster kid, but- he wasn't a man to hope, or assume.
Campbell fell across the bed, reaching to his nightstand, where Joe now saw a radio, he whacked it a few times and it started playing some music Joe probably couldn't recognise at gunpoint.
“Sit! Join me!” Campbell sat up against the wall, still gesturing.
Joe sat, much similar to how he sat on the couch earlier, posture far too good to be natural. Of course, he underestimated how perceptive Campbell was.
“Relax, no point listening to music if you're all tense, right?” Campbell leaned forward as he spoke, Joe had the feeling he was trying to get closer to him, but he was probably looking into it.
He shuffled forward, til he was on the opposite side of the bed, also against the wall. He tried to not think about it too much.
“What music do you listen to? You strike me as a fan of the classics.” Campbell continued, despite the tense silence Joe had convinced himself was occurring.
“Not a big fan of music.” Joe hummed to himself, he knew Campbell’s type, always ready to defend themselves over what most deemed small things.
To his surprise (ie. utter bewilderment ) Campbell kept his bright smile, and made some remark about it not being everyones cup of tea. Joe, just kept looking at the man, not a single thing that he thought the man would be (rude, insane, annoying) was true. He seemed a genuinely nice man.
Joe was well aware how hard it was to find kind folk without ulterior motives nowadays. And here- from what he’d seen- there was four of them.
A part of him felt lucky, another part was screaming at him that they were lying, that the other foot would drop and he’d have to figure it out all over again.
But here he had connections, and a place to stay, if just for the night. Maybe it all could be fine here, in a place where nothing made much sense, but if Joe said he wasn’t happy here, he would be lying.