Chapter Text
It was a nice day, all the days had been nice so far.
Aziraphale stood on guard on the Eastern Gate of Eden. He held his flaming sword, staring out at the vast wasteland that was beyond the garden. He held his breath, still not fully used to his body needing to breathe in the first place.
He didn't know why he was holding his breath, or what he was waiting for, what he was supposed to be protecting the garden from. All he knew is that the Almighty wanted him here, and he listened to everything She told him to do.
While Aziraphale was standing there he felt an odd sensation in his head, like his head was trapped underneath something, buried even. It wasn't fully painful, just odd. He didn't understand if his body was meant to do that, but almost as soon as it started, it had stopped.
He stood there, trying to regain his thoughts. It now felt like he was breathing fresh air for the first time, like he went from living underground to now being out in the open. Aziraphale didn't understand what it meant, he didn't remember Her telling them about any of this.
The only thing he does remember Her saying was how each being would have a soulmate, and while their soulmate was alive they would be tied. Their souls would be connected, letting each other feel each other's pain and grief. This feeling wasn't pain or grief, so he knew that this wasn't what She meant.
Aziraphale got lost in his thoughts and after a moment he felt his hand start to hurt. For a moment he thought maybe it was his soulmate, his first feeling of his soulmate anyway, but then he realized his sword was burning his hand. He dropped the sword, shaking his hand like it would make the sensation go away. It didn't, but he didn't know what would.
Sooner than Aziraphale would have liked he was standing on the edge of the garden wall, watching as Adam and Eve walked away, holding his flaming sword. He was gently closing his hand, trying not to irritate the burn that was now there. He doubted he could ask the Almighty what would cure this burn, She doesn't have the time for stupid questions, and it's not like She was in a good mood either.
Aziraphale heard a noise and watched as out of the corner of his eye he saw a snake slide up the wall, and slowly transform into a being beside him. Aziraphale watched as they transformed into the angel that he had run into, before the beginning. He remembered how he warned the angel not to ask questions, and now here he stood as a demon.
"Well that went down like a lead balloon." The demon spoke. Aziraphale thought for a moment, he wasn't truly focusing on what he had said, just who he had been.
"I'm sorry what?" Aziraphale asked and the demon cleared his throat.
"I said, that went down like a lead balloon." The demon repeated. Aziraphale found himself nodding as he looked back out to where Adam and Eve were still retreating in the distance. He closed his hand slightly, feeling the sting of his burn.
"Oh. Yes it did, rather." Aziraphale said and he continued to put a small amount of pressure on his burn. He wasn't sure why he was, but he assumed it was because of the small guilt that settled in his stomach.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the demon close his fist sharply before letting it relax once more.
"Bit of an overreaction, if you ask me. First offense and everything. And I can’t see what’s so bad about knowing the difference between good and evil, anyway." The demon said and Aziraphale turned his gaze once more to look at him, slightly horrified that a former angel couldn't see what he was doing.
"It must be bad," Aziraphale started, before realizing he hadn't caught his name before.
"Crawley." The demon, Crawley, said, sensing Aziraphale's unknowing.
"Crawley. Otherwise you wouldn’t have tempted them into it." Aziraphale said but the demon just stared out into the distance.
"They just said, " Get up there and make some trouble." The demon shrugged and Aziraphale scoffed.
"Obviously. You’re a demon. It’s what you do." Aziraphale snapped lightly.
"Not very subtle of the Almighty, though. Fruit tree in the middle of a garden with a "Don't Touch" sign. I mean, why not put it on the top of a high mountain? Or on the moon? Makes you wonder what God's really planning." Crawley said and Aziraphale felt the guilt in his stomach grow.
He clenched his hand tighter. He didn't know how to stop this feeling, he didn't like it.
"Best not to speculate. It's all part of the Great Plan. It's not for us to understand. It's ineffable." Aziraphale said quickly, doing his best to try and keep his composure.
"The Great Plan is ineffable?" Crawley asked, eyebrows raised as he stared at the angel. Aziraphale nodded.
"Exactly. It is beyond understanding and incapable of being put into words." Aziraphale smiled, feeling a small amount of pride at his knowledge of the Great Plan.
"Didn't you have a flaming sword?" Crawley asked suddenly.
"Uh." Aziraphale said as he clenched down tightly on his hand, his burn searing with pain.
"You did, it was flaming like anything. What happened to it?" Crawley asked. Aziraphale watched as Crowley shook his hand out gently, like he was trying to get something off of it, but Aziraphale didn't see anything on his hand.
"Uh." Aziraphale repeated as he got lost in his thoughts about Crawley's hand.
"Lost it already have you?" Crawley asked, a smirk growing on his face. Aziraphale felt his face grow hot slightly.
"Gave it away." He said quickly, very embarrassed.
"You what!" Crawley asked, the smile on his face growing even wider.
"I gave it away!" Aziraphale said loudly. Part of him was scared that if he said it too loudly She might hear. He didn't want to upset Her, he had seen what happened to the other angels.
He had seen what happened to Crawley.
"There are vicious animals. It's going to be cold out there. And she's expecting already. And I said, "Here you go. Flaming sword. Don't thank me. And don't let the sun go down on you here." I do hope I didn't do the wrong thing." Aziraphale revealed, opening his hand gently to look at the overly irritated burn. He shouldn't have been closing his hand this whole time.
"Oh you're an angel, I don't think you can do the wrong thing." Crawley shrugged and Aziraphale felt some of the guilt in his stomach fade. He wanted to remind Crawley that he was once an angel too, but decided it was in poor taste. Instead he said.
"Oh, oh thank you. It's been bothering me." He revealed. Crawley did a half shrug once more.
"It's been bothering me. I've been worrying, too. What if I did the right thing with the whole "eat the apple" business? A demon can get into a lot of trouble for doing the right thing. It'd be funny if we both got it wrong, eh? If I did the good thing and you did the bad one." Crawley tried to joke, but it just made the guilt return to Aziraphale's stomach. He closed his fist tightly once more and felt the now familiar feeling of his hand hurting.
"No! It wouldn't be funny at all." Aziraphale said quickly.
"Well." Crawley murmured and they both fell silent. There was distant thunder and they soon began to feel drops of water falling down. Aziraphale stuck his wing up and over Crawley's head, and Crawley stepped closer to Aziraphale.
Aziraphale glanced over at Crawley, but Crawley didn't say anything more to him. After a while when the rain started moving elsewhere, and Adam and Eve were long gone, Crawley turned back into a snake, and slithered down the wall.
Aziraphale watched as Crowley disappeared into the garden, and out of sight. The guilt still sat in his stomach, and his hand still hurt. After a moment that feeling he felt just a bit ago, the feeling of something suffocating him like he was buried underground, returned. Aziraphale waited this time, and once again it disappeared. The feeling wasn't replaced like it was last time, Aziraphale didn't feel like he was breathing air for the first time again.
It just felt like he was breathing normally again.
He didn't understand that feeling, and he was too scared to ask the Almighty or any of the other angels. They rarely took him seriously already, he didn't need them thinking that he's a complete idiot.
All he knew is that feeling came and went as Crawley did, so he hoped that he would never have to see Crawley again.
Word count: 1500