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It was a warm spring night, not stifling, but comfortable, which was perfect, especially considering the trek that they were undergoing. The bright moonlight guided their way as the stars twinkled in the cloudless inky sky, caught only in glimpses through gaps in the canopy. An owl hooted in the distance, and dry leaves rustled as tiny creatures moved about in the undergrowth and leaf litter. The animal’s weren’t bothered by them, and didn’t flee in their presence or at the sound of their footsteps, despite the pair being among the biggest creatures in the forest.
The route was a familiar one, though far less frequented now. Instead of weekly or biweekly, that particular path was only taken once per month, around the full moon as it gave the best light for them to see by, aiding their already decent night vision.
It was customary for them to stop by a particular cliff face at the edge of the marked track on their monthly journey. Sometimes they would spend a few hours on the flat rocky cut out where they’d first met many moons ago, reminiscing, stargazing, making love, and getting lost in each other. Other times merely a joke would made about a troll who jumped a human in an attempt to gain new reading material. The joke was often met with an eye roll and a sigh, followed by a fond smile and a sweet kiss, and then a swatted bottom as they got moving again.
The cliff cut out wasn’t their destination however, it was actually the Eden Forest car park that they made the effort to visit once a month. There was something important there you see, and no, it wasn’t a car, or people, it was a box. A donation box for books, to be specific, one that had been set up there on purpose, one that they had the key to.
Crowley’s head popped out from behind the thick trunk of a tree, and he tucked his lengthy auburn hair back between one of his bent, black horns and a double pointed ear as it fell into his face. The fluffy tip of his long furred tail twitched as he scanned the small, gravel car park, looking for any signs of humans that had lingered past dark. It was thankfully empty, as it usually was that late into the evening, which was exactly why they only dared to venture out into human spaces at that time.
They generally avoided humans, not wanting to endanger the precious, peaceful, fragile existence that they had carved out for themselves there, so night time was safest to visit the book box to collect that month’s donations. Some months there were only one or two, others there were ten or more, and they were all in varying conditions, and from many genres. Not everything appealed to Aziraphale, but he was always grateful for the generosity.
“Alright, it’s all clear,” Crowley whispered, not moving.
His anxiety, which rarely reared it’s ugly head anymore, always flared up when they went that close to humanity. It wasn’t that he lived in fear of being discovered, but he knew and understood better than Aziraphale the possible consequences of humans finding out about them.
“Dearest…”
“Yeah?” Crowley responded distractedly, amber gaze still on the car park.
“If it’s all clear, then perhaps you could let go of me, and allow me to fetch the books, hm?” Aziraphale inquired patiently.
“Oh. Yeah, right, ‘course. Sorry, Angel,” Crowley apologised, sheepishly removing his tail from where it was wrapped around his love’s waist, and his hand from Aziraphale’s.
Whether it was consciously or subconsciously, Crowley was always protective of his partner, even when he really didn’t need to be. It was just in his nature, he supposed, or a response to things he’d experienced earlier in life, or both, but whichever it was, the desire to keep close and protect the things he cared about most was strong within him.
“It’s quite alright, my dear,” Aziraphale smiled gently at him, blue eyes soft and understanding in the silver glow of the moon.
Sidling out from behind the tree, and Crowley, Aziraphale pulled the long chain over his head, holding the attached silver keys in his hand as he approached the donation box. Hot on his tail, Crowley followed, head turning in every direction, on constant look out for danger as if he were Aziraphale’s bodyguard. A bat chirped as it flew from one tree to another at the side of the car park, causing Crowley to flinch and glance up – he was still a bit jumpy. It also made him notice something else though, something that he hadn’t previously, and it had him squinting across the car park, brain attempting to figure out what he was seeing in the shadows of the trees.
“Oh!” Aziraphale cried as he unlocked and opened the metal door of the box, kneeling on the ground, “There’s five, and…oh, yes…they’re a series! How exciting,” he exclaimed, holding them up triumphantly. “I know that I say this every time, but it really was so lovely of you to have this box installed for me. You are a most wonderful mate,” he went on, nuzzling into Crowley’s hand, and rubbing their tails together.
Crowley heard him of course, but was too fixated on the blinking red dot and the rectangle box that he spied in the distance to realise that he should respond.
“Crowley?” Aziraphale’s voice had gone from soft with love to soft with concern as he stashed the books in his tartan book bag.
Suddenly Crowley’s brain caught up and could make sense of what he was seeing, and it was not good, “Fuck!” he hollered, whirling around and grabbing Aziraphale’s wrist, “We have to go,” he insisted sternly, yanking Aziraphale to his feet.
“What? Why? Crowley, what’s wrong?” Aziraphale asked fretfully as he trotted after Crowley back into the cover of the trees.
Once they were safely under the canopy again, Crowley paced, tail lashing about, “Fuck, fuck, shit, fuck,” he murmured, his chest tight with anxiety.
Aziraphale stood to the side and watched him with a frown, “Crowley, dear, talk to me.”
“I-the-hnn…” Crowley tried.
“Breathe,” Aziraphale reminded him.
Taking a deep breath, and then another, he felt his chest loosen a fraction, and his heart rate slow just a little. Something, Aziraphale’s tail, lightly brushed against his own, calming it too, and finally he stopped and looked at his love, stared into those beautiful blue eyes and tried not to imagine anything bad happening to him.
“There’s a security camera in the car park,” he blurted out, panic rising again once he’d said it.
Aziraphale blinked at him, making a face like he was trying to understand but couldn’t.
“Um, right, so remember how my phone could take pictures and videos?” Aziraphale nodded and Crowley continued, “Yep, so, bigger version of that, constantly recording the area, and there is a human on the other end watching it…and we just got caught by the camera. We’ve been seen, Aziraphale!” he stressed, returning to pacing.
Aziraphale glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the car park, and then back to Crowley, a thoughtful frown tugging at his lips. Why wasn’t he panicking?
“Crowley, please try to calm down. I understand the concern, but…well, I have been seen by humans more than a handful of times in my life, and no trouble has ever come of it…” he informed Crowley calmly, even smiled bashfully as he said, “in fact it turned out rather well for me.”
“But…what if…?” Crowley started, sagging against a nearby tree, his world falling apart as he begun to spiral.
A familiar feeling ran through him as his skin pressed against the rough bark, in the form of an energising, but calming hum, while soothing whispers filled his ears, After a minute or so a lot of the thoughts of being hunted or captured had dulled down, and he could focus a little better. Only then was he able to accept the truth of Aziraphale’s words, and they were true, because as far as either of them knew, Aziraphale had been left alone for well over two hundred years, and it wasn’t like he’d never met any other humans. Idly Crowley wondered why no humans had ever reported a creature in the forest before…maybe he just hadn’t ever scrolled far enough in his information search of Eden Forest to see that sort of thing.
“Okay, you have a point, maybe I’m overreacting a little,” Crowley acquiesced, feeling his anxiety settle in his stomach like a stone, “but we can’t come back here until I’ve figured out what to do about it, and we should stay away from the human tracks for a while. I don’t want to take any chances.”
“Alright, my dear, we’ll do that, but I’m sure that everything will be fine,” Aziraphale agreed and assured him, stepping forward to take his clawed hands in his own, and tangling their tails together.
“I hope that you’re right,” Crowley sighed, pulling his love in close, and pressing a kiss to Aziraphale’s forehead, not entirely convinced, but placated enough for the moment.
XXX
A week later, and while Aziraphale seemed unfazed and carefree as usual, Crowley still had that sense of dread and worry sitting in the pit of his stomach. Nothing had happened so far, and they’d stayed closer to the cabin, but Crowley also couldn’t know if anything was going on with the humans, if they were assembling, or setting traps. Maybe he’d seen too many movies when he was human, but he had a looming sense of unease, despite what Aziraphale and the forest seemed to think. The forest couldn’t protect them against technology though…as far as he knew anyway.
They were out foraging, well, mostly it was Aziraphale that was doing the foraging, Crowley was aimlessly kicking at stones, and picking at grass and clovers, lost in his thoughts again, for the umpteenth time since he’d seen the security camera. Aziraphale was being endlessly patient with him, which Crowley appreciated greatly, he hadn’t had such a bad time mentally since he’d moved to Eden Forest a couple of years ago. He was merely worried about them, and kept waiting in suspense for something to happen, and it was eating at him, gnawing away at the peace he had found.
Thankfully his communication skills had gotten a little better with Aziraphale’s help and encouragement, so even though he was broody and moody, he’d also talked through most of what was going on in his head with the love of his life. He’d opened up to Aziraphale during their time together like he hadn’t done in years, since…since Beez – the human, not the orchid – had passed. It had been good for Crowley, and solidifying for them, to put that much trust in someone again.
“Darling?”
Aziraphale touched his shoulder, and Crowley jumped minutely.
“Huh, wha-sorry, were you saying something?” Crowley asked, turning to face him, having been zoned out.
“No, dear,” Aziraphale touched his cheek gently, and Crowley leaned into the touch, consciously taking some breaths, Aziraphale’s calming scent filling his nose, “but I wondered if there was anything that you would like to do today. Help to give your mind a break. Perhaps we could sit in the sun, and I could play with your hair, I could even braid it with some flowers, let you relax and have a nap, you must be tired.”
It was true, he was tired. Sleep hadn’t been coming easily to him that past week, too anxious, too afraid that something would happen while they were asleep. Even when he did finally get some shut eye, he had nightmares that only fed his fears, his brain not giving him any chance to rest properly.
“Yeah, okay,” Crowley agreed quietly while nodding, “that sounds nice.”
“Come along then…” Aziraphale took his hand firmly, brushing their tails together.
Crowley didn’t move though, “Aziraphale,” he started.
“No, I won’t hear another apology,” Aziraphale stopped him before he could utter another word, “I understand, and I accept you, and love you as you are. You need time, and you have it, you will see eventually that we are quite safe.”
“…Ngh.”
It was truly something to be so known, and so loved. Resting his forehead on Aziraphale’s shoulder, and twisting his darker furred tail around the paler one, Crowley sighed deeply, feeling assured that at least he was safe with Aziraphale.
“Good boy,” Aziraphale soothed, claws tangling in Crowley’s long hair.
“Ngk.”
“Perhaps you would benefit from being taken out of your mind in a different way later…?” Aziraphale suggested, clearly picking up on how Crowley responded to the praise, “Have a nice, lengthy session with some of your toys…hm?”
Crowley’s breath hitched as he let out the tiniest of whines, claws making little indents in the flesh of Aziraphale’s biceps.
“Is that a yes?”
“Mhm, yeah,” Crowley answered, raising his head, not meeting Aziraphale’s eyes, but staying close, “yes, please, Angel.”
“Alright, but a nap first, my darling,” Aziraphale decreed, urging him to get moving, hands still tethering them together.
“Okay,” Crowley agreed, allowing himself to be set in motion, then added, “I love you too.”
While they walked, Crowley mused to himself about how well Aziraphale knew him, knew what he needed to hear, what his flaws were, what he needed to be able to get out of his head. It was terrifying in the beginning, just like it had been to admit that he’d fallen in love, but Aziraphale made it a lot easier than Crowley had ever thought possible, both to allow himself to be known, and to fall in love.
He was still in his head, but at least for the time being he was thinking about something other than the possibility of them being ripped from their home. It was an improvement and a nice reprieve to say to the least. Though it meant that he wasn’t taking note of where they were going, he was just following Aziraphale between the tree trunks, and around roots and burrows.
Suddenly Aziraphale stopped dead, his hand squeezing Crowley’s, a gasp leaving his mouth. When Crowley looked up, the first thing he noticed was that they were at the edge of the large wildflower clearing that they frequented, the second thing was that there was a human woman standing in the clearing.
Crowley’s fight or flight response kicked in immediately, except it was more like fight and flight because he wanted to do both at the same time. All the hair on his body raised, making the fur along his spine mohawk, his ears tilted right back, and his tail went out straight as he dropped to all fours, teeth bared, a low growl rumbling in his throat.
“Crowley, stop, just wait,” Aziraphale commanded, putting a firm hand on his shoulder, “let’s just observe her before we do anything rash.”
Crowley nearly bit his head off – figuratively, not literally – for stopping him from scaring her off, but he realised as he opened his mouth that Aziraphale was right, and he was wrong. It wouldn’t do them any good for him to go rushing in there like a wild animal defending it’s territory. Taking a deep breath, he nodded, and relaxed his body enough to allow himself to get out of his rigid pose and on two feet again, his tail swishing anxiously behind him.
Aziraphale, on the other hand, seemed mostly calm and collected. He was wringing his hands lightly like he did when he was nervous, but he also appeared to be quite intrigued, blue eyes trained on the woman, his tail sweeping back and forth across the leaf litter far less agitatedly than Crowley’s.
Thankfully they hadn’t entered the clearing yet, and were still mostly hidden by the tightly packed, thick tree trunks and overgrown bushes. The woman didn’t appear to know that they were there, even as she glanced around the clearing, continuously putting her head back down, and pushing up her glasses, to scribble in the notebook that she had open in her hands.
“She’s definitely not the forest nymph?” Aziraphale confirmed after a few minutes of watching her.
“Nah, she’s a human for sure,” Crowley told him, amber eyes fixated on the woman.
“Hmm,” Aziraphale hummed thoughtfully as they watched her carefully take a few steps to the side, mindful of the insect life fluttering and buzzing around the flowers, “I don’t particularly get the feeling that she is here to harm us. Look at how she is trying not to disturb her surroundings, perhaps she is doing studies and this is her chosen field.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Crowley said, unconvinced.
“I have an idea, stay put, I’ll be back in two shakes of a deer’s tail,” Aziraphale announced, already stepping back into the thicket.
“Wait, where are you going?” Crowley questioned, whirling around, panic rising in him at the thought of them being separated at such a time.
“To confer with the trees, I promise I won’t be long,” Aziraphale assured him with a smile.
“Like hell you’re going anywhere without me when there’s a human here,” Crowley argued, glancing between said human and Aziraphale.
“I thought that you’d want to keep an eye on her…”
“What if there are more of them?”
Aziraphale sighed in a way that said that his patience was waning, “Crowley, my love, as much as I adore you for wanting to protect me, I can take care of myself in the face of danger. Now keep an eye on our guest, don’t do anything rash, and I shall return before you know it.”
“Fine…” Crowley finally conceded grumpily, “but please be careful, Angel.”
Aziraphale blew him a kiss, “Always,” and with that he was gone between shades of brown, his scent fading just as quickly as Crowley’s stomach tied itself into anxious knots.
Turning his attention back to the woman in the clearing, he noticed that she had traded her notebook for a tablet, and appeared to be sketching something with a stylus. Briefly he wondered if Aziraphale was correct, and she was simply there to study the flowers or the butterflies, it was plausible, he reasoned as he watched her work.
She was a little younger than Crowley, late twenties maybe early thirties, he reckoned as she looked up and glanced about, eyes scanning the tree line. Feeling fairly confident that she couldn’t see him, Crowley stayed where he was peering out from behind some blackberry brambles, tail twitching about, double peaked ears pricked for any movement around him. Tucking her long dark brunette hair behind her ear, the woman made a thoughtful face as she stared at her tablet, and then back up at the trees.
Not taking his amber eyes off of her, Crowley watched as she turned and went to sit upon the tree stump that they usually rested against, she still appeared thoughtful as she replaced her tablet and stylus in her satchel, and took out a sandwich and a piece of fruit - a tangerine? – and begun to eat, gaze wandering.
To Crowley’s great relief, Aziraphale returned just as she had finished washing down her sandwich with a drink, and had begun peeling her tangerine. He was in high spirits, which Crowley hoped meant that he had good news, and that they were safe, at least for the time being.
Before Aziraphale could speak though, Crowley drew his love into a tight hug, and buried his face into Aziraphale’s neck, inhaling his sweet, earthy scent. The knots loosened in his stomach with the assurance that nothing had happened to Aziraphale while he was gone.
“I’m quite alright, dear,” Aziraphale reassured him, as he stroked his long auburn hair, and down his back, “and you’ll be pleased to know that we are safe.”
“That so?” Crowley took a half step back so that he could look at Aziraphale while he spoke.
“Indeed, I have been informed that she has a kind, caring, and inquisitive soul, though there is something a little different about her, almost like there is a touch of magic within her. Most curious…” there was a glint in his eye as he relayed his findings, one that Crowley was familiar with.
“No.”
“No, what?”
“You want to go talk to her,” Crowley stated.
“Er, I-um, well…” Aziraphale spluttered before pulling a sentence together, “what if she can tell us if we’re in any danger? Darling, you’ve been so tense for days, I want to be able to put your mind at ease.”
“I don’t like it, Angel,” Crowley told him, eyes shifting back to the woman finishing off her tangerine.
She looked harmless enough, but what if she was terrified by them and ran to the authorities? Or even worse; what if the forest was entirely wrong about her…
“I know you don’t, and you know I don’t make a habit of talking to humans, but I have a feeling about this...just trust me, please?” Aziraphale gave him the biggest blue puppy dog eyes he was capable of, which they both knew that Crowley was utterly susceptible to.
Crowley made a bunch of faces, trying to resist the pleading look his love was giving him, it was a standoff that they both knew Aziraphale was going to win, no matter Crowley’s reservations. Ultimately Crowley couldn’t stop him from doing anything regardless, but it was always better if they were at least somewhat on the same page.
“Nghh, fine,” Crowley caved, “but I still think that it’s a bad idea.”
“I understand, but I am confident things will turn out alright, and if not, you can say ‘I told you so’, and I’ll even do a little apology dance,” Aziraphale offered light heartedly.
“Mhm,” Crowley nodded, still not happy with the situation, but accepting that Aziraphale had made his decision.
“Right, are you going to come with me, or stay here?” he asked, and Crowley was surprised by the offer.
He would have preferred to stay out of sight, but there was no way he was letting Aziraphale go out there alone, “’M coming.”
“Alright, but don’t growl at her,” Aziraphale requested as he cupped Crowley’s jaw.
“Do my best, Angel.”
“Good boy,” he murmured as he leaned in.
Crowley’s little, “Ngk,” barely escaped his mouth before it was claimed by Aziraphale’s in a sweet and tender, reassuring kiss.
It was over too fast, and Aziraphale pulled away with a little smile, gently detaching Crowley’s fingers and claws from his fur, then he turned and started past the brambles, between the trees and into the open. Crowley trailed closely behind him, glancing around, and sniffing the air just to be sure that there were no other humans about as they approached the one still sitting on the tree stump.
The young woman, who now had her notebook back in her hands glanced up at the sound of their footsteps, a look of surprise on her face, accompanied by a distinct lack of fear.
“Oh…hello there,” she greeted them in the same way that you would greet an unfamiliar cat in your driveway.
“Salutations, my dear,” Aziraphale returned once they were close enough to speak at a regular volume, Crowley standing just a touch behind him, “it is clear that you aren’t lost, so might I inquire as to what you are doing so far off the marked tracks?”
She seemed surprised for a second time, perhaps that Aziraphale had spoken such good English, just like Crowley had been when they’d first met.
“Ah, well, um, you see, I’m actually here for the two of you,” she indicted to both of the trolls with her pen.
The red flags instantly went up in Crowley’s mind, and he stepped in front of Aziraphale, wrapping his tail protectively around his love, and baring his teeth, he didn’t growl though.
Putting up her hands, thighs cradling her notebook, the woman hurried to clarify, “Oh, no, no, I apologise, that’s not how I meant it, that was poor phrasing on my part, I’m just not used to my subjects approaching me so openly.”
“Crowley…” Aziraphale said gently.
Crowley knew what it meant, so he tentatively relinquished his hold, smoothed out his features, and stepped to the side, that time staying in line with Aziraphale, but still eyeing the human.
“Quite alright, dear, things have just been a bit tense recently,” Aziraphale supplied with a side glance to Crowley, “please enlighten us as to what you did mean.”
“Perhaps it would be best to start by introducing myself,” she said, putting away her notebook, and standing up, smoothing out her outfit as she did so. “My name is Anathema Device, and I come from a long line of humans dating back centuries, whose duty and dedication is to protecting ‘mythical’ creatures such as yourselves.”
“Huh, hang on, are you saying that all mythical creatures exist?” Crowley blurted out before he could help himself, curiosity getting the better of him.
“Yes, or at least they have done at some point in history, unfortunately we lost unicorns very early on. But that’s why it’s my family’s job to protect you all, and it’s especially important now with the way human civilisation has grown, and continues to grow,” Anathema answered with more confidence now that she seemed to be past the shock.
“That is very commendable of you and your family,” Aziraphale smiled warmly, “you mentioned that you were here for us though, how did you know that we were here?”
“Earlier this week I was in another part of the world checking on a wyvern who has just laid a clutch of eggs, and I got notified of an interesting video captured by a car park security camera, starring two trolls,” she answered, glancing from one troll to the other.
“Fuck, I knew it, I told you!” Crowley cried, throwing his hands up, tail thumping the ground agitatedly.
“Crowley, please, why don’t you allow Miss Device to explain the situation more thoroughly before you get yourself worked up into a right state,” Aziraphale suggested with a firm grip to his arm, “take a breath, my dear.”
Crowley didn’t want to take a breath, he wanted to scream, but he did as Aziraphale asked. He took one breath, and then another for good measure, “Yeah, right, sorry,” he murmured sheepishly once he’d calmed down a little.
Aziraphale patted his arm soothingly before sliding his hand down to tangle their fingers together, and then turned his attention back to Anathema, “Our apologies, he has been quite distressed over this whole video ordeal.”
“I understand,” she told Aziraphale kindly, “but, uh…Crowley, is it?”
“Oh, goodness, where are my manners?! Yes, sorry, this is Crowley, my mate, and I am Aziraphale.”
Secretly, Crowley loved it when Aziraphale referred to him as his ‘mate’, it made his stomach flop in the best way.
Anathema smiled, “Aziraphale, you have better manners than most humans, the few trolls that I’ve ever gotten a chance to meet were quite standoffish, they tolerated my being there once I explained myself, but they made it clear that they weren’t happy about a human wandering around in their territory, which I understood,” she recounted, “just like I understand Crowley’s concerns and immediate suspicion of me, I’m not offended, I’m in your territory without permission, but that’s my job, if I can’t get close enough, I can’t do my job properly.”
“Oh, well, thank you, I-”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Crowley interrupted, not sorry at all, “but can you two leave the pleasantries and getting to know each other until after we know whether humans are coming to hunt us down or not…”
He had been on edge for so long, and there was only so much that he could take, he needed more information, and Anathema seemed to have it.
“Of course, but you can stop worrying, I’ve taken care of it,” she avowed confidently, “I had the video declared fake, and then stopped from circulating, so you have my assurance that no humans are going to come hunting for you two. Just don’t go wandering around the car park again,” Anathema advised with a light chuckle, “what exactly were you doing there anyway? The picture was a bit too dark and grainy to make out what you were doing, breaking into a box or something?”
“We weren’t breaking into anything, that box is Aziraphale’s,” Crowley protested, and then grumbled, “and that camera never used to be there, must’ve been installed within the month,” Aziraphale gave him a look that meant he was being rude, and Crowley backpedalled a bit, “but, um, what I meant to say was thank you for taking care of the video, it’s relieving to know its gone…and also, can you do anything about the security camera?”
Aziraphale rolled his eyes, “Honestly, darling, anyone would think that you had never had a conversation before. You could be nicer to Miss Device, surely this isn’t how humans speak to each other nowadays…”
Crowley opened his mouth to speak, but Anathema looked pointedly at him and beat him to it “How long has it been since you turned?”
Aziraphale’s eyebrows raised, and Crowley’s jaw dropped open.
“I’m guessing only a few years based on your knowledge of technology,” she estimated, then shifted her gaze to Aziraphale, “I assume you’re older, the way you speak, and your word choices make me think at least two hundred.”
“Gosh, you’re good,” Aziraphale gasped, then leant in closer, “is that your magic ability, to predict ages?”
“No, actually I learned that the hard way, my skill is that I can see and sense auras,” Anathema explained casually as if she were reciting the weather, “it’s how I found you so easily.”
“Yeah, she’s good, but a little off,” Crowley commented, “he’s a lot closer to three hundred,” he corrected, he’d get back to seeing auras and how she knew they’d been ‘turned’ later. Running a hand through his hair, he circled back around to his earlier question, “So, look, about the security camera, can you get them to take it down, or tilt it away from the box, or even just turn it off on a full moon…uh, please?” he added the please so that Aziraphale wouldn’t grouse on him again.
“I can’t always be right on the money, I suppose,” she shrugged, then asked, “why is the box so important?”
Crowley looked at Aziraphale, who gestured to him to explain it to her with a reassuring smile. Aziraphale clearly trusted her, Crowley was trying, but it was a well known fact that he had trust issues, and wasn’t good at communication. That was probably why Aziraphale was making him do it, he realised.
“Okay,” he murmured, taking a breath to gather his thoughts, “yeah, so, er…Aziraphale likes to read…books, right? So before I…moved in with him, I set him up with a book donation box in the car park as a way to continue giving him new books,” Crowley explained, before squeezing Aziraphale’s hand, “couldn’t have him going around jumping unsuspecting humans for books.”
A slight rose tinted Aziraphale’s cheeks, and he smiled lovingly at Crowley before stage whispering to Anathema, “That’s how we met…and he’s never going to let me forget it.”
“No, I’m not,” Crowley smirked smugly, feeling a little more comfortable, “and, yeah, we go every full moon to collect the books, that’s how I know the camera is new, ‘cause it wasn’t there last full moon.”
Anathema nodded her understanding, flashing a grin to Aziraphale at his little titbit, “I see, well you are right about it being new, there was some vandalism in the car park last month, so they decided to install a security camera for everyone’s safety. I’ll see what I can do about it, perhaps the easiest thing to do would be to move the box out of the camera’s range.”
“You’ve already done so much, whatever you can do will be greatly appreciated,” Aziraphale assured her earnestly.
“Yeah,” Crowley agreed, “how will we know that its safe to collect the books though?”
“There’s a few weeks before the next full moon, I’ll have it sorted out by then, if for some reason it’s not sorted, then I’ll be sure to leave a sign for you.”
“Thank you,” Aziraphale nodded, “now that we know that we aren’t in any danger, shall we sit and chat for a bit?” he raised his eyebrows at Crowley, a silent question, to which Crowley shrugged to show that he didn’t mind if his love wanted to hang around longer, the human seemed to be kind and sincere, possibly even trustworthy.
“Really?” she seemed excited by the prospect, “Oh, that would be wonderful…would you mind if I asked you both some questions, and recorded your answers?” Anathema inquired, already sitting back on the tree stump and returning her notebook and pen to her hands, “There is only so much that I can learn by observing from afar, especially when I’m trying to pretend that I don’t know I’m being watched from behind blackberry bushes,” she teased.
Crowley nudged Aziraphale gently, “Turns out that we were the field of study, eh, Angel.”
“It would appear so, my dear,” Aziraphale chuckled back, then answered Anathema, “Yes, of course, ask away.”
“As long as we get to ask you some questions in return,” Crowley piped up, remembering some previous parts of their conversation that he’d wanted to circle back to.
“Whatever you like, Crowley,” she assured him, then suggested, “we could take turns if you want…”
The two trolls sat down among the wildflowers and clovers, Aziraphale’s back nestled into Crowley’s chest, long arms draped over his shoulders, Crowley’s head hovering next to his love’s, their tails twined together beside them as Anathema asked her first question.
The sun followed its path through the sky from one side of the clearing to the other as they talked, learning about one another, hearing stories of Anathema’s adventures, and dealings with other trolls in different parts of the world. They told her about their lives, about the forest, their cabin, Crowley was even gently coaxed into giving her the details of his transformation. She’d been quite excited to hear about it, claiming that most of the trolls she’d spoken to either had forgotten or refused to speak to her about it. As Crowley spoke, she scribbled away in another notebook, asking questions here and there to further her knowledge.
“Speaking of other trolls…” Crowley started, and then drew a hand up to touch one of his bent horns, “have you met any others with horns?” he asked, having been curious about them ever since they’d first peaked through his forehead.
“Yes, of course, though there are far fewer trolls sporting them than without,” Anathema answered easily.
“Do you know why?” Crowley queried, hopeful.
Aziraphale’s tail calmly stroked at his own just above where they were intertwined behind their bodies.
“Well, none of the trolls I’ve spoken to seem to know, but my family has had a theory about it for some time now, one which I agree with and am happy to share if you are open to hearing about it?” Anathema offered, pushing up her glasses with a finger.
“Yeah, sure,” Crowley nodded, intrigued regardless of whether it was the truth or not.
“Are you familiar with hierarchies among animal species? For example like a wolf pack…”
“Yes.”
“Are you also aware that some species have different markings depending on that hierarchy?”
“Uhhh…I think I missed that documentary,” Crowley told her, feeling like he was on the cusp of grasping what she was talking about, “are you saying that trolls have a hierarchy too?”
“In a way, yes, I believe that things such as horns, and the tail curls even might signify that. I’ve only ever seen trolls without horns that have curled tails like Aziraphale, and straight tailed trolls, like yourself with horns,” she explained, looking between the pair.
“That is very clever, my dear,” Aziraphale praised, “and have you by chance figured out which markings belong where in the pecking order?”
That would’ve been Crowley’s next question if Aziraphale hadn’t beaten him to it.
“Well, based on my observations, and general rule of thumb in the animal kingdom, I’m inclined to believe that horned trolls are the dominant ones of the species, the alphas, I suppose you could say,” Anathema shared, gesturing to Crowley as she spoke.
Crowley glanced at Aziraphale, a smug grin already plastered on his face when his love tilted his head to return the gaze.
With a roll of his eyes Aziraphale sighed exaggeratedly, “Oh goodness, I shouldn’t have asked, its already gone to his head,” he tutted.
“Oi,” Crowley bumped his love’s shoulder playfully.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Aziraphale challenged fondly.
“Alright, maybe it’s a nice ego boost,” Crowley admitted, shrugging.
“Mhm,” Aziraphale’s lips tilted up in a barely held in smile, then he returned his attention to their guest, “since he’s already got his head in the clouds, what do you theorise for those of us with single or double curls in our tails?”
Anathema put her hand to her chin, “That is harder to determine, and my ancestors couldn’t agree either, especially with how difficult it is to observe you lot, however I personally think that double curls are next in the chain and then single curls.”
“Hmm…” Crowley hummed, considering their encounters with Maggie, who had a single curled tail.
“You disagree, darling?” Aziraphale inquired.
“I’m not sure, you’re probably a better judge than I am, you know Maggie better than I do,” Crowley told him.
Whenever they met up with their other troll friend, Crowley usually only hung around for a little while before doing his own thing while Aziraphale and Maggie caught up. He preferred it that way, now that he had settled his little jealously thing, he’d never really sought out friends in his human life, and he certainly wasn’t any more interested as a troll either.
“You know, dear, you are-”
“Sorry, who is Maggie?” Anathema interrupted Aziraphale.
“Oh, apologies, we must have neglected to mention her earlier,” Aziraphale said, and then went on to explain, “Maggie is the only other troll that we’ve ever met, and we’ve only met her recently, she has a single curl in her tail.”
“Is she around? I would love to meet her too if she is agreeable,” Anathema asked, clearly trying to contain her enthusiasm.
“Nah, she lives way off in yonder,” Crowley replied, throwing a hand in the vague direction that they travel to meet her, disturbing a couple of butterflies, “it was only by chance that we met her.”
“I took Crowley to the apple trees, which are quite a bit to travel to from here, and it just so happened that Maggie had decided to visit them on the same day,” Aziraphale recalled with a smile, “she is quite a dear, and all alone like I was before Crowley came along,” he leaned into Crowley, who kissed the top of his head.
“I see, well, perhaps one day then,” Anathema sighed, “but I am very grateful to have the opportunity to talk with you both. This has been quite an informative day.”
“For us too,” Crowley commented.
She glanced up at the sky, the hot pinks and fiery oranges of sunset beginning to streak through the royal blue, the shadows of the trees growing longer, night would be upon them before long, “Damn, it must be getting late though. I’d better get going,” she announced, beginning to pack up her things into her bag, and then pulling something else out and holding it out to the trolls, “here, take this.”
“What is it?” Aziraphale inquired.
Crowley reached out and took the cylindrical hard plastic object, big enough to fit in both hands, but able to be carried in one. After inspecting it a moment he said, “It kind of looks like-”
“It’s a beacon,” Anathema beat him to the punch. “If something happens, if you’re in trouble, just hold in the big red button on the top for ten seconds and it will send a signal directly to all of my devices, and I’ll be here as quickly as I can, though it might take me a couple of days depending on where in the world I am.”
“Oh, that’s very kind of you, dear, thank you. I do hope that we won’t need to use it, but it will certainly help to put our minds at ease,” Aziraphale smiled gratefully while side eyeing Crowley.
Crowley knew that by ‘our minds’ he mostly meant Crowley’s, and he was right, the fact that they had someone in the human world looking out for them, that they could contact and rely on to help did in fact ease something in Crowley, a tension releasing from his body. It was clear that Aziraphale could tell it had worked, just by the look he’d given him.
“Thank you, really,” Crowley nodded sincerely.
“It’s my job, but I do care, and I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you,” she confessed, then gestured to the device in Crowley’s hand, “the battery should last for three years, but I try to do the rounds once a year to check in on everyone, so I’ll swap it out for a fresh one the next time I visit,” she paused, “er, provided that you don’t mind me coming back?”
Aziraphale glanced at Crowley, and he nodded at his love, “Of course, we’d love to have you back, my dear,” Aziraphale assured her with a genuine smile.
“Oh, fantastic!” she grinned as she stood, straightening her clothes and slinging her bag over her shoulder, “Erm, fancy helping a girl back to the path?” she asked as purple blended into the blue, the first star of the evening shining through in the darkest part of the sky.
“Not a problem,” Aziraphale declared, also getting to his feet and then holding out a hand to help Crowley up, “this way…” he gestured toward a slim opening in the tree line.
XXX
After getting Anathema safely back on the path to the car park, the three said their goodbyes, and the two trolls headed home. It was only once they were alone that Aziraphale’s stomach grumbled rather loudly, reminding them that they hadn’t eaten since the morning. Of course it was deemed necessary to do a quick forage on the way back to the cabin.
While they walked though, Crowley kept staring at the beacon device that Anathema had given them, almost in disbelief that they had been so lucky, that there were still decent human beings out there.
“Do you feel better now, dear?” Aziraphale drew him from his thoughts.
Crowley nodded, turning the device over in his hands, it certainly gave him peace of mind, and he felt the past week’s tension slowly ebbing away, “Yeah, I do. Really glad that we ran into her today.”
Aziraphale gave a satisfied and contented sigh, “I’m glad too.”
“I’d, uh,” Crowley cleared his throat, “I’d still like it if you fucked my brains out tonight though,” he admitted a little timidly.
“Of course, dear, don’t you worry, after dinner I’ll take good care of you, my sweet alpha,” Aziraphale teased him gently.
Crowley clicked his tongue with a faux annoyed roll of his eyes, “Oh, do shut up.”
Aziraphale giggled as he linked an arm through Crowley’s while they walked back home, bumping shoulders, twining tails, and feeling carefree in their peaceful existence once again.
