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As Supreme Archangel, Aziraphale had a lot of duties on his plate, some he liked more than others. For instance he took great joy in casting blessings or delivering good news for the humans. Although the messaging was more Gabriel’s duty as well as most of the small miracles. But that was fine, it just made the rare moments that Aziraphale got to do them feel more special. He also liked the annual meetings with Hell’s head office though that was more due to the particular demon he met with rather than the subject or contents of the meetings. By far his favorite part of his job was the freedom to go down to Earth so frequently. Whether it was for a report or an important blessing he could always find time at least once a week to slip away for a few hours.
On the other hand there was a good portion of Supreme Archangel work that he found detestable. Mainly all of the meetings he had to attend with the other Archangels. It was at least one a day, not that time mattered much in Heaven. Despite being the ‘Supreme’ Archangel, Aziraphale could not help but feel like he was looked down on by the others, each for their own reason. Micheal was the worst about it, constantly undermining his orders or outright arguing during meetings. It made sense, he supposed, the two were diametrically opposed. Micheal was a warrior and Aziraphale was a self confessed pacifist. That didn’t make it better when they were constantly butting heads and forcing the other Archangels to take sides. Between the two they all normally sided with Micheal. Although Uriel would on occasion take Aziraphale’s side.
They were the most neutral of the Archangels being a being of justice. It was good to know that on some things Azriaphale was in the right. If Uriel ever spoke up on the Supreme Archangel’s behalf then the other two would be more amenable to listening. Aziraphale would hesitate to call any of the Archangels his friends but Uriel was the one he was the closest to. They both shared a love of knowledge and human curiosity. While Uriel had less of a love for the humans themselves they would at least look disheartened at the loss of human innovation. It was better than Sandalphon who took joy in the act of bringing divine judgement.
Sandalphon was practically Micheal’s attack dog, though Aziraphale would never say that aloud. He was only called on when cities needed to be smote or a particular human needed to be put in their place. Aziraphale was grateful that those duties did not fall to him but he couldn't help but feel that Sandalphon took too much joy in his actions. No matter the argument he would side with Micheal and if Azriaphale was too resistant to their side he would try to ‘make him see reason’. What that mostly resulted in was bruising grips to his shoulders and wrists if he tried to leave a meeting early or wasn’t listening intently enough. It was more annoying than anything else since Aziraphale could easily fix any damage with a quick miracle.
The worst part about all of the other Archangels were the hurtful words they would casually throw his way. It was always ‘stop being difficult’ or ‘you are making this harder than it has to be’. It had really come to a head almost ten years ago when Gabriel and Beelzebub had helped stop the apocalypse. The meeting after he’d gotten back from the Tadfield Air Base had been the worst by far.
“Only you could mess up the Great Plan this badly.” Micheal stood there with her arms crossed and looked down her nose at Aziraphale. The other Archangels stood behind her.
“It was not like I could have done much.” Aziraphale argued. “The Antichrist was the one with the final say and he was too far gone to convince.”
“What are you saying that traitor Gabriel’s plan actually worked?” Uriel questioned. They did not look at Aziraphale, instead content to study their nails.
“No but that is a very long story. In essence Gabriel had been watching the wrong child for the past twelve years but still somehow the Antichrist was influenced by humans enough to not want the apocalypse to happen.” Aziraphale explained, hands beginning to wring together.
“How is that possible? It was written in the Great Plan.” Sandalphon asked. Unlike Uriel he was staring intently at Aziraphale, hatred palpable from the glare.
“I was quite confused about that myself. But since it happened it must be part of Her Ineffable Plan.”
“Really, Aziraphale? The Ineffable Plan?” Micheal fixed him with a more hateful glare than Sandalphon had. Aziraphale didn’t realize how close the other Archangels had gotten until there was a finger jabbed into his chest and a strong hand dragging one of his hands away from the other.
“Stop that pointless fidgeting.” Sandalphon commanded keeping a tight grip on the Supreme Archangel’s wrist. He also held the hand at an awkward angle that was sure to hurt later.
“More to the point, why do you claim to know Her Ineffable Plan?”
“I do not claim to know the whole plan.” Aziraphale reasoned, trying to find a more comfortable spot to stand while his hand was restrained. He silently wished he had Abel to wrap around his other wrist for comfort but he had left the poor dear in his office when he left in a rush earlier. “I only meant that since this happened She must have known it would happen.”
“I suppose you have a point with that.” Uriel shrugged.
“Regardless, what are we to do now? You think all these soldiers will be content to go back to paperwork?” Micheal had gone back to standing with her arms crossed but at least that meant one less person touching Aziraphale.
“They will have to go back to their duties.” Azriaphale reasoned. He tried to level Micheal with a stern look as he continued. “They are good soldiers and they will follow whatever orders we give them. Even if it is to go back to paperwork and wait for us to restart the apocalypse.”
“Maybe they would be more willing to listen if we made an example of someone?” Sandalphon chimed up. “Could kill two birds with one stone and get rid of that traitorous Gabriel.”
“I hardly think that’s-” Aziraphale was cut off by a pained gasp as Sandalphon squeezed his wrist harder.
“I think that’s a great idea, Sandalphon.” Micheal seized the opportunity to cut in. “It is important for the angels to know that it’s not okay to simply do whatever they please.”
“How exactly would we send that message?” Uriel inquired.
“I have a couple ideas.” Sandalphon said with a wicked smile.
“I have a better one.” Micheal interjected. “The only way to deal with a traitor is to destroy them, completely.”
“Surely you can’t mean…” Aziraphale didn’t dare finish the sentence. Afraid the simple utterance of the word would bring it forth. “No one deserves that. Certainly not Gabriel.”
A glance from Micheal had Sandalphon lifting Aziraphale’s wrist further away from his body, nearly lifting him off his feet. The Supreme Archangel cried out again and tears began to pool in the corners of his eyes.
“Hellfire is the only option, Aziraphale.” Micheal continued. “If we don’t execute angels who conspire with demons and thwart the Great Plan then we risk others doing worse. This whole business has to stop now.”
“But if we do that we will be no better than Hell!” Aziraphale could hardly control himself.
“Of course we’ll still be better than Hell. It is divine judgement, Aziraphale.” Uriel responded calmly.
Now that Uriel had sided with the other two Azriaphale knew it was a lost cause but he still continued to argue.
“Gabriel has done so much good in Heaven’s name! It is unfair of us to judge him so harshly!” Tears began to fall down Aziraphale’s cheeks. “Surely we could just demote him and bring him back to Heaven!”
That outburst earned him a slap to the face from Micheal.
“Get ahold of yourself, Aziraphale! These actions are hardly befitting of a Supreme Archangel.”
Aziraphale hung his head in defeat. Without much thought his free hand found its way to cover his now stinging cheek. He still continued to cry, unable to stop himself.
“Now then we all have to be in agreement of the punishment.” Micheal continued. “Unless you have any more ridiculous comments, Aziraphale, we should vote. The sooner we get in contact with Hell the sooner we can be rid of Gabriel. Now all in favor of execution say aye.”
“Aye!” Sandalphon chimed immediately.
“Aye.” Uriel said, back to examining their nails.
“Aye.” Micheal added.
Aziraphale stayed silent for a moment. He couldn’t bring himself to agree to death by Hellfire. It was horrible. However the other Archangel’s were fixing him with expectant looks with barely hidden impatience. Not to mention the pain from his arm was starting to shift from discomfort to agony. The sooner he agreed the sooner he could run back and hide in his office. Then he could cuddle with Abel. He was a fine substitute when Crowley wasn’t available. A final jerk of his arm by Sandalphon made Azriaphale’s decision for him.
“Aye.” It was soft and more tears threatened at the back of his throat. But it was done and Sandalphon finally released his wrist. Aziraphale hardly registered the parting words of the other as he cradled the wounded arm to his chest, mostly stuck in his own head. He vaguely remembered that he promised to get in contact with Hell but not much outside of that. He had only agreed because it would give him an excuse to see Crowley.
After that experience Aziraphale had tried to be more agreeable with the other Archangels. While he still had to deal with the occasional bruised wrist or shoulder it was less often. However, it had been getting harder to stay agreeable lately. The idea of the Second Coming was beginning to be tossed around.
Though he would never say anything to the other Archangels he was quite happy when the world didn’t end. But now they were discussing restarting the end of the world in earnest. Everyone seemed very eager to start the war with Hell except for Aziraphale.
So now here he was in his office, after another meeting with the Metatron and the other Archangels, trying not to cry. Abel was helping with that as much as he could. Aziraphale was sitting on a bench in the small garden he had in his office. The bench was at the center of the garden under what used to be the forbidden tree. Abel was coiled around his arms and midsection with his head nudging Aziraphale’s cheek. It was normally very calming but the meeting today had been very upsetting.
“I just don’t understand, Abel.” The angel lamented. “Why do we have to go to war with Hell? And why do all the humans have to die?”
The snake of course did not respond but he did give Aziraphale a soft look.
“It all seems very unnecessary if you ask me. And on top of all that I have to sign off on all of it.”
Aziraphale wanted nothing more than to continue with things the way they were, the way they’d been for six thousand years. While he would never question Her plans that didn’t stop him from having suggestions.
“I just do not see a point in going to war again. I know that everyone else wants to see who will win but I just cannot understand the reason.”
Why did it matter if Heaven or Hell wiped the other out? There would be massive casualties regardless of the winner and then there would be no humans. So what if Heaven won, triumphed over evil, there would be nothing left for that good to go towards. While Aziraphale had been created after the Great War he’d still heard stories of how terrible it was for those involved.
That fact was probably the main reason the other Archangels didn’t respect him. The Supreme Archangel had never seen combat in his life. That’s why he was so soft and weak, incapable of making the hard decisions without a bit of reasoning. Aziraphale knew that he had been made to replace Ralphale after he had fallen from grace along with Lucifer. Sandalphon had been promoted into his position which was something he loved to hold over Aziraphale’s head. He was always mentioning how he’d earned his position.
Aziraphale had been created specifically to care for humanity. She had made him with her Great Plan in mind, maybe with her Ineffable Plan as well. He was to make sure that there was a voice free of violence present when humanity’s fates were being decided. That didn’t mean he was listened to but he was still there.
“Sometimes I wish I was created as a lower level angel.” Aziraphale sighed. “Not that I am ungrateful for my position but I sometimes feel unworthy. It is not like the other Archangels want me here either. Sometimes I feel like a bit of an imposter really.”
Abel had at some point dozed off with his head resting on the angel’s shoulder. Aziraphale smiled at that and shifted slightly so the snake was more under the artificial sun in the room.
His thoughts drifted to how nice it would be if he could just sit here all day. No responsibilities, no meetings, and especially no more thinking about the second coming. Aziraphale twisted his wedding band as he thought. He wished Crowley was here right now. Actually if he was being honest he wished he and Crowley could be around each other all the time. It would be fantastic to be around his husband all day and night and never worry about responsibilities or getting caught.
Slowly but surely a terrible, yet familiar, idea formed in Aziraphale’s head. What if he left, just ran off, he and Crowley. It was risky, certainly, but they both had some powerful miracles on their side. Not to mention they had been cleverly avoiding getting caught together for the last six thousand years.
If he simply left then Heaven would come looking for him. Deserting his post was a dangerous action. If he was caught a demotion would be the least of his worries. It was probably worse for Crowley seeing as it was Hell. But still there was something he could do, someone he could turn to. Sure he and Gabriel weren’t close even before he’d left Heaven but it was the best idea Aziraphale could come up with. The half formed plan came together as he walked over to his desk to retrieve the paper that held his wedding vows.
It was simple really. All he had to do was sever his holy essence from his corporation and store it in something short term. He chose the ring because it was really the only thing he had and figured if he wrapped it in the vows it would give Crowley all he needed. Of course severing his holy essence would also erase almost all of his memories. Hence the need for a safe place to stay until his demon caught on to his plan. He decided on Gabriel’s library for a similar reason as the ring, it was really the only option. Even if he wouldn’t be thrilled to see his old boss Aziraphale had to hope that some goodwill would be thrown his way.
After addressing an envelope to Crowley and placing the vows inside the angel wandered back to where he had left Abel on the bench. Aziraphale gently scooped up the snake and coaxed him into his pocket. The snake complied, used to the familiar motion from whenever the angel went to Earth. When Abel was settled in his pocket Aziraphale took one last look around his little garden. It would be the one thing he’d miss about Heaven. He briefly wondered if the feeling in his gut was what Adam and Eve had felt as they were forced out of the garden all those years ago. He rested his forehead against the forbidden tree’s thick trunk and muttered a small prayer for well wishes along with a heartfelt goodbye.
After that it was a simple task to miracle himself down to Earth. Once there he walked until he was just down the street from Gabriel’s library. It was early evening on a rainy Sunday so the angel knew the shop would be closed. Still most people would open the door if someone knocked. With that in mind Aziraphale set about his final task of severing his holy essence. To a lower angel such a task would be incredibly taxing if not impossible but it was child's play for the Supreme Archangel. The last act he remembered was removing his ring and placing it in the envelope and placing it back in his pocket. With a final prayer for Crowley’s swiftness his essence left him and fled to the ring.