In Two - A Nine Inch Scales spin off story - Chapter 2
Thank you to @theonevoice for the gorgeous cover art. And thank you to my betas @totheendtimes and @TansyOgg
Summary: After a catastrophic argument with Aziraphale sends Crowley hurtling through time, he comes face to face with the last person he ever expected to feel sorry for: himself
Twenty-seven years old, painfully human, and calling himself Crows, the tortured musician is everything Crowley has spent decades trying to leave behind: lonely, touch-starved, desperate to be loved, and standing on the brink of a choice that will haunt him for decades. Determined to change history, Crowley offers Crows the understanding, acceptance and safety he never had at that age. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore the impossible connection growing between them. As old wounds reopen and with the future in jeopardy, Crowley must decide whether saving his younger self means teaching him how to let go… or risking everything to discover who they might become together. Excerpt: He looked so young. That was the worst part. Not in the ‘vibrancy of youth’ sense — he looked more like he was unfinished. Like someone who was being worn down before they’d even finished the process of becoming.
Crows was small. And vulnerable.
A fragile little baby bird, Crowley thought.
Crowley shifted his weight, suddenly aware of the space he took up by comparison. They were the same height, of course, and Crowley was still slim, but he carried himself differently to Crows. Decades of taking better care of himself, of Aziraphale fussing over him to eat properly, of using his human form in human ways that had given his shoulders a greater breadth and solidified the lean muscles of his limbs.
He’d never thought about it before — how he must have looked to the people he came here with.
They saw him like this and took from him anyway.
Crowley swallowed hard.
Crow's fingers hesitated at the button of his jeans, and he let out a deep, unsteady breath. He was trembling, his face uncertain, or perhaps fearful. The expression was gone almost as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a forced blankness.
Crowley recognised it.
He stepped forward without conscious thought.
“Hey.”
He spoke softly, but the words cut through the silence all the same. Crows froze, startled. His hands stilled, and slowly, he looked up. Crowley could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his breath was catching.
Poor little thing.
The rogue thought settled before Crowley could stop it. His younger self looked so wide-eyed and pitiful it made his chest ache.
“Don’t,” he said quietly.
Crows blinked. “Don’t… what?” he asked, his voice thin and wavering.
Read the rest here on ao3 And if you’d like to read the next chapter a week early, it’s available now to members of my Patreon.
@goodomensafterdark
