āYouāre the reason Iām upset.ā (@gaily-gavotte)
If he could put a name to the lurch in his chest- that vile sensation of crumbling in on oneself- Crowley would call it dejection.
Something mournful crept into the demonās features, it settled there along the firm line of his mouth before Crowley became aware of what the feeling was. The sensation festered, aching like a rotten wound that had long-since been ignored.
āOh, come on, angel.ā Crowley implored in a tone that failed to sound all that desperate.
It wasnāt Aziraphale who was talking anymore. It was the rhetoric. The propaganda. Heād been brainwashed against Crowley before heād even been given a vessel to step onto Earth with. Of course, Aziraphale was going to blame him for all that was wrong in the world. Of course, perfectly innocent actions were going to be mis-read. Thatās what heād been taught to do. Thatās what theyād all been taught to do. But Crowley had not missed those glints of sadness behind the angelās gaze- the same unsatisfactory air he knew he had once harboured before being cast out. Somewhere beneath thousands of years of indoctrination, Aziraphale was still smart enough to find the truth. Now he just needed to start believing it. Ā
Patience at the principalityās predicament granted Aziraphale a free pass on many similar occasions. But the demon would only roll over so many times before the role of proverbial doormat grew old. It really was a wonder that the angel had such a devoted counterpart to clean up his little messes when his plans invariably went awry.
āThatās not fair.ā
A meaningful golden stare held Aziraphaleās.
āSeems like a set-up gone wrong to me...ā
It was funny. The thought that the angel would send a human child to do his work. Were angels about child endangerment these days? Did Aziraphale really want him dead? The attempt had been so pitiful that it was almost forgivable by means of the humour it carried. But something beneath it stung. He neednāt accuse Aziraphale of a thing. Somewhere within the pall of shame that had been cast over them, it felt suspiciously as though the angel was attempting to shift focus.
You tried to have me killed.
āBesides, itās probably the best conceivable scenario if you stop to think about it. Iām not dead. Sheās not deadā¦ā Crowley waved a flippant hand. It was true. Heād held back. Heād held back for Aziraphale. Heād held back because the attempt was feeble at best. Heād held back because child-murder wasnāt really in his top-ten list of ways to win over the purest being to set foot on Earth.
āYou know Iām quite within my rights to kill someone who tries to kill me.ā
Crowley reminded the angel as he began to amble through winding towers of books. Each would topple at the slightest touch. Everything hung in a tentative balance here. Discomfort tainted the radiance of Aziraphaleās angelic features at Crowleyās approach.
A knowing look swam across the space between them, demanding pale blue eyes maintained their steady watch of him. It was funny. The whole situation was. The look on Aziraphaleās face said everything that needed to be said. Crowley smiled more viciously than he knew. He neednāt say it, but both knew what was being thought. Both knew that it had been Aziraphale who trusted the demon-killing whelp into his world.
āIf anything,ā The demon stopped close, tilting his head ever so slightly to trace the angelās cheekbones with his gaze. Hungry eyes slid past the delicious curve of the angelās jaw to linger on the doorway. Everything could change in an instant, Aziraphale would know that. The girl was harboured on the other side. She was safe for now. Crowley was behaving.
āIād say Iām owed an apologyā¦ā














