#demonicputto

Being a very reserved and old-fashioned kind of person (in addition to being, y’know, the angel Aziraphale disguised as a ten-year-old boy), Ezra is mortified to find himself wearing a T-shirt with a decal on it. But he’s secretly pleased that little Tony is expressing his inner demon (Crowley) with his selection.

By My Side

Demonicputto ( @demonicputto )

WIP - as of 4/12/21: Words: 307,757  Works:5  Complete: No   Rated: Teen

 Summary:

When Crowley is given the chance at a human life (birth to death, family, Free Will, the whole shebang) he takes it. He does this, in part, to protect Aziraphale from being forced to take the same opportunity against his will.

However, once Crowley is off on this metaphysical adventure, Aziraphale learns that his friend’s new life is not all that was advertised. To protect a small, amnesic Crowley from a childhood of cruelty, Aziraphale must go after him. If he’s going to do so, he must become human himself.

Now in the form of a nine-year-old boy (though with his memories mercifully intact) Aziraphale must navigate adoptive parents, child therapists, and nativity plays to try and provide what protection he can to his dearest companion.

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I can’t get over how much I love this! I found it yesterday and have basically not moved until I caught up to number 5 in the series. For as long as it is (so far), it moves along really well but also seemingly “slow” as in it goes really in depth in their lives. As the summary says, Crowley becomes full human with no memories, but Aziraphale goes after him (but keeps his memory) as a nine-year-old. So far they’re 13 and 18 years old, I really would have imagined more time-skips but am not at all sad there haven’t been many! 

I love the OC’s, both “kids” families are also so well written, I never expected to love Crowley’s mom so much. And all the kids are written really well, that can sometimes be jarring to me (I work in early childhood) when kids are written not age appropriate. Although Aziraphale has a good excuse in this story! 

Really looking forward to reading the rest of this, definitely check it out!  🥰

(if anyone else likes downloading fics to save them like I do, I made a cover for each installment of the series, they’re below the cut!)

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Cover image created by me, adapted from stock photos from unsplash.com I download my favorite fics and upload a custom cover.

Sure thing!

By My Side by Demonicputto

When Crowley is given the chance at a human life (birth to death, family, Free Will, the whole thing) he takes it. He does this, in part, to protect Aziraphale from being forced to take the same opportunity against his will.

However, once Crowley is off on this metaphysical adventure, Aziraphale follows after him, retaining his memories but becoming human himself so that he can watch over his friend.

Now the two of them are growing up together, one ignorant of their true forms and one all too aware of the strangeness of their situation.

Before it's over, the series will follow the two of them through childhood and into adulthood, eventually becoming romantic.

…

In some ways he looked very much as Aziraphale would have expected. Wisps of uneven red hair stuck out from the rim of his new hat, curling into his eyes. His round face was dotted with freckles, but sallow beneath them as though he’d been recently ill. Most arresting were his eyes, which were at once familiar and so very different. They were large and round, normal except for the inhuman shade of gold- the hue that Aziraphale had known for thousands of years.”

On the 23rd of December 1996, child-sized Aziraphale finally found the human child version of his demon.

I absolutely had to depict the moment that Tony and his mother Maddy are leaving the church after meeting “Ezra” and his parents.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23018671/chapters/55295023#workskin

“With a tentative hand, Aziraphale reached out for the vial. The color of it, dancing in heaven’s light, was at once ugly and beautiful, subtle and far too vibrant. He tried not to look at Gabriel who seemed entirely too eager for something to go wrong. Aziraphale swallowed once, before tipping the bottle back and letting just a small amount wash over his tongue. It tasted bitter and sweet, like joy and sadness and every other emotion that touched a human life.

At first, nothing seemed to happen and so Aziraphale had a little bit more- not everything, but certainly more than half. Then something began to change. Aziraphale felt different. He felt alive in a way he never had before, and consequently felt aware that he must also be aging and dying too. What was it Peter S. Beagle had written? “This body is dying. I can feel it rotting all around me.”

But then the sensation didn’t stop there and Aziraphale realized in horror that he’d had a bit too much. He should have waited a second more to see what would happen, not turned back to the bottle for more. He could feel his corporation, his body, changing. The skin went first, tightening here and there, smoothing all over until he was left looking younger, less defined. Then his whole body started shrinking. It would have been unbearably painful if it hadn’t been relatively quick. He shut his eyes as bones and muscles pulled in and downwards. He was shriveling up. He was going to disappear into nothingness as Crowley had. He was going to forget everything. He was going to become utterly useless.

But then it stopped. He opened his eyes one at a time. Heaven was a touch blurrier than it had been, but otherwise it was all still there. And Aziraphale was still there, memories and emotions all intact. He turned towards Gabriel and Michael. They were much taller than before and were staring at him with a mixture of shock and amusement.

Aziraphale looked down.

There was the body of a child, veritably swimming in Aziraphale’s suit.

“Oh dear,” he said.”

The moment when our beloved angel has opened his eyes but hasn’t looked up — and up! — yet to see Gabriel’s and Michael’s expressions.

I cannot draw, not even stick figures. My artistic medium is dolls. I tried to tap into the brain of my photographer spouse and learn to do this for myself, but it ended up an exercise in frustration for both of us.

I took Tony and Ezra, as depicted in @demonicputto ‘s brilliant By My Side fic (part 2 specifically) outside for some play in the leaves before they’re gone.

Tony fell down on purpose to roll around in the leaves and laugh and throw them at Ezra, who was happy to play along even as he was helping Tony back up.

And eventually we all came back inside to cuddle on the sofa and have cookies and hot chocolate.