Chapter Text
Both were sitting in St. James' Park, just as they had been so many times before, but unlike all those other times, the tranquility that was breathed in the place was very different, the whole world seemed different and they were the only ones who noticed it.
"Oh dear, you shouldn’t sit like that" Aziraphale had never paid special attention to how Crowley sat, couldn't care less, he always let the demon be the way he was and follow his expressive and undisciplined nature, but see himself almost melted on the park bench, in broad daylight, made he feel uncomfortable.
"And you shouldn’t talk like that, I have a reputation to keep, you know?" He spoke pretending seriousness looking with special attention at the angel’s hands on his lap and his straight back, he seemed to be sitting on nails, he looked so tense, not even after he had overcome the end of the world, he could relax.
"No one noticed the difference" There was some pride and petulance in his tone.
"You can tell me everything, but before" He made a gesture with his hand.
It was time to recover their bodies, while they still suspected that the surveillance had fallen and there was no need to keep pretending, that, and that it was short to say that it was weird to see themselves through other eyes.
"Fine" He tried to hold Crowley’s hand, it would be quick, they would return to their bodies and each one could behave as they really wanted.
However, after a few seconds of maintaining physical contact, nothing had happened and both looked up from their joined hands to the eyes of their counterpart, showing surprise and the beginnings of worry.
"Crowley..." The demon didn't waste time taking with both hands the angel’s and concentrated on transmitting his energy by a bidirectional way that opened with the consent of both and physical contact, only to waste his time and patience.
"What’s going on angel?" If they had switched vessels once, they should be able to repeat it, there was no problem the first time, none had been burned in the attempt and yet now Crowley couldn't pull anywhere.
"I... I don’t know" When the demon released him, Aziraphale could squeeze his hand nervously against his chest, still feel the tingling ghost of Crowley’s fingers and his demonic energy on his skin, it was hard to admit it was a feeling that he could get used to "Did something strange happen in heaven?"
Crowley frowned, disconcerted, looking straight at those sunglasses, noticed how annoying they were when he was used to always seeing the sincere look in Aziraphale’s eyes.
"Nothing particularly unusual" Nothing out of his performance "Did something happen down there?" Something that Aziraphale wouldn’t have wanted to tell him? Just an infinite number possibilities overwhelmed his mind, he would never forgive himself if something bad had happened to him.
"No" He did a mental review of the last few hours, nothing particularly strange, except maybe... Aziraphale looked at him with his mouth slightly open and fear drawing on his countenance.
"What? Angel" He urged him, feeling a trace of concern from past days twisted his stomach "What happened in hell?"
"Nothing happened in hell" He returned from his mental abstraction to face Crowley’s hard stare "Maybe it’s nothing, but… On the way back, I might..."
"Spit it out"
"I might have done a couple of miracles" Crowley's face was blank, carefully processing Aziraphale's words, then he spoke quietly, not wanting to complicate things with screaming.
"You... did good things?" Aziraphale swallowed understanding the gravity of his actions.
"I had to do it!" He didn’t regret his actions, however if that was the reason that Crowley and he couldn’t switch bodies, then it was his fault "I tried to park your car like you do, but there was a bike and the driver didn’t see me... I had to save him"
Crowley wanted to say something but kept quiet, thoughtful, that only increased the angel’s restlessness.
"I'm sorry..." He was interrupted just started to apologize.
"Calm down, I doubt it’s that, that's your job, to do good things, I don't think it's something you shouldn't do" How could he know? Aziraphale nervously bit the inside of his lip before realizing that he had fangs that pierced his skin, he swallowed his shock although Crowley's blue eyes watched him very closely.
"But it’s your body Crowley, there’s no other explanation"
"Of course there is, sometimes I also…" He bit his own tongue before saying that on sporadic and not frequent occasions, he didn’t always do such bad things, instead his mind lit up with an idea hundreds of times more likely "You don’t think..." He spoke almost in a whisper, there was no reason, it wasn’t like anyone was going to hear them "You don’t think what Adam did to fix the world could have changed something in us too? , that somehow might have affected us and kept us from returning to our bodies" The very idea gave him chills, so much power in an eleven year old boy.
"I hope not"
They spent another frustrating half hour sitting in the same place trying to recover their bodies, but during each attempt, Aziraphale began to feel more dizzy until they had to stop to avoid him from vomiting, it was like pulling and loosening, he just shook to one side and another to hit an invisible wall.
"This isn’t working" Crowley snorted looking up at the sky as if he expected some answer to come from this, however Aziraphale knew him better than that and he knew that he had some colorful thoughts.
"Maybe I can investigate and find something" His bookstore was full of biblical references that they could use, but he didn't remember that any of the books would specify about a corporeal exchange between angel and demon, should be the first the first time it happened.
"Would it take you long?" He spoke with a voice as tired as he really felt, just when he thought they were free and carefree, he had even planned to invite Aziraphale that night to celebrate and drink and maybe... That last one would have to wait.
"I don’t know" Although he was the one who made the suggestion, his bookstore was almost discarded, his books were no longer his books, maybe he could find something new but he was almost certain that there would be almost nothing useful, however he didn’t want to give Crowley the wrong impression that both would stay that way forever, if something had taught him the almost apocalypse was that nothing was impossible "I would need to take a look, I would need..."
And like someone who is struck by lightning, Aziraphale had an idea and a smile full of illusion was drawn on his lips, he looked for Crowley's mobile and ... Battery was dead.
"Really!" He snorted and snapped his fingers. The cellphone had turned on out from nowhere and dialed a number, waited and waited and waited without answer "Maybe she’s busy" He looked disappointingly at the screen and answered the question Crowley had written on his face "I was calling Miss Anathema, but she hasn’t answered"
"I thought you didn’t know how to use cell phones" He thought of all the problems that would have been saved if the angel had one.
"What do you take me for, dear? It’s just that lately the technology changes every few years, I prefer not to get used to" Aziraphale sighed and there was a prolonged silence between them as they looked at each other.
"And now what?" It was the question that Aziraphale also feared, he took a deep breath and kept the phone in his tight pocket, barely believed that something would fit there, before seeing the mistake and giving it to Crowley, its owner.
"Are you hungry?" He looked ahead, the ducks were walking on the grass and swimming in the distance in the pond, it was a beautiful sunny day and everything was so quiet and peaceful, perhaps it was the initial shock but the world was still moving external of their problems, he had barely stopped to think that both were still alive.
"No" He paused still looking sideways at Aziraphale, thinking something similar, only he was even happier sitting on the same bench sharing a day more "I feel like something stronger than a wine"
Aziraphale nodded.
"Me too"
And that's how angel and demon ended up in the latter's apartment, drinking, it was an invitation from Crowley, it had been part of his original plan if they both survived, get his friend a little drunk and finding out if the chemistry between them flowed in the right direction, it wasn't taking advantage at all, it was just stepping on thin ice and knowing if it was safe.
Nothing would be worse than the time he thought he had died, but an eternity with his only friend avoiding him, it also didn't sound encouraging, but six millennia being cautious hadn't been either.
The demon didn’t have a reserve of wine, but he managed with two bottles that he had hidden somewhere and another of whisky that magically appeared from nowhere, it was a strange mix of celebration and a pathetic attempt to escape and forget their problems that still didn't end, which was difficult if they looked at their own reflexes at every momento.
Little by little although at an alarming speed and more than just two bottles and a little bit of wisky, the strange sensation that made them both uncomfortable was fading away, as well as the alcohol in their blood reaching alarming levels where you say or do things that you would never really dare to carry further than a fleeting thought.
"It's comfortable" Crowley admitted, looking at the blurry hands of Aziraphale's body adjusting to him, like who wears a suit that fits him "I still wonder why I'm not burning inside you" Following the logic, just stepping on holy ground was like coal embers under his feet, then the body or temple of an angel should be much worse "Perhaps you're not as pure as you say angel" He smiled in a way that made Aziraphale feel sick, more dizzy and with a stone falling in the pit of his stomach, it was a charming and mocking smile, Crowley's smile, too naughty and pretentious for an angel.
"Just myths, my dear" He answered, shaking the sensation and took off the dark glasses he had wanted to keep to hide his flashy reptile eyes, he understood why the demon didn't like to attract attention even in private whit him, as soon as he did, the blue irises followed his own, the frivolous gesture helped him hide the embarrassed of his thought "Your body ..." He waved absently his hand still holding the glasses "Doesn't feel like a cesspool of dirt and corruption either"
Actually, it was nice, like a second skin, during the time he was in hell, he had moved and behaved with a freedom that he had never felt vibrating in his bones, everything he did and what he said, it had felt very good, so much that he thought of wanting to keep it.
On the other hand Crowley hadn't felt very different, it was the first time in millennia that he could feel the purity and radiance of the heaven and even if those white and pristine wings weren't his, he had the pleasure of contemplating them glowing warmly behind his back, they were beautiful and more importantly they weren't burned.
"You flatter me" He took another sip from his almost empty glass "It's the hours of sleep and a healthy diet, fresh as the day it was given to me" Aziraphale laughed, it was silly "Sssnake" The word slipped like a drunk’s clumsy attempt for pronouncing it and a whistle.
"Sssnake?"
"Yes, Sssnake, Can you become a snake?"
"I doubt I can do that" He was an angel, not the snake of Eden, that would be depraved, just thinking about it should be sinful, not funny and by Crowley's smile he should think the same.
"How do you know if you haven't tried?"
"I can't..." What stopped him? Heaven didn't care anymore, hell either "Tempting no matter what, huh?" He remembered what the demon said about running away together and looked closely at his glass of wine, for a moment he had thought of something different when he said it. The sweet excitement of the rebellion still tingled under his skin, but even with all the alcohol, something inside him shouted that it was a bad idea, the rebellion was never well seen, the fear of falling felt like something fresh inside Crowley's body "I can't" He shrugged "Maybe you can"
"Maybe" He leaned against the soft backrest of a black couch that he made it appear for the occasion "But I don't think you'd like to see me doing it" He wouldn't do with his friend's body something he didn't want "Would it be white?" He felt calmer, enough to joke about it and because of the way Aziraphale also laughed and smiled he could bet that the angel wasn't worried, if only they could be like this forever.
"Are there even white snakes?" He asked with curiosity.
"Of course there are... I think so."
From then on, nothing they said made sense and it was fine, it wasn’t like they wanted to discuss deep and complicated issues, Crowley babbled about the ducks and Aziraphale looked whit surprise as his friend dropped the bottle of whisky from his hands that fortunately didn't break, he had fallen asleep on the couch, with a small miracle he was sober in a matter of seconds but the sensation it left was even more unpleasant than the numbness of his senses.
He looked more closely at Crowley, judging him as a pretty, innocent thing, it had nothing to do with his appearance, he had rarely seen the demon sleeping, and in all of them he had thought the same thing. Without wanting to sleep even after centuries since the last time, he stood up feeling much less dazed and picked up the bottle from the floor, then he turned to his friend and settled his head so that he would have a more pleasant morning when he woke up.
To his surprise his treacherous hand found itself caressing the strands of his blond hair without fear of waking him up, he didn't even pay attention that it was his own face under that sweet and relaxed expression, nor did he feel strange or uncomfortable, surrounded by silence and low light, he could feel hidden, he leaned down, he could touch him, he could say he was just pretending to fix his hair, but was it really okay?
At that distance he could notice that he no longer smelled of smoke, as if he had just smoked a cigarette, instead he smelled of his favorite cologne, nor did he hear the occasional creaking of his wings when he moved them, Aziraphale clenched his teeth with disgust, he could feel the scars on his new skin, although healed and imperceptible, they were there, he couldn't ignore them, deep and burning, he could feel the feathers of his wings rubbed one over the other like a rough and misaligned material, it felt bad, more for its meaning that as something real, so much pain…
It was no wonder that Crowley hid it, although he was upset it wasn't about that, Aziraphale didn't know how he could have helped him either, but by the unfair it seemed to him, how cruel.
He sighed slowly and stood again, could swear he thought he had made a snake hiss, his cheeks warmed and it was enough to return his thoughts in order and make a blanket appear to cover Crowley.
He looked around without knowing what else to do in his friend's apartment and with the snap of his fingers he disappeared from the room.
The next morning Crowley woke up with a sordid pain in his back, neck and head, the hangover wasn’t the worst of all, he remained lying on the couch for about a minute, before noticing the gesture of the blanket covering him and the smell of freshly baked biscuits coming from his kitchen.
He got up and walked in that direction from which they came noises of crockery being manipulated, almost had a small heart attack when he saw his doppelgänger standing serving the tea and the memories of the previous day flowed to her poor aching brain.
"Good morning" His voice was too cheerful to start the day, his voice was never heard like this in the mornings, almost never in general, he preferred not to think about it, it would bring him a headache.
"Morning" He snapped his fingers and felt much better.
He rubbed his face and eyes, still sleepy and sat on a chair, looking sideways at the stack of books on the table, also looked at the angel moving from one side to the other, like a whirlwind of energy, he noticed that something disturbed him.
"A tea?" In front of Crowley he put a tray with biscuits and freshly baked buns for him to have some.
"I preferred coffee, black please" Normally he would accept a tea, but he needed something stronger to start his day.
Aziraphale poured tea in the cup at the same time as this one turned into coffee and the demon noticed that it wasn't just any cup and teapot but those of Aziraphale, it was a whim of the angel that made his morning a little more enjoyable, alhough seeing the angel’s quiet smile was enough.
"Oh dear" Aziraphale left the full cup on the table and reduced the distance between the two entering Crowley’s personal space to straighten his clothes, it looked scruffy and wrinkled, he just couldn’t contain himself and although the demon tried to get his hands off him without really trying, he finally gave up and just grunted without seeming threatening.
"Were you all night researching?" The worst part was the tartan bow tie.
"Yes, I made a short visit to the old continent and brought new books" Crowley was able to breathe normally once the ginger hair walked away and took his corresponding place at the table, he accepted the food, not by hunger, but more as a distraction and not to leave eating alone his friend.
The angel had taken off the tie and wasn't wearing his dark glasses, his sharp python eyes were browsing one of the books while drinking tea, he wondered how it must feel to be under Aziraphale’s piercing gaze, a little different, a little more dangerous, he could surely take a chill out of him if he tried. He keep watching him hide behind his biscuit.
"And you found something?" Aziraphale pulled the corner of his lips with discouragement.
"No, not yet" He took another sip of his tea, it was just what he needed "Try to call Anathema, there may still be a prophecy to help us"
He tried, and once again she didn’t answer his phone.
"How about Adam? Maybe he can fix it"
"The boy’s been through enough, I think it’s best we leave him alone for a while, I can find a solution" He assured him by taking another of the books he had at his side "Just give me some time"
"Come on, Aziraphale, you’re not serious" Crowley’s smile was blurred when he realized he was serious, always so stubborn "We won't be a bother for the kid, how much longer do you want us to stay like this?" He had a feeling that the longere he had Aziraphale’s body, less he would want to separate from it, it was starting to feel really comfortable.
"I don't have problems with your body, Crowley" As if it were intentional, the scars itched a little, as if they didn’t want to be forgotten, Crowley deserved better, if he could give it time, he was willing to do it. His voice was harsh and made the alluded feel as if he was belittling his body, as if he didn't want to continue one more second on his skin, when in reality he just bringing up the issue from the shadows "Does it... bother you?" Although they talked about a lot of things last night, he hadn’t even asked him how he felt about it, maybe he was being selfish.
"No!" Of course not "I like your body, it’s..." He didn’t want it to sound like that "I just want to get back to normal, angel" Aziraphale saw the anguish on his face.
Every minute his friend spent trapped in his body, it was a minute trapped in the body of a demon, he didn’t want to imagine what Aziraphale must feel under the prints of hell, the angel was too kind to tell him if something was bothering him, he couldn’t make sure it was okay even if it came from his mouth.
"Give me two days Crowley, then we can go find Adam"
Definitively selfish.
…
That same afternoon, a restless and boring demon was looking through the window of the back room of a bookstore in Soho.
A demon who couldn't exercise evil, although he had created a small improvised storm to ruin the bright and perfect day of all those who crossed the place, also worked to dissuade potential strangers and buyers who wanted to enter the bookstore.
For the sake of his angel and him, he was pretending to follow Aziraphale's life, even if it was for those two days not to raise suspicions, that they wouldn't persecute or intervene in their lives, it was only thanks to his deceit, but a single mistake, a gossip that will reveal what really happened and his angel and he would be in the deepest pit of hell or inside the coldest, inhospitable star of the galaxy.
Crowley would never admit that he was afraid of being the one who made that mistake, he was about to lose his best friend, a second time was not an option.
He decided to give him his space to concentrate and work quietly in his home, however he was lonely and very bored, not even seeing a couple of naive humans being splashed by a bus changed his mood, he was still buried in one of his armchairs with the arms crossed and in a bad mood, without tea or a soft voice that will sweeten his ears.
He sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, there he was again remembering the angel.
It wasn't that kind of post-apocalypse life with which he had imagined, in which he and the angel could sit quietly in some restaurant outside England and take a vacation, the beach sounded like something interesting, so that at the end of the day they could both rest together outdoors and maybe, just maybe, Crowley would slowly approach and look into Aziraphale's eyes before stealing him a kiss.
Crowley felt that his face warmed up trapped in his imagination and before he could completely calm down his hand slid in front of his face to caress with his fingertips the lips with which he dreamed, they were soft and fleshy, tentatively he bit the lower one tasting it, the taste of Aziraphale, his taste, he always imagined that he would have the taste of the tea he loved so much, but he settled whit the sensation of his innocent mouth pressing against his fingers, that mouth that could do what he wanted at that moment.
"Crowley..." He whispered his own name with Aziraphale's voice making him shudder and his flesh bristled up, it sounded so good, only Aziraphale could pronounce his name that way, warmly and timidly, he wondered how his name would sound in other ways, maybe with a deeper tone, more guttural, maybe... lustful "Fuck" He grunted feeling uncomfortable inside and turned on.
He was so bad.
…
Aziraphale left a large and heavy book on the table, more like parchments compiled than sheets of paper and he got up from the chair where he had stayed for the past four hours, at first he read carefully but the excessive silence that didn't feel comforting at all had him bored and distracted.
He consider it a break, taking the time to water his friend’s plants and make a cup of tea.
It seemed that they needed a lot of water, but he just crossed the threshold of the greenhouse, he hear a strange noise, were the plants that trembled with fear.
"Oh little ones!" Not knowing why they were so afraid, he came over and touched one of them, it was a small pot that trembled more than the rest.
The plants recognized their torturer/owner, but under the first caress they could distinguish that it was different, his voice instead of shouting at them, he consoled them and his energy, so warm and radiant, it was like a small sun inside where it never warmed them, an essence of pure love, the plants stopped shaking but remained confused.
"Don’t be afraid" He was sensitive to living things, after all he was an angel "Crowley isn't here but I’m going to take care of you" He held one of his little leaves in his hands "I never imagined that he could have such a large and beautiful garden, you’ve done an excellent job growing up like this, you remind me The garden" The plant happily shook between his hands being flattered "I telling you a secret. Crowley may not look like someone who cares about others, he’s almost never honest, but I’m sure he cares about you as much as he cares about me…" The last word lost intensity "We are good friends" He murmured more for himself, the plants noticed the drop of melancholy in the sea of love that enveloped them, they were worried "I’m fine, I’m fine" He reassured them with a smile and put their attention back in the garden, they were lovely plants.
By the time he finished watering the plants, they were already in love with the angel and the latter could swear there were no flowers when he came in the greenhouse.
Time was a concept in which an angel could be confused, but not mistaken, especially when it came to hours for a being who has lived too long, so when someone knocked on the door, he imagine it could be Crowley, although it was strange that he knocked instead of just walking in, it was his house.
He glanced cautiously through the peephole and saw a woman whit a red dress standing on the other side, didn’t recognize her and he pretended that there was no one, until he heard the shrill little voice of a child, he really didn’t know what that woman wanted, but his instinct told him that he had to make sure they were okay and do his job.
He put on dark glasses and when she was about to leave he opened the door.
"Oh, for a moment I thought there was no one" She turned around and Aziraphale saw the boy who hadn't been able to see through the peephole hiding behind his mother "I was…" He looked over his shoulder to make sure there was anyone in the hallway, however, there were only the three of them "I was looking for the building owner, but I didn’t find anyone, maybe you know where I can find him or…"
"I am the owner" If he remember correctly, the demon had bought the building years ago.
"Oh" It was like she was seeing Aziraphale for the first time, again "I had imagined that…" She shook his head "No, it’s nothing. Will there be any department available?"
Aziraphale thought about it for a few seconds, he knew what the demon's response would be, but he couldn't ignore the little eyes that looked at him shyly, even though he limited his kindness, it was hard to be evil.
"Yes"
"Could…" The angel opened his door more.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" He went back inside his own apartment "Meanwhile I’ll make a contract"
"But not yet…" She peered out timidly watching at the neat place and minimalist decoration with curiosity "But I haven’t even seen the apartment yet" The boy came in too.
"You’re seeing it" The voice was coming from the kitchen "They're all the same" The woman was surprised to see him carrying a tray with three cups of freshly tea, that had been fast, the scent of tea was sweet and irresistible, suddenly it didn’t seem like a bad idea to sit and rest for a moment.
Aziraphale made a normal contract, no blood or small print, just a normal one for an apartment and talked to her meanwhile, that’s how he found out some little secrets, like why she was there, in a building where no one wanted to rent, it was strange, because she felt very comfortable talking to the stranger with ginger hair, as if her problems were really listened to and she felt genuine concern for her, so familiar that she broke loose crying on more than one occasion.
She didn't remember why she was crying, but she remembered that the taste of tea was delicious.
"Do you like books?" She pointed out a few that were scattered, it was the only thing messy and out of place. Meanwhile the boy played with some vinyl records and she watched him.
"Yes" It was the first time she saw him smile and enthusiastically, he also noticed the change and a little embarrassed hid the smile behind a serious expression "Yes, but they aren't mine, they are from a friend"
"They all look very old, he must like them very much"
"More than me"
"You know..." She spoke shyly, it was her turn to feel ashamed, after such a warm and pleasant talk with the man, she felt a little guilty for having thought badly about him "I had heard that the owner of this building was a very nasty man"
"¿Nasty?"
"I see it’s just rumors, that you refuses to sell or rent no matter who comes or how much money they offer, someone rude and coarse and perhaps the most unreal thing of all is that bad things happen to people once they leave the building" Maybe she laughed at the mention of the latter, but Aziraphale worried, most likely they would have made his friend angry.
"Well, I have to say that nothing is true" The demon might seem rude and be very sarcastic, but nobody really knew Crowley, he felt the need to defend him "I won’t be the kindest person you’ll ever meet, miss, but even a demon has a good side" He smiled.
"You’re wrong" She also smiled "You’re kind, mister…?"
"Azi..." He cleared his throat "Crowley"
"Mr. Crowley, it's a pleasure"
"Me too, dear"
Aziraphale felt that peace and love that came to him when he did a noble deed, there was nothing more satisfying than selflessly helping the others and yet he kept thinking that the last half hour hadn't been very demonic on his part and that Crowley would surely be angry with him for having rented part of his building without consent, having made a human think that he was good and her friend, and looking around the corner of his glasses as a child had scratched his records, miracle or not, he would notice the difference.
Oh my God…
When his attention returned to her, she had an expression that indicated he had been silent for a long time, he said the first thing that came to his mind.
"Do you like magic?"
"Like pull a rabbit out of a hat? Yes, it's something cute"
"Let me pour you some more tea"