Work Text:
France, 1992
Crowley had had a bad feeling about Aziraphale's newest assignment since the angel mentioned that a week previously.
Despite the angel's reassurances about that assignment being technically just an easy and quick reconnaissance job at a small amusement park, the demon hadn't been able to shake off that uneasiness.
That bad feeling wasn't born just from some weird rumours he had heard by some kids but he was due the direct involvement of the archangels who had assigned that specific mission to the principality with almost no details whatsoever. Having already witnessed in the last six thousand years how many times those pricks had underestimated how dangerous a job could be, Crowley decided to follow Aziraphale into the park, without letting the angel know.
At first, everything seemed normal: people trying all the attractions, cheering at the several parades and shows, and enjoying foods and drinks.
But something felt off for the demon: something stank but he couldn't put his finger on what that was. And, more importantly, he hadn't any proof of that, especially since Aziraphale seemed to enjoy that place, waving at the people on the rides and the merry-go-round, smiling at kids and speaking politely to several park employees. However, when Crowley saw him politely decline his favorite ice cream from a nice vendor, the demon was sure the angel knew that something bad was afoot.
Aziraphale followed some kind of clue or invisible trail, leaving the most crowded part of the park, until he was standing in front of an abandoned mirror house. That attraction stood out from the rest of the park like a sore thumb because it looked much older than the rest of the park and it seemed nobody had done any maintenance since it was covered in cobwebs, dust and broken pieces of wood.
However, the most worrying thing was the awful aurea around it, so strong that even Aziraphale, the champion of the “upper-stiff lip” visibly winced when he came that close.
The angel observed that house for a while and, after writing several notes on a little pad, with some reluctance he turned away from that towards the park exit.
When he saw that, Crowley heaved a sigh of relief and hurried towards a little nook where he hoped he could hide from the incoming angel.
However, Aziraphale never came that close.
When the angel heard a muffled “help” coming from the mirror house, he rushed back and came inside that place.
The demon, as soon as he heard the scream, bolted out of his hiding place but he could do nothing beside seeing a beige blur disappear behind the creepy doors and yelling a “no, wait for me”.
Crowley couldn't let Aziraphale face that threat alone, especially since it was probably demonic in origin (he couldn't smell any demons there at that moment but one probably had been there at least once).
With a determined stride, the demon pushed open the doors.
Or at least he tried.
The doors didn't bulge at all and he crashed against them.
And a subtle angelic miracle was the culprit behind that.
“Bless it, Aziraphale,” Crowley swore, kicking the doors, “it's too dangerous!”
While the demon was glaring at the doors (not only because they didn't open but also because his foot hurt), he noticed the word “ENTRANCE” on them.
Crowley immediately rushed to the exit door and grinned when he was able to pull it open: at that exact moment, many souls and several humans of all ages almost ran over him to escape that place as fast as they could.
Only a child stopped after a couple of paces to look back, muttering “...but the nice man is still there…”
Crowley said to him “I've got this, kid” and he slithered inside the house, before the door closed heavily behind him, leaving him in darkness, completely surrounded by distorting mirrors.
Crowley didn't pay too much attention to his surroundings, concentrating heavily on following his nose to find Aziraphale as soon as possible and in less than five minutes he saw him in front of him. There seemed something strange about him but the demon thought that was because he hadn't seen Aziraphale so dejected and sad in a while.
“Angel,” he cheered happily, rushing towards him.
However Aziraphale didn't look happy to see him: as a matter of fact, he looked even more confused and scared than he was before.
“Oh, dear, don't come here,” the angel pleaded.
That didn't stop the demon.
The glass in the mirror did that: the demon just bounced against it and fell backwards on the floor.
Crowley was confused as heaven and, while he was massaging his forehead and adjusting his glasses, took a better look in front of him.
The concerned Aziraphale in front of him was wearing his pocket watch on his right side and his signet ring on his left hand.
Aziraphale was trapped inside the mirror as a reflection of himself.
“You shouldn't be here,” the pale angel whispered, “why are you… here?”
Crowley threw his hands up and quickly blurred out: “This place ‘s not my demonic work, I swear. I was just following you ‘cause I thought this job was too hard for you.”
Aziraphale lowered his head and looked extremely hurt by the last sentence.
The angel was starting to turn his back when the demon clarified: “I know you can't do just a ‘look around and leave’ job: if you see someone in need, you won't stop until you help them, even if that means putting you in… circumstances.”
And your bosses can't be trusted to care for you, Crowley thought.
“A kid…” the angel admitted, “I heard their cry and I saw them trapped in the mirror… I had to do something…”
“And you did good for them and the others,” the demon said, “despite getting yourself trapped instead. Now it's your time to get help. Do you have any idea about how to get out? Breaking glasses?”
The angel shook his head, showing his right hand bandaged with a bloodied handkerchief: “Breaking the glasses will just harm me, as I discovered when I took the prisoners’ place in the mirror. I didn't have much choice there.”
The demon looked around with a subtle smirk.
“It was the only one big enough to accommodate everyone for the exchange. And not warped,” the angel specified prissily.
Crowley started making a plan: “So, we know an exchange is possible between ‘prisoners’: I coul-”
“I object,” the angel stopped him, “you won't take my place here.”
“I was saying I could lure Gabriel or one of the asshole archangels to take your place without even knowing what hit them. Or…”
Crowley smelled the air and grinned before continuing: “...we could trap whatever human is behind this.”
“I've got a nice idea but…” the angel hesited with a shy smile, “I could need some assistance”
“You can trust me for that,” the demon replied with a huge grin.
The angel looked at him fondly.
“Follow me.”
The angel led the demon through the mirror maze. In any other occasion the demon would have been delighted to see the angelic distorted reflections to have a laugh but he was worried that Aziraphale could have his form completely altered by those strange mirrors, especially since the angel had already stated that he could suffer consequences by those, like the injury on his hand.
Crowley wondered what his reflections looked like but he couldn't see any.
“I have put a protective miracle over the mirrors, to avoid any other living beings to be accidently trapped here,” Aziraphale explained, “but we can do that on purpose.”
When they entered the main room, the angel slowly stepped inside the biggest mirror, carefully avoiding the crack.
“We’ll set our trap here,” the angel said with a confident smile while scribbling something on his notebook before showing that to the demon. “Just copy this design on the floor without stepping in.”
It was a sort of summoning circle, not too difficult to copy.
“I know this will work,” the angel said proudly, “this is what I've used before to free the others.”
“Do I have to mirror your design?”
Aziraphale seemed to find the right words to not offend the demon: “Thank you for your concern but… it's completely identical when mirrored.”
“...I didn't want to screw this up.”
The demon summoned a permanent marker and started working. When he was done, he snapped his finger to open the exit door and let the culprit of that trap come inside the mirror house. The angel coaxed the demon to hide in a different corridor before saying loudly: “If you're looking for whoever is responsible for destroying your plans, you've to come in the main room”.
In a couple of minutes a man came inside, visibly angry and pissed with a metal pipe in his hand: as the angel suspected, he was the park owner.
“You've messed up my plan to get rich and powerful, destroying my family heirloom gifted by a demon: you're going to pay for that.”
Aziraphale was standing completely calm: “I believe you should experience the same torment you've inflicted to all those people you've trapped for your ephemeral desires. You've promised them happiness but you stole from them and from whoever went into this park.”
The human mocked him: “And how are you going to do that? You're trapped inside like an idiot.”
“Like this,” Crowley said, appearing from the dark corridor and pushing the man inside the circle.
A bright light coming from the circle engulfed everything in the room.
When the demon was no longer blinded, he was glad to see his favourite angel next to him with his ring and watch in the right place even if he was scowling at him.
“There was no need for such a reckless action. You could have been trapped inside too.”
“It was a calculated action,” the demon tried to defend himself.
“A couple of minutes ago you were just scolding me that I was too reckless to come in…”
“You can't hold me trapped inside this!!” The human roared.
“We can and we'll do that,” the demon said with a grin.
The human sweated loudly and started swinging his metal pipe vehemently.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” the angel warned the human.
“Fuck you! I'll beat you to that when I'm out of this!” The human said, swinging the pipe against the mirror glass.
At that moment, the crack of the mirror expanded and branched out in every direction. The human howled in pain until the mirror shattered in a million pieces, oozing blood everywhere.
Crowley shivered thinking that could have been Aziraphale's fate.
“Let's get out of this,” the angel proposed. The demon quickly agreed to that.
Crowley soon offered Aziraphale a ride with his Bentley to the bookshop where they could take care of the wound on the angel's hand.
While driving, the demon stated: “This has been the worst amusement park ever. The opposite of an amusement park.”
“I definitely agree,” the angel muttered. With an increasing blush blooming on his cheeks, Aziraphale added: “it seems I owe you a better experience at an amusement park. I think I may know one we could enjoy.”
With a sincere smile, Crowley simply said: “Deal!”