Instrument
Aziraphale, for whatever reason, had always been under the impression that Crowley had no other hobbies than feeding ducks and causing trouble. The Demon never seemed to express interest in anything other than his Bentley and a nice drink (or two...or two hundred). While yes, technically being an alcoholic could, in some twisted way, be a hobby for a Demon, Aziraphale would not accept it. No, there must be something Crowley enjoyed that wasn't all that evil.
Aziraphale considered asking the Demon, but he decided against it, knowing he would probably just be scoffed at. So one particularly stormy night, Aziraphale left his bookshop (which was hard, but he was curious, so it had to be done) and decided to go spy on Crowley. It wasn't the best idea, but it was the only way the Angel was going to find out what his friend's hobbies were. So, after a lengthy cab ride, Aziraphale snuck into the Demon's flat and very cautiously looked around for any sign of the Demon.
Somewhere in the flat, Crowley was yelling out blessings as if they were curse words. Aziraphale rolled his eyes and followed the voice to a large room. The Demon must have secretly added it on to the building. Aziraphale had to admit, however, it was a nice touch. He took in the room as he leaned against the door frame. Bookshelves filled with books containing sheet music, a settee, framed pictures of Crowley and his favourite musicians (mostly of him and Tchaikovsky, but that was because Crowley secretly had a crush on him), and in the middle of it all, Crowley sat in front of a beautiful, shiny, black grand piano. The Demon was furiously drawing lines and writing things on a piece of sheet music. Aziraphale stood on his toes to peek at it.
Ah, of course, thought Aziraphale, Fantaisie Impromptu. Chopin. I may not know a lot about Crowley, but I know that this is one of his favourite pieces.
"Bloody timing," Crowley muttered to himself, making the Angel watch him more closely.
Crowley took a deep breath and placed the sheet music back on the piano. He leaned in to squint at it for a moment before humming and straightening out his back. What happened next made Aziraphale breathless (even though he didn't really need to breathe in the first place). Crowley played the first interval, two low G's, an octave apart, and then the next thing he knew, the Demon's hands seemed to be flying all over the piano. Shocked, Aziraphale quietly moved closer to the Demon, to the point where he was right behind him.
Crowley didn't notice however. He was too into the song. He easily transitioned into the slower part of the piece, swaying ever so slightly as he played. Aziraphale couldn't believe how much emotion he felt pouring out of Crowley and into the keys of the piano. Crowley was near the end of the piece, and Aziraphale could see him start to tense. It wasn't long before he made a mistake and stopped, letting out a long hiss of frustration.
"Why on Earth did you stop, my dear?"
Crowley jumped and whirled around, his face red with embarrassment. "A-Aziraphale! I...I wasn't expecting..." He cleared his throat, his eyes shifting awkwardly around the room.
Aziraphale couldn't help but smile. "I was enjoying it," he said, "why did you stop?"
"I made a missstake," the Serpent hissed bitterly.
"Didn't you learn from the composers you admire?" Aziraphale asked, a hint of humor in his tone.
"I don't admire anyone!" Crowley grumbled in a weak attempt to look cool, "and what are you on about anyway?"
Aziraphale picked up the sheet music, which was already flipped to the last page, and stared at it as he answered. "If you make a mistake, keep going. Don't stop because then you'll never finish the song," he murmured. "And then when you do finish the song, go back and work at your mistakes." Aziraphale smiled at Crowley's stunned expression and handed him the sheet music. "Finish the song, dear. I'd rather like to hear the ending,"
Gulping, Crowley gently took it and put it back on to the piano. He cleared his throat and shakily placed his hands on the keys before picking up right where he left off. Aziraphale sighed in content as the piece ended. Crowley was extremely talented. It was a wonder how he had never known that the Demon played. But then again, Crowley was good at keeping secrets (well, he was a Demon after all).
"That was amazing," Aziraphale said.
Crowley shrugged and lowered his head in embarrassment. Suddenly, his head snapped up and his eyes locked with Aziraphale's. "Tell a soul of this and you'll regret it,"
Aziraphale found himself laughing. "Who on Earth could I possibly tell?!"
Crowley grumbled under his breath, but never answered directly. He seemed uncomfortable sitting on the bench while Aziraphale stood close beside him. The Angel finally moved to the settee and gingerly sat down on it. "Play me something else, my dear," he said, reclining on the settee.
"Do you like Beethoven?"
"Adore him,"
"Moonlight Sonata?"
"Perfect,"
And that night, Aziraphale fell asleep listening to heaven pour out of a Demon's fingers.
He decided that they should make this a habit, and every stormy night they had, Aziraphale would venture into Crowley's flat, and simply lay on the settee and watch him play his piano.
Well I hope that was enjoyable! I'm a sucker for music head canons, and I couldn't shake the thought of Crowley playing the piano from my mind.
(Crowley is definitely me when I practice...except a little more swearing and a lot more frustration _')
Anyway, thanks for reading!