Anathema turned away from the glass and started heading back to her area of the lab to finish setting up the urgency now in her strides, and in the effort, she made to complete her task. Aziraphale stayed, touching the glass where Crawley had touched the windowed chamber with the forked tongue, slowly his angelic blue eyes looked up to meet molten gold, he smiled in spite of himself and turned on his heel heading to his computer to start his research. The snake, Crawley as it was now known, watched the man walk away, lifting its head slightly higher to see the completion of that walk; the snake smirked, closing its eyes.
"Hey Zira, question, when are you going to go get me the blood? I am all set over here now, ready to go!" Anathema proudly stated and dramatically flung her arms open to show off her new work area. The motion caught Aziraphale off guard, and he chuckled, shaking his head at her. "I suppose now is as good a time as any, just slightly concerned, the size overall would be very easily overpowering, can you handle the tranq gun?" Anathema nodded, picking it up and keeping it close to her side, not showing any force towards Crawley, seeing as the snake was currently watching the two from behind the glass.
Aziraphale walked back to the enclosure, picking up the kit he had left by the doorway entrance to the chamber, Holding it up, both hands raised, he slowly entered, Anathema staying at the door, this was stupid, and they both knew it. "Zira..." Anathema whispered he could feel and hear the worry in her voice; he kept his hands raised and started talking to Crawley; instead, his voice remaining calm, collected, and unintimidating. "M'dear Crawley, I hope you don't mind, but I need just a smidge of your blood. Would that be alright?"
Aziraphale placed the kit on the ground and knelt next to it, sitting back on his heels, waiting for any tension in the glass cage to fade away, slowly it did. Crawley slowly slid from the tree out of curiosity, and circled Aziraphale, slithering from front to the back of the cage. Stopping finally in front of Aziraphale, who had kept his eyes down, Crawley lifted its head, looking at the doctor in front of it. Dr. Fell stopped breathing, and Anathema watched her hands getting sweaty as she watched, Crawley had control at this moment all three knowingly waited for what would come next.
Instead of disaster Crawley flicked its tongue out against Aziraphale's neck, smelling and tasting him, slowly resting its head on Aziraphale's knees in a submission. Breath filled lungs of intern and doctor, his hands reaching for the kit and pulling out a needle, some vials, and a tag that he looked at, placing it back into the bag with an unapproving face. "Okay m'dear, firstly I need some blood, it may only be a pinch, I will try my best, please don't eat me." A slightly worrisome chuckle escaped his chest, Crawley didn't move as the needle carefully inserted into its neck and blood removed.
"Okay, that went better than expected, I am supposed to tag you Crawley, but, I just can't, you are far too beautiful to add a metal tag to all of this." Aziraphale cautiously rested his hand on the head of the snake, carefully sliding his hand down and over what he could reach watching for any response. The weight of the snakes head got heavier as it was pet; the smile that plastered itself on Aziraphale's face was pure joy. Anathema watched in awe as a snake of only lore, and books rested on what she deemed an angel of the same caliber, one of legend, myth, and books. Slowly she walked in and took the kit, turning she went back to her area and started the process of analysis.
Aziraphale didn't move, he just kept his hands sliding over the beautiful scales of the snake, he adored its coloring, it was amazing to him, and it was alive. He decided there and then that no one was going to remove, touch, or hurt Crawley; this was his, and as far as he was concerned, he had earned this. Crawley, he would take the time to make "friends" or as close as he could be friends with a snake, but now was the time to find out what the snake was, what gender, what it ate. Aziraphale slowly slid from under the snakes resting head and turned to head out, tripping on a tail that suddenly ended up under his feet, the snake lifted its tail quickly letting Aziraphale brace against it before falling.
Azirphales breath caught, looking down at his hands, gripping the tail of the snake held in the air for him, then behind him, molten gold eyes were mere inches away from his. A nervous chuckle, then he smiled, patting the snakes tail, "Thank you, m'dear, that was quite thoughtful of you." A forked tongue flicked out against the doctor's neck, and he shuddered, "You are quite an amazing creature. Now I need to head out so we can get you some food." The tail dropped, Crawley watching Aziraphale leave slithering back up and into its tree to sleep.
At his desk, his fingers flew over his keyboard like a hummingbird in mid-air drinking nectar. Anathema had been busy for the last few hours as she finally called over to him. "Zira, it's a boy. Congratulations!" Anathema laughed at her lousy joke as Aziraphale groaned at her, "Make sure it's all listed in the notes and reports Ana, we don't need them in here and deciding to do their tests, you know Gabriel, he's impatient at the best of times." She chuckled and nodded, rolling her eyes in agreement, "Oh, he is the worst, should I sen him that now since we have ii, just something to keep him occupied?" Aziraphale thought on it a moment and nodded as he tapped his pen against his mouth, biting into it without realizing.
Anathema finished her first reports and sent them on their way to Gabriel, hoping to keep him on his end of the building. Aziraphale walked to look on Crawley, "So your male then, I guess Anathema picked a fitting name." Aziraphale placed his hand on the glass, looking up at the snake, "You are a mystery Crawley, but, we'll figure you out, just need to get you food..." Aziraphale turned his head looking to Anathema, "Any idea on food yet, or anything along those lines?" Just as he was asking, he heard from next to him, "Wine and crepes.", Aziraphale head turned so fast towards the sound that it must have hurt. Crawley was in the tree, eyes closed, he shook his head, "Anathema, did you say wine and crepes?" Her head popped up and looked at him, "No, but that does sound good and as for food, fruits and grains?"
Aziraphale tilted his head, and shook it, "Can't be he's a snake, right?" Anathema started to rerun the results and shrugged, "I don't know I am rerunning the tests now, but that is what it is reading. Should we throw some fruit in there, see what happens?" Aziraphale looked shocked at her, "We will not "throw" fruit in there at him, My god Anathema, I do have standards." Anathema laughed at loud, tears ran down her cheeks, looking at how distressed he was about fruit.
Aziraphale sat back at his desk and made the necessary calls to get fruit and grains in, while he was at it, he called for food to be delivered, Anathema could walk up to get it. "I called in for food; it's going to be a long night, you'll have to go up and get it though m'dear. Rules." Anathema didn't mind, plus it got her walking a bit, and yes, it was going to be a long few weeks. What seemed like only moments later the call came into the lab, that sound Aziraphale hated so much, but on this occasion, he didn't mind, it was for food. Quickly Anathema was gone before he even finished telling her, he chuckled, burying his face back into the computer screen.
"Not a snake." A breathy hiss came from behind glass. The hairs on Aziraphale's neck stood up; slowly, he turned towards Crawle only to see him still in the tree eyes closed. Rubbing his eyes, giving his head a shake, "Maybe I need a rest, it has been a long day, yes, that's it, some food and rest." Turning back, he started his research again, "Are you an angel?" Aziraphale stopped again, his head slowly rising looking straight ahead, deep inhalation of oxygen, hopefully, that would calm his nerves he turned, got up and walked to the glass.
Of course, Crawley was in the tree, eyes closed, why wouldn't he be. He was a snake, right, of course, he was. Aziraphale's head tilted looking at the snake jumping as he heard Anathema enter the lab again, she stopped feeling the anxiety in Aziraphale. "Something went on while I was gone, Zira?" She walked to him and looked between him and Crawley. "I think I just need to eat and maybe call it a night for today, what do you say?" Walking back to her desk, she got the food ready concerned about Aziraphale.
"What happened?" Aziraphale shook his head, "I swear I hear Crawley talk to me." he looked at him, "Not once but twice." She placed her hand on his comforting, "Yeah, you need a break, it's been a very long few days and overexciting for you." They ate in quiet, with molten gold eyes peeking once in a while, not wanting them to leave, but needing them too. Once done, they said their goodbyes and Aziraphale made sure all was off, and Crawley was safe, walking back to the cage he said his goodbyes and left going home.
The lights turned off in the lab, only the lights and warming devices stayed on in the cage, a snap, and the security equipment only saw a snake sitting in a tree sleeping, peacefully. On the ground, a man uncoiled from his snake form, stretching his beautiful ebony wings out, iridescent, shining. Crawley stretched his arms, his legs with another snap he had a chair which he sprawled into, another twist of his fingers, and he had his wine and crepes, a wicked grin crossing his countenance. "Oi, this is going to be fun."
