div id="chapters" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: #2a2a2a;"
div id="chapter-11" class="chapter" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"
div class="chapter preface group" style="border-width: 1px 0px 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.5em 3em; padding: 0.643em 0.643em 0px; float: none; border-style: solid initial initial initial;" role="complementary"
h3 class="title" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.286em; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.5375em 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1; background: transparent; text-align: center;"a style="color: #666666; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 19.4443px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer;" href=" /works/21926386/chapters/53461075"Chapter 11/a: Powers, Wings and Archangels/h3
div id="summary" class="summary module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.643em; position: relative; width: auto; float: none; min-height: 5em;"
h3 class="heading" style="border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.286em; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.5375em 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1; background: transparent; border-style: initial initial solid initial;"Summary:/h3
blockquote class="userstuff" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.643em; padding: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Powers are learned, Wings are found, an Archangel and Shadwell make an appearance.../p
/blockquote
/div
/div
div class="userstuff module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1088.63px; float: none; overflow-wrap: break-word;" role="article"
h3 id="work" class="landmark heading" style="border-width: 0px 0px 0.25em; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: 500; font-style: inherit; font-size: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; height: 0px; clear: both; color: transparent; border-color: initial initial #333333 initial; border-style: initial initial double initial;"Chapter Text/h3
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Three unlikely friends walked together like nothing was going on. Nothing amiss, just every day going to work morning. They all spoke of the weather and the serpent. What Crowley was going to do with the plant life for the snake. Anathema spoke of the analysis of scales and blood, nothing that would be out of the ordinary, no one suspected anything, they entered the lab, no one was there. Aziraphale seeing the room still switched, became irritated, lifting his hand he snapped. Crowley and Anathema stopped dead, the room shimmered, flashed, and shifted back. Aziraphale looked at his hand, a panic coming over him, Crowley ran over to him, wrapping an arm around his waist, holding him. "Breath Aziraphale, breath, it's alright, you must be getting your powers back. The pill we need to find out what it was." Crowley tilted Aziraphale's head up to look at him, looking over the rim of his glasses so he could see his eyes, "You're okay, I promise you, I will not let anything happen to you." Aziraphale nodded, taking a deep breath, Anathema watched as unbeknownst to Crowley or Aziraphale the entire time Crowley was talking his fingers were gently brushing over the back of Aziraphale's neck./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Crowley looked over to Anathema, "Can we run some tests, and I will get working on the plants?" Anathema nodded, Crowley could see she was barely holding it together, as he watched something in her was changing, he saw her reign in fear, anger was replacing it. Anathema hadn't been able to get the pill out of her. So the medicine was still running through her system. None of them knew what control it gave over her, they only knew the needed to be careful, act normal until Anathema figured out what that pill was. Crowley walked Aziraphale back to his lab area, behind the plants, under the cloak of his own powers to keep them hidden and make it look like they were talking when in fact, Crowley had gathered Aziraphale into his arms, calming him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Aziraphale leaned into Crowley, neither understanding any of why it was right, why there was no awkwardness, there was no time needed. It was right, they were right, Crowley didn't even question it anymore, he wanted to be with him, needed to protect him, then a primal thought ran through his head, he needed to claim him. Crowley shuddered and put that thought away, for now, right now, Aziraphale had done a miracle a rather extensive one. "Angel, look at me." Aziraphale was still trembling at what he had done, pressing himself against Crowley, his arms wrapped around him holding him. Crowley's hand slid up his back, brushing over the mark without thinking, he kissed the top of Ezra's head, staying there for a moment. Ezra calmed, the trembling stopped, looking up at Crowley he smiled, amber eyes glowed back at him, igniting the blue. Crowley's eyes widened, he watched the tilt of Ezra's head, he couldn't and didn't want to not kiss him. Placing a gentle kiss on angelic lips Ezra entirely calmed, Crowley could feel when Ezra's grace powered up, it was calm, strong, and his./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The lab door opened, startling Crowley and Ezra, instinctually Crowley stood in front of Ezra, seeing what was going on. That was something he was going to have to figure out, why was he doing this Crowley didn't understand, but he knew he needed to do this. Ezra looked past Crowley, it was Gabriel, he rolled his eyes. "That's Gabriel, Crowley. He has been here maybe a year or so." Crowley looked back at Ezra and shook his head, "That's an archangel Ezra, he's the one I need to get back to heaven." Ezra paled and sat down in the chair by Crowley's desk, Crowley knew it was a lot for him to digest, but he was going to have to. The learning curve didn't matter here, his powers were coming back fast. The pill had done something, for who knows how long, but now that it was in him, he was changing quickly. Anathema dealt with Gabriel, he was there to pick up labs, paperwork, Anathema noticed he didn't look himself, something had happened to him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Anathema brought Gabriel to meet Crowley, as soon as Gabriel shook the hand of Crowley, he growled. Crowley took a step back, Gabriel looked highly confused. "Are you okay, Gabriel, you don't look very well." Anathema finally made mention, he shook his head. "I don't know I was home, and I was just so sick, I've been throwing up for days, maybe I should go home." Anathema agreed, Crowley looked at Gabriel, tilted his head, "What are you feeling right now, sir?" Crowley had to still keep professionalism even though he despised this particular Archangel, they had a long hatred for each other. This was a job, though, and humans with divinity could not happen, and somehow EDEN had accomplished that. "Just sick, like everything in me, is shaking, like being on fire, but its electric, shocking." Crowley nodded. "Why don't we go get some air." Gabriel nodded, and Crowley looked at the other two giving them the look of follow me; they did./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Crowley followed Gabriel out, they walked for a bit, out into the field near EDEN, picnic tables and such were strewn about. They all sat, Crowley reached over and touched Gabriel on the head, a sudden thump on the table and Crowley chuckled. Ezra looked mortified, "What did you just do?" Crowley squeaks slightly as he started to talk, "Well, letting his moral compass realign." Crowley looked far too pleased with the Archangel, whose head was going to have a mark on it. Ezra elbowed him, Crowley chuckled, Anathema was grinning, "I wish you did it a bit harder, he really is a twat." Ezra laughed at that he couldn't disagree. "He always has been for as long as I have known him." Both newly magical people looked at Crowley, "How long have you known him?" Crowley tried to think, "Oh, I lost track, like six thousand years ago."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Ezra heard six thousand years, his face dropped, he looked at Crowley, reaching out he turned his face toward him, he kissed him. Crowley's eyes widened before they shut from the kiss Ezra was giving him, Crowley saw the blue again, it was only a flash, but more precise, it was blue flames, eyes. Falling, he was reaching for someone falling, his mind reeled with why, who, then, Ezra placed his hand on his chest. The image cleared for a moment, it was Aziraphale, but he was falling, he could see those flaming blue eyes, he was surrounded in black flames radiating divinity. Crowley sobbed, causing Ezra to pull back from the kiss, looking at Ezra, he touched his face, "Let me see your eyes." Ezra blinked, holding them shut for a moment, he thought of blue flames and then opened them. Crowley sobbed again, touching his face, he was looking into the eyes of the angel he had seen just now, eyes of the bluest stars, galaxies were put to shame by the depth of Aziraphale's eyes. "I knew you." Crowley pulled him to him, his arms around Aziraphale, he buried his face in his neck, inhaling him. "You knew me."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Aziraphale looked at him, not remembering what Crowley was, he was still so sad, "I am so sorry." Crowley stopped and looked at him, "For what?" Aziraphale eyes threatened to overflow with tears, "I don't know; I can't remember, but I know I should have been somewhere for a very long time. You've been alone for so long, was that my fault?" Crowley pulled him back into his arms, his wings unfurled wrapping around them both, he hadn't meant too. From EDEN's camera room, Mr, Shadwell was observing the group, he smiled when he saw Crowley's wings and the way that Ezra had curled into him. "We need that one right there. Who is that again?" Shadwell looked to his right, "That is Anthony J Crowley, sir, Botany." with a nod, "Get him, I don't care how, but alive, even if it means hurting Ezra, I have a feeling I know what that one is." Shadwell stood straight and evil grin on his face, "I think we just found Ezra's mate." Shadwell turned on his heel and started leaving the room, stopping for a moment. "Actually, let them go about their business for a while, let whatever attachment is happening to continue, let Ezra remember, it'll make it that much easier to capture his mate. We do that we won't need the others, we'll have what we need to create another without even trying." Shadwell finally left, clicking his tongue for the tiny redhead to follow him; she had heard everything that was said. Fear, fear is what grew within her, slowly she got up, head down following the man./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Anathema gasped, "Crowley! Wings!" Crowley only slightly caught what she said, he did hear something about wings, his eyes opened, seeing his feathers, quickly they were furled away. "Oh, we need answers, dammit. Okay, let's get Gabriel to my house, avoid Aziraphale's." Looking around Crowley quickly picked up Gabriel over his shoulder, he snapped, humans couldn't see Gabriel anymore, the three walked back to Crowley's house. Gabriel was dumped onto the couch, Anathema went into the kitchen starting a pot of tea and one of coffee, they were going to need it. Aziraphale was ushered up the stairs and into his bedroom. Crowley stood Aziraphale in the middle of the room and walked around him, Aziraphale followed him with his eyes only. Crowley was tilting his head this way and that, looking at Aziraphale up and down. A blush was slowly running a marathon from Aziraphales cheeks down his neck and lower. "Do you trust me?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Aziraphale looked at him, albeit apprehensively, he nodded, Crowley took that as a yes, he walked up to him, tilting his head up to him, kissed him thoroughly, leaving him breathless and not stopping. Crowley pulled up on Aziraphale's shirt, letting his hand slide up his back, raking his nails down the center of his spine. Nothing, Crowley walked him back into the wall, sliding his knee between Aziraphales legs, his hand now on the back of Aziraphale's neck, Crowley rolled himself against Aziraphale, dragging a guttural groan from him, suddenly both were on the floor. Aziraphale looked down at Crowley who was looking past him, he smirked. "Well, there they are." Aziraphale felt heavy, he felt awkward and tipsy, like his center of gravity switched. Crowley helped him sit up on his lap, but really at that moment, Crowley did not mind. Aziraphale watched as Crowley reached behind him, an uncontrollable shiver ran through Aziraphale's spine as Crowley's fingers carded through phosphorescent white feathers, outlined in starlit ebony. Crowley ran his fingers through the feathers once more, transfixed by them, amazed by the two sets of wings, the color and everything in him screamed, Mine. Aziraphale was trembling with each touch of a feather. Crowley had failed to see the reaction it was having on Aziraphale, eyes lit, flaming blue, his wings picked up a glow, and as Crowley noticed, looking to the side, he found himself being pushed to the floor, his mouth being devoured./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Crowley's eyes widened, unexpectedly being ravaged, he didn't mind, he didn't understand, but Crowley needed this, he needed him. Anathema called from downstairs saying that Gabriel was stirring, Crowley was almost thankful, almost. Crowley reached up, holding Aziraphale's face in his hands, kissing him softly. "I'm sorry, as much as I want this, for some reason, we need to know what you are exactly, I could hurt you, although, I think maybe I need to worry." Crowley grinned at a pouting angel, blinking away his eyes, he found his wings to be a different matter. "Crowley, how do I do this?" Crowley looked at Aziraphale, both standing from the floor, no one had ever asked him that before. "Well, you just shrug them away like this." Crowley let his wings out, then furled away, Aziraphale tried but wasn't able, Crowley unfurled his wings again, they brushed against Aziraphale's wings. Both dropped to their knees, flashes of images, feelings of pain, Crowley reaching, Aziraphale letting go, pushing him away from something. Slowly a calm came over them both; something made a connection, a severed thread was fixed, it touched, it grew./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Anathema came up the stairs; finally, it had been almost an hour, to Crowley and Aziraphale it had been mere minutes, she looked in the room both were on their knees, not moving not touching, just their wings were. Anathema looked at Ezra, blinked, backed up, turned around, backed up looked in the room again. "Well Fuck, can you two please for the love of somebody, give me a warning of what shit I am going to see?" Startled both gold and blue eyes flew open, both on fire, she took a step back, Crowley blinked them back, Aziraphale followed suit, standing, Crowley furled his wings back, Aziraphale tried, "May I help you?" Aziraphale nodded, yes. Crowley went behind Aziraphale, sliding his hands along his spine, then over the bones slowly folding them in, with a shudder Aziraphale managed to get them in./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Better?" Aziraphale nodded, being overwhelmed with everything that was going on, this was not normal. Together they all walked down to talk to Gabriel, maybe with a little help, the medicine not in his system he could answer a few questions, that was if Crowley and Gabriel could get along. Crowley sat across from Gabriel, he sneered at the sleeping Archangel, lifting his fingers he snapped, seeing violet eyes snap open. A growling sneer escaped from Gabriel; he started to stand, leaning towards Crowley, his wings unfurling. A somewhat intimidating angel, to say the least, however unexpectedly as Gabriel went to make a move towards Crowley, he found himself flat on the ground something sitting on his back./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Crowley stood, confused as all he saw was a blur of glowing white, his eyes snapped to the scene that lay before him. On the floor, his stomach being pressed into the ground was Gabriel, Aziraphale perched threateningly on his back, wings out, the ends buried into the wooden floor by bladed edges of wings. Crowley stepped towards him, flaming blue eyes locked onto Crowley, he smiled, leaving Gabriel on the floor. Crowley was enveloped by Aziraphales' wings wrapped around him tightly. "I'm okay, Aziraphale." Crowley could feel Aziraphale shivering, he was becoming himself far too quickly, they needed to get him safely anywhere else. Anathema went to Gabriel, avoiding stepping on his wings, she offered her hand, blazing violet eyes looked up at her, he smiled taking her hand. Gabriel pulled her into his arms, kissing her, his wings wrapped around her, "You're okay."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Time stopped for everyone in the room, both Crowley and Aziraphale looked at the Archangel, Anathema, stilled, before wrapping her arms around his waist./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Crowley watched./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""What the fuck?"/p
/div
/div
/div
div class="afterword preface group" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.5em 3em 2.5em; padding: 0.643em 0.643em 0px; float: none; color: #2a2a2a;" role="complementary"
div id="work_endnotes" class="end notes module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.643em; position: relative; width: auto; float: none; clear: right; min-height: 5em;"
h3 class="heading" style="border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.286em; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.5375em 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1; background: transparent; border-style: initial initial solid initial;"Notes:/h3
blockquote class="userstuff" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.643em; padding: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px auto 1.286em; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Come say Hi on Twitter/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" blackrayvn/p
/blockquote
/div
/div