Disclaimer: Good Omens, along with its characters, locations, etc. are the property of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. If I owned the rights to it, I wouldn't still be desperate to meet the man that I absolutely ADORE: David Tennant.
Summary: Post-apocalypse. Aziraphale has received an offer to come back to Heaven, but before he can explain his intention to Crowley, the demon goes running. Aziraphale finds him and tries to explain himself and comfort his friend. Hurt/comfort, angst, romance. One-Shot.
A/N: I've been having some feelings lately and I don't like having feelings so this is me attempting to work through them by projecting, yet again, onto Crowley.
….
Don't Leave Me
….
Aziraphale couldn't even begin to explain the level of shock he was experiencing. He had just been lounging around the bookshop, waiting for his favorite demon to come over and "hang out," as the kids say, when Gabriel appeared in front of him. He had scrambled out of his chair instantly, backing into the corner, when Gabriel raised his hand.
"I haven't come here to harm you, Aziraphale. I'm here to give you an offer. Some higher-ups have given me the wonderful task of inviting you to rejoin the ranks of Heaven. You can actually do your duty, for the first time in six millennia, might I add, instead of wasting all of your time here on this… ridiculous wasteland you call a planet."
Aziraphale didn't move out of the perceived safety of the corner. "I don't believe you." He had said, forcing himself not to mutter.
"I'm not a demon, Aziraphale, I don't lie." Gabriel had retorted, stepping closer.
"You lied to me about wanting to stop the apocalypse." Aziraphale snapped.
"Well… the offer is genuine. Come back to Heaven and be a real angel again. You won't get this chance a second time."
Aziraphale thought about it for less than a second, before giving Gabriel an answer and sending him on his way.
He was now once again lounging in his back room, waiting for Crowley. They didn't have a set time or day of the week when they planned to meet, but Crowley tended to show up at least every other day to spend time with Aziraphale, and he hadn't seen the demon in three days. That meant Crowley was bound to show up very soon.
Just as Aziraphale was finishing up a particularly old novel, the bell about the shop door tinkled. Crowley sauntered into the back room only a few seconds later.
"How's it going, angel?" he drawled, plopping onto the sofa so quickly it was almost as if he was horizontal before he hit the surface.
"It's… interesting, my dear. Gabriel came here today."
"What?" Crowley immediately sat up, scanning every inch of the room. "What happened?"
"I'm fine, Crowley, he didn't harm me. He came to me with an offer. From Heaven. They want me to go back and work for them again." Aziraphale attempted to soothe his friend, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.
"Oh, well… I guess you'll be headed back there, then. I hope you didn't just wait around to see me. I, uh…"
"Crowley, wait, let me explain…" Aziraphale was panicking now, trying to explain everything before the demon could leave.
"No, it's alright, angel, I'll just be going now… Uh… goodbye, I guess…" Crowley was on his feet and out of the back room in seconds.
"Crowley!" Aziraphale attempted to yell. He heard the bell above the door ring, and knew that his friend was gone.
….
Crowley drove back to his flat at an insane speed, flying through the streets as if there was Hellfire on his ass. He made it back in two minutes, and practically sprinted up the stairs to his penthouse, unwilling to wait for the elevator.
He banged the door behind him and sunk against it, breathing deeply.
He never thought that Aziraphale would leave him. He thought it would always be the two of them against the world. He had always thought that there was one person, in the whole universe, who would always be by his side, whether he needed him to be there or not.
But clearly he had been wrong.
He couldn't fault Aziraphale, not really. If Heaven came to him and offered to reinstate him as an angel, he wasn't sure that he could refuse. Hell could go to, well, Hell, but Heaven… well that was something else entirely.
Crowley slowly walked into his bathroom, turning the shower on and turning the heat all the way up. He dimly stripped off his jacket and crawled into the tub, still fully clothed, and let the hot water wash over him. He knew that the hot water wouldn't be good for him, and he would probably burn himself (or at least his body) but there was something comforting about the hot water spraying over him. He would never feel a warm touch again, this was as close as he would get.
He laid there for hours, or maybe days, letting his powers warm the water when it started to run cold. He considered laying there for the rest of eternity, letting himself wither away until he was nothing. It certainly sounded better than trying to live a normal life without Aziraphale next to him.
….
Aziraphale fretted for hours over what to do about Crowley. He knew, deep down, that he needed to go find his friend, but what state would he find him in? He knew Crowley wouldn't come back to the bookshop, because he thought that Aziraphale had left to go to Heaven, and he also doubted that Crowley would go anywhere in public, because he knew that the demon would be heartbroken.
That only left one place to go.
Aziraphale wrapped his coat around his shoulders and left the bookshop slowly, snapping his fingers to lock it behind him. He walked to Crowley's building, letting the cool air snap at his face. He could have called a cab, but walking seemed… right, in a way.
It didn't take him long to reach the building, and he almost wished that it had taken longer. He didn't want to think about what kind of state Crowley was in right now. Drunk? Sleeping? Crying? Aziraphale pushed the elevator button with a shaking finger, and wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or curse when it opened up instantly. He pushed the penthouse button and squirmed when the doors slid shut.
It only took a minute to get to the top floor, and Aziraphale felt his knees go weak when the elevator doors opened. He walked forward cautiously, trying the handle of the flat door. It was unlocked, which made Aziraphale feel even more uneasy.
He walked into the flat slowly, ears searching for sounds. To his shock, he heard the shower running in the bathroom. He never thought that Crowley would be put together enough to take a shower. But did Crowley take showers? He could just miracle himself clean, couldn't he?
Aziraphale walked over to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. "Crowley?"
No response. He knocked harder, sure that the sound would be heard over the splashing water. "Crowley?" he yelled through the door.
Still no response. Now nearly shaking from worry, Aziraphale eased the door open and peaked through. He didn't see the demon in the shower, so he tiptoed in and looked over the lip of the tub. He sucked in a breath when he saw Crowley, fully clothed save his jacket, lying in the tub. His skin was bright red, too red, and he was shaking.
"Crowley!" without a second thought, Aziraphale stripped off his jacket and climbed into the tub, rolling the demon over so he was facing him. Aziraphale felt water seeping through his clothes, but didn't pay it any mind.
"Crowley, oh dear, you're burning up. You're cold-blooded, you could hurt yourself!" Aziraphale exclaimed.
Crowley was unresponsive, which alarmed Aziraphale almost more than the apocalypse had. He reached over and turned the shower off before lifting Crowley out of the tub, with strength he didn't know he had, and carrying him out of the bathroom.
He carried Crowley into the bedroom and laid him out on the bed, snapping his fingers to change the demon into a pair of silk pajamas instead of his drenched clothes. Knowing that Crowley was burning up from all of the heat that had seeped int him during his shower, Aziraphale opened the window and summoned several fans, using his powers to cool down the air.
Not knowing what else to do, he gently sat on the bed next to Crowley, mindlessly snapping his fingers to dry his clothes. He stroked a hand through the demon's hair, praying that he would be alright.
Aziraphale fidgeted and squirmed while he waited for Crowley to wake up. It only took a few hours, but it felt like years to the angel.
When Crowley started to stir, Aziraphale almost jumped off the bed in elation.
"Crowley, oh thank God you're alright, dear." Aziraphale fought the urge to reach out and stroke the demon's hair again.
"'Zira? I must be dreaming." Crowley muttered. "Was in the shower, why am I on the bed? Did I miracle myself here? Bullocks" he muttered, his eyes still closed.
"Crowley, you're not dreaming. I carried you here out of the shower, you were burning up!" Aziraphale said. He cautiously laid a hand on the demon's forehead, checking for a fever. He seemed to be back to a safe temperature.
"Went to Heaven." Crowley muttered.
"You didn't let me finish explaining what happened before you ran off, darling. I told Gabriel to get stuffed, as the kids say. I said I never want to go back to Heaven, and I never will." Aziraphale ran his fingers through Crowley's hair.
"No." Crowley said.
"Dear, you're not dreaming. I didn't leave, and I will never leave. Maybe if I was alone on this planet, I would have considered it, but I'm not. I would never, and will never, leave you, dearest." Aziraphale muttered.
"Lying."
"Crowley, you mean everything to me. I couldn't survive eternity without you by my side. I would never go back to Heaven when it would mean that I would never see you again. Never."
Crowley blinked open his eyes blearily, looking up at Aziraphale. He was silent for so long that the angel almost decided to check for a temperature again. "Do you mean that?" he asked quietly, almost as if he was afraid of the answer.
"Of course I do, my dear. You're the most important being in my life, I could never survive without you. I wouldn't have survived without you. I'm not leaving you, not now, not ever."
Crowley rolled sideways and wrapped his arms loosely around Aziraphale's waist. "I would never leave you either, angel." He muttered.
Aziraphale awkwardly embraced Crowley back, patting him clumsily on the shoulder.
"Lay with me." Crowley whispered.
Aziraphale scooted down onto the bed so his head was on the pillow next to Crowley's, wondering exactly where this was going. Crowley lightly laid his hand atop the angel's, and Aziraphale turned his hand over so their fingers could lace together.
Crowley rolled onto his side and rested his head on Aziraphale's shoulder. "I'm tired, angel, I need to sleep. Please don't leave me." He whispered, his eyes already closed.
"I never will." Aziraphale muttered back, stroking his free hand through Crowley's hair again.
"Love you, 'Zira." Crowley whispered sleepily.
Aziraphale sniffed, wiping at his eyes. "I love you too, darling."
