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: My contribution to the "there was only one bed trope." Aziraphale joins Crowley at his flat after the events of the failed apocalypse, and the have to share a bed because Crowley does not have a guest room. Fluffy/romantic. One-Shot.
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There Was Only One Bed
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"You can stay at my place, if you like." Crowley said sheepishly, trying and failing not to look at Aziraphale. He wasn't sure which answer he would prefer – a yes, and a chance to tell the angel how he really felt; or a no, where he could avoid the entire mess of his feelings.
"I don't think my side would like that very much." Aziraphale said quietly, looking out at the road. Crowley resisted the urge to reach out and touch the angel's shoulder.
"You don't have a side anymore." Crowley said, suppressing a sad sigh. "Neither of us do. We're on our own side." He almost reached out a hand and laid it atop Aziraphale's, but was stopped when the bus pulled up to take them to London.
They boarded the bus in silence, and they stayed silent for the whole ride home. The melancholy was only broken when Aziraphale extended his hand and delicately intertwined their fingers. Crowley didn't dare to move or speak, lest the angel let go.
When they reached the outskirts of London, Crowley spoke up. "About what I said earlier, angel, you really are welcome to stay at my flat. The bookshop… I'm not sure that there's anywhere else for us to go, and I don't want to split up." Crowley gently squeezed Aziraphale's hand.
"I suppose… I'm not really much of a sleeper, but I could probably use a rest after… everything." Aziraphale trailed off for a moment, staring away from Crowley and out the window. "I think I'll take you up on that offer, dear. At least for one night."
The bus pulled up outside Crowley's building not long after that, and Crowley had to suppress a sigh when Aziraphale let go of his hand to get off the bus. Crowley nodded silently to his building's doorman before making his way to the elevators and pressing the up button. Since it was so late, the doors opened instantly. The pair stepped inside silently and Crowley pressed the penthouse button, watching the doors slide shut.
They didn't say anything to each other on the way up, nor did they say anything when the doors dinged open and Crowley snapped his fingers to unlock his front door. What was there to be said? Could they even talk about what had happened? Would they want to?
The pair stepped inside quietly, Crowley softly closing the door behind them.
"So, uh, angel, uh… do you want tea? Whiskey? Uh…" Crowley babbled. He wasn't used to Aziraphale being in his space, and it was flustering him.
"Some tea would be nice, dear, thank you." Aziraphale replied, hardly louder than a whisper.
Crowley made his way into his kitchen, hearing the click of Aziraphale's shoes against the floor as he followed. Crowley put the kettle on and rifled around in his (very nearly empty) cupboards for some tea bags. He managed to find a half a box that was three months past its expiration date. He snapped his fingers to freshen the bags.
He grabbed an elegant black mug for himself, and a replica of Aziraphale's angel mug.
"I don't… the cup I gave you was part of a set, and I kept the other one in case… anyway, if you don't want to use it…" Crowley muttered.
"It's lovely, dear, thank you." Aziraphale said, looking at the floor.
Crowley made quick work of the tea (he was a demon, after all, and who would berate him for using his powers to heat up water a bit faster? He wasn't an angel, after all). He handed Aziraphale his cup and the moved to the den, settling next to each other on the sofa.
Aziraphale stared into his steaming mug of tea, not moving to take a sip. Crowley set his on his glass coffee table. "Are you alright, Aziraphale?" he stopped himself from scooting closer.
"I… I'm not sure." Aziraphale lifted his cup to his mouth and took a sip. "The tea is very good, dear."
"You can… I'm here to listen if you need to talk, angel. Always." Crowley worked up the nerve to brush his hand over Aziraphale's shoulder.
"I think… I hope I'll be alright, Crowley. You don't have to worry about me." Aziraphale drank more of his tea.
Crowley reached for his cup and lifted it to his mouth. "Like that's ever stopped me before." He muttered into his tea.
They both sat in silence for a while, nursing their drinks. They were both deeply lost in thought, and neither seemed to be sure if they could really talk about it. Not yet, anyway.
They both polished off their mugs around the same time, and Crowley stood to take them into the kitchen. Aziraphale followed him.
"Angel, unless you have anything in particular you want to do, I think I want to go to sleep now. I don't have a spare room for you, but… well, you're welcome to join me. I know you don't really sleep, but you could just come lay with me. If you want." Crowley said sheepishly, deliberately keeping his back to Aziraphale as he rinsed out the cups.
"Normally I would decline, in case word got back to Heav… Head Office, but I don't think anything could really make my situation worse…" Aziraphale trailed off, causing Crowley to turn around and lightly grasp the angel's hand. "I think I will take you up on that offer as well, Crowley." Aziraphale said, finally looking up at the demon.
They kept their hands clasped together as Crowley led them through the flat, pausing to push open the bedroom door. Crowley snapped the fingers on his unoccupied hand to change from his regular clothes to black silk pajamas. Aziraphale let go of the demon's hand and stripped of his coat.
"Angel, you really don't have to… you can change your clothes. I just… this may be our last night on earth. I want you to relax." Crowley walked around the bed and flipped down the covers, crawling under the silk sheets.
Aziraphale sighed. "You're right, Crowley, I'm sorry. Part of me is still fearful that Heaven is watching."
"Even if they are, what will they do?" Crowley said sadly. Aziraphale snapped his fingers and changed into tartan flannel pajamas, which made the demon chuckle. "You never change, Aziraphale. I… admire that about you."
Aziraphale crawled into bed next to Crowley and flipped the blankets up to cover them both. Crowley reached over and grabbed his hand.
They laid like that in silence for a while, until Crowley's breathing grew deeper and slower. Aziraphale shifted farther down in the bed and released the demon's hand, causing Crowley to sniff and roll over until he was wrapped around the angel's waist. Aziraphale stroked his hair until he started to doze.
Not used to sleeping, Aziraphale woke up only a few hours later, seeing the sky start to lighten up before sunrise. He laid there for a few moments, admiring Crowley (who was still wrapped around him in a way that only a snake could coil), before gently nudging the demon awake.
Crowley woke up slowly, blinking his snake eyes blearily. When he woke up enough to realize how he was lying, he tried to pull away. Aziraphale held on tight.
"Don't go, Crowley. Please." Aziraphale whispered.
"Then why'd you wake me up?" Crowley rested his head against the angel's shoulder.
"I want to watch the sunrise with you."
Crowley opened his eyes, grateful that he was already facing the window so he didn't have to let go of his angel. He resisted the urge to cuddle closer. "I can already tell that it's going to be beautiful." He mused.
Aziraphale looked down at Crowley for a long moment. "Not as beautiful as you, my dear." he stroked a hand through the demon's hair, causing him to blush.
The sun rose slowly, filling the room with bright orange light. It spilled across Crowley's face, making his eyes sparkle.
"You are…" Aziraphale started to say.
"Please don't, angel. I can't take it. I can't cope with you talking to me like you'll never see me again. I can't do it." Crowley interrupted.
"I'll see you again, darling, I'll make sure of it." Aziraphale muttered. "I won't leave you, not again. These last few days… they've made me realize that I can't live without you."
Crowley craned his neck to look up at Aziraphale's face. He saw nothing there but determination. "I feel the same way, Aziraphale. I have for a long time." He rested his head back on the angel's shoulder. "I won't leave you either." He whispered.
They laid in silence until the sun was fully risen. "That was beautiful, angel. Thank you for waking me up." Crowley didn't move from his position wrapped around Aziraphale.
Aziraphale turned his head and delicately kissed Crowley's temple. "I hope we will be able to watch a thousand sunrises together, Crowley, after all of this is over. And sunsets. I want to experience every beautiful, lovely, breathtaking thing that I can experience now that we are free. And I want to do all of it with you by my side."
"I couldn't ask for anything better, angel." Crowley let go of Aziraphale's waist, stretching up to kiss him on the cheek. "I love you, Aziraphale. I hope you know that. And I hope you never forget it."
Aziraphale leaned forward and chastely kissed Crowley's lips. "I love you too, dearest. Never doubt that."
"I never will, my love." Crowley smiled his first real smile in a long time. He lowered himself down onto the bed and wrapped himself back around Aziraphale's waist.
They stayed that way until long past sunset.