Out of all the things Crawly wanted to do a fine day like this one of them was not standing around with Beelzebub, Satan, Hastur and Ligur about how best to break the spirit of a human named Job because he was faithful to God and Satan had a boner for making sure he was the best being out there. Yeah, Satan was kind of an asshat. But because of his exaggerated memos and reports back to Hell he had only himself to blame.

"I think my Lord we should first attack the family," Beelzebub said with a cackle. "Humans are so obsessed with their families I think that should be the first order of business."

"I personally think we should fill his house with frogs. That will get him and his wife creeped out. Or maybe a tornado." Hastur said with a smile and Crawly couldn't suppress a laugh.

"Yes because frogs are so terrifying. Seriously Hastur! Get a fucking life!"

"Shut it Crawly! No one asked for your opinion anyway!"

"Well, I figured if I am forced to be out here I might as well get a say in these things. Your idea was dumb. Admit it."

"How about you shut the fuck up asshole before I summon hellfire to burn half your pretty face off?"

"Oh, kinky!"

"That is not what I meant Crawly! I hate you! Fuck!"

"Oy! You two knock it off!" Satan screamed at them. "You two are giving me a headache and I am about to cut both your corporation's heads off if you don't put a sock in it!"

"Yes Lord Satan!" they said together.

Crawly was convinced every demon was a dumbass including Satan and pissing them off when he could without getting into too much trouble like now.

He almost hacked up a cow when he saw Aziraphale pop down from the clouds before them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Satan demanded motioning in disgust towards Aziraphale

Beelzebub, Hastur, and Ligur all got into defensive demon mode. Crawly rolled his eyes. This angel couldn't even say no to a delicious cherry pie let alone beat four demons and the devil himself. What did they really think he was going to do?

"Um...hello...Lucifer-I mean Satan. I was hoping to have a moment of your time."

"So this is heaven's attempt to cheat? Sending their lowest level of angel?"

"Well I wasn't trying to cheat or speak on behalf of heaven. You see I was just wondering if perhaps there was any way to call of this little dibochal with Job and all that. It seems a little unfair to play with people's lives to prove a point does it not?"

"I am a Fallen angel. Since when have I given a flying fuck about caring about screwing with people's lives?"

"Oh well there really is no need for that kind of language."

"Shut it! Beelzebub?"

"On it!"

She snapped her fingered and Aziraphale's hands and feet were bound. She did it again and his robes were gone. This could not be good. They were going to kill the angel.

Satan waved his hand downward to dismiss her.

"Take the angel down to Dagon and him executed. Maybe have a little fun with him first ey?"

Beelzebub smiled crudely. "Yes my Lord and with pleasure!"

"No, wait!" Crawly said. Sure the angel was stupid for thinking he could talk Satan out of hurting Job but he still didn't deserve whatever fate awaited him in the bowels of hell.

"What the fuck do you want now Crawly?" Beelzebub murmured threateningly through her teeth.

"I want to torture him."

They all turned to look at him at once all with utter disbelief on their faces.

"You want to torture someone?" Hastur said with a huff. "I will believe it when I see it."

"No this is good. Well in the demonically evil sense! Look at Crawly finally growing a pair and stepping up to his demonic roots!" Satan said and slapped him on the back almost knocking the scrawny Crawly over.

Beelzebub gave a look that could kill any mortal man as she handed the angel over. He was putting on a brave face but Crawly felt the poor thing shaking with fear. His aurora was so stressed it made Crawly stressed. So stressed he started hissing his sss.

"yesss! Let me go torture the angel! All Hail SSSatan and ssstuff. Damn it."

"Tongue-tied Crawly? Seems to me like you are nervous?" Hastur mocked raising an eyebrow.

"Nervousss me naw. I am Mr. Cool Demon Man." Yup definitely needed to shut up.

They all went down to hell and opened up the Hellfire wall surrounding the place so Aziraphale could get through unharmed. For now. Crawly then told Dagon to give him the most spacious torture chamber with the most torture weapons. She happily agreed.

Once they were in the room Crawly realized he couldn't fake torture the angel and set him free with all these eyes on him and quickly pulled so excuse about nervousness out of his ass and they agreed to not watch. Satan gave him one more thumb up before locking and bolting the door shut from the outside.

Once they were out of sight and Crawly sensed the wearing peaking he miracles some soft robes onto Aziraphale and unbonded his hands and feet. The angel looked at him with terror and confusion.

Crawly didn't have time for this shit.

"You fucking idiot! What in the nine circles of hell did you think you were doing?"

Aziraphale didn't look phased or seem to notice he said anything.

"Why did you help me? That other demon was going to torture me and you rescued me? Why?"

Crawly felt his tongue getting tied again.

"Firstly that demon's name is Beelzebub. She is the Prince of Hell. I would advise not getting her pissed off. She has a real kink fetish for pain and torture."

"What is a kink or a fetish?"

"Argh! Forget it!"

"But why did you save me though?"

"Because like I said earlier I am waiting for you to reach your full angel potiential so that we can fight!"

Aziraphale tilted his head and looked thoughtfully at him.

"Well now is your chance isn't it?"

Crawly felt his stomach turn over.

"What?"

"Now is your chance. We are in this room with all these weapons and no demon, human or angel can stop us. So give me all you got foul fiend! If it means keeping your lot away from that poor man than so be it! My sacrifice is for him! Not for pride and it will not be in vain!"

Shit. The angel was right somehow and he had no excuse to continue putting off their fight. But he didn't want to fight Aziraphale he just wanted to see him safe. What was going on? Whenever he spoke with this angel he had a way of making him feel like his legs were turning to jelly and that his stomach was doing a triple barrel axil flip. Satan, Hastur, Ligur, and Beelzebub were no longer at the door listening in so he figured they got bored and must have gone back up to Earth

"Okay, Angel! You want to go! How about you stop using your stupid angelic powers on me!"

"What are you talking about? I am doing anything!"

"Yes, you are because it is not cognitive dissonance because it only happens when I am around you!"

"What are you talking about?"

"This weird feeling in my stomach. Whatever it is cut it out. You have made your point I wasn't going to torture you."

"Maybe it only happens when you are around angels?"

Well, Crawly had had a brush with Ariel the angel of nature when he interfered with her fight against Pollution but he just tried to smit Crawly and Crawly got away with Pollution. He had to help Pollution to keep up appearances in Hell. But he didn't feel this feeling around him so it had to be an Aziraphale thing.

"No no I fought with an annoying leaf hippie angel type a few decades ago and I didn't feel like this so this is a just you thing! So cut it out!"

Aziraphale only looked more confused. Crawly was confused.

"You don't know?" Crawly said out loud without realizing it.

"Yeah, I don't know. And I also like to be accused of things when there is evidence." He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms with a huff.

"Well if its not you then-"

"Yeah, stupid demon! It's a you problem! So are we gonna fight or not?"

Crawly shook his head.

"No that won't be fair. I outpower you in every way."

"If by outpower you mean you suck at your job then yes I would agree with you. But just this once foul fiend. "

Crawly's blood boiled.

"I am not bad at my job!"

"Then how come every time we meet you find some way to not lay a finger on me! It is almost like you don't know how to hurt me!"

"I do too! I am a demon! Being a bringer of pain is part of a demon's job description! An evil spirit or devil, especially one thought to possess a person or act as a tormentor in hell! That is just what I am!"

"Well from what I have seen of you you aren't any of those things!"

"Shut it, stupid angel! You are speaking of things you know nothing about!"

Aziraphale held up his fists.

"When then let's go wicked being! Put up your dukes!"

Crawly felt really tensed and stressed out about the whole situation. He then snapped his fingers and the angel fell to the floor.

Well, that was easy. Now to get him out of here. No wait.

Aziraphale was in a vulnerable position. He could easily kill him now. But Crawly knew he didn't have it in him. Yet.

The one and the only reason he was helping this stupid angel out is because he needed to get tougher on the inside. Once the court of demons figured out he had let an angel escape he would be tortured and thrown into the bottomless pit. It would be painful but Crawly knew he deserved it for being such a pathetic excuse for a demon.

With that, he wrapped his arms around the angel and hoisted him up. Aziraphale smelled amazing. Like shea butter and cocoa. It made Crawly's heart swoon. His hair was by the demon's cheek and it was so soft. He just wanted to bury his face in it.

Okay, this was really really wrong. But Dagon would be back any second so time to get a move on. He snapped his fingers and transported him and Aziraphale out of Hell and into a field far far away from where the tempting of Job was happening. Whose field this was Crawly did not care but knew when the angel came to he could not be around.

He snapped his fingers and wrapped a soft blanket around him.

Aziraphale had such a relaxed face. This was the most relaxed Crawly had ever seen him. His lips were so soft and his face was angelic glowing in the sun. His curls were messy and reminded him of rows and rows of wheat fields he watched Beelzebub destroy with her flies.

Crawly then snapped out of it as he remembered the hell fo a punishment he would be walking into once he got back to hell and was not looking forward to that.

He saw how bright the sun was and decided to move the angel to a nearby tree for shade. The angel was a little heavy but Crawly didn't mind the least. Plus he had used a lot of power transporting them in and out of hell so there was that. Yeah. That was the reason. This is what he would tell himself. But Crawly knew that wasn't the only reason.

He then gently sat Aziraphale down beneath the tree and then saw how uncomfortable he looked with his head on the tree like that. He then miracled him a pillow and rested it gently beneath his head. The curls felt soft against his palm and Crawly wondered if Aziraphale would be disgusted by knowing a demon was touching him so much. Probably.

Crawly looked down at Aziraphale in peace. His lips were in a firm straight line and all anxiety drained from his face. And Crawly felt that familiar sense deep in his stomach. As though there were moths flickering around in there. He shook his head and sat down adjacent from the angel. His face was lovely. He wondered if all Principality angels looked like this.

Demons couldn't feel guilt or remorse. Or at least they weren't supposed to be able to. Perhaps that is what this was. But no. Crawly knew guilt. He knew remorse because he had felt it almost every hour of every day. Whenever he saw a group of people beating an old man to death. He felt it whenever he saw someone having rock bashed into their skull. When he watched a husband beat his wife. When he saw people lie, cheat and steal from good people who didn't deserve it. He felt responsible. He had caused this. He was the serpent of Eden. He was the one who gave the humans knowledge of evil and they now used it all the time.

But this was what he had wanted. He wanted to cause the angels in heaven pain. He wanted to oppose God. He wanted to carry out the evil plans of his demonic masters. But he realized that wasn't the truth.

If it was he won't have helped Aziraphale and he won't have felt such guilt about the bad things he had done in the past when he should have been glad to cause pain. He wasn't like the other demons just like he hadn't been like the other angels. No matter what he was or where he went he never could seem to get it right. And he hated himself for it.

It was once said that killers will let someone go occasionally. Because they smiled or said something. The reason didn't really matter. But what did was it justified and allowed them to continue doing what they were doing. Because they let one go. It was how the lived with themselves.

Perhaps that was how he had been feeling towards Aziraphale this entire time. Aziraphale was kind and caring and so sweet. His love radiated like a beacon. No other angel Crawly had come across was like this one. Aziraphale was literally the embodiment of what an angel should be.

Angel. The word suggests goodness and is often used to refer to someone who offers comfort and aid to others in times of trouble. Which is exactly what Aziraphale was in every way. He wasn't even a top-ranking angel. He was at the bottom and he excelled at his job.

So then Crawly had no excuse to be doing so poorly at his. He was in the first court of the demonic council. He should have been this heartless and cruel demonic monster but he wasn't. In fact, here he was literally helping the enemy. But he couldn't stay for long. But he was tired and figured a little nap won't hurt.

He proceeded to move back into the fields and found a soft spot of soil to curl up and lie on. He drifted off.