Aziraphale left the store holding their purchases in a white plastic bag. Unlike earlier, Barnaby and him were just another face in the crowd. None of the surprised double takes from this morning. Just a well-dressed man and his son out for a stroll. But Barnaby still seemed uncomfortable, lightly clutching Aziraphale's side. He eyed each passerby with suspicion like they would attack at any moment.
"Before we head back, I have a quick favor to do for a friend,"
Aziraphale did promise Crowley to check in on the flat. But it was too simply far to walk, so they would have to catch a bus. Since Aziraphale didn't know how to drive, he used public transportation often. It never bothered him sitting next to a complete stranger or taking a little bit longer to reach his destination. It was like a little adventure. Smiling courteously he handed his fare over to the usual driver. Barnaby instead kept his head down avoiding all eye contact. The lady at the shop seemed nice enough, but there were just so many new people that he didn't know what to think. Barnaby took a window seat cautiously watching London pass by. The strange little shops, bustling people, and the occasional tree blurred past. It didn't seem like a bad place to live, just busy. It would be nice to live somewhere quieter, he thought. Barnaby was content swinging his legs watching the new world pass him by, stopping occasionally to let off and on passengers.
He was a little disappointed when their stop came. They got out in front of an ordinary looking apartment building. It was pretty unremarkable, just a dull gray rectangle with some windows. Aziraphale didn't seem to mind, he just lead Barnaby up a few flights of stairs until they paused at the right door. The door itself was pretty average, but the doorbell wasn't. It sat in the middle of a little snake statue, the tiny head poised as if to bite when you rung the bell. Barnaby tapped the small metal head almost expecting it to spring to life. But it was simply a statue.
Aziraphale let them in with the spare key Crowley gave him. It was supposed to be for emergencies and such, or when the angel wanted to sneak him a gift. The flat was decorated minimally, just a few lavish looking pieces of furniture and the occasional painting on the wall. In all, it gave off an imposing feel like the flat itself was looking down at you. The one splash of life and color was the small garden of house plants. Verdant and luscious things with long waxy leaves and thick stems. Not a flower in sight though, just green leaves.
It was a little too close to home for Barnaby, the whole place made him feel anxious and jumpy. But Aziraphale just smiled and moved to the kitchen, sitting on a sterile counter was a cheap green plant mister. He filled it up with tap water and screwed on the cap.
"Here, this is for watering the foliage. Just squeeze the trigger and point where you want it to go," Aziraphale said pressing the bottle into Barnaby's hands. It was simple enough, just pull the trigger and a fine mist sprayed forth. Surprisingly, Barnaby actually found it relaxing washing over the plants one by one with the mist. He watched as tiny droplets clumped together and slid off the leaves into the potted dirt. Following behind him, Aziraphale would gently stroke the greenery whispering encouragement. The plants seemed to almost glow at the affection, perking up slightly.
It took some time to water the sheer amount of foliage. But they did a thorough and complete job. It was the beginning of the afternoon before they finished up. Neither of the two seemed to mind though.
"Can we water the plants again tomorrow?" asked Barnaby hopefully.
"That seems reasonable, I was going to anyway,"
The little boy grinned ear to ear. When they got back to the shop he would probably insist on watering Aziraphale's plants too. It felt nice caring for something besides himself, like he was finally in control of his life. Aziraphale could practically feel the joy radiating off him. Crowley would love Barnaby. He had always had a soft spot for kids, no matter how much he insisted the contrary, and a mutual love of plants couldn't hurt. A dark thought bubbled into the principality's mind.
"Barnaby," his voice changed to a serious tone. "If anything happens, if those men come back or we get separated, I want you to meet me here,"
The boy looked back at his guardian not quite understanding. "Why not the bookshop?" He liked the bookshop far better, it was much cozier and it just felt safe.
"It's safer here, more secret," Aziraphale tried to explain. If those men discovered him, it would be easy to trace them back to the shop. But this seemingly random apartment would be much harder to find. This same realization flashed on Barnaby's place.
"A hiding spot,"
"Exactly, now keep this with you," Aziraphale placed the spare key into the boys hand. Aziraphale could always miracle open the door if worse comes to worse. Understanding, Barnaby slipped it into this new pants.
"Now, how about some lunch? I know this splendid sushi place!"
The sushi was splendid indeed. At first when they walked in they (or more specifically Barnaby) got a few distasteful looks. Sushi was never a popular food for children, it often produced upturned noses and loud complaining. But Barnaby was simply glad to have food, he had gone hungry too many times to be picky about it. Besides, the combination of fish and rice was generally pleasing.
Riding the bus back, Aziraphale was preoccupied. He wanted to help Barnaby, he really did, but he simply couldn't unless the boy talked to him. How could the angel keep him safe if he had no idea what he was up against. Barnaby seemed like he wanted to explain, he just got too tense and closed up. Whatever the memories were, they must have been painful. Only if Aziraphale could find a way to keep Barnaby calm and relaxed long enough to get some answers. Only if he could take a long flight and clear his head. That's always what he did in the good old days.
When they got back to the shop, they just headed right up to the apartment. Barnaby was about to settle down on the sofa when Aziraphale spoke up.
"I want to show you something, come on,"
Aziraphale lead him down the hall to what appeared to be a closet. But when he swung it open, a small staircase was revealed. It only had one direction. Up. They went higher and higher until reaching a rusty metal door. With a loud creak Aziraphale pushed it open with his shoulder. Outside was the open sky stretching off the flat roof. It was slightly cloudy today but not overbearingly cold, there was a slight breeze but not enough to upset one's flight pattern. The roof was just a barren square, broken up by a ventilation system. It wouldn't be too hard to leap over the alley to the neighboring shops. You could easily see the street but not the other way around.
Barnaby took in the view inching closer to the edge. It really was breathtaking. Just out of his eyesight, Aziraphale laid his coat down and materialized his wings. The stretched them out slightly allowing the wind to ruffle the soft down. He hadn't flown in a long time, thousands of years. Some days he missed it, the feeling of freedom and weightlessness. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. Once he opened them he found Barnaby staring. The boy seemed less amazed as before, but there was still a wonder in those browns eyes as he looked upon the white feathers.
"Want to take a flight with me?" Aziraphale suggested. A small voice nagged in his brain that just because the child had wings didn't mean he knew how to use them. But Barnaby nodded and set his rain coat next to Aziraphale's. Stretching his smaller russet wings he gave the sky a nervous look. A larger hand took his.
As humans would say, it was like riding a bike, once you learn to fly it's something you never forget. Aziraphale quickly fell back into old habits and techniques as his wings picked up the breeze. It was obvious that Barnaby had little experience, he flapped his wings almost haphazardly or glided for too long almost falling out of the sky. He put too much energy into his turns making them choppy. It was like when a little kid tries to swim so they just randomly splash as hard as they can.
"Dip your right tip a little lower, love," Aziraphale said over the wind. Little by little he began to teach Barnaby the basics. When to glide, efficient turning, how to steady turbulence, the kind of stuff you learn as a young cherub. But Barnaby was a quick study, able to implement techniques just moments after learning them. Flying was a part of him as much as breathing, and soon it became just as easy. The two forms dived and swerved around each other like dancers in a duet, unseen by the people bellow. It all felt natural and right, this was what they were made to do.
As the sun started to sun, they finally returned to solid land. Aziraphale landed soft as a feather, but Barnaby needed some work. He came in too hard causing him to stumble, but he quickly recovered. The little pink shoes flashed brightly on impact with the roof. He just needed a little practice. Needing a breather they sat down right on the edge, legs dangling in front, wings stretched out in back.
"So, have you been flying before?" asked Aziraphale. A simple question to start with.
"Once," Barnaby breathed in the fresh air and turned his attention from the orange and red sky.
"When was that?"
"When I ran away,"
"From where you were made," Aziraphale remembered.
"They didn't know I could fly yet, but I felt it. So one day when they let me outside as usual, I flew away. They tried to stop me, but I just kept going. I was afraid to stop, that they would catch me, so I just kept flying. But I got so tired I crashed. So I just kind of wandered around, sleeping in ditches and avoiding people,"
"Why did you run away?" Aziraphale could hear his voice trembling. How many days had Barnaby just been wandering those streets cold and afraid?
"It hurt there,"
"How?"
"They hurt me," Barnaby shuddered. Dark memories surfaced of pain and darkness. The boy was barely aware that he was shaking, the world seemed to drift away leaving only the memories. Aziraphale couldn't stand it anymore, he pulled Barnaby into his lap. The angel rocked back and forth making soothing sounds, even though he was barely able to control his own anger.
"sshh...sssh...I won't let them take you back. I promise. You'll never go back there,"
Thank you for reading this far. I love all your support. I just wanted to warn you that I'm starting summer classes so I won't be able to post as frequently. But I will when I can.