Summary: It's arrogant to assume demons cannot feel things, that they are systematically 'below' humans. Maybe it doesn't seem like it to you, but demons still feel. They just choose different ways to show it.

Characters: Harry, Crowley

Genre: Romance

Note: This is just a short little thing, something of an in-between I guess. It's more along the lines of a musing drabble this time around rather than an actual concise one-shot.

Lazy Moments:

Everyone always tended to assume that Crowley remained a sassy snarky bastard even when left to his own devices. To the world at large there was no Crowley without biting sarcasm and a mean streak a mile wide. If he was like that in public then he might even be worse in private. Not that anyone would ever know, because there was no one close enough to the demon to be allowed to see the way he acted in private.

Right?

And that was where the greater public messed up.

Harry would be the first (and last, and only) to admit that there were very few differences between the personality Crowley showed when working and the way he acted when he wasn't. He was snarky and suave and sarcastic – that's just who he was. Or at least, who he had become. Those parts of him would never change. The important distinction between private Crowley and public Crowley was the level of affection versus possession he displayed.

Having spent more than a few months in Crowley's near-constant presence, it was easy for Harry, as infatuated as he was with his saviour, his way out, his new life, to pick up on the shifting nuances.

In the company of others Harry was generally ignored, and he was fine with that. He didn't care for the other demons, neither the ones who followed Crowley's orders nor the ones that opposed him. They were insignificant, unimportant. They treated him with same opinion. He was insignificant, unimportant. Crowley was always aware of him, perhaps even hyper-aware, but made no effort to draw attention to him, or even acknowledge him.

There was, however, the occasional demon that took rather great notice of him. Sometimes it was disgust, sometimes intrigue, and even once an unsettling amount of lust. It disturbed Harry to think of some no name demon lusting after him. Made his skin crawl.

It was in those moments that Crowley became suddenly possessive. There was no romance, no love. Harry was his possession, especially in the face of other demons. It was necessary to show them who Harry belonged to, so they would not try anything they would soon regret.

Possessiveness was an understandable trait, Harry had long since decided, for a demon who worked with making deals. It simply made sense. It was also somewhat of a relief that Crowley cared enough, in one way or another, to forcefully exert ownership in front of others. Though it might sound twisted, to Harry it was appreciated. It let him know the demon thought him worth keeping.

When they were sequestered away in Crowley's fancy two-story house – top-side of course, neither of them particularly enjoyed spending unnecessarily large amounts of time downstairs – the possessiveness disappeared. There was no need for it. There was no one to brag to, to warn away. It was just Harry and Crowley.

With just the two of them what really spoke volumes were the things Crowley didn't do. He didn't force Harry away, didn't completely ignore him, didn't torment him or complain about his presence. Rather, he allowed Harry to do whatever he felt like, so long as it didn't interfere with his work.

Harry's favourite pastime was sitting curled up in the window seat in Crowley's office, watching as the sky changed from day to night and night to day. It was funny, the things you came to appreciate after being apart from them for so long. Crowley seemed to find it amusing, though he never said so in as many words. Sometimes Harry got the feeling the demon was watching him watch the sky rather than working, but he never said anything about it, fearing it would force Crowley to stop doing it. It was moments like that which made Harry hopeful that perhaps not all was lost after all.

Feelings were not something Crowley ever talked about. Harry respected that. Emotions were an interesting concept for demons, regardless of the fact that they were once upon a time humans. It wasn't that they didn't feel, but rather it was unnecessary to show or act on the emotions that once upon a time would have driven their every move. It was a certain freedom from human rational and limitations.

Occasionally though it didn't hurt to indulge, just a little.

Crowley had indulged himself with his curiosity when he began visiting Harry in Hell, and even allowed himself to be swayed into bringing Harry topside with him when the little minx requested it. He didn't regret it though. Having the constant presence of a person whose company he didn't abhor did have the unfortunate side-effect of making it clear how lonely – it might not occur to brutish hunters, but demons did get lonely from time to time – he had been existing all on his own.

So having Harry around was beneficial. If it wasn't he would cut the boy loose, send him back downstairs. That wasn't likely to ever happen though. Crowley was too used to him now to get rid of him.

After all, it wasn't as though he were completely heartless.