Just a doubt
Maybe it was because they didn't see each other often but sometimes when the moon was high and the red headed commandment was lying in bed he let his thoughts wonder and then those thoughts turned into doubts. Usually Crowley doubted whether he was a good leader and if his rangers really respected him but tonight he had a terrifying doubt, that Halt didn't like him. That the men were just colleagues, forced to work together under the circumstances and that the strong bond he felt towards the grim faced ranger, the fact that he would call him his best friend was not reciprocated and Halt felt the exact opposite. These thoughts proved to be silly when the sun woke however they still made themselves a space in the deepest corner of his mind.
Around a week later, Halt visited, said he had been working too hard and needed a break. They set up a small picnic in a clearing near castle Araluen. Halt prepared a fire and brewed some coffee, they both sat on the grass and sipped at their mugs, staring out at the tree line beyond. Crowley noticed his friend was a little off as they had rode here. He was sniffing on occasion and trying very badly to smother his coughs in the sleeve of his cloak. There was also a slight pink tinge to his pale face. A fresh breeze blew through the clearing and Halt shivered at his side, absentmindedly setting the mug down and pulling his cloak closer to him.
"Halt." He took one look at his friends face and knew he was right, what an idiot being ill and then telling him he wanted to spend the rest of the day outside was pure stupidity. "Let's go inside, you're ill."
"Am not." He said a bit too defensively.
"Come on you're shivering."
"I promised you a good picnic."
"What you promised doesn't matter if your not well enough to enjoy it." Halt just shook his head refusing to stand down.
"I'm just a bit cold that's all." He said after a while, "Reckon I caught something off Will." Without an invitation, not that he minded, Halt scooted closer to Crowley and put his head on the red heads shoulder, curling his knees in to preserve as much heat as possible. In turn Crowley put his arm around his shoulders, drawing him in and resting his head on top of Halts.
They stayed like that until his stomach told him it was dinner time but what was even more alarming was that Halt had wrapped his arms around his knees, leaning against his friend and had started shivering uncontrollably. "Halt?" Crowley touched a hand to his forehead, hot, way too hot. "Halt we need to get you to bed, you've got a fever."
"Mmhm," he replied drowsily. "You're warm," the arm around his shoulder tightened as the flushed form of his friend curled up, knees now falling across the commandments legs, head nestling in his shoulder. "What would I do without you?" He mumbled.
"Do something stupid like this." He chuckled
"Mmm, sleepy."
"Wait Halt don't fall asleep-" he gave up as the rangers eyes closed but when his breath had evened out and Crowley was sure he had fallen asleep.
"Crowley?"
"Yea, Halt?"
"Love you." He felt something warm spread through his heart as his friend said those words.
"Love you too." It was safe to say that Crowley never doubted their friendship again.