Ten days in….
"Why won't this goddamned rain stop?" Crowley screamed at the ceiling of the stall he and Aziraphale were sharing as a 'room' on the Ark.
"Because it is, Crawley…er, Crowley." Aziraphale looked over the sleeping assortment of young lifestock and children, who were huddled in a beatific mound of innocence and warmth. They were still slumbering, undisturbed. He looked up to see Crowley gaping at him, expectantly. "God damned, that is." The demon's mouth shut abruptly. "Now, sit and calm yourself. We're going to be here a long while, you know."
Crowley sighed and sat on the floor across from the angel. He also looked over the huddle of sleeping innocents, recognizing a few faces of children and small animals he himself had rescued. "I know. I just can't seem to stop asking questions. My head is full of them. Seems like She'd have kept that from being possible, if it peeved Her so."
"It's not a good idea for anyone to have all the answers. Life would be dull without discovery, don't you think?"
"I suppose you're right, Angel. I do know I'm bored of the rain, already." Crowley looked down and picked at the straw.
Aziraphale took a quick breath in and out to reenergize and sat up straighter. "Well then, I have an idea that will keep us occupied. Let's do a complete inventory of the beings on board and include it in our reports."
"I'm still determining how I'll write this up for Hell." Crowley motioned at the sleeping pile. "I'm still surprised I am aboard this bless-ed boat without feeling any consequences."
"Maybe a demon was supposed to be on board." Aziraphale suggested.
"Everything else is paired off; what am I paired with?" Crowley looked over to see a blushing angel. "….oh." He waved away a mosquito. "But there are more than a pair of each insect here."
"A pair of colonies, or swarms, I suspect." The angel miracled a small gust of air to move the insects away. "I've told Noah we were God-sent to help care for everyone aboard and keep it manageable for his family."
Crowley huffed. "And his response?"
"Noah said, "manageable for my family?" and began laughing like you sometimes do.
The demon chuckled. "It took the Flood to show Noah what Irony is. So, we keep everything spotless and fed?"
"No. The family needs something to do along this journey, or they'll start screaming at the rain like you. Taking care of the livestock will give them a distraction. We clear away the bigger messes, stop the leaks, make sure the food doesn't spoil, and keep the fires burning clean and safely." He looked over at Crowley, who was now making a doll out of some of the straw. "Other than that, I'll take inventory."
Crowley looked up. "and what do I do?"
"You can keep the children entertained, between their chores." Aziraphale faked a threatening tone. "No recruiting for your side, demon."
The demon looked quietly pleased at his assignment. "I don't recruit children."
"Well, don't give them ideas, then. Eve was an innocent too."
Crowley tossed the finished doll, now with wings, at the angel. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"
"No." Aziraphale picked up the doll and puppeted it at the demon. "It's a fixed point in time now."
Crowley looked up as the boat seemed to change direction and the wind picked up. "Not as fixed as this flood. No going back now."
One of the children woke, and with eyes half open, spied the red-headed figure in the dark robe. "Crowley", he said sleepily and moved over to cuddle up to the demon. Crowley's expression softened and he gave a soft exhale and said in a lowered voice, "How much longer are we on this boat, Angel?"
Aziraphale smiled at the sight of the ember-haired demon; one arm wrapped gently around the sleeping boy and the other stroking a puppy that had crawled into his lap. The angel glowed slightly as he answered, "A few more weeks, I think."
Crowley looked up, his gold eyes looking directly into the angel's blue eyes. Faking impatience, he said, "I suppose I'll have to endure it."