If You Fall

Light filtered through the drapes over the window. Golden serpent eyes were wide open and watching the gentle rise and fall of the angel’s chest next to him. He had the covers pulled up to his neck and he was snuggled close to the staring demon. It was somewhere around noon. He guessed because of the amount of light pooling in from the window. His watch was somewhere in the room, he didn’t taking it off, but it wasn’t on his wrist. That didn’t really matter. What mattered was the issue at hand that he didn’t really want to it to, that he didn’t really want to deal with. He would prefer to be suspended here in time. Or maybe last night. Or even the evening before. He just didn’t want time to move forward. That would mean he would have to face the issue. He didn’t really like facing problems, they were a lot of work. For the past 6000 years he had gotten pretty good at avoiding work.

The angel shifted and the demon tensed when his blue eyes fluttered open. So much for staying there any longer. He watched with his intense gaze while the angel stretched and looked up to meet his eyes. A soft smile graced his lips and he looked so blissfully unbothered compared to his very anxious partner.

“Good morning, Crowley,” he said softly.

“Afternoon, angel,” he corrected. The angel looked over to the window and sat up.

“Oh my, why didn’t you wake me?”“I figured your shop wasn’t open on Sundays anyways,” Crowley shrugged, “Besides, Aziraphale, we need to talk.”

Aziraphale’s face twisted into a look of concern. He gently cupped his face in his hands and wiped the tears from his cheeks. Crowley’s jaw tightened under his touch.

“Why are you crying, my dear? What’s wrong?”

Crowley’s hands trembled and he gently grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands away. He slipped his hands into his and held on tightly. Aziraphale frowned, his own anxiety growing. Crowley held that since for a few minutes. His heart was racing and his mind was scrambled. Aziraphale watched the demon with patience and kept ahold of his hands, gently stroking the back of his hand with his thumb.

“I tempted you,” Crowley started.

“Well there wasn’t much tempting to do, my dear,” Aziraphale smiled sheepishly, “I guess it was just the timing, we don’t have Heaven and Hell breathing down our necks, I-”

“Aziraphale, you’re still an angel and I am demon, I tempted you.”

“I don’t see your point.”

“What if you fall,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “Cast from Heaven. I don’t want you to go through that, like I did, I could never.. I couldn’t live with myself.”

Aziraphale cut him off with a kiss. Crowley relaxed into it. Aziraphale kept ahold of his hands and rested his forehead against his.

“Crowley, I think, if I were to fall, it would have been long ago. I gave my flaming sword to man, I invented war, we may have just itted it but we’ve certainly held interest in each other for much longer, we lied to our respective sides, we stopped Armageddon. I haven’t fallen yet. I don’t think I will now.”

“How can you be so sure?”“If God’s ineffable plan didn’t intend for this, I think I would have fallen, or have been burned by the hellfire like intended.”

Aziraphale placed a gentle kiss on Crowley’s forehead. The demon sighed and released the tension he had pent up in his muscles. He slowly nodded.

“I suppose you’re right,” he murmured.

“I know I’m right, I know we’re safe..”

Artist Credit for Cover Image [https://aminoapps.vertvonline.info/cogitae]

Background Image is my own