The Known/Unknown Quantity

Chapter 10: Your Turn, Crowley

Chapter 10: Your Turn, Crowley

It was near midnight, and Crowley was chuckling in his sleep.

The room was much darker than before, but the street lamps outside cast fractured light between the shadows. They allowed for the angel's observation of the demon's mouth and chin animating with humor.

Watching him, Aziraphale was awash in utter joy. He could feel the entire earth now, every molecule, every pulse of life, threading thru him like a conduit. His fingers danced with the energy, and he laughed himself along with the sleeping demon.

Why, the angel hadn't felt so blissful since before the first war. So, at peace. So apart of everything. Crowley guffawed, and Aziraphale joined in again, unable to let go of his own grin.

Before the war, he thought. I was part of the choir then, and sometimes the band. They didn't approve of my improvisations: changing the melody, fussing with the arrangements.

They put me in the tenor section, but I could do bara-tone. I have range.

Again, the demon chuckled, this time thru his teeth, a long smarmy noise, and the angel dared to reach over and smooth a finger over one of his crimson eyebrows.

Fuck them. Had range last night. Crowley had me singing on command.

But then, Aziraphale's eyes caught something in a shard of light, and he paused, and his inspection rested there, ignoring Crowley's response of turning into the touch and rubbing against it. The angel could see that his thumb was shorter than the demon's eyelids.

Aziraphale's peace evaporated. Crowley's eyes had not come down.

"Woll, are you gonna lay there and poke me in the eye? I'm not having with that."

"How long have you been awake?" Aziraphale queried, removing the thumb and observing him.

"The moment you touched me. I've been wide awake since the very moment you touched me." He wasn't referring to the thumb.

The demon beamed from ear to ear, showed his teeth, and stretched hard. Aziraphale had to lean back to give him room.

"MmmmmAhhh!" Crowley folded back in, and stared at the ceiling. He was past awareness or concern about his terribly huge eyes. But even half-closed, they resembled supernovas. He laughed, turning his head to his friend," That was worth the wait, wouldn't you say?"

The angel gave him a half-hearted grin. "I never want to wait for anything that long again."

Crowley gave him a loaded look he didn't understand, but the demon shrugged and moved on. "How do you feel?"

"Um." Now it was Aziraphale's turn to look at the ceiling. "I woke up in the hands of bliss."

He had. Too bad it had been so fleeting.

The demon was waiting for more. Breaking the spell, the angel turned back to him and asked in his attempt to be conversational, "I take it you...feel good?"

"Never better. Never!" Crowley rocked a little, his delight becoming manic.

"Nothing...out of place? Nothing...odd?"

"I don't know, I just feel perfectly vindicated that I found you!" Crowley was beside himself, grinning. The blazing eyes moistened with his humor, and a single runnel traced down his gaunt cheek. It left a light pink stain.

The flash of color startled the angel. Scrutinizing, he peered into the corners of those tormented eyes and observed tiny pin pricks of red.

Crowley had no idea. He touched his nose to the angel's, that stupid grin on his face. "I found you, finally."

Aziraphale didn't know what to do. He drew the demon to his body and embraced him as his demon shook with laughter.

"I found you." He said it over and over again. A proclamation. A triumph after a long and arduous quest. It was here, finally.

"Crowley, I was never lost." What is happening to him?

"You're always lost, angel. You're always deep in the weeds."

He continued to chuckle, feeling the angel's body respond to his closeness, and his in turn. But this time Aziraphale was able to ignore the arousal, his mind racing over how to halt Crowley's condition before it developed into something worse.

Better get clever, old boy. You must become more flexible, and not a moment too soon...