Crawling back to you (Hozier's version)

1: Stuff Happened

greetings.
i only referred to muriel and beelzebub with they/them (is that even a sentence). maybe i'll change it later but just so you know.
- - -

Crowley had been in love with Aziraphale for quite some time now. About 6000 years. He never had the courage to tell him about his feelings.

But he almost did. A few times over the years.

                                       - 1941 -

The two were drinking, celebrating Aziraphale getting the magic trick right when it mattered.

Well, they were drinking a lot.

"Angel?" Crowley suppressed a burp.

"Mhh?" the angel, who was often thought to be the more responsible one, was just as drunk as Crowley. If not more - it was a celebration after all.

"Whaddoyou- nah- Whatcha think, what would they've done to us-" he refilled their glasses. "if- if ya hadn't swapped the... the pictures?"

Aziraphale took a swig, thinking by staring up at the ceiling. "Dunno? Tickle to discorporation?"

They looked at each other. And burst into laughter.

"Oh, Angel.." They continued to laugh.

Aziraphale wiped away a tear of joy. "Yes?"

Crowley looked at him, chuckling. "Huh?"

"You sounded like you- like you wanted to say something." Aziraphale emptied his glass.

Crowley hesitated, playing with the stem of his glass. Was he going too fast? He wasn't sure if this was the right moment. Fuck it. This time, he'd go through with it.

"Angel, I- I..." His friend looked at him. He was smiling drunkenly, refilling both off their glasses again.

"I- I forgot ma point.." he laughed at himself. 'How pathetic', he then thought to himself. He was a demon. And he was too embarrassed to tell this angel what he felt.

Perhaps because it took him a couple of years (or however time worked before the beginning of it) to understand that he loved Aziraphale. And then a couple years to fully accept that he was in love with the angel, who laughed with him.

He sighed, sipping his wine.

Someday he would tell him. At the end of the world, at last.

                                - Present Day -

Well, surprise, Armageddon was prevented, a second Armageddon wasn't put into motion, Gabriel and Beelzebub got their happy ending and Aziraphale rejected Crowley to take over Gabriel's old position.

So once again, the world was saved and Crowley was alone. Once again as well.

He was ashamed of himself. Something he hasn't felt in a long time. But that wasn't even the worst part.

The worst part was the way his heart ached, his breath hitched and his eyes were filled with tears.

He didn't even know where he was driving. The route felt familiar, but he honestly didn't care the slightest where he was going. He just didn't want to be near the bookshop right now.

He hadn't cried like that in a while. He chuckled. The last time he did, it was too because of Aziraphale. Back then, he thought the angel was dead and he regretted not having told him.

Now, the angel was very alive and he regretted having told him.

He sped through a forest. Flashes of... love.