Crawling back to you (Hozier's version)

8: I Don't Know Which Way I'm Going

today's chapter title was taken from the song 'the hype' by my favourite band, twenty one pilots. the full line is 'oh, i don't know which way i'm going / but i can hear my way around'. that last bit is important.
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Not only did Hell adopt Crowley again, they were also so kind as to give him a hefty promotion, which included his own office and, with that, a higher rank.

Shax had Beelzebub's old position, and she promptly decided to make Crowley her second in command. Well, not really second in command, it was going to be like he was her personal consultant and she was probably not going to listen to his suggestions.

Or, even more degrading, he was more like a personal puppet. She told him what to do and he did it.

It was ironic, Crowley thought to himself. He declined his old-old position, basically the highest an angel can have, only to accept a mid one in Hell. To be the Dame of Hell's mat. And that demon had dirty fucking shoes.

Well, he concluded. It hadn't been about the position, had it? Had more to do with his coworkers and the general work climate.

"So, what exactly is my job? Can I just do what I was successfully doing before?" Crowley asked, getting his hopes up for nothing.

Shax gave him an unimpressed look, searching for an answer herself. "I don't care. For now. I'll tell you when I've got something concrete."

She gestured to an office near hers - which apparently was now his. Wahoo. Just by looking at it from outside, he was once again reminded why he liked Earth so much.

It was a particularly unclean room with a big desk and a chair. None of his plants. Obviously. Shax knew him to some extent, and he figured the whole office thing had not been planned beforehand. Apparently just came to her randomly while making that offer.

However, still confused about the encounter with Aziraphale, Crowley decided to make the best of it, and use his alone time in peace. But, of course, something got in the way; an old 'friend' visited him.

"Crowley."

"That's me!" He shot up from his armchair, making his way to the doorframe, in which the visiting demon was lingering. "Hastur! Old friend, you need to do something for me." Crowley clasped a hand on his shoulder, offering him an unserious serious expression.

Hastur looked at his hand before turning back to the rest of Crowley, unimpressed by the 'bold' move. "Beelzebub was right, they should've done more to kill you."

"Well, they're off to my stars now." Crowley muttered to himself, knowing Hastur wouldn't give a shit about it. "Go up to Earth and check the house where I was before I got teleported down here."

He took a grounding breath, trying to sound as uncaring as possible. "Tell me if you spot Aziraphale."

Hastur broke the annoyed facade, giving way to genuine surprise. "Spy on your only friend? The one who rejected you?"

Ah, so everyone in Hell really did know. How nice. "Was I expressing myself unclearly?"

Hastur put his hands up in mock surrender. Crowley was just starting to enjoy his peace and quiet again, but, of course, Hastur called for him again. "Could he have morphed?"

Crowley shrugged, which meant no, for some reason. "If you see a scruffy-looking brown-haired douchebag in the cottage, then no. Ignore him. Aziraphale's in the same form he always is."

The Dame of Hell's personal demon then sat at his desk and waited for nothing in particular, just staring at his phone. He didn't know what else to do. In fact, he didn't know what to ever do again. Perhaps being alone and thinking wasn't his best course of action right now.

He had a tendency to overdramatise everything.

So, simply because he hadn't in a while, Crowley decided to walk around Hell for a bit. He also figured he had to get used to demons telling him they knew about what had happened in the bookshop.

Crowley hadn't been spending a lot of time down there, for obvious reasons, but even while he was a demon the first time around, he wasn't keen on coming downstairs.

Because Hell looked exactly as one would picture it: Hellish. Dirty. Shit.

And as he took that stroll down the dirty-ass hallways, Crowley felt himself distancing himself from the most recent 'conversation' with Aziraphale. Finally.

He felt as though if he was to take one more step, he was going to completely forget about another conversation. And then another.

Crowley still did not want to forget. About anything, ever.

He still felt Aziraphale's presence, however. That comforting feeling he had developed quite some millennia ago. If he thought about it too hard, Crowley could swear Aziraphale's physical presence was coming closer. He grinned at the thought, despite himself.

Within the unholy realm of the most unholy, a fragment of time escapes my gaze, yet my trust remains in those Celestials.

A most raw and instinctive power should strengthen the connection between two souls, soon to be united in body, mind and soul.

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listen. i'm sorry for not uploading.

but i'm in france right now and i FINALLY managed to find a spot with very bad wifi here. when i'm outta here (it really is terrible and i'm here with the big family) it'll continue normally again.

so, so sorry for the delay and short chapter.

still wanna vote for me to have a positive feeling when i have wifi and open this app again?

(no pressure. that sounded ironic, sorry, but it isn't.)