'Til We Meet Again - Crowley x Reader

Chapter 24

"Eleven Years Ago" (circa 2008)

The sobering reality of their situation settled over Crowley, Aziraphale, and Y/N as they returned to the topic of Armageddon in Aziraphale's bookshop. The effects of the wine had faded, leaving them with a clarity that was both unwelcome and necessary.

Aziraphale, ever the voice of reason, addressed Crowley. "My dear friend, you know I'd like to help you, but it's simply impossible. I can't interfere with the great plan. It's against the rules."

Crowley sighed, frustration etched across his features. "But we can't be certain, can we? We can't be certain that you thwarting me isn't part of the plan. After all, you're meant to be an angel, and angels thwart evil, don't they?"

Aziraphale opened his mouth to respond, but Y/N, ever the voice of balance, interjected. "And we also can't be certain that Aziraphale stopping Armageddon is a part of the great plan. What if it's not?"

The silence that followed was heavy with contemplation. Aziraphale looked torn, his angelic features etched with uncertainty. The uncertainty hung heavily in the air, a question that none of them could answer definitively. It was a great cosmic conundrum, the intersection of free will and fate, and it left them all with a lingering sense of unease.

"Listen," Crowley began, his voice tinged with resignation, "the antichrist has been born, and no matter what, Armageddon is already underway."

Y/N, always one to look for a silver lining, chimed in with a thought that sparked a glimmer of hope, "But isn't the most important part of a child's life their upbringing? The influences that shape them?"

Crowley raised an eyebrow as he tried to make sense of Y/N's words. "You mean..."

Y/N nodded, her expression thoughtful.

Crowley's eyes widened as he grasped the implication of what she had hinted at. He turned to Aziraphale with a sly smile. "You see, angel," he said, "it's all about the upbringing. The right kind of influence could make all the difference."

Aziraphale furrowed his brow, not quite catching on to Crowley's meaning. "What are you suggesting?"

Crowley leaned in, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm suggesting that I'll be the one influencing the child to do evil."

A sly smile played on his lips. "Aziraphale, my dear friend, it would be such a shame if someone ensured my efforts to instil evil in the child were... less effective."

Aziraphale's eyes widened in realisation, and a small, hesitant smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He glanced at Y/N, who nodded enthusiastically, her eyes bright with the prospect of a plan forming.

Aziraphale hesitated, considering the possibilities. He had always believed in the potential for good in humanity, and this was a chance to make a difference. A hint of warmth crept into his expression as he said, "If you put it that way."

Crowley smiled fondly at the angel, "We'd be Godfathers, sort of. Overseeing his upbringing."

Y/N's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she chimed in, "Yes, and that way, the child would grow up like any other, without the weight of destiny looming over them."

Aziraphale's smile grew, his reservations fading away. "Godfathers. Well, I'll be damned."

In that moment, a plan was set in motion to raise the antichrist as a normal child, to give him the chance to choose his own path, free from the burdens of fate and prophecy. Together, they would be the unlikely godparents of an extraordinary child, determined to change the course of destiny.