Crowley was lying on the couch in the bookshop, on his phone whilst the angel was working and he suddenly got quite bored and so he stood up and walked over to the angel who was sitting at his desk. He leaned down and leaned his chin on the angels shoulder whilst also wrapping his arms around him.
"Hello my dear, are you alright?"
"Bored" mumbled the demon who was nuzzling into the angels neck.
"Well what would you like to do?"
"Cuddle"
"Dear the shop is still open"
"Says the owner" the demon had gotten a tad sarcastic.
Aziraphale chuckled and then said "Alright you win" Aziraphale snapped his fingers and the front door closed and the sign flipped over to read 'closed'. The angel stood up and turned to face his demon who was practically sleeping standing up.
"Oh my poor thing, are you tired my dear?"
Crowley nodded he didn't feel much like talking anymore. Aziraphale took his hand and led him upstairs to the bedroom where he and the demon lay down. Crowley leaned his head on Aziraphale's chest and hooked one leg over the angels.
"Comfy?"
Crowley nodded. He nuzzled into the angels chest and hummed, he had needed this, he needed to feel close to the angel and now he was. Aziraphale began to run his hand through the demons hair and had gotten a few whines from the demon.
Crowley yawned, he was exhausted but he didn't want to sleep, he definitely needed it but that wasn't the problem, the problem was the nightmares, the nightmares he hadn't told the angel about.
"Sleep my love"
Crowley wanted to shake his head but he couldn't as he was already drifting off, he cursed himself for it, but he really did need it. Aziraphale had no idea of the trauma that was coming.
Three hours had passed before the angel noticed the demon was wriggling about in his sleep, he had also begun to talk in his sleep. Saying things like 'no stop' and 'please don't' all of this worried Aziraphale and so he tried to wake the demon.
"Crowley wake up"
Crowley continued to wriggle in his sleep, now he was gripping the angels leg quite tightly, and with his claws no less, the demon had already drawn blood but the angel paid it not mind as the worry increased.
Aziraphale gently shook Crowley and said "Crowley please wake up"
Crowley shot up in bed and scrambled out of it, huddling up in the corner of the room and crying. Aziraphale got out of bed and slowly walked over to the demon, treating him like a wounded animal that could pounce and any moment.
"Crowley it's alright, you just had a bad dream, it's okay"
"No, not dream"
"Crowley I....."
"Memory....bad memory" mumbled the demon, the grip on his red hair tightening.
"I see, do you want to tell me about it?"
Crowley shook his head "Didn't want to sleep"
"Is that why you were exhausted? You didn't want to have the bad dreams?"
Crowley nodded his head, he'd been found out and now he knew the angel would be mad at him for not telling him about his dreams and so he awaited the inevitable consequences.
"Dearest, why did you tell me?"
Crowley shrugged.
"Well now that I know why you haven't been sleeping, perhaps I can help, if you'll let me?"
Crowley slowly looked up at the angel and saw his face was one of concern, not anger.
"You're not angry?" Mumbled the demon who was very much still as vulnerable as he could've been.
"Why would I be?"
" 'cause I lied to you"
"Oh my love, I know you have trouble opening up and I also know you try your best to, but as it stands I'm quite sure you didn't tell me about this because you were scared, yes?"
Crowley nodded
"I know that telling the people you love things is hard, dear lord I find it hard, but I also know that you will always try to tell me, no matter how long it takes you"
Crowley's posture opened a little and he launched himself forward and into the angels arms, he hugged him with such force he almost knocked the angel over. Crowley frowned when he saw the angels pj bottoms had holes in them.
He unwrapped himself from the hug and inspected the holes, he knew the angel prided himself on his clothes, even his pyjamas, so this happened recently and with the way they were positioned....oh no.
Crowley looked up at the angel with tears in his eyes before looking at his own hand to see his fingertips covered in blood.
"Angel I'm sorry, I'm so sorry"
"Hey hey, it's okay, you were dreaming and you were scared, it's nothing a little miracle and time can't fix" explained the angel as he Hooked one finger under the demon chin and made him look at him. "It's not your fault"
Crowley looked down in shame and mumbled something.
"Did you say something love?"
"I was dreaming about hell, about.....lucifer"
Aziraphale went quiet as he braced himself for this conversation.
"Crowley you don't have to tell me, you're allowed your secrets"
"No I...I wanna tell you, can we....um...in bed?"
"Oh yes, the floor is quite uncomfortable isn't it?" Smiled Aziraphale
Aziraphale picked up the demon and returned to the bed. Crowley was sitting in the space between the angels legs looking up at him, not knowing where to start.
Crowley took a deep breath and began "It started a long time ago before you and I met on the wall and well.....lucifer and I were kinda close in heaven and that didn't stop in hell, when he got bored or whatever, he wanted me, he did things to me....things I didn't want. It never stopped every time I got into trouble for something he would drag me back to his chambers and....." Crowley stopped as he was getting worn out by all this sharing. " I just wanted him to stop, why didn't he stop?" He asked the angel as he leaned forward and hugged him.
Aziraphale was stunned, he knew hell was bad but he never even thought about this, or what Crowley had been through at the hands of the devil himself.
"Crowley I don't know what possessed him to do those things to you but I can promise you that I will do everything in my power so that it never happens again"
"Promise?"
"I promise" he reassured the demon with a kiss to his forehead and a tight hug.
"Love you 'Zira"
Aziraphale chuckled at the use of the nickname "I love you too"
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