Ineffable Husbands One Shots

I Want it All

2:42 am. There's a full moon illuminating the sky, accompanied by brilliant stars. Tonight is one of those lucky nights when, by some miracle, a few extra street lights are out and despite the fact that this is the city, you can still spot an impressive amount of stars. The streets are quiet. Everyone is asleep apart from the owls, opossums, and an unlikely pairing of an angel and a demon strolling down the street.

"And, oh, it was so romantic-" the angel says passionately.

He'd been going on and on about this romance novel for twenty minutes now, and he didn't seem like he planned to stop any time soon. The poor demon could only take so much. "Oh, angel, must you? Romance is so-"

"Wonderful...?" the angel said dreamily. He knew that was not how the demon saw it. Demons can't even feel love. Which was why he knew this conversation was pointless; no matter how much he loved the demon, and how much he talked about his fantasies they'd always stay, well, just that. Fantasies. He knew from a rational state of mind he'd never get his dream to come true, but that did not stop his idealistic side from hoping.

"Saddening," the demon said disdainfully, as though the word left a sour taste in his mouth.

That was not what the angel was expecting to hear. He could imagine the demon thinking love was disgusting, or stupid, or worthless, or- ahem. Best not to diminish all of his hopes. "What on Earth makes you say that, Crowley?"

The demon pushed up his sunglasses (yes, he always wore sunglasses, even in the middle of the night) before shoving his hands into his very small pockets aggressively. "Well," he croaked out before clearing his throat rather awkwardly. "Whenever it's Valentine's day... or any other occasion where romance is being shoved down my throat," he glanced at the angel without turning his head, out of the corner of his eye. "I just feel reminded of how..." he paused, taking in a deep breath, "bloody alone I am," the words shot out with a sharpness to them.

The angel was stunned into silence for a few seconds. "Really, Crowley? What a depressing way to think of something so joyous! That's not how I feel at all. When it's Valentine's day, or any other time I am blessed to witness some romance-" this time the angel side-eyed the demon- "I feel hope. Because if two humans could find each other out of allllllll the humans in the world, and love each other wholly, imperfections and all... who's to say the same couldn't happen to me?" he finished quietly.

Crowley hummed in something that could be heard as agreement, despite the fact that internally he felt like the angel had just taken a sledge hammer to his heart. Of course he wanted to find romance for himself, of course. And there was no way in Hell (or Heaven, for that matter) that he wanted to explore love partnered with a demon. No bloody way. No, Crowley was alone. Always had been, always would be.

The angel's voice pulled the demon out of his thoughts "Would you... ever be interested in pursuing a romantic relationship?" Crowley choked on the night air. "I mean! Not with me, of course not, that's not what I meant," he quickly mended.

"I-I- w-wh- we- yo- I-" Crowley hissed at his own blasted sputtering. "No," he answered firmly. "I mean, that is, unless I found someone really, really special. Who loved me back. That is," he then added with much less certainty, finishing his thoughts with a swallow.

"I see," the angel replied carefully, sounding deep in thought.

They walked together in what the angel found to be a comfortable silence that he could easily use to turn the demon's answer over in his head. Crowley found the silence to be deafening, as he willed his limbs not to shake out of their sockets at that risky confession.

After what felt like hours to Crowley, the angel finally broke the silence. "You're not, you know," he said quietly, sounding as though he wasn't fully there with Crowley, like some of him was still lost in his mind.