Snake - Aziraphale X Crowley (Finished)

4

The next morning Aziraphale woke to a terrible fright. Music seemed to play through the bookshop. Trauma ran across the Angel's face as he rushed up, despite his aches and hurried into the main area. 

Cackling notes came from the gramophone until Aziraphale hurriedly stopped the sounds. His breathing was hard and sharp and stung his lungs.

"Aziraphale?" The angel jumped with a frightened little whimper as he turned to face the demon who held a plate in his hand with two crepes on it.

Instinctively, Aziraphale stepped back as Crowley stepped forward, causing him to unintentionally hit the gramophone and cause a loud bump.

"S... S-sorry." Aziraphale muttered. Crowley looked up and down and saw the Angel shaking from head to toe.

"Angel? Are you scared of me?" The blonde didn't have it in him to answer in that moment. All he could see in his mind were the workings of that night.
"I... I should leave." Crowley declared as he put the plate down. Aziraphale's eyes widened and he swiftly rushed after the demon who was already at the door. Both hands wrapped around Crowley's arm. Tears fell from the Angel's eyes.

"Please don't go." He begged desperately. The shook demon turned back around and saw how broken the angel looked. In calculated strength, so as not to hurt the angel, Crowley gripped his upper arms.

"Angel, you need to tell me what's happened. You need to let me help you." Tearfully, Aziraphale's eyes raised to Crowley's.

"Promise me you won't leave if I do?"

"Why would I?"

"Please Crowley. Please promise that if I tell you, you won't go."

"I promise Angel." Aziraphale nodded before turning around and walking over to his desk. He pulled something out covered in a dark blue silk, before sitting on the couch. Crowley quietly sat next to him giving him the room to talk. With shaky hands, Aziraphale slowly undid the silk wrapping to display a hollowed out piece of wood with two pipes on the end of it and fancy carvings on the surface of the smoothed timber.

"Do you know what this is?" Aziraphale asked quietly. Crowley shook his head.
"You've never seen one before?" Crowley raised an eyebrow at the angel.

"No, I've never seen it before." Aziraphale inhaled a shaky breath.

"Crowley... This is a snake charmer."

"What one of those flutes that snakes supposedly dance to?" Aziraphale nodded.

"Gabriel got his hands on one."

"Yeah and?" Aziraphale's eyes met the Demon's.

"It's a common misconception that the snakes are dancing. Snake charmers control snakes. Most humans play harmless melodies, but Gabriel doesn't."

"What, he controls snakes and forces them to attack you?" The redhead was sure he saw a moment of pity in the Angel's expression.

"Not snakes Crowley... Just one." It took a while of staring at the angel before Crowley understood. The colour drained from his face and his eyes were like saucers.

"M...m-me?" He asked weakly. Aziraphale nodded.
"B...b... But how?"

"He thought that if hellfire couldn't destroy me and holy water couldn't destroy you, then we must be able to destroy each other. The Serpent inside you responds to the snake charmer, so Gabriel has been using it on you."

"I.. I did this to you?" Crowley immediately stood up, backing away.

"No, Crowley, don't think that. You didn't do anything!"

"I... I tried to kill you?" Crowley murmured. His eyes shot to the Angel's.
"How many times?"

"Crowley please..."

"HOW MANY TIMES!?" Crowley watched as Aziraphale shut his eyes and flinched in fear. The demon felt his guilt knot his chest.

"Every month for the past two years." Crowley sharply inhaled. Two years. Two years? He continued backing towards the door.
"Crowley!" Aziraphale chased after him. "You promised you wouldn't leave!" The demon was torn.

"Sorry Angel, that was before." With that, the demon turned and left. Aziraphale stood alone in the bookshop, wishing he hadn't told his best friend the truth.

Meanwhile Crowley was screaming through the streets of London, trying to clear his head. How could he not know he was hurting his angel? How could Aziraphale still stand to be near him? Why hadn't Aziraphale told him earlier. As he drove, he heard his phone ringing, and at a glance, he saw it was his Angel. With no second thought, he hung up and threw the phone out the window.

He couldn't be near Aziraphale right now. He couldn't risk hurting him. He almost could hear the illusion of Aziraphale telling him he wouldn't. But he would. The second Gabriel played that snake charmer, he'd be on his way to kill his best friend.

Suddenly, Crowley looked to the side to see Aziraphale had materialized into the car. The car violently swerved before pulling over on the side of the road.

"What the hell are you doing Angel!?"

"Sorry Crowley, but I can't let you go around letting yourself believe that even a part of this is your fault."

"But it is Angel! If I wasn't here, you wouldn't be in danger."

"My love, the universe doesn't work that way. You are here and you do exist and you have done absolutely nothing to cause this. You have no control over this. I know you would never hurt me. And you're not The one that hurt me. Gabriel merely used your body."

"Why angel? Why aren't you running for your life? Why are you so determined to be next to the creature who has tried to kill you 24 times?"

"I should think it would be obvious by now." Crowley just blankly stared at him.
"My dear, I thought you knew. I love you." Crowley's eyes widened yet again.

"You what?"

"I love you Crowley."

"But I'm a demon! A Serpent!"

"And I love both of those things about you too."

"But..." Aziraphale smiled lightly.

"There is no buts dear. I love you. All of you." Crowley just sat, starstruck.
"Honestly dear, after all this time, do you really not know that?"