39; Always With You

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Context: Saw some art by "cecillusive" on Twitter and I just HAD to make a little something for it. And for very obvious reasons, in this AU, Aziraphale-as-Crowley didn't disrobe before going into the holy water bathtub.

In which Crowley and Aziraphale find out they've been hiding a similar secret from each other. (Apart from their undying love for one another, of course.)

Word Count: 1,100

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The day had been a nice one, so far, as Crowley pulled up to the bookshop to pick up Aziraphale. Since the world hadn't ended, the angel thought there was no better time to have that picnic he had mentioned many decades ago. And not being one to deny the fussy principality anything, Crowley agreed. The demon would've preferred to be in a fancy restaurant with air conditioning, but he knew Aziraphale had been planning this for a few days, so he didn't complain once they got to St. James Park and the humidity was making him feel a bit more human than usual. Using less miracles does that to a supernatural entity, after all.

They had agreed to cut down on their powers a bit, at least for a while, in hopes that they could remain under the radar when it came to their former head offices. Sure, they had scared them into not messing with them again, but it's not like they can be fully trusted. Therefore: best not to poke the bear and do more things the old fashioned way. However, the demon hated doing things the old fashioned way when he was rushing. Hence why he was furious when it suddenly started to rain and they had to scramble to get everything packed again and run to the car. Plus, getting the Bentley's upholstery wet made his blood boil even more.

So they drove to Crowley's flat, to throw their clothes into the dryer. A choice Aziraphale wasn't very thrilled about.

"What if they get ruined? I love this outfit, I've had it for over a century." Pouted the angel, shrugging off the jacket upon entering the home.

Crowley had already taken off his sunglasses, shoes and socks, his fingers currently preoccupied on unbuckling his belt. "It'll be fine. I'll put it at the lowest temperature possible. It'll take longer, but it'll still be faster than waiting for this bloody storm to let up, Mr. 'I like to air dry all my clothes'. I thought you had checked the weather broadcast beforehand!" He complained, struggling to get out of his trousers.

Aziraphale found the sight quite amusing, but tried to hide his laughter. "I thought you would have on your mobile." He said, taking off his bow tie and unbuttoning his shirt.

The demon sighed, tight trousers finally off, before walking to the linen closet and throwing a towel at the blond. "Looks like the rest of our picnic is happening indoors and naked. Willing to bet you didn't see that one coming."

"Rather. I suppose it is a bit funny." He said, removing his shirt.

It is now when Crowley notices several darkly colored lines wrapping around Aziraphale's left arm. He blinks, confused. The angel isn't aware of this, because he continues disrobing, removing his sleeveless undershirt next.

"Aziraphale?"

"Yes, dear boy?" Responded the chubby being as he started undoing his belt.

"What the hell is that on your arm?"

The angel stopped dead in his tracks, heart pounding in his ears. How he hadn't remembered these private markings as he undressed was beyond him. "I um... I had a bit of work done." He said, not daring to look at Crowley.

The fallen angel scoffed and walked with purpose towards him to see exactly what this was. "Yeah, I can see that. What I want to know is what-" His words died in his mouth as he went around the blond to see the full image.

It was a very large tattoo of a snake, going up the length of his left arm, across his back, down to his lower back where the snake's head resided. The whole thing looked aged, like it had been done many years ago. But the coloring was what made Crowley's mouth run dry. The outline of the snake's underbelly had been a bright red, and the eyes had been yellow.

Finally, the demon had to force himself to start speaking, otherwise, he'd be staring slack-jawed forever. "You have a tattoo."

"Yes."

"You have a tattoo on your back and on your arm."

"Yes."

"You have a tattoo of a snake on your back and on your arm."

"Yes."

"You have a tattoo of me on your back and on your arm."

"Yes."

Gently as anything, Crowley touched the snake's head and trailed his fingers along the whole piece, which made Aziraphale shiver. "When did you get this?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"1941..."

He said nothing to that, and walked in front of Aziraphale, getting rid of the rest of his clothes to reveal a back tattoo of his own. His were a pair of white wings, starting at his spine, covering the shoulders, all the way to his elbows. Upon hearing the angel gasp, Crowley looked over his shoulder, a fond look in his eye.

"1967... Who did yours?"

"I did it myself. Tiny miracles here and there. Enough to not get in trouble... I didn't think I could task someone with something this personal..."

"...So, the church is what did it for you?"

"That was my wake up call, yes. Yours was in 1967?"

"Nah. Millennia before then. But when you gave me the holy water, I thought that meant I had a chance." He said, fingers tracing the ink on the angel's arm. "Clearly, I was onto something." He grinned.

Aziraphale was smiling, despite himself. "All this time, I've been part of you, and I didn't even know it!"

"You? What about me?! I've been pining like an idiot for thousands of years!" He yelled, not at all angry. His tone was of disbelief, but the happiest disbelief the angel had ever seen.

The blond wrapped his arms around the still wet demon, pulling him into the sweetest kiss he could muster. Crowley melted into him, basking in his warmth and happiness. When he pulled away and remembered Aziraphale's drenched trousers, he found himself laughing. "I guess we can thank the storm for all this."

"Indeed." Agreed the angel, stealing another kiss. Eventually, Aziraphale finished undressing to turn on the dryer. And with that, they could continue confessing their feelings and enjoying their picnic.

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