Good Omens (One-Shots)

You Mean That?

Requested by: @Aitana_b_g_888
Hope this did you justice!! I actually really like this one. Thanks for the idea!!

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Matching: Aziraphale x Crowley
Song: None
Written: July 1st, 3rd, 4th
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     The first few days after the Armageddon-That-Wasn't, he was fine. Really! He was finally free from the strings that hung him high and constructed his every move. He's free of that, now!

     But it wasn't all unicorns and rainbows.

     Four days after the Not-So-End-Of-The-World, he had his first ever nightmare.

     I know what you might be thinking, what could be so bad that a demon could have a nightmare?

     Well, a bookshop fire, for one.

     Crowley knew this was a dream. It was his eleventh nightmare already, at first it was one here and there but recently he's had them for a week straight. But even though he knew that this was nothing but a twisted memory, he didn't acknowledge that. He couldn't. After all, who would he be to subject his best friend to the inferno, even in his dreams?

     Crowley stood next to the Bentley, just outside the bookshop and watched it burn. His eyes widened when he realized that he had, once again, fallen asleep. He doesn't need sleep, but he had gotten into the habit of doing so.

     The snake-eyed demon didn't waste another moment before sprinting into his favourite angel's burning bookshop. He snapped to open the doors and snapped to close them again.

     "ANGEL!"

     "ANGEL, WHERE ARE YOU?"

     "STUPID, STUPID. ANGEL, PLEASE!"

     "AZIRAPHALE, YOU IDIOT!"

     Despite his yells and shouts, he couldn't hear himself over the sound of the very large unsafe bonfire. Crowley ran from room to room, shouting and screaming. He turned over bookshelves and desks to attempt to find the platinum-blond haired angel.

     Then he heard it.

     Something that wasn't there before.

     A whisper.

     "Aziraphale..?" Crowley asked cautiously, he stepped over a few burning books to find a body laying on the floor behind a desk. "Oh my Go-Sat- Somebody. Oh my stars. Aziraphale.."

     He knelt heavily next to the body. The demon lightly traced the laugh lines on Aziraphale's blank face, tears forming in his eyes. Crowley felt for a pulse but found none.

     His angel was dead.

     He didn't even get to say goodbye.

     Despite being deadly still, another whisper escaped Aziraphale's lips. Crowley wiped away tears, his eyebrows scrunched together. Aziraphale was dead... how...?

     "Crowley.."

     "Crowley."

     "CROWLEY!"

     The snake-eyed demon shot up, his obsidian silk sheets jostling around him. Crowley's eyes were still shut, hot tears escaping from behind them. He brought his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them and sobbed.

     He vaguely noticed a soft hand being placed on his back, rubbing small, slow circles. He barely noticed his own breathing calming down, his tears slowly stopping. The only evidence that Crowley had been crying were his pink, puffy eyes and the occasional sniffle.

     "It's okay, Crowley. I'm here, I'm here."

     Anthony J Crowley's head shot up, his attention turned to the one who woke him. "Azi-raphale?" He asked, his voice breaking.

     Said angel furrowed his eyebrows, he nodded, "yes, I'm here, dear. Can you.. Can you tell me what that was?"

     Crowley licked his lips, tasting only his salty tears and opened his mouth to speak. When he found that he couldn't even begin to describe it, he shook his head, his eyes burning. Before Crowley could change his mind, he lunged forward and gripped the angel in a hug, wrapping his arms around Aziraphale's neck.

     "That's alright, dear. Take your time," Aziraphale hugged him back gently, as if any sudden movement would shatter Crowley into a thousand pieces. He continued rubbing circles on the demon's back, hushing him gently, "Sh-shhh."

     Crowley's breathing hitched every so often, and he couldn't seem to get rid of that annoying lump in his throat. He doesn't remember ever crying so hard, not even when he fell.

     After an hour or so of hugs, sniffles and occasional tears, the two separated from their embrace.

     "Are you ready to tell me?" Aziraphale asked softly, a hand still on the demon's shoulder.

     Crowley sighed and nodded, "I think so." The angel watched him expectantly. "It... It was about you. When your bookshop burnt down. I.." Crowley licked his lips and shrugged awkwardly, "I thought you... died," his voice broke on the last word.

     Crowley screwed his eyes shut. "Oh stars, I thought you died. All I could think, before you showed up discorporated, was how I'd never see you again; how.. how I'd never see you wear your strange clothing; how I'd never see y-your stunning smile; how I'd ne-never see your beautiful eyes light up when you get a... a new book or when you eat Parisian crêpes; how I'd never hear your lovely voice... All that ran through my head was that if I... If I hadn't stormed off, you would've been still alive. So in a way, I thought it was my fault. I mean, it kind of was. If I had stayed, if I wasn't so emotionally distracted, I could've protected you and you wouldn't have died. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."

     Crowley's eyes didn't open for fear of Aziraphale's expression. His eyes burned as tears started up again, running down his face coming in silent trickles.

     A sniffle broke his self-pity, the demon opened his eyes to find the angel crying. Crowley went into protective mode and hugged Aziraphale gently, "hey, hey, don't cry. Oh angel, why are you crying?"

     "I-I'm so-orry..." Aziraphale hiccuped, wiping his tears away. "I'm so sorry, I.. I didn't know that affected you so mu-much.." The angel pulled back gently, the two held each others' arms loosely. "Crowley... When did you start getting the nightmares?"

     Crowley turned his head slightly and frowned, not meeting the angel's stare, "A few days after we helped save the world..."

     "Oh, dear boy, why didn't you tell me?" Aziraphale let go of Crowley's arms and placed his hand on the demon's face, slowly turning his head so he had to face the angel. "Why didn't you tell me, Crowley?"

     "I didn't want to burden you with petty human nightmares," Crowley frowned, glaring at his own hands.

     "Don't think that, dear. I always have time for you. Never think otherwise, alright?" Aziraphale ducked his head to make Crowley meet his eyes. To Crowley's silence, he added, "And never think I'll leave you, I won't."

     Crowley smiled, "you mean that?"

     "I do, Crowley." Aziraphale entwined his fingers with the demon's. "I'll never leave you."