Crowley's Secret

Crowley hated malls.  Of course he had a very small part in making sure they happened.  People fighting over parking spaces, crowded walk ways that were actually a bit too small, people trying to convince you to enter their shop instead of someone else's.  Brought out a lot of nasty in a lot of people and put them that much closer to hell.  And it helped that they put small town shops out of business.  Those people got very angry as well.  Of course that was all why he hated them.  There were too many irritating people about.  The only reason he was even in the mall was because of a temptation assignment he'd been given.  And he wanted to make sure that everybody was still afraid of Y2K.  He claimed credit for that even though he'd had nothing to do with it.  

It was a Saturday so the mall was particularly packed with weekend shoppers which meant Crowley had to actually walk through all of the mess rather than just appearing where he needed to go.  Couldn't have too many witnesses, after all.  He was about halfway through one wing of the mall when he stopped and stared at a shop immediately to his left.  It had bright yellow walls and a blue and red and yellow doorway which had two giant teddy bears on either side.  They were set up so that they would wave at you as you passed.  

"What the Heaven is this?"  He asked as he looked around from the doorway.  

"It's Build-A-Bear."  The far too happy to actually be happy employee said in reply to his actually rhetorical question.  

"You're acting like that explains everything...."  Crowley glared at the person as he gestured at the shop.

"Oh, well.  You come in and you choose a teddy bear and then you get to stuff it and you get to dress it up however you like....would you like to see?"  The young woman motioned for him to come in.  Crowley thought about it for a moment, then ideas started forming in his head.  He could do all kinds of things with a shop like this to make a lot of people very angry.  

"Yes, I think I would."  He smiled as he stepped inside.  Limited quantities of specialty bears that everyone wants.  Sales that made them run out of product way too quickly.  Oh the fun that he could have.  

"Would you like to make a bear?"  The young woman asked as she moved over to the bins of unstuffed cloth.  Crowley was about to say no when he noticed a bear that was almost the exact same color as Aziraphale's hair.  

"I.....um.....I think so, yeah.  My....my niece would love it."  He cleared his throat.  Yes, that was a good excuse.  His niece.  He walked over and picked up the light blonde bear, holding it in his hand for a moment.  

"Right this way to the stuffing station."  The young woman said.  Crowley hadn't bothered to look at her nametag.  While he was moving to the stuffing station, he noticed a little boy looking very sadly at one of the bears.  

"Come on, sweetie."  The boy's mum said.  "We have to go."  

"But I really want a bear, mommy."  The boy looked like he was on the verge of tears but it wasn't a tantrum.  It was genuine sadness.  

"I'm sorry, baby.  We can't afford it.  Maybe next time."  They started to leave.  

"Um, excuse me.  Miss?"  Crowley found himself saying before he could stop himself.  

"Yes?"   The woman asked as she looked at him.  

"Would....I mean, I know I'm a complete stranger but would you allow me to pay for a bear for your son?  Any one he likes?"  Oh if Aziraphale saw him just then he'd be beaming, and gloating a little bit.  

"I don't know...."  The mom was understandably hesitant.  Crowley pulled out his wallet and held out a fifty dollar bill.  

"No strings.  I promise.  I just....."  He cleared his throat and looked at the boy, then back at the mom. "Please."  

"Please mommy?"  The boy looked up at his mom who finally nodded and took the money.    

"Thank you."  She said with a small nod.  Crowley nodded in return and then followed the employee to the stuffing station.  

"That was very nice of you."  She said softly.  

"Don't ever say that."  He shook his head.  He wasn't nice.  He was never nice.  He just couldn't handle being around sad children.  Crowley had managed to talk the girl out of making him do the heart ceremony, whatever that was.  He didn't need to be seen doing that kind of nonsense.  Once the bear was stuffed to the perfect density, he was directed over to the clothing station.  

"You can pick out anything you like."  The young woman said.  Of course the clothes cost extra but that was part of the appeal to him.  Parents getting annoyed at all the extra money they had to shell out.  Crowley looked over all the clothing that was available and then he stopped when his eyes landed on a little plaid bowtie.  Of course it was the wrong color but a little miracle could change that later.  He also managed to find a nice little suit for his bear, again the wrong color but again that could be changed later.  

"And now you come give him a name."  She smiled and motioned him over to the computer.  The whole thing was set up so that children could easily name their bears.  Who was the bear for, when was your birthday that kind of thing.  He'd had to make up a birthday.  And then he typed out the name.  When he got to the register, the woman asked for the name of the bear so she could get his certificate.  

"Aziraphale."  Crowley answered with the tiniest hint of a blush.  

"That is a very interesting name."  The woman gave him a genuine smile.  

"Yes.  My sister's family is very religious.  Aziraphale is one of the pricipalities.  A bit of a guardian angel."  He cleared his throat.  

"That's very sweet."  She rung everything up and put the bear in a little cardboard house and Crowley paid and left.  This was definitely a much better trip than he'd anticipated.  

It had been twenty years since the purchase of the bear and Crowley had pretty much forgotten about it.  He'd actually had it on his bed for the first few months and then it went back in its cardboard house and into the back of a closet.  The whiteness of the bear contrasted with his aesthetic.  The birth certificate was still in the box.  

Aziraphale had agreed to stay with Crowley after all, though he didn't officially move in.  Especially since the bookshop had been restored.  Crowley had completely redecorated one of the rooms so that Aziraphale could have a nice, comfortable place all to himself but he'd forgotten to do anything about the closets.  

"I'll handle it."  Aziraphale said with a smile and a roll of his eyes.  

"Thanks ever so much."  Crowley grinned at the angel.  Aziraphale had been in the other room going through the closet for over an hour when a memory finally entered Crowley's mind.  His eyes went wide and he practically ran toward the room.  "Azira----"  He stopped mid word, barely inside the doorway of the room.  Aziraphale was sitting in the middle of the floor with the little cardboard house open in front of him.  He was holding the little blonde bear at arm's length and taking him in.  The light tartan bowtie that matched his own, the cream colored suit, the tiny brown shoes and even a pair of white angel wings attached with elastic that went around each arm.  

"Crowley...."  He looked up at the demon and there was only one way to describe the look in his eyes, absolute adoration.  

"I...um....it just....that sort of..."  Crowley couldn't manage to get words to come out of his mouth properly.  

"The date is on the certificate, you know?"  Aziraphale said with a small smile as he figured Crowley was going to try to come up with some lie about how long he'd had it.  

"Is it?"  He walked over and picked up the piece of paper, growling a little bit.  There it was, plain as day.  "Would you believe it was supposed to be a gift?"  

"Absolutely not.  You would have given it to me long ago if that were the case."  In the form of the teddy bear just randomly appearing in his shop.  That's what Crowley did.  Crowley sighed and his shoulders slumped.  He looked absolutely defeated.  

"I am never going to live this down, am I?"  He let the certificate fall into the little cardboard house.  

"Never."  Aziraphale nodded.  Rather than putting the bear back in the box, he gave the bear a place of honor in the middle of the very comfortable sofa that was now in the room.   

"You're ridiculous."  Crowley shook his head and practically stormed out of the room.  

"I love you, too, dear."  Aziraphale said with a chuckle before following Crowley.