Don't Ever Do That Again
Crowley needed somewhere safe to stash his body while he possessed someone. He didn't do this very often, only on particularly difficult cases. It was hard to get someone to do something bad when they were genuinely a good person. He had a brief moment of thinking it wasn't a good idea, but that moment passed. He was a demon, after all. It was his job to make good people do bad things.
He could have stashed his body at his flat, but it was too far away from the person he was trying to possess. He could only travel so far without a body and he hated just randomly possessing other people until such time as he got to his destination. Plus, that didn't always work. Anyone that didn't at least believe a little bit in Heaven and Hell weren't receptive at all. While Atheists scored one against 'the opposition' they didn't exactly help out downstairs either. They were Switzerland.
What was close to the person he needed to possess, though, was Aziraphale's book shop. He knew that it had an attic and he knew that the angel almost never went up there, even though it was technically his apartment. He nearly never slept so he didn't need the bed. It was perfect. He could just pop up there, slip out of his body and be on his way. This particular mission shouldn't take more than a week on the absolute outside and he seriously doubted that Aziraphale would even notice.
Crowley waited until Aziraphale had left his shop to go get something to eat and then let himself in. He slipped up to the attic and made the decision to lay on the couch rather than take up the bed, on the off chance that Aziraphale did actually need it. He left a little note just in case and then closed his eyes. What looked like smoke lifted from the body and then formed into a little ball before Crowley made his way out of the apartment. What he hadn't realized was that this caused the note he'd left to blow off the coffee table and slip under the couch.
Aziraphale only really used the flat above the book shop as a rather large closet. He didn't entertain guests, he didn't really sleep and he certainly didn't cook for himself. It was a nice place to keep his clothes and that was just about it. Because of this he didn't really have to go upstairs all that often. He could just miracle away any dirt that got on his clothes and he certainly didn't have the normal human issue of needing a shower. He only went to a barber for appearances.
Today was a bit different, though. He'd been on his way back from lunch when a car had driven through a rather large puddle and splashed dirty water all over him. There had been far too many people on the street for him to just miracle away the mess, and it had been a few days since he'd actually changed clothes so he decided to just go up and change quickly before getting back to sorting the new books that had come in.
Aziraphale unlocked the door and stepped inside, not really paying attention to what was in his apartment, especially since it shouldn't have been anything different. He took off his coat and inspected it a bit, then looked up and nearly screamed. He hadn't been expecting to see Crowley in his flat.
"You startled me." He said with a shake of his head. Normally he would have gotten some kind of good natured ribbing but on this particular occasion, Crowley didn't react. He almost looked as if he were asleep. Aziraphale tilted his head and moved closer to his friend.
"Crowley?" He asked, sitting on the coffee table. He reached out and gently touched the demon's shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Are you quite alright?" He wondered if this was another one of Crowley's ridiculous naps. It seemed different somehow. "Crowley, this isn't funny. You need to wake up." He shook the demon again. Aziraphale was starting to get very worried. He reached a hand up and lifted one of Crowley's eyelids slowly.
"Oh no...." He gasped. Instead of the yellow snake eye that should have been there, he was met with a very human looking, very lovely shade of brown. There was also a distinct lack of life in the exposed eye. Aziraphale got to his feet quickly and put his hand over his mouth. "Oh dear Lord, what's happened to you?" He knew this was Crowley's body, knew it deep down to his core but the demon was no longer inhabiting it.
"Don't worry, dear friend. I'll figure something out." His voice shook a little as he spoke. He wasn't even sure if there was any way for Crowley to hear him. The reassurance was more for himself. If Heaven had done something to Crowley, Aziraphale was going to do a lot more than just send them a strongly worded note.
Even with possessing the body and pretty much being able to get the person to do whatever he wanted them to do, the assignment was harder than anticipated. He figured a rich man would be easy to corrupt, most of them were. This particular rich man, though, really was a good person and really did genuinely want to help people. The last person that Crowley knew that was like that had ended up crucified and the basis of an entire religion. He needed to corrupt him, though. In order to do what he needed to get done. It had ended up taking two weeks to finally get everything into place. The people working around him just didn't believe that he'd changed and it took everything Crowley had to finally convince them that he really was serious about it. When the corruption was finally done, he was able to go back to his body and get back to other tasks.
There was a slight problem, though, in that his body wasn't exactly where he'd left it. Instead of laying on the couch in Aziraphale's mostly untouched flat, it was gone. He did his best to make his way downstairs to find the angel and figure out what happened, only to find the shop completely dark. Aziraphale's desk looked like it hadn't been sat at in a while and the shades were all drawn. The shop actually looked abandoned. This had Crowley very worried, more worried about Aziraphale than about his own body. When he made his way back upstairs, he heard something coming from the bedroom. As he got closer, he realized that it was Aziraphale's voice.
"I'm so terribly sorry, Crowley. I've tried everything I could. I just....I'm sorry." His voice broke a bit. "I'm not even sure how you got discorporated. I'm going to keep trying, I really am. I don't care how long it takes." When Crowley drifted to where he could look into the room, he saw Aziraphale sitting in a chair by the bed holding his hand. His body had been moved to the bed and was tucked in wearing a pair of pajamas and looking for all the world like he was sleeping. So that's why the shop looks abandoned, Crowley thought.
"I've been looking through every book I can find on the subject. I've even contacted Anathema to see if she could help. I'll fix this, I really will." Aziraphale continued. "I....I have to." He sniffled a bit and squeezed Crowley's hand. "How am I supposed to continue on living here without you?" Aziraphale rested his head on the bed and closed his eyes, trying to hold his emotions back.
Crowley couldn't take it anymore. It was actually a little more difficult to reenter his body than he remembered. He hadn't possessed someone in a couple of centuries, but he did actually finally get settled back in. He lightly squeezed Aziraphale's hand and cleared his throat. It'd take a minute to get it back working again.
"What are you going on about, angel?" His voice cracked a couple of times but that was to be expected. A fortnight without talking had side effects. Aziraphale's head shot up and he just stared at the man laying on his bed.
"Crowley! You.....you're back! I thought....but...." He got out of the chair he'd been sitting in and sat on the side of the bed, just staring Crowley. "What happened?"
"I left you a note. Didn't you get it? It was on the coffee table." Crowley rubbed at his eyes and sighed a bit. He was definitely stiff.
"Note? I didn't....there wasn't a note, Crowley. Do you honestly think I'd have gone through all this trouble if I had gotten your stupid note?" He was trying to be angry now but it wasn't entirely working.
"I'm sorry, angel. I really am. I needed to handle something myself and it required....well....leaving." He gestured to his body.
"I thought you were gone." Aziraphale said, looking down for a moment. He then reached up and slapped Crowley hard. Crowley lifted a hand and covered his cheek.
"What the Heaven was that for?" He just stared at Aziraphale. He'd never seen the angel like that before. It was actually extremely attractive.
"Don't you ever do that to me again, do you understand? If you're going to insist on leaving your body here while you do whatever it is you do, you tell me directly." Aziraphale crossed his arms and just glared at Crowley. Crowley kept his hand on his cheek as he nodded.
"I shouldn't have to do that again but if the need arises, I promise that I'll make sure you know." He nodded again.
"Good." Aziraphale said with a nod of his own. "Now. A nice, hot bath with help loosen up your muscles and then we can have tea in the shop." Aziraphale started to get up and Crowley grabbed his hand.
"Aziraphale?" He said as he sat up in the bed.
"Yes?" Aziraphale was still trying to appear angry. Crowley looked down at their clasped hands and then looked up at Aziraphale with a small smile.
"I love you, too." He squeezed the angel's hand. Aziraphale couldn't even pretend to be angry anymore. He melted just a little bit and squeezed Crowley's hand back. He then gave a little nod before heading down to make them both tea.
He could have stashed his body at his flat, but it was too far away from the person he was trying to possess. He could only travel so far without a body and he hated just randomly possessing other people until such time as he got to his destination. Plus, that didn't always work. Anyone that didn't at least believe a little bit in Heaven and Hell weren't receptive at all. While Atheists scored one against 'the opposition' they didn't exactly help out downstairs either. They were Switzerland.
What was close to the person he needed to possess, though, was Aziraphale's book shop. He knew that it had an attic and he knew that the angel almost never went up there, even though it was technically his apartment. He nearly never slept so he didn't need the bed. It was perfect. He could just pop up there, slip out of his body and be on his way. This particular mission shouldn't take more than a week on the absolute outside and he seriously doubted that Aziraphale would even notice.
Crowley waited until Aziraphale had left his shop to go get something to eat and then let himself in. He slipped up to the attic and made the decision to lay on the couch rather than take up the bed, on the off chance that Aziraphale did actually need it. He left a little note just in case and then closed his eyes. What looked like smoke lifted from the body and then formed into a little ball before Crowley made his way out of the apartment. What he hadn't realized was that this caused the note he'd left to blow off the coffee table and slip under the couch.
Aziraphale only really used the flat above the book shop as a rather large closet. He didn't entertain guests, he didn't really sleep and he certainly didn't cook for himself. It was a nice place to keep his clothes and that was just about it. Because of this he didn't really have to go upstairs all that often. He could just miracle away any dirt that got on his clothes and he certainly didn't have the normal human issue of needing a shower. He only went to a barber for appearances.
Today was a bit different, though. He'd been on his way back from lunch when a car had driven through a rather large puddle and splashed dirty water all over him. There had been far too many people on the street for him to just miracle away the mess, and it had been a few days since he'd actually changed clothes so he decided to just go up and change quickly before getting back to sorting the new books that had come in.
Aziraphale unlocked the door and stepped inside, not really paying attention to what was in his apartment, especially since it shouldn't have been anything different. He took off his coat and inspected it a bit, then looked up and nearly screamed. He hadn't been expecting to see Crowley in his flat.
"You startled me." He said with a shake of his head. Normally he would have gotten some kind of good natured ribbing but on this particular occasion, Crowley didn't react. He almost looked as if he were asleep. Aziraphale tilted his head and moved closer to his friend.
"Crowley?" He asked, sitting on the coffee table. He reached out and gently touched the demon's shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Are you quite alright?" He wondered if this was another one of Crowley's ridiculous naps. It seemed different somehow. "Crowley, this isn't funny. You need to wake up." He shook the demon again. Aziraphale was starting to get very worried. He reached a hand up and lifted one of Crowley's eyelids slowly.
"Oh no...." He gasped. Instead of the yellow snake eye that should have been there, he was met with a very human looking, very lovely shade of brown. There was also a distinct lack of life in the exposed eye. Aziraphale got to his feet quickly and put his hand over his mouth. "Oh dear Lord, what's happened to you?" He knew this was Crowley's body, knew it deep down to his core but the demon was no longer inhabiting it.
"Don't worry, dear friend. I'll figure something out." His voice shook a little as he spoke. He wasn't even sure if there was any way for Crowley to hear him. The reassurance was more for himself. If Heaven had done something to Crowley, Aziraphale was going to do a lot more than just send them a strongly worded note.
Even with possessing the body and pretty much being able to get the person to do whatever he wanted them to do, the assignment was harder than anticipated. He figured a rich man would be easy to corrupt, most of them were. This particular rich man, though, really was a good person and really did genuinely want to help people. The last person that Crowley knew that was like that had ended up crucified and the basis of an entire religion. He needed to corrupt him, though. In order to do what he needed to get done. It had ended up taking two weeks to finally get everything into place. The people working around him just didn't believe that he'd changed and it took everything Crowley had to finally convince them that he really was serious about it. When the corruption was finally done, he was able to go back to his body and get back to other tasks.
There was a slight problem, though, in that his body wasn't exactly where he'd left it. Instead of laying on the couch in Aziraphale's mostly untouched flat, it was gone. He did his best to make his way downstairs to find the angel and figure out what happened, only to find the shop completely dark. Aziraphale's desk looked like it hadn't been sat at in a while and the shades were all drawn. The shop actually looked abandoned. This had Crowley very worried, more worried about Aziraphale than about his own body. When he made his way back upstairs, he heard something coming from the bedroom. As he got closer, he realized that it was Aziraphale's voice.
"I'm so terribly sorry, Crowley. I've tried everything I could. I just....I'm sorry." His voice broke a bit. "I'm not even sure how you got discorporated. I'm going to keep trying, I really am. I don't care how long it takes." When Crowley drifted to where he could look into the room, he saw Aziraphale sitting in a chair by the bed holding his hand. His body had been moved to the bed and was tucked in wearing a pair of pajamas and looking for all the world like he was sleeping. So that's why the shop looks abandoned, Crowley thought.
"I've been looking through every book I can find on the subject. I've even contacted Anathema to see if she could help. I'll fix this, I really will." Aziraphale continued. "I....I have to." He sniffled a bit and squeezed Crowley's hand. "How am I supposed to continue on living here without you?" Aziraphale rested his head on the bed and closed his eyes, trying to hold his emotions back.
Crowley couldn't take it anymore. It was actually a little more difficult to reenter his body than he remembered. He hadn't possessed someone in a couple of centuries, but he did actually finally get settled back in. He lightly squeezed Aziraphale's hand and cleared his throat. It'd take a minute to get it back working again.
"What are you going on about, angel?" His voice cracked a couple of times but that was to be expected. A fortnight without talking had side effects. Aziraphale's head shot up and he just stared at the man laying on his bed.
"Crowley! You.....you're back! I thought....but...." He got out of the chair he'd been sitting in and sat on the side of the bed, just staring Crowley. "What happened?"
"I left you a note. Didn't you get it? It was on the coffee table." Crowley rubbed at his eyes and sighed a bit. He was definitely stiff.
"Note? I didn't....there wasn't a note, Crowley. Do you honestly think I'd have gone through all this trouble if I had gotten your stupid note?" He was trying to be angry now but it wasn't entirely working.
"I'm sorry, angel. I really am. I needed to handle something myself and it required....well....leaving." He gestured to his body.
"I thought you were gone." Aziraphale said, looking down for a moment. He then reached up and slapped Crowley hard. Crowley lifted a hand and covered his cheek.
"What the Heaven was that for?" He just stared at Aziraphale. He'd never seen the angel like that before. It was actually extremely attractive.
"Don't you ever do that to me again, do you understand? If you're going to insist on leaving your body here while you do whatever it is you do, you tell me directly." Aziraphale crossed his arms and just glared at Crowley. Crowley kept his hand on his cheek as he nodded.
"I shouldn't have to do that again but if the need arises, I promise that I'll make sure you know." He nodded again.
"Good." Aziraphale said with a nod of his own. "Now. A nice, hot bath with help loosen up your muscles and then we can have tea in the shop." Aziraphale started to get up and Crowley grabbed his hand.
"Aziraphale?" He said as he sat up in the bed.
"Yes?" Aziraphale was still trying to appear angry. Crowley looked down at their clasped hands and then looked up at Aziraphale with a small smile.
"I love you, too." He squeezed the angel's hand. Aziraphale couldn't even pretend to be angry anymore. He melted just a little bit and squeezed Crowley's hand back. He then gave a little nod before heading down to make them both tea.
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