You Look Familiar
Crowley wasn't even remotely surprised that Warlock had turned out to be a little shit. He was the Antichrist, after all. He was supposed to be a brat. This was on an epic scale, though, that spoke to his American upper class upbringing. While he hadn't been surprised, he had found himself disappointed. "We raised you better than that." He muttered as he watched the eleven year old throw a tantrum over something ridiculous. He just sighed and kept going on about what he was doing. Pretending to be a cater waiter was getting on his last nerve, but he had to be present and it was the only position available.
There was about an hour until the guests would start arriving and the party would begin. Two hours until Aziraphale's dreadful magic act would start. And two and a half hours until the hell hound would arrive. All the time in the world, right?
"You there!" The caterer called, pointing at Crowley. He raised an eyebrow and pointed to himself and the caterer nodded. Next to him was a rather large secret service agent. What have I done this time? He thought as he walked over.
"Yes?" He smiled at the two men.
"Young Mr Dowling would like a word with you." The secret service agent said. Crowley swallowed. The demon was being summoned by the Antichrist very shortly before coming into his full powers. This was totally fine.
"Of course. Lead the way." He nodded. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the secret service agent led him through the garden and into the house. Warlock was sitting quietly in one of the completely unnecessary rooms in the overly large house playing a game on his mobile phone.
"Here you go, kid." The Secret Service agent said before pushing Crowley inside and shutting the door. Of course he was going to stand guard. Crowley smiled at Warlock, hands folded neatly behind his back.
"How can I help you, young sir?" He put on his sweetest voice.
"You know, I saw you when you first showed up. You looked really familiar." Warlock didn't bother to look up from his phone.
"Just one of those faces." Crowley said with a shrug.
"No. I've seen lots of people. You definitely don't have just one of those faces. It took me a few minutes but I finally figured out why you look familiar." He got to his feet and moved to stand right in front of Crowley, looking up at him. "My nanny."
"Sorry?" Crowley cleared his throat and looked down at Warlock. He'd thought for sure that the kid didn't remember him.
"You look exactly like my nanny." His favorite nanny, if he were honest.
"How unfortunate for her." He grinned. Warlock glared at him.
"She was the best nanny ever and you will not talk about her like that." She'd been the only adult that had listened to him. The only adult he actually liked.
"I apologize." Crowley nodded. "She must have meant a great deal to you."
"Why do you look like her?" Warlock ignored that and tilted his head as he seemed to examine Crowley. There were any number of lies that he could tell. Or he could just go with the truth, but the boy probably wouldn't believe that. Instead Crowley went with the first thing that popped into my head.
"She's my sister." He nodded after letting it sink in for a moment. "My twin, actually. Mum always said the only thing keeping us from being identical was one chromosome." He grinned.
"Is that why you have to wear glasses too?" Because it was really stupid to wear the sunglasses inside. Crowley had to think back on how he explained the sunglasses when he was being Ashtoreth.
"Oh yes. Same condition, yeah." He nodded. They stood there in silence for a moment. "Do you miss her?" Crowley asked.
"No. She lied to me, just like everybody else." Warlock moved to sit back down. Crowley furrowed his brow for a moment.
"How did she lie to you?" He couldn't remember any important lies.
"She told me she loved me. Obviously that was a lie." He shrugged. Crowley found himself getting suddenly very angry.
"Now you listen here, young man. Ashtoreth may have been a lot of things but she was never a liar. Especially when it came to her feelings for the people she loved." His hands clenched into fists.
"If she really loved me, why did she leave? Why didn't she ever try to get in touch with me? She could have visited." Most of the time he didn't care about adults but his nanny had been different. For a long time he thought she really did care. At the questions asked, Crowley found himself relaxing a bit. His anger ebbed away.
"She didn't want to leave." He moved a little closer to Warlock. "As a matter of fact there was one day that I had to talk her out of kidnapping you and raising you as her own." He smiled as he thought about the night he'd literally argued with himself about it. "She just....she didn't have a choice."
"Why not? Dad would have paid her whatever she needed. He really liked her." Probably more than he should have but Warlock kept that to himself. Crowley took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"She was very sick, Warlock. She'd just found out when she put in her notice. She wanted to leave when she could leave you with a memory of her healthy. She didn't want you to see that....." He made sure to put a lot of emotion in his voice. Only some of it was manufactured.
"What happened?" Warlock's phone was now forgotten.
"It's your birthday, Warlock. You shouldn't be thinking about such things...." Crowley cleared his throat.
"Tell me!" He almost yelled. He didn't want to bring the agent in. Crowley sighed once again.
"She died." His voice shook at those two simple words. That was true, in a way. Crowley hadn't been Ashtoreth since leaving the Dowling household. Warlock just stared at him for a long moment.
"You're lying. Adults always lie!" Warlock shook his head. "I don't believe you!"
"I'm sorry." Crowley said softly.
"You're lying." Warlock said pointedly as he glared at Crowley. The demon decided the best thing to do was just stay quiet and let the young man be in denial. Though he was starting to wonder if Warlock would make Ashtoreth's existence a reality. He could definitely do that once he came into his powers. Rather than saying anything else, Warlock stormed off. Crowley just stayed in the room for a long moment, trying to get himself back together. He then headed back out to the tent in the garden and back to his cater waiter duties.
"Are you alright?" Aziraphale asked quietly as he sorted through his magic kit.
"Not in the slightest." Crowley replied, not looking at Aziraphale.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Aziraphale was suddenly concerned.
"Concentrate on your horrible magic, angel. I've got work to do." Crowley then picked up the container of wrapped silverware and went to distribute it on the tables. Aziraphale took the hint.
There was about an hour until the guests would start arriving and the party would begin. Two hours until Aziraphale's dreadful magic act would start. And two and a half hours until the hell hound would arrive. All the time in the world, right?
"You there!" The caterer called, pointing at Crowley. He raised an eyebrow and pointed to himself and the caterer nodded. Next to him was a rather large secret service agent. What have I done this time? He thought as he walked over.
"Yes?" He smiled at the two men.
"Young Mr Dowling would like a word with you." The secret service agent said. Crowley swallowed. The demon was being summoned by the Antichrist very shortly before coming into his full powers. This was totally fine.
"Of course. Lead the way." He nodded. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the secret service agent led him through the garden and into the house. Warlock was sitting quietly in one of the completely unnecessary rooms in the overly large house playing a game on his mobile phone.
"Here you go, kid." The Secret Service agent said before pushing Crowley inside and shutting the door. Of course he was going to stand guard. Crowley smiled at Warlock, hands folded neatly behind his back.
"How can I help you, young sir?" He put on his sweetest voice.
"You know, I saw you when you first showed up. You looked really familiar." Warlock didn't bother to look up from his phone.
"Just one of those faces." Crowley said with a shrug.
"No. I've seen lots of people. You definitely don't have just one of those faces. It took me a few minutes but I finally figured out why you look familiar." He got to his feet and moved to stand right in front of Crowley, looking up at him. "My nanny."
"Sorry?" Crowley cleared his throat and looked down at Warlock. He'd thought for sure that the kid didn't remember him.
"You look exactly like my nanny." His favorite nanny, if he were honest.
"How unfortunate for her." He grinned. Warlock glared at him.
"She was the best nanny ever and you will not talk about her like that." She'd been the only adult that had listened to him. The only adult he actually liked.
"I apologize." Crowley nodded. "She must have meant a great deal to you."
"Why do you look like her?" Warlock ignored that and tilted his head as he seemed to examine Crowley. There were any number of lies that he could tell. Or he could just go with the truth, but the boy probably wouldn't believe that. Instead Crowley went with the first thing that popped into my head.
"She's my sister." He nodded after letting it sink in for a moment. "My twin, actually. Mum always said the only thing keeping us from being identical was one chromosome." He grinned.
"Is that why you have to wear glasses too?" Because it was really stupid to wear the sunglasses inside. Crowley had to think back on how he explained the sunglasses when he was being Ashtoreth.
"Oh yes. Same condition, yeah." He nodded. They stood there in silence for a moment. "Do you miss her?" Crowley asked.
"No. She lied to me, just like everybody else." Warlock moved to sit back down. Crowley furrowed his brow for a moment.
"How did she lie to you?" He couldn't remember any important lies.
"She told me she loved me. Obviously that was a lie." He shrugged. Crowley found himself getting suddenly very angry.
"Now you listen here, young man. Ashtoreth may have been a lot of things but she was never a liar. Especially when it came to her feelings for the people she loved." His hands clenched into fists.
"If she really loved me, why did she leave? Why didn't she ever try to get in touch with me? She could have visited." Most of the time he didn't care about adults but his nanny had been different. For a long time he thought she really did care. At the questions asked, Crowley found himself relaxing a bit. His anger ebbed away.
"She didn't want to leave." He moved a little closer to Warlock. "As a matter of fact there was one day that I had to talk her out of kidnapping you and raising you as her own." He smiled as he thought about the night he'd literally argued with himself about it. "She just....she didn't have a choice."
"Why not? Dad would have paid her whatever she needed. He really liked her." Probably more than he should have but Warlock kept that to himself. Crowley took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"She was very sick, Warlock. She'd just found out when she put in her notice. She wanted to leave when she could leave you with a memory of her healthy. She didn't want you to see that....." He made sure to put a lot of emotion in his voice. Only some of it was manufactured.
"What happened?" Warlock's phone was now forgotten.
"It's your birthday, Warlock. You shouldn't be thinking about such things...." Crowley cleared his throat.
"Tell me!" He almost yelled. He didn't want to bring the agent in. Crowley sighed once again.
"She died." His voice shook at those two simple words. That was true, in a way. Crowley hadn't been Ashtoreth since leaving the Dowling household. Warlock just stared at him for a long moment.
"You're lying. Adults always lie!" Warlock shook his head. "I don't believe you!"
"I'm sorry." Crowley said softly.
"You're lying." Warlock said pointedly as he glared at Crowley. The demon decided the best thing to do was just stay quiet and let the young man be in denial. Though he was starting to wonder if Warlock would make Ashtoreth's existence a reality. He could definitely do that once he came into his powers. Rather than saying anything else, Warlock stormed off. Crowley just stayed in the room for a long moment, trying to get himself back together. He then headed back out to the tent in the garden and back to his cater waiter duties.
"Are you alright?" Aziraphale asked quietly as he sorted through his magic kit.
"Not in the slightest." Crowley replied, not looking at Aziraphale.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Aziraphale was suddenly concerned.
"Concentrate on your horrible magic, angel. I've got work to do." Crowley then picked up the container of wrapped silverware and went to distribute it on the tables. Aziraphale took the hint.
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