#(because of course this hot chocolate is for crowley)

[bleucalire]

Cute girlfriend energy

[pomefioredove]

Could I HCs for the headmasters (or only Riddle, Leona and Azul) reacting to one of their students asking to be transferred to ramshackle? like a small club of Yuu admirers :3

*���✩‧₊˚ Yuu Admirer Club!

I misread this the first time and thought it was yuu transferring to THEIR dorms but, actually, I like this better. this is fun

summary: yuu admirer club :) type of post: headcanons characters: riddle, leona, azul, vil additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu

seeing as Heartslabyul hasn't had an expulsion, transfer, or dropout since Riddle became housewarden, this comes as...

...quite a shock

he thought Ace had been joking at first

or annoying him on purpose...

and then he comes down to the lounge one morning with his bags packed and a forged letter from Crowley

despite Riddle's strong feelings towards you

(and they are strong)

he's still offended!

all of the loving and tender discipline he's given, and Ace just leaves?

well, he can't stand for that

Riddle marches to Ramshackle, ready for heads to roll, but before he can even knock, you're there, dragging Ace and his things to the door

"oh, thank goodness. TAKE HIM BACK!"

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Leona doesn't even notice that Jack has been missing until he passes the spelldrive disc at morning practice and there's no one there to catch it

more of a "huh" reaction

then he forgets about it, takes a nap, and only remembers to ask Ruggie the next morning

"he's been gone for two weeks. he moved to Ramshackle, remember?"

Ramshackle? weird choice, but okay

Jack has always been a little... strange

Leona's reaction is more or less, "huh. nice kid. oh, well,"

but after that, he starts seeing you and Jack together more and more

and he starts to feel... weirdly jealous

it's like he's rubbing it in Leona's face

taking up all your time, always making you smile and laugh...

Jack was never that funny at Savanaclaw

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

it takes Azul at least three days to start worrying about Floyd

he and his brother are known to disappear at random

then, the Mostro Lounge has to open an hour late because someone didn't show up for his morning shift

now Azul suddenly can't remember the last time he saw Floyd at the Lounge

after a brief manhunt, he finds Floyd all cozied up on your couch, in your slippers, with a mug of hot chocolate

great

"you cannot transfer dorms by avoiding your old one!"

"exemption!" Floyd says. is he also wearing your robe? "I'm simply a part of the Yuu Admirer Club"

Azul rolls his eyes

...and drags Floyd back to the lounge

after all, if there was such a club, Azul would have been the first to hear of it

*ੈ✩‧��˚

Vil can feel something is off even before Epel is late

and, as always, he's right

Epel misses curfew, and Vil sets out on a mission like a mother hen missing a chick

of course, he knows just where he's hiding

and he lets himself in unannounced

"Epel, here. now,"

the poor boy looks like he's seen a ghost

you're not even involved in the conversation, but Vil's tone alone is enough to send a chill down your spine

"but- but- I got permission! this is the Yuu Admirer Club!"

Vil, of course, has no patience for this

"I gave you no such permission, and there is no such club,"

you can admire them on your own time like the rest of us, he thinks

luckily, Epel is saved

he's not the only member of the club, after all

"now, judge not so quick, dear Roi du Poison! does our admiration for our Trickster not exemplify that of a club?"

"wh- Rook?"

[krakensdottir]

Something else I've noticed about Crowley's compassion is that it also extends to his enemies.

To a point, mind. What he did to Ligur makes clear that he has limits. And those two pushed them like no one else. If it's compassion or survival, he will pick survival every time, even if it means melting your ass.

But outside of that? Look at him with Shax. He knows she's a threat, he keeps her at arm's length. When she asks about the boiler, though, he's instantly helpful. He could have grinned at her and said 'figure it out' and shut the door. But he didn't. He answered her question, because hey, this Earth shit is hard and she needs all the help she can get. And that's remarkable. Because I doubt most demons would do that - even though helping your replacement settle in could be seen as practical, they generally don't seem to go out of the way for each other at all, certainly aren't obligated to. This was Crowley's decision.

Then there's Gabriel. Crowley doesn't trust him, he initially argues that they shouldn't help him because it's dangerous for them both to be anywhere near him. But once he has agreed to help... he is remarkably gentle with Jim. Answers questions about gravity even when he doesn't have to - when he could easily just not talk to him at all. Even when he tests him, almost gets him to jump out a window, he ends up calling him back (once he's satisfied Jim isn't faking, I have no doubt). He ends up offering him hot chocolate. Even when Crowley wants to be mean, even when he tries, his nature ends up winning.

And finally, Beelzebub. I've seen a lot of talk about how jealous Crowley must be, how bitter... but he doesn't seem like it, does he? He's very soft in that scene. He's the one who recommends them a nice date spot to retreat to - one that he himself was considering at one point. He sounds a little wistful to me, like yeah, he wishes he and Aziraphale could have that happiness too. But he doesn't show any sign of begrudging it, either. It seems like he is, in his Crowley way, happy for them. (Of course I'm sure it doesn't hurt that this means they won't be his or Aziraphale's problem anymore. If it were just that, though, I don't think his voice would've sounded like that.)

So all of this is remarkable, but of course, with a little consideration, it's not surprising coming from Crowley. This is who he is underneath. This is who he wants to be. (Even if he hates that he wants it, lol.)

[vidavalor]

Ok, Vidavalor! I need you. I was rewatching and I don't care what anyone says, Az is not saying 'trust me'! It looks all wrong to me. What do you think? Is he saying 'trust me' or something else?

Thx and lots of love.

Lots of love right back. And chocolate gelato, if you'd like some. 💕 I think I can help...

<<Is he saying 'trust me' or something else?>>

Yes. To both things. As you pointed out, "trust me" are not the actual words Aziraphale is mouthing. It's visibly off-- too many movements of his mouth (and the wrong movements) for those words to match. The actual words are not literally "trust me" but they mean that to Crowley, which is why, in the later scene in the bookshop, Crowley says that's what Aziraphale said.

I wrote more about it here but while Aziraphale clearly doesn't mouth "trust me" in 1941, he does mouth "come for me."

Because why waste a good opportunity to be hot while keeping the episode rating mild, right? lol What did Aziraphale say? Oh, he said "trust me", of course. Because he did. He just also didn't. 😉

[theonevoice]

Rumination n. 6 - It was all Jim's fault

Well, not all his fault. He walked right into a 6000yo situation of unspoken "do I... would you... could we...", but I think, since he fills the role of comic relief, we are not fully taking into account his impact on the whole ineffable miscommunication mess.

Because he is not just a plot device, he is a character that pushes Aziraphale and Crowley to act in unplanned ways and - most of all - brings some of their worldview biases and traumas out of their dark corners. And I am increasingly convinced that his presence plays a major role in the final breakup, acting as a catalyst for their millennia-long misalignment of hopes and fears.

Sure, he is there to make us smile and Jon Hamm is a joy to watch (I cannot get to his line in ep 1, when Aziraphale tells him that he can see that he's naked, and he goes "Oh! Well, what do you know? Ahahah!" without burst out laughing, even after countless rewatches), but that humor is mainly for us viewers to detect. From Aziraphale's and Crowley's point of view, he doesn't appear as funny as he does to us. For them, he is a source of worry and danger, and I would argue that he is also an incarnation of different desires. And that's the point.

Let's consider for a moment Aziraphale's perspective. He sees his former boss, "most holy archangel" Gabriel, pop up one day at the bookshop, reduced to the mental capacity of a smart dog, vaguely aware that someone was planning to do "something terrible" to him. It is a terrifying spectacle to behold. It's not just the mere danger of having one of the most powerful entities in the universe, possibly still in posess of all his powers, acting like a child. It's the terror of witnessing what Heaven can do to your identity and your mind: imagine Aziraphale - book-lover, diary-writer, Antichrist-locator Aziraphale with the capacity, as per the book, to solve math problems that only people with Nobel prizes could master - trying to process the idea that his former boss doesn't know the alphabet anymore. The idea that he could be reduced to that degree of utter ignorance and unawareness if Heaven decided that their truce is over.

At the same time, what Aziraphale sees is that, once stripped of all the layers of Heaven's legalism, Gabriel is legitimately a great guy. 

We all love Muriel to death, of course, but the more I watch s2 the more I believe that Jim is the most similar "angel" to Aziraphale out of all the ones we see. He is jovial (think at whatever that cheeck squishing thing is that he does during the ball), he is enthusiastic (think at his reaction at his first sip of hot chocolate, and also his genuine "hurray! Let the bookselling commence!"). He is affectionate and open about it ("You're funny, I love you"). He is caring (sure he was struggling to read the room during the demon attack, but still in that moment of danger he has the altruism of thinking to ask if anyone wants hot chocolate, and hot chocolate is the symbol of comfort for him, it's the first thing Aziraphale offers to him to make him feel at ease in the bookshop and the thing that Crowley brings him to soothe his angst after the memory conversation). He is helpful or at least he wants to be (rearranging the books in an order that, if you think about it, follows the criterion of medieval manuscripts illuminators, who usually embellished only the first letter of the first sentence on a page, which makes sense as a frame of reference for an angel whose only experience of books probably goes back to some old Bibles). He is generous and brave (giving himself up without a second thought when he realises that Shax is threatening Aziraphale and all the others because of him). 

As Jim, memory-wiped Gabriel is both Aziraphale's worst fear and his deepest hope: that after all Heaven is the side of good, that all the cruelty and the callousness and the total blindness to the value of life on Earth is just a mishap, that if you scrape off the absurd obsession with World Ending Great Plans you will find underneath a form of good that is pure and gentle. I think Jim, way more than the Metatron and his shitty offer-threat, is the main thing that brings Aziraphale back on the mission of fixing Heaven, "making a difference," not for the greater cosmic good, but to create a safe place for him and Crowley. So they can be safe together.

But something similar happens from Crowley's point of view. He also sees Gabriel as the concrete manifestation of both his worst fear and his deepest desire. The former Supreme Archangel renews the momentarily forgotten awareness of what Heaven and Hell can do to you if you cross them: destroy you either by throwing you into hellfire or holy water, or now by hanging the threat of the Book of Life above your head. Force you to live in a constant state of danger, pressing you against the possibility of your non-existence, making you feel like you have a loaded gun constantly placed against your skull and no magic trick to avoid the bullet.

At the same time, just as Aziraphale, what Crowley sees is that, if you are determined and lucky or maybe just inconsiderate, you can get away from Heaven and live your happy thoughtless life on Earth. Think of how bitter he is when he confronts Jim in ep5, calling him Gabriel and "Oh, yeah yeah, no no no. You're Jim now. Got everything just the way you want it?" I think here Crowley is projecting his desire to be "on the lam having a wonderful time and never be seen again." Sure, everyone is after him and they had to perform a joined miracle to hide him, but let's not forget that Crowley was not doing it to save Gabriel, he was doing it to keep Aziraphale safe. From his point of view, Gabriel did it: he run off, cut ties with Heaven, settled in his little neat new identity, cared and protected, not a thought in his head. And yes, Crowley is painfully aware of how awful it is to have your memory erased - I don't think he would consider it an acceptable price to pay for freedom. But still, Gabriel did what he would like to do. And it does not help that memory-wiped Gabriel presents specifically to Crowley some aspects of his personality in which he can recognize himself. He is curious and asks questions (think of the gravity conversation), and even more important he is ready to dispute the answers that are given to him ("but they don't stay where I put them"). He hears the plan about Nina and Maggie that Aziraphale didn't listen to, and afterwards asks Crowley how it went. He is insightful in his own instinctive way (when he tells Crowley "you're really nice" he's not just saying "you are nice a lot" but also "in reality you are nice", he's seeing through Crowley's rough mannerism even if just seconds before he was angrily shouting at him). He has lost his memory, which by now I think most of us agree it's what also happened to Crowley, at least partially ("I know, looking at where the furniture isn't"). And then, the final nail on the mirror-coffin: Gabriel run away from Heaven for his love. They run off together.

Having Jim right there, in front of his very eyes, I think it's the thing that pushes Crowley back to his old plan of running off together with Aziraphale: he is the living prove that it can be done, further confirmed by his final departure with Beelzebub. Of course, for a brief moment both sides of the metaphisical universe where hunting him down, which is not desirable. But Gabriel was the Supreme Archangel after all, it's only fair that they're looking for him. They are but a former bullied angel and a former already-replaced demon, maybe Heaven and Hell would not mobilised their hosts for them. They could be finally safe together.

So, when you put everything together, I think that what happened at the end of ep6 has more to do with Gabriel and how his presence affected them during the season, than it has to do with the Metatron, or even with the Nina-Maggie foil. It is Jim that pushed a wedge into the thin crack that had always been there, separating what each of them sees as the best way to be safe together.

[mimisempai]

For your happiness

Summary

Crowley overhears a conversation between Maggie and Aziraphale and realizes that for Crowley's sake, the angel is depriving himself of something he longs for.

Will Crowley be able to face his fear for his angel's happiness?

Notes

Snuggling in front of a fireplace…

INEFFABLE ADVENT CALENDER

On Ao3

Rating G -  923 words

"I really would have thought that an old bookshop like yours would have a fireplace or a real wood-burning stove somewhere."

"Well... um... you know, a bookstore that sells old books is not really an appropriate place for that, it's a bit... dangerous."

Crowley started down the stairs, but stopped when he overheard this conversation between Maggie and Aziraphale.

He knew that the main reason there was no fireplace in the bookstore was because of himself and his trauma after the bookshop fire a few years ago. 

Maggie continued, "But you know there are systems in place now to prevent fires.

The angel replied, "Yes, but I don't want to take any unnecessary chances."

Maggie hummed and added, "It's a shame, though. This time of year, cuddling up in front of a crackling fire with hot chocolate is so romantic. And this place is perfect for that."

Aziraphale replied quietly, "Probably, but that's the way it is. Shall we go?"

Crowley heard their footsteps, then the sound of the door opening and closing.

He walked down to the bookshop and looked thoughtfully at the space in front of the sofa. He'd heard the longing in the angel's voice, and he had to admit there was something appealing about the image Maggie had described.

A fireplace.

Fire.

He ran and shouted, "Aziraphale, Aziraphale where the Heaven are you, you idiot? I can't find you!"

He looked around.

There was only fire.

Flames everywhere.

He kept shouting, "Aziraphale, for God's-- For Satan's-- Ah! For somebody's sake, where are you?!" 

Stunned, he realized the terrible truth.

There was nothing but fire, and Aziraphale was gone.

The demon shook his head and snapped out of his thoughts.

He pictured a fireplace right there. Across from the sofa.

He and Aziraphale bundled up in a warm blanket.

Was that enough to make him face this fear and overcome it?

No.

But making Aziraphale happy was.

So he didn't hesitate and raised his hand.

"Let there be light."

Moments later, as Aziraphale entered the bookshop, the first thing he noticed was the delicious smell of hot chocolate.

Then, as he set down his belongings and took off his coat, he noticed that the heat and light were different. More welcoming.

As he walked further into the store, he stopped in shock because instead of the clock and the bookshelves that lined the wall next to his desk, there was a fireplace.

Furthermore, there was a fire burning in the fireplace.

He turned to the sofa and saw Crowley sitting on the sofa, smiling at him.

The angel rushed to him and asked worriedly, "Crowley, my dear, are you all right?"

Crowley replied, "I'm fine, Angel, why do you ask?"

Aziraphale gestured to the fireplace and replied, "But the fire, I know what it means to you and...why are you laughing?"

Crowley shook his head and said, "It's so you, Angel!"

"What?!"

The demon grabbed Aziraphale's hand to make him sit next to him and continued, "I mean, there's a fireplace in the middle of your bookshop now, but all you care about is fire and the effect it might have on me."

Aziraphale's expression softened as he replied, "Of course that's my first concern, because I'm always thinking of you first."

Crowley said gently, "But you shouldn't do it to the point of depriving yourself of something you crave, Angel."

Angel looked at him confused and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I heard the longing in your voice when Maggie talked about the romantic appeal of a fireplace."

Aziraphale shook his head and replied, "But it's only romantic if it's something we both want. I never find it romantic when I know you're not feeling well."

Crowley looked at him fondly and replied, "Well, as it happens, the image Maggie described awakened feelings in me that helped me overcome my fear. So instead of discussing it, enjoy this fire with me and show me that it was worth facing my fear."

Crowley moved back and leaned against the sofa, opening his arms and inviting the angel to come up against him. It didn't take long for Aziraphale to be convinced, and he didn't hesitate to snuggle up.

Crowley pulled a blanket over them and pressed a kiss to the angel's hair, watching his happy face illuminated by the flickering light of the fire's flames.

He gently stroked Aziraphale's shoulder, and after a few moments said softly, "You know what really helped me get through this?"

The angel shook his head against the demon's chest as he continued, "You, angel. Knowing that I'd make you happy because of it."

"But..."

"I know you want to answer that you don't need this to be happy. I know you don't. But it's something I wanted to do, and thanks to you, I succeeded."

Aziraphale nodded gently, then pressed a kiss to Crowley's chest and said softly, "Thank you," before nuzzling the demon a little closer.

Then, after a few moments of silence, the angel said with an amused expression, "By the way, nice fireplace."

Crowley chuckled softly, "Thanks for noticing."

As the angel laughed softly, Crowley's eyes wandered over the flames.

For a split second, he remembered another kind of flame, but Aziraphale's moving against him immediately brought him back to the present.

He tightened his arms slightly around the angel, who must have sensed something because he asked softly, "Are you all right?"

Crowley smiled and replied, "Yes, perfectly all right, Angel."

And the demon realized that it was true.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Growing Love series : (After season 2) 

Part 1 Story 1-99

Part 2 Story 100-?

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here (Before season 2)

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme Post #75

(For reference: The Sideburns Scheme)

Crowley, Good Omens 2, Episode 5, The Ball, planning

...

Sideburns Check

We have now reached a point in the story where Crowley's sideburns are going to stay longer for most of the rest of season 2.

They won't usually be the longest-length category that's been shown around Gabriel, but they will be longer than when Crowley was with his newspaper door at the park.

So, the main question will be more for if they are longest-length or not than if they are short or long, and there will be some scenes where it is very hard to tell.

...

Brighter Red Streak Check

The more saturated red streak of hair can be found.

...

Hairstyle Changes

For hairstyle changes, I'm comparing to the Demon Mode scene instead of the hot chocolate one since the former provided more angles.

Crowley's top hair is curling in where with the hair is above the area between the center of his right eye and nose. The sideburns are shorter.

...

Earthly Objects

(For reference: Earthly Objects)

These are guesses, as usual.

Aziraphale has a miracle touch on the bookshelves for point #1.

Crowley has a touch on the railing for the stairs as point #2.

Crowley asks the question, "What are you doing?" as point #3.

That's the first set.

Aziraphale has a self-touch with his hand, indicated to be allowed through his index finger on his ring as point #1.

Crowley asks the question, "What are you planning?" as point #2.

Crowley has a point with the questions, "Wait and see? Any idea how irritating that is?" as point #3.

That's the second set.

Aziraphale says the names "Maggie" and "Nina" for points #1 and #2.

Crowley touches his jacket for the implied pocket use of getting his sunglasses out from that pocket for point #3.

That's the third set.

Crowley touches the door, including the doorknob and astragal, but he is blurred. Likewise, he puts on his sunglasses. That puts in a pass for him. He has not earned a point just yet.

Aziraphale brings down the chandelier for point #1.

Crowley does a simple window look I'll talk about a little more soon for point #2.

Aziraphale rubs his hand together for point #3, presumably allowed from his miracle touch on the chandelier.

That's the fourth set. I'm unsure of this one, but it was the best way for me to fit that simple window look into a set. I've never been able to figure it out otherwise.

...

The simple window look Crowley has is the first of 3 that he will do over the course of this episode and the next one. That meets an Earthly Object Rule of Three. I don't know if these 3 looks are related to the 3 partial rainbows that appear during The Window Trick, but I'll acknowledge that the idea has occurred to me.

Light is shown as reflected in Crowley's sunglasses when he pauses to look.

Time to pay attention to the pockets...

Additionally, if you use your imagination, this particular window look allows the chandelier to be an Overhead Light for Crowley. It's difficult to tell at first because it's above and to Crowley's right when he's looking with his back to the camera. Because of the angles and setup, the chandelier ends up partly above and to Crowley's reflection's right. However, it is when Crowley is shown from the front and behind the window pane that the chandelier can then be found above and to the left of Crowley because of its reflection in the window pane.

Crowley's Belt Head is blocked by the books in front of the window, so it's worth checking the earlier part of the scene to see if the Belt Head got an Overhead Light. There is a lamp behind Crowley through the bookshop layout that was to Crowley's right when he asked, "What are you doing?" It switches to his left when he asks, "What are you planning?" It also ends up briefly pocketed between him and Aziraphale when Aziraphale suggests Crowley make sure Maggie and Nina are on their way.

...

The Tied Hands retie. Crowley's right thumb joint is likely at a jacket edge in the first video frame of him in the scene. His watch is visible most clearly when he touches the stair railing. Likewise, that's the best time to see that the index finger distances itself from the other fingers as Crowley descends down the railing. The clasp strike on a lapel edge is around when Aziraphale's saying "Maggie and Nina."

...

Crowley uses a pocket to retrieve his sunglasses. He makes pockets with his torso and arms as he exits through the door.

...

Story Commentary

For the special connection, I have referred to Aziraphale "proposing," but have been hesitant to say that it's their supernatural way of getting "married" because it seems...well, beyond marriage. Still, if that is the idea the story is going with, then I suspect this ball is their version of a wedding reception, on a layered level. On the surface level, Crowley's acting like he doesn't know this ball is going to happen.

Further on the layered level within the sideburns game, this scene helps ensure Crowley's sideburns have shortened at least some before he exits the bookshop due to his relationship with Aziraphale. It's also going to help get Crowley out of the way from the humans arriving. He was first to enter for his interrogation of Gabriel. He will be last to enter before Gabriel himself has an exit and entrance of the bookshop during the demon invasion.

...

Aziraphale actively switches his and Crowley's sides during the scene. With the invitations done, they both will keep making these switches throughout the rest of the story.

...

That's it for this post. Sometimes I edit my posts, FYI.

...

Main post:

The Sideburns Scheme

[aziraphales-library]

Hi there! I recently re-joined the fandom after s2 came out and have been craving a kid-fic that features Muriel in a sort of family dynamic, either because Azi/Crowley/both of them are Muriel's legal guardian/parent (Muriel would be a kid) or because they're raising them together. I've tried looking on Ao3 myself, but unfortunately couldn't find anything. Thank you so much in advance, I know it's specific, no worries if nothing's found. Love to the mods this account is awesome!!

Hello. Here are some found family fics with Muriel...

Their Own Tribe by alex23222 (G)

Muriel spots a kid with their parents and they start wondering about who a parent actually is. They go to Nina and come up with some interesting conclusions.

I am Creation both Haunted and Holy (made in Glory) by NonBinaryStarsInAPurpleGalaxy (NR)

An unscheduled molt leaves Beelzebub and Gabriel in the unique and disturbing position of vulnerability and at a loss of what to do. With Hell largely full of unwinged Demons and Heaven full of reliant Angels, they are faced with the realization that Bureaucracy left both sides unable to molt alone. Molts are handled in office, scheduled and overseen by another being - always. Muriel, away from Heaven find themselves also facing down a molt completely alone. This has never happened before, and the Metatron asked them to stay on Earth, or rather, out of Heaven. They don't know many beings to turn to, as they are the only Angel stationed on Earth. In embarrassment, Muriel attempt to hide the panic. Luckily, there's a being that's spent 6000 years away from both Heaven and Hell. Luckily, this being has always been too nice for their own good.

One Of Us (All It Means Is Hope) by RepQueen15 (G)

“You’ve never seen them before, have you? Stars.” “No,” Muriel whispered, eyes reflecting galaxies. They gripped Crowley’s hand tight. “They don’t tell us.” Around them, snow fell hard and fast. Towards the heavens, everything shon. It felt impossible, but nothing was ever impossible with Crowley, was it? “Hope. That’s what stars are.” ** Muriel is exactly what Aziraphale and Crowley need. Soft December fluff! Hot chocolate, ice skating and Muriel seeing the stars for the very first time.

5 Times Muriel Copied Crowley, and 1 Time Muriel Copied Aziraphale: by live_write_edit_sleep (T)

Muriel is learning a lot about Earth, especially from their role model, Crowley, who keeps trying to stop them from copying him. They don’t know why, though. They like Crowley.

Muriel's Stories by rayvennswritingdesk (G)

“A book is a dream that you hold in your hands." - Neil Gaiman Muriel was confused. They didn’t understand what “us time” was, or why Crowley wanted it with Aziraphale. They couldn’t understand, watching through the bookstore window, why they both looked so sad, when they had seemed so happy together before. Then Crowley had kissed Aziraphale, and Muriel had started to make sense of it all. A story of learning what ‘home’ is and learning what ‘human’ is, of making new friends, of small smiles from grumpy demons, apologies from wayward angels, of confusing notions such as truth, time and alrightness, of warm feelings, wet weather, hot drinks, music, plants, stars, of all kinds of love, and of course, most of all, this is a story of stories.

Lily Of The Valley by ChassyOwl (G)

Crowley has lost his own eternal source of happiness and is slowley losing himself. But before he´s about to make a big mistake, he gets an unexpected call for help. Maybe his heart can be mended after all with the help of an unexpected angel.

- Mod D

[ladykatibeth]

Thinking about how the conflict that started and drove the plot line this entire season was just a smaller version of the break up conflict at the end. Gabriel (Heaven) has hurt Aziraphale, but Aziraphale thinks that helping Gabriel (Heaven) is the right thing to do.

Because with no intervention something bad will happen to Gabriel (Heaven will keep harming people). Crowley thinks that Aziraphale shouldn’t get involved with Gabriel (Heaven) because Gabriel (Heaven) hurt them, and Gabriel (Heaven) isn’t their friend. (They’re on their own side.)

Crowley storms off because he’s upset, and feels like Aziraphale is prioritizing something/someone else over the life they’ve built together. And not even for a good cause. Aziraphale stays firm, eventually Crowley comes back and says he’s right. That’s the most recent argument.

Of course Aziraphale thinks Crowley might change his mind and this isn’t permanent, we just saw a small scale argument where that happened, and it all ended up doing good! Aziraphale was right to help him! Crowley, in his heart, agrees it’s the right thing to do! Az knows this!

Aziraphale unknowingly helped give people (a demon and archangel) the opportunity to stay with each other in love. He’s definitely happy about that. Plus it helped press Crowley to confess to him! :D

But to Crowley who was also just in this argument at the start of the season, picking Heaven is now a a pattern. And while Aziraphale did end up being right to help Gabriel, what he’s missing is the crucial difference.

Gabriel may be a huge dick, though he does seem to have become a tiny bit better due to his love with Beelz, he’s capable of change, and he may have been head of Heaven, but he’s a person (archangel) not an institution.

Helping a person who hurt you is not the same beast as trying to treat an institution that hurt you from inside.

And I assume Crowley would agree, because he doesn’t seem to regret helping Gabe and Beelz stay together, even though they both hurt Az and him, because Crowley doesn’t like to hurt people he likes to make people happy.

Even when someone whose hurt him and his partner previously is back and threatening their peace and safety, he can’t make him jump out a window, he feels bad and makes him hot chocolate.

And even after Gabriel’s memory is restored, he’s back to being the whole Archangel Fucking Gabriel, and the relationship plot is revealed, he’s happy for them!

Because Crowley is extremely kind.

And Gabriel and Beelzebub are people (archangel and demon).

But Heaven is not a person.

[quillyfied]

Things I’m noticing on this rewatch, which I’m hoping to take slow and ponder on but we will see how it goes, PART THREE (obviously major Good Omens season 2 spoilers throughout, specifically for S2E3)

- First, going back to the previous episode: thank you to the person who reminded me that the Dirty Donkey pub is the pub that Crowley plans his holy water heist in!! (Which means Crowley LITERALLY planned his heist on Aziraphale’s stoop, unless Aziraphale moved the pub to be closer to himself in case it happened again. Hmmmm.)

- Also. I have been reminded that “Give me coffee or give me death” is a modified quote of “give me liberty or give me death” by an American revolutionary. Which. Explains all the Statues of Liberty around the place. I am Slow.

- Anyway, to e3: the fact that Jim has a labeled mug and hot chocolate canister. I feel like he tried to ingest something he wasn’t supposed to, so Aziraphale made sure he had his name on his things XD

- The sex worker is a treasure, for one; I hope I am reminded of her name soon.

- MURIEL. SWEET ANGEL BABY. Sorry they’re not a baby but they are so adorably innocent and inexperienced. I love that Aziraphale treats them so kindly despite his obvious terror. Though. It is a kindness that reminds me of my coworkers. I work in childcare. I know a “childcare” disposition when I see it.

- Okay, the framing there: the box, and the hat. The mystery, and the detective cap. Excellent.

- The gentle tutelage, Muriel’s scrunchy face when they realize what tea is for—I’m just SCREECHING.

- AND CROWLEY GETTING IN ON IT. THE WAY HIS WHOLE DEMEANOR IMMEDIATELY GOES FROM BITCHING TO DELIGHTED. AAAAAAAAAAH.

- AND HE’S SITTING. ON THE ARM. OF AZIRAPHALE’S CHAIR.

- The coparenting. Muriel’s utter naivety. I’m just.

- “I’m not sure how you lot have managed to stay in charge.” “I’m not sure we actually have.” SAY IT LOUDER.

- OKAY BUT HOW DOES HELL MEASURE MIRACLES THO

- ONE FABULOUS KISS CROWLEY. IS THAT ALL IT TAKES.

- “To tell if humans are in love you need to wait a few days” not bad advice really but also unrelated how many days are in like 6000 years? Asking for a friend.

- AZIRAPHALE TALKING TO THE BENTLEY AND IMMEDIATELY BEING A BIGGER MENACE ON THE ROAD THAN CROWLEY. VINDICATION.

- Thing the first about the opening theme: Crowley crawls up the cliff and Aziraphale lands on it. Just a nice touch.

- The movie theater in the opening has a different feature title and picture on the big screen every episode. I missed it for the first one but last time it was “A Companion to Owls” (which is a verse from Job that I only know because the full quote is “I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls” and it was a lamentation but of course teenage Quilly thought that was the coolest thing she had ever read). This time: The Resurrectionists, coupled with a shot of the Gabriel statue.

- I think Crowley’s hair is s1 color in this minisode but I can’t be sure. Lighting is…not. :P

- THE BONUS CONTENT SAYS NEIL GAIMAN THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO LET DAVID TENNANT DO AS MANY SCOTTISH ACCENTS AS HE CAN THIS CHAPTER. I AM DELIGHTED

- The second Elspeth says “English” Crowley starts losing it, which in turn makes ME lose it.

- I love the bringing back in the discussion from the book about privilege making its way here, and given a more visceral illustration and testing. Though I love Crowley literally helping Elspeth pull the wagon, a thing I’m not sure he’s ever willingly done in his life, and poking holes in Aziraphale’s arguments all the way.

- Wee Morag’s morals have about the same utility in this situation as Aziraphale’s, tbh. I’m not sure I have the mental capacity tonight to deconstruct that the way it deserves.

- Aha! Knew I recognized the tune in the car! Danse Macabre!

- He is AFFECTIONATE towards the BENTLEY. Which Crowley can FEEL.

- YELLOW CAR. DAMN YOU JOHN FINNEMORE.

- but it is pretty, Crowley!

- Spoilsport.

- I fully did not internalize the tartan hills and Nessie the first time around. I saw them. I immediately chalked them up to personal fever dream.

- The demon’s name is Josh. Why is that delightful??

- He wears a kilt! And has a wonderful little monologue about dung pits and tongue ripping!

- Beelzebub being off is subtle. Almost too subtle.

- The many stacks of books Crowley carries around and then chucks this episode. Love it.

- Crowley not having a cow about a fly seems weird tbh

- Vavoom. Where tf did he learn the word vavoom

- “David Tennant has occasionally played a doctor” OH HAS HE NOW

- the almost musical pulls Michael Sheen does for miracles this season. Lovely.

- Also: the dual nature of Mr. Dalrymple. Needs bodies to do good and study so he can save lives. Treats the people bringing him the bodies like dirt.

- Okay: is Crowley freezing time, or just putting Dalrymple in a mental time out? Very curious to know. The trivia bit on the side references the s1 trick of having Jean-Claude’s actor stand very still to achieve the time stop there, so perhaps freezing time?

- Alright moment of silence for how very very good Crowley’s outfit is this scene. Yum.

- The instant penny drop when Aziraphale realizes the reason for the body snatching, how he immediately uses prevention of future harm to classify it as Good.

- Also. His emotional reaction to the kid’s tumor. ;A;

- Edinburgh is so colorful!!

- HIS SMUG LITTLE GRIN WHEN HE POPS OUT HIS HAT AND NOTEBOOK. Also, wtf is in his hat. What is that.

- Okay but the double sided sign, and how Aziraphale first sees the Jesus side. IMPORTANT. PAINFUL.

- PRESS 66. That’s what’s in the hat.

- And Aziraphale being every bit as awkward as Muriel in his interrogation. Just slightly less weird. Angels.

- Listen I’ll probably say it again at episode 6 but the sheer magnitude of the importance that Gabriel and Beelzebub fell in love over the course of a year—with EACH OTHER. Not with earth or humans or creation. Just each other. Hggk.

- Alright, but Aziraphale DOES see the other half of the sign here. Does he get it? DOES HE GET IT?? No. Of course not.

- “I’ll help but it still doesn’t make it right.” That is such an uncomfortable truth to sit with. The whole adventure is, really. The whole show. SHADES OF GREY.

- Okay, I’m pausing this episode way too much, it’s been over an hour since I started this episode, but—the way Aziraphale overcorrects is. Sad? Elspeth and Wee Morag aren’t here to decrease human suffering. Outside of their own, of course, which can also be achieved by digging up a body that’s fresh. Scope of intent and how Aziraphale simplifies and moralizes it. Huh.

- Lot more this season about Aziraphale’s miracle allowances, too. Very interesting concept.

- MIGHT HAVE SLIGHTLY OVERDONE IT ON THE HOLE. MIGHT YOU INDEED.

- interesting how his dithering is what causes his chance to heal Wee Morag to slip through his fingers. And yet raising her is out of the question. Can Aziraphale even do that? We know he and Crowley together generate a ton of power, but what about on his own?

- interesting that elspeth takes Wee Morag to Dalrymple and is already contemplating suicide despite her actions suggesting she intended to keep on living. Hmm.

- Dalrymple the Ass. Not just unwilling to get his own hands dirty but disparaging of those who will. Another moral dichotomy.

- And elspeth also not wanting to get dug up? Wee Morag’s death affecting her?

- CROWLEY OFF HIS HEAD WITH LAUDANUM IS THE FUNNIEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME

- How much is 90 guineas compared to 5 pounds? …google says a guinea is worth slightly more than a pound. So. For the eight pounds Elspeth and Wee Morag were aiming for, for the three pounds shafted that Wee Morag died for…Aziraphale literally had over ten times that amount in his pocket. MORALS.

- …the stupid special features had the math onscreen already. Sort of. Heck.

- Yeah okay this scene adds way more context to Crowley asking for holy water fifty or so years later. Yikes. YIKES. The implications of it all!!

- Asking the phone nicely. Love these little Aziraphaleisms.

- The awning of a new age XD

- The little tipping of his cap!! Adorable!

- Nina and Maggie actually TALKING. HEY CROWLEY ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION???

- The rain is overdone and the awning rips. Gosh. Whatever could that be implying?

- Seriously how is Crowley able to pull these spells out of Jim?? And seemingly ONLY him???

- Alright, this prophecy bit. Seems to me to be about the future, also about the past, which is very biblical tbh. Specifically Isaiah. But I’m not up to snuff enough on my Bible to tell what all Gabriel is quoting. Besides the Buddy Holly.

- HELLO SHAX

- Okay, realizing that no angels pop up in Aziraphale’s shop in season 1, either. Gabriel and Sandalphon enter from the outside. I’ll need to rewatch to see if Aziraphale actively invites them in, or if it’s just blocking. I think it might just be blocking. But what an interesting detail, that only humans can enter at will and all else must be invited!

- The threatening of Aziraphale continues. The anxiety of Crowley intensifies. The obliviousness of Jim resets.

- Always too late. Poor Crowley.

Yeah this took an hour and a half to watch XD but I’m having fun. And killing quite a lot of time. Am I making sense or creating a thoughtful analysis? No, I don’t think so. But I’m solidifying the canon in my head, at least.

[dropdeadgorgeos]

Polar express x twisted wonderland

(Btw the polar express is a Christmas movie about kids getting on a train to hear to the north poll on Christmas Eve)

I'm trying to write all of these down. Who does what? Who caused this? Who is that drug dealer on the top of the train? Who knows? Anyway, I'm trying to write all that down. But it's supposed to be housewardens and vice housewardens(including Ruggie and Ortho) being little kids on the train. So it's like everyone as kids? Yeah. Ortho is the youngest. Technically malleus is the oldest. And then Leona. Because Lilia isn't there. You know where he is? He's the person on top of the train ofc! Yes! He is the person making the kids eat that nasty food??? Obviously he cooked it himself. But I made basic ideas for who is who. We have grown up yuu as the dude taking care of the kids. Sam works with hot chocolate. Crowley and Trein drive the train??? And Crewel as Santa. I get it "Shouldn't Crowley be Santa?" If you want a Santa that'll do nothing yeah. Plus Crewel has the big furry coat so- anywaysss

I thought about Riddle being that kids who struggled to believe. Not the one in blue! The one that was younger then most. He seemed to have a bad background and didn't have Santa visit him. So I'd take a guess that riddles mom never let him really celebrate Christmas with presents? "Your to old for this! You should be greatful your smart!" Yeah stfu no one cares. Anyway, we also thought of Leona being the kid in the blue sweater he doesn't believe and he's a bit mean? Seems like it could fit! And Vil gets to be the girl in pink! Because well, she sticks with the boy in the sweater the whole time AND he would be with Leona the whole time(not to mention the girl seemed to really enjoy singing) but other then that. Ruggie and Kalim are probably the kid that went to try and find there presents early then fight over who should get there's first. Jamil tries to keep Kalim out of trouble of course. Hm.... Idia stays with Ortho the whole time. Oh! Azul is that kid that was like "Do you know what train this is?" And then says the really long train name he's just more shy about it. I just realized that Rook and Leona would probably have to get on at the same stop(poor Leona) and who else are we missing? Hm? Malleus you say? Huh... Did we invite him? OBVIOUSLY He is the one being super quiet but he totally spoke to some of them I'm not really sure actually but yeah. Trey probably tries to get Riddle to join everyone but he's that kid that sat in the back the whole time. Ruggie is super happy about the free hot chocolate lol. Ahh, yes! How did a train get underwater you ask? Idfk! Magic? Magic! Everyone probably panicked or was super happy when they went underwater. It's one or the other! Oh! Kalim is always trying to see outside he's probably the one who lost a ticket by playing with it in the wind outside the window. Have you ever done that? Held something outside the window and then it flow out of your hands and then you were sad? Exactly how kalim felt because that was probably Jamil's ticket. But kalim will not lilet that happen! He starts looking around everywhere trying to leave the train to get the ticket! Probably almost fell off a few times but Jamil was there to catch him(same with MC). Vil is probably singing a lot of the songs and full of Christmas spirit I can totally see it! He's just super happy to be there! Awwwwww my heart is so happy to think of that- ANYWAY Rook prob stayed with Vil because he thought he was pretty. And Idia and Ortho always stayed together NO MATTER WHAT! Malleus was there. He didn't have his dad lmao. Ahhh, I'm gonna add more as soon as I can :)

[rhosmeinir]

Fictober 2023 #5

Prompt #5 - "You're the smartest person I know."

Fanfiction: Good Omens

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Pairing: Ineffable Husbands/Aziracrow

Other Notes: In which Aziraphale experiences writer's block. It's extremely silly, and a little bit meta. 744 words!

“Ugh… stupid! …stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” Aziraphale smacked his hand repeatedly into his forehead, narrowly avoiding stabbing himself in the eye with the perilously fine nib of the fountain pen clutched in it. Crowley leaned back from behind the bookshelf he had been reorganizing to look over at the desk where Aziraphale sat hunched.

“Whatsamatter?” he asked, brows quirking in something between concern and trepidation. 

“Oh, nothing really,” Aziraphale sighed as he turned about in his chair, though his tone said otherwise, as did the ink-stains that had spattered themselves on his waistcoat, “I just signed up for this writing… challenge thing, and I am completely, utterly, STUCK.”

“Oh, well,” Crowley tossed his pile of books aside and swiveled out from behind the bookshelf, surreptitiously miracling the ink stains away as he did so, “it can’t be that bad. Just write whatever! No one will care, anyway your first drafts are practically polished anyway.”

“Thank you Crowley, but when it comes to today’s prompt, I’m running out of time and am simply irrefutably stupid.” Aziraphale leaned back in his chair in a posture of despair, and flung his pen at the wall, where it stuck, vibrating.

“Now look here!” Crowley exclaimed, striding across the room in mock anger. Upon reaching Aziraphale’s chair, he straddled his lanky legs until he was low enough to seize his face, and with both hands gently tilt it until their eyes met. “Angel,” Crowley asserted, a wayward scarlet curl bouncing down to brush Aziraphale’s forehead, “you’re the smartest person I know. Now,” as abruptly as he had come, Crowley straightened up again, and retrieved the pen from the wall, thrusting it at Aziraphale, “pick up a pen, start writing.”

Doubtfully, Aziraphale took the implement. Crowley strode to his chair beneath the window beside the desk, and collapsed into it, legs dangling over the side. He looked at Aziraphale expectantly.

“…are you just going to watch me?”

“Oh no no no, no of course not.” Crowley seized a book at random from the closest shelf he could reach and opened it to the middle. “I’m just over here reading. Don’t mind me.”

Aziraphale snorted, but turned back to his abandoned page. Slowly, excruciatingly, the words began to come to him. Crowley flipped pages now and then. The clever programming inside the electric candles that lit the bookshop caused them to dim in imitation of melting real candles. The clock thought better of chiming the hour after Crowley glared at it with a few seconds to spare. Aziraphale began to make frustrated noises intermittently as he wrote, and the smooth passage of his pen over the paper began to be punctuated by scratches. Crowley jumped out of his chair, and pattered up the stairs. He had been gone for a few moments when Aziraphale gave in and screeched,

“Stupid!!” at himself once more.

“Stoppiiiiiiiiiiit!!” Came the remonstrance from upstairs, and Crowley re-emerged into the main floor, bearing a white angel-winged mug. He reached Aziraphale’s elbow and held it out. “The power of hot chocolate compels you,” he asserted, before returning to his chair. A dissatisfied slurp signaled Aziraphale’s acceptance of the offering, and the productive sounds of his pen resumed. As the angel worked, Crowley did attempt to read the book, but he found the medieval Italian slow going. Just because he spoke every language in the world didn’t mean he liked them all, especially the outdated ones. His eyes began to droop.

“YES!!”

Crowley jerked awake, and saw Aziraphale leap from his seat in triumph, shaking some pages over his head.

“I’ve done it!” Aziraphale crowed, “and with time to spare!” He pointed at the nearest clock, which read 11:56pm. 

“Well done, Angel!” Crowley grinned, absolutely pretending he had been awake the whole time. “I knew you could do it.” Then a thought crossed his mind, and he was compelled to speak it. “But… how would anyone know if you were late? I mean, are you sharing these things with anyone?”

“Oh, my— you’re right, of course, I have to post it for it to count! To the INTERNET!” Aziraphale whirled back to the desk, and stabbed at the power button of his ancient computer. It made some sounds like a very old and annoyed bear waking up from hibernation, and lit up with a progress bar that looked as though it might take a year to complete. Aziraphale wailed.

Crowley, meanwhile, slid from his chair and faceplanted to the floor.

[140smashedguitars]

I have a few things to say about Good Omens. I'm not sure if this is going to be coherent but I kinda just need to get these thoughts out of my brain before I explode.

I had actually forgotten what happened at the end of season 1 (I only watched it once and my memory is garbage) so I didn't really get the full effect of Crowley talking to Gabriel about what he said to Crowley as Aziraphale, until I saw these two posts and now I'm going batshit. I'm not quite sure where to start with this, hopefully it will make sense. Also I'm sure other people have talked about this but oh well

So! Gabriel, on instinct, turned up at Aziraphale's bookshop after losing his memory because he just thought he'd be safe there. And the thing is, he was. He shouldn't have been, but to Aziraphale, Gabriel is just his boss, and someone he's known for longer than we could imagine.

Then Crowley walks in and when he sees Gabriel is filled with blind rage. Why is he here? What more could he possibly do to hurt Aziraphale? But Gabriel’s a blank slate, he has no idea of what happened between him and Aziraphale. He doesn’t have to carry that with him. Would it even matter if he did? Gabriel doesn't care about Aziraphale's feelings. And yet, here he is in Aziraphale's special place - their special place, with his own room (which he didnt offer to Crowley who has been living out of his car for ages), his own mug with his name on it for his hot chocolate, wearing Aziraphale's clothes.

And Crowley can’t do anything, he of course still can’t tell Aziraphale what Gabriel said to him, so he just has to stand by and watch as Aziraphale risks everything to help this being he believes doesn’t deserve to be helped. Could you imagine if the situation was reversed? If an amnesiac and vulnerable Aziraphale showed up to Gabriel asking for help. I don’t doubt that he would’ve immediately given up Aziraphale when he realised how big the risk was in helping him. But Aziraphale helps him anyway because it’s the right thing to do.

Then he asks Crowley to help. And why the Hell should he? Gabriel’s done nothing to deserve it, but he does anyway, because he doesn’t want to upset Aziraphale. So Crowley answers Gabriel’s questions to the best of his ability, gets him his hot chocolate, helps with the miracle to hide him, keeps him company. Even though it must be killing him inside. His anger is directed at one specific person and now here’s there, he can’t say all the things he probably wants to say because it wouldn’t mean anything to Gabriel. Sure, Crowley tells him what happened and then later starts to threaten him, but it amounts to nothing. He’s only met with a confused, blank stare. He can't get the closure that he wants.

Then Crowley goes to Heaven to find out what really happened to Gabriel, and wouldn't you know it...

Gabriel

Defied

Heaven

You know... like Crowley and Aziraphale did at the end of season 1 and were attemptedly murdered for. And what was Gabriel's punishment for defying the will of Heaven to start a second apocalypse? Death? Being forced to live and die as a human? (I'm not sure if that's a thing in this universe, but it's a thought) No. He gets demoted. And because the angels are so incompetent, Crowley watches Gabriel just walk out. He just leaves Heaven.

And then, Gabriel gets his memory back, and Crowley is forced to watch as Gabriel

Fucking. Gabriel. Who looked Crowley's only friend dead in the eye and told him to shut his stupid mouth and die

and smiled

takes the hand of the being he loves, singing their love song and leaves. No repercussions for what Gabriel did or said, he and Beelzebub are free to go wherever they please and be happy.

So after all this, Crowley is spurred into going after his own happy ending. Because that's what he and Aziraphale deserve, right? He bares his soul in front of Aziraphale, pleading with him to leave and be together in whatever way that means. Just the two of them.

Because it has always, only ever been the two of them. Literally from the beginning. Everything they've done together has been to defy the will of Heaven and Hell to do the right thing. Watching Crowley struggle to get the words out to explain how he feels and stop himself from crying is fucking soul destroying. He needs Aziraphale to understand what's been going on between them this entire time. What's in front of them, what he's giving up. So he kisses him, in one last ditch effort, pouring everything he is feeling into it. As people have pointed out, the kiss wasn't out of love; it was out of desperation, fear, anger. It was a plea, it was a prayer. It was everything Crowley could never say. And Aziraphale's response?

I forgive you.

FOR WHAT AZIRAPHALE?! FOR WHAT?! And the way Aziraphale looks angry immediately after the kiss. I can't fucking do this guys. What the fuck.

But if that wasn't enough, Crowley still waits for Aziraphale by his car. Because maybe, just maybe, in those last few minutes Aziraphale realised he was wrong. But no. After everything, God having Earth created only to plan to destroy it a mere few thousand years later, all the humans being murdered, tortured, betrayed, for what purpose? Aziraphale chose Heaven over Crowley. The ones who cast out Crowley for asking "damn fool questions" but allowed that courtesy to Job. Who God fucked over for a bet. And there was nothing Crowley could do to stop him. He has to let his best friend, the only being he has ever cared about, loved, his home, be ripped away from him. Fuck.

I don't know if this makes any sense. I don't know if this is just a rambling string of nonsense. But can you see what I'm getting at here? It's like 2am at the time of writing this but I'm hoping my point has somehow come across. I think this had a point. I could be reading way too into all this and being stupid but to me the confession scene goes way deeper than I originally thought. Sorry this is a really long post, and sorry if it feels like I’m just saying what happened in the show but I wanted to recontexualise it from Crowley’s POV.

[reigningqueenofwords]

Throwing Punches

Word count: 2,067

Read on AO3

Part 4 of Father Dearest

By the time you were seven months pregnant, you had to begun to relax. Cas never told you that the boys were getting close, and you’d stop asking. He saw how it broke your heart when you heard Dean’s name, so that topic was rare. It was very obvious that you were pregnant by that point. You had found out that you were having a boy, so now having a name for the baby made it much easier. Per your request, Cas had joined you for that appointment.  He lit up when he saw Clark on the screen, talking about what a miracle he was. Work was going well, even if part of you itched to hunt again. You knew that just wasn’t possible. 

Dean and Crowley never stopped looking, even though every day the chances of them finding you seemed to dwindle. Cas had stayed away for a good week after their fight. When Dean caved and called him back, there was a huge wall between them. Cas explained his reasoning, that you were his friend. He couldn’t go against his word. Not only that, but that Dean should trust him that she was safe. Crowley was a fixture in the bunker most days, just waiting on a word from you. A phone call, a letter, anything. It never came.

Months after you vanished, the boys reluctantly took a case in North Carolina. Cas had been away on some heaven business, so he had no idea, and he hadn’t been to check on you in few days. You were walking home from work when you swore you heard that distinct sound of the Impala. You glanced around, but saw nothing.

Sam had seen you, though. They were passing through to speak with the local police department about the case in the next town. He didn’t say anything to Dean, not even sure it was you. It weighed on his mind all day, making him seem distracted. Dean noticed, but didn’t bring it up until they were back in their room that evening. “You’ve been spacing all day. What’s the matter?” Dean asked, biting into his burger.

“I don’t know. Just felt off. Probably just need some sleep.” He shrugged. That seemed to appease the older Winchester. The rest of the evening he spent researching, while Dean ended up passed out on one of the beds. Once he was sure that Dean was out cold, he quietly slipped out. Not wanting to risk Dean over hearing him, Sam walked to the back of the building where the woods started. “CAS!” Sam yelled just barely above his normal speaking tone. “Cas, damn it.” He grumbled.

Hearing the fluttering of wings, he turned to see Cas. “Yes, Sam?” He asked.

“I saw her.”

“Who?”

Sam glared at him. “Y/N.” Cas looked surprised. “I didn’t tell Dean, because I wasn’t even sure it was her. Is it?” Cas sighed, nodding. “Take me to see her.” He demanded.

“I can’t do that, Sam.” He replied.

“Do you want me to tell Dean that we are in driving distance of her? Or tell Crowley?” A moment later, Cas touched his forehead and they were standing in front of your trailer. “This is where she lives?” Sam asked, looking around. It wasn’t bad looking, he was just surprised at how cozy and simple it seemed.

Cas nodded. “I’ll go in first. I doubt she would like being…surprised.” He said, zapping into your living room. Hearing you humming in the kitchen, he smiled. “Y/N?” Cas called out, moving towards the kitchen.

You looked up, smiling at him. “Hey, Cas. I’m making a snack, ya want some?” You licked the chocolate off your fingers. Of course the only hot fudge you wanted for your sundae had to be melted fresh. It tasted better. “I know you can’t taste it, but still. It’s so good!”

He looked over you, a small smile on his face. “How is little Clark?” Cas asked, trying to ease into what he had to say.

Moving your hand over your bump, you chuckled. “Kicking up a storm lately.” You shrugged. “He’s been very active. Especially at night.” Sighing, you went back to stirring the chocolate. “But, I’m worried. I’m due not too long before snow is due, Cas.” Your eyes went to his. “I’m just worried about the roads, and the storms.” This hadn’t occurred to you five months ago, of course.

“I’m sure that things will be okay.” He told you. “Y/N?” He stepped a bit closer.

“Cas, what’s wrong?” You asked, noting the worried look on his face.

“Sam knows where you are.” He said simply. “They are working a case near by. He saw you in passing.”

Your face fell. “Does Dean know?” Your hand moved to your stomach automatically.

Cas shook his head. “No. But, that brings me to my next matter.” He was bracing himself for you crying, or even yelling. “Sam is outside right now. Threatened to tell Crowley or Dean if I didn’t bring him.”

A lump formed in your throat, and your eyes started to water. Wiping them off, you turned off the burner and swallowed. “Well, I guess I have no choice but to see him, right?” You tried to calm your nerves. “I’ll go let him in.” Cas stayed right behind you as you moved to the front door. As you stopped to open it, you felt Cas’s hand on your lower back. You gave him a small smile of thanks before you opened the door. “Hi, Moose.” You said quietly, grabbing his attention.

Sam didn’t say anything for a moment, his eyes just shot to your rounded belly. “Y/N?” He asked, almost in disbelief. You nodded, tearing up again. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” In just a couple steps, he was holding you against his chest as you let go. Your hands gripped his shirt as one of his hands held the back of your head, his other on your lower back, comforting you. His eyes locked with Cas’s, whose blue eyes were filled with sadness. He hadn’t seen you like this in months.

“I’ll leave you two to talk. Sam, call me when you need to go back.” Cas stated. Walking over, he kissed the side of your head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And he was gone.

Pulling away slightly, you looked up at Sam. “I’m so sorry, Sam.” Your voice was slightly hoarse. He led you over to the couch and you both sat down.

He gave you that look that made you feel even worse. “Why did you leave?” His voice was gentle, and kind.

You gave a forced chuckle. “I’m pretty sure you figured that out, Sam.” You looked down to your stomach. “I’m not exactly able to hide it.”

“You left because you’re pregnant?” He raised his eyebrow. “Do you think it was a good idea to take off? Not only are you not able to defend yourself, but that kid has Winchester bloo–” You held up your hand. “What?”

“It’s not Dean’s.” You whispered. Your eyes locked with his, and he knew.

Sam’s eyes widened a bit. “Crowley’s?” He asked, voice as low as yours was. Nodding, you took a deep breath. “Wow. So, that’s why Cas has been hiding you?”

“Yeah. I feel terrible putting him in this spot. Has Dean been to hard on him?” If Cas was getting hell, you’d tell him to stop coming around.

“More or less. Cas comes around less. We lost an angel, gained a king.” Your face must have been pure confusion, because he laughed. “Yeah. Dean and Crowley? Working together. While they still seem to hate each other, they’ve teamed up to find you.” He explained.

How the hell were you supposed to handle that? “Have they gotten close?”

Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s like their own little club. I’ve learned to block them out. I don’t think they have, though. Or I’m sure that Dean would be less of a dick.” You winced slightly, knowing that it was your fault. “Hey, I’m not mad at you. I get it. I just wish you would have contacted me at least.”

“I was afraid Dean would get it out of you.” You admitted. He pulled you closer to him, resting his head on yours. “I’ve missed you, Sam.” You said a few minutes later. You were surprised that he didn’t answer. Glancing up, you had to smile at the sleeping face of Sam Winchester. He looked far from dangerous at that moment. Gently slipping out from his arm, you laid him down. You’d call Cas, but you thought it would be good for him to have a night on something other than a motel bed.

The next morning, you came out of your room in your pajamas, you smelled…bacon? Still groggy, you peeked in the kitchen and laughed. There was Sam, clothes all wrinkled, bed head like there was no tomorrow- and he was cooking breakfast. “Morning.” He chuckled.

“Sleep okay?” You asked, sitting down, yawning.

“Yeah, you?”

You laughed again. “Sam. I’m seven months pregnant with a little boy who is very active at night. I slept as well as I could.”

Sam looked at you. “You’re having a boy?” He asked, sounding excited. “Do you have a name yet?”

“Clark Joseph. Cas actually helped.” You had to give credit when credit was due.

Flipping an egg, he kept his eyes on the pan. “Are you and Cas…?”

“No, Sam. There’s no one.”

The rest of breakfast, you chatted about how hunts were going, and made him tell you all the details. There was a tug on your heartstrings, as hunting was what your life had been. Sam noticed the time and groaned. “I should get back.” He explained. “If I get the chance to slip away, can Cas bring me to visit again?” Sam hated knowing that he’d be lying to Dean, but he could see why she was doing it.

“Of course.” You smiled, walking him to the front door. “Be safe, Sam.” You whispered. “I’ll tell Cas it’s okay to bring you by. Besides, someone’s gonna have to teach this kid to pee IN the toilet one day.” You joked.

Outside, Dean stood there, hands in his jean pockets. Right next to him was Crowley. Both men couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Sam, looking like he had one hell of a night, hugging you. You were in your pajamas, very much pregnant. They saw you kiss his cheek and turn away, heading into the back. Sam was grinning when he stepped out, shutting the door. When he looked up, his stomach fell.

“Dean? Crowley?” He asked, shocked. “How the hell did you find me?”

Dean gave him an angry look. “Months, Sammy.” He snapped. “You’ve watched us search for months, and here you are. Playing house?” Sam went to open his mouth to correct him, but Dean cut him off with one hell of a punch. “I wake up this morning, and find you gone. After a bit, I decide to track your phone. It wasn’t hard to get Crowley to come along. If you wanted to be left alone, you should have been more discreet.” His voice was dripping with venom. “And Cas? He knew? That here she is, obviously pregnant.” He’d be having a word with him later.

“Dean! That’s not it!” He yelled. Ducking, he avoided another fist to the side of his face. Months of anger were built up, and aimed right at him. “Damn it, Dean.” He grunted as Dean tackled him, sitting on his waist. His right fist came down again.

You’d heard Sam yell, and knew something was wrong. Pulling on your sneakers, you ran (as well as you could) out the door. You saw Dean beating Sam. “DEAN STOP!” You yelled. His fist paused midair, and he turned to you. You were shaking. “Don’t hurt him, he’s done nothing wrong. Whatever you think he’s done, you’re wrong.”

As he got up and walked closer, you swallowed. Crowley was too angry to even speak. “You’ve been sleeping with Sam, haven’t you?” He growled. You shook your head, tearing up. “Really? Because I know that kid isn’t mine.” All the two of you had done was oral.

You closed your eyes, pushing the tears down your face. “He’s Crowley’s.” You whispered.

[vidavalor]

Hello! I trully love your metas ♥️

And I want to believe… but how do you match the fact that they have kissed (even fucked) for so many time with the only kiss we have seen which is so clumsly, so fist-time-type, and so turbovirgin?

Thank you!

Hi @margotmignard-blog Thank you and nice to meet you. :) Ok, this is for you and the few Anons who have sent me more or less the same Ask in the last 2 weeks or so as some of my posts have circulated a bit more so yeah, alright, I'll take it on. All of you please help yourself to hot chocolate and holiday M&Ms, even if you are making me think about Every again to write this lol.

Why do I think Crowley & Aziraphale are long-time lovers when Every is an awkward kiss? Because you know what looks just like clumsy, first-time kisses?

Old-married argument kisses of desperation when all other communication is failing that then wind up failing, too, that's what.

Two people kissing in distress is clumsy and messy no matter what stage of their relationship they're in and if they're upset and think the other is about to walk out the door and conflicted about opening up to the kiss because of the argument then all of that makes for a truly gut-wrenchingly awkward kiss. It didn't read as a first time kiss to me at all but I can understand how it might to someone.

I actually think that's the insanely evil genius of it lol. This show is such a bastard worth knowing, I tell ya. :) Right now, they have everyone being all "they need to have a better second kiss!" and just well... if you were them, wouldn't you want that? Would seem a good way to bury the surprise of an older kiss, wouldn't it? Would be a good way to sleight of hand some doubt into *checks notes* apparently everybody but me and a handful of others lol and so help to have everyone flailing again but for a better reason when they throw in an older, better kiss.

It's also a bolder move, both story-wise and performance-wise. Sadly, it's still a big deal that they've even kissed at all and it shouldn't be but, thankfully, it's becoming more common. In a way, though, that makes the fact that they made the first kiss you saw less than ideal a better choice and a better story.

Some more thoughts on this under the cut below that is beneath some gifs of these two who haven't apparently ever kissed before moments away from sex in the wall slam scene in S1... which is Every's parallel scene. By design. To illustrate a contrast. The first kiss we saw is a mirror of oh, just the start of some casual public sex that got interrupted by SatanicNun!Nina. Haven't we all had that relationship where we let someone throw us against a wall before we ever kissed? I mean...

Look at Aziraphale and his little 'getting up to some sexy trouble' smile here... does he not look like he knows *exactly* what he's asking for here and does Crowley not know what the request is and give it to him in a way that screams that this is not the first time? The tone here is a bit... You know, Crowley, I've always said I wanted to fuck in an empty broom closet in a former satanic nunnery and luck of the devil, you just kicked in a door and found one so you are sooooo nice throw me against the wall baby let's go... oh terrific of course this is exactly when the damn nun shows up oh well at least I can enjoy you slurring your S's in sexual frustration for now...

Good Omens throws something down and then gives you context for it later on that causes you to revisit what you thought when you initially watched it, right? They do this all the time. The scenes themselves always work fine on first viewing but they change and morph into a different scene when viewed with the added context the show gives you later. If you're writing a show in that way, you absolutely would make Every the first kiss you showed the audience... *especially* if it was in a cliffhanger-y season finale. Your Ask is exactly the reason why. You and I and a bonkers number of others are engaging with one another on the topic and we're engaging with the show as a result. Some of us are apparently willing to fight to the death insisting that Every is their first kiss. Some of us are like how you appear to be from your Ask, where you're willing to keep an open mind but you're leaning towards it was the first kiss. Some of us are like me and are feeling that, when all is said and done, they are building a relationship that is millennia old and that the show will wind up illustrating an entire history of it by its end and the idea that we have scenes out there already like Rome and The Globe Theatre and 1941 and Tadfield Manor but people think that they just kissed for the first time in 2023 is kind of head-scratching to me.

I've had people ask me how an ancient times vavoom would advance the story and I've answered in other meta how I think it would but I have an ask back for you all: how, honestly, would 2.06 being their first kiss advance the story? They've written characters who have had a relationship of some form with one another since before the Garden of Eden and have shown us that story throughout different points in time. S3 is going to be, at best, set a couple of years out from S2 and is probably set a lot sooner than that, so we're going to end their story sometime before 2026 on their timeline, probably... and the first kiss was in 2023? When you have the opportunity to write an entire millennia-old romantic relationship with all of its highs and lows and show it in the flashbacks and how they inform the relationship in the present? Because that story is already there. That's the story I see watching this and have since the first time I watched it. I'm frankly kinda floored by the number of people who insist that it's their first kiss, especially two seasons into the show. The same show that gave you this before it gave you The Blitz, Part 2?

I got accidentally spoiled for Every like a lot of people and when I saw Crowley's glasses on, I had the feeling that it was probably going to be a terrible kiss. I was hoping that it wasn't the only kiss in the season but when 2.05 finished without it showing up yet, it became obvious that it was going to be a big thing in the finale (hahaha oh God, remember when we didn't know? simpler times lol) and that meant that it was likely the only kiss in the season and while it ripped my heart out like it did everyone else, I never saw it as a first kiss for a second.

If you've been with somebody for a long time and, like everyone else, you have your disagreements and your things to work through but you tend to be the kind of couple where you can always or almost always rely on a baseline of physical communication that helps you express what you feel for one another-- which is a wordy way of saying 'when you've been with someone forever and the sex is amazing' lol-- maybe the worst thing that can happen between you is if that feels like it's falling apart, too. That's what I see in that kiss and, in particular, Aziraphale's reaction to it.

It's not 'turbo-virgin', in an unfamiliar with kissing way, imo-- it's a situation causing conflict for Aziraphale over whether or not he wants to give into the kiss. We've all seen it from every damn angle by now lol. We see him unable to not give in, just a little. He kisses Crowley back a bit. He touches his shoulder and his side. He doesn't pull away because he just can't, really, because he never really wants to not be kissing Crowley, but he also can't just give in because that's the situation that Crowley's set up by kissing him the way he did. Crowley wants him to run away with him and that's not a solution to any of this, either, and everything is a total mess and if Aziraphale just gives in and opens up more and really kisses Crowley, he's saying yes to just running off with him and they can't. There's really nowhere to go.

Even with all of that, he still can't resist kissing Crowley a bit and touching him because Crowley and because what he really wants is for them to be literally anywhere else, somewhere safe away from all of it, without having to worry about Heaven & Hell, but they aren't and he can't pretend that they are. That'd be even crueler, really, to really kiss Crowley and then still go to Heaven, right?

It's not a first kiss and at a bad time panic-- it's oh God, I think we broke it. It's the heartbreak of suddenly being in this place together where they aren't communicating well on any level and that going past having a verbal disagreement and into the pain of having an absolutely brutally bad kiss with someone with whom you've had countless passionate ones and the terror that it might be the last one and you're never going to feel any of that again.

That's happened to them before.

It's the brutal 1862 scene. Aziraphale in 1862's comment about The Agreement is the most embittered you won't touch me anymore thing ever. They've gone from The Arrangement in their looser, flirtier Globe Theatre era to now what Aziraphale calls The Agreement in 1862. The difference between an arrangement and an agreement is basically where the future is concerned. An agreement is, well, an agreement lol but it tends to be more formal, more restrained, while an arrangement is an agreement that contains more of a view to the future. It's a plan. You agree to meet up but you arrange how, basically. They don't have The Arrangement in 1862 anymore, they have The Agreement and it sounds like the exact fucking opposite of The Arrangement. The Agreement is "stay out of each other's way. Lend a hand, as needed," according to Aziraphale.

Read that again: "Stay out of each other's way. Lend a hand, as needed." See a problem here? If we're just talking about helping each other out with work assignments then this literally just doesn't make any sense at all as how can you both stay out of each other's way but lend a hand as needed? It's one or the other. It can't be both. It's "stay out of each other's way" when it comes to work assignments. It's "lend a hand, as needed" in their love life and Aziraphale is bitter as all holy fuck about it. They're barely having sex anymore.

That scene in 1862 actually also parallels part of the scene that contains Every. Funny how alike "we have a lot in common, you and me" sounds to what Crowley says in 2.06, isn't it? Dude has got to stop asking for holy water or to run away when they're both a mess-- it not working lol.

The point is that they've been together a long time and they've also both experienced a lot of trauma. They've have times where miscommunications snowballed and it felt broken beyond repair but it's not and it's not because they love each other and they eventually figure it out. That's part of the pain of Every, though, because what happened after Crowley came back from Hell in 1827 was bad and it took a long time to get to a better place with it but they did and better than before and then this kiss that they think could wind up being their last is a complete disaster straight out of the mid-1800s on top of the fact that they're in what feels like in the moment irreversible disagreement.

It's a painful kiss. It hurts to watch. It's supposed to. Not because they've never kissed before but because they've kissed a trillion times and this is by far the worst of the lot.

And these bastards decided it was the first one we should see lol. It's okay, though. These are coming soon, in the past and present:

[erraticopeninghours]

Aziraphale and Crowley Meet at the Coffeeshop

Thoughts on  1.08: Aziraphale and Crowley meet at the coffeeshop

I know that Aziraphale’s three reasons for calling Crowley could be interpreted as a bit selfish.  However, I feel like they are all very normal reasons to call a friend, and (depending on the friend), calling them about those things suggests that they should also feel free to call you for similar sorts of reasons.  

I would also like to point out that Crowley could possibly be projecting, regarding Aziraphale’s reasons for calling him (at least, some of the time.)  During the Good Omens Lockdown video, Aziraphale says, “Yes, well, I was just calling to see how you were doing in lockdown” as his reason for ringing Crowley.  And Crowley replies, “I’m bored.  I’m so very, very bored. Transcendentally bored.”  Using the three reasons that Crowley lists in Season 2, I suppose this conversation would be classified as Aziraphale calling Crowley because he was bored?  Which, Aziraphale definitely was, but he also did explicitly ask after Crowley (who very much was also bored). 

I love how Crowley says he isn’t a bookseller at least two times (“Not even at gunpoint” in Season 2 and  “Do I look like I run a bookshop?” in Season 1), then very quickly finds himself running a bookshop.  He might not be a bookseller, but he’s definitely running the shop when Aziraphale phones him from Edinburgh. At this point, Crowley doesn’t even have to Crowley himself; the universe will do it for him. 

Every use of the word “technically” in this season is a delight, and the bit about Gabriel is no exception! Like, is it that Gabriel is “not technically” a man? Or that he is “not technically” naked? (Due to the borrowed blanket and possibly clothes at this point.) 

Again, I love how bad Aziraphale is communicating with words whenever there is the slightest whiff of emotion! Definitely a serious flaw which will come back to bite him, but so fitting for a pseudo-British angel. The instinctive offering of cake to Maggie (who is trying to thank him for his earlier kindness) is fantastic.

(I also like how it shows that Aziraphale expresses care/comfort through offering food or drink. Partly because it shows that this applies to humans as well as Gabriel (hot chocolate) and Muriel (tea), so it isn’t just Aziraphale trying to expand the horizons of other angels. Also given that Crowley was the first to successfully offer Aziraphale food, of course he sees it as an act of caring!) 

Lastly, did Crowley ever get to watch Aziraphale eat cake in this season??? Because I feel like the cakes in episode 1 get set down in the bookshop and probably eaten while Crowley isn’t there. And I’m not remembering any other time that Aziraphale eats cake specifically, in Season 2, which is tragic.

(previous) (next)