Day 87 - 1409 words - Prompt: end, the

[mekachu04]

nothing grew in the cave, nothing to mare the stone face that looked down over him for all those years. When he awoke this time - the air warm with the hint of a breeze - the face watching over him had grown lichen over it's cheeks, moss in its curls. the first time he'd really been aware oof what he was looing up, he curled up again, hidding his head in the ball cap wedged between comfoting stone fingers.

it would take countless more wkings befor ehe finlly resolved himself to greet the world again, lithering out from marble wings to gree tthe day. he was indoors, outside. a choictic garden grew around him, wild, untambed plants, doing their own things, unencombered byt he waight of free will and concicencses. but only until they met tinted glass walls, protecting and warmign them fromt he deep snow gathering outside.

Adam arrive shortly after, bundled in heavy coat. the regarded each other for a moment, crolwey debating on returning to his shelter, before adam started toshrug off the winter gear. "Feeling socail today, crowley?"

REality still showed him her favour, allowing to be bent when he willed it, and while he had grown up, Adam had never grown old. his body might closer resemble a respectable 30 something, but his eyes where still childlike: kinda nad mischevious in equal parts.

Crolwey wasn't sure he was feeling all that social, to be honest, but Adam seemed to understand what was being offered, and heafted crowey's many coils up in his arms, looping htem over his shoulders. "This land belongs to Pepper's family," he started off, moving toward the door to show crowley the part he'd careved out of the falling snow. "Before hte war, there was a big ol' mansion and everyhitng. it's gone now, but hte caretaker's cottage,"he pointed to a small likttle building int he sea of white, "Its still in good shape. thye don't really know who i am anymore, but they haven't been back to england in a generation now, so i'm thinking i'l buy it off them.

"They let me put up the green house -and in the summer - well, the whole area is a garedn, really. The locals call it the Serpant's Garden, since a couple of the kids saw you in the greenhouse. they're good kids; not alot of fmailys still left around here, so it;'s nice ot have them around."

They did a slow walk aorund the green house, before ended up at Crowleys' angel.

---

"Im a demon - i'm pretty sure someone's goign to notice everntually!"

"There are no more demons, you'll be fin. besides - things... changed.. when humans relaised angels nad demons eherr real. the magic might be gone, but something else is there now."

"What are you talking about..."

"Hevaen and hell are gone. God... might be gone.. i'm nevr sure with Her. but when Humans started believeing in Angels nad Demons, the started Believeing in other things too. other spirits and gods. thos ethings are all pretty new, they're not very stong.... but they're real now. Scotlans got unicorns, and wales as dragons, and ireland is one country again, and they aren't talking to anyone about what kinda critters they found recently. All I'm saying is... meybe you don't have to be a demon if you don't wanna be anymore. there are lots of other things you can be now. or maybe you can make something up, soemthing new."

"What if i don't want New. what if i want what i had.. before.."

Adam sat down beside him, following his gaze back t the statue. Magic was gone, no.. miricles, heavenly or demonic, where gone. But there was always power in belief. "That's the flip side of free will. actions have consiquenses now. and they hurt soemtimes. London is gone. even i can't get it back this time. millons and thrillions of peoeple - huamns, angel, demon.. they're all gone. But.. we're still here. Human's survived. And so did you. There is no one left but you who will call you Demon. You don't have to be that anymore.. You coudl be..."

"What? What can i possible be now, if not a demon?"

"You coul dbe Crowely. you could be Anthony J Corwely. after that - does it matter?"

"What would tat mena.. what does that make me?"

"it makes you whatever you want it to make you. and you don't have to edecide right away, you can figure it out. lots of people are tyring to fgiure it out right now."

the quiet settled between them, broke only but crwley's whistper, "London won't be gone forever."

"Hmm?"

"I've seen that city burn and fall so many times.. but you humans... onc eyou call a place home, you jsut keep rebuilding, over nad over. out of spite."

Adam chuckled.

"Did.. did anything survive?"

adam propped his chin up on his knee. "Not really. theye'a new bay in the middle of what was the center of the city on account of the crator. i guess it'll make a good shipping hub, once it's gets back on it's feet."

"so.. it's all gone..."

"Mayfield and SoHo are gone, yeah."

there was moment of regret for his plants, and his art... but then he started to quietly cry. he really had lost everyhting. his angel, his home, and all of azirpahle's books... there was nothing left. he felt the scales creeping up agian, and he wainted to coil up so bad...

"but you're not. and you remmebr them. alot better than i do. "

"tch..." he sniffeld, finsind his respove.

"Azirpahel wou;d be devistated..." he stated, like it would prevent anyone form relising how devistated he himself was. "He loved the books so much..:

"Maybe." adam conceded, "But....in the end, he didn't choose them. He could of. he could of stayed, and maybe even helped pretect the city. and if he'd known what was comming, maybe he would have choones thet. but he didn't.

"Finding you was more important than his books. Finding you was more important than London. He elft all that behind, unguared, to look for you."

"and what good was that..." crowley grumbled, refusing to look at the stature.

"He brought you peace. he wou;dn't let you die alone, toutrtued, int he dark,a dn that aws worth everyhting to him. Look at his face, even in stone, you can see how much he loves you. that place was aweful, but lok how happy he was to be with you."

"i don't derve taht..."

"I don't think any of us do."

---

when it's too cold to garden, crolwey curls up under his angels' wings, carefully washing the stone, and clearing the advetureous moss that trys to grow there. he carefully chips ant the mineral build up that collected from his angel 's unfaultering dedicate to protecting him.

he looses himself to his work, lets time blur away, becomeing yet another criptid in this new world.there are toehrs, Adam namelyy who visit, but a few others he's never meet before, at least under the name they give him. he's 99% sure one of them was Legion, the imfamously disposable demon, but this one calls himself Eric, so it's only specualtion. He's also resonably sure one fo his visitors was a priciplaity angel, but agian, he can't say. they evertally drift away too, and he resumes his work.

He doesn't mean too, but he occasionally stumles upoin old books - old enough to be from te ties he rememrbes, and he secrets them away. Adam find out, and, to corlwey's mortification, gifts him a signed copy of his late daughter's fairy tale. he pretends than it's deinafly not in a place of honour in the little cottage.

it's his life for a while, and it's good. until the day comes hwne he steps back from his work ont he angel stature to realse.... there's nothign left to do. white pristine marble sitting atop the granet slab crowley been bound to.

he stands to its back, face pressedi n the tiny stone ripples of coat, running his hand along the inside of wing, streached ot above. before he started to tunr himselfto stone - it must of been such agony to hold that pose for so long. knowing that if he faultered, crowley would suffer before him. yet his face in serein, and besotted. no hint of regret or pain or fear. frozen in a way that even if they never left he cave, crolwey would always have him looking down onhim with love.

He misses his friend.