| Tuesday, 26 November |
| Prompt: | Abandoned | 720 | WordCount: | 1613 |
"They might have knonw each other for six thousdand years; but they'd also lived alone for just as long.
Sure they'd return to home office every few decads for a report, but for the vaste time earth existed, they existed alone.
Trying to move intogether right after the world ended may have been moving too fast for both of them,a nd when the honeymmon ended, they both fell back on six thousadand years of miscominucations and unknown how to share.
They faught alot, and in the end, the fight at the bandstand became a laugh about it later moemnt.
Eventualy Corlwy stormed out -""I need to sleep. don't look for me."" thrown over his shoudler. After the year closed with no sign of his return, Azirpahle locked up their quaint little cottage, and moved back to his beloved london.
-
For a long time, neighter looked for each other.
-
A few nasty run ins with feild agenst from both sides, and eventually crowley slinked back to england. He wasn't sure he was ready to spplogize, but he'd kept feelers out, and it looked like the angel had never tried to follow him, and crowley could respect the other giving him space.
After maybe a decade, he relised he should of possibly checked in sooner. SoHo had changed drastically, and the biggest one was staring him down from across what should of been a very familour corner.
Azirpahle's bookshop was gone.
He'd not sold it when they'd moved to south downs; occationaling popping in to open for a few hours, but mostly jsut to read; the cottage would never had fit all the books, not with both their miricles being harder to use as they both where cut off from Heaven and Hell respectivly. Now, it wasn't even the building anymore. the shop had been torn down or something, turned into shopping strip.
There was a plaque on the new building. 'Here's the spot AZ Fell's Bookshop used to stand, SoHo's oldest orignial building. Build in 1798, and only ever owned by one family, until it burned....'
It was like getting kicked in the gut.
Burned to the ground.
Again.
One of the shops across the street hadn't changed, and corlwey didn't know where to be relived or annyoed that the woman recognized him, ""Mr Corwley? Is that you! You havne't aged a day!""
""must of a little,"" he tried to play off
""It's been ten years, and you look the same as the last time you parked that beast of a car in front of my windows,"" she teased. She hadn't teased back then; she usualyl called the traffic cops on him.
""Fell's?"" he mutttered, gesturing to the missing bookshop.
""Two winters ago now, burned to the ground. It was horrible. And Mr Fell.""
crowley's heart cletched, ""Is he....""
""Never really recovered, poor dear. His godson took him after he was relieased from hospital. we took up a collection, send cards for christmas. It wasn't right was those men did to him.""
Crowley couldn't form the words.
""They never did find the bastards. The whole area's been on watch. We got guess'es to why Fell, but it's SoHo, it's to be expected at this point. The invesigators looked at the comapny that baught the plot after, but they haven't been able to make a connection to that angel either.""
-
Azirpahle is in London still, Corlwey can smell him. And if he's staying with Adam, it doesn't take much for crolwey to trake down the lingering effects of a hellhound in the city.
Adam Young is only as old as he wants to be, and right now he wants to be a student still. He looks early twenties, and he and Dog are leaving one fo the smaller london univerites. He seems to know crolwey is waiting for him; heads right to him. Dog looks at crowley warily, but doens't make a sound.
""I think you sound turn around, and leave for a few more years."" Adam greats him with. not cold, but distant, and a little tired, ""Another decad, and then maybe try again.""
""I went to the book store."" Crolwey counters.
""So you know what happened.""
""I know it burned down. i know azirpahle was there when it happened. Apperatly the humans to him to ht ehoppsital, an then you brought him here.""
""nine days.""
""I beg yeur pardon?""
""He was in the hospital for two weeks before they let me take him home. And we had to go back all the time. And we had a physcial thermips how came by the apartment evey day. for years."" adam's face is calm, and his words ring flat, ""years, crowley. and i couldn't fix anything. I couldn't /help/ him with anything""
""I didn""
""Do you know what sixth degree burns are, corwly? It's not jsut skin and nerves anymore, it's muscle tissue. it's when the burn goes all the way to the bone. Human's can't fix those. Humans don't survive those. Those angels came back, and they stood there and watched. they wouldn't hepl him, but they refused to let him die either. They trapped him inside that body, and they made it so i cant...."" Adma's face breaks, and his anger and his dispare flood down his face. Crowley can't help put pull the young man close, whispering applogies.
""He can't die, until heaven says so.""
-
Adam's apartment is larger, especailly for a looks-like-he's-24-years-old student in london. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and office, a full living room and a lovely kitchen. Dog has his own place made up next to a plush couch. They're a wheel chair sitting next to Dog Bed, and Adam greets the physcial trainer at the door. Crowley waits in the hall, like he's been asked.
Adam talking witht he stranger, his face bitter sweet. He does not invite corlwey inside ones the nurse leaves.
instread, he leaves corlwey pacing the hall, and approaches Azirpahle. He;s been warned today was a rough day. ""Hello azirpahle,"" he says, forcing a smile to his face. the angel smiles back; his face doesn't move much, but Adam knows its one of his bigger ones. Even on bad days, Azirpahle greats him home wholeheartedly. he gestures with his left hand, flat with palm to his chest, rasing it up into a thumbs up. his right hand remains in his lap.
A bad day.
""Classes where good,"" adam tells him, careful to stay on his left. his hearing is better on his left. ""Got exams coming up soon, but i'm not worried.""
fingers up, palm mimicing a hit on an imaginaly right hand on its way up as his hand moves quickly once. ""I""m glad too.""
He makes an 'okay' sign near his shoulder, pinky extended.
""How do you feel about a visitor?""
-
Crowley doens't know what to expect. and knowing not to know what to expext doesn't prepare him for what his finds. His ownly saving grace is that Azirpahle can't see him.
Aziroale can't see him.
The right side of his angel took the brunt of the fire. He's wearing a hat, and it helps hid the worse of the visible scarring, but his once expresionalful face is lost under this burns. His left check is about all that was spared, and boy, the angel can express
alot with just those muscles.
He's dressed in a soft botton up - loose clothing only, and nothing that has to be pulled ove rhis head - and drawsticng sleep bottoms. his right hand is missing the ring and pinky finger, and Adam warns that most days the muscles ares tiff and it hurt to move them. He's propped up agaisnt the plush couch, looking like a showdow of the angel croely left behind.
They're only one socked foot resting ont he ottoman in fornt of him, the empty legging tastfull tucked under the remaining quarter of his right thigh.
Azipahale looks just as nervuos as crolwey feels, and in horrorw, corlwey relaised. AZRIAPHLE CAN""T SEE HIM.
All he knos is adam told him crlwey wasn;t to see him. Azirpahle - agaisnt adam's wishes - agreeed tot he visit. He must of heard corlwy come in, but then nothing.
kickhimself into gear, corlwey clears his thought, ""H...ehy angel...""
He doesn't get much farther. what do you say at this point? sorry i fucked off for a couple decades? sorry your book shop got burned down again - this time with you in it? sorry i never checkon on you? osrry i promised yout he world, and then bounced? sorry heaven didn't help you? sorry i can't fix you?
'Say something, or get out,"" adam growls at his side, ""but don't ever plan on comething back.""
it's the kick he needs, and corlwey is crossing the room, kneeling at the arm of the couch, reching to take azirpahle's hand in his before pausing, ""I shouldn't have left.""
It's like a damn breaking, and corlwey is clinging tot he couch, and he's sobbing it all out. and maybe it's not fair to azirpahle, but he's a demon when has he ever been fair?
And aziraphle, bloody blasted angel that he is, has taken his hand in his. and corlwey looks doen aht he fingers, too skinny and cold and fragel,a nd he's crying again.
At some point adam desids it safe to leave them alone,a nd lets orlwey grovel. Azirpahle tries to sooth him,a nd corlwey learns quickly that he has to let go. that clining tight, no matter how much it hurts to do anyhting but, effectily forces his nagel mute. He's not all that current on BSL, and azirpahle is struggling to talk with only one hand.
And they
'll have alot more to say, eventually.
but right now, corlwey has climed inot the little space betwwen azirpale's left and edge of the couch and wraps imself around his friend in the way only a snake demon can.
things are not good. things are very far from good.
But they'll figure that out later"
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
