The Love That Blossomed In Wintertime (Revolutionary Omens, part one)
Crowley, flaming sword between his ribs, forces himself up from the floor and crawls forward, limb by Fallen limb.
Gabriel still wears that blessed smirk, still waves a lofty hand at a pillar of flame, still sips a fruity drink, waiting for an angel to deliver himself into doom.
Remembering a burning bookshop and the taste of ash he screams the angel's name, and smashes a Principality's ring into the floor.
And an infinity of floors down, in a coffin shaped like a bathtub, Aziraphale glimpses the crack that might flood his brain with light.
*
this is an apocalypse story, maybe there are cycles where they switch roles, maybe they learn to shake each other out of it each time
Crowley is Utena because he helps his friend step out of the cycle of abuse by actually demonstrating that he’ll be there, but also giving him the space to get to that space himself.
Aziraphale is Anthy because he’s a piece of a very powerful being and idolized as a Pure symbol. And he has a flaming sword. Gabriel fills the role of Akio, and exudes the image of a trustworthy authority figure
Aziraphale is Utena because he still believes in Princes and that Gd will answer his calls, and because he may seem naïve but has a heart of steel.
Crowley is Anthy, the Apple Groom, because he knows what it’s like to Fall and be impaled on swords of hatred for “hoarding” answers even though all he ever wanted to do was share them, and he could be bitter and boiling with rage All The Time, but he's mostly sad about it, and the fuckign line about "I won't be forgiven, not ever. That's part of a demon's job description. Unforgivable. That's what I am!" and he Gardens in an orchard instead of a rose garden.
When Crowley is the Groom, Akio shows up as either Michael or Dagon, depending which face they want to show.
*
Aziraphale wants to be there for every creature who needs his help, human or celestial or animal, but sometimes he gets so caught up in his lofty ideas that he forgets about things like air.
"It comes of putting it up your sleeve," says the Apple Groom. His hands are gentle when he takes the dove from the angel's uncomplaining grip. "You can recover in my room with the mongoose and earthworms. I won't let any of you hurt each other."
People are supposed to blink once in a while but sometimes Aziraphale forgets not to stare after the mystery of this bruised but ever-tender man. He's had a past full of trials, every one of them has, and somehow it made him kind. He shakes himself free of the spell he’s woven himself into, knowing he can’t *really* be in love, even if it were allowed. He’s been warned by Crowley himself not to idealize him.
*
Agnes Nutter never even *tried* to be a princess. Maybe she could have been one, and maybe she couldn’t, but after she saw the way the world was and would be and could be, she decided to take her chances with the Swords of Hatred rather than actively enable a system that allowed one person to run himself into the ground for the sake of everyone else. She’d much rather be despised than taken for granted. And if she *must* be despised, a petticoat full of thorns never hurts.
This was originally posted at https://ernest.dreamwidth.org/10504.html. There are
comments there.
Gabriel still wears that blessed smirk, still waves a lofty hand at a pillar of flame, still sips a fruity drink, waiting for an angel to deliver himself into doom.
Remembering a burning bookshop and the taste of ash he screams the angel's name, and smashes a Principality's ring into the floor.
And an infinity of floors down, in a coffin shaped like a bathtub, Aziraphale glimpses the crack that might flood his brain with light.
*
this is an apocalypse story, maybe there are cycles where they switch roles, maybe they learn to shake each other out of it each time
Crowley is Utena because he helps his friend step out of the cycle of abuse by actually demonstrating that he’ll be there, but also giving him the space to get to that space himself.
Aziraphale is Anthy because he’s a piece of a very powerful being and idolized as a Pure symbol. And he has a flaming sword. Gabriel fills the role of Akio, and exudes the image of a trustworthy authority figure
Aziraphale is Utena because he still believes in Princes and that Gd will answer his calls, and because he may seem naïve but has a heart of steel.
Crowley is Anthy, the Apple Groom, because he knows what it’s like to Fall and be impaled on swords of hatred for “hoarding” answers even though all he ever wanted to do was share them, and he could be bitter and boiling with rage All The Time, but he's mostly sad about it, and the fuckign line about "I won't be forgiven, not ever. That's part of a demon's job description. Unforgivable. That's what I am!" and he Gardens in an orchard instead of a rose garden.
When Crowley is the Groom, Akio shows up as either Michael or Dagon, depending which face they want to show.
*
Aziraphale wants to be there for every creature who needs his help, human or celestial or animal, but sometimes he gets so caught up in his lofty ideas that he forgets about things like air.
"It comes of putting it up your sleeve," says the Apple Groom. His hands are gentle when he takes the dove from the angel's uncomplaining grip. "You can recover in my room with the mongoose and earthworms. I won't let any of you hurt each other."
People are supposed to blink once in a while but sometimes Aziraphale forgets not to stare after the mystery of this bruised but ever-tender man. He's had a past full of trials, every one of them has, and somehow it made him kind. He shakes himself free of the spell he’s woven himself into, knowing he can’t *really* be in love, even if it were allowed. He’s been warned by Crowley himself not to idealize him.
*
Agnes Nutter never even *tried* to be a princess. Maybe she could have been one, and maybe she couldn’t, but after she saw the way the world was and would be and could be, she decided to take her chances with the Swords of Hatred rather than actively enable a system that allowed one person to run himself into the ground for the sake of everyone else. She’d much rather be despised than taken for granted. And if she *must* be despised, a petticoat full of thorns never hurts.
This was originally posted at https://ernest.dreamwidth.org/10504.html. There are
comments there.