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It had been a good nap, a solid nap, the kind of nap that made up for all the stresses of the past eleven years. No dreams, no nightmares, nothing but perfect rest.
From time to time, Crowley had almost woken up. Stirred a little, his sleep unsettled by a noise or something. But then the familiar smells of the bookshop and Aziraphale washed over him, flooding him with a sense of safety, and he’d crashed back out.
This time, though, he did seem to be waking all the way up. It was almost a shame to leave the comfortable haze, like getting out of a hot bath. But his mind steadily progressed towards alertness, and he finally yielded to it.
Crowley awoke on the bookshop sofa, curled up on warm, soft tartan blankets. There was even a tartan blanket spread across his coils, carefully arranged so that his head wasn’t covered. Definitely Aziraphale’s work.
Aziraphale was at his desk still, although now he was reading rather than writing in his diary. He didn’t seem to have noticed that Crowley was awake, which was understandable all things considered.
And this was perfect. Crowley flicked his tongue out, scenting the air. Shop door closed, air at least a little stale. So shop door was probably locked. No customers.
Which meant that Aziraphale would be totally focused on his book, and Crowley could sneak up on him. It would be hilarious.
But as soon as Crowley slithered forward, intending to glide off the sofa, across the rug, and wrap around Aziraphale’s ankle, something jingled.
What the fuck? He slid forward a little more, and it jingled again.
Aziraphale glanced up from his book, and a bright smile broke out across his face. “Oh! Good morning, Crowley. Finally awake, are we?”
Crowley glared at him. “Have you ssssseriously put me in a collar with a bell, like I’m a bloody housecat?”
“I did, yes,” Aziraphale said without the slightest trace of shame. “It’s just so I would know when you woke up. Awfully hard to tell for sure whether you’re sleeping, what with the lack of eyelids.”
Crowley hissed furiously, sliding out from under the soft blankets. The damn bell tinkled softly every time he moved. “I’m the Sssserpent of Eden, Aziraphale!”
“And you’re awfully adorable, too!” Aziraphale giggled, setting his book aside. “You know, I really ought to have taken a picture of you like this.”
“No.” A sneaking suspicion crept across Crowley. “It’s tartan, isn’t it?”
“Mhm. As I said, adorable.” Aziraphale moved to sit beside him on the sofa and patted his lap invitingly.
Crowley almost ignored him, irritated, but he’d never been good at resisting the offer of soft warmth. He slithered over and into Aziraphale’s lap and rested his chin on the swell of Aziraphale’s stomach, bell jingling all the while. “Get thissss thing off me ssso I don’t have to shift back into a form with handsss.”
Lips twitching with amusement, Aziraphale untied the… oh gosh, it wasn’t even a proper pet collar. Aziraphale had put a slim tartan ribbon on him, added a bell, and tied it with a bow. “There we are, better?”
Crowley hissed in agreement, nestling down more securely in Aziraphale’s lap. “You coulda just waited for me to wake up and sssay something, you know.”
“I could have, but I know you rather well.” Very gently, Aziraphale booped his nose. “I thought you might try to sneak up on me once you finally woke up. In fact, I suspect you were planning to do exactly that just now, and that’s why you’re so annoyed.”
“Shut up.” Crowley swished his tail irritably and Aziraphale laughed. “Yessss, all right, fine. I was planning to sssneak up, and your damn bell gave— Hang on. What d’ya mean, finally?”
“Oh my, you were out rather solidly, weren’t you?” Humming a little, Aziraphale picked up one of the blankets, shook it out, and then tucked it in around Crowley again. “You’ve been napping for an entire month, right there.”
Oh. That explained a lot, especially the bell. No wonder Aziraphale had wanted to know when he finally woke up. “Whoopss. Sssssorry.”
“Oh, don’t be sorry! It was quite all right.” Aziraphale finished tucking the blanket in place and rested a warm hand on the back of Crowley’s scaled neck. “You looked so peaceful, and it was really quite relaxing having you here. And I took the excuse to close up shop the entire time, which I can hardly object to. Got lots of time to read.”
Amused, Crowley flicked his tongue out to tickle Aziraphale’s wrist. “At least you weren’t bored.”
“Not at all. Although I admit that little jingle made my day. I’m awfully glad you’re awake.” Expression going even softer, Aziraphale stroked his scales. “I’ve missed you, you wily old serpent. Fondness for sneaking up on me and all.”
Crowley let out an embarrassed hiss, nuzzling into Aziraphale’s soft stomach as the angel petted him. “You’re a bastard.”
“Mhm. And that’s precisely how you like me.”
That was true, even when Aziraphale being a bastard involved a little tartan ribbon with a bell on it. And honestly, it had been worthwhile. Aziraphale was much more snuggly when Crowley hadn’t just scared the shit out of him, and getting to coil up in his warm lap more than made up for what would have been, admittedly, a great jump scare.