Chapter Text
“Can we get donuts again?” Adam asked, bouncing on his feet as they headed for the Farmer’s Market. Happier today than he’d been earlier in the week, and even last night when he and Crowley had some good conversations about his mum, band and how much Adam really was loved. That had earned him a groan and a pillow to the face, but it seemed to help. Adam wasn’t going to give up on the trombone, telling Crowley that he was going to keep torturing him with fart practice as long as possible.
Crowley was glad Adam was so resilient despite his mother’s awful behavior at his very first concert. Crowley had been beyond proud of Adam’s efforts and couldn’t understand how Shax didn’t see how amazing her kid was. She was a certifiable narcissist, so it wasn’t the first time her parenting fell woefully short, but still, she’d probably steamroll over their own dead mother if it would get her ahead.
That conversation with Adam last night, after he’d left Aziraphale’s to pick up Adam from school, had made Crowley even more sure about the upcoming changes to his living situation. Though really, Crowley didn’t expect moving in with Aziraphale to change a whole lot, at least not when it came to Adam. His nephew’s needs would still be a priority, but Crowley knew he’d be a lot happier not living under Shax’s thumb. Surely she’d find new things to harass him about, but at least she couldn’t hold the basement flat over his head.
“Only if you promise not to get too crazy on the sugar.”
“Crazy? I’m never crazy, especially not with sugar involved.” Adam spoke quickly, darting around Crowley in his excitement, demonstrating how much he didn’t need sugar to act crazy.
“Alright, alright you proved your point. We’ll pick out some donuts when we get to the donut stand.” Crowley put an arm around Adam, pulling him in for a one armed hug. “I did want to talk to you about something though.”
They walked through the park, the hum of the usual shoppers a gentle crescendo as they approached the first set of canopied market stalls.
“What?” Adam’s face was suddenly wary. That tone wasn’t good. It never bode well when an adult took that tone with him.
“It’s nothing bad, just a little change. You know how your mom and I fight so much, yeah? And how I talked about how I should get my own place...” Crowley trailed off, hoping his silence would prompt Adam to voice the end of his own sentence. Adam did no such thing. Crowley was going to have to do this the uncomfortable way.
Adam stopped walking, no trace of his trademark smile left. “Uh huh.”
“I’m… going to move in with Aziraphale.”
Adam’s uncertain expression curled sharply into a sneer. “Of course you are, he’s not even that great, you know.”
“What?” Crowley didn’t understand. Adam’s words were so angry, hiding a deeper hurt Crowley hadn’t expected. As far as he was concerned Adam had all but pushed them to this eventuality. “Just a month ago you were asking when I was going to marry him, moving in together is a way smaller step.”
“Yeah, but I was just giving you shit. You weren’t supposed to actually leave.”
Crowley let the swear word slide, shocked at just how upset Adam was. Adam had seemed happy that Crowley had found someone special, happy to be around Aziraphale in general. In the many times he had rehearsed this conversation, it had never occurred to him it might go like this.
“I’m not going anywhere, I’m just going to sleep somewhere else. We’ve talked about this, it will be like before when I had my own place back in London.”
“You didn’t have a boyfriend then. He’s going to take up all your time and you’ll forget about me. You don’t even care. You’re just like mum.”
Crowley was stunned by the hatred in Adam’s eyes, so much so that he couldn’t stop him from running into the crowds at the market, vanishing before Crowley could even think to go after him.
“Well, fuck.”
That conversation hadn’t gone the way he’d expected AT ALL. Adam liked Aziraphale or at least acted like he did, still talking about Dr. Fell this and Dr. Fell that. He’d been the one to encourage Crowley to take the man coffee all those months ago. Had he changed since meeting Aziraphale? Had he been neglecting Adam? Crowley stared after Adam, long lost in the crowd, but knowing he was a smart enough kid to not go too far. At least he hoped so.
Crowley stepped to the side, not wanting to block the path. He was dumbfounded, he needed a few moments to think. Sure, he didn’t see Adam to and from school every single day anymore, but that was more an independent kid thing and not because he didn’t want to. Plus, Adam wanted to go hang out with his friends after school most days anyway. They texted about it, every day. He took the kid places, spent time with him, he wanted to spend time with him! Aziraphale was more than understanding when he prioritized time with Adam some days.
Where had he gone wrong? And where would Adam have gone? Crowley knew he should go after him, just in case Adam thought to try to leave the park and wander off. He walked in between the first row of stalls, one possible destination in mind.
Kaylee was searching the crowd for something as he approached, her eyes growing wide when she spotted him, telling Crowley that his guess had been correct. She looked away hastily, her eyes flicking down toward one of the tables then pointedly to the sky. Despite the situation, he couldn’t help but smile at the fumbled espionage skills of an eight year old.
“Hiya, Red, how are you today?”
“I’m fine, Mr. Crowley.” Her voice was stern and the look on her face far less friendly than usual.
“Oh I’m ‘Mr. Crowley’ now? You don’t seem very happy right now, is it me? I seem to have that effect on people today.”
“You upset my friend. I don’t like that very much.”
“I wasn’t trying to upset him, he didn’t give me much chance to explain. He’s worried that I’m going to go away and not be around when he needs me.” Paul was behind Kaylee, he nodded genially at Crowley and then pointed at the table to the side of where Kaylee stood before turning his attention back to the other customers approaching the stand.
“Are you going to go away?” Her hands were on her hips, a very serious expression on her face.
“Nope, not from him. Not ever.”
“You mean that? Cross your heart and hope to die?” Crowley solemnly made the appropriate gesture and gave her a slow nod.
“Of course I do. I love Adam and just want him to be happy. It’s too bad he won’t let me tell him more about what I said. He’s missing some important information.”
“Maybe he’d listen to you again if you had some stickers.”
Crowley laughed at that, the currency of kids. Thankfully he knew what else Adam could be enticed by. “Unfortunately, stickers are Dr. Fell’s domain. But I was going to get Adam a donut. And maybe a trip to the movies with some popcorn, and whatever other treats he wanted.”
“That does sound like a pretty good deal if you like that kind of stuff.” She wrinkled her nose at the idea of all the sweets. “Personally, I’d rather have the stickers.”
“I get that, do you think Adam would like the other stuff? I hope I can find him, so we can talk this out. He’s really important to me, even if he thinks he’s not.” Crowley shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking pointedly around the market, as though he were searching for Adam.
“He might not be too far away.”
“If it’s okay with you, maybe I can wait here for a little bit, in case he comes by?” Crowley was trying to figure out what else he could say to reassure Adam. He wished the kid would just come out and talk to him. If he knew why this was so upsetting, it might help.
“I think that’s okay. Did you find some good stars when you camped out?”
“We did, yeah. You were right about how many more stars you can see out by your house. You think maybe I could bring Adam along sometime too? Then all of us can look at the stars?”
“I think that would be lots of fun. But, maybe in the Spring when it’s warmer out.”
“You’ve got a deal. Maybe Adam would want to come along, he used to really like looking at stars with me. But I think he’s too cool for it now.” The table next to them thumped slightly, Kaylee’s eyes darting to it before she looked down and around and anywhere that wasn’t the table or Crowley. “I worry that some day he’s going to grow up and not want to hang out with me anymore.”
A scoff came from beneath the table. And the jig was up. Kaylee stepped back and a sullen Adam appeared. “Can we really go see the stars out at the farm?”
“Yeah, though maybe when it’s warmer? The nights get awfully cold out there right now.”
“Thanks, Kaylee.” Adam fist bumped her before coming out around to the front of the table and standing next to Crowley, his expression turning flat when he looked up at his uncle. “Can we still get donuts, and go to the movies?”
“Are you going to talk to me instead of running away again?”
“Yeah, I guess.” He shrugged a shoulder, still clearly upset, but hopefully willing to listen.
“Hey, Little Red, thanks for your help. I’ll come by for some vegetables soon.”
“Okay, Big Red. See ya next time.”
He waved to Kaylee’s parents as well, getting understanding nods from them both. The trials and tribulations of parenting a familiar experience to them, too.
He slung an arm around Adam’s shoulder, pulling him closer. “Pick a donut, we’ve got some talking to do.”
Settled in an out of the way spot with frosting already smeared on Adam’s chin, Crowley was determined to get to the bottom of Adam’s change in attitude about Aziraphale.
“You said some things back there that have me a little worried. What makes you think I’m going to forget about you?”
“I dunno, isn’t that just what’s going to happen when you move out and are so busy with Dr. Fell.” He said the name as if it were something terrible and not at all referring to Dr. Fell, champion of children in need and Crowley’s own north star.
“I thought you liked Aziraphale, he let you destroy his fruit with needles and told you all those inappropriate stories. He came to your concert and loved it. And I mean, genuinely loved it. Not the fake grin and bear it, but legitimately loved watching you play.” Adam gave him another flat stare until Crowley stopped talking.
“Yeah, but that was probably just to get me to like him, what if after you move in with him he doesn’t care any more and ignores me or won’t let you see me?”
“First off, no one on this earth would stop me from seeing you, being here for you, you got that?” Adam just stared at him and it wasn’t good enough. Crowley pulled his glasses down to look Adam in the eye. “I mean it, do you understand?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“And do you really think Dr. Fell, the pediatrician, who deals with kids all day long is just pretending to be nice to you? Who invited not just me, but you and one of your annoying friends for a weekend away at a fancy waterpark hotel weeks from now?” Crowley was sure his eyebrow had climbed ridiculously high on his forehead, flabbergasted that Adam was worried Aziraphale was faking all of this.
“Okay, maybe he’s not pretending, but what if he is?”
“Then you talk to me, you tell me, and we figure it out.”
“You’ll pick him over me.”
“I won’t. If someone, anyone, was being mean to you, treating you wrong, it’s not okay, I don’t care who it is. Though things like making you eat vegetables, or telling you to do your homework don’t count, alright?”
“If that counted, you’d be the bad guy.” Adam chuckled, finally cracking a smile.
“Aziraphale’s always been nice to you, right? The couple of times you were with him without me?” Crowley would have a hard time if Adam’s answer indicated any inappropriate behavior from Aziraphale, but he had to ask, to make sure.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Then I’d expect more of that, he’s kind of a soft touch when it comes to kids, I have a hunch I’ll always be the bad guy when we’re all together.” Crowley spun his coffee cup, thinking back on the times the three of them had spent together, what it would be like in the future.
“He did let me get the biggest ice cream the other day, and said that I could have as many toppings as I wanted.”
“Maybe you don’t need more sugar at the movies.”
“Come on, it’s not a movie without an ICEE! What’s playing anyway? Maybe that new Marvel movie is out.”
Crowley figured they'd made enough progress on their conversation for right now and pulled out his phone to look at what was playing. Adam of course wanted to see the new big action movie, and Crowley didn’t really mind. He liked most kinds of movies anyway, and had certainly sat through some bad ones.
Adam was back to his usual self when they got to the movies, so walking out of the matinee Crowley led them to a bench in the small park across the street, figuring they could have this discussion in steps.
“I’m going to start moving my stuff soon, but I’m still going to be around whenever you need me, okay? Aziraphale also has some extra bedrooms in his house. He said that you could pick one to be your room. You can redecorate it however you want, paint and everything, in case there are times you want to stay over, like when your mom goes out of town.”
“What if I want to stay in my own bedroom when she goes out of town, like we do now?” Adam crossed his arms over his chest.
“That’s fine too, really Adam, this isn’t supposed to change anything about me being your uncle, or taking care of you sometimes. It’s just going to make your mum and me get along better. You can still always call me any time, you know I’ll be there.”
“I guess Dr. Fell… Aziraphale’s house is pretty cool.” Adam admitted reluctantly, mollified by the notion of a new room. “I can really pick a room?”
“Yup.” Crowley made the final consonant pop, shaping his mouth around it as Adam paused, thinking of the opportunities a new redecorated bedroom might yield.
“And I can paint it whatever color I want?” His eyebrow rose in challenge.
“That’s what he said, though I still get veto power, since you and I have to do the painting. And by you and I, I mean you.” Crowley stood up, filled with restless energy after sitting for the movie, and still a bit worried about Adam. “Let’s walk.”
“How come you get veto power?” Adam rolled his eyes in silent protest, but didn’t want to push it too far. He got up and settled into a stride next to Crowley.
“Because I do. We could go over there now and check things out if you want. He said you’re just as welcome at his house as I am.”
“I guess that might be okay.” Adam shrugged, the sound of their muted footsteps in the dirt the only sound that filled the silence for a moment. “He really said that?” Crowley groaned inwardly, of course the kid had adopted his self-loathing trait and of course he couldn’t believe for even a minute that someone other than good old Uncle Crowley could ever want him.
“He really did. How about you help me make dinner, too, for when Aziraphale gets home from work tonight?”
“I don’t know how to make dinner.”
“Well, it’s about time you learned, don’t you think? What should we make?”
Adam groaned, but went along with it. They decided on something simple for dinner, since Crowley did actually want Adam to learn more kitchen skills. He’d taught the kid how to cook an egg, and he could microwave things with the best of them, but learning to make some actual meals would be a good thing, too. Crowley would make this work, he just had to.
********
Aziraphale came home to more noise than he expected, though it was quite welcome to have music and laughter filling his house. He might have chosen a different kind of music, but couldn’t begrudge the musical taste of an eleven year old. He found Adam and Crowley in the kitchen, finishing up something at the stove. Well, Crowley was at the stove, Adam was standing nearby offering color commentary.
“Hello,” he said with a smile as he stepped further into the kitchen. Crowley and Adam both turned to him with matching grins, and Aziraphale hoped that meant Crowley’s conversation with Adam had gone well today.
“We made spaghetti,” Adam said cheerfully.
“It smells simply scrumptious.”
Crowley stepped away from the stove and approached Aziraphale.
“Hi.” He said softly, with a quick kiss before turning to set the table. “How was your day?”
“It was good, busy, but nothing too stressful. Can I help?”
“Nope, we’re just about finished, though if you want to open a bottle of wine, I wouldn’t complain.”
“Of course.” Aziraphale smiled, pulling a bottle of red out of the wine rack. He laughed as Crowley and Adam worked together to drain the cooked spaghetti, Adam leaping back as steam rose up unexpectedly. He enjoyed watching them together, could see the ease in their interactions, the unconditional love Crowley had for his nephew. His house felt so much more alive with them in it.
Once they’d all been served and were seated at the table, Crowley nudged at Adam’s shoulder and Adam nodded in return.
“So, Adam and I talked a bit today, about the move.”
Aziraphale was nervous, despite the overall happy demeanor around the dinner table. What if Adam was upset, what if Crowley changed his mind?
“Can I have the room with the balcony?” Adam blurted suddenly, his eyes alight with anticipation.
Aziraphale could only laugh, relief flowing through him. “Of course, you can have whichever room you like, well, aside from the master suite. I’m afraid it’s already been claimed.”
“Uncle C said we could paint it, can we really paint it?”
“If you’d like to paint it, you may. And we can go shopping for new bedding if you don’t like what’s in there, or for some other decorations. Maybe we can convince your uncle to take us to Ikea.”
“Can we? I wanna go to Ikea!” Adam turned to Crowley, bouncing in his seat.
“Why on Earth do you want to go to ‘Ikea’?” Crowley grimaced, clearing picturing the endless labyrinth of furniture and household goods chaperoned by people being too nice dressed in yellow.
“Pleeeeease?”
“Maybe. We’ll see.” Crowley gestured for him to settle down. “I thought Adam and I were doing the room ourselves.”
“I said you could paint it yourselves, I wouldn’t mind a little shopping trip.” Aziraphale smiled at the look on Crowley’s face, just a little bit frustrated, but also very fond.
“Let’s see how painting goes first, now eat your dinner.” He said to Adam, who was already chattering about all the things he wanted to buy at Ikea.
Dinner was delicious, Adam seemed quite proud of his contributions to the meal. The conversation flowed easily, talking about the day, school projects Adam had coming up, the movie they’d seen that afternoon. The laughter and teasing came naturally, just like the last time Adam had shared dinner in Aziraphale’s home. He hoped this only made Crowley feel even more certain about his decision to move in.
Aziraphale had never been more certain about anything in his life, he wanted Crowley here, wanted to build a home with the man he loved. He was happy to have Adam be part of that in whatever capacity he needed.
After dinner they walked through the house again and Adam confirmed that the bedroom with the balcony over the front door was his choice. He was already talking about colors he might want to paint it, convincing Crowley that they could paint a space mural on one wall. It sounded like a big project to Aziraphale, but if Adam and Crowley wanted to take it on, he was happy to provide the canvas.
Crowley didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave after dinner, suggesting they watch a movie. Adam was all in once Crowley said he could pick the movie and Aziraphale quickly realized it was a ruse so Crowley could snuggle next to Aziraphale on the sofa for a couple of hours before having to go home.
Aziraphale had no complaints, just enjoying the feel of Crowley pressed against him, their fingers intertwined, neither one of them paying all that much attention to the movie. It was simple, but relaxing in a way Aziraphale couldn’t describe.
When the movie ended, it was time for Aziraphale to go to bed, as another morning shift awaited him the next day. He hated to say goodbye, though he knew that soon, most nights he wouldn’t have to.
“Oi, Adam. Out to the car, I need a few minutes with Aziraphale.” Crowley gestured toward the door while they finished putting away the last of their dishes from dinner and the movie.
“Ew, you guys are gross.” Adam made a horking sound, but was laughing as he went out to the car to wait.
“Well, that seemed to go well.” Aziraphale said once Crowley was in his arms and they were alone in the kitchen. Crowley’s hands were settled on Aziraphale’s hips, squeezing just slightly at the soft flesh there. Aziraphale had looped his arms around Crowley’s neck.
“It was a little rough at first, he’s still worried I’m going to forget about him… or that you’re just pretending to be nice to him to steal me away.”
“Oh, oh dear.” Aziraphale frowned, hating that Adam had to worry about such things. Of course he’d never stand in the way of Crowley being with his nephew.
“But I told him how much you hated kids, and never wanted to interact with them or take care of them. That your stickers are just a very long con. All of it only to make me your love slave.”
Crowley’s words warmed Aziraphale’s heart, despite how silly they were. He pulled Crowley closer, their bodies flush against one another, his lips just a whisper away from Crowley’s.
“Oh, you’ve figured me out, I’ll have to put a rush on that sex dungeon I was going to install.” He kissed Crowley then, with a little heat behind it. Teasing them both, knowing that Crowley wasn’t coming back tonight.
“Mmm, sex dungeon you say?” Crowley’s voice was low, sultry.
“Only if you’re a very good boy.” Aziraphale’s hands slid down Crowley’s body, stopping at his arse to squeeze.
“I wish I could stay.”
“I understand why you can’t.” Aziraphale truly did, especially if Adam had been that upset earlier today with the news of Crowley moving out. They had a lot of nights ahead of them that they’d be spending together, and Aziraphale did need the sleep before his shift tomorrow.
“He’s okay with it now, it will just take a little time for him to get used to the idea.”
“I know, it’s still a change and change can be hard.”
“I love you,” Crowley said with another kiss, and Aziraphale’s heart soared. It was one thing to know how he felt about Crowley, but to hear Crowley say it too, it was everything.
“I love you, too. Now you better go before Adam gets too bored out there.”
“That does sound like a recipe for mischief.” Crowley chuckled, and with a few more kisses, he managed to make his way out the door.