Good Omens Fic Rec: Bleating Hearts
Meet Doctor Aziraphale Fell, university lecturer of English Literature, Shakespearian expert, and man with an unexpected goat in his office. When the handsome herder who comes to catch the unruly visitor asks some pointed questions, Aziraphale finds his life suddenly turned upside down and filled with both new challenges and opportunities. But is Crowley all that he says he is? And even if he isn’t–does it really matter when he’s clearly a piece of the puzzle missing in Aziraphale’s life? Trip on over to Devil Doe’s Dairy and Goat Scaping Farm, where the cheese is always smooth, the goats climb roofs, and true love might just be around the corner.
Length: 186,422 words
AO3 Rating: Explicit / Spice Level 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Best for: Mostly Safe in Public, Human AU, Romance, Pick-me-up
Triggers: Talk of animal death, references to past partner abuse
Read it here, fic by HKBlack
*Minor Spoilers* I should be used to it now, but the fact that our blorbos fit so effortlessly into a Goat Herder AU is frankly ridiculous. I fear I may never get over these characters. This is such a great read. Here Crowley is our Goat Herder, while Aziraphale is a Doctor of Literature. Their meet cute begins with a goat invasion in Aziraphale's office. Naughty Bentley goat! Their chemistry is electric, as always, but here it has an extra friendliness. This isn't enemies to lovers, they just genuinely enjoy each other right off the bat. This also isn’t a slow burn, but they do actually take the time to date and ease into the bigger steps. I loved watching their love story, and falling in love with the farm alongside Aziraphale.
A bulk of this story will follow Crowley's past and family. Sometimes family plots like this can either be a chore or just kind of exaggerated. But the relationship Crowley has with his father was just as engaging to me as the romance plot. The feeling of tension in every scene is so strong. Anyone with toxic family can relate. And it brings a real depth to this human version of Crowley. Aziraphale also has a strained family life and while I liked what we got, I wish there was more of his family in this. We don't get a scene with his mother and I would have really liked to have that. The family that matters through is the one they’ve made for themselves. The community around the farm really is the perfect found family story. Newt is especially used to great effect here. I could read a million words of this universe and never get bored I think.
These goats are more than just a silly AU. It truly is an entertaining and strangely fitting setting, and you really begin to care for the flock. The author has an excellent voice, and kept me hooked the entire time. And the length is absolutely perfection. Explicit scenes are in later chapters, but are all marked and skippable if that's your thing.
Read it here, fic by HKBlack
