Bobby gets hurt on a hunt. Crowley comes to the rescue. Talk about ‘getting closer’. This one’s based off of a couple images from @gorlassar.
Crowley had possessed Bobby to save him from the werewolves. The little bastard had found him laying down, bleeding out. Bobby hadn't even been able to see the demon as Crowley ran over to him, sliding to his side. Just too damn tired from blood loss. He felt lips on his and then his mind was enveloped in a thick, red fog. Bobby took in the litany of curses the demon flung his way as he watched what the demon did with his body.
That had been surreal. Watching as his hands gutted the first werewolf. Watching as Crowley took both of his hands and ripped the second one in half. The demon was still giving Bobby the third degree as he homed Bobby's body in on the third one. That one tried to run at the absolute carnage the old man was doling out, but Crowley was having none of it. He pounced on top of the third one. He must have sensed how unsettled Bobby was getting, though. Suddenly, Bobby's attention was taken from his hands pulling the werewolf's ribs out through its own back to a smoky form in his mind that kind of solidified into Crowley's shape.
"I didn't realize you'd become so squeamish, luv." Crowley said snidely, but there was an undercurrent of concern.
"I'm not." Bobby growled. "Just not used to taking a backseat in my Own. Damn. Body."
"Now pet," Crowley cooed, "you weren't doing so well. And, really, I am enjoying you on this plane of existence. There's no need to rush down and be with me just yet."
Weirdly, even with the demon in his smoky state, Bobby could easily tell that Crowley was actually upset at the thought of him dying. Stranger yet, was the absolute fury the demon was pointing at the werewolves that had injured him. Of course, the obvious tell had been that the demon had been swearing at him as he'd possessed Bobby.
"Getting a little possessive, aren't ya princess?"
The sarcastic lilt in the hunter's voice was not lost on the demon. Bobby got the distinct impression that the smoke was glaring at him. Then it moved closer. And was growling.
"Didn't say that I minded." He assured the irate demon, cocking an eyebrow and holding his ground ... in his own head. God, this was all sorts of fucked up.
But, let it never be said that Bobby Singer would pass on a chance to learn something.
Crowley focused in at the look on his face.
"What are you hatching in this head of yours, Robert?" The demon smirked.
Bobby huffed out a laugh at the absurdity of that statement and then held the demon's gaze.
"Can ya show me yer true form in here, Crowley?"
Crowley seemed taken aback and actually hesitated. Though, Bobby was guessing part of that pause was Crowley taking care of the last of the werewolves.
"Don't care for the smoky look, darling?" Crowley eventually purred, deflecting.
Bobby glared at the demon's avoidance.
"We done here, or you just gonna camp out for awhile?" He growled.
Bobby turned, as best as he could tell, to see what his body was up to but felt Crowley come up behind him.
"Is this strictly research or do you truly want to see?"
Bobby looked over to the side at Crowley. The way the demon asked that, he felt ... off, maybe ... nervous? Bobby turned to face him.
"I want to know." He told his demon. "Was Dante dead on or is it a little more new-age?"
Bobby swore the smoke gave him an unimpressed look.
"Little more Dark Ages, if you must know." Crowley sneered. "New-age is what we have the meatsuits for, sweetums."
Bobby checked and could see Crowley's meatsuit lying at his feet, and knew that the demon was going to smoke out.
"Can I see it?"
If Bobby hadn't currently been having an active conversation in his own head with a being currently possessing him, he would never have believed it when Crowley froze. Flat out froze in place. The smoke literally stopped just as Crowley was going to smoke out and slooowly turned to him. That the demon was tense was a major understatement. His smoke was as rigid as stone.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Robert?" Crowley asked, this time the hesitation was blatant. "Meat brains tend to short out and run driveling and screaming."
"Kinda the point, ain't it?" Bobby grunted, a little gentler than normal given the demon's obvious nervousness. "And yeah, figure this'll be the only way I can really see you without actually going to your Infernal realm."
Crowley just seemed to hold his gaze for awhile, and then nodded slowly.
"You won't be able to unsee this."
At Crowley's tone, Bobby got the feeling that maybe, just maybe, the demon was nervous. Nervous about Bobby's reaction and what it would be. As if Crowley didn't think that Bobby would still want to be with him after he got a good look at the demon underneath the pretty meatsuit. It was rare to see anything like self-consciousness on the normally cocky demon, but there it was.
Only one thing to do for that.
"Not going anywhere, Crowley." Bobby told him quietly, stepping up to the smoke. "I know you're a demon. I know that meatsuit ain't you. I'm not gonna take off running just cause you got horns or whatever-the-hell."
"Ahh..."Â Crowley signed, seeming to lower his eyes for a second before raising them back up to Bobby's. "More like whatever-the-Hell ... bollocks, why not? Don't say I didn't warn you."
A form began to emerge and solidify in the smoke. Two horns protruding from a skull. Then more took shape, and Bobby could see flesh pulled tight over the skull and sewn together right down the middle of the forehead. A muzzle full of pointy teeth lay beneath the hole where a nose could have been. Two long, pointy ears were below the horns. The red eyes of the Crossroads glowed out from the eye sockets.
The form solidified some more and Bobby could see ligature marks around Crowley's neck. There were narrow shoulders and arms, leading to bony hands with sharp claws. The sternum was covered in flesh, but that looked to have been removed from the lower chest and torso. Bobby could see the shadow of ribs outlined in the glow of hellfire that burned down into the pelvic bones. The rest stayed obscured by smoke and Bobby was certain that even this was edited a little. Not being in Hell, the true horror couldn't be fully revealed. But it was enough.
Bobby hadn't been totally unprepared. Dean had given him a rundown of the true forms he had seen during his forty years.
The visage standing in front of him did help Bobby remember why the little bastard was the way he was, though. Crowley had been demonized. His soul had been burned and ravaged by centuries in the Infernal realm. It had been twisted and reshaped into the form standing before him. Of course, it did help Bobby fully understand how different the demon was from his brethren, also.
"See anything you like, darling?" Crowley asked, and even though he had the snark, Bobby could see the doubt.
Bobby raised his eyes up and met the glowing red of Crowley's. Yes, the image wasn't quite jiving with the voice, but this was Crowley. This was his demon, and it was fully sinking in how much trust this had taken for Crowley do. There was no way in Hell Bobby was gonna let him down. He held Crowley's gaze, took a step closer, looked up, and then smirked.
"So, now I know you're a horny devil." He rumbled out, lifting one hand towards the horns.
The demon's muzzle actually fell open a bit, and Bobby smiled at Crowley's obvious shock. He didn't actually touch the other, not sure if he could or if it would be wise, but wanting Crowley to know that this didn't bother him. It certainly didn't make him want to leave the fool demon, which Bobby was sure was what Crowley had thought would happen.
Bobby maintained the eye contact until Crowley got over his shock, and some of his cockiness returned.
"Oh, now you're just flirting." Crowley purred as one of those bony claws raised up slowly and teasingly rubbed very gentle circles on Bobby's chest. "Care to see how two souls get it on without a body involved?"
Bobby huffed a laugh, his face getting hot at the thought.
"How 'bout when we're not standing out in the open, without any wards?" He replied, smirking at the surprise he got for that statement. "Should check on Rufus and get our bodies back to the motel before something gets nosy."
"Ah well," Crowley sighed and the demon melted back into smoke and was gone.
Bobby shook his head, and it was fully his, and took in his surroundings. The mangled corpses of the werewolves lay strewn about, hunks and pieces missing. He did a quick check of his wounds, finding that the major ones tingled and ached like healed burns, but were otherwise fine. Some of the minor scrapes were still stinging but nothing he'd even need a band-aid for.
One more thing to add to the he's-different-from-other-demons pile.
Looking around, though, Bobby didn't see Rufus anywhere. He turned to Crowley to ask and saw the demon getting on his feet, brushing the dirt off his suit, and casting a hungry look back at Bobby.
"I did assure Mr. Turner, when I brought him to the motel, that we would be checking in shortly," He continued, "after we collected my meatsuit."
"Ta prove you weren't still possessing me?" Bobby smirked, taking in the demon's put-out face.
"He did make the usual threat of exorcism, post-torture, if you didn't show up sans the 'ride-along'." Crowley sighed, but the smirk was firmly in place.
Bobby just shook his head as he stepped over and gathered Crowley in his arms.
"How's about we go prove my humanity to the cranky bastard." He said, giving Crowley a solid squeeze. "And then, you take us home. Don't want to be interrupted by any noise complaints. And the no-body thing sounds ... interesting."
The last bit rumbled out and Bobby knew his pupils were dilated at what the demon had insinuated. Crowley's eyes were almost completely black except for the whites, and his smirk was so predatory it had teeth. That didn't mean that Bobby missed the tiny bit of relief still in those eyes. Or the way that Crowley clung a little tighter when he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.
