Esca - A Good Omens Fic Inspired by The Magnus Archives
Rated T, ~1.7k Read Esca on AO3
Written for The Serpent & The Saint Discord’s Holiday Exchange and a gift for @ghst-signal! This is my first attempt at a cross-over-ish story. You needn’t be familiar with The Magnus Archives for this Rare Pair story to make sense (you also needn’t worry about spoilers), but if you are a fan of TMA you’ll (hopefully) notice the reference. <3 I do hope you’ll give this one a try, I’ve never written this pairing before but I had a lot of fun building this encounter!
Summary: On a frigid October night, Hastur steps out for a cigarette. He's half frozen before he even manages to light the damn thing but the cold only serves to make the warmth feel hotter, when it eventually comes.
Excerpt: The pub behind him has taken full advantage of its irreverent location. A stacked grey stone facade leads to the rickety wooden interior crammed with tables and booths assembled from deconsecrated altars and reclaimed pews. The walls are lined with frames displaying faded newspaper clippings of obituaries, each with a votive candle beneath it, holding profane vigil. A wrought iron gate separates the pavement from the patch of garden staged as a kirkyard. Above the pub’s door are six separate stained glass windows lit by braziers so they glow gold and crimson in the pitch black night. Church.
Hastur slides a hand into his back pocket, fishes out a lighter and cigarette from the crumpled carton and tucks it between his lips. It’s too bloody cold for this bullshit but he still strikes the lighter. The cigarette flares just like the windows behind him.
He fucking loves it here. He’s been offering his ‘weekly devotion’ at this Church since he was old enough to make the decision himself. Y’could say it’s his favourite Friday night haunt. He chuckles at his own stupid pun and watches as haze and mist weave and tumble into the night. The smoke lingers, shrouding the cross long after his breath is gone.
A big thank you to everyone over at S&S, my beta’s @harlotofupdog and @ireallyneedmoretea, and the writers community at @goodomensafterdark