"A very fetching quality to have, Joshua. Cute can get you everywhere and anywhere. I'm quite enchanted myself, though not as foolish as most." Hazel eyes twinkled at him, teeming with mischief, perhaps an inkling of flirtation. He did so like to see the cute ones get flustered, they're always the most fun.
Can I have any space without the obvious favoritism towards Crowley? I love him, I just show Aziraphale a lot more of love to compensate the love he doesn't receive but Crowley does...
[uhhh warning for mentions or transphobia and hate crimes. probably other stuff too but im so tired rn dawg]
1. the first romantic relationship he had was with a trans girl who lived in his neighbourhood, back when he was 12. they were the only openly trans folks for miles, so of course they bonded. their relationship didnt last long, though. her family moved away about half a year after she came out because the town they lived in was super transphobic. they have a very bittersweet parting the night beforehand. they both sobbed
2. peel came out when he was about 8 years old. almost immediately, he was violently assaulted by some older kids at school. he got medical attention, of course, but that permanently changed his view on his own gender identity. he views his transness like a curse, something he would be better without. theres a lot of nights where he fantasizes about being a cis girl, because that would just be so much easier
3. his flannel used to belong to his grandpa. it was given to him when he was 10, and he hasnt dared to take it off since. part of his connection to it is because its a comfort object, yes, but its mostly because he feels like he would be disrespecting his grandfather. family is incredibly important in addonic culture, and peel was incredibly attached to his grandpa, so yk
4. he can only ever really fall asleep if its raining or if hes listening to music. his parents argue a lot, especially at night, so his brain has associated the sounds that drown that out with sleeping. lenka gave him a machine that makes rain noises when she found out
5. theres a fair few people at the esc he thinks of as parental figures, he just has too many bad associations with parents to admit it
6. his favourite colour wasnt always yellow. he always liked it, sure, but he was a bigger fan of red. he started liking yellow more because of that girl who moved away. he thought of it as a way to keep her with him
7. he is deeply, deeply insecure about his voice. he has been since the moment he started puberty, but after the whole holy water incident, he absolutely despises how it sounds in a whole new way. hes generally less talkative nowadays because of it
8. hes horribly worried about mareenas future. he knows hes got people to support him, people who would be more than willing to take care of her if something happened to him, but he still worries. his brain is still kind of convinced hes in danger
He knows he shouldn't be here, or at least a part of him does. Still, the sensation of curiosity draws him into a room that hadn't been touched in what appeared to be ages. Among old photographs and other relics against the walls sat a piano on the opposite side of the room from the door. He takes in what little he can see in the dim lighting brought from outside the doorway as he makes his way to the bench.
One key is pressed to test the volume and see if he was in earshot of anyone else. Once comfortable at the lack of reactions or outside disturbance, the rest are tested one by one for functionality. Satisfied, he takes a seat and begins to play.
It's a beautiful, heartfelt melody, one that just barely reaches the recesses of his mind and bares an ache upon trying to retrieve any tangible recollection. Muscle memory seems to execute it flawlessly, however, as he continues for several minutes, almost appearing to be in a trance. Then, the performance is abruptly interrupted by the sight and sound of a bladed weapon striking the keys to his left, causing him to yelp and flinch away with enough force to cause a searing pain to shoot up and down that arm and shoulder. That weapon remains freshly implanted in his mind, its terribly familiar and ominous curvature visibly chilling him to the bone.
Right hand still gripping his left arm, both to support it and soothe the pain as well as his terror, aquamarine hues slowly and cautiously pry back open to find... the whole instrument completely unscathed, with no sign of the knife...
But, this does nothing to ease his fears once he notices the light from the doorframe behind him grow dim with the silhouette of another presence, this one being very real. With arms still wrapped around himself, he turns a frightened look towards his guest.
"I-I'm sorry!" he starts with a yelp and a leap off the bench. "I should've asked first! I--oh!..." But, his apology is cut short when his ankle catches one of the legs of the bench, causing him to stumble and fall flat on his back with a thud. There he lays, emitting a whining groan as he slowly rolls to his right side to prepare to get back on his feet. Though with the pain and slightly trembling limbs, he might be down there for a little while...