Anything You Want
A Good Omens Ficlet
read and comment on AO3, if you prefer
“I can’t believe you made me watch that.”
“Didn’t make you do anything, angel.” As if anyone could.
“Well, you – strongly encouraged it. And I am accustomed to your knowing my tastes. It’s almost as if you’d made a study.”
Crowley passed the angel a restorative glass of Chateau Chassagne-Montrachet Margaux (2011), because he had, indeed, made a study.
“I really thought it would be good at first. The gentleman captain was so refined, so ready to teach the softer virtues to his crew – ways of avoiding conflict, managing your feelings – “
“Peaceful, fluffy piracy.”
“Well, why oughtn’t it to be that way? Breaking the rules isn’t always a bad thing – look at what we did. Ah, you always manage the perfect temperature.” A long sigh of satisfaction. “I do understand the attraction of being an independent agent. Nowadays we can do anything we want.“
“Been telling you that, angel,” said Crowley, but Aziraphale was already banging on obliviously.
“And the opulence of that wardrobe – I do miss my brocades and lace sometimes, you know, it was a very civilised era – “
“Yeah, right up till they started in with the big head-cutty thing.”
“But they made the Kraken fellow such a caricature – so given to exaggerated theatrics, dressed all in black, it’s so cliché – “
“Uh-huh.”
“And – taking books to sea! Where the salt air and damp are certain to spoil them – I can’t imagine what it would do to the bindings – I positively cringed when they were all thrown overboard – “
“So was the ship’s secretary, in case you missed that bit.”
“Oh, the characters like that always survive in these things. The soft, clever ones. Someone always appears to save them when it looks bleakest – “
“Uh-huh. S’pose you could expect that.”
“I’m sure we’ll find that’s what happened, if this frightful thing is continued.“
“Thought you wouldn’t want to see more.”
“Oh – well, you did sit through that entire lute recital with me last week– and it’s certainly less ridiculous than those Bond films – and coming round to watch things like this with you of an evening is so. Companionate.”
“Companionate. Ungh.”
“Plus, one does want to see them reconcile. Surely they will, even if the Kraken fellow felt so betrayed and the gentleman was so confused about his feelings. He did seem to be finding his way at last. Perhaps they’ll still go off together.“
“Might do,” agreed Crowley.
“Although – one has to think it would mean a lot of soul-searching – the Kraken fellow did such cruel, horrid things towards the end, as if he were dead set on being unforgivable. And then the gentleman owes a reckoning too, for running away. He should have had the courage to make the leap right then – he may have to – well, it can be very difficult to find the words – “
Aziraphale seemed remarkably affected for someone who had just sat reluctantly through a frightful thing. Crowley reached to take his wineglass before the slight tremor of the angel’s hand could escalate to spillage.
“Crowley, I – “
“Angel, okay there?”
“I – I’ve said things to you, Crowley, that I shouldn’t have done, and it’s always been hard to know how to move past them, and I never said the thing I should have – “
Crowley found he was still holding Aziraphale’s hand, with the wineglass in it. The angel dropped his glance toward it before continuing in a barely audible voice: “You. Have always made me. So happy.”
"Ngk. I have?"
Aziraphale answered at some length, without words – in fact. in a way that would have made the use of words impossible.
“Kinda. Same?” Crowley managed eloquently, at last.
“And you always will.”
“Even ‘f’you think I? Have shite taste in telly?”
“Even though parts of that were really quite shocking. I should very like to do something to put it out of my mind.
“Uh, sure, anything you want. We could watch something else, if you like – mph!”
“No,” said Aziraphale.
