"You can tell him if you want to. And you can also tell me if there's ever anything bad. If you think Barty isn't taking care of you so well, you let me know, yeah?" Gunn got up and headed for the door. As soon as he opened it, Barty walked in, heading over to Aziraphale's bed and handing him a brown paper bag. "It's a brownie. Chocolate. You'll like chocolate."
He was convinced of it. "I like it too, if it's dark." Not so much the milk chocolate one, but he supposed that might be different for kids.
"Chocolate is delicious," Gunn enthused, "You have to try, Aziraphale!"
Aziraphale had chocolate once or twice, when he was very young, but he hadn't had it in a long time. Once he had biscuits that had chocolate pieces because Michael realised and took them away. That was such a cool day. He looked at the brownie and pulled it out, eating some of it curiously.
And his tiny eyes lit up like he just found a miracle on Earth.
He looked at Charles in awe. "It's fantastic!" With a smile, he looked at Barty, feeling so taken by his brother. His smart brother, who was studying, who had a library, who brought him cakes. "Thank you." Barty was so cool.
"You're welcome." That came out stilted and Barty rolled his eyes at himself, sitting down on the bed next to Aziraphale and tucking him against himself as had become habit by now. Aziraphale looked better today, clear eyes, less feverish. He was definitely improving and his face when eating a brownie was priceless. "Just wait until I introduce you to pizza."
So much fun ahead of them in the culinary department.
"You two have fun," Gunn said with a laugh, heading for the door, "See you soon, take care!"
With that, he was gone, and Barty focused fully on Aziraphale. "Did you two have a good chat?"
"He told me what you told me. That I can't go back. But he said it's not my fault but ... I still think it kind of is." He could have done better, tried harder and he wanted to go home some day but for now, it wasn't so bad. He had a brownie and he had Barty, sitting with him, touching him. When was the last time he had that? He couldn't really remember. Dad didn't really get close to him and his siblings weren't interested. It was strange but nice.
"I'm gonna live with you, aren't I?" Aziraphale kept eating and his eyes drifted to Barty's nails. They had chipped black paint on them. "I think it will all be okay in the end. We are loved, Barty. So we will be okay. Together."
He reached out without thinking and touched one of the nails with his fingers before he caught himself and pulled away. "Sorry."
"I don't mind. You can touch them, if you like." He held his hand still for Aziraphale, watching him explore it. "Something I learned is that there's ways to be yourself and one of them is to express yourself. It's with how you dress or how you talk. How you make yourself look, smell, feel. And it's nice to show your personality that way."
He smiled briefly. "As long as your personality isn't terrible. I'd imagine it'd not end well for some of our family."
"I think it's okay that you paint your nails but Michael said it's an affront to God. I think it's pretty... but I--I don't--" He didn't want to upset God, he even looked up as if he had said something wrong and God was coming to smite him. When nothing happened, he swallowed hard and looked at Barty's hand curiously.
"What do you study?" He knew Barty was a smart boy who studied, it was really cool of him. "Charles said you were smart."
"I think God would have better things to worry about than nail colours, don't you think? It's just something different. Something fun." He turned his hands a little, so Aziraphale could keep looking at them if he wanted to.
"I study law. Well. I've finished studying law, really. Now I'm working at an office and I am studying for the big exam that will make it so I can practise as a lawyer. Because I'm here for you right now, I'm mostly working remotely."
And studying. And he was so very ready to sleep in an actual bed again.
"I can help, if you want me too. I'm good at writing, my teacher said so. And I clean really well." Aziraphale promised Barty as he kept touching Barty's hand. Not just his nails now but looking at his fingers, his palm, the lines that run along it. He didn't know Barty but he liked Barty so far. He didn't seem like a sinner, not really.
"We have to take care of each other now, brother. It's just us, isn't it?"
Outcasts from God but they could make it work. If they stuck together. He stroked the inside of Barty's palm, eyes on it.
"Yeah. It's just us. But you can believe that I'll always try to be the best I can be for you. And I'll believe the same of you. That's a pretty strong belief. We have each other, so we are lucky." In some ways, at least. Honestly, he just really wanted Aziraphale to believe that. He didn't want the boy to lose that spark of hope inside him. The brightness.
"For now, you've got to make sure you get better fast, so you can come home with me." Would make life a lot easier. "Should I read to you? Which book do you want?"
"I'm up to here in Peter Pan." Holding the book out to Barty, he slid close to him and watched him curiously for a few moments before he snuggled up close to him and pulled his bear along too. They were be fine, right? Soon they would go home and he could eat brownies and make a nice room and one day, when he was a good boy, he could see his family again.
For now, why not enjoy what he had? Why not have fun with Barty?
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thearrangement2023-04-23 07:14 pm
no subject
He was convinced of it. "I like it too, if it's dark." Not so much the milk chocolate one, but he supposed that might be different for kids.
"Chocolate is delicious," Gunn enthused, "You have to try, Aziraphale!"
no subject
And his tiny eyes lit up like he just found a miracle on Earth.
He looked at Charles in awe. "It's fantastic!" With a smile, he looked at Barty, feeling so taken by his brother. His smart brother, who was studying, who had a library, who brought him cakes. "Thank you." Barty was so cool.
no subject
So much fun ahead of them in the culinary department.
"You two have fun," Gunn said with a laugh, heading for the door, "See you soon, take care!"
With that, he was gone, and Barty focused fully on Aziraphale. "Did you two have a good chat?"
no subject
"I'm gonna live with you, aren't I?" Aziraphale kept eating and his eyes drifted to Barty's nails. They had chipped black paint on them. "I think it will all be okay in the end. We are loved, Barty. So we will be okay. Together."
He reached out without thinking and touched one of the nails with his fingers before he caught himself and pulled away. "Sorry."
no subject
He smiled briefly. "As long as your personality isn't terrible. I'd imagine it'd not end well for some of our family."
no subject
"What do you study?" He knew Barty was a smart boy who studied, it was really cool of him. "Charles said you were smart."
no subject
"I study law. Well. I've finished studying law, really. Now I'm working at an office and I am studying for the big exam that will make it so I can practise as a lawyer. Because I'm here for you right now, I'm mostly working remotely."
And studying. And he was so very ready to sleep in an actual bed again.
no subject
"We have to take care of each other now, brother. It's just us, isn't it?"
Outcasts from God but they could make it work. If they stuck together. He stroked the inside of Barty's palm, eyes on it.
no subject
"For now, you've got to make sure you get better fast, so you can come home with me." Would make life a lot easier. "Should I read to you? Which book do you want?"
no subject
For now, why not enjoy what he had? Why not have fun with Barty?