Did you make mankind after we made you

[principaliteen]

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[principaliteen]

Dear Barty,

Would you considering coming home this weekend?

All the best.

It's Aziraphale, by the way.

[liquidsky]

Prove that you are Aziraphale.

[principaliteen]

I'm fifteen.

I'm homeschooled.

I like to read.

Is that enough?

[liquidsky]

No. That's publicly available information.

Although the lack of savviness is convincing.

What do you want?

[principaliteen]

My favourite breakfast is crumpets with butter? That's quite specific.

Well, see above. Will you come home this weekend?

[liquidsky]

Truly, what a singular detail.

I am at home right now. I've no intention of returning to the fold, thank you.

[principaliteen]

This is not a return.

It's a visit.

People visit.

And then you could visit the house next door to mine. It might be of interest.

[liquidsky]

Sunshine.

If it's you, then you remember the book I gave you when you were ten.

What was it?

[principaliteen]

It was an illustrated copy of Peter Pan that you gave me because I was splashed by a penguin at the zoo on a field trip and bullied because of it.

It's a very nice copy too.

You wrote inside:

'To Aziraphale,
Always have an escape.

[liquidsky]

Feeling more unsettled than Barty would ever be willing to admit to himself, he decided to use the lunch hour to visit Jonathan. It wasn't that far from the place Tally wanted him to pick him something up from - whatever greasy mess he wanted today - and so Barty stopped by the house before he'd get the food.

He was replaying the conversation while trying to even picture Aziraphale. Little sunshine boy. No more, he assumed. He knocked on the door and Holden opened, letting him in.

"Jonny's in the caravan." Not the first time Holden had told him that, so Barty just nodded and stepped inside. The house looked all right and he heard the television in the living room. Looking over he spotted Crowley's red hair and the back of someone else's head. He assumed it was Bill, though he'd only briefly seen her once before.

"Do you want any tea?" Holden was trying to be a good host, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's fine. I'm not staying long."

Crowley glanced behind himself briefly when he heard the voice, elbowing Bill. "Your lawyer crush is here."

[crazylilthing]

"Shut up, is not." Bill shoved Crowley back and then looked away from the trashy day time TV to check out Barty as he walked through with Holden. Fucking nice to look at, Barty was. Always slick, nice face and very classy. They had yet to actually talk but she did appreciate a lot about him.

"I'll go get Jonny." Tommy called as he took off running into the garden, eager for an excuse to run around.

"Careful without the shoes!" Bill called after him before turning to Crowley and shaking her head. "Kids, they're fucking nuts, ain't they?" She looked at Crowley for a moment and then tilted her head to look at Barty again. Seriously - nice. She lowered her voice and whispered to Crowley. "You think him and Jon are fucking?"

[onlyever]

"Probably," Crowley whispered back, basing that assumption on nothing other than on how, in his experience, most adults had a lot of sex. Besides, he felt Barty had that look about himself.

Holden rolled his eyes at them both and then headed for the kitchen so he'd not have to overhear more of that awkward teen conversation.

"We are not fucking," Barty told them helpfully, given they were both atrocious at whispering. Not surprising, they were teenagers.

[crazylilthing]

Bill looked at the handsome lawyer and then had to laugh, unable to help herself cause they were dumb teens who laughed at everything. "I was just wondering, is all. No harm, mate." With a big, dopey grin, she turned on the couch to completely face Barty and hung her arms over the back of the sofa. "It's good to know, is all. Good answer too."

Jonathan stepped inside and then looked at Bill then Barty before sighing. "Barty. Sorry about them. Holden is collecting strays." Well, he collected too but he liked to pin it all on Holden. "Go back mind your business, eh?"

Bill rolled her eyes and turned around, leaning her head against Crowley as she resumed watching.

"Good to see you. Unexpected though - you want to talk?"

[onlyever]

"It's fine, they're harmless. Teens." Barty shrugged and turned to look at Jonathan, trying to find a good way to breach the topic.

"Bill is twenty-five!" Crowley was exaggerating grossly, but there. Not just a teen. He was wingmanning.

Barty rolled his eyes and stepped forward, gesturing to Jonathan. "Maybe we can have some privacy?" Not that the audience wasn't entertaining.

[jonboy]

Jonathan put his hands on Crowley's shoulders and then leaned forward with playful menace. "You keep yelling and I'll take your glasses, eh? Be a good lad."

"I am older than a look though, he's very right." Bill pointed out, just so Barty knew she was available and of age.

"Great stuff." Jonathan moved from the couch and gestured for Barty to follow him to the kitchen. "Let me grab a drink and we can get into it. Just need something to wake me up." Which was either whiskey or coffee. He'd decide when he got in there.

[liquidsky]

"That's a shame, I only like jailbait." Barty said it drily and then followed behind Jonathan, leaving Crowley to laugh while holding on to his glasses.

He stepped into the kitchen behind Jonathan, pulling the door shut and leaning against the wall. This situation was uncomfortable. Emotional, which he did not care for, and bringing up memories he'd rather not engage with. "My brother reached out to me. The youngest. He sent a text."

[jonboy]

"Oh, one of the siblings reached out. Seems ... strange. Maybe it's one of them pretending to be the youngest. You said you always liked the youngest. With the weird name I forgot." He just knew that Barty had an unholy amount of siblings and cousins because of his weird mormon chaos childhood.

"I didn't think they were allowed technology."

Jonathan put the coffee machine on and made himself a drink, leaning against the counter as he looked at Barty. "Maybe they want you back."

[liquidsky]

Barty got out of the car and left Jonathan sitting in it, heading down the pathway to his childhood home. He was filled with trepidation that he hoped wasn't obvious from the outside. Usually he was good at keeping his emotions in check. He was not sure how to approach this exactly, but ultimately he elected to having his phone in his breast pocket and filming the whole time.

Then he knocked on the door, while his eyes went over to the neighbouring house. Another thing to tackle today.

[principaliteen]

There was no answer from the front door but the window above the door was pushed open and Aziraphale was half hanging out of the window. "Shh! No one is home, don't draw attention. They're at an event at the church." Aziraphale whisper-yelled before looking down at where he was leaning and swiftly backing away. "Oh dear, that is-- a long way down." That he was going to have to make. Oh Gosh, why did he do these things to himself.

"I'm glad you came." Aziraphale spoke quietly, his eyes filled with relief and fear. "I need to get down, please. There's a ladder around the back... can you get it?"

[liquidsky]

"I can..." Did not seem safe, but Barty knew not to waste time right now. He walked around the back to get the ladder, which was in the same place he remembered. Everything seemed just as he remembered, which was really not helping his emotional state. Whatever, that could be pushed aside.

He took the ladder and carried it around, carefully setting it up under Aziraphale's window. "I'll steady it from here. You'll be fine."

It looked sturdy enough.

[principaliteen]

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..." Aziraphale repeated as he stepped onto the ladder with a wobble and a whimper, taking every step as slow and careful as he could and trying not to look down or he'd very much barf. He finally got to the bottom and his legs were shaking, his hands were trembling and he looked at his big brother with wide eyes. "Barty. Thank you for coming."

And without giving Barty a chance to reject it, he hugged his brother suddenly. Tight and firm. Aziraphale had clearly lost weight, he had duct-tape stuck to his ankle and a split lip. "I knew you'd come!"

[liquidsky]

"Of course I came." Barty wrapped his arms around Aziraphale in turn, taking in all the details. Damn. What had happened? Sure, he had been punished at times. He had been the sullen teen standing around with his mouth covered with duct tape with everyone else avoiding even looking his way. But he had been, in his own way, rebellious. Aziraphale had always been so eager to please. "You're safe now."

He gestured to the car. "My friends can drive us somewhere. Then I will take care of everything."

[principaliteen]

"No, no, no! We have to go this way. Please, bring the ladder?" Aziraphale said with haste as he looked at the car and Jonathan before he took off running without warning. He rushed over to the neighbours house and crouched near the bushes, trying to see if the car was in the driveway or there were people moving in the living room. Nothing. Thank God.

Aziraphale, a boy who had never once broken a rule, then walked into private property and started to unlock the gate of the back garden. He was on a mission.

[liquidsky]

"Could you tell me what we're doing here?" Despite hissing the question, Barty was carrying the ladder and following behind Aziraphale. Had to be other people. Other children. Jonathan was right. A soft touch still, just like Holden, eager to save the world. It wasn't as if he blamed him for that, he just worried about how to actually see this through. "This is breaking and entering, Aziraphale. We could just inform the police if you know something."

[principaliteen]

"They would hide it before the police came. Can you -- do you have a phone? For recording? I need someone else to see. Someone else to know." Aziraphale stood in the garden and the window he looked at was opened. Gideon kept his promise - good. He whistled loudly and waited.

Then a small boy came to the window, looking more than worse for wear, holding a baby in his arms precariously. "Hello, Elder Aziraphale." Gideon called down with a small wave. "Did you tell the policeman?" Gideon then looked at Barty.