(no subject)

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Date: April 30th
Place: Raphael's room
Status: Private (Raphael, Aziraphale)
Summary: Aziraphale is a bit peeved that Raphael is here and didn't tell him.

Aziraphale found Room 110 easily enough, and he knocked on the door, tapping his foot in agitation.

Oh, he was going to let him have it.  There was no way that that silly, self-sacrificing mentor of his was going to get away with coming here, injured, and not telling him!

Comments

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael had downed his third cup of highly-caffeinated coffee. The nightmares had just been far too scary to deal with but unfortunately, he had no control over his subconscious while he slept. And thus began a battle between him and his corporation.

He wiped a smudge of spilt coffee from the page of the Composition Book he was using as a Journal, muttering something about his own clumsiness, when he heard a knock on the door. Looking up, he tried to sense who was on the other side but exhaustion combined with an already-weak presence meant his "sensing who was behind the door" abilities were a bit dim. He could sense the agitation and realized it must be somebody finally getting after him about those blood stains he had left all over the lobby and bar.

Well, he'd take it like a man. Time to own up.

Sliding his Journal and pen beneath his pillow he painfully swung his legs over the bed, grimacing at the pain that still lingered. Ugh... "I'm coming!" he called.

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

"Thank you for informing me," Aziraphale replied dryly, tapping his fingers on his arm as he patiently waited.

Yes, he was going to make him regret this!

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale? His old mentee? The little blonde cherub he had plucked from the heavens and taken under his wing -literally, he used to cover him with a firey wing while the Healer would read to him... The Aziraphale that had such a thirst for knowledge he even owned a book store?

Grinning and completely forgetting his pain he threw on his work jeans and tank top (this one said 100% Angel in pink lettering with a kitten below it). It wasn't the best outfit, but he wasn't about to greet his old mentee in a bathrobe and his scrubs were... well, greeting him looking like the result of a butcher's handiwork would not do either.

Raking fingers through the strands that had come loose from his braid he grasped the doorknob and swung the door open.

"Aziraphale!"

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale resisted the urge to hug him, even though he had a bloody kitten on his shirt and what was cuter than an angel with a kitten? And he looked so happy... and he... he hadn't seen him in ages...

And...

"Oh you!" he exclaimed, moving forward and hugging Raphael - but not too tightly, given the stated he'd been in when he'd arrived. "What are you doing here! How could you not tell me you'd shown up! I haven't seen you in ages!"

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael wrapped his arms around the blonde angel, inhaling the scent of books and cocoa that could only be Aziraphale. He started purring, closing his dull green eyes and nuzzling into the blonde curls tickling his cheek.

"I'm afraid I haven't done much since I arrived," he admitted sheepishly, bringing his wings around to wrap around him (they itched like crazy, what with the feathers finally growing back) "I've been pretty much in my room, or down to the bar to get coffee." Which, he needed a refill of, but with Aziraphale here all sleepiness seemed to have skittered away like a demon in holy light and he felt wide-awake now.

"Shall we get something to eat?" he asked, not loosening his embrace. "We need to catch up!" 

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale continued to snuggle Raphael. "Why, of course we can get food. There's a nice little restaurant downstairs, or little places in town, or - does your room have a little kitchenette? I can even make you something! I do so enjoy cooking. It's up to you, dear, and how you feel. You needn't tax yourself; in fact, I absolutely insist you don't."

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael peered around his room. "I don't have a kitchenette," he said. His cheeks colored slightly. "And I fear if I attempt to go too far I may not make it." It wouldn't be good, he decided, if his dear mentee were forced to drag him back to the Manor.

"Erm... Perhaps we can order in?" he suggested helpfully. "I do enjoy Chinese but it has been quite awhile since I've ordered Italian." It shouldn't take too much energy to send food there, once he divided it into equal parts.

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale paused. "Well, I haven't done that in ages," he admitted. "I suppose that sounds like it could be nice. Do you know how to order in Italian? I've done take-out in the past and it's fairly easy, but that's Chinese."

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

"Then let's do take-out," he said cheerfully. He was flexible, China was a bit far but perhaps Aziraphale would be willing to help him make sure the warm food made it all the way over there. 

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale smiled and fussed Raphael back into the room, getting him sitting down. "All right, I shall make the call. Would you like some tea, or cocoa?"

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

"Cocoa," he said simply, opening the door wider to let him in. "Two marshmallows."

It was then that he realized in horror that there were still blood spots staining carpet in gruesome patterns and his shredded clothes had not budged from the pile by the bed.

"On second thought..." He started nudging Aziraphale out the door, grateful that he had kept his light switched off. "Let's go somewhere! I've been stuck in this room for days and... erm..."

Raphael may have been the best hugger in all of creation, but he was also the worst liar.

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale, unfortunately for Raphael, had a sense of smell.

"It smells simply awful in here," he murmured, pushing past Raphael and into the room, "like..."

He pulled open the blinds, saw the blood all over, and put his hands on his hips. "You're having cocoa, here. So sit."

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael grimaced at the light that came shooting in. Normally he loved the light, but being in the dark as long as he had, he had grown accustomed to it. His wings ruffled stiffly and he folded them against his back.

"You, Gabriel and Michael..." he chuckled fondly, raking trembling fingers through the streams that had come loose from his braid. "Always trying to boss me around. Its a wonder Father chose to create me as an Archangel of all things..." At the mention of his Heavenly Father his dull green eyes grew sad, but only for a moment before he snapped out of it. He moved to put his hand on the Principality's shoulder. "Sure you don't want to eat out?" he asked hopefully.

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

"Awwwww," said Aziraphale, feeling a little guilty and giving him another hug. "See, we take care of you because we know that you can take care of others, but not yourself. Now you sit and relax and I'll make you that cocoa with two marshmallows, and I'll clean up while you have some nice egg rolls."

He wrapped him in his wings, just to emphasise how little offense he meant.

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

"I can assure you I don't need-" 

And that was all he managed to say before he felt soft wings around him. Raphael didn't know what it was with him and wings, but the sound of them... soft feathers ruffling like gentle wind chimes... filling his senses always comforted him. Against his weak presence it was like a hug for his soul, a gentle prick of what he'd lost, but at the same time something so beautiful that could bring his mind back home.

He gave a smile and sat on the edge of his bed, nudging his journal further beneath his pillow.

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale beamed a bit at Raphael's newfound complaince and began bustling about after miracling his mentor a warm cup of hot chocolate and pressing it into his hands.

"And so I arrived here only a month or so ago, I lose track of such things," he chatted gaily as he cleaned, on his hands and knees scrubbing the carpet, "and while I admit it has been rather vexing, all in all the experience hasn't been terrible. Now, regarding all of these blood spills, I can see with my eyes that you are on the road to recovery, but how did this all come about? Of course if you wish it to be a secret I shall keep it so."

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

"Aziraphale!" He set his cocoa aside and moved to where his dear mentee was scrubbing carpet on his hands and knees. "You needn't do that. I haven't seen you since... I don't even know how long and..." He dropped to his knees and put his hand on his shoulder, gently lifting his chin so that their eyes met. "I want to know what my little cherub has been up to." 

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale beamed at him. "Oh, I can tell you all sorts of stories my dear, but this blood isn't going to get out on its own. Or, rather, it could, but that's cheating and we all know it." He smiled at him reassuringly. "Besides, you know how much I enjoy cleaning. As much as I know it was necessary, allowing my bookstore to get so dusty was driving me mad. Allow me to tidy up and I'll tell you as many stories as you'd like."

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael and Aziraphale had a lot of simularities. One being that they were equally stubborn. Raphael couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that someone else was taking their valuable time and energy to take care of him. And the fact that that someone happened to be his dear mentee well, it was like swallowing a porcupine.

"Dear, please..." he said kindly, gathering up the Principality in his arms and hugging him tightly. Soft gold curls brushed his cheek and he smiled, curling his firey wings around his pudgy form. "Still haven't lost that cherub fat, have you?" he chuckled affectionately, running unsteady fingers through soft white feathers, realizing the shaking had not ceased. Anemia, he diagnosed mentally, caused by severe blood loss. Need more iron, green vegetables... He sighed, it seemed there was no end to the human body's trouble.

Trying to switch off his "doctor mind" he turned his attention back to Aziraphale, combing wild blonde curls back. "Let's have some ice cream!" he grinned. "Chocolate, of course."

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale stopped dead, staring at his mentor blankly.

Still haven't lost that cherub fat, have you?

... haven't lost that cherub fat...

... cherub fat...

... fat...

He had! Oh, it had taken such a long time, but being called old by Madame Tracy, and having that strange man call him large - without being able to see him! - oh those had finally inspired him, and he had tried so hard to lose the weight, and he thought he had, and in fact had opened himself up to the "female" jokes instead, and eventually he'd get sick of them too but for now... oh this wasn't right, oh this wasn't fair!

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

The gentle red-head noticed the distress in Aziraphale's aura and instantly became worried, feeling the negative energy against his own weak presence. It wasn't quite the same as when someone was angry, but it effected him nonetheless and since it was Aziraphale in distress he found himself aching for him.

Pulling back a little a blush crept across his cheeks. Oh! "Forgive me..." he smiled. "I suppose I still see that baby cherub with pinchable cheeks and such a hunger for knowledge it nearly surpassed my own. You used to climb up onto my lap and beg me to read to you, do you remember any of that?" He pulled him back into a hug, softly purring. "You've really grown, haven't you? You're not a baby cherub anymore. In fact, you look like you should be photographed for a magazine!" he laughed, pure truth shining in his dull green eyes. 

Then, after ruffling his blonde curls again he said quietly, "I've always been very pleased with you, Aziraphale."

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

"Awwwww," said Aziraphale, now blushing and his brain reviving itself. "Thank you, dear." He patted him on the back, snuggling close, glowing with approval but of course not indulging in it because that would be Vain. "Now then, what were you saying about ice cream?"

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

"We need to get some!" he purred. "I believe there's an ice cream shop down the block. I think I can get there without fainting but I'd have to walk slow." He snuggled his dear mentee, wrapping firey wings around him once more.

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale thought about it. Surely a little rule-bending for an Archangel wouldn't hurt.

He miracled a wheelchair and, using the hug he'd gotten Raphael into, forced him into sitting. "There you are, dear. Ice cream it is!"

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

"I appreciate it dear, but I'd much rather walk. I'd prefer if you'd miracle it to someone without legs." He rose to his feet, a bit stiffly, and curled an arm around his. "I'll just lean on you if I need to, but I'm fairly sure I can make it down the block if we walk slow." He was still smiling broadly, so happy was he to see his dear mentee.