Work Text:
“Guhhh.” Crowley straightened up and rubbed his back, wincing. Oh, come on. He didn’t have time for this. He wanted to get loads more done in the garden today, not sit around doing nothing. “Shit. Okay. Don’t be pathetic. You can handle it.”
But it hurt. He bent back over and tugged a few more weeds loose, then had to sit back again. A deep, aching soreness throbbed all across his spine and up into his neck, threatening further violence if he insisted on pushing himself.
Crowley closed his eyes and tilted his head back, savoring the warmth of the sun as it soaked into his corporation. It didn’t soothe all the aches, but it loosened his tension a little. Maybe he should go back inside and bundle up in a blanket. Or several blankets. And snuggle with his warm angel.
At any rate, it looked like today was a bad one for gardening. He sighed and struggled to his feet, teeth gritted against the pain. It wasn’t worth trying to ignore this much discomfort, not for weeding. He should try to relax or something, see if he could get his corporation to knock it off.
Or maybe he could find an indoor project to work on. Something to organize. The herb cabinet? Spice rack? Some of the still-boxed books? No, moving boxes was a bad idea with his back like this.
Most things were a bad idea with his back like this.
Aziraphale, sitting in the shade of the cottage, looked up with concern as he approached. “Crowley? Are you all right, dear boy?”
“Nnnh, sore.” Crowley put his tools away, then limped to the bench. He sank down beside Aziraphale, body aching at each movement. He sidled closer, and Aziraphale wrapped an arm around him. “My back really hurts.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Aziraphale drew him over, and Crowley rested his head on the angel’s sturdy shoulder. This was the best place in the world, the whole blessed universe. “Perhaps not a good day to finish the weeding, then.”
“Mm.” Which was annoying. Crowley enjoyed weeding—ripping the invaders out of the ground, making everything neat and orderly. He’d been looking forward to the stress relief, but more pain wouldn’t help that.
A kiss brushed against the top of his head. “Perhaps a nice, soothing bath? The warmth might help you feel better.”
He really wanted to shift into serpent form and lie on a hot rock in the sun, but that unfortunately wouldn’t help much with this kind of soreness. The pain followed him through corporation shifts, and lying on a rock could make him more stiff in the end. A bath was the next best thing. “Yeah, okay. Guess I can go for that.”
Aziraphale stood and captured his hand, gazing at him with just a hint of pity. Crowley couldn’t blame him for that, even if he resented being the target of that pity. It was always hard for Aziraphale to see him in a lot of pain without being able to really help, to be unable to fix the problem with a quick miracle. Nothing fixed the problem, although some things helped.
Once they were in the bathroom, Aziraphale filled the tub with hot water and cheerful bubbles. “Here we are, my dear. I can always try a nice massage after this if you’d like.”
“Maybe. Dunno, depends how I’m feeling.” With a wince, Crowley stepped into the tub. He wobbled a little, hips snarling in furious protest at the movement, and Aziraphale caught his hand again to steady him. “Thanks, angel.”
“Of course.” Aziraphale helped him sit down, then knelt and unbraided his hair with slow, gentle movements. “Hopefully, a nice soak will relax everything for you. You’re so very tense.”
“Mm,” Crowley agreed. He closed his eyes and leaned back, drifting as Aziraphale’s fingers untangled his hair. The hot water flowed around him, soothing his aches and loosening the stiffness. “S’ nice.”
“Good. You deserve it.” Aziraphale pressed slow kisses to the back of his head, his temple, his cheek. Warm hands rubbed across Crowley’s neck and shoulders, coaxing the muscles to relax.
And while it wasn’t very demonic to take bubble baths, Crowley couldn’t deny that he enjoyed it. He’d always been more of a shower demon, purposeful, quick, and direct in his methods of cleaning up. But Aziraphale…
Well, Aziraphale was Aziraphale. He loved the finer things in life, to slow down and savor every moment of the things he enjoyed. And so he’d coaxed Crowley into taking baths too. Sometimes together, both relaxing and talking in the tub for hours, miracles keeping the water at the perfect temperature.
Other times, like now, Aziraphale just put him in the tub and tended to him with the same amount of joy and pleasure. Crowley let out a long breath, still trying to slow himself down to match his angel’s speed. Alone, he’d have taken a roaring hot shower in the hopes that it would just blast away the pain, then probably gone through half the liquor cabinet in an attempt to banish the rest.
But Aziraphale insisted on genuine rest and relaxation, and it was hard to say no to those big pleading eyes. And it was just as hard—impossible, really—to say no to such tender, sweet care. Crowley had gone so long without gentleness in his life that he could never turn down the offer of more.
“You truly do have the most beautiful hair,” Aziraphale murmured, pressing on Crowley’s shoulder in a request for him to dunk his head. “I still can’t believe I get to play with it all the time. I really am so lucky.”
Crowley ducked underwater to hide the embarrassed grin spreading across his face. Aziraphale always acted like this was a favor to him rather than something solely for Crowley’s benefit. Maybe that really was how he saw it. He did seem to enjoy it, too.
The second Crowley popped back up, Aziraphale’s fingers sank into his hair. Shampooing, washing with rhythmic motions so soothing that Crowley could hardly stay awake. Oh, Somebody, this angel was amazing at relaxation.
Murmuring softly, Aziraphale rinsed Crowley’s hair and conditioned it, then rinsed it again. Then, just as sweetly, he moved on to the rest of Crowley’s body. Washed the soil from his hands, the sweat from his face, tended to him with the same gentleness and care he used when restoring a rare book.
Crowley rested as his angel pampered him, all his worries floating away under such loving affection. This was making him sleepy, in actual danger of dozing off. He gave a contented hum as Aziraphale braided his hair again, too pleased to even run his mouth about anything or plan for the rest of the day.
The angel’s precise, careful movements separated the long tresses, combed them out, wove them together in well-practiced motions. Tingling pleasure spread across Crowley’s scalp at the familiar feel of Aziraphale’s hands moving through his hair. The gentleness was an antidote to the lingering pain, something comfortable and sweet to focus on. Warm joy blossomed in his chest, the kind of joy that came from knowing how much Aziraphale loved him.
“Better?” Aziraphale finally asked, wrapping both arms around him from behind. A light kiss pressed to his cheek. “You seem much less tense.”
“S’ loads better. Thanks, angel.” Crowley leaned back into the contact, eyes still closed. “Love when you play with my hair.”
“I love it too.” Another gentle kiss. “Are you ready to get out of the tub?”
“Nuh.” Crowley turned, nuzzling against Aziraphale’s cheek. He could have happily stayed here all day, just like this. Comfortable and relaxed with Aziraphale’s arms around him. “Can we stay like this a little longer? Feels really great.”
Aziraphale kissed his cheek again. “Of course we can. We can stay just like this as long as you’d like.”