(no subject)

[lordofthesouth.livejournal.com]

Date: November 5, 1999
Setting: Tadfield Manor, Dining Hall
Status: Private - Belial, Aziraphale (Complete)
Summary: Belial is de-moped.



Belial gazed into a pit of strawberry swirls, littered with the remains of frozen shortcake chunks. The spoon sat in the half-empty vat, crumbs clinging, looking so much like a ladder into desperation.

He had to stop this--he was starting to draw extensive metaphors of Hell using a half gallon of strawberry shortcake ice cream, and the rim of his mouth was a sticky, pink mess. At least his hair was clean, he thought, plucking absently at a few damp, straying locks. He had too much time to bother with such things, which led to him not bothering with them at all. A snap of his fingers and he could fix himself. But it was too easy a solution and he didn't want things to be easy.

Sighing, he kicked one leg back and hooked it over one of the bars supporting the stool, tethering himself to his seat. Bloody angels, bloody Gabriel.

He'd Damn love, but had already found a hold in Hell through him.

Comments

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale had come downstairs for some tea - Crowley had been out, or busy, and he hated to miracle tea, it never steeped properly. His cane clattered on the floors of the dining hall as he entered.

The clattering stopped as Aziraphale looked up to see, of all beings, Belial, eating... was that strawberry shortcake ice cream? The label on the side of the container claimed as much, and Aziraphale whimpered, suddenly hungry.

He cleared his throat, gently, and called out, "Hello!" nervously. He hadn't seen Belial in ages - not properly, though he was almost certain he'd seen the demon with Gabriel at the party in October.

He remembered now that he still hadn't found out what happened after Belial and Gabriel had left, or why they had left. Maybe Belial would be gracious enough to share his ice cream and some answers.

[lordofthesouth.livejournal.com]

Belial whipped his head up, sputtering as his hair tangled across his face. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand at the sight of Aziraphale, startled.

"Hello," he replied, a murmur, surprised that he'd been so startled. It wouldn't do to have angels sneaking up on him like that.

Noticing Aziraphale's expression, he beckoned toward the stool next to his. With a tiny gesture, a tub of ice cream nearly identical to his own graced the counter top, complete with a polished silver spoon. "Won't you join me?"

He said, "I've not skill in miracles, but I've still a fair hand at manipulating the fabric of Creation. It'll taste fine." Smiling, he waited expectantly for Aziraphale.

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

"If you don't mind terribly," Aziraphale said, and was sitting down, spoon in ice cream, in the space no greater than that which took a human to blink. Well, it was quick, anyway.

"Thank you, Belial," the angel said warmly, as he took a bite of the ice cream. "Delishish."

He took another bite, not taking any notice that he was smearing a little bit about his mouth. He smiled. "So, I've been meaning to ask you, but perhaps you could tell me what you've been up to lately?"

[lordofthesouth.livejournal.com]

Belial gave Aziraphale a weary smile.

"Falling in love," he said, propping his head upon the heel of his palm. Figuring if he could kiss this angel's demon, Aziraphale had at least some right to know why he was acting so bloody silly. He watched Aziraphale with boiling thoughts in his dark eyes.

"Are you not afraid of me?" he wondered aloud. "The others are. I smell it on them. But you're not, I think. Is it because of Crowley?"

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'm not afraid. You- you have glitter in one eyebrow, for one thing - and do I have reason to be? I think it's more of the way you handled Gabriel at the party. You seem to have a way with angels, even if you don't always get along with Crowley." He smiled in what he hoped was a comforting way.

Aziraphale took another spoonful and paused before consuming it to peer at the demon. "Did you want me to be scared? I mean, after this. Ice cream comes first, but afterwards I could probably put on quite the show for Below. Crowley... well. I have practise," he offered.

"Anyway, what is all this about 'falling in love'? Sounds, well, unlikely, but the heart wants what it wants, and usually the stomach demands ice cream about that time." He glanced at the container, his glasses slipping down his nose. "Certainly symptoms of love. But I must say, the only one I've seen you, I don't know, snog, would be Crowley."

[lordofthesouth.livejournal.com]

Belial ran his fingernail through his eyebrow, catching out the specks of glitter deftly.

"I hardly think I have a way with angels. More, they have a way with me. I'm not particularly cut out for this demon thing, I think." He waggled his spoon at Aziraphale, punctuating his sentences.

"I suppose you have a point with the ice cream," he said, tapping the rim of his own tub. "I hate all this business between demons and angels. Good and evil. No one's allowed to be even the slightest shade of grey." A swallow, hard. "Don't understand why humans are allowed to love, but I was condemned for it."

He inhaled sharply at Aziraphale's question, turning his eyes down. "You should know, really," he whispered. "Gabriel is so very beautiful."

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I hate all this business about black and white too. It would be so much more sensible if we had shades of grey, although the Bureaucracies may be a little annoyed about it. More paperwork, you know." The angel nodded sympathetically.

And then he heard the whisper, and Aziraphale dropped his spoon.

"What?!" he said, and overbalanced, catching the edge of the table surface. He miracled the mess with the spoon clean when he had calmed down, a little, and quickly miracled another spoon. This was... a very interesting new development. Aziraphale quickly revised his opinion of Gabriel.

"Does- does Gabriel know? Does he love you in return?!" he whispered loudly. "What does Below say? What will Above say? Oh dear, oh dear. He's an archangel, the Messenger of God. Oh, dear." The angel put his plump hand over his mouth, and proceeded to stop breathing. It calmed him down immediately.

"I suppose I could have guessed... Not- not for that reason, you understand, but I had wondered where you'd got to with Gabriel, after the party."

"No explanation of, ah, where you went, or what happened, please," the angel added quickly as Belial opened his mouth to say something. "Just tell me this, for Gabriel has been kind and a good friend: Will you treat him well? You won't hurt him, will you?"

[lordofthesouth.livejournal.com]

Expression tormented, he looked Aziraphale squarely in the eye.

"I do not know the truth of his feelings. Only that there was desire etched in the lines of his body. I would know, being what I am," he said softly. "Nor do I care what Above or Below would think of me. I've been Lucifer's playtoy and the stuff of nightmares. The Presence has left me, though I feel it was unjustly, and it has no home in my heart, nor a claim to my soul."

He made a soothing, humming noise in Aziraphale's direction, laying a hand warily on the angel's arm. "Aziraphale, I love him," he said, twisting the weight of every emotion he had ever felt for Gabriel into that one word, offering it up to Aziraphale as a promise. Hurting Gabriel was the furthest thing from his heart.

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

"Well, then," Aziraphale said, satisfied, "That's it, isn't it?"

He smiled, suddenly happy, covered Belial's hand with his own, and patted it. His British-ness refused to allow him more.

The angel who had been close with his demon for millenia but only lately realized love shared a knowing glance with the demon in love for millenia but not close at all to his angel, and then they both turned to look back at the (beginning to melt) ice cream.

"Did you want any tea?" Aziraphale said finally, sitting up and stretching. "I had come down for some, and..." He flapped a hand gaily and miracled a steaming teapot and two china teacups and saucers. "Would you like any? I've got chocolates as well."

[lordofthesouth.livejournal.com]

A weight sloughed from Belial's shoulders and he felt, for the first time since the Fall, relaxed.

"I'd love some," he purred, delighted.

And grinned, mischief glimmering in his dark eyes. "Aziraphale, I didn't know you were so indulgent to the Seven Sins. Chocolates with tea? After ice cream? How dreadfully unhealthy," he teased.

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

"I'm an angel; I don't have to eat healthy." Aziraphale smiled and poured them each a cup of tea. "Besides, the situation hardly calls for alcohol, and chocolate appears a better balm to the lovesick heart than anything else, I'd imagine. And tea was, after all, my original plan."

[lordofthesouth.livejournal.com]

Belial made a soft noise of digression in the back of his throat.

He sipped his tea, brow knitted.

"I was unaware that sensibility was a trait that could be acquired before Falling," he said, a bit meanly. "But then, I don't know many demons with sense, either, so I suppose that's not true."

Tapping a finger on his cheek, he considered. "Lovesick, hmm?"

He stood and gave the angel a quick, bowing kiss upon the hand in thanks. "You've done more for me than you presently know, old soul," Belial murmured, and made himself vanish from the dining hall, humming an ancient lullaby as he went. Tea forgotten and still steaming.