AU: X
Ship: Ineffable Husbands
Prompt: X
Requested by: X
Warnings: Death (?), minor gore. Let Me Know If I Missed Anything.
Summary: The switch was discovered. Now they must pay for their actions.
F/A/H-C: Angst with a happy ending.
POV: 3rd person
Word Count: 2,387
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Side Note: I haven't written for Gabriel, Beelzebub or most any other characters besides Aziraphale and Crowley so my apologies if it seems OOC.

-Logan
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Aziraphale shook his head, looking down onto the pristine white tile floors. His entire body shook, both out of fear and the strain of how he was currently positioned, how he had been positioned for an hour or so now.

On his knees, his wrists tied tightly behind his back. Tears came to his eyes, seeing the hell fire flicker as it rose high. He wanted Crowley. He just wanted to hold him and swear that they'd be safe. Just like he had done the night before.

Of course they took Aziraphale first. Grabbed him from his bookshop, tied the ropes around his wrists and dragged him to heaven. Keeping his mouth shut with tape just like he had seen Crowley taken away before while wearing his face.

Now Crowley was on the opposite side of the fire from him. Fighting and tugging against the ropes that held him. Though he tried to act tough against his fellow demons, Aziraphale could tell he was just as scared as he was.

Slowly, the floor beside the fire began to sink and cave inwards. Creating what looked like a crater of some sort. Though, it began filling up with holy water. Water so holy that the demons flinched back, away from it. Including Crowley.

"Please we just want to be left alone!" Aziraphale yelled, "We won't interfere! Leave us alone!" He was only met with a hard slap to the face.

"Bastards! Don't you fucking dare!" Crowley cursed from across the room, this only earned him a kick in the center of his back and a foot pressed to the same spot to keep him on the ground.

"Now. Now. You two thought you were so smart. With that switch. Thought we were idiots, that we wouldn't find out." Gabriel's voice echoed across the almost empty chamber.

"Of course, we found out, because we aren't stupid."

"Yes you are." Came as a muffled response from the demon whose face was pressed into the ground. Gabriel ignored it.

"Now, you two must be properly punished for the absolute headache you have caused us."

Aziraphale winced as hands grabbed his forearms and pulled him up roughly. Crowley was pulled up by his jacket which almost made him fall back at the force and speed he was pulled up.

As they were led closer to their fates, Aziraphale cracked. "It was my idea!" He yelled, causing the angels holding him to stop. "The switch was my idea! Let him go!" He begged as tears sprung up in his eyes.

Crowley immediately shook his head, "Aziraphale! Don't you dare!" He snapped, he wouldn't live without his angel. He couldn't. They either died together or he would die for him.

Of course, Aziraphale's thought process was the exact same.

"Awh." Gabriel said, blandly, "You love him. That's-"

"Disguzzzting." Beelzebub cut him off.

"Cute. But not enough to get you two out of the fact that you are traitors. Traitors who went against the whole plan just because you felt like it."

Aziraphale sobbed, "Just leave us be! You don't have to do this!"

"Oh. But we do… zzzeeee... examplez need to be made. To any other demon who thinkz he can fall in love with an angel. And betray hell."

"Or any angel who thinks he can fall in love with a demon. And betray heaven."

The two were dragged closer to their means of destruction. "Do you have any lazzt words?" Beelzebub asked, making Gabriel roll his eyes.

Aziraphale glanced from the fire in front of him, over to Crowley. His Crowley. "I love you… I always have, and always will… I don't regret anything we did together… I only regret not saying what I needed too sooner." He said, his shaking voice echoed across the room.

"Demons aren't supposed to be able to feel love. We're supposed to lose that, when we fall." Crowley started, his voice much in the same state as Aziraphale's. Being so close to such blessed holy water was already beginning to sting him. But he needed to say this just so Aziraphale wouldn't die not knowing.

"But I did. I didn't lose it. I've loved you since the garden. You're the best angel out of the lot of 'em. And I love you. I always will as well."

Aziraphale, despite the tears that were steadily flowing, began to smile. As did Crowley who was in much the same state. Again declaring their love for one another making the angels roll their eyes and the demons gag.

They closed their eyes as they were pushed into their means of extinction.

The screams echoed throughout the empty chamber. Ear-piercing and shrill, making the otherworldly beings cover their ears and flinch back.

The fire only seemed to grow larger, turning a bright white as the flame burned brighter. Impossible to see through now, though the screaming had stopped.

The pool full of holy water bubbled, rippled with the thrashing and screaming demon before turning into an inky black and stilling unnervingly quickly.

The silence apart from the flickering of the flame lasted a good two minutes as the demons and angels waited to make sure the other two had been gotten rid of. Then just as they began to cheer and sing praises that the traitors were gone.

The fire grew once again, instead expanding upwards, becoming almost a pure white beam. Extending up so far it was impossible to see where it ended. Another ball of white fire flew out of the beam a couple moments later.

It touched the ground, and vanished instantly. Leaving the angel, with his wings out who fell to the floor immediately. Weak, and just barely conscious, he reached his hand out towards the black pool. Not even getting close to the edge of it before he stopped and slumped down on the ground.

As if on cue, the pool began to bubble and fizz. Like a witches brew of sorts, the water rose slowly. Almost to edge, a black hand appeared out of the darkness. Grabbing onto the edge and pulling its owner up over onto solid ground.

The figure was pitch black, as it crawled out of the liquid. And reached out once close enough to grab the angel's hand. The darkness left the figure almost immediately, revealing it to be the demon who was supposed to be put to death.

He collapsed, grasping onto the angel's hand, with enough force that, had they been human, would have broken bones. The angel was returning it with the same amount of pressure.

Their half-lidded eyes met, neither had the strength in the rest of their bodies to move any closer. But they were here. They were together. They were alive. They smiled at one another before they gave in to the exhaustion and passed out.

-----

When they woke up. They were in Crowley's flat, still clinging onto one another's hand as if the other would vanish the moment they let go.

"Angel!" Crowley gasped, for once being the first one to wake up. Immediately his fingers pressed carefully against the angel's neck, hoping to find a pulse*. Which, thankfully, he did.

(*They, in all technicality, didn't need to have a pulse. Though, more often than not, their mortal vessels did it without their intention. It's a safety net of sorts.)

Aziraphale stirred awake, blinking a few times before focusing on the demon hovering over him. "Crowley!" He yelped as he threw his arms around the other, clutching him tightly.

They clung to one another, digging their nails into the other's back for a few minutes. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? What-" Crowley sputtered as he pulled away, looking Aziraphale over.

Aziraphale nodded quickly, "I'm fine. I'm fine. Are you okay?" He asked, looking him over as well. Crowley nodded, "I'm fine." They sat quietly, still holding each others hand.

They thought back to what happened. Realization dawning on their faces. "How are we not dead?" Crowley asked.

"I-I, I don't know." Aziraphale shook his head, "Doesn't matter! We're alive! And… And…" He hesitated on saying 'safe.' "Wait, how did we get here? I don't… I don't remember anything past…"

The screaming. The burning. Pain. Pain. So much pain.

He shook his head again, "Doesn't matter. I-I don't remember how we got here! That's-" he took a breath, "that's my point." Crowley nodded in understanding, he didn't want to particularly remember anything that happened either.

"I don't remember either."

Aziraphale went quiet, against his better judgement he started thinking about what happened. "Do you think…" He trailed off, before waving his hand and snapping his fingers. A book appeared in his hand, "Not human… not mortal." he murmured.

Crowley nodded, and did a similar motion. His signature shades appeared in his hand, "Neither am I…" Aziraphale moved to set the book on the night stand beside the bed. When he froze.

There were two envelopes. One white with a golden seal, while the other was black with a red seal. "That's odd." He murmured. "I'm pretty sure this whole situation is odd, angel." The demon responded.

The angel reached out, intending to pick both envelopes up. Only to be burned slightly by the black one, "Ow!" He winced. Crowley immediately reached over and grabbed his hand, "are you okay- what happened?" His voice had a layer of panic neither were sure if they'd hear before.

Aziraphale nodded, "I'm okay! I'm okay, it's okay… I think that one is for you.." He said motioning to the black envelope, "Must've had some kind of, hell thing on it."

"Hell thing?"

"I don't know!"

Crowley sighed a little, and took the black envelope. Carefully, he opened it up, revealing a scrap of burnt paper. "We will leave you alone." He read out, he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Flipping the paper over, which did nothing to alleviate his confusion, "that's all it says."

Aziraphale matched his expression, in turn opening up the other envelope. Pulling out a much larger, cleaner piece of paper than the one in the black envelope. He cleared his throat as he began to read the perfect, golden cursive.

"Dear, Principality Aziraphale. It has come to our attention that our attempt to rid our existence of you and…" Aziraphale hesitated, not wanting to read what was written and instead stating "Crowley," before continuing, "was not successful. A higher power has also directly contacted us to inform us that you and him are to be left alone and no longer bothered."

"As such, you will have free will and will not report back to heaven. We are to assume that the same is true for your other half. As long as you stay out of our affairs then we will not have any further conflict. However, I, personally, am unsure of how long Her protection will last.  -Archangel Gabriel."

Aziraphale's eyes widened, "She? She protected us?" He asked in disbelief. Crowley stayed quiet, just as in shock. The angel's gaze went up towards the tall ceiling. "Thank you, merciful God. I am in your debt." He whispered, hoping She heard. He knew She would really only save someone if they had a part in Her plan.

Her ineffable plan.

Maybe he would find out.

"I still dunno how the heaven- hell? Don't know, don't care right now. How they actually got in contact with Her!" Crowley spoke, completely flabbergasted, "She was never easy to get ahold of."

Aziraphale shook his head, "She still isn't… This must've been… Personal."

It was.

-----

The subsequent panic that had erupted between the angels and demons as they saw the two survive the only two things that can permanently extinguish them, was put on pause. The only reason they hadn't begun screaming yet was the light that shone down on Gabriel.

"Archangel Gabriel."

It wasn't the metatron.

It was Her voice.

Gabriel immediately stood up straight, "Yes, Almighty God?" He asked, trying to keep his voice from quivering.

"Why was my Angel Of The Eastern Gate thrown into Hell Fire?"

She knew. She obviously knew.

"I was, making an example of a traitor who has betrayed the Great Plan. And had been," he froze unsure of what word to use. He glanced over to the unconscious forms of the angel and demon on the ground, "associating. With the opposition."

"Traitors fall. He is not fallen. I am aware of their relationship and I am not against it. They have no reason to be put to death. Understood?"

Gabriel nodded, "Yes, Lord."

"You are to leave them alone. Both of them. They will not be killed. They will not be harmed."

Gabriel again, nodded, not quite sure what else to say. He elected to just stay quiet. Which was the smart choice.

"Prince Of Hell, Beelzebub."

"What do you want." Beelzebub snapped, they weren't exactly too thrilled to hear from Her. They were fallen.

"The Angel and the Fallen will be left alone from your side as well."

Beelzebub rolled their eyes, "I don't exactly have to lizten to you." They buzzed.

"You are free to ask Him. If you would like to take that risk."

Now that was scary.

Beelzebub had a rather high rank in hell. Which was great for the power they so desired. However, it meant it was easier to catch the attention of The King Of Hell himself.

That was one being you would rather not anger. If you wish to keep any sense of a body or exist at all for that matter. If an angel crosses God. She will cause them to Fall. If a Fallen crosses Satan. There is no hope for their existence.

Beelzebub, against their better judgment, nodded. "Alright."

"Make sure the two are carefully set back on earth. Do not separate them."

Then the light was gone. The voice was gone. Only leaving dead silence in the open room.

The archangel and the prince of hell did what they did more often than not.

They followed orders, and left notes to the demon and the angel explaining that they would be left alone.

And they would be. Even without the heavenly and hellish orders.

No one wanted to stay too close to an angel immune to hell fire and a demon immune to holy water.