Chapter Text
It was hard being eleven and trying to understand the whole world. It was harder when scents still didn't always make sense to him. Hardest when Crowley stopped making sense. Crowley was the first adult who'd ever made sense at all, so when he flubbed something, it was just weird.
He didn't even know if this was a flub or not, not really. He just didn't get it. If they wanted something, why not do it? Aziraphale was super rich, knew everybody in the whole stupid country - or at least it felt that way - and he was an alpha. So what if the bite was seen as “doing what was expected” or whatever Crowley had been going on about? Seemed to him like it was just a handy way to get rid of a headache.
Unless Crowley didn't want it to be easier. Because maybe Crowley didn't want him after all. Or maybe he thought Aziraphale would leave if they were a real pack.
Mind swirling down more and more upsetting paths, Warlock nearly retreated to his room to declare the entire night lost before the two adults found him sulking on the couch. At least they would call it sulking. Probably. His dad had claimed he sulked all the time and his mom would give him the smile that said she agreed, but she was going to let him do it regardless. But that's not what he was doing. He was thinking. Sulking and thinking weren't the same things and he was ready to fight about it when Aziraphale crouched in front of him, laid a hand on his knee, and smiled.
Soft, caring, patient.
“I know we just clumsily shared a very big potential decision with you, duck, but we can still go trick-or-treating. I confess I've never participated in Halloween festivities.”
Warlock eyed him. “Never?”
“Never. It wasn't a widely celebrated holiday when I was a young pup, and you're the first I've ever had for this.”
“What about Mrs. Gordon's pups?”
“They've always had their own parents,” he pointed out. “It's hardly my place to invade that time. You and Crowley, though, are my family. If you're still happy being my pup, of course.”
It helped one of his worries. Aziraphale wouldn't leave if they were a real family. He wanted them. Even though Crowley was weird and Warlock was “difficult.”
He fidgeted with his staff a moment before huffing. “Okay. We can go. So you can have Halloween or whatever.”
“Thank you. And then we'll return home and finish Crowley’s birthday.”
Warlock pressed his lips together, flicking his gaze in Crowley’s direction. He'd forgotten it was his birthday still. He probably shouldn't have had a whole freakout on his birthday. “Okay.”
“Lovely.” Aziraphale rose and held out his hand, and Warlock eventually wiggled off the couch and took it to follow them to the car.
Crowley was glad Warlock hadn't completely gone back into his shell as he was wont to do, though not for himself really. Birthdays weren't that big of a deal for an adult; he just didn't want Warlock missing out on a fun holiday and feeling even worse over it.
He glanced in the rearview mirror when they piled into the Bentley, seeing Warlock fidget with the mask hanging over his staff, and he'd barely pulled out of the driveway before taking Aziraphale’s awful suggestion. “I know the things I do and decide don't always make sense to you. They don't always make sense to me either, but I am trying to make the best decisions for both of us.”
Warlock flicked a glance to the rearview, surprised. Even he knew it was a return to the Bonding Mark talk, but Crowley didn't usually restart things like that. He usually let them go until Warlock was ready to talk about them again. “I know.”
“Alright. So long as you know I love you and I'm doing everything I can to make sure no one can take you away.”
Warlock shrunk down a little, staring at his own lap. “I bet you could let Aziraphale help more,” he muttered.
“He could,” Aziraphale replied, glancing at Crowley. He reached out and laid a hand on his thigh as well. “He and I both know there are people I know who would have the adoption ruled in his favour in days, and I know you believe my biting him would make several problems evaporate as well. There are many things I could do for him, but what I have managed is to expose the unfairness he's been treated with. He's allowed me to help that much, and that's going to mean more in the long run than more... extreme interference.”
“For who?”
“Other omegas who are in similar situations, duck. Now and in future.”
“Exactly. You're right that I could take the path of least resistance - I'm sure there are other omegas in the same situation as us who have and there's nothing wrong with that - but I have a chance to help push for better change. The more cases like ours that are resolved without an alpha directly involved, the easier it will be for omegas in the future who want to raise their pups on their own.”
“Or even omega partners,” Aziraphale added. “It's still very difficult for them to adopt, which is ludicrous. My mothers raised me quite well, I should think.”
Crowley chuckled and gave Aziraphale a fond glance. “No arguments from me there. They raised a right proper alpha.”
Warlock looked at them both, frowning as they smiled at one another. He could understand that kind of reasoning, but was he still allowed to be upset by it? It still sucked that they'd feel like that was a thing they had to do. “So... after you actually do adopt me, you'll let him bite you?”
“Well…” Crowley glanced at Aziraphale again, more nervous this time. “If that's something Aziraphale is still interested in when the time comes, I would be happy to have his Mark.”
Aziraphale squeezed his thigh. “I would be very pleased to leave it, I promise you.”
Crowley felt his cheeks heat. If circumstances were different, he could imagine he'd be begging Aziraphale to leave one tonight. “I guess that settles that, then.”
Aziraphale chuckled. “I hope that doesn't come as a surprise to you, pet.”
“Not… particularly, no.” But that didn't mean he wasn't still nervous about being rejected. “I'm fairly certain the things we both want are one in the same.”
Aziraphale could only hope so, gently squeezing his thigh again. A glance at the rearview mirror had him smiling softly at the brown eyes peeking through dark fringe. “Well... I want us to be a pack. All three of us. You won't be left behind, Warlock. Not by the pair of us, I promise you.”
His parents hadn't planned to leave him behind either, but Warlock knew he didn't mean that way. He meant in the other ways his parents had left him. Like making him spend a week or two in a hotel room alone every year instead of somewhere fun. Or making him sit still and quiet when he transformed instead of letting him play. Or bringing him tutor after tutor when he had problems at school instead of just listening to him.
They wouldn't do those things to him. And if they said Aziraphale getting bit meant the same thing to them, it couldn't mean the bad things he'd been told to expect a Mark to mean. It had to mean the good things, the belonging things. “Okay,” he said quietly, turning his head to look out the window.
It was just the subtlest change in his scent, like something wound tight being relaxed somewhat. Crowley breathed a quiet breath of relief at it as he drove into the village proper. Raising a pup was hard, but at least he hadn't completely fucked it up yet.
The festivities weren't quite yet in full swing when they reached town, but the setting sun lit up the fake cobwebs strung between businesses and lampposts in orange and red. Pumpkins, gourds, and all manner of squash were set outside doors; some shops even had skeletons hanging about in various poses, both ridiculous and more serious.
Crowley felt a smirk coming on when a gaggle a children crossed the road ahead of him, all dressed in their costumes with buckets hanging off their arms. The adults weren't far behind, but most of them hadn't bothered to dress up. The spoilsports.
“What do you think, kid? Should we just go back to the house?”
Warlock ducked a little, but his heart was starting to race with excitement. Halloween had always been his favorite holiday, though his parents certainly hadn't shared that sentiment and he wasn't sure if Crowley or Aziraphale would believe him if he admitted it. “We don't, like, have to. If you guys don't want to.”
Aziraphale smiled. “I think we can stay.”
“Considering it's my birthday, I wasn't planning on going back anyhow. But I'm glad you both agree.”
“You're a brat,” Warlock accused, scanning for a place to park as much as to see just how big the crowd was. He didn't think he'd feel out of place there. More than enough kids were dressed up.
There were plenty of kids dressed up in Crowley’s opinion, but not nearly as many adults. In all honesty him and Aziraphale would likely be the ones standing out. He wasn't sure if it was just because they were grown and weren't interested or if it was just something too new for the older generations to feel comfortable partaking in.
Regardless of the reasons, what would have qualified as 'downtown' was packed and he ended up having to circle a few times before a spot came open he was close enough to nab before anyone else. “Now, don't run too far ahead of us,” Crowley said as he killed the engine. “This is still a mostly strange village.”
As if he was going to go anywhere without them. “It's not like it's big,” he complained anyway.
“Not as large as London, no, but big enough,” Aziraphale replied. Besides, the scent of caramel and toffee apples weren't only coming from his omegas, the treats popular ones for the holiday.
It was, in all honesty, his impending heat that made Crowley more twitchy about making sure his pup was in his sights as they piled out of the car. He kept a tightly held reign on any such instincts over holding on to him when a family group passed by on the sidewalk. “Just don't wanna lose you or anything.”
“I know, I know.” Warlock pulled his mask on finally, feeling more comfortable hidden away. “I'm not a puppy.”
“No, you're a pup, but honestly any would-be 'nappers would probably give you back once they realise how uncooperative you can be.”
His eyes rolled. “I don't think any pupnappers would wanna deal with you or Aziraphale.”
“No, I suspect they wouldn't,” Aziraphale agreed, deceptively light.
Crowley smirked to himself. He definitely wouldn't want to be on the bad side of such a large alpha wolf. “I think I'd be more terrified of Aziraphale than myself.”
“Oh, now I wouldn't necessarily say that. You can be exceptionally fierce, my dear.”
“You're both biased anyway,” Warlock accused.
“Is that so?” Crowley threw an arm around Warlock's shoulders. “Who do you think is more scary, then?”
Warlock shrugged, but not to get rid of the touch. He didn't mind that. “If I didn't know you, probably you at first.” He'd been pretty intimidated when Crowley had first taken him home after the accident, though he'd never admit to it. Dark clothes, sunglasses - he made himself look pretty scary. Aziraphale, though, was like looking at a marshmallow. Or a sheep with pup ears. “You kinda seem more like an alpha at first. But maybe because Aziraphale getting mad is surprising, he's scarier.”
Crowley almost snorted. He couldn't deny his clothing choices were somewhat on purpose. Most betas made the same mistake thinking he was an alpha, and Crowley had no problem letting them make assumptions until an actual alpha or another omega showed up. “I guess I can see that. No one expects our soft, sweet alpha to turn into a big growly wolf at the drop of a hat.”
Aziraphale’s lips twitched. “It takes more than a dropped hat. A scuffed shoe, perhaps.”
“A drop of tea on your lapels, perhaps?”
Aziraphale laid a hand over his heart with a feigned gasp and let out a little growl. Warlock rolled his eyes again.
“That's the spirit!” Crowley laughed and took Aziraphale’s free hand. They were a family, a pack, and with his alpha by his side it wasn't as difficult as it could have been to let go of Warlock when they passed a little boutique giving out candy. The pup shoving a handful into his robe's deep pockets with the lack of shame only a child could possess.
“Perhaps we should've gotten him a proper bag or some such for easier carrying.”
“He'll be fine and hopefully in a sugar coma before we get back to the house.”
“Assuming his sweets don't melt before he can eat them.”
“It's cool enough,” Crowley countered. “The chocolate might get a little soft but I doubt it'll full on melt.”
Aziraphale smiled. “You think a bag would affect his style, don't you? The, ah... aesthetic.”
“A proper warlock would never carry around some pillowcase bag or a plastic pumpkin. Maybe if I can convince him to be a mad scientist next year he can carry around a bag for the body parts. He's gotta look cool or he'll never wear the bloody costumes.”
“What about a cauldron?” Aziraphale suggested, neither of them noticing the pup in question ducking into one of the shops.
Crowley wrinkled his nose and pouted. “That's not fair. I didn't even think of that.”
“Nor did you ask me.”
“Would you rather pick out the costume for him next time?”
Aziraphale chuckled. “I doubt I would come up with anything cool enough for the pair of you. But perhaps we can find him a cauldron in one of these shops before he starts complaining about not having something better than pockets?”
“If they're not picked clean of halloween stuff by now. What do you think-” Crowley turned his head to the left, where he'd expected Warlock to be, and trailed off when no pup was there. A family unit of two beta parents and their child squeezed by as Crowley turned to look behind them. “Warlock?”
Aziraphale squeezed his hand, stepping a touch closer. “Warlock?” he called, much to the confusion of several young pups. One declared that she was a witch, actually and Aziraphale granted her a weak smile before he and Crowley pushed through the little crowd behind and around them to get back to where they'd last seen their particular pup, peeking at every single black-cloak or staff or skull mask they saw.
They weaved their way between parents and children, Crowley’s hold on Aziraphale’s hand getting tighter with every pup that wasn't theirs. How could he have bloody lost him, again, after just telling him not to wander off? The permeating scent of sweet and candies wasn't helping in the least to help him sniff out an equally sweet smelling pup. “Warlock? Warlock Dowling!?”
Aziraphale had never truly disliked the boy's unusual name until that very moment, shouting it on Halloween in a crowd of strangers. Even the endearment Crowley used on him - Hellspawn - was utterly useless in this situation. And Aziraphale was far from the only parent who called pups duck.
With a little whine of frustration, he was a wolf. People had to shuffle out of his way or pluck up their young ones, but Aziraphale shoved his nose against the pavement and began to breathe. There were a lot of toffee apples and sweet scents in the air but only one smelled like his.
Crowley’s hand was immediately right there in his fur. It helped steady himself, at least a little bit, as he struggled to not start whining and to keep his heart from racing right out of his chest. He couldn't afford to have a stupid meltdown right now. “Can- Can you smell him?”
Aziraphale lifted his head and rubbed it against Crowley’s side in an attempt to soothe. He thought so, though there was something just a little different from everything else in the air. He just needed another moment to sort out the sudden influx of scents, his canine nose leagues better than his human one. His brain had to reconfigure how to take in the heightened sense, so he breathed in Crowley and caught Warlock's scent across his sleeve. Right from where he'd just been holding on.
He huffed along his sleeve, pink-splotched nose twitching wildly, and then he returned it to the air and the pavement, spinning in a circle with a rudeness his human half would've abhorred. Wolf brain latched onto the young scent and barked, the sound like a gunshot before heading off in the direction his nose took him.
It was almost a surprise when Aziraphale shot off, weaving between the crowds. A few slanted Crowley annoyed looks but he had bigger concerns than a few annoyed revellers. Besides, Aziraphale going full wolf with little to no concern for anyone else was adorable. He quickly slipped between people, following Aziraphale as close as he could - he wasn't exactly as fast on two legs - desperate to not lose sight of his alpha too as he continued to call for Warlock.
He quieted a little when Aziraphale pawed at a partially opened door and squirmed inside, the alpha ducking his head to make sure he still had the trail. An employee gave him a befuddled look, then smiled questioningly at Crowley. “Everything alright?”
“We've, ah-” Crowley glanced around, it was one of those little village candy shops. Glass jars lined the tables and walls with a rainbow assortment of candies. Everything from chocolate covered nuts to sour gummies to saltwater taffy, all labelled and discounted for the holiday. “We've lost our pup. Black cloak, staff, skull mask, dark hair.” And he winced when he realised that described a great many children at the moment.
The employee knew just the same thing. “You're free to look around in the store. We normally don't allow wolf forms because of the food, though, so I need to check with a supervisor if-” They looked down at Aziraphale, smile apologetic. “If you're going to stay like that.”
Aziraphale huffed, offended. He had the scent and he didn't want to risk losing it transforming again, so looked up at Crowley and grumbled unhappily.
Crowley patted the top of Aziraphale's head. “He won't cause any problems, Aziraphale’s as polite as they come.”
“Right. It's, um, it's the fur. Shedding, I mean.” Though they knew they were looking at an alpha. He was too big to be anything but. And an alpha missing a pup could be terrifying, no matter how polite. “You can look 'round, sir. But if your alpha can wait for me to check with my supervisor if he's not changing back, that'd be... That'd be great.”
“Sure. He'll wait right here.” The employee didn't look entirely convinced, but bobbed his head and scooted his way into a backroom. Crowley rolled his eyes and scratched Aziraphale behind the ears. “Still got that scent?”
Aziraphale pushed up into his touch and grumbled. Of course he still had the scent. He took a step forward, sniffing the air just to make absolutely sure he wasn't just smelling the sweets. Then he grabbed Crowley’s sleeve and tugged him forward, ears perking and growls soft. He didn't just smell pup in this direction.
Crowley frowned, letting Aziraphale pull him through the little shop. There was too much candy smell in this enclosed space for him to get a whiff of anything at all. “What's up, angel? Is something wrong?”
He wasn't sure if it was wrong, but anyone who wasn't him or Crowley being anywhere near Warlock rankled.
And when Warlock looked backed into a corner by two adults who were definitely not them, Aziraphale’s growls grew in volume significantly.
They'd barely rounded one of the tall shelves in the back of the shop and noticed them before Crowley shot forward. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't like how Warlock had the hood of his cloak tugged down over more than half his face or how the two adults loomed over him. He grabbed the nearest one by the shoulder and spun them with a snarl. Omegas might not have been considered nearly as frightening as alphas, but it still wasn't wise to get between one and their pup, especially right before a heat. “What do you think you're doing?”
“Clearly just checking on a lost pup. Is there something wrong with that?”
Their hands lifted, but it was hard to tell what exactly was going on with their face covered in a clown mask. The alpha scent clinging to them, though, had Aziraphale’s growls continuing to rumble as he stalked forward and slipped between legs to knock them off balance on his way to their clearly nervous pup.
It was easier to not be nervous with a large wolf pressing against his side, though. “I told them both you guys were close and they kept saying they didn't mind taking me outside to look,” he explained, fingers curling into soft white fur.
“Well he's been found. So you lot can move right along,” Crowley gritted out, growl in his voice. This was his pup and he wasn't going to let some strange alphas make off with him.
“Look, mate, we don't want any trouble. Not our fault he was tucked in here alone. What were you even doing, leaving a lad alone?” Even with the mask, the smirk was all over their tone. “Feeling a little... heated?”
Under his makeup Crowley could feel his face warming. He'd gotten distracted, yes, but it had only been for a second. It had nothing to do with his cycle but how embarrassing. “That's none of your business.”
“Think it's the business of anybody with a working nose. You and that alpha of yours about to make a newer version of-” They yelped and Aziraphale growled fiercely around the wrist his jaws had locked around, teeth bared in a vicious snarl.
“You wanna run that by me again?”
“Mate,” their friend interrupted, “the fuck are you doing?”
“What? You can smell 'em- ay, ay, ay!” he protested when Aziraphale’s jaw began to shut. It wasn't smart to antagonise an alpha on a regular day, let alone one transformed. “Alright, alright, get off! We'll go.”
Crowley didn't take his eyes off either of them until he was absolutely sure they were gone. He didn't even feel all that bad about it, considering Aziraphale was still growling at their retreating backs. And when his instincts finally said it was as safe as it was going to be, he knelt next to Warlock and looked him over. “Hey, you alright, pup?”
“Yeah, I'm fine.” More now, especially when a big muzzle rubbed affectionately against his cheek. “Where'd you guys even go? I thought you were right behind me.”
“I thought you were right in front of me.” Crowley let out a breath and pulled Warlock right into his arms. “Must not've seen you slip into a shop.”
Warlock huffed, but didn't pull away. It had only been for a few minutes. Nothing at all like when he'd run off and first found Aziraphale. “It's 'cause you guys are constantly flirting or whatever.”
“It's not constant. We do need to sleep sometimes.”
And it wasn't as if it that had been the cause this time. They'd been speaking about Warlock himself, but the harried employee who'd met them at the door rounded the corner before Aziraphale could transform and say that. Instead, Aziraphale transformed and stepped around his omegas with a bright, cheerful smile. “Hello,” he greeted, cutting off whatever was about to be said, “so sorry about the ruckus. And, of course, for not following the rules. Terrible of us. Terrible of me, I should say. Entirely my fault, dear fellow. Crowley here did tell me to wait by the door.” Which was a complete lie, and he blushed over it and his smile faltered. But at least that could be - and was - excused as embarrassment.
“Be that as it may, sirs, and I'm glad you found your pups, sirs, but there's still the issue of loose fur on our floors when we're selling food and-”
“Yes, of course.” Aziraphale sent a smile and a wink over his shoulder. “Let me have a chat with your supervisor and we'll surely come up with a satisfactory solution. Crowley, dear, see if you can locate something like what we discussed. Yes?”
“Right. Yup. Can definitely do that.” Crowley had an inkling of what Aziraphale was scheming and most of his thoughts on the matter were 'bloody rich people'.
Warlock had similar thoughts, though he fully expected Aziraphale to offer to pay and then nickel and dime the owner until they were just kicked out for too much hassle. When they went off, he rolled his eyes and frowned at Crowley. “What’s he want you to look for?”
“Something cool,” was Crowley’s response. He rose and put a hand on Warlock's shoulder. He could still smell his alpha, but with him not in sight he needed to keep their pup close. “What do you say to something that can hold all that hard earned candy?”
“That’s what I came in here for. I saw a bunch that looked kind of cool.” Warlock shrugged. “I don’t want a dumb pumpkin or anything though.”
“Yeah, that's what I thought. Pick out whichever one you want and we'll get it. Aziraphale suggested a cauldron.”
“That’s not bad. There were skull-shaped ones, but a cauldron would probably be easier to dump out.” And reach into to sneak pieces as they walked.
“Skulls are cool.” Crowley guided him through the shop, smiling slightly at Aziraphale's jolly voice from a few shelves over. “Maybe they have one that glows in the dark.”
Warlock perked up at that. He hadn’t considered that. “Okay. You think they’ll let us get it even if Aziraphale gets us kicked out?”
“He won't get us kicked out. Aziraphale might be less polite as a wolf, but I'm sure he'll straighten everything out.”
“Maybe.” It was still hard to reconcile the bubbly alpha with the sort of rich person Warlock was used to, so he didn’t really know what to expect. “He’s not… He’s not usually a jerk.”
“No, not normally… Did you think he was being a jerk earlier?”
“No. Anytime dad ever offered to, y'know, pay for damages, he'd be a huge jerk until we got kicked out. I'm saying I don't think Aziraphale will be like that. Probably.” Warlock tipped just a little closer to Crowley when they stopped at shelves of candy buckets no longer as packed as they'd been when first spread out. “I thought it was cool the way he bit that guy. And the way the other one was scared of you since you were growling and stuff.”
Crowley chuckled and smirked a little to himself. “I guess you were right, we can both be a little scary when we need to be.”
“I'm always right.”
“Oh? Is that so? I had no idea you were omniscient, I think that's something I should have been warned about ahead of time. Seems like a pretty important thing to know.”
Warlock stuck his tongue out at him. “Are any of these glow-in-the-dark?”
“Good question.” There were the usual pumpkins, coloured buckets, and various monster heads scattered across the shelves. The store, as Crowley had suspected, was picked through already. None readily in sight had the little 'glows in the dark' sticker on them, though. “Look through the bottom shelf and I'll look up top.”
It took some digging between the two of them, but they did eventually find a cauldron that wasn't glow-in-the-dark, but a skull that was. Warlock wasn't sure which of the two he liked more, but still hesitated when Crowley suggested they ask Aziraphale. “What if he's still negotiating?”
“Then we can tell him to hurry up. We ain't got all night.”
A small laugh escaped before he pressed his lips together. “You're a loser.”
“The coolest loser you know.” Crowley clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on. We still need to load you up on more free sugar.”
“What if I said Aziraphale was cooler than you?” Warlock teased.
“I'd have to kill you,” Crowley replied as serious as could be.
“Whatever.”
“There you two are,” Aziraphale greeted, some of the tension he quietly carried bleeding out of his shoulders. His smile was still bright, though, and the clerk behind the counter looked more than a little dazed. “I was just about to finish paying. Have you found a suitable bucket for your sweets?”
“Maybe. The skull glows, but the cauldron's cool.”
“Well... Couldn't we always paint the cauldron? If you like it more, of course. You could always decorate it however you like.”
“That's not a bad idea, angel. Glow-in-the-dark spray paint isn't all that hard to find, not around this time of year.”
Aziraphale’s tail wagged cheerfully when Warlock nodded. “Okay. We can do that. It sounds-” More fun. “Less lame.”
Crowley snorted and shook his head fondly. “I wonder what the opposite of less lame is…”
“More lame, so like you,” Warlock huffed, ears popping when Aziraphale ruffled his hair. He was easily encouraged to tuck into his side when gentle fingers scritched behind one.
“Here, pet. Return the skull? Warlock and I'll finish up.”
“Sure.” Crowley took the skull-shaped bucket and it's toothy grin back to where they'd found it. Outside the large windows he could see the villagers still going about their merry ways and those two prick alphas aside, this place didn't seem all that bad.
Aziraphale certainly didn't think so, and it was a pleasure to help. Even though the owner was, in fact, much more relaxed about Aziraphale’s canine presence considering that he hadn't actively touched or gone near any unwrapped sweets. The things they made in-house were safely behind glass because, well, pups couldn't always control themselves and pups were understandably rather drawn to the local candyman.
Still, Aziraphale was happy to smooth things over as far as the fretting employee was concerned and he was very happy to take a few confections off their hands. He winked at Warlock as a few things obviously intended for Crowley were wrapped up and tucked in the bottom of Warlock's cauldron. “A nice surprise for later, hm?”
“Yeah. He'll like it. He's got a huge sweet tooth.”
“Several of them, in fact.” Aziraphale let the small hand slip into his own as he bid them farewell, smiling as Crowley met them at the door. “Ready to resume, pet?”
“I believe so.” Crowley slipped his hand into Aziraphale’s as they left the candy shop behind and stepped back onto the sidewalk outside. “I see you didn't buy the whole place out.” Though he did eye the clearly more full than it should be cauldron.
“The owner was very reasonable. I didn't get my fur on anything of importance.”
“That's a surprise to me, your fur gets everywhere. My sheets will never be true black again.”
“Perhaps we should get grey ones instead,” Aziraphale hummed, amused. “I still bought the aisle we went down, naturally. They're going to add it all to what they hand out tonight and, perhaps, include it in specials in the coming weeks.”
“Well isn't that nice.” Crowley made sure they stopped this time, catching Warlock's mask hidden eye before he scampered up to another shop handing out sweets. “Hope these kids appreciate that generosity.”
“Oh, I'm sure they will.” He smiled. “I certainly enjoyed being able to give.”
“Of course you did. You're an angel.”
Cheeks pink, Aziraphale squeezed his hand. “Our pup has benefitted from it, so it's hardly entirely altruistic.”
“So you're being a guardian angel to our pup and the rest of the pups in the village.” Crowley slanted him a smirk. “I fail to see how this makes you any less an angel.”
“Now stop that.”
“Stop making Aziraphale blush. You're being weird on purpose,” Warlock complained, returning to their sides with his new cauldron a little heavier and something sweet tucked in his cheek.
“There's nothing 'weird' about complimenting our alpha and making sure he knows how appreciated he is.” And just because he could, Crowley snuck a hand into Warlock's cauldron. He was only able to get his fingers on a single wrapped piece of hard candy before Warlock wrenched the bucket away from him, but one was better than none.
“You're not supposed to steal from pups!”
“No, he isn't.” But Aziraphale’s lips twitched regardless. “But you could always take one of his as recompense.”
“Wot? Mine? What do you mean mine?”
Warlock grinned, little tail beating at his cloak since he hadn't bothered to fix the fabric properly. “Nothing.”
“You little scheming schemers.” He grabbed Warlock's shoulders and pulled him back against his chest. “Gimme that cauldron.”
Warlock hunched over the cauldron with a gasp, covering it as well as he could. “No! You're such a jerk!”
Aziraphale chuckled. “Now, Warlock, if he wants to completely ruin the birthday surprise, we oughtn't stop him. We can only watch and be utterly disappointed by his lack of both patience and caring.”
Crowley turned a pout on Aziraphale that did absolutely nothing and only earned him raised eyebrows until he released their pup with a put upon sigh. “Fiiiine. Keep your secrets.”
Beaming, Aziraphale let Warlock settle against his side as they began to walk again. “We shall. Thank you.” He reached for Crowley’s hand, happy to hold on as they made their way through the little village's celebration together.
The fire was warm and so was Crowley for once. Aziraphale had lit the logs while Warlock and Crowley had been at the beach, the pup getting in some fun wolf time after a successful bout of trick-or-treating. It was still so different to run with Crowley. He was smaller than Aziraphale, but more agile. He radiated comfort and safety - they both did - but Crowley felt a little bit more like where Warlock needed to go when a wandering crab had snapped at his tail.
And, even though he knew Crowley had laughed as hard as a wolf could, he had indeed kept him safe from the vicious sea creature.
Now he was just a warm bundle of dark fur to nestle into. A purring bundle that only purred more when Aziraphale settled behind them and began to run a brush through russet fur to get the sand out. “The two of you look as if you had a grand time.”
They had. He wanted to tell Aziraphale about the crab but he was also enjoying having his fur brushed too much to change back just yet. The warm hands of his mate, a soff comb, and their tired pup snuggled close; everything was just as it should be. Crowley let out a soft huff and laid his head against Aziraphale’s leg.
“I’m glad.” They were curled together on a small blanket Aziraphale had settled in front of the fire, wet paws drying. It was soothing to see his little pack so content and safe and Aziraphale enjoyed smoothing Crowley’s tangles. Keeping his coat soft. He rubbed one of his ears, smiling at golden eyes. “Happy birthday, pet.”
Crowley’s tail thumped the carpet where it was hanging off the blanket. His alpha had given him the best birthday he'd had in years. It had been fun and he'd gotten to spend it with the two people he loved most. Really, it couldn't have been any better.
Aziraphale leaned down to kiss the top of his head, chuckling when Crowley helpfully lifted his head to make it easier. “Ridiculous creature,” he murmured. “Your cake is ready if you can tolerate more sweets, but I’m not opposed to cake for breakfast.”
Cake now or cake later? Wolf brain wanted to say now and definitely didn't want to wait but he'd sneakily stolen plenty of candy from Warlock's cauldron already and Crowley knew it was only a matter of time before he gave himself a stomachache from it all. He shuffled closer to Aziraphale and laid his head on his knee, tail continuing to wag.
“Breakfast, then. You get a special extension on your birthday.” It seemed fair enough, considering they were leaving soon. Back to a world with far more responsibilities. This one didn’t require anything more pressing than ensuring they ate daily. He shifted himself, deciding to take advantage of the opportunity to curl up with his omegas in front of a roaring fire. He fit around them easily, though he was certainly more on the carpet than the blanket, and happily rubbed his nose against Crowley’s muzzle with a contented grumble.
That was even better. Crowley squirmed and shifted until he had his head tucked under Aziraphale’s, earning an amused huff for his trouble. But it felt good to be tucked so close to his mate with their pup sleepily snuggled into his side. Crowley let out a sigh and closed his eyes, this was exactly where he wanted to be.
It was exactly where Aziraphale wanted to be too. He had his mate tucked in close and could see their pup when he rolled so his back could soak in the heat from the fire. Warlock’s paws pressed and nuzzled into Crowley’s side as he snuggled in, little tail thumping a content little rhythm. He’d heard the boy laugh more across this little holiday than he had the entire time he’d known him, and it was really a shame it was almost over.
Hopefully he would indeed have fun with Tracy. Aziraphale didn’t want him to lose this fresh little spark he’d acquired. He wanted it to flourish, and he knew Crowley wanted the same. His school situation was largely fixed, at least, and he knew how serious his and Crowley’s relationship was. Though grief lingered and guilt seemed to gnaw at him still, Warlock seemed to be healing and was relearning or rejecting things his parents had ingrained in him.
And Aziraphale was happy too. Crowley did indeed want his Mark. Crowley did want him. He wanted to be a partner, a pack, with him. They were mates and they were going to stay that way. Aziraphale licked Crowley’s ear to watch it twitch, purrs rumbling low. For the first time in a very long time, Aziraphale had everything he ever could’ve wanted and more.