Good Omens: Northern Lights
Jun. 18th, 2003 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
louiseluxA tidier and tweaked version of last weeks ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
contrelamontre challenge, complimentary colours.
Title: Northern Lights
Author: Louise Lux
Fandom: Good Omens
Rating: G
Pairing: Crowley/Aziraphale, very mildly.
Disclaimer: Not my characters: please don't sue.
Notes: A tidier, tweaked version of the one written originally for the Contrelamontre colours challenge, in 90 minutes.
Northern Lights
by Louise Lux
'You have to sssee it, it's beautiful, colours like you've never ssseen, just hanging in the sky.'
Crowley's face was shining with excitement, and he was practically bouncing up and down with enthusiasm, or as much as he ever could. Aziraphale tried to hide his smile; Crowley was always like this when he discovered something new. It was as though he forgot to be a big bad demon for a little while. The way he acted reminded Aziraphale of a human child.
'Shall we fly there?'
'Mmm, it's north, quite a long way. We can stop at this other place on the way there, for a rest. You'll love it: fjords like you wouldn't believe.'
Aziraphale was pleased: he liked the north. That was the problem with all these hot sunny places, they all tended to get a bit samey after a couple of thousand years. He wished that civilisation would hurry up and move somewhere cooler, with more rain. Left to his own devices Aziraphale would've happliy lived somewhere where it rained all the time.
It was a long way to wherever it was Crowley was taking him, and by evening they were both exhausted. The air was much colder here and by the time they landed Crowley was shivering uncontrollably. Aziraphale made a fire and they sat close to it, Crowley bundled up warmly in his own feathers. After a little while he stopped shivering enough to sleep, but Aziraphale sat up and watched the sky, waiting for it to go dark. To his amazement it didn't, not completely. He almost shook Crowley awake to show him, but then realised that he must've seen it already, if he'd been here before.
He wondered about that, Crowley coming here on his own when it was so far away and empty. There were no hamlets or villages for hundreds of miles in any direction, not even a lone hermit in a cave. He must've wanted to be alone, for some reason.
Aziraphale lay back, listening to the slight hiss of wind through the trees, and the whisper of Crowley's wings as he moved slightly in his sleep. The sky stayed a fragile dark blue freckled with silver stars, stretching above them like a delicate shell, its edges still milky pale.
The next day they flew over the coastline. It was hot and Aziraphale enjoyed the cool sea air flowing over his wings and face, twining cool fingers down the neck of his robe. The sky was cloudless and now a different shade of blue, the same colour as the small star-shaped flowers that dotted the sunny cliff-tops below them.
Crowley swooped through the air like a white streak, his wings catching the light and sending it scattering, like the foam that dashed against the rocks far below. Aziraphale dived to join him, folding his wings back and wondering what it would be like to plunge straight down into the water, as he'd seen the seabirds doing. He knew that it would be freezing, this far north. He wondered if Crowley would pull him out again.
The sun was setting by the time Crowley tugged gently on Aziraphale's wing and pointed down. He was thankful they were stopping, the muscles in his shoulders and back had begun to hurt a long while ago.
Crowley had bought them to a hill, the highest point for many miles. Aziraphale shook his wings out and gazed around; it was very pretty, but hardly worth the journey.
'So, what are we looking at, again?' he asked, gazing around him. 'You didn't bring me here just for the view did you?'
He smiled at Crowley, who grinned back and patted the ground next to where he was sitting.
'Just come over here and wait. You'll see.'
Aziraphale sighed and folded himself up next to Crowley.
'Am I going to have to wait all night?' Aziraphale asked, after they'd sat in silence for a while, watching the light fade.
'Night only lasts for an hour here, at this time of year. Trust me, you won't want it to be over.'
Aziraphale raised his eyebrows. What a strange creature Crowley could be sometimes. He let the thought lurk at the back of his mind, not quite acknowledging it, that sometimes Crowley didn't act like a demon at all.
Crowley had made himself comfortable on the soft springy grass; lying back and flinging his arms out carelessly. Aziraphale thought that he looked like a white starfish, stranded far above the sealine. As he watched, the sky above them darkened leaving only a pale rim of light on the horizon.
'Just wait, Aziraphale,' Crowley whispered, a gleeful smile on his face.
Aziraphale gingerly lay back and folded his hands on his chest. Nothing happened. He waited, and still nothing. He turned to look at Crowley. The grass was nearly long enough to hide him from this angle, and all Aziraphale could see was a pale, straight nose and a curl of black hair. Crowley's hand shot out and his fingers gripped Aziraphale's chin, turning his face towards the sky.
'Look,' Crowley breathed, 'it's happening.'
A curtain of green and red rippled in the sky above him, as wide as the sky itself, and as tall as a mountain. Aziraphale's mouth fell open and he gasped in wonder.
'The colours.' He lay, breathless and unmoving and wide eyed at what was happening in the sky. 'What is it?' he breathed, his eyes following the fluid sheets of green and red that covered the sky above him in a never-ceasing display.
'I don't know,' Crowley whispered. 'It's beautiful, whatever it is.'
Something in his tone made Aziraphale drag his eyes away from the ribbons of light, and look over at Crowley. Crowley was staring back at him, his eyes suddenly too wide and too shiny. Sadness twisted inside him and it took Aziraphale a moment to be sure of his voice.
'You found it,' he said, after a pause. 'I've never seen anything like it, ever. Not even the exploding mountain you showed me.'
He smiled helplessly at the distant memory, and after a few moments Crowley smiled back. They'd never come across anything like that before, and had sat for days together on top of the mountain opposite, watching the sheets of glowing orange lava wind down to the valley bottom, the lava killing everything in its path. Crowley had singed his wings flying over it. Aziraphale had teased him about the smell of burnt feathers, and Crowley had wondered loudly about the miraculous escapes of thousands of tiny creatures.
It occurred to him that it had been Crowley who'd dragged him there too, not the other way round. They were always the best times, when Crowley was caught up with wonder at another thing that this world did. Aziraphale wondered if he'd ever have noticed on his own.
Crowley was gazing up at the sky again, eyes wide open to the glory in the heavens. Aziraphale thanked him, quietly, without words, and lay back to watch the shimmering colours chase each other across the sky.
contrelamontre challenge, complimentary colours.Title: Northern Lights
Author: Louise Lux
Fandom: Good Omens
Rating: G
Pairing: Crowley/Aziraphale, very mildly.
Disclaimer: Not my characters: please don't sue.
Notes: A tidier, tweaked version of the one written originally for the Contrelamontre colours challenge, in 90 minutes.
Northern Lights
by Louise Lux
'You have to sssee it, it's beautiful, colours like you've never ssseen, just hanging in the sky.'
Crowley's face was shining with excitement, and he was practically bouncing up and down with enthusiasm, or as much as he ever could. Aziraphale tried to hide his smile; Crowley was always like this when he discovered something new. It was as though he forgot to be a big bad demon for a little while. The way he acted reminded Aziraphale of a human child.
'Shall we fly there?'
'Mmm, it's north, quite a long way. We can stop at this other place on the way there, for a rest. You'll love it: fjords like you wouldn't believe.'
Aziraphale was pleased: he liked the north. That was the problem with all these hot sunny places, they all tended to get a bit samey after a couple of thousand years. He wished that civilisation would hurry up and move somewhere cooler, with more rain. Left to his own devices Aziraphale would've happliy lived somewhere where it rained all the time.
It was a long way to wherever it was Crowley was taking him, and by evening they were both exhausted. The air was much colder here and by the time they landed Crowley was shivering uncontrollably. Aziraphale made a fire and they sat close to it, Crowley bundled up warmly in his own feathers. After a little while he stopped shivering enough to sleep, but Aziraphale sat up and watched the sky, waiting for it to go dark. To his amazement it didn't, not completely. He almost shook Crowley awake to show him, but then realised that he must've seen it already, if he'd been here before.
He wondered about that, Crowley coming here on his own when it was so far away and empty. There were no hamlets or villages for hundreds of miles in any direction, not even a lone hermit in a cave. He must've wanted to be alone, for some reason.
Aziraphale lay back, listening to the slight hiss of wind through the trees, and the whisper of Crowley's wings as he moved slightly in his sleep. The sky stayed a fragile dark blue freckled with silver stars, stretching above them like a delicate shell, its edges still milky pale.
The next day they flew over the coastline. It was hot and Aziraphale enjoyed the cool sea air flowing over his wings and face, twining cool fingers down the neck of his robe. The sky was cloudless and now a different shade of blue, the same colour as the small star-shaped flowers that dotted the sunny cliff-tops below them.
Crowley swooped through the air like a white streak, his wings catching the light and sending it scattering, like the foam that dashed against the rocks far below. Aziraphale dived to join him, folding his wings back and wondering what it would be like to plunge straight down into the water, as he'd seen the seabirds doing. He knew that it would be freezing, this far north. He wondered if Crowley would pull him out again.
The sun was setting by the time Crowley tugged gently on Aziraphale's wing and pointed down. He was thankful they were stopping, the muscles in his shoulders and back had begun to hurt a long while ago.
Crowley had bought them to a hill, the highest point for many miles. Aziraphale shook his wings out and gazed around; it was very pretty, but hardly worth the journey.
'So, what are we looking at, again?' he asked, gazing around him. 'You didn't bring me here just for the view did you?'
He smiled at Crowley, who grinned back and patted the ground next to where he was sitting.
'Just come over here and wait. You'll see.'
Aziraphale sighed and folded himself up next to Crowley.
'Am I going to have to wait all night?' Aziraphale asked, after they'd sat in silence for a while, watching the light fade.
'Night only lasts for an hour here, at this time of year. Trust me, you won't want it to be over.'
Aziraphale raised his eyebrows. What a strange creature Crowley could be sometimes. He let the thought lurk at the back of his mind, not quite acknowledging it, that sometimes Crowley didn't act like a demon at all.
Crowley had made himself comfortable on the soft springy grass; lying back and flinging his arms out carelessly. Aziraphale thought that he looked like a white starfish, stranded far above the sealine. As he watched, the sky above them darkened leaving only a pale rim of light on the horizon.
'Just wait, Aziraphale,' Crowley whispered, a gleeful smile on his face.
Aziraphale gingerly lay back and folded his hands on his chest. Nothing happened. He waited, and still nothing. He turned to look at Crowley. The grass was nearly long enough to hide him from this angle, and all Aziraphale could see was a pale, straight nose and a curl of black hair. Crowley's hand shot out and his fingers gripped Aziraphale's chin, turning his face towards the sky.
'Look,' Crowley breathed, 'it's happening.'
A curtain of green and red rippled in the sky above him, as wide as the sky itself, and as tall as a mountain. Aziraphale's mouth fell open and he gasped in wonder.
'The colours.' He lay, breathless and unmoving and wide eyed at what was happening in the sky. 'What is it?' he breathed, his eyes following the fluid sheets of green and red that covered the sky above him in a never-ceasing display.
'I don't know,' Crowley whispered. 'It's beautiful, whatever it is.'
Something in his tone made Aziraphale drag his eyes away from the ribbons of light, and look over at Crowley. Crowley was staring back at him, his eyes suddenly too wide and too shiny. Sadness twisted inside him and it took Aziraphale a moment to be sure of his voice.
'You found it,' he said, after a pause. 'I've never seen anything like it, ever. Not even the exploding mountain you showed me.'
He smiled helplessly at the distant memory, and after a few moments Crowley smiled back. They'd never come across anything like that before, and had sat for days together on top of the mountain opposite, watching the sheets of glowing orange lava wind down to the valley bottom, the lava killing everything in its path. Crowley had singed his wings flying over it. Aziraphale had teased him about the smell of burnt feathers, and Crowley had wondered loudly about the miraculous escapes of thousands of tiny creatures.
It occurred to him that it had been Crowley who'd dragged him there too, not the other way round. They were always the best times, when Crowley was caught up with wonder at another thing that this world did. Aziraphale wondered if he'd ever have noticed on his own.
Crowley was gazing up at the sky again, eyes wide open to the glory in the heavens. Aziraphale thanked him, quietly, without words, and lay back to watch the shimmering colours chase each other across the sky.
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Date: 2003-06-19 01:15 pm (UTC)