Not Exactly a Marriage Proposal

Ellie was just about to head back to her apartment when she remembered the absolutely brilliant rest she had gotten the night before. She whipped out her phone and sent off a message, even as her feet took her in the direction of Central Park.

**From Ellie to Aziraphale: Hope you're ok for company, because I'm on my way over. : ) **

Not surprised to be getting a text message at this early hour of the morning (Ellie had been chatting with him around this time for about a week now so he was used to it) Aziraphale marked the page in his book and answered the message.

From Aziraphale to Ellie: I'm always one for company. Would you like for me to put the kettle on for some tea or cocoa?

Ellie smiled when she received the response and typed out her reply, her feet automatically taking her in the right direction without needing to think. Mid-week, there were only the hard-core party folk around at this time of morning, meaning that for New York it was relatively peaceful.

From Ellie to Aziraphale: That would be lovely! See you soon.

Reading the text message, Azi grinned and hoped up to go start the water. He hoped it would be ready by the time Ellie got home.

It took ten minutes on foot for Ellie to get to Aziraphale and Crowley's place, even with a little cheating, but she didn't feel like flying today. She let herself into the apartment and at least this time it wasn't dark like it had been last night.

"Hellooo?" she called softly, knowing that there were two who would definitely be sleeping at this time of morning. She wandered towards the kitchen.

Azi was just finishing up the drinks when he heard the quiet call coming from the front door hallway way. Just as quietly, Azi called back from the kitchen. "In here darling."

Ellie poked her head around the kitchen door and smiled when she saw Aziraphale and the steaming mugs of drink. She could /smell/ the cocoa. She entered the kitchen and slid into one of the bar stools at the kitchen bench. She desperately wanted a shower, but it could wait until after she'd had her drink. "Thank you," she said quietly, eyeing up the mugs and reaching for one. "This is just what I need."

"Long night?" Sliding into a stool next to her, Azi set both of there drinks in front of them and took a sip.

She wrapped her hands around the mug and raised it to her nose, breathing it in. "It's always a long night," she said before taking a sip, then a longer drink. "I may not be brilliant at what I do, but I have good work ethic, which is why I'm allowed to stay up here as much as I want I think." She shut herself up by drinking some more. Still wound up from the night, this drink and then a shower to relax, then... maybe...

"Despite the fact that I really shouldn't approve of you tempting humans to sin, I'm happy that your work allows you to stay here. It would be a shame if I couldn't see you as often as I do now." Azi took a deep drink from his hot cocoa and enjoyed the warm feeling that it brought.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Didn't mean to talk about work. How was your night?" She was quickly getting to the end of her cocoa.

He took another grateful sip. "Pretty quiet until you showed up. Not that I'm complaining..."

"Quiet is nice," she agreed, placing the empty mug down. She wanted to hug the angel, but not without showering. She was a very fastidious person, and it seemed somehow wrong to be cuddling up to the angel without first washing the feel of her work off. "Can I... clean up somewhere?"

"Sure! There's a bathroom right down the hall and towels in the linen closet if you mean to take a shower. Will you be needing something else to change into so that you won't have to wear your work clothes for the rest of the night?" The angel finished off his drink as he waited for her answer.

Ellie stood and smiled at him. "Thank you. I can just wish something into existence. Wouldn't be the first time," she told him, placing a grateful hand on his shoulder before making her way towards the exit and the hallway.

Azi smiled and watched Ellie scurry to the bathroom before getting up and washing their empty mugs. If he gets trapped under a snuggly demon again tonight he doubts he'll be able to wash these later.

Feeling much cleaner and dressed in some comfortable blue track pants and a baggy black t-shirt, Ellie came back down the hall on silent, bare feet. She ran her hands through her hair and as her fingers passed through, the strands dried. She wondered where the angel would be now... did she try the kitchen, lounge?

Aziraphale, currently reading in his own room, heard Ellie leaving the bathroom and got up to go greet the demon. Considering she was only in the hallway, it didn't take long for him to find her. "Hello dear, feeling better?"

One last pass of her fingers through her hair and the whole silky mass was dry. She smiled shyly at Aziraphale and walked towards him, hoping for a hug. "Much, thank you. I'm a creature of habit and I just can't relax properly until I've had a steaming hot shower." And now angel hugs, she thought, pausing just short of him.

Taking the shy, oddly close approaching demons hint, Azi slipped his arms around Ellie and stole a hug. "So... what would you like to do now that your cleaned up. Watch a movie? Read a book? Have a little quiet time to yourself?"

Ellie wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "What were /you/ doing before I arrived? I don't want to interrupt, and if you don't mind company with whatever it was..." she trailed off.

"I was reading, as per usual." Azi pulled away from her just enough so that he could look at Ellie but not have to let her go. "But I'd be happy to do something else if it means having your company."

"You can keep reading," she insisted. "I won't disturb you, I'll be a quiet little lump at your side. I may snore a bit, though." She grinned at him.

"You sure? I'm can always read later if you'd prefer to do something else?" He had read pretty much every book in the apartment before anyway.

One of her hands, as if of its own accord, travelled up into his hair (so different from her own). "It would be restful. I need something quiet, but I didn't come here to be alone..." She smiled hopefully at him.

Aziraphale smiled softly and kissed her forehead. "Alright darling. My room, or would you rather us fall asleep on the couch again?"

Ellie's grin turned a little cheeky now. "How can I pass up the opportunity to get you in bed again?" She winked at him.

"To love and snuggle you? Oh of course." Aziraphale stole another hug. "Would you like anything else before we settle down?"

Ellie shook her head and threaded her fingers with his. She had everything she needed.

"Alright dear." Giving her hand a squeeze the angel lead them back to his room for some harmless reading and snuggle time.

This time Ellie was a little more prepared to not go back to her apartment. She'd stashed an overnight bag nearby and slung it over her shoulder as she sent off a text message (it seemed rude still not to warn Aziraphale that she was on her way, especially at five in the morning).

From Ellie to Aziraphale: Guess who's on her way over...

Aziraphale was in the middle of a rather large puzzle project (over 5000 pieces and with no picture of what it would be once done) when the text came in and made him smile.

From Aziraphale to Ellie: Hopefully yourself or else I might become a little concerned....

Abandoning his puzzle, as he got up to go put the kettle on.

Ellie grinned at the response but didn't feel it warranted a reply. With a spring in her step, she made her way towards Central Park again, her own apartment being sadly neglected recently.

Once there, she let herself in with her key and checked Aziraphale's room first this time.

Aziraphale, whom had been in the kitchen at the time when he heard Ellie come in, picked up both of the mugs and snuck down the hallway towards his room to surprise her. He found her, as he expected he would, looking for him in his room. "Welcome home dear! Cocoa?"

Ellie did /not/ jump, at least not outwardly, and she turned to grin at the angel. "Hmmm, you know me so well," she said, reaching for the cocoa eagerly. She'd dropped her bag outside his room, ready to grab when she went for her shower, but a hot chocolate ready and waiting for her... she couldn't say no!

Aziraphale noted the bag and smiled, sipping his own cocoa. "Came prepared this morning did we?"

Ellie took a long drink before answering. "Decided I'd better bring a change of clothes rather than just creating them." She could definitely get used to this, but she wondered if she was imposing too much. Aziraphale hadn't /said/ anything, but then he wouldn't, would he? She took another sip. "I know I've been coming here a lot, so please let me know if it's too much..."

Hr shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're always welcome here darling. In fact of it would make things easier you could always leave a few spare things here for whenever you plan to stay over. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind and we definitely have the space."

Her smile turned shy again. "I'll think about it." It was one thing to come over and spend time here, she was still a little unsure about having a key but she was getting used to it, but leaving /things/ here... that was just one step from moving in.

"Please do." Aziraphale smiled reassuringly and took another sip. It would be nice if Ellie actually spent enough time here for that sort of arrangement. Maybe if she came here often enough he could talk to Crowley about setting up one of the spare rooms for her...

Ellie finished her cocoa in silence, enjoying the closeness and soaking in the calm. When she was done she handed the mug over, gave Aziraphale's arm a squeeze, and left to go have a shower.

Taking the empty mug and quickly finishing off his own, Azi went to go clean them in the kitchen and then wait for Ellie to get cleaned up by busying himself with his puzzle once more.

Feeling fresh and clean again, Ellie walked down the hall to Aziraphale's bedroom and peeked inside. He wasn't there, so she checked the kitchen (which was dark), finally finding him in the lounge. He was bent over something on the table. She watched him for a moment, concentrating on... oh, it was a puzzle, she realised as he placed a piece. Smiling, she approached and leaned down to place her chin on his shoulder, looking at the pieces on the table. She wrapped her arms around his chest. "Where's the picture you're making?"

Azi may have been a /little/ startled when Ellie snuck up on him, but he welcomed her hug and leaned into it. "It's a mystery puzzle. No picture."

"Oh!" she said, searching the pieces laid out haphazardly on the table and the ones already neatly assembled. She reached out one hand to pick up a piece and place it gently into the correct place. "Can I help?"

"Of course darling! I'd love to have your help, if you're not too tired from work that is." Azi scooted over so that Ellie could sit down next to him.

Ellie reluctantly pulled away from her position cuddling him. It wasn't like she could stay like that, she'd been crouched in an awkward position and her back would have been screaming after not so long. She slid into the seat Aziraphale offered and leaned into him, looking for the next piece to match.

Aziraphale slid one arm around Ellie (he needed the other to continue making the puzzle) and searched for another piece to add. "So how was your night dear? Anything interesting happened?"

Ellie picked up another piece and tried it, but it wasn't right so she put it back, just to pick up the one next to it, which /did/ fit. "The usual, trust me when I say you don't want details." She looked at the angel out of the corner of her eye and smiled at him.

Meeting her gaze Azi couldn't help but smile and chuckle at her meaning. "Well I thank you for that." Azi picked up a few pieces and started working on a little separate section to be added to the main body of the puzzle later. "Do you have any free days coming up soon? It feels like you only appear once the sun has set lately..."

Ellie laughed quietly and linked two pieces, though she couldn't spot just yet where those pieces fit in with the rest. "I'm sure I can work a rest day in somewhere. Why, what did you have in mind?"

Azi added a piece to Ellie's little section. "Nothing much, just thinking we could go out and do something together in the light of day rather than just have you sneak quietly into my bed every night... not that I'm complaining."

Aziraphale's piece added to hers helped her spot another and she connected it to the rest. There was something very satisfying about finding a piece that matched perfectly. "I would love to. I've only been working overtime recently to keep myself busy, really." Otherwise she'd spend all her time here pestering the others. "It's been good to tie up a few loose ends, but I /can/ stick around longer if you want me to.

"Fantastic darling! And you should know by now that I'll always want you to stick around longer." He tried to add a piece to his section again but the piece didn't seem to want to fit. Putting it down Azi tried another piece and didn't have any better luck. Frustrating.

Ellie leaned into him. "I think that's starting to get through my thick skull," she joked. She also had a few failed attempts at fitting pieces together before finding one that fit. She still had no idea what the actual picture was.

Tries another piece, another piece doesn't fit. This puzzle wasn't going to be done anytime soon. "...Maybe we should finish this in the morning before it keeps us up all night."

Ellie cocked her head at him. "You don't sleep anyway, and I don't /need/ to sleep, either." She slid an arm around his waist and grinned. "Though if you're /that/ keen to sleep with me, well, how can I say no?" She winked at him.

Azi chuckled and felt himself beginning to blush. "I just meant if you /wanted/ to sleep tonight it would probably be best if we go to bed sooner than later...."

Ellie smothered a giggle. "Oooo, Aziraphale, you /are/ keen to get me into bed. Am I having a bad influence on you?" She raised her other hand and stroked his jaw, grinning wickedly.

He blushed a little harder and attempted to focus on the puzzle. "Not any worse an influence than I'm used to getting... and can you really blame me for wanting to cuddle up with you?" Aziraphale looked at the section Ellie was working on and then at the section he was working, comparing them before attempting to add his section of the puzzle to hers. It fit.

Ellie ran her thumb over his blush and kissed his cheek. "You know I can't resist your charms," she teased a little more, ignoring the puzzle in favour of hugging the angel. Then, in a more sincere tone, "So shall we take this somewhere more comfortable?"

Smiling a little shyly, Azi put down a puzzle piece to free up both his hands to return the hug. "Comfortable sounds pretty good about now. Can I get you anything before we settle down?"

Ellie shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she said, a little embarrassed that he was always so thoughtful and offering to do things. And while she didn't /need/ sleep, she had been feeling much better this past week or so for getting some proper rest. She never had nightmares when she was with the angel, or at least not yet. "Bed?"

Azi nodded his head and helped Ellie to her feet. "Bed." Already dressed in his pajamas and ducky slippers, the angel lead Ellie back to his room for some rest, sparing the puzzle one last glance to be sure he hadn't left any pieces on the floor.

Ellie was happy to let herself be led, crawling under the covers without any fuss or shyness now that she was here. This was starting to feel like routine, and it was a routine she most definitely wasn't protesting. She had been thinking about something he'd said earlier. "I think... Perhaps I could leave some spare changes of clothes here, if that offer still stands?"

Azi was settling down next to her and carefully tucking the covers around them when Ellie spoke up. He smiled reassuringly. "It's fine with me darling, and I doubt the others would take any issue with it."

Ellie snuggled in close, smiling. It felt strange to be taking that step. Apart from Helene, she'd never shared a space with anyone. And while it wasn't like she was moving in, she was already spending more time here than at her own apartment, so at what point was she really 'living' here? "Crowley will no doubt have something teasing to say," she mused with a little snort.

"Crowley always has something teasing to say, but I'm sure you'll be able to come up a proper retort." Snuggling down on to his pillows, Azi slipped an arm around the demon cuddling next to him and began to idly play with her hair.

Ellie practically purred when he cuddled her and played with her hair. One of her hands had a fistful of his pyjama top and the other was wrapped around his stomach. For good measure she threw one leg over his, pinning him to the bed. Much better. She let her eyes drift shut, loving this. "I'm sure I will," she said sleepily. She hadn't been tired until they'd crawled into bed. It was like a pavlovian response: have bed, have angel, have hugs, will sleep.

Azi chuckled quietly to himself. Ellie may have claimed not to need rest, but as soon as they had settled themselves down beneath the covers sleep sure came quickly enough. Shifting around a bit to get comfortable now that he was trapped until Ellie felt like setting him free, Azi gave Ellie's forehead a kiss goodnight and continued to gently play with her hair. "Get some sleep darling."

Ellie sighed contentedly, just on the edge of sleep, and murmured, "Night." Then that was it, her whole body went slack and she slid into unconsciousness.

It had taken a bit of doing, but Ellie had finally managed to extract herself from the angel's (rather persistent) hug and get out of bed. She hadn't wanted to wake Aziraphale, but she'd wanted to get out before Crowley found them. He was bad enough without giving him more fodder for teasing her, she thought with a smile as she very, very quietly closed the bedroom door. Phase one, success. Phase tw--

Crowley, having picked up on her aura and scent as he'd come out of his room not long ago, had gotten dressed and then propped himself up against the wall opposite the angel's door. Then, in an uncharacteristic demonstration of patience, he had waited; waited until he'd felt the other demonic aura in the apartment move, then until said aura made its way to and out the door, ready to greet its owner with a cocky raised eyebrow and a grin that told her she'd be hearing about this for a long, long time.

"Well, well, well..." he said in a tone that didn't hide just how pleased he was with the new material he'd been so generously given, "looks like the lady doesn't need to /tell/ anything at all..."

Shit, she should have known, but she'd been keeping her own awareness and aura wrapped as tightly around herself as she could that she hadn't sensed Crowley just outside the bedroom door. Well, it was done now. Anyway, it wasn't like she had been caught actually /doing/ anything, because there wasn't anything to be caught /doing/.

Ellie shrugged and gave Crowley a lop-sided grin and spread her hands helpless gesture. "Well indeed. Out with it then, I can see you are burning to tease me, but..." She moved forward and grabbed the other demon's arm, dragging him down the hallway. "Away from there, he's still sleeping."

With a snigger, he allowed Ellie to lead him. "Tired him out, did you?"

/This/ was one opportunity he had the full intention of milking for all it was worth.

With a low laugh, Ellie let Crowley go once they were a safe distance from the sleeping angel. "I will not feed your prurience by answering that question, and you should know the angel better than that."

"Well, I /thought/ I did," he answered, not any less smugly, making his way towards the living room. "Six thousand years' worth of knowing, to be precise, and after a few months with you, he's doing things I never thought I'd see him do."

"At this rate," he said, timing his words carefully as he entered the room, "you'll be moving in before too long- oh."

He'd found the bag by the front door, and it hadn't taken long to figure out who it belonged to. Presently, it had found a home in the middle of the coffee table.

Ellie glared at the duffle bag on the coffee table. She had /not/ left it there. She turned her glare on the entirely too-smug demon next to her. "Six thousand years' worth of knowing, eh?" she said with a slight edge to her voice, waving at the duffle bag so that it disappeared back to the front door where she had definitely left it. "How often do you get to /know/ the angel, then?" She didn't like being caught off balance.

"I'm not the one that was sneaking out of the angel's room," Crowley answered, unfazed. He was hardly going to let her turn the tables when he had /this/ good material to work with.

"Or leaving my clothes lying around the apartment before doing so."

Ellie threw herself down into an armchair and draped one leg over an armrest. "Hardly leaving my clothes lying around the apartment. They were in a tidy bag by the front door. And as you can see," she indicated her fully-clothed self, "they were a second set of clothes." She sighed. "It was easier to bring some with me if I knew I was likely to stay for a bit."

"Uh-huh," he answered slightly disbelievingly, but holding back any more snappy remarks. "You know, if you wanted to move in, all you had to do was ask." His tone had switched from teasing to jestful. "You wouldn't even have to sleep with me for it, much as I know it's hard to resist."

To cover her sudden embarrassment at the offhand offer, especially coming on top of Aziraphale's suggestion that she just leave some clothes here, she rolled her eyes and snorted. "Awww, you take away half the fun, then. I was /so/ looking forward to it. Cuffs and coffee, remember?"

"Never said it wasn't an option," he said with a wink, taking his cue to lounge on the sofa. "We've got plenty of coffee, I can probably dig up a pair of cuffs from somewhere... It just wouldn't have to be a business deal, that's all."

Ellie's grin turned calculating now, and she held up a hand and a pair of handcuffs (not pink fluffy ones, but real functional looking ones, like they mean business) were suddenly dangling from one finger. "I'm not sure I should, really. Don't want to make the angel jealous by taking his plaything." She swung the cuffs in a lazy circle. "Tell me, does he share well?"

Holding his smile in place, he slipped off the sofa and moved in closer, sliding his fingers around the cuffs and then lifting them with a slow flex of his wrist. "You tell me," he purred. "I'm not the one who's been spending time in the bedroom with him."

Ellie smirked. "Oh, our time in the bedroom has been very... informative," she said, snagging at the cuffs with her little finger. He was going to assume the worst, she may as well play along. "He's certainly taught me a thing or two." Like how to trust someone with her wings, for one thing, but Crowley didn't need to know that.

Pulling the cuffs back towards him again, he pulled one open and began playing with the hinge.

"So much for the lady not telling," he said, leaning in to whisper into her ear. "Then again, I was always more for 'show' than 'tell'."

With a sudden flick of his own wrist, Crowley sent the cuff towards Ellie's.

With a little internal sigh, Ellie intercepted the cuff, and continued with the momentum of her hand to grab at Crowley's wrist. She followed through that motion with her shoulder in a move that her muscles shouldn't have remembered (this was many corporations removed from her original one) but which flowed through her as if it was just yesterday she'd used this same manoeuvre on Crowley, not six thousand and something years ago. Honestly, did he think she would let him cuff her? Had he really forgotten that what she loved doing was getting him on his back, preferably with a good thud? She grinned as she finished the move that should achieve just that result.

"You were saying?"

The landing was sudden and not exactly painless, but brought back a few fond memories at the same time.

He let out a pained chuckle. Six thousand years, and he still didn't stand a chance against her in a straight-up fight. 'Course, straight-up fights weren't exactly his style anyway, and he still had a fair few tricks up his sleeve...

His train of thought was interupted by a somewhat baffled (and sleepy-sounding) angel.

"Oh, you know, the usual," he answered with a groan and a smirk, "Ellie /did/ always love getting me on my back."

His eyes shifted back to the other demon, although he didn't bother trying to move just yet.

"Although if you like it this rough, now might be a good time to talk safewords."

Ellie grinned at the demon on the floor and let him go, stepping back. "Your safe word is 'oh-Aziraphale-yes', because trust me if you call that out I will stop whatever I am doing." She turned to the angel and noted his rumpled appearance with a soft smile. The way he looked right now she just wanted to bundle him straight back to bed and cuddle the living daylights out of him. "Good morning sleepy," she said, walking towards him. "I didn't want to wake you."

"Y-You didn't. I... should I give you two a moment?" Aziraphale felt confused and incredibly embarrassed by whatever little game the demons seemed to be playing. If they were "busy" he had at least hoped that they would remember there are innocent cars-now-turned-humans about and take these sort of activities elsewhere.

"Choosing from your own repertoire?" he asked, propping himself up on one elbow and returning the grin, "Hadn't realised you were that self-centred."

With a stretch, he was back on his feet and facing the angel, albeit also lazily sauntering towards the kitchen.

"Much as I'm sure Ellie would love it if you joined in, I'm gonna have to pass either way. Coffee calls. Any other takers?"

Ellie rolled her eyes at Crowley's words and smiled at the angel. "Don't listen to a word he says, he's full of it. Not sure of what, but whatever it is, he's up to his yellow eyeballs." She shook her head at Crowley, indicating that she didn't need anything. She approached the angel cautiously, a little shyly still, and placed a hand on his arm.

"I'll take some tea dear if it wouldn't be too much of a bother." For his own sanity Azi decided to ignore whatever strange activity he has just interrupt and let the subject drop. At Ellie's shy approach, the angel took her hand into his a smiled warmly at his bed mate. "I had feared you left earlier this morning."

Waving the kettle on and wishing a couple of mugs onto the counter, Crowley leaned on the closed kitchen door and pressed his ear against it.

He'd be getting a kick out of teasing Ellie for a good while now, and he knew the angel well enough to know exactly what the chances of anything actually /happening/ were, but a small part of him did have to wonder...

Ellie was relieved when Aziraphale took her hand and she leaned into him. "I wouldn't do that without saying goodbye," she assured him. "Not to you." It was pretty much her modus operandi when working to sneak out without a goodbye, but she would never be so rude to the angel.

Azi pulled her closer for a proper snuggle. "I would hope not. You just come in, use me for your cuddly ways, and then leave without so much as a far thee well? What would the others think of us?" The angel smiled teasingly to show he was only joking.

Ellie wrapped her arms around Aziraphale and smiled. "I know what /Crowley/ thinks is going on," she said quietly, amusement obvious in her tone.

Azi mock gasps. "Oh dear, he knows about our late nights spent in each other arms? How troublesome."

Ellie grinned and raised her voice a little. "Yes, and how I've been sneaking in and tempting you to sleep with me. I have to say, Aziraphale, you're better in bed than I originally gave you credit for..."

"Aw, you take all the fun out of it..." Crowley feigned disappointment as he returned from the kitchen holding two steaming mugs. In all honesty, when the angel was involved he didn't know what else he'd expected. Although there may nonetheless have been a small seed of doubt that continued to linger at the back of his head.

"Oh Crowley dear, I was wondering what was taking so long. What could have possibly kept you?" Azi fought the grin that was tugging at his lips and tried to will his face into one of pure innocence.

"These drinks didn't make themselves, you know," he snarked, passing the angel his tea before stretching himself across the sofa and lounging. Technically, they had, but he was hardly going to admit that to the angel after the latter had just implied he'd had other reasons for being in the kitchen (he /had/, but that was beside the point).

Ellie had somewhat let go of Aziraphale when Crowley returned (if nothing else, the angel would need at least one free hand for his hot drink), but she stayed close. "I bet they /did/," she muttered, meaning the drinks. She eyed up the demon on the couch. Everything he did was calculated to look suave and the contrast between him and the angel was even more pronounced with Aziraphale looking so delightfully sleep-ruffled. "Though I have to say I could easily spend all day and night in bed with Aziraphale," she said with a small smirk.

"I wouldn't mind that all too much. But I would hope we could at least get a change of scenery once in awhile." Azi chuckled and sipped his tea gratefully, silently praising Crowley for remembering just how he likes his drinks.

Crowley sniggered as the angel unknowingly made things much more amusing for him, but decided hold back on any comments that would end in the angelic equivalent of a bluescreen. For now, at least.

"Well, Ellie /was/ just saying that Sloth isn't really her field. I'm sure you'd be getting plenty of... exercise."

Ellie slid her hand through Aziraphale's arm and grinned at Crowley, giving him a saucy wink. "Yes, getting up regularly to get hot chocolates and other snacks. True. Though you," she pointed at Crowley, "are getting plenty of exercise jumping to conclusions."

"Can't help it. Winding you up beats Sloth any day," he returned her wink with a smug look on his face and took a sip of his coffee.

Sipping his tea Azi seated himself down in one of the arm chairs and watched his two favorite demons bicker.

Ellie sat herself down on the armrest of the chair Aziraphale had chosen, careful not to jostle him. She placed one arm across the backrest and echoed Crowley's relaxed pose. "Wind away. If it gets too much I can just drag Aziraphale back to his lair and have my wicked way with him." She tapped her fingers on the angel's shoulder, hoping the joking wasn't too much for him.

Crowley sniggered, taking another long sip of coffee. "I'm sure there's room here for another lair somewhere. The angel did say he wanted a change of scenery every now and then."

"We /do/ have some lovely views of the park from a few of our guest rooms...." Azi's free hand found Ellie's again as he mused over possible setting up her "lair" in one of those rooms.

Ellie looked from one to the other, wondering if they were suggesting what she thought they were, but not wanting to jump to conclusions. She'd only just agreed to /think/ about leaving some clothes here. She threaded her fingers with Aziraphale's and let them have their discussion, not quite wanting to say anything just yet.

"Quick roof access, too." His eyebrow raised and his eyes turned to Ellie as he waited for a reaction.

It hadn't been the first time the thought had occured to him. The flat could've comfortably fit a football team (maybe two depending on how flexible the players were), let alone one extra person; she already had a key, and she'd taken to spending plenty of time here as it was. Making it official didn't feel like much of a stretch.

"Sleeping with existing residents is entirely optional," he added teasingly.

There was something to be said about having as many of the people he was close to under one safe roof.

"But highly recommend considering said residents have quite enjoyed having you sneak into their bed most nights and other, more prideful residents would probably love having someone snuggling up to them even though they may try to deny it until their last breath and then some." Azi gave Crowley a pointed look.

"Not everyone's as clingy as you, you know," Crowley snapped, but without much bite to it.

"Did... Are you..." Ellie closed her mouth and looked down at Aziraphale then back at Crowley. Her voice became quiet and hesitant. "I don't mind visiting... You don't have to... I mean, you shouldn't feel obliged... I don't expect..." Apparently full sentences were a little beyond her when, from what she could tell, they were offering to set up one of the spare rooms for her on a more permanent basis.

Azi stuck his tongue out at the lying old Serpent and turned his attention to the adorable stuttering demon besides him. "We're not doing anything because we feel we have to.We're doing it because we would like to have you trapped in our clutches on a more permanent basis."

Wishing the cuffs they'd been passing back-and-forth earlier into his hand, he sent her another wink. "How much actual trapping is involved is entirely up to you."

If Ellie hadn't been so completely flabbergasted by the offer she probably could have come up with a suitable comeback, but as it was she still had to swallow a few times before she could speak. "I'll... I'll think about it. I will." Her first thoughts were happy, because where else did she really feel more at home than right here? But it was also scary how quickly she'd become attached and she was still clinging to her independence because it was familiar and this was not. She loosened her grip on Aziraphale's hand as she realised she'd been crushing his fingers.

Azi hadn't exactly been bothered by having his hand slowly crushed by a nervous demon who had suddenly had an unexpected offer dumped on her, but he was grateful that he wouldn't have to mend the bones in his hand later now that Ellie was loosening her grip. "Take your time darling, the offer doesn't have I time limit."

He glanced over at Crowley and his handcuffs. "Dear.... why do you have those?"

The look on Ellie's face made the smile fade on Crowley's. It had seemed like a pretty straight-forward idea to him. No stings attached, nobody stopping her from leaving or staying at her apartment if she felt like it. She'd already been perfectly comfortable spending the night here (maybe even more than once) - was something else wrong? Was something keeping her from doing it? In spite of himself, he felt something inside him twist as the thought that maybe she just didn't trust him enough slithered into his mind.

Ignoring the angel's question and setting the cuffs on the floor, Crowley sat himself upright and pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

"It's not exactly a marriage proposal," he told her, holding back any hint of his actual concerns and putting on a reassuring voice (although part of him did remember not long ago she'd have been squeezing his hand for comfort). "Come and go whenever you feel like, stay as long as you want. Figured since you were spending plenty of time here already we might as well make it official."

Ellie wondered if she'd said something to upset Crowley and bit her lip, sliding her hand out of Aziraphale's and sitting up straighter herself. The smirk had completely gone from the other demon's face and he'd passed up the opportunity to make further remarks about the handcuffs - something wasn't right. What had she said? She'd think about it? Crowley was right, though. It wasn't a marriage proposal, and things wouldn't really be changing all that much. She could still keep her apartment (and she'd have to anyway otherwise Hell would wonder where she was staying)... "Ok," she said, standing. "I... yes. I'd like that. Would... Bentley be ok with having me around?" She fidgeted a little on her feet.

Azi just wanted to pull the shy demon down into a hug and snuggle her until the end of time, but they were having a semi serious conversation and there would be time for that later. Beside, it looked like Crowley was going to be the one needing the hugs first. "We'll talk to her darling. Don't worry about a thing."

The corners of Crowley's mouth quirked up slightly, and he held back a sigh of relief as Ellie seemed to have a change of heart.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" he quipped. But why had she hesitated in the first place?

"Are... you alright?" he asked after a moment, letting concern slip through into his voice; he /was/ worried about her, after all, but he'd also seen the look on their faces - better to let them assume that had been the sole reason for his mood swing than having to go into questions neither him, nor his Pride wanted to deal with.

Ellie nodded and told herself to relax. What was the worst that could happen? The worst-case scenario immediately ran through her mind: she could turn out to be absolutely impossible to live with and risk losing her oldest friend. Yeah, good one Ellie.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "I just... I've never lived with others before." She gave Crowley a wry smile. "I'm usually a hit-and-run kinda gal." It was all very new and fast and she had no idea what the steps were. "Um... is there anything I need to know? Other than don't give out the address and don't bring my work home?"

"Besides that? I can't seem to think of any other major rules we may have here." Azi turned and addressed Crowley. "Can /you/ think of anything else my dear?"

Crowley raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't say anything. It was easy to forget sometimes that not everyone else of their stock had gotten as acclimatised to life on Earth as him and the angel had.

"I'll let you know if I do," he answered, slightly more at ease, "in the meantime... it's about time you had a proper tour of the place, don't you think?"

Ellie snorted. "You mean this place actually has finite dimensions? I sort of got the impression you'd played fast and loose with physics and made it like the TARDIS. I've been afraid to stray beyond the three or four rooms I know about." She looked down at Aziraphale then back at Crowley. If she could make this work, she could see herself being really quite content.

Crowley's smile widened. It wasn't quite the impressed "it's bigger on the inside" that he'd been waiting for, but he'd take it.

"We're still working out a couple of time travel hiccups," he answered, leaving how much of what he was saying was true up to her imagination. "I think we've got half a Greek temple lying around one of the back rooms."

With a stretch, he stood himself up. "Never said it was gonna be a /short/ tour..."

Azi looked at the old Serpent oddly. "Half a Greek temple? Dear, I'm afraid you must be horribly confused." He stood up and joined him. "We have half of a /Roman/ temple. The Greek one was finished some time ago."

Ellie rolled her eyes and joined the other two. "Just as well we're immortal. How many years' leave should I be taking for this tour, then?"

Sniggering, Crowley started slowly leading them towards the closest hallway "That depends. Did you want a full tour, or just the highlights?"

Ellie gave Aziraphale a worried look as Crowley took the lead. "Just the highlights, I think," she told the other demon. "I'll pass on seeing your kinky dungeon and so forth."

"Aw, I thought you said you /wanted/ to see the highlights..."

Azi leaned over and stage whispered to Ellie. "Don't worry darling, the only thing he keeps in the dungeon is his collection if plants that he feels need a bit of a 'Time out'"

Ellie hid her grin behind her hand. "Poor plants," she said in mock sympathy. "Do you offer them counselling for the things they see down there?"

"If you ask me, a few of them are getting a taste for it," he answered, not one to let himself be outdone. He slowed down, pushing a door open to reveal the spacious dining room beyond.

"Figured we could start off with something more... traditional."

"We don't usually have big fancy at home dinners, but now that our little family is expanding perhaps we can start putting this room to good use." Azi linked his arm with Ellie's. "I think we could handle making the dessert."

"I thought you were done trying to discorporate me," said Crowley.

Ellie laughed and squeezed Aziraphale's arm, grinning at the two of them. She poked her tongue out at Crowley and spoke to Aziraphale. "Though by the time we're done 'making' dessert, we won't want dinner," she said, thinking about all the ingredient sampling they'd done the last time. She looked at the dining room.

He sighed. "Then I suppose we'll have to show /some/ self control." Azi grinned at her slyly. "But not too much."

"I'd say 'get a room', but we're already working on that," Crowley grinned, already heading towards a different door.

There hadn't really been a need to do a tour when they'd moved in (the place was a whole lot smaller back then), and Bentley had just dashed off and done her own exploring before either of them had had the chance (not that he hadn't felt a bit of Pride every time he'd heard her giggling excitedly or seen her eyes light up at the sight of something new and interesting).

Actually getting a chance to show off the place, to Ellie of all people... that was a new (and oddly rewarding) experience.

Ellie grinned back at Aziraphale, though hers held a note of something else. She patted the angel's cheek then broke away from him to smirk at Crowley. "Who needs a room when one has an open invitation to the angel's bed any time?" she purred and walked past Crowley on her way to the door again. "Or would that be treading on your scaly toes, darling?"

"Only if you decide to move it to my bedroom afterwards," he answered, mirroring Ellie's earlier gesture and flicking a slim, forked tongue back at her.

He lead them back out into the corridor and passed another couple of doors before stopping in front of a third. "Do the honours, angel?"

"Of course! Thank you dear." Azi strolled past the two demons and put his hand on the door handle. "May I present...." Azi pushed the door open with a flourish. "The library."

Inside the room, hundreds upon hundreds of books could be seen. Shelves were stacked higher than the ceiling had any right to be. Well worn comfy arms chairs were at every corner. And maybe, /maybe/ if you had a telescope, you would be able to see where the walls of books and scrolls ended... maybe.

Ellie felt her jaw drop as she walked into this room. The dining room had been nice, certainly, and the whole apartment was covered in books, but this room was something else. She walked in and spun around slowly, trying to take it all in, craning her neck to try and see how high it went. "Wow..."

She threw herself down into one of the chairs and sighed in contentment. "This is... impressive." Her eyes continued to roam over the shelves.

"Thank you darling." Azi looked upon the library proudly. It had taken him pretty much since the dawn of time to build a collection such as this, but it had all been worth it just to have this much knowledge and creativity so close at hand. The ability to make a story had to be his favorite part about humanity. "I stop in whenever I'm in a bit of a reading mood."

"Which is to say he practically lives in here," Crowley whispered to Ellie, not making a particularly strong effort to avoid being heard.

"Well it /is/ our apartment, where else am I supposed to live?"

Ellie grinned, not having any trouble picturing it at all - Aziraphale sitting in this room, getting himself distracted somewhere in a far corner and not being seen for several days. "Well, I think it's a lovely space," she said to the angel. It also looked like there would be plenty of places for Ellie to go if she felt like she was getting under people's feet, which was good. She wondered if Crowley had a greenhouse room hidden somewhere in this apartment.

"Some of us prefer a bit more variety in our entertainment," he answered, already making his back way towards the door. Although he did remember more than one occasion when a few good books had saved him from Earth's most boring centuries. "Come on, before you two sink so deep in books I have to put off the rest of the tour for a couple of weeks."

"You could always get lost in the books with us my dear." Azi smiled pleasantly and followed Crowley to the next room.

"Maybe later," he answered, sounding like he was actually considering it.

Ellie trailed after the two of them, smiling. She took one look at the library before closing the door behind her. She would definitely have to come back here later. Curious as to what was next, she latched onto Crowley's arm.

Crowley smiled and gave her arm a light squeeze, his earlier worries all-but-forgotten as he led them towards a different door.

"On the other end of entertainment tech..." He paused for effect, then pushed the door open.

Beyond it awaited a TV screen large enough to rival those found in some small cinemas, a row of consoles and a computer underneath it, a set of surround speakers mounted onto the walls, an assortment of DVD cases filling a rare example of (mostly) book-free shelves, a few arcade games lined up against a wall, and one very, very comfortable-looking sofa.

"The media room."

In the same way that the library screamed 'Aziraphale', this room was definitely Crowley's doing. The screen was certainly impressive, as was the collection of films. She walked in and around the couch in a route that would let her see most of the room without craning her neck too much. The couch, when she got to the front of it, looked far too comfortable not to try out, and so she sprawled herself on it and sighed. "Between the library and this room I'm not sure I'll ever leave the place," she joked. "I might have to try Sloth after all." She looked up at the huge screen and could imagine sitting here watching movies with the others. It was definitely a pleasant thought.

"Yup. Still got it," he said to no one in particular, and, grinning, stretched himself onto the (rather sizeable) remaining space on the sofa. He was hardly going to spend time tracking down the comfiest sofa he could get his hands on and then not take advantage of it every time the opportunity presented itself.

Azi rolled his eyes at the two lounging demons. "Shall we bother continuing with the tour, or should I just leave you two here for awhile and go settle myself down back in the library?"

Ellie smiled at the angel and shifted a little bit. "I'm sure there's room enough on here for three?" she said, patting the space next to her that she'd just made. "Though perhaps continuing the tour might be a good idea before we get too ensconced."

"I suppose properly appreciating the media room can wait for a few minutes..." Crowley pulled himself up languidly, his Pride motivating him to do what his disposition did not. After all, there were still plenty of parts of the flat to impress Ellie with. "Where to next, angel?"

Azi considered their options for a moment. "Hmm... How about we take Ellie darling to see some of the spare rooms? That way she can decide which one she would like."

"I suppose there /was/ more to this tour than just an excuse to show you around..."

Slightly disappointed about being derailed, Crowley recognised that the angel nonetheless had a point.

"Alright, lead the way."

He'd just have to show her the rest of the place in between rooms.

Ellie looked between the two, wondering why Crowley seemed reluctant to show her rooms. Was he having second thoughts about offering her a place here? Quietly, she stood and walked over to Aziraphale. "/Some/ of the spare rooms?" she asked in a low voice. "Just how many spare rooms do you have in this place?"

He tried to do a mental count of the number of rooms not currently in use, but he was having trouble pinning down a number. "I'm.... I'm not entirely sure my dear. Perhaps we can count them as we go?"

"You lose track after the first dozen," Crowley grinned at her, although, in truth, the answer could have been anywhere from five to fifty.

Some parts of the flat had been a result of conscious effort. Others had just... happened. And now-and-again he'd stumble onto someplace neither him, nor the angel remembered wishing into existence.

Ellie raised both eyebrows. "Well, I see that you weren't joking then when you reckoned you had room for me. Sounds as though I have to be careful not to get swallowed up by the place and lost forever," she joked. She indicated for them to lead the way - she did, after all, have no idea where she was going.

"Don't worry darling, if you get lost we'll be sure to find you... eventually." Azi slipped his arm around Ellie's and lead the way to the spare rooms.

Sniggering, Crowley followed behind them and made a note to mention that she could just /make/ the place tell her how to get out. When he got tired of the look on her face, anyway.

Ellie gave Azi a mildly worried look. "That's... not so reassuring," she told him frankly, but let him lead her on anyway. Perhaps she should be leaving a trail of breadcrumbs or something...

Azi chuckled. "I was only teasing darling. We won't waste any time searching for you once you get lost."

Somehow Ellie managed to kick him without losing her own balance. Bastard.

"Ow! said Aziraphale.

"Might want to bring a good book with you, just in case," Crowley smirked. "Or, you know... a trilogy"

"Why would she need to bring a book with her? They're everywhere, said Aziraphale.

"Good point, said Crowley.

Ellie wished she could reach Crowley for a kick, and obviously the kick she'd delivered to Aziraphale hadn't done the job properly. "You're both as bad as each other."

Crowley sniggered again. "Hey, at least you can't starve. Last I checked, I don't think I had any fruit trees."

Azi blinked at the Serpent. "Are you sure about that dear? You do have a rather wide collection of plants scattered about the place."

"No apples?" she asked with a smile.

"Shhhh," he whispered to Aziraphale conspiratorially. "Don't want her to know there are edible plants around when the delirium kicks in."

Besides, his apple bonsai was hardly going to be filling stomachs any time soon.

Ellie grinned and rolled her eyes. She was 99% sure they were messing with her...

Azi nodded seriously to Crowley. "You're right dear. Sorry, didn't mean to ruin the plans." He stage whispered.

"Honestly, the urge to just grab you each by the head and knock them together hard is almost overwhelming. So how about we see a room before I give in to my more homicidal urges, yes?" Ellie asked sweetly.

"'Course, if you kill us, you'll just be stuck here forever," Crowley grinned, spotting a door he recognised as belonging to one of the spares he'd occasionally used as a secondary lounging area and motioning them towards it.

A larger-than-king-sized bed filled the middle of the room, white silk bedsheets peering out from under a green, similarly silky cover. A door on the right was also open, and led to what looked like a dressing room; by the large window that took up most of the far wall, an assortment of lush greenery seemed to stand to attention on either side of an old mahogany desk. On the walls, a number of framed photos spoke of sunnier places and quaint Mediterranean towns with charming canals and slanted rooftops.

Ellie looked around at the (rather nice) room, noting that with the pictures on the wall it already looked a lot more personalised and lived-in than her own room back at her own apartment, and no one even lived in this one! She smiled at the plants, and went to go explore the dressing room. "It's lovely, but then I didn't really expect anything else from you two," she called from the other room.

Azi smiled at the room, even though he didn't exactly remember seeing this one before. "Do you think this one is a possibility for you to move in to?"

Ellie came back into the main bedroom area. "I'm pretty sure that any room you give me will be a possibility for moving into," she told him with a shy smile. She didn't need a lot when it came to rooms, because she didn't spend a lot of time in them.

"This one's got a pretty good view of Central Park," Crowley told her, leaning against the headboard and taking in said view. In truth, the same could be said for /most/ of their rooms, but he thought this one managed it particularly well.

Ellie joined Crowley by the window and looked out. It did have a nice view, he was right. "You said /some/ rooms. Are the others any different? Because..." she waved at the bed, "that's pretty much all I need out of a room. And somewhere to put clothes." She indicated the dressing room, then looked back out of the window.

"A few are a tad different, but once you move in you can decorate it however you'd like." Azi looked around the room, imagining how Ellie might make it her own.

Ellie wandered over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Firm, but not too firm. Nice. She bounced a little and then lay flat on her back, legs danging off the end, and staring at the ceiling. "Well, if I'm happy enough with this one, do we need to show me any others?"

"Weeell, we don't /need/ to," Crowley said, pleased with Ellie's choice of room, but in a tone that made it clear that he had more to say on the topic. "But I'd hardly call four rooms a proper tour. Even /if/ we're only going through the highlights."

"He's right. How /ever/ are we supposed to get lost in this horrible maze of a place after seeing only four rooms?"

Ellie held her hands out to be helped up. "Well then, let's get on with it," she told them.

Grabbing hold of her hand to help her back up, he pulled her closer to him and put an arm over her shoulder, leading them towards the exit.

"Don't sound so disappointed," he whispered in her ear, "I'm sure you and the angel with get more than one chance to test out the bed properly later."

Ellie slid her arm around Crowley's waist and grinned at him, knowing full well what the other demon was implying and inclined to go along with it. "Oh, I most definitely look forward to that," she told him, then winked at Aziraphale.

Azi looked at the two demons curiously. "What are you two whispering about?"

Without putting much thought into it, Crowley wrapped his own arm around her shoulder, leading them towards the door. "Oh, you know, the usual," he answered, turning his head towards the angel.

Ellie smirked and snagged Aziraphale by the hand as they walked past, dragging him with them. "Come on, lover," she said with a teasing tone in her voice. "I need you with me to protect me from this demon who has me in his clutches.

Aziraphale couldn't stop himself from giggling. "Oh no need to worry about him darling. He tires to act scary but in reality he's a huge sweetheart with ticklish feet. Perfectly harmless.

"I could name a few corporations of yours that say otherwise," Crowley answered with a smug smirk, then, turning back to Ellie, put on a stage whisper. "And a few of mine that have a thing or two to say about just much of a bastard your knight-in-shining-halo can be when he sets his mind to it.

Aziraphale flashed Crowley a smile.

"All water under the bridge now, right?" she said to the two of them. She'd rather not have to pick bits of either of them out of the carpet, if it was all the same. Especially if elephants were involved.

"Nah, the one with the bridge was back around 217," Crowley quipped and led them through the hallway, "or was that the aqueduct?

Aziraphale wore a thoughtful expression. "I believe it was 217, but it was so long ago I could be mistaken.

Ellie shook her head at the two of them. They'd been friends for so long she felt a little like an outsider when they started talking about their history. She'd missed so much. But she was here now, and she'd do her best to make up for all that lost time. Also, she enjoyed their stories, especially the ones from before they'd come to their Arrangement. "You're both terrors," she said, but fondly.

"We do try," Crowley said with a snigger as they came up to a pair of glass doors, a warm glow pouring through from the other side.

"You've seen the more engaging parts of the house..."

With a snap of his fingers, the doors swung open, and light flooded through into the hallway.

The room was warm and inviting. Sunshine poured in through the skylight, as well as the two entirely glass-paned outer walls. Lush, vibrant green plants seemed to stand to attention along the sides of the room, a few comfortable-looking chairs beckoning from between them. The centre of the lounge, seemingly the most well-lit spot in the room (and second only to Crowley's bedroom as brightest spot in the entire house) was reserved for another large, deep sofa that would have rivalled most queen-sized beds in size. There was a bar at the back of the room, and a number of speakers were arranged discreetly along the walls in a way which didn't distract from the decor.

The sounds of Bohemian Rhapsody greeted them quietly in the background.

"...now for somewhere you can kick back and really put that Sloth to good use.

"As if the rest of the flat didn't provide enough opportunities for Sloth already...." Despite his disapproving tone, Azi plopped himself down on the much too large sofa and bask in the sunlight.

Ellie grinned at Aziraphale lounging on the sofa and looked around, giving Crowley's waist a slightly tighter hug, and breathed in deeply. It smelled so lovely in here with all those fresh plants, and it was so bright and warm... "Every room you show me is better than the last," she said in a hushed tone and smiled up at the other demon. "I'm going to be hard-pressed to pick a room to spend my spare time in.

With a deep breath, Crowley also took in the fresh air and the welcome feeling of sunlight on his skin. Giving Ellie's shoulder an affectionate squeeze, he pulled them both onto the sofa and let the pleasant warmth wash over him for a few moments.

"Good thing none of them are going anywhere, then," he said with a smile, stretching languidly.

Ellie squeaked as she was pulled down onto the sofa. It really was very, very comfortable. With a sigh she cuddled into Crowley's side, sharing her own warmth, and reached back with her toes until they connected with Aziraphale's leg, tucking them under where it was even warmer. "Right, now neither of you are allowed to move while I catch a few more hours' sleep," she joked, eyes slitted mostly shut as she looked around at the plants.

Aziraphale pouted at the adorably cuddly demon. "Can't I at least grab a book before you start using us for your own maleficent business?

With a yawn, Crowley wrapped his arm back around her, too warm and comfortable to get the tour back on track just yet. "Funny that. I was having the same thought myself," he turned towards Ellie lazily.

It was definitely the warmth in here, and that lovely golden sunlight, and the smell of plants, that was making her want to curl up and sleep. And Crowley's actions were just encouraging this as well. "Hmmm," she said in response to Aziraphale. "You can just summon one to you." She wished the angel would move closer. She tried hooking a foot over his leg to pull at his knee, but it wasn't very effective.

Aziraphale stared at the two cuddling demons. He was /not/ envious that they were snuggling while he was sitting by himself. Nope. Not him. Ellie and Crowley could cuddle whomever they wanted and it wasn't any of his business. He just thought it would be.... nice if he could snuggle too, that's all. Very slowly, Azi shifted a little closer to the two demons.

Smiling triumphantly when she felt Aziraphale move closer, Ellie let her eyes drift shut and she wriggled around (not very gracefully) until she was sprawled almost evenly across the two, her face mashed against Crowley's shoulder and her legs thrown across Aziraphale, pinning him in place. She wrapped one arm around the demon and her other hand sought out the angel's. Now, if only she could sleep like this /all/ the time. Though she'd probably have a crick in her neck if she did. She spoke a little sleepily, "Now we just need to add Bentley to the pile - preferably somewhere she can't easily claw me - and this would be perfect.

"She'll come around eventually," Crowley told her, sounding more sure of it than he felt. That was one puzzle he had a hunch was going to take a while to figure out.

Azi's hand found Ellie's as soon as she offered it and was happy to be included in the snuggle pile, even if he was acting mainly as a leg rest. "I'm sure Bentley would love to join in and cuddle." Maybe not cuddle /Ellie/ but most likely she would enjoy cuddling anyone else.

Ellie's fingers threaded with Aziraphale's and she was content. With a little yawn of her own she let herself relax and drift. The rest of the house could wait, she figured. It wasn't going anywhere, and this room was too warm to stay awake in.

Crowley yawned again and let his eyes drift shut, pulling Ellie just a little bit closer. It wasn't like there was anywhere they had to be in a hurry.

Aziraphale watched fondly as his two demons fell asleep together. He just wanted to scoop those two adorable terrors up in his arms and snuggle them to no end. But he wouldn't. He would let them both get some much not needed sleep and stick by them until they woke. He summoned a book to his hands. Odds were that he was in for a wait.