Aziraphale looks up at him, the look in his face something almost akin to surprise, but not entirely. Those days should have been done, should have been gone, miles and miles behind them, but such things tend to be part of one's nature, which makes them rather difficult to change.
He's made that promise, though. He's made the promise to at least try. It never did come from anywhere malicious. Just learned behaviors, often necessary, often out of fear, for survival in one way or another.
When he glances away, it's just nerves. He thought he was handling it well. He thought he'd put himself together enough and could just deal with it as time went. He thought...something. It hardly matters now.
He hesitates to answer, not knowing where to start. He does try, tries to find the words, the right thing to say, the honest thing to say. But he can't, right then. He can't, so he takes to wrapping his arms around Crowley again and lean into his chest, holding him tight.
oh lord that one hit me right in the heart
He's made that promise, though. He's made the promise to at least try. It never did come from anywhere malicious. Just learned behaviors, often necessary, often out of fear, for survival in one way or another.
When he glances away, it's just nerves. He thought he was handling it well. He thought he'd put himself together enough and could just deal with it as time went. He thought...something. It hardly matters now.
He hesitates to answer, not knowing where to start. He does try, tries to find the words, the right thing to say, the honest thing to say. But he can't, right then. He can't, so he takes to wrapping his arms around Crowley again and lean into his chest, holding him tight.