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Crowley had always had an insanely sensitive sense of smell, something that had become immensely useful as Aziraphale's pregnancy progressed. He was able to detect the subtle notes in a scent that sent his mate rushing for a toilet or other receptacle to empty his stomach and ensure they were avoided. Crowley was also able to pick out, almost effortlessly, the items amongst their personal belongings that smelled most like them.
He was busy at the moment, taking great advantage of his talent, hidden away in what had once been the walk-in pantry of their shared flat. All of the dry goods, save for a few jars of Aziraphale's favourite spiced peaches that he had left on an easily accessible shelf, had been stacked away in an empty cupboard beneath the kitchen sink, in order to make space for two adult-sized etheral beings.
It was typically an omega's job, this. To prepare a space for birth and the first early weeks of life for fledglings, but Crowley had never really though himself one to subscribe to what was considered typical. Besides, his poor angel had been exhausted, what with this being his first pregnancy, and the curse blessing of having three little ones growing in his belly.
Crowley had changed out the light in the little room, trading in the dreadfully bright LED bulb for one that produced a dim, warm sort of light. If the nest were to be solely for him, or for a demon mate, it would be pitch dark. But angels were quite the opposite, preferring well-lit areas to birth and raise their young, so Crowley opted to compromise.
He wandered out of the pantry and into the living room, walking straight by Aziraphale, curled up and reading in the corner of the sofa.
"What are you up to?"Aziraphale asked, looking up from the pages to glance suspiciously at Crowley as he plucked the cushions from the rocking chair and held them to his nose.
"Hm? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, dear.Don't mind me." Crowley replied absently, abandoning the cushions and wandering instead to the bin where Aziraphale kept a stash of cozy blankets when not in use. He opened it and tugged out a fleece-lined, knitted number and held it to his face, inhaling deeply.
Aziraphale stared at him, eyebrows raised."Are you quite alright?"
"Fine. I'm fine."Crowley said with a vague wave of his hand in Aziraphale's direction.He hefted the heavy blanket into his arms and meandered out of the living room, muttering, "This will do nicely."
Curiosity piqued, Aziraphale placed a marker in his book and set it aside, pushing himself slowly and with some difficulty from his seat. It took a moment for the angel to find his balance, the great swell of his belly throwing him off. Once he felt steady enough, Aziraphale padded after Crowley, hand resting on the curve of his stomach, as it that would help to keep him balanced.
"Crowley? Where have you gotten to, you silly serpent?"
There was no answer.
"Crowley?" Aziraphale called out again, only to find spot his mate a moment later, coming out of the bedroom with his arms loaded with a stack of pillows from their bed, his nose buried in the topmost one. Annoyed that he was being ignored, Aziraphale toddled after him, down the hall and through the kitchen, where he watched him disappear into the pantry.
He approached the open door, and what he saw inside surprised him.
Crowley was sitting on the pantry floor, meticulously arranging the bed pillows amongst the fleece-knit throw, a couple of their more well-worn bath towels, and several articles of his own and Aziraphale's clothing, most of which had disappeared the week before and he had sworn he had no idea where they had gone.
For a moment, Aziraphale was confused, unable to comprehend what was going on. But then he recognized this organized mess for what it was: a nest.
Crowley, his alpha, was building him a nest.
As it was normally an omega's job, Aziraphale had not thought of it as a reason for his belongings to go missing.
"Darling..."Aziraphale said softly, coming closer until he was leaning in the doorway.
The demon's head whipped around, and a look of worry crossed his face."Stop! Get out, it's not finished yet!"
Aziraphale's expression softened, and a smile overtook his features. Though he knew he'd have trouble getting up again, he carefully sank to his knees and reached out to take Crowley's hand. "Is this what you've been up to? Building a lovely little nest for us?"
Crowley nodded."S'not finissshed," he protested again."Didn't want you to see before it was. Wanted it perfect."
The angel kissed the back of Crowley's hand delicately."It is," Aziraphale assured him."It's a perfect start. And you've done so much of the hard work yourself, you've no idea how grateful I am to have such a caring mate. One who knows how dreadfully tired I've been, so takes the initiative himself to make sure there is a safe place for our fledglings to be born..."
That brought a smile to Crowley's face."I know it's usually an omega job... I just wanted it to be ready." His yellow eyes went to Aziraphale's rounded belly, and he placed his free hand there, feeling his fledglings stir beneath his hand.
"And now it will be. We'll finish it together."Aziraphale pressed a soft kiss to Crowley's temple, and picked up one of the pillows his mate had brought in, and tucked it into a bare space, covering up the floor beneath.
"I think we need more lining...more pillows."Crowley said, eyeing all the exposed floorboards.
Aziraphale hummed in agreement."More blankets, too. Must keep it toasty warm after all."
Crowley kissed Aziraphale tenderly and got up."I got the gathering. You stay here and make it comfortable, yeah?"
The angel nodded and watched him leave before setting to the task of arranging the bedding just so. He had every intent of making sure that the cozy little room was just right, for he had a feeling he'd not be leaving any time soon.