Chapter Text
As always during this time, Theo was polishing the grandfather clock that watched over his clockwork studio. Gabriel closed his eyes, listening to the ticks of the clocks that covered every wall. This studio was a haven, shutting out the hustle and bustle of daytime London. A symphony of taps, heartbeats of the march of time. Gabriel liked to think of this place as the heart of the universe.
All clocks ticked together, except one.
Gabriel’s wristwatch ticked just a bit too fast.
“Well, Fairy Prince, I’m wondering whether you arrive at this time just to watch me polish this clock,” Theo teased. There was that familiar mischievous twinkle in his emerald eyes, that playful lilt in his voice. Gabriel smiled.
Gabriel simply found Theo inspiring. That was all. “We don’t have analogue ones like yours in our realm.” Gabriel liked to humour Theo by playing along. And that was true– all of Heaven had changed their clocks to state of the art digital ones that changed numbers automatically. Gabriel stepped behind the counter to Theo’s workbench, and unfastened his own watch. “I’ve got a watch for you to fix. I think it’s broken.”
“Broken?” And Theo cradled the silver watch so gently in his hands. “That’s a wee bit of a strong word, isn’t it? No, no. The clock simply needs to slow down. Take deep breaths, go on walks.”
“Jogging sound better.” Theo raised an eyebrow as he glanced up at him. “What! It’s more efficient!”
Gabriel watched as Theo placed his toolkit onto his workbench, filled with all sorts of watchmaking gizmos. He had a marvellous work ethic that was reflected in his clocks– efficient, yet high quality. All those complicated cogs that Theo took apart and rearranged with ease. And Theo was genuinely playful and sweet, with no irony. He had this way of making customers comfortable around him, especially Gabriel. Gabriel could learn a thing or two from him. If Theo could make time polishing that clock, Gabriel could make time for Armageddon.
Theo measured one of the cogs, tutted, and sourced a new one from the drawers on his workbench. “One of the cons of factory watches. Everything has to be delivered on schedule… and sometimes, issues get missed.”
Gabriel thought of Aziraphale. Maybe he could be more patient with the Principality, give him a visit tomorrow. That could be just what he needed to be encouraged to wrap things up here. Gabriel blinked as Theo touched him by his arm. He felt that nice tingly feeling again like all the other times when. Theo touched him. Theo then fastened Gabriel’s watch onto his wrist. As the watch ticked in time with the other clocks of the workshop, Gabriel closed his eyes, savouring the moment.
“Thank you, Theo. You’re an artist.”
“I’d think of myself as a musician,” Theo replied with a wink.
“Ah. Idioms.” Gabriel smiled and chuckled. “But… wouldn’t that mean the same thing?”
“Perhaps.” After polishing a pair of tweezers, Theo placed it in his toolkit and closed the lid. “I’ve also been meaning to ask you. How are things in the Faerie realm?”
Usually, it was frowned upon for angels to tell Heaven's confidential information to humans. Then again, that was mostly for the human’s safety– they tended to face horrific existential crises after realising that Heaven and Hell were real. Theo seemed fairly nonchalant about the whole thing, however. And Gabriel wasn’t technically talking about Heaven’s affairs if he was talking about the Fae Otherworld instead.
“One of my charges. He’s a porn dealer.” Five exact taps passed before Gabriel cleared his throat. “Anyway, he’s got to move departments. He’s attached to his current position, and stubborn, so he’s gonna need a lot of convincing.” Already Gabriel was feeling a headache, and he rubbed his temple. “I’ve got too many people I’m in charge of. And I’ve got to convince every one of them to move.”
“You’ve got time, surely-” Theo halted when Gabriel barked out a laugh. “You… don’t?”
No. And Theo didn’t, either. Theo was a good man. Hell’s demons could scour over his life, over and over, and they wouldn’t find anything incriminating. Plus, the extra good humans could get an afterlife tailored to their beliefs. Considering how Theo believed in Fae, Gabriel was sure there was a province in Heaven that would fit Theo’s beliefs perfectly.
But Theo didn’t belong in Heaven, a little voice in his head told him. He belonged here, guarding and building his clocks.
Gabriel shook his head. “Nevermind.”
“Is something on your mind? I’m a good listener, you know.”
Gabriel shook his head. “No.”
“Would you like to talk about it next time we meet?”
Would there be a next time? Gabriel realised with horror that this was the last time he would be at Theo’s workshop. By the next week, all humans would be in either Heaven or Hell, and who knew how much their relationship would change by then. Gabriel couldn’t bear to tell Theo. “I’m moving away next week.”
“I see.” Theo’s sadness made Gabriel’s heart ache.
Nearly 15 minutes had passed since Gabriel had stepped into the shop. That was the time allotted, strictly, every week. And there was no time to waste, especially with Armageddon so near. “I gotta go. I can’t believe it’s my last time here.”
“Maybe we can meet up later this week. To say goodbye before you go? And then you can tell me more about your worries.”
“A meeting? Just you and me?”
“Yes, if you like.”
“I can figure it out. What time do you want to meet?”
“How about this Saturda-”
“SATURDAY?!” Armageddon would’ve begun!
“That’s okay, that’s okay. We’ll just… find another time.”
Gabriel nodded. “What about Friday?”
“Friday sounds perfect.”
Gabriel’s shoulders slumped. “Alright then,” he said. “See you then.”
Their time together was always too short. After Gabriel left the shop, he slumped against the door.
Friday.
He should try to carve out some time for Friday.