Chapter Text
„Flowers would be nice. Chocolate. Something sweet. A pack of condoms maybe wouldn´t be subtle though.“
Anthony J. Crowley was a demon and like all demons his sense of tact was non existent.
„A pack of condoms, dear boy – are you...mad. They are , wait, who are you even talking about?“
Aziraphale was an angel and therefore somewhat clueless when it came to certain things. Like the fact that Crowley, now frozen with a plant in between his hands an a rather large box meant for moving was talking firstly to himself and secondly about Aziraphale and how on earth to bring his point across.
The point being that he for a demon was madly in love and it made his skin crawl a little bit because Aziraphale, well, he was Aziraphale.
“This fern.”
The angel blinked, setting his books aside and tried to think if he was being made fun of. He did have that feeling since the both of them had met and that had been six thousand years ago which says a lot or nothing of import at all when one dances around the fact. Not that angels or demons danced much (Crowley would never be caught by admitting that he found it kind of adoreable how much Aziraphale loved the Gavotte and how pissed he was when it went out of style.)
“You want to gift a fern with a pack of condoms?”
Demons also weren´t the brightest creatures when it came to keeping their emotions in check if they so much as had some which naturally was why it all was bound to become a disaster, more or less when those emotions finally surfaced. It was a sort of comedy mixed with a splash of drama when an angel was thrown in the mix.
“No, you bloody fool. I was trying my best to seduce the most stubborn and gullible creature in all creation and considering being bold. Bolder than usual.”
One might to go back three days and sixteen hours in time to make sense of all that
Three days and sixteen hours ago
“Moving Companies, that was on you wasn´t it Crowley?”
Crowley howled with laughter until he cried before he could even remotely muster the strength to shake his head and lean in to ruffle the blonde curls gracing the head of a rather grumpy looking angel (it was cute if Crowley would say it which he didn`t)
“For fuck´s sake I knew why I love you.” It´s a slip of tongue but it is the truth, they both know because Crowleys slitted eyes grow wide and narrow again behind his sunglasses and Aziraphales pale cherubic cheeks darken slightly while he tries to bring order back to his hair and giving up with a huff (there is that cuteness again but Crowley doesn´t admit it this time either. He will never do so openly anyways,just staring at hisangel lovingly, denying doing so also behind his sunglasses- which also was a tad stupid because everyone knew already that they loved each other , there was even a betting pool, founded my Mr.Shadwell and Newt as to when things finally would progress between the two of them)
The modest thing that starts all that will follow to happen between them is the ingenious idea of them finally living together anyway but the need for something that would fit them both. See, Aziraphale liked his books – not like but being obsessed with them and Crowley, well – he was Crowley which meant he did complain over them when he was tripping over a stack placed in a random corner of the bookshop again which would be followed by a slight tiff and that Aziraphale wasn´t a fan of him yelling at his plants.
It was more or less like they were married already despite not having put it into words or vows. As Crowley also would lovingly point out that was for the idiotic humans which in turn left them with the brilliant and only option. Buying a cottage and moving in together. At this time they were not only drunk and trying to pack and organize things that would go with them but they were also madly in love and trying not to say it .
It was dreadful for everyone involved. Shadwell needed money, Newt wanted to be spared from phonecalls in the middle of the Night by either Crowley or Azirpahle and Adam and the rest of Them really made it clear they should finally get on with it. “Right then, packing. We were packing, weren´t we.” Aziraphale says, trying to look anywhere but at Crowley which is rather pointless because they were sitting in Crowleys flat and hammered. There would be no packing done in the next hours if they didn´t sober up and really neither of them wanted that.
“We discussed this, didn´t we?”
Aziraphale tried for stern but rather just looked like a very grumpy koala denied of his favorite food which kind of made Crowley smirk.
“Oi, get a move on – some of us are human.”
Shadwell didn´t look cute when he was grumpy and Crowley was glad for the interruption because it also was a known fact that angels could be easily distracted.
“Oh, I beg your pardon. Now where were we.”
Sometimes too easily but that was something Crowley, like most of the things he was thinking kept wisely hidden.
“Discussing if we should pack that fucking ugly statue of a bird. Half burned ugly bugger it is, waste of time if you ask me, only good for throwing o your back out – if you´re human that is..”
Shadwell rambled on happily one of the other beings in the room that had no tact whatsoever.
Aziraphale who did know Crowley and his moods even when the demon wore his sunglasses nearly dropped the stack of books he was carrying in his hands once his gaze followed to where the old man was looking.
“You kept it.”
London, 1941 one week past the church incident
“But why do you want to keep that Mr. Crowley. It is...not worth anything and with a man of your tastes...”
Crowley was a demon , hence his understanding of patience was slim to none which would have sent any wise man running for the hills. Criminals selling stolen art in a war riddled city were not wise nor partially sensible to just shut their mouths.
“I just want it. Name your price.”
And so Crowley came in the possession of a half burned statue of a bird he couldn´t even touch because it was from a church..
London, present day
“Dunno what you´re talking about Angel.”
Angels may be slow in some regards but Aziraphale wasn´t really your average Angel and so he smiled, sighing happily for some reason and started to hum.
“Well then, my dear boy ...”
The merits of youth paired with impatience are many and wondrous and so Pepper just turned around, dropping a box of books on Adams feet which made him shout and Aziraphale glare before he even registered what was being shouted at them from the human child not really knowing boundaries as it seemed.
“Just kiss already, it´s not that hard is it?”
And who was Crowley of all people to deny the child a temptation. Aziraphale on the other hand, being an angel and more or less innocent when it came to certain things in life or earthly pleasures just gave a sound that made everyone titter – except for Shadwell who had lost his bet by almost a week and so couldn´t get his hands on the rather impressive betting pool.
After that, all thoughts of packing were really forgotten and in vain as it always happens to be the case when something fundamental happens. For the record, the winner of the betting pool was Newt but that is beside the point for anyone but Shadwell.
London, present day 3 hours 4 minutes and 53 seconds later
“That was...unexpected.”
It is the first thing Aziraphale can say once everybody else has left (Shadwell did so with much cursing to which the angel might have silently judged but ignored as good as was possible. He did have standards after all)
Crowley, since being a demon, didn´t have those standards and made the old bastard trip over his own feet on his way out. He did have it coming, for numerous reasons – not that he would tell Aziraphle at all which brought him back to his angel.
“Which part, angel?”
One was allowed to ask after all.
“All of it I guess. I just...why did you do it?”
Angels had to be more dense than Crowley might have thought but before he could voice his undoubtedly unfriendly words he stopped, sprawled against his desk only to look at a teary eyed Aziraphale. This wasn´t his day it seemed.
“Now wait a bloody second, you didn´t exactly stop me there and it wasn´t because of the damned child.”
And it also wasn´t whatAziraphale had been talking about. After sniffling for about a minute or two the blonde shook his unruly curls.
“I am terribly sorry, dear I wasn´t talking about the kiss, it was lovely if slightly surprising – I just – why did you keep that .”
What Aziraphale wanted to say while pointing at the statue was what it had been that Crowley hadn´t said and they both knew it. Perhaps, the demon on the other hand thought quietly to himself – it was time to get it out there -to nut up, set it straight. Do something
“A reminder to not fuck it up again – to protect what I ..well , you, since you cannot stay out of trouble you stupid git. Worked out well, didn´t it? Did a whole lot of good it did me. I felt my feet for an entire week.”
Aziraphale for the record (and Gabriels displeasure ) was the only angel in the whole lot of heaven to understand and translate things being said by a demon and also the terms that said demon would understand what he, an angel had to say to bring his point across. It made him think for a minute but after that brief period of time he did the only thing he thought would help Crowley finally to get it as the humans liked to say.
In other words - he slapped Crowley square across the face for putting himself down and not believing what everyone else around them seemed to have figured out already – in this century and the last. He would give himself a stern talking to later on but right now that wasn´t the most important thing so he focused on Crowley who seemed a bit disgruntled (Or pissed – take a pick there)
“Satan´s sake - The fuck was that for.”
The angel had the nerve to smile, cough and blink away a fresh wave of tears before speaking up again.
“Terribly sorry, dear boy – and it was sort of for being stupid. For not understanding that you didn´t do anything wrong, rather the opposite. I just.. How could you not know that I love you? That I have loved you for so much longer than I could put in words -well I didn´t really put it in words but I thought that it at least was clear on some level.”
He wiped his face again before freezing on his spot.
“Crowley , dear?”
Azirapahle was also the first angel to see a demon cry because crying also was an act of feeling - a thing that both sides also seemed impossible. However when it came to such things as feelings they were both a bit stupid if one were to be honest. Crowley cried just because of that and not because of regret for not acting on those feelings sooner. At least he told that to everybody else and himself. Nobody , including himself believed that.
It was one of those moments that left them both speechless until Crowley finally moved in close enough for another kiss but behaved. Something in the air around and between them had changed and Crowley made the decision for them both (which in turn made the angel blush a decent shade of red)
“Let´s get out of here.”
And with that they found themselves in a lovely little Cottage that was only half finished but they had all they needed.
“Come with me.”
It wasn´t the first time that Aziraphale gave in but this time around he knew what he wanted and what he wanted it for – he wanted it for himself and for the first time it didn´t make him feel bad.