Chapter Text
1990s London
Crowley had always loved Pride events. Celebrating debauchery in its finest of forms under the word of one of the seven sins. Of course the idea that this kind of love could be wrong was a matter for debate. How could love be a sin? He’d been going to Pride parades in London for just over 20 years when he first saw the sign. “Not gay as in happy, but Queer as in Fuck You!”
Now he knew that had come from an American first. They had a way of being blunt and to the point and straight up angry in a way that Britains wouldn’t match in public unless it was about football. He wondered if it came from the same demon who’d been responsible for the first brick in Stonewall, not that he knew his name. The riots that came after and even inspired the first Pride here in London, all that anger and blatant sinning and hatred came after that one brick and only seemed to be getting louder.
Regardless of his opinions however, he had absolutely no clue why someone would choose strange over happy as a sign of protest, regardless of his fondness for the way it was phrased. It was in this moment he decided to find a way to pester Aziraphale.
Aziraphale had been intertwined in the various communities in Great Britain for a long time. Gay, Gay and Lesbian, Queer, LGBT. The discrimination placed against the people did naught but upset him. It took him a long while to recover once his favourite discreet gentleman’s club was shut down. Even longer once the communities moved from dancing the garrote to music such as disco. His bookstore even had a solid LGBT section hidden for those who knew to ask…. At least he believed that was the popular term for the community now. It was hard to keep track when the community was just now coming out of the closet as the kids say.
To clarify, the community had locally been celebrating Pride since 1972. And while that’s an entire generation worth of time to humans, to an Angel who has been on the world for almost six thousand years, it felt like quite a short time indeed. They’d always been there of course, but it had been in the way debauchery had always been there. Shoved into a corner if one could help it, and ignored within proper society. Finally, it felt as if the world was coming around to Aziraphale’s way of thinking. Love could no more be debauchery than walking down the street with a good friend. Unless, of course, your good friend was a demon who happened to be sauntering from the back of your bookshop.
“Oy! Angel! I need some help finding the difference between Gay and Queer!”
Aziraphale smiled apologetically at his other patrons, who looked towards the noise and then him, one lady scowling quite severely, before rushing to shush the demon, pushing him to the back of the store. If they didn’t find him odd before, they certainly did now. “Crowley, you can not go shouting such things! Especially not in my bookshop.”
“Oh don’t be like that, Angel. I just had a bit of a question. Saw a sign at the parade today.”
“Oh dear, that was today? I should have closed the shop. But oh well. What did the sign say?”
“Not Gay as in happy, but Queer as in fuck you. Seemed rather American but certainly my speed. But I should know what it means before taking on harassment and making a scene of myself.”
Aziraphale could only sigh. His heart was beating rather fast, not that he could quite understand why. His voice was low as he explained. Books (and his customers) had ears after all. “Gay is currently the standard phrasing used for people whom are homosexuals. Queer is… well it encompasses a bit more. A lot of the less respectable communities in particular seem to use it. Especially for those who have a complex relationship with gender.”
Crowley seems to contemplate it for a moment before smiling. “Well I guess that solves that then! I’m queer as the day is long! I love it!”
“Yes now could you keep it down! There are still people in the shop!”
“Nah. I had them leave as soon as I saw that lady scowling. Sent her to spread hate at the parade and the others to fight with her or against her depending on their leanings.”
Aziraphale wouldn’t even fault him for doing that. He simply despised the way that people would judge others. And while he didn’t like Crowley’s methods, he was simply doing his job. He turned away from him to start making his tea. “Well was that all? I’m not simply an encyclopedia on human knowledge, you know.”
“Just wanted you to know I’m Queerly yours, Angel.”
Aziraphale turned to gape at him but Crowley had already vanished.
“Well now. He could at least wait for me to rebuke him before vanishing. A demon belonging to an angel. We’d get in such trouble.” And still Aziraphale blushed. He'd be flustered for the rest of the week.