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Crowley poked his head out from the door stared down the alley, headed darting between both possible entrances as he willed for his contact to show up. Of course, too much “will” would only generate an illusion of him and Crowley had to keep himself in control tonight. In truth, it wasn’t something he was used to. For Crowley, he was as well versed at being “in control” as he was in the practices of most- nearly 99.99%- religious faiths around the world. At most, he knew the basic of what he called the “don’t be a dick” law and the rest, he guessed, was a mix of chanting and bad- or lack of- alcohol.
The sound of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts as he saw a figure in a fine suit running towards him. Crowley checked his watch and waved the man over.
“Oi!” He snapped. “You like to cut it bloody close, don’t you?”
The figure attempted to catch his breath while straightening his tie. “I’m sorry, sir, I was-“
“Don’t give a damn, let me see it!”
The man held out a small parcel that Crowley all but snatched from him.
“You sure it’s alright?”
“Absolutely, sir. I made it myself.”
Crowley removed his sunglasses, getting a better look at the thing before shooting the man the same glace you might receive from a dog who knows your not “taking him to the park” because the shop for the park was 10 minutes ago and is going to leave you a very nasty present in your shoe when you least suspect it unless you turn the car around right now.
“If it’s not…” Crowley menacingly teased the threat above the man’s head before turning and heading back inside the building. He knew the man’s mind would do the rest of the work and he had more important matters. He went back inside, passing through the hustle and bustle before he saw the man in white waiting for him.
“That it?” He asked.
Crowley handed him the parcel.
“You know what to do.”
Xxxxxxxxx
Aziraphale finished his last bite of salmon, sighed, put his fork down and dabbed his lips with the napkin. “Exquisite,” he said.
“Nothing beats a bit of good fish, eh?” Crowley smiled, topping off both their glasses of Louis Roederer Cristal Brut.
“Indeed, my dear,” Aziraphale said. “I might be a bit biased after that evening in Bethsaida-“
“Oh, the mountain thing with the Messiah and fish and bread?” Crowley asked.
“Oh!” Aziraphale said. “No, after. He invited me to have dinner with his mother and stepfather. He was a phenomenal cook. Wanted to set up a sauté station for the masses, but someone in the crowd emphasized the lack of time and he resorted to the miracle route.
“Oh,” Crowley said, taking another deep drink and trying to keep his leg from shaking.
“Are you all right?” Aziraphale asked, glancing at the demon. “You seem…” The angel let out a small laugh. “Well, I’d say nervous, but I’ve only ever seen you nervous once.”
They hadn’t really talked about “the end of the world” since the day the world didn’t end. There wasn’t much to talk about. Both their respective “sides” now left them alone and their conversations normally stuck to new book releases that Aziraphale had read and Crowley hadn’t and movies Crowley had seen but Aziraphale hadn’t. The last time they’d gone to the cinema was for “Endgame,” and both Crowley and Aziraphale had left the building a sobbing mess… albeit for different reasons.
“Nervous, angel? Me?” Crowley shook his head. “Nah. Just…. Thinking about some things.”
“Like what, dear?” Aziraphale asked as their dinner dishes were cleared away.
“We’ve got a lot of time on our hands… gonna be a pain figuring out how to fill it.”
“Oh,” Aziraphale thought about this. “Well, you’ll think of something. You always do, after all. Weren’t you currently working on a project?”
“iPhone XII,” Crowley said. “I’m thinking of implementing wireless charging.”
Aziraphale started. “What about the chargers people have already purchased?”
“Have to get new ones,” Crowley smiled.
Aziraphale was about to start into a lengthy conversation about how Crowley might now consider putting his skills to uses other than generating consumer negativity towards major companies- he’d still not forgiven Crowley for giving Disney the idea of “straight-to-home-entertainment” sequels- when their waiter arrived.
“Dessert and coffee, gentlemen?” He asked.
“Oh,” Aziraphale smiled. “Quite nice of you, but I couldn’t eat another bite.”
Crowley choked on his Cristal Brut, pounding on his own chest to relieve himself. Aziraphale turned to him. “Dear, are you-“
“I’m fine,” Crowley coughed out. “I’m perfectly fine…. But come on, angel,” he patted Aziraphale on the shoulder. “Let’s hear what they’ve got.”
Aziraphale huffed. “Oh, you and your temptations!”
“What’s wrong with having some pudding, eh? You love sweets!”
“Yes, but I really am stuffed,” Aziraphale said. “I’d only have a few bites and the rest would go to waste.”
“I’ll share it with you,” Crowley insisted.
“You always say that. We share, I think it’s going to be something small and you order the largest thing on the menu-“
Had he been looking closer, Aziraphale would have noticed the “help me or he’s going to keep on like this for a good 10 minutes” look Crowley gave the waiter.
“We are offering a specialty tonight,” The waiter said, taking his cue. “Flourless chocolate cake. Slices aren’t too large if that’s any help.”
Aziraphale looked back at Crowley, who was giving him a “go on” look. He sighed. “Oh, all right. I’ll have tea as well.”
“Cappuccino,” Crowley added. “Extra shot.”
The waiter nodded and left the table.
“You really are awful,” Aziraphale said, looking to the demon.
“You like it,” Crowley smirked.
“To an extent,” Aziraphale retorted, but Crowley could tell he was holding back a smile.
“Come on, when have you ever been upset over dessert?” Crowley nudged him.
“There was that one time in Colorado-“
“I didn’t know what they put in those cakes,” Crowley said. This was only a half lie. He knew what was in those cakes was safe for consumption. ‘Safe,’ was a relative term. It didn’t do any lasting damage and apart from waking up stark naked in his snake form on the top of a traffic light with a pink and blue-stripped ribbon tied in a bow around his neck, he’d thought it all to be good fun.
A few minutes later, their coffee and tea arrived, followed by a waiter holding a small plate. He set it down before Aziraphale.
“Oh!” The angel said, looking down at it. “That’s a lot smaller than I’d have…” he paused. He looked down at the plate again. “Sir…” He looked closer. “I do believe there’s been a mistake. This isn’t a flourless chocolate cake…”
He looked closer at the plate. Not at overly fancy raspberry sauce or the tiny fruits cut into little flowers…. But the object right in the center. His heart stopped and his voice became so small, he doubted anyone could hear it.
“This is a little black box.”
He turned to look at Crowley. The demon was already down on one knee. The whole of the Ritz fell silent.
“Look,” Crowley said. “I could go on and on, make some sort of speech about how long we’ve been together, the insane shit we’ve done, how there’s absolutely no one like you on this whole bloody planet… but it would be a waste. You know all that. And… we’ve got more time ahead of us that most people ever will. I could go on and on angel, but the bottom line is this, I know I’ll never feel this way about anyone else. I love you, angel. Will you marry me?”
Aziraphale stared at Crowley, completely speechless. The demon smiled.
“If it helps, I asked daddy… mummy… well,” he shrugged. “I asked permission and got a ‘yes.’”
Aziraphale could feel the tears start. His lips trembled. His hands had instinctively picked up the napkin to dab at his tears, but they were shaking so much he dropped it on the floor, not even caring for once. “Oh… my dear…. Of course.”
The cheering sounded into the lobby of the Ritz as Crowley opened the box slipped the ring on the angel’s finger. Aziraphale stared at it. It was a carefully made little thing. A band of rose gold, crafted into a set of wings holding two stones. Aziraphale took them to be a ruby and a sapphire, but with Crowley, he could never be sure. He remembered seeing “Titanic” with him many years ago and Crowley mumbling something about how they “made the diamond bigger” for theatrical purposes.
Aziraphale smiled at the ring before holding his arms out to the demon, enfolding him within them before sharing a kiss. Neither of them noticed the applause and cheers of joy. It was only when their waiter brought out a bottle of celebratory champagne that the thought of “oh, yeah, let’s party” occurred to the demon. Crowley turned to the crowd.
“DRINKS ALL AROUND!” He cried out, earning a roar of joy from the crowd.
“AND FREE RIDES HOME TO PREVENT INJURIES!” Aziraphale chimed after. The roar of joy following wasn’t as loud as the promise of free alcohol but it was still acceptable by most standards. Crowley smiled, hugging his angel… his husband.
“My silly angel,” he chuckled.
“My foolish demon,” Aziraphale cooed back.