Work Text:
Aziraphale was lost.
Not physically, he knew where he was - he was at the corner shop just down the road.
He was… uncertain.
It wasn’t that his wine cellar was empty, far from it, but Crowley had made an offhanded comment about trying something new and adventurous, and the only thing that came to Aziraphales mind was Wine.
It had been a long time since they’d branched out. They tended to stick with the same blends, just rotate them as they needed to.
So picking a new one was… confusing. Frustrating. Weirdly anxiety inducing.
“Sir, you’ve been staring at the bottles for 30 minutes. Can I help?”
Aziraphale made a broke noise, looking to the bored shopkeeper with saddened eyes.
“What would you recommend?”
“White, red, or rose?”
“Oh!” Aziraphales shoulders dropped and he looked even more lost as his eyes scanned the shelves. “I don’t know…”
“Is it for a meal, a special occasion?”
“It’s to drink with a very dear friend of mine. They wanted to try something new and.. oh I’m so out of my depth.”
“Well…” the shopkeeper looked just as lost before they grinned, reaching past Aziraphale to pluck a bottle from the shelf. It was a little dusty, but not too expensive. “How about this one? It’s a red, more fruity than most but with a distinct heaviness.”
Aziraphale blinked.
“You’ve had it before?”
“No, but it was my parents favourite. They always said it was the best for a quiet night in.”
There was a slightly glassy look to the shopkeepers eyes, and Aziraphale slightly blessed them.
“That would be perfect, thank you.”
“Great, do you want a bag? They’re 5p”
“Oh, no thank you.” Aziraphale paid in cash, dropping the change into the charity pot by the till and wishing they shopkeeper a delightful evening.
If said shopkeeper happened to find a scratch card on the way home that was worth a few thousand, then they certainly did associate it with the weird man who took too long selecting wine.
-
“Really?”
Aziraphale smiled as he handed over a glass. “You wanted to try something new, if I recall.”
Crowley chuckled, sipping the wine and making a noise of interest. “Not bad.”