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Aziraphale turned to see the demon snagging two glasses from a nearby cupboard and holding a bottle of wine that he had gotten from somewhere. Aziraphale didn't quite have the heart to ask where once he saw the label.
He followed the demon out into the garden. The night was chill but not too cold for this time of year, and the evening was just beginning to settle into the soft indigo gloaming of a winter night.
There was a stone bench set underneath some trees and the two sat down and Crowley opened the bottle and poured them both a glass.
"Well, I would say that actually went over better than I could have expected," the demon said with a smile as he offered his glass to Aziraphale to clink.
The angel rolled his eyes slightly but touched their glasses together with a small musical chime. "Yes, luckily for you."
"Come on, angel," Crowley coaxed. "Warlock and his mother have a better relationship because of it, and the birds are free. I hope you're happy, because I'm certainly not going to be getting a commendation for this one."
Aziraphale shook his head before he took a sip and rolled the wine across his palate, enjoying the nuances of flavor as he leaned back against the bench, looking up at the first stars appearing in the sky.
And then above them, came the flapping of two pairs of wings; one small, and the other mostly silent. He and Crowley both looked up to see the snowy owl and the scarlet-headed blackbird perched in the tree above them, side by side, looking down at the angel and demon.
"Why, hello," Aziraphale called to them, and the owl cooed back, plumping his feathers happily.
"See?" Crowley turned to the angel with a smile. "Everything turned out all right in the end." He picked up the bottle again and topped off both their glasses before raising his again. "To a job well done?"
Aziraphale raised his too, glancing up at the two birds who seemed content to sit and rest with them. He smiled. "To a job well done."
Then the four creatures simply sat and enjoyed the night together, chatting about nothing in particular as the stars shone down on them from above.
~~~~~
"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always return."
-Leonardo Da Vinci
(This is a short excerpt from The Owl and the Blackbird by LadyWallace.)