Work Text:
"You can't leave this bookshop." Crowley pointed out in utmost seriousness. His yellow eyes staring into Aziraphale's soul to see even the slightest change of heart. The angel stepped closer to Crowley, looking up to meet his gaze. The light from the windows bounced off Aziraphale's sapphire irises.
"Oh Crowley." He began to reply, a smile forming. "I can if it means protecting you."
The serpent demon's eyebrows furled in confusion. His lips parted as though being ready to speak, but no words came out. The angel continued.
"Even if I-we couldn't make enough of a difference to stop a second apocalypse, being an Archangel would at least let me be able to protect you by restoring your angelic status, just like the Metatron said. We've joked through the years about which side would win in the final battle, but Crowley, you and I both know God is more powerful than Satan. Hell will not win. Most if not all demons will be destroyed. If I made you an angel again, you wouldn't be in any danger. You've rescued me countless times. Now I have the opportunity to do the same for you. This bookshop is dear to me but I have no problem leaving it for heaven to protect what I love most, and that's you." Aziraphale placed his right palm over Crowleys heart just as he had at their visit to the pub a few days prior. His left hand lifted to the side of Crowley's face, resting on his cheek. The sentient snake tattoo underneath Crowley's sideburn slithered its head off Crow's skin and onto the angels index finger as if to beg him not to leave in unison with the demon.
"Angel..." Crowley struggled to find words. Aziraphale felt the snake on his finger.
"You must know that by now." The angel smiled again. "That I love you. The same w-" His voiced cracked. He did for a brief moment look to the side out onto the street at the coffee shop. "The same way Maggie loves Nina." Aziraphale finished the sentence. And with that, the snake tattoo fully lifted off Crowley wrapping itself around the angels finger like a ring.
"Crowley." Aziraphale spoke gently. "I don't want to make you suitable for Heaven. I want to make Heaven suitable for you. And if I can't do that, at the very least, I want to protect you. That's it. I don't want you to change. I love you as you are. I may have first felt infatuated when I met you as an angel. But it's the demon I came to know that I fell in love with." He took the hand resting on Crowleys chest and lifted it to rest on his other cheek. "I changed the Bentley to yellow since it's my favourite colour, because of your snake eyes. Your demonic features have never been off-putting to me."
Crowley's eyes began to water at hearing this. Slightly trembling, his hands mimicked the angels, cupping Aziraphale's face.
"I love you too." He said fighting the lump in his throat. "And your optimism. But you need to see reality for what it is, not what you wish it would be Angel. There's things you don't know..." The demon pursed his lips finding it difficult to speak. The angel replied softly.
"Take a moment to collect yourself, and then tell me. Tell me whatever it is that I don't know, my dear. I'm listening."
And so Crowley did exactly that. He took a moment to take in deep breaths. The demon could feel the warmth on his face from Aziraphale's hands, which brought him comfort. The snake tattoo around the angels finger had calmed down, mirroring Crowleys energy, enough that it fell asleep.
"When I went up to Heaven with Muriel earlier I found out why Gabriel had been fired." Crowley began to explain. "He said no to another Armageddon. They held a trial where they demoted him and planned to erase his memory before he had removed it himself. I saw it in his files, the Metatron was present at the trial. Just before you two left for him to offer you Gabriels job, he shot an aggressive look at me. The book of life threats from Michael, Uriel, and Saraqueal earlier were simply idle since they don't have the jurisdiction but he does. The Metatron wouldn't risk another situation like Gabriel's. If you took the job, found out about this second apocalypse and refused, he won't try a memory wipe a second time. He'll most likely use the book of life to erase you. You won't be able to keep yourself safe by working in Heaven, let alone worry about me." He finished. The light began to dim in Aziraphale's eyes as he processed this information. His glance went towards the floor.
"I'm so naive." He sighed. Crowley gently moved his face back up to make eye contact again.
"Not naive, just hopeful. I admire that about you, but not everything works out. I wish it really was just a case of the high ranking angels becoming power hungry without God being actively present, but she also made questionable decisions. She was supposed to be everyone's mother. Even if Heaven does ever improve I'll never want to be a part of it so long as I can remember my mother banishing me just for asking questions. I can never get the images out of my head of falling at the speed of light down into a boiling pool of sulphur. Seeing the pristine white feathers from my wings turn black and disheveled. The confusion and panic that came from my vision blurring as my irises changed to that of a serpent." Crowley recalled. Aziraphale's lip quivered, feeling as though he could begin to weep at any moment.
"You never told me that bit before." He said.
"It's not easy to talk about." Crowley explained. "The only thing that brought me comfort during that transformation was the manifestation of this little guy to keep me company." He glanced down at the snake, completely dozed off on angels finger still. Crowley continued. "I remember when it first happened, I knew I wouldn't fit in with hell anymore than I had fit in with heaven. I wasn't fine with killing or corrupting, and refusing to do evil deeds can lead to torture down there. In the beginning I had been adamant that I'd rather be destroyed then be a demon. I shouted at God to smite me over and over until I accepted she couldn't hear me. Although now, I think maybe she had. Because the moment you told me you gave away your sword and shielded me with your wing in the garden of Eden, that's when I became smitten."
"Oh Crowley!" The angel lowered his hands down to the collar of the demons blazer, grabbing them to pull him in. Aziraphale and Crowley then shared their first kiss. The demon wrapped his arms around his angels waist, while the angel moved his hands to wrap around the demons neck. The kiss lasted for more than just a few seconds, but to be fair, this was a millennia of love built up, finally being released. The little snake around Aziraphale's finger woke up feeling Crowley's heart racing, wagging its little tail in response.
Once they pulled away and caught their breath, Aziraphale's expression changed to that of one in serious thought.
"Not taking the job in Heaven means I won't be able to get the details on this new armageddon plan, which we're going to need in order to avert it." He pointed out. Crowley nodded in agreement.
"Well Muriel seems friendly enough, maybe we can convince her to help. There's also witch girl, the descendant of Agnes Nutter. She could be of help. We'll figure it out angel. But we've got to figure it out together here on Earth." He emphasized.
"Yes dear." Aziraphale confirmed. "Speaking of together... I didn't know you were living in your car. And I can't allow that to continue. You're moving in here with me, just like human couples do. We'll be positively domestic." His voiced turned giddy at the thought of their relationship evolving.
"No resistance from me." Crowley smiled. "But if you really wanna be domestic we could take a page out of witch girls book and live in a cottage."
"Perhaps in the future." Aziraphale suggested. "Might be a nice retirement plan."
Just as he finished that sentence the bell at the front of the book shop that signalled entry went off. As the front door opened, both the angel and the demon glanced over to see the Metatron stepping inside.
"Ready to go?" The high ranking angel asked the pair, though his eyes only met Aziraphale, barely acknowledging Crowley. Aziraphale felt Crowley take his hand, their fingers intertwining. This gave him the strength to speak up.
"Actually we've both decided to stay here on earth. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm sure you can find someone suitable to take the job." The angel nervously adjusted his bow tie with his free hand.
"Are you sure." The Metatron stared at him intensely. Crowley wondered if there was some type of influence at play here that the Metatron was trying to use. He stepped in front of Aziraphale protectively. His suspicion growing every second.
"He's sure." The demon answered firmly. The metatron gave a second glance at Crowley, aggressive like the one from earlier before offering angel the job. However the aggression this time on his face turned to exhausted. His face softened slightly.
"So be it. You two aren't worth the trouble." He sighed before turning away and leaving. Crowley turned back to Aziraphale cupping his face again gently. Their eyes met, while Aziraphale touched his index finger to Crowley's right cheek, letting the snake go back to its favourite spot.
"There. Everything is settled. I think now it's time for breakfast." A tiny half smile escaped Crowley.
"Breakfast?" Aziraphale perked up.
"Yes." Crow answered. "You. Me. The Ritz. A Nightingale. And breakfast. Sound good?"
"Sounds perfect my dear." The angel kissed his demon a second time.
Crowley slipped his sunglasses on as they exited the shop holding hands. Maggie dozed off in her record store, while Muriel sat at one of the outdoor restaurant tables close to the coffee shop, completely fascinated by the book Crowley had let her take. Nina glanced over at the angel demon couple from her shop as they walked out.
"Guess he's not just an angel you know." She observed contently.
As they trailed down the sidewalk to approach the bentley, Aziraphale gasped. Crowley pursed his lips to avoid smiling. The angel looked at him with immense endearment.
"The wheels are yellow!" Aziraphale almost couldn't believe it.
"Yes well, I don't want my entire Bentley looking like a sunflower, but now that I know why you like yellow so much, I suppose a small splash of it won't kill me." The demon explained watching the smile widen on his beloved angel.
"That's very kind of you Crowley." Aziraphale pointed out.
"Not-" Crowley stopped his protest, realizing there wasn't a need for denial anymore. "Yes. I suppose it is."
The Bentley opened its doors, excited for its driver and favourite passenger to step in. Once both sat in the car, Crowley gently patted the dashboard.
"Why don't you pick something for us to listen to?" He encouraged it. So while Crowley drove himself and Aziraphale to the Ritz, the Bentley happily played the Queen song 'Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy.'