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Shadows danced languidly across the bare walls, the flickering light filling the bookshop as a gentle breeze drifted swiftly into the Bookshop from outside, the open window giving way to the sights and sound of Soho. Aziraphale was sitting back in his chair, legs crossed with a book perched comfortably on his lap. His fingers delicately played the with edge of the page while his eyes skimmed over the words, drinking them up like a good bottle of wine.
The candles flickered again, this time harshly as the door blew in. The sound of the front door bell tinkering didn't stir the owner, only made him tilt his head up to greet the oncoming guest who sashayed his way into the Bookshop.
"I tell you what, Angel. If it takes more than thirty five minutes to make a good fried rice, than they deserve to dragged down to Hell." Came a familiar, demonic but comforting voice.
Aziraphale couldn't help but tsk at the man who strolled casually into view, all long legs and carrying a white bag.
"Crowley, don't say that. Who would then make my fried rice? And it's not good fried rice, it's the best in London so therefore thirty five minutes is worth the wait." Aziraphale replied, closing the book with a gentle snap.
Crowley, held out the bag. Dangling it on his fingertips, a knowing smirk on his face.
"I believe this belongs to you." The Demon offered out to which Aziraphale's eyes softened for a moment.
Getting to his feet, the Angel took the bag from Crowley's grasp. Their fingers brushing ever so gently.
"Thank you for getting it." The Angel murmured gently, letting his eyes look up and into the Demon's.
"It was on my way."
Aziraphale knew that the Chinese restaurant was in fact, not on Crowley's way. In fact, it was entirely on the other side of town.
Crowley stepped back and out of the Angel's presence, turning to pick up the bottle of wine that sat waiting eagerly on the table. Aziraphale glanced over at his long time friend before moving to the table as well, sitting down just far enough away to allow space. He plated up the rice as Crowley poured himself a glass.
"How was your day?" Aziraphale asked as he picked up a fork.
Crowley rasied an eyebrow at him before taking a drink from his very full glass.
Aziraphale sighed in delicious content at his first bite of rice. As always, scrumptious.
Crowley watched Aziraphale for a moment before taking his seat. Sinking down onto the chair, as he leaned forward to place his glass on the table.
"You mean, what awful deeds did I do today?" Crowley asked, his tone dropping a moment in distaste.
Aziraphale shot his friend a look.
"I mean, how was your day." Aziraphale replied, before taking another bite.
Crowley leaned back, his shaded eyes never wavering from his friend.
"The same as it always is, Angel. Now that Hell is off my back, I can live normally." Crowley replied, lifting his hand to rub at the bridge of his nose.
"Yes well, decidedly having Heaven not monitor my every move has it's upside." Aziraphale replied, glancing down at his food.
Crowley tilted his head slightly.
"My my Angel, was someone getting a bit frazzled at their heavenly boss?" Crowley asked, a teasing tone taking over.
"You know very well that Heaven was nothing good. Trying to end the world, trying to end me. It doesn't seem very heavenly does it? No I've decided that I will no longer stand for Heaven, but rather us." Aziraphale replied, as he brought the fork to his mouth once more.
Crowley watched the Angel take the bite, before lifting his hand to slowly take off his dark glasses. Aziraphale smiled slightly.
"Us?" Crowley asked for clearing up.
"Yes, Us. We're a team aren't we? Carving out little precious corners of the world for each other. I mean, we've both left our respective parties and the wise decision would be to naturally never speak to each other again but we haven't. If anything, I'd say the whole ordeal with Heaven and Hell has only brought us closer, don't you?" Aziraphale asked, as he laid his fork down.
"Angel, you do realise what you're asking, don't you?" Crowley's voice was the softest Aziraphale had ever heard.
"What? That we remain friends, that we remain on each other's side? I would hope that wouldn't be such a big ask, Crowley." Aziraphale replied, as he looked away.
"It isn't. But remaining only for each other can bring disastrous consequences, Angel. What if Heaven or Hell decide to actually punish us. There's worse things they can do to us both." Crowley pointed out before lifting his glass of wine again.
"I for one don't exactly want to see you tossed into hellfire." Crowley finished before taking a sip.
"Then we will look after each other. That is what I mean. We keep each other grounded and reminded of what looms over us." Aziraphale replied, his eyes widening with expression.
Crowley only hummed which only deepened the frowns on Aziraphale's forehead.
"You-" Aziraphale paused as he studied his friends face.
"You don't want to?" Aziraphale asked, uncertainty in his voice.
Crowley placed his empty glass back down onto the table gently, before tilting his head back to sigh and lean forward, and then finally tilting his head forward to look Aziraphale in the eyes.
"You're asking the grandest of favours, Angel." Crowley stated, letting his long fingers reach up to wipe under one eye before dropping his hand to the table.
"Favour? Are you insinuating that being around me, being my friend and looking out for each other would just be a favour? No real intent behind it?" Aziraphale was offended, more than that, Aziraphale sounded greatly wounded by the words.
Crowley didn't say anything, just looked away towards the front door to the Bookshop.
Aziraphale's fried rice lay forgotten in front of him, a confusing yet heartbroken expression on the Angel's face.
"All of this? Six thousand years? Has been what? One big favour?" Aziraphale was afraid to ask but had too.
"Of course not, Angel." Crowley replied, his attention snapping back towards the other immortal in the room.
Aziraphale stuttered, trying to find the words but couldn't. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say.
"You're asking too much of me. To do anything out of the norm is asking too much. Isn't my infrequent visits enough? Can't you just pretend that I'm just around the corner if they come knocking? I've been up there, I've seen and heard what they think of you, Angel. It's entirely different to my opinion of you and it's why I cannot constantly be here, in your presence." Crowley replied, sounding all the better bitter towards it.
Aziraphale could only frown, not understanding, not listening.
"I didn't realise my presence caused you such agony, Crowley. Nor did I think that the very thought of wanting to remain safe together would be such poison." Aziraphale's tone was cold, his hands gripping the table cloth a little too hard, inching the objects on it closer to him as he balled it up into his fists.
Crowley sighed and pushed back his chair before getting to his feet. Aziraphale stared hard at his plate, any harder and he would probably crack it under the weight of his stare.
"That's entirely the problem, Angel. You don't think, never. You rush head on into danger without a seconds thought, you say things without understanding it's affects and you assume things so quickly. Do you know the kind of task you're asking of me? Do you even care of what I have to say about it?" Crowley asked, his long leather clad legs paced the room.
'Well it sounds like remaining together, remaining a team against Heaven and Hell is too big of a task to ask for. I didn't realise being my ally, my friend was a big ask but if you see it that way than maybe we should really be discussing departing each other's company." Aziraphale sternly said, sitting up straighter as he lifted his head to follow Crowley's path with his eyes.
At Aziraphale's words, Crowley stopped pacing. Turning to face his friend, he strode over to the table and placed his hands down onto it before leaning forward. Aziraphale swallowed and stretched his neck slightly as Crowley leaned into his space.
"Is that what you want, Angel? To depart my company?" Crowley asked lowly, golden snake shaped pupils placed firmly on the star shapes in Aziraphale's.
"No, Crowley. Of course not!"
"Than what do you want from me? What is this? Why am I here? You said it yourself, Angel. The whole ordeal with Heaven and Hell should have driven a wedge between us so why didn't it? Why am I still in your company? Why do you still call me your friend when we had denied it to so many for centuries." Crowley asked, leaning back slightly but still in Aziraphale's space.
"Because you are my friend, because we've looked out for each other for a long time now! What else could it be if not friendship?" Aziraphale asked, his eyes focused so clearly on Crowley, he didn't feel the wetness begin to pool at the edges.
Crowley tilted his head at his friend, unbelieving to the idea that the owner of so many books could not see it.
"I know what it is, Angel. Maybe you do to, but refuse to acknowledge it. Because there's no way someone as smart and brilliant as you can be so so stupid, Angel."
A tear fell from Aziraphale's left eye, trailing gently down his weather worn skin to gather and fall into empty space from his jaw.
"Call me when you figure it out," Crowley added before pushing off the table and straightening.
The sound of Crowley leaving filled the bookshop and Aziraphale's fell to the half empty plate in front of him, his aching fingers slowly letting go of the table cloth. Taking a deep breath, he let his eyes wander across the room before settling on Crowley's empty wine glass, a hollow feeling entering his chest.
With a small miracle, he removed the mess of the night and settled back into his armchair. With legs crossed, he let his fingers twiddle in his lap as he tried to make sense of the events.
Nothing made sense, and he'd never sensed that kind of confused hostility from Crowley before, it wasn't even a hostility, it was something else. Now that he sat alone in the bookshop, Aziraphale could sense that something was indeed missing and he pondered over it for most of the night,
When morning rose, Aziraphale was seven books in, having needed to distract himself from the unbearable thoughts of his friend when a knock sounded at the entrance to the bookshop. Aziraphale could see the golden locks of his human friend, Maggie over the edges of the window on the door. He placed the book down and moved to stand, wincing slightly at the ache that sat low in his sternum.
Placing a wide, gentle but tired smile on his face, he opened the door to greet his friend.
"Maggie, good morning." Aziraphale said trying to sound cheerful.
'Good morning Mr Fell, I made you some coffee, the good kind. I could barely sleep last night after I saw- well I just knew I needed to make sure you were okay." Maggie replied, holding up a steaming cup of coffee.
Aziraphale took it with a nod of thanks and confused look.
"Awfully sorry, I must be more tired than I thought. I'm perfectly fine, why wouldn't I be?" Aziraphale asked as he gestured for her to enter the shop.
She brushed past him, her eyes barely glancing at the books before entering the centre of the room and turning to face him as he closed the door to the shop.
"Your curtains were open when I walked past last night, Been going for nightly walks at the moment. I saw somewhere that it's good to walk at nig-" Maggie began to trail off topic.
Aziraphale held up his hand in a stop motion and she fell silent before clearing her throat,
"I saw you and Mr Crowley fighting. Listen, I don't want to get in the middle of a lovers tiff but it looked awfully serious, so I'm just here to let you know that I'm here if you need anything or even someone to listen to you." Maggie insisted, her kind eyes wide and open.
Aziraphale huffed out a small laugh, his hands curling around the hot mug.
"I see. Crowley and I weren't having a lovers-" Aziraphale fell silent and Maggie tilted her head.
"No, we-" Aziraphale tried again but once again fell silent.
"Oh god." Aziraphale muttered to himself.
"Everything okay?" Maggie asked, concerned.
A feeling of realisation washed over Aziraphale as he turned away from Maggie to place the cup down on the table, exactly where Crowley's glass had been last night. His fingers lay steady on the wood as he closed his eyes. That empty ache, it swelled at it's new name. Like waves washing across the shore, goosebumps erupting across Aziraphale's skin. It had always been there, unnoticed, unnamed and untouched.
"Maggie, I'm terribly sorry. I just realised I had something urgent to do. Do you mind if we speak later?" Aziraphale asked, his back still to the young woman.
"Of course, but is everything okay?" she asked, concerned.
Aziraphale slowly opened his eyes, focusing on the sunlight that had begun to creep across the table top.
"Yes, it is. Thank you." the Angel turned to look at her, a smile on his face.
She frowned but nodded.
"Okay, we'll talk later." she confirmed before waving goodbye.
Aziraphale watched her leave before turning to look at the phone that sat innocently on his desk.
Love. Aziraphale had been around it for so long, he'd gotten used to how it felt. Thought it was how it always was, never felt a day without it. But Crowley had left and Aziraphale had felt different then, colder. It was only within the absence of it, did Aziraphale truly learn the scale of which he'd ben missing. Somehow, a phone call didn't like it as going to fix this.
Instead, Aziraphale knew exactly where Crowley would be at this time on this day, and he got ready to leave, He adjusted his coat before leaving the shop, flipping the sign to 'Closed until further notice' and meandering onto the street. The parked wouldn't be far for a little miracle so Aziraphale abused his amount of miracles left to whisk himself there quickly.
As per usual, the red headed tall gangly demon was lounging inappropriately on the public park bench with the todays newspaper in his hands. He looked completely and utterly bored as he flicked the paper out and Aziraphale couldn't help but stare fondly from afar.
People walked past him, busy in their own little world. Not noticing the Angel in a cream coloured coat stare longingly at his oldest friend.
As if he could sense eyes on him, Crowley straightened and turned his head. Aziraphale could see his eyes land of him, Crowley's mouth opened slightly in surprise. The Angel had indeed caught him by surprise for once.
Looking both ways, Aziraphale slid through the bustling crowd before crossing the grassy area to reach the bench that faced the lake.
"Didn't think I'd see you so soon, something you need?" Crowley asked, his tone unrecognisable.
"I woke this morning feeling particularly strange, and guilty." Aziraphale started, not even answering Crowley's question.
Both of the heels of Crowley's boots met the ground, as Crowley straightened on the bench seat. Aziraphale's hands gripped the worn wood as he faced his friend, and gestured widly.
'I didn't know. I didn't know what it was, I hadn't felt that kind of emptiness in such a long time. Maggie checked in on me, she had witnessed our argument last night and asked if I was okay, asked if we were okay. I couldn't possibly had known what she meant until.."
Crowley looked back towards the lake.
"Why didn't you tell me, Crowley?" Aziraphale asked, strengthening his tone as he stood up straight.
His figure blocked the sun, igniting him in a golden halo and Crowley couldn't help but look.
"I did. I did, several times, Angel." Crowley replied, as his fingers gently folded the newspaper up and placed it down next to him.
'Bu-"
"Wasn't sure if you'd be able to handle the outright words. Could you imagine it? Thought it would be best if I broke it to you gently but then, then you had to go and suggest that we spend every moment together. Do you understand what kind of agony that would've put me under? What kind of self inflicted punishment I'd have to inflict just to stop myself from reaching out to you?" Crowley asked, speaking freely now.
Aziraphale gasped quietly, his eyes widening.
"Every extra moment I spend with you is pure torture, Angel and not the fun kind. I'm a Demon, you're an Angel. It would never work and I'm not even entirely sure why I feel the way I do, I barely understand it but if Heaven and Hell decided that they were satisfied, I'd follow you into the dark, Angel. You're the reason I'm still here, the reason I stick around this forsaken place. I could be anywhere else right now, and I'd go without a second thought but you're her-"
Aziraphale was quick to place his hand over Crowley's mouth, ensuring the demon's words were cut off completely before he took a deep breath.
"Crowley, we've been friends for thousands of years. Been on opposite sides for half that, sure, we saved the world, we spent a considerable amount of time together but none of that could possibly justify why you feel for me the way you do. We're two different beings on two different sides!" Aziraphale exclaimed.
Crowley lifted his hand to grasp Aziraphale's and pull it down from his mouth, fingers entwining as they moved.
"We're on our side, Angel. Have been for a long time now." Crowley replied, his golden gaze illuminate through the glasses.
Aziraphale let his eyes roam over Crowley's face, memorising it.
"Could I tempt you to some coffee perhaps?" Aziraphale asked gently as Crowley's fingers tightened on his.
A small laugh escaped the Demon.
"Thought that was my job?" Crowley asked, peering up at his Angel.
"Come, I know just the place." Aziraphale tugged on Crowley's hand and Crowley followed suit.
Their hands dropped when they were both standing, Crowley brushed off his suit and looked towards Aziraphale who watched him patiently. Falling in step together, they began to cross the park lawn. Their shoulders brushed and for a moment, Crowley could feel Aziraphale's hand brush against his. With incredible bravery, he reached out with his pinky to close the distance and their fingers interlocked before finally they were holding hands. Aziraphale looked down at the contact before sending Crowley a warm smile as the Demon guided him back to the car.
Crowley reluctantly let go to open the door for the Angel who sent him another smile and something within Crowley tightened. He closed the door when the Angel was seated before moving to the drivers side. He slid in and turned to face Aziraphale.
"Where to?" Crowley asked, his hands sliding onto the steering wheel.
"Home," Aziraphale replied, staring out of the windshield with a relaxed smile.
The Bentley started with a gentle roar and Crowley peeled away from the kerbside.
Aziraphale couldn't help but turn his head to study Crowley for a moment, relief flooding his system when Crowley returned his gaze.
The Bookshop stood tall in the street and the Bentley knew exactly where to park, it's wheel marks practically branded into the cobbled asphalt. Crowley was first out of the car and Aziraphale had told him to go ahead into the shop while he crossed the street to grab coffee. Nina stood at the counter, chatting with a customer when his entrance caught her eye. She waved him over and the customer moved away, allowing Aziraphale to stand in front of her.
"You look like you're glowing! Having a good morning so far, then?" Nina asked, as she slid a coffee cup towards her.
"Indeed I am, Crowley and I are... what's the human expression? Ah, having a breakfast date." Aziraphale's eyes sprarkled.
"Oh! So you two finally made it official than?" Nina asked as she busied herself with the coffee machine.
"I'm not quite sure, much more in depth discussions to be had, but it seems I've been sort of blind to his affections. How would a human return those affections if they cannot find the words? Or to make up for being so blinded?" Aziraphale asked, as his eyes watched her fast movements.
"Oh there's heaps of ways, but if you'd like to remain pure and holy, best you settle it with a kiss perhaps?" Nina asked, as she plopped two take away coffees in front of the Angel.
"A kiss?"
Warmth flooded Aziraphale's cheeks at the thought of kissing Crowley. He'd read about them in books, knew that a kiss was really only designed for those you truly loved.
"Yeah a kiss, you have kissed someone right?" Nina asked as she leaned on the bench.
Aziraphale's silence was answer enough for her. She giggled slightly before leaning further forward and Aziraphale followed suit.
"Grab him by the lapels and just really lay a kiss on his mouth. Fill the kiss with all the emotions you've been wanting to say, make that kiss make him understand how much you want him." Nina added before leaning back and pushing the coffee cups forward.
Aziraphale moved his hand into his coat.
"On the house, especially on your big day." Nina replied with a wink.
"Oh thank you, Nina. Wish me luck!" Aziraphale grabbed the coffees and called out his reply as he left.
"Good luck," Nina whispered as she watched him cross the street.
Crowley was nowhere to be seen when Aziraphale entered the shop.
"Crowley?" Aziraphale called out quickly, a panic washing over him.
Had he perhaps changed his mind? Wanted nothing to do with the Angel and his problems?
"Here, sorry." Crowley appeared in the doorway of his other room and immediately, Aziraphale relaxed.
Holding out Crowley's coffee, he moved towards the demon and his eyes moved to the lapels of Crowley's jacket.
Maybe he could get away with it, maybe Nina's advice had been good and he should listen to it.
His hand trembled slightly as Crowley neared, his closeness setting off something deep in Aziraphale's body. Coffee fell from his hands before Crowley could reach for it. It was almost slow motion as the coffee fell and Aziraphale was moving to reach out to Crowley as it did.
His fingers gripped Crowley's lapels, pulling the Demon in. He stumbled for a moment before Aziraphale was pulling the taller of the two down. A muffled noise of surprise left Crowley's throat before Aziraphale was capturing the Demon's lips with his own.
Crowley's first reaction was to pull away but Aziraphale's grip rid him of that opportunity, so the next, after a moments thought was to slide his arms around Aziraphale's hips and pulled him even closer.
Without breaking their lips, Crowley deepened the kiss and Aziraphale's hands dropped from his lapels to grab and clutch at his back. Everything he'd ever wanted to say to Crowley was poured into the kiss, exactly like Nina had told him.
No words were spoken but Crowley heard them anyway.
Coffee seeped all over the floor while Crowley managed tonpull himself back, allowing for a moment of breath. Speechless, Crowley reached up to touch Aziraphale's cheek gently with the back of his fingers and the Angel leaned into the soft embrace
"Sorry about the coffee." Aziraphale said rather breathlessly.
"I'm not." Crowley replied, as he dropped his hand.
Aziraphale swallowed, hard.
Crowley could sense the awkwardness rise up in the Angel and chose to calm it.
"Can we try that again? But like, with me prepared?" Crowley asked, his eyes softening as they wandered over Aziraphale's face.
"Ye-yeah. Yes, of course" Aziraphale stuttered, adorably.
Stepping forward and back into Aziraphale's space, Crowley lifted both hands to cup the Angel's face between his palms. Aziraphale tilted his head up in the slightest, eyes on Crowley as the Demon slowly closed the chasm between them.
Eyes immediately fell shut at the first gentle touch of their lips. Crowley barely moved, only letting their lips touch in the smallest way, mostly sharing space and air between them. It was agonising, feeling Crowley right there and not being able to kiss him properly. Every time he tried to finally make the move, Crowley pulled further away.
The tension was unbearable, with Crowley's fingers slowing sliding into the curls on Aziraphale's neck as he tilted the Angel's face upwards again, lips still barely brushing.
"I have you right where I want you, Angel."
Aziraphale could almost make out the words as they were said so close to his lips, but the sentence made Aziraphale's stomach drop. Butterflies erupted in his stomach, bumps dancing along his arms.
"How so poetic, to have an Angel fall in love with a Demon." Crowley whispered.
"You're in love with me too, Crowley." Aziraphale couldn't help but reply.
"Desperately." Crowley reminded the Angel.
A throaty groan escaped Aziraphale at the words, and Crowley smirked. The Angel could feel the curves of his smile against his lips.
"Crowley," the Angel couldn't help but beg.
"Say it, out loud for me Angel. For Heaven and Hell to hear, say it for me." Crowley whispered.
Aziraphale was so enthralled, desperate for Crowley to just kiss him.
"I love you," Aziraphale replied, the breathlessness back in full force.
Crowley replied by finally closing the small space between them and kissing Aziraphale with the kind of force that made Azirpahale stumble back. The Angel held onto his Demon as they kissed, a calm sort of feeling seemed to take a hold of Azirpahale, as if he knew this was how it was always going to be.
He returned Crowley's vigor and they clung desperately to each other as six thousand years of pining, longing, pain, and the feeling of equally returned love took ahold of them.
Hours passed, and they stayed in each other's embrace. Not caring about the knocks on the door or the ringing of the telephone. They were in each other's orbit, circulating each other brilliantly.
"You could answer the door, you know." A female voice broke them from their reverie and Crowley was the first to look away from the figure that stood in the bookshop.
He looked away as if the sight of her burned his eyes.
"The Demon Crowley and the Angel, Aziraphale. The two beings causing the most havoc on my world." The voice continued not waiting for them to reply.
Aziraphale stood from his arm chair, his arm sliding from Crowley's waist to straighten his waistcoat.
"I'm terribly sorry, the Shop is closed. May I help you?" Aziraphale asked, politely as he could.
The woman's purple gaze turned him.
"Possibly. Probably not. Maybe. Question is, can I help you?" The woman asked.
Aziraphale frowned and turned his head to ask Crowley of this woman was being silly in purpose when he saw that Crowley was slowly lowering himself to his knees.
"My very presence pains him. Demonic influence in the presence of pure holiness will always be painful, but most demons just burn up and disappear straight away. You, Crowley are still here which means somewhere deep down inside, you retained a touch of your holiness." The woman spoke.
"Who are you?" Aziraphale asked as he placed his hands comfortingly on Crowley's shoulders.
"You do not recognise me? Aziraphale?" The woman asked, her voice echoing in the bookshop.
Aziraphale frowned, unsure what to say. Of course, he didn't recognise her. Never seen her before in his long long life.
"I suppose I cannot blame you, I have been absent." The woman continued, lifting her hand to run her fingers across the spines of the nearest shelved books.
"I like what you've done with the place, very homey." She added, as a soft whimper escaped Crowley.
"You're hurting him, can't you do something!" Aziraphale was quick to defend.
"No, it's in his nature. In my presence, demons react. It's not personal, is it my little star maker?" The woman asked, tilting her head as she peered at the demon who crouched in pain on the ground.
"I demand to know who you are!" Aziraphale snapped, stepping forward and blocking Crowley's body with his own.
"You do not get to demand anything, little Angel. I do not answer to you," the woman spoke, soft at first before her voice ended like steel.
Aziraphale could feel a tug at his hand and he turned to watch Crowley pull at him, a groan of pain escaping the Demon.
"Ineffable. That's what you two are. My games of cards has come to an end, my hand has been shown. Well done, you two. Really beat the system. Surprisingly, it took you longer than Gabriel and Beelzebub but you did it. What's that lovely human expression? Ah yes. I feel like a proud mother hen." The woman replied as she moved further into the room.
Crowley whimpered more.
"Oh enough, my son. I'll be departing soon."
Aziraphale's eyes widened.
"God?" He asked, as if out of nowhere he could remember the voice that spoke to him at the gates of Eden.
God smiled at him.
"So you do remember? Good." She spoke, turning her eyes back to the bookshop.
"You've carved yourself a nice quiet life, Aziraphale. Got friends, books and you even have you own, love of your life. It was always destined that you two would end up together like this but the journey was all you. Your decisions was all you. Of course, it did help that I made you both from my own ribs but that's another story." God explained as she turned her sight back to the Angel and Demon.
Aziraphale was confused.
"You were my greatest accomplishment, the love between an Angel and a Demon. A love so pure they'd fight off the armies of Heaven and Hell for each other. It's adorable really, should sign off the rights to the movie to Netflix or something. You both were beautiful." She spoke gently, as Aziraphale tightened his hold on Crowley.
"Heaven and Hell will leave you alone, I have seen to that. I do only ask that you do whatever you can to keep this world as pure and human as it could possibly be. You're both quite good at that and I've seen your love and passion for it. That is my only ask."
Aziraphale nodded, mostly out of knowledge of knowing he'd never give up on the world.
God smiled, her eyes washing over them.
"Do help him stand up, Aziraphale. He needs you just as much as you need him." She gestured, with kind eyes.
Aziraphale turned his attention to Crowley, looping his hands under Crowley's shoulders and helping him back to his feet. Crowley breathed heavily, no longer groaning in agony.
Turning his head back, Aziraphale moved to speak, to thank her but she was already gone. God had departed once more.
Crowley, unsteady on his feet, touched Aziraphale's shoulder lightly.
"I think we just got her blessing." He muttered, eyes moving to the spot where she'd been standing.
Aziraphale's eyes softened as he gazed at his Demon, watching him pull himself together.
"I didn't need it. I'm grateful but I didn't need anyone's permission to love you the way that I do, Crowley." Aziraphale spoke almost in a whisper.
Crowley heard anyway, his eyes crinkling at the corners slightly.
"You continue to surprise me, Angel." Crowley replied, moving forward to press a kiss to Aziraphale's forehead.
The Angel closed his eyes at the touch, before leaning fully forward into Crowley's embrace.
"Eternity, Crowley. We have the rest of eternity to surprise each other." Aziraphale replied, muffled slightly by Crowley's jacket.
Crowley didn't say anything but Aziraphale could feel Crowley's lips curl upwards into a smile on his forehead and was content enough with that as an answer.
"Now that we're alone, properly alone, would you like to attempt a proper human date?" Crowley asked after a moment of silence.
"Are you gonna buy me flowers, pick me up after six and play music from a boombox outside my window?" Aziraphale teased.
"Don't tempt me, Angel. You're worth more than all of that. How about I just cook you a nice dinner and you can swoon and gaze longingly at me from a distance?" Crowley asked, as he squeezed Aziraphale tighter into his embrace.
"Don't I do that anyway? Maggie says I do that." Aziraphale replied causing Crowley to laugh.
"Yeah Nina says I do that too." Crowley replied, as he pulled away.
Aziraphale felt like he was under microscope with the way Crowley was looking at him.
"Gorgeous." Crowley muttered, making Aziraphale flush.