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‘Just make yourself at home, wherever you can,’ said Crowley as he turned the key in the lock.
‘Oh I will,’ replied Azriaphale ‘and thank you so much for this Crowley.’
‘I told you not to mention it,’ the demon tried to scowl but there was a faint trace of a smile on his face, ‘what else was I supposed to do? Let you wonder the streets of London at night?’
‘Well it was very kind-’
‘Any more of that foul language and you will be out on the streets,’ snapped Crowley. The angel held up his hands as if surrendering.
‘Okay,’ he laughed as they walked down the hall together. ‘Okay I apologise.’ Crowley only grunted an acknowledgment as he removed his jacket and tossed it casually over the back of a chair before disappearing into the kitchen. Aziraphale carefully removed his own and folded it neatly before placing it on the seat. He turned to survey the room he was in. Lush green pot plants lined the room, their foliage a vibrant green, a stark contrast to the dark grey walls. Large windows showed a breathtaking view over the London skyline, lights twinkling like stars as the city slowly fell into slumber unaware of the drama that nearly threatened to end it all only a few short hours before.
‘Enjoying the view?’ Crowley approached armed with two glasses of red wine, one of which he handed the angel.
‘I was actually,’ admitted Aziraphale, ‘this is a very nice flat Crowley.’ The demon’s brow furrowed.
‘You’ve been here before,’ he stated. Aziraphale shook his head.
‘No never.’ Crowley only frowned more.
‘Really? I could have sworn you have-’
‘No,’ interrupted his friend. ‘We’ve always used the bookshop for our... meetings.’
Crowley shrugged as he walked across the room and slumped down on a two-seater sofa with a sigh. He lazily kicked off his boots before waving his hand and they ran comically into the hallway of their own accord, coming to a stop near the front door. Aziraphale watched a slight look of amusement on his face before sitting next to Crowley with slightly more composure and grace than the dark figure next to him. At the same time, they each took a swig of wine followed by a short sigh of satisfaction.
‘Crazy day,’ said Crowley at length. Aziraphale tapped his knee with his free hand, he seemed nervous.
‘Oh yes,’ he said quickly, ‘crazy indeed.’ There was a pause before he continued; ‘I’ll have to go and survey the bookshop tomorrow,’ he seemed sad at the prospect. ‘There’ll be all kinds of paperwork and costs to work out and phone calls and insurance...’ he slumped back on the sofa and miserably took another sip of wine.
‘Nothing a few little miracles won’t help,’ said Crowley attempting to be helpful ‘or one big one.’
‘I’m not so sure,’ replied Aziraphale, ‘maybe the damage won’t be all that bad. Was it... how bad was it?’ Crowley liked lying, his most prized skills were tempting, lying, and deceiving, however seeing his friend's already glum face he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it so said quietly;
‘It’s pretty bad Angel.’
‘Oh dear.’ He looked like he was about to burst into tears and quickly took another large sip of wine. Crowley quickly disappeared out into the kitchen and came back clutching another two bottles.
‘It’s dark in here,’ he murmured looking around puzzled.
‘Because you’ve still got your glasses on,’ observed Aziraphale.
‘Oh yeah,’ Crowley took them off revealing his golden yellow snake eyes. He smiled down at the angel before sitting next to him and topping up each glass. ‘That’s better, I can see you now.’
‘I’m surprised you’re not seeing two of me, the amount of alcohol you’ve consumed today.’
Crowley pouted.
‘Don’t moan at me Angel it’s been one heaven of a day! It started when I thought my best friend was dead, and my car exploded then the devil himself arrived and just...’
‘Fair point,’ said Aziraphale ‘and I am sorry about the Bentley.’
‘Yeah me too.’ There was another pause. Before Aziraphale cleared his throat.
‘So... since when did I graduate from enemy to best friend?’ he cast an almost sly look across at Crowley who raised his eyebrows.
‘What?’
‘Well it didn’t take too much to work out. You thought I was dead, that you’d never see me again, I saw your face in that bar and I heard what you said... I had to disregard it as we were against the clock but I took note of it. Am I really your best friend?’ Crowley looked slightly taken aback before taking another few large glugs of the red liquid in his glass.
‘Well,’ he said at last, ‘the truth is, Angel, you’re my only friend, so I think that automatically bumps you up to ‘best’ status.’ He smiled a slightly crooked smile at him, and Aziraphale suddenly felt very light-headed and smiled back as he felt himself slowly begin to relax. ‘Besides, we’ve never really been ‘enemies’ the demon continued, ‘if you think about it, just on opposite sides.’
‘I remember when you were an angel,’ said Aziraphale almost dreamily, ‘and the first time we met.’
‘Yes at the start of it all,’ said Crowley enthusiastically, ‘quite literally. You really were a great help with that.’ Aziraphale felt himself blush slightly.
‘Well I didn’t exactly do a lot,’ he mumbled, ‘I just sort of stood there holding the-’
‘You were there,’ interrupted Crowley, ‘and that’s what counts, just like you’ve always been there.’
‘I really haven’t,’ began the angel but the demon cut across him.
‘You really have,’ he insisted. ‘I always knew where I could find you, normally the bookshop, and you’ve always dropped everything to help me with... whatever’s been happening.’
‘As have you in the past,’ smiled the angel giving him a poke. Crowley shrugged at this.
‘Well like I say,’ he said, ‘you are my best friend Angel... and that’s why I got pretty pissed – the fact that someone could have taken you away, someone as clever and as funny as you just... gone.’ Aziraphale’s eyes widened slightly. Crowley never paid compliments to anyone, certainly not in terms of listing their redeeming qualities, but here he was, he thought he was clever and funny... what else did he think of him? His heart hammered for a second as he took another drink. The wine was strong, stronger than he’d expected, especially with the bottle they’d had prior while waiting for the bus. He also remembered at that moment that neither of them had actually eaten that day, which definitely wouldn’t be helping matters. He cast a sideways look at Crowley who was draining the dregs from his glass before pouring another one. The demon momentarily stopped to look directly at him and then smiled.
‘This is going down VERY well,’ he grinned. ‘Top up?’ Aziraphale held out his glass. He was drinking slower than Crowley so it was still half full. Crowley topped it up until it almost overflowed and Aziraphale quickly sipped to avoid spilling any wine on his suit. When he didn’t say anything Crowley cleared his throat. ‘Penny for your thoughts Angel?’ The angel seemed to shake himself. What was wrong with him anyway? He’d been tipsy before, in fact, he’d been steaming drunk before, both he and Crowley had had some serious sessions over the years, why did this one feel so... different?
‘I’m just reflecting,’ he said at last. ‘Today was a lot to take in.’
‘I’ll say,’ agreed the demon stretching out. ‘I’m ready to call it a night, or should that be morning.’ Aziraphale checked his watch. It was getting on for one in the morning.
‘I know you like your sleep, he chuckled. ‘Off to bed with you.’
‘Nah you take the bed,’ replied Crowley taking off his neck tie and waistcoat. ‘I’ll be quite comfy here.’ Azirapahle looked at the demon's long gangly legs and then at the small sofa they were both sitting on. There would be nothing comfy about sleeping on that and he said so. Crowley only shrugged. ‘I can sleep wherever,’ he said almost proudly, ‘it’s a skill. Besides you’re my guest. Isn’t that what hosts are supposed to do, be nice to guests?’
‘But you hate being nice,’ pointed out Aziraphale.
‘Only out in public,’ replied Crowley, ‘I mean I can’t be that bad for you to hang around with me for as long as you have.’ Aziraphale wasn’t sure how to take that comment only giving a slight shrug as a response.
‘Careful Crowley,’ he said quietly. ‘You don’t want... downstairs to hear that kind of talk.’
‘I don’t care what they think,’ smirked Crowley. ‘I told you Aziraphale, we’re on our own side now. A team if you will.’
‘Pretty small team.’
‘Would you prefer another member?’ grinned Crowley. ‘A threesome?’ he winked. Aziraphale rolled his eyes ignoring his friend's rude comment.
‘No,’ he said at last. ‘You’re quite enough for me.’ Crowley’s giggling subdued.
‘I’ll take that as some kind of backhanded compliment,’ he muttered.
‘Probably for the best,’ said Aziraphale standing up. He wobbled and promptly sat straight back down, as his head spun slightly.
‘Go-to-bed,’ demanded Crowley.
‘If I can stand,’ scowled the angel. Taking it slower he stood up again before downing the contents of his glass and setting it aside. ‘Goodnight Crowley,’ he mumbled. The demon had already put his feet up stretching out as best he could on the sofa.
‘Yeah g’night,’ he muttered back with his eyes already closed. Aziraphale quickly made his way to the bedroom and got undressed before making up a pair of miracle pajamas. They shone like silk but were dark a blue, almost black colour. He awkwardly got into bed and waited for sleep to overtake him.
Nearly an hour later he was still waiting. Unlike Crowley, Aziraphlae wasn’t particularly a fan of sleep. He didn’t like the grogginess that came with it upon waking up, and while he had slept in the past, it wasn’t through really needing sleep. Not only that but the unfamiliar bed and surroundings were very off-putting, and he was also worried about Crowley, he hoped he was warm enough.
Finally, he turned over and got comfortable. He had only had his eyes closed a few minutes before he heard a loud thump and a distorted groan. His eyes flew open.
‘Crowley?’ there was no reply. Aziraphle shot up in panic. ‘Crowley?!’
He stumbled out of bed and through to the living room. The silvery moonlight filtering through illuminated everything. The plants, the sofa, the empty wineglasses... and Crowley sprawled unceremoniously on the floor, next to the sofa he had clearly fallen off of.
‘Oh good grief Crowley!’ Aziraphale sounded both relieved and mildly disgusted as the demon made a flailing motion with his arms.
‘Wha happened?’ he slurred.
‘You fell off the sofa,’ said Aziraphale stooping down to help him up. ‘Really Crowley I said take the bed, sleep really isn’t my thing...’
‘Says you in a pair of shiny pajamas,’ Crowley stroked the material making Aziraphale jump. ‘So shiny an smoooooth.’
‘Stop that!’ snapped the angel both flustered and annoyed. He gave the demon’s hand a light smack. ‘Come on,’ he grumbled. ‘Let’s get you to bed.’ He wrapped an arm around his friend's slim waist and slowly walked him to his room. Crowley was singing some kind of queen song but it was so terribly out of tune Aziraphale couldn’t identify it. ‘I’ve not seen you this bad since the laudanum incident,’ he scolded.
‘Oh the laudanum,’ Crowley's eyes were crossed at this point. Had Aziraphale not been holding him up he’d have tripped over his own feet. ‘That was fun,’ he grinned. ‘Wasn’t that fun angel?’
‘For you maybe,‘ grimaced Aziraphale, ‘until you know who got wind of it.’ They finally reached the bed Crowley sat down heavily on the side. Somehow he managed to swing his legs up and lay suddenly quiet staring at the ceiling.
‘They tortured me for that you know,’ he said softly.
‘I know,’ said Aziraphale sadly. ‘I mean I don’t know what they did and I’d rather not know to be honest with you.’
‘Well that’s ffffffine with me,’ slurred Crowley, ‘cos I’d rather not talk about it.’ There was silence for a second before Aziraphale stretched.
‘Will you be alright in here? Not going to fall off the bed?’
‘Hm, where are you going?’
‘To the sofa,’ said Aziraphale patiently, ‘I think it’s best if you stay here and-’ He was cut short as Crowley suddenly and unexpectedly grabbed his wrist.
‘Don’t go,’ he murmured. His voice was quiet, yet urgent and Aziraphale froze as he saw something else in those yellow eyes, it took him by surprise at first before he recognised it as a flicker of fear.
‘Wh-whatever’s the matter?’ enquired the angel. Crowley's bleary eyes seemed to scan wildly before he murmured;
‘What if they try and take me again?’ he was trembling slightly. There was no joking smirk or hint of lying, Aziraphale could tell he was truly afraid.
‘Don’t be silly Crowley,’ he said comfortingly, ‘they won’t just barge in and drag you down at this hour and seriously, what grounds do they have to do that anyway?’
‘They’ll find some kind of loophole,’ said Crowley bitterly, ‘I –I can’t go through that again Angel please I... I don’t want to be alone tonight...’ Aziraphale looked first doubtful before finally relenting.
‘Okay,’ he said after a pause. ‘I’ll stay here with you if you want.’
‘Yes please,’ mumbled Crowley. He let go of Aziraphale’s wrist and went back to staring at the ceiling as his best friend walked around to the other side of the bed, lay down, and carefully pulled the duvet over both of them.
‘There,’ he said as he settled back down, ‘is that better?’ Crowley turned over onto his side to face him and gave a small nod.
‘Th-thanks Aziraphale,’ he whispered. The blonde angel smiled back.
‘You’re more than welcome Crowley,’ he replied as he turned to face him, ‘are you sure you’re going to be alright?’
‘I think I will now,’ replied the demon. Aziraphale went to say something else but froze as he felt Crowley’s hand in his. Every moral fiber in the angel's body told him to remove it, that Crowley was highly intoxicated and to just turn over and go to sleep, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to. Instead, he interlinked his short fingers through the demon's long slender ones and gave a gentle squeeze. He turned his head to see Crowley looking at him through half-lidded eyes a faint smile on his face before he finally closed them and mumbled in a voice barely audible;
‘I love you, Angel.’
Aziraphale was paralysed. A million thoughts and feelings overcame him. He what? Part of him wanted to shake the demon awake and demand what exactly he meant, part of him wanted to embrace him tightly and never let him go, but most of him was just puzzled. Crowley loved him? He had seriously doubted that the dark-haired individual next to him even had the capacity to feel love, let alone admit it and admit it to him. They’d been friends for six thousand years, now this, this totally unexpected... he sighed... he knew this had been coming. Ever since that day in 1941... no it was before then. Was it before or after Rome? No, definitely before then, the garden? No even before then, before even the beginning... and that was when the truth hit the angel with stark reality. From that second he had heard that voice calling ‘Oi’ as he streaked across the sky, he had heard, he had responded, he had first met Crowley just before the beginning of the universe, and all he knew at that moment was he was going to follow him until it ended. The cold truth was that this wretched, tortured yet smooth and suave figure next to him was more than a best friend, he always had been and he was completely besotted with him. He turned fully to face Crowley and listened to his breathing for a few minutes before his eyelids also closed but not before he had uttered the words:
‘I love you too, Crowley.’
A few minutes later they were both asleep, their hands still interlinked.
Aziraphale awoke early. He wasn’t sure what time it was but it was definitely before seven. The first thing he was aware of was a pounding headache and horrible taste in his dry mouth. Darn alcohol and sleep. The second thing he was aware of was a figure next to him, sound asleep still facing him- to be more accurate cuddled up next to him. The only sign he had moved at all in the night was he was no longer holding Aziraphale's hand but had an arm draped over him. Aziraphale flinched as he realised that he too was returning the embrace and quickly lifted his arm feeling his cheeks flush as flashbacks of the previous evening began to surface. He remembered most of them with vivid clarity and wondered just how much Crowley would remember too. Then he had an idea. As quietly as he could he pulled himself out of Crowley's embrace quickly placing a pillow where he’d been lying. Crowley stirred but didn’t wake, instead snuggling further into the pillow with a contented sigh. For a second Aziraphale wished he hadn’t got up quite so soon but then remembered why he had got up. He quickly changed into his usual attire and casting one long look at Crowley from the doorway left the flat, heading towards the market.
It was over an hour later when Crowley awoke. He tasted the dry stale taste of wine in his mouth before he’d even opened his eyes. He also realised he was in bed and hugging something soft and warm, his heart skipped a beat and he opened his eyes to find... a pillow next to him. He lay there for a few minutes trying to piece together the previous evening. He remembered falling asleep on the sofa, he also vaguely remembered falling off the sofa. Damn, that demon drink (quite literally) and (he shot up in bed) ‘Aziraphale?’ His voice caught in his dry throat and the room spun as he sat there. Had Aziraphale left? Had he upset him somehow? He wished more than anything he could remember... what was that? He sniffed again, a wonderful aroma met his nostrils. The unmistakable scent of bacon and fresh brewed coffee. His stomach rumbled noisily reminding him of his lack of food over the past twenty-four hours.
The demon stumbled out of bed and through to the kitchen where he saw Aziraphale tending to something frying in a pan. Upon catching sight of Crowley he smiled broadly.
‘Good morning Crowley,’ he grinned cheerfully.
‘Good... morning,’ said Crowley slowly, looking around suspiciously. ‘What’s all this?’
‘Breakfast,’ replied the angel innocently. ‘I was just about to come in and wake you, it’s pretty much ready.’
‘I can see it’s breakfast,’ said Crowley rubbing his throbbing head, ‘but... well... why?’
‘As a thank you for letting me stay,’ said Aziraphale removing some fried eggs from the pan and carefully placing them onto two plates already laden with food. ‘Sit,’ he instructed.
Not taking his eyes off of Aziraphale or the plates he was carrying, Crowley obediently sat at the table before helping himself to a fresh pot of coffee. There was no doubt about it, Aziraphale really had pushed the boat out. As well as a traditional full English breakfast, there was fresh fruit, croissants, toast, and several different jams and conserves.
‘You didn’t need to go to all this bother Angel,’ said Crowley awkwardly.
‘I know I didn’t need to,’ said Aziraphale patiently, ‘but I wanted to.’ He set a plate down in front of Crowley and another one opposite him before returning to the kitchen and grabbing a pot of tea. Crowley was already shoveling a bit of everything onto his fork. There was bacon, sausages, tomatoes eggs beans and hash browns, all beautifully presented and smelled wonderful. It was only when he tasted the first mouthful that his eyes widened. Aziraphale tried not to make it obvious he was waiting for a reaction.
‘Oh,’ mumbled Crowley, ‘oh wow Angel this is... this is amazing.’ Aziraphale beamed almost dancing on the spot before sitting down.
‘I’m so glad,’ he grinned. ‘I must admit baking is more my thing but...’
‘No this is perfect,’ Crowley talked through another mouthful of food. ‘Honesty Angel if you make a breakfast like this every morning you can stay every night!’ Aziraphale blushed furiously as Crowley suddenly realised what he’d said and added hastily; ‘I mean- if you want.’
‘I – would like that,’ said Aziraphale, ‘but well I’d hate to impose.’
‘You’re not imposing,’ said Crowley, ‘you’re very good company... oh by the way did I dream it or did I fall off the sofa last night?’
‘You did,’ laughed Aziraphale. ‘I had to come and help you to bed.’
‘Oh for Satan’s sake,’ muttered Crowley. ‘Was I really that bad?’
‘Not the absolute worst I’ve seen you,’ the angel gave him a wink. ‘You were actually quite endearing.’ He wanted to blurt out about Crowley’s admission, he wanted to tell him that he felt the same way and had done ever since they first met, but he swallowed back the words somehow as Crowley pulled a face.
‘Oh yuck,’ scowled the demon. ‘Please tell me I didn’t do or say anything too sappy.’
Tell him screamed a voice in Aziraphale’s head, tell him now! The angel picked his next words carefully.
‘You don’t remember?’
‘Angel I was completely off the planet,’ grumbled the demon. ‘I don’t remember a thing!’
Aziraphale felt his heart sink. He didn’t remember – or was too embarrassed to admit it. Either way, he wasn’t getting an admission today. Had it all been a lie? Just drunken ramblings? He knew full well that admissions of love or hate, made when drunk or angry, usually had an element of truth behind them, but it didn’t help him. He noticed Crowley was looking at him and suddenly realised how his own facial expressions were betraying him and feigned a smile.
‘Everything alright?’ asked Crowley. Aziraphale nodded.
‘Of course, everything is...’ he looked at Crowley, sitting across from him at the table, tucking into a breakfast that he had made for him, looking relaxed and perfectly at ease with him, and smiled wider. ‘..Perfect,’ finished Aziraphale.
It was approaching late morning. After breakfast, Crowley had wandered off for a shower and had returned looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
‘Shower’s free if you want it,’ he called. Aziraphale hesitated. Staying here overnight was one thing – a shower seemed even more personal than sharing a bed.
‘Maybe later,’ he said awkwardly.
‘Suit yourself,’ remarked Crowley, sauntering over to the large windows and looking out over the city. ‘So we’ve got the first day of the rest of our lives to look forward to, what do you want to do first?’
‘Well I’m guessing I should return to the bookshop,’ said Aziraphale, ‘and get that sorted, then maybe a stroll through the park, we could get an ice cream and maybe grab dinner at the Ritz later.’
‘Look at you planning a date like an old pro...’ teased Crowley. Aziraphale flushed almost scarlet.
‘Well-I mean, it’s not a... I... I didn’t mean it like that... well... I mean... unless you want to see it like that! The voice in his head was taunting him again but thankfully Crowley was already sauntering towards the door playfully nudging Aziraphale as he passed.
‘Angel would you please relax,’ he insisted. ‘Let’s make a move shall we?’
‘Yes of course,’ said Aziraphale, ‘but Crowley,’ he picked up the coat on the back of the chair.
‘Uh angel that’s mine,’ pointed out the demon.
‘Yes,’ said Aziraphale picking up his own and handing it over, ‘but I think we should be extra careful about the faces we choose for the next few days... and I’ve thought of a plan- just hear me out on this one...’