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It was awfully convenient to have a friend. Aziraphale had never had a friend before, and he found that he enjoyed it immensely. He had someone to talk to, to spend time with, and even to play games with.
And, much to his delight, it meant that he had someone to share food with.
Sometimes, he cooked or baked, and he enjoyed it an awful lot. Oh, he wasn’t very good at it, and Crawley sometimes gave him horrified looks. But still, Crawley tried things, and wasn’t too rude to him over even the total failures.
Today was a beautiful autumn day, though, with the temperature finally dropping enough that the hot Mesopotamian sun no longer induced immediate heat exhaustion. It had been quite a taxing summer, and Aziraphale hadn’t felt like emerging from the shade very often.
Now that it was so much cooler—well, at least a little cooler—he went for a nice walk to the market. And, as had become his habit, he took Crawley with him.
“This is so stupid,” Crawley complained, tagging after him. “The sun’s hot enough to set us on fire within about three seconds. It’s going to bake us alive.”
Aziraphale beamed at him. “Oh, don’t be like that. It’s a lovely day.”
“It’s so hot that it might as well be one of the circles of Hell. We’re in serious danger of spontaneous combustion.”
“It’s not that hot, you silly serpent,” Aziraphale said, wiping sweat from his brow. “Anyway, would you like cakes? I was thinking of buying cakes.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not changing the subject!” Aziraphale scrambled for a reason that he wasn’t changing the subject. It only took him a moment to come up with an excuse. “You were talking about the sun baking us. Now we’re talking about baked goods. It’s a completely logical transition.”
Crawley snorted. “Okay, okay. I’ll give you that one, Aziraphale.”
“Cakes, then?” Aziraphale asked cheerfully.
“I can’t possibly think of anything in the entire universe that would delight and satiate me more.”
“Oh, good! I’m definitely sure we’ll find something wonderful to eat.”
It took a bit of time before they found someone selling cakes. For some reason, the humans seemed to be hiding in the shade even though it was autumn. Aziraphale, on the other hand, firmly believed in positive thinking. So long as he focused on the fact that it was autumn, everything was sure to be lovely.
“Goodness, I don’t know why I’m sweating so much,” he said as he and Crawley made their way back to the house they’d been sharing. “Perhaps it’s the exercise.”
“It’s the sun baking you.” Crawley kicked the door open and pushed Aziraphale through. “Go sit down before you melt. I’ll grab plates.”
Aziraphale sat, grateful, and wiped his face dry with a piece of white linen. His robe was awfully sweaty too, but he didn’t feel like changing into a different outfit. It would dry eventually.
“I really do enjoy this, you know,” Aziraphale said.
Dark glasses fully concealing his eyes, Crawley glared at Aziraphale and set plates down, then a jug of beer. “Enjoy what?”
“You know.” Aziraphale put two straws in the beer jug. “Having a friend.”
“Oy.” Crawley’s face flushed, and he let out a furious hiss. “Bugger that. You don’t have a friend.”
“I don’t?”
“No!”
“Of course I do!” Beaming despite his confusion, Aziraphale patted Crawley’s arm once he sat. “I have you.”
Crawley looked even more horrified. “You’re kidding. No. We’re not friends, capiche?”
“Oh. It’s just that I thought we were.” Dropping his gaze, Aziraphale let out a heavy sigh. “In that case, I suppose I’ll have to eat all these cakes alone. I wouldn’t share cakes with someone who’s not my friend.”
Letting out a snort of laughter, Crawley put cakes on both of their plates. “You’re a real bastard, Aziraphale.”
“But not a friendless one?” Aziraphale asked hopefully.
“Hmph.” Although Crawley tried to glare, he wasn’t managing it very well. He looked more amused than anything. “I’m sharing your cakes, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you certainly are.” Aziraphale smiled, pleased. This was as close to admitting to their friendship as Crawley was likely to get, at least for now, and it was more than enough. “And I very, very much enjoy sharing cakes with you.”
Crawley pursed his lips, managing the glare a little bit better this time. Then he sighed, and very quietly said, “Oh, bless it. I enjoy it too.”
Delighted, Aziraphale put an extra cake on Crawley’s plate. They would have a lovely time drinking and dining together, just as they always did. They were friends, after all.