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An angel and a demon sit in the bookshop, laughing together at stupid jokes they’ve probably told a million times already. It’s freezing outside, but Aziraphale has made sure that the temperature inside is pleasantly warm for his cold-blooded companion, who loves spending most of the winters under several blankets.
After the averted Armageddon, Crowley unofficially moved to the bookshop. The arrangement satisfies them both, and soothes Aziraphale’s anxious mind about the demon’s safety. The angel had thought about inviting Crowley to live in the bookshop permanently, but they never talked about it, and Aziraphale was afraid to interrupt their peaceful existence they finally had achieved. Nowadays Crowley rarely even visits his own apartment, and most of his plants had found a new home from the bookshop. The shop resembles more of a wild jungle than a proper bookshop, making potential customers turn away from the door.
“So, I’ve been thinking”, Crowley says as he opens a bottle of wine and pours generous amount of it into two glasses.
Aziraphale wrinkles his nose. Crowley’s voice suddenly sounds serious, though they had been laughing only a moment ago. “Well, that’s never a good sign”, the angel says, trying to lighten the mood.
His remark earns a disapproving glance from the demon. “Anyway, my point. My point is… Valentine's Day. ‘S tomorrow, right?”
Aziraphale’s drunk mind clears up immediately, and he sits up straighter in the armchair. He stares at the demon, who’s sprawled on the sofa, looking as handsome as always. His bright red hair looks incredibly soft and Aziraphale’s hands ache to run his fingers through them. Instead he fiddles with his waistcoat, a bad habit he should get rid of before the beloved piece of clothing tears apart.
“As far as I'm aware, yes.”
“Should we spend it together? Or, not together, together, y’know. But… eh. Especially at this time of the year, humans will make more assumptions about us than they usually do.”
Aziraphale crosses his arms over his chest in defence. “That has never been a problem for either of us before. Humans tend to make opinions about us all the time.”
“You’re right. Just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page, ‘s all.”
“Well, I can handle a few humans mistakenly thinking of us as a couple, thank you very much. I didn’t know it's that big of a issue for you.”
Crowley sighs. “You know I didn’t mean it like that, angel. I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“I promise I’ll be perfectly fine. I don’t even think that anyone will be saying anything. Everyone’s too busy with their own lives.”
***
It didn’t take long for Azirahale to be proven wrong.
Maybe he should’ve corrected the whole Whickber street years ago, when the rumours about the nature of his and Crowley's relationship started spreading around. Aziraphale still isn’t sure what had exactly started them, but for months they had been the talk of the street. Luckily after a while the gossipers had found a new victim and their relationship had been forgotten.
However, when five years later Nina and Maggie appear unannounced to the bookshop with pink “Happy Valentine’s Day!” and “You’re my sweetheart” balloons, Aziraphale curses quietly his past self.
“Where’s the grumpy one?” Nina asks, not caring about Aziraphale’s stiff smile.
“Crowley is still asleep upstairs. So, I think it would be best if you leave the balloons here. It was nice to see you two again, but you really have to go–”
At the exact moment he hears Crowley's footsteps on the stairs, they all turn stare at him when he stops at the bottom of the staircase, trying to understand the situation before him. “I really hope I’m still dreaming”, the demon mutters after seeing the balloons.
“Good morning, dearest”, Aziraphale says warmly. “Did you sleep well? We’ll have our breakfast soon, your coffee is almost ready.”
“Hm? Yes I slept well, angel. I always do when I sleep in your bed.” The demon tries subtly to make his hair look more presentable, failing miserably and making it more messy. “Why are they here? I didn’t know we were going to have visitors.”
“We came to give you these balloons for your five year anniversary”, Maggie says happily, making Crowley frown and Aziraphale sigh deeply.
“Huh... It's been five years since what?”
“Since we started dating, of course”, Aziraphale helps, before Maggie or Nina have a chance to open their mouths.
Crowley lets his eyes wander from the women to the balloons and finally at the curly-haired angel before him, who's begging him silently to join the lie. “Ohhhh, yeah. Totally”, Crowley says and a heavy weight drops instantly from Aziraphale’s shoulders. “How could I forget? I feel like a bad… partner.”
“Well, how does it feel to be together after six thousand years?” Maggie asks. “Did something change after you finally confessed your feelings?”
“Why does this feel like an interrogation?” Crowley grumples.
Aziraphale on the other hand looks thoughtful. “I’m not sure if anything has changed in the last five years. Maybe we’ve gotten closer, and we're more comfortable being with each other now when no one is threating us all the time. We never had that privilege before. Mostly we spend our days doing the same things we did before, enjoying our retirement."
To Aziraphale's surprise Crowley hugs him. Aziraphale hugs him tightly back, asking himself why they’ve never done that before. When Nina announces that the women are soon going to be late for their own date, Crowley lets go of him.
“Oh, and Mr. Brown told me to remind you about the Whickber street monthly meeting. Apparently you’re hosting this time”, Maggie says before the door closes, leaving Aziraphale once again curse his past self.
“Well, that was a thing”, Crowley says. “I wasn’t aware that we’re dating. I would've gotten you a gift.”
Aziraphale smiles tiredly. “Five years ago there was a rumour that we’re dating. I had forgotten about the whole thing but evidently I was the only one. I should’ve stopped the rumour at the same moment I heard about it. And now I also have to worry about the meeting.”
“What if we just… pretend to be a couple? It can't be that hard.”
“Oh, dearest. Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t want to force you or to make you feel that you’re obliged to be a part of this.”
“‘Course I don’t mind it. Don’t worry about it.”
With a little help from miracles, they make the bookshop ready for the meeting. The plants are moved to Crowley’s bedroom, decorations are put on display and the bookshelves are shifted to make more space. Aziraphale refuses to use any miracles on the food and insists making it the human way. Crowley tries to help him as much as he can, but soon he gets bored and just sits on a chair, watching the angel work while a soft music is playing the background.
In the evening Aziraphale greets every guest, thanking them for coming and tries to make everyone feel welcomed. He barely escapes from Mr. Brown who looks like he already wants to discuss the next meeting. The only being Aziraphale truly wants to be with is nowhere to be seen. The demon had disappeared when Aziraphale was distracted talking with Mrs. Sandwich and none of the guests recalled seeing him at all.
Unfortunately Mr. Brown catches Aziraphale at the buffet table. The angel tries to smile at the man but it feels more of a grimace. “Ah... hello. How can I help?”
Mr. Brown doesn't notice or simply doesn't care about Aziraphale’s hostility. “Today has been a full success. I think we should start making your shop as the standard meeting place. How do you even do the transformation? This looks like a whole different place.”
“Thank you, but I didn’t do this alone. My… Crowley helped me with everything.”
“Ah, him…” Something about his tone made Aziraphale uneasy. “Are you sure he isn’t a part of the mafia? Walking around with sunglasses certainly looks suspicious. You never know what he’s thinking.”
“Who are talking about?" A familiar voice asks behind Aziraphale and he feels immediately more relaxed. Seeing Mr. Brown almost jump out of his skin makes up the minutes he had spend talking to him. The man mumbles something unclear before fleeing from the conversation.
“Thank you for getting rid of him, dearest. He was getting terribly rude while talking about you.”
“Let’s forget about him. I have a surprise for you which I hope you like." Crowley guides Aziraphale through the crowd towards the backroom. At the door he orders the angel to close his eyes and not to peek before he's allowed to so. He helps Aziraphale to stand in the middle of the room. “Okay, now you can open them.”
Aziraphale opens his eyes carefully. Crowley’s standing in front of him with a bouquet of bright flowers and a box of chocolates. “Oh, you sweet old demon”, the angel says, heart completely melted.
“I guess you’re supposed to ask someone to be your valentine before the actual day, but I hope this is still up to your standards. I even bought your favourite chocolate. So... will you be my valentine, angel?” Crowley looks nervous and Aziraphale smiles at him lovingly.
“You have always been the standard for me. Of course I’ll be your valentine, darling.”
The gifts are soon forgotten, when Aziraphale gets closer to the demon to straighten his collar. Then the angel gently cups his face in his hands. He waits for Crowley to nod before he kisses him. Crowley melts completely against him, kissing him back like his whole life depends on it.
When they finally stop kissing, they both have idiotic smiles on their faces and hearts full of love.