Work Text:
It was in their garden in the South Downs. They held hands, staring up at the sky as the stars faded and the first hints of the sun’s rays came over the horizon.
Asa tipped to the side, finding Anthony’s shoulder, inhaling his scent.
They both closed their eyes.
…
When Asa opened his eyes once more, he stood in a bookshop. But it wasn’t the one he had worked at for years with Derek.
This was a bookshop that appeared often in his dreams. Dusty and ancient and filled with texts he’d dreamt of but could never find, it welcomed him back home.
He breathed in the smell of aged paper and oak shelves, and his shoulders relaxed a fraction.
It all came back to him slowly. Pieces of a puzzle arrived one at a time, settling into hazy hint of a memory.
Something was missing still. He was home, but not fully because the other half of him was missing.
The other half was…
“Angel, wait for me!”
The door burst open, startling Asa, and Anthony ran in, young once more like the day they first met, panting heavily.
“Had to rush to catch up. Couldn’t leave me there alone, could you? You can’t just— gah!”
Always the dramatic one, Anthony fell to the side, grasping his head, eyes squeezing shut.
Asa ran to him, anxiety flitting through his entire being. “Anthony!”
Anthony’s hair went from copper and grey to dark red in flashes. He gasped and his mouth dropped and when he opened his eyes, they were gold and slitted.
Oh. Oh yes. Of course.
Asa’s own hair shifted, bursting into blonde-white curls. A bow tie appeared around his neck. His sweater lengthened to a very well-worn jacket.
Ah, that was better.
Anthony stared up at him now with wide eyes, but he was no longer Anthony. Not really.
“Aziraphale,” Crowley whispered, and it seemed to be coming back to him slowly. “Angel.”
It was as if all the little pieces they had burst into began to fit together little by little once more.
“Oh my dear,” Aziraphale breathed, bringing a hand to his chest with the realization of what they’d been given.
They had not been able to experience the new world as they were now, but their souls had been there, found one another.
This was always the plan. They just didn’t know it.
“Angel,” Crowley said again, and this time tears rushed from his eyes unguarded.
“Look at what we had,” Aziraphale cried, sinking to the ground beside him. “Oh it was wonderful. So peaceful. Perfect. You were perfect.”
Crowley opened and closed his mouth but the words didn’t come, his lower lip quivering.
“So good,” Aziraphale added. “You were so good.”
As if by habit, Crowley narrowed his eyes and spat out, “Not—”
“Yes you are,” Aziraphale stopped him. “So, so good. We were brilliant, weren’t we?”
Crowley’s mouth lifted at the corner, and then he smiled wider, flashing all his teeth. “Yeah. We were, huh?”
“You wrote a book!”
Crowley gave a fake growl in annoyance.
“You were named Asa.”
Aziraphale burst into laughter at that. “It’s a name!”
“Sure it is.”
“And we kissed. All the time. Everyday.”
Crowley smirked. “Oh yes.”
“And we…” Aziraphale trailed off, feeling suddenly both shy and rather proud.
Crowley blushed a deep crimson. “Oh yes,” he said once more, licking his lips. “We really did. Often.”
“And it was… spectacular.”
Somehow Crowley flushed even darker, but he swallowed and nodded. “I can’t believe we got our happy ending.”
“I know. Didn’t think it was in the cards for us.”
“Well, the cards can be in our favor every now and again. We found the lady.”
They both laughed at that and Aziraphale hesitated before leaning in and laying his head on Crowley’s shoulder, just as Asa and Anthony always had.
“I really was smitten right away. Always am.”
“Hmm. It was nice to have you chase after me for once. Even if you were quite out of breath,” Crowley teased.
“Oh you.” Aziraphale nudged him, and Crowley pulled him closer.
The bookshop was so quiet and peaceful, just as their South Downs had been.
“Next time, find me sooner,” Aziraphale requested, and Crowley startled, rotating to face him.
“Next time?”
“Well, we are going to go again, aren’t we?”
Crowley paused and considered, pursing his lips, then nodded.
“Yes. I think we are. But can we just stay here for a bit before we do? Can this be our meeting point in between, whenever we come back?”
“Of course my dear.” Aziraphale kissed Crowley’s cheek. “How about a drink?”
He raised his hand, and two glasses of wine appeared before them.
“Yesss.” Crowley scrunched his nose at the familiar hiss that had returned. “What are we toasting?”
“Well us, of course.”
“Yes, of course. To us.”
“And to the world.”
“To our world.”