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Anthony J. Crowley weakly held the hand of his dear old husband, who he adored. He kissed Asa's wrinkled hands one last time, and wiped a tear from his cheek, his husband's face in that sweet, cherubic smile he always wore. He told him he loved him.
And then he crossed into the light.
Everything was perfect in their marriage, Anthony would joke, except for one thing: that they had found eachother too late in life. They had met in Asa's bookshop, an almost cinematic meet-cute while he attempted to sell Anthony his own book at half-price. And then followed the man out onto the street to ask him to dinner.
Then later, they would marry, retire, and settle down in a little cottage in the south downs, where Anthony made his jokes about meeting one another as grumpy old men whose marriage only had the blight of an all-too-late start. And as much as Asa would tease him for his jesting, Anthony knew deep down, he always wished they would have more time than the constraints of their reality would allow.
But now, as he crossed the threshold over from the land of the living to a new afterlife, he was puzzled. He wasn't aware there was any afterlife, and yet, here he was. Sentient, but transformed. He looked about himself.
He was dressed in dark leathers and denims, and he felt a huge weight on his back. Upon exercising the new muscles there, he found two incredible black wings, and caught a glimpse of his hair. Still red, but deeper in shade, and… longer. He didn't totally hate it, and as he had the passing thought, he realized he was no longer alone,
He turned around in the free space, and his eyes fell immediately on someone who had just arrived. Someone who his mind immediately relaxed into, someone who he knew was safe and special and warm. Someone he loved.
"Asa." He gasped. "Wait— No…" as his eyes traveled across the being before him, he knew him to transcend that mark, that label. He could feel his mind growing bigger, memories, information coming to front, flooding him as if locked away for decades. He took in the man as eons flashed across his mind. Tan overcoat, baby blue shirt, neat waistcoat and tartan bow tie around his collar… big white wings, and cerulean stormy eyes that were full of tears, a smile that could bring sunshine into the darkest pits of hell… "Aziraphale…" he rasped. The smile grew, radiating light and warmth.
"oh, Crowley…" Aziraphale let out a shuddering gasp and a sobbed as they seized eachother, embracing amongst the stars and nebulae of a universe they thought was destroyed. They gripped tightly to one another for several moments, quietly weeping tears of joy and relief.
"but…" Crowley started, "I'm confused, I thought She— we'd decided—"
"I don't understand it either, oh my dear," he cupped a hand around Crowley's cheek, swiping a tear away. "It must be God. Or… or maybe our minor miracle—"
"But we were humans, I remember it! I was an astrophysicist slash author, you sold books, of course, only actually sold them, and at half price—"
"Only yours, my dear." Aziraphale teased.
"Angel…" Crowley warned, and suddenly Aziraphale turned serious.
"Crowley there is something I must s—say." Aziraphale started, "something I must say before I lose you again."
Crowley took the angel's hand and brought it to his lips, "you never lost me, Angel." He murmured.
"Oh but I have, too many times." Aziraphale insisted, "I've gotten too close, and while I am fairly certain you are well aware of how I feel for you, still, I must say it. Please, allow me to say now, what I always should have." Crowley looked at him, enraptured but silent, he gave a slight nod.
"Crowley." Aziraphale started, a tear already streaking down his face. "Oh, my dear… I love you. I love you so terribly. I love all of you for exactly who you are. As an angel, as my demon, as the human under that ridiculous name." Crowley chuckled.
"You said you'd get used to it."
"But really? Anthony?" They dissolved in laughter for a moment before gazing upon eachother as they had a million times before. With love and reverence.
"Crowley," he continued. "You complete me, you are the only one who has ever made the world make any small amount of sense. I love you. Forever."
Despite knowing this deep in his heart, the words undid Crowley. His lip trembled; tears streaked his face as they fell.
"I know," he said. And the words freed his soulmate before his eyes. Aziraphale let out a shuddering exhale as he collapsed into him, embracing him once more and dropping his head into Crowley's chest. Crowley wrapped his arms and wings around them both, pressing a single kiss into his angel’s hair.
they were here. They were alive. Together. And they remembered. Not only that, they were. The were as they had been, before, always. An angel and a demon. Holding onto one another while existence happened around them.
"As you may recall, I don't play games with the universe." The Almighty's interruption boomed through the space, putting them on the defensive. Crowley clutched the hand of his beloved as they both scrambled to face her. "what made you think I would abide completely by your rules? A universe without you two? Don't be absurd. Afterall, there is still an ineffable plan, a plan in a devising all my own, that no one could fathom but me. Well. I suppose now it a good time as any to reveal it."
And with that, and a flourish, before their party could react, Earth came into view— not the earth of Asa and Anthony… but their earth. She swirled her arm again and Whickber street projected itself before them.
Aziraphale gasped.
"The bookshop!"
Crowley fought his smile when he saw her, parked on the curb. "Our Bentley."
Just then, a human came into view— her dark hair sweeping behind her as she shut blue shop doors. It was Nina from the coffee shop! And there, Maggie behind her! Crowley quickly pointed this out to his angel, whose eyes grew in astonishment.
"All exactly as it was," God hummed, content.
"But…" Aziraphale started, "what about the humans? They're still trapped… stuck as game pieces while the cosmic scales tip them unwittingly against themselves…"
"About that," God said, clearing her throat. "You're not the only ones I've granted an ultimatum to. The former Antichrist and former messiah have also come to an agreement," she explained, "instead of leaving this world to be destroyed, they agreed to each run the respective head offices as afterlife-spaces only. Holding cells for the deceased human souls to rest. And that's not all, they've put an end to cosmic war, humans, demons, angels… all can travel between the three worlds as they please. of course, this comes with the promise that they will not meddle in earth affairs too much, limited miracle usage and all, it's gotten very succinct now, the bureaucracy."
"So, you're saying," Crowley started, "the boy Adam runs hell, Jesus runs Heaven, and earth is … what, some sort of cosmic middle ground? The tube for angels and demons and dead humans to hop between the two?"
"That's about the chief of the idea, yes," God said.
Aziraphale brought a hand to his chest. Crowley shook his head.
"No. Not good enough. What about our Earth? The one we just lived on as humans? The world without any interference?"
"It still exists," God assured them. "You won't have access to it anymore, now that you're reinstated to your former stock… but I'll let you keep the memories."
"How kind," Crowley said, and this time, he actually meant it. She tilted her head, a slight smile on her face.
"So. Where do you want to go?" She asked them, "the choice is still yours."
Crowley looked at his angel, his husband, his Aziraphale, and he knew, they were both thinking the same thing. Earth. It was always going to be Earth, it always had been.
"Angel," Crowley started, taking his hands again, "how would you feel about an alcoholic breakfast at the Ritz?"
"That sounds divine, my dear. I'll pop into the bookshop to turn the sign closed, and then we can take your car."
"Our car," Crowley insisted.
Aziraphale beamed, giving his everything a knowing look. "Our car."
"I think that's a suitable celebration for returning to your existence," God said approving, "welcome back." She sighed then.
"Well, must get going. I promised Adam plans for a new heavenly interior decades ago." And just as she was to fade from existence, Crowley stopped her once more, just as he had last time.
"Wait! Stop," he said. "I have something to say."
Aziraphale brought his hand to Crowley's shoulder, giving him an encouraging nod.
"Thank you," Crowley told her. The Lord smiled, then winked. And then She was gone.
Aziraphale and Crowley turned to one another once more.
"Oh, and darling, I must ask," Aziraphale started, wiping the dust from his husband's coat and straightening it for their reservation for breakfast. "Please no bebop in the car on the way." Crowley laughed, whole heartedly, pulling Aziraphale close into his side as they flew off together toward their earth.
"Queen it is."
"Foul fiend!"
"You love me."
"I do. Always."
"C'mere, Angel."
And they continued that way, in light banter, and indulgent laughter, and general musings about existence itself, dancing and eating and loving one another. For eons and eternity to come.