yet, if he said he loved me
In this new world, where the sword of Damocles of the apocalypse has clanged down with all the strength of a plastic bread knife, Crowley and Aziraphale are carefully exploring their new normal. Centuries of buried love and hurt will always leave landmines, including some you planted yourself. An invitation to a 1970s theme art gala with Anthema & Newt is a lovely idea that throws our angel and demon back into memories of a night at the bookshop they haven’t spoken about in 48 years.
It rings like a bell through him. He can still remember how the leather of the coat was like a second skin, warm and soft. He can remember how it felt when Aziraphale had grabbed the front to manhandle him onto the desktop. The black ink spiraled out in an arc almost like a wing.
Crowley has gone still. The silence feels thick and heavy, like any word he utters would drop into it and hang there, suspended. His brain tries to find something light to break it. Anything at all. “One word at a time,” he thinks, “like stair steps.” Thank someone he manages to keep his voice steady.
“Nah. Last time I wore it, it got stained. And… I can’t always get the stains out, angel.”
His eyes well up at the picture in his head and he works to push the memory down, breathing through his nose and trying for lightness.
“But I’ve got a lot of other options. Tell me you’ll dress up, too?” He’s rewarded with the angel skipping past his awkwardness.
“Yes, fine, Crowley, I’ll see what I can come up with.”
“I’ll pick you up, Angel? If we shoot for seven o'clock we should get there right as the pre-show nibbles arrive.” The silence sticks in this throat as he waits to hear the reply.
Finally he hears a strained, “That sounds lovely, my dear. I’ll see you then.” And Aziraphale rings off hurriedly.
Crowley sits holding the phone to his chest. It’s still a physical ache to think about it. It was one of the lowest points of their... friendship, arrangement, whatever this is now. And it IS something now. Something so precious, and he worries the fragile bubble they’ve created might disappear.
Because it’s obvious that the angel hasn’t forgotten a thing.
Welcome to a PyraMuse collaboration for the GO-Events Server’s POV Pairs event!
@purepyracantha is writing Crowley, and @musegnome is writing Aziraphale. We’ve had so much fun writing this together, and we hope you enjoy!
Look for this dropping on AO3 on September 22th!
