#solimette

Aziraphale, a very competent art conservator who specializes in oil paintings, spots a fake van Dyck at Michael's gallery. He is hired by interpol officer Gabriel to hunt down this forger, who had duped wealthy folks out of millions for recreations of van Dyck and Rubens paintings. They team up with Anthony Crowley, who has worked the circuit selling paintings and might have a clue on who is forging them (maybe because he's the artist they're looking for). Too bad Anthony got mixed up with Beelzebub Prince and a terrible gang that are also looking for said forger. They sold a bad painting to their boss? They want revenge.

Length: 156,464 words

AO3 Rating: Explicit / Spice Level 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Best for: Mostly Safe in Public, Slow Burn, Romance, Human AU

Triggers: None

Read it here, fic by Solimette, WaldosAkimbo

*Minor Spoilers* This is an excellent AU! In this world, Crowley is an art forger with 20 years of experience. Will his wiles finally be thwarted when Aziraphale, a highly skilled art conservator, reveals one of Crowley's latest sales to be a fake? This has it all! Slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, sexual tension, the intimate act of cooking for each other, the mob, only one bed in the romantic safe house, lying to protect each other, a dramatic rescue!! Literally grab your snacks and settle in, this one is so much fun.

They both respect each other intellectually so much here and that's always a favorite of mine. They admire each other. It's important to me that they can impress each other with their skills and knowledge. It's quite a slow burn, but in a lovely domestic sort of way. Even though it takes them time to start a relationship, they're so intimate and gentle with each other from fairly early on. I really enjoyed both of their characterizations here. We get the basic shape of their canon without being awkwardly forced. When lines/plot reference canon it's done in a way that really flows and isn't just copy pasted in.

If you haven't read this one before I definitely hope you check it out! Great for fans of banter and wine drunk nights. Mostly safe in public, all explicit scenes are later in the story but are not marked off for skipping so that's your own journey. Good for reading in breaks, I binged it and it was an excellent choice for that.