“You got two different firs when it comes to trees. The Douglas, or the Frasier. With the Frasier, the needles last longer, but the Douglas has a more pleasing scent.” The young man in front of them launches into his sales pitch as Aziraphale and Anathema walk along the rows of trees.
“And then you have your blue spruce, which is almost in the perfect shape of a pyramid, and even better...” Here, the boy’s eyes light up, leaving Aziraphale intrigued, despite himself, as the boy finishes, “It can be replanted once you’re done using it.”, then walks away to give his pitch to someone else, allowing Anathema to turn to the angel and ask,
“Well? What do you think? Needle strength? Scent? Recycling?”
Aziraphale wastes no time telling her, “I think I’ve had enough looking at trees, and am going to hide in the gift shop until you’re finished.”
The angel doesn’t even bother waiting for a reply, as he walks right past her, even as she protests, only a little pissed, “What about me? I can’t do this all on my own!”
“I can help you, ma’am!” comes from behind her, and it’s the boy from before, all smiles.
A little bell chimes as Aziraphale opens the door to the gift shop, calling out hesitantly,
“Uh, h-hello?” as he closes the door behind him.
There’s no answer, so the angel walks around in silence, taking note of some of the ornaments hanging on the fully decorated tree, before noticing a bell shaped angel has been knocked over.
“Oh no, that won’t do at all.” Aziraphale mutters to himself, as he uses both hands to bring it upright, the front dancing out.
“There, that’s better. Just because you look nothing like an angel, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve respect.”
That done, he moves over to where some candles are set up, and picks one up, giving it a whiff, not noticing someone else has walked in until he hears,
“Oi! Could I bother you for a second opinion?”
The angel flinches, nearly dropping the candle he’s holding before miracling it back in his hand with a snap, before thinking better of it.
The other man, all decked out in black, if he’s noticed the miracle, doesn’t comment on it, instead asking, “Oh no, did I scare one of Heaven’s finest warriors?”
The way he says it is all Aziraphale needs to know he’s in the presence of not just another supernatural being, but one meant to be an adversary to all angels; a demon.
Immediately, Aziraphale gets defensive, “Of course not! I just…” then trails off, flustered at how easy it was for said demon to do so.
The demon, seeming to sense this, nods towards the candle, “You got good taste. Those candles are a hit with the humans. Though I can’t say I quite understand what an angel would want with one. Apple pie. Even ground up the cinnamon myself.”
Aziraphale relaxes only a fraction, “It’s wonderful.”, and sets it back down.
“Right, so your opinion...” the demon picks up another candle, then hands it to Aziraphale. “It’s not just me who thinks it’s awful, is it? And not in a good way, either?”
Aziraphale takes the smallest of sniffs, and that’s enough, “Perhaps if you lost your sense of smell...”
The demon rolls his eyes from behind his glasses as he takes it back, “My bosses from downstairs thought it would be a real laugh to make a Hellfire roasted marshmallow scented candle.”, then sets it down. “What humans don’t know is that Hellfire smells like rotten eggs, and coupled with a marshmallow, it’s fucking disgusting.”
YOU ARE READING
The Christmas Tree
RomanceAziraphale plans to avoid any holiday traditions that bring back memories of his late husband until he receives a gift from a handsome shop owner. To move on from his loss, Aziraphale works for a balance between his memories and finding a future.
