"Why do you keep staring?" Crowley asked. The angel had not stopped looking at him since he had snapped on some clothes — He couldn't very well go about in his pajamas could he? The clothes he miracled were the same fit and cut as Aziraphale's, just black. Considering he didn't know the trends of the time and the angel was the only person he had seen since waking up, it seemed like a reasonable decision. Everything was pretty much the same except for the color.
Aziraphale giggled quietly, "Ah it's nothing dear. You look very dashing."
Crowley frowned, feeling self-conscious now. He took off the bow-tie with an uncomfortable cough, "shut up."
The angel laughed again and took the demon's arm to lead him outside. Crowley felt a warm feeling bubble up with the angel's arm in his, he liked this closeness, the familiarity. After a minute Aziraphale let go, a blush rising to his face.
"Sorry, I forget you're not used to-" he started.
"It's fine angel." Crowley interrupted before Aziraphale could finish, "I don't mind, really."
He prayed that the Aziraphale would take up his arm again. Maybe, if he was lucky, pull him into another kiss or a hug? Wouldn't that be nice? He sighed dreamily. This was definitely not real. It was all probably a figment of his overactive imagination; yet Aziraphale did not take his arm again, instead, he looked away while holding the front door open for him.
"Woah, is that a chariot?" Crowley asked dumbfounded by the sleek looking capsule in front of him as he stepped through the door. "Where are the horses?"
"Oh dear." Aziraphale muttered behind him, coming to his side and fiddling with his thumbs nervously. "Um well... humans don't really use horses anymore, as a mode of transport."
Crowley sighed in relief stepping closer to the vehicle in front of him, admiring it. "About time, I hate horses."
"I know."
Crowley clapped his hands in front of him, "So what is it? How do we use it?"
Aziraphale looked very concerned gazing forlornly at the Bentley before them, "Ah well, you- you usually drive it and take us places. But I don't think you should now, it takes a lot of practice to get a handle on the gears and things."
The demon frowned stroking the hood before him, "I could probably miracle it to work." He grinned mischievously over at the angel who paled at the thought.
"No, uh absolutely not." Ah that's the Aziraphale Crowley knew, he thought with a smile. Then the angel's tone softened and he looked away, "Future you would be very upset if you so much as gave her a scratch. She's your pride and joy."
Crowley had a hard time believing any material object would ever overshadow Aziraphale. But he trusted the angel more than he did himself in this moment. "Okay, then how do we get to this oyster place?"
Aziraphale frowned, "I guess we could call a cab."
"What's 'a cab'?" Crowley asked before he could help himself. Shut it, he cursed himself, asking questions was annoying. These were all minor things that Aziraphale knew and had been living with for probably years. He had already asked too many questions about the 'car' in front of them, but there was always a breaking point when it came to questions. He wasn't especially fond of finding Aziraphale's. It wasn't the angel's job to keep him up to date and guide him through this world he had been thrown into. It was a miracle he was humoring his request for oysters rather than kicking the burdensome demon to the curb like any righteous angel should. Then, he could go down to hell and figure it out that way. He could come back when he was more caught-up, taking the pressure off of Aziraphale.
The angel frowned, glancing over at the demon cautiously, "Are you sure you want to leave the house, dear? We could open a bottle and talk over a drink."
While the idea sounded flattering and more ideal, he had promised the angel oysters. He wanted Aziraphale happy, and he couldn't do that if they kept talking about what the angel was upset about initially, "No, no it's fine. I'll stop asking questions. Let's call a cab."
Aziraphale's frown deepened but he pulled out a phone that looked a bit blockier than the demon's and pressed some buttons. There was silence between the pair as Aziraphale seemed very concentrated on the piece of technology in front of him. "Sorry for the wait dear, you're usually the one to do this. I can never get it to work, but ah! One's on their way."
A feeling of uselessness took hold in his stomach and he looked to the ground kicking around a pebble. It wasn't fair to Aziraphale for him to drag the demon around and explain everything. Crowley supposedly drove the angel around now, and used the technology for him. He hated the feeling that he wasn't being the best he could be for him now, ruining the poor angel's day. "Sorry." He mumbled. He was definitely going to Hell after this.
Aziraphale blinked up at him with a look of confusion, "No dear, I'm just explaining why the car's late. You're not at fault."
Crowley huffed, not really taking the words seriously. He looked away, a million new questions he refused to ask surfaced. 'What were those poles in the sky?' 'Is that a metal bird?' 'Is that cement? Haven't seen that since Rome.' 'Are those other contraptions on the road also called 'cars'?'
A few minutes of silence later, a car rolled up to Aziraphale's house with a little block of light on top that spelled out 'taxi'. Crowley was not going to ask why. He also tried not to stare so openly as the vehicle just kind of rolled around without any visible force pushing or pulling it. It was amazing.
The angel opened the back door and gestured for the demon to get inside. Crowley hesitated just a moment before getting inside, dumbfounded by the cushiony surface the inside was almost entirely covered with. He sunk into them immediately, relishing the comfort. The angel closed the door and Crowley's heart sunk as Aziraphale walked away from it. Was he just going to leave him here? He looked over at the human with a weak smile. Here he was, a demon with 500AD knowledge and Aziraphale was just going to drop him in 'a cab' and let him fend for himself?
Not a second later the other door opened on the other side of the vehicle and the angel stepped in. Crowley couldn't help but sigh in relief, relaxing back into the cushiony seat.
"Where are you two fancy gents headed?" The man asked, pulling out of the angel's driveway.
"The Old Sea Diner please," Aziraphale instructed, settling himself in the car. Pulling a strap over his shoulder and buckling it somewhere by his hip.
Crowley bit his lip, tempted to ask but not wanting to be a nuisance.
Aziraphale glanced up and read the expression easily, "It's for safety dear. Put on the seat belt." he gestured over to the demon's shoulder.
Crowley looked over and found a buckle, he tugged at it and quickly became tangled as he tried to navigate how best to wear a 'seatbelt'. The human looked over warily and the demon hissed angrily in his direction, cheeks flushed in embarrassment. The human paled and turned his attention back to the road.
"Relax dear," Aziraphale hushed, reaching over and gently freed him from the fabric straps. He was leaning over the middle portion of the car, a hand hovering just above the demon's shoulder and he pulled it out and over his chest. Crowley tried not to openly stare or breath too hard as his heartbeat began to pick up. Aziraphale was careful not to touch him, but the proximity was driving the demon mad. The angel clicked the buckle down by his hip and looked up with a grin. "There you go."
The demon crossed his arms, face red and heart racing. He tried to think of anything other than the way Aziraphale had practically leaned over him so much so that his body heat was burning him underneath all these layers. The 'seat belt' was not at all comfortable and he was wondering how much longer they would be within this vehicle.
With a sigh, he rested his head against the side of the car, feeling the vibrations as the world passed him by. He had always liked to go fast and it was strange to be able to do it so casually now. There were other cars out on the road, he saw, but none as beautiful as the car that rested in the angel's drive way. His car, Crowley thought proudly. It was a pity Aziraphale wouldn't let him drive it. Even he knew that it had more style then whatever this contraption was. Huh, maybe he could get attached to a material object after all.
They rolled up to another building, close to the cliffside and the sea. Aziraphale got out of the car first while Crowley wrestled with the belt buckle again, trying to get it to let go. He resulted in using a miracle for it before Aziraphale went and opened the door for him, letting Crowley crawl out of the car unceremoniously.
"Wait, don't you need to pay him?" he asked before he could help himself. He had been biting back questions the entire ride over and this one just happened to slip out. But it seemed a little out of character for the angel. Was Aziraphale really not going to pay this man, what had happened to the angel he once knew?
Aziraphale chuckled, escorting the demon up to the building and the cab drove away, "Money works differently now dear." he explained, waving to the hostess and immediately sitting down at a miracled available table.
Crowley tried not to act like a complete imbecile and sat down stiffly, taking all his energy to not ask any more useless questions. Their table was positioned just perfectly. It was placed right next to a huge window that overlooked the ocean, partially covered with fog, and the sun was just beginning to set over them. If Crowley didn't know any better, he would have found it romantic. Aziraphale was bathed in a golden light and Crowley tried not to openly stare. Too often had his golden eyes betrayed his feelings and it would be absolutely detrimental to frighten the angel off now. He wished for the glasses he had in Rome the first time, at least then he had a small barrier to hide behind. Now, his serpent eyes were on full display and that made him nervous, it always did.
"The usual, sirs?" A waitress asked, heading over straight to Aziraphale.
The angel nodded eagerly, "And can you give us a bottle of whatever the chef suggests to go with our meal?"
The girl nodded, glancing over at the demon and paled slightly. Ah, so that hasn't changed either, he thought to himself. His eyes still scared humans. As long as he stayed near Aziraphale's side, he should be fine. People weren't so vocal about their discomfort if he had a relatively 'normal' company.
He gulped, looking away to give the poor girl a reprieve. He hadn't had to worry about it during his time. All his acquaintances knew he was hellish and he had a reputation of such. It was a bit sobering to realize he was still seen as a monster based solely on face value. That would have been a compliment for any other angel.
"I'll get those started for you." the waitress squeaked before scampering off.
"What's wrong, lo- dear?" Aziraphale asked, leaning across the table trying to meet the demon's gaze.
Crowley waved him off, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. "It's nothing."
The angel didn't look convinced but backed off anyway. Crowley spared a glance at the humans around him, to try and get a better understanding of the time period. What mannerisms he should adopt and such. To his surprise, the other humans were not dressed like him and Aziraphale in the slightest. They had on more tight clothing, flowy blouses that drew the demon's eye, and most of the people were wearing dark clothes, at least the pants portions were generally black.
He hissed in annoyance looking down at his clothing, "This isn't fashionable!"
Across from him Aziraphale chuckled, eyes sparkling as he took in the demon's realization.
"Oi! Don't laugh, I based this off of your clothes!" Crowley snapped, not really angry but enjoying the prospect of a banter between them. It had really been too long since they had a carefree conversation. He brought his fingers up to miracle more sensible clothes when the angel stopped him.
"Oh no dear." He said, truly laughing now, "You look so cute, I never get to see you all posh like this. At least let me get a picture."
The demon's face flushed at the compliment. Had the angel just called him cute? "Well, be quick about it." He eventually grumbled.
The angel was nearly doubled over with laughter, and Crowley felt a sense of pride for giving the angel this much joy, even if he did have to look completely ridiculous in these clothes. Aziraphale fumbled for his phone, pressing a few buttons as he tried to stop laughing. "Here we are, love." he said, aiming the object in Crowley's direction.
Love? There was a bright flash and the angel grinned as the picture was taken. Crowley sat perfectly still. Love. That certainly wasn't something he had ever imagined the angel calling him. In fact, Aziraphale never had any terms of endearment for him, besides 'dear' which he used for everyone. Yet... Aziraphale had looked so happy, and the word just rolled off his tongue. Love. Maybe the future was different? Maybe that word had a different meaning?
Crowley felt the blood rush out of his head. That had to be it, it had to be.
He desperately tried to keep himself together as he miracled a new set of clothes that blended into humans a bit more. He donned a pair of tight dark pants and a dark purple flowy blouse where the neck line dipped down very low.
"Ah, that looks like more your style." Aziraphale approved, nodding in the demon's direction but still grinning at the picture on his phone. He squinted a little bit, "Ah dear, I should have warned you about the flash. You look positively shocked in this one." The flash was definitely not why he looked shocked in the picture.
Love.
Crowley clenched his fists by his side. Don't ask, don't ask, don't ask, he chanted in his head. As much as he wanted clarification he didn't want to make things worse between them. If he brought it up, Aziraphale might apologize or shut down like he did with the kiss, or with the hand in his arm earlier. Yet, that didn't stop the question from thundering in his head. Did Aziraphale love him back?
"Oh look dear! Our food is here." Aziraphale cheered, smiling up at the waitress with the bottle of wine and plate stocked full of oysters.
Crowley tried to smile back but he felt more like crying than anything else. Everything today was overwhelming, it seemed like a dream. It was too good to be true. First the kiss, all the endearments and lingering touches, it was like something from his fantasies. This couldn't be real life.
On autopilot, Crowley poured the wine while Aziraphale tucked into the plate. He gulped the alcohol down, enjoying the soothing burn as it spilled down his throat. The angel started to eat, slurping and scooping at the oysters with the same vigor and passion as the first time.
Crowley tried to relax into his seat and enjoyed the company as he normally did. He let his mind go numb, trying not to think too hard about anything and just being in the moment. Enjoying this fantasy and not do anything to wake himself up. He could just sit here and stare as the light from the sun glowed behind the angel making Aziraphale look absolutely beatific on this lovely evening.
If this was real — Crowley highly doubted that it was — hopefully Aziraphale would be kind enough to lead Crowley to his own home so he could have a moment to himself and regroup. Then he could head down to hell and see if they could catch him up on the thousand and a half years he missed. Maybe check on the assignments he needed to get done, then head back to Aziraphale to thank him for helping him out today. Maybe find a bakery to get him some treats? Aziraphale liked baked goods still, right?
Aziraphale moaned around a particular good bit of oysters, "Oh dear you simply must try one."
Crowley grimaced, remembering all too well the first time he had tried an oyster a few centuries ago, "Nah."
"Please dear? It really is delicious, you'll like it, I promise."
"You promised last time," The demon huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, "and I didn't like it."
Aziraphale blinked up at Crowley, as if trying to remember what he was referencing. Then a strange look came across the angel's face and Crowley immediately became wary, "Well, you eat oysters all the time, now."
The demon cocked an eyebrow. He found it hard to believe ever developing a taste for the slimy creatures, the first time was enough for him. He had vowed to never eat an oyster again — but he let the angel eat as many as he so desired. "Really?"
"Yes! You rather liked them if I recall correctly." Aziraphale nodded emphatically.
Crowley leaned across the table, glaring into the angel's blue eyes, the dying light from behind him made them shine ever so brightly."Liar."
Aziraphale blushed prettily and sputtered, "N- no. You do! Try it." He held out the meat of the oyster on a tiny fork, almost pressing it into the demon's lips.
"Angel," Crowley muttered darkly, "If I don't like whatever you're about to put in my mouth, I'm drinking the rest of this wine and you aren't getting a drop."'
Aziraphale hesitated and the demon smirked at him. With a defeated sigh, the angel let the oyster fork clatter back down to the plate, "I thought that would work."
"Ha!" Crowley laughed, "I may be a thousand and some-odd years younger, but I know where I stand with oysters."
"Ugh. You're so stubborn." Aziraphale rolled his eyes, clearly enjoying the banter. "It was two thousand years ago and it was one bad oyster. How can you hold a grudge still?"
Crowley held up a finger, "For me, it's only been a few centuries and it's not just the taste but the texture." He gagged, "it's disgusting. I don't know how you deal with it."
Aziraphale sighed, slurping up another oyster. "Silly old demon set in his ways, you should try and keep an open mind my dear. Humans are ever so creative with their cuisine."
The demon laughed shortly. The phrases 'set in his ways' and 'keep an open mind' weren't ones he would apply to himself, "You're one to talk."
The angel hummed a questioning note around another oyster.
"Never mind." Crowley blushed. This Aziraphale was obviously different. This angel wasn't afraid to be seen with him in public, this angel hadn't mentioned heaven once since Crowley had been awake. He had even kissed him earlier, granted it was the privacy of his home but still, someone above could have seen.
"What's wrong dear?" Aziraphale asked, dabbing his mouth with a napkin.
"It's nothing." Crowley shifted leaning back further into the chair.
The angel sighed, signaling to the waitress that he was done with his food, "Crowley dear, it's okay to not be okay. This all must be very jarring for you and it's okay to have questions. I'll answer them, I promise."
"That isn't your job angel," Crowley groaned, "You shouldn't have to take care of me like this."
Aziraphale frowned looking like he very much wanted to disagree, which surprised the demon. Crowley had half expected the angel to suddenly realize that he was helping the serpent of eden now that he explicitly said it. Then Aziraphale would freak out about his bosses finding out, like he always did.
Aziraphale's gaze dropped down to his lap where he fiddled with a ring Crowley did not recognize.
"Shall we go?" Crowley asked, knowing if they stayed longer they would start discussing things that would be better hashed out in private.
The angel nodded, moving to stand. The waitress came by with a black tablet thing, putting it in front of Crowley who just stared at it blankly. "Ah dear, I've got this." Aziraphale quickly corrected, gesturing for the tablet to be brought to him.
Crowley frowned, figuring this must be the new 'money' thing. Aziraphale swiped and pressed a few things on the tablet as the demon tried to wait patiently, having an itching feeling that he should be doing something. When the angel finished up, the two of them stepped outside where a car was waiting for them.
They were quiet the entire way home, Crowley lost in his thoughts and Aziraphale in his.
When they finally rolled up to Aziraphale's house the demon finally got up the nerve to ask, "Shouldn't you take me to where I live?"
The angel frowned, "Uh... my dear, I think it's best if you stay with me for now. Not having memories of the last thousand plus years can be dangerous."
Crowley sighed, knowing Aziraphale was right but he was going to miss the little bit of privacy he craved. He wanted to digest everything that had happened, come to terms with it all. His worst fear was going to sleep and waking up to it being a dream. Waking up and Aziraphale was still mad at him. A world where he didn't touch him or call him 'love' but kept his distance. But if it was real... he didn't know how he would react waking up and seeing these walls, this angel, this home. He just might die of happiness.