“So he said he didn’t recognize Chamuel anymore.” Adam says as they make their way to the Soho district.
“Which means a part of him does recognize you.” Wensleydale deduces. “Which is a good thing!”
Crowley’s trying too hard to not go faster as they keep driving, so he only replies, “I hope so.”
When they’re finally at the bookshop, they all come flooding out of the Bentley, but it’s Crowley who calls out.
“Angel? Angel! I came back!”
There’s movement seen in an upper window, along with it miraculously opening slightly, before suddenly closing again.
“Angel, please!”
The window opens again, this time with a familiar blond head sticking out of it.
“What on earth are you doing out here at this time of night, demon? And with children, no less?”
Crowley corrects, “Not just any children, angel! It’s them! They helped us save the world!”
The angel sticks his head out a little more, but his expression is not a happy one.
“And what, you thought bringing them with you would make me let my guard down?”
“No.” Crowley calls up. “But I thought at the least you wouldn’t turn us away so we could all come in.”
The window slams closed again, so Crowley informs the children, with a sigh,
“That’s angel code for ‘the apocalypse could start all over again and I still wouldn’t let you in’.”
“No it’s not!” Wensleydale insists.
Crowley gestures to the Bentley, “Come on. I’ve kept you all out here long enough.”
“Not yet. Just a while longer.” Adam won’t move. “I know he’s going to let us in.”
“Alright, I’ll make you all a deal.” Crowley compromises. “We’re going to count up to 60. A full minute. And if the angel still won’t let us in, we’re going back to Tadfield so I can take you all home, and you will never bring this up again. Alright?”
The kids nod, clearly expecting to be right, then start counting robotically.
What they don’t see is the angel, inside the bookshop, the window still just slightly cracked open so he can still hear them without using a miracle, waiting them out as they keep counting.
Until he hears, “If he does let us in, you should tell him the story like you told us. Then he has to see.”
He hears Crowley stop counting for a moment to ask, “See what?”
“You’re an adult! You know! But he has to see.”
The counting resumes until they finally reach the end, “55...56...57...”, but by this point, Aziraphale isn’t even by the window anymore.
“58...59...” They all get ready to say the last number at the same time, but Crowley surprises them by keeping it going, “59 and a half...59 and two thirds...59 and 3 quarters...”
They all know the number that has to come next, but none of them want to pop the bubble they’re sitting on.
Perhaps Crowley can sense this, because instead of saying the last number he just turns towards the Bentley with a resigned, “We’re going.”, this time guiding the children towards the car.
“No, this isn’t right!” Adam protests. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to go!”
“I know.” Crowley replies.
“I thought you coming here as your big romantic gesture would’ve for sure gotten him to let us in and say--”
“Did I hear someone mention a story?”
The new voice startles everyone except the demon, who turns to see the only one it could’ve been.
He’s still just as ridiculous looking as the day they met, but for the life of him, Crowley can’t bring himself to say he’d change a damn thing.
“What enlightening story have I missed out on this time?”
But instead of explaining, Crowley takes the lead and walks towards Aziraphale until they're both standing right outside the bookshop.
“I kept your sword...” he starts, watching as Aziraphale’s eyes harden only slightly, to show he’s listening, but that doesn’t mean he’s getting anything else. “Because it was the only thing of ours I had left.”
Aziraphale is clearly confused by this, but before he can say as much, the sincerity of Crowley’s tone combined with the children watching them leave him stunned silent.
Until he finally walks forward, puts a hand on Crowley’s face, leans in and kisses his cheek.
Then he looks towards the children, “Right. Lovely to see all of you once again.”, then asks, “So what are we to do now?”
Adam steps forward, looking right at the angel as he says, “Now it’s your turn to remember.”, and they all watch as Aziraphale reels back, a face of both horror and sudden realization as Crowley never takes his eyes off of Aziraphale’s face, wincing when it becomes apparent the angel is clearly distressed by the sudden flood of memories.
Adam adds, “Now we’re all going to go inside so Mr. Crowley can tell you the story.”
It’s a moment or two before the angel can speak again, clearly at a loss of what to do with all of his memories unburied, before he looks at them all and nods,
“Alright. Why not?”
With that, they all walk towards the bookshop, the children going in one by one before Aziraphale follows them in.
Crowley starts to walk in last, before hesitating, still not entirely sure if he’s inviting himself in or not.
But miraculously, Aziraphale answers that for him, as he suddenly comes bursting out the door, walks right up to the demon and kisses him.
It’s finally the kiss they’d been waiting for all this time, and it’s everything they’d hoped it would be and more. It may not be their first kiss, but as far as they’re concerned, it is.
When Aziraphale finally steps back for air, he only whispers, “Hello, Jophiel.”, before turning and walking back inside.
Crowley starts to follow, but right before, he looks up, whispers, “Thank you.”, then proceeds to walk inside, closing the door behind him.
And God, who never passes up a chance to have the last word, says, “Absolutely tickety-boo indeed.”
YOU ARE READING
Absolutely Tickety-Boo
RomanceCrowley, a demonic Londonite, is in the middle of a very bad breakup when his young babysitting charges ask him about his life before helping to save the world, including how he met and fell in love with his current boyfriend. Crowley flashes back t...
