Nostalgic

Nostalgia 2

It was dark. Then it was a very beige color. Aziraphale lifted his head of a different table than an expensive white one for the first time in nine months. He thought he was dreaming; it was a sandwich shop by the Thames. He looked around and made a mental checklist of an old scene. Cucumber sandwiches, hot black tea, stripped oak table, a red-haired man in the window. 

HOLY HELL, he thought. The man walked in from the front of the shop and sat across from him. 

"Crowley." Aziraphale tried to say, but he didn't expect the Demon across from him to respond.

"I'm so sorry, Angel." Crowley choked out. Though his glasses hid his eyes, tears slipped down from the frame. Aziraphale couldn't believe what he was seeing. He jumped out of his seat and tackled Crowley before he had time to prepare for such an attack. Out of all the times he peered at the demon, across tables or picnic blankets on the beach or park benches, he now looked at him with such sincere hatred that the Angel thought he'd smite him right then and there. So he gave his adversary a bitch slap so hard, Crowley was immediately thrown out of his chair. 

"You're a Bastard, Crowley," He glared, pointing at the man on the floor accusingly, "You're a Bastard and a Scoundrel and who has no respect for Angels. But overall, you're my bloke, and you took your goddamn time." Aziraphale doughed up. "You absolute scrub." He couldn't help himself from crying and releasing a massive smile towards the man that made his world worth living again. He looked around again at the shop he was causing a massive tantrum in and then back to the Demon. Crowley was agape in shock but noticed the Angel's anger transformation and shot a sheepish grin towards his aggressor. 

"I - YOU-," Crowley stumbled and propped himself up on one arm and extended the other, "You love me." Aziraphale took his hand, helped him up, and embraced him. 

"I do?" He stated sarcastically, kissing up and down Crowley's neck, who was trying and failing to suppress an uncontrollable chuckle. Aziraphale let him go, just for a second, to get another good look at him. He concluded neither of them would go to the Ritz again. The Angel thought he'd had enough time to reflect on everything he and the demon had done. Nostalgia was overrated. If he wanted to make a memory with Crowley, they could just go do something normal for once in a while. 

"I do." Then he sensed something strange. Aziraphale let his hand drop from his embrace around the Demon stepped back a few steps. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at them. Some pop song played over the speaker next to the cash register. The river roared outside. He still couldn't believe it. Aziraphale fell back into his chair as the fear in the situation hit him like a freight train.

"Angel. I missed you so much I fucking forgot about my bloody plants." Crowley stood there above the table.

"Shut up." Aziraphale was grasping at the situation now. "I was in Purgatory?"

"Yeah, uh... yep." Crowley sat back down. The sandwich shop resumed its normal rounds, and the intensity was lost to every except the two of them.

"How did you do it? Who did it? Why was I there? You know I relived that time from the Ritz around..." He tried to count the amount on his fingers but lost count after five and stared at the Demon with an expecting look.

"Around nine months..."

"NINE MONTHS" 

"I'm so sorry. You don't have to forgive me. You don't even need to talk to me again if you don't-"

"TOOK YOUR TIME" Aziraphale silenced Crowley and looked bug-eyed.

"Well, you can't turn back the clock, Angel, but you can wind it up again." The demon shot him a sinners grin and stole a cucumber sandwich off Aziraphale's plate, taking a huge bite. 

The Angel sunk down into his chair and snorted loudly in disbelieve. "You've thought about that, you tool. That's from Cars 3, isn't it? You've thought about it."

"Bet." Crowley removed his blackened glasses, shooting his Angel full of holes of happiness. His face might have been mangled with tear stains, and his yellow eyes might have been bloodshot, but he was the most Gorgeous sight Aziraphale ever saw. "You wanna get out here?"

"Yes." They stood up and exited the little shop. The two walked side by side for a while in silence, basking in each other presents. Aziraphale felt that strange feeling again and couldn't help but start up his excessive questioning again. "How did you do it?" Crowley stopped in his tracks. 

"You see." He coughed out. The demon hesitated a little. "I made a deal with a higher power."

Aziraphale was stunned once again, he hoped not the last in a long time, and responded, "You made a deal with GOD?!"

"No," Crowley quickly snapped back and began a slow walking pace, "I made a deal with Gabriel."

"No."

"Yeah."

"NO."

"I DID. Out of all the people to respond to the champion of Hell on Earth, your fucking shit stick on the other side decided he would intercept my wish with a deal." Crowley said matter of fact. Aziraphale didn't know where to start so he remained quiet and let his Demon continue explaining himself. "I had to pay you out."

"With what?"

"You won't believe me." Crowley kept on flashing his sinner smile towards his Angel. 

"It's awfully hard to comprehend all this; Surprise me."

"Oh, I just paid you out of the worse fate in existence with pornography." Crowley's and Aziraphale's eyes meet, and giggles bubbled out of them. 

"NO."

"Yeah. You're worth your weight in porn. Each day you were in there was a solid handful of lewd men in pin-up."

"NO."

" I told you that you won't believe me." The demon shrugged. The Bentley was around the corner, and it took until they were in the car down the street till Aziraphale could respond.

"You fork," Aziraphale brain hit the wall. He could think of anything to say so he just stated what he first came to him, "Your plants died so you could send the Archangel nudes for me."

"Don't rub it in."