The day of the court hearing

There was something heady about walking into the courthouse with Ezra's hand in his. Crowley hadn't been terribly surprised to learn that Ezra had begged off work for the next three days, using most of his personal days for the academic year, to be at his side through this. He didn't know what he'd told his boss, but it certainly put a bit more swagger into his step.

He didn't have a suit, not a proper one, so he put together pieces from his wardrobe that he thought might work. His dressiest denims, though they were still very snug. A black waistcoat over a black dress shirt. A black blazer, because someone help him, that was essentially the color of his wardrobe with very few exceptions, none in which he should probably be wearing to court. He's put on a silver silk tie to add a bit of color, and his favorite snakeskin dress shoes that had a reddish undertone on the bottoms. He'd put his hair in a bun as neatly as he could, and made sure to wear his brown contacts.

At his side, Ezra dressed as though he were heading to the school, matching Crowley in a strange sort of way that also threw them in contrast to one another. They'd probably gotten a few looks, though Crowley hadn't paid enough attention to notice.

Beneath the swagger and the air of calm he was a bundle of nerves, and Ezra's hand was the one thing that was keeping him from completely losing it before the whole thing even got started.

They were told what room the judge would have them sit in, and despite being twenty minutes early, Crowley and Ezra headed to the second floor to wait in the corridor, exactly where Lucas said he would meet them.

James was already there, the only one in the hallway.

For a split second, old instincts of self-preservation nearly had Crowley pulling his hand away. But then he felt Ezra's thumb caress his, and he squeezed instead. This was what he was fighting for, in a strange sort of way. He was facing down this man who raised him, letting him know he was no longer going to fit in the box James had tried to shove him into.

He stood taller, and as he did so James looked up and over. There was the slightest twitch of his lips, as if James meant to sneer and stopped himself.

"Anthony," He said politely enough, a slight nod as he crossed his arms and straightened his back.

"James," Crowley nodded back, feeling both a thrill of pleasure and slight guilt as James flinched as though he'd been slapped.

"Mr Crowley," Ezra said, polite as ever. James eyed him with barely concealed disdain, and simply nodded back.

They drifted off to the side, huddling together.

"How are you feeling?" Ezra whispered to him, lifting their joined hands and pressing them against his chest.

"Nervous," Crowley admitted. "Bit scared, if I'm honest. But… we're fine. We'll be fine, ya know? I mean, things might be tight for a bit, more employees at Tadfield means I'm gonna take a bit of a dip in income, but… we'll be alright."

Ezra bent his head, bringing Crowley's knuckles to his lips. "I don't want you to fret over those things, darling."

"I will, you know I will." Crowley grumbled.

"Yes, I do. But I'm reminding you that you needn't. Whatever happens, for good or for bad, I'm beside you." He said with a squeeze of his hand.

"I know, angel." Crowley smirked, leaning forward to press his forehead to Ezra's.

"Martin," James partly barked, snapping them out of their little bubble.

Crowley turned to watch Lucas coming down the hall. James stepped forward, offering his hand, and was promptly ignored as he turned toward Crowley.

"AJ, Ezra, how are we this morning?" Lucas asked them with a grin.

"We're well," Ezra replied for them, and Crowley let go of his hand to pull him to his side. "And how are you?"

They carried on a polite conversation consisting of small talk, and Crowley's eyes took in the space around them until they fell on James.

He was watching them, perplexed perhaps, and maybe a bit wistful. When he realized Crowley was looking at him, he sighed, then waved him over.

"Be right back, angel." Crowley said to Ezra, kissing his temple before going to James.

James was looking at everything but him as Crowley made his way over. He stood, hands in his pockets, waiting to see what the man who raised him had to say, why he was being beckoned over.

"We don't have to do this." James said after a moment.

"No, we don't." Crowley agreed.

James looked at him with hope. "I might not agree with it, but… you seem happy. I won't begrudge you staying with him and all, but if you just called off the-"

"No," Crowley said flatly.

"But… you just said we didn't have to do this. You agreed with me."

"Yeah, I agreed we didn't have to do this. You didn't have to bring me here, you didn't have to drag this all out. You could have just cut your losses and moved on, forget there was a boy you claimed as yours and if people ask, you could make up some bullshit answer about me. But you did do this. This? It's all on you. I'm not backing down, not now." He turned around and rejoined Ezra and Lucas, seeing another pair of men in suits coming down the hall toward them.

"That would be the judge," Lucas said, indicating the men coming toward them with a tilt of his head.

"Alright," Ezra said, turning to Crowley and surprising him with a quick kiss on the lips. "Good luck, love. I'll be waiting for you downstairs."

"Okay," Crowley agreed, going in for another quick kiss before He turned and went to join Lucas where he chatted with the judge and the other lawyer. He took a deep breath, and reminded himself that once this was done, it was over. There was nothing else James could go after him for. And by the sad look in the man's eyes, Crowley suspected that James was beginning to have regrets.

Crowley was hoping all his regrets were behind him.

~A~

There was a tea cart in the atrium, which made things infinitely easier while waiting. Ezra had purchased a cup and sat at a table, watching people come and go, fielding texts from Anathema who had to have known that he knew next to nothing about what was going on.

Which is why he was oddly surprised by the next new message being from Gabriel.

Gabriel: Are you available to talk?

Ezra frowned.

Ezra: Not particularly. I'm still waiting for Anthony.

Gabriel: It's important.

Ezra: If it's important but not urgent, can it wait until either tonight or tomorrow?

Ezra: I've taken a few personal days in case this drags on, or Anthony needs me.

There was a longer pause than normal between the last two messages, and Ezra nearly put his phone away before he received a reply.

Gabriel: Tomorrow's fine.

He nodded to himself putting away the mobile, and took a drink of tea.

Despite everything, he'd still felt a little guilty. They wouldn't be here if he'd only kept his mouth shut that evening in the hotel room. They would have been living together, and probably may have never considered marriage at all, at least not for a while.

His eyes fell on his ring, and he lifted his right hand, tilting it from side to side to have a proper look at it. Anthony had put so much thought into such a spontaneous gift, enough that Ezra liked to imagine he felt the love pouring out from it and into his veins. He wished he'd thought of something equally lovely and thoughtful to gift Anthony, but nothing immediately came to mind.

Ezra pondered it, sipping tea and amusing himself on occasion by guessing why some people were there while he waited. He should have brought a book, though it seemed oddly disrespectful, the idea of stuffing it in his pocket to enjoy while Anthony was facing down the man who'd been his father.

It was then he spotted said man coming down the stairs chatting with his lawyer, neither looking particularly happy nor displeased. Ezra's heart started pounding as he tried desperately to get a read on the situation, all while trying to spot his fiance.

It was a minute or so later before he saw him and Lucas coming down the stairs, the two smiling and having a bit of a chuckle together.

Ezra abandoned his cup of tea and hurried across the atrium, catching up to the pair just as they came to the bottom of the stairs.

"So?" He asked, wringing his hands. "What happened? You're smiling, so I assume it's good, but I can't be sure."

Anthony and Lucas looked at each other with a more subdued grin.

"James got twenty percent." Anthony told him. "But, the stipulation was very clear that he only gets twenty percent of the London shop. We didn't even need to bring up the fact that Tadfield was in your name."

"The judge, as I suspected, saw things in a literal way. But, Anthony's statements helped, and as did the fact that he was supporting an unexpected child."

"Judge thought James should be seen as a sort of investor. But only in the original Garden." Crowley explained further.

"Oh," Ezra said, only partly relieved. "Well, love, I'm sorry you're not rid of him."

"Yeah, I'm… not sure how to feel about it. On the positive side, he won't own enough of it to really have any saw in decision making, or what not. But… I dunno, he's still there, still attached. I might pass it off the Gabe anyway."

"Speaking of which, Gabriel would like to meet up when we're available." Ezra noted.

"Well, he'll have to wait." Lucas spoke up. "It may not be the complete win we wanted, but it's a win in my books anyway. And I always take clients out to lunch or dinner afterward to celebrate, and since we're -in a way- family."

"I'm all for making him wait." Anthony said with a toothy grin which Ezra could only roll his eyes at.

"Don't like him?" Lucas asked as he led them through the atrium.

"You've met him, actually," Ezra pointed out as Anthony separated his hands and took one in his own.

"Oh, was that the douche I met in the pub that one time?" Lucas asked, causing Anthony to laugh a bit too loudly as they left the building, stepping out into the daylight.

~C~

"I don't know what to do?" Crowley said as he and Ezra laid in bed that night.

Ezra glanced at him from the corner of his eye, pursing his lips before setting down his book. "What would you like to do? How important is it for you to be free of James?"

Crowley curled his lip petulantly, hating that Ezra was still turning to question back on him in some way. He'd been trying to get an answer out of him since after their lunch with Lucas, but Ezra wouldn't give him any advice.

"If you were me," He tried again. "What would you do?"

Ezra sighed. "I'm not sure, love. On one hand, this is your chance to sever all ties with him. You could still sell, or even give away, your share of that business. But as you've pointed out, the only thing he gets from the whole thing is profit. He doesn't hold enough power over the shop to make a decision, and that includes shutting it down or major changes." He tilted his head back, as if searching the ceiling for answers. "You could ask to buy his shares, he'd probably try and drain you, make you buy them for more than it's worth. He went after you as a punishment, but it backfired. He's lost all control over you. The hopeful part of me wants to believe he wants to hold on to them because it is a way of keeping in your life, however cursory."

"You think he wants to still be involved with me?" Crowley asked incredulously.

"I'm not sure." Ezra confessed. Then with a smirk, said, "But seeing as how that is currently the only shop you own, I'd readily hold on to it."

Crowley blinked. "What?"

"Well, as I recall, you are no longer the own of the Garden in Tadfield. You only own eighty percent of the one in London."

Crowley's jaw dropped. "You utter bastard," He said with a growing grin.

"Uh-uh," Ezra tutted. "Is that anyway to speak to your boss?"

"Oh, I can think of a lot of things I want to say to my boss right now?" Crowley said as he sat up, shifting up on his knees.

"Oh, can you?" Ezra asked, allowing Crowley to take the book out of his hand and set it face down on the nightstand. "And what sort of things do you want to say?" He asked as Crowley straddles his thighs.

Crowley cupped Ezra's face, smiling. "That I love you." He said, " And that I'm looking forward to moving on from this. To plan our wedding." He paused. "And to a lifetime of you bossing me around."

Ezra hummed happily, smiling as he gently took Crowley's t-shirt in his hands and pulled him in for a gentle kiss.

"I love you, too. And you had best believe that I will be bossing you around quite a lot. Starting with telling you to get off my lap and let me read."

"Oh, come on. Can't I just stay here? You can read while I stay here, can't you?"

"Not particularly, no." Ezra smirked.

Crowley gave a heavy, put upon, completely fabricated sigh before falling to the side and on to his back on his side of the bed. "Fine." He said.

Ezra giggled before reaching for his book again. "Put your head on my lap, dear, I'll play with your hair."

"Bossy much," Crowley mumbled as he complied immediately.

"I thought that was the point, dear?" Ezra said as his hand rested on Crowley's head, his fingers carding through the strands.

Crowley didn't say anything, he just relaxed into Ezra's touch, trying to think of what he would do now.

~A~

They were barely in the door after dropping off the boys when the doorbell sounded. Ezra and Anthony looked at one another before Ezra turned to go back to get the door, and Anthony carried on into the kitchen to put on the kettle.

As expected, it was Gabriel on their front step.

"When you said you'd be by in the morning, I hadn't really expected it to be so soon." Ezra confessed.

Gabriel studied his face, and may have even been a bit nervous. "I didn't want to keep you waiting, sunshine. And I thought the sooner you knew, the better."

"I must admit you're worrying me a bit more than a little." He said as he stepped aside and let Gabriel in. "Is everything alright?"

"No, it's… it's not. Do you," he paused, glancing into the kitchen, "is Crowley's shop still in your name?"

"Yes," Ezra replied hesitantly, leading Gabriel into the kitchen. "Why do you ask?"

He turned to face Gabriel again once he was by Anthony's side, and was taken aback by the utterly thunderous expression on the man's face.

"Because that asshole is cheating on you." Gabriel said in a relatively calm voice that didn't match the look in his eye or the violence behind his pointed finger in Anthony's direction.

For his part, Anthony merely lifted his head with a deep frown, abandoning the preparation of three cups of something warm in favor of turning around to face their guest.

"I'm what now?" He asked.

Gabriel shook his head. "Twice - twice- I've spotted you around London with a woman."

"A woman?" Anthony repeated incredulously.

"Yes, a woman. And you two would be holding hands, and leaning into each other. The first time I thought it was maybe a sister that you were oddly close to. But the second time I'd seen you kiss her in a way no sane person would kiss their sister. And when I called your name it took you a second, but you looked around for me."

Anthony blinked at Gabriel, frown still firmly in place, and this time Ezra shared it.

"When was this?" Ezra asked.

"Last Friday, and Tuesday." Gabriel replied. "Friday was when… but Tuesday?"

"Gabriel, Anthony was-"

"I got pictures." Gabriel interrupted.

"Did you?" Anthony asked with disbelief.

"I did. Figured Ezra wouldn't believe me without them."

"Right." Ezra said placidly. "Gabriel, I'm sure you mean-"

"See, I knew you wouldn't believe me." Gabriel said as he scrambled into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

Ezra waited patiently, folding his hands in front of him while Anthony crossed his arms.

Gabriel must have had his damning evidence set up and ready to go because he set his phone down on the island between them, then gestured at it.

As one, Ezra and Anthony stepped forward and looked at the photos.

"It's Neil." Ezra said flatly.

"Who's Neil?" Gabriel asked.

"It's my brother." Anthony replied. "And the woman is Amanda, his girlfriend."

"Hasn't proposed yet?" Ezra asked, glancing at his fiance.

"Nah, he chickened out, or something came up with her. Doesn't matter, he's got a plan B, as it were. Supposed to ask me about-"

"Hey!" Gabriel nearly yelled, pausing their conversation.

He huffed when they looked at him. "Do you really believe that's his brother? It's Crowley!" He said, gesturing to his phone, his voice far more calm now.

"Gabriel, that man's eyes are blue, it's Neil." Ezra pointed out.

"He wears contacts," Gabriel gestured to Anthony who sighed and got out his phone, presumably to bring up a family photo.

"And his condition still bleeds through on the blue lenses. And they tend to make his eyes more green"

"Do they? You've seen that?" Gabriel asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, no," Ezra began.

"Then how can you be-"

"What?" A fourth voice filled the room.

Ezra turned to see Anthony holding his phone face level, scratching at his eyebrow. "I have a knob in my kitchen who needs to meet you." He said plainly.

"Right… why?" Neil's voice replied, and Crowley turned the phone around to face Gabriel.

The wide eyed and slack jaw surprise morphing Gabriel's face had Ezra pressing a fist to his lips in an attempt to stifle the giggles.

"Gabriel Haven, meet Neil Adams. My brother. You might notice some annoying similarities between us, except this bastard got a set of perfectly normal eyes."

"You wanna talk about annoying." Neil teased.

"Yes, you're annoying. Now, can you not be and make sure the knob here gets a good look at your face."

"Hello knob." Neil said pleasantly.

"Uh… hi." Gabriel said, continuing to just stare at the screen.

"He looks like a knob." Neil said thoughtfully. "Why's he a knob?"

"Saw you with Amanda, thought you were me." Anthony smirked.

"Right. Bloody hell, that's like that time when Amanda was worried I was going round on her when she saw you at that club there with… fuck, I don't even remember who."

Anthony turned the phone to face him again. "Bloody hell if I know. Was probably Bea. Anyway, won't keep you. Have a good one." He said, ending the video call with Neil and pocketing his phone. "Are you satisfied now?"

Gabriel swallowed, looking around the room like he'd never been in their house before.

"Yeah," he croaked out. "I just…." He laughed mirthlessly. "He told me how your case turned out. I didn't think you'd give up your shares in London, but when I saw…. Ezra gave up a big chunk of his life for you, the idea that he could walk away and not have to worry? I was actually really looking forward to him taking you for all you were still worth, no divorce required."

"And, what, you would have swooped in, been there for him? Been his shoulder to cry on?" Anthony asked, no maliciousness to his words.

Gabriel blinked. "Surprisingly… no." He met Ezra's eyes this time. "I told you I loved you, and you were utterly unmoved. What's more is… you said things that… I guess, I just never really considered. That it wasn't all a cat and mouse game, that it wasn't you in denial of how you felt." He looked at Anthony. "I would have supported him if what I thought was happening actually did. I'd have helped him get his old place back, I'd have… done whatever was needed. And maybe old habits would have come up, but I'd like to think that since August I've started letting go."

Anthony held Gabriel's eye a long time before he nodded once.

"You were only looking out for him. I can forgive that."

Gabriel nodded in return then looked to Ezra. "Apologies for interrupting your morning." He said, turning to head toward the door.

"Gabe," Crowley said, surprising both other men. He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm still thinking on what to do with my shares. Let you know one way or another, alright?"

Gabriel nodded curtly. "No problem, keep me posted."

"Maybe-" Ezra started, startling himself. "Well… with all this behind us, I thought perhaps Saturday we would have a gathering of our friends to sort of celebrate. Perhaps… we'll see you there?" He asked, wringing his fingers.

Gabriel nodded, "Sure thing, sunshine. Crowley." He gave them a brief wave, then headed out the door, and Anthony and Ezra stood in the kitchen, listening to the engine start in the drive.

"Well," Anthony said. "That was a thing."

"Indeed it was." Ezra agreed. "Did Amanda really think you were Neil?" He asked curiously, turning to Anthony with an arched brow.

"Yeah," he said. "It was," he pursed his lips, "A few months after Warlock was born. I still had my blue contacts, had sorta hoped that'd at least dim the weirdness, and I must have chosen to wear them out one night. I hadn't met Amanda at the time, didn't even know Neil was seeing someone. They'd nearly broken up because she thought she'd met all his family, didn't know about the secret older brother."

"Well, I've made the mistake myself once, I can see how it would be easily done." Ezra commented, smiling up at Anthony who grinned back. "What is it, dear?" He asked when he realized Anthony's smile was far more exuberant than he expected.

"Don't you feel it?" Anthony asked.

"Feel what?" Ezra frowned.

"Light? Like the bad stuffs gone now. James, Gabriel, all those silly little obstacles that were always sorta in our way in some form or another. 'S all gone." He shrugged. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Don't say that," Ezra grumbled. "It's a sure way for something to go wrong."

"Like what?" Anthony grinned. "What could possibly happen now?"

2021

On a warm Sunday at the end of May, shoppers who flocked to the Garden in Tadfield found things to be a little different than the norm. Stepping inside there was a hum of excitement and anticipation in the air, and it seemed more staff than normal. Everything looked the same, too, until one got to the Greenhouse. There, one would find multiple signs posted to be careful as they were setting up for a private event to take place after hours.

There were fairy lights overhead that normally wouldn't be there. Enough strands to provide light in the dark, but not so many that it would dim the overall effect. There were chairs with fabric draped over the backs situated around a dozen tables set up in a fairly open space that was roped off with draped white fabric hanging off the normally ugly posts used to mark line ups. One of those tables bore three candles, three tea roses, and three small framed photos. And there was an arch that was being set up by a very harried ginger who many would recognize as the manager. It was ivy covered with forget-me-nots, lavender, and red roses placed all over it, and finished with a tartan ribbon. At the edge of the space clearly set aside for the event was a little chalkboard side one might normally have found outside to advertise a sale. Instead, in elegant handwriting, it said, "We're on our own side, so sit where you'd like."

Most just let it go, gladly taking the pretty-potted ivy sprig handed out to every customer by two little boys who stood at the exit dressed rather sharply for their ages. But those who were curious enough to ask left with a large smile, and even doubled back to wish the manager and his future husband good luck.

It was two years after a chance reunion in a park on the East side of the city, twelve years after a fight that sent friends adrift for a decade, and the first day of the rest of their lives.

~A~

Anthony wore a white suit with a black shirt and a red tie. There was much discussion leading up to this decision, including a conversation that made Ezra smile any time it crossed his mind.

"You asked me to marry you," Anthony had said when they were choosing their suits. "I feel like that means I should be wearing white."

"Dearest, you know that that is an archaic tradition meant for women to sort of symbolize their purity." Ezra had countered. "And what's more, it was actually more a sign of wealth, seeing as how white stains so easily, and no common person could afford a white dress that may only be worn once."

"Don't care, wearing white."

And he was a vision in it, too. It was tailored perfectly to his lean figure, and somehow managed to compliment his ginger hair which he'd grown out a little more and was now tied at the nape of his neck.

Ezra dressed in a dark grey suit, an ivory shirt and his tartan bow tie the only nods to his normal style. He didn't want to go the black route, he didn't feel it complimented him very well. He was glad of it when he'd seen how sharp Warlock looked in a matching outfit.

Adam had dressed like Anthony, and while everyone had commented how cute they were, Ezra nor Anthony had had the heart to tell them that it was the boys' idea.

He imagined, for a moment, what the photos of this would look like. The four of them standing together in front of the officiant, the boys serving as best men in appearance, the nearly official family standing before their friends and relatives.

But that was something he could observe later, for right now, as music was silenced, he turned to look at Anthony, blue eyes meeting gold, and prepared for what was to come next.

"Friends, family." The officiant began. "We are gathered today to celebrate the union of these two wonderful men. Who have come together before you all to pledge their love and lives to each other in matrimony." She smiled at them. "It is a love hard fought for and won. A love that's already stood the test of time. A love that's already bonded them in every way but one. And today, that final bond will form. Anthony, could you begin."

He nodded, and squeezed Ezra's hand. "I, Anthony James Crowley, take you, Ezra Thomas Fell, as my husband." He said with a big, toothy grin and all the love he could manage. In an instant, Ezra's eyes watered, and he giggled quietly at the sudden realization that this was real. "I like to think we've already been through good times and bad, together and apart, and I like to think that we'll always do better together. I promise to be open with you, and honest. I promise to listen to your worries, and assure you that I will always be with you, and always love you. I vow to be there with you regardless of what's to come, and won't leave you again until the end of my days."

Ezra smiled a bit wider, having thought he'd already reached the limits of his joy. He had to clear his throat in order to speak, and even still his emotions got in the way.

"I, Ezra Thomas Fell," He began, his voice a touch rough, "Take you Anthony James Crowley, to be my husband. I promise to be with you in good times and in bad, for better and for worse. I promise to be open, and honest with you. ." He said, getting a quiet chuckle out of the adults in the room, including the other groom. " I promise to listen to your worries, and assure you that I will always love you, and keep loving you until the end of my days, and to remain by your side until that day comes."

"Sickness and in health, all that lovely stuff." Crowley added.

"Indeed," Ezra said, those in attendance chuckling.

"May we have the rings," The officiant said, glancing down with a smile at each of the boys.

Warlock and Adam each produced a ring from their inner breast pockets where their fathers' had secured them earlier in the day.

Ezra took the ring from Adam, a black tungsten band with a strip of deep red in the middle. He took Anthony's left hand in his, and slipped the ring on his finger.

Anthony took the simple, antique gold ring from Warlock, then slipped it with only a slight struggle over Ezra's knuckle until it rested on his finger.

"If there is no lawful impediment as to why these two should not be joined?" The officiant asked, and Ezra smirked as the room was almost still with silence for the approximately three seconds the officiant allowed to pass before she said, "then I declare these two officially wed. You may now kiss your husband."

"Bought damn time," Anthony said before taking Ezra's face in both hands and kissing him soundly to the applause of everyone. Ezra smiled, feeling Anthony do the same against his lips before the pair of them broke out into elated laughter.

They stole a couple more quick pecks before turning to the many mobiles pointed toward them.

Anathema was loudly whooping even as she leaned dangerously far over the table with her arms extended, Newton having wrapped an arm awkwardly around her waist to keep her from falling over. Bea and Dagon the next table over seemed to pretend like they didn't know her.

Marjorie dabbed her eyes while Lucas, who sat beside her, smiled on. Richard wolf whistled much to Oscar's dismay, Isabel looking around the room and clapping with everyone else.

Christine's little one was doing the same, her husband laughing at their child. Neil was with his fiance, and Tony and Terry sat behind the table Anthony had marked for Ezra's family who were no longer with them.

Erica, surprisingly, opted to sit with Gabriel, who smiled solemnly but genuinely for them at the back of the room.

Scattered about were their co-workers, and while it would have been nice to smile and wave at them all, Ezra was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to look at his husband.

So he did. He smiled up at Anthony, stealing a quick kiss before one of their sons demanded his attention. He turned, understanding that Warlock wanted to be momentarily picked up, so he did, holding him with one arm while Anthony held Adam the same way before the couple reached for each other.

They pressed their foreheads together, and Ezra let the overwhelming happiness within him bubble out in a laugh he felt mirrored in his husband.

And bloody hell was that a word he'd never tire of.

~C~

It wasn't late, but the evening night was still growing darker, and the fairy lights hanging from the ceiling had begun to glow just a little brighter, a little warmer. The conversations in the room were light, cheerful, and possibly tinged with too much wine from many of the guests.

Though Crowley didn't see it.

He was outside with his husband, laying on the hood of the Bentley in the deserted parking lot, looking up at the sky though the stars were barely visible. Apart from the sun having not completely set, there were clouds moving in, obscuring the view.

"Took us far too long to get here." He said, his hand laced with Ezra's, his finger rubbing the ring he'd put there earlier.

"But get here we did." Ezra replied, turning to look at him, love and joy still sparking those gorgeous blue eyes. "I never would have thought that day, all those years ago, that the boy who would ask me to his home, to be his friend when I had none, would end up being my husband."

Crowley hummed in agreement, looking back up at the sky. "Suppose you could say it didn't go down like a lead balloon, that first conversation."

"You remembered what you first said to me?" Ezra asked with a smile.

"Sorta hard to forget," He grumbled. "Was kicking myself forever for saying something so utterly ridiculous. Thought I was cool and mature. Just sounded like an idiot."

"Yes, but you became my idiot, and that's all that matters in the end." Ezra said as he squeezed Crowley's hand.

"You're such a bastard sometimes, you know that? Why'd I marry you, anyway? Sign up for a whole lifetime of this abuse."

"Because you love me." Ezra said, grin growing wider.

"Yeah, suppose I do," He said with a grin, finally looking back at Ezra. "Love you to the end of the world."

"Perhaps even beyond." Ezra agreed.

They shared a long, longing gaze before turning back to the sky.

"We're going to have to go back in soon. Kiss the boys, let them know we're heading off." Crowley said, not really wanting to do any of that yet painfully excited to at the same time.

"Did you make reservations for breakfast in the morning?" Ezra asked with a curious lilt.

"No," Crowley hummed, smirking. "For dinner tomorrow night. Was fairly certain we weren't going to be getting out of bed until at least noon. Honeymoon and all."

"We're nearly forty." Ezra reminded him.

"You say that like it's supposed to mean something," Crowley replied. "And why must you say that? Almost forty? Such a dirty word."

"It's an age, and we're nearing it." Ezra countered. "I hardly think-"

Splat!

The heavy drop of rain landed right between their heads, and Ezra and Crowley turned to look first at it, and then at each other.

"We should probably-"

"Agreed." Ezra said, and the two men launched off the hood of the Bentley and ran for the doors, just making it under the alcove of the building before the rain began to fall in earnest.

They stood hand in hand, watching the rain fall for a moment before turning to one another with a smile. After a not-so-quick kiss, they headed inside to say goodnight to the boys, thanks and "see you when we get back" to their guests, then grab an umbrella to share on their way back to the car.

Only this time, the umbrella they shared was black.