Chapter 2: A Little Help From Your Friends
Summary:
A week had past since Aziraphale had stepped anywhere near Horns n Halos. Crowley started wondering if he crossed a line. Tracey and Anathema decide to help the situation, while Bee L.Z. Bub sends her goons to find out more about the Owner, Chef, and Bistro itself.
Notes:
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(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
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A few days later, Tracey found herself being pulled into Bee. L.Z. Bubs office, top floor, of course, that was where the owner was found. They weren't really kind, and Tracey would swear to you that when they died one day, hell would be afraid to let them in, probably take over. Bee tended to have her dynamic duo of idiots around them at all times, Ligur and Hastur, between the two maybe half a brain if Tracey were feeling generous. On this day, however, she wasn't, so the look she gave them, spoke of hell and damnation if they even commented about her. Both stepped back as they opened the door for her.
"Tracey, what can you tell me about the new bistro that's opened down the street? I have heard good things through the grapevine, but I know you've actually been there, so is it worth it?" Tracey was slightly taken aback by the non-professional question; she was sure Bee couldn't do anything but business. "It's truly wonderful, everything there is sinful!" Bee smirked at her wording, "Really now, how about the owner, and chef?" Tracey tilted her head, "Not sure who the owner is, but the chef is amazing, also not hard on the eyes." Bee nodded, calling over her two sidekicks, the cleaners, the asshats. Tracey kept her chuckle inside.
Bee sent them on their way to the bistro, Horns n Halos was picking up a reputation quickly. So was Crowley, he just didn't know it yet, storms were heading his way, and he didn't have a hope or prayer against them, nothing to protect him from this downfall. Bee waved her hands towards the door, Tracey took the hint and headed out, glad to be rid of all of that. Tracey headed for Aziraphales office, it was beautiful out, and she knew Horns n Halos had added outside seating.
"Aziraphale, grab your stuff. Let's have lunch!" Aziraphale jumped out of his skin, his chair sliding out from under him, his rear hitting the floor with a resounding thud. "Good Lord, Tracey!" Aziraphale grabbed his chest, standing, his hand slid to his rump, giving it a good rub. Tracey was no help at this point, tears ran down her cheeks, as her silent laugh was calling dogs from around the city. "It wasn't that funny, Tracey." gasping as she held on to the chair that dropped Aziraphale on his rear, "Oh, it was, really it was." Aziraphale frowned at her, wringing his hands.
"I can't go back there Tracey, I made a right nob of myself." Tracey stopped, looking at Aziraphale, "What happened love?" Aziraphale continued to frown his eyebrows knitted in an embarrassment. "I may have been staring at Crowley and got caught." Tracey started in with another bout of laughter, "It isn't funny, Tracey, dear lord, he saw me and wrote on my cup." Tracey, who was of no help, "Oh, please, what did it say." Aziraphale dropped his face into his hands and mumbled out, "~Do you like what you see? I'll be here all week.~" Aziraphale groaned loudly, while Tracey was tickled pink.
"Aziraphale, did you ever stop and think he was flirting back at you?" Aziraphale looked at her like she had sprouted a second head suddenly, "There is no way that man would ever look at, well look at THIS and be like, Ohhhhh, let's get that." Tracey started laughing again. "Oh my dear boy, you truly are adorable, is that really what you think?" Aziraphale nodded at her, "Love, no. You are beautiful, you have eyes both woman and men would kill for, your mouth people pay doctors to have, you are perfect!" Aziraphale loved Tracey, she could always give him confidence where there was none. "Alright, will go, but I am staying outside; you can order." True, she gave him confidence, but in this case, confidence from a distance.
Horns n Halos was doing exceptionally well; of course, it helped that Crowley was a fantastic chef, he had an innate ability to tempt people into trying his dishes. Try something new he would say, then start listing the whys, in a way that sounded more seductive and tempting than it should. Crowley always won. Without admitting it, and enduring the constant nagging from Anathema, Crowley had actually been looking for the angel, to come back. After a week, Crowley started to lose hope that maybe he went over an invisible line, perhaps the angel wasn't gay, and he had scared him away. Honestly, though, if he wasn't, then why was he staring, like that, and the blush that Crowley remembered, brought him to distraction a few times.
As his thoughts started drifting towards an angel, Tracey was standing in front of him, looking up at Crowley. Crowley had to look down at the tiny little lady, "Wha' s your poison?" Tracey adored the man, he was as cute as they came, his flaming hair, was a color she could only hope to achieve one day. "Alright, no, how are you today, Crowley?" she smirked at him, getting his coy grin right back, "Fine, how are you, Tracey, and wha' can I get you?" Tracey stood a bit straighter, that was better. "I need my regular, whatever you are serving off the cuff, and a Rose Petal Tea, please." It was at Rose Petal Tea that Crowley's eyebrows shot up over the rim of his glasses, "Under what names," Tracey watched as he looked past her, to the outside tables, she grinned to herself.
"That would be Tracey and Aziraphale, by the way, Crowley, nice message you left him on his cup." Slithering across Crowley's face was a sunset that stopped halfway up his face. Trying to look as cool as possible, just ended up with Tracey looking at an awkward teenager, trying to stand looking cool. "For the love of God and all she is, please, just stop. Why don't you go talk to him?" Tracey looked at him as he shook his head no. "Your loss love, he's a wonderful human, more an angel than human really." Tracey slid down the counter to Anathema, leaving Crowley to slither into his kitchen in the back.
Behind those closed doors was Crowley's kitchen, closer to the nine circles of hell, Dante would have been proud; positively, Lucifer had blushed at the curses Crowley could come up with. You could follow the path of destruction right up to where the ovens and flaming broilers were. Even then, though, everything had a place and was in it; this was where Crowley was confident, and it showed, with no one watching him, he showed off to no one but himself. Eloquent hands created art without really trying, floating over ingredients, he grabbed fresh apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, vanilla, creams, and more. Crowley flipped a knife into the air, catching it slicing the apple into tiny bits, tossing them into a pan with the other ingredients, he whipped together the thinnest of crepes, with the most flavor.
Anathema could hear the commotion in the kitchen, "Hi Tracey, should only be a few, I can have him bring it out to you...both?" Tracey knowingly smiled at Anathema, "Yes, love, I got him here, how are we going to get these two together?" Anathema shrugged, "I'll make him bring the food out, he has to see him and say something." Tracey nodded, paid the bill, and went outside to sit with Aziraphale. He was smiling, his laptop open on the table, Tracey slowly shut it on him, he looked at her with a pout. "Why?" Tracey sat back, "It's Friday, we're done with work, and we're having lunch together." Aziraphale nodded. "Quite right. Sorry."
"What were you working on anyway?" Aziraphale looked into the bistro, just as Crowley came out of the kitchen. Crowley hadn't seen them yet, Tracey saw the same thing Aziraphale saw, she just knew more. The cards were never wrong, and they spoke of love for the two, at least Tracey knew that. "I am finishing the alteration on Mr. Shadwell's biography, remember the other day when Gabriel was on me? Well, come to find out, that was all for two changes, a total of six words." Aziraphale frowned a look that should never be on Angel's face. As Tracey listened, she saw the altercation between Anathema and Crowley, she was pointing out, he was shaking his head, no, she was saying yes.
As Anathemas arms folded over her chest, Crowley tried pleading one more time, her look became sterner, her pointer finger pointing towards the door. Tracey could tell Anathema had stomped her foot at him, her finger now perfectly straight, and she was leaning slightly forward. Crowley relented, begrudgingly. Slowly Crowley walked outside, Tracey ever exuberant waved him down, causing Aziraphale to turn in his chair. As soon as he saw Crowley coming their way, he dropped his head into his hands, this was precisely what Aziraphale didn't want, or more so what he did desire. Crowley stopped right at Aziraphels shoulder, leaning over the table slightly, placing the apple crepes in the middle of the table.
Crowley's lean over the table showed a small slit of skin where his shirt wasn't quite tucked in all the way. Oh, how Aziraphale wanted to touch that, maybe put gentle kisses there, what was he thinking, a blush crawled silently across the face of an angel, it wasn't missed by Crowley, who looked at Aziraphale, with that devil may care grin causing a hitch in Aziraphale's breathing. Tracey held out her hand for her coffee, Crowley handed it to her and stood back up. Grabbing the tea from the side of the platter, he gave it to Aziraphale, handing it to him, their fingers brushed against each other, Aziraphale fully blushed. "I wonder how far down that blush goes, angel." This was said under Crowley's breath at a barely audible level, and in truth, was never supposed to have left his mouth. Just as quickly as Crowley was there, he was gone, back into the shop behind the counter, sitting on the floor looking up at a God that he could swear was currently laughing at him.
Aziraphale just sat there, not sure what just happened, did he even hear him say what he honestly thought he was implying. Maybe Tracey was right, but he couldn't just ask him out, could he? Better to be safe, plus again, why would he want me, crept back into his confidence. With the thought gone, Tracey and Aziraphel ate the sinfully delicious crepes. The crepes were the best Aziraphale had ever tasted, what made it better was whose hands created them. Now eating was one thing, everyone eats, but Crowley learned quickly as he spied on Aziraphale from the comfort of a mirror; eating for Aziraphale was a hedonistic experience; watching Aziraphale eat was a different kind of experience. Especially for the one who created what he seemingly was getting off on eating. Then again, maybe Crowley was the one enjoying it more than he should. Each and every bite carefully chosen, placed ever so gently on that pink tongue and pulled in past pink, plump, plush, perfect lips. Crowley watched each and every bit, he didn't know where or at which point he decided he wished he was the food, and especially that fork.
As sinful as the food was, Aziraphale was a thousandfold more sinful as he ate. It ended all too soon for Crowley, Anathema observed the entire thing and shook her head, "Just go talk to him, Crowley." He looked at her, "Ngk.." Anathema frustrated with this; even though it was only a few days could tell they were both smitten with the other, she started to wonder if she should just watch it happen from afar, "Ngk, isn't a word Crowley." Looking over the rim of his glasses at her, "It is now." Anathema frustratingly shook her head and decided to watch and wait for a little while. Crowley watched as Aziraphale picked up his cup and looked for his name. Aziraphale suddenly felt as though he was being watched, turning his head and locking eyes through the mirror with Crowley, time stopped. It may have only been for a moment in time, but it was a moment that neither could deny that their collective hearts thrummed, and thumped in their chests. Crowley realized at that moment he'd do whatever he needed to make sure that that angel kept coming back. Aziraphale, on the other hand, talked himself out of every thought in his head, figuring it was only him, but he would make sure to come every day to write, only here at Horns n Halos.
Just as soon as Crowley was forced to break the line of sight, due to a rather rude customer, at least that was what Crowley would tell you, Aziraphale excused himself from Tracey and headed for home, but not without his laptop and tea. As he drank his tea, he looked back, Aziraphale could see Crowley watching him walk away from behind some plants, it was nice, but he wasn't sure what to do. "I wonder if they spelled it right." Turning his cup, the name was once again nowhere to be found; however, what was there made him smile like a buffoon. Aziraphale found a small black snake on his cup, it was wearing shades, under the snake was ~ "Such aching mystery hides, in your stardust-glimmer eyes." ~ Aziraphale hugged his cup, no longer breathing he turned to look one more time, Crowley was gone.
Anathema walked over to Crowley, who was lying on the ground at this point. "Wanna share?" Crowley's coy grin was back and ear to ear. "Nope!" Anathema shook her head, "You realize I still had to make their drinks you shit. I read what you wrote." she smirked as she watched that false front slither away. "Oh, yeah true, can you see him, did he read it yet?" Stepping over Crowley she looked out the window, finally seeing Aziraphale who had all but stopped in his tracks was hugging the cup, she smiled. "Yeah, I would most definitely say he saw it." Crowley looked at her, "Welllll? Don't keep it to yourself." Crowley's eyes wide behind his shades, Anathema walked back to her station, saying nothing. "Anathema! Witch! What happened, he isn't out there anymore." Anathema smirked, "Well, only if you'll say hello to him the next time he is here." Crowley frowned, "Fine, but spill it, witch!" For added flair, she threw some of her stardust into the air, "Well, he hugged his cup, after he stopped moving."
Crowley smiled and headed into the chambers of hell. "Right!" Anathema smiled and let out of heavy sigh, she had known Crowley for many years, knew he had a hard exterior, but it was a front. Anathema had seen him in good and bad times, he had chosen not to look for anyone, shutting himself away from everything but the few friends that were truly friends. She knew she was one of his faithful friends along, with Newt, a few others here and there. Crowley had been young and had been tricked into thinking someone liked him. It was a trick that had sadly ended with Crowley in the hospital, it was his story to tell, and she would not be the one to give out any of that information. Since then, it was a one night stand here or there or nothing at all. Anathema felt that Aziraphale or Angel as Crowley was now calling him would be suitable for him, upon her toes, she peeked into Dantes Inferno, Crowley was in a good place right now.
Crowley was in his kitchen, ingredients laid out before him, and he had already started the cutting. Always the showman, knives were flipping and flying in the air, juggling them, and then somehow everything was sliced perfectly, tossed into a pot. Potatoes got the same treatment, into the pot they went, with a twist, a spin, and a grab he was seasoning everything. Anathema thought for a moment, that's right it was going to be Saturday, Shepards Pie was on the menu, the thought made her have to swallow. Crowley flipped out some dishes, lining them with crumbled lamb, filling, mashed potatoes, grabbing the decorators bag he lined the edges with potato stars. Music was blaring in the back kitchen, still varying between the 20s to the 40s, Crowley adored the music. Of course, it was Electro Swing, but it still counted, right?. Anathema smirked and closed up shop, leaving a pleased boss in her wake.
Notes:
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This will be updated irregularly, due to the fact that I suck holding onto chapters, so I have three more episodes done already, and they are burning a hole in my proverbial pocket, So I hope you enjoy!
