Snakes and Apples
*After the beginning* The Site of the Flood, The Black Sea, Earth 2348 BC
"Really Crowley, do you like to watch others suffer?" Aziraphale asked the demon. It was in bad taste, of course, Aziraphale didn't often like to think of death. He liked to rejoice in life. To help people. Death just seemed to be a side effect.
Crowley shook his head, "and yet it is your boffins up in headquarters that wish to see mankind be tortured with this nonsense. Really angel, a flood? Beelzebub wishes she'd thought of it." Aziraphale was quite taken aback by Crowley's surety.
"Well, I-I..." He really had nothing to say. "That's above my paygrade I'm afraid." Aziraphale said with a smile on his face, but avoiding Crowley's eyes as he scanned the open water for any sign of the ark.
"Say- it's funny bumping into you again." Crowley said, a smirk crossing his lips as he thought of the potential. Converting an angel to the hell-cause would really be something.
"I think you secretly like bumping into me." It was meant in a platonic friend way, but Crowley felt a sting of something like attraction. Though his demon exoskeleton pushed the spark down so far it was almost snuffed, it never disappeared altogether. He huffed in protest, folding his arms, refusing to look at the other man. Hell would have his bones if they found out he was fraternising with the enemy. They had rules for a reason.
"I don't like you angel." Was all he could say. A blunt statement of hatred attempting to hurt Aziraphale's feelings. It worked, he started sulking, retreating into himself and stopped talking altogether for a few hours. Not til they found land, a small olive tree sticking out from a mound of mountain mud. A bird was perched on it gracefully, pecking at the tree, trying to pry something away from the branches. Aziraphale bent down and plucked off a small twig from the tree and slotted it into the bird's beak.
"One more good thing in the world, Crowley. That is just what I am trying to do." He said a little spitefully, and definitely more maturely than Crowley had been.
*The near future* The garden behind Aziraphale's bookshop, London, Earth 2024
Aziraphale was kneeling on his gardening pad, a trowel in his hand. There was a mud stain on his trousers and beaming smile on his face. Next to him was a small potted tree, just waiting to make its bed in the ground. He patted it lightly, digging out the final few clumps of earth so the hole was big enough. He dropped the trowel down beside him and stood up. He picked up the pot and dropped it into the hole. After wiggling it around for a while, it found its bed and settled into the ground.
The angel brushed off his hands and began to fill the hole back in. It was going to be the finest edition to their little garden. He knew Crowley would like it, or at least he hoped. There was always a chance he would be angry about being reminded of his biggest mistake. He would normally just let the plant grow on its own, but he couldn't wait any longer. With a flick of his wrist, and a small miracle, the tree bloomed into a mini version of its true self, and bore fruit. Juicy red apples dropped from its branches.
"Oh look at that!" Aziraphale exclaimed to himself, clapping his hands together excitedly.
"Talking to the plants again, angel?" Crowley interrupted from the doorway, his shoulder leaning against the wooden frame. Old but sentimental. His usual pair of sunglasses were sitting on the end of his nose and his tie was dipping past his belt.
"Oh!" Aziraphale almost jumped, spinning around quickly and facing his life partner. Best friend. Husband. "You scared me Crowley." But his fear was quickly replaced with a smile. He took off his gardening gloves and approached the man in the doorway. "It was supposed to be a surprise. Close your eyes, now!" He shoved his hands forward and smashed Crowley's glasses into his face.
"Ah get off me!" He said, pushing Aziraphale back a little and fixing his face. "What is it you want me not to see?" He said, calming down enough to look Aziraphale in the eyes.
"Just come over here," he replied, pulling Crowley by the arm over to where the tree was quietly blushing.
"It's-it's um... what is it doing here?" He asked, Aziraphale refrained from rolling his eyes and concentrated all his energy on being excited.
"It's where we became us." He said quietly, swaying from side to side like the tree in the breeze. Crowley stepped forward and took one of the apples in his hand. He took off his glasses and brought his hand to his brow.
When he looked back at Aziraphale he was obviously emotional. "Angel- it's- us." He said, trying not to cry. Looking everywhere other than Aziraphale so that we wouldn't cry, he wasn't that sort of man. Well, he was, but he liked to keep up the pretence that he wasn't. He reached over and stuffed his face into the angel's beige shoulder, his hands gripping him tightly.
"Crowley..." Aziraphale said in that tone of voice that sounded like it'd been through the wash with fabric softener. He turned around as Crowley lifted his head. Now they were facing each other, he could see how much this was affecting him.
The demon's hands came up, clutching his cheeks and kissed him hard. "How could you...?" He said after breaking away, "how can you always..." he hesitated, shaking his head. "Make me feel like this?" He pointed to his chest, placing Aziraphale's hand over his heart.
"I-I-" the blonde man stuttered. He didn't expect this. Didn't expect Crowley to act like this. "Be-because you love me?" He said slowly, cautious about his words. Crowley dipped his head again. Afraid of this.
"I-I do." He eventually said. It was a quiet mumble but that didn't matter. As his hand tightened further around the fruit it began to bruise and come away from the tree. Crowley's second mistake. Aziraphale blinked a few times and turned back to the tree. Eventually Crowley followed suit and they stood in parallel, not saying a word. Just staring at the small tree in their back garden. A rose blush glowing on Aziraphale's cheeks. Unable to reply, he stayed silent.
