The next time Crowley had a day off work, they decided head to a nearby city for the day.
Their Pokémon flew or walked beside them, all except for Oscar who was perched on Aziraphale's shoulder. The gang of Floettes danced happily on the breeze.
There was a stream to one side of the path and wheat fields on the other. They rounded a corner, and suddenly the city could be seen in the distance, rooftops shining in the morning sun.
Two women rounded the corner at the same time, coming towards them.
Aziraphale's eyes widened. They were wearing Team Rocket uniforms. He weighed up his and Crowley's chances against them.
The short haired lady had a Venonat, a Cutiefly, a Trubbish, and an Umbreon. The woman beside her - with her hair scraped back into a tight ponytail - had a Primarina, a Dragonair, a Barraskewda, a Tentacruel, and a Vaporeon, all of which were swimming beside her in the stream.
Aziraphale opened his mouth to give Aegislash orders but hesitated when Crowley let out a high-pitched squeal.
"Bee!"
"Crowley!"
The short-haired woman and Crowley ran at each other. They collided, their arms wrapping around each other in a fierce hug.
Aziraphale resisted the urge to pry Crowley from her. He ignored the stab of jealousy in his chest and forced his face into something neutral. He glanced at Bee's friend, and she looked just as unimpressed with this turn of events as Aziraphale felt.
Finally, Bee released Crowley and took a step back. "Who's your friend?" she asked, seeming to notice Aziraphale for the first time.
"Boyfriend, actually," Aziraphale heard himself say. He immediately cringed.
Crowley gave Aziraphale an amused look, and then grinned at Bee. "This is my boyfriend, Aziraphale."
Bee gestured to the woman behind her. "This is my best friend, Dagon."
Dagon gave a brittle smile.
"Nice to meet you," Crowley said.
"Likewise," Dagon muttered.
Bee turned back to Crowley with a grin. "We heard all about how you kicked Hastur and Ligur's arses and put them in jail!"
"How'd you hear about that?" Crowley gasped.
"Hastur and Ligur were begging people to bail them out, but everyone refused."
"They're both arseholes," Dagon explained. "Everyone hates them."
"Can I give you the money I owe Team Rocket?" Crowley asked urgently. "The wages they already paid me in advance, I mean. I quit, and I don't really want to go back to HQ."
Bee waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that. Some kid with a Pikachu stormed HQ, and long story short, Team Rocket have disbanded. We need new outfits. And new jobs. Don't suppose you could lend us some cash?"
"After all you did for me, of course! In fact, I've got plenty of cash on me…" Crowley started rooting around in his pocket. He handed over a few notes. "It's good to see you again. I'd been meaning to call."
"Oh! I'm sorry I missed your call the other day. I'd have called you back, but I didn't have any credit on my phone so..."
"D'you want a cup of tea?" Crowley asked. He turned hopeful eyes on Aziraphale. "We can stop for a quick brew, right?"
"Of course," Aziraphale said. At least he didn't need to talk these two into leaving Team Rocket. They'd already done so, whether they wanted to or not.
Crowley set up his table at one side of the path, boiled the kettle, and then served tea and biscuits using Aziraphale's brand new Battenburg-patterned tea set.
Crowley couldn't stop smiling. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders knowing he didn't have to worry about Team Rocket anymore. And he had two of his favourite people right here with him. Maybe Dagon could become a good friend too.
After they'd all drank their tea and eaten their biscuits, Crowley found himself alone with Bee, sat side by side.
Aziraphale and Dagon had wandered off along the river's edge, looking for Water-type Pokémon. Aziraphale wanted to take photos of new Pokémon for his Pokédex. He'd already enthusiastically taken pictures of Dagon's Dragonair and Bee's Trubbish, having never seen those species before.
"So," Bee said with a smirk. "You've got yourself a boyfriend, huh? I didn't know you had a thing for posh boys."
"Heh. Neither did I." Crowley looked over his shoulder at Aziraphale, who was excitedly taking photos of a Magikarp as it jumped in and out of the water.
Bee followed his gaze. "He's kinda cute though."
Crowley couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "The cutest."
"Ugh. You're gonna give me cavities."
"Shuddup," Crowley said, his face turning pink. "Anyway. What about you and Dagon?"
"What about us?"
"The way you talked about Dagon when I last saw you, I thought you were together."
Bee snorted a laugh. "Me and Dagon? I wish. No. She's straight."
"What the fuck makes you think I'm straight?"
Crowley and Bee spun around in their seats. Dagon was stood just behind them, a Poké Ball in her hand.
Bee cringed. "Er... Well. I mean...You and Hastur?"
"That was ages ago, before I realised what a dickhead he was. And for your information, I'm bi."
"Oh," said Bee. "Okay. Sorry."
Dagon tilted her head. "You wish?"
"What?"
"You said, 'I wish…'"
Bee swallowed. Her face had turned bright red. "Er. Well. I just-"
"Because," said Dagon, leaning in close. "I can make your wishes come true."
"Pack up your stuff, Aziraphale. We'd better get going."
Aziraphale glanced at his watch. "Oh, yes. Just look at the time. I'd like to reach the city in time for lunch. There's this lovely little café- Not that I haven't enjoyed meeting your friends, of course, and having a snack, but we really should be getting on."
"Yeah. But also..." Crowley gestured behind him to where Bee had Dagon pressed against a tree and seemed to be trying to suck her face off.
"Good Heavens!" Aziraphale said. He looked away, his cheeks heating up. "I didn't even know they were an item."
"They weren't until a few minutes ago. This is what happens when years of sexual tension are suddenly unleashed."
Oscar whistled from Aziraphale's shoulder.
"Shush! And stop staring!" Aziraphale covered Oscar's eyes with a hand. He looked at Crowley. "Dagon only went back to the table to show you the Magikarp she just caught. What happened?"
"She overheard some stuff."
Aziraphale raised an eyebrow. "Stuff?" He was always keen to hear the latest gossip.
"It's a long story. I'll tell you on the road."
Aziraphale and Crowley packed everything away. They looked back towards Bee and Dagon, who were still having a moment against the tree.
"Bye," Crowley shouted.
"Lovely meeting you," said Aziraphale.
There was a vague sound of acknowledgement, and then Crowley and Aziraphale scampered away, giggling amongst themselves.
They passed Dagon's Vaporeon and Bee's Umbreon as they left. The two Pokémon were curled up together beside the stream, amused smiles on their faces.
Crowley and Aziraphale had been walking for almost half an hour when they decided to sit down on a bench to rest their feet and have a sip of water. It would take another half an hour to reach the city, so it looked like it was going to be a late lunch after all.
Crowley stretched out his legs with a contented sigh, delighting in the way Aziraphale's hand snuck into his own.
Their Pokémon, after drinking from the water bowls that had been set out for them, settled down in the grass.
Oscar hopped over to where Crowley's Pokémon lay. He bowed, requesting a battle.
Bentley and Ashtoreth came towards him.
"Two against one isn't very fair," said Crowley.
Chamomile made a determined sound and came over to Oscar's side.
Crowley raised an eyebrow. Chamomile had never seemed interested in battles, not even friendly ones. Perhaps the fight against Hastur and Ligur made them want to practice – or it had simply given them a taste for it. Or perhaps they simply wanted to help Oscar.
"You want to join in?" Aziraphale asked, clearly as surprised as Crowley.
Chamomile nodded.
Crowley turned towards Ashtoreth and Bentley. "Right, gang. For a change, let's not use our paralysis trick. I think we've been relying on it far too much."
"And no Potions or Revives until afterwards, or we'll be here all day," said Aziraphale. "The moment we use a restorative on a Pokémon, they'll be out of the match."
Crowley nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."
Aziraphale gave his Pokémon a determined look. "Right, team. Let's focus on Ashtoreth first! Oscar, use Peck! Chamomile, Astonish!"
Crowley pointed at Oscar. "Ashtoreth - Poison Tail! Bentley – Poison Jab!"
Ashtoreth and Bentley got first strike and poisoned Oscar, but soon Chamomile's Astonish had them both flinching, making them miss their turns. Even then, Crowley knew he had the advantage. It seemed he really had become too reliant on his paralysis trick - his Pokémon were far stronger than he'd realised.
Oscar was out of the match first due to his weakness against Poison attacks, and then Ashtoreth fainted. They were both immediately healed. They stood at the sidelines, cheering as they watched the battle.
It was Chamomile against Bentley.
"Bentley, use Assurance!" Crowley shouted.
Chamomile let out a cry as the Dark attack hit. They tumbled down to the ground, unconscious. Aziraphale used a Max Revive.
Crowley's team had won.
"Great work, gang!" Crowley said. "You did it!"
Ashtoreth let out a pleased hiss and slithered up onto the bench beside Crowley.
"You did really well, Chamomile," Aziraphale said. "I'm so proud of you. And you too, Oscar!"
Chamomile dashed to Aziraphale's side, clearly enjoying the praise. Oscar let out a happy hoot from where he was perched on Aziraphale's shoulder.
Bentley was flying around in excited circles, honking loudly, and then she started to glow. Crowley jumped to his feet with a gasp. When the light faded, Bentley had grown significantly and now resembled a small vehicle.
Crowley ran towards her. "Look at you! You're gorgeous!"
Bentley revved her engines and honked her horn. Crowley hugged her tightly, feeling proud as he clung to the shiny metal of one of her cylinders.
The Pokémon gathered around, and Aziraphale appeared at Crowley's side, a smile on his face. 'Reveroom, the multi-cylinder Pokémon,' his Pokédex announced.
Crowley took out his own Pokédex, snapped some photos of Bentley, and then read the Reveroom Pokédex entry, utterly fascinated by every word. When Crowley looked up again, Aziraphale was busy packing away the bowls and water bottles.
"Sorry. I'm delaying us even more," Crowley said, hurriedly putting his Pokédex away.
Aziraphale sat down on the bench with a smile. "There's no rush, my dear. Take your time. The food will be just as delicious no matter what time we get there."
Crowley closed the gap between them and kissed him.
Once the Pokémon had finished congratulating Bentley, and everyone was ready, they set off towards the city again.
Bentley made an excited sound. She revved her engines and then raced at Crowley. He let out a yelp as he was scooped up onto her back, and then he laughed and held on tightly as they zoomed along the path. They flew at Aziraphale, who squealed and staggered backwards. Bentley stopped right in front of him with a honk.
Crowley held out a hand towards Aziraphale. "Hop on, angel. We'll make it to the city in no time."
Aziraphale gave a nervous laugh.
Crowley grinned. "You'll have your lunch in front of you a lot sooner."
That was all the temptation Aziraphale needed. He took Crowley's hand and climbed on behind him.
They returned the rest of their Pokémon to their Poké Balls, and moments later they were zooming off along the path, Aziraphale clinging to Crowley while screaming in his ear.
Crowley grinned the entire way, the ride exhilarating, enjoying the feel of the wind in his hair and of Aziraphale's hands wrapped around his waist.
They arrived at their destination in record time.
Author's Notes:
I'm about to mention spoilers for S2 of Good Omens in these endnotes...
I wrote the first draft of this story long before Ineffable Bureaucracy was canon. I'm all for Gabriel/Beelzebub, but Beelzebub/Dagon is cute too, right? I feel like it'd be strange to pair Bee with Gabriel in this fic either way!