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1910. Paris, France…
The streets were desolate and abandoned this Friday night. The usual rush of the city settled down as the nightlife began. It was quiet, but not too quiet. An occasional shuffle of footsteps and laughter, a horn in the distance, a bark of a dog. It was the perfect balance.
At least, Aziraphale believed it to be. He was not at all perturbed by the usual hustle of the day or the sheath that covered the city at night. No, not at all.
He stood under a tall, antique lamp post, the light shining down on his frame that made him appear a lot more mysterious than he actually was. Men and women walked by, on their way to dinner or home, what be it their business was. He adjusted his coat, taking in the smell of burning coal amidst in the air.
A particularly rousing group of people sauntered by him, one of them calling out to bid him a goodnight. He returned the greeting, and off they went. With a glance at the moon, he hummed a tune under his breath. The moonlight paired with the street lights made Aziraphale look angelic, which to anyone who knew would surely get a hardy laugh out of it.
“Hello, angel.”
Aziraphale made a surprised hm sound as he turned on his heels, only to be greeted with darkness. He placed a hand above his eyes as a figure, a person, stalked forward. The angel hummed under his breath as Crowley emerged from the shadows, the street lamp illuminating him.
He was dressed well, dapper as always. Never a dull outfit from Crowley, never.
The angel sighed lovingly as the demon approached, his breath fanning over Aziraphale’s face. They were standing close, basking in the light together. Crowley grinned, “Sorry to keep y’ waitin’.”
Aziraphale tsked, saddling up beside the demon. Close, but not close enough to draw any unwanted attention their way from onlookers. “Whatever do you mean? You’re just on time, dear.”
Crowley snickered at his response, lifting up his glasses to reveal his striking golden eyes, then sending a wink to the angel. “Glad to know. Shall we saunter on, then?”
The walk was short, their small talk filling the empty space between them. Aziraphale held the door open to the restaurant for Crowley, and they were seated upon arrival due to their reservations.
Aziraphale ordered a bottle of chardonnay, along with a charcuterie board for Crowley and he to nibble on. Crowley leaned back in his seat, legs spread and an arm thrown over the back of the chair. Aziraphale tsked at him, which only caused Crowley to slouch even more.
“Very funny, dear,” Aziraphale replied, his voice leveled as to not give Crowley the satisfaction. The demon chuckled, sitting up and placing his elbows on the table as he linked his fingers together. “That is also quite inappropriate table manners.”
”Oh please, angel. Y’ know better than anyone else that I don’t necessarily give a rat’s ass about table manners,” Crowley charmed as he took a sip from his glass. He smacked his lips and tilted his head, the liquor sliding down his throat in such a pleasing way. “That’s some damn good wine, y’ should try some.”
Aziraphale scoffed, holding his glass between two fingers as he swirled the liquid around, watching how it whirlpools before taking a sip. “Language.”
Crowley gave out a hardy laugh, causing the tables around them to turn and stare or scoff at his behavior. He stuck out his forked tongue and flashed his fanged teeth, promptly causing the onlookers to gasp and get back to their dinner. He felt Aziraphale’s disapproving glare. Crowley mustered up an apology smile and shrugged, “These people have no sense of fun.”
Aziraphale was prepared to scold Crowley, but the waiter came over with their board. He thanked the waiter and placed a dinner napkin on his lap. He immediately went for the brie and placed a slice atop of a cracker with some marmalade. He moaned at the taste, savoring it.
Crowley rested his chin on his interlocked hands, grinning as he simply watched Aziraphale pick at the board, trying different combinations. “Order whatever you’d like, angel. Dinner is on me,” Crowley said, a nice drawl to his voice as he enjoyed seeing a flush rise on Aziraphale’s cheeks. He reached over and popped an olive into his mouth, humming at the sweet, yet sour, very pungent taste.
“Oh Crowley, how very kind of you,” Aziraphale chuckled, trying to ignore the demon’s gaze as to not embarrass himself. He opened up the menu and carded through the selection. “Ooo! Perhaps some escargots à l'ail. Have you ever tried those? It is quite the delicacy.”
Crowley shrugged, a look of distaste as he scrunched his nose. “Too chewy, I’d say. Not my cup of tea, but surely order it for yourself. I’ll have me another olive or two.”
“You can’t just full yourself with some olives and wine, my dear. At least have some cheese and crackers to fill your stomach.”
Crowley was going to make a snarky reply when suddenly the lights dimmed in the restaurant, and a spotlight shown on stage to reveal a petite woman. He whistled under his breath at the sight of her, she truly was a depiction of beauty, no doubt about that. She spoke with a soft voice, introducing the band that will be performing tonight for the restaurant’s entertainment. An eruption of clapping, and soft music echoed through the restaurant.
“Isn’t she a sight,” Crowley mumbled, following her with his eyes as she walked off the stage. He winced when he received a kick to the shin, a small yap escaping him as he turned his head towards the angel with the most devious smirk. He scoffed in amusement, surprised at how immature Aziraphale was.
“I thought I was your date tonight? How rude of you to ogle at another woman in front of me,” the angel whispered, a playful tone in his voice. Crowley raised an eyebrow and laughed, causing Aziraphale to join him.
“How scandalous of I,” he teased, reaching over to place his hand atop of Aziraphale’s. They both stared at each other in awe, the atmosphere around them fading away.
“Finish your dinner, angel. The night is still young, after all,” Crowley whispered, wiping the wine that spilled from the corner of his mouth away with his thumb, his eyes on Aziraphale. The angel followed his fingers that dragged across his lips, and his mouth fell dry as his face became heated.
An hour later…
They walked along the side of the canal, both of them pleasantly buzzed off the whole bottle of wine they split at dinner. They could both hold liquor quite well, but after the second bottle they both were giggling like teenagers. They’d occasionally brush against each other, quickly apologizing before ultimately just leaning on one another as they strode under the streetlights.
Cars drove past, people walked by, but it was their world now. They bathed in each other’s presence. Crowley covered his mouth with a gloved hand, clearing his throat.
“Where exactly are w’ goin’,” he mumbled. Aziraphale raised an eyebrow.
”I’m simply followin’ you, my dear.”
“I ‘ave no clue where the hell I’m going,” Crowley replied, causing the both of them to stop and face each other. They erupted into a fit of laughter at the realization they’re buzzed and have been walking along La Seine with no sort of plan or direction. They continued walking even with the realization, both still chuckling as they stumbled against each other.
“Should we sober up?” Aziraphale asked, wiping the tears from his eyes. Crowley blew raspberries in reply, causing another fit of laughter. They came across a bridge, Pont Neuf. Crowley gripped the railing as he heaved from laughter, Aziraphale following close behind whilst giggling. “My, my… Look at that view.”
Crowley lifted his head, lifting up his glasses to take in the moonlight bouncing off of the water. He hummed. Aziraphale sighed as he whispered, “It is… beautiful.”
The demon looked over, and flushed at the sight of the light bouncing off of the water and onto Aziraphale’s face. The angel’s sea foam eyes were breathtaking, along with how the light made his fair skin glow. He swallowed down the lump forming in his throat, and turned so his back was against the railing with his gaze set on Aziraphale.
“It’s very beautiful,” he mumbled, not even remotely referring to the view of the water. He shoved a gloved hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a cigar, placing the fat bud between his teeth to keep it steady. He snapped his fingers, a small flame sparked to life on the tip of his thumb, lighting the other end of the cigar. He took in a long breath, letting the smoke stir in his lungs before breathing out into the open air. Aziraphale took notice, and waved off the smoke as he coughed.
“You’re contributing to the air pollution,” Aziraphale muttered, resisting the urge to take the cigar from Crowley’s mouth. The demon huffed out a laugh, leaning over to blow smoke in the angel’s face. He immediately got shoved away, and he laughed as the angel swatted at the air to disperse the smoke. It was quite fun to ruffle the angel’s feathers, after all. “How rude!”
Crowley shrugged, taking in a long draw of smoke before stubbing the bud out on his hand. He pocketed the cigar for later. The night was silent once more, both of them staring off into the distance. Crowley’s ears perked up as he heard distant music, turning around to see the river boat coming their direction.
He grinned as he stood before Aziraphale, taking a very deep bow. The angel laughed, “What are you doing?”
The demon stood tall and held out his hand, palm up. “Care to dance,” Crowley asked in the most posh tone he could imitate. Aziraphale’s eyes widened, and a blush rose to his already heated cheeks.
“Angels don’t dance, Crowley,” he replied, already putting his hand in the demon’s. “Perhaps you could teach me?”
They joined, body to body, and it started off slow. Simple forward, side, back steps. It was a casual sway, very simple.
Aziraphale was looking over Crowley’s shoulder, whilst Crowley buried his nose against the angel’s neck, taking in his refreshing scent. As the river boat approached, the louder the music became. Aziraphale followed Crowley’s patterns, easing into it as he relaxed against the other man. He sighed as he rested his forehead against the demon’s shoulder, the smell of sulfur lingering in his nose.
With a bit more confidence than before, he separated from Crowley, connected by their hands, and flicked his arm so Crowley was pushed away, and with a quick snap of his arm he pulled him back, sending him into a deep dip. The demon yelped as his waist was gripped and pulled close, leg in the air like in a movie. He quickly snatched his hat before it flew off his head, and stared up at the angel who had the brightest smile on his gorgeous face. Crowley completely shut down as he stared up at Aziraphale, his face growing flush, and not from the alcohol. If anything, he sobered up as Aziraphale guided him to stand on both feet.
They were connected once again, but they didn’t move. They simply stared as they tried to catch their breaths. Aziraphale batted his eyelashes, staring up at Crowley with a fond little smile. “Was that too much?”
Crowley didn’t answer right away.
His mouth was agape, and he stuttered like a fish out of water. His mouth opened and closed, useless in processing the words on the tip of his tongue.
They stared for a while, the boat and music long gone.
Crowley cleared his throat and fixed his cap, his body now too hot with all these layers.
“I - It was just the right amount,” he ultimately replied, feeling like a complete imbecile when Aziraphale bursted into giggles. He took off his glasses as he took in the sight of the angel laughing and wiping his eyes.
“You are just a ball to be around, my dear. So charming,” Aziraphale laughed as he walked over, patting Crowley on the shoulder.
The demon seared at the contact, never wanting to forget the warmth it provided.
It was spur of the moment, but it happened.
Crowley leaned over and placed a kiss atop of Aziraphale’s plush cheek.
All of the fuzziness from the alcohol left Aziraphale when he felt Crowley’s lips on him, causing him to tense and fall embarrassingly red. The lips on his cheek lingered before disappearing, the heat still lingering from where his lips were. He watched as Crowley adjusted his glasses back to cover his eyes, and watched dumbly as the demon started to walk across the bridge towards the other side.
“Don’t wait around with y’ mouth open, angel,” Crowley called, a smirk gracing his features. Aziraphale simply stood and stared, his fingers running across the cheek that Crowley kissed. “Are y’ comin’?”
He followed. The night was still young, after all.