Okay, but they still have to do their blessing/temptations and it’s the most ridiculous nonsense possible because Aziraphale turns up to thwart the demon that Head Office insists is on earth somewhere and runs into Crowley a.k.a Aziraphale’s Delightful Human Friend and Aziraphale immediately starts coming up with increasingly implausible reasons about why Crowley needs to leave this area Right Now (because heaven forbid that Aziraphale let a terrible malicious demon anywhere near Dear Crowley).
He finally gets Crowley out of there by just inviting him to lunch. Crowley sort of half-laughs and says ‘you know Angel, if you want to go on a date with me, you can just ask.”
And Aziraphale freezes dear-in-the-headlights because Angel? Oh no, he’s been caught! He babbles incoherently for a few seconds like ‘ahahah angel? why would you call me that? That’s so weird! Clearly I am a normal human just like you!!’
Crowley, who just had a slip of the tongue and has just accidentally out-loud referred to his beloved human friend by the pet-name he’s been using in the privacy of his own brain is panicking now because oh no, Aziraphale doesn’t like it, is Crowley making him uncomfortable? Does Aziraphale not like him the way Crowley thought he might like him? What if he’s Ruined Everything and Aziraphale Doesn’t Want To See Him Anymore *internal distressed Snek noises*
So he babbles ‘oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable I won’t do it again. It’s just you’re so sweet and kind and genuinely thoughtful and you care about doing the right thing even if it’s against the rules, even though you hate breaking rules and you’re so sincere and and and I just think you’re like an angel really ought to be. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again, really!’
And then Aziraphale says shyly ‘well, I was just surprised. I don’t mind if you call me that again. It’s okay if it’s you saying it.” And he smiles hopefully.
‘Ngk’ says Crowley, master of demonic temptation, Hell’s operative on Earth.
Aziraphale takes him by the arm and pulls Crowley towards the doors, He does a last quick scan of the room, but there’s no sign of demonic goings on anywhere. Maybe the adversary has been scared off?
‘So’ he says to Crowley, who has just got his breathing back under control, ‘how about crepes?’.
‘Crepes, yeah, yeah, sounds good,’ says Crowley, figuring what the Heaven he can postpone a few temptations until later. Maybe he can tell Down Stairs that his heavenly adversary finally showed up. (If there even is one. Six thousand years and frankly the closest Crowley’s ever seen to an angel on earth is his sweet human.)
There’s another pause as they exit the building and then Aziraphale says hesitantly ‘my dear, did you mean it?’
‘Mean what, angel?’ replies Crowley, basking in the permission so recently given.
‘About asking you on a date. I . . I would quite like to take you out, my dear, if you’re amenable?’
‘NGK’ says the architect of original sin, trying not to swallow his own tongue.
