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The bell above the door gets drowned out by Crowley’s greeting. “Brought you a treat, angel.”
“Oh, Crowley! You’re back early, my dear!” Aziraphale directed his shinest, most blinding smile at him. Crowley, suddenly regretting taking off his sunglasses, had the thought that the angel was a health hazard if he went around flaunting that smile to humans willy-nilly.
“Yeah, finished up early.” He shrugged. “Here, for you,” he handed over the package he’d carried in.
Aziraphale’s smile, somehow, got brighter. Definitely a health hazard. “Oh, a present? Thank you, dear boy.”
Crowley felt his face heat up, clearly a side effect of the angel’s hazardous smile. “Not a present, angel. Just. A thing. That I picked up. Ehh— Stole, that I stole. Demon, me. We don’t go around giving gifts.”
“Oh, stole it, did you? Well, I shan’t thank you, then. I’ll take it out of your hands and thwart you that way.” Even with Aziraphale facing away from him Crowley could feel the smile. Maybe its dangerous effects could be reflected in the walls? Light reflects on walls, right? Or is it sound? Something does, Crowley is sure of it. Aziraphale’s smile does, clearly, it must.
“Oh!” Aziraphale gasps. “Crowley, is this—”
“Rapanui ice-cream, yeah. Got you that chocolate flavour you like, lemon pie, the raspberry one with the weird cream thing and dulce de leche triple tentación. Got you chocolates too, obviously. I was already there, I couldn’t not get some. Asked for a bit of everything. And two of those chocolate covered raspberries things that I still think aren’t worth it but,” he shrugs. “I was there.”
“Crowley, what— how—” He turns to face him. “Weren’t you going to Bolivia?”
“Yep. Went. Got the job done. Popped down to get you chocolates. Came back.”
“You— Crowley, you travelled an extra 1500 miles just to get me some ice-cream?”
“Wh— Ngk.” Crowley really missed his glasses now. “No, I didn’t. ’s just a thousand.”
Aziraphale stepped closer. “What was that, dear boy?”
“I said, just a thousand. They’ve got locations in Buenos Aires now, no need to go all the way to Bariloche.”
“You—” Aziraphale shook his head, chuckling a laugh. “You’re unbelievable, my dear.” He reached forward, a hand to Crowley’s cheek and the other to intertwine his fingers with longer, clammy ones. “Thank you very much, my darling,” he whispered to Crowley’s ear. He then pressed a kiss to his cheek and stepped back.
He smiled that blinding bright smile up at him again, and if Crowley had any hint of air left on his lungs he’d feel it kicked out of him at the sight of it so close. He didn’t, so instead he felt his heart ache on his chest, and the lack of air, and the tingling skin everywhere Aziraphale touched him, and the burning sensation the kiss left on his cheek. The smile softened and Aziraphale let go of his hands as well, taking another step back.
“Come on, then.” He turned back to the package on his desk. “I’ll open a Champagne and you can have some with the lemon pie ice cream. May I convince you to try the...”
As Aziraphale moved into the backroom and out of his line of sight Crowley felt his corporation kickstart back up; his heart beating in his chest thrice as fast, his lungs aching for air once more, and he took his first breath in a couple minutes.
He reached a hand to his cheek and traced, very softly, the still-tingling spot where the angel’s lips had just been. He dropped his hand and his head, least Aziraphale returns and sees, but couldn’t bring himself to smother down the smile he felt take over his face.
Definitely a bloody hazard, he thought, and went to follow the angel to the backroom. He, apparently, had some Champagne and ice-cream waiting for him, along with his fussy angel of a best friend, and it wouldn’t do to keep him waiting.