Notes:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, everything belongs to those wonderful angels/demons named Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (R.I.P. :'( )

Pease, forgive me, English is not my first language, I just try to do my best ^^'

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Just because!

Crowley parks his Bentley in a quiet, well-guarded spot. Since she was 'reborn' after the Apocalypse that was not , if possible, the demon takes even more care of his beloved machine.

And this is the easiest part.

Before getting out, he opens the dashboard and takes out something.

And this is starting to be a less simple part.

He walks away with the little package in hand, continuing to wonder if he did the right thing.

And you know, a demon can be terrified of doing the right thing.

That's why this is starting to be a more difficult part.

With large steps he reaches Aziraphale's library, but just as quickly walks away.

Then he retraces his steps and again tries to escape.

It would be enough to find the courage to enter, look for him and maybe even talk to him.

But this seems like the most impossible part.

The fact that there is no one around at least gives him the satisfaction of being able to speak to himself, aloud.

"Oh come on, you stupid demon, what are you afraid of? You come in, you greet him, you give him the stupid package and you leave. You haven't been so nervous since you handed him the card with the request for holy water ... and he threw it furiously into the pond ... what if he throws this too? No, why should he? " he continues to torture himself with questions, to formulate more or less pessimistic hypotheses on how events could evolve.

"Remember that you always go too fast for him; a little more than two months have passed since we no longer have factions, without anyone from the lower or upper floors having disturbed us anymore; and beyond a few dinners in restaurants or a few strolls in the park, nothing has changed. Maybe it's better if everything stays that way… "

He glances at the bookstore he has left for what must now be the fourteenth time that morning, then looks at the package. And then he sees a trash can nearby, across the street. And a plan forms in his mind.

Meanwhile, inside the bookshop, its owner shows the most affable of his smiles to the only customer he has in the shop, who is fully satisfied with the purchase he has just made.

"Take great care of it, please, what you have now is a precious treasure!" he exclaims, handing the book to the new owner in a small bag, together with the receipt.

"Believe me, I know." the middle-aged man rejoices. "I didn't think I could find an authentic first edition!"

- I had three. This way I still have two left, one of which is autographed by my dear friend Antoine and that is off-limits . - Aziraphale consoles himself as he accompanies the customer to the exit.

Aziraphale loved ' The Little Prince' from the very first pages and he kind of likes to think that it was him who inspired the author a little bit, during the period in which he got to know him.

He especially loves the part about the fox, perhaps because he is red, perhaps it is because he is apparently wild, but with a heart of gold.

- And I think I have tamed my fox, more or less six thousand years ago! - he smiles to himself, pleased, as he goes out into the street to say goodbye to his customer.

"Goodbye, come back to see me when you want!" he waves his hand and the man reciprocates, setting off on his way.

"But don't do it too fast." he adds in a low voice, before he catches sight of something pleasantly familiar from a distance.

- Well, well, there he is, my fox! -

Across the street, Crowley has reached the trash can. And it's empty too, one more reason to effortlessly put the package away and leave, as if nothing had happened.

However, deep down, Crowley knows that he wants something to happen, and it is this that does not allow his hand to let the package go, causing it to fall, no matter all his attempts.

- Damn! That boring clumsy dude at the Globe Theater in the sixteenth century seemed a lot more assertive than me in comparison! - he curses himself, continuing his inner struggle.

He is so engrossed that he does not even notice someone approaching with rhythmic but silent steps, managing to catch him from behind.

"Hello dear!" trills Aziraphale's shrill voice.

The effect can only be one: Crowley gasps in surprise, eventually throwing the fragile package into the air.

It is one thing to leave it placid and intact in a trash can, another is to see it shatter against the asphalt, just like his hopes.

Thanks to an agile leap or a timely demonic miracle, Crowley manages to take the package in his hands.

"And what is it?" Aziraphale becomes curious, attracted above all by the brightly colored paper.

Evidently it is the fate that has decided for the demon, who now knows he can no longer pull back, but maybe that's what he wanted.

"You know what, angel? What I'm going to do is pathetic enough, at least don't make me do it like this, in the middle of the street. Let's go to your bookshop! " Crowley urges him, trying as hard as he can to give the impression that he doesn't care.

"As you like; I don't have any customers for this morning, we can be on our own. '' the blond leads the way.

Only when he's finally within those four walls, that he now considers a second home, that the demon decide to deliver that package to its rightful addressee.

"This is for you ..." he mutters through clenched teeth, choosing to leave it right above the desk where the angel usually reads his books.

Needless to say, Aziraphale immediately rushes to see what it is.

"For me, really?" he asks for confirmation, while a big smile crosses him from side to side.

"I said yes ..." Crowley replies nervously.

He doesn't like repeating himself.

"Believe me, I swear I've been looking for it everywhere, but I'm afraid a gift card with crepes on it doesn't exist ..." he murmurs, pointing to the light blue one sprinkled with Macarons of various colors for which he opted.

"This is also wonderful. Crowley, I'm speechless, I just don't understand why ... "

"Just because! " the demon interrupts him a little abruptly. "Come on, open it!" he urges him.

And so does Aziraphale, being very careful not to tear the paper, he frees it from every piece of tape, roughly applied, extending it in all its entirety and keeping it carefully.

And if these are the attention he pays to paper alone, it's nothing compared to what it hides.

It is a light blue box, with the writing 'Kindle' and the representation of something that he does not understand. Lifting it, he realizes that it is quite light. He opens it and inside finds a device that takes up even less space than the packaging did. It is white, rectangular in shape, with a somewhat rough surface and is very thin.

Aziraphale hugs that gift to himself, turning to Crowley, his eyes filled with wonder.

It is a vision that melts the demon, happy to have kept his glasses on to pretend to have a tough look. He also sits on one of the armchairs, but only to prevent his legs from making him fall.

"Oh, Crowley, thank you. It's really beautiful! " he chirps happily.

"But at least did you understand what it is?"

After Crowley's question there is an awkward silence, which only the angel's slightly nervous chuckle breaks.

"Err, no, but I still love it, really!" he ensures, reaching new heights of unprecedented tenderness, even for that demon who has always known him. "Except, I really don't understand… it's not my birthday… not that I have one. Come on, old buddy, you will agree with me that it would not be pleasant to celebrate something with four numbers, if not five, if no other apocalypses happens… "he continues and Crowley agrees, making an angry expression, with a small growl.

"We're not even remotely close to Christmas ..." the blond observes and the redhead vigorously shakes his head in response.

"Neither, nor is it Valentine's Day ..."

A silence even more embarrassing than the previous one falls.

- What ... what does Valentine's Day have to do with it now? Did he understand something? - Crowley gulped, starting to get cold sweat.

For his part, Aziraphale would like to bite his tongue.

- Stupid angel who talks without thinking! Of all the holidays, how the heck does this one come to my mind? - He reproaches himself, also feeling the need to sit down, but in the chair opposite his nemesis's one.

"Or any other festivity, just to say!" the blond tries to keep up appearances, with the redhead that gives him rope with a "Yeeaah ..." a little too hasty.

Both Aziraphale and Crowley may hold universal primacy in denying the evidence.

"So why this gift?" the blond insists.

"Just because! And if you don't stop with this damn inquisition I swear I'll make this day World Day of Nosy Angels; at least you will have the sssstupid anniversary to receive your ssssstupid gift! " Crowley snaps, hissing his nervousness.

- Why do you always want to find an explanation for everything, angel? -

"As I just told you, I did ... just because! Why must there be a particular reason at all costs? It just wants to be a 'Hey, that's cool, we avoided the Apocalypse, since the shops still exist, let me take advantage of that to celebrate!' " the redhead shrugs, getting up to give vent to his adrenaline.

"Oh, so it comes from a real shop?" Aziraphale is surprised.

"Yes, like the gift card for which I have viited at least twenty-eight stationeries! There is nothing miraculous for once. I felt like doing things in a human style. " he explains, starting to wander around that circular carpet where Aziraphale had evoked Metatron a few weeks earlier and the burning disappointment that God's deputy brought with him.

But that was before Aziraphale figured out that the only faction worth being a part of is him and Crowley together, against all.

"I'll tell you more, I wasn't even going to do it! I was walking quietly around Carnaby, when I saw that there was a promotion at the Amazon Store and you can't understand ... I know one thing or two about temptation, but these promoters were so insistent that I believe that they attended the training courses directly in Hell!" Crowley pauses to laugh at his own witty remark, while Aziraphale continues to observe him without understanding, overwhelmed by the flow of words that are coming to him. "In short, almost without realizing it, I found myself inside this shop, bombarded with all these latest technological innovations, when one of those evil salesmen approached me saying: 'Anyone who loves to read cannot do without this'! " he comes to the conclusion of his story.

"Oh, and you thought of me, how sweet!" Aziraphale looks at him almost moved, continuing to hold that gift to his chest.

- I think only of you, is it possible that you do not understand it, you idiot of an angel? - Crowley drummed his fingers nervously, on top of one of the books piled on the round tables.

"Anyway, I'll solve the riddle for you, angel: it's an e-book reader."

The blond tilts his head a little, looking at him with a very confused expression.

"I'm afraid to still ignore what this means, dear." he replies desolate, before thinking about it better. "I only got 'book' and 'reader' ... oh wait, I got it!" he lights up all of a sudden "It's a lens that I have to put on the book I'm reading, so I don't tire my eyes. How dear you are! " and by saying it, the angel makes a test on the very book Crowley drummed on.

He applies the e-book reader above but - obviously - nothing happens. Also try to turn it over, to turn it on all sides. "Only I still have to figure out how to do it ..." he mumbles, all focused, before Crowley's genuine laugh distracts him.

"For Satan! You are so funny that I could watch you all day! " he comments amidst laughter, before reaching the brown leather armchair, the one next to the chessboard, a little bigger than the others, enough to accommodate them both.

"Come here, angel, I'll explain how it works and everything you can do with it."

The angel realizes how promiscuous that closeness is, but his curiosity is stronger and he lets himself slip nonchalantly on the leather armchair, touching Crowley's right thigh, which gives him more space, making his left leg dangle from the armrest.

"First of all, you have to switch it on, like this." the explanation begins by pressing a small but fundamental button, which lights up the whole device, which almost as if by magic begins to reveal all its functions.

"But you were right that I didn't want you to tire your eyes. On this device the light is reflected, so it is less aggressive than what it could come from a PC, but definitely a little more functional than the old lamps you keep on until late at night, when you get into reading. " continues the redhead, showing him the commands for everything.

"But ... what do you know about me reading until late at night?" the blond looks astonished.

Crowley takes off his glasses on purpose to wink at him.

"I like to imagine you like this, angel!"

It's useless to say that Aziraphale blushes instantly.

"And anyway my lamps are not old, but vintage!" he point out, also to divert the subject.

"Look, I'm already grateful they don't have a tartan pattern!" the other snorts, before continuing the lesson.

About an hour and a half later, Aziraphale has acquired all sorts of knowledge about that device.

And the two are still in close contact with each other, in that armchair.

"I never thought that humans could invent such devilry ... no offense eh!" Aziraphale hastens to specify.

"No offense!" giggles the redhead. "More than anything else, yes, I know you're thinking 'but this cold and stiff thing certainly can't be compared to the pages of a book, their scent, their texture blah blah blah ...'" he grumbles.

"Except the final blah, blah blah, yeah… that's exactly what I think!" grumbles the blond.

"But the point is, nobody wants to compete with your stupid old and dusty books. You need this to venture out to discover new books… in this century they are giving us a lot, you know? From thrillers, to fantasy, to those hyper romantic and sappy stuff that you will certainly appreciate! " Crowley comments, with a disgusted face.

"Yep, I see it ..." Aziraphale smiles intrigued, scrolling through the lists of news or best sellers proposed or the free offers of the month.

"I don't believe it… there are even free e-books! Do you understand how nice those Amazon people are? They let me enjoy the pleasure of reading and they don't even expect me to pay them for it! " the angel continues to make his discoveries, more and more passionately.

""I see it like this. You can also carry thousands of books to read with a negligible weight to carry. And it takes no miracle to do it… just this little device! " Crowley summarizes, pointing to the e-book reader.

"Yeah, really amazing!" the other approves.

"Ideal to take on a picnic… the one you promised me since 1967…" Crowley plays his card, recalling painful memories of an evening he has never forgotten.

And by the way he's looking at it, it seems Aziraphale hasn't forgotten either.

"Oh, we really haven't done that anymore, have we?" he asks hesitantly, biting his lower lip nervously.

"If you went out on a picnic with a demon, I assure you it wasn't me!" Crowley retorts, jealous at the very thought.

"I could never, you're the only demon I want close to me." the blonde lets go to that confession.

"Am I still going too fast, angel? Do you have any idea of the paranoia that I went through just to give you this stupid gift? I was afraid of ruining everything, again, I was afraid that you… "

Aziraphale puts an end to all of his demon's fears, placing a finger on his lips, to silence him and wrapping him in an impulsive embrace.

"Hush, don't say anything more, dear. This speed is fine. You have no idea how much I adore the gift you gave me, how happy it made me ... how much I ... I love you! "

Aziraphale winces as soon as he realizes what he just said and Crowley pulls him away, but only so that he can look him in the eye.

Intense yellow that is reflected in a pastel blue.

Crowley is looking at him with the same undisguised amazement of over six thousand years ago, when the blond confessed to him that he had given his burning sword, with the intention of doing the right thing.

"You ..." the demon murmurs.

"I ... I was just reading a title of the books in the lists aloud!" the angel takes measures, waving the e-book reader in front of his eyes and resorting to a small angelic miracle that can make a title appear, a title that is able to get him out of trouble. "You see? ' PS I love you ', it strikes me as a heartwarming story that I can't wait to read and… "

Crowley looks at him smiling, because his angel can resort to all the excuses he wants, but in that blush in his face and in those pieces of clear sky that cannot lie the demon has already read a much greater truth.

This is why he wastes no time and pulls the blond to himself, even at the risk of losing his balance on the armrest of the armchair. The demonic mouth lands on the angelic one, with the intent of giving that kiss that he has been waiting to give him more or less since he was shown to him on the walls of Eden.

Aziraphale doesn't even try to back down, perhaps because he had been waiting to receive it from the same eternity.

The lips part, the tongues begin to battle with enthusiasm, entwined in a dance that may never end.

With one hand, Crowley scratches the back of his neck, going up his soft hair with his fingers, while with the other he plays with his tartan bow tie.

Aziraphale, on the other hand, pulls him closer, using the laces of his bow tie as if it was a pair of reins.

It may only have been a few minutes or all four seasons may have crosed outside that library… and they wouldn't notice the difference.

Aziraphale is the first to separate, perhaps because his lips burn, swollen with kisses or perhaps because of his lack of experience, compared to his partner's one.

"You kissed me ... just becuase?" Aziraphale likes to provoke him a bit, with an amused smile, while he sinks his hands into that fiery red tuft that seems to defy every law of gravity.

"No, angel, I kissed you because… I love you, too. And I'm not pretending to read any book titles! " Crowley murmurs in a whisper from his lips, before pushing him away from himself, just enough to get up from the armchair, put his dark glasses on and leave satisfied, with a result that has definitely exceeded his expectations.

- If it makes you kiss me like that, I'll give you a present every day, angel! - he meditates returning to his Bentley, while running his thumb over his lips that still taste so much of his angel.

Because now he has the definitive confirmation that that angel is really his.

Seduced and abandoned, yet immensely happy, an angel is half-reclining on the armchair of his library, his head still spinning from all the strong emotions and the taste of the lips and tongue of his demon still so overbearing in his own mouth.

However, he remembers that he still has Crowley's precious gift on his lap. He takes it and begins to frantically scroll through the titles.

- Who knows if I can find a manual like 'How to organize a perfect first date with the demon you've been loving for six thousand years'! -

END

Notes:

Happy new year! 3

A few notes:

- I really liked the association of The Little Prince: if you think about it, Azi is a Principality, blond and sweet like the protagonist, if not more ... and even if Crowley is a snake I also see him a lot as a fox, too ;)
- That splendor of 'Good Omens' is aired on Amazon Prime, so that store had to be that, too self-referential you say? XDD
- I hope the characters are not too OOC, this time I have overwhelmed them in a wave of excessive fluff, blame the prompt ^^'

Seriously, I hope you liked it and if you want to leave me an opinion you will make me very happy
This thing have more than a sequel (in fact Cro is always waiting for a picnic ...) , actually is a miniseries of 5 stories, if I see you enjoyed this one at east a little, I'll translate the other ones too (3 out of 5, starting from next one contains HOT stuff)

Once more, Happy 2021, people! 3

Lu