The day of the contest!
Both angel and demon are frantically trying to throw together the last touches on their winning confection.
Once they finish, they share a look, neither of them commenting, or perhaps caring to comment, on the smiles on both their faces.
They know they have a winner. Now they just have to prove it to Their Highnesses.
As they’re led inside the castle, with Crowley carrying their entry in hand, Aziraphale chooses to go a little slower to take in every last detail he can.
As they approach their table, Aziraphale can’t stop himself from gushing, “Oh my word. It’s exactly how I remember it.”
And of course Crowley can’t resist, commenting, “Except now there’s room for two princesses.”, gesturing towards the judge’s table, where Catarina and Elisabeth are sitting, looking over the list of entries.
And yeah, he’s right. As they approach to hand in their entry, with Crowley announcing,
“Chocolatier Anthony & J.”, Aziraphale can already feel the nerves and excitement starting to set in.
But quickly, once he sees Crowley’s got the entry handled, he wanders off towards a portrait that caught his eye, and he just has to confirm his suspicions.
Upon approaching, he pulls out the postcard with his and Wilhelmina’s portrait, and holds it up.
There it is, exactly where he stood all those years ago, posing for a portrait with his longest and dearest friend, in front of the same portrait that’s hanging on the wall now. Just the sight of it makes the angel’s eyes start to water.
“Angel?” he hears Crowley call out behind him, but he can’t answer right now, nor does he want to.
“Angel.” Crowley calls out again, louder this time, and now that Aziraphale has snapped out of his daze, he turns around, holding out the postcard in offering, and smiling wistfully.
“Wilhelmina.” he says by means of explanation, then steals a look back.
Crowley follows suit, then back at the postcard, where he can immediately see the significance, connecting the dots,
“So this is why coming to the palace was so important to you?”
The angel has no problem nodding, “Our friendship started right in this very room.”
Crowley holds up the postcard again, both of them looking at the comparison one more time, before going over to take their seats.
It’s a long day of entry after entry being presented to Their Highnesses Catarina and Elisabeth, with only a few comments here and there on each one.
Until finally, it’s Hastur’s turn, as he approaches the table with his entry in hand.
“Your Majesties, I offer for your taste and presentation…” he begins, setting it on the table, and lifting the glass dome off the plate. “A sinfully delicious port praline.”
YOU ARE READING
Falling in Chocolate
RomanceLondon bookshop owner and foodie Aziraphale is heartbroken when his boyfriend leaves him before their planned romantic getaway to Amsterdam for Halloween. Crowley and his fellow chocolatiers are in the midst of a competition to create the most roman...