A.Z Fell and Co
Now
"Hey Muriel" Crowley said. "Do you mind if I visit the basement?"
Muriel looked at him as if she did not know what the right answer would be.
"What for?" she asked.
Crowley was contemplating whether he should tell her the truth or not.
"What else can you do in a bookshop? Take a look at some books of of course" he said.
Muriel remained unconvinced of Crowley's intentions.
"There are books in this room" said Muriel with a tease.
"Alright" said Crowley. "What would I have to do?"
Crowley thought that the semi-honesty route would get him faster downstairs.
"I'm sorry Crowley. I am not authorized to make deals with demons" she said.
Crowley was confused and irritated. How come he can come in the bookshop, but get refused access to the basement?
"Oh look at time" said Muriel while taking a peak at her watch. "Time for my afternoon tea. Can't miss my afternoon tea. Besides, heaven might call at this time. Who knows? I must go check. Wouldn't want to miss that phone call." she said rapidly.
"You may go now, it was nice to see you. I'm glad you got your note, but my work is done here. Cheers" she said and left the room in haste.
Crowley heard her going upstairs. He did not even get a moment to respond to her rumple.
"Plausible Deniability" he thought.
"Well, I'm still a demon" he said and rushed downstairs.
Crowley lived for not following rules, but as soon as he got downstairs, he grabbed the pair of gloves inside the wardrobe by the stairs. He wouldn't dare to touch Aziraphale books without the proper protection.
All the books were stored in a cool temperature-controlled and dimmed room in the basement. Each book was placed inside a glass box and only taken out "in case of knowledge emergencies" as Aziraphale called them. This moment would definitely be classified as such. At the center of the room, there was one desk with a lamp on it. The desk had only one drawer.
He opened the drawer to find some cleaning supplies, reparation tools rolled in a piece of leather, and a magnifying glass.
Crowley had only witnessed Aziraphale console his ancient books only once. Yet, he still remembered all the steps the angel took. He even recalls feeling some sort of admiration towards Aziraphale's gentle approach to bookkeeping. He found his concentrating face very pleasing to watch. Somehow, Crowley felt he was blushing while he was reminiscing. It was odd how well this memory was preserved in his mind
Crowley took out the cleaning supplies and made sure that both the desk and the chair were spotless. He did not let a single speck of dust present.
Afterward, he went through the glass casings one by one. As soon as he found Inferno, he removed the glass without taking a single breath. He carefully picked up the book and walked towards the desk. He laid it down.
He briefly exhaled as he sat down on the chair. He would a moment.
"Right, I guess I open this now" said to himself.
He grabbed a pair of tweezers from the repetition tool kit and started by flipping the cover.
He saw the front page with Dante's signature on it. He gently touched it and then performed a small restoration spell over it.
By doing this, he encountered the signed dedication of the book:
"To Aziraphale, the Angel
who apparently walks the Earth"
~ DANTE ~
Crowley starts reminiscing how he had to convince a very drunk Dante to write that inscription.
YOU ARE READING
Aziraphale & Crowley: An Ineffable Love Story
FanfictionFollows events after Good Omens, Season 2 Finale Crowley is lost in his pain. Aziraphale is asked to guide heaven into the Second Coming. Their paths have never appeared to be more different, but could their love for each other be ineffable?
