Please Remember - Good Omens Au

The Meeting

Crowley was standing on a crooked step ladder, carefully trying to put up his ‘grand opening’ sign. He had managed to hang up one side, but was having trouble keeping his balance and was therefore struggling to hang up the other side. Today was the opening day of his new flower shop and he was surprisingly anxious about it. His shop was just around the corner from a rather interesting looking bookshop and he was infinitely curious to see the face behind ‘A.Z. Fell.’ However, at the moment he was far too focused on the banner. He mumbled a curse to himself in frustration before placing the end of the banner between his teeth so his hands were free to try and steady himself.

Aziraphale was up bright and early, waking with the sun. He smiled and took a deep breath in as he drew his curtains and opened up a window for early morning fresh air.
He let out a happy sigh, content with the beautiful awakening sky. Reds, oranges and yellows reflected in his blue orbs.
He turned and made his way to the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror. He smiled at his matching pajama set, consisting of small little cartoony desserts. He turned on the faucet water and took out his toothbrush and paste to begin his morning routine.
He brushed his teeth then his hair, undressed himself, took a brief shower, shaved his face, brushed his hair again (after blow drying it, of course) and successfully made his way into his bedroom by 7 am.
He smiled as he dressed himself in a pair of tan dress pants over cute puppy boxer briefs, a belt to keep them in place as well. He easily buttoned up his creme colored shirt and tucked it in, placing a freshly ironed bow tie around his neck. He put one of his favorite vests on, looking at himself in the mirror and giving a smile of approval.
He fixed himself some toast, lightly browned, joined with a cup of tea, and slid on his coat after finishing.
He made his way down the steps from his apartment down into his book shop.
He realized it was quite messy but he knew where every little book was.
He sat at his desk and put on his glasses to begin reading when he looked out the window and noticed somebody at the used-to-be-empty shop next door. A tall red headed fella, eh?
He wondered what kind of shop he would have. Perhaps a tattoo shop? Or one of those fashion shops!
He would have to drop by later with some muffins to welcome the man.

Crowley let out a huff around the edge of the banner, gripping the sides of the ladder as he tried to shift his position to be more stable. Once he was at least the slightest bit stable, he swiftly pinned the banner in place and hopped down from the latter before folding it up and carrying it inside. The street was still relatively quiet, with only the daily commuters making their way along the streets. No one paid any mind to the freshly painted storefront with beautiful plants crowding the window. The red headed man propped his ladder against the wall next to the door, making his way over to the counter where a large glass habitat sat with a heat lamp shining onto it. “Heeeeeeeeyyyy Janthony,” He said softly, reaching a hand in to gently stroke the red and black snake’s head with the back of his finger. “Let’s get you out of here, alright?” He carefully lifted the serpent out of the habitat, watching as it began to coil around his wrist.

Aziraphale hummed as he drank his morning tea and ate his toast, writing some things down that he would need to do today so he wouldn't forget.
Once finished, he wiped his mouth and cleaned his work space, heading over to the door to flip the open sign to closed. He grinned and turned back around, heading up stairs to start the muffins.
He would make them blueberry since blueberry muffins were widely liked. 
Once finished, he placed all the cooled muffins into a picnic basket and headed out, going next door.
He admired the beautiful plants, realizing now that it was a flower/plant shop.
How endearing!
He opened the door, popping his head inside.
"Hello? Am I allowed to come in?"
He asks, searching for the red head he had seen earlier.

Crowley quickly stood up from where he had been crouched behind his counter, knocking his head against the overhang. “Shit..!” He mumbled and rubbed at his head, messing up the half of the red locks that had been pulled back into a small bun. The snake slithered further up the lanky man’s arm, flicking its tongue into the air. “Hi, sorry, we’re not quite open y-“ he cut himself off as his gaze settled on the blonde man standing by the door, swallowing hard as he hopped over the counter and moved toward the man.

Aziraphale stepped into he store further, worried for the male as he bumped his head.
He watched the red haired male hop over the counter, noticing the snake on his arm. He was quite handsome upon first glance, exotic for this part of town.
Tall, bright red locks of hair, dressed in all black. It was a site he was not used to seeing.
"Oh dear, my apologies! I didn't mean to startle you. Are you alright?"
He asks, holding the basket close to his side and looking up at him with a worried expression.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. It’ll just bruise. Nothing major.” He said with a shrug, letting his snake slither along and drape around his neck. He tucked a strand of loose red hair behind his ear as he took in the sight of the other man, his heart fluttering ever so slightly. “Do you own a shop around here?” He asked with furrowed brows, rubbing the palms of his hands against the black denim covering his thighs. His wiry torso was swallowed by a rather large Queen t-shirt. He really did not look like the type of person to own a flower shop.

Aziraphale still kept his woried expression, patting the males arm.
"You should really put an ice pack on it."
He says, watching as the other fixed a strand of his hair.
"I do, Indeed. A little book shop next door. A.Z Fell."
He says with a smile, pointing to his shop.
"I saw you hanging up a sign and I noticed these beautiful plants, so I figured you must be new. I brought muffins as a welcome gift!"
He says, holding the basket toward the other with a huge and bright smile.

“Oh, uh, thank you.” He said, rather taken aback by the kind gesture as he hesitantly took the basket from the shorter man. “Yeah, today’s my opening day. But I’ve been in here the past week setting everything up and painting the storefront.” He replied, shifting slightly where he stood and letting his hands rest in front of him, his fingers wrapped around the handle of the basket. “Took me ages to get the lease on this place though.” He mumbled, drawing out any of the ‘s’ sounds into a bit of hiss. He never meant to do it. It was simply a speech impediment.

Aziraphale puts a finger to his lower lip, thinking back.
"Hm. I wonder why I haven't noticed you until now."
He says, tilting his head slightly.
"Oh well, I'm a bit slow sometimes anyway, silly me. I probably was too busy in my shop to notice."
He says with a smile, clasping his hands together in front of himself.
"I hope you like blueberry."
He says in reference to the muffins.
"How did you get into flowers?"
He asked, genuinely interested.

“They were really the only thing I had when I was younger. My family kicked me out when I was a teenager and so the only thing that I found comfort in was looking after plants.” He said, moving to set the basket on the counter and lift Janthony off his shoulders so the snake could wrap around his forearms. “I thought about becoming a botanist but then I realized I didn’t have the money required for all the schooling for it. Seems I’ve gotten into a dying art though. I’ve heard that less and less people are buying living flowers nowadays.” He let out a soft sigh as he finished the statement, shifting his weight to his right snakeskin boot clad foot. He really was quite a sight.

Aziraphale feels bad for the red haired male, sympathizing with him.
"Come one, dear! Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do just fine. I know plenty of people who like plants."
He grins, trying to cheer up his new friend.
"Here! I'll even be your first customer!"
He claps his hands a little, looking around the room for a plant he might like.
He admired the lillies and the daisies but settled on the pretty sunflowers.
"What about these?"