Good Omens: Ineffable Prompts

Day Four: Princes of the Universe

Crowley stepped out of the Bentley into the chilled evening air. It nipped at his skin like city rats starving for a morsel. He tugged his jacket close and trotted up to the bookshop. Despite the CLOSED sign, he pushed opened the door, welcoming the blast of heat that greeted him. "Aziraphale, I'm here. You ready?"

The bell jingled as he closed the door behind him. It had only been a week since the angel had agreed to go with him to the concert. Crowley was somewhat surprised Aziraphale had said yes in the first place. The angel didn't seem the type to enjoy doing something outdoors, surrounded by lots of humans, and lots of noise. Crowley didn't usually invite him to concerts, but Freddie had insisted he bring someone special this time. And, who was he, demon or not, to say no to Freddie blasted Mercury.

They had talked and drank together more than the demon had with most humans. Crowley could name the number of them on one hand that he had considered a real friend over his lifetime. It was a rule of his to not let any get too close as they tended to have too short life spans. It made their brief time together all that more heartbreaking when he had to say goodbye.

The stairs creaked at the back of the shop.

Crowley's mouth fell open. It took a few tries for his thoughts to scramble and catch up with him. "What? What are you...that's?"

Aziraphale reached the landing and smiled at him. "Oh, I'm ever so excited. It has been ages since we've gone to listen to music out in the open. I can recall a time in Vienna, but that was probably centuries ago by now." He paused, eyeing the floundering demon. "Crowley, are you alright?"

The angel stood wearing tartan Vans shoes, high-waist jeans, a—bloody hell! —white lace shirt and a jean jacket covered in an assortment of neon patches. His hair had been puffed up a bit, and his eyes beckoned for attention from glimmering black eyeliner.

Crowley couldn't help it. He sunk to his knees, though he wasn't sure if it was because they were shaking too bad to hold him upright, or he feared they would drag him up to that irresistible tartan-loving angel, so he could kiss the daylights out of him.

Aziraphale stepped closer, concern blanketing his face. "My dear, what's the matter? Do you feel ill?"

He forced himself to his feet and thrust his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Fine. I'm fine. Finefinefinefinefine."

Aziraphale glanced down. "It's not...me, is it? I know I changed my attire a bit, but I hoped it would help me fit in with, well, I mean, you called Mr. Mercury your friend, so I, um, I didn't want to embarrass you in front of them."

Something snapped inside of Crowley, probably the last bit of his sanity. He stepped toward the angel, resisting with everything he had to wrap his arms around him. "Angel," his voice had gained a noticeable husky quality as he tried very, very hard to not stare at Aziraphale's nipples that peeked through the lace shirt. "I mean it now, when I say that I am, in fact, going to be extremely worried about my job if any other demons see you wearing that tonight."

Aziraphale glanced up, meeting his eyes. His ears had tinted pink. "So, you like it?"

Crowley bit his lip, not trusting any words that dared to rush out, and resigned to a simple nod.

They were in the car before Crowley trusted his voice again to not spill with confessions or beg for kisses. "Where, eh, where'd you get the outfit, angel?" He peeled out of the driving spot, willing the car to get to the concert in record time.

"Oh, well, I mentioned it to one of my regular customers, and they recommended a place not far from here actually. They were ever so helpful. I told the store attendant about my dilemma, and they did an exceptional job helping me pick an appropriate ensemble. I was so lost when I first arrived. There are so many new accessories and colors, it's hard to keep up with it all. Though I do think it will be better for me to go back to the clothes, I'm used to after tonight. I'm not sure I'm ready for this much change quite yet."