Chapter Text
2019
There was a young woman and a book. There was an airfield base and four brave children. There was a bus stop, and a bus, and warm, shaking hands desperately clasping at other warm, shaking hands.
There was a departure from the bus, hands that refused to let go, and then there was a short walk to a long elevator ride.
They waited, somehow, until they stepped into the elevator, and then they were kissing and it was like Crowley hadn’t felt, hadn’t breathed in over a century, since they’d last done this. It was like his whole life had been on pause and was suddenly raring into fifth gear.
He ran his hands frantically along Aziraphale’s back, his arms, through his hair, trying to be everywhere at once. Aziraphale clung to him just as fervently, just as tightly. Crowley kissed his cheeks, his eyelids, his forehead.
“I love you. Fuck, I love you so much, Aziraphale. It almost ended and I didn’t--we didn’t--please tell me this is it. Tell me this is forever. Please. Please. I love you, I love you, I love you--”
Aziraphale pushed him against the wall and crashed their lips together as the elevator continued to chime floor by floor. Crowley wrapped his leg around him and Aziraphale lifted under his thighs so he could wrap the other around him as well. Aziraphale pressed further and Crowley was ravenous, just wanted to be closer, closer, closer, merge their essences together and become one so they’d never, ever have to be apart again.
Aziraphale pressed his hand to the demon’s rapidly beating heart. “My darling, my dearest, my love, if we make it through tomorrow and if you can ever find it in your heart to forgive me, then yes, this is forever. I am never giving you up again. I will stand by you through everything the rest of our lives can throw at us. I am yours, Crowley, wholly and completely. My love, just please let me prove to you how sorry I am and let me beg for forgiveness--”
Crowley grinned and ran his fingers across Aziraphale’s face, fingertips trailing down the bridge of his nose and across his cheekbones. “I’ve already forgiven you.”
Aziraphale frowned slightly. “I don’t want you to have just forgiven me, Crowley. It’s not as simple as that. I’m sure you must resent me somewhat. I want to earn--”
Crowley covered his mouth with his hand. “I did resent you. For a long time. But I still loved you, too. More than anything. I only forgave you, truly forgave you, the night I gave my ring back. I’m not being flippant with this, Aziraphale. And I have things I need to apologize for, too. But you don’t need to atone for anything. I saw that night how broken you were by us being apart. Please.” He removed his hand and kissed Aziraphale, his need growing. He spoke in between fevered kisses, not wanting to be apart for too long. “Please, for tonight, let us just love each other like we’ve needed for so long. We can talk more if we survive this. I need you, angel.”
The elevator chimed to the penthouse and Crowley reluctantly made to unwrap his legs from Aziraphale’s waist, but Aziraphale stopped him roughly. “Don’t you dare,” he growled, and carried Crowley across the hall. Crowley buried his face in Aziraphale’s neck and snapped his fingers to open the door and then again to close it shut behind them.
There was a prophecy, and a plan, and laughter, and a toast. And then, finally, there was the first day of the rest of their lives.
2020
“Darling, it’s lunchtime, could you come in, please?”
“Coming, angel!”
Crowley walked in from the garden, removed his floppy black hat, and hung it on the hook by the kitchen door. He put his gardening gloves and sunglasses in the big front pocket of his overalls and plopped down on a chair at their dining table. Aziraphale walked over with two plates of sandwiches in his hands and hummed.
“Look at you.”
“What? Do I have dirt on my face?”
“Well, yes. But you’re just singularly captivating. I’ll never understand how such a gorgeous creature wants to be with me.”
Crowley rolled his eyes and snatched a sandwich off one of the plates and shoved it into his mouth, grinning.
Aziraphale sighed heavily and set the plates down. “Manners, Crowley.”
“Manners are for losers,” he responded around the food in his mouth. Aziraphale poured them both glasses of sweet tea from a pitcher on the table and took a bite of his own sandwich, wiping his mouth daintily with his napkin afterwards.
“The sunflowers are looking radiant. You've done such a good job with them.”
“Yeah, they're coming in nice. Just need to make sure they don't get too tall and interfere with the ivy.”
Crowley took a sip of the iced tea and looked out the window to examine the garden from afar. He needed to water the thyme when they were finished with lunch.
“Um, Crowley?”
He looked back at Aziraphale who was sitting wringing his hands. “Yeah?”
Aziraphale scooted his chair around the table and held Crowley’s hands in his own. Crowley looked down at them. “You're making me nervous, angel.”
Aziraphale waved. “Oh no, it's nothing bad! It's just.” He took a deep breath. “The past year of our lives has been so incredible, better than any of the other ones. I've been so happy and it's all because we're able to finally share our lives together, freely, without worrying about the consequences. You've given me the world, darling.”
Crowley couldn't help but run his fingers over Aziraphale's knuckles.
“We've done this so many times, but finally we can be together as we were always meant to. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of our lives experiencing this odd, wonderful planet we've called our home for over six thousand years. This isn't as grand of a gesture as I’d originally wanted, but I'm tired of waiting.”
Aziraphale pulled out a mahogany ring box and opened it, and Crowley choked up, tears swimming in his eyes, when he saw his gold ring shining back at him. He grabbed at Aziraphale’s hand holding the box.
“Crowley, will you marry me? Forever, this time.”
He was fully crying now and Aziraphale was smiling nervously as if Crowley would ever, ever say anything other than an enthusiastic yes.
“Angel, we've been married like a dozen times.” He couldn't stop smiling. Forever, forever, forever. “This is--this is--yes, of course, you idiot! Of course I'll marry you!”
Aziraphale beamed and surged forward to kiss him. Crowley’s hands came up to either side of his face and he grinned, wider than he'd ever done before, and kissed Aziraphale over and over.
Aziraphale pulled back and took the ring out of the box. “Darling, may I?”
“Yes,” he breathed and held out his hand. Aziraphale slipped the ring on his finger and they both stared down at it.
“I actually have--” Aziraphale pulled out another box, lighter than the first, and opened it to reveal the ring Crowley had given to him all those years ago. “Could you?”
Crowley took it from him and removed the ring. He ran his fingers along the scales, hadn't realized how much he’d missed the sight of it. He placed it on Aziraphale's outstretched hand and then laced their fingers together before they kissed again.
“Angel,” Crowley whispered. “If you don't get me out of these overalls in the next three minutes, I'm gonna rescind my acceptance and you're just going to have to ask me again some other time.”
“Oh, well, we absolutely can't have that.”
Aziraphale tugged at his strap and Crowley grinned before he eagerly climbed into his lap.
They decided to have the ceremony in their cottage garden, because after all, it was quite fitting to get married in a garden. Crowley made sure it was in tip top shape with plenty of care and only a couple threats. They invited the children and Newt and Anathema. Anathema was more than happy to officiate.
Aziraphale had hired three separate caterers and they needed to bring in an additional two tables for the amount of food that was brought in. Honeyed bread and olives from their first marriage, pastilla from their sixth, a cake covered with intricate marzipan from their ninth. They cleared a path to a small circle of chairs and Crowley had grown their single marigold into an abundance which covered a large trellis at the end of the aisle.
Crowley took a deep breath and looked over himself in the mirror. He wore a deep burgundy suit and a tie that was patterned after his wedding cravat in Vienna. His long hair was braided loosely down his back, thanks to Anathema.
He heard a soft knock at the door. “Crowley?”
“Yeah, come in, angel.”
Aziraphale entered the bedroom and gasped softly when he saw Crowley. “Oh, Crowley. You're beautiful. Oh.”
“Look who’s talking.” Aziraphale was wearing a steel blue suit that matched his eyes perfectly. His bow tie was white silk with intricate floral designs that matched his wedding dress from Vienna.
Aziraphale blushed. “I don't know about all of that. These modern cuts--”
“You're so handsome. You're gorgeous. I'm the luckiest demon in the whole world.”
Aziraphale smiled as he crossed the room and Crowley opened his arms. They embraced and held each other for several moments. Aziraphale tilted his head back, a tear rolling down his cheek.
“Hi,” he whispered.
Crowley wiped the tear away with his thumb and Aziraphale gripped onto his wrist desperately, thankfully.
“Hey,” Crowley whispered back.
“Should we wait to kiss until--” He checked his pocket watch. “Ten minutes from now?”
Crowley moved his thumb to swipe at Aziraphale’s bottom lip. “I'm never going to wait to kiss you ever again.”
He held Aziraphale closer and kissed him, the angel’s lips soft and plush under his. They'd done this thousands of times, and it still made Crowley’s heart race. They were right at the end of another Before and Crowley couldn't wait for the After. They melted into each other as they held their hands between them, clutched at each other's chests, and swayed slightly.
“Come on. It's time for us to go get married for the last time.”
Aziraphale pouted. “Oh, that's a little sad to think about. Can we still have weddings sometimes?”
Crowley laughed and led him out of the bedroom. “You just want more desserts, which you know I'm always happy to provide for you.”
“I just like getting married to you!”
“We can have vow renewals. Come along, angel.”
They picked up their bouquets (sunflowers, from the garden, and white anemones), smiled at each other again, and then walked out the door to their small circle of friends at the end of the garden. Aziraphale’s arm was warm in his and his heart sang. He couldn't stop smiling and sneaking glances at Aziraphale. Aziraphale’s radiant smile lit up the late afternoon as he snuck glances at Crowley, too.
They stood under the golden trellis and placed their bouquets down gently on the table next to them. Anathema smiled at both of them and then she cleared her throat.
“Hello, everyone. We are gathered here today to join this angel and this demon in joyous matrimony. If everyone can come up with their cords, we’ll start with the handfasting, as you requested. If you could hold onto each other’s right hands, please.”
They extended their arms and Crowley felt Aziraphale’s thick, sturdy fingers wrap warmly around his own.
The children and Newt formed a line and one by one, they tied their cords around their hands and wrists as Anathema spoke.
“These cords symbolize the bonds that you two have shared throughout your life. Your friendship, your love, has endured so much more than anyone else will ever have to experience, and yet you’re still standing here today, together, to join once more in a declaration of love. As your hands are bound, know that these are the hands that will forever hold you, cherish you, love you, and support you. Even when these cords are gone, you will be bound together as one.”
She took her own cord and tied it around their hands. They placed their free hands on top of their bound ones and held each other tightly.
“You both wrote your own vows. Aziraphale, do you want to go first?”
Aziraphale nodded and took a deep breath. He squeezed Crowley’s hands and Crowley squeezed back.
“Crowley, every moment of our life spent together is beyond anything I ever could have imagined when I first received my assignment here. We’ve seen everything humanity has had to offer, the good and the bad, and been marvelled by it all. I’m sure I could have enjoyed it without you by my side, but the truth of the matter is, I was lucky enough to not have to experience it alone. For what is the joy of a good meal or good wine without someone to share it with? A great symphony or piece of artwork without someone to discuss it with? You’ve been my constant companion, and even when we were apart I frequently wished I was experiencing new things with you instead. To hear your voice and your laughter and to see your face so I could know intimately the truth of your feelings and opinions on even the most inconsequential of things.
“Living without you is unfathomable. You are as essential to me as the sun and the water are to the plants in our garden. You nourish me and encourage me and sustain me, us, even in our darkest hours. Your overwhelming faith in me makes me want to become better, to prove myself worthy of that faith. Thank you for believing in me, even when no one else did. It is a joy to share my life with the person who knows my heart best. Thank you, darling, for knowing me best and for loving me because of it, not in spite of it.
“I promise to support you and encourage you. I promise to experience new things with you. I promise that I will always be by your side, no matter what happens, and I promise that my devotion to you will not waver. I promise to cherish in your joys and comfort you in your sorrows. I promise to always love you and to never stop being grateful for you, darling. I love you, Crowley. Thank you for choosing to share your life with me.”
Crowley had the distinct thought that doing this in front of people was a mistake, even if there were actually only six other people here. His eyes watered and his nose was snotty and his heart was threatening to break free from his chest. He was so loved. He loved Aziraphale so much. How was he supposed to speak when his throat was so thick with emotion?
“Shit, um.” Aziraphale gazed at him adoringly and used his free hand to hand him a handkerchief from his pocket. “Thanks.” He dabbed his eyes and tried to wipe the snot from his nose subtly. He cleared his throat.
“We are choosing to spend our lives together, but I had no choice in falling in love with you. Right at the beginning you showed me who you really were: compassionate and stubborn and a bit of a bastard and always anxious to want to do the right thing. You were so different from the rest of them, and I’d hoped you would play an important part in my life. I thought about you every day we were apart and when we’d run into each other again, you’d reveal some new facet of yourself that I would fall more in love with.
“We’ve both changed so much throughout our time here, but one thing that hasn’t changed is our desire to be with each other. We’ve gone through hard times, obviously, but we’ve always made our way back to each other. Because we love each other. I’m so fucking happy that we finally made it here, Aziraphale, to a time when we can just love each other without worrying about anything else. Loving you has been the only constant I’ve had.
“I promise to keep you safe. I promise to stand by your side. I promise to be someone you can complain to without judgment of whether that makes you a ‘good person’ or not. I promise to share in this world with you, as we always have. I promise to listen and to reassure and comfort you. You’re my best friend, Aziraphale. Thank you for loving me, too.”
Aziraphale’s eyes were red and tears were streaming down his face. Crowley passed his handkerchief back and Aziraphale laughed, accepting it gratefully and dabbing at his face.
“Adam, do you have the rings?”
“Yeah.” Adam stood up and handed Anathema the ring box. She opened it and handed each of them one of the matching slim gold bands they'd had made just for this, their final marriage.
“Aziraphale, do you accept Crowley to be your spouse, to accept him and love him and support him for as long as you both shall live?”
Aziraphale’s eyes didn’t look away from his. “I do.” He slipped the ring onto Crowley’s finger.
“Crowley, do you accept Aziraphale to be your spouse, to accept him and love him and support him for as long as you both shall live?”
Crowley looked over Aziraphale’s face, his upturned nose, his large ears, his laugh lines, and his round chin. His stormy eyes, crinkled in joy.
“I do.” He placed the ring on Aziraphale’s finger.
Anathema grinned. “I now pronounce you two married. You can kiss--”
Crowley was already cupping Aziraphale’s face, pulling him closer and kissing him. Cheers erupted around them, but Crowley barely heard it. His other arm was wrapped around Aziraphale and Aziraphale’s hand was teasing at the hair by his tattoo. They broke apart and pressed their foreheads together and smiled.
They untied their hands and then the reception began, although it was really more of an excuse to gorge themselves on wine and food while chatting with Anathema and Newt. They talked about how excited they were to take their honeymoon to Peru. Crowley rested his arm around the back of Aziraphale’s chair and Aziraphale held his other hand clasped between his.
Love hung heavy in the air and it was so thick, even Crowley could feel it. He looked at Aziraphale whose head was thrown back in laughter, at Anathema waving her wine glass around animatedly, at the children dancing and playing in the garden, and he felt, truly, finally, that this was enough. It was more than enough.
When the sun began to set, their guests said their goodbyes and loaded up into Brian’s mom’s minivan, which she’d generously lent Anathema to bus the group to and from Tadfield.
They cleaned and packed up the remaining food with a wave of their hands and approached their home. Aziraphale stopped Crowley before he entered.
“What?”
“You carried me across the threshold after our last wedding. Let me carry you this time.”
Crowley placed his arms around Aziraphale’s neck and fuck it would never get less hot when Aziraphale picked him up like he weighed nothing. The angel carried him across the threshold and set him down gently before leading him by the hand to their living room.
He turned the record player on and wrapped his hand around Crowley’s waist, holding his hand in the other. Crowley placed his other hand at the back of Aziraphale’s neck and scratched lightly along his curls. They danced in small circles and kissed over and over as they held each other close.
“My husband,” Aziraphale whispered. “My wife. My spouse.”
“Forever this time.”
Aziraphale smiled and kissed him long and sweet. “Forever.”