Dinner Out / Sleeping In

Azi was pacing nervously outside of Ellie's room, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to ask the demon. It wasn't a big deal or anything, humans did it all the time, so he didn't understand why he was working himself up over this. Crowley would probably laugh at him if he could see the angel acting this way over a silly question he hadn't even asked yet! Azi stopped his pacing and stared at the door. He could do this. He had gone over it hundreds of times already in his head and honestly no outcome to doing this could be any worse than the ones he's been imagining over the last couple of hours. It would be okay. Ellie was sweet and kind and a wonderful person and he could do this! Taking a deep breath to help put himself at ease, Azi knocked on the door.

Ellie came out of the ensuite and into her room, wondering about Aziraphale's presence she could feel just outside. She considered calling out, but surely the angel would make himself known when he was ready. She could feel something off about his aura, like he was... scared? No. Nervous? Shaking her head, she settled down on the bed with a book and waited. She was good at waiting. When the knock sounded, she looked up from the page and called out, "Come in."

Azi mustered up all his courage and open the door, only for it all to leave him the second he set eyes on Ellie. His face flushed with premature embarrassment. "I.... H-Hello darling! H-How are you t-this evening?"

Ellie cocked her head to one side and put the book on the bedside table. She swung her legs off the bed and got fluidly to her feet, walking over to where Aziraphale was still standing in the doorway. Whatever had him so flustered? "I'm fantastic now that you're here," she teased lightly, and reached a hand up to brush his cheek. "I do believe I said you could come in?" She smiled and slid her hand into his.

Azi smiled at Ellie's teasing, feeling a bit more at ease and taking a small step into her room. "T-Thank you darling. I'm.... I'm happy to s-see you as well." That's right Aziraphale, make small talk and stall as long as possible.

Ellie considered making a joke about how she'd thought it was just a carrot in his pocket, but she knew he wouldn't get the joke. She dragged him over to her love seat and then dragged him down into it, curling around him, and hoping that whatever had him so nervous she could calm him down. "So what brings you to my lair?" she asked with a grin.

Snuggled as safe in the love seat with Ellie wrapped firmly around him, Azi felt himself relaxing. "I..... I wanted to ask you something." He could do this. Ellie is a sweetheart and he didn't have anything to worry about.... except rejection and an awkward situation that could cause a permanent rift in their relationship. Goodness, how did people find the courage to do this all of the time?!

Ellie cocked her head curiously. "Of course. You know you can ask me anything." Why did he look so nervous? His nervousness was making /her/ nervous, though she was trying to not let it show. Surely whatever he had to say couldn't be /that/ bad?

Deep breaths Aziraphale. You can do this. Just ask her. "Would you...." His face was already growing hot again but he pressed on. "Ellie, w-would you l-like to go out on... o-on a date with m-me? A /proper/ date?"

The tension that Ellie hadn't even fully realised had been building in her chest released and she laughed, delighted and relieved. "Of course I will, I'd love to!" she said before Aziraphale could think that she was laughing at him or at the idea of going on a date. She could feel herself blushing but she didn't care. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and hugged him tight. Her silly angel.

Oh did Azi feel ever so embarrassed. Pleased and relieved that Ellie was okay with the idea of them going out on a proper date, but embarrassed none the less. He doubted his face could get any redder. "That... That's fantastic darling."

Sometimes, when he was smiling like this and his face was so red, the urge to kiss him was almost overwhelming. What she wouldn't do to... She cut that train of thought off. She was getting much better at doing that now, heading off the thought patterns before they ran away from her completely. "Is that what you were so nervous about?" she asked gently, nuzzling him.

Azi nodded silently, feeling silly for allowing himself to get so worked up over a simple question. Now what he /should/ be getting worked up over was the actual date. Heaven knows he didn't exactly have a whole lot of practice with these sort of things.

Ellie smiled because she didn't think this angel could be more adorable if he tried. "Did you have somewhere in mind, or do we need ideas?"

Azi pressed his forehead to hers, the closeness with her helping ease his nerves once more. "I.... I was thinking we could go out for a nice dinner or something simple like that..."

Ellie played with his hair and nuzzled her nose against his. "A romantic dinner out? Sounds divine, pardon the pun."

A small smile graced his lips at the horrible pun and he returned the nose nuzzle. "Goodness do I love you, darling. You and your silly puns."

This time it was Ellie's turn to blush as the warm feeling filled her at those words, as it did every time. "When do we go?" she asked quietly, tucking her face into the crook of his neck.

"I.... I guess whenever we decided to pull ourselves apart long enough to actually get off this loveseat." He said with a chuckle.

"Hmmmm," she said, hugging him tighter and grinning into the side of his neck. "Never, then."

Azi chuckled even harder and tilted his head so that he could catch her eye. A fond smile tugged at his lips. "Come on darling, let's go get dressed up all fancy so that we can go eat some overpriced food in my attempt to be romantic with you."

That made Ellie perk up a little. "How fancy?" she asked. It had been a while since she'd worn anything lovely and elegant. There were some dresses in her wardrobe she'd love to have the excuse to wear.

Azi hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "I suppose as fancy as you'd like." He grinned nuzzled close. "The fancier we dress, then the fancier the restaurant."

Ellie hummed with pleasure. In that case, she knew just the dress she wanted to wear. "Alright, are we going tonight then?"

Azi felt his cheeks heat up again. Oh he really should had planned this better. "I... I'd like to. Yes. But only if it's okay with you."

She kissed him on the cheek again and smiled broadly. "Very ok," she assured him, excited about doing such a human thing as going on a /date/. Getting to dress up nicely, spend the evening in the company of someone she cared for a lot, and presumably with some good food and wine. How perfect.

Azi returned the kiss on the cheek and managed to pull himself away from her long enough to actually get up on his feet once more. "Alright then. So um... I... I'll just give you a few minutes to get ready and then we can be on our way." Azi stood by the door, wondering if perhaps he should be saying or doing more before leaving.

Ellie also got to her feet and saw Aziraphale to the door. "See you soon," she said, and gave his arm a squeeze before wiggling her fingers at him and gently closing the door. She put her back to it for a moment, smiling and telling her heart to calm down. She then got to work on making herself presentable.

Azi stared at the closed door for a total of five seconds before rushing to hid own room to get ready. Oh he had so much to do! He had to make a reservation and call a taxi- no, limousine service, that would be far more appropriate, and he had to actually find something nice enough to wear that will actually be able to compete with whatever beautiful outfit Ellie would no doubt be wearing tonight. Maybe he should wear that one Crowley had suggested he purchase a while back? Azi frantically began to dial numbers as he searched through his closest for the outfit.

A few minutes later there were four dresses spread out on her bed, all of them green. She waved at the one with all the yellow jewels and it vanished back into her wardrobe - it was too flashy and impractical. She also waved away the one with the red ruffles on the bottom - it was far too tight for going out to dinner, she felt. That left the sari and a loose, flowing chiffon gown with red beading. Ellie deliberated over these two. She liked the sari, but for tonight she decided on the other gown. With another wave the sari was put away and she was wearing the dress of her choice.

Her hair was another matter all together. She scowled at it in the mirror. The stuff was long and straight and slippery and absolutely refused to do anything except hang loose. Efforts to tame it into an actual hairdo usually required the firing off of at least one miracle.

Two miracles (and many, many pins) later she had her hair up and piled elegantly at the back of her head. For good measure she glared and gestured at it. It better stay put.

Satisfied, she exited her room and went in search of the angel.

Okay, he had made the reservations and called a limousine service (both of which required a small miracle to get considering how short notice this was) and now all he needed to do was to figure out what in Heaven's name he was going to wear. It was at times like theses he wishes he shared at least /some/ tastes in clothing as the Serpent. Everything he had just seemed far too simple or outdated for a fancy date out tonight. Maybe he should miracle a new suit, not that he had any idea /what/ kind of suit it would be! Aziraphale sighed. He was overthinking this.

He decided simply would be best. A nice ordinary black suit with red and green tartan lining and a bowtie to match. He looked himself over in the mirror once he was dressed and found himself pleased. Not completely satisfied, but pleased. With a deep breath, Aziraphale left the room to go find Ellie.

Ellie caught up with Aziraphale in the hallway outside his room and she paused, stunned. He'd scrubbed up really well and while he wasn't dressed in high end fashion, his suit was well-tailored and fitted him... very nicely. She found that she'd stopped breathing and made herself start again, surprised by how much the sight of him affected her. "Wow," she said with a completely smitten smile.

Aziraphale found himself going through the same smitten emotions Ellie was going through may or may not have had to remind his heart to beat at a normal pace again after seeing her. Gosh golly did she ever look gorgeous, of course she always looked gorgeous, but the dress she had picked out really suited and did a wonderful job bringing out the beauty in her features. Azi felt a shy smile grace his lips and moved to take her hand into his, placing a small kiss to the back of it. "You look positively beautiful, darling."

Ellie had to take a few shallow, careful breaths. "You, too," she said, giving his hand a squeeze. Her smile had regained the teasing, flirting quality as she got her composure back. "You scrub up very nicely indeed."

Azi couldn't stop himself from blushing. "Th-Thank you." It was just a polite complement, no need for him to get flustered over it. "Um... a-all ready to go then?"

"Whenever you are," she said, smiling at him still as she latched onto his arm. She couldn't help staring. It was still Aziraphale, he hadn't really changed, but there was /something/ different. She couldn't put her finger on it, and perhaps it was just the situation or the atmosphere of the moment, or the lack of sweaters, she didn't know.

Azi bit his lip a little nervously and checked his watch. The limousine service said that they would only be a few minutes, so it should be safe to start heading out now. "Alright darling. Let's be off then." With a mixture of nervousness and excitement for the night ahead of them, Aziraphale led them out of the apartment and downstairs to where their limousine was waiting. Azi prayed everything would go smoothly tonight.

Ellie wondered how they were going to get to the restaurant. She didn't have a problem with walking, but she did hope that Aziraphale had called a cab. "Where are we going? Or is that a surprise?" she asked.

Azi smiled knowingly. "I think a surprise would be far more interesting, don't you, darling?" Exiting the the building, Aziraphale gave out a sigh of relief to see that they limousine had, in fact, showed up. He eagerly led Ellie towards it.

"Oh!" Ellie said as she realised just what Aziraphale was leading her towards. "You..." She looked at the angel and beamed. He really /was/ taking her out in style. How very incredibly sweet. "You're spoiling me."

"Oh of course I'm spoiling you! And I'm going to continue doing so for the rest of they night." Azi stopped for a moment to place a kiss to Ellie's cheek. "Whatever you want tonight, darling, it's yours. You have my word." With that said, Aziraphale continued towards the limo with Ellie. The limousine driver held the door open for them so that they could both climb inside.

"Whatever I want?" she asked archly once she'd climbed into the limousine. "You really do keep forgetting just what you're talking to here when you make such promises." Her tone was teasing, but she was wondering just what she could get away with asking for. She slid over when the angel got in so that she could sit right up against him.

All this seat room and Ellie choose to squish right up next to him. Azi smiled. He absolutely loved it. "I know exactly whom I'm talking to." Azi wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her cheek fondly. "And I mean it darling. Anything you want just let me know, okay?"

Ellie leaned into the cuddle, unable to keep her own hands off him now, though she did behave and just slide them around his waist. The fabric of his suit felt strange when she was so used to jumpers and flannel pyjamas and tshirts. Strange... but nice. She shivered with pleasure. He really had no idea what he was asking, no matter what he claimed, or of the strain he was putting on her when he made offers like that. Like it wasn't difficult enough for her to be good, to pretend to be someone who may just deserve him, he then had to go and put temptation right in front of her like that. One day she'd fail this little test and ruin everything, but not tonight. Tonight she smiled and nuzzled him back and made it look like, on the outside at least, she wasn't a demon consumed with lust. "Is it far?" she asked. The longer she'd be alone with him right now, the harder this would be.

"Only a couple of minutes away if traffic is good." Which, with a miracle or two, it would be. "Eager to know where we're going hmm?" He asked with a teasing tone.

"Eager to get there and show you off," she corrected with an equally teasing tone. If she could strike some envy into the hearts of some people tonight that would be a few points for her, anyway.

Azi laughed. "Show /me/ off? Oh darling, I'm afraid I'm not exactly as show worthy as you're making me out to be. Besides..." Azi glanced her over, admiring just how lovely she was tonight. Goodness, what an odd couple they must look in comparison. "I think I know who's going to be turned heads tonight."

"So long as I turn your head, that's all I care about," she said with a sweet smile.

"You always do, darling." Azi kissed her cheek, his lips lingering before pulling away with a slight blush. Now why in Heaven's name was he getting flustered for? It wasn't like he's never kissed her cheek before, so why the embarrassment? Was it because he lingered? Why did he linger? Oh sometimes he can't help but find /himself/ confusing....

Ellie didn't notice his blush because she was too busy telling herself that grabbing his face and giving him a thorough snog was definitely going to be crossing a boundary she didn't want to cross, so stop thinking about it. Oh god, she hoped they would arrive soon. She turned her head to look out of the window, noticed in her reflection that some hair was already starting to escape and glared at it until it went back where it belonged. She gave Aziraphale's waist a squeeze. "Are we there yet?" she asked in an amused tone, echoing the childish plea for a journey to end. She /was/ curious to see the restaurant.

"Soon darling." Aziraphale honestly hoped it wouldn't be much longer either. Something about being trapped in a private space while they were both on an date actual just made Azi... he bit his lip and tried not to stare at hers. If lingering on her cheek made him blush horribly then he didn't even want to /imagine/ the heart attack he would be giving himself if he actually took this opportunity to kiss her where he wanted to kiss her.

Ellie noticed something far too familiar in his look and extracted herself from his arms with a breathless little laugh. "God, Aziraphale, if you look at me like that I /will/ jump you," she said with surprising honesty and another laugh. There was space between them now, but her hand lingered in his, unwilling to let go. Her smile quirked up at one corner. "Though I may have to take you up on your promise and ask for a goodnight kiss later..." She hoped that wasn't going too far.

Azi laughed a little as well, relieved to have some of the teasen broken. "I think I could manage a goodnight kiss if you'd like..." The limousine stopped and Azi could hear the driver getting out to open the door for them. "I believe we're here darling."

With another quick squeeze of his hand, Ellie climbed out of the limousine when the driver held the door for them. She eyed up the restaurant they'd stopped in front of, wondering if that was the place they were going. She attached herself to Aziraphale's arm when he emerged and smiled at him. This was a lot of fun! "Hey handsome," she said, strangely nervous. Like she hadn't wined and dined plenty of people over the years as part of a seduction... This was definitely different.

He found himself chuckling a little at her greeting. "Hello to you too, beautiful. Ready to find out where we're dining tonight?"

"Definitely!" she said eagerly, giving his arm a squeeze.

"Then let's go, darling!" Cheerfully and full of hope that Ellie would actually like where he had taken her for the evening, Azi lead them inside.

The restaurant was called 'One if by Land, Two if by Sea' and supposedly was regarded as one of fine dining romantic restaurants in the city. Upon entering, it was obvious why. The restaurant provided a lovely garden view through stained glasses windows and the entire restaurant was lit by beautiful chandeliers that provided a soft candlelight that just seemed to suit the atmosphere of the place perfectly. Live piano could be heard playing. Azi sincerely hoped that Ellie wouldn't think him silly for bringing her to a place like this.

Ellie /was/ very impressed with the location, and looked around at everything with interest. "This is perfect, Aziraphale," she said quietly as they were led to their table. It was an intimate little setting for two. She was glad she wouldn't be separated from the angel by a large table.

Azi let out a sigh of relief as they were seated. "Thank goodness. I... I thought that you might find this place a little much or something like that..."

"No, it's lovely," she assured him, sliding into her seat and letting the waiter spread the napkin on her lap. Though going anywhere with him would be just as lovely, but the place he had chosen was definitely excellent. She moved her foot forward to place it against his under the table, smiling at him.

Azi tried not to blush as he pressed his foot with hers. Here they were in a fancy restaurant and they were practically playing footies under the table. What a silly pair they made. "I'm glad you like it."

Ellie smiled as she felt Aziraphale press his foot back. Oh, what a bad influence she was on the angel. Just getting him back for being such a sappy influence on her, really. She picked up the menu and started to peruse, letting the angel have the drinks menu. There was so much that looked good, and she spied some things in the dessert section she would definitely want to try. "Hmmm..." she said, resisting the urge to move her foot up his leg. /Behave,/ she told herself. "I think the seafood selections look great."

"Hmmm?" Azi glanced up from the drinks menu and raised an eyebrow at her curiously. "Did something catch your eye, darling?"

Ellie threaded her own fingers together and rested her chin on her joined hands, smirking at the angel. "Why yes, something /did/ catch my eye quite a while ago," she said, and wondered if the angel would get what she was talking about.

"Really? Do share." Azi looked curiously around them, wondering if perhaps she was referring to a dish she may have spotted on another table.

Ellie laughed quietly. "I meant you, silly," she said, tapping against his foot briefly.

Azi blinked at her and felt his cheeks heating up again. "O-Oh! Well then... then I'm certain lucky, aren't I?"

Ellie winked at him and looked at her menu again. She wasn't sure /he/ was the lucky one, but she didn't say so. He would just launch into a bunch of embarrassing reasons why he felt he was if she did. "But on the menu... there's a lobster dish that looks good. Have you found anything you like?"

"The Lobster Pappardelle?" Azi looked over the menu choices. It seemed to be mostly sea food, but all of high-quality and each dish looking better than the last. "I'm honestly not sure what I want tonight. Do you think I should try the Atlantic Kingfish or the Crispy Maitake Mushrooms?"

"Hmmm," she said with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "If you have the mushrooms, you may not get that goodnight kiss." She wrinkled her nose and laughed.

Azi chuckled. "Then Kingfish it is I suppose." He closed the menu and leaded forward with a mischievous smile. "And I'll be sure to get something smothered in chocolate for dessert that way you'll get to enjoy your kiss to the fullest tonight, alright?" It took every ounce of Azi's will power not to blush while he said this little flirtation.

Ellie's foot tapped his a little harder than she intended as her heart rate kicked up a notch. "I'm definitely being a bad influence on you." She said it proudly, though.

Azi could only chuckle, mildly embarrassed but absolutely loving how things were going so far.

A waiter approached their table and politely took their dinner orders. With the promise that their food would be out shortly, the waiter excused himself and left Azi and Ellie to continue their awkward flirting.

Ellie found herself staring at Aziraphale and grinned, embarrassed. She reached for her glass of water and took a sip.

Azi bit his lip and stared back at her, unsure of what he should be saying. He found himself wishing he could just pull his chair onto the other side of the table and snuggle up next to her, let his actions speak for him rather than his words. His eyes trailed from her eyes to her lips and back again. Then again, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear what his actions had to say at the moment. They would probably just leave him flustered and embarrassed anyway.

Ellie realised that they should probably be saying things, but it was such a new situation she didn't know what to say. When they were cuddled together in bed or on the couch, they found that they didn't need to talk, they could just be together. "Are you..." she started, then couldn't figure out how to ask. "Uh..." She wanted to see if he was at as much of a loss as she was.

Aziraphale was truly having trouble figuring out what they should be doing besides sitting awkwardly across from each other. It wasn't like he's been on a whole lot of dates before. "So um... I'm rather new to all this is you couldn't tell." He said with a nervous chuckle. "What should we... well, what would you like to do after dinner?"

Ellie laughed and tried to relax. "Look at us. Two immortal beings, older than anything else around here..." She indicated the other patrons. "And we're acting like we've never spoken before." Her foot tapped against his. "I feel like I should be asking you things like what is your favourite colour."

Azi tried to laughed some of the tension away. "It's yellow if you're actually interested in knowing."

Ellie blinked. "I... ok." She grinned, having learned something new about her angel. She'd meant it to be just a throwaway comment. "Guess mine," she said with a grin. She thought it was pretty obvious.

Azi made a show of seriously thinking it over. "Well... most of your bed is green. Your furniture is green. And your dress seems to be green as well. So I'm going to have to guess.... blue?"

Ellie laughed. "How did you guess?" she said with a wink. "Must be your angelic intuition."

"Must be." He said with a chuckle, feeling far more relaxed than he had a few minutes ago. "So is there anything else your curious about besides my favorite color?"

Ellie cocked her head. "I'm curious about a lot of things, but I have a long time to find out, don't I?"

Azi's hand found hers across the table and threaded their fingers together. "I suppose you do. We have eternity together after all."

Her fingers brushed against his. "Sap," she said affectionately. Not that she wasn't being sappy herself, but pointing out his tendency made her feel better about it. They /were/ on a romantic dinner, though, so perhaps it gave them license to be a little more... well... romantic.

"Oh but I'm /your/ sap, darling!" Azi said with a small chuckle. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted their waiter returning with their food and reluctantly let go to Ellie's hand so that he could set the food down. It was fine, he was positive he would get a chance to hold her hand once again before their date was over.

Ellie reluctantly pulled her hand back and smiled a quick thank you at the waiter when he put her dish down. It did look good, but Aziraphale looked better. Her foot was still pressed against his under the table and she picked up her fork. "Bon apetit," she said to the angel, and started to break into her lobster.

Azi bit into his fish and found it tasted lovely. Next to sweets and pastries, sea food had to the angel's favorite. He smiled and chewed happily as he quietly watched Ellie break open her lobster. Aware that he could still have /some/ physical contact with her while they were eating, Azi scooted in closer to the table and pressed his foot against Ellie's a little more with a shy smile.

Ellie got the first lot of meat she had liberated from the lobster shell into her mouth and smiled at Aziraphale as she chewed. She could feel his foot pressing back and it even that small contact made her feel giddy. "Is it good? I have to say this lobster is cooked to perfection."

"Everything's wonderful, darling." He said without taking his eyes off of Ellie. The food /was/ pretty good, but Azi was clearly enjoying the company far more than anything the restaurant could give him.

Ellie blushed and felt her breath catch. /Settle down,/ she told herself, though Aziraphale wasn't making it easy. "Good," she said when she had enough breath back to speak. God, if the angel had wanted to seduce her he was going about it the right way.

Azi had to resist the urge to kiss her adorably blushing cheeks. It would be improper etiquette to lean over the table while they are eating and just pepper her face with kisses, even though he really /really/ wanted to. A sigh escaped him. He would just have to wait. "Remind me to cover you with kisses the second we're alone again, would you darling?" He asked casually as he took another bite of his food.

Ellie smiled and did her best not to choke on her food. "Will do," she said. It was such an unusual feeling to let herself be sweet-talked without the ability to do anything back. Still, she was enjoying herself immensely. She was going to have to either cuddle the angel when she got home or have a very long, very cold shower. She wasn't quite sure which yet. Her smile turned a little shy and she looked down at her food while she picked some more meat out of the shell. "I like it when you call me that."

Azi blinked curiously at her. "Call you what exactly? Darling?"

Ellie looked up at him again. "Yes, that," she said and tapped his foot with hers. "When I say it, I mean it to be sarcastic or teasing. But when you say it... well." It sounded like he meant it, and it made her feel treasured.

Azi attempted to finish the sentence for her. "I say it because, well... because I simply..." his voice was trailing off, "I think of you as my darling. That's all."

Ellie nodded. "That's why I like it." She liked that she was /someone's/ darling, for real.

Azi felt the need to ask a silly question. It was a little embarrassing but he figured he might as well take this opportunity to ask it while they were on the subject. He went for it. "What um... what am I to you? I mean, I think of you as my darling and such so....."

That was a very good question and she blinked as she thought about it. She didn't use any sort of appellation for him except in teasing - calling him lover, or angel cake. They weren't serious at all. What /was/ Aziraphale to her? She'd stayed away from 'angel' as that was what Crowley called him (which did tend to make others think that there was something going on between them), and she'd stayed clear of 'dear' because Aziraphale tended to call other people that. So... what /was/ he? "Mine," she said simply, and reached across the table to grab his hand. "I think of you as mine." She hoped... /hoped/ that it wasn't too presumptuous.

Azi didn't think his face could get any redder. Hers. Ellie simply thought of him as hers and Azi couldn't think of any answer that could have possibly made him happier. He was someone's and that someone was his darling and that ordinary declaration of ownership made him feel impossibly loved and belonged. He openly stared at her as her words took their effect on his emotions, not minding the sudden butterflies that seemed to have made a home in his stomach. "Yours. I... I think I like that. Very much so."

She smiled in relief and gave his hand a squeeze before pulling hers back so that she could continue eating. "Good," she said, mostly to herself, and tucked back into her food. It wasn't long before she was picking the last morsels of meat out of the lobster shell and she didn't even remember most of the meal in her haze of happiness.

Azi finished his own food in a bit of a love struck daze. Ellie thought of him as hers. He thought of Ellie as his. They were on a lovely date and they had eternity to go on hundreds of thousands more. Azi couldn't wait until he could get his arms around Ellie again.

The waiter came back to check on how their meal went and collect their dishes and to give them the dessert menu. Ellie used the distraction to get her bearings back again. She looked over the dessert menu and decided that she'd go for the most chocolaty thing she could find. That reminded her of Aziraphale's earlier comment about eating something rich in chocolate so that she could get the most out of her kiss, and she smiled. "What are you having?" she asked, looking up from her own menu.

Azi snapped himself out of his daze and scanned the menu. True to his word, he decided on the item that appeared to have the most chocolate in it. "I think I'll have the chocolate mousse. What about yourself darling?"

Ellie grinned at him and closed her menu. "I was thinking the same thing," she said. "Can't pass up a good chocolate mousse, and if the lobster was anything to go by, then the mousse should be fantastic."

Having heard their orders, the waiter excused himself and hurried off to fill them. Azi and Ellie were left alone once again.

Azi smiled a little shyly once they were alone. "So... are you alright with us going home afterwards and just.... curling up together?"

Ellie smiled and moved her other foot forward, hooking it around the back of Aziraphale's ankle. "Most definitely. I look forward to it," she said. And she really did. It was the best part of her day now.

Azi moved his foot so it was more comfortably hooked around Ellie's and felt himself moving even closer towards her. Honestly if it wasn't for this table Aziraphale would have already pulled Ellie into his lap and be currently snuggling her close to his chest. His need for physical contact just seemed to be growing with every passing second.

The dessert couldn't come fast enough in Ellie's opinion. She could tell from the way that Aziraphale shifted and moved closer that he wanted to cuddle as much as she did. She leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands, smiling at the angel. "I really am enjoying this dinner out, but perhaps next time we eat in?" Her smile widened. "I think the other patrons may complain if I came over there to sit in your lap."

Azi certainly wouldn't. "I think they would be far more bothered by the sappyness we would be giving off rather than the simple act of you sitting in my lap. But I can see why that would be a concern."

Ellie laughed. "Well, we'll just have to restrain the sappiness as much as possible until we're in private, then," she said.

A small chuckle escaped him. "Honestly..." he took her hands into his, "I've never been very good at self restraint when it comes to sappyness." Gently, Aziraphale pressed his lips to each of her individual knuckles.

By the time he'd kissed every knuckle, Ellie's eyes were half-lidded and she was having trouble breathing again. She would definitely need to have a talk with the angel one of these days, especially if he was going to keep being all romantic and sweet. Tomorrow she would go out and get some work done. A lot of work. "I can see that," she said eventually, but she was still smiling.

Before Azi got a chance to move his kisses elsewhere, the waiter returned with their desserts in hand. Aziraphale, sadly, was once again forced to let go of Ellie's hand.

Ellie took her hands back and put them in her lap when the dessert was put in front of them. The mousse /did/ look very good, but all Ellie wanted now was Aziraphale. She took a deep breath, because it was actually very good timing that the dessert came now or she /would/ have crawled into the angel's lap and... No. She cut that thought off and shoved the first mouthful of mousse into her mouth.

It was good enough to distract her, that was for sure. Smooth and fluffy. "Oh..." she said, then licked at her spoon. "Oh... this is /good/."

Azi scooped up his own spoonful and placed it in his mouth. Goodness! It tasted like what humans imagined Heaven to be like. He quickly went for another spoonful. And then another. And then another. This dessert wasn't going to last long at this pace.

Ellie saw Aziraphale digging right into his dessert and followed suit, grinning at their behaviour. She did eat somewhat slower than the angel, though, trying her best to actually savour the experience than just rush through it, but it was difficult to hold herself back.

Azi was done with his dessert not even five minutes after it was served and finding himself feeling incredibly satisfied. He licked his lips to be sure he had gotten all of mousse. "Need any help finishing that darling?" He asked jokingly.

Ellie mock growled. "Hands off, mister," she said, threatening him with the spoon.

Azi laughed and held up his hands in surrender. "I take it you enjoyed the dessert?"

"I'm enjoy/ing/ the dessert," she corrected, getting some more dessert on her spoon. "I wasn't a greedy guts and inhaled it like someone I know." She put the spoon in her mouth and brought it out again clean. Then something occurred to her and, smiling, she got another spoonful of her dessert and held it out for Aziraphale.

Azi blinked and gave Ellie a questioning look. "For me, or are you going to pull it away as soon as I get close?"

Ellie smiled teasingly. "You'll just have to find out, won't you?" She wiggled the spoon a little.

Azi couldn't help but smile as he leaned over to meet his hopefully delicious fate.

Ellie held the spoon steady, intending to let him have this mouthful.

Azi happily took the offered bite and was pleased that Ellie hadn't, in fact, played keep away with the treat. He let out a little sound of pleasure as he savored the mousse's creamy, chocolaty flavor.

Ellie smiled as she took her spoon back, putting it back into the last of her dessert to finish it off herself. She scraped the remains of the mousse off her plate and licked the spoon clean. "That was wonderful, Aziraphale."

Azi politely wiped his face off with a napkin before smiling at Ellie. "Ready to go home and crawl into bed together?"

From anyone else that would be a loaded invitation, but she knew that Aziraphale meant it quite literally. They'd curl up into bed and cuddle and talk and eventually sleep. He only slept because she liked to, and she did appreciate having him there because he somehow kept the nightmares at bay. "That sounds even more wonderful. Yes."

"Then let's go home darling." Rising from his seat, Azi offered Ellie a hand up and lead them out of the restaurant. They had to wait together on the sidewalk for a moment for the limousine to be brought around, but Azi just used the wait outside as an opportunity to wrap his arms tightly around Ellie and catch up on peppering those kisses across her face like he had wanted to do earlier.

Ellie couldn't help the giddy smile on her face as Aziraphale covered her face with little kisses. Her own lips itched to find his, but she would get her goodnight kiss later, in private, no one around but them. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and endured the kisses with very un-demon-like restraint.

The limousine driver pulled up next to the snuggling couple and quietly held the door open for them, politely averting his eyes from their public show of affection.

Momentarily pulling himself from her arms, climbed into the limousine and waited until Ellie had climbed in after him to slip his arms around her once again. He nuzzled her cheek with a happy sigh.

Ellie's sigh matched his as she leaned into him. How had she become so needy for his touch? Just a simple brush of the hand, or an arm around her, or his nose pressed to her cheek. It all grounded her and made her feel so cherished. Plenty of people /wanted/ her, it was part of her job after all, but he was the only one who knew what she was and still needed to have her close.

Her hands slid back around him, too, and she nuzzled back. Such a simple bit of contact but it meant so much to her. /He/ meant so much to her.

She stared out the window but didn't see the city rush past.

They remained in their comfortable silence for the couple of minutes it took them to get home. It was peaceful, watching the city zip by as they cuddled it back seat of the limousine, just the sound of them breathing unnecessarily and the faint noises coming from outside the vehicle for the two of them to listen and relax to. Azi almost felt disappointed when they finally pulled up in front of their apartment building and was forced to pull away from Ellie's embrace in order to climb out of the limousine. "We appear to have arrived, darling."

Ellie let out a little noise of disappointment when Aziraphale had to move away, and she climbed out of the limousine as quickly as possible after him, grabbing his hand again as they made their way inside and up the lift. The sooner they got in, the sooner they could cuddle up together... And the sooner she could claim that goodnight kiss.

With a final thanks to their driver for the evening, Azi gave Ellie's hand a squeeze and quickly made his way inside and up the lift to the flat. The ride up felt painfully slow and when they finally reached the Azi found himself fumbling for his keys, his heart racing nervously as he remembered his promise to Ellie.

Ellie produced her own keys with a quick click of her fingers and slid them into the lock. Had Aziraphale remembered his promise? Was that why he was suddenly acting like a nervous teenager? She led him inside and closed the door, chucking her keys on the side table and immediately discarding her jacket. She'd go for normal, put him at ease.

"I'm going to go get changed. See you in a minute," she said with a quick peck to the cheek, then she was off.

Azi let out a sigh of relief when Ellie opened the door and gave a thankful smile before she hurried off. He should probably go put on something a little less formal as well. Taking a quick breath to relax himself, Azi headed to his room and quickly dressed himself in some comfortable flannel pajamas and ducky slippers. Once dressed he headed towards Ellie's room to see if she was ready.

Ellie didn't technically need to go to her room to get changed, she could do so with just a thought, but she figured Aziraphale could do with a minute to pull himself together. The moment she stepped through her door she was in her bunny pyjamas and slippers and her dress was hanging back in the wardrobe. She could feel the angel close again and so this time she went and opened her door to greet him before he needed to knock. "Hey," she said, smiling. He'd also dressed in his pyjamas, which was good because she intended on dragging him to bed and not letting go for at least six hours, if not more.

Azi felt a light blush tint his cheeks. "Hello darling." He took a small step into her room and glanced around, trying to figure out if he should be taking a seat somewhere or not.

Ellie dragged him the rest of the way in with a welcoming smile and closed the door with a thought. She decided to start with the love seat instead of the bed and led Aziraphale over and into it, curling herself around him the moment they were settled. "Thank you for taking me out tonight. It really was lovely." She pressed her nose into that soft bit under his jaw.

Azi instantly felt himself relaxing at Ellie's familiar snugglyness and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "It was fantastic just being with you tonight." He dipped his head so that they were nose to nose. "And it was sweet of you to share your dessert with me."

Ellie grinned. "Purely selfish reasons," she said, rubbing his nose with hers. "So that when I do this you definitely taste of chocolate." And she tilted her head slightly to press her lips to his, a chaste little closed kiss, sweeter than any she normally gave.

Azi was caught off guard by the suddenly sweet kiss but did his best to gather his wits about himself and return it the best he could. His eyes fluttered closed and he brought a hand to her cheek to help him angle his lips better. His heart was beating a million times a minute.

Ellie's heart rate also kicked up a notch when Aziraphale pressed back. She told herself to keep it light, baby steps, and so pulled back with a giddy smile. At some point, without her asking it to, her hand had travelled up to cup the side of his face. She licked her lips and grinned. "Yum," she said with a wink.

Azi's face was impossibly red but he was smiling none the less. His heart was still beating wildly but he felt a pleasant warmth spreading through him... or maybe it was just the blush. "Well t-that was... that was nice."

Her thumb stroked at his bright red cheek and she pressed a kiss there, feeling the flushed heat. "I'm glad you enjoyed that." The grin just wouldn't leave her face. "Does that mean I can do that a little more often?" Baby steps.

Azi nodded shyly. "I'd.... I'd like that. Very much so in fact." It would take a little while to get used to, but honestly, he found himself looking forward to it.

Ellie nodded and dropped a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. He still looked a little flustered so she wouldn't attack him with any more kisses just yet. There was plenty of time for that, and she would also need to ration them out for her own sake. With open permission to kiss him, it would be more difficult for her to resist simply ravishing him. Baby steps for him /and/ for her, she told herself, and snuggled into his side. "Good," she said, hands bunched in his pyjama top. "The same goes for you."

"O-Okay." Azi smiled shyly and pressed another small kiss to Ellie's lips before burying his face into the crook of her neck. He could feel his face burning up.

Ellie released one hand to stroke at his hair, since he'd effectively hidden his face now. She was still grinning giddily and she had this burning urge now to lock her lips to his and explore and taste everything Aziraphale had ever tasted, so it was just as well that he'd somewhat removed his mouth from her reach for now. Trying to slow her breathing, she cuddled her angel close. "Mine," she whispered teasingly, and kissed his hair.

Azi tighten his hold on Ellie and held her flush against himself and nuzzled her closely. "Yours." His heart still fluttered at the thought that he was Ellie's and Ellie was his. "I love you darling."

There they were again, those words he so casually threw out there. She was almost starting to believe that she had actually earned them. If she pushed everything else aside, everything else that made her Elisheva the lust demon, what was left were the scraps of herself she'd managed to retain through the Fall, being stitched together with the insistent love and attention of one angel. After six thousand years she could feel herself starting to actually heal and remember what it was like before everything went wrong. If nothing else, she had her family to thank for that. But how to say all of that without coming across as overly emotional? She wasn't sure. "I..." She paused, and her hand clenched then released in his hair. "Yes," she said simply, and pressed her face into the side of his head.

Azi lifted up a hand and rubbed gently circles into her back. "Do you... um... would you like to... to move to the bed?"

Ellie kissed his ear and nuzzled his hair a little more. "Bed sounds good," she said, though she would need to put extra effort into her self-control at this point. She wondered if her dreams would plague her tonight with fantasies. Probably. Nothing to be done about that. Reluctantly, she unwound herself from Aziraphale so they could get up and go to bed.

Making the short trip for the love seat to the bed, Azi slipped underneath Ellie's new bed covers and gently pulled her in with him. He could still feel his heart racing nervously as he wrapped his arms around Ellie, but it was a pleasant kind of nervousness. A nervousness brought on by not exactly knowing how things between him and Ellie were going to progress yet excited to experience every moment of it.

Ellie could feel his heart triphammering away when she lay down against his side. It was thumping under her hand and she kissed his shoulder. "Are you ok?" she asked.

Azi snuggled closer and pressed his forehead to hers, eyes closed shut as he attempted to concentrate on relaxing and slowing his heart rate. "I'm... I'm fine. I just..." His eyes opened slightly to gaze into Ellie's. "I'm just really /really/ happy to be with you, darling."

Ellie smiled (had she stopped? Probably not) and ducked her head forward for a very quick peck before putting her forehead to his again. "The feeling is entirely mutual," she said. She didn't think she'd be able to sleep.

Azi brought a hand up her cheek and gently stroked it with his thumb. Their noses were brushing together ever so slightly. "So... what should we do for our next date?"

Ellie's heart raced briefly as her mind supplied a rather graphic list of ideas, and she quickly suppressed those. Her arm stole around him and she pulled herself tight against him. "We could go for a picnic somewhere? The weather is nice, we may as well make the most of it."

Azi found himself pecking her lips again with a shy smile and a blush. He wondered if he would ever completely get used to doing that without feeling flustered. "A picnic sounds fantastic."

She was pleasantly surprised by the peck on the lips, liking that Aziraphale had initiated it without prompting. "Do you like long energetic walks, or would you prefer a park or beach?"

"I'm fine with whatever you'd like, darling. Though I will admit I do enjoy the park quite a bit. The ducks should be back now that the weather's warmed up."

Ellie nuzzled against his nose and kissed his chin. "The duck pond at the park, then." She hoped Crowley wouldn't mind, she didn't want to step on toes and she had been told that they used to feed ducks at the pond back in London.

"Perfect." Azi slipped one of his hands up into her hair and started to gently play with it. "You know I'm still sort of considering this as part of our date... is there anything else I can do for you before we both end up turning in for the night?"

"Hmm," she said, telling her brain to behave. "I'm definitely going to have to have a talk with you sometime about what you should and should not offer me, for one thing," she said, but kept her tone light and the smile on her face.

Azi stared at her curiously. "Why's that, darling?"

"Because no matter how well-behaved I may appear, I can't help what I am," she said, hoping she wouldn't have to go into great detail. He was intelligent, he'd work it out eventually.

"I still don't understand why I shouldn't offer you certain things..." Azi didn't seem to be able to work it out on his own.

Ellie sighed and nuzzled Aziraphale's chin. "Angel cake... I'm a Lust demon, in case you've forgotten. This makes me more prone to certain... thought patterns. When we're cuddling like this and you offer me /anything I want/, I have to say that you're incredibly lucky you can't read my mind." She rubbed at his back. "It's not always... easy."

It took Azi a few moments for it to click, but when it finally did he could feel his cheeks turning bright red. "O-Oh! I'm... I'm sorry darling. I... I guess I never considered that s-someone would a-actually want to... well, you know... w-with me."

Ellie had to smile at that. "Why ever not?"

Azi honestly couldn't tell if Ellie was joking or not. "Well... I would imagine it's because I'm not exactly the most desirable person."

/That/ made Ellie blink and her eyebrows knotted in confusion. "You're... not?" She certainly found him more than desirable.

Okay, now Azi was /really/ confused. "I... I certainly don't think so. No."

"Oh..." Ellie frowned as she looked at Aziraphale now. Blue eyes she could get lost in, that mass of lovely golden curls, the most wonderful smile that lit up his whole face... She honestly couldn't work out why he wouldn't think himself desirable. Her fingers stroked across his cheek. "I think you are," she said seriously.

Azi felt flattered. Completely confused as to why Ellie sincerely think such a thing when he was only a book worm of an angel who wore what some would consider ghastly sweaters and whose idea of fun was sitting in the same spot for days on end getting lost in a story, but still incredibly flattered. "That's sweet of you to say, darling." He replied quietly.

Ellie bit her lip because the way he said that reminded her of parents who would say to their children "that's nice sweetheart" when they said something a bit silly. She felt he wasn't taking her seriously. Did he think she was making it up just to flatter him? Or did he still really not understand just how much he affected her? "It's not just something I'm saying," she tried to explain, her voice just as quiet as his.

"I'm... I'm sorry darling it's just... I'm not exactly used to hearing this sort of thing and..." His voice trailed off. And what? He truly never thought of himself attractive to others? Well, that wouldn't be completely true. He knew people had their preferences and odds were that he was bound to end up being desirable to someone at some point but... but he certainly hadn't expected Ellie to be one of those someones.

Ellie knew now she should never have even mentioned it, but it was too late to un-say. "No, I'm sorry," she said, kissing his cheek. "I... I shouldn't have..." She sighed. "We'll go on our picnic and I can kiss you and everything is fine." Never mind that lust was eating her from the inside and she didn't seem to be able to do anything about it. In fact, the closer she felt to Aziraphale the worse it got.

Azi hugged her tightly and buried his face into the crook of her neck. "No no darling, I'm sorry. It's just not something I ever expected to hear from you and.... and honestly I'm flattered. Happy and extremely flattered." He was blushing again, he just knew he was. "I... Thank you. Thank you for making me feel like.... well, like I'm actually...." His voice dropped down to barely a whisper. "Like I'm actually worthy of being in a relationship with you."

Tonight was certainly a time for surprises. Why the hell would Aziraphale feel unworthy of being in a relationship with her? Out of the two of them, he was the one who had remained in Heaven's good graces (at least enough not to cause his Fall). Yes, she was fully aware that there were a fair share of angels who were a good deal worse than a lot of demons she knew, but this one wasn't one of those. He was sweet and kind and loved books and ducks and cuddles. She was astonished that he considered himself unattractive, undesirable and unworthy. She wanted to punch whoever had put these silly notions into his head. They should have had this talk a while ago because she had a feeling there were a few other misunderstandings floating around. "I'm so happy to have you," she said. "And I will always do my best to behave myself, but if I ever do jump you at least you know it's because I find you absolutely attractive and irresistible and I can no longer help myself." She winked, hoping to lighten the mood again.

Azi chuckled and happily kissed her forehead, cheeks once again blushing. "Alright darling, but do promise to be gentle with me. I'm new at this." Azi said with a teasing tone.

Ellie chuckled as she felt the tension in her chest release. Her hand stroked Aziraphale's face. "I'm /always/ gentle," she assured him and tucked her head under his chin, squeezing him tight. "And to actually answer your earlier, rather dangerously open-ended offer, no I don't need anything else tonight. Just this."

Azi signed, both a little relieved that Ellie wasn't planning to jump him at that very moment and that they seemed to be able to start playfully tease each other again. He nuzzled the top of her head and spoke softly. "I really don't tell you how wonderful you are often enough."

Ellie blushed and pressed her face into his neck. "You tell me quite often," she said, embarrassed.

Azi chuckled and turned his head so that he could nuzzle his nose with Ellie's and see her blushing cheeks. "I /also/ don't tell you how adorable you are when you turn all red like that often enough either."

Ellie rolled her eyes and ducked her head down in an effort to hide her face, but she was smiling. "Sap," she said, because she couldn't think of any other response to such sentimentality. She liked it, but it also flustered her nearly as much as flirting flustered Aziraphale.

Oh now Azi couldn't stop there. Not after seeing how theses sweet complements were getting the cutest possible reaction out of Ellie. Azi ducked down with Ellie so that he could look at her properly. "Oh look! That adorable blush seems to still be there!" Azi said in an overly cheerful voice. "It's like you're /trying/ to get me to fall for you all over again. Acting all cute and such. Whatever are we going to do with you, darling?"

Ellie giggled and pushed at his face with her hands, trying to get him to stop teasing her. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing," she insisted. "Anyway, you're not allowed to Fall... never allowed to Fall," she said, poking her tongue out.

Azi caught her hands and playfully started to pepper kisses across her knuckles. "Too late darling. I've already fallen for you." In the metaphorical sense at least.

She wished he would use some other phrase; Crowley had Fallen because of her (no matter what he said, she still felt responsible for that). But she didn't want to make a big deal out of it so she smiled and tried to get her hands back. She distracted him with a kiss to the tip of his nose and buried one hand into his hair (glorious, wonderful, soft hair - even her brain had turned into sappy mush). "You're such a hopeless romantic, aren't you?"

Azi kissed and nuzzled her cheek. "Hopelessly in love with you, yes." Goodness, even /he/ had to admit that sounded pretty sappy. True, but sappy.

Ellie froze and stopped breathing as she stared at Aziraphale. He'd said 'I love you' often enough, but she figured he loved Bentley and Crowley, too. He loved ducks. She had lumped herself into those categories: ducks and lust demons. This was different... he'd said /in/ love. Had she been convincing herself that this was something different to what it was?

She'd never even said it back, she knew. Not because she didn't love him, but because she was still (even now) protecting herself. But she didn't need to, did she? She /could/ say it. She should say it. She /wanted/ to say it.

A breath shuddered into her lungs and her mouth moved, but the words wouldn't come out. So many years, centuries, of protecting herself from this was hard to overcome.

"Me, too," she blurted, and felt her face flush very hot.

Ellie's sudden lack of breathing worried the angel. Not because she needed to breath mind you, but because he had know idea what could have possibly brought on this reaction. Was it something he did? No, he kissed her on the cheek all the time so he highly doubted that. Then maybe it was what he said. But he didn't see how that could have affected her this way either. He told Ellie he was in love with her all the time after all.

Azi was just about to speak up and ask Ellie if she was alright when he suddenly found an extremely red demon blurting out confusing words to him. He blinked at her oddly. "Are.. are you... w-what was that, darling?"

"I..." Her eyes were as wide as saucers now and her heart threatening to beat its way out of her throat. "Nothing!" she squeaked, then wanted to have the bed open up and swallow her because she hadn't meant to say that, either. "I mean..." How was she going to make this /not/ worse?

Azi cupped her cheek and gently stroked it with his thumb, willing her to calm down. "Easy now darling. Deep breaths."

Why was this so difficult? This was /Aziraphale/ for goodness sake. She let his hand on her cheek and steady gaze ground her. One shaky deep breath in, and it was already better on the exhale. "Do... uh. Did you really mean that? The thing you said?"

Azi blinked in confusion. "You mean the thing about me being hopelessly in love with you? Of course! I thought that was obvious..." Hadn't he made it obvious? He certainly told her he loved her pretty often (though definitely not often enough) and smothered her with affection and had even started properly /kissing/ her and heading out on proper dates! How could he have made it any /more/ apparent that he was in love with her?

"I..." She had no idea how to even start articulating her confusion and happiness. "I thought... you're an angel... and... well, love is sort of your /thing/... and so... I..." She made a helpless little gesture with one hand because her heart didn't want to calm down and she wasn't sure whether she should be laughing or crying at this point. "I... if..." No, not /if/ he loved her like that. He said he /did/, she had to believe that. "I hadn't considered... I thought you loved me like Bentley and Crowley?"

Okay, now Azi could feel himself blushing. Certainly not as badly as Ellie was, but definitely blushing. "Well... when I was first getting to know you it definitely started out that way but... I don't know I just... one day I was with you and I just realized that... well that I certainly loved you but... but in a /different/ way than how I loved Crowley and Bentley... and I was okay with it. More than okay actually. Ecstatic! Completely and utterly overjoyed!"

Ellie bit her lip and searched his face, but she couldn't see or feel anything other than complete honesty. Her hand moved to his face again and brushed tenderly at the blush there. She knew her face was pretty red, but there was a smile creeping in now, caused by the growing ball of happiness in her stomach. "Me too," she breathed and leaned forward to press her lips to his, grinning madly now. She kissed his lips, then his cheek, chin, nose, and lips again. "I l-love you." She'd stumbled over it, but she /had/ at least finally said it.

Azi was blushing furiously from the sudden onslaught of affection, but he was certainly enjoying it. Especially the bit where Ellie said that she loved him too. That part definitely caused his heart to simultaneously stop and beat a million times a minute at the same time. "O-Oh! I-I.... I...." He what? He hadn't expected Ellie to feel that way? He was completely surprised by how things turned out between them? He needed a moment to process that he had actually let someone get close enough to develop proper mutual loving feelings towards one another? He really wished Ellie would just snog him senseless that way he wouldn't /have/ to figure out what he was trying to say? Hmm... that last one might actually work. Without allowing himself a moment of hesitant to over think things, Azi brought their lips together and kissed Ellie full and proper this time.

Ellie froze in shock for only a fraction of a second because Aziraphale was kissing her, and was doing so with a lot more gusto than he'd done previously. Then instinct took over - her hand hooked more firmly around the back of his head, her fingers buried in his wonderful soft hair, and she used that leverage to deepen the kiss. Oh god, she wasn't going to be able to stop and she didn't /want/ to stop.

Azi let out a little squeak when Ellie suddenly made the kiss a little more passionate than he had intended, but he told himself to simply relax and go with it. This was Ellie. Someone whom he completely trusted and it probably wouldn't hurt if he just followed her lead. It was just kissing after all. No need for his face to be as red as it was. You can do this, Aziraphale. Just do what feels natural.... probably. Slowly and definitely full of uncertainty of what the heck he was doing, Azi placed one hand on her cheek and the other on her shoulder, tilting his head slightly to make whatever it was that they were doing so much easier.

A very small part of Ellie was holding onto sanity and remembered that this was an angel (and a reasonably innocent one at that) she was dealing with... the rest of her brain was under the control of the lust demon. That tiny part was enough to help her pull away before she started wishing away clothes. She pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes. "Aziraphale," she breathed, because she had no other words.

Azi gently nuzzled his nose with Ellie's as he did his best to will all vital signs back to their normal state. "Th-That... that was... interesting."

It took considerably longer for Ellie to get herself back under control. Her body had gone beyond human responses - her heart had actually stopped beating entirely for the duration because it wasn't keeping up. She couldn't open her eyes until she was sure they weren't burning red, but even then when she finally did open them again, there was still considerably more red than green in them. "Interesting?" she asked with a wry smile, feeling her heart beat kick in again.

Azi was captivated by the burning red in her eyes. "Yes.... interesting." He found himself studying those burning eyes, unable to look away.

"Good interesting?" she asked, the red slowly fading from her eyes. "Or scary interesting?" Her fingers caressed his hair at the back of his neck.

"A... a bit of both I suppose." Azi found himself pressing closer as he continued to stare. His voice was soft and full of awe. "Your eyes look gorgeous like that."

The red flared up again and she closed her eyes and held her breath for a few seconds. It wasn't fair that she was so badly affected by this, especially now that they were getting more physically intimate. The last thing she wanted to do was frighten Aziraphale by inadvertently letting herself get carried away. "Like what?" she asked, unaware of just what her eyes were really doing.

"The red in your eyes, I... I could see more of it than usual. It looked like they were burning and...." And suddenly very aware of how little of space he was leaving between them as he had been continuing his staring. He bit his lip a little nervously but didn't move away. Why would he? It wasn't like they hadn't been this close before and it was just innocent curiosity... right?

Ellie opened her eyes again to see Aziraphale biting his lip. Had he picked that habit up off her? She smiled and soothed at his lip with her thumb. "That's my demonic side waving hello," she joked, nuzzling his nose. "It's all a little overwhelming at the moment."

"Oh..." Azi let his eyes flutter shut as they brushed their noses together, his breath mingling with hers. "Well then tell your demonic side I said hello back, would you?"

"Tell it yourself," she said, letting her own eyes drift shut again as she captured his lips with hers. She could do this, she could retain control while kissing the angel she'd fallen head over heels in love with, she could. If there was even the smallest unit of space between them before it was gone now.

Azi's heart leapt when Ellie's lips found his again, but he quickly found himself relaxing into the kiss. Gently, Azi pressed his lips against Ellie's in his attempt to contribute to the kiss. He was getting used to this.... sort of.... maybe.

Moderation and control, those were the key, Ellie told herself. She felt Aziraphale pressing back and her lips curled into a smile. She relaxed from a full assault on his lips to little nips, exploring from one corner of his mouth to the other. She could still taste the chocolate dessert, mingled with a taste she would now forever associate with and identify as /him/. His lips were soft and pliant and she couldn't stop kissing them, pressing hers to his in little pecks interspersed with deeper kisses, only to pull away again to nibble at the edge of his mouth. She didn't know how long she kissed him like this, but she could go on forever. "How... have I..." she asked in between kisses, "survived this long... without this... without you..." She was talking complete sap, but at least she knew the angel wouldn't tease her for it.

Azi wanted to ask the very same question, through he was finding it a tad bit difficult to articulate any words at that particular moment. His head felt light and hazy. Whether it was from the lack of air intake or from all the blood rushing to his head from how hard he was blushing, Azi couldn't be sure which, but he needed a little break. He broke away from the kiss and buried his face into the crook of Ellie's neck, breathing heavily.

When Aziraphale broke the kiss Ellie just clung to him, desperately trying to get her racing heart and erratic breathing back under control. This has been a terrible idea. She could kid herself all she liked, she'd never have enough control to make this work. This was running away from her so quickly, but she was also too weak to let him go. So she latched on, shaking, and breathing into his shoulder as her hands stroked his hair and back. She didn't say anything, too ashamed of her behaviour now to speak. What had come over her? What had she been doing to poor Aziraphale? God...

Azi felt Ellie shaking in his arms and gently rubbed circles into her back, both in an attempt to calm her and himself. They should probably slow down a bit. Azi wasn't sure how much more of this he could handle. He was enjoying it, of course, but after a couple thousand years of doing nothing more than a simple peck on the lips, he was finding this all a bit overwhelming. He took a couple of deep breaths. "Ellie..... c-could we.... um... could we s-slow down?"

If the bed would just open up and swallow her now, that would be perfect, Ellie thought. She nodded, still silent, eyes squeezed shut and face pressed into his shoulder. Stupid, stupid demon, what had she been thinking? That was the problem, though... She had /stopped/ thinking. Slowing down was good. Slowing right down. Like, she should be letting go of the angel and having a sub-zero temperature shower. For the next decade.

Azi signed in relief that things wouldn't be going any farther than what he was ready for and decided to pepper some small kisses up her neck and along her jaw and across her nose and cheeks. Just don't start with the lips again. The lips were dangerous. The lips were hearted and passionate and promised more than just an innocent kiss. Azi let his hands gently stroked her hair and rub her back soothingly as he tried to relax back into some more familiar territory.

Ellie's teeth were clenched tight and she was trying not to show just how bad things were. She made a conscious effort to relax her muscles, even if on the inside she was anything /but/ relaxed. Her eyes blinked open and they practically glowed - there was no hint of green now, and something dark moved behind them. She looked inhuman. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I think... stopping there is for the best," she said, her voice a lot steadier than she'd thought it would be.

Azi stopped assaulting her face with kisses when he caught her eyes again. Goodness, was he ever so fascinated by them? Azi couldn't stop himself from staring and wondering just what caused them to look like that. They were still Ellie, so they were still absolutely beautiful, but the way they seemed to burn simply had him entranced. He gently stroked his thumb along her cheek bone just beneath her eye allowed they're noses to brush together as he continued his staring. "I... I really like your demon side, darling." That's what she called it right? Her demon side saying hello?

A surprised laugh burst forth and she felt some of the tension ease, though not enough to dull the fire in her eyes. "I really don't think you /would/ like my demon side," she told him gently, because her demon side wanted to do some very un-angelic things to him right now.

Azi chuckled, assuming Ellie was only teasing him once again. "Oh? And what if I want to get to know it better? Do you still think I wouldn't like that part of you?"

Perhaps a little truth would help... No. She didn't want to frighten the angel, after all. A little hint, then. Or a reminder. "Aziraphale, you /were/ getting to know it better just a minute ago. And that was me being /good/."

Azi blinked at her, not entirely sure what she was getting at. "Well yes, you were very good at that, but I still don't see why I wouldn't like that part of you. I was actually quite enjoying myself."

Ellie blinked, the red in her eyes somehow getting brighter. "Don't say things like that, angel cake. Slow, remember? You said slow." She was a hair away from stripping him and having her way. She could almost feel claws forming. That had never happened before.

Azi smiled when he saw her eyes burning again. They were so incredibly enchanting. His voice dropped to a whisper. "We did slow down, darling.... but...." Azi held her close and could feel Ellie's heart beating. It felt wonderful and alive and a little fast. It felt like Ellie. "But I can still say for a fact that I really enjoy seeing you like this." It was a whole new side of her and Azi was excited to learn everything he possibly could about his darling Ellie.

Stay in control, stay in control, stay in control. The mantra went through Ellie's brain at full volume, trying to drown out the sensations and images that the other 99 percent of her brain was trying to overwhelm her with. Her red gaze dropped to Aziraphale's mouth and she told herself firmly NO, because starting that again would not be a good idea right now. With a little whimper she curled into him, clenched her fingers into her own palms, and tried to block out everything.

Azi looked at Ellie oddly and held her flush against himself as she curled closer. Was she okay? Was this the result of some sort of embarrassment from something he said once again? It seemed like Ellie was retreating into herself. Perhaps she needed to calm down? Azi figured he should try and help her relax. Taking one of her hands, the angel brought it to his lips and started kissing her knuckles, willing her clenched hands to lossen up. "It's alright darling. It's alright."

God he just wouldn't. Stop. Kissing her. Never mind that it was her knuckles now and not her lips, it was teasing and tantalising and she could remember what those soft lips felt like and... Before she knew what she was doing she had uncurled, pinned him to the bed, and was kissing him with real intent. There wasn't enough skin so she let go of one of his wrists to slide a hand up under his pyjama top to stroke his soft stomach. She was consumed, and she needed this, needed him. There was no rational thought any more, just sensation - touch and taste, smell and sound.

Azi was thoroughly confused now. One moment he was attempting to sooth Ellie, he blinks, and then he finds himself underneath her as she snogged him like he's never been snogged before. He was pinned. Trapped and unable to... wait, she was letting go of one of his wrists. Well that was good, maybe she was going to let him up and be a little more gentle with him- Azi let out a small shocked squeak when Ellie slipped her hand up his shirt. Okay, he had /not/ been expecting that. Certainly not. But at least her touch felt gentle. This was Ellie after all, and Azi trusted her to be careful with him. She was still only kissing him and Azi /did/ find himself enjoying having her lips on his and even attempting to return the kiss, so things were okay. Ellie was in control and she certainly wouldn't take things too far if he didn't want her to.... right?

Ellie's other hand needed to touch him and so she let go of his other wrist and slid both hands under his pyjama top, caressing circles up his stomach to his chest. Her leg slid over his hips and she levered herself into position straddling him, kissing him hungrily the whole time. As her hands trailed up under his top, the buttons undid themselves. When it lay open, she moved her lips from his mouth, to his jaw, throat, then started kissing down his chest. Her hands explored and she scraped her teeth across his collar bone. Everything was a haze of red.

Okay, both hands free, that was good- Oh! Apparently she liked the feel of his chest. At least Azi assumed that was the case since her hands were roaming all over it. He could feel her repositioning herself on top of him, though the way she was kissing him was leaving him light headed and hazy on his surroundings. Maybe he should ask to stop again. He certainly liked kissing her and all that but he couldn't help but worry when he started losing track of how things were progressing and- wait. Ellie had moved away from his lips and he could think again as she busy herself kissing his jaw (which felt familiar), kissing his throat (which feel surprisingly /fantastic/ and actually made the angel gasp pleasantly), and kissed his chest (which made his curious as to how she was doing such a thing only for him to realize that at some point his shirt had been undone and left him bright red). Okay, he /definitely/ ought to say something now. Things were beginning to get out of hand. "U-Um.... E-Ellie.... could.... c-could you...." Oh goodness her teeth were on his collar, /that/ was certainly distracting. "C-Could y-you- oh!... Um... E-Ellie...."

Ellie slid her mouth up his throat again because he'd made such a wonderful little sound when she'd done that and she wanted to hear it again. She was only vaguely aware that he was trying to get her attention. She pressed closer.

Azi gasped pleasantly again and his eyes drifted shut. A low moan escaping his throat as he tilted his head back and simply let Ellie- No. Wait no. He was supposed to be stopping this. He couldn't let this go any farther. Blood Hell, they've only just had their first /kiss/ today and already it felt like they were going to... Goodness, no. Aziraphale definitely wasn't really for /that/. He had to let Ellie know though. He had to speak up. He had to stop gripping her shoulders and pulling her closer to him so that she could continue kissing his throat because that was just an unnecessary distraction right now and was completely counterproductive! Speak UP Aziraphale! "E-Ellie!... Oh Ellie.... please.... w-would you...." Okay no. That certainly doesn't count as speaking up.

"Yes..." she said, biting down on his earlobe and tugging. "Whatever you want, /anything/ you want..." She needed more skin, but her own shirt was in the way. Aziraphale's hands were firm on her shoulders but otherwise not moving. "Please, I need you..." She sucked at his neck.

"E-Ellie.... I'm... I'm t-trying to..." Distractions. So many wonderful feeling distraction that he knew perfectly well that he wasn't ready for yet his body insisted on responding to anyway. He found himself wiggling around beneath her in an attempt to sit up and also because it felt- No. Stop that thought right there Aziraphale! Speak. Up. Now! "We should.... E-Ellie listen.... s-slow...."

"Slow?" she asked with a smirk and faced him with her blazing eyes. "I can do slow," she purred and moved her hips... slowly.

An incredibly undignified moan passed his lips and Aziraphale cursed his body for reacting so human like without his permission. Goodness did he ever have the urge to.... well.... argh! He needed to control himself! He needed to speak up! He needed to /stop/ moving his hips with Ellie's! Cursed human bodies making things appear without his consent yet not even letting him say one blessed word! "Ellie! We n-need to.... I w-want us t-to.... s-sto-" Oh goodness graces! When the bloody Hell did his hands find her waist?!

She was finally getting the physical reaction she wanted... the one she /needed/... when his words registered. There was something not right, and it pierced right through the lust-haze to the person underneath. "Aziraphale?" she asked, trying to work out just what was happening.

Azi was breathing heavily and his hands gripping her waist. Why was she stopping? Just when things were feeling so good and right and.... wait a tick. This was his chance! Before his blessed human body started doing things without his permission again, Aziraphale took this small window of opportunity to speak the heck up! "Ellie...." Deep breaths Aziraphale. "We... w-we should...." His cheeks were turning bright red but he forced himself to continue. "I... darling, I-I don't... I don't th-think I'm ready."

Ellie froze, hands braced against Aziraphale's bare chest and looking down at him with wide, glowing red eyes. She'd stopped breathing altogether, and now she took a deep shuddering breath as reality came crashing back and she realised just what it was she was doing... And to whom.

"Oh god, Aziraphale," she breathed and immediately got off him, putting his shirt back with a thought. She knelt on the bed and tried to orientate herself but all she could see and feel was Lust.

Azi sat up as soon as Ellie was off of him and immediately felt a wave of conflicting emotions hit him. Guilt, relief, disappointment, worry. It was all terribly confusing. Azi took a couple deep breaths to calm his human body that was practically screaming at him for stopping before turning to Ellie. He could still see the red in her eyes. He still thought they looked beautiful. "...A-Are you alright?"

"No," she said honestly, not looking at Aziraphale. If she looked and saw his flushed face and swollen lips she'd... She needed to stop thinking of that and the only way to do that was to get out of there. "I... I need to go." Because if she stayed she wouldn't stop, and at this point she couldn't even guarantee she'd be gentle. She needed to distance herself, because even the damn /smell/ of him was turning her on.

"W-Wait!" Azi reached out and instinctively grabbed her hand in a desperate grip. "Please stay! I-I'm sorry... I..." What was he trying to say? That he was just a little nervous? He wanted to keep going? He would let her do what she liked with him? No, none of that was quite right, but Azi certainly wished it was. The only thing he knew for sure was that he didn't want Ellie leaving. If she left like this... then Azi almost felt like she wouldn't be coming back.

Ellie crushed his hand in hers but still didn't look at him. "Nothing to be sorry about, love. I... I need to go calm down and that's not going to happen here." She felt like she was saying this from a distance, like someone else was working her body. She was on fire. "Please."

Azi didn't want her to go. She could kiss him and touch him and do whatever she wanted with him, Azi just didn't want to lose her. But if Ellie really wanted to go... well, it wouldn't be fair of him to stop her. "You'll... you'll come back, right?"

This time she did look at him and felt the Lust flare up again. She wanted him and she couldn't be near him without going too far right now and she /really/ needed that sub-zero shower. "I'll always come back."

Azi nodded slowly and hesitantly released her hand. She would come back, everything would be fine, he wasn't going to lose her. "O-Okay...."

The loss of his hand was momentarily like losing grip on a life line and she drowned in Lust and desire and the intense, burning need to get close again, closer than before...

She stood up somewhat shakily before she could act on those feelings. "I love you, I'll be back, I promise, just not tonight. I need..." You. You always you. "Time." She took a deep breath and turned towards the door.

"I love you too... darling." Azi watched her go, helpless to stop her yet knowing he had to let her leave before they did something they would regret. Bringing his knees to his chest, Azi hugged his legs and stared at the door that Ellie promised to return through. His mind buzzing with thoughts as he tried to figure out just what in Heaven's name was wrong with him.

Ellie exited the room and leaned against the other side of the door for a moment, just breathing and unwilling to leave even the feel of the angel's aura. She briefly considered heading out and seducing a string of blond curly-haired men to try and vent her frustration, but she would only hurt humans right now and they didn't deserve that. So she pushed away from the door, her hand lingering for a minute, then walked to one of the spare rooms, which she locked /and/ warded.

An hour later, shivering, she emerged from the bathroom. The ice cold water hadn't helped and she'd eventually decided that death by hypothermia brought on by Lust was probably going to look bad on the paperwork and turned the stream of water off. A look in the mirror confirmed that her eyes were still red, not a single trace of green to be seen, but then she could tell that from how she felt. Her Lust hadn't abated one single bit. Perhaps because she could still feel the angel nearby? The temptation was still there to return to her room if he was still there and just...

No. He'd been clear. He wasn't ready. She /knew/ this going in and she'd been utterly stupid to think that she could fight her nature.

Another hour of pacing around the room and she was no better off. She needed... She needed someone. Someone she loved, someone she wouldn't hurt, someone who knew what she was... And there was only one other person who fit that bill.

Taking down her wards, Ellie padded through the apartment on silent bare feet, only the light from the faint glow of her eyes to guide her way. A minute later she scratched at Crowley's door. "Crowley?" she called quietly. "Crowley..." Please be awake. Please let me in.

Another hour of pacing around the room and she was no better off. She needed... She needed someone. Someone she loved, someone she wouldn't hurt, someone who knew what she was... And there was only one other person who fit that bill.

Taking down her wards, Ellie padded through the apartment on silent bare feet, only the light from the faint glow of her eyes to guide her way. A minute later she scratched at Crowley's door. "Crowley?" she called quietly. "Crowley..." Please be awake. Please let me in.

Crowley wasn't sure how much time had passed since he'd slithered under his bedsheets and called it a night. But since he could neither feel the stroke of sunbeams on his cheek, nor hear the hustle and bustle that ensued when the rest of the city awoke from its slumber, there was only one possible answer - not long enough.

Ignoring the scratching noises (bloody pigeons, one of these days I'll have to remind them who's higher on the food chain), he rolled onto his side in a rustle of feathers and he felt the first slivers of dreams drawing near from just outside the corners of consciousness.

/"Crowley..."/

That certainly hadn't sounded like a dream. Or a pigeon, for that matter. What's more, it /had/ sounded very familiar. And urgent.

Crowley's eyes snapped open, and, with as much haste as his drowsy state would allow, he slid over to the side of the bed nearest to the door and pushed himself up. As an afterthought, a pair of trousers appeared over his lower half, just in time to cover him up as he stumbled to the door and opened it.

"Ellie?" he leaned on the doorway with the awareness of someone who might just as well have been sleepwalking. "Everything alright?"

Ellie's eyes glowed brighter again when a half-dressed Crowley with wings out opened the door. Perhaps this hadn't been the best idea after all? But who else did she have who would understand? It took all her willpower not to push the other demon up against a wall and...

She cut that thought off because it was /not/ helping. "Not really," she ground out between gritted teeth. Why was she breathing as if she'd just run a marathon? It was completely unnecessary.

Even through the thick haze he was still struggling to clear out of his eyes, it didn't take very long to notice the fiery red glow shining from Ellie's eyes.

/Crap./

The last time /his/ eyes had looked like that, he'd been speeding across a demonic motorway, willing what was essentially a charred chassis into behaving like a fully functional vehicle.

"What happened?" he asked her, shaking himself awake and rushing beside her, wings tucked neatly behind him. Had a late-night job somehow gone wrong? Had she gotten into trouble Downstairs? Worse still, had she run into someone from /Upstairs/?

She didn't /look/ hurt, at least. But, with only half-awake senses and less than half a minute to go by, he could hardly know for sure. That glow in her eyes and those gritted teeth could have been the only thing keeping her on her feet, for all he knew.

But he was getting ahead of himself. Jumping to conclusions was hardly going to help Ellie.

"Anything you need?" he asked after a deep breath, taking one of her hands into his. "Help, a glass of water, anything at all?"

What a loaded question, she thought, because even such a simple contact as his hand in hers she felt like her veins were on fire. "Nothing's happened, that's the problem," she said rather cryptically, and tugged Crowley closer. She could smell him and he smelled /good/. "And yes, I think you can help me..." Her voice trailed off as she slid her other hand around his neck and watched his lips.

Some tiny part was screaming at her, asking her what the Hell she thought she was doing. The rest of her responded that of course she wasn't thinking so sit down and shut up. "Anything I need?"

He felt the back of his neck tingle as her fingers brushed over it, and he couldn't help but relax somewhat. If her sense of humour (or whatever it was that turned every meeting of theirs into the innuendo-based sparing match) was still there, then maybe it wasn't all that bad.

"Anything at all," he returned the flirt with a smile, running a couple of fingers through her hair; after the distraught look he'd seen on her face when he'd opened the door, it almost rang true. Finding out what had left her like this in the first place could wait until he was sure she was alright.

Ellie kicked the door shut and pressed herself flush against Crowley. His words and his smile and the fingers in her hair were wonderful. Anything she needed. Well, she definitely could think of one thing.

"How about you, then?" she asked, pressing her nose under his jaw. The skin was so lovely and soft here and she could take in more of that wonderful smell. "What if I need you?" Her lips brushed against his throat and her fingers clenched in his and at the back of his neck.

The door slammed, and for a moment Crowley thought he had misheard the request (or, at the very least, the intention behind it). But Ellie's lips caressing his neck, her aura wrapping in close against his and her longing words making his skin tingle under her breath told a different story. If this was still part of their game, Ellie had kicked it up a notch.

"Are you saying..."

/"Nothing's happened, that's the problem"/

After six millennia seeking the company of humans, it was easy to forget sometimes that not everyone else was off-limits.

But had he really been /so/ oblivious that he'd lost track of the difference between teasing and interest? She'd admitted to finding him attractive, he knew that much (not that it had been hard to tell with a few of the looks he'd caught her giving him). But this...

"Are you sure about this?" he asked her, cradling her face in his free hand and pulling his own away just enough to look into her eyes.

/Beautiful, pulsing crimson eyes.../

He'd known Ellie right at the beginning, before she was Ellie and before he was Crowley, before either of them knew what life had in store for them. And he knew her today... from unlikely reunion all the way up to now, where he could no sooner picture their unlikely family without her than he could without the angel or Bentley. The though of taking something like that - something good and precious and that could well last for the rest of their long, long lives - and gambling with it, the thought of letting someone in and knowing that, this time, it could well be forever...

This must have been how humans felt before making that fabled walk towards the altar.

Ellie looked into those yellow serpentine eyes and she was sure. Even without the overpowering Lust running through her veins she knew, and trusted, and loved Crowley. He was her family, and he was the one she turned to now when she didn't know what else to do, and just for the moment at least he'd put aside the facade and was asking her, seriously and honestly,

The hand that had been behind his neck trailed forward to brush lightly against his face, over his cheekbone (damn those fine cheekbones anyway), and back down his throat to rest against his bare chest, where it stroked a little of its own accord.

She'd come in here with the intention of /talking/ to Crowley, of asking him for help, but the moment she'd seen him she'd known. What better help could he give, really? And she really, /really/ needed him.

"Very sure," she said, and leaned forward to press her mouth to his, needing this like...

... like an angel needed their grace.

Crowley felt his heart start racing underneath Ellie's hand. Her aura, just as demonic as his, closing in on him more and more, had his wings pulling themselves back and left him with the sort of unease that could only be brought on by six thousand years' worth of keeping your guard up around your own kind. His thoughts raced through worst-case scenarios and sought to remind him of just how much he had to lose. His hand on her cheek, her lips against his...

It felt /right/.

His fingers trailed down the side of her neck, feeling every curve, every heartbeat underneath...

Why /wouldn't/ it be Ellie? Ellie, who always knew how to put a smile on his face; Ellie, who, even after six thousand years apart, had still been there to watch his back when he'd needed her; Ellie, who could still kick his arse six ways to Sunday and would do much, much worse to anyone who so much as threatened one hair on the head of anyone in their family...

Why would it be anyone /but/ her?

What little restraint remained fizzled to nothing when she felt Crowley maybe, just /maybe/ start to respond. When his hand travelled down her neck, leaving a trail of fire, she pressed forward, her own hand trailing down to his stomach, his hip.

She felt her aura reach out to his, which was so familiar now even if it was very different to how it used to be. But this was Crowley, who was (deep down) still the same person she knew six thousand years ago. When she'd met him again the affection had been easy to re-establish. So easy that she was shocked this hadn't happened before. It had just needed a catalyst.

Using a strength she often didn't display with humans, she walked him backwards. She was relaxing now that she had an outlet, and actual rational thoughts were starting to trickle in (well, some anyway). Like - Crowley was protective of his wings and here he was with them out. She did the only thing she could think of to level the playing field and let her own ones burst out the back of her shirt once she was sure there was enough room.

Ellie kissed her way down Crowley's throat then looked up at him, eyes about as red as they could get. "I'm not entirely..." She walked Crowley against the wall, one of his hands still trapped in hers. "I won't be able to control this soon, so speak now or forever hold your peace. Do you want this?"

God she hoped he said yes because she wasn't sure what she would do without him. She'd already crossed a line, and it had been so easy to do. /Say yes./

The sudden burst of green feathers caught him by surprise, and he found himself stumbling slightly as she pushed him backwards. He felt his own wings pressing themselves against a wall, and a cocktail of anxiety and desire came rushing through his stomach.

/"Do you want this?"/

Bless it, he did. He wanted to hold her in his arms. He wanted to feel her soft lips pressed against his, He wanted it all so much, and yet for all the millennia of charming his way in and out of any situation, he felt the words become lodged in the back of his throat. Just as part of him wanted to pull her in and never let go, another part fought the urge to push himself away, reminded him that letting someone if his own stock get this close to him put him in danger, leaving him vulnerable to all manner of harm. Even as he reminded himself that he trusted her, that he knew she would never so much as dream of hurting him, a six-thousand year-old instinct was difficult to overcome.

What he needed was something to ground him. Something that would make him stop seeing the demon and start seeing the person he had come to trust with his life.

He pulled his own aura as far in as it could go, until all that he could feel was the slightest hint of Ellie's. His hand still soft and malleable in hers, he lowered himself towards her - no, not near her eyes, beautiful as they may have been - and down to her neck.

Closing his own eyes, he leaned in, feeling the warmth pulsing through her skin, so close he could almost sense the blood rushing through her veins. His lips pressed against the crook of her neck, at first gently, then moved upwards with growing intensity. A gentle nibble at the lobe of her ear brought him breathing a faint whisper into her ear.

"Yes..." he thought he managed, although he may well have just thought it.

Ellie bit back a moan at that quiet assent and closed her eyes before they burned holes into something. She'd felt Crowley's aura retreat, but she was helpless to do anything about her own, which twisted and caressed and enveloped him. She had to take him on his word, which was just as well because the way he kissed up her neck and nibbled on her ear was too much. She couldn't stop now if she wanted to.

"Good," she said, and stepped away from him, walking herself backwards towards the bed, leading him by the hand and pulling him, surprisingly gentle given her state, down on top of her. Let him have the upper hand if it would help put him at ease. Her wings spread across his bed covers, framing her in green. She kept her eyes half-lidded to reduce the red glow and smiled at him. "Because I think I've always wanted this." Her free hand carded tenderly through his hair.

There was no resistance from Crowley as he felt himself being pulled towards, and then onto the bed. Eyes still closed, his lips traced the contour of her face just as the tips of his fingers began to do the same underneath her shirt and along her waist. He hadn't realised /just/ how much he'd wanted - no, /needed/ this himself.

Soon enough, his lips were once again in front of hers, and in spite of the shiver that ran up his spine as her aura enveloped him, he worked up the strength to open his eyes.

/Dear Mother, she was beautiful.../

He smiled, and it was a caring smile, so unlike the smirks he normally sported.

"Anything you want," he whispered before pressing his lips against hers.

Ellie opened her mouth and welcomed him in, her kiss hinting at the desperation she was feeling. She wrapped her legs around his waist, carefully below his wings, and released his hand so that she could explore this new territory that she had in front of her. Her hands itched to bury themselves in his beautiful, soft feathers, but enough of her consciousness remained to remind her that this would probably be a bad idea.

What /was/ a good idea was solving this problem she had where there were far too many layers between them and, with a slight grin as she kissed him, she vanished the trousers she suspected he'd donned just to open the door. Let him deal with her things, that was part of the fun after all. Her hands skated up his ribs, over his chest, and moved to frame his face.

"Crowley..." she murmured against his lips, not going anywhere with it, just needing to say his name. It helped to ground her a little bit, bring her awareness back.

Crowley twitched as his clothes were willed off of him, the touch of power that came with it yet another feeling he suspected would take getting used to. But he was nothing if not flexible, and he was presently not short of distractions.

His mouth pressed closer against hers, and the thin, pointy tips of his tongue met the tip of hers. His other hand, now free, joined the first underneath the shirt and began slowly motioning the garment upwards. There was a slight snag as the bottom of the shirt reached the base of her wings (gorgeous, glimmering green wings), and, realising that the alternative involved pulling away from her for several precious seconds, he decided to follow her lead and willed the remaining clothes away.

He leaned in closer, his wings daring to spread out and curl in around them for the first time since he'd been pushed back through the door.

/Anything you want.../

fade to black

Ellie lay on her side facing Crowley with her wings curled tightly under his and watching him with a soft little smile on her face as her fingers traced idle patterns across his chest. Her eyes were still glowing red, but the glow had dulled a lot and flecks of green were showing through again. That had been...

Well, it had been, quite frankly, amazing. She'd never slept with a non-human before and she hadn't really expected it to be that different, but there had been something so very satisfying and fulfilling about the experience. Was it because he wasn't human? Or was it because he was Crowley?

And what did that even mean? She loved Aziraphale, she'd /wanted/ Aziraphale (and still did, when she thought about it), but she felt... happy. Complete. Like there had been something missing that had now been returned to her. She wanted to do it again, and she felt guilty about it, but the thought of /not/ being able to do this again also made her sad. Now that the initial urgency was over she had a chance to think, and to dread just what the angel would say or do.

He didn't mind her sleeping with other people, she knew that. It was part of her job, after all. But... this had been more than that. How was she going to explain this?

Her wings twitched slightly against the other demon's - a new sensation. The whole experience had been full of new sensations, all of which she wanted more of.

Crowley's wings twitched too when Ellie's brushed against them and his aura was only slightly less tightly wrapped around him, but he made no effort to pull away. In fact, he found he wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere at all.

It was still odd lying next to her, her wings and aura and glowing red eyes a constant reminder that she wasn't human. For the first time in almost six millennia, he'd felt a bit like a bumbling teenager, only just working things out for the first time. But in spite of that, in spite of the nagging instinct to get away (that had, admittedly, become rather muffled before too long), it had all felt so good, and so right. Like only realising you'd been starving when the dish you hadn't even known you were craving was placed in front of you.

The fingers of one of his hands entwined themselves between hers, and, slowly, he brought her hand to his lips. Part of him wanted to tell her all that, and how beautiful she was, and how he didn't want to let her go. But the rest of him was still Crowley, and so, for now, he settled for passing it along with a warm, heartfelt smile.

Ellie's eyes drooped half shut when he brought her hand up to his lips and when he smiled she felt her heart turn over. She ran her thumb over his lower lip and felt her own mouth stretching in a smile, and any doubts she'd had flew right out of her head. He was gorgeous and when he smiled like that, she saw a glimpse of the person behind the persona.

"You should smile like that more often," she said, running her thumb back to the other corner. "It suits you."

The lack of clothes and the bed-head and wings suited him, too, but she didn't think his ego needed too much inflating. Not yet, anyway.

His smile widened slightly before he intercepted her thumb with a kiss. His free hand found itself running a few fingers through her hair.

"If this becomes a habit, I just might," he answered, his voice lacking most of its usual snark.

He didn't just mean their recent activities, pleasant as they had certainly been. Holding her, feeling his skin and feathers against hers, the look in her eyes, just /having/ all that... His earlier worries had long flown out the window, and eternity suddenly felt a lot less daunting a prospect.

The very thought of making this a habit made Ellie feel both excited and apprehensive. There was nothing she wanted more right now, right this second, than to curl up tight to him and feel his feathers and skin and aura and...

Ellie curled her wings tighter around them and buried the fingers of her free hand into his hair, mussing it up more. She had no idea what to say - the smooth-talking Lust demon was at a loss for words that weren't a sappy mess. Angel had definitely been a bad influence on her... Her fingers clenched slightly in his hair as she once again wondered what Aziraphale was going to say about this.

Tomorrow. She would deal with that tomorrow. Right now she had Crowley, with his walls mostly down for once, and she wasn't passing up this opportunity to be close to him. "Hey you," she said with a lop-sided smile. "Think you could put up with me on a regular basis, then?"

Crowley wrapped his arms around her, one above her wings and one below them, and pulled her in closer. His fingers trailed down her back, and the tip of his foot moved in to meet hers. Everything still felt slightly surreal, and part of him couldn't help but wonder if he hadn't been having a particularly vivid dream. But it was all real - he was really here, and she was in his arms, and would this would all last long after the first rays of sunlight had burst into the room.

Gently, he planted a kiss on her temple, followed by one on her cheek, then one on her lips.

"I'll find /some/ way to cope," he muttered as the smile made its way back onto his lips.

Ellie's own smile became a little dopey as he cuddled her closer. Her foot brushed against his scaly one, enjoying the unusual feel of it, and she couldn't resist messing up his hair just that /little/ bit more, especially when he gave her /that/ smile again.

"Good," she said and tucked her head down to curl it up under his chin. She idly kissed his neck while she was there and nuzzled against that hollow spot at the base. "Because I could definitely get used to this."

He /looked/ all angles and sharp edges, but what he really was smooth skin and lithe limbs. Her own hand trailed down over his shoulder and then she tucked it around him, brushing gently at the very base of his wings, hoping this was alright.

Crowley stretched his neck upwards and took a deep breath, his now-more-sensitive-than-usual neck welcoming the attention.

There was another twitch when Ellie's fingers brushed against his wings, but he fought off the urge to pull away. Instead, he brought himself in closer, head resting on her shoulder and wings lowered to an approximation of a relaxed position by way of permission.

He didn't just trust her with his wings, or with letting her in, or with everything else. He /wanted/ her here; and if that meant fighting off an instinct or two, well... it was more than worth it.

Ellie paused when he twitched and bit her lip, but the reaction lasted only a second before she felt him /make/ himself relax and pull her closer still. She nuzzled at his ear.

"Thank you," she whispered even as her fingers began to carefully card through his feathers. They felt wonderful, just like she remembered, except...

Something that shouldn't be there registered under the lightest touch of her fingertips. She traced it through the feathers, and it met up with more... Scar tissue.

Everyone Fell differently, she knew. Seemed like Crowley could have done with a friend back then.

Without comment, she moved her hands on to other sections, but she held him firmer, as if gripping tight to him now she could save him further suffering.

"Sweetheart," she breathed without meaning to, then shut her lips firmly, pressing them to his shoulder instead.

His wings grew tense at the unfamiliar touch once again, and he fought off another twitch. But the feeling was also accompanied by a pleasant tingle across his skin, one which left him taking another deep breath and leaning into the side of Ellie's neck.

That is, until he felt a sudden change in Ellie's movements, followed by her pulling him in tightly and sounding worried, almost... comforting?

There was a moment of confusion as he tried to figure out what had gone wrong. Did she think he was on guard because of her, or that she'd done something wrong? No, she'd pulled in closer, protective and concerned-

It hadn't been the first time he'd let someone get this close, or the first time someone had gotten close enough to get a look at his scars. But it wasn't very often that someone did that and knew just how he'd acquired them without asking at least a couple of questions.

He wordlessly returned the tight grip; he'd have loved to brush the whole thing off with an "it's fine" and move on, but the words refused to come out. He settled for taking in the comforting feeling of her arms around him and her soft hair on his cheek. It still wasn't "fine", but now, at least, he felt safe.

Ellie did her best to sooth and be there for him with the repetitive stroke of her fingers on his back and the tips of his feathers, and little light kisses to his shoulder. She didn't say anything about the scars; she knew, and he knew she knew, that was enough.

She spoke quietly and into his shoulder. "We should go flying again sometime." And maybe afterwards he'd let her groom his wings. She shivered a little at the thought. "Then you can fly rings around me and taunt me with my big chunky wings." She rustled them against his. They weren't /that/ big and chunky, but they were certainly built for strength rather than speed.

Crowley appreciated her not pressing the subject any further, as well as her comforting gestures that left his muscles easing back into their prior, mellow state. If anyone would understand, it would be Ellie.

His eyes began tracing the contour of a gorgeous, vibrant green wing, and, soon after that, one of his hands followed suit. He knew her... experience back then hadn't been any less unpleasant for it, but he couldn't help but feel a bout of relief at the thought that her wings hadn't gone through the same as his.

"When you put it like that, how can I resist?" he told her with a chuckle, not sounding all that keen to move just yet.

"Just, you know... later."

Ellie pushed her wing into his hand encouragingly and practically purred with pleasure. "Oh, definitely later. I don't intend on letting you out of my arms tonight," she said with a pleased note in her voice. She was definitely enjoying this closeness, and the further from the topic of their respective Falls she could get, the better. Ellie melted under his fingers, a satisfied smile on her face and her fingers twitching slightly where they were still buried in his feathers.

"Never ever stop doing that," she mumbled and let her eyes drift shut. She was happy, she was relaxed, and she was most definitely satisfied.

Crowley twitched again, but this time from the pleasant feeling that came with Ellie's fingers running through his feathers, and he took her encouragement as an invitation to gently bring his hand down towards the base of her wings, tracing lines along them with the tips of his fingers.

He smiled and watched her eyes slowly close and the corners of her mouth quirk upward with satisfaction. He planted another soft kiss on her lips, one hand running soothingly across her feathers while the other was still wrapped around hers, and couldn't help but marvel at luck he'd had these last few months.