Chapter Text
Aziraphale was nervous as he stood outside the men’s locker room the next day waiting for Crowley. It was nearly time, and he was starting to be concerned that he’d been stood up. Anxiety began creeping into the edges of his mind, and he felt stupid. He must have misjudged everything. That was the only explanation. He must have imagined Crowey’s reaction to him, just as he’d imagined Crowley watching him as he worked out. All of this had been the figment of his lust-soaked brain. Oh, what a fool he was. He should go into the locker room right now, change back into his clothes, and leave. Find another gym. In fact, he --
His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted Crowley opening the front door to the gym, letting himself in, and swaggering towards the locker room with his gym bag over his shoulder. His hips moved like they weren’t attached to his body, and Aziraphale had to swallow hard to contain his lusty thoughts.
Crowley’s face spread into a grin when he spotted Aziraphale, and Aziraphale couldn’t help it, he gave a relieved smile in return.
“Hi, Aziraphale,” Crowley said cheerfully. “Sorry I’m late. Traffic was hell. Have you been waiting long?”
“Oh, no. Only a couple of minutes.”
Crowley just smiled at him for a moment, and Aziraphale smiled back dumbly. Then Crowley seemed to shake himself and said, “I’ll just change, shall I? Then we can get started.”
“Yes, that would be nice. I’ll wait here for you.”
The grin he got was lopsided and made his pulse spike. “I hope you do. Be right out.”
Aziraphale stammered something, he wasn’t sure what, and could have sworn Crowley winked as he passed to go to the locker room.
~*~O~*~
Working out with a partner was much different from working out alone. Crowley was helpful and supportive, taking the time to show Aziraphale how to use the machines he wasn’t familiar with and encouraging when Aziraphale was exercising. The red-haired man seemed a bit surprised by Aziraphale’s strength, and Aziraphale couldn’t help but be proud of having impressed him.
They chatted as they exercised, getting to know each other a little better between sets. Aziraphale strongly suspected that most people, when they were working out with a partner, didn't talk about anything that didn’t pertain to the tasks at hand, but Crowley and Aziraphale did. Aziraphale learned that Crowley’s first name was Anthony, but he preferred to go by his surname. He learned that Crowley was a botanist at one of the local universities, and that Crowley drove a classic Bentley that he’d restored himself. He learned that fluorescent lights bothered Crowley’s eyes, hence the sunglasses indoors and at night. Aziraphale loved knowing those things. He loved learning everything he could about this fascinating, devilishly handsome man.
But the best part, to Aziraphale’s mind, was that it was just as he’d expected - he was able to watch Crowley exercise without fear of repercussions. In fact, when he was spotting, he was supposed to keep his eyes on Crowley. Of course, he wasn’t supposed to be ogling appreciatively and trying to fight the constant threat of an erection, but no one needed to know he was doing those things but him.
Now, though, it was impossible to deny that Crowley was watching him as he worked out. It made him a little self-conscious, ashamed of his body, but Crowley didn’t seem to mind looking at him. It built his confidence.
When they finished their workout, after nearly an hour of being in such close proximity to such a beautiful man, Aziraphale was almost desperate to hide in the shower and touch himself. He thought he may very well explode from repressed sexual desire, but when Crowley asked him if he’d like to join him in the sauna again, Aziraphale found it impossible to say no.
“That was fun,” Crowley said once they got settled in the sauna - side by side this time, Crowley sprawled elegantly on the bench and Aziraphale sitting primly with his hands folded in his lap, trying to hide his half-hard cock.
“You enjoyed that?” he asked, a little surprised.
“Oh, very much. I think we should do it again.”
Aziraphale felt himself blush a little, and hoped it wasn't noticeable in the steamy room. “I certainly wouldn’t be opposed.”
“Excellent,” Crowley replied with his bright smile.
They lapsed into silence for a minute, and Aziraphale used the time to have a stern talking-to with his cock. An erection would be offensive, he was sure, and he did his best to think of other things - and not the way Crowley’s hair flopped down over his forehead, or the tantalizing trail of dark ginger hair from his belly button down into the towel.
“So,” Crowley said, “Aziraphale is an unusual name.”
“Yes, it is. My parents were religious scholars. Aziraphale is the name of an angel.”
“You’re named after an angel?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
Crowley just regarded him for a minute. “Named after an angel. I like it. It suits you.”
“You think so?”
“Absolutely. You look like an angel, anyway, and now I know your name fits you. I think I’ll call you that. Angel.”
Aziraphale bit his lip in pleasure. He was no expert, not by a long shot, but it was seeming more and more as if Crowley were interested. But that couldn’t be right, could it? He didn’t even know if Crowley favored men! He could just be being friendly. But what if he wasn’t? Aziraphale needed to know.
As casually as he could, he asked, “So is there a Mrs. Crowley?”
Crowley threw his head back and laughed. “No, I’m not married. I’m very, very single. Haven’t had a boyfriend in over a year.”
Boyfriend. Oh, that was thrilling to hear. Maybe he was interested, after all!
“How about you? Anyone waiting at home for you?” Crowley asked.
Aziraphale shook his head. “No, it’s just me, on my own. I haven’t had a - a boyfriend in quite a while,” he answered, thinking fleetingly of Gabriel. He’d hated the term ‘boyfriend’, so Aziraphale had never used it, but, well, Gabriel was long gone. Aziraphale could use whatever terminology he liked. And what did he care what Gabriel would think, anyway? He didn’t. Not at all, he told himself.
Crowley’s grin was almost wolfish, and it made Aziraphale’s belly flutter. “I’m glad to hear that, angel.”
Oh, heavens, that was definitely flirting. There was no mistaking that. But what did Aziraphale do with that information? He decided to try to be bold, for once in his life.
“I’m - I’m glad to know you’re single, too.”
Crowley’s golden eyes twinkled. “Yeah?”
Aziraphale nodded and swallowed his nerves. “Yes. Very much so.”
The red-haired man treated him to another lingering, up and down look, and his eyes were almost hungry. Aziraphale felt his cock stir.
“I think I’m going to hit the showers,” Crowley said suddenly, slapping his knees and getting to his feet, disappointing Aziraphale greatly. Then he added, “Shall we do this again tomorrow evening?”
“Would you like to?”
“Oh, absolutely, angel. I’d like to see you again very much.”
Aziraphale flushed with pleasure at the sentiment and the endearment. “Then it’s a date.”
“Yes, it is,” Crowley agreed, and the two men exited the sauna and went to the locker room. Crowley gave him a smile as he grabbed his bag and ducked into a shower stall, and Aziraphale deliberately selected the stall farthest away from where Crowley was. As soon as he was behind the curtain, he turned on the water as hot as it would go and fisted his cock in his soapy hand, pumping wildly, imagining Crowley just a few yards away, naked, with water cascading all over his gorgeous body. Aziraphale bit the fist he wasn’t fucking to stifle his noises and spared just a thought to hope that the water would muffle his sounds before he came all over the tiled wall with a whimper.
~*~O~*~
Things continued in that pattern for the next two weeks. He and Crowley would work out together, then return to the sauna and spend a long while talking and flirting. After they left the sauna, they’d each go to the showers and more often than not, Aziraphale would masturbate, silently but frantically, his head full of the memory of Crowley’s slim, sexy body. After, he would bathe himself, feeling like an absolute coward. He was smitten with Crowley, and it was clear that Crowley was interested in him, too. The two of them were engaged in a little dance around each other, both of them clearly interested, both of them apparently waiting on the other to make the first move. The tension was delicious, in a way, but almost unbearable. Aziraphale very much wanted to ask him out, but couldn’t quite get up the nerve. What would Crowley even like to do? Aziraphale tended to be a bit of a bore, or so he’d heard from past lovers. What if Crowley discovered that he wasn’t very interesting and decided he didn’t want to see Aziraphale anymore? He didn’t think he could stand that kind of rejection.
But oh, how he wanted. He wanted to run his hands all over Crowley’s lithe body, he wanted to taste the kisses of his mouth, he wanted to lay Crowley out on silk sheets and worship at the altar of him. But that wasn’t all he wanted. The more he got to know Crowley, the more he wanted to spend every spare moment together. He wanted to find out everything there was to know about him. He wanted to escort Crowley to the movies, to plays, to concerts. He wanted to curl up on the couch late in the evening with a good book - and Crowley’s head resting in his lap. He wanted a relationship, and had no idea how Crowley would feel about something like that. But they could start with a date. Couldn’t they? Just one date. And maybe things could just… grow from there.
On the tenth evening they worked out together, Aziraphale resolved to ask Crowley on a proper date. He had no idea what that date would entail, he’d never been very good about taking the lead on those sorts of things, but he couldn’t stand it anymore. He needed to make a move before he exploded, no matter how afraid and out of his depth he was.
He was quieter than usual during their workout that night, doing his best to steel himself for what he wanted to do. He should just do it, he told himself. Would you like to get dinner with me? That’s all he’d have to say. But the words wouldn’t come, and he cursed his own cowardice.
They joined each other in the sauna, as had become their custom, and took their places on the bench. Crowley was a bit closer than usual tonight, but Aziraphale barely noticed. He was still trying to work up the nerve to ask Crowley out - and coming up short.
“Are you alright, angel?” Crowley asked not long after they sat down.
“Hmm? Oh! Yes, I’m fine. Just fine.”
“You seem distracted.”
“I suppose I am, a bit.”
Crowley smiled and propped one ankle on his leg. “Care to talk about it?”
Aziraphale swallowed hard - this was his chance. He debated for only a second before he said, “I’ve, well, I’ve decided to do something, but I can’t seem to pluck up the courage.”
Crowley raised an eyebrow. “What could you need to pluck up courage for in a sauna?”
There was sweat on Aziraphale’s brow that had nothing to do with the steam in the room. He turned to face Crowley and, in as brave a voice as he could muster, he said, “I’m trying to get up the courage to ask you out.”
Crowley looked surprised for a minute, then his face melted into a small, tentative smile. “Like a date?”
Aziraphale nodded, his heart in his throat. “Yes. Just so.”
The red-haired man’s face was suddenly brilliant, it positively glowed, and Aziraphale felt sweet relief. That was a good sign, right?
Then Crowley’s smile turned a bit mischievous. “I don’t know, angel. That’s very tempting, but I’m not sure.”
Aziraphale tried not to panic. “What - why are you unsure?”
“Well, I’ve been on a fair few dates in my time, and there’s nothing worse than going on a date with someone and finding that you have no chemistry.”
His blond brows knitted in confusion. He’d thought that he and Crowley had nothing but chemistry together. Amazing chemistry. Had he been wrong?
“So I’d like to kiss you first,” Crowley finished, his eyes twinkling and his smile naughty. “Just to make sure there’s something there, you know.”
Aziraphale blinked. “You want to kiss me?”
Crowley scooted a little closer. “Very much so. Then I’ll be able to answer you about a date.”
He was being teased and he knew it, but his mind was wrapped up in the implications of the situation. Crowley wanted to kiss him, and was inching closer. His heart galloped in his chest.
Aziraphale’s eyes flicked from Crowley’s topaz eyes down to his lips and back several times. He felt himself leaning in, but was powerless to stop himself. His heart was thudding a rapid tattoo in his chest and his mind was racing. He was going to kiss Crowley! Their faces inched closer and closer until finally, their lips met.
It felt as if dozens of fireworks had been set off under Aziraphale’s skin, all at once. Crowley’s mouth was soft, sweet, its heat sending a ripple of goosebumps rushing along Aziraphale's skin, and he thought he may die of sheer pleasure. He let out a little, involuntary whimper, and felt Crowley’s hand come up to cup his cheek. Aziraphale leaned further into the kiss, parting his lips, and nearly burst out of his skin when he felt Crowley’s tongue brush against his. He tilted his head to the side to get a better angle, and sent his tongue out to explore Crowley’s mouth.
Soon, Crowley had both of his hands on Aziraphale’s face, cradling it, and Aziraphale was dying to touch him, too. He’d daydreamed about what it would be like to touch Crowley’s body, but nothing could have prepared him for the reality when he put his hands on Crowley’s sides. His skin was warm and slick with sweat, and Aziraphale could feel lean muscles rippling under his fingers. It was positively the most sexy thing he’d ever felt, and he flexed his fingers into Crowley’s sides reflexively, wanting more touch.
Crowley slid one hand around the back of Aziraphale’s head, threading through his sweat-damp curls, and Aziraphale fairly purred at the sensation of Crowley’s short nails on his scalp. His other hand left Aziraphale’s face and trailed down slowly, over his neck and shoulder, leaving a trail in the moisture on his skin and not seeming to mind, coming to rest on Aziraphale’s bare chest. Their kiss grew steadily more heated until Aziraphale was sure that anyone observing them would call it obscene.
When the need for air became too great, they parted their mouths, but didn’t go far. Crowley started applying little kisses to Aziraphale’s cheek, then his jaw, then his neck, where he nipped at the skin. Aziraphale panted, inhaling the heavy scents their bodies, laying his head back, enjoying every second.
“Do you have any idea,” Crowley growled between kisses, licks, and nips, “how much I want you?”
Aziraphale let his hands roam all over Crowley, seeking to memorize the feel of his skin. It was damp and sweat-slick and hot and smooth and perfect. He wanted more. He wanted everything.
“It can’t possibly be anywhere near as much as - oh - as I’ve wanted you.”
Crowley’s mouth closed on Aziraphale’s ear, nibbling the ear lobe then sucking it. “I’ve wanked every single night since you first started coming to this gym, thinking of you,” he whispered, breath tickling his ear.
His eyes rolled back in his head and he moaned. “I’ve… I’ve touched myself, too, picturing you naked with me.”
He felt Crowley’s hand go to his terrycloth-covered erection and groaned again.
“Can I touch you?” Crowley panted. “Please, angel, please let me touch you. I’m positively gagging for your cock, and have been for weeks.”
Aziraphale nodded quickly. “God, yes, please touch me. But only if I can touch you, too.”
Crowley attacked his mouth then, kissing him wildly, and Aziraphale gave as good as he got. Distractedly, he felt Crowley take his hand and guide it, placing it over his erection. Even through the towel, Aziraphale could tell he was long and thick - a perfect mouthful. Oh, that cock would feel so good filling him. But for now, he just tugged at the towel until it opened and Crowley’s cock sprung free.
He broke the kiss then to look at it, to take it in, and God, it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He couldn’t wait to feel that cock fucking him, taking him, claiming him.
Crowley was frantically tugging at Aziraphale’s towel, trying to get him free, and didn’t hesitate when Aziraphale’s towel fell open. He wrapped his hand around Aziraphale and started pumping him. Aziraphale moaned, and did the same to Crowley.
“Fuck, your prick is so big and thick,” Crowley moaned, his forehead resting on Aziraphale’s shoulder. “I can’t wait to get it in my mouth.”
“Yes,” Aziraphale agreed, mindless of anything but the way Crowley’s hand felt around him, and the way Crowley’s cock slid back and forth in his hand, the movement eased by perspiration.
“You are so gorgeous, Aziraphale. Want you so much. Want to make you come. Want to make you mine…”
“I am yours,” Aziraphale answered, too aroused to be anything but honest - and more than a little breathless. “If you want me, I’m yours.”
“Kiss me, please,” Crowley begged, and Aziraphale didn’t need to be told twice. He met Crowley’s mouth in a desperate, messy kiss while he continued to jack Crowley’s cock and felt his own balls tighten.
They were panting when they broke the kiss a minute later, staring into each other’s eyes.
“I’m gonna come, angel. Fuck! Your hand feels so good… you’re gonna make me come.”
“I’m - oh - I’m close, too,” he confessed.
“Come for me, Aziraphale. Cover me with your come. Mark me with it. I want it so bad…”
Aziraphale broke, coming in thick ropes over Crowley’s fist with a strangled cry of his name. With his last shred of rational thought, he kept pumping Crowley’s cock until he felt the other man go stiff and hot come erupted all over his hand.
They lay their heads on each other’s shoulders, panting for air, their messy hands still wrapped around each other’s flagging erections. Aziraphale had never felt so satisfied, so replete, so fulfilled, and couldn’t help but wonder - if this is how it was between them when it was just an impetuous handjob in the sauna, what would it be like when they made love in a bed?
He barely had time to finish the thought before Crowley started pressing kisses to his shoulder, then his neck, making him smile tiredly. He raised his head to look at Crowley and, when their eyes met, he leaned forward and claimed Crowley’s lips in a tender kiss that he hoped was sufficient to express everything he felt.
“Thank you,” he breathed when the kiss broke.
“You’re thanking me? I feel like I should fall at your feet in solemn worship.”
Aziraphale smiled and pressed a little kiss to his lips. “Don’t do that, my dear, but there is one thing you can do for me.”
“Anything. Name it. I’ll do anything for you, angel.”
“Say yes to that date.”
Crowley’s smile was like the sun coming out, and he raised his clean hand to touch Aziraphale’s face gently. He closed his eyes and gave Aziraphale a tender kiss. “I guess we’ve proved we have chemistry, huh?” he murmured when they broke apart.
Aziraphale grinned. “Quite so. Hard to deny that now. So, will you do me the honor of going on a date with me?”
“Angel, I’ll go on six thousand dates with you. I think you’re going to find you’ll have a hard time getting rid of me.”
He nuzzled Crowley’s nose, his eyes closed and a sigh on his lips. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”