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Aziraphale had been sitting at the pub for about ten minutes waiting for Crowley. He had discovered something new about the Situation that he needed to tell Crowley.
“Hello, may I sit with you? It’s such a sad sight, a fine man drinking alone.” A sweet voice said to Aziraphale’s left. He turned and saw it belonged to a man, though if he didn’t know any better Aziraphale would have called him divine. The stranger must only come up to Aziraphale’s chin, yet he seemed to command the room by merely standing in it. His beauty seemed ethereal, drawing attention from everyone. The man's eyes, dark and shining, were latched onto Aziraphale.
“O-Oh! Of course you may!” He sputtered out, surprised that someone came up to him. Maybe this was another trick from the shopkeeper's accusation?
The man sat with grace, slender legs crossing at the knees in one fluid motion, the mojito in his hand barely sloshing. The stranger held his left hand out to Aziraphale,
“Lucio, my friends call me Luc.” The voice sent shivers down his spine, teeming with power and soaked in honey. Like Lucio’s gentle smile could topple governments in one move. It was familiar almost, he’d have to ask Crowley later.
“Nice to meet you, Lucio. My name-” He was cut off by a polite hand.
“Call me Luc, I said all my friends do.” Lucio smirked at that, like it was a joke he was playing.
“Well nice to meet you, Luc.” Lucio fully grinned at that, showing off prominent canines. The grin almost had Aziraphale melt, almost like Crowley’s. Almost.
“What’s a gentleman like you doing here all alone, someone as pretty as you should have a date hanging off your arm!” Like he was one to talk. This bar tended too… less than gentle patrons, no reason someone who seemed to outshine all around him to be here.
“I could ask you the same question.”
“I asked first,” He said, leaning on his hand.
“I’m waiting for a friend, he’ll be here soon.” Lucio snorted at that, more of a giggle than anything. This man didn’t seem real, more like a fairy tale prince or the love interest of a novel.
“You’ve been waiting alone for quite some time, you sure he’ll show?” He looked up at Aziraphale with a heavy gaze, till Aziraphale had to look away. “I mean, I’m sure you know your friend very well. You’d know if something was going on, right?”
He opened his mouth to argue with the stranger, how could he talk about Crowley like that! But, it had been a long time… maybe he wasn’t coming. Did Aziraphale say something? Was Crowley that upset about Gabriel, enough to not want to talk to him?
He shook his head, he didn’t doubt Crowley. He trusted him, even if Crowley was wrong at times. He looked over at Lucio with suspicion. He was smirking up at Aziraphale with a cold and knowing look in his eye, like he knew the effect he was having. He was fully leaning on the bar now, his black hair a dark veil around him. Aziraphale blinked like he was trying to clear the doubt from his mind, like the windshield wipers in the Bentley cleared rain from the glass.
“I--I answered, now you.” Lucio smirk almost looked shark-like as he drew himself up. His shirt had fallen off of one shoulder and even that drew stares from the people around him. He chuckled,
“I’m here for businesses, the kind humans do in the dead of night where they think no one can see them.” He said that it was some kind of metaphor, not that it meant much to Aziraphale.
“What exactly do you do for business?” It felt important, especially since Lucio was dancing around it like this. He almost wanted Crowley to appear out of nowhere, he was so much better at metaphors like that.
“When someone does something wrong, I’m the one that doles out punishment,” Was he a police officer, or a jailer? The British government didn’t employ torturers anymore to Aziraphales' knowledge, though that’s what Lucio was describing. “Fire and brimstone type punishment, if you catch my meaning…”
“That seems quite harsh!” At that Lucio laughed, high and true. It drew stares from all around the bar. It wasn’t like his chuckling or tittering, it felt malicious and magnetic. Like a danger you can’t but go towards.
“You don’t believe in punishment! That’s hilarious!” He swung his head back, black nails looking like claws as they scratched at the bar. “They told me you were a bit odd, but they didn’t mention you were so funny!”
“Wh-what are you talking about?! Who is ‘they’?!” Aziraphale tried to stand up but found that he couldn’t. He turned to the bartender to ask for security, but she wasn’t moving. No one around them was. Aziraphale stared at Lucio, looking as beautiful as when he first saw him. But his eyes were no longer warm and bright, now they seemed to burn with internal hell fire. It was so bright that Aziraphale leaned away, which only caused Lucio to laugh harder. He fell onto the bar, gasping for breath.
“My employees, like your boyfriend who you so rudely doubted.” His voice was not one single man, but many voices of different pitches. They overlaid to create a tragically beautiful harmony. Just like the heavenly chorus he once sang in.
“He-he’s not-We’re not- Leave him out of this!” Aziraphale nearly shouted before realizing it was a bad idea. The full fury of Lucio’s, though Aziraphale had realized his true name, gaze landed on him. It was magnetic, pulling him in and making it impossible to break eye contact. It was repulsive, making him want to lean away and make a face in disgust. But most of all, it was terrifying. It seemed to burn straight through him, leaving nothing left in its wake. He smiled a sharp toothed smile,
“I can talk about him if I want to, Crawly does work for me you know.” Before Aziraphale could jump in to correct him, he continued “Don’t worry about him, dear. When he inevitably falls back in with me, there’s always a way he can make it up to me. He is my favorite, and who am I to cast aside my favorite, that’s God's job.” He ended that with a sneer.
“Instead of him, worry for yourself. There will be no crawling back to heaven, angel.” He got in Aziraphale’s face, eyes burning with fury, “So keep your nose out of things that aren't your business.”
Aziraphale stared at him, unable to move. He turned on his heel, and the word began moving again. Lucio walked like Crowley, if more sultry, swaying side-to-side. He approached what looked to be a priest, why he was here was beyond Aziraphale. They exchanged words and left arm in arm. Leaving Aziraphale staring at the space he had left behind.
“Angel! What are you doing just staring into the distance? Let’s get drinks!” Aziraphale turned to see Crowley walking in, sitting down where his boss had been sitting minutes before.