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Crowley walked into the busy bar, looking around for Aziraphale. Ah, there he was. Their usual spot being taken, the angel was sitting at a small table on the other side of the room, facing away from him, a man standing across from him talking eagerly.
Crowley slowly walked forward until he was close enough to hear the conversation. The man said something about Jane Austen, and his face lit up as Aziraphale began passionately talking about his favorite of her books. After a moment of the angel’s rambling, the other man cut in. “What if we go back to your place, your shop, and continue our discussion there?” He raised an eyebrow and smirked.
“Oh, I would so love to! It so happens I’m waiting for someone at the moment, but if you’d like to stop by tonight, perhaps we could have a chat then.”
Crowley took a deep breath. Some signals were clearly being missed here and an intervention seemed to be in order. He strode toward the table, leaned over, and wrapped his arms around Aziraphale from behind.
“Hello, Angel! Have you ordered yet?” He surreptitiously glanced up at the man, who looked rather put out.
“Oh, not yet, I was waiting for you!” Aziraphale fidgeted awkwardly and looked down at Crowley’s arms, his brow furrowed.
Crowley stood up and rested a hand on the back of the chair, staring down the man through his sunglasses. “Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met.”
The man fidgeted under the gaze, looking anywhere except at Crowley. “I was just going. Uh, have a good life. Good talking.” He practically rushed to the door.
“Oh, are you sure? I thought you wanted to talk books!” Aziraphale began to stand, then sat down as the man walked out the door. “That was odd. I know you’re a bit intense, but that did seem like an extreme reaction.”
Crowley laughed as he walked around the table and sat down. “Angel. He was flirting with you. I thought you could use a little rescuing from the situation, so I, uhh, asserted myself a bit. Confused his human ego.”
“Oh. Oh dear. And here I thought he just wanted to talk books. But he wanted to go to the bookshop!” Crowley raised an eyebrow over his sunglasses and Aziraphale blushed.
“Oh! Well. Thank you. That would have been awkward indeed. I’m glad you were here for me.”
He smiled at Crowley, and the demon felt that familiar flutter, something he’d only felt around the angel. He pushed aside the fleeting memory of a certain bandstand and the feelings that always came with it. “Ehh. Just didn’t want anyone taking over our meeting. You do owe me a drink, after all.”
“Of course, especially after that. You’re the only one I’m letting into the bookshop tonight.” He waved to a waiter and smiled at Crowley again. “Order what you want.”
That flutter came back, stronger than ever. These corporeal bodies did the strangest things at times.