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Aziraphale paced between the shelves, occasionally picking something up only to put it down again without paying attention to where. “This was a mistake. A mistake! Oh . . . there’s nothing for it now, but what was I thinking? They’ll notice, there’s no way they can’t, and then—then—”
“Angel!”
Aziraphale startled and turned, dropping the trinket he’d been fiddling with. Distantly he was aware that this was the third time Crowley had tried to get his attention.
Crowley squeezed his shoulders and then cupped his face. “Angel? Stop a moment. Breath with me. Okay? Here we go: in . . .”
A voice in the back of his head was pointing out how silly this was, they weren’t even beings that needed to breath, but his mate had asked him and so he breathed. In . . . out.
Everything else blurred for a moment, until all that existed was Crowley and the breathing. In . . . out. In . . . out. In. . . .
“Okay.” Crowley’s thumbs caressed his cheeks. “With me now? Angel?”
Aziraphale nodded, unsure of his voice.
“Good. Come here.”
Crowley pulled him close—as close as he could with Aziraphale’s growing belly—and held him tight. Aziraphale sniffled and buried his face in his shoulder, surrounding himself in the comforting scent of his mate. The scent that always meant safety.
“I’m s-sorry,” he murmured. “The-the hormones—”
Crowley shushed him and continued to hold him, swaying gently as that comforting rumble started up in his chest. Aziraphale whimpered and burrowed in further.
He had been so excited. The thought of being able to raise his own fledgelings—to even see his fledgelings—well, he had never even let himself think it, before. And to have a clutch with Crowley—
But now, halfway through gestation, getting ever closer to the moment when his clutch would be vulnerable—
He couldn’t shake the feeling that Head Office would swoop in and whisk his clutch away. Just as they always had.
“I know you’re frightened, angel,” Crowley murmured. “I’m worried, too. A bit. But Head Office doesn’t know about this.” He moved one hand to caress his belly. “And they won’t be looking for it. None of those wank-wings even remember that you’re an omega. Remember? I made sure of that.”
Aziraphale squeaked, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “You—you did. My clever, sweet demon.”
“We flew right under their noses without them noticing for six thousand years. We can do it for a while longer.”
“You’re—you’re right.” He sniffled. “I’m being silly—”
“Nope.” Crowley pulled back and cupped his chin. “I won’t stand for anyone talking about my mate like that. Got it?”
Aziraphale sniffled again, and nodded.
“Good. Now, Book Girl will be here soon, with Adam and his friends. She says she’s found some things that we might be able to use. We’re going to get prepared, angel. Got it? We’re going to do everything possible to make sure those wank-wings stay far away from our business.”
Aziraphale wiped his face and managed a tremulous smile. “Of course. Thank you, my dearest. You’re—you’re such a good alpha.”
Crowley’s nose wrinkled. “Oh, shaddup. M’ just doing what any alpha should.”
“Of course.”