HERE WE GO! ::rubs hands together:: Shit gonna get REAL now! The next chapter is when the angst REALLY peaks. I might take pity on you and post two chapters tomorrow.
Ya'll gonna kill me.
Thank you Azerana and Intergalacticsupertwink for all the beta work!
Dress shopping should have done the trick. Angelique loves shopping almost as much as dancing, but her smiles are half hearted whenever she exits the dressing room. No one would think she was anything but happy, yet Aziraphale knows those lips almost as much as he knows Crowley's, and the upturns they take now are not right. Her smiles have been a mockery of the real thing.
Aziraphale is waiting for her to open up about it. She's usually forthcoming about almost everything. Something must really be bothering her, and it's starting to worry him honestly.
Angelique makes an elegant twirl on her tiny bare crooked toes. The pink and white polka-dotted dress compliments her darker complexion, and Aziraphale tries to focus on that. Not the way the skirt lifts, exposing her naked muscular calves bunching up in the seamless effort of the pirouette. Not on her slender waist that beckons for his hands. Not the way her perfectly sculpted, exposed shoulders beg to be peppered with kisses.
"Stunning," says Aziraphale.
Angelique shakes her head and places her hands on her hips with a pout. "You've said that about everything I've tried on!"
He chuckles and splays his hands innocently. "I should not be to blame that everything looks positively impeccable on you, darling."
It's only when Angelique blushes scarlet that Aziraphale realises what he just called her. He doesn't know what to do. Apologise? No. What would Crowley do? Ah, yes, play it cool.
"It also shouldn't surprise you that you have great taste, my dear. An incredible eye for fashion." Aziraphale hopes his smile doesn't look as nervous as he feels. "But if you are having trouble choosing, this one is my favourite."
Finally, Angelique's face splits into a genuine toothy grin, and Aziraphale is filled with pride that he was the cause for it.
"Um, thanks," she giggles prettily. "I'll just take this one then," she says softly. Eyes looking toward the floor, Angelique moves back into the dressing room, bumping into the door awkwardly. "Ouch. Right. I'll just change," she trips over her shoes that lay discarded on the ground. "Whoa! Ha! Won't be a tick. Then we can–" her hand slips off the door handle while trying to kick her shoes out of the way.
Aziraphale fears she really might fall. His fingers wrap around her shoulders while her hands come to rest on his chest.
Giggling a bit hysterically, Angelique wobbles before standing straight. "Thank you."
Aziraphale's thumbs rub circles over her smooth skin without his permission. "You're not usually clumsy," he teases.
With an exasperated puff of air, Angelique rolls her eyes. "I'm not usually a lot of things these days. I lost my keys this morning. I never lose my keys–I never lose anything! Even if I misplace something, it turns up when I really need it."
Aziraphale scoffs at the mention of her strange luck.
"My hot water ran out on me last night. Thought it was the water heater gone bad, but it was fine. It's never happened before."
"To be fair, you take extraordinarily long showers, multiple times a day," he chides.
"But still!" Angelique grows genuinely frustrated. "It's other stuff too. I just don't feel," she closes her eyes, "right." She deflates. "Crowley checked me. He says there's nothing wrong."
Aziraphale frowns. "May I?" He regrets the moment he asks, thinking he'd pushed too far. Letting him in would be too intimate–
"Yes, please check. Maybe he missed something?"
Swallowing hard, Aziraphale nods and drags his hands up, placing two fingers on her temples. "Just relax."
At his words, she melts into him and takes a deep breath.
The moment he delves into her energy, he's overwhelmed with love but also finds a bit of sadness. She's holding that information from him, so he does not press. Aziraphale focuses on her physical health but finds nothing amiss. He's hesitant but probes into her mental state. Nothing there to worry over. It's the emotional energy that has the stain of the blues, and when he tries to poke at it, he's kicked out altogether.
Aziraphale jolts from the force of his departure. It was like he was just tossed arse first from a warm home onto the cold pavement.
Angelique gasps. "Oh! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"
"It's fine—just an unexpected exit." Aziraphale is still reeling. All humans have free will, but he's never experienced something like this before. Whatever Angelique just did, it was no regular block or evasion that Humans are barely capable of to begin with.
"I didn't hurt you, did I? Apparently I did it to Crowley too. Compared it to a time in Syracus when he–"
"Decided to be hurled across a field by the first catapult, yes. Would have gotten discorporated, the idiot, had I not been there."
That made Angelique snort and laugh. "I'd have paid to see that."
Aziraphale chuckles and rolls his eyes. Their laughter trails off awkwardly when they both realise how close their faces are.
This is not good. This is toeing a dangerous line. A line he will not cross. Aziraphale latches onto his angelic willpower and pulls away.
He clears his throat and releases Angelique completely. "I didn't see anything worth worrying about. Though it might be your emotional state. Even I have bad days, and it influences the effect of my miracles."
Angelique bites her lip. He wants to soothe it with a kiss. "I don't think so. This only started happening a few days ago, and I can't think of anything that has changed. Honestly, it feels like it's someone else's fault."
This gives Aziraphale pause. "What do you mean?"
"I dunno. I just feel this need to blame someone else for messing with my vibe."
Guilt instantly sinks in his belly. It's me, he thinks, I'm the one messing with your vibe. I'm the one confusing you.
While Angelique changes, Aziraphale purchases all the dresses she tried on, including the polka-dotted one. This makes Angelique light up even though she tells him he shouldn't have done it.
Aziraphale tries to concentrate on his pastry when he sees Angelique staring at him. This isn't new. Crowley does it too. For some reason, he finally decides to voice this fact. "Do you and Crowley have a laugh at me after every meal? You stare almost as much as he does." He laughs nervously.
Angelique raises her gaze from his mouth to his eyes, and he swears he sees hunger there. "Never. Though I am curious about something."
"Hmm?"
"Do you order almost everything on the menu because you want it all, or is it that you just can't decide on what you want?"
Aziraphale frowns and dabs at his mouth with his napkin. He looks at their table and notices the unreasonable amount of food on it. "Never thought about it actually." He grows thoughtful but comes up with nothing. "I suppose it's as much as a mystery to me as to why Crowley doesn't eat." He smiles down at his plate.
Angelique's fork clatters on her plate loudly, which makes Aziraphale look up. He's taken aback by her stricken expression.
"What is it? What's wrong?" He asks.
"You don't know?" Angelique asks cautiously.
"Know what?"
"Why Crowley doesn't eat," she pronounces slowly.
Aziraphale shrugs. "Never thought to ask. Our lot don't need to eat so..." he trails off when Angelique looks at him with sad eyes. He suddenly feels cold. "You know why." It's not a question, but he's desperate to ask.
Angelique's gaze shifts nervously as she debates whether she should say. She seems to make a decision. "He didn't say it was a secret," she mumbles to herself, and then clears her throat. "Crowley doesn't eat because," Angelique stares at her plate dejectedly, "because food turns to ash in his mouth."
Aziraphale's brain sputters to a complete stop. "What?" he breathes.
Angelique shrugs. "Something about punishment for tempting Eve to eat the apple." Her eyes abruptly go wide at Aziraphale's expression, and she grabs onto his trembling hand. "But-but it's not all bad," she consoles quickly. "He says that liquids are okay. He can taste–"
He doesn't hear the rest of that sentence. He vaguely hears his name being called. His mind is too busy supplying him with every instance he's invited Crowley to lunch or dinner. Every time he's pushed Crowley to try a bite of something from his plate. And all he can think is why.
"Why didn't I know this? Why has he never told me?" Aziraphale focuses his gaze on Angelique. "All these years, why has he told you and not me?" The hurt is evident in voice, and Angelique strokes his knuckles, looking confused before she speaks.
"Because I asked?"
The simplicity of her answer confounds him before he understands its depth.
Angelique is like Crowley in so many ways, but this was the starkest difference between them and Aziraphale. She asked. She asked Crowley why, and he answered her, just like she persistently asked Crowley out on dates. She asked him, and one day he finally said yes.
Aziraphale never asked. Aziraphale made a point never to ask.
"Forgive me, dear, but I must go. This is–this is-–"
Angelique's phone rings. She looks at it and gapes. "It's Crowley."
All Aziraphale can do is nod, so she answers the phone.
"Hi, love... yes, we're still out... he's here... erm, okay," she purses her lips and sends a questioning look at Aziraphale. "He wants to talk to you."
Aziraphale shakes his head, but the phone is already in his hand. He gulps and steels his nerves. He places the phone at his ear and clears his throat. "Crowley?"
"Hey! Try not to be obvious," Crowley says with excitement and a hint of nervousness. "Hard thing to ask from you, I know. I wasn't gonna, but I need to ask you something."
Aziraphale is momentarily distracted by the growing desperation in Crowley's tone. "All right."
"Can you, erm, does she–this is pathetic," Crowley growls and groans before he spits it out. "Does she still love me?"
Aziraphale had not been prepared for that. He hadn't been prepared for a lot, apparently. He stays silent too long because Crowley is already trying to hurry off the phone.
"Nevermind. I shouldn't–I shouldn't have... I don't wanna know–"
"Yes."
"What?" Crowley seems to hold his breath.
"I said, yes."
A sigh of relief peaks into static on the receiver. "So, so, nothing's changed? She still loves me the same as before?"
"More than."
There's silence before Crowley speaks again, with an unmistakable smile in his voice. "That's–that's good. That's great. Thanks, angel. That's great news." He exhales with a laugh. "I'm treating you to lunch tomorrow. Anywhere you wanna go! Gotta run for now, ciao!"
The call ends, and before Azirphale knows what he's doing, he's on the sidewalk, leaving Angelique behind. He's walking quickly toward the bookshop before a blood-curdling scream rips through the air and his heart.
Aziraphale whirls around to find people rushing to the table he just left. "Angelique?"
"Someone call an ambulance!" A man cries.
He's running back as fast as he can. "Angelique?!"
Aziraphale pushes the growing crowd apart and collapses to knees next to Angelique's lifeless form on the ground.
"Give the man some room! Sir, are you a doctor?"
Aziraphale ignores everyone and draws on his power to delve into Angelique's energy. It doesn't work. He tries again. He's forced back before he can even get in. "What is this? Angelique?!" He pulls her into his arms. "Wake up, my darling." He snaps his fingers, miracling her to come to but it doesn't work either. This is unprecedented. "Angelique, love, wake up!" He shakes her.
A siren blares and two men tear her out of Aziraphale's arms.
"Wait!" He gets up and tries to climb into the ambulance when he's stopped by the medic.
"What's your relation–"
"Husband!" He blurts out the first thing that comes to mind and clambers inside the vehicle, taking one of Angelique's hands in his. "It's all right," he murmurs into her cheek. "It'll be all right."
He keeps up the lies. It's what he's good at after all.
