"Oh, Crowley, look, her favorite book is Jane Eyre."
"Yes, yes, angel, you previously beamed about it." Crowley drank his coffee from across the table. "What year are you in?"
Aziraphale fixed his glasses to place. "The date on this photo is 2015." He, quite enthusiastically, shared the phone's screen with Crowley. "She went on holiday to witness the northern lights." Aziraphale's eyes softened as he went back to scrolling through Cassi's Instagram. He had previously been on her Twitter, and having reached the end of her profile, had gone across the street and asked Nina to help him locate more of Cassi's social media. "Why doesn't she post photos of herself? It's mainly her cat, Hex, books she has read, events she has attended, and photos of the sky. Oh! Nina?" He gestured towards the busy shop owner.
Nina spotted him, again, from the counter, excused herself, and begrudgingly made her way to the couple sitting towards the back wall. "What is it now?" She started to regret setting up social media for the bookseller. She was happy to help but did not think he had these many questions.
Aziraphale raised the phone to her. "The phone vibrated, and this red heart came up."
"You received a notification." Nina inspected. "Click on it and it'll let you know." Aziraphale did as instructed, and his eyes grew wide open. Before he could ask, Nina checked the screen. "It seems she followed you back and oh, left you a comment on one of your pictures. Wait, you already posted?"
The angel gasped excitedly at the prospect of making some form of contact. "He only has three posts." Crowley informed. "One of the Bentley, one of the bookshop, and one of us."
"Four, my dearest." The angel smiled. "I took one of you just now, drinking your coffee. You looked quite good in this light."
"Listen, I'm glad you two are finally together but please refrain from flirting in front of me. I have to get back to work." Nina was honestly happy for them, but did they have to act all honeymoon phase in her coffeeshop?
As Nina went back to work, Aziraphale shoved the phone in Crowley's face. "She commented on the bookshop one."
Any copies of Jane Eyre per chance?
Crowley lowered the phone and placed his elbows on the table. "So, you're telling me, both my partner and daughter are book nerds?"
"I don't see that as a bad thing. Even if she is one, it would be your fault."
"My fault? How is it bloody my fault?"
Aziraphale chuckled. "Whatever she gets from me was put there in place by you and vice versa." Crowley choked on his own saliva, having been annoyed by his angel's true statement. "Oh, how should I reply? Do I invite her over?"
"Erm." A dilemma surfaced. One both demon and angel seemed to have overlooked. "How exactly are we approaching her? I don't believe it will be easy for someone to hear they are on this earth because they are, consequently, the product of a miracle." Aziraphale's gleeful demeanor soured. "Oh," Crowley groaned, "don't, don't look at me like that, angel. You know I'm right. We can't just go up to her. What if she doesn't know who she is, what she is?"
"She knows."
Crowley shrugged his shoulders. "And how would you know that? Angel, you cannot tell what a person is like by just a couple of posts on the internet. You've concocted this image of her in your head and what if she is not like that at all. What if she leans towards more of her demonic side than her angelic one? Aaa-and not a demon like me but the other bottom of the barrel ones."
Aziraphale pursed his lips. "Cassi is not like other demons."
Crowley leaned his body across the table and placed his hand gently on his angel's arm. "Angel, wha-what if she's human? She would be eighty-two in human years." Crowley could feel Aziraphale's demeanor change but he proceeded, "Humans only live to a certain age, what if -"
"What if you stop with your what ifs." Aziraphale's chair screeched the floor as he had had enough of Crowley's nonsense. "She's not human and most certainly not a demon like yo - " He immediately stopped himself.
"Oh? I see. You seem to be forgetting which side wants her for a science experiment." Crowley rose from his own chair as he stared at the riled-up angel in front of him. "I'll give you a hint. It certainly isn't the side you left me for."
"You said you forgave me."
"It seems it's not in my nature to forgive on account of being a demon and whatnot."
Nina came between them as the intensity grew. "Okay, will you two sit down? You're scaring away my customers." After a pregnant pause, the two entities obeyed, eyes still on each other, and not the loving ones they had had all day. "What is with the weird conversation and…you know what, who is this Cassi?"
"Our daughter." Aziraphale replied quietly.
Nina rubbed her ear, "I'm sorry? Your… your what?" Her head seemed as if it would snap any minute while she turned her head to Crowley then to Aziraphale and back to Crowley. "You need to explain because the more I know you guys, the more I'm convinced you are not of this planet."
"Aziraphale and I fostered a girl years ago." Crowley lied as he was not about to spill every single detail to a human regarding the situation. "Unfortunately, when we were about to adopt her, they took her away. Isn't that right, angel?"
Nina turned to Aziraphale for confirmation. The angel did nothing but nod in agreement. "You guys lack so much communication. You are not together and yet, foster a child, almost adopt?"
"She was from a mutual friend. They, um, could not care for her." For an angel, Aziraphale could lie as if it was nothing. "We were happy to help."
"Listen," Nina started, "I don't know much about your relationship, but I do know you have a lot of history together. Whatever you're dealing with, I'm sure you can find a way to fix it, only if you talk to each other. Communicate." She sighed. "I got to get back to work."
The coffee shop buzzed with chatter and coffee being made as Crowley and Aziraphale kept their eyes on each other. "I'm sorry." The angel calmly stated. "I should not have," his hand reached for Crowley's, "said those things. You are nothing like other demons and I admit I was wrong in suggesting that you were. Especially," he squeezed Crowley's hand, "seven months ago when I said you are the bad guys instead of they are the bad guys. I - I do admit you were right. Everything is not black and white, there are shades in between."
Crowley rubbed circles on the back of Aziraphale's hand. "Tsk, for my part, I still seem to be dealing with your departure."
"I'm sorry, my dearest, we will work on this as long as needed."
A comfortable silence grew between them as their eyes went back to their honeymoon stage. "Since we are working on our communication," he smirked, "can we go now? I have the urge to make out with you and I don't think these people need to see." Aziraphale grinned all too happily until he felt a sudden change in the air. "Ow, ow, ow, fuck, angel, you're crushing my hand!"
The angel placed his other hand on his chest as a wave of love, one that he had never felt before of this magnitude, tingled his senses and his very being. "She's near," he said under his breath.
"Shit, shit, shit," Crowley grunted through his teeth, "that's great, angel, but you're crushing my hand!" Aziraphale immediately let go and stood, approaching the large window. "Who's here?" Crowley stood behind him after getting his blood flowing through his hand.
"Can't you feel it? It's overpowering." Crowley shook his head as he searched for whatever Aziraphale was looking at. "Love. So much love." The angel looked among the crowd of pedestrians outside the narrow Soho street. He let out a shaky breath as he took Crowley's hand once more and gestured towards his bookshop's entrance.
His phone vibrated again but he ignored it as he and his demon lover's gaze fell onto a redhead, curly haired girl taking a photo of his beloved bookshop.
