"It's an autoimmune disease, so yeah. I wear the glasses most of the time." Especially when it was bright, which was most everywhere during the day. He looked Aziraphale over and shook his head in turn, wanting to correct him.
"Darling, come on. You've never been at a gay party. Trust me as someone who's been to too many: Catnip. With that hair, the smile, the way you move and the great bum? You better don't go without me, I think you'll need guidance." Especially as he considered for just a moment just who would go after someone like this. Yeah, he'd have to keep Aziraphale safe from that. Golden-haired cherub was just bound to call to the wrong forces determined to corrupt him.
Basically he was Bill, if Bill wasn't already corrupted. So Crowley was worried just thinking about it.
"I--I have what?" He had a good arse and a nice smile and -- he liked his hair? Aziraphale laughed and then frowned a little, feeling a bit thrown. "I think that's the only time someone has spoken on my looks in a complimentary fashion. Then again, most of the people I know like to call me queer so I assume that's not really a danger here. Or a negative." Aziraphale found that oddly comforting. What he had couldn't be used against him, he couldn't be hated for what he was. Oh and there it was, that powerful, painful yearning.
"I want to. One day. Maybe not often, I'm not a party person but -- maybe. To be with people. People like me. I'm always around people who dislike almost everything about me, that love me 'in spite' of myself." And it hurt to always feel like that. And he would never feel at home in a party but he could at least belong for five seconds. And that was a nice thought.
"Yeah?" Of course he had. He would be a romantic like that. Crowley found himself smiling and then he reached into his pocket. He unlocked his phone without even looking at it, opened up a music app and simply selected a random song off his playlists, turning up the volume.
Queens. Of course it would be.
He chuckled as he got up, holding a hand out for Aziraphale. "I'm a boy." In case that wasn't clear. "Let's show you what you've been missing."
"I'm at work." Aziraphale protested. "Someone could see..."
Who could see. They were off to the side, in the office, and no one could see. His colleague was working the desk, the storytime session was going and no one really needed him. He wanted to protest but there was music and a boy was asking him to dance and--
He took his hand without thinking, not sure what to do. He hadn't danced in years. Not with a boy either. Did he lead or follow? Was it a waltz? He could not stand on his feet or he would ruin everything!!
Honestly, Crowley had no idea how to dance to this. He barely knew how to dance unless reasonably drunk and surrounded by hot bodies and a deafening beat. However, this was a repressed gay boy who just wanted to be held. Dance with another boy. So he took his hand and pulled him close, wrapped an arm around him and moved, at least vaguely, to the music, while looking down at Aziraphale.
Good old fashioned lover boy seemed about right for this.
There was no going back from this, was there? No chance, no. His heart was racing and he had to blink back tears by the end of it because this man was holding him and treating him like a lover, not like a pain. And it was making his heart hurt more than he could imagine. When the song eventually ended, Aziraphale pulled himself together and pulled away carefully.
"I--"
"UNCLE CROWLEY! UNCLE CROOOOOOWLEY." Oh. That would be Adam. Aziraphale laughed, almost grateful for the quick save.
"By the pest, yeah." Crowley reached up to rub his eyes briefly and then he pushed his glasses up, looking right at Aziraphale without them in the way. Aziraphale liked his eyes, he could deal with the light for just a moment. Or several. It was so very flattering that he liked his eyes. "I believe you are wanted too."
He needed him to know that. He could do so much better than that closeted life. Crowley flashed him a smile and then let the glasses slide back down, turning around to leave the kitchen and find his wayward child. "Adam? What do you need, brat?"
"I got my books." Adam informed Crowley as he tried to peer over the desk. "Are you talking to Aziraphale? He's my friend too."
Aziraphale pulled himself together swiftly, Crowley's words haunting him as he tried his best to keep himself above water. He came out of the kitchen too, smiling fondly at Adam. "Hello, my dear boy. How are you doing, young Adam? Did you find books?"
"I have lots of them. We're gonna go home and read. I have the Gruffalo." Adam smiled and then held them out towards his uncle. "Were your playing?"
"Ah, you know me. Big player, me." Crowley got down to Adam's level so he could have a look at the books he had brought with him, taking them from him before he could drop any. "You'll have to ask Aziraphale whether those books are good. He's the expert, he ought to know."
He glanced up at Aziraphale and shrugged. "I don't know how much you specialise in the two to five market." Probably not overly. Looked more like a serious book reader. "You got books that Bill would like? Whatcha think?"
"From all I do know, he has a fantastic selection."
Adam beamed and then held up the marvel short stories he had gotten. "Bill will like this, he can read it to me."
Bill. Who was Bill? Crowley mentioned him and Adam seemed excited to -- oh. Oh God, he was an idiot. Crowley was taken. Ah. Well. That explained it. That was pity back there, wasn't it? Made sense. He should had expected it. He should hope for it. He could have sworn Crowley said he was single but -- well, maybe he was into this Bill fellow or he misunderstood.
Aziraphale took the library card that Adam was brandishing at him and swiftly typed up the stuff on the computer, taking the books from the boy to scan them. "I hope you enjoy them. You and, uh, you and Bill. And your uncle, of course."
"Bill probably will. Seems about on his emotional level." There was a book about a dinosaur that worried. Seemed tailormade for his friend. "Which one do you think Bill will like the most, huh?"
Crowley picked up Adam so he could look over the counter, watching what Aziraphale was doing. He wanted to ask him to come to a club with him some time, really, but now there were people around. Aziraphale wasn't out. He knew he had to tread carefully.
"So, you should have my phone number. Just in case we need to text you about something. Regarding the book."
What was going on with this situation? He was so confused. Who was Bill?! He could have asked but he was flustered and he didn't want to make a fool of himself. Crowley was so nice and even if he didn't like him that much, at least he was nice? He smiled a little when Adam looked over and tilted his monitor so the boy could watch. "I, uh, I have your number. In the system. If it was a real number, anyway. I assume you didn't give me a dud."
"You can call and come over. Do you want to come over?"
"Perhaps one day." When he understood who Bill was. He finished up and held the books out. "It was nice to talk to you again, Crowley. You are always... enlightening."
"You should come over. Then we could go out, I can get Bill to play sitter for a night." Why not? He'd be easy enough to convince if he let him sleep on the couch and have whatever he wanted from the kitchen. Bill always liked snacks, he had no idea whether that boy was ever not hungry. "You are a whole shard of light, angel. Don't leave me hanging. Hit me up."
That said, he lifted Adam off the counter, but kept him in his arms as he headed for the exit. "Ciao!"
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"Darling, come on. You've never been at a gay party. Trust me as someone who's been to too many: Catnip. With that hair, the smile, the way you move and the great bum? You better don't go without me, I think you'll need guidance." Especially as he considered for just a moment just who would go after someone like this. Yeah, he'd have to keep Aziraphale safe from that. Golden-haired cherub was just bound to call to the wrong forces determined to corrupt him.
Basically he was Bill, if Bill wasn't already corrupted. So Crowley was worried just thinking about it.
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"I want to. One day. Maybe not often, I'm not a party person but -- maybe. To be with people. People like me. I'm always around people who dislike almost everything about me, that love me 'in spite' of myself." And it hurt to always feel like that. And he would never feel at home in a party but he could at least belong for five seconds. And that was a nice thought.
"... I always wanted to dance with a boy."
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Queens. Of course it would be.
He chuckled as he got up, holding a hand out for Aziraphale. "I'm a boy." In case that wasn't clear. "Let's show you what you've been missing."
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Who could see. They were off to the side, in the office, and no one could see. His colleague was working the desk, the storytime session was going and no one really needed him. He wanted to protest but there was music and a boy was asking him to dance and--
He took his hand without thinking, not sure what to do. He hadn't danced in years. Not with a boy either. Did he lead or follow? Was it a waltz? He could not stand on his feet or he would ruin everything!!
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Good old fashioned lover boy seemed about right for this.
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"I--"
"UNCLE CROWLEY! UNCLE CROOOOOOWLEY." Oh. That would be Adam. Aziraphale laughed, almost grateful for the quick save.
"I believe you're wanted."
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He needed him to know that. He could do so much better than that closeted life. Crowley flashed him a smile and then let the glasses slide back down, turning around to leave the kitchen and find his wayward child. "Adam? What do you need, brat?"
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Aziraphale pulled himself together swiftly, Crowley's words haunting him as he tried his best to keep himself above water. He came out of the kitchen too, smiling fondly at Adam. "Hello, my dear boy. How are you doing, young Adam? Did you find books?"
"I have lots of them. We're gonna go home and read. I have the Gruffalo." Adam smiled and then held them out towards his uncle. "Were your playing?"
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He glanced up at Aziraphale and shrugged. "I don't know how much you specialise in the two to five market." Probably not overly. Looked more like a serious book reader. "You got books that Bill would like? Whatcha think?"
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Adam beamed and then held up the marvel short stories he had gotten. "Bill will like this, he can read it to me."
Bill. Who was Bill? Crowley mentioned him and Adam seemed excited to -- oh. Oh God, he was an idiot. Crowley was taken. Ah. Well. That explained it. That was pity back there, wasn't it? Made sense. He should had expected it. He should hope for it. He could have sworn Crowley said he was single but -- well, maybe he was into this Bill fellow or he misunderstood.
Aziraphale took the library card that Adam was brandishing at him and swiftly typed up the stuff on the computer, taking the books from the boy to scan them. "I hope you enjoy them. You and, uh, you and Bill. And your uncle, of course."
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Crowley picked up Adam so he could look over the counter, watching what Aziraphale was doing. He wanted to ask him to come to a club with him some time, really, but now there were people around. Aziraphale wasn't out. He knew he had to tread carefully.
"So, you should have my phone number. Just in case we need to text you about something. Regarding the book."
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"You can call and come over. Do you want to come over?"
"Perhaps one day." When he understood who Bill was. He finished up and held the books out. "It was nice to talk to you again, Crowley. You are always... enlightening."
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That said, he lifted Adam off the counter, but kept him in his arms as he headed for the exit. "Ciao!"