You Are So Loved! | Good Omens - Ineffable Husbands Fic

then

It was about a week after Crowley's fake anniversary and after a week's worth of meditation of him trying to keep his emotions on the down-low as much as possible, that he went back to see Aziraphale. It was a lazy Sunday for pretty much everyone and Crowley strolled in right around lunch time. He sprawled out in a chair at the front of the shop, waiting for the angel to come from the back of the shop and greet him at the sound of the bell. But after a few moments pass and no greeting comes, he realizes Aziraphale must not have heard him enter, leaving Crowley alone with his thoughts. With his heart racing in his chest and panic slowly beginning to spread onto his face, Crowley starts to leave. Oh no, oh no. He worries. What if he figured out it was me anyway, despite my harsh departure a week ago? I tried to calm down so he wouldn't figure out, but what if he already knows?

The anxiety makes his stomach flip sideways, and he is just about to make a run for it when his chair screeches against the floor as he stands up. Aziraphale speaks a "hello?" into the nearly empty bookshop, then rounds the corner of the shelf to see who it is. "Oh!" He says somewhat delighted, but then tones down his expression of joy by quite a lot. Oh F*CK! Crowley thinks. He knows, he knows.

It is at this point that Aziraphale realizes how happy he sounded before. There I go, getting my hopes up again. He turns down his brightness just a little bit. Aziraphale would be awfully embarrassed to give Crowley the impression that he is foolish enough to love someone that can't love him back. However foolish I may be, I can't have him know that, he thinks to himself before offering the demon a cup of tea. Crowley accepts, and Aziraphale has to stop himself from being too happy in front of him again.

The truth is, he knows Crowley has been quite distant this week compared to the few most recent ones before this, and he got fairly used to him being around. The truth is, Aziraphale missed him. Which is exactly why he is sad when he does not stay long at all, only half way finishing his tea before mumbling something about "should be going, see ya later."

After this whole encounter, Crowley realizes that Aziraphale must not have figured out the truth yet. He hadn't mentioned the ordeal from the week before either, not even once. He decides he's in the clear, but still takes his time letting things get back to they way they were.