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Crowley raced into The Gilded Cage. Still a favored regular haunt on a Thursday, but for different reasons these days. And unfortunately, this time he was alone.
The nightclub was still a place where everyone knew him, but for many years, they knew someone not really him. It had taken him time, age, and arguably wisdom — if he ever thought he had much — to get to know himself better. And now that he was much more confident and comfortable in his own skin, he was grateful there was a place with people that cared about and accepted him as he was. Even if one of those people was Bea.
“Bea! Quick, runnin’ late, need you to do something for me.”
Bea eyed him as they slowly walked down the bar. “Where's my star?”
“Home.”
“If he's sick, you can't have his shift. I've seen you dance.”
Bea was irritating and surly, as usual, but seemed to enjoy tightening the screws on him. If he wasn't in a rush, it might have actually been fun to torture Bea back.
“Just for that, ‘m dancin’ next week,” he smirked.
If anything, the staff at The Gilded Cage knew him and his partner better now than ever. Today, he wished he could stay, but a demanding prima donna client — a high-paying one — had him out of town for two days. On a normal Thursday, the staff was used to seeing him come in during Aziraphale's shifts, having grown accustomed to the inseparable pair of them.
“Please, don't, I'll lose money. I'll give you a free drink if you stand still,” Bea scoffed.
“So, can you do us a favor or not?” Crowley paced.
“I'm still considering options,” Bea sneered, pouring a pint slow and steady. The more frantic Crowley was, the slower Bea moved. He could tell Bea was definitely enjoying watching him squirm.
“C'mon. My Uber's double-parked. We can argue later. Promise.”
“What do you want?”
For Bea, that was as much of a yes as he was getting.
“I can't make it tonight,” he said as he removed an envelope from his pocket and slid it across the bar, turning to head out. “I need you to give that to him when he gets here.”
“I'll do it for him. I need him happy before he goes on.” Bea called after Crowley.
“Good enough! Cheers!” He said over his shoulder as he raced back out the door.
Aziraphale came in for his shift about an hour later, walking towards the back with his head hung slightly.
“Hey, your boyfriend stopped by. Left this,” Bea called over to him before he reached the end of the bar.
“That's strange,” he said, taking the small envelope. “He could have just given it to me this morning before he left. Did he say if this was something important?”
“Must be, he kept his Uber waiting for it,” Bea said.
Aziraphale placed his bag down on a stool and sat to read the message Crowley left for him:
My dearest Angel,
Ever since we've been together, becoming an us together, I despise having to travel away from you. I'll miss seeing you dance tonight, so know that I'll be seeing you dance in my dreams instead, as you always do. I'm asking Bea to give this note to you, in hopes it will help make you smile before your shift. Forever a fan of your gorgeous smile, me.
The note was signed Love, Crowley at the bottom in his usual rushed penmanship, and underneath it was a poem:
I See You
You glide across and climb on high
To lock yourself within a cage
But no, it doesn't bind you tight
It's here you find you're free.
At first ignored, you start to move
And as you dance, I'm swept away
Your vortex I cannot escape
I'm breathless to its might.
Hot bodies pound the dancefloor's sound
Deep down below where demons dwell
And writhe through sweaty, lustful pulls
You steal me from this fate.
Within the cage, you've built a world
Bright, like a joyful sun, you spin
I awe in your self-confidence
Drawn to your radiance.
Your beauty haunts my every thought
Both frees and shackles me so deep
Though you're the one high in a cage
It seems you've captured me.
I'm far away, minutia calls
Think of me as you dance tonight
I see you, love, you're in my dreams
My heart, forever light.
Before you, I was so adrift
Saw you, but struggled to see me
You gave me strength to find myself
My love, I now feel seen.