I know I’ve already talked a little bit about Crowley + circling Aziraphale and what it means in my previous post, but I was thinking about it again, and, like. listen.
Crowley did not begin circling Aziraphale until after the Arrangement was put into effect.
The birth of the arrangement is really the birth of “their side.” Because it’s pretty clear that from that point onward, Crowley thinks of it as “us vs them” and “us” is not Hell, it is him and Aziraphale.
Aziraphale won’t admit that they have their own side now, but Crowley never tries to deny it.
But the point is: the first mention of the arrangement, in 1601, and the first time we see Crowley circle around Aziraphale’s back coincide and that is not a coincidence.
From the moment it’s “us,” Crowley takes on the role of protector, because he understands that it won’t have occurred to Aziraphale. Aziraphale is a great many wonderful, contradictory things, but he is not a warrior.
He’s never been suited to war. He isn’t suspicious or distrusting enough for it, and we see that again and again throughout their history.
Crowley, though, is. He’s a demon; he knows the truth of humanity, of Heaven, of Hell. He knows what’s in store for them if they’re caught, and so he keeps watch.
He does it because he’s afraid for them; afraid to be caught and afraid of what will happen if they are. But he’s even more afraid to be caught unaware.
Aziraphale, too, is afraid. He’s constantly pointing out the danger, but specifically the danger to Crowley.
“If Hell finds out, they won’t just be angry,” he says as they stand in the Globe theater, “they’ll destroy you.”
Crowley fears that very thing, too, and that fear only grows as they grow closer.
Aziraphale warns of Hell’s ire in 1601, but Crowley still feels the need to remind him in 1793: “If my people find out I rescued an angel, I’ll be the one in trouble, and my lot do not send rude notes.”
And yet, he still looks out for Aziraphale again and again. He still rescues Aziraphale. He still circles him, quite literally watching his back, when they’re together.
He does his level best to be a barrier between Aziraphale and the rest of the world and he does it without telling Aziraphale that that’s what he’s doing. He makes it look just casual enough that Aziraphale thinks it’s just something that Crowley does, meandering around.
But look. Look. The important thing, the truly important thing, is this:
Even when he’s wearing Aziraphale’s face, Crowley is circling around his angel’s back, scanning their surroundings, keeping watch.
And if you notice, he’s the first taken. Heaven takes “Aziraphale” before Hell can get to “Crowley,” because the real Crowley is the barrier between everyone else and the real Aziraphale, just like he wanted to be.
Crowley is taken first, because despite his fear, that was always his plan.
