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A scream cuts through the peace of the day, echoing as it fades. Another follows, and another - this time so close that it harmonizes with the scream that came before.
Aziraphale groans and lowers his book just enough so that he can see the children on the edge of the water. It looks like none of them are drowning. Probably.
Brian screams again; as does Wensleydale. This time, Aziraphale can see the splash from Pepper that prompted all this noise.
“Children!” he calls and all four - the Them and Warlock - turn to give him blank looks. “We might be the only ones on the beach but do we really need to scream?”
“Course we do,” Adam says. “What else are you ‘posed to do if there’s no one else to get mad about it?”
And with that, he charges at Pepper, screaming all the time. Warlock joins in on the charge with his own screams, as Pepper screams her own war cry back at them.
Aziraphale groans again, falling back onto the towel behind him and letting his book rest on his face.
Lying on the towel beside him, Crowley laughs. “What did you expect, Angel, when you volunteered to watch a bunch of kids at the seaside?”
“Peace and quiet,” Aziraphale grumbles, lifting his book a little and rolling so he can see Crowley’s face.
Crowley who is still lying on his back, sunbathing, though with a visible grin. “No child is peaceful or quiet on a beach.”
“I was hoping they’d start digging,” Aziraphale says, sitting up and eyeing the children at the water’s edge. They have acquired a bucket from somewhere and he can’t quite see what they’re doing with it.
Crowley snorts at Aziraphale’s comment. “They’ll get to that. Gotta get the screaming done before they go for their mandatory digging time.”
Warlock looks up and meets Aziraphale’s eyes. He lifts the bucket, pointing at Crowley.
Aziraphale pauses for a moment, then nods.
All the children grin.
“At what point does that time commence?” Aziraphale asks, keeping his voice level as the children sneak up the beach with a very full looking bucket of water. He pushes his book away, and tenses himself, ready to move.
“Eh, sometime before nightfall. Honestly, it's when the screaming stops that you need to worry-” Crowley cuts himself off. “Like it has now.”
The bucket, held by Warlock, is only a meter or so away. All the children give Aziraphale a panicked look.
“Now!” he cries and throws himself away from Crowley.
Warlock charges forward, the vanguard of the screaming children, and dumps the bucket of cold sea water over Crowley. They then all flee as Crowley throws himself to his feet with a spluttering roar, his sunglasses falling as he takes off in pursuit of the closest child - Brian.
Aziraphale, meanwhile, carefully moves his book into his bag, grabs the discarded bucket, and goes to rearm himself.
After all, if you cannot beat them you should join them.