Demon Hunting and First Dates. With angelbuffy

[angelusliam]

((Follows this post.Angel didn't get much sleep that day. The curtains that had been brought up were perfect, heavy velvet that let in no light at all, and he felt perfectly comfortable walking around the room during the day

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[angelusliam]

She didn't mind not going out to eat. It didn't really matter to him, if she didn't care... "Alright, why don't we head back to the hotel after this, order something, and, find a movie to watch, or something." He was going to end up watching her eat, no matter what they did--not that he minded, he just didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, not-eating in a restaurant. Girls were weird about that, he knew.

The only problem he foresaw with this new plan, was the fact that they would be alone together. At a restaurant, there were other patrons, the wait staff, etc. In the suite, it was just them, one room away from a very large bed. Hell, there was a couch 15 feet away from the dining area, and don't forget the dining table itself. He remembered what happened to the last table they'd had sex on, but he was betting this one was a lot more durable... he knew he shouldn't be thinking about that, but part of him really wanted to find out.

As long as Buffy didn't know what he was thinking, they were fine. As long as they didn't touch each other back at the hotel room, they were fine.

The carriage ride was fun. He pointed out some of the sights in the park, but mostly, he just enjoyed the excitement pouring off Buffy.

[angelbuffy]

The held hands the entire carriage ride. Angel showed her things, and at some point they sat in silence for a while. Like a perfect date of perfectness. She was so happy and couldn’t help but kiss him on the lips after the ride was over. It was just the perfect moment. There were people around, so they would never rip off each others clothes or anything like that. It was more of a ‘thank you’ affectionate kiss than anything else.

She had to pull him down to her far enough, because he was so tall, which probably looked a lot more PDA than it really was. At that point, however, he caring what others thought about her didn’t exist. After the kiss, she just looked at him in the eyes and smiled. “Thank you, Angel. Really. For everything.” She stopped walking, and kept going. “For coming with me, and dealing with my ridiculous demands, and listening to me, and just being here. It really feels like a dream.” She was really grateful for everything. It was just really hard to express that into words at the moment. So awkwardly, she turned from him and started walking again. “Want to walk back to the hotel?”

It was cold, but moments were perfect, and she just wanted to walk with him like they used to. Without the threat of vampires. For once.

[angelusliam]

She kissed him, right there at the entrance to Central Park. Angel could only imagine the picture they made, the petite blonde pulling on the lapels of the taller man's coat, nothing distinguishing them from the mass of other New Yorkers out for the night. They were just two ordinary people, just a regular couple, finishing up a date with a kiss.

So many people wished they were different, were special, and worked so hard to make themselves stand out from the crowd. At that moment, Angel wanted nothing more than to have a perfectly normal, ordinary, regular and boring relationship with Buffy. And that's what they were working toward. What they were having.

She thanked him, and Angel couldn't help a small, breathy chuckle. "Believe me Buffy, when I say it's my pleasure. Thank you for..." For what? Giving him a second chance, giving him chance number whatever-he-was-on. For everything, for making his life--his existence, worth it, for-- "For being you," he continued softly. "For loving me, and... yeah, I think 'everything' covers it." He wrapped his arms around her in a loose embrace, and kissed her forehead lovingly. What would he do without this woman? "It's better than a dream," he murmured. "This is real."

The hotel was only a few blocks away, so he agreed. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, wanting more than just to hold her hand. It was just like they'd had before; get rid of the bustling commuters, change the streets, and they could be walking down Sunnydale's Main Street on any night.

It was a good thing his soul was permanent, or he would have lost it countless times over the last two days. And he was hoping that pattern held.

[angelbuffy]

The fact that Angel made the comment of everything being real was something that Buffy still needed a little bit of convincing. It was too nice for her to be having this much fun. They were walking, and she was honestly warm with her bags, and her new clothes, and her new boyfriend, and, obviously in his coat. That just made things that much better.

"Do we need to find a butcher shop or something, or are you good?" They were doing this relationship thing, and they certainly should have to be embarrassed about talking about this stuff. It was going to be a huge part of their lives. Yeah, to Buffy, it might be gross, but she was used to it. She had fed Spike when he was chained up, and she had also fed Angel. This stuff was nothing new, and she hoped he didn't take offense to that. He needed to eat, too.

As she was looking around, she realized that she really liked New York City. It was actually, where they were at anyway, a beautiful place. She'd never be able to afford to live there for more than a month, ever, but she was on some semblance of a free ride. If need be, apparently they could stay there virtually, forever. She thought about telling Giles, just on that note, that there was a hellmouth brewing just as they spoke. Then she felt bad about thinking it. It was Giles. He had money, but unless he really did mug Donald Trump, he wouldn't be able to afford that either.

If nothing else, she was going to make sure that Angel and her at least saw the first snowfall, and maybe a little bit after, too.

[angelusliam]

Angel grimaced a little at her question, but answered honestly. "Yeah, we better find something... though I honestly have no idea where to look." He gave a humorless laugh. "This wasn't exactly the neighborhood I lived in, last time."

It wasn't that he was upset that she had to think about him drinking blood - he was a vampire, it was what he did. He was upset that he hadn't thought about that himself. And now that she'd mentioned it, he really was getting hungry. He'd been ejoying himself, had his mind on something else this entire time, and hadn't noticed. Buffy always made him forget important things.

They found a phone booth, and Angel looked up butcher shops in the yellow pages. Thankfully, even in this day and age, there were still old-fashioned butchers who served the public. The closest was several blocks out of their way, but Buffy seemed alright with walking, so they headed down there.

He felt a little uncomfortable asking for a large quantity of pig's blood with his beautiful, upscale-dressed girlfriend standing calmly beside him, and the butcher gave him a vaguely surprised look, but it was actually a good thing. Now the butcher knew him, would recognize him (as the weird guy who bought blood on a regular basis, but still), and if Buffy needed, for whatever reason, to buy it for him, it wouldn't appear that strange.

They left the butcher shop, one bag extra in tow, and headed back for the hotel. This time, Angel wrapped his arm around her waist. "So, I'm fed, or close to it, you're gonna get fed once we're back at the hotel... what's next on the agenda? A movie?"

[angelbuffy]

If Angel had any idea what she had in mind for what was next. The entire date, yeah, she’ll admit, she was thinking of excuses. What was it, sex after the third date, right? That was acceptable? She was thinking of ways it was acceptable, and her mind was taking her on a roller coaster ride. It was ridiculous.

She wanted to yell at the butcher for looking at her and Angel that way, but she was too happy to be angry over something that little. She was happy that there was even a butcher shop as close as they were. Especially in Manhattan. Especially close enough.

“Movie sounds great.” He was lucky that she had coherence. All she could feel were his hands on the small of her back. All she could feel was comfort. She snuggled closer to him as they were walking, and put her hands around him as well. “I’m trying to decide if I want a burger and fries or something else. It’s a tough decision. I definitely want some apple pie if they’ve got it.”

She was rambling Buffy. Happy, rambling Buffy. Did that count as three dates? She wanted it to count as three dates. Hell, she might even rationalize even more after they had been fed. Probably would rationalize while they were eating. There was no way that thought was going anywhere.

“I know it’s a dumb question, but what movie?” She knew he didn’t know anything about movies. Maybe she was mistaken though.

[angelusliam]

Angel found his mind straying slightly, though not in the same direction as Buffy's. Now that he actually had the blood, he couldn't ignore how hungry he'd gotten. He couldn't let that happen again. The more hungry he was, the more susceptible he was to... other temptations. And with Buffy right there... It wasn't too bad yet, but he'd have to eat as soon as they got back to the room.

Buffy wrapped her arms around him, and Angel startled slightly, inhaling a little sharply. That didn't help, because so close together, he could smell every nuance of her scent. Definitely eating, as soon as possible.

"What movie?" Her question distracted him slightly from his wandering thoughts. He chuckled a little. "Do you know how long it's been since I've watched-- anything? I'm sure the room's got Pay-Per-View, we'll find something."

That was when Angel realized something, rather minor, but surprising, given how long they'd known each other. "I don't know what kind of movie you like."

[angelbuffy]

Buffy felt Angel tense up just a little bit, but she didn’t pay it much mind. She just kept her hands around him, feeling warm, where really; she wasn’t supposed to feel it at all. Probably more cold than anything.

She chuckled at him. “You know? I pretty much like any and all movies. Even the old fashioned Chinese movies with bad fighting. My mindset is that if I have the time to sit through an entire movie without a looming apocalypse, or the electricity going off in my house? It was a pretty good night, and I shouldn’t complain about the simple blessings.” She wasn’t going to make him sit through Ice Castles, that was just really mean. If Xander hated it, she couldn’t imagine how Angel would feel about it.

On second thought, that might actually be hilarious.

They got to the hotel and she walked up to the front desk and asked if she could order there, rather than call. They obliged, and she settled on chicken Parmesan, since they didn’t really have burgers and fries at the hotel. Not surprising at all. She should have known that just by the look of the place.

Chicken Parm was good enough. Better, even.

They got to the stairs and she took the lead. She’s shameless.

[angelusliam]

Angel hesitated at the stairs when Buffy started up first. He was hungry, and weak, and he wasn't sure this was a good idea. Correction: he knew this was a bad idea. He almost said he was okay taking the elevator, but then he realized that meant they'd be in an enclosed space together for at least 3 minutes. Completely alone. That wasn't acceptable.

They reached the second landing before Angel's mind registered just how isolated the stairs were, too. He could push her against the wall, have his way with her-- she'd probably let him, he knew she wanted it, too--

Angel ran a shaky hand over his face. He pulled one of the containers of pig's blood out of the bag and pulled the lid off. It was cold, which was disgusting, and he knew Buffy had heard the rustling of the bag and the 'pop' of the lid, but at this point, he didn't care; he had a hard enough time controlling himself around her when his defenses weren't lowered because of hunger.

He drank more than half of the quart-sized container before he began to feel a little better. He drank it until there was a quarter of the container left, then replaced the lid and put it back in the bag. He made sure there was no blood on his lips or around his mouth.

That could not happen again. Especially if they were going to take this slow.

[angelbuffy]

Buffy could hear him drinking the blood, and she couldn’t help but slow down a little bit going up the stairs. She wanted to turn around and ask him what was wrong, but she didn’t want to embarrass him? All that talk about her being able to deal with all this stuff like an adult and them dealing with it together? Yeah, it still bugged her with the whole drinking thing. She’d stand by the fact that they had to be able to talk about it and make it work and all that stuff, but some things were better left unsaid, unseen. So she kept walking up the stairs.

Why was she suddenly hungry? God only knew.

When she heard him put the cap back on, she sped back up the stairs in hopes that her food would get there earlier. Her tummy was actually growling. Seriously, it was like an animal in there. It was kind of awkward silence on the stairs. She didn’t really know what to say. She didn’t really want to ask him how his blood lust was going, and at the moment, she couldn’t really think of any movies that she even knew of to spark a casual conversation. They only had five more flights to go, so she just sped up them, like it was nothing. Like she was some kind of mutant that had more endurance than anyone else.

Well, really, she did. Meh.

They got to the floor, and she sighed a relief. That was awkward, and she couldn’t even express why.

“I’m starving.” She said as they walked through the door. She wasn’t even out of breath.

[angelusliam]

He noticed her suddenly speed up, and felt his heart sink. No matter what she said, this-- it bothered her. And why shouldn't it? Knowing he was a vampire, and being reminded of it were two different things. Did he want her to be comfortable with it? He wasn't sure, he just knew the high from their date in Central Park had definitely faded.

He heard her sigh when they exited the stairwell, and stayed a step behind on the way to the suite.

"We should have eaten before we left," he said quietly, moving to the small fridge and placing the containers in there, then throwing away the bag. "I'm sure your food'll be up pretty soon."

Trying to salvage the situation, he gestured toward the TV. "You wanna see what movies they have? I bet if we asked, they could even get us a DVD or something." The place was magical in its ability to get anything asked for or wanted, why not a movie?

He stripped off his coat and hung it in the closet, then wasn't sure what to do with himself. He shoved his hands into his pockets, then decided to just sit down on the couch in front of the TV. Give Buffy some space, let her decide what to do.

Hello, awkwardness. It's been a while, how've you been? Angel deadpanned to himself. Me? Oh, I've been great, until now.

[angelbuffy]

“I wasn’t really hungry, then.” She said equally quiet. It was like an argument with no meaning, placing facts that had hidden meanings, maybe. It was complicated, and half of it was her fault, the other half was his. Bad timing, stupid insecurities on both of their sides. She tried to save the moment, but there was nothing she really wanted to say at the moment. She really wanted her food. Maybe that’s why she was being the way that she was. Whatever that way was, she didn’t even know. What were they even fighting about again? Oh, yeah, it wasn’t fighting..it was just. Nonsense, that’s what it was.

“Yeah, name some off. I’m going to change.”

She loved her new clothes, but she wanted comfy clothes. She wanted to keep her new boots on too, but they wouldn’t really look great with comfy clothes.

She left the door open so he could name some movies off, but before she even got into her shirt, her food came, she practically ran out of the room and grabbed dinner, tipping generously the man that brought it for her. She brought it over to the couch and sat next to Angel, smiling.

No more nonsense, movie time.

[angelusliam]

By the time Angel figured out how to get to the movie menu, there was a knock at the door. Buffy all but ran to answer it, and soon she was sitting beside him, a plate of hot food in her hands and a happy smile on her face. "So, movies?" she asked, digging into her food.

Angel decided then and there that he would never understand her. They'd gone from awkward and sullen, to comfortable and happy, in a matter of seconds. Pushing that aside, he went back to the movie menu.

"Uh... 'Aliens in the Attic,' 'Angels and Demons,' 'Bruno,' 'Coraline'... You know I have no idea what any of these are, right?"

[angelbuffy]

She had shoved some of the heavenly chicken parmesan in her mouth as Angel was naming movies off. “Right, because I’m all up with the popular culture too.” She didn’t even know why she even owned a tv sometimes. She never had time, or really, the remote. With the slayerettes taking over her house.

“Okay, so no to Angels and Demons. I don’t really want to watch some person trying to recreate what really exists. I’ll either get really mad or I’ll laugh.” She kept listening. She really had no idea.

“Um, Bruno? I don’t know. Aliens in the attic? Huh?”

She shoved more in her mouth. It was really good.

She saw Fast and Furious.

“That one. Vin Diesel. Yum.”

She looked at him, and smiled.

[angelusliam]

Angel had to agree with her about the 'Angels and Demons' movie. Best to just not go there.

"That one. Vin Diesel. Yum."

Angel returned her look with a raised eyebrow. "That 'yum' had better be about your food," he warned, though he couldn't quite hide the warmth in his voice.

He selected the movie, then leaned back and rested his arm along the back of the couch, lightly over her shoulders. Not exactly holding, just touching. "First the pig, now a guy named after gasoline."

[angelbuffy]

She rolled her eyes. “The pig is an animal, and a pig.” She pointed to the screen. “Apparently he’s gay.” But it really didn’t hurt to look. Besides.. He’d have to be crazy to think that she was thinking about bedding anyone else. If he only knew what the hell was going through her mind. Actually, he probably did. She wasn’t an idiot. He wanted this as much as she did.

She put her food down, because she had mowed most of it down anyway, and leaned up against him. “Even if he’s not gay, he’s probably really not as strong as he says he is. He wouldn’t get vampires. He’d probably be the first to go, actually. Which is a sad thought.”

Hrm.

“I’d have to stake Vin Diesel. Crap.”