The Hyperion [Friday Evening]

[marsheadtilt]

So Veronica had been back in LA for over a week. And in that week, she had mostly been avoiding her friends and housemates because being with all of them again had triggered the memories of that other Fandom and what the version of her there had done to them and with them

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[cantgetnorelief]

Anders didn't get in until a little later, owing to a late class and his bus home getting caught in a traffic jam coming through the Cahuenga Pass on the southbound 101 . . . because of a line of ducklings walking placidly down the #2 lane. In case you thought traffic on the Hollywood Freeway wasn't bad enough on a holiday weekend.

Walking into the lobby, he immediately caught a whiff of lasagna and followed his nose to the kitchen. "I smell food. Frak, did I forget someone's birthday?"

[marsheadtilt]

Veronica laughed. "No, I just figured that a big family style dinner was a nice way to kick off a holiday weekend."

She was being nice to Anders, yes. Because he was one of the only people she hadn't run into in bizarro land.

[cantgetnorelief]

She was being nice to him. That was kind of freaky, so Anders shot her a suspicious glance.

"Okaaaaaaaaaay. Something's up, isn't it?"

[marsheadtilt]

"Huh? No, why would you think that?" Veronica asked, turning to look at him with confusion.

[cantgetnorelief]

"Usually I see you, I'm all set with a smartass comeback," Anders said, leaning against the doorframe. "I don't need to use it, it throws me off. It's like I'm trying to turn a double play and my first baseman isn't there."

[marsheadtilt]

"Oh, right, well..."

Veronica tried to think of something snarky to say.

And failed.

[cantgetnorelief]

Uh huh. Anders smirked just a tiny bit.

"Right. What's the occasion, then?"

[marsheadtilt]

"No occasion," Veronica said. "Just figured it was time to be social."

[cantgetnorelief]

"And we're back to the part where this involves you and me in a room together, and not expecting it to explode." This had more or less been the case for the last year and change, but Anders wasn't about to let inconvenient things like logic get in the way of his point.

They were also back to the part where he was still a young adult male, and he was hungry. ". . . tell me there's garlic bread."

Oh, Anders. Set yourself up for disappointment, why don't you?

[marsheadtilt]

"Sorry, no garlic at all in the meal," Veronica admitted. "Out of deference to Angel and his, uh, garlic allergy."

And, yeah, she was just gonna let the rest of that slide because explaining to him that he was the only person she hated that she wasn't sleeping with in another universe was so not happening.

[cantgetnorelief]

"Why --" he began halfway through her explanation, frowning.

And just how long have you lived with the vampire, Anders? Come on, now.

"Right. I knew that."

Yeah, let's leave that detail out of it; life here was drama enough as it was.

[marsheadtilt]

Veronica smirked. "I kind of like him alive... er, undead... you know what I mean."

[cantgetnorelief]

"Yeah. Unlike some people in this room, I actually do like the guy," Anders replied, smirking right back.

[marsheadtilt]

"... who doesn't?" Veronica asked, looking around.

[cantgetnorelief]

"No, I mean I like him," Anders said, exaggeratedly patient in a sarcastic way, "which I can't say for everybody here."

He might have missed this. NO ONE MUST KNOW.

[marsheadtilt]

"... YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON ANGEL?"