238, Sunday afternoon
Angel looked at Logan, who he'd agreed to let stay with him while Veronica recovered from what had happened at Empire Records.
Logan looked back.
Okay, this was awkward.
"Um," Angel said, smoothing a hand down the front of his shirt nervously. "I realize this might be a little unusual. Maybe not something you were planning on doing while you were here with me. Or, you know, planning on doing while you were like this - " Angel gestured to indicate Logan's current bunny form. "But you've enjoyed stuff like this in the past and - and okay, maybe this is a really strange use for carrots but - but I think if you give it a shot you can get past the weird taste and the feeling self-conscious about doing it with me and - and enjoy yourself. And it. And if we're both really careful here I'm pretty sure we're not going to regret this in the morning."
Logan kept staring at him.
Angel sighed and reached behind his back. He produced a bowl of carrots that he'd chopped up, then doused with tequila. "This is stupid, right? You think this is - "
Logan pounced on the bowl so quickly Angel almost couldn't track it. He put the bowl down so Logan could eat comfortably.
"Okay, cool," Angel said. He sat down on his bed, Logan on one side of him, Sean on the other. "So maybe that was a good idea?"
Logan's right ear twitched.
"You know, your ears keep doing that," Angel said. "Are we sure you don't have fleas?"
Logan glared at him over his shoulder.
"What? It happens," Angel said. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."
Another glare, then Logan resumed eating.
Figuring Logan was settled for now, Angel reached into his bookbag and took out the notes that Zero had given him in the library. Also the notes he'd taken after talking to Veronica about starting a detective agency.
"Ever been to LA?" Angel asked, looking at the real estate listings. Logan's right ear twitched. Angel ignored it. "I have. Can't say it was the best time of my life, but I lived there. Well, much as I live."
Angel's Blackberry was on top of his bureau. On it was a message he'd gotten from Giles back in his dimension. Thinking about it, Angel said, "I sold my old place. Finally found out how much I got for it. Sunnydale real estate's not the best, but I think I've got enough to move. Start over. Get somewhere nice. Somewhere centrally located."
Angel looked at the prices of apartments Zero had found for him. "Some place that's the size of a shoe box and comes with a crack dealer on the second floor at no extra cost. Yay for me, huh?"
Logan's left ear twitched.
"I could go back to Sunnydale," Angel said. "Place has a Hellmouth. No lack of Apocalypses or Big Bads or things to fulfill my destiny with."
Done with the carrots, Logan ambled over to sit by Angel. He ducked as Sean tried to reach over Angel's lap to lick his nose. He then raised up onto his hind paws to look at the papers Angel was reading.
"But I could also live in these places, right?" Angel slumped down against the wall. "Basement apartments. Very little light. Excellent sewer access. Perfect vampire home."
Logan's left ear twitched.
"I did it before," Angel said. "Before the mansion I had a place. Little spartan but it got the job done. Not like I really need anything."
Logan looked at him sideways. He then looked at the TV and DVD player, then back at Angel.
Angel didn't notice. "I liked living in Sunnydale. Hell, let's be honest. I liked living near Buffy. I'd have moved to the actual sun if it meant being around her."
Any response Logan might have had to this was lost as Sean finally leaned over far enough to swipe his tongue over Logan's entire head.
"Let him breathe, boy," Angel said, gently nudging Sean back down onto the mattress. "I've been thinking about her a lot lately. Wondering what she's doing. Wondering if she's found somebody else. I want her to, you know? She should be with somebody who can make her happy."
Small pause.
"Of course I also want to beat the ever-living shit out of any man who touches her. That's probably wrong of me, right?"
Whatever Logan might have said to that was apparently too involved to convey with ear-twitching.
Angel drew his feet up onto the bed. "I've been thinking of getting in touch with her."
Left ear twitch.
"Like I could write."
Left ear twitch.
"Maybe call."
Left ear twitch.
"Actually go to Sunnydale."
Left ear twitch.
"See her in person."
Rapid left ear twitch.
"You know, one on one. Talk things out. Clear the air between us."
Logan's left ear was now a blur of movement.
"Nothing could go wrong with that, right?"
Logan gave up on the ear twitching and instead facepawed.
"I wonder if I should mention that to Callisto."
Logan whapped him with his front paw. Hard.
"Ow!" Angel looked down. He saw the empty dish. "Oh, are you still hungry?"
Logan started to twitch his left ear. Then he actually twitched his right. Then he remembered who he was trying to talk to and instead nosed the part of the dish where most of the alcohol had pooled.
Somehow managing to understand that, Angel poured him a bunny-sized shot. "Careful. You don't want to get a hangover."
Logan made a scoffing sound. It came out like a sneeze.
"Bless you," Angel said, absently. He turned back to his paperwork, now studying the notes about becoming a detective. "I've never done anything like this before. I've been on my own, yeah. But for the good fight I've always had - I dunno. Inspiration? Company?
"Can't do that now, though," Angel said. "You know the green guy? Lorne? Says he knows my future. Says everybody who helps me fight that fight ends up dead or destroyed. Everybody. Even people I haven't even met yet. They all die because of me."
Angel swallowed. He thought about Buffy. He thought about Cordy. He thought about all the friends he'd made at school.
He put aside any thoughts of returning to Sunnydale.
"So... yeah," he said, looking at the real estate listings again. "Basement apartment. One bedroom. It'll be just like old times."
If Logan had a response to that, Angel was as oblivious to it as he'd been the whole while.
[ooc: Link-droppy and backstory-y only. Will prob be offline for the rest of today. V is free to handwave the bunny exchange if she wants Logan back tonight.]
Logan looked back.
Okay, this was awkward.
"Um," Angel said, smoothing a hand down the front of his shirt nervously. "I realize this might be a little unusual. Maybe not something you were planning on doing while you were here with me. Or, you know, planning on doing while you were like this - " Angel gestured to indicate Logan's current bunny form. "But you've enjoyed stuff like this in the past and - and okay, maybe this is a really strange use for carrots but - but I think if you give it a shot you can get past the weird taste and the feeling self-conscious about doing it with me and - and enjoy yourself. And it. And if we're both really careful here I'm pretty sure we're not going to regret this in the morning."
Logan kept staring at him.
Angel sighed and reached behind his back. He produced a bowl of carrots that he'd chopped up, then doused with tequila. "This is stupid, right? You think this is - "
Logan pounced on the bowl so quickly Angel almost couldn't track it. He put the bowl down so Logan could eat comfortably.
"Okay, cool," Angel said. He sat down on his bed, Logan on one side of him, Sean on the other. "So maybe that was a good idea?"
Logan's right ear twitched.
"You know, your ears keep doing that," Angel said. "Are we sure you don't have fleas?"
Logan glared at him over his shoulder.
"What? It happens," Angel said. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."
Another glare, then Logan resumed eating.
Figuring Logan was settled for now, Angel reached into his bookbag and took out the notes that Zero had given him in the library. Also the notes he'd taken after talking to Veronica about starting a detective agency.
"Ever been to LA?" Angel asked, looking at the real estate listings. Logan's right ear twitched. Angel ignored it. "I have. Can't say it was the best time of my life, but I lived there. Well, much as I live."
Angel's Blackberry was on top of his bureau. On it was a message he'd gotten from Giles back in his dimension. Thinking about it, Angel said, "I sold my old place. Finally found out how much I got for it. Sunnydale real estate's not the best, but I think I've got enough to move. Start over. Get somewhere nice. Somewhere centrally located."
Angel looked at the prices of apartments Zero had found for him. "Some place that's the size of a shoe box and comes with a crack dealer on the second floor at no extra cost. Yay for me, huh?"
Logan's left ear twitched.
"I could go back to Sunnydale," Angel said. "Place has a Hellmouth. No lack of Apocalypses or Big Bads or things to fulfill my destiny with."
Done with the carrots, Logan ambled over to sit by Angel. He ducked as Sean tried to reach over Angel's lap to lick his nose. He then raised up onto his hind paws to look at the papers Angel was reading.
"But I could also live in these places, right?" Angel slumped down against the wall. "Basement apartments. Very little light. Excellent sewer access. Perfect vampire home."
Logan's left ear twitched.
"I did it before," Angel said. "Before the mansion I had a place. Little spartan but it got the job done. Not like I really need anything."
Logan looked at him sideways. He then looked at the TV and DVD player, then back at Angel.
Angel didn't notice. "I liked living in Sunnydale. Hell, let's be honest. I liked living near Buffy. I'd have moved to the actual sun if it meant being around her."
Any response Logan might have had to this was lost as Sean finally leaned over far enough to swipe his tongue over Logan's entire head.
"Let him breathe, boy," Angel said, gently nudging Sean back down onto the mattress. "I've been thinking about her a lot lately. Wondering what she's doing. Wondering if she's found somebody else. I want her to, you know? She should be with somebody who can make her happy."
Small pause.
"Of course I also want to beat the ever-living shit out of any man who touches her. That's probably wrong of me, right?"
Whatever Logan might have said to that was apparently too involved to convey with ear-twitching.
Angel drew his feet up onto the bed. "I've been thinking of getting in touch with her."
Left ear twitch.
"Like I could write."
Left ear twitch.
"Maybe call."
Left ear twitch.
"Actually go to Sunnydale."
Left ear twitch.
"See her in person."
Rapid left ear twitch.
"You know, one on one. Talk things out. Clear the air between us."
Logan's left ear was now a blur of movement.
"Nothing could go wrong with that, right?"
Logan gave up on the ear twitching and instead facepawed.
"I wonder if I should mention that to Callisto."
Logan whapped him with his front paw. Hard.
"Ow!" Angel looked down. He saw the empty dish. "Oh, are you still hungry?"
Logan started to twitch his left ear. Then he actually twitched his right. Then he remembered who he was trying to talk to and instead nosed the part of the dish where most of the alcohol had pooled.
Somehow managing to understand that, Angel poured him a bunny-sized shot. "Careful. You don't want to get a hangover."
Logan made a scoffing sound. It came out like a sneeze.
"Bless you," Angel said, absently. He turned back to his paperwork, now studying the notes about becoming a detective. "I've never done anything like this before. I've been on my own, yeah. But for the good fight I've always had - I dunno. Inspiration? Company?
"Can't do that now, though," Angel said. "You know the green guy? Lorne? Says he knows my future. Says everybody who helps me fight that fight ends up dead or destroyed. Everybody. Even people I haven't even met yet. They all die because of me."
Angel swallowed. He thought about Buffy. He thought about Cordy. He thought about all the friends he'd made at school.
He put aside any thoughts of returning to Sunnydale.
"So... yeah," he said, looking at the real estate listings again. "Basement apartment. One bedroom. It'll be just like old times."
If Logan had a response to that, Angel was as oblivious to it as he'd been the whole while.
[ooc: Link-droppy and backstory-y only. Will prob be offline for the rest of today. V is free to handwave the bunny exchange if she wants Logan back tonight.]