badcompany_muse July
[Bravery & Cowardice]
He’s never been to her apartment. The last time he visited they met in a park and so he stands in front of her door like a nervous teenager on a first date. He’s not a teenager and this isn’t a date but he’s nervous all the same. Usually he stalks via third person but this warrants some face to face time. He needs to see what color her eyes are, if she’s been eating and how little she’s been sleeping. He needs to physically see the toll this is taking on her and offer a shoulder to lean on if she needs it. He knows Detective Guy is still new to all of this and he’s not sure how much she’ll share with him.
The door opens without warning and she’s leaning against the frame. “How long were you going to stand out here?”
He gives a sheepish shrug, eyes combing her over. Her eyes are gray and smudged with the hint of purple black circles that sleep deprivation leaves. It’s too soon to tell physically if she’s eating but he’s betting that she isn’t. “I knew eventually you’d get tired of waiting for me to knock.”
It’s Buffy’s turn to shrug and the corner of her mouth lifts up in an almost imperceptible smirk before it disappears under layers of everything that’s been done in the last forty eight hours. She glances over her shoulder and he knows even without that that Detective Guy is there. She looks back at him and takes a step backwards. “Angel, come in.”
He hesitates before stepping over the threshold, constantly amazed at the way the barrier keeping him out disappears. It smells like cigarette smoke, vanilla, Danny and sex. He knows what he smells like from his last meeting with Buffy and his scent was all over her. He shoves his hands in his pockets and glances around the apartment. There’s a dog that barks him, growls and then retreats for the other room. He looks at Buffy and shrugs. Dogs don’t like him. They can’t figure out what he is.
“That’s Rocky,” Buffy explains. “Danny! We’ve got company,” she yells from the living room and looks back at Angel.
He’s pretty much terrified and Buffy knows it but he wears the mask of bravery and nonchalance well.
He’s never been to her apartment. The last time he visited they met in a park and so he stands in front of her door like a nervous teenager on a first date. He’s not a teenager and this isn’t a date but he’s nervous all the same. Usually he stalks via third person but this warrants some face to face time. He needs to see what color her eyes are, if she’s been eating and how little she’s been sleeping. He needs to physically see the toll this is taking on her and offer a shoulder to lean on if she needs it. He knows Detective Guy is still new to all of this and he’s not sure how much she’ll share with him.
The door opens without warning and she’s leaning against the frame. “How long were you going to stand out here?”
He gives a sheepish shrug, eyes combing her over. Her eyes are gray and smudged with the hint of purple black circles that sleep deprivation leaves. It’s too soon to tell physically if she’s eating but he’s betting that she isn’t. “I knew eventually you’d get tired of waiting for me to knock.”
It’s Buffy’s turn to shrug and the corner of her mouth lifts up in an almost imperceptible smirk before it disappears under layers of everything that’s been done in the last forty eight hours. She glances over her shoulder and he knows even without that that Detective Guy is there. She looks back at him and takes a step backwards. “Angel, come in.”
He hesitates before stepping over the threshold, constantly amazed at the way the barrier keeping him out disappears. It smells like cigarette smoke, vanilla, Danny and sex. He knows what he smells like from his last meeting with Buffy and his scent was all over her. He shoves his hands in his pockets and glances around the apartment. There’s a dog that barks him, growls and then retreats for the other room. He looks at Buffy and shrugs. Dogs don’t like him. They can’t figure out what he is.
“That’s Rocky,” Buffy explains. “Danny! We’ve got company,” she yells from the living room and looks back at Angel.
He’s pretty much terrified and Buffy knows it but he wears the mask of bravery and nonchalance well.