Prompt 218: Fiction
Title: Could've Been A Cowboy
Author: angelus2hot
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,397
Prompt: 218 AU Verse(Angel and Lindsey are cowboys)
Characters/Pairing: Angel, Lindsey (Angel/Lindsey kind of implied)
Summary: Have you ever had one of those dreams when you know you were meant for something different, not necessarily better but different? Angel has those all the time.
The sun beat down on his bare back as he pulled the barbed wire tight. "I got it. Nail it in." Angel held tight with all of his might and waited for Lindsey.
"You sure you got it this time?"
"Yes. I've got it." He couldn't quite keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
"I was just askin'. After all I do remember what happened the last time." Lindsey ducked his head so his best friend wouldn't see the grin he couldn't keep off his face. Angel wouldn't see the humor in the situation, especially not now. That man hated mending fences with a passion. Although, Lindsey couldn't say the same thing. He liked nothing better than to be out in the wide open spaces. It had nothing to do with nine times out of ten Angel would have his shirt off. Or at least that was the lie he told himself.
They had been best friends since the moment they'd met in grade school. Lindsey wasn't about to mess it up by doing or saying anything stupid, at least if he could help it. "So what was it this time?"
"What was what?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Angel. I know you've been having those dreams again. I can see it on your face. So what was it?"
Angel tossed his cowboy hat onto the nearest post, peeled the gloves off his hands and tossed them on the fence. This was one dream he didn't want to talk about. How could he have done that to Lindsey? He knew it wasn't real. There was no way he'd ever hurt the man standing in front of him no matter what the provocation. He knew that just as sure as he knew Lindsey would never hurt him or turn against him in any way. But it had sure felt real. And just the thought of telling Lindsey in his dream he had ordered his murder...... No! He couldn't. He would... His thoughts were interrupted by Lindsey calling his name. "What?"
"You're starting to worry me. This dream must have been a doozy so tell me about." Lindsey placed his hands on his hips and waited.
"I can't. It was bad."
"How bad? Was it worse than dreaming you were a vampire who killed hundreds of people?" Lindsey didn't see how anything could be worse than that one. At the look on Angel's face, Lindsey quickly tried to lighten the mood. "Was it worse than you singing karaoke at the bar last week?"
Angel couldn't help but smile at the reminder. He really liked the power ballads while Lindsey not so much. But Lindsey had sat in the audience and hollered encouragement through the whole song. And although he'd tried, he really couldn't carry a tune unlike his best friend who had the voice of an angel and a body to.... Woah! This wasn't going to happen. Lindsey was always there for him through thick and thin. That's why he had a hard time even thinking about telling Lindsey about his latest dream.
Enough was enough. Lindsey gripped Angel by the shoulders and shook him. "Snap out of it, Angel. Tell me what's going on. By the way you're acting I know it's something bad. You've got to let me in on it."
It felt as if the sun's rays were burning him up from the inside out as he stared into the deep blue eyes looking back at him. How could he do this? "I..." Angel cleared his throat and tried again. "I...I can't do this, Lindsey. I can't tell you. Please don't ask me to." Guilt coursed through his body until he thought he would explode from the pain of it.
Lindsey took off his cowboy hat and ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't let his friend continue to suffer without trying to help. Besides the not knowing was killing him. He couldn't stand the thought of guilt eating at Angel for something he never did. "I have to ask, Angel. You can't keep this bottled inside of you. Remember what happened because you wouldn't talk about the vampire dream?" Lindsey knew it was a low blow but he'd do anything to help Angel.
A look of horror crossed Angel's face. He remembered all right. That was an experience he'd never wanted to repeat again. The nightmares had lasted for weeks and one night Lindsey had rushed into his room to wake him. As soon as Lindsey had touched him Angel had flipped him over onto the bed beneath him and had almost bitten Lindsey before the other man had brought him back to his senses. That had been an awkward few moments until Lindsey had made some comment about being glad Angel wasn't really a vampire because he didn't think he could handle the kinky side. They had both laughed before Lindsey had made Angel tell him the full story. He couldn't go through that again. He couldn't risk Lindsey coming into his room again.
"I don't even know how to start." His tone was full of the helplessness he felt.
Lindsey sat down on the ground, placed his cowboy hat on his knees as he reached up and pulled Angel down beside him. "Tell me a story, Daddy." His tone was a perfect imitation of a little boy.
Angel gave a fake growl. "Don't be a smartass. You're not cute when I'm angry."
"I'm cute period. But that's not the point. Tell me about this dream that's got you all worked up." Lindsey was getting tired of asking. One way or another he was going to hear the whole story even if he had to drag it out of the man beside him.
"Okay, but you're not going to like it." Hell, he didn't like it.
"I can see that. But I want to hear it anyway."
"I don't understand a lot of it because some of it was hazy in spots but the gist was, I was still a vampire and the world was fixing to end. Apparently the apocalypse to end all other apocalypse was coming and I was giving orders to everyone on my team."
"So far that doesn't sound bad... unless you count the apocalypse part."
"The bad part's coming. Anyway, after giving everyone their orders I took a green demon aside and gave him his final order to kill you. He said he would do it but afterwards he was leaving and not to look for him."
"Seriously, you were talking to a green demon?" Oh, this was worse than the vampire bit.
"I just told you that I ordered your death and you're asking about a demon?"
"Well, you got to admit the demon part is unusual." Lindsey chuckled but immediately stopped after he saw the look on Angel's face. "Okay, so why did you want me dead?"
Angel ran his hand through his hair. "From what I understand it was because you were some hot shot lawyer with an evil law firm and you kept working against me."
"That's it? That's all you were worried about?" Lindsey couldn't wait for an answer, laughter bubbled up inside him until he couldn't hold it in any longer. He laughed until tears ran down his cheeks and his sides felt as if they'd been kicked by a horse. Finally, he was able to get himself under control. "Since, you're not a vampire and I'm definitely not some evil lawyer, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Do you?"
With those few words Lindsey was able to make Angel's guilt all but disappear as if it had never been. A smile pulled at the corners of Angel's mouth as he shook his head. "I guess not."
Lindsey stood up, dusted the back of his pants off with one hand before he placed his hat back on his head. He held out his hand to Angel. "Let's get the rest of this fence mended and then go cool off in the creek."
"That's the best idea you've had all day." For a brief moment Angel could've sworn Lindsey's hand looked plastic and not flesh and blood. But he decided it had to be a trick of the light and the moment passed as he placed his hand in Lindsey's and allowed the other man to help him to his feet.
Author: angelus2hot
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,397
Prompt: 218 AU Verse(Angel and Lindsey are cowboys)
Characters/Pairing: Angel, Lindsey (Angel/Lindsey kind of implied)
Summary: Have you ever had one of those dreams when you know you were meant for something different, not necessarily better but different? Angel has those all the time.
The sun beat down on his bare back as he pulled the barbed wire tight. "I got it. Nail it in." Angel held tight with all of his might and waited for Lindsey.
"You sure you got it this time?"
"Yes. I've got it." He couldn't quite keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
"I was just askin'. After all I do remember what happened the last time." Lindsey ducked his head so his best friend wouldn't see the grin he couldn't keep off his face. Angel wouldn't see the humor in the situation, especially not now. That man hated mending fences with a passion. Although, Lindsey couldn't say the same thing. He liked nothing better than to be out in the wide open spaces. It had nothing to do with nine times out of ten Angel would have his shirt off. Or at least that was the lie he told himself.
They had been best friends since the moment they'd met in grade school. Lindsey wasn't about to mess it up by doing or saying anything stupid, at least if he could help it. "So what was it this time?"
"What was what?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Angel. I know you've been having those dreams again. I can see it on your face. So what was it?"
Angel tossed his cowboy hat onto the nearest post, peeled the gloves off his hands and tossed them on the fence. This was one dream he didn't want to talk about. How could he have done that to Lindsey? He knew it wasn't real. There was no way he'd ever hurt the man standing in front of him no matter what the provocation. He knew that just as sure as he knew Lindsey would never hurt him or turn against him in any way. But it had sure felt real. And just the thought of telling Lindsey in his dream he had ordered his murder...... No! He couldn't. He would... His thoughts were interrupted by Lindsey calling his name. "What?"
"You're starting to worry me. This dream must have been a doozy so tell me about." Lindsey placed his hands on his hips and waited.
"I can't. It was bad."
"How bad? Was it worse than dreaming you were a vampire who killed hundreds of people?" Lindsey didn't see how anything could be worse than that one. At the look on Angel's face, Lindsey quickly tried to lighten the mood. "Was it worse than you singing karaoke at the bar last week?"
Angel couldn't help but smile at the reminder. He really liked the power ballads while Lindsey not so much. But Lindsey had sat in the audience and hollered encouragement through the whole song. And although he'd tried, he really couldn't carry a tune unlike his best friend who had the voice of an angel and a body to.... Woah! This wasn't going to happen. Lindsey was always there for him through thick and thin. That's why he had a hard time even thinking about telling Lindsey about his latest dream.
Enough was enough. Lindsey gripped Angel by the shoulders and shook him. "Snap out of it, Angel. Tell me what's going on. By the way you're acting I know it's something bad. You've got to let me in on it."
It felt as if the sun's rays were burning him up from the inside out as he stared into the deep blue eyes looking back at him. How could he do this? "I..." Angel cleared his throat and tried again. "I...I can't do this, Lindsey. I can't tell you. Please don't ask me to." Guilt coursed through his body until he thought he would explode from the pain of it.
Lindsey took off his cowboy hat and ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't let his friend continue to suffer without trying to help. Besides the not knowing was killing him. He couldn't stand the thought of guilt eating at Angel for something he never did. "I have to ask, Angel. You can't keep this bottled inside of you. Remember what happened because you wouldn't talk about the vampire dream?" Lindsey knew it was a low blow but he'd do anything to help Angel.
A look of horror crossed Angel's face. He remembered all right. That was an experience he'd never wanted to repeat again. The nightmares had lasted for weeks and one night Lindsey had rushed into his room to wake him. As soon as Lindsey had touched him Angel had flipped him over onto the bed beneath him and had almost bitten Lindsey before the other man had brought him back to his senses. That had been an awkward few moments until Lindsey had made some comment about being glad Angel wasn't really a vampire because he didn't think he could handle the kinky side. They had both laughed before Lindsey had made Angel tell him the full story. He couldn't go through that again. He couldn't risk Lindsey coming into his room again.
"I don't even know how to start." His tone was full of the helplessness he felt.
Lindsey sat down on the ground, placed his cowboy hat on his knees as he reached up and pulled Angel down beside him. "Tell me a story, Daddy." His tone was a perfect imitation of a little boy.
Angel gave a fake growl. "Don't be a smartass. You're not cute when I'm angry."
"I'm cute period. But that's not the point. Tell me about this dream that's got you all worked up." Lindsey was getting tired of asking. One way or another he was going to hear the whole story even if he had to drag it out of the man beside him.
"Okay, but you're not going to like it." Hell, he didn't like it.
"I can see that. But I want to hear it anyway."
"I don't understand a lot of it because some of it was hazy in spots but the gist was, I was still a vampire and the world was fixing to end. Apparently the apocalypse to end all other apocalypse was coming and I was giving orders to everyone on my team."
"So far that doesn't sound bad... unless you count the apocalypse part."
"The bad part's coming. Anyway, after giving everyone their orders I took a green demon aside and gave him his final order to kill you. He said he would do it but afterwards he was leaving and not to look for him."
"Seriously, you were talking to a green demon?" Oh, this was worse than the vampire bit.
"I just told you that I ordered your death and you're asking about a demon?"
"Well, you got to admit the demon part is unusual." Lindsey chuckled but immediately stopped after he saw the look on Angel's face. "Okay, so why did you want me dead?"
Angel ran his hand through his hair. "From what I understand it was because you were some hot shot lawyer with an evil law firm and you kept working against me."
"That's it? That's all you were worried about?" Lindsey couldn't wait for an answer, laughter bubbled up inside him until he couldn't hold it in any longer. He laughed until tears ran down his cheeks and his sides felt as if they'd been kicked by a horse. Finally, he was able to get himself under control. "Since, you're not a vampire and I'm definitely not some evil lawyer, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Do you?"
With those few words Lindsey was able to make Angel's guilt all but disappear as if it had never been. A smile pulled at the corners of Angel's mouth as he shook his head. "I guess not."
Lindsey stood up, dusted the back of his pants off with one hand before he placed his hat back on his head. He held out his hand to Angel. "Let's get the rest of this fence mended and then go cool off in the creek."
"That's the best idea you've had all day." For a brief moment Angel could've sworn Lindsey's hand looked plastic and not flesh and blood. But he decided it had to be a trick of the light and the moment passed as he placed his hand in Lindsey's and allowed the other man to help him to his feet.