Lit_gal
It'd been years since he'd seen the vampire, but all it took was a moment's sighting in New York to bring it all back. The disgust, the annoyance.
The intrigue, the curiosity. The possibility of a friendship, even, because they'd had a lot of commonalities. Which was probably what their problems had stemmed from.
So it was that Xander moved across a very busy street to follow Angel as the vampire moved down the block. He wasn't going fast: his eyes were set on the ground, coat swishing slightly to the side from the wind. It whipped through the streets harder in New York, and for a moment it threatened to push Xander off the corner.
Then he pushed himself forward and lost sight of the vampire. When people passed by and it cleared out, Angel was gone. Figured. Xander sighed and marched ahead anyways. There wasn't a store there that Xander thought the vampire would like.
And honestly, he had no clue why he was following him. Curiosity, he guessed, since the vampire had apparently vanished after the big fight went down in LA. Plus, there were so few people who remembered what Sunnydale had been, and even if they'd had their differences Angel was someone who remembered. Sort of like an old comrade who understood.
The alley. Maybe he'd ducked down there. Xander stepped off the street and turned into the alley, eyes casting around.
Half a second later he was up against the wall, golden eyes gazing into his. Guess he hadn't lost him after all. "Hi," Xander said weakly. "And ow. Mind putting me down?"
"You haven't gotten any brighter," Angel said, giving Xander a look before setting him back down on the ground. "Following a vampire without any sort of weapon on you is stupid."
He paused when he tried to step away. Xander raised his eyebrow, the pointed end of the stake scraping against Angel's chest. "Not quite that stupid," Xander replied, and Angel's lips actually tilted up briefly.
"You kinda fell off the radar," Xander said, before Angel could ask any questions. "Figured since I'd found you I'd at least want to talk to you."
"Buffy ask you to find me?"
"No," Xander said. "But she'd probably be pretty happy to hear that you're okay."
Angel frowned slightly. "So you just...followed me because you wanted to?"
Xander pretended to think about it for a moment. "Uh, yeah. Pretty much." He paused another moment before asking, "Want coffee?"
Angel's frown slowly faded away. "I forgot how odd you were," he said, but gestured towards the entrance of the alley. "After you."
Xander gave a grin he hadn't really given in a long time. "Odd is always good."
"I'm beginning to notice," Angel said from behind him, and Xander led the way back to the street.
~Nebula
The intrigue, the curiosity. The possibility of a friendship, even, because they'd had a lot of commonalities. Which was probably what their problems had stemmed from.
So it was that Xander moved across a very busy street to follow Angel as the vampire moved down the block. He wasn't going fast: his eyes were set on the ground, coat swishing slightly to the side from the wind. It whipped through the streets harder in New York, and for a moment it threatened to push Xander off the corner.
Then he pushed himself forward and lost sight of the vampire. When people passed by and it cleared out, Angel was gone. Figured. Xander sighed and marched ahead anyways. There wasn't a store there that Xander thought the vampire would like.
And honestly, he had no clue why he was following him. Curiosity, he guessed, since the vampire had apparently vanished after the big fight went down in LA. Plus, there were so few people who remembered what Sunnydale had been, and even if they'd had their differences Angel was someone who remembered. Sort of like an old comrade who understood.
The alley. Maybe he'd ducked down there. Xander stepped off the street and turned into the alley, eyes casting around.
Half a second later he was up against the wall, golden eyes gazing into his. Guess he hadn't lost him after all. "Hi," Xander said weakly. "And ow. Mind putting me down?"
"You haven't gotten any brighter," Angel said, giving Xander a look before setting him back down on the ground. "Following a vampire without any sort of weapon on you is stupid."
He paused when he tried to step away. Xander raised his eyebrow, the pointed end of the stake scraping against Angel's chest. "Not quite that stupid," Xander replied, and Angel's lips actually tilted up briefly.
"You kinda fell off the radar," Xander said, before Angel could ask any questions. "Figured since I'd found you I'd at least want to talk to you."
"Buffy ask you to find me?"
"No," Xander said. "But she'd probably be pretty happy to hear that you're okay."
Angel frowned slightly. "So you just...followed me because you wanted to?"
Xander pretended to think about it for a moment. "Uh, yeah. Pretty much." He paused another moment before asking, "Want coffee?"
Angel's frown slowly faded away. "I forgot how odd you were," he said, but gestured towards the entrance of the alley. "After you."
Xander gave a grin he hadn't really given in a long time. "Odd is always good."
"I'm beginning to notice," Angel said from behind him, and Xander led the way back to the street.
~Nebula