A Valentine's Kiss

Angela sighed contently to herself as she rummaged through the remains of her Valentine's Day candy (which she had purchased for herself, thank you very much). The holiday had been a relatively quiet, uneventful one, and she had somehow even managed to avoid the majority of her mother's usual taunting about how Angela had ended up without a date.

Tony smiled to himself as he entered the room to find Angela, dressed in soft cotton pajamas and with her hair in a messy bun, curled up on the couch with her pile of candy and numerous empty wrappers.

"Can I join you, or is this a party for one?" he quipped.

"You know you're always welcome," she answered with a warm smile.

Tony exhaled wearily as he sank down beside her on the couch.

"So, why didn't you have a Valentine's date tonight?" she asked.

Tony shrugged and dropped his gaze but did not offer an explanation.

"What?" Angela prodded. "She said no?"

Tony shook his head but still did not make eye contact.

"I didn't ask."

"Well why not, Tony? I'm su-"

"Angela," he cut her off. "I don't wanna talk about it, okay?"

"Oh..." she replied softly. "Okay."

"Truth is, I'd rather be here at home anyway."

Angela fought to suppress a flattered grin. She'd rather have him home than him be anywhere else, too, she mused.

"Yeah. Me too, Tony."

They slipped easily into comfortable silence as Tony flipped through the television channels. They caught each other's eye with matching grins as he paused on a channel airing The Way We Were.

"Hey, Tony?" she whispered between nibbles of candy.

"Yeah, Angela?"

"Would you like a kiss?"

His jaw slackened. He swallowed hard.

"I-uh... sure, Angela," his voice cracked.

Confusion furrowed his brows as he felt her place something into his hand. His eyes widened as he recognized the distinctive silver foil wrapper of the treat she had given him.

"Chocolate?"

His mouth ran dry as the realization of his misunderstanding enflamed his cheeks.

"Of course. Don't you want any?"

"Uh, yeah," he answered quickly, hoping she had not noticed his blunder. Tony held his breath as Angela rested her head gently onto his shoulder. He tried to breathe, but her natural scent of vanilla and honey was attacking his senses.

"Tony?" she whispered, her breath tickling his neck and sending a trail of goosebumps over his flesh.

He nodded, not trusting his own voice.

"Do you want a kiss?" she asked again, her voice still at a whisper.

Tony nodded once more and hoped she could not see the heat rising in him from the dim glow of the television. His body was on fire as she leaned even further into him. The touch of her skin against his own seemed to nearly burn him as she moved.

Her lips met his shyly at first then more confidently as his body began responding to her kiss. Tony pulled her closer into his embrace as he relished in the softness of her lips and the sweet chocolate taste of her mouth. His mind whirred as Angela moved to place a kiss onto his jawline before rising suddenly to her feet.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Tony," she said, her voice low and quiet.

Tony watched her, dumbstruck, as she fled hurriedly up the stairs. It was getting late, but he knew he would need a shower before bed - a very cold shower, at that.

He smiled to himself as her touch still seemed to tingle on his skin. Happy Valentine's Day, indeed...