First Day Jitters

by bohogirl

It's Collins first day at NYU and he gets a surprise when Angel does the laundry.

Title: First Day Jitters
Author: Jen
Feedback: Happiness is...
Pairing: Angel/Collins
Word Count: 1953
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Humor/Fluff
Summary: Collins gets a surprise when Angel does the laundry
Notes: Um...a bit longer then I wanted it to be...blush Had ideas for it to keep going but I figured a part two would work better
Special Thanks: To Jeff, my friend Liz's boyfriend Kevin's gay roommate for 2 of Angel's quotes and electrakitty74 for reading it over
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Rent isnt mine sobs, and NYU is a real school...just in case I needed that...ponders

"Baby, have you seen my shirt?" Collins called as he dug through his closet.

"Which one?" Angel asked from the bathroom.

"You know, the shirt I wear to work."

"Oh, you mean the only shirt you own?" Angel replied, rolling her eyes as she stepped out of the bathroom, toothbrush in hand. "Check the laundry basket. I did some yesterday."

Collins shut the closet door and turned around. "Where?"

"In our living room slash kitchen. Collins, sweetie, I love you, but for a professor, you're not very bright," Angel said, leaning against the door jamb.

Collins glared at Angel for a beat before heading into the living room slash kitchen to retrieve his shirt. It was his first day teaching at NYU and he had to look good to show the President and the Dean they hadn't made a mistake in hiring an anarchist who had a history of blowing things up.

He saw the 'laundry basket' or Angel's pickle tub serving as a laundry basket sitting on the floor and then began pulling out clothing, resisting the urge to just dump the whole thing on the floor. On top where Angel's clothing, the shirts and jeans she sometimes wore around their apartment to relax in after peeling off her extravagant outfits, followed by the actual outfits themselves. Collins smiled at each one, imagining his Angel in them before he finally reached his clothing. He tipped the tub upside, not personally caring if his clothes got a little wrinkled.

Then he found the shirt he'd been looking for. He choked back a sob and blinked a few times before closing his eyes, as if wishing what he'd seen hadn't been real, but when he opened them he saw it was. "ANGEL!" he called. "Angel, can you get in here!"

Angel stepped out of the bedroom, rubbing her face with a towel. "What? Not in there?"

Collins turned. "It was in there and...and it's pink. It turned pink." He held out the normally white button-down shirt that now had a faint tint of pink in it.

Angel had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. "Oh, sweetie, it's not all that bad." She stepped towards Collins and pulled the shirt from his hands. "Barely noticeable."

"You don't understand. Today's a very big day. I have to make a good impression. I can't show up. They might think I'm..." Collins stopped in mid-sentence and blushed slightly.

"Might think you're what? Gay? Imagine that." Angel rolled her eyes and handed the shirt back to Collins. "Matches the shade of pink your cheeks are right now. Collins, they hired you knowing full well what you did at M.I.T. and I'm sure they were told a few other things. M.I.T. knew you were gay, they knew you had AIDS. Honey, you'll be fine. Even in a pink shirt." She placed her hands on Collins cheeks then pushed herself up onto her tippy toes, pressing her lips to her lover's forehead. "Besides, I think you'd look good in pink."

"Yeah?" Collins asked, looking down at the shirt in his hands. "Suppose it would be covered up by jacket and sweater I'm going to wear."

"We just have to find you a tie that matches." Angel pressed a finger to her lips. "Hmm...what tie...OH!" She clapped her hands together. "I know." She skipped out of the room leaving Collins alone to seriously contemplate wearing a light pink shirt to work.

Angel reemerged a few minutes later, tie in hand. "And you know...you do have other shirts you could wear."

"I liked this one. What tie did you pick out?"

"You'll see. Put the shirt on."

Collins sighed but pulled off his t-shirt anyways and started to pull on the pink shirt.

"Mmnm...I should know better then ask you to take your shirt off in front of me."

"Later, Ang, I promise. Especially if I'm fired," Collins said as he tried to button up his shirt. In his nerves he missed a hole, throwing everything off.

"Let me, baby." Angel undid every button before doing up the shirt how it should be. "How did you manage before you met me?"

"I went to work in a white shi-OW!" Collins exclaimed when Angel pinched his side.

"What was that you were saying?" Angel asked, innocently. "About how you managed before you met me?"

"I didn't manage at all. I wasn't living until I met you. Better?"

Angel smiled and gave Collins a quick kiss. "Much." She put the tie around Collins' neck, tied it up like an expert, and placed it under the shirt collar. "Oh, it's not that bad at all, baby. You look good."

"I'd look good in a paper bag to you."

"Ew, I don't think so. Paper bags are so drab." Angel moved behind Collins and steered him into the bathroom. "Look in the mirror."

Collins sighed and looked at his reflection. In the mirror and with the light of the bathroom, it didn't look that bad. The tie Angel had picked out was a dark blue with small, multicolored vertical stripes, including pink and along with his skin tone made the pink of the shirt almost vanish. He only saw it when he really stared at into the mirror. "Wow, Angel...I do look good."

Angel chuckled. "Told you." She put her arms around Collin's waist and rested her chin on the older man's shoulder. "You'll be fine."

"I know I'm just...I always get nervous before I start a new semester and I...I just don't want trouble. You know how people can be."

"If anyone gives you trouble, just send them my way. I can handle it."

Collins smiled and turned around, placing his hands on Angel's hips. "Think you handle spending the day alone?"

"Oh, no how ever will I survive?" Angel said dramatically. "I'll be fine. Meeting up with Mimi and I'm going to doll her up for a night out with Roggie."

"Roggie?" Collins asked raising an eyebrow.

"Roggie. Just a little nickname." Angel gave Collins another kiss. "Go finished getting ready. You have to be leaving soon. I'll go make you a lunch." She turned to leave but was stopped by Collins' hand on her wrist. "What?

"I was hoping you'd stop by for my lunch," Collins said, smiling.

"Wait. Let me get this straight..."

"You aren't straight," Collins joked.

"Fine, let me get this...gayly accurate, you don't want to wear a pink shirt because your boss might think you're gay but you'll let your boyfriend, your wonderful boyfriend who dresses up as your wonderful girlfriend come and have lunch with you?"

Collins shrugged. "Yeah, basically."

Angel smiled and jumped up into Collins' arms, hugging him. "I love that idea. Now, go finished getting ready, Professor Collins or you'll be trouble on your first day."

Collins headed back into the bedroom, pull on his maroon sweater, and grabbed his jacket. "Ang, baby, time for me to get going."

Angel stepped out of the bathroom and grinned. "You look so hot. Maybe I'd better cancel with Mimi and go with you. Keep those co-eds off my man."

"Don't worry, baby. I'm a one-drag queen kinda man." He gave Angel a quick kiss. "Lunch at one good?"

"Perfect. Now, I want you to head to straight..." She sighed when Collins started chuckling again. "Are you a college professor or a college student? Anyway, head...gayly forward to school and don't talk to strangers."

"Yes, Mommy." Collins gave Angel another kiss. "I'll see you at one. Have fun with Mimi."

Angel gave him a slap on the ass as he headed out of the apartment and towards his new job.

It was nearly one when Collins finally managed to escape from his new colleagues and head into his office. He placed his books and class rosters on the desk, and grabbed his coat, eager for his lunch with Angel.

"Professor Collins, settling in well?" asked a voice from the door.

Collins looked up and started to sweat nervously when he saw the Dean standing in his doorway. "Well enough, sir."

"Find everything ok?"

"Yes, sir." Collins glanced over at the clock. He only had five minutes. "SSDC," he said shrugging.

"SSDC?"

"Same students, different city." He chuckled nervously. "Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm, uh, meeting...someone for lunch in five minutes and..."

"Oh,well, ok. Enjoy you're lunch. We can talk after."

Collins smiled and started out the door.

"Oh, one thing Professor Collins..."

Collins turned. "Sir?"

The Dean stepped closer. "Is your shirt pink?"

Collins stammered a bit. "Er, um...yeah. Yeah, it is."

"Huh, well, enjoy your lunch." The Dean smiled and headed out, leaving Collins alone to recover.

Angel appeared at the door and got concerned at the pale sheen of Collins face and layer of sweat that had formed on his brow. "Collins, babe, you ok?" she asked, running to her lover's side.

Collins glanced in Angel's direction and was surprised to her dressed in a simple pair of jeans, a blue sweat shirt, and tattered sneakers, something she usually avoided wearing, save for the end of long days or when she was feeling under the weather. "Yeah, I'm...I'm fine. Are you?"

"What? What is up with you guys? Mimi asked me the same thing! Of course I'm fine." Angel stepped back and shut the door to Collins' office. "Why to you ask?"

"Well, I mean, usually you're, well., not dressed like..."

Angel looked down and chuckled. "Like this? No, usually not, but I figured, since it's your first day it'd be less...controversial if I looked more like a student and less..."

"Less like yourself?" Collins smiled and softly kissed Angel. "Well, either way, I'm glad to see you."

"It's only been, what, five hours. Baby, it's ok to breathe without me around. Come on, let's get something to eat so you can relax."

Collins nodded. "I'm starving. Want to go out to eat?"

Angel put her hand on her hip. "Sweetie, I'm gay. I don't need to go anywhere to be out."

Collins rolled her eyes. "There's a place just off campus. Hear it's pretty good. Let's try there."

"Anyone ask about your shirt?" Angel asked as they stepped out of the office.

Collins groaned and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, the Dean, but he didn't seem to care."

"Told you, didn't I?" Angel winked and leaned in, her lips just millimeters from Collins' ear. "You should trust your Angel."

Collins chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

"I almost wish I was a student. Then I'd be sleeping with the hot new professor."

"Don't mean I would pass you."

Angel pouted slightly just outside the building. "You wouldn't?"

Collins groaned. "Ok, ok, I would. Just don't...pout like that." He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets before glancing over at Angel, dressed only in her sweatshirt. "Aren't you cold dressed like that?"

"Not really." She smiled. "You do look really hot in that pink shirt you know."

"And to think I wanted to ban you from doing laundry ever again."

"Hey, if you want to do it, by all means," Angel said. "But ruin any of my dresses and you'll have a heel up your ass."

Collins laughed, knowing she wasn't lying. "I think I'd rather something else up my ass."

Angel smacked him on the arm. "Dirty thoughts, Professor. Now, let's stop talking and go eat, Professor Pink Shirt."

Before Collins could answer, Angel took off down the street. Collins stood there, smiling before taking off after her. He still loved his Angel, even if she turned his favorite shirt pink.