The Little Things
By "Painbow"
Summary: Buffy reflects on her life with Angel after he becomes human. This is a light, fluffy, snarky fic taking place after Graduation Day.
A/N: I would just like to say that I really DO like Angel and Buffy...just not together. Also this story is inspired by a rather good discussion on the City of Angel Forum...I can't remember who it was who made the quip about the toothpaste, but thank you to that person and the other SPA posters. I'd love to take all the credit, but...well...then I'd be lying.
Disclaimer: I own nothing...well, not nothing, but I don't own Buffy or Angel or Giles...they all belong to Joss...and he won't share sniff.
A sound like a foghorn filled the air. It was loud, guttural...irritating. Buffy pulled the pillow from beneath her head and pushed it into her ear in an attempt to block out the snoring. She had to get up early for school, and all this snoring was keeping her awake.
She rolled over and poked Angel in the side. He mumbled something unintelligible and shifted in his sleep. The snoring ceased. Buffy thanked whatever higher power was looking down from above and tried to get comfortable.
And now she couldn't sleep. Thank you Angel, you big stupid beefcake, she thought. And beefcake he had become. His love of peanut butter and chocolate was impressive. She could barely keep it in the house.
She tried to access some of the initial euphoria she'd felt when he'd first become human. After the fight with the mayor, Angel had stood in the swirling mist, looking mysterious and broody and sad and not unlike an unmasked Batman. He'd turned to walk majestically into the night, to disappear from her life, coat billowing dramatically behind him, when suddenly and unearthly glow had suffused his being. Everyone had watched as he'd been lifted off the ground, surrounded by white light with a sound like a choir of angels singing harmoniously. When he'd been lowered back to earth and the ethereal music had ceased (Buffy could have sworn she'd heard a holy voice complaining about crummy tips), Buffy had run to his unconscious form only to find him warm and plus one beating heart. Angel had become human.
Giles had spent a lot of time researching what had happened, and had come up with some prophecy concerning an ensouled vampire. Shan-something. Angel was human to stay.
Initially it had been great. Buffy had moved into the mansion with him. It was free and the place was huge. Angel had rediscovered his love of food and they'd spent days in bed eating peanut butter and chocolate and fudge mint chip ice cream. They'd gone to the beach and had picnics and done everything a normal couple would. He had taken her into the light.
That was when they'd started to notice the little things. Angel was a neat freak. He hated it when Buffy left her clothes on the bedroom floor or ate in the bed, now even during sex. He got all bent out of shape when she forgot the screw the top on the toothpaste properly or when she didn't put the soap back in the soap dish.
But she was not the only one with foibles. Angel left the toilet seat up and never went shopping, even though he always ate all the peanut butter, and he was horribly tight with money. She kept bugging him about getting a cat, but he kept refusing, saying he was really more of a dog person. He had yet to get a job, claiming he was unsure yet of how his particular talents would be useful in the workforce. And he snored. He snored so loud the entire room vibrated with the depth and volume. They would start with ssnarrrrrggggg and the carry on to ghngg ghnnggg noise followed by a pfwhpptt. It was almost more than Buffy could stand.
And their arguments...their arguments were always so melodramatic, harkening back to their 'I love you but we can't be together days.' It was like their room was invaded by "Days of Our Lives" every time they disagreed on whose turn it was to take out the garbage.
But she loved him. She did. It didn't matter about the little stuff. Not when you were with your soul mate. Not when you were with the one person you thought you could never be with. The one you had to kill to save the world, the one who was returned from Hell, the one who had save your life on countless occasions. Even if the sex wasn't as exciting as it used to be and he was driving her nuts with his love of Charlton Heston movies, he was with The One. She knew it. He had to be. It was Fate. They were the star-crossed lovers. They deserved to be together. The little things didn't matter when it came to Destiny.
Buffy rolled over, finally relaxed enough to sleep. She was just drifting off when a sound rent the night. It was loud, guttural...irritating...
No wonder Romeo and Juliet killed themselves, Buffy thought. It would have been rather anti-climactic if she had smothered him with a pillow...
The End