Living Arrangements

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She opened the door for him of the apartment block from the after hours code to stop non-residents entering the place. Their recent shopping, well Buffy went shopping and the lost soul guy just stayed outside because security wouldn't allow him in. Buffy wanted to show her other face and scare him shitless because of the trouble that security man made even though he did have a point. Hobo boy might have an accident and give into temptation in eating one of the store clerks since he was hungry. Or maybe she should have let him chew on the security guard just so that wouldn't happen to the clerks and she wouldn't have the trouble finding the right sizes for her soul hobo vampire guy.

Much to an irritated Buffy, she had to half-carry half-drag him down the stairs to the basement while carrying the bags. She didn't know why she felt more at home in the basement than on the other floors, but she did. It was a good thing too, since the sun never really hit down there, making sure dear soul hobo vampire boy didn't go crispy on her. Maybe the appartment blocks were secretly design like this for demons or something.

It was not an easy task to manoeuvre him. Not because he was heavy, hell he needed a few extra pounds on him, but it was his bulk that was making it difficult. Just to simply stand up straight and more importantly move seemed to be a great task. He was weak, starved and very stinky, three things that was getting on her nerves. She truly wondered if this guy had ever heard of the butchers? Or a shower? On that point she was having a terrifying thought about all the dirt, slime and grease on his body. Would it clog up the draining system and would she then have to fork over hundreds of dollars to get it repaired? Even to that over baring disgusting landlord? Scary and yucky at the same time.

"You don't have to help me," he said, bringing her out of her thoughts "I can walk down some stairs".

"I'm not going to wait for you to drag yourself all the way to my apartment like you did on the streets and besides people might take advantage of you" Buffy said sarcastically "You know the stink perfume you've got going can be a real turn on".

He didn't say anything, not even a grunt. Quietness has taken a new level with this guy and she didn't like that, whatever he must have done must have been bad. She did not like the silence, silence was always awkward for her. She had to think of something, a conversation starter. Buffy then she realised the whole time that she had been with him she didn't get his name. She mentally shrugged away the embarrassment, after all in her un-life she barely had anytime for embarrassment, she looked at him. It would be good way to start another conversation supposedly.

"What's your name?" Buffy asked.

"Angel"

"Pretty. I'm Buffy, the sixties and the whole hippies kinda got to me so I changed my name to Buffy"

He grunted.

"Don't you like to talk?" Buffy asked.

He grunted.

Buffy rolled her eyes at him, then as they approached her apartment she managed to grab her keys out of pocket by making him lean on the wall beside the door and opened it. She pulled Angel on her side again helped him into the apartment and closed the door behind them as she turned the lights, illuminating the apartment. It was small and simple looking, she had only been in New York for a few weeks and didn't have the time to really decorate at the moment.

"It's not much to look at but it's home" Buffy said "Now it's your home, I'll pay your half for now till you can find money"

"You don't have to-"

"Hobo boy, don't argue with me" Buffy growled "Or I will serious kick your ass till you look like one of Picasso's painting. I've had a bad day. I got kicked out of a building quite literally and I had beat up a couple of vampires in a bar just to get a drink, then I had to search for you all over NYC, that security guard at the shop wouldn't let you in so I had to guess your shoe size and cloth size so if you complain a single thing about the it, although it might be bigger but hey if your muscles are going regenerate you may as well have it bigger, but anyway, if you complain I will kick your ass and the soap and shampoo? I hope you don't mind three tubs of the scent ivory and ocean since that is the only stuff I could find on short notice that won't make you smell like a girl"

Angel looked at her peculiarly, either she was the most oddest thing in the world or he didn't get one word.

"Hmm and speaking on the lines of 'like a girl' we are going have to cut your hair" Buffy said.

"What?" he said thrown.

"Sorry buddy but the 'Mandy' look is sooooooo over" Buffy said touching one of black locks and made a face as she felt the grease, slime and dirt in it "Take an hour shower and don't come out until all of the bad stuff is gone, I am not having my scissors rusted up or broken because of you. There's a cupboard with some towels in there" as she put the bags into his hands. "Give me your old clothes when you've finished and I will dispose of them and maybe a fellow hobo vamp would be grateful for. And if your real good boy I give you warm blood instead of cold, 'kay?" he look mystified at her. "Chop chop the shower's that way" she pointed towards the shower room, giving him and encouraging nudge towards the direction when didn't move.

Angel closed the door of Buffy's bathroom behind him, almost blinded at how white it was. An hour ago he couldn't really imagine being in bathroom as clean as this one but here he was. He tried to get a proper look at Buffy but her long hair and his hair blocked his view of her face. Maybe she was right about the hair thing. Sighing he placed a bag on toilet seat while letting the others fall to the ground and threw each piece of garment next to the door as he stripped down to his flesh, glad to be rid of the ill clothing. Taking the bottles of shampoo and soap he pulled the shower curtain away and he was hit by the raw smell of Buffy.
Although he was held by her; she smelt like disinfectant and some kind of funky blood that put him off and as they walked he barely could focus on any scent until now. Her female scent hit really hard and it didn't smell like the disinfectant or some kind of funky blood. She smelt like lilies, jasmine and sunshine. It took all his will to think about anything but it was really hard considering it had been decades since he had a woman. No matter how hard he tried the appetite he had for sex before he was turned was huge and with Angelus's appetite for women was triple that and combine them together, it was going to be hell.

"I don't hear any showering!" Buffy shouted through the door, snapping him out of his inner thoughts "Get a move a on!"

Making his lungs stop breathing, which really wasn't that hard since he was already dead and entered the shower cube. Closing the shower curtain he found he didn't know what to do.

"Red is hot and Blue is cold dummy" Buffy's floated back, as if she knew what was going on in there "Pulling the leaver up turns it on, off is pushing it down".

"Thanks" Angel muttered as he turned on the shower and getting a shock of heat blast he let out a shout before recouperating. He heard her laughing at his screech and found he was quite annoyed but fond of that laughter, even though he was thoroughly embarrassed.

"Sorry about that, should have warned you" Buffy said through her laugher "I like the heat" she opened the door unabashed from the situation.

Angel subconsciously covered himself despite having a shower curtain, stopping her from looking at him all naked. "What are you doing?" Angel asked, a little nervous of the situation as in his day women simply did not enter a room while a man was bathing and vice versa. The only time that ever happen was between husband and wife and only with the lower class, very rarely happened in the upper class.

"Getting your what-supposedly-passes-as clothes and getting rid of them" Buffy said as she packed them into a bag she brought with her "I don't want the smell sticking around here for a long time" she pauses then looked at the shower cube "What? You thought I was going to hop in there with you?"

"No" Angel said, though a bit too quickly.

"Don't worry honey I'll behave myself" Buffy smirked as she walked up to the shower curtain, seeing his blurred outline. "But you must know this is the twent-first centuary, things like this is not really that much of shocker to anyone anymore, just funnier." before abruntly went to leave and closed the door behind her as she left.

Angel sighed, he maybe older than her, he maybe more set in his old ways but he knew what she had done was still frowned upon as they were still strangers. Did this woman not know the word boundaries anymore or did she grew out of it?

When Buffy got back into the apartment after disposing of the dirty clothes she noticed Angel was still in the shower. Shaking her head in amusement, she took her coat off and tossed it to the sofa, revealing her twin swords on her thighs. They were one of the few things she kept from her old life, her slayer life. They were the reason why she went into that building that morning. It was to do with an evil auction house and apparently 'Daywalker's' swords were worth something since she was that much of a legend in underworld, maybe she should stop telling her story. With that thought in mind she walked over to the only mirror in her appartment and pulled her hair into a ponytail, as she glanced at her reflection.

Hmm, much better.

The marks on her face and neck had faded. Earlier on, she had scratch marks from breaking through the window glass of the auction building that day. Buffy found it funny that her skin healed slower than her bones as she shattered a rib on the landing part. It was now fully healed, and not to mention stronger than before. The drinks from the bar had helped, not with the whole healing process but for the pain, it was like annoying itch without it. Grabbing a scrunchy from the top of the mirror she placed her hair permanently into a ponytail and pulled of her top to inspect the rest of the damage, revealing bandages around her torso. She peeled off one the bandages and hissed at the sight.

"Damn too many tequila's and not enough rum" Buffy muttered, to her tequila numb the pain and rum numb the brain. Or was it the other way round?

She looked at her reflection and did the thing she always did since the first time she had the courage to look into a mirror after she had been turned. She morphed to her vampire visage and her reflection disappeared on her. Vampires were suppose to cast no reflection and yet hers could be shown in human form but in vampire form…it never showed. She knew that if she was in vampire form other vampires would find her more attractive than in human form, so it kept her wondering where they saw the beauty in it. Maybe from the darkness the vampire side possess or her human features could contrast well with the demon inside of her. Either way she couldn't see it not when she couldn't see her other face. Too invested in her reflection she didn't hear Angel opening the bathroom door.
No longer dirty, grimy and smelly he was clean, fresh and odourless and wearing black pants, black shoes and a red silk shirt and although damp his hair looked healthier, shinier and lighter, well if the light now hit his hair it would look lighter. And he was in awe.

Despite the wounds on her, he felt lost in the beauty. He saw the twin swords attached to her hips, he didn't even feel them against him while she held him and it led to questions of how she got into the shop without sending off the metal detectors. But that didn't make him swallow as he could see perfection in her beautiful body. He could see each muscle on her naked back coaxed in power but her posture looked innocent and withdrawn. The opposite to the first impression he had of her and because of that he had the urge to protect her. What he was seeing now what was girl left in the shadow of the slayer, she had grown up way too fast.
Sighing she picked up her top and put it back on, she then walked over to her fridge. She pulled out four blood bags, two cups, one much bigger than the other, and filled them up to the top. Then placing them in the microwave on high and started it off, she rolled her shoulders and turned around to shriek at the sight Angel.

"Sorry" Angel muttered, noticing her posture changed back.

"Don't do that!" Buffy said, placing her hand over her heart "If I wasn't dead I'd of had a heart attack! You do something, yell, yodel hell even a simple noise to let me know your there, do you know how hard it is for someone sneak up on me? Your lucky your not dead, true to the word dead."

"Sorry" Angel said again, not looking at her.

"How long have you been there?" Buffy asked

"Couple of minutes" Angel said.

"Count your ass lucky cause I mean what I say" Buffy said.

There was quietness between them. Taking that as a moment to look at him properly and mentally patted herself on the back for her choice on the silk. Ever since she was turned all five senses had heightened and texture became a real issue which was one of the reasons she wore mainly satin, silk and cotton against her bare skin, other materials made her feel claustrophobic and the feeling that silk would be good on him was really good. It hang loosely against his body yet touched in the right place and she couldn't help but see even though he was starved she could see he was quite lean. Silk definitely agrees with him and she involuntarily swallowed at that, maybe she should have jumped him in the shower. It would have been easy since he was weak and she did smell his arousal in there, even traces of it in the air now. She looked at his face and up till now she never looked at him properly.

Walking up to him he look up at her in surprise but didn't say anything as he watched her as she moved closer to him. She touched a piece of his hair and smiled that he did as he was told, no grease, dirt or slime in that hair anymore. Then gently as possible she smoothed the hair away from his face and got a breathtaking good look of his very handsome face. Noticing that his breathing seemed quicken despite he didn't to breath her smile grew almost affectionate. She tilted her head like an inquisitive child, admiring his face.
Why would he hide his face with this hair? It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and meant it, given that her life was full ugliness and such. It was true to his name, a very angelic face and he looked so familiar she couldn't put her finger on it. She looked into his deep mahogany eyes and before she realised what she was doing she was leaning in for a closer look. As if on cue the microwave went 'ding', signalling that the blood was at perfect temperature. She shook away the moment and went on automatic pilot as she walked over to the microwave then took the blood out. Not realising he had been affected as much as she had been.

"Here" she said as she handed him the larger cup "Drink up, I want to see every drop down that throat of yours, this is the good stuff and it cost me a pretty penny to get it" then passed him and sat down on the sofa.

Angel sat down on the far side of the sofa and took a sip of the blood. She was right, it was good.

"Buffy?" Angel asked after a moment of scilence.

"Yes?" Buffy said.

"Why are you doing this?" Angel asked.

"The truth? I don't know, could have refused to look after you. To make something out of you, a champion of Good." Buffy said "You see, I've lived my life in this sequel kill the baddies, have something to eat, do a little pondering of why the hell I'm a vampire and why was I put on the planet, snooze and repeat the whole process till I'm dead. I guess I needed a change of scenery".

"Oh" Angel said.

"What about you? Why did you finally accept my help?" Buffy said.

"Change of scenery" Angel cryptically said, a smile hinting in the corners of his lips "Besides you would have dragged me out of the alley kicking and screaming if I refused"

"Damn straight" she raised her cup in a toast manner and took a swig.

"How did you get your soul?" Angel asked as he looked at his mug.

"Like I said before it didn't leave me when I died. I'm not quite sure if I died or not since when you die your soul goes" Buffy said "But mine didn't, I thought it was to do with being a slayer then I found that there have been slayers that have been turned and was very vampy, so fifty/fifty chance being a slayer" she shrugged "I don't know how I still got my soul but it has everything to with the fact that I'm not a normal vampire"

"Well... you were a slayer" Angel asked.

"Sometimes I wish it wasn't like that though. The Watcher's Council, if they found a Slayer had been turned they'd go after them. I was either lucky or smart enough to play it off to have just disappeared, if I hadn't I'd be dust by now." Buffy said, when he didn't say anything she continued. "I sort of devised a way for me to under the radar and still be quite the legend amongst the vampire community, keeps them down whenever they hear my super hero name."

"I haven't been keeping in touch with the vampire community, so I wouldn't really know." Angel pointed out.

"Oh, right, I guess you wouldn't" Buffy said, watching carefully for his reaction. "They, uh, call me 'Daywalker'."

Angel's eye's widened slightly in shock, then narrowed slightly.

"No, I'm not messing with you" Buffy said, then pulled off the hidden cross around and held it in her palm.

Angel reached over and placed a finger over the cross. He didn't touch it but he could feel his blood screaming to move his hand away from it. It was authentic down to tiny detail of disgust his demon held towards it. He looked at her and she was calm as could be as he moved away from the cross.

"I don't know how it's like this but it is" Buffy said as she put the cross on and put it behind her top. "I tried finding answers but all I got was more questions. What about you? How did you get your soul".

"I ate a gypsy girl, her family didn't like me very much afterwards" Angel said softly. "Been cursed ever since".

"Having your soul back? I would call it more along the lines of a blessing" Buffy said.

Angel looked away from her and drank the rest of his blood in silence. It was more of a curse than a blessing with his soul. He was disgusted that his hands had ended many life's in the most gruesome yet ironic deaths they could possibly imagine. But Buffy never lost her soul, never tortured and killed innocent people and so she couldn't imagine how he was cursed and she was blessed. She was so beautiful, didn't she realise what kind of monster she was sitting next to?

"Did I say something wrong?" Buffy asked, noticing his silence.

"Where do I sleep?" he asked.

"This couch flips into a bed" she said, she kept a mental note on his change of behaviour "Do you need to sleep?"

"I'm very tired" Angel muttered, glad to have ended the conversation.

"Okay" Buffy said, she got up and grabbed her coat and threw it on her chair in her kitchen cube.

Angel stood to walk over to the kitchen area and placed his empty cup in the sink as Buffy turns the couch into a bed for him. She then headed to a cupboard and grabbed some sheets out for him to sleep with. She handed him the sheets when he approached her and walked to her bedroom, deciding she needed some rest after such a long day.

"If you need anything I'm in there" she pointed to her bedroom but before she could catch some sleep there was a knock on her apartment door. "Right after I deal this person" she sighed as she turned towards the door instead.

Ooooooooo. Who's at the door? You'll have to wait for the next chapter, anyway review!